The people kept coming and more and more chairs were brought into the room.
On Sunday, January 23, I had the privilege to lead an adult class at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.We gathered at 12:30, after worship in the Corning Logan Room to explore the topic of Living as Global Disciples: Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
When I arrived for the class, the room was empty. The folks who helped set up the digital projector and the computer arrived about fifteen minutes early. They finished their task and left. A few people arrived. And then, about five minutes before we were to start, others arrived. Soon the chairs were filled and the people still kept coming. More chairs were found. More people arrived. More chairs were found.
Together, we explored the questions of why the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a ministry at the United Nations and how it helps equip Presbyterians to live as disciples of Jesus in the global neighborhood.
We talked of John Calvin and John Witherspoon. We affirmed the interrelated reality of living described by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. We pondered how faith in Jesus Christ is at one and the same time intensely personal and intentionally public.
We explored the various programs offered by the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations – seminars, the January Term in partnership with Columbia Theological Seminary, participation in the Commission on the Status of Women, and advocacy in a variety of ways.
We identified ways that Presbyterians can practice global discipleship – Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, the Tap Project, the Red Hand Campaign, World Interfaith Harmony Week, praying with the people of Sudan as the referendum in Southern Sudan took place, and worship.
To learn more – invite me to your congregation, presbytery, or other group.
Support the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.