The Rev. Dr. James Anthony Noel (1948-2016), the H. Eugene Farlough, Jr. Chair of African American Christianity, Professor of American Religion at San Francisco Theological Seminary, died of cancer Sunday evening, January 31. He was 68 years old. Noel was also Pastor of New Liberation Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.

Cláudio Carvalhaes’s preaching at the final evening worship (Jan. 29) of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) annual event here nearly overwhelmed the senses. Which was exactly the point.

How we spend, save, and give are deeply spiritual issues, as Mike Slaughter shows in his new book, The Christian Wallet: Spending, Giving, and Living with a Conscience.

Claudia Hamm didn’t really understand the problem of human trafficking until it became personal to her.

“I’m a grandmother of a 16-year-old girl,” she says. “There’s a market for girls like her—even younger than her. It’s a hard thing to come to grips with.”

It took Presbyterian Women, and the Super Bowl coming to the Bay Area, for Hamm to become aware of human trafficking. “It wasn’t even on my radar until Presbyterian Women made it one of their top mission priorities in 2012,” she says.

Because of that, Hamm, who was then moderator of Presbyterian Women of San Jose …

Contemplative worship led by Nanette Sawyer, Shawna Bowman, and Luke Hyder—incorporating poetry readings by diverse voices, breathing and body prayers, and song—transitioned this morning into a near party as the executive council of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) announced its present success and future plans at the organization’s annual event here.

First Presbyterian Church of Flint, Michigan, could be described as a diamond in the rough for citizens in the city. The church, which has a long history of community involvement, is becoming a beacon for low-income citizens who seek help in the midst of crisis.