As Central American refugees — families and unaccompanied children — continue to flood the South Texas border, immigration officials have changed where they are sending them.

With more than 400 current participants and 500 alumni/ae, the Company of New Pastors (CNP) is setting its sights even higher.  

The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) director for public witness, this morning joined with workers and other leaders in the faith community, including Presbyterian minister  the Rev. Michael Livingston of Interfaith Worker Justice and the  Rev. Sèkinah Hamlin of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative (formerly National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative), in an action of nonviolent civil disobedience to urge President Obama to improve jobs for millions of workers. 

Two years ago, Grace Presbyterian Church didn’t exist. In its place were three congregations—all worried they might not survive.

Now, after merging in November 2012, they are together and engaged in a much larger survival story of some 2,000 refugees from Central America.

How they and Grace ended up together—and what they did for each other—is remarkable.

“You don’t forget seeing the children’s mouths,” says Grace member Ruth Aguirre.  

Over the past four years, as I’ve travelled several times to Niger to meet with our partner there — the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger (a denomination known by its French acronym EERN), local church leaders have lifted up a number of areas in which they hope we in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can work together more closely with them.

Two of the areas very important to them are education and development programs geared towards youth and young adults, and evangelism with a focus on adult literacy.

I’m excited that this year Presbyterian World Mission will be sending three mission co-workers to Niger to work alongside the EERN, doing mission and ministry in these two areas.

Las personas tienen diferentes razones, no siempre espirituales, para aceptar servir como ancianos/as gobernantes, y no puedo decir exactamente que acepte serlo por la razón correcta. De hecho, no puede haber sido una decisión meditada. Con mi formación y experiencia como oficial del Ejército, por lo general tomo decisiones rápidas. Estuve casado tres meses después conocí a mi esposa, si no contamos el año de separación, ya que serví en Vietnam.

A day after most of Mosul’s Christians fled, Islamic State fighters stormed the fourth-century Mar Behnam Monastery near the city.

La Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.) con un cuerpo de 1,7 millones de miembros y más de 10.000 congregaciones, hace un llamado al presidente de los Estados Unidos para presionar a favor de un alto el fuego inmediato en Gaza e Israel.

La situación está aumentando fuera de control. El derramamiento de sangre y el ejercicio del poder en la tierra en conflicto son inconcebibles. Cientos de personas han sido asesinadas y heridas, y la cifra de muertos sigue aumentando.

Este día, nosotros como personas de fe y agentes de paz, hacemos un llamado a poner fin a los bombardeos, el fin …

They were speaking rapid Nyanja, and while I could pick out a few phrases, I was completely unable to keep up with the discussion. I could tell that they were speaking about a man in prison, a man who would soon be released. And as the church vestry continued its heated discussion, I filled in the blanks.

Deep economic inequalities and the social exclusion of Indians and mestizos have led to chronic poverty affecting more than 5 million Bolivians.