In its 30-year history, the Young Adult Volunteer program has produced future ministers of word and sacrament, ruling elders, educators and leaders of nonprofit organizations. But in this special virtual year some are getting the opportunity to learn in-depth about the Presbyterian Mission Agency and its ministries.
Victoria Alexander, 22, is passionate about working with and learning from women leaders, so she jumped at the chance to be part of a Presbyterian delegation to the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Kay Woods was a newcomer to the United Nations’ largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment when she traveled to New York City in 2019 as part of a Presbyterian delegation.
Years ago, at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) youth conference in East Texas, Kurt Esslinger felt the Spirit nudging him toward a ministry that reaches out to people who feel they don’t belong because of their differences.
“Just Talk Live” kicked off Black History Month this week with an appearance by the Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Priest, Jr., president of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus.
As her college graduation approached, Maggie Lewis remembers feeling that God was calling her to be a missionary in Africa. She didn’t know exactly how to make that happen, so she decided to do some research.
For the first time in the 30-year history of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program, the COVID-19 global pandemic forced the program to be a virtual one during 2020-2021. Adapting quickly to the contextual realities was difficult, but according to participants, the virtual format has challenged them and help them grow.
Accepting a first call to ministry and moving during a pandemic may not be ideal, but one thing is certain: the Rev. Katheryn McGinnis is following in the footsteps of a long line of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastors, including her grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grandfather and great-great-great grandfather.
Though she’s the reentry pastor of Hagar’s Community Church, the Rev. Riley Pickett has never been inside the Washington Corrections Center for Women. That’s because Pickett’s ministry begins when residents of the largest women’s prison in the state of Washington are released.
