Meeting Wednesday at Montreat Conference Center, pastors and leaders in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina told Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and one another some of the stories of ministry that have occurred since Hurricane Helene struck the region hard Sept. 26-27.
A spirit of solidarity and hope was evident throughout a prayer service hosted by the Synod of South Atlantic last weekend to comfort those trying to rebound from recent storms — particularly Hurricane Helene and its more recent cousin, Milton — and to lift up those assisting survivors.
Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall, communities that sustained damage are still reeling from the consequences of the storm that tore through a major swath of the southeastern United States and caused an estimated 160 deaths.
Calls to defund the police have grown louder in recent months as demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest police brutality and white supremacy following the deaths of George Floyd and other innocent African Americans.
The Rev. Jessica Tate, director of NEXT Church and a worship leader for the 2020 Presbyterian Association of Musicians Worship & Music Conference, told a telling story about life during COVID-19 with 2-year-old son, Huw, during opening worship Sunday. As PAM turns 50, it’s holding its golden year celebration online , with live broadcasts originating from Montreat Conference Center.
An African American CREDO conference hosted by the Board of Pensions in partnership with Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary drew 17 African American ministers to Roslyn Retreat Center in Richmond, Virginia, to cultivate wholeness — specifically, their spiritual, vocational, health, and financial well-being.
