The eyes of the world have been on Springfield, Ohio, following untrue allegations that members of the city’s Haitian community had been capturing and eating other people’s pets. At least 33 bomb threats have been made in recent days, all of them hoaxes, and schools and universities have been using online education to keep students, educators and staff safe.
“Fire in the Whole” explores the anger of Black Christians who feel betrayed by white Christianity’s complicity of perpetuating racism. In this transformative work, author Robert Callahan not only empathizes with this pain, giving words to strong and powerful emotions, but also provides guidance for healing church-related wounds.
At the very beginning of Sunday’s worship service celebrating the 200th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Indiana, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Felipe Martínez, stood up, smiled broadly, and said, “Good morning, church. Hey, church — happy birthday!”
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 2024 Peacemakers prayed to offer “hope in a hurting world” and to find “new possibilities for relationship and restoration” during a commissioning service that also served as a commemoration of the International Day of Peace.
Imagine you and your family are living a quiet life as best you can in a city in Central America and a local gang leader decides he wants your 14-year-old daughter as his “girlfriend,” and won’t accept no for an answer. Imagine working hard to earn $20 paycheck in Venezuela where a carton of milk costs $8.
Travelers on Highway 5, the 50-mile stretch between Blacksburg and Rock Hill, South Carolina, often stop on the roadside to admire and take pictures of the small church perched off the highway. Hopewell Presbyterian Church, with its distinctive rock exterior, seems to glow when the afternoon sun hits at the right angle, highlighting its unique architectural charm that symbolizes strength and fortitude.
One of six workshops offered during Friday’s People’s Summit on Food Systems and Urban Agriculture carried a title reflecting what many agricultural producers have wrestled with: “We Need Land, Money and Control.”
Near the end of her joyous and Spirit-filled ordination service on Saturday, the now-Rev. Jerusha Van Camp stood in front of the many friends and family gathered at First Presbyterian Church in Evansville, Indiana, and told them, “Your presence surrounds me with love.”
The plight of the thousands of migrants in her native El Salvador keeps Carmen Elena Díaz awake at night. “Knowing their experiences, their stories, and in ministering to the migrant people, my life has been transformed,” said Díaz. “Their stories mark you, transform you, sensitize you. They make you realize what a hard and difficult subject this is.”
A workshop with a focus on environmental justice offered strategies for people who are interested in doing the work of organizing and movement building.