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Faith & gender — April 1, 2019

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The topic of gender identity is prevalent in our culture, and yet the church talks little about it. Many in our congregations know what it means to wrestle with gender identity — personally or alongside a family member, friend or parishioner. How equipped are we to have thoughtful theological, pastoral and biblical conversations about what it means to be transgender, gender fluid or nonbinary? Are we prepared to offer informed pastoral care? This issue of the Presbyterian Outlook offers insights and resources that begin to address these questions. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader. Biblical abundance & gender Understanding God as abundant removes limits on an understanding of whom God loves and welcomes into community. The importance of languageA church in North Carolina sought to better understand the transgender experience and walk faithfully with these children of God. Loving the foreigner In New Mexico, a congregation opened their doors to … [Read more...]

Tagged With: gender

Continuing the dance of faith and service: A small congregation keeps step with their community

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SAN ANTONIO - It’s a question many small congregations face. The neighborhood is economically challenged, the congregation growing older. What’s the future for ministry in this place? At Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, a predominantly Hispanic congregation, the answer has come in part from seeds planted at the very beginning: a century of connection with House of Neighborly Service, a social service nonprofit founded as a Presbyterian mission in 1917. Divine Redeemer and House of Neighborly Service have danced together for decades — both begun by Presbyterians to meet the needs of Mexican immigrants coming to San Antonio, many of them with limited incomes and educations, but with the highest hopes for their children. The congregation was founded in 1914 by Harry Phillips, a Presbyterian missionary who had served in Mexico, but headed north to San Antonio fleeing the disruption of the Mexican Revolution, as did Mexican immigrants who came to the neighborhood as … [Read more...]

Tagged With: small church

Combat veterans, post-traumatic growth and the role of the church

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Since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the United States of America has been at war. By 2015, the U.S. military deployed 2.77 million service members (for a total of 5.4 million deployments) to Afghanistan and Iraq in order to support its Global War on Terrorism in these two fronts. Trauma and veterans The prolonged warfare has impacted combat veterans, most often manifested as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or moral injury (MI), the latter gaining more attention in recent years. Combat deployments affect people and veterans return changed. Some come back worse than others, but no one comes back the same. Many have experienced various forms of trauma. Whether directly from combat operations or not, trauma can be a significant part of one’s experience in war. Trauma can cause severe physical, emotional and psychological reactions often diagnosed as PTSD. Trauma may manifest in symptoms of PTSD, but the injury to the psyche, or soul, is more than … [Read more...]

Tagged With: mental health

Prayer for our Muslim brothers and sisters in New Zealand and around the world

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Another act of brutal violence, more innocent people gunned down while gathered for worship, broadcast on social media, reported around the globe, followed by moans of lament, cries of pain and breast-beating pleas of “How, long, O, Lord?” You, Holy Lord, command us: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On this day of grief and sorrow, we seek to love You, Lord, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength by loving our neighbors as ourselves. The greatest commandment and the one like unto it ripples through the universe beckoning us to embrace and care for those devastated and afraid. In a world awash in hate, punctuated by senseless killing, where white supremacist manifestos give way to the murder of our Muslim neighbors while praying in their mosques, we pledge to make our stand with those targeted due to their faith or country of origin or race. We pray the strength and faith to stand where we know Christ stands: with the vulnerable, the persecuted, the oppressed, those … [Read more...]

Prayer for those who grieve

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We pray comfort for our friends at the Presbyterian Mission Agency and Office of General Assembly in the sudden deaths for medical reasons of beloved colleagues Robina Winbush, director of Ecumenical Relations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of the General Assembly,  and Mike Miller, acting chief financial officer for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation. Lord, you alone know the number of our days. We live as those who are dust and will return to dust, not always aware of the closeness of our finitude. You tell us to be ready, awake, aware of your presence and always mindful that at any moment we will meet you face to face. In these recent days when we mourn the sudden death of those we love and long to see again, we remember your promise to be with us forever, to prepare a place for us, to welcome us into the joy of your heavenly kingdom. Comfort, Lord, the friends and family and colleagues of those whose deaths have shaken us to the core. Grant peace and … [Read more...]

What’s right about Presbytery of the James?

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Presbytery of the James — Virginia Following the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Presbytery of the James (POJ) adopted a statement denouncing white supremacy, which reaffirmed the presbytery’s commitment to racial justice and healing. This led to the formation of a 10-member working group called “Dismantling Racism: Building Beloved Community.” That group has teamed up with Coming To the Table (a nonprofit organization promoting racial healing) and Joyful Feast (a new worshipping community in the presbytery) to offer monthly opportunities for cross-cultural meals and conversation. In January, the working group sponsored a retreat with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove to discuss his book, “Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion.” The retreat was attended by 47 church leaders from 14 congregations. Thanks to a grant from the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic, the Dismantling Racism group will partner with eight churches this fall to pilot … [Read more...]

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