Posts By: Rebecca Barnes

Honoring the Life and Witness of Rev. Dr. Robert Stivers

Many Presbyterians who have devoted decades to caring for God’s creation and environmental justice and ethics know that Rev. Dr. Robert Stivers (known to many as Bob) was a key figure in our PC(USA) environmental policies and witness. Presbyterians News Services just released this obituary, provided by Rev. William Somplatsky-Jarman. Content pasted below:   Noted… Read more »

Children, Teens, Climate Change and Caring for God’s Creation

Earth Care Congregations and others who are teaching children in Sunday School, youth group, confirmation class, or Vacation Bible Study may find this new global, ecumenical resource exciting. The World Council of Churches has drawn from many member communions to share resources and ideas of how to engage children and youth on issues of caring… Read more »

Green Good News

Book review by Rebecca Barnes T. Wilson Dickinson has published an excellent book that will be of great importance to the church at large and the ecumenical movement for economic and environmental justice. It will be invigorating to individuals and congregations. As a professor at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and as a writer, pastor,… Read more »

Peacemaking resource includes Climate Change, Poverty, Racism and other themes to engage

The new Companion Guide to the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s “Commitment to Peacemaking” has just been released. This will be a fabulous resource for the church. The Companion Guide encourages a congregation to spend a year with each theme, and provides resources for study, worship, and action. Presbyterian Hunger Program contributed the suggestions on climate change…. Read more »

Sustainable Living and Earth Care issue of PHP Post

Check out this most recent issue of the PHP Post. It is all about Sustainable Living and Earth Care concerns. This issue includes a center poster that outlines the work of this part of Presbyterian Hunger Program.   Click here to download your copy of the Post, or the poster by itself.  

“If we say we are without sin…”

By Rebecca Barnes, Coordinator, Presbyterian Hunger Program “If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” For many of us, this line of confession has been part of the liturgy of our worship and our lives for a long time. As Christians, we articulate a belief that… Read more »

Ecumenical Resources Help Care for Creation

We have often heard the saying that to be Presbyterian is to be ecumenical. That means, we don’t separate our particular understanding of being Christian and worshipping and practicing church polity in our own tradition as being something that excludes us from celebrating and doing ministry with other Christian denominations and communions. Our ecumenical partners,… Read more »

Food Banks are Supporting Communities in COVID-19

In return, let us support food banks!   By Rebecca Barnes, PHP Coordinator Food is a basic necessity of survival. While in “normal” times food insecurity is a gross problem in the United States, we are now seeing huge surges in the numbers of people waiting in long lines at food distribution sites as COVID-19… Read more »

World Water Day reflections

I’ve been mindful of water since we first started hearing about coronavirus and the need to wash our hands constantly. I thought about Detroit and Flint without access to clear, safe, affordable water. I thought about communities around the world in drought or flooding, both causing hardship for fresh water availability. Knowing how essential hand-washing… Read more »