A musical project that's set to benefit the Presbyterian Hunger Program is looking for pledges — and with a monthlong extension, there’s still time to participate.

Independent folk musician Bryan McFarland, hunger action advocate for Salem Presbytery, is raising money to record his third album, called … until all are fed. Through the company Pledge Music, which allows fans to finance musicians through online pledges, he’s hoping to raise $15,700. McFarland will give 10 percent of the production costs and 20 percent of its profits to PHP.

Originally set to run through the end of May, …

John Goldingay, Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Westminster John Knox Press’s Old Testament for Everyone series, is the latest to appear on WJK Radio with Dan and Jana, the monthly podcast from Westminster John Knox Press. Goldingay, an international authority on the Old Testament, discusses the first volumes to release in the series, Genesis for Everyone, Part One and Genesis for Everyone, Part Two, with hosts Dan Braden and Jana Riess.

The new Old Testament for Everyone Bible commentary series follows on the heels of the successful New Testament for Everyone commentaries by acclaimed scholar and author …

Mansour Khajehpour became the first Iranian pastor to be ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) when Seattle Presbytery ordained him to the ministry of Word and sacrament June 15 at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle. He has been called to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott, Kan., beginning Aug. 1.

Khajehpour was born into a Muslim family in Mashhad, Iran, and was trained to faithfully follow Shi'ite Islamic law, including a Hajj to Mecca as a teeneager. In 1981, following three months of argument and debate with Christians in his town, Khajehpour converted to Christianity. 

While …

When Sophie Corporan completed her early registration for the 2010 Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference, she had no idea what life had in store for her.

On Feb. 24, less than a month before the conference was to convene in Indianapolis, Corporan’s husband, Marcelino, died of complications from an aortic aneurysm. His sudden, unexpected death at the age of 59 found Corporan and her family not only in deep grief, but also making arrangements for Marcelino’s burial in his native Dominican Republic.

Upon returning to New Jersey just one week before the conference’s March 15 opening, Corporan prayerfully decided to follow through …

Committee leadership is complete for the 18 Assembly Committees of the upcoming 219th General Assembly (2010) in Minneapolis, July 3-10.

Each Assembly Committee will have a moderator and vice-moderator, chosen from among the 712 commissioners to the Assembly, who were elected by their presbyteries. The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), selected the leadership with the assistance of General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, General Assembly Mission Council Executive Director Linda Valentine, Director of Operations for the Office of the General Assembly Tom Hay, Committee on the Office of the General Assembly Chair Dennis Hughes, a …

Director of Operations for the Office of the General Assembly, The Rev. Tom Hay, has created a document that addresses recommendations and best practices for the use of social media at this year's General Assembly.

For the first time, youth groups in host presbyteries and around the country are invited to volunteer for the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

GA runs July 3-10 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

A work group appointed by the Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) has set a policy that both protects youth and allows for a broad variety of youth volunteer participation.

Opportunities for youth volunteers include airport and hotel welcoming, convention center greeting, packet preparation, worship usher and departure assistance.

Interested youth groups should submit a Youth Group Registration Form, downloadable from the COLA website or …

The Rev. George Riley Edwards, known for his peacemaking efforts and public leadership against war, died June 2. He was 90. 

Edwards was professor emeritus at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He retired in 1985 after serving 27 years as professor of New Testament Studies. As a Patterson scholar during his studies at Louisville Seminary, and as an instructor in New Testament Greek while earning a doctorate at Duke University, Edwards prepared himself to meet the challenge of teaching theological students. 

Edwards was ordained in 1951 in North Carolina and served several small churches in rural areas and blue-collar communities. He …

After completing six years of work in Korea, Choon and Yen Hee Lim stood at a crossroads in mission service in 1997.

They had been serving aboard the medical ship Salvation, where Choon was a director of the Island Medical Mission and Yen Hee was a nurse in that ministry. They were asked to go to Taiwan, a prospect that didn’t seem very inviting. Both of them were concerned about learning the difficult Mandarin Chinese language in middle age.

While in the decision making process, the Lims consulted with retired mission worker Don McCall, who had served in Taiwan for …

Next month, Presbyterians will gather in Minneapolis for the 219th General Assembly, where they'll listen, learn, debate, vote and worship.

And for some, the week will also include an HIV test.

 The Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN), one of the 10 networks of the Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association, is sponsoring free HIV tests July 3-7.

 "What we want to do is get some prominent Presbyterians to sign up to get an HIV test," said the Rev. Howard Dotson, a member of PAN.

PAN hopes that highlighting leaders being tested will help reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Several leaders have …