Make A Donation
Click Here >
rev. dr. david gambrell
When the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell was asked to speak at the Presbyterian Youth Triennium last year, he knew it would be both challenging and extremely personal.
The PC(USA) Daily Prayer app, which combines services for daily prayer from “The Book of Common Worship” with Bible readings from the two-year daily lectionary, received a major update this week.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has just released “Returning to Public Worship: Theological and Practical Considerations” for congregations and leaders in the midst of making decisions about how and when to return to public worship in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). First observed in 1951, this commemoration has become an international day of remembrance for those who perished in the Holocaust. It takes place on the 27th day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which occurs on April 20/21, 2020 (in Jewish tradition, the new day begins at sunset).
The latest COVID-19 resources from the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)’s Office of Theology & Worship, “Prayer at the Time of Death” and “Comforting the Bereaved,” are stark reminders of the times we are living in — and dying in.
Using Ezekiel’s stark vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell elicited any number of innovative ideas from about 70 pastors and other church leaders during Wednesday’s videoconference on Spirit-inspired worship, one of the Seven Marks of Vital Congregations.
The following is revised and updated from a Presbyterian News Service article published March 11:
As the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak advances, congregations are responding in creative and highly effective ways. Given strong guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and federal, state, and local governments against gathering in person, many have chosen live-streaming or pre-recorded modified services as a way to glorify God together, stay connected as the body of Christ, and seek the healing work of the Spirit.
At 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday the Office of Vital Congregations will continue its weekly Zoom calls on the Seven Marks of Vital Congregations with a discussion on “Spirit-inspired worship.”
The Office of Theology and Worship has developed an order of worship, available here, that’s been adapted for congregations gathering exclusively or primarily online in response to the coronavirus.
The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is urging congregations to make decisions about worshiping in person based on what’s best for their community and the people gathered for worship.
