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April 25, 2024

“I always see people in our congregations eager to do some kind of service with our neighbors. Their first thought is often that that’s meeting a basic need, some sort of hands-on giving someone food or drink or clothing or shelter,” said the Rev. Rebekah LeMon, senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. “But we have to ask ourselves, as people of faith, why our systems don’t allow everyone to have food, clothing, shelter and welcome.” For the past six years, LeMon has served on the board of Presbyterians for a Better Georgia (PBG). “Advocacy is the way we try to create systemic change that would better support all of our neighbors.”

Commemorating an LGBTQIA+ advocate in the PC(USA)

April 25, 2024

Kristen Gaydos | Presbyterian Historical Society

Fifty years ago, at the 1974 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), David Sindt rose from his seat and bravely and hopefully held up a sign with a single question: Is Anyone Else Out There Gay?

April 25, 2024

In 2014, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s Associate for Story Ministry, David Barnhart, met Lisa Horne, Director of Community Ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Flint, working on what would become the award-winning documentary, “Flint: The Poisoning of an American City.”

April 25, 2024

The church can’t afford to become irritated, blasé or condescending about church trauma. As the phrase indicates, this phenomenon is the result of harms perpetrated in and by the church. We need to take religious trauma very, very seriously.

April 24, 2024

There’s no time like the present to apply to host an International Peacemaker. The deadline, May 1, is just a few days away, though late applications still will be reviewed if space remains on peacemakers’ calendars.

April 24, 2024

On March 22, the Inter-American Human Rights Court found the State of Peru responsible for violating the rights of residents of the Andean town of La Oroya, who had been exposed to decades of toxic emissions from a metallurgical complex located in the heart of the town.

April 24, 2024

Tomas (not his real name) is a church minister in Manipur, Northeast India. He had teary eyes when he recalled what happened on May 3, 2023. “I have never seen such violence in my lifetime,” he said. “They systematically ransacked our places. That first night, they burnt down a church nearby. The sky turned red by flames.” A few months later, it was reported that 250 churches of different denominations had been burnt. For  several weeks, the manhunt continued. Over 100 people died. The trauma  is unimaginable, especially among  women and children.

April 23, 2024

Pastor, jazz pianist and prolific author Bill Carter says if there’s a line between sacred and secular, “it’s a dotted line.”

April 23, 2024

Held last week, the National Faith + Climate Forum assembled an unprecedented gathering of faith community members committed to build thriving congregations through care for Creation with faith-driven action.

April 23, 2024

The first full week of May is a time for churches to celebrate older adults in their congregations and the vibrant ministry in which they are involved. In addition to having its planning guide updated annually, the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network (POAMN) recently launched multiple webpages of resources and videos designed to guide and enrich ministry with older adults.

Acting Stated Clerk Bronwen Boswell urges Presbyterians to take steps to alter the course of climate change

April 22, 2024

On Earth Day 2024, the Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has issued a statement about the ways the PC(USA) stands united with over 35 other denominations in acknowledging climate change as a profound moral and ethical issue demanding urgent attention and action.

“May our actions be guided by principles of love, compassion, and justice as we seek to fulfill our calling to be faithful stewards of God's gift of Creation,” Boswell writes.

April 22, 2024

Fifty-three years after its first observance, Earth Day is an annual reminder that what we do to the Earth matters. It matters to humanity, and it matters to God. Being an Earth Care Congregation brings a sense of joy that exudes to anyone you speak to who serves their respective congregation in this capacity.

April 22, 2024

For its sixth episode, the hosts of the “Around the Table” podcast, the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush and the Rev. Cliff Haddox, turned to a pair of grandparents to share their wisdom on holding meaningful and helpful conversations with young people. Listen to their 46-minute conversation with the Rev. Robert Hay Sr. and the Rev. Dr. Sarah Reyes Gibbs here.

April 19, 2024

According to the population and housing census of 2021, more than 71% of the people in Ghana identify as Christians in various church denominations.

April 19, 2024

Staff with the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., were among those participating in Thursday’s Earth Day Service of Celebration Program, a gathering of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.

April 19, 2024

A packed virtual Zoom room of nearly 500 participants logged on Thursday to listen to the first webinar in a series of three which addresses the topic of “Confronting Christian Zionism.” Presented by the PC(USA)’s Christian Zionism working group, which includes PC(USA) national staff from World Mission’s Middle East and Europe office, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, the Office of Public Witness, and members of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, the 90-minute session discussed how the Zionism ideology contributes to the violence Palestinians have experienced and the consequences of the settler colonial experience.

April 18, 2024

Some of the youngest members of an Earth Care Congregation in Leesburg, Virginia are getting an early lesson in Creation Care.

New Harmony, Charleston Atlantic presbyteries unanimously affirm the Rev. Tony Larson and the Rev. CeCe Armstrong

April 18, 2024

Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE

A historic online meeting Wednesday between two South Carolina presbyteries, the Presbytery of New Harmony and Charleston Atlantic Presbytery, produced a unanimous endorsement for two pastors standing for co-moderators of the 226th General Assembly.

April 18, 2024

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) is excited to announce its NCC Freedom Summer campaign, which will launch in Washington, D.C., with a Day of Action on June 19 (Juneteenth), and conclude with a Freedom Summit in Jackson, Mississippi on August 17.

April 17, 2024

Whether we or our faith communities are investing a few dollars or millions, we can, with a little outside help and some of our own insights, advance our values through those investments.