One church’s tale of two pandemics, 100 years apart
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — At the height of the influenza pandemic in 1918, the Rev. John Misao Yamazaki stopped holding services at..
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Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day goes online
LEXINGTON, Kentucky — While Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day is on a long list of events lost to the COVID-19 virus,..
Pondering in the pandemic
Guest commentary by Donald K. McKim The pandemic, COVID-19, is all around us. The range of its reach is global; its power..
Video: Stated Clerk weighs in on rise in technology during COVID-19
LOUISVILLE (OGA) As more and more churches embrace technology to reach their congregations, many have questioned what will happen once the COVID-19..
Finance and COVID-19: PC(USA) A Corp Board discusses per capita and coronavirus implications for church mission
The plan for now is this: The 2020 General Assembly will be asked to approve a General Assembly per capita rate for..
Holy Ghost glitter
As a kid, I liked glitter. A lot. I still find myself drawn to anything that sparkles. My mother called me a..
Passing Things
A generation goes, a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Ecclesiastes 1:4 The sun rises against its will would choose the..
Order of service — 2nd Sunday of Easter (April 19, 2020)
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation. It is free for..
Praying through a pandemic
Last week I posted a picture of the inside of my refrigerator on the internet for all the world to see. This..
How can I help? Responding to COVID-19 with grace and love
COVID-19 has upended life for so many, so now people are asking, “How can I help?” At Fountain City Presbyterian Church in..
Symbols
Beyond the fragrant lilies and hydrangeas crowding the chancel, beyond the festive Easter bonnets still occasionally scattered bright across the pews, beyond..
Initial Offer – Easter Morn
This winter ending day which dawns in quiet chill recalls another morning born in thunderclap and rending as the gates of hell..
God reconciles and makes free (50 years ago)
50 years ago — April 6, 1970 The General Council of World Presbyterians, held August 1970 in Nairobi, Kenya, developed a Bible..
Jelly bread
A Presbyterian woman who grew up during the Great Depression – when bread and jelly was the only treat – realized only..
Iglesia Presbiteriana, Montiflores
Stephen Williams writes from Savannah, Georgia, that Iglesia Presbiteriana, Montiflores, in Puerto Rico and First Presbyterian Church in Savannah are developing ties..
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
“Our political engagement as Christians is not just altruism. It is also a means of bearing witness to who we want to..
Empty tomb, empty church
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: “After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and..
Easter Sunday — April 12, 2020
Matthew 28:1-10 There is a refrain to this Easter story, a repeated combination of events and instructions as the women venture to..
Christian education at home: Easter — Strange changes
For the last several weeks we’ve been following saint David Bowie’s directions: Turn and face the strange changes. Now we come to..
Easter Sunday: Family faith formation at home
Welcome If you have any art supplies handy (paint, crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, markers, modeling clay, etc.) and paper or canvas,..
A possibility: A virtual General Assembly in June focused on essentials, with room for lament
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) is thinking about – but has not yet voted on – the..
2020 PC(USA) Easter Worship Service
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! In this unprecedented time of crisis and social distancing, we remain the Church together, united in the risen..
Opinion: After a Holy Week disrupted by death, an honest Easter
(RNS) — Death is always disruptive. Long before the pandemic, even a “good death” was a rupture. As a loved one slipped..
Opinion: Why Holy Week is made for this pandemic
(RNS) — Five years ago, I wrote a column in which I admitted that I hate Holy Week. “I know I should..
New York City’s Presbyterian leaders stand firm in the midst of COVID-19
(OGA) Large numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to be reported in New York City this week. And while authorities are cautiously..
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