Everything is changing. That is the current reality. How do churches face this change with wisdom, faith and hope? What needs to be unlearned? What can be reimagined? What needs to be reexamined in order to move forward faithfully? What is God’s vision for communities of faith? This issue focuses on how to navigate and negotiate change to transform lives and ministries for God’s good work. Click here to read the digital issue in the Uberflip reader. Collective imagination Jessica Tate suggests that the church can build what it first imagines. What does the church need to unlearn from the pandemic? Tod Bolsinger is convinced there is much for church leaders to learn, unlearn and relearn. Navigating pastoral transitions Barbara Wheeler wonders if there might be a better way forward for Presbyterians. A vital congregation changes hearts and lives The vitality of a congregation grows as the mindset of its members is influenced toward new values, assumptions and beliefs … [Read more...]
Play: The weary world rejoices
A couple of summers ago, during what seemed to be an endless summer (joke was on me it seemed; 2020 was just around the corner), I dragged my kids and own parched self to hang with the animals at the local pet shop for some much-needed relief during a long summer day. While the children ran off to the fish, I spied a large blue bird in a glass enclosure. Curious, I walked closer. A beautiful blue hyacinth macaw sat alone, not a single feathered friend in sight. Looking at the bird, I thought about how lonely that must be, and me being the parent I somehow always am now, I started to get concerned about this bird’s mental state and emotional outlook. You read that correctly, I was concerned about a bird’s emotional health. Moving on, having nothing but time and slight boredom on my hands, I started walking around the cage, seeing if I could get this bird to engage with me. A peek around a corner garnered a semi-interested glare back from the bird. Perhaps, also semi-strange looks from … [Read more...]
The blessing of play
Maddie loves the water. My family met Maddie, a husky mix, on a recent camping trip to Northern Wisconsin. We were swimming in the lake near our campground when Maddie arrived on the scene, dragging her owner by the leash, intent on getting to the water as quickly as she could. When her owner set her free, Maddie didn’t swim, she leaped through the shallow water, her mouth open in a huge grin, her teeth grabbing and biting at the waves from passing boats. Maddie’s owner apologized for disturbing our swim, but we quickly reassured him. We loved Maddie! We joined her in play. Chasing her through the water. Petting her wet head when she came near. Cheering her on as she leapt and leapt. Maddie couldn’t get enough of her water playtime, and neither could we. It was a challenge to carve out this summer vacation with my family. Everyone warned me that I’d be “drinking out of the firehose” for my first few months here at the Outlook, and they were right. But I wanted to make good on a … [Read more...]
Battling the perfect storm: The Black church responding to the impact of the pandemics of 2020 and 2021
From March until December of 2020 – from Easter until Christmas – not a week went by without the death of someone in my church or community. Not one week. Sometimes calls came in as often as three to four times a week. Most devastating was the loss of a friend of 40 years, a sitting Superior Court judge, who died after contracting COVID-19. Meanwhile, my entire community was under siege following the murder a young man by the Atlanta Police Department — an unarmed man who had merely fallen asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-through. The summer of 2020 brought what could only be called the perfect storm. Rather than one pandemic, we saw three. For the United States – and the rest of the world – increased coverage of police violence against unarmed Black people was secondary to the ravages of COVID-19. For Black communities, fears surrounding both the virus and police brutality were exacerbated by the launch of the most racially divided U.S. presidential election since before the … [Read more...]
UPUSA moderator asks for prayers for peace — 60 years ago
60 years ago — August 21, 1961 The victors of WWII divided the city of Berlin, Germany, into sectors eallowing free movement of people. To stop the flow of immigration from the Soviet controlled sector on August 12, 1961, a barbed-wire wall dividing the city was erected overnight. The threat of war hung in the air. Paul D. McKelvey, a businessman of South Pasadena, California, elected moderator to the 173rd General Assembly, requested members to pray. They were called “to pray for a peaceful resolution to the Berlin crisis and for the ‘guidance of God in the decisions by the heads of state.’” Copies of the call to prayer were sent to President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschchev. The prayer called for “‘calm awareness by the leaders and peoples of East and West that peace rests upon political justice, upon mutual understanding, upon the right of people to be free, and upon the ability to negotiate tensions with charity instead of fear.’” And to pray “for an … [Read more...]
What’s right about Minnesota Presbyterian churches?
Minnesota Presbyterian churches New Life Presbyterian Church (Roseville), North Presbyterian Church (St. Paul) and Trinity Presbyterian Church (Woodbury) partnered for a youth mission trip that offered 18 youth, four adult volunteers and the three pastors an opportunity to explore social justice, environmental justice, stewardship and sustainability. Working together daily for a week, the group had daily morning worship, shared daily God sightings, worked in a community garden, made sandwiches for a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, visited George Floyd Square, met with leaders from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in the Longfellow neighborhood, learned about sustainability at Lily Springs Farm in Osceola, Wisconsin, and served at the Department of Indian Works in St. Paul by stocking shelves in their food pantry and sorting bags, clothing and toys. As we reflected on Scripture daily, we were inspired by the call of the Holy Spirit to love each other profoundly, be generous and … [Read more...]
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