Monthly Archives: March 2019

Washington Report to Presbyterians, Spring 2019

If you receive our paper mailings, you will soon receive the Washington Report to Presbyterians, Spring 2019 edition. It is now available online in PDF and here on our blog. Each article is linked individually below. Washington Report to Presbyterians, Spring 2019, content includes: “The PC(USA) Stands with the Poor People’s Campaign” In February 2019, the Rev. Jimmie… Read more »

A Presbyterian Rebellion

In the 116thCongress, we welcome three new Presbyterians to Capitol Hill, for a total of 26 Presbyterian Members of Congress. There are 13 in each chamber. They are both Republicans and Democrats. As these new Presbyterians start their first term, it is worth considering the history of Presbyterianism in the American experiment. Nine presidents have… Read more »

The Work of Presbyterian Public Witness in 2019

Reformed Theology teaches that, because a sovereign God is at work in the world, the church and Christian citizens should be concerned about public policy. The Office of Public Witness (OPW) is the public policy, advocacy, and information office of the PC(USA). We function as the voice of General Assembly in Washington, DC, and elsewhere…. Read more »

Penalizing BDS Undermines 1st Amendment

Legislation Penalizing Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) Undermines First Amendment Protections In an ecumenical statement on November 14, 2018, sixteen U.S. Christian leaders outlined developments in U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine since the beginning of the Trump Administration, noting the negative impacts on Palestinians and on prospects for peace in the region. The statement was sent to… Read more »

PCUSA Stands with the Poor People’s Campaign

In February 2019, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness (OPW), stood with the Rev. Dr. William Barber and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis to launch Phase 2 of the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC), which remains focused on the goal of organizing the 140 million poor folks in our country… Read more »

Welcome Christian Brooks!

The Office of Public Witness is pleased to welcome our new Representative for Domestic Issues, Christian Brooks. A St. Louis native, Christian recently graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. As a seminarian, Christian served as President of the Student Association and co-founded a student advocacy group called Seminarians United for Racial Justice (SURJ), which is committed… Read more »

Office of Public Witness Welcomes Bill to Repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force

March 13, 2019 Chairman Eliot Engel Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Ranking Member Michael McCaul Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Re: H.R. 1274 “Repeal of the Authorization for Use of Military Force” Dear Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul: We, the… Read more »

Weigh in to Defend SNAP

On February 1, the Trump Administration proposed a rule that would restrict states’ flexibility to provide nutrition assistance to people who struggle to put food on the table. In effect, this rule will eliminate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 755,000 unemployed and underemployed adults and amount to $15 billion in SNAP cuts over… Read more »