(PNS) “It’s bad, Dust Bowl bad.” That’s how Kathy Goodrich, co-general presbyter of the Yellowstone Presbytery, describes the impact of Montana wildfires this summer. Hot, dry conditions have proven costly for communities across the state as wildfires continue to spread. “More than 270,000 acres have burned, over 460 square miles with 80 – 100 percent loss of grazing lands,” said Goodrich. “More than 1,400 miles of fencing, valued at $15 million, have been lost. Some ranches, already drought-stricken, are in serious jeopardy.” A hotter-than-expected June dried up vegetation, creating conditions for the wildfires, something state officials had not anticipated. As a result, the state is quickly spending its firefighting fund. Forecasters, meantime, are predicting major wildfire threats through October for eastern Montana, southern California and the western Dakotas. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has provided a $7,500 grant to the presbytery. Jim Kirk, PDA’s associate for … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (PNS) – Meg Rift, associate for Curriculum Development for Congregational Ministries Publishing, could not ignore images she saw on social media sites of Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville. The sights included angry men with torches and guns projecting a message of hate and counter-demonstrators, including clergy and people of all faiths, with arms linked in solidarity singing to drown out the hate rhetoric. On Sunday, Rift noticed that Presbyterians across the country were posting excerpts from sermons, liturgies and prayers on social media, quoting the Confession of Belhar. Fifty years after it was birthed in South Africa by the Dutch Mission Church during its battle against apartheid, Belhar was added to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Confessions at the 222nd General Assembly (2016). “Belhar is about what the church says about racial injustice,” says Rift, “and about what we can do about justice and reconciliation. If we didn’t think it was relevant to … [Read more...]

(PNS) The search for bodies and survivors continues in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown following heavy rains, flooding and mudslides. More than 300 people are known to have died after walls of mud crashed into homes and businesses during the early morning hours on Monday. Hundreds are still missing and thousands have been left homeless in the impoverished areas of the city which sits at sea level. A makeshift morgue is filled and government hospitals are at capacity. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has been in communication with Christian Aid and Council of Churches in Sierra Leone regarding emergency relief and humanitarian response. “I have spoken with several of our partners there to find out what was going on,” said Luke Asikoye, PDA’s associate for international disaster response. “We still don’t know the total extent of the damage but a lot of people died.” Flooding is common during the rainy season in Sierra Leone, but authorities say this eight-hour deluge … [Read more...]