LOUISVILLE (PNS) — When General Assembly Co-Moderators Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley were elected on Saturday, June 20, they were immediately given the option of moderating the first-ever, fully-online 224th General Assembly (2020) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from their respective homes in the upper Midwest and the Southeast. They respectfully took a pass. Had they chosen to moderate the historic gathering from home, not only would they have missed the opportunity to interact — always at a safe, six-foot distance — with members of the technical crew and national staff who were scattered across several conference rooms at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky, but also the colorful display that awaited them. Prior to their arrival in Louisville last Wednesday, Presbyterian Giving Catalog staff members saw to it that a length of paper chain in the shape of a heart, representing “Links of Love,” found its way into their open hands, … [Read more...]

(OGA) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is mourning the loss of retired pastor, author, and gun violence prevention advocate the Reverend Jim Atwood, who died on Friday as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Atwood, who had also served as a missionary in Japan, returned to the U.S. as a pastor and retired in 1999 from the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Virginia. An avid hunter, Atwood had said he became interested in the issue of gun violence after a charter member of one of his churches had been shot and killed during a robbery. He then moved to join the board of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV). The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), says Atwood’s passing is a personal loss. “Jim was a great friend and person who taught me quite a bit about gun violence. We stood together in rallies and churches and spoke at different occasions when I worked in the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington,” Nelson … [Read more...]

(PNS) As the Rev. José González-Colón was preparing his keynote speech for this year’s Peace Breakfast, his drafts were left in tatters by a fast-changing world rocked by protests and a pandemic raging in the midst of climate change. The finished speech, delivered Wednesday via Facebook, brought the Book of Revelation together with the stark realities of a world that he believes is reaping the bitter harvest of Christian indifference, along with overdependence on fossil fuels believed to contribute to global warming. Communities all over the world — in places like Bangladesh and Central America — “are losing their homes because of a voracious appetite and thirst for oil fuel,” said Gonzalez-Colon, past moderator of the Synod of Boriquen, Puerto Rico. Poor people are typically affected first, he said. “Gradually, however, it’s now affecting the next tier of the social ladder. You may live in a nice suburban neighborhood, but all of a sudden, one of your loved ones is … [Read more...]

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24, NRSV). Once again, the United States finds itself at a crossroads in dealing with racism and white supremacy. Racial inequities have been exposed in the COVID-19 pandemic and the murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Tony McDade in Florida, George Floyd in Minnesota, and Rayshard Brooks in Georgia. These tragedies have caught the national spotlight, and inequities, racism, and unlawful acts happen to Black, Indigenous, and people of color on a daily basis. As followers of Jesus Christ, who loves all and calls us to challenge the unjust structures of church and society, we are called to work for justice and peace for all God’s people. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community, Churchwide Antiracism Policy, approved by 222nd General Assembly (2016), affirms the following: While recognizing that racism … [Read more...]