Fifteen years after being sent to Iraq as a U.S. soldier, the Rev. Matthew Fricker felt compelled to return in response to a higher calling.
“I felt affection for the country, and I could feel God calling me back to this place because of the needs of the churches over there and the needs of all the Iraqi people,” Fricker said. That calling, he added, extended to his personal need for healing and reconciliation.
The legal exoneration of the man who killed Antwon Rose last summer has sent yet another shock wave through our community. It seemed inconceivable that a man shooting and killing an unarmed boy who was fleeing from him could be found innocent of wrongdoing. Yet that is precisely what the jury determined. It is claimed that their decision hung on a single factor, that the killer was an on-duty police officer. In Pennsylvania, police are legally given discretionary latitude to shoot at anyone they deem to be a danger to themselves or to others. Yet what is “legal” and what is “right” can be very different.
With bumper stickers and hashtags, Facebook pages and community partnerships, the Freedom Rising initiative to improve the plight of the African American male is beginning to take off in the five cities where the program will be piloted. The initiative approved by the 222nd General Assembly (2016) seeks to assist communities in Baltimore, Charlotte, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New York City by addressing problems specifically related to African American males.
A family retreat for members of Crafton Heights United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh opened up possibilities in inter-generational learning, deepening commitment to faith and attendees understanding of God’s relationship to humanity.
Recently, I was invited to share my thoughts on the “big picture” view of my church. I had the honor of sharing in a panel with a group of Presbyterian pastors from the Middle East. As Christians they were the minority in their national culture.
As Presbyterians they were the minority among their Christian brothers and sisters. As such, they had to be intentional about nurturing faith in their youth, cultivating character in their families, and making disciples who could be the salt and light in their communities. And though I have no firsthand experience of the lives they live, I was struck by the beauty and challenges they faced in their journey of faith.
In an open letter to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church’s National Urban Ministry Network honored the memory of the recently passed Rev. Eugene “Freedom” Blackwell and encouraged readers to join them in continuing his fight for social and racial justice “for all of those who suffer in our cities.”
The Rev. Eugene Blackwell died yesterday following complications from bone cancer. He was 43. A graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, he served as founding pastor of House of Manna in Pittsburgh beginning in 2009, and as assistant minister to North Way Christian Community.
The executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted August 25 to direct designatable funds from its fall board meeting’s Peace & Global Witness offering to the “On Taking Specific Action to Address the Worsening Plight of the African American Male” initiative.
The pieces may be different, but the center holds us fast.
These days, I suppose we could consider Christ our “Network Administrator,” the only One who is permitted to make changes in our lives together. Network administrators are those folks to whom we turn when our computers experience a glitch, when our systems are all confused, and when we just need to “reboot.” The Administrator can fix it all and get us back on track!
