Overtures on requiring evangelism training for teaching elders and a dozen other proposals await the Committee on Church Polity and Ordered Ministry during the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Since the Syrian Civil War began in March 2011, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been responding to the needs of affected communities in Syria and Lebanon. Working in conjunction with ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together), members and ecumenical partners have been providing relief to refugees in neighboring countries and to internally displaced Syrians.

In its ongoing efforts to reach new and ever broader audiences through social media, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s office of Theology and Worship will host its fifth Twitter chat on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT. 

스페인어 및 한국어의 노련한 번역자들인 Elizabeth Vasquez와 박 선규 목사는 그들의 일상적 업무들—그리고 PMA안에서 그들이 하고 있는 더 큰 역할—을 단순히 직업이 아니라 소명으로 이해하고 있다.

Traductores veteranos de habla hispana y coreana, Elizabeth Vásquez y el Rev. Sunkyoo Park, entienden que sus tareas diarias y su rol general dentro de la Agencia de Misión Presbiteriana (PMA) no es solo un trabajo, sino un llamado. 

A vibrant family portrait of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has emerged from the recent church-wide conversation on the identity and purpose of the denomination, and God, Christ, love, and the world are among the most prominent subjects.

Dominant, too, is a commitment to Reformed Theology, and to the scriptural call to ministry outside the church. That’s the message coming from “When We Gather at the Table: A PC(USA) Snapshot,” a report of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) to the 222nd General Assembly (2016).

Every Saturday in the Casa Esperanza shelter, Gail (name changed) assists artist-trainer Onna in arts-based sessions for girls who have survived sexual abuse. On Sundays, Gail volunteers as an interpreter for the deaf during worship at the Little Children of the Philippines. Occasionally she performs in an advocacy play produced by Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts (YATTA) on the issue of teen pregnancy and adolescent reproductive health. She is also an officer in the Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation (GWAVE) Teen Advocates.

Melissa Rift is living in Colorado as a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. Rift, whose home church is Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, said she knew about the program for a long time and was always interested in the YAV experience. Rift’s sister also had an influence on making the decision to apply to the YAV program.

The Rev. Philip Akway Obang, general secretary of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) is sending regular updates about the changing situation in South Sudan and has asked for support of his American brothers and sisters. Most recently he said prayers are urgently requested for South Sudan.

This statement addresses the grievous physical threats faced by Christians and other religious and ethnic groups targeted by state and non-state actors in several parts of the world. Atrocities, massacres, and acts of terrorism are significant in parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and adherents of other religions have been mistreated in our country and in Europe. As we continue to hear Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, and as we hear from our Christian partners around the world, we pray for those under threat and support policies that uphold the ideals of human rights and religious freedom to which our Reformed faith has long contributed.