Sometime in 1977, a young the Rev. Arabella Meadows-Rogers found herself enjoying a coffee break with several other staffers in the kitchen of Manhattan’s West-Park Presbyterian Church. Along with the milk and sugar, the young clergy staffers were also serving “when I grow up” stories.

“Jokingly, I said ‘I want to be the EP (executive presbyter) of the New York City Presbytery!’” As Meadows-Rogers remembers it, everyone naturally dissolved into laughter.

Fresh out of seminary in 1975, Meadows-Rogers had been hired by West-Park’s then-pastor, the Rev. Bob Davidson, as a half-time assistant pastor and community organizer.

Now, some …

Although relatively small in size, the Church of North India is making a major effort to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the world’s second-largest country, said two church leaders who recently visited the Presbyterian Center in Louisville.

“India is a vast country with a population of more than 1 billion, and many people in our rural areas have little knowledge of HIV/AIDS,” said the Most Rev. Purely Lyngdoh, moderator of the CNI and bishop of the Diocese of North East India.

India has the third-highest number of reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the world, ranking behind South Africa and …

SEATTLE — The Synod of Alaska-Northwest reestablished an old tradition by holding its annual assembly this summer at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. The meeting was held in conjunction with the 34th annual Whitworth Institute of Ministry.

A sizable portion of the meeting was given over to task forces of the synod, established to consider ministry ideas that have been bubbling up around the synod around the issues of program grants, leadership development, communication, rural and remote ministries, and veterans’ ministries.

The Synod Council had allocated $230,000 of restricted funds from previous program efforts and endowment accounts to begin to …

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of stories about congregations engaged in significant outreach and evangelism ministries, reflecting the General Assembly’s commitment to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide.” — Jerry L. Van Marter

Calvin East Presbyterian Church was searching for a way to reconnect with the community it serves.

Located on the east side of Detroit, the racially mixed urban congregation knew that given all the struggles faced by those in their neighborhood, there had to be some need to address. The congregation found that education was at the root of many of the …

A program for children and adolescents with disabilities, sponsored by the Council of Churches of Cuba (CIC in Spanish), is a sign of hope for their integration into Cuban society.

The Church of the Friends (Quakers) in this fishing town that was hit hard by recent hurricanes hosted a summer camp attended by more than 50 children and adolescents from seven provinces of the country and congregations of 15 different religious denominations, including the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, a partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The camps, now in their 10th year, are organized by the CIC’s Pastoral Ministry …

On the day the Rev. Benjamin Weir was taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon, in May 1984, the Rev. Lucy Der-Garabedian was sitting in a classroom at the Near East School of Theology (NEST) awaiting the arrival of her Christian education instructor, Carol Weir.

Carol Weir, who was always punctual, never appeared that day. 

Abducted by a terrorist group while he and his wife, Carol, were on their way to NEST, Benjamin Weir would spend 16 months in captivity before his eventual release.

For Der-Garabedian, Benjamin Weir’s kidnapping and the catastrophic events of the Lebanese Civil War — especially the death …

AUSTIN, Tex. — Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Professor Ellen Babinsky, who has taught church history since 1988, retired effective Aug. 1, 2009.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Babinsky was associate dean for student academic affairs since 2005. She also served in 2002 as a faculty representative on the Presidential Search Committee and has played a central role in the community as chair of the seminary’s Student Life and Student Standing Committee for more than 10 years.

Babinsky is an acknowledged expert in the Early, Medieval, Reformation and Modern periods of church history with a specialization in medieval heresy …

As the 40th convention of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus drew to a close, members gathered for food, fellowship, music and a look toward the future.

The Edler Hawkins Banquet, Aug. 1, was named for a Presbyterian pastor who was active in the African American community. Born in 1938, Hawkins was involved in the Urban League and the Bronx, NY, chapter of the NAACP. He was the first African American to serve as moderator for the United Presbyterian Church.

At the banquet, Warren McNeill, outgoing treasurer of the NBPC, called the convention, which focused on the African American Church Growth …

At the business meeting on Aug. 1, members of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus elected new leaders and heard from a national staffer of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The caucus held its 40th convention on the campus of Stillman College, a historically black Presbyterian college. The theme of the meeting was “Saved to Serve: Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry,” focusing on Ephesians 4:11-12.

Elected to continue as president was the Rev. Gregory Bentley. Bentley is also pastor of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, which is adjacent to Stillman.

The Rev. Karen Brown was elected to continue as …

Editor’s note: this is a retransmission of story #09622, originally published July 20, 2009. The story contained two errors; the corrections are noted in italics in the fourth and fifth paragraphs. — Jerry L. Van Marter

The closing plenary of the 2009 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women was a “Celebration of Wonders.” Emily Martin presented the interpretation of God’s Word, titled “Celebration?”  

Emily grew up in Denson, Alabama and graduated from the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. In 2003, she graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts and went on to pursue a Master’s of Divinity from …