Sometimes the simplest questions give rise to the most interesting conversations. That is what I discovered one morning at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.
The agricultural metaphor was one of Jesus’ favorites. Speaking to a people of the land, Jesus used the imagery of the land often in his parables and sermons. A sower who went out to sow. A lamp and a bushel basket. Growing seed. Mustard seed. And that is just one chapter (Mark 4). Throughout his ministry, Jesus connected God’s work to the growth from the land. The nourishment and sustenance of the earth became metaphors for the care and support of God’s in-breaking Reign.
Business is looking good for a group of Somali refugee women seeking to support their families in Columbus, Ohio. The group is part of the Capital Park Women’s Empowerment Project, which gives low-income women the opportunity to forge their own paths and market their businesses.
In late June 2016, mere days after winning Peru’s presidential election by a thin margin, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski turned his eyes on the troubled community of La Oroya, where for more than 15 years Presbyterian World Mission and the Presbyterian Hunger Program have joined with partners Joining Hands Peru (Red Uniendo Manos Peru) in seeking justice for city’s residents.
Alex Pappas, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ministerial inquirer under the care of Grace Presbytery, has received the Grace Presbytery Fellowship to fund her full seminary costs as she pursues a master of divinity degree at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
In 2014, a year before Madison Presbyterian Church’s 200th anniversary, Jill Wiest and I volunteered to see what information we could find to enhance the celebration. After looking through many old files, we wondered if we had found everything—after all, there are many nooks and crannies in our 1846 church building.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board is pleased to announce that it has accepted an invitation from the Presbytery of San Juan to hold its March 2017 meeting in Puerto Rico.
South Presbyterian Church of Rochester, N.Y., is full of energy and vitality, which has not always been the case. Under the faithful, intentional leadership of Pastor Deb Swift, the church made the painful decision to sell their building. Even though it is beautiful, the building had become a burden for this small, declining church. Through New Beginnings, attending our Evangelism conferences, and the church’s heart to be on mission, the leadership of the church made the decision to sell their building without knowing where they would worship.
If it’s true—according to a children’s hymn—that “all God’s creatures got a place in the choir,” then Caleb Chincoya is an overachiever.
The multi-talented 21-year-old college senior takes up at least five spots—playing guitar, bass, congas, drums, and piano—in the band.
Today’s lectionary text from the letter to the Ephesians reminds us that the love of God anchors and sustains us. It is the firm ground underneath our feet. It is the fertile soil in which we are rooted, allowing us to grow and flourish. Scripture is full of images from the agricultural world that describe God’s kingdom.
