Presbyterian Mission Agency rev. jeff eddings Archives

Retreat renews souls through dark nights

Posted November 19th, 2024

The ground beneath us is off kilter. This is a scientific fact with spiritual resonances. This planet tilts on its axis. On the Earth, we are never perfectly upright, and so we experience uneven periods of light and darkness. As we approach the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, our days shorten. This is the reality for those Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations in the United States and Puerto Rico during Advent. We are drawn further and longer into darker nights.

A tent with a new view

Posted October 15th, 2024

The hike to Diamond Lake is only 3 miles from the trailhead, but for pastors and leaders immersed in the hard work of organizing new communities, the silent beauty of the wilderness and the sparkling mountain lake where the group set up camp is a universe all its own.

Gathering new communities of faith from the online to the wild

Posted July 17th, 2024

1001 New Worshiping Communities hosted a conversation for online and hybrid church leaders at the Wild Goose Festival in mid-July. Started in 2011, the four-day spirit, justice, music and arts festival took place at VanHoy Farms Family Campground in Union Grove, North Carolina.

Presbyterians celebrate their inner child on Mister Rogers Day

Posted March 20th, 2024

Wednesday’s Chapel Service celebrating Mister Rogers Day drew out the inner child among the national staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as they celebrated the many gifts given by Fred Rogers, the innovative children’s television pioneer and Presbyterian pastor. Rogers was born on March 20, 1928, and Presbyterians celebrate Mister Rogers Day each year on his birthday.

Presbyterians and their friends gather under the Tent of Make Believe

Posted August 11th, 2023

Record high temperatures in July didn’t deter thousands of spiritual pilgrims from gathering in the western North Carolina mountains for four days of inspiring worship, book talks, panels, music and dancing — lots of dancing.

Renewal occurs through relationships between new PC(USA) community leaders and pastors in Puerto Rico

Posted July 21st, 2023

Through a collaboration between Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and 1001 New Worshiping Communities, church planters and spiritual leaders visited Puerto Rico in June to learn about ongoing efforts to rebuild after hurricane disasters. 1001 New Worshiping Communities leaders recognized many commonalities with pastors in Puerto Rico, including the necessity of bivocational calls and a need for community engagement and the work of healing and relief.

1001 New Worshiping Communities online retreat honors speaking from one’s heart language

Posted May 26th, 2023

“Praying with others, retreating with others is an unexpected blessing,” said one participant in last week’s online retreat facilitated by 1001 New Worshiping Communities. The same sentiment sprang up like an epiphany during evening worship when the group closed communion with the Lord’s Prayer in their first language. Following an invitation to “pray with your heart language,” the participants, including speakers of English, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, and Yoruba, prayed together the words that Jesus taught. The Rev. Sue Yoder, pastor of Blank Slate Community in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, said, “In my imagination that’s what it sounded like on Pentecost.”

The PC(USA)’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities explores spiritual formation for innovators

Posted April 19th, 2023

How do we surrender and seek freedom? How is Jesus both a friend to us and our Lord? How do leaders of worshiping communities tend to their souls while tending to others? How do innovators find spiritual community with companions in ministry? These were just some of the creative questions explored in the opportunities for spiritual formation sponsored by 1001 New Worshiping Communities during Lent.

The gift of sabbath from the PC(USA)’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities

Posted January 5th, 2023

Over the last two years, 74 leaders from the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement have received $200,000 in sabbath and sabbatical grants that enabled them to fully engage in intentional sabbath practice over the course of 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the length of their tenure in their current ministry context.

Program emphasizes importance of respite for Hispanic pastors

Posted August 24th, 2022

Taking a break from pastoral responsibilities is sometimes easier said than done. With that in mind, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been offering a four-week program called “Learning to Live into the Rhythms of Sabbath” for Hispanic Latine pastors.