Presbyterian Hub Archives - The Presbyterian Outlook

The sisterhood of Presbyterian Korean-American Clergywomen

July 19, 2017 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

The first time Mihee Kim-Kort witnessed a female Korean-American pastor preach in the pulpit was in 2008. It was Grace Ji-Sun Kim. They were participating in an ecumenical gathering. Kim-Kort had graduated from seminary and been ordained three years earlier. She was serving as an associate pastor at a predominantly white, mid-size church in Easton, Pennsylvania. Though in the last decade the presence of Korean-American clergywomen in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has increased, our stories are still relatively unknown to the wider church. Korean-American Presbyterian Clergywoman (KAPCW) has a 26-year history in the PC(USA). It began in 1991 as a network of and for Korean-American women seeking ordination in the PC(USA). The first gathering of KAPCW occurred with seven women in ministry in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1990. This group of diverse women (in age, language skills and theology) called for the first national organizing conference to be held in Los Angeles … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Korean Presbyterians

A history of Presbyterian mission in Korea

July 18, 2017 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Every year, researchers visit the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia to access our extensive Korea mission collections. Many are individual scholars and family historians. But the groups from South Korea seem most moved by the history we have preserved and now share – a history of the hospitals, churches and schools founded in Korea by Presbyterian mission workers and nurtured by Korean Christians into institutions that thrive today. Without the U.S.-based archival programs of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., much of that early history would have been lost during the wars and conflicts that marked life on the Korean peninsula during the 20th century. Prior to the 1880s, Korea maintained a closed face to the world, earning the name “Hermit Kingdom” in some western circles. Catholic missionaries started venturing into the country in the late 16th century, but had little sustained success. Korea signed its first … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Korean Presbyterians

Presbyterian pastor

July 17, 2017 by Jill Duffield Leave a Comment

Fewer and fewer people I encounter have any idea what “Presbyterian” means. When, upon meeting someone, I am asked, “What do you do?” I usually say, “I am a Presbyterian pastor.” If they ask follow-up questions I go into more detail with words like “editor” or “religious magazine.” Most of the time all the person hears is “pastor” and then attaches to that whatever baggage they associate with the term. I confess – and this is a confession of sin – that I use the qualifier “Presbyterian” because, at least to me, it puts me in a category separate from television evangelists or fundamental literalists. To me, “Presbyterian” means educated, thoughtful and – yes, let me just speak it plain – intellectual and unlikely to hold up signs with “John 3:16” at the ballpark. (I told you this was a confession of sin.) I have come to understand, however, that “Presbyterian” does not carry those connotations for many anymore. I might as well skip the “Presbyterian” part and just say, “I am a … [Read more...]

The healthy practice of pastoral sabbaticals

July 11, 2017 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

When Beth Garrod-Logsdon, pastor at Wilmore Presbyterian Church in Wilmore, Kentucky, prepared to broach the subject of a sabbatical with the session, she did so with some trepidation. She’d heard how some churches were resistant to such requests, and she wasn’t at all sure how the Wilmore congregation would respond. Garrod-Logsdon was about to celebrate her tenth anniversary in Wilmore, and she believed it was the right time to take a sabbatical. She wasn’t burned out, but instinctively felt that she needed renewal. Would the session agree? It’s a common question, and one that pastor, session and congregation should address openly. Sabbaticals for pastors are now widely accepted, a situation that wasn’t the case even a couple of decades ago. One reason for that acceptance is that sabbatical grants for pastors and congregations have become more available. An even stronger motive results from the stories that congregations and pastors tell after successful sabbatical experiences. … [Read more...]

Tagged With: sabbath

Presbyterian Women

July 10, 2017 by Marj Carptenter Leave a Comment

The Presbyterian Women in an Oregon church invited the pastor to their gathering. He turned to the lady sitting nearest him and asked, “Do you ever think about the hereafter?” She answered quickly, “Oh yes – every day.” The pastor said, “That’s wonderful.” And she answered, “I walk around the house asking myself, ’now what am I here after?’” … [Read more...]

Mission co-workers in Egypt