The island of Jeju off the southern coast of Korea holds a history that is tragic and painful to its residents. Located on the sea and air routes between the Pacific Ocean, Japan and China, Jeju held an important role as a port and defense position as various nation states vied for power over the Korean Peninsula.

Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, director for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, was elected to the ACT Alliance (ACT) Governing Board recently.

The Rev. Paula Cooper describes her leadership style as one that “deliberately works toward developing a culture that values a collaboration of God’s people and their gifts for ministry.” And now she has answered God’s call to help the people of East Central Africa do just that.

Two recent school abductions by armed gunmen have left the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon “greatly terrified and shocked,” the church’s moderator said this week.

I urgently call you to prayer for our partners and friends in Cameroon, a nation divided by language between French-speaking and English-speaking regions. Tensions have risen to a deadly and inflammatory level as English-speaking citizens have petitioned, unsuccessfully, for translation of important document from their original French into English. The escalation has resulted in many deaths and most recently a group of armed men entered the campus of the Presbyterian Secondary School (PSS) a Nkwen, Bamenda, and abducted 78 students and three staff members, according to a statement by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Fonki, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon (PCC). We rejoice in the release of the students today but continue to pray for staff.

Presbyterian Mandy Manning, in Spokane, Washington, admits she’s “a little tired” of the attention she’s received this year as National Teacher of the Year, but it’s also been a welcome opportunity for her to share her students’ stories. Manning was awarded the title in April by the Council of Chief School State Officers. The honor was first awarded in 1952 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious national honor that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching.

Growing up in the mountains of Virginia in the 1950s, I carried water from a pump well. We had to let the water “settle” before we drank it. There was always an inch or so of sediment in the bottom of the bucket. The water tasted of iron.

For many people, the holidays bring an abundance of casual conversation about family. That conversation, though, can be hurtful to adoptive families.

세계교회협의회(WCC)의 여름 모임은 에버디스 란드라우^{Everdith Landrau} 목사에게 다른 기독교 교단의 에큐메니칼 지도자들과 함께 에큐메니칼 공동체에서 지지를 얻고있는 심장 건강 인식 캠페인에 관해 논의하게 했다. 에버디스^Everdith는 미국장로교회 총회 사무국의 에큐메니칼 관계 및 네트워킹의 담당자이다.

루이빌 식료품 점에서 두 명의 아프리카계 미국인을 무작위로 살해한 사건, 최근 피츠버그의 대량 살인 사건, 그리고 저명한 국가 인사들에게 우편으로 보내어진 2다스의 파이프 폭탄 사건이 헤드라인을 덮었다.

미국장로교회의 정서기인 허버트 넬슨^{J. Herbert Nelson} 목사는 이를 가리켜 인종적 오만과 함께 정치적, 종교적, 인종적 증오라고 말했다.