LOUISVILLE (PNS) – In just 51 years, the Rev. Dr. Charles “Chip” Andrus lived a truly remarkable life. He died the weekend of September 8, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Chip was the associate for worship in the PC(USA) Office of Theology & Worship (2002–06) and served churches in Arkansas (2006–11) and New York (2011–18). He led the band Soul Highway, played everywhere from sanctuaries to saloons, wrote numerous songs, and recorded three albums of original music — Let It Rain Down, It’s All Good and The Place We’re At. He was a caring pastor, insightful teacher, creative spirit, captivating storyteller, active community servant, loving husband and father, and cherished friend. Like the rivers he loved to float, Chip ran deep. Among his many other accomplishments, he made profound contributions to the liturgical life of the Presbyterian Church. In April 2017, I spent three days talking with him about daily prayer. He helped me understand the baptismal rhythm of daily … [Read more...]
Presbyterians mobilize to help southeast U.S. recover from Hurricane Florence
As news comes in of the devastating effects of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and South Carolina, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is organizing a response that will help sustain life and restore hope in the coming days. “Our hearts break and rise up in prayer for the people along the Atlantic coast and the inland areas of the Carolinas,” says the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, PDA director. “Right now, we need the church’s prayers and financial assistance.” Hurricane Florence satellite image. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday morning about 7:30 a.m. Eastern time near Wrightsville, North Carolina, bearing sustained 90 mph winds. Although downgraded from recent days to a Category 1 storm, over the next 48 hours it’s expected to drop up to 30 inches of rain and create storm surges up to 11 feet in some areas in North Carolina. More than 500,000 homes and businesses are currently without power, a number that is certain to rise … [Read more...]
‘Connecting the dots’ between faith and climate change
LOS ANGELES (RNS) —Tackling issues like climate change or protecting the environment often requires a lot of boring, behind-the-scenes work, far from the spotlight. But sometimes you have to let your light shine, said the Rev. Susan Hendershot Guy, president of Interfaith Power & Light. For California faith communities, that means taking a public role in the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco this week (Sept. 12-14), offering an interfaith service and faith-based workshops among other events. The three-day summit, co-chaired by Gov. Jerry Brown and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has drawn international and local government, business, science and nonprofit leaders. Hendershot Guy said it is important for the faith community to show up as well. “Every major faith tradition calls us to care for the Earth,” she said. “And every major faith tradition calls us to care for our neighbors and those who are most vulnerable. And climate change impacts … [Read more...]
Presbyterian groups work to create a ‘culture of preparedness’ for disaster events
(PNS) As Hurricane Florence bears down on the eastern coast of the United States, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Presbyterian Women (PW) are sending out the reminder that September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM). Since 2014, through the Presbyterian Women Disaster Preparedness program, PDA and PW have collaborated to assist congregations and presbyteries to create disaster preparedness plans. Today, there are more than 150 women from 68 presbyteries across the country, including 43 new trainers at the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women last month in Louisville, Kentucky. Presbyterian Women Disaster Preparedness Training participants from the Synod of Mid-Atlantic. (Photo by Carolyn Thalman) Carolyn Thalman, a member of First Presbyterian Church in Winchester, Virginia and a PDA National Response Team (NRT) member, was part of the group that wrote the first training curriculum for Presbyterian Women. She’s currently the team lead for the PW … [Read more...]
Faith-based disaster-relief teams on standby as Florence nears
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — On top of all the state and federal disaster relief groups readying for Hurricane Florence as it barrels toward North and South Carolina are a group of expert helpers: the faith teams. The biggest of these, North Carolina Baptists on Mission and the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, have made a name for themselves during previous hurricanes and other natural disasters, feeding people, clearing debris, gutting uninhabitable homes and rebuilding them from stud to kitchen cabinet. On Wednesday (Sept. 12), they were back at it — not yet delivering help, but strategizing over how best to deploy their volunteer armies and equipment. Florence is likely to produce catastrophic flooding in the eastern Carolinas when it makes landfall Friday. Damaging winds and near-certain flooding from the massive rainfall will worsen the misery. “God’s opened a lot of doors and given us a lot of opportunity,” said Richard Brunson, executive director of … [Read more...]
People of faith urge Trump to admit more refugees
(RNS) — With a decision looming on how many refugees to admit into the country, and rumors swirling that the number could drop dramatically from this year’s historic low, people of faith are coming together to ask the Trump administration to instead allow tens of thousands more to enter the United States. Representatives of some of the largest Protestant denominations in the country — including the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Episcopal Church — were planning to gather outside the White House on Wednesday (Sept. 12) to press President Trump to raise the number of refugees admitted in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 to 75,000 people. And the Evangelical Immigration Table — a coalition that includes the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s single largest Protestant denomination — hosted a call demanding the same. “I … [Read more...]
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