It’s nearly time to celebrate “Mr. Rogers’ Day” in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and what better day to do so than March 20, the birthday of one of the most well-known ordained Presbyterian ministers of all-time, everyone’s neighbor — Fred McFeely Rogers (1928–2003).
It’s been almost a year since most of the employees of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) packed up their offices and left the building because of COVID-19. While the building may be closed, customer service employees who work at the Presbyterian Center are actively engaged and continue to be available to assist Presbyterians from across the country.
As the Rev. Jacoba Vermaak — people call her Pastor Kobie — talks with people who have begun lining up for a week of free groceries at 5 o’clock each Monday morning, she spends a few moments listening to each person describe how they never imagined they would be standing in line for a handout. Simply put, it was beyond what they expected for themselves.
Despite the curtailment of theater-going by the pandemic, 2020 was nonetheless a good one for those looking for films that do more than entertain us. I was again hard-pressed to pare down to just 10 my list of 20 or so films dealing seriously with ethics or social justice. Thus, as usual, you will find at the end of the article a list of other worthy films you should also watch before the end of the year.
The Youth Services Opportunities Project (YSOP), a short-term mission program founded nearly 40 years ago by Edward Doty, is continuing its mission — virtually — during the pandemic.
On day one of the 2020 Virtual Vital Congregations Gathering, four panelists from Trinity Presbytery described how beginning the two-year VC initiative in January 2020 — and its Seven Marks of a Vital Congregation — helped prepare them as church leaders for the pandemic.
The Rev. Dr. Whitney and Amy Dempsey have a decorative wooden sign hanging in the hallway of their home in Colorado. It’s a Japanese proverb that they both feel summarizes the essence of the work they do: “The sun setting is no less beautiful than the sun rising.”
While the apocalyptic genre might seem relatable in some ways during these times we’re living in, the characters I have found myself relating to most during the pandemic are those found in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account of life in 19th century America that she writes about in “Little House on the Prairie.” Letting out the hem of last year’s dress to make do for a growing child totally makes sense now. Who needs new clothes when you never leave home? Sitting around the fire at night for a sing-along with Pa while Ma does the mending?
Like many Presbyterian mission co- workers, Dustin and Sherri Ellington have a foot in two worlds.
The Ellingtons, who have served in Zambia with sons Clayton and Christopher since 2010, are currently in Pasadena, California, sheltering-in-place during the pandemic.
The Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Theology and Worship have together prepared a statement on the sacrament of baptism and services of ordination and/or installment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
