Every morning when I wake up here in San Jose, Costa Rica, I wonder what the day will hold. A trip to the hospital? A phone call from a family in need of food? Over and over in recent months, I have been reminded that being a mission co-worker of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) means standing alongside those in need. Accompanying vulnerable people means entering into their vulnerability and experiencing the unpredictability of life for those who have fled to a new country in search of refuge.
Racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, sent shockwaves of fear and grief across the United States on an August weekend last year.
Like many other Americans, Presbyterian pastor Jon Brown was distraught to the point of numbness, but on the following Monday morning his hope was renewed.
For five weeks during the summer, nearly 50 youth in West Baltimore can be seen working on their reading and math skills, or they might be packing up for a day on a local farm or at an area museum. It’s all part of the Rosemont Community Interfaith Coalition, which is focused on ending the violence in the Maryland city by offering positive experiences and hope for youth.
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia is working for a just and lasting peace in a nation plagued by generations of politically and ideologically motivated violence. Since the Colombian government signed historic peace accords with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a guerrilla group, in 2016, steps toward reconciliation and transformation have been taking place, although more must be done if peace is to be firmly rooted and allowed to flourish for all Colombians.
Zimbabwe’s voters went to the polls in large numbers on Monday, July 30, in “harmonized elections” for president and members of Parliament. Domestic and international election observers commended the voting process as orderly and generally peaceful.
After months of unrest in Venezuela, the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela recently met in Barquisimeto, Lara, and issued a pastoral letter that “aligns with our understanding of the citizenship we are called to practice in this land of grace where we dwell and where the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela ministers.”
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit condemned the suicide bombing attacks at three separate churches in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, on Sunday.
Saying Palestinians have a right to demonstrate peacefully and with dignity in their decades-long conflict with Israel, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined more than a dozen other Christian denominations and organizations in a joint statement calling for an end to violence in the region.
Social witness advocates within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are hoping recent statements by President Donald Trump will result in a move toward more aggressive gun safety laws.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson has a unique position in observing and advocating for women’s rights or, as she would quickly clarify, “the fair treatment of human beings” no matter what their gender.
