Theologian Emil Brunner famously stated, “The church exists by mission, just as fire exists by burning.” This didn’t quite sink in until I heard Darrell Guder, former dean and missiologist at Princeton Theological Seminary, put it more clearly for me: “The church does not exist primarily for the benefit of its own members. Instead, it exists for the benefit of those outside its walls.”
More Light Presbyterians announced Tuesday that the Presbytery of the James has approved Jess Cook for ordination to Minister of the Word and Sacrament to the validated ministry position of the organization’s program and communications manager.
Heritage Presbyterian Church in Muskego, Wisconsin, has a resurrection story to tell.
At the beginning it might sound familiar to many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations. The membership was graying and in decline. Of the 100 members on the rolls, only 30 to 40 came to worship.
The 114th New Wilmington Mission Conference (NWMC), regarded as the oldest annual mission conference in the U.S., will be held July 19–26 on the campus of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
Paul Estes, a first-grader from Torrington, Wyoming, looked forward to shedding his wiggly tooth and welcoming a visit from the tooth fairy.
Paul placed the money in his One Great Hour of sharing fish bank.
Imagine a set of strings lying across a table, each one a different and vibrant color. Individually, the strings are beautiful — they are bright red, golden yellow, vivid green, chocolate brown, royal purple. Each has a different thickness, weight and texture; each was created in a different place, by different hands. Now imagine the strings woven together in a rich, multicolored pattern that creates a broad tapestry. The tapestry is even more beautiful; the interplay between the individual strings, their colors and textures, creates a work of art. Together, the tapestry is unique and strong.
One was a former school administrator who had instituted energy-saving measures at schools he oversaw and brought that same passion to his work with the church. Another was concerned with climate change and felt that collective action was necessary to reverse the damaging effects of relying on fossil fuels.