For the Rev. Kevin Johnson, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the aftermath that surrounded his death, became a pivotal turning point in his life. Raised in Washington, D.C., Johnson climbed the stairwell of a high rise under construction after the shooting and witnessed a city in anger as riots broke out in the nation’s capital.
For Rebecca Reyes, the work never ends. The now-retired Presbyterian pastor has put a lifetime into working for the denomination whether pastoring a church, working as a campus minister, or leading Latino health services at Duke University Hospital. A fourth generation Presbyterian, Reyes was the first Hispanic woman ordained by the denomination.
Pastors from two Presbyterian churches in the New York metro area met with President-elect Trump in Trump Tower today, praying with him and raising justice issues they would like to see addressed in the new administration.
More than a hundred people packed into the chapel at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) offices in Louisville to celebrate the life and witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The service commemorated the 50th anniversary of King’s speech “A Time to Break Silence” which drew connections between racism, materialism and militarism.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making their way to the nation’s capital in the coming days, not to take part in the presidential inauguration, but to send a clear message to the new administration that “women’s rights are human rights.”
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), via its Office of Public Witness, has joined 30 other faith communities endorsing a letter to President-elect Trump urging him and his administration to prioritize issues of climate change, the environment and justice.
The Rev. Tony Aja returned to Cuba last October for only the second time since he fled the country with his father in 1967. Strolling through his old neighborhood he remembers all too well how his family and friends suffered during the Cuba revolution, but as a minister of the gospel he clings to the hope that forgiveness and reconciliation will come eventually, even at the political level.
With an emotionally charged 2016 behind us, Presbyterian leaders are seeking new ways to address many of the issues that took center stage in the previous year. Advocacy Training Weekend, which includes Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day and Ecumenical Advocacy Days, is scheduled for April 21-24, in Washington, D.C.
If you’ve ever been to Montreat, North Carolina, it’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of the mountains, trees and streams. The small community has drawn many visitors for spiritual re-awakening, prayer and a place to call home.
I feel the presence of Jesus in a lot of different places: hiking in the woods, walking on the beach, singing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve. But I never expected to meet Jesus under a musty, old kitchen sink.
