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Mission Yearbook

New Jersey church offers monthly positive affirmation workshops to children and teens

God-given greatness isn’t something one achieves; it is something inherent to being human. This is the core message that the leaders at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey, are instilling in their youth. These mentors hold fast to the belief that if a person is to be successful in the Christ-abundant life, he or she must take complete responsibility for that greatness and protect it.

Preaching the gospel in a secularized society

The Presbyterian Church of Portugal (IEPP), the oldest Protestant church in the country, traces its history to 1838, when a physician and missionary from Scotland opened a small hospital and a school and began to preach the gospel on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Soon persecution began in the predominantly Catholic country, and most members of the IEPP had to flee.

Humility in partnered service

I could not understand what he was saying as he responded to the questions in Quechua, the local language of the high jungle. But judging by the reactions of the onlookers and of his wife, this older man, who was on his knees washing his wife’s feet although he was most likely the “man of the household,” was learning not only about hygiene, but about humility and love as well.

Women empowering women in Mexico

When Maria’s husband became increasingly violent toward her, she left her home and sought refuge in a safe place. What she never dreamed was that he would also exercise violence against her legally, through gaining custody of their two sons and filing for a restraining order to bar her from her home and the business she built with him. Homeless, Maria returned to the congregation she had stopped attending when she got married 18 years earlier; she was welcomed back, and a church family offered her shelter in their home. Her story is only beginning, as she heals and finds the courage and stamina to challenge the system and regain access to her sons.

Minute for Mission: International Day of Peace

Today is the International Day of Peace, also known as “Peace Day.” For the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), every day should be Peace Day, but this is a special day, set aside by a unanimous U.N. resolution in 1981 and observed around the world. It provides “a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace.”

Living the Matthew 25 vision across the Atlantic

I participated in a World Mission global partner consultation this past winter in Nairobi, Kenya. The gathering was attended by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers serving in Africa and leaders and members of the various African churches and organizations with whom we partner in God’s mission. The purpose of the consultation was to hear about the work and witness of ministry on the African continent, and to gain insight for the development of the future strategy of World Mission.

A musician’s food pantry hits a high note

As a pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Missouri, my job is to make things happen that are sometimes out of the box — like starting a food pantry for musicians. Early in 2010, our church drummer, Sam Johnson Jr., wondered if a pantry for musicians could happen. He stated that he “had all these cats to feed.”

Minute for Mission: Gifts from New Immigrants

The trend in the past few years has been one of church closings among the mainline churches in the United States. Statistics show that the median age in the United States is 37, and the average Presbyterian is 65 years old.

Minute for Mission: Native American Day

Native American Day is celebrated in recognition of the presence and contributions of Native Americans in our society and church today. It is recognized on the day of the fall equinox, in September, in conjunction with “harvest time” for many Native American tribes. For centuries it has been a time of celebration and preparation for winter. A corresponding celebration with Native leaders will take place Sept. 25 at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Minute for Mission: Evangelism Sunday

Matthew 5:14–16 is one of my favorite passages. I love the way it reads in The Message. I am captivated by this idea that we are to “keep open house” with our lives. We are to live as generous people because of God’s generosity. Evangelism is simple: living the good news because we have received good news.