Local mission giving in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations went up by almost $7.7 million in 2015, according to annual statistics of the denomination released today.
And that increase in giving was despite the fact that the number of congregations decreased by 187 between 2014 and 2015 and the number of active members went down by 95,107. The denomination has 9,642 churches, compared to 9,829 in 2014. It also has 1,572,660 members, compared to 1,667,767 in 2014.
En mi trabajo como capellana de hospicio, a menudo pregunto a mis pacientes y a sus cuidadores sobre su sistema de apoyo; aquellas personas que les están ayudando a enfrentar este tiempo extremadamente difícil y profundo en sus vidas. Muchas veces, estas personas hablan sobre su fe en Dios, sobre sus familiares y sus amistades cercanas, pero raramente de los miembros de sus iglesias. A veces, yo les pregunto específicamente como su comunidad de fe les está apoyando.
The Rev. Camille LeBron Powell is a pastor mentor for the Company of New Pastors and a Teaching Elder at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church of Tucker, Georgia, in the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Her co-pastor mentor, Byron Wade, is Teaching Elder of Davie Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, a congregation in the Presbytery of New Hope.
나는 호스피스 채플린으로 사역을 하는 가운데 종종 환자들 및 그들을 돌보는 자들에게 그들을 지원해 주는 사람들에 대해 말해달라고 요청한다. 즉 그들이 이렇게 어렵고 힘겨운 삶의 시기를 잘 통과할 수 있도록 도움을 주는 사람들에 대해 말해달라고 요청하곤 한다. 그들은 종종 하나님에 대한 그들의 신앙과 가족 식구들 및 친한 친구들에 대해 말하지만, 교회 성도들에 대해서는 거의 언급하지 않는다. 그래서 때로는 그들의 신앙 공동체가 그들을 어떻게 지원하고 있는지에 대해 말해 달라고 내가 특별히 묻곤 한다.
<한국어> <Espaňol> In my work as hospice chaplain, I often ask my patients and their caregivers to tell me about their circle of support; those people who are helping them get through this extremely difficult and profound time in their lives. They often talk about their faith in God, family members, and close friends, but rarely the members of their church. Sometimes I’ll specifically ask them to tell me how their faith community is supporting them.
After a two-year period of denominational soul-searching, the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is poised this June to consider dramatic changes to the ways the 1.66 million-member church conducts its ecclesial and mission work.
Michael Plank has put the cross into CrossFit. The bi-vocational and decidedly entrepreneurial pastor of Underwood Park CrossFit, a new worshiping community in Albany Presbytery, pursued his call to ministry at McCormick Theological Seminary while at the same time discovering a newfound passion for physical fitness.
Nestled in a retreat center on the largest of the Golden Isles along Georgia’s southern Atlantic coast, an ecumenical group of bi-vocational pastors and church leaders sought restoration and rejuvenation recently in an effort to more fully live into bi-vocational ministry.
They were gathered for the first “Bi-vocational Ministry in the 21st Century Conference,” sponsored by Professional Church Leadership, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the United Church of Christ (UCC). The two-day event, held at Epworth By the Sea, featured plenary sessions, workshop tracks for bi-vocational pastors and judicatory leaders, worship, fellowship, and relaxation time.
Presbyterian Youth Triennium registration is still underway, with a May 31, 2016 early-bird registration deadline approaching for the July 19-23 event held on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Registration closes June 10, 2016 for the event sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Churches.
Confirming the election and reelection of the presidents of the denomination’s loan program and publishing company are among the numerous items to be decided by Assembly Committee 13 during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 222nd General Assembly, June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon.