St. Andrews Presbyterian Church — Kilmarnock, Virginia In December, St. Andrews was the setting for a presentation that celebrated Sibley Towner, professor emeritus of biblical interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Sib has attended St. Andrews for many years. It had long been a goal of Sib’s to publish his prayers and Union Presbyterian Seminary helped him make that goal a reality. Sib, members of his family and the congregation were shown a draft of a book (“Prayers that Sing and Stir the Heart”) that compiles the dozens of prayers that he offered at the beginning of each class over his decades of teaching. Also participating in the celebration were Union colleagues and friends Dean McBride, Beverly Zink-Sawyer and Bill Arnold. – Judy Thompson Share your 150-word story of “what’s right” with the Outlook by emailing it to [email protected] … [Read more...]

Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church —Seminole, Florida During Sunday morning worship, as the pastor I use lots of spoken words – but that is just fine for our deaf population, because an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter stands right beside me in the sanctuary to be sure everybody gets the message. The hearing admit they find themselves mesmerized by the signs and gestures illustrating what is being said. The church has taken community building a step further by offering weekly ASL classes, taught by deaf church member, Robert Steward. Each week, students learn 20 more words for communication and have time to practice conversation. Participants from the church and community are learning ASL for many different personal reasons. As classes continue, the “wall” dividing the hearing from the deaf is disassembled, the communication gap is bridged and the room is filled with laughter and understanding. – Kitty Hahn-Campanella, pastor … [Read more...]

Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship —Nashville, Indiana  What can I, as a two-time visitor, say is right about 34-member Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship in Nashville, Indiana? You wouldn’t think I would have much to tell… except that I also attended the church’s Sunday morning adult Bible class, led by the pastor, and later interviewed him and two parishioners about the church’s clothing ministry, now in its seventh year. On our visit from Summerville, South Carolina, my sister-in-law invited my wife and me to worship with her. She had told us about God’s Grace clothing ministry and On the Road Again, an annual event to help the county’s low-income residents outfit their children for the upcoming school year. I found a compassionate congregation in obedience to Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 25: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” I listened as Bible class members examined the message of love in 1 Corinthians 13. … [Read more...]

St. Mark Presbyterian Church — Newport Beach, California After the hate expressed at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in violence and death, the staff at St. Mark responded quickly. During the “time with our young church” during worship, Susan Thornton, director of Christian education, read “White Flour” aloud. “White Flour” is a poetic recounting of the Coup Clutz Clowns’ real-life, humor-filled action against a 2007 white supremacist rally in Knoxville, Tennessee. We learned how humor can be used to deflect hate. Our pastor, D. Mark Davis, unequivocally denounced the events in Charlottesville as evil. Mark and Susan are not remaining silent about white supremacy and the evil construct of race. My church is helping me live into God’s de-raced reality by staying focused on my work with the Anti-Racism Digital Library. – Anita Coleman Share your 150-word story of “what’s right” with the Outlook by emailing it to us. … [Read more...]