It’s been a year since more than 70,000 Central American families crossed the border into the United States seeking asylum. The federal government was not prepared to accommodate such a large number of mostly women and children. In many cases, the families were shuttled across the borders unable to speak the language and navigate their way through a complicated legal process.
When 94-year-old Robert “Bob” Maxwell speaks about his long life, the event he says is most important to him is his decision to follow Jesus. That’s saying something, coming from a man who was awarded two Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor for heroic deeds in World War II.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders are celebrating a major milestone in the ongoing campaign to improve the lives of farmworkers. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) announced that Ahold USA became the first major grocer in the U.S. to join the CIW Fair Food Program. Ahold is the parent company of Stop & Shop, Giant Foods and online grocer Peapod and operates nearly 780 supermarkets in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
Born in Jerusalem of Armenian descent, Lucy Janjigian spent her early years in an English mission school, where she studied English and Arabic. Her artistic life's work is a testimony to the perseverance of those who experience the realities of life in the Middle East.
Focusing on issues related to sexuality, gender based violence and HIV and AIDS, leaders from African churches and civil society organizations engaged in lively discussions at a World Council of Churches (WCC) workshop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Although a country-wide referendum rejected apartheid as the law of the land in 1994, its injustices live on for many South Africans. Deon Snyman, a minister in South Africa’s Uniting Reforming Church, is also chief operating officer of the Restitution Foundation in Cape Town. He’s spent the last nine years developing and implementing a community-led restitution model where each community takes responsibility to make their town better for everyone to live in.
An effort to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers in New York City to $15 an hour is getting high marks from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders. A panel appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo made the recommendation last week. New York’s acting commissioner of labor is expected to move forward with the recommendation. Church officials say this has been a long time coming.
A new initiative titled Ecumenical Institute for the Middle East is “promising and inspiring” in its attempt to train young Christians in ecumenical thought and history, according to the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Four new books from Presbyterian authors are now available through Westminster John Knox Press. While some of these new resources encourage essential spiritual habits for Christian living, like forgiveness and charity, others offer helpful guides for worship and Bible study.
For the past 25 years a group of alumni, staff and friends of Holmes Presbyterian Camp in New York have been volunteering for a work project weekend each summer. This year they wanted to do something special for the place and space they love. It’s where many had their first formative faith experiences, and where they began to come to grips with life and death.