Far from “the peaceful easy feeling we experience when all is well and all is right,” God’s peace is “something really robust and active,” a peace “that is the most present in the presence of pain, in the hardest moments of my life, in situations that feel impossible.”
In 2020, 28% of all charitable gifts went to religious institutions, said the Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley, the Presbyterian Foundation’s Ministry Relations Officer for the Allegheny and Chesapeake Region. Only 8% of Americans gave bequests to a church.
It comes as no surprise that Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ministers, like many people, face financial challenges. Most ministers report being financially stable, owning a home, paying their bills, and planning for (or living in) retirement, according to research conducted by PC(USA) Research Services. Available in English, Spanish, and Korean, the Minister Finance Report, which does not include educational debt, shows that about half of all pastors report that their household incomes are sufficient to meet their needs and manage debt. In fact, 25% of non-retired ministers report no consumer debt. However, about 1 in 4 pastors report they cannot afford vacations and big-ticket items.
I’m working up a violin piece for church. With our choir still on pandemic hold, the call went out for special music, and I raised my hand.
A distinguished five-member panel convened by The Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary gathered online Thursday to share wisdom about death and end of life issues, particularly in the context of dementia. Dr. Samuel Adams, the Mary Jane and John F. McNair Chair of Bible Studies and Professor of Old Testament at the seminary, was the moderator. Watch the 78-minute discussion here.
A documentary from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s Story Ministry is an official selection of this weekend’s March on Washington Film Festival.
The Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren (ECCB) and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are hosting a virtual conference on youth involvement from 2 p.m. through 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, October 17.
During this time of pandemic, the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, reminds herself how beautiful the rich language and imagery in the Reformed tradition is around the sacraments.
“If all you hear today is ‘just work harder,’ you’ve missed the point.”
“If all you hear today is ‘just work harder,’ you’ve missed the point.”