The Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to take immediate steps to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Expressing concern about the impact of climate change on God’s creation, commissioners of the regional body say they are compelled to take action.
Human rights are our most basic need. Yet in every village, city, and nation across the globe Countless numbers of people Are denied their human rights.
As violence increases, chaplain calls for increase in spiritual support
For the Rev. Howard Dotson, the decision to become a chaplain and crime victims’ advocate began when two young men he was talking with were gunned down within a half hour of his meeting. The two were on a street corner raising money for a friend who had been shot and killed two days before. Dotson says the two wanted to make a stand against gun violence and honor a fallen friend before becoming victims themselves.
There was at least one elephant in the room at Chris Pomfret’s workshop at the 2016 ARMSS/POAMN conference.
But an elephant could scarcely have fit into the packed meeting space, which nearly exceeded the room’s seating capacity with conference-goers eager to engage the workshop’s theme, “Making Our Third Thirty a Great Thirty: How to Make the Difficult Decisions.”
Over two mornings at the 2016 ARMSS/POAMN conference—a national event jointly sponsored by the Association of Retired Ministers, Their Spouses or Survivors and the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network — the Rev. Dr. John T. Carroll shared his wisdom in a comprehensive, two-part keynote address with broad implications for his audience of pastors, educators, and others engaged in ministry with older adults.
Town hard-hit by 9/11 deaths honors service members, veterans
Each fall for five years Westminster Presbyterian Church in Middletown, New Jersey, has assembled a memorable display on its Great Lawn. Beginning in 2012, the church’s Field of Flags has displayed one American flag for every service member killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. In 2015 the number was 6,841. When the congregation put out flags on Saturday, October 15, this year, the number of service persons killed had grown to 6,860.
In 2015, Auburn Seminary launched a signature educational initiative: The Auburn Senior Fellows program, gathering some of the most passionate and talented faith leaders working for justice in the United States today. The inaugural group includes people who live out their faith and work as a pastor, a rabbi, a theologian, an activist, a bishop, a nun, an organizer. It includes people from the breadth of Christianity (Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical), and from the Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions. They are Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers.
Niger has consistently ranked at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. Indicators that
reflect that ranking include the following:
• Only 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women are literate.
• There is one doctor for every 50,000 people.
• One in seven women dies in childbirth.
• 40 percent of children under age five are malnourished.
• 20 percent of children die before their fifth birthday.
• Up to 90 percent of the population is involved in subsistence agriculture.
David Greene had a vision. The woodworker, a member of Echo Hill Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids, dreamed of developing a team of church congregants to construct quality wooden toys for less fortunate children of all ages. The toys would be non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and creatively constructed to spark the imaginations of the children playing with them. Remembering fondly the hours of fun and creative play with their favorite childhood toys prompted a group of congregants to take a leap of faith to begin the Toy Club.
To connect with justice is to connect with the heart of God. It is a part of God’s core character. It is not optional but necessary. Jesus, the very fulfillment of Scripture—God on earth, here with us—declared in his first message that justice and compassion would be at the center of his ministry. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus doesn’t say, “I am here just for your soul.” No, he declared that through the power of the Holy Spirit he was going to set captives free, bring sight to the blind, and break the chains of injustice!
