(PNS) On Tuesday, The New York Times ran the headline “Two Americas: One Parched, One Soaked” over a map that showed a marked increase in rainfall over the eastern United States in the last 30 years, and decreasing precipitation over the West during the same period. The Rev. Jim Kirk, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s (PDA) Associate for National Disaster Response, doesn’t need a map to see what is happening. He’s seen it through disaster responses that consistently involve addressing wildfires in the West and rain events from hurricanes to flash floods in the East. “The places that are prone to drought are getting drier. The places that are prone to moisture are getting wetter,” Kirk said Wednesday. “In my just four years here with PDA, there have been multiple rain events that have not been associated with a hurricane or anything like that, but just isolated rain events that are producing unbelievable amounts of rain in an incredibly short amount of time.” The latest … [Read more...]

(PNS) Urgent prayers are requested for Mekane Yesus Seminary (MSY) in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa. The seminary is operated by the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), a long-time Presbyterian Mission Agency global partner. On August 17, the institution suffered a sudden and catastrophic flash flood that left death and destruction in its wake. “The Seminary is on the banks of a river that grew six feet in three minutes,” said Sharon Kandel, World Mission’s regional liaison for the Horn of Africa. “There was no warning, so students and faculty did not have time to get out. Many people survived by getting on the roofs of the buildings.” A letter from the seminary seeking support said the flooding killed three children and five adults and displaced more than 98 people. The recovery effort is ongoing. The seminary is closed to its 100 students while the damage is being assessed. Church officials reported that a large part of the institution was badly … [Read more...]

(RNS) — The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber was installed this weekend as the first pastor of public witness for the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Bolz-Weber, who has often attracted controversy, is perhaps best known for her New York Times bestselling books, including “Shameless: A Sexual Reformation” and “Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint,” the prayer- and profanity-filled memoir of her journey from alcoholic stand-up comic to Lutheran pastor. She was called to the role of pastor of public witness by the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, whose bishop, Jim Gonia, she said has supported her ministry since she first applied to seminary. Pastor of public witness may be a new position for the ELCA, but other denominations have called clergy to similar public-facing roles. For instance, the predecessor to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ordained Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” as an evangelist … [Read more...]

(PNS) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness is calling on the U.S. Congress and the White House to expedite admission of Afghan refugees to the United States, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is providing a guide for how Presbyterians and others can make their communities welcoming destinations for refugees. The issue became critical earlier this month as the United States military began a planned withdrawal after nearly 20 years in the country as part of the U.S. response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York and Washington. That is leaving thousands of Afghans who worked with the United States military desperate to leave the country for fear of reprisals from the Taliban government. “Nearly 80,000 of our Afghan allies are still in danger in Afghanistan,” the Action Alert from the Office of Public Witness(OPW) reads. “We must evacuate ALL of our Afghan allies. It is imperative that we contact our national elected leaders and hold the … [Read more...]

(PNS) David Guervil, who’s been consulting for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Haiti throughout political unrest, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake and the tropical storm that followed, told an online gathering Thursday that most Haitians survive “on a daily basis. Every day they have to fight. Every day they struggle for the next day.” Guervil joined a panel that included Fabienne Jean, executive director of World Mission’s longtime partner in Haiti, FONDAMA; Cindy Corell, a mission co-worker who’s been sheltering in place during the pandemic but is typically walking alongside the Haitian people; and the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s associate for Disaster Response in Latin America and the Caribbean. Darla Carter, communications associate for the Presbyterian Mission Agency, hosted the gathering, which can be viewed here. PDA and World Mission joined to produce the gathering. “Surround those who have been … [Read more...]