Bristow Presbyterian Church — Bristow, Oklahoma Twenty years ago, the church started Youth Club, a Wednesday night ministry serving students in the church and the community through high school. We play games, share a meal, learn in Bible study and worship together. When members of my family began Youth Club in 1999, I was in kindergarten. From that time until I graduated high school, Youth Club was a major part of my life. After college, I felt called to return to Bristow and serve in my home church. I began leading music and completing “behind the scenes” tasks on Wednesday nights. A year later, I was asked to become Youth Club director. I just completed my second year as director. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Our children are our greatest gift, and Youth Club is an essential part of our ministry to the most precious members of our flock. — Kara Blansett, Youth Club director … [Read more...]
The process of rejuvenation: Krislund Camp and Conference Center
Krislund Camp and Conference Center is settled in the rural northern stretch of the Appalachian Mountains in central Pennsylvania. Like many faith-based camps, Krislund began a slow decline in summer participation in the late 1990s, and by the turn of the century was facing significant economic concerns. As one of the several camp and conference centers located in the Synod of the Trinity, Krislund hit financial distress about 10 years ago. Today, however, there’s a new story to tell. Krislund is thriving — the result of what volunteer leaders and staff have done together. Krislund is owned and directed by three presbyteries: Carlisle, Huntingdon and Northumberland, and serves rural central Pennsylvania, stretching from the New York border south to Maryland. Those who oversee the ministry of Krislund come from each of the presbyteries, forming what is called the Joint Camp and Conference Committee (JCCC). The committee has taken several steps that have resulted in greater … [Read more...]
Editorial – 50 years ago
50 years ago — June 29, 1959 Southern states had strict laws segregating the races. Though the General Assemblies had spoken against such laws, the practice persisted — even in the churches. There were pastors who took bold stands from their pulpits against these laws of segregation. One pastor in Georgia declared his stance against segregation from the pulpit. The resulting turmoil in the congregation led the presbytery to remove the pastor. The example of this removal intimidated some pastors from having a prophetic voice against societal injustices. To “have the commission remove the pastor must indicate to more timid souls in pressured situations that if they stand for their deeply-held convictions in line with the assembly declarations, they will be possible candidates for membership in such an evicted company.” No charges were filed by the commission; they simply relied on a phrase from the Book of Order that allowed removal for the sake of the peace of the church. There was … [Read more...]
A Sunday school teacher…
A Sunday school teacher in Baltimore was discussing the importance of grandparents and asked, “Where does your grandmother live?” A 6-year-old lad answered promptly: “She lives at the airport. When we want to see her we go get her, and when we get tired of her we take her back to the airport.” … [Read more...]
Mission co-worker in Africa
Frank Dimmock, a long-time mission co-worker in Africa, has been sent by the Outreach Foundation in Franklin, Tennessee, to a refugee camp in Ethiopia where he is teaching refugee leaders from South Sudan about healing trauma. Outreach has also sent José Carlos Pezini to help congregations in Brazil and Sasan Tavasoli to work with churches in Iran. … [Read more...]
Recommended reading
What’s on your summer reading list? A novel? A heavy-duty work of nonfiction you’ve been wanting to dig into, but have not yet had the concentrated time? Maybe something completely outside your normal genre or preferences? We hope these recommendations might help you decide which direction you want to go as you vacation or simply slow down a bit. We invited a variety of people we admire to share with us books that made an impression on them and that they think others will find meaningful. Some of these books have been previously reviewed in our pages, others are classics and still others you may not yet have on your radar. We’d love to hear if you take us up on any of these suggestions and what you think of the content within. Also, if you have suggestions of your own, let us know! – Jill Duffield Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America James Fallows and Deborah Fallows Pantheon, 432 pages Would you like to travel with James and Deborah Fallows this … [Read more...]
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