Susan Stabile, a distinguished senior fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and a spiritual director and retreat leader, taught a fascinating and helpful week-long class at Synod School last week, “Jesus the Storyteller: Learning from the Parables.”

The trauma and heartbreak of the Korean War continues to linger many decades after the signing of an agreement to end active military fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

Born in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Restorative Actions describes itself as “a grassroots voluntary initiative for churches, individuals, mid councils and agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as well as ecumenical partners and interested organizations, to take a leadership stance in opposed to racism and racial privilege” by allowing “U.S. Americans who benefit from institutional racism to provide a credible witness for justice by surrendering ill-gotten gains toward the establishment of just relationships with Afro-Americans and Indigenous communities.”

On Saturday morning, the Revs. Shavon Starling-Louis and Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly, discussed their first year in that call. Having stood for election with the theme “Unbounded we thrive,” the two continue to preach a message of abundance, accountability and possibility to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The Rev. Bill Davnie was a Presbyterian pastor for five years before hearing a different call: he then served 27 years as a career Foreign Service Officer.

The Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has named Ruling Elder Kate Trigger Duffert as director of General Assembly planning for the Office of the General Assembly. Trigger Duffert is no stranger to the workings of OGA and GA planning, having worked in the agency for four years. Her appointment comes at a critical time as the agency is now planning its third historic assembly that will include online committee meetings followed by in-person plenaries in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2024.

Ellen Smith, World Mission’s regional liaison for Central and Eastern Europe, led a packed and thought-provoking mini-course last week during Synod School on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s mission in Ukraine.