I was baptized as infant in a white clapboard church in the rural Canadian Rocky Mountains. The week before I received the sacrament, a dozen or so people in that tiny Moravian congregation painted the sanctuary. They painted the entire sanctuary. Monday morning, they lugged ladders inside and draped pews. They spent the rest of the week sloshing paint on the walls with rollers and brushes. When the sun set on Saturday afternoon, that holy room glowed in white like a baby in his baptismal gown. And these faithful folks went through this extraordinary effort knowing full well that, in just a few months, my family would leave — for good. And then their church, which had existed for almost 150 years, would close its doors — forever. Thirty-seven years later, I am now a Presbyterian pastor. And I have the grace of writing a letter to each child about to be baptized. The child’s caregivers then save my note until she has grown and is ready for confirmation. I write with the future … [Read more...]
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Outpost Blog 13 hours ago
The Elder Preaching Institute
Eastminster Presbytery’s interim general presbyter, Nancy Kahaian, had just started her service with the presbytery and was meeting with each pastor individually. I went to have a meal with her to bring up a particular concern in mind. In two Sundays I was going to be on vacation and I didn’t have pulpit supply. It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried. I already had called everyone on the presbytery’s very small pulpit supply list. I had tried further connections. No one was available. My last hope was that Nancy would be… continue reading... -
Outlook Features 2 days ago
A letter to watch over you
I was baptized as infant in a white clapboard church in the rural Canadian Rocky Mountains. The week before I received the sacrament, a dozen or so people in that tiny Moravian congregation painted the sanctuary. They painted the entire sanctuary. Monday morning, they lugged ladders inside and draped pews. They spent the rest of the week sloshing paint on the walls with rollers and brushes. When the sun set on Saturday afternoon, that holy room glowed in white like a baby in his baptismal gown. And these faithful folks… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 2 days ago
Concern returns over Stony Point finances
Finances at Stony Point Center again have emerged as a concern for the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board – with expenses at Stony Point outrunning revenue by more than $286,000 for the first seven months of this year. Kitty and Rick Ufford-Chase, co-executive directors of Stony Point Center outside New York City. In response, the Presbyterian Mission Agency is holding off on all but emergency or essential capital spending at Stony Point, hoping that guest occupancy rates at the conference and retreat center outside New York City can increase in the rest… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized60 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews54 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews64 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
The 223rd GA – July 30, 2018 July 23, 2018 Digital Issues2 comments General Assembly: 538 commissioners from 170 presbyteries gathered for a week in the heat of St. Louis to work in 14 committees, worship, pray, march, discuss and debate. They voted on issues ranging from climate change to mental health, heard about mission around the globe, created task forces and restructured the denomination. The depth and breadth of their work is too big to be contained in these pages, nonetheless this issue gives you a sense of the scope of the decisions made by the 223rd General Assembly. Visit pres-outlook.org/223GA for more...
Stony Point to receive year-by-year funding from Presbyterian Mission Agency April 26, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment CINCINNATI – The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted April 26 to provide at least a year’s funding to Stony Point Center for capital improvements – and voiced its support of Stony Point as being an important ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The board’s Stony Point Sustainability Task Force had asked the board to approve spending $3 million over three years for deferred maintenance and capital improvements at Stony Point, a facility of more than 30 acres about an hour outside New York City.
That money, however, would have had to come from Presbyter...
Going home: Part two August 9, 2018 Outpost Blog1 comment
(Read Going home: Part One)
Yesterday, I rejected the premise of Dr. Seuss’ book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” in favor of taking seriously the places from which we come. While the majority of that article was dedicated to my own personal, lived experiences (and thus too subjective to be rigorously scrutinized), even as I wrote it, I was aware of some of the potential negative implications of it.
My argument, removed from its subjective confines, is that where we come from is not coincidental to God’s providence ...
A letter to watch over you
Tagged With: baptism • confirmation • writing
Concern returns over Stony Point finances
Finances at Stony Point Center again have emerged as a concern for the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board – with expenses at Stony Point outrunning revenue by more than $286,000 for the first seven months of this year. In response, the Presbyterian Mission Agency is holding off on all but emergency or essential capital spending at Stony Point, hoping that guest occupancy rates at the conference and retreat center outside New York City can increase in the rest of the year, said Mike Miller, acting director of shared services. While Stony Point finished 2017 with an occupancy rate of about 45 percent, the occupancy rate so far this year has fallen a little shy of 40 percent, said Rick Ufford-Chase, who is co-director of the center along with his wife, Kitty. Speaking during a conference call meeting of the board’s Resource Allocation and Stewardship Committee on Aug. 13, Miller said the budget was prepared anticipating a 50 percent occupancy rate – which, if achieved, would have … [Read more...]
Pilgrimage for justice
Guest commentary by David Garth On July 8 this summer we drove into the heart of Dixie: south from Charlottesville, Virginia, almost 800 miles until we reached Montgomery, Alabama. Ninety-five pilgrims signed up to tour civil rights museums and memorials on our way to the National Memorial to Peace and Justice, also known as The Lynching Memorial. We wanted to add a jar of soil from the site of a Charlottesville lynching to more than 300 jars at the memorial. The larger purpose of our trip was to seek reconciliation and healing after the alt-right, KKK and neo-Nazis invaded our city for a rally in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017. The aftermath of that event left three dead and shattered the self-image of Charlottesville as a quiet, progressive university town. Those of us who are white are embarrassed by the failure of law enforcement to maintain public safety and by the exposure of an angry divide between ourselves and our black neighbors. Through the … [Read more...]
Faith-based protesters flock to Washington to counter white supremacists
WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS) — When white supremacist groups announced plans to hold a demonstration in Washington, D.C., to mark the one-year anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., many were concerned the day would descend into violence as it did in 2017, when one woman was killed and many more injured after a man who had marched with racists allegedly plowed his car into a group of counter-protesters. But by Sunday evening (Aug. 12), D.C. had hosted far more anti-racist Methodists, Baptists and other religious demonstrators than white supremacists, and the thousands of other counter-protesters spread across the city suggested white nationalists had inadvertently done more to unite people across religious and racial differences than bolster the ranks of racists. Religious groups have been actively fighting against racism throughout America’s history, and a band of faith leaders and theologians were among the brave few who stared down white supremacists … [Read more...]
Making sense of preaching
When I talk about myself out loud, I don’t always make sense. I like tomatoes, sugar and salt, but I hate ketchup … except on fried white fish. I dislike walking because it makes me tired, but I love running marathons. I hate science fiction and fantasy stories because I can never get behind that stuff actually happening, yet the resurrection of Jesus Christ fits into my realistic worldview. And I’m overwhelmingly an auditory learner, but I’ve never been good at sitting still or listening to sermons in my spare time just for funzies. And I’m an introvert who does much better in smaller groups, so the idea of preaching (having all of that attention on me at one time) has never been something that I get excited about. In fact, if I’m honest, I quite often get sick of hearing myself (and others) talk, so I’m doubtful that preaching will ever be my favorite part of ministry. Yet, even in all of these paradoxes, I’m starting to love preaching – not the actual doing part of it (I … [Read more...]
Stated Clerk
The Presbytery of San Diego was established in 1968 as a regional body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). For 50 years, we have been helping local Presbyterian congregations to witness to the love of God in their communities, serve the forgotten, and grow disciples of Jesus. We are 31 congregations (large and small) and over 12,000 members throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. To apply, send cover letter and PIF/résumé to [email protected] Website: presbyterysd.org. San Diego Presbytery 3707 Udall St San Diego CA 92107-2413 … [Read more...]
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