(PNS) With a busy Atlantic hurricane season predicted and tragedies already being reported in the South, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is encouraging churches to make disaster preparedness plans. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November, and it already has taken a deadly toll, with Tropical Storm Claudette having claimed at least 14 lives in recent days, according to news reports. Given that such storms also can bring significant damage to church facilities, it’s wise for congregations to take proactive steps, said the Rev. James Kirk, PDA Associate for U.S. Disaster Response. “There certainly is a significant amount of truth in the adage ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ because by doing adequate preparation, you can mitigate the damage,” Kirk said. Last year’s Atlantic hurricane season was the busiest on record and led to numerous virtual deployments by PDA, which hopes to do some in-person deployments this year now that … [Read more...]

(PNS) Excitement is building for this year’s Presbyterian Week of Action, which takes place Aug. 23-29. It will lift up not only Black Lives Matter but other marginalized groups, such as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, who have been the target of hatred and discrimination. “Shades of Oppression, Resistance and Liberation” is the theme of this year’s event, which is being coordinated by the Rev. Shanea D. Leonard with the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Bearing Witness team and other interested parties. “The areas we will touch are the plight of poverty; the AAPI issues that have arisen, especially this year; gun violence and mass shootings; LGBTQIA resistance and resilience; murdered and missing Indigenous women; and then also international struggles,” said Leonard, Associate for Gender and Racial Justice in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Gender, Racial & Intercultural Justice. “And then finally, we will, as always, cover the issues concerning Black Lives … [Read more...]

(PNS) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness issued an Action Alert Thursday urging Presbyterians to contact their elected officials — including President Joe Biden — to prevent further suffering in Palestine and Israel. Weeks after an Israeli attack on Gaza that killed at least 242 Palestinians, Palestinians living under occupation continue to face violence and systematic discrimination, the Action Alert states. But instead of calling for accountability for this and other brutal acts, the Biden administration has approved a new sale of $735 million in weapons to Israel, despite objections in Congress and from a wide range of human rights groups. “At the same time,” the Action Alert notes, “the Biden administration also announced it would commit just $5 million to support reconstruction in Gaza — a fraction of what is needed.” Violence has escalated due to the imminent threat of forced displacement of families in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the … [Read more...]

(PNS) When the Rev. Victor H. Floyd traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border with a group from Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, he was prepared to encounter a lot of pain in refugees they would meet in U.S. detention facilities and migrant shelters in Tijuana.  He wasn’t prepared for Petter.  The Guatemalan young man was at Casa de Luz, a shelter for LGBTQIA+ migrants. Back home, he said his father and brothers attempted to murder him, twice, beating him and leaving him for dead on the side of the road.  In a post on the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance blog, Floyd wrote, “He wanted the stuff of biblical shalom: a community, a boyfriend, shelter, food, a purpose, to be able to imagine a better future.” They were things Floyd and his husband, Lou, found they were able to at least open the door to, becoming his sponsors and welcoming him into their home while his case for asylum proceeds.  Floyd welcomed Petter knowing there are thousands of people like him among … [Read more...]

(PNS) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) commemorated Juneteenth with a unique worship service on Wednesday morning. The theme for the service was “What Is the Work of the People — Holding the Legacy While Building Our Destiny.” The service opened with the African tradition of calling upon the ancestors. After a roll call of great leaders like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Weldon Johnson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Zora Neale Hurston, Muhammad Ali and others, worshipers were reminded that no matter the language, the denomination, the tribe or one’s social status … we are one. The nearly 200 individuals viewing the online service were welcomed by the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, who said, “Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.” And, after sharing a brief history of the holiday, Moffett said, “Momentum is mounting to make Juneteenth a nationally … [Read more...]

(PNS) Despite years of ongoing advocacy by civil rights activists and social justice advocates, violence against women in Puerto Rico remains an ongoing issue. In January, recently elected Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency because of it. According to the civil rights coalition Observatorio de Equidad de Género, at least 60 women were killed last year in Puerto Rico, a 62% increase in femicides (the killings of women or girls because they are female) compared to the previous year. The January state of emergency follows the high-profile deaths of 27-year-old Keishla M. Rodríguez Ortiz and 35-year-old Andrea Ruíz Costas, who were both murdered by their partners in gruesome acts of gender violence. Costas followed all the legal procedures to protect herself, but, Pierluisi said, “the system failed her.” The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Puerto Rico is not ignoring this matter. The Presbiterio de San Juan has issued an open letter calling on the Church to … [Read more...]