A catechism approved by the 210th General Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
MIT School of Architecture and Planning Students fighting the evil twins Katrina and Rita, July 2006
Hope Presbyterian Church is a small church with a big heart and a desire to reach out and serve others. HPC had sent a team to Mississippi in 2007 to assist with the clean up after hurricane Katrina and in the fall of 2008 there was talk of undertaking a similar effort in 2009. We reviewed the listing of opportunities to volunteer published by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program and came to a general consensus that we would like to learn more about a relief effort to …
By Philip Wickeri
Philip Wickeri believes that we are living in a time of fundamental change in the shape and structure of world Christianity. This change creates a crisis that may be described in terms of the churches' relationship to globalization, and its response to religious and cultural pluralism. Prof. Wickeri sets forth an understanding of "mission from the margins," suggesting that, throughout the history of the Christian churches, the cutting edge for mission has come from movements emerging outside established Christian centers. In today's context, these "marginal" movements include the African initiated churches, Pentecostals all over the world, and …
By Barbara Wheeler and P. Mark Achtemeier
Two significant perspectives on the unity of the church, offered by persons who have different views on some of the issues currently dividing the church. Both essays go beyond the preservation of institutional or sentimental ties to genuinely theological understandings of the unity of the church.
By Joseph A. Sittler and Richard R. Osmer
Occasional Paper #13 reprints two significant essays that are no longer readily available. "The Maceration of the Minister" by the late Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler is an incisive, sympathetic analysis of the plight of ministers. "The Teaching Authority of the Minister in the Reformed Tradition: A Contemporary Proposal" by Richard R. Osmer, the Thomas W. Synnott Professor of Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary, presents a creative understanding of the office we Presbyterians used to call "teaching elder."
The Office of Theology and Worship believes that "The Shape of Pastoral Ministry" is …
This resource from the Office of Theology and Worship is based on “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing,” A General Assembly report for study in the church. An accompanying study guide enables groups to delve deeply into the gift that is the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sessions will focus on the Trinity and the Gospel; what we believe about God; how we are drawn into the embrace of the Triune God in worship and how the Trinity shapes our lives together. In addition, a four-part DVD that features well-known pastors and scholars is available that provides an excellent general …
There is a yearning among many members of the Presbyterian Church for a life of faith that is newer, fresher, and more vibrant. "Growing in the Life of Christian Faith" is a resource that examines both the contemporary desire for a more lively life of faith and the way in which that desire might be appropriately be fulfilled. The booklet suggests that our hope lies in the recovery of the Reformed tradition's commitment to disciplined life in community and points the way toward such a recovery. This resource is bound together with a study guide.
We send work teams because an invitation has been extended to us to come and help with the witness to recovery in a particular part of the world or the United States.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance only sets up recovery sites where churches have decided toinvite others in to help as they seek to rebuild after disasters. Thus it is the local church partner,council, or faith based organization that has done the assessment, determined the nature of thework, and made all of the arrangements to provide for the arrival of volunteers.
By Leanne Van Dyk
In Theology and Worship Occasional Paper No. 15, Leanne Van Dyk develops a lively metaphor for thinking theologically. Growing Up Theologically spins out the process of organic growth as an imaginative way of understanding ourselves as people who can and do reflect on Christian faith and life, and who can mature in our theological thinking.