(OGA) Christian Friends, As Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, I am calling to you for prayer and action in the midst of the many crises faced by all of us, from the threat of the diabolical coronavirus to the threats to our very life as a nation and to our body politic. What we dare not lose sight of in facing these challenges as Christians and as members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are the crises faced by our Christian partners elsewhere in our region. Central to those crises is the devastation wrought by the hurricanes that have struck Central America. These storms have destroyed life for so many people in so many areas in our hemisphere, especially in Nicaragua and Honduras, where we have had long, strong partnerships, both with particular denominational bodies and with ecumenical councils in the region. Our church has long reached out with substantive support for people in need, and I urge you all, as PC(USA) members and “the hands and feet of Jesus … [Read more...]

(PNS) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leadership is part of a new initiative by the  Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) designed to encourage businesses to push for strong pro-climate policies at the state and federal level. The campaign is to enlist businesses in proactive lobbying and policy advocacy supporting science-based climate policy to rein in climate change. “In recognition of the enormous power and influence of the business community on environmental legislation and regulation, investors say they are petitioning portfolio companies to align their lobbying activities with the goal of limiting average global warming to well below 2-degrees Celsius, consistent with the Paris Climate Agreement,” an ICCR news release says. “While ICCR members have long called for disclosures of corporate lobbying activities, this initiative goes much further by pressing corporations to proactively lobby in favor of policies protective of Earth’s climate. The initiative is … [Read more...]

One major hurricane is a lot for any community to take in a year or even a decade. This week, the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s (PDA) Associate for Disaster Response in Latin America and the Caribbean, is working to respond to nations struck by two major hurricanes in as many weeks. “It’s real,” González-Castillo said Wednesday afternoon. “A lot of people are still facing rain, and these storms have brought a lot of rain to an already saturated land.” The rain has triggered flooding as major rivers have overflowed and taken over cities in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. The saturated land has also caused major landslides impacting thousands of homes. In Nicaragua, González-Castillo says 63,000 people have been evacuated from their homes from Hurricane Iota. “Many of these communities are in vulnerable places on the side of a mountain and the bottom of the mountain, so they’re exposed to landslides and the mountain coming down,” … [Read more...]

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Add the Presbytery of Milwaukee to the list of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mid councils and churches to help heal people by wiping away their medical debt. The presbytery, a governing body for 41 churches in southeastern Wisconsin, launched a campaign to pay off $1 million in medical debt just a few weeks ago. “We sent out the challenge in late September,” said Rachel Yates, Milwaukee Presbytery executive.  “Within weeks, we had enough donations from our congregations and members to wipe out about $1.9 million in debt, through RIP Medical Debt.  Though we will never know the names of those we helped, we are certain this will be a Thanksgiving to remember.” The Presbytery of Milwaukee coordinated with the nonprofit organization RIP Medical Debt to make the dollars raised stretch as far as possible. RIP Medical Debt locates unpaid medical debt and then uses charitable donations to forgive old, outstanding debts for pennies on the dollar. As the Rev. … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (OGA) J. Herbert Nelson and Diane Moffett share thoughts on moving forward. … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (OGA) Virtual gatherings have become the norm in 2020 and will be the case later this week when moderators, vice moderators, and moderators-elect from synods and presbyteries across the country gather online. For years, the annual Moderators’ Conference has been held in Louisville, just blocks away from the Presbyterian Center. The COVID-19 pandemic forced planners from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to move all their national meetings online for the remainder of the year. The Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020) of the PC(USA), the Reverend Gregory Bentley and Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, are cohosting the event, and both say this is a conference that participants won’t want to miss. “This year’s event won’t just be about what a moderator does and how meeting time is managed but will focus on this very time of the COVID virus,” said Street-Stewart. “With virtual meetings and community engagement, churches are still trying to figure out their … [Read more...]