As well traveled and as fully versed in Presbyterian mission as he is, Tom Elander was still surprised by what he witnessed and learned at the U.S.-Mexico border last winter.
It was a daring prayer, all things considered, to ask the Thessalonians to pray — and it is also a daring one for us, I imagine. The second letter to the Thessalonians arrived at a time of turmoil, strife and confusion. The Christian community was experiencing persecutions so severe that some believed the time of judgment had come, while others took advantage of their doubt, spreading misinformation and sowing dissent. The letter ends with a benedictory prayer: for God’s peace to be granted at all times in all ways. It might have been daring enough to consider asking them to imagine peace at “any time,” much less at “all times,” or to imagine peace in some sort of way at all, much less in all of them. Have you ever felt so far from God’s peace that you couldn’t even imagine it?
After dealing Louisiana a severe blow, Hurricane Ida weakened as it moved inland but still managed to wreak havoc on portions of the Northeast United States, leading to fatalities and property damage.
Watching the news as the United States military pulled out of Afghanistan after a near-20-year war, bringing with it thousands of Afghan refugees, members of First Presbyterian Church in New Haven, Connecticut, knew they wanted to help.
“Welcoming the Stranger,” a webinar series from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Migration Roundtable, returns at noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 22, with an episode focused on family detention.
The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) will host a virtual discussion next month with New Mexico Women’s Global Pathways and a host of community leaders and clergy from around the country to help churches build authentic relationships to fight poverty.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program’s Season of Peace has been enhanced this year by artists with something to say — or sing, or paint, or even throw, such as pottery — and it was Simon Doong’s task on Monday to discuss the impact artists are having on Presbyterians subscribing to the Season of Peace videos and spoken word.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined more than 200 organizations in signing onto a letter from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) calling on major donors to cease funding a major industrial agricultural initiative and support small-scale farmers in Africa.
On Tuesday, Richard Williams, Interim General Presbyter of the Presbytery of South Louisiana, was assessing damage from Hurricane Ida and delivering supplies when he came upon the Pointe-au-Chien Tribe southwest of New Orleans.
For really good ideas on how to serve the faithful at Park Ridge Presbyterian Church in suburban Chicago, the Rev. Amanda H. Joria often relies on her mother.
