The Rev. Dr. John Robert Goodman, a pastor and mid council executive appreciated and respected for his polity knowledge proffered at the many General Assemblies he served as a volunteer, died Aug. 8 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was 81.
The Rev. Dr. Glen Bell, an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with 30 years of experience, joined the Presbyterian Foundation on Aug. 31 as Senior Vice President of Development.
I recently posted on Facebook a picture of Sy Harrington, a lifelong member from Erwin Presbyterian Church in Erwin, North Carolina, shaking hands and passing a key for the facility to a commissioned ruling elder, Jose Perez, who pastors Manantial de Vida, a Latino worshiping community. A meeting had just ended between members of an administrative committee that dissolved Erwin Presbyterian, leaders from Manantial and staff from the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina. We met to discuss if Manantial, a growing worshiping community with up to 70 members, that was being forced out of their location, could meet on the property of the former church. After two hours of conversation, we closed with prayer. Manantial had a new home.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) sent three National Response Teams (NRT) into North Carolina and South Carolina in the wake of severe flooding caused by Hurricane Florence. The teams deployed into the presbyteries of Coastal Carolina, New Harmony and New Hope to make initial damage assessments, meet with presbytery staff and pastors in the affected areas, and be a presence for those affected by the storm’s extreme rainfall amounts and wind damage. Flooding and loss of housing, particularly for those most vulnerable, are the biggest short-term concerns for residents of the impacted areas.