During Advent, I often meditate on the holy family. There’s Joseph, the adoptive father whose acceptance of Mary and Jesus is later mirrored in the adoption of the Gentiles into God’s original chosen family. I give thanks for Joseph’s love, grace and obedience when it came to putting together an unconventional family.
The Rev. Eugene Peterson, a pastor, author and scholar, died Oct. 22 at his home in Montana. He was 85.
He had been hospitalized since early October because of a serious infection, according to his son, Eric Peterson.
After four weeks of travel, the 2018 International Peacemakers gathered together one final time at Laws Lodge on the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary campus. Seven of the 10 peacemakers met for two days of conversation and a debrief session to talk about their experiences with congregations, students and other organizations before heading back to their respective homes.
In the lead-up to Christmas, many of us spend time in search of the perfect gift — the gift that communicates to friends and family how much we know and love them. We search our memories for indications of what gift might cause the faces of our loved ones to light up on Christmas morning. We scour the stores and shops, hoping to come across the thing that will communicate a depth that our words cannot.
Rev. Amir Ishak speaks at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Billings, Montana December 6, 2018 As he and his small church help some of the thousands of Syrian refugees… Read more »
The first church conflict I remember as a kid was over “bi-part” offering envelopes — a single envelope with two separate and distinct pockets, one labeled “current expenses” and the other “benevolences.”
My father railed against them, arguing that they presented church members with a false choice. He called it “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Rural living has been romanticized for far too long with images of freshly baked pies cooling on windowsills and families pulling up to food-laden dinner tables, Norman Rockwell-style. But the reality is that those living in rural America are not necessarily well-fed.
The holidays have been difficult for Christine Caton ever since her mother died — three days after Christmas. As an only child, with her father already gone, Caton experienced profound grief in losing her mom. The Christmas season only accentuated that grief.
The last 22 years of my ministry I spent in governing body work — six years as a presbytery executive, which included synod leadership, and 16 years in General Assembly work. I have a pretty good knowledge of the working plumbing (polity) that holds our denomination together.
Can million-dollar donations to anti-hunger groups be a bad thing? Should Christians who are called to serve and work toward eliminating hunger and poverty in our community’s question corporate generosity as a viable tool to achieve a goal? Food activist and author Andrew Fisher presented these questions and more at a University of Louisville event on Sept. 4 that was co-sponsored by the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Fisher spoke to an audience of approximately 50 graduate and undergraduate students and a smaller number of community members interested in hunger issues, detailing the “unholy alliance” that exists between corporate America and anti-hunger organizations.
