(OGA) Following more than a week of violent exchanges between the U.S. and Iran, a number of faith leaders have signed a letter to Congress calling for diplomacy and peacemaking efforts. Nineteen leaders, including the Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), wrote that recent events have left them “deeply disturbed” about the direction the U.S. is taking. “Actions of violence will only exacerbate the situation, leading to increased violence, hatred, and discord between the U.S. and Iran,” the letter states. “The way of peace is not easy, yet we believe it will result in lasting security and justice for the people of Iran and the United States.” On January 3, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by missiles shot from American drones as his convoy traveled near Baghdad International Airport. Days later, Iran responded by firing missiles at two U.S. bases in Iraq. “We … [Read more...]

(PNS) Representatives from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its partners have returned from an international climate conference that left some observers disappointed about a lack of aggressive action to protect the Earth. The United Nations Climate Change Conference began Dec. 2 in Madrid, Spain and attracted delegates from nearly 200 nations, according to news reports, as well as protestors and activists, such as Greta Thunberg, Time magazine’s Person of the Year. The Washington Post reported that negotiators at the event failed to achieve their main goals, including persuading the world’s largest carbon-emitting countries to pledge to fight climate change more aggressively, starting in 2020. The lack of concrete action is disappointing because “all the research suggests that we’re in a very dire time and are already experiencing the effects of climate change” as natural disasters, such as fires and floods, become all too frequent, said Rob Fohr, lead staff person to … [Read more...]

(OGA) While the 225th General Assembly (2022) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is still two and a half years away, plans are already underway for the event to be held in Columbus, Ohio. Initially scheduled for June 25–July 2, 2022, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) recently approved a recommendation to move the dates by a week. “The Convention and Visitors Bureau asked the church to move our dates to July 2–9, 2022, including the Fourth of July holiday,” said Kerry Rice, Deputy Stated Clerk of the Office of the General Assembly. “As a consideration for the move, the bureau is offering nearly $175,000 in incentives to the PC(USA).” Rice says a $25,000 credit can be used as the church sees fit and there will be an additional $147,750 in reduced hotel room rates. “While we recognize that General Assembly will overlap with a national holiday, we believe in practicing good stewardship with the church’s financial resources and this will be a tremendous … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (OGA) A new year brings new challenges and the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes the church is ready. The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II says reform takes time and the PC(USA) is positioned to continue moving forward. In his monthly video conversation, Nelson urges church leaders to keep focused on the current period and what it means in this time of transition. … [Read more...]

(PNS) The Rev. Edwin A. González-Castillo was frozen, as the Earth shook. It was Tuesday morning, and he was in Guanica, Puerto Rico, when a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck just before 4:30 a.m. “It’s a moment of uncertainty, because you don’t know if it’s going to get stronger, you don’t know how long it’s going to last. What should I do?” González-Castillo said. “You’re frozen in place.” The Rev. Jim Kirk, who was in Puerto Rico with González-Castillo, said, “There’s a lot of anxiety. We heard that all over the place.” Kirk, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Associate for National Disaster Response, and González-Castillo, PDA Associate for Latin America and the Caribbean, were in Puerto Rico for a meeting with synod executives to look at some ongoing projects in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. But the duo found themselves doing initial assessments of damage in the island’s latest crisis, a series of earthquakes and tremors that have been rolling through the southern … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE — One of our more prophetic pastors, Bruce Gillette, has suggested that we keep in mind a 1974 resolution of the Presbyterian Church, US, the “Southern Church,” as we consider the meaning of the current impeachment of President Donald Trump. Most denominations said little or nothing officially about the consequences of the “Watergate mess,” but the Southern Presbyterians actually addressed it in two resolutions, both brought by pairs of commissioners to their General Assembly. At the very least, this suggests that the Presbyterian devotion to democratic polity runs more than organizationally deep; we really do believe in mutual accountability and service to the common good, however these beliefs may run counter to our culture of individualism and inequality. The process of considering commissioner resolutions permits up-to-the-minute attention to developments in the world. This practice of the PCUS church was adopted in the Reunion with the larger and more national … [Read more...]