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Forest Hill Presbyterian Church has always been progressive, according to pastor John Lentz. The Cleveland Heights, Ohio, church found itself having to make some tough decisions in the past year when a woman in their community faced deportation.
Five years in the making, the 2018 Book of Common Worship (BCW) for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is now available. There are three new sections in the BCW — on creation and ecology, justice and reconciliation, and interreligious events. Included in these sections are services for:
• Blessings of the Animals
• Resources for prayer and worship after a violent event
• Guidelines for gathering neighbors of other faiths or no faith for times of celebrations, or when there is conflict or crisis
More than 220 Presbyterians gathered this spring at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., for Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day, which kicked off Ecumenical Advocacy Days. The annual gathering brings Presbyterians together to engage in issues of national and international interest. The theme for this year’s event was “A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People.”
Not too long ago our presbytery meeting was held at a cathedral-like church with thick stone, intricate stained glass and a grand, high pulpit. As I climbed the steps to the pulpit, I swear the air got thinner. When I got to the top and behind the mic, I felt like I was commanding a starship. There was a smooth wooden shelf encircling the area, like an expansive console surrounding me, but without flashing computer screens. I felt like I could pilot the church straight to heaven. As I looked down upon my colleagues something inside me felt strange. Then I realized what it was. I had pulpit envy.
Satoe Soga was 11 and miserable.
She’d just moved from Taiwan to Japan with her parents, who were ordained Presbyterian ministers. Her father had been called to a Taiwanese congregation there.
Saying Palestinians have a right to demonstrate peacefully and with dignity in their decades-long conflict with Israel, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined more than a dozen other Christian denominations and organizations in a joint statement calling for an end to violence in the region.
The Rev. Dr. Niles Reimer is an unassuming presence in any setting, and that’s the way he likes it. For 90-year-old Reimer, a return visit in January to a town in Ethiopia was the chance to see dear friends and make new memories with generations of young Christians. His many contributions include translating the Anywaa Bible, which made it possible for the Anywaa people to read the Scriptures in their own language.
In just a few months, Presbyterian churches across the U.S. will be hosting the 2018 International Peacemakers.
This year, 10 peacemakers are expected to take part in the annual event, sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
Stewardship season was in full swing at Healdsburg (California) Community Church last fall when tragedy struck. Raging wildfires in Sonoma County wiped out vast residential areas within 20 miles of the church. Every church member — even those whose own homes were safe — knew people affected by the fires.
Every March, goats hold a place of honor at Sherrill’s Ford Presbyterian Church.
Inspired by the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, the North Carolina congregation highlights how goats improve people’s lives in the developing world. Then members are invited to give toward the congregation’s collective purchase of goats through the catalog.
