The Reverend Joyce Lieberman, director of constitutional interpretation and Associate Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly, has been chosen by the Synod of South Atlantic as its new executive/stated clerk. Lieberman will begin her new responsibilities on June 1, 2017, and will be formally elected by the synod at its stated meeting in September 2017. The synod is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

“We believe that the Holy Spirit actively and directly led us to an outstanding candidate to lead our synod into the future,” wrote the synod’s search committee in its announcement of Lieberman’s selection. “We feel confident that … Rev. Lieberman will serve our presbyteries, our leaders, and our churches exceedingly well.”

Mission Presbytery, a mid-council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) based here, awarded special grants at its recent gathering to strengthen ties between Presbyterians.  At a time when some congregations have chosen to leave the denomination, the presbytery awarded the grants to reaffirm its belief that the presbytery and its member congregations are “Better Together.”  With funds received from the recent settlement agreement with First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, the Presbytery elected to strengthen the bonds between those who have chosen to stay and witness together to the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ.  

<English><한국어> Cuando nuestra hija e hijo eran jóvenes, al acostarlos a dormir en la noche, yo hacía la señal de la cruz en sus frentes. Quería que supieran que estaban sellados en Cristo. Muchos años más tarde, durante mi servicio de ordenación como Anciana Docente, nuestra hija, hablando junto a nuestro hijo a su lado, compartió acerca de ese ritual de la hora de acostarse en su niñez.

<English><Espaňol> 우리 딸과 아들이 어렸을 때 밤에 잠을 재우며, 저는 십자가의 표식을 그들의 이마에 그렸습니다. 저는 그들이 그리스도 안에서 인침 되었다는 것을 알기를 원했습니다. 몇 년 후, 목사로서의 안수 예식에서, 우리의 딸은 우리 아들과 함께 어린 시절의 취침 시간에 관한 예식에 관해 이야기했습니다. 그리고 나서 그녀는 저의 이마에 십자가의 표식을 그었습니다.

<한국어><Espaňol> When our daughter and son were young, as we tucked them in at night, I would make the sign of the cross on their foreheads. I wanted them to know that they were sealed in Christ. Many years later, during my ordination service as a teaching elder, our daughter, speaking with our son by her side, shared about that bedtime ritual of their childhood.

As Presbyterians increasingly face legal and other issues around providing welcome and hospitality to immigrants, the Immigration Office of the Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has released a new resource for congregations titled, “Welcome and the Law.”

General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, has issued a letter to the church, commending the new resource.

미국장로교회의 사역장로(장로)를 돕는 일은 4 월 중순에 발표될 월간 기사 시리즈로 준비하고 있다. [사역장로와관련하여]라는 제목인 영적 지도자를 위한 월간 시리즈는 무료이며 영어, 스페인어, 및 한국어의 3 개 언어로 온라인으로 제공된다.

The Rev. Jan Edmiston, Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) returned early last week from a trip to Syria with a delegation from the church’s Compassion Peace and Justice ministries. 

Following the chemical weapons attack in Idlib and the retaliatory airstrikes by the United States military, she issued a prayer for the people of Syria. Mourning the deaths of those affected, noting the closeness of the events to Holy Week and Easter for Christians, she prayed, in part, “that the communities of nations will practice wisdom and restraint in this vulnerable and broken part of [God’s] creation.”

All sixteen constitutional amendments proposed by the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have received the 86 affirmative votes from among the 170 presbyteries needed for ratification.

The Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates (PCC) has concurred with recommendations from a task force charged to review the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Bible Content Examination (BCE).