A Letter from Burkhard Paetzold, serving as regional liaison for Central and Western Europe and Facilitator of work with the Roma people, based in Germany | August 2020
The bold vision and invitation of Matthew 25:31-46 to be the hands and feet of Jesus, serving people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor, is awakening compassionate faith to new possibilities in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In an ongoing effort to create a more diverse and inclusive denomination, the Presbyterian Intercultural Network and the Presbyterian Mission Agency — in partnership with the presbyteries of Sacramento and Stockton and Charlotte — will host the 2020 Intercultural Transformation Workshops.
Monday’s final installment of “Awakening to Structural Racism” provided the more than 200 online participants with a tangible tool: a method for forming a concrete first step that individuals and congregations can take to dismantle systemic racism even as recent news reports indicate those first steps are sorely needed.
Providing and packing supplies like pens and pencils, making puppet kits during Sunday service for educational classes and holding events to raise awareness and funds.
The third event in an ongoing series around the Matthew 25 vision is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Sept. 16. This online event will address eradicating systemic poverty, one of the three focuses of the Matthew 25 vision along with building congregational vitality and dismantling structural racism.
