During his engaging mini-plenary, the Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka gave educators attending the annual event of the Association of Partners in Christian Education in Chicago a homework assignment: Memorize Isaiah 50:4 and recite it to the folks back home if they ask what you learned at the “Circle of Faith” event of the organization formerly known as the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving three very different churches. One was a historic urban congregation with a sizable administrative staff. One was a rural, mountain church where I was the only staff person. The third was a multi-staff, big-steeple congregation in a midsize city. While worship styles and other ways of doing things differed in these churches, the handling of money was a responsibility that either the staff or volunteers had to deal with in all three ministry contexts. And with people having an endless number of charities and nonprofits to give their limited resources, churches need to be the very best, most faithful and most responsible places toward which we ask people to give. Churches have a moral obligation to handle people’s gifts in the most responsible way they can. That wisdom is just as true in small churches as it is in large ones.
G.W. Rolle, pastor of justice ministries at The Missio Dei, a new worshiping community in the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, was in his second week of a self-imposed quarantine.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation, has teamed with the Insurance Board and Praesidium to help PC(USA) church councils and members of churches prevent child sexual abuse. The partnership has launched a toll-free Abuse Prevention Helpline (866-607-SAFE) to provide assistance to church councils and church families in their efforts to keep predators away from children
