Posts Categorized: Christmas

Becoming Flesh

By Rachel Yates We marked each Sunday in our Advent season with God’s promises for hope, peace, joy, and love.  We lit candles at church or in our homes as tangible signs of these promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For many of us in Southeast Wisconsin, however, these promises have felt hollow or distant.  Our… Read more »

Reaching for the Stars

For Sarah Valentina Hernandez Solache (SO-LA-CHAY), the colorful city of Zitácuaro (ZEE-TA-QUARO) in the highlands of Mexico — where millions of Monarch butterflies bathe the fields and forests in a sea of orange during their annual migration — was, and always will be, home. But, despite its beauty, Valentina readily admits that it simply wasn’t… Read more »

When Home is a World Away

At first, nothing about Stillman College reminded Johnykqua [Jon-e-kwa] Bevans and Rayondre [Ray-on-dray] (Ray) Roberts of their home on the tropical island of Grand Bahama: not Alabama, not the food, not their classmates and not the as-yet unfamiliar Presbyterian tradition in which the college is steeped. But then there was the choir. Stillman’s nationally-renowned concert… Read more »

A Little Extra Help to Keep the Home Fires Burning

Seems like in one way or another, Jack and Kate Eisel have always been busy putting out fires — unless they were building them. The couple met fireside in 2009 at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center, where Kate was the conference manager, and Jack, a recently retired pastor, was volunteering in the maintenance department. “Since… Read more »

Día de los Reyes

By Lemuel Garcia-Arroyo En nuestras culturas hispano/latinas la temporada Navideña realmente no concluye sino hasta las celebraciones de la Epifanía y del Día de Reyes el 6 de enero. Tradicionalmente los niños reciben sus regalos esa fecha simbolizando los regalos de oro, incienso, y mirra que los Magos (Reyes) del oriente ofrecieron al infante Jesús… Read more »

Christmas Joy: A Life Changed, But Still Fully Lived

Rev. Dr. Stewart M. Pattison has been living with multiple sclerosis for years. As his health has recently forced him to retire, gifts from the Christmas Joy Offering have come to have special meaning for him. A portion of gifts received go toward supporting church leaders in their times of critical financial need. This is… Read more »

Christmas Joy: Creating Positive Change in the World

Officially, the Presbyterian Pan American School (PPAS) is a Christian international college-preparatory boarding school located in Kingsville, Texas, but to Adelite Hategeka it is a second home filled with family from around the world. “My favorite thing about the school is the people you meet,” she says. “We rely on each other and learn how… Read more »

Christmas Joy: A Love Story

A legacy of love and faith Rev. Ken Tracy has spent much of his more than 30 years with the PC(USA) helping congregations work through conflict and revitalize their membership — a mission grounded in love. If you have the opportunity to talk with Rev. Tracy for even a few minutes, it’s easy  to understand… Read more »

Christmas Joy: The Ripple Effect

2015 was supposed to be a big year for Rose Bryant, with positive changes for her and her son —and it was! But things did not go exactly as expected. “A new work opportunity was supposed to open up so many doors for me,” Rose says, until it was discovered that she’d never finished college… Read more »

Christmas Joy: Being With Us

“Many hands make light work.” “Teamwork makes the dream work.” “If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.” There are lots of ways to say it — but working together really does make bigger and better things possible. And, lots of times, working together makes it more fun, too.  In fact,… Read more »