(PNS) The scene was not unfamiliar to Greg Smith, a member of the National Response team for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, as he assessed damage in Taylorville, Ill. early in December. “The tornado went right through the residential part of the community,” he said. “Very few businesses were affected. It was mostly residential. The destruction was incredibly serious: houses without roofs, siding — the mayor said, ‘You won’t believe it, but that house had brand new siding.’ It sure didn’t have any when we were there.” Taylorville, Ill., suffered extensive damage from a tornado the evening of Dec. 1. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is responding. (Photo by Kathy Montgomery) For some readers, it may be news that there were tornadoes in the Midwest the first weekend in December. While it did not make headlines the way hurricanes or wildfires have recently, the storm system that went through Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma last weekend packed a wallop, with 23 … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 8 hours ago
“Welcome letter” sent to new Moving Forward Implementation Commission by Way Forward and All Agency Review
The leadership of the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee has sent a “welcome letter” to the new Moving Forward Implementation Commission. The letter is signed by the moderators and vice moderators of those entities, and also by Cynthia Jarvis, who served as moderator of the Way Forward Committee of the 2018 General Assembly. The 2018 General Assembly created the Moving Forward Implementation Commission to oversee high-level issues involving the denomination — giving it power to “take any and all administrative actions as necessary” regarding implementation of the Way… continue reading... -
Outlook Features 12 hours ago
She dared to say yes: A reflection on Katie Geneva Cannon
The history of African-American Presbyterians – and, yes, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – must acknowledge the transformative life and ministry of the Katie Geneva Cannon. Without much fanfare or special services, in the middle of a regularly scheduled meeting of the Presbytery of Catawba on April 23, 1974, the Church confirmed the call of God and ordained Katie Geneva Cannon to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. She opened the door for many African-American Presbyterian women to acknowledge God’s call on our lives and to enter ordained ministry. To understand… continue reading... -
Outpost Blog 2 days ago
Advent: Waiting on peace
Each Advent we light candles of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. We wait, and we pray until the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus arrives and with fanfare, we welcome a baby who is the Savior. If we are really attuned, we know we wait not just to celebrate Jesus’ birth but also the day of the Second Coming. The day when perhaps finally we can forever have hope, peace, joy and love. This Advent, I find myself waiting on and praying especially for peace. It seems that we… 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 Uncategorized68 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 Reviews68 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 Reviews66 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 smaller church (40 years ago) November 9, 2018 From the Archives2 comments 40 years ago — November 6, 1978
As almost every Presbyterian knows, our denomination is made up predominantly of smaller congregations. Without them, we would be vastly poorer not only in spirit, but also in size. … There are possibilities inherent in a small church situation that are very difficult to come by in a large congregation: opportunities for small-group closeness … strong personal ties between pastor and people … and … less of the “red tape” … . Many in our ranks seem to be rediscovering the biblical truth that “bigness” is not necessarily “best”; and thus they are starting to see that smalle...
All approved: Assembly approves recommendations from Way Forward, All Agency Review and report from Vision 2020 June 21, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment ST. LOUIS – With relatively little discussion and no drama, the General Assembly approved the recommendations of the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee.
While some commissioners struggled to understand the complexity of the proposals, those who have wrangled with these issues for months – and there’s been no shortage of drama there – have said they involve issues of power, control, accountability and trust.
The changes the assembly approved June 21 by a vote of 474-47 will mean governance of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation – a secular corporation the church uses to ha...
Bus station compassion: volunteers help asylum-seekers get to the next place on their long journey to safety November 6, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment MCALLEN, TEXAS – What happens when the caravan gets here remains to be seen, but a recent fall day at a bus station near the border demonstrated more the resilience and determination of asylum-seekers and humanitarian volunteers – sort of new best-friends in crisis – than any glimpse of a well-designed federal system.
On two days that week, immigration officials dropped off roughly 500 asylum-seekers per day, nearly all of them families with children, at the bus station in McAllen, Texas. There was no advance notice of the big n...
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance sends help to Illinois after tornadoes
Book charting decline of white Christian America wins Grawemeyer Award in Religion
LOUISVILLE (PNS) — White Protestantism has dominated U.S. politics and culture for much of the nation’s history, but demographic change and an exodus from churches by the young are bringing the era to a close. That prediction comes from Robert P. Jones, founder and chief executive officer of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), who has won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book, “The End of White Christian America.” Simon & Schuster published the work in 2016. University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give the religion prize. Robert Jones, the author of “The End of White Christian America,” is the winner of the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. (Photo courtesy of Public Religion Research Institute) America is no longer mostly white and Christian, Jones found. Although 54 percent of the U.S. population met that description in 2008, the number fell to 45 percent in 2016. The election two years ago gave Republicans … [Read more...]
Catching our breath: Judaism, Presbyterianism and Pittsburgh
Guest commentary by Robert McCutcheon I was baptized in 1951 into Pittsburgh’s 6th United Presbyterian Church, now Eastminster; my introduction to the city’s Jewish life was aquatic in a different way. In high school I swam for the old Young Men’s Hebrew Association — the Jewish Y, as it was known. For a year after college I worked as a lifeguard at the Irene Kaufmann Center, the site of the present Jewish Community Center, where I kept my membership on and off to the present day — when it is now free, thanks to Medicare and my advanced age. On Saturday, Oct. 27, had I been in Pittsburgh, as I often am, instead of in Elkins, West Virginia, where I now live, on my way to work out at the JCC I would have driven right by Tree of Life Synagogue. I was not the only Gentile on the YMHA’s team, but certainly in a religious minority. I was warmly welcomed, though (and not because of my swimming prowess, as if I had any). I learned all about Reformed, Orthodox and Conservative; I … [Read more...]
2nd Sunday of Advent — December 9, 2018
Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6 Advent 2C The timing for John the Baptist to emerge from the wilderness came in the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod ruling Galilee. Annas and Caiaphas served as high priests. Luke details the rulers, secular and religious, placing John and his call to prepare the way for the Lord squarely in the middle of worldly events and places, reminding us that God sends messengers smack dab in the center of our earthly activities, too. Preparation for the coming of Jesus happened not only when Tiberius was emperor but also now, in the second year of the presidency of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi vies to be Speaker of the House and Pope Francis occupies the Vatican. No time is God forsaken, all time subject to God’s inbreaking. Are we getting ready? The second Sunday of Advent asks us to anticipate the drawing close of the holy in our midst. The texts for this week invite us to listen to the voices of … [Read more...]
Lilly Endowment Inc. covers Dubuque seminary clergy coaching initiative
(PNS) University of Dubuque Theological Seminary has received a $936,102 grant to support its Clergy Coaching in Community and Context initiative, which will launch in 2019. Sparked by a high-performance endurance sports coaching framework used by professor of Systematic Theology at Dubuque, the Rev. Dr. Elmer Colyer — an accomplished cyclist and USA Cycling licensed level 1 coach — the initiative aims to equip pastors with a community of support to develop skills, form habits and articulate a personal vision for a thriving ministry. The program will be implemented in three communities of pastoral leaders — those who are new, at mid-career and those engaged as pioneers in innovative ministries. Colyer began a Doctor of Ministry cohort in May to focus on coaching participants, while refining a theoretical and practical model for clergy coaching — which Colyer developed out of years of coaching more than 100 endurance athletes. “As a highly certified cycling training … [Read more...]
George H.W. Bush’s ‘quiet faith’ remembered at cathedral funeral
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former President George H.W. Bush was recalled as a man of “quiet faith” during a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral, a fitting site to memorialize the longtime Episcopalian. “With faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the body of our brother George for burial,” intoned Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the start of the Wednesday (Dec. 5) ceremony as the 41st president’s casket was carried by military members into the cathedral. All of the living former and current presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump — joined the 3,000 dignitaries, family and friends at the invitation-only ceremony. The senior Bush’s eldest child, former President George W. Bush, gave an emotional tribute to his father, highlighting his service to country and his focus on giving back to others. “Dad taught us that public service is noble and necessary, that one can serve with integrity and hold true to the important values like … [Read more...]
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