A Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) delegation recently visited Sri Lanka, where they learned about the lives of tea plantation workers and the implications for PC(USA) mission work in Sri Lanka.
Today’s heroes don’t wear power suits, fly in on fancy jets or have superpowers. The real heroes of today are the people on the street helping people who are poor, connecting communities, and risking arrest in protest of oppressive systems. Oftentimes these heroes are women who work every day to make the world a better place for themselves and their children. That was the message Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis brought to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.
To be relevant in the 21st century, the church must read Scripture differently — to determine who is left out of the biblical texts and reach out to those people, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II told Seattle Presbytery on Jan. 16 in a thunderous sermon that electrified a full house at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church.
Presbyterian churches across the denomination will turn their attention to people and communities in need this spring. April 8 is Self-Development of People (SDOP) Sunday, an opportunity for congregations to focus on the work to help disadvantaged people and low-income community groups.
Nobody rocked a cardigan sweater better than TV personality Fred Rogers. The beloved Presbyterian pastor hosted the nationally syndicated TV show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood for 33 years on PBS. He began each episode by changing into his sneakers and putting on a cardigan before teaching children lessons of unconditional love and empathy as he interacted with his neighbors.
The Rev. T. Denise Anderson, Co-Moderator of the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), added her voice today to the many faith leaders present for the launch of The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in Washington, D.C.
At this year’s Big Tent, General Assembly Co-Moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston recommended Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said about the Poor for their “One Church, One Book” discussion. The author, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, offers her thoughts and questions here: What does the Bible say about poverty? Is it an unfortunate but inevitable reality? Is it the fault of the poor themselves? Is it a way to get close to God? Is it a curse from God?
For the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, seeing large numbers of homeless people in one city was eye-opening.
The genesis of the Hands and Feet initiative came from Nelson, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), after his experience at the 222nd General Assembly (2016) in Portland. He had never seen so many homeless people in one place.
Although many children grow up in an atmosphere of violence, poverty and other negative influences, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) initiative is working to counter that reality.
In the first six months of a new program to fight hunger, Presbyterians nationwide have responded with commitment and action.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) has announced that more than 70 Presbyterian churches have become Hunger Action Congregations since the initiative was announced last summer.
