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mission yearbook
We are bombarded by news in our nation and around the world of the manifold ways the rich prey on the poor, the strong oppress the weak, and racism and religious intolerance erupt in horrific acts of violence. Moreover, the leaders of nations continually conspire to create international conflict in their reach for power.
We see headlines every day from nations around the world telling us about crisis and conflict — and stories of people living in and overcoming extraordinary circumstances.
Every year since 1865, there has been one day that most black people have held as a celebratory occurrence. On June 19, 1865, the last of the black Americans who were in the condition of chattel servitude were freed. Texas, the last state to hold out on the edict of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln more than two years prior, had finally been forced into compliance. And so, it is this date in June that many black Americans consider to be Independence Day and thus a cause for annual jubilation that we have entitled Juneteenth.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency recently approved 12 Mission Programs Grants for a diverse range of new worshiping communities.
For this Father’s Day Mission Yearbook entry, I decided to rely heavily on one of the National Council of Presbyterian Men’s Bible Study Guides prepared by Presbyterian men for Presbyterian men. There are 24 of these study guides; 23 are based on books of the Bible and one on “Some Biblical Bases of a Brief Statement of Faith.” The guide used for this Minute for Mission, based on 1 Samuel, is titled “Fathers, Brothers, Friends, and Others: A Study of Male Relationships,” authored by H. Michael Brewer and edited by Curtis A. Miller. The other references also come from the study guide.
Narciso, Feliciano and Alberto had labored hard on a construction project in the hot Arizona sun for several days. Though the work was demanding, the promise of payday kept these day laborers going. They had cupboards to fill and bills to pay.
The next U.S. presidential primary election will feature at least three viable women candidates — a development that would have no doubt thrilled Presbyterian minister and leader Eunice Poethig. The Presbyterian Historical Society recently completed the processing of Poethig’s papers, and they illuminate her advocacy work in expanding the numbers of women and people from other marginalized communities serving as leaders in ministry and civic life.
In late January, Daniel Pappas was riding in a van with his video equipment, traveling toward the border of Burma (Myanmar). Most people don’t get that kind of opportunity, but to him it’s just another happy step on a path he didn’t know he was taking.
Imagine being so ill or traumatized that you cannot remember where you were born. You have no identification. You cannot work. You have no home.
Choosing a protein for a meal is no easy task. Can you afford it? Is it good for you? If you have kids, will they
eat it? Then there are the less common and more challenging questions: Was the earth harmed? Were the workers treated well? Did the animal suffer? And how is our protein consumption contributing to carbon emissions and climate change?
