As the familiar strains of “Holy, Holy, Holy!” filled the small sanctuary of the Hayesville (N.C.) Presbyterian Church on Trinity Sunday, May 30, the church’s music leader, Rhonda Lents, abruptly stopped playing the piano as she stood and faced the congregation.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is committed to being a Matthew 25 church that is actively engaged in the world, making a difference in people’s lives and in our communities. Some may believe being a Matthew 25 church that eliminates, once and for all, the root causes of hunger, poverty, oppression and injustice is an impossible task. After all, the church has been trying to do so for over 2,000 years.
Almost 20 years ago, some members of First Presbyterian Church in Conrad, Iowa, heard a presentation about a program in which U.S. farmers and churches team up to raise money to help subsistence farmers in various parts of the world.
Members of the Syria Lebanon Partnership Network met Tuesday for a one-hour virtual training session for individuals who want to join them in lobbying U.S. representatives for a reduction of economic sanctions in Syria.
The 36-page Annual Report of the Presbyterian Mission Agency has been published online and can be seen here. The theme for this year’s report is “A year unlike all others … and we responded.”
On behalf of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Mission Development Resources Committee is awarding Mission Program Grants to seven new worshiping communities and one presbytery to continue its transformative work around the sins of racism and systemic oppression with its congregations.
The global COVID-19 pandemic forced many institutions to rethink how they communicate and collaborate given various lockdowns and requirements for social distancing to mitigate its spread. Education was especially affected as models of in-person instruction shifted in a matter of weeks to an exclusively virtual and online pedagogy.
It is estimated that more than 17,000 homes were destroyed in the latest round of clashes between Israel and Palestine last month. Healthcare also took a hit as Palestinians seek to recover from the Israeli strikes.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has traveled to the region in recent years, witnessing the living conditions and talking with residents and leaders. He says that in order for genuine peace to occur, major change needs to take place.
Womanist, religious educator and play facilitator Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart has been appointed Assistant Professor of Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, beginning July 1.
New resources from the Office of Theology and Worship will help those engaged in the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Matthew 25 invitation make a stronger connection between the three foci of the vision and the biblical passage — particularly in Matthew 25:31–46, which is known as the “Judgment of the Nations” passage.