Just over a month ago, the great lawn of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was swarming with people. They came from all over the country, and the world, to participate in the Louisville Ironman Triathlon. As they walked in front of the Presbyterian Center, a new worshiping community known as Team Sweaty Sheep was reaching out to athletes and fans with bottles of water, words of encouragement, prayer and PowerAde, connecting them to Presbyterian mission and ministry.
“So many people were excited that Presbyterians are trying to get active in their congregations and worship in ways that make sense to athletes,” adds Alex Becker. The senior grad student at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is on the ministry leadership team at Sweaty Sheep. “We are grateful to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for opening their grounds for some evangelism and fun.”
Eleven international peacemakers from different countries around the world will visit congregations and presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from Sept. 23-Oct. 18.
They will share their stories about church-based ministries in their countries that seek peace justice and pursue peace in the name of Jesus Christ. This year’s international peacemakers come from Bangladesh, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia and Sudan.
The International Peacemaker program is sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
Brenda Trinidad Espitia is a graduate of the Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville, Texas and studied international commerce in Mexico before going to Spain for a master's degree in e-commerce. She owns a Christian bookstore in Toluca, where her ministry is to provide Bibles and resources to the community. She looks forward to speaking about the roots of violence in society, specifically in domestic violence; challenges for the Christian community; and the economic and political issues which contribute to violence in Mexico.
Though their leaders may be at political odds with each other, a group of Israeli and Palestinian students learned that they can communicate through art.
From media mavens to grassroots activists, conservative Christian leaders are heaping praise on presidential candidate Rick Perry, an early but important show of support from a vital GOP constituency.
Initially unimpressed with the 2012 presidential field, some of these evangelicals now herald Perry’s late entry as the second coming of Ronald Reagan.
The internationally renowned Stillman Choir has been selected to be featured in a new video resource to promote the 2011 Christmas Joy Offering.
A cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s, the Christmas Joy Offering is one of the four special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Gifts to the annual Christmas Joy Offering are distributed equally to the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and to support student scholarships at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges, of which Stillman College is one.“The choir and I are very honored by this invitation to be recognized on a national level,” said Phillip Todd Westgate, DMA, the Stillman Choir’s director. “We believe in our music and perform for the music, not for ourselves. We’re thrilled to be able to share our joy with the whole Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in order to inspire generous giving to deserving college students and to the families of active and retired church workers.