On Nov. 13, leaders from Presbytery of San Fernando gathered at Kirk o’ the Valley Presbyterian Church in Reseda, California, to ordain and install elders to Cultivate Church, a new congregation comprised of leaders of that presbytery’s new worshiping communities. San Fernando’s Executive Presbyter, the Rev. Juan Sarmiento, sees the chartering of Cultivate Church as an expression of the presbytery’s strategic direction passed in 2018 that “we will seek to pass on a faith that is Reformed in theology, Presbyterian in governance and multicultural in scope.”
“Are you in deep relationship? Do you notice the multitude of relationships that are happening right beneath our feet, and how they are interacting and cooperating in this complex web of life?” These are the questions that the Rev. Chantilly Mers asks of herself and others looking to reconnect to the land in Brooklyn, New York.
Two New Church New Way podcasts that dropped last month explore the spark behind the formation six years ago of Ebenezer Church in Linda Vista, California, a 1001 New Worshiping Community founded as a “People’s Cathedral,” a community that prioritizes tables over stages, schools over sanctuaries and soccer fields over offices.
Over the last two years, 74 leaders from the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement have received $200,000 in sabbath and sabbatical grants that enabled them to fully engage in intentional sabbath practice over the course of 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the length of their tenure in their current ministry context.
As 1001 New Worshiping Communities celebrates 10 years of equipping spiritual entrepreneurs and church planters, the Rev. Nikki Collins, coordinator, and the Rev. Michael Gehrling, Associate for the Northeast Region and Assessments for 1001 New Worshiping Communities recognize the impact that their Discerning Missional Leadership (DML) assessments have had on the program’s evolution and successes. Both lifted up the impact that their lead assessor, Ann Steigerwald, has had.
Here’s the Rev. Dr. Beth McCaw’s current metaphor on where many church leaders find themselves these days: the pandemic has catapulted them into the air — maybe involuntarily — and they’re still airborne.
Committing substantial financial resources and deploying a team of creative, experienced church planters, the 220th General Assembly (2012) launched a new movement in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
As a lead-in to next week’s hybrid Evangelism and Immersion conferences, three people heading innovative ministries spoke Tuesday in The Scattered Church series, which provides Presbyterians with theological reflections and practical resources for socially distanced ministry.
In its final 1001 New Worshiping Community grant cycle for 2022 and on behalf of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Mission Development Resources Committee approved 17 Mission Program Grants to NWCs. Each recipient is listed below, followed by the presbytery and synod they belong to and a brief description of their ministry.
Representatives from among the PC(USA)’s most diverse and innovative faith gatherings — its 1001 New Worshiping Communities — joined virtually Thursday during the “Being Matthew 25” monthly broadcast to celebrate the 10th year of the initiative. Watch the 42-minute conversation here.
