Presbyterians celebrate United Nations Day and decades of UN ministry

As the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) prepares to celebrate United Nations Day on Oct. 24, two young adult Presbyterians who recently represented the denomination at the United Nations are reminding the church that the work of peace and justice begins not with certainty of success, but with faithfulness to the call.

The office of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations within Presbyterian Life & Witness recently organized and led an online Chapel service honoring the decades of ministry relationship the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has maintained with the United Nations. The service focused on Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 and featured leadership from two seminarians, Cole Norgaarden of Yale Divinity School and Alejandro Salazar of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, who both served the UN Ministry as young adult delegates to the UN’s High Level Political Forum this past July.

Norgaarden offered a sermon reflected on Jesus feeding the 5,000, framing the disciples' concerns as a “scarcity mindset” that assumes mission and ministry work cannot begin without sufficient resources.

While he empathized with the disciples’ concerns, Norgaarden challenged Presbyterians to reject such a perspective.

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“Don’t wait to begin the work until you know it will pay off," he said.

The powerful sentiment honored the denomination’s ongoing commitment to international advocacy, even when challenges seem overwhelming.

Norgaarden drew parallels between the miraculous feeding of the multitude and the ambitious goals of the United Nations, both historically in its founding and looking forward as it strives toward Sustainable Development Goals in the face of climate change, political polarization and global upheaval.

“To me, this is an attitude that trusts in God’s abundance rather than conceding to the limits of scarcity,” Norgaarden said, further emphasizing his point with a quote attributed to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, “Begin the mission and the means will come."

This conviction about trusting in God’s abundance also undergirds the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, which connects the denomination’s commitments to peace, justice and human dignity with international advocacy.

The Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) and the Executive Director of PL&W, emphasized to Presbyterian News Service her own belief in the denomination’s relationship with the UN.

“Our ministry and engagement with the UN is so important because it is yet another way that we continue to work together with ecumenical, interreligious and community partners on issues of faith and justice that the General Assembly has asked us to work toward and that our partners around the world have asked us to advocate on," Oh said.

The PC(USA) and its predecessor denominations have maintained a relationship with the United Nations since its founding in 1945, when Presbyterians supported the creation of an international body dedicated to peace and cooperation in the aftermath of World War II. Since 1998, the denomination has held special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council, allowing it to participate in conferences, submit statements and advocate on issues before the international community. Through its Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, the church brings the priorities of its General Assembly and global partners to international discussions on human rights, peacebuilding, gender justice, sustainable development and other pressing concerns.

Among other priorities, the PMUN focuses much of its time and energy each year on the UN’s Commission of the Status of Women, which takes place each March, along with sending a delegation of young adults to the High Level Political Forum each summer.

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In September, Oh visited the UN in New York during a portion of the UN’s 81st General Assembly, and attended meetings that covered a number of global issues including Cuba, women and peacebuilding, the occupied Palestinian territory, and protection of children in armed conflict.

The UN’s 2026 theme is, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.” Both Oh and Sue Rheem, manager of the denomination’s ministry at the UN, believe the UN’s investment in relationships with faith communities is reflective of its commitment to delivering for all.

“Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is in a unique position to meet with policymakers and decisionmakers to bring the concerns of our global partners and be a moral voice as followers of Christ,” Rheem explained.  

Oh said, ““The UN and member states recognize the important role of faith communities in working toward a world of just peace, sustainable development and care for the most vulnerable.”

She went on to say that the UN gives the church opportunities to learn from people engaged in sustained work toward peace, equity and sustainable development.

As the UN has grappled with its own future, it has acknowledged the crucial role of young adults, a sentiment that the PMUN shares. In fact, the decision to have Salazar and Norgarden lead the ministry’s Chapel service was part of the office’s larger commitment to uplifting the voices of young adults.

In July, Norgaarden and Salazar were among 16 young adults who participated in the PC(USA)’s second delegation to the UN High-Level Political Forum through PMUN. They spent a week engaging with global discussions on sustainable development, attending UN meetings, participating in public witness and exploring the connections between their faith and advocacy.

In addition to joining ecumenical partners for a silent vigil for Gaza, delegates led a prayer walk around UN headquarters and reflected on how they could bring their experiences back to their own congregations and communities. The program, launched in 2025, reflects the denomination’s commitment to cultivating a new generation of advocates who understand the connections between local action and global justice.

“The Presbyterian Ministry at the UN is constantly inspired by the passion for advocacy, and commitment to the church of the young adults who participate in the work of our ministry,” said Clare Balsan, Advocacy Associate for PMUN. “Our church has an abundance of faithful emerging young leaders, and it is a blessing to be able to witness and accompany our denomination's young adults as they discern and grow into the leaders and people who God has called them to be."

For his part, Norgaarden drew on the courage and faithful commitment of both the UN and the PMUN as he offered a hopeful word for the denomination’s future.

“We need to make the first move by trusting in the abundance of the Lord, even as we are led down paths as yet untrodden," he said.