Faith leaders including the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Office of Public Witness, say that diplomacy and not warfare is the nation’s best policy toward Iran.
Ecumenical leaders who are gathered in Louisville through Saturday are exploring how God continues to call the church to be a faithful witness, even during the current troubled times.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness in Washington D.C., says “we have third-world conditions in parts of the United States of America,” reflecting on his travels to cities some might find surprising.
“We have seen a vision for what can happen,” the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II told the Presbyterian Mission Agency board last week, “and we are beginning to live into that possibility.”
Now that they’re both about three years into their work leading, respectively, the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations in New York City, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins and Ryan Smith say they’ve found ways to work around a White House that often doesn’t welcome their input.
The director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness recently found out what life is like behind bars. The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, along with other clergy, was arrested earlier this summer while praying outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
The director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness recently found out what life is like behind bars. The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, along with other clergy, was arrested earlier this month while praying outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins packed his bags in early 2017, said goodbye to his North Carolina congregation at Covenant Presbyterian Church in New Hope Presbytery, and made his way to the nation’s capital as the new director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Public Witness. His new appointment coincided with the swearing in of a new U.S. president.
The denomination’s Office of Public Witness (OPW) hosted a day of advocacy on September 12, interceding on behalf of a “Faithful Budget” as highly contentious budget negotiations continue on the Hill.
An estimated 40 to 50 African American clergy gathered on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to speak out against what they call “the immoral” budget proposed by President Donald Trump as well as the “unjust” health bill that currently hangs in limbo. The group of ministers, including the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, spoke at a news conference before heading to various senate and congressional offices.
