In the fall of 2015, mission co-worker Nadia Ayoub was attending a conference with colleagues in Budapest when the city’s Keleti train station became the epicenter of the refugee crisis overwhelming Europe. She could not forget the images of children sleeping on cardboard, families with not enough to eat and the pervasive fear of what would happen next.
When the Rev. Carol DeVaughn welcomed the congregation of Faith Des Peres Presbyterian Church to virtual worship on a recent Sunday, those watching could hardly believe what they were seeing.
During the Vital Congregations lament worship service Wednesday, nearly 50 participants were asked if they were willing to weep if they saw a sibling in pain — or if they were just content to be a lens.
As churches, worshiping communities and their leaders continue to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, some are finding ways to live into their commitment to the Matthew 25 invitation.
“I have faith that God will dry up the Rio Grande so that I may safely cross,” he said. He had been on the journey from Honduras to the U.S. for a month and a half when we met him in a migrant shelter in Arriaga, Mexico. His teenage son was traveling with him. He told us about the pressure on his son to join a gang and the lack of lawful means to support oneself in his nation. He talked of seeing people murdered in the street.
Since the Office of the General Assembly issued an advisory opinion from the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), saying that churches can hold online or virtual communion during an emergency/pandemic, the church’s Office of Theology and Worship released the statement “Celebrating the Sacraments in a Time of Emergency/Pandemic.”
Nearly 400 people gathered virtually Wednesday to share with one another the good things God is doing through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Matthew 25 invitation, which seeks to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism and eradicate systemic poverty.
Fort Burd United Presbyterian Church Brownsville, Pennsylvania Fort Burd United Presbyterian Church in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, was a school food distribution site for children who were out of school due to… Read more »
What should predominantly white churches do to help their communities address racial disparity and systemic racialized oppression?
A panel convened by two Union Presbyterian Seminary organizations — the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership and the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation — had some ideas Tuesday during an hour-long webinar.
Social media is an engaging tool for talented extroverts like the Rev. Josh Kerr, who you can see making viral dance moves on TikTok or advising, “Don’t burp in your mask. Trust me,” on Facebook.
Kerr, 37, amuses, educates and inspires people of all ages — even those who seek pastoral care and discernment. However, what is not fit for a stage, says Kerr, is worship.
