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From hearing firsthand accounts about the plight of Palestinians to collaborating with a local group that makes textile art, being part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Mosaic of Peace conference in the Holy Land was a memorable experience for past participant Megan Acedo.
Presbyterian Mission Agency mission co-workers the Revs. Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather were recently in the United States to meet with several entities at the United Nations to create awareness around the critical needs of those living in South Sudan under the barrage of continued violence and near-civil war. Hosted by the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, the Smith-Mathers led a morning chapel service for a group of in-person and online worshipers via Zoom.
Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock, an acclaimed author and theologian and a senior vice president and director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America, served this past summer as the McClendon Scholar-in-Residence at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. She recently gave an online lecture, “Moral Injury and Climate Change: Reclaiming Our Love for This Earth.”
Reading and seeing the testimonies of thousands of migrants who have survived crossing the Darién Gap jungle on foot, their exposure to hunger, bug bites and infections of all kinds, getting lost without being found, being victims of extortion, robbery and sexual abuse by mafias on both sides of the jungle under the complicit indifference of the authorities is a social scandal and degrading to human dignity.
The Office of Christian Formation of the Presbyterian Mission Agency has received a grant of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to come alongside parents, caregivers, churches and worshiping communities to provide skills, opportunities for connection and relationship building, and the resources needed to enhance and prioritize sharing faith in households.
The Rev. Martha Sadongei encourages Native American siblings who follow Christ to blend their faith with their Indigenous practices, and she had a ready story to illustrate just how during a recent episode of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” which can be heard here. Sadongei comes in at the two-minute mark.
Our denominational response to the Matthew 25 call to aid those less fortunate is lived out through the foci of strengthening worship communities, eradicating systemic poverty and combating racism. An old proverb states that a long journey is made step by step. And so it is that our partners in the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are taking steps to improve formal education systems and provide life options that will lead to a more productive and healthy society.
A recent Monday morning saw conference rooms 1A and 1B at the Presbyterian Center transformed into a movie location. About 16 young people gathered to work on creating videos as part of the Trailblazers Program.
“If we learn how to listen, we can hear in the voice of Creation a kind of dissonance. On the one hand, we can hear a sweet song in praise of our beloved Creator; on the other, an anguished plea, lamenting our mistreatment of this our common home.”
If the prophet Isaiah has promised that “those who wait for the Lord will … run and not get tired … walk and not become weary,” then the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network plans to deliver on that promise with a healthy dose of inspiration and information.
