pandemic

Crisis & Creativity

Creative endeavors — music, painting, baking, writing — can be a powerful outlet in times of crisis to free the mind from routines and foster growth.

A church struggles to do the right thing

A congregation agonized over whether to shut down a construction project to protect workers’ health — but thereby denying them their wages.

California church blends old and new technology to provide worship during pandemic

Many of a certain age can fondly harken back to loading into the family station wagon and visiting the local drive-in movie theater. Finding just the right spot to get a great view of the screen, attaching the scratchy metal speaker to the partially rolled-down window, and sitting in the back seat with blankets, pillows, a big tub of popcorn and a drink were integral parts of the outdoor movie experience.

‘People delight in the feeling of making a difference’

Leaders of worshiping communities may be hesitant as they seek to bolster funding during a pandemic. But there are ways to do that by inviting people to do what they want to do anyway, the Revs. Jon Moore and Princeton Abaraoha told about 40 people participating in a webinar called “Funding your Ministry in a Time of Crisis,” put on by 1001 New Worshiping Communities.

Answering God’s call to work with refugees in Greece

In the fall of 2015, mission co-worker Nadia Ayoub was attending a conference with colleagues in Budapest when the city’s Keleti train station became the epicenter of the refugee crisis overwhelming Europe. She could not forget the images of children sleeping on cardboard, families with not enough to eat and the pervasive fear of what would happen next.

Finding a new normal during a global pandemic

On the surface, things seemed calm. Professors came and left every two weeks, teaching courses to adult South Sudanese students on various aspects of peacebuilding. The students sang together during morning devotions, laughed while acting out dramas in class, and played boisterous volleyball matches before dinner. The staff enjoyed the liveliness of a campus brimming with activity. Yet underneath, we were all aware of the country’s instability. At any time, a spark might fly, igniting a rapidly spreading flame of violence.

An online service of lament

With mission co-workers and other Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staff tuned in from all over the country — and some from abroad — Compassion, Peace & Justice on Wednesday offered up “By the Waters of Babylon,” an online worship service of lament attended by more than 80 people.