As the little girl peeked around the door of the Esquire Hotel, I recognized her. I hadn’t met her before, but I knew who she was. Moved by the refugee crisis, my church First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette (FPCW) committed to welcoming and walking alongside a refugee family as they transitioned to a new life in the Chicagoland area in 2016. When World Relief called to tell us that the Beshara family would be arriving in just one week from Sudan via an Ethiopian refugee camp, we were thrilled to welcome this family of six. Two days later, World Relief called back and said that there was a snag and the Besharas would not be arriving according to schedule. They asked if we would instead like to welcome the Habibs, a family of five from Afghanistan with one son and two twin girls, one of whom had cerebral palsy. We said no, concerned that we didn’t have the resources to support a family with special needs. We waited and the Besharas finally arrived! Due to a housing shortage in the … [Read more...]
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Outpost Blog 56 seconds ago
Chicago churches empowered by the Spirit partner to meet refugees’ practical needs
As the little girl peeked around the door of the Esquire Hotel, I recognized her. I hadn’t met her before, but I knew who she was. Moved by the refugee crisis, my church First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette (FPCW) committed to welcoming and walking alongside a refugee family as they transitioned to a new life in the Chicagoland area in 2016. When World Relief called to tell us that the Beshara family would be arriving in just one week from Sudan via an Ethiopian refugee camp, we were thrilled to… continue reading... -
Worship Resources 12 mins ago
Servant leadership: Family faith formation for October 24, 2021
Welcome Invite various persons to bring a designated item and use this liturgy as a way to begin your time of learning together. One: Come, let us gather around and see how the Spirit will nurture our faith today. All: Who is with us? One: Christ, the light of the world. (Place a candle on a table in your gathering place and light it.) All: Who is with us? One: The Love of God, who came to meet us in the world. (Place a cross… continue reading... -
Book Reviews 1 day ago
Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor
Michael Battle Westminster John Knox, 390 pages Desmond Tutu will turn 90 years old this year, so it’s only fitting that a spiritual biography of him is now before us. As a biographer, The Michael Battle is uniquely qualified to take on such a work, having known Archbishop Tutu for nearly 30 years. This book is so much more than “a spiritual biography.” It is also a memoir of Tutu and Battle’s decades-long relationship as mentor and mentee, a book on mature spiritual exercises with Archbishop Tutu’s life as a… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized186 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews162 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews158 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Report released today calls for reconfiguration in structure and ethos of the Presbyterian Mission Agency September 16, 2021 Outlook Reporting3 comments The Coordinating Committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted by Zoom Sept. 16 to take next steps regarding a consultants’ report calling for a reconfiguration in structure and ethos of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) — something the report said could transform the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the next 25 years. (The report is available here: CounterStories Consulting Report to PMAB September 2021.)
The report is presented as a way for PMA to live into ...
Painful legacies: Acknowledging the church’s role in atrocities at Indigenous boarding schools September 16, 2021 Outlook Reporting3 comments The reckoning has already started in Canada, where the unmarked graves of hundreds of Indigenous children were discovered earlier this year — at least 215 children, some as young as three, discovered in May 2021 at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, and at least 751 graves discovered in June 2021 by the Cowessess First Nation at Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatch...
Jesus’ young disciples — Weekly Christian ed lesson September 15, 2021 Worship Resources2 comments
Children are often our best teachers. They approach the world with wonder and acceptance. They seek community, even as they sometimes struggle to share what they have. They are undeterred in their quest for justice and fairness. It’s not clear Jesus saw these traits in children, but we do know he implored the disciples to embrace them. He saw children and those who approach God with a childlike faith to be mirrors reflecting the image of God. In this lesson, children will explore their role as people called by Jesus to demonstrate the love of God to world.
Begin the time with your group of ...
Chicago churches empowered by the Spirit partner to meet refugees’ practical needs
Servant leadership: Family faith formation for October 24, 2021
Welcome Invite various persons to bring a designated item and use this liturgy as a way to begin your time of learning together. One: Come, let us gather around and see how the Spirit will nurture our faith today. All: Who is with us? One: Christ, the light of the world. (Place a candle on a table in your gathering place and light it.) All: Who is with us? One: The Love of God, who came to meet us in the world. (Place a cross on a table in your gathering place) All: Who is with us? One: The Wisdom of God, who speaks through the scriptures (Place an open Bible on a table in your gathering place.) All: Who is with us? One: The Grace of God, who proclaims we are children of God (Place a symbol of baptism – a bowl of water, a seashell – on a table in your gathering space.) All: Who is with us? One: Our risen Lord, who meets us at the Table. (Place a symbol of Communion – a plate and … [Read more...]
Praise the Lord! (Oct. 31, 2021)
Uniform Lesson for October 31, 2021 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Psalm 149:1-5; Psalm 150 We began our unit on Psalms with a command to make a “joyful noise” to the Lord (Psalm 100:1). We now end our study with a command to “sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 149:1). There’s something about music that goes to the heart of worship. The Psalter concludes with an invitation to song and dance. This is a festal celebration that begins with the raucous worship of God’s people, summons them to embody this worship with swords as well as songs, then blows out all the stops with a picture of every living creature joining in on the chorus. “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” Get ready for the party! Psalm 149:1-5 — Song and dance Presbyterians are not known for exuberant worship — at least in North America! Order, reverence and solemnity are our more frequent calling cards. At first glance, it might seem easy to build a case against overly enthusiastic worship. All one has … [Read more...]
PC(USA) speaks out against domestic violence
(PNS) — “October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), said as she greeted worshipers during Wednesday’s online chapel service. “We understand that gender-based violence, femicide (the killings of women or girls because they are female) and domestic violence are topics and experiences of great pain, and that these resonate with some of us very closely. Parts of today’s liturgy and worship service might be triggering, evoking strong feelings or memories.” The service, conducted completely in Spanish, was designed to raise the awareness of the pain and despair suffered by those impacted by domestic violence daily. In the opening prayer, the Rev. Iris Dalila Santoni said, “We invoke your healing and uplifting grace, and may it be reaching those women, children and all those who suffer from violence; that they can fight, overcome fear and gain wisdom to seek solutions.” And in a … [Read more...]
Stated Clerk offers words of encouragement in conclusion of Polity, Benefits, and Mission Conference
(PNS) — The final session of the virtual Polity, Benefits, and Mission Conference wrapped up Friday afternoon with more conversation around plans for the 225th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and words of encouragement as the pandemic continues. Kate Trigger Duffert, manager of GA Business and Per Capita for the Office of the General Assembly, provided an overview of the business that is currently slated to be brought before the Assembly next summer. “With all of the referrals coming in, we have a good handle of what will be coming to the Assembly,” she said. “Currently 47 overtures from mid councils are in and there are two new ones that did not come from referral. There is a lot that has been gathered in the last three to four years.” A number of business items to be considered for the 225th General Assembly currently fall into several overall categories; environmental justice, antiracism, equity in the denomination and peacemaking. OGA leaders … [Read more...]
Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor
Michael Battle Westminster John Knox, 390 pages Desmond Tutu will turn 90 years old this year, so it’s only fitting that a spiritual biography of him is now before us. As a biographer, The Michael Battle is uniquely qualified to take on such a work, having known Archbishop Tutu for nearly 30 years. This book is so much more than “a spiritual biography.” It is also a memoir of Tutu and Battle’s decades-long relationship as mentor and mentee, a book on mature spiritual exercises with Archbishop Tutu’s life as a lens, and a defense of Christian mysticism as a this-world concern. Battle lived with Archbishop Tutu in the early 1990s and was ordained a priest by Tutu in 1993. As Tutu approaches such an important milestone, we have in this book a deep reflection of his life, written by his mentee, who has gone on to have his own distinguished career as a scholar, teacher of spirituality and prayer and accomplished preacher. If the book has a weakness, it is that Battle spends too … [Read more...]
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