In the midst of the Covid pandemic, when the efficacy of new vaccines was still unknown and many churches were not back to worshiping inside, the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, issued an invitation for congregations to join the Vital Congregations Initiative (VCI). The Rev. Katie Day, having accepted her call to Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Duluth, Georgia, during the pandemic, remembers that her congregation was still worshiping in a parking lot and conducting meetings on Zoom.
“What’s the Secret Sauce?” conference sponsored by the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities and the New Church Development Commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta welcomed more than 80 participants in a dozen languages with barbeque from three countries and a joyous worship service on Tuesday evening. Colleagues in the Office of General Assembly and the PMA’s Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries were also partners in the event.
A new video distributed exclusively on social media last week asked, “What’s the secret to creating successful partnerships with immigrant worshiping communities?” The 45-second video concluded, “It’s all in the sauce. The secret sauce … And yes, there will be barbeque.”
Sandwiched between two brief but effective worship services, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board met via Zoom Thursday to learn more about the work of innovation, repair, Matthew 25, the grant process and professional development and diversity training that’s ongoing among PMA staff.
When one of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s most formidable preachers stands before an auditorium full of the denomination’s most gifted musicians, you’d expect beautiful worship that uplifts and edifies.
Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, hosted the fourth-ever Beyond Pink and Blue: Trans+ Family and Spiritual Care conference on Saturday, attended both in-person and via Zoom by more than 70 people.
A panel on the pandemic challenges many churches face over the future of their property was quickly followed by a discussion on opportunities for said property during this week’s Pandemic & Property conference put on by the Mid Council Financial Network.
As a child, the Rev. Dr. Lindsay Armstrong loved Mister Rogers and his neighborhood of make-believe — especially the puppets King Friday XIII and Henrietta Pussycat.
Promising those attending the online Pandemic & Property conference a 60,000-foot view, the Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner opened the two-day event Tuesday with a brief talk that included how the pandemic has impacted the sale of church property.
