Posts By: Jessica Maudlin

Pope Francis Releases New Encyclical on Climate: Laudate Deum

Laudate Deum Word Cloud red and yellow words on black background Post written by by Becca Edwards and originally appeared on texasimpact.org. Pope Francis’s recent encyclical on climate, Laudate Deum, was released October 4. Laudate Deum serves as a follow-up to his earlier encyclical, Laudato Si. The timing of the release of this encyclical suggests that the Vatican hopes to influence the outcome of the upcoming United Nations… Read more »

Presbyterian Tree Fund Awards Grants

To live out the Matthew 25 vision , we have to build people power through genuine relationships, sharing financial and other resources with communities most impacted by poverty and racism, and supporting our congregations as they connect and stand with their communities. One way we are able to do that is through the Presbyterian Tree… Read more »

ONE HOME ONE FUTURE Campaign Launches for Congregations Nationwide

US Religious Groups Stand Together Across Faiths To Care for Creation and Our Climate In a historic moment, next week 29 US denominations and faith organizations, including the PC(USA) will join together to launch One Home One Future, a multi-faith campaign to strengthen vitality, relevance, and community connection across generations – to care for our… Read more »

PHP’s 2022 Impact Report

There is an African proverb that says: “When you pray, move your feet.” For the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP), this is very much our philosophy. We must combine prayer with action to accomplish our mission to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes. We understand hunger as an extremely complex phenomenon with economic, political, environmental and… Read more »

American Climate Metrics Survey 2023

Climate change intersects with systemic poverty and structural racism, particularly being an acute threat for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia — the regions where most of the global poor are concentrated. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long recognized our obligation to take actions as faithful stewards of God’s Creation to respond to climate… Read more »

Saving the Wild Coast: Turning the Tide on An Oil Leviathan

Two hands breaking free with text No climate Justice without Human Rights It’s so easy to center ourselves and our own needs, in ways that cause us miss how God and the universe are working together to make divine connections. As I traveled to COP27 earlier this week, I felt a bit disgruntled to learn that the airline had switched my seat and I’d be spending my… Read more »

Presbyterian Leaders Join Call for Higher Ambition at COP27

Several members of the PC(USA) joined faith leaders from around the world today to call for bold, ambitious decisions on the part of world leaders. Billed as the Implementation COP, these negotiations have stalled, with the consequences of inaction being dire. See the full statement below. Faith leaders urgent call for higher ambition at COP27… Read more »

Caretakers of Everything: Indigenous Wisdom

Indigenous communities have a wealth of knowledge that can make climate change mitigation and adaptation more effective. We just have to listen. Jack Collard, Director at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander International Engagement Organisation (ATSIIEO), an indigenous organization dedicated to the building of positive international partnerships for First Nation expertise, in a session on story… Read more »

The Interfaith Talanoa Dialogue call to COP 27

Candle light prayer As shared in an early blog post, the PC(USA) participated in an Interfaith Talanoa Dialogue just prior to the start of COP27. Today at COP27 the World Council of Churches,  a global fellowship of 352 member churches including the PC(USA), held a press release to share the completed text of that document.  The voices of… Read more »

Week One in Review at COP27

Heavenly Cathedral at COP27 The PC(USA) Delegation to COP27 split attendance between the two weeks of the event.  This weekend marked the midway point of the conference.  Overview During the first week Sharm el-Sheikh proved a challenging and confounding venue for the COP27 climate talks, with traffic jams and water shortages being among the major complaints. As the week… Read more »