Telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the perspective of the man who’d been beaten and left for dead, the Rev. Cedric Portis Sr. preached a rousing and thought-provoking sermon during opening worship Wednesday for the Annual Event of the Association of Partners in Christian Education, meeting in St. Louis and online through Saturday.
A spirit of playfulness — which found Christian educators romping around the room in a spirited game of Duck, Duck, Goose despite the early hour — filled the room at one of several pre-events being offered at the Association of Partners in Christian Education (APCE) 2024 Annual Event, “Come, all who are thirsty.”
“So much that was said went straight to my heart, and I am left inspired and dedicated to the work of Matthew 25 for months to come,” said Jennifer Morgan, ruling elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison, Wisconsin. “This Summit has strengthened my faith in other people, the Presbyterian Church as a whole, and our gracious, loving God!” said Morgan, who attended the Matthew 25 Summit with two other church members and a member of the staff at Covenant.
When a crowd was gathered on the hill to hear Jesus preach and the crowd was hungry, the disciples wanted to send them away. Instead, Jesus instructs them in Mark’s gospel, “you give them something to eat.”
The Presbytery of Utah is gearing up for the 226th General Assembly this summer. In the first in a series of videos, Utah area pastors, members, and presbytery leaders talk about the beautiful outdoors, friendly communities, and the embrace of ecumenical ministry. Utah Presbyterians are looking forward to showing how “God is at work throughout the state.”
“Trouble the Water,” a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) docuseries that encourages constructive conversations about race and racism, has been selected for wider distribution and is being knitted together into a full-length feature film that will be available for home viewing early this year.
The Church Benefits Association (CBA) has elected the Rev. Dr. Frank Clark Spencer, President of The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as vice chair of its Board of Directors. Spencer’s election, at CBA’s annual meeting in December, reaffirms the Board of Pensions’ strategic partnership with other religious denominations to better serve leaders across faith communities.
On the heels of last week’s Matthew 25 Summit, Matthew 25 Being Connected events are being offered online in the coming weeks to help Presbyterians learn from and support one another as they do the work laid out in Jesus’ Judgment of the Nations in Matthew 25:31-46.
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College have partnered to offer a one-year post-doctoral fellowship in theology and ministry beginning in summer 2024.
The Rev. Frank Diaz, whose work and ministry ranged from serving as an electrical engineer and Realtor to leading what is now the Presbyterian Mission Agency, died Jan. 14 at age 90.