Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Food and Faith

Celebrating Agroecology on the International Day of Biological Diversity!

Farmers weeding in NY “We’re part of the solution!” … is the slogan for this year’s UN International Day of Biological Diversity, which the world has celebrated on May 22, since 1993. The International Day for Biological Diversity bolsters the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity, a multilateral treaty signed by all the… Read more »

AquaBounty Baits Philadelphia With Engineered Salmon

Image shows how GE salmon is created Philadelphia residents are test subjects for first U.S. sale of genetically engineered salmon FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2021 CONTACT: blockcorporatesalmon@gmail.com, Estefania Narvaez – (210) 837-3205 Unconsenting Philadelphians will soon unknowingly be eating the first genetically engineered animal to be released in U.S. markets. AquaBounty Technologies (NASDAQ: AQB) is planning its first commercial scale harvest of genetically… Read more »

Food Justice Ministry at Presbyterian Church of Burlington

burlington food justice members Food-Centered Mission By Eric Diekhans; cross-posted from Presbyterians for Earth Care Like much of New England, the land surrounding Burlington, Massachusetts, located fifteen miles north of Boston, was once dotted with farms. But today, most produce in this relatively affluent community is factory farmed and comes from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The… Read more »

Ramadan Mubarak! Interfaith Celebration of Food & Fighting Hunger

invite to ramadan celebration Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted the 14th Annual Interfaith Ramadan Fellowship Celebration. Dianna Wright, director of Ecclesial and Ecumenical Ministries in the Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA) and I were invited to celebrate with them and make brief remarks. It was wonderful to be with, pray with, and reflect on hunger and… Read more »

National Capital Presbytery Divests from Fossil Fuels. Happy Earth Day!

divest from fossil fuel graphic By Anne-Fleur Winter, from Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Claire Wilson-Black, from Fairlington Presbyterian Church On March 23st, 2021, National Capital Presbytery voted to divest from fossil fuels, stating: “Whereas; National Capital Presbytery expresses its profound concern about the destructive effects of climate change on all God’s creation, including a disproportionate impact on communities of… Read more »

PHP and Growing Hope Globally Grow Impact

Boys harvesting rice The Presbyterian Church (USA)—through the Presbyterian Hunger Program and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance as well as local congregations—has had a decades-long partnership with Growing Hope Globally, an organization that connects U.S. farmers, churches and communities to subsistence farmers around the world in order to help address hunger. The Presbyterian Hunger Program is at work around the world and specifically has been… Read more »

Ministry working in solidarity with farmworkers

One of our long-time partners, the National Farm Worker Ministry, accompanies and amplifies the campaigns and struggles of farmworker groups and unions around the US. The NFWM office is in Durham, NC and I serve on the large, working board of the Ministry made up of representatives from many denominations and orders. At every board… Read more »

Ensuring Farmworkers’ Health and Safety

This update comes from the Alliance for Fair Food, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner.  The coronavirus has put the newfound resilience of farmworkers on Fair Food Program farms to the test. Farmworkers across the United States are facing an unprecedented threat to their health and safety, a massive shortage of personal protective equipment, and… Read more »

When Farming and the Church Come Together

This reflection comes to us from AJ Bisesi, Community Engagement Coordinator for Garfield Community Farm, a ministry of The Open Door Presbyterian Church. Getting produce to our neighbors is an integral tenet of our organization’s mission. We distribute produce in multiple ways, including donating. Valley View Presbyterian Church, one of our church partners from the… Read more »