As a child, the Rev. Dr. Lindsay Armstrong loved Mister Rogers and his neighborhood of make-believe — especially the puppets King Friday XIII and Henrietta Pussycat.
In the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward in Castro Valley, California, a village of five tiny homes is the most visible manifestation of the church’s effort to address homelessness. “We’ve come to the theological place, maybe philosophical, that housing is a human right,” said the Rev. Jake Medcalf, Hayward’s lead pastor. “If we don’t provide housing in our neighborhoods, especially in an area like the Bay, we are literally — I don’t think it’s dramatic, I think it’s real — condemning people to die on the streets.”
Romans 8 describes a world groaning and lamenting for its redemption. Not only Creation, the writer says, but we ourselves groan waiting for redemption of our bodies. The good news is that the Spirit of God intercedes, for nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) volunteers Richard and Susan Caldwell had been praying about their mission work and where God would lead them to when fate stepped in. In April, tornadoes tore through their state the morning after Easter, sparing their South Carolina home but leaving extensive damage just blocks from their church, Seneca Presbyterian, and killing one person.
Alaska’s breathtaking beauty can be deceiving. Just ask anyone who calls the last frontier home. Suicide rates, among the highest in the country, show no signs of abating anytime soon. According to Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services, suicides increased by 29% from 2012 to 2017, up 13% from 2007 to 2011. While substance abuse exacerbates these statistics, there are other factors as well. Alaska’s unofficial nickname, “Land of the Midnight Sun,” where the sun disappears during the winter, often leads to a spike in seasonal affective disorder. Then there are the economic repercussions of a weakening oil industry. Add in Alaska’s already isolated lifestyle and a slippery slope becomes slicker for its residents.
Which Harry Potter character are you? Which famous clown are you? Which “Friends” character are you?
Quizzes like this abound on the internet, claiming to tell us who we identify with most in pop culture. And they’re not just on the internet. I remember a rogue questionnaire — “Which Princeton Theological Seminary professor are you?” — that a couple of seniors with too much time on their hands wrote.
In Durham, North Carolina, downtown revitalization will soon get a collaborative kickstart through the construction of hundreds of units of affordable housing, which city and county officials agree is a growing need in the community.
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20) is an intercultural call to make disciples of all nations. As we engage in fulfilling this call, our commission to discipleship is sharing the good news of salvation with individuals from these nations in their own languages, traditions and cultures.
