Norcross Presbyterian Church in Norcross, Georgia, held a dedication ceremony during Sunday worship to mark the return to its original house of worship — built by its congregation more than 120 years ago in 1899.
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Ruling Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), said as she greeted worshipers during Wednesday’s online chapel service.
LOUISVILLE — Whenever the Rev. Carlton Johnson talks about hymns from the heart of the Black church, he feels a responsibility to carry on the tradition of his ancestors. For their hymns are, as W.E.B. Du Bois observed, “the most original and beautiful expression of human life and longing born on American soil.”
If you think congregants are busy during Advent and Christmas, consider your preacher, who, as the Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick quipped on Wednesday, quoting a friend, must be, during the few hours between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, Billy Graham, Martha Stewart and Santa Claus rolled into one.
As the world enters its second Advent season with the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic still looming over our shoulders, Christians are searching for devotional resources that offer space to connect with God through prayer and reflection. Westminster John Knox Press is publishing two offerings ahead of Advent season to guide Christians in group and individual study as they draw closer to God.
Dr. Anna Carter Florence, the celebrated preaching professor at Columbia Theological Seminary, said Wednesday that talking to pastors about preaching — especially during such a challenging time as the last 18 months have been — “is like sitting in an armchair talking to the people playing on the field. The ground you are breaking and the space you are holding is incredibly important. I am in awe of all of you.”
This summer’s Presbyterian Association of Musicians annual conference at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, was held in person and online.
But if you missed it — or simply want to share your experience with others — another option is available.
The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a Presbyterian hymn-writer and the parish associate at First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego, New York, has written new lyrics to an old hymn for the people of Afghanistan.
Editor’s note: Recently, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians connected with 2021 Worship & Music Conference Adult Choral Director
G. Phillip Shoultz, III for an exclusive interview. PAM discussed his reflections on the June conference, the impact of singing spirituals, our shared heritage in Christ and the future of music in worship.
As modest as they are talented, three Presbyterian hymn-writers shared their sources of inspiration and some of their favorite hymns Sunday during a webinar called “When in Our Music God is Glorified,” put on by the Presbyterian Writers Guild. About three dozen people attended. Dr. Anita Coleman, a writer and former professor who’s vice president of the guild, moderated the hour-long webinar.
