Posts Categorized: Communities

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 »

COP27 Begins With Hope for Concrete Outcomes

by Sue Rheem, Coordinator, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations COP27 is the largest UN Climate Summit yet.   According to the New York Times, over 44,000 people have registered.  The world has descended on this resort town in the desert, to hopefully do more than just talk about climate change, but by the time it ends… Read more »

UNICEF Report: The climate crisis is a child rights crisis

World Map In 1989, virtually every country in the world agreed children have rights to a clean environment to live in, clean air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat. Children also have rights to learn, relax and play. But with their lack of action on climate change, world leaders are failing this promise. The… Read more »

Peacemaker Lifts Up Importance of COP26

From an island in the Pacific Ocean, Frances Namoumou recently made a peacemaking pilgrimage to the Presbytery of the James in central Virginia. Appearing via Zoom, the International Peacemaker discussed how climate change is negatively impacting her home country of Fiji and neighboring islands in the region. As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place through Nov. 12,… Read more »

Climate Change and Wildfires

Just this past January, though it seems practically another lifetime ago in this year that doesn’t seem to let up, large portions of Australia burned. The skies turned orange, while smoke blanketed the country’s largest cities. Now, on our side of the Pacific, we are reliving that story. San Francisco has turned red and orange… Read more »

Container Gardening

  ‘There are certain, very stabilizing forces in gardening that can ground us when we are feeling shaky, uncertain, terrified really. It’s these predictable outcomes, predictable rhythms of the garden that are very comforting right now.’ — Rutgers University professor Joel Flagler With many people confined to home during the COVID-19 outbreak, “now is a… Read more »

Lessons From The Wilderness

by William P. Brown,  William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary In the rush to reopen the economy, epidemiologists are warning of a second wave of the COVID19 infections that may be more severe. Time will tell. Meanwhile, angry white protesters, preferring guns over facemasks, have been expressing their outrage over constraints… Read more »

White Fragility: Second Reflection from PHP Staff

I can't breathe female protestor As part of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns purposes to accompany Presbyterians reflecting on decisions as an extension of their faith and values. As a staff we remember our own need for faithful discipleship through continuous education, questioning and discovery. Most recently we have done that by reading the book White… Read more »

Prayer and Beyond: Faithful Response

My new reality of working from home, a privilege that I am afforded,  is giving me space to reflect in different ways . I think I am not alone in that as I’m seeing  more and more thoughtful sharings from people I’m connected to online. In 2008, I spent a chunk of time in Haiti… Read more »

Responding Faithfully In A Pandemic

The current state of the world is new territory for many of us. As we respond to help slow the spread of COVID-19,  routine daily movements are grinding to a halt. Shelves stand empty inside many stores and most restaurant owners have posted ‘Closed’ signs. Many people are worried about having enough to get through… Read more »