Make A Donation
Click Here >
February 1, 2023
The Rev. Charlie Gross, who’s honorably retired from Donegal Presbytery, signs his emails with “Extravagant Blessings!” You get the feeling he wrote the book on Christian encouragement.
In fact, he did. Read more »
February 1, 2023
Dr. Tori Smit, a diaconal minister and professional Christian educator in the Presbyterian Church in Canada serving the 262 churches in the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda — yes, that Bermuda — offered an insightful workshop during last week’s annual event of the Association of Partners in Christian Education, addressing a situation many churches find themselves in: “What to do when the kids are few.” Read more »
January 31, 2023
People sensing God’s call to be a catalyst for change in their community can consider enrolling in “Lead Change: A Certificate in Community Faith Formation,” a new certificate in community faith formation being offered by Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. The inaugural cohort of 15 learning partners, as the seminary calls its students, will begin in March and finish in late November. Read more »
January 31, 2023
The second installment of a video/webinar series highlighting the Christian mission in Myanmar (formerly Burma) resumes at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. An ecumenical prayer service commemorating the violent regime change in 2021 will broadcast live on the World Mission Facebook page. Read more »
January 31, 2023
The year 2022 saw crowds returning to theaters after the Covid disaster, though not as large as before. However, James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel again drew huge receipts, reaching as of January 23 over $2 billion world-wide, surpassing the receipts generated by “Top Gun: Maverick.” Of the two it is Camron’s film that made my Top Ten List because the latter was merely an escapist film waving the flag of nationalism — no doubt a well-made, exciting film but one running counter to Christ’s boundary-breaking teachings of love and acceptance. Read more »
January 31, 2023
After 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global pandemic, protests against racial violence, and frequent shootings, more Americans than ever are living with the effects of trauma. The good news is that Jesus was born and died in a traumatized world, and his story speaks forever to wounded people worldwide. Read more »
January 28, 2023
People attending the Association of Partners in Christian Education’s annual event had a role to play at the start of pastor and author John Pavlovitz’s final plenary Saturday morning: Pavlovitz turned over the microphone and asked them what they’ve experienced since the conference opened on Wednesday. Read more »
January 28, 2023
Brought on stage by a powerful version of “I Want My Life to Make a Difference” by G. Phillip Shoultz, III, who provided music for the Association of Partners in Christian Education’s annual event this week, keynoter John Pavlovitz continued his theme Friday of dealing with the turbulence in our lives. Read more »
January 27, 2023
The Association of Partners in Christian Education honored three people Friday, one as its educator of the year and two for their lifetime achievements. The three received their awards during a dinner Friday, the next-to-last day of APCE’s annual event being held in Birmingham, Alabama. Read more »
January 27, 2023
Calling herself a sometimes “reluctant pursuer of hearing God’s voice,” the Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace nonetheless picked up the phone one day early in 2022 and “made a blind call to this dear sister and now friend,” the Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis, to discuss standing for the office of Co-Moderators. The rest is history, of course: in June 2022, commissioners to the 225th General Assembly elected the two as Co-Moderators, offices they hold right up until the 226th General Assembly, set to be held online and in-person in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2024. Read more »