Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, gave birth to the Souper Bowl of Caring with this prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.”
From its opening call to worship to its closing benediction and commissioning, the 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium—themed “GO!”—was intentionally designed to send young people out to change the world.
Usually, when you hear about Presbyterian Pan American School on this blog, it is because they are recipients of the Christmas Joy Offering. So when members of the Student Council wanted to host a fundraiser, they decided to raise funds to give back to PC(USA) mission.
Maryville College, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related school, is one of 82 institutions nationwide that has received funding as part of the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes. It is the only PC(USA)-related school awarded the grant.
When Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed in 2017, thousands of young people will be honoring his legacy not only on January 16, but over the entire holiday weekend—even over a lifetime—of service as they gather in Orlando, Florida, for a unique event called Faith in 3D.
In West Louisville, Ky., Westwood Presbyterian Church came up with a creative way to address what generations of African AmericansWest have come to believe, “that life is cheap, and the cheapest of all are black lives.” By hosting a drama camp for African American kids earlier this year, Westwood took them back to a time when African American culture was thriving.
A family retreat for members of Crafton Heights United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh opened up possibilities in inter-generational learning, deepening commitment to faith and attendees understanding of God’s relationship to humanity.
Members of Third Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York believe more needs to be done to improve education in their city and they’ve launched an initiative to do just that. According to a report by the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Rochester is the fifth poorest city in the country with the highest concentration of extremely poor neighborhoods.
What has become an annual ritual for many churches—the “Blessing of the Backpacks”—has taken on special importance at First Presbyterian Church in Findlay, Ohio. This year the event was integrated into the larger concept of commemorating milestones within the life of the church and its members, with “back to school” being just one of them.
If all God’s children have a place in the choir, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas is well on its way to filling the risers.
By combining its Sunday school and children’s choir programming into a new Sunday Club—an expanded, holistic 90-minute session on Sunday mornings for elementary-age children—the church hopes to involve many more children and families in its ministries of faith formation.
