While they come from different generations and different continents, Ravo Vonialiosa and Lucy Janjigian are both shaped by histories of hardship that nurture their passion for peace and justice.
They say their commitment was strengthened last year after they encountered one another through a travel study seminar sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, a ministry supported through gifts to the Peace & Global Witness Offering. Participants in the seminar visited Madagascar, an island nation 250 miles off Africa’s eastern coast. Due to years of unsustainable development practices and government instability, the Malagasy people suffer from poverty and malnutrition.
Mission Presbytery — which includes 134 congregations in the southern fifth of Texas — has a lot in common with your presbytery. We’ve had some congregations merge as a way to seek survival, and others close if no other options seemed available. Also, like you, we’ve lost some congregations to other denominations. We’re convinced, however, that God’s presence among us is not lessened. We believe that God still has plenty to do among the saints in South Texas. So, we as a presbytery are choosing instead to “make lemonade out of our lemons” — or in more theological terms, to practice resurrection.
“Let us worship our Creator with minds open to the wisdom of all God’s people, remembering that once listening and respect once had no place in our society.” These were the opening words to the Call to Worship led by Elona Street-Stewart, executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, as staff and guests celebrated Native American Day on Sept. 12 at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Center in Louisville.
In just 51 years, the Rev. Dr. Charles “Chip” Andrus lived a truly remarkable life. He died the weekend of Sept. 8, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
As a child growing up in Luverne, Minnesota, Doris Schoon learned the words to “Jesus Loves Me” in Chinese.
Doris was touched by this simple exercise led by her pastor, the Rev. Otto Braskamp, who had once been a Presbyterian missionary in China. Though she no longer remembers the Chinese lyrics, the music of mission continues to play in her. She views the service of mission co-workers as a sign of vitality in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The Gallery at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey, recently showcased the paintings, photographs and poetry of local artist Andrew Weatherly.
Weatherly is the 26-year-old man with Down syndrome who created the artwork for Presbyterians Today’s 2018 Advent Devotional, God Lifts the Lowly.
The stress of everyday living often blinds us to the blessings we enjoy. That is why Thanksgiving Day can play such a wonderful role in our lives. It is an occasion to remind ourselves of the gifts that surround us and to give thanks for them. Gratitude is a crucial component of Christian discipleship. Meister Eckhart, the German mystic of the Middle Ages, wrote, “The most important prayer in the world is just two words long: ‘Thank You.’”
When you hear about a congregation’s hospitality, you might picture people greeting one another after Sunday services.
Or you might picture people chatting around a table in the fellowship hall during a church potluck. Chances are, you wouldn’t picture people delivering dog toys and dish towels to a camper parked in the church’s parking lot.
When Hurricane Florence hit the eastern coast of the United States, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Presbyterian Women (PW) sent out a reminder that September was National Preparedness Month (NPM). Since 2014, through the Presbyterian Women Disaster Preparedness program, PDA and PW have collaborated to assist congregations and presbyteries to create disaster preparedness plans. Today, the program has more than 150 women from 68 presbyteries across the country, including 43 new trainers from the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women last month in Louisville, Kentucky.
My day started with a call alerting me of a death that had occurred at dawn and requesting the presence of a chaplain for comfort. I had met the family the previous week and knew they were accepting of the prognosis and nearing transition.
