The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) approved grants earlier this year totaling $105,000 to several self-help projects. The money comes from generous gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing.
Speaking on the broadcast “Leading Theologically” the day following the shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Presbyterian author, speaker, facilitator, composer and musician David LaMotte said that while it’s important “to name the horror of what humans are doing to each other,” it’s also crucial that we acknowledge that most of the world is at peace.
Viewers of this week’s Giving Tuesday broadcast received an introduction to the work of Faith 4 Justice Asheville, an interfaith group that is helping to dismantle white supremacy in western North Carolina.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program’s Season of Peace has been enhanced this year by artists with something to say — or sing, or paint, or even throw, such as pottery — and it was Simon Doong’s task on Monday to discuss the impact artists are having on Presbyterians subscribing to the Season of Peace videos and spoken word.
The Season of Peace returns Sept. 5-Oct. 3 with an artistic twist, showcasing the talents and motivational words of David LaMotte, Michele Slone, David Barnhart and others.
On the eve of a United Nations report released Monday that predicts dire and nearly immediate consequences to human health and safety due to global warming, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II told the Presbyterians for Earth Care conference Sunday that it’s high time we started treating the Earth in a way that’s more respectful of the God of life, “who tapped us on the shoulder this morning and breathed another breath of life on us.”
Presbyterians for Earth Care has a reputation for presenting its conferences every two years in appropriately picturesque locations such as the Presbyterian conference centers Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Montreat in North Carolina and Stony Point in New York.
It’s clear Presbyterian musician, author and speaker David LaMotte prefers movement stories to the more dramatic hero narratives coming out of Hollywood studios.
Those attending closing worship Saturday at the national gathering of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators shared communion around round tables, rocked along with musicians David LaMotte and Zach Light-Wells, enjoyed music provided by the University of the Ozarks Chamber Singers and heard one last time from the Rev. Dr. Theresa Cho, pastor of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.
