LOUISVILLE (PNS) — Preachers, educators and worship planners who want to attend to the three themes of being a Matthew 25 church — building congregational vitality, eradicating systemic poverty and dismantling structural racism — have a new resource beginning with Dec. 1, the start of the new liturgical year, and carrying them through Pentecost on May 31, 2020. “A Year with Matthew for a Matthew 25 Church,” part of the Matthew 25 Welcome Kit, is available for download by clicking here. A resource for the second half of the Christian year, Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ, will be posted when it’s available. Watch pcusa.org/matthew25 for updated content. The resource, developed by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Theology and Worship, takes advantage of a happy convergence: Matthew’s Gospel is the focus of the Revised Common Lectionary Year A in 2019-20 and the April 2019 launch of the Matthew 25 invitation. The resource has three primary components: A … [Read more...]

(OGA) Dear Friends in Christ, Your Moderators and I are greatly troubled by the political struggle that is underway in our nation’s capital, as well as other developments in the U.S. and around the world, and we feel led to call upon all Presbyterians to join us in a season of prayer. As the struggle in the U.S. Congress over the question of articles of impeachment for President Trump moves forward, it is easy for our Christian faith to take “second place” behind our political views and preferences, and when that happens, it is very hard for the Holy Spirit to break through and lead us in the path of God’s will. That struggle is made more difficult given the degree to which many of us have linked our own political preferences to our faith, suggesting that what we wish for is the will of God. May God save us from that trap as we pray for God’s guidance that transcends our political bias. While the political struggle goes on, consuming time, money, and political energy, we do … [Read more...]

GLENDALE, Ohio — Representatives from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and The Episcopal Church met this week at the Transfiguration Spirituality Center in Glendale, Ohio, to discuss mandates affirmed by both churches last year to talk about such issues as what would be needed to lead both denominations toward full reconciliation of ordered ministry. Other topics to be addressed over the next five years include discerning the meaning of membership in a shifting American religious context, analyzing ecclesiological identities and differences using historic and socioeconomic lenses, and working with the respective national offices of both churches to develop guidelines and resources for mutual ministries and missions, particularly in areas of collaboration for new worshiping communities and ecumenical congregations. This week, those involved in dialogue met with the pastoral leadership of the Indian Hill Church, a 72-year old federated Presbyterian and Episcopal congregation … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (OGA) The six agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and two entities (Presbyterian Women and A Corporation’s Administrative Services Group) were directed by the 223rd General Assembly (2018) to take the necessary steps to become racially just and equitable employers. This action reaffirmed our approach to be all-inclusive and to tear down any and all barriers that keep our siblings from the love of Christ. With the input of several leaders within our church, including the Diverse Voices Table, the agencies and entities unanimously agreed to pursue a race-centered audit, select a vendor, and finalize a budget and an aggressive timeline, so that we could report our findings to the 224th General Assembly (2020). There was focused discussion about disability and LGBTQIA+ inclusions, and some raised liability concerns around asking employees about disability and sexual identity in a focus group recruitment survey. All agencies, except the Board of Pensions, were … [Read more...]

OXFORD, Mississippi — When 58 mission volunteers representing 17 states and four countries gathered at Camp Hopewell for the 62nd session of Living Waters for the World’s (LWW’s) Clean Water U training, their end-of-week celebration took on a deeper significance.  Special guests joined the students to celebrate a remarkable milestone for this 26-year ministry of the Synod of Living Waters — 1,000 clean water partnerships formed in communities throughout the world. “It’s a miracle,” says LWW founder Rev. Wil Howie. “When our first community water treatment system was installed in Mexico in 1996, we couldn’t have dreamed where the Lord would take us.” As water organizations go, Living Waters for the World is unique. The organization trains volunteers, mostly from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) churches, to form international water partnerships. Teams engage directly with communities and train them to purify contaminated water, providing health and hope to families they serve. When … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (PNS) — Michelle Phillips, the acting director for the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association (PYWA), said a recent face-to-face-gathering of the Christian Formation Collective was “like a spider web tingling and then finally coming to life.” The collective, which was formed late last year by the Office of Christian Formation in the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA), is made up of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s five partner organizations that support formation ministries across a lifetime. Offering support to each organization, Christian Formation asked each collective member to come up with ways that they could work together across their age-and-stage ministries on intergenerational formation. “We’ve agreed to meet quarterly to further build relationships and collaborate with each other and our office,” said Christian Formation associate coordinator Stephanie Fritz. For the first time, two representatives from each partner in the collective were together, … [Read more...]