In the wake of recent shootings in Gilroy, Calif., in the Texas communities of El Paso and Odessa and in Dayton, Ohio, and with the advent of the Season of Peace, the Compassion, Peace & Justice Ministry programs of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) are providing congregations and mid-councils a robust package of resources to help congregations put thoughts and prayers about gun violence into obedient action.
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.”
Princeton Abaraoha was a carefree 13-year-old boy when he was snatched by soldiers and taken to a military training camp. Two weeks later, he was carrying a gun as a soldier in Nigeria’s civil war.
Desmond Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, says, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Freedom Rising, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) initiative “to address and improve the worsening plight of the African-American male,” has received gifts totaling $78,461 from a Pittsburgh-based charitable foundation, two mid-councils and an offering collected at a Presbyterian collegiate conference.
High incarceration rates, widespread unemployment and low educational attainment among African American young men have led some observers to call them a “lost generation.” However, the Rev. Mary Susan Pisano rejects this description.
Congregational resources to promote the 2017 Peace & Global Witness Offering are now available for download, or they can be ordered through the Presbyterian Distribution Service (PDS) by calling 800-524-2612 or by emailing pds@pcusa.org.
U.S. churches, presbyteries and educational institutions have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of the struggles facing West Africa this fall. Ebun James-DeKam, general secretary of the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL), is among 16 international peacemakers who will be traveling across the country between September 22 and October 16.
Ministers of all Christian denominations can tell you about the challenges of sharing the gospel in today’s world. For those who serve God in other countries, that challenge can be even more difficult. Samuel Akhtar knows firsthand, having grown up in Pakistan.
