The National Committee meeting of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People involved work, but it also gave members a chance to reflect on why they do that work.

At its Sept. 19 meeting, the committee was visited by Valerie Small, manager of General Assembly nominations and moderatorial staff services, and Emily McGinley, Synod of Lincoln Trails liaison to the General Assembly Mission Council from SDOP.

“Much of the church does not know what SDOP is,” Small said.

SDOP’s mission focuses on empowering economically poor, oppressed and disadvantaged people who seek to change the structures that perpetuate inequality …

West Side Presbyterian Church’s semi-retired pastor Ron Rice is dedicated to giving a lift, both spiritually and physically, to Nigerians afflicted with polio, a paralyzing non-curable disease. Nigeria has half the population of America, and more polio cases than any other nation.

With the encouragement, and donations, from his congregants and others, Rice has organized the Nigerian Wheelchair Ministry. A ministry, perhaps, but his operation seems to be more of a bicycle shop on the surface. It is located in Jos, a city of over half a million in Northern Nigeria.

There, 20 paid workers reconfigure bicycle parts shipped from …

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

 The Ladle and Hearth in Ambridge, Pa., appears to be a typical local soup kitchen, but a closer look reveals that it is much more.

The Ladle and Hearth, a project originated in the Beaver-Butler Presbytery offices and hosted by Ambridge United Presbyterian Church, strives to be a full-service ministry for people and families in the area.

Ambridge United has hosted the …

Although it was the target of threats from radical Cuban exiles and the focus of controversy and opinion polls from the moment it was announced, Colombian musician Juanes’ idea of staging his “Peace without Borders” concert in Cuba proved a success at promoting understanding, in spite of differences.

More than one million people, most of them dressed in white, for peace, and sheltered from the sun under multi-colored umbrellas, crowded into Revolution Square in Havana, the scene of many political rallies in the last 50 years. This time, however, they were not shouting slogans and waving placards but singing and …

Having first studied John Calvin as an undergraduate at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related Whitworth College, Kelsy Brown — now a senior at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary — longed again to “meet” the great Reformer.

“I knew right away that I wanted to go to the Calvin Jubilee at Montreat Conference Center,” Brown said, “but since I’m a seminary student, I didn’t have the money.”
                                  
When the Rev. John Burgess, one of Brown’s theology professors, told Brown and a classmate that scholarships were available through the General Assembly Mission Council’s Office of Theology and Worship — one of the …

Most Presbyterian pastors are not adequately equipped to lead their congregations through the changes that are necessary to adapt to 21st century life, the Vocation Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) was told here Sept. 24.

“Most people have a ‘change threshold’ — a point past which they just can’t handle it,” the Rev. Jill Hudson, middle governing bodies coordinator for the council and the Office of the General Assembly, said in a presentation she entitled “Barbecueing the Sacred Cows: creating the change environment.”

“So do congregations,” said Hudson, who has worked at all …

How do you design and construct a planned community for 2.2 million people?

The General Assembly Mission Council’s (GAMC) Creative Services team has been working on just such a task — a new GAMC Web site — and on Sept. 24 Creative Services Director Dianna Ott and Mission Communications Director Rob Bullock showed the council a preview of the  new site.

The top priority for the new site — the first top-to-bottom overhaul of the Web site in 10 years — “is to create a community where people can gather and talk and build networks together,” Ott said, “a …

The General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted Sept. 24 to revise its 2010 budget downward by $5.76 million, or about 6 percent. The revised budget totals $101,141,077.

The largest area of reduction — $6.8 million — falls in Compassion, Peace and Justice (CP&J) ministries, due to a planned spend-down of $5.6 million in Hurricane Katrina funds. Another $1 million is a reduction in Self Development of People (SDOP), which is funded from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.

The revised budget includes no national staff reductions.

“The most significant change in the budget is …

The General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) reaffirmed its support for the Presbyterian News Service (PNS), calling the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s news agency “a high priority and an essential function” of the PC(USA).

In approving the report of a six-member task force authorized by the council a year ago and appointed by GAMC chair Carol Adcock, the council approved new editorial guidelines that clarify and strengthen the news service’s editorial freedom and responsibility.

The council also said it will “seek to establish a secure stream of funding for PNS if possible” including the possibility of using per capita funds. PNS is …

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Compass Group North America today announced at a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. an agreement designed to bring sweeping advances for farmworkers laboring in the Florida tomato industry.

Compass will immediately pay farmworkers an additional penny per pound for tomatoes harvested, with the ultimate goal of a guaranteed fair minimum wage. 

“On behalf of the General Assembly I commend the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Compass Group on forging a sustainable agreement that will advance both the human rights of farmworkers and practices of corporate social responsibility,” said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated …