The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is remembering a former Moderator who died this week in McAllen, Texas. William H. Wilson, a church elder, served as Moderator of the 197th General Assembly (1985).
“I first met Bill when he was elected Moderator and I was serving as a TSAD [theological student advisory delegate]. That was at the same assembly where we voted on the new PC(USA) logo, and as I remember, we also voted to establish this fledgling program called Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program,” said Sallie Watson, general presbyter at Mission Presbytery in San Antonio. “The new denomination was only two years old when Bill assumed leadership. He was all business, which is exactly what we needed at that time. His leadership was solid and strong, and after his moderatorial year, First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville was once again the beneficiary of that wise leadership. He will be missed.”
As Hurricane Dorian bears down on the North Carolina coast, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) stands ready to respond and already is responding to the devastation the storm left behind in the Bahamas.
When the Rev. Stacy Cavanaugh was talking with the session of Union Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Wisconsin, about becoming their pastor, she asked ruling elders, “What’s the one thing I can change?”
Sunday is big celebration day for many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations around the country.
The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness issued an Action Alert Thursday requesting Presbyterian support for House Resolution 496, which affirms that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad.
A proposed Vision Plan for Stony Point Center, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-affiliated center for hospitality and community-building along the Hudson River north of New York City, recommends investing in significant renovations, including the installation of private bathrooms in three lodges and construction of a facility called Cairncroft to replace the center’s current Evergreen building and provide modern meeting space, dining and administrative functions.
For nearly twenty years, Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri’s daily life revolved around a high school classroom, interacting with and challenging students to be their best and to prepare for the future. This week, the Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly (2018) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) took that classroom experience and her work with the church to Columbia Theological Seminary as the speaker at opening convocation.
Education is especially important to Cintrón-Olivieri, who earned a bachelor’s degree in education (English as a Second Language) from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in education (Curriculum and Teaching) from Turabo University.
Religion is messy, says Lee Hale, a reporter at KUER, the National Public Radio station in Salt Lake City. And for many Americans, especially young people like the 30-year-old Hale, that messiness is something to celebrate, not sweep under the carpet.
No one who knows the Rev. Brian Gaeta-Symonds was surprised when, in early 2019, he and his spouse, Gilbert, adopted the three boys they’d fostered since 2016.
“When you have ground-facing eyes you can’t see the road ahead of you, you can’t envision your future. When you have ground-facing eyes all you see are dirt and rocks because you have ground-facing eyes.”