Mission Yearbook: Serving with Compassion - Supporting St. John’s Church in Newark

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Mission Committee Members with Clothing and Coffee
Donations for St. John's Church in Newark, NJ - (Photo by Amelia Abrams)

Faith at the First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford transcends church walls, reaching into the lives of those most in need. We've lived out this calling through our ongoing support of St. John's Church in Newark, which provides meals and care for unhoused men in the community.

Newark faces significant challenges: a poverty rate of over 25% and a growing number of individuals experiencing housing insecurity. For men without stable housing, winter months are brutal. St. John’s Church offers care, support, and connection to men facing harsh conditions and limited resources.

Recognizing the urgent need for winter clothing, the Mission Committee at First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford swiftly organized a collection drive to support this vital ministry. Congregation members donated coats, jackets, hats, gloves, and other essentials to provide warmth and comfort during the coldest months.

In addition to donations, we purchased new sweatshirts and sweatpants to ensure the men receiving these items had warm, practical clothing they could rely on. These simple gifts reminded them they're not forgotten and that the wider faith community cares deeply about their wellbeing. Our community came together to contribute items and support the effort. What began as a simple clothing collection became a powerful expression of compassion and solidarity with our neighbors in need.

Through this partnership with St. John’s Church, we were reminded that ministry begins with recognizing needs and responding faithfully. Providing warm clothing may seem like a small act, but for someone facing the cold without adequate protection, it can make a significant difference.

As I reflect on this effort, it holds special significance for me, marking my final project as Mission Committee chair after several years of dedicated leadership. It’s been a privilege to work alongside generous and compassionate members of our congregation who continually seek ways to serve others.

By working together with ministries like St. John’s Church in Newark, we’re reminded that even simple acts of kindness can bring warmth, dignity and hope to those who need it most.

Amelia Abrams, St John’s Church, Newark, New Jersey

Let us join in prayer for:

Todd Ingves, Vice President, Health & Wellbeing, Benefits, The Board of Pensions
Daniel Johnson, Engineer, Building Services, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Gracious and loving God,  you call us to see your face in every neighbor, especially those who are cold, hungry and without shelter. We give you thanks for the ministry of St. John’s Church in Newark and for all who serve the men in their community with compassion and dignity. Bless the coats, jackets, sweatshirts and warm clothing that were shared through this effort. May they not only provide warmth against the winter cold but also be a reminder to each person who receives them that they are seen, valued and loved. Strengthen the work of all who care for the unhoused. Give wisdom, endurance and hope to those who serve on the front lines of compassion. Lord, open our hearts so that we never grow indifferent to the needs around us. Continue to guide our congregation to be your hands and feet in the world, responding with generosity, kindness and courage. We thank you for the opportunity to serve together and for the many ways your love moves through our community. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Pennsylvania dinner church and NWC invites all to Our Table

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Kristin Kondratowski (Contributed photo)

When Kristin Kondratowski first stepped into the vacant Wiley’s Pharmacy building in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, she wasn’t expecting to cry. But as she toured the space with a realtor, she discovered something extraordinary: a drive-thru window and a full-sized, accessible shower. “I just stood there with tears streaming down my face,” she said. “This is it. This is where we can serve people who live in their cars, who need a place to shower, who need dignity.”

That moment marked a turning point for Our Table, a rapidly growing dinner church and new worshiping community in Strasburg. Founded by Kristin and her husband, Walter Kondratowski, Our Table began with a simple but powerful vision: to feed people — physically and spiritually — in a community where poverty is often hidden behind the idyllic backdrop of farmland and good public schools.

Walter, who at the time was on staff at First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg as well as another church in the area, felt called to plant a church after attending a post-pandemic church planting conference. “During Covid, we were boots on the ground, meeting tangible needs,” he said. “I wanted to bring that back — to create a space where people could eat, worship and be known.”

Kristin joined Walter in the creating a community with a bold mission statement: “We Feed Hungry People.” With support from the church’s pastor, the Rev. Robert Bronkema, they launched Our Table in the church’s fellowship hall on Black Friday 2022. Our Table quickly grew, serving 80–93 people weekly with a communal meal, Bible study, prayer and worship. Kristin described the accessible approach to communal gatherings and the all-volunteer leadership model that includes their teenage daughters and other families by saying, “Everyone gets to play, and nobody gets paid.”

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New space has accessible bathrooms plus a shower for members with mobility issues. (Contributed photos)

But the growth came with challenges. The fellowship hall was reaching capacity, and the shared 10-by-10-foot storage closet was no longer sufficient. Accessibility issues also became apparent, especially for attendees with mobility needs, because Our Table serves an aging population as well as staff who work in homes for adults with disabilities. On  Thanksgiving 2024, “a man in a full-sized wheelchair had to be wheeled to another wing of the building to use the restroom,” Kristin recalled. “His staff had to roll him down the hallway multiple times. That broke my heart.”

The Kondratowskis began searching for a permanent home and found it in the historic Wiley’s Pharmacy building at 300 Historic Drive. Centrally located and well-known in the community, the space offers not only accessibility but also the potential for expanded ministry — including showers, laundry and eventually a kitchen.

Their vision received a major boost last fall when Our Table was awarded a $50,000 Walton Grant from the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The grant, recommended by the Mission Development Resources Committee, supports NWCs that creatively bring the gospel to their communities. For Our Table, the funds will help secure the lease and begin renovations for a kitchen. 

Walter is currently under care as an inquirer at the Presbytery of Donegal. He also serves as a ministry coach through Ad Lib Music, a company that equips churches with interim worship directors while they are looking to hire a permanent worship director. He currently serves as interim worship director for Cocalico Community Church in Reinholds, Pennsylvania, while Kristin now serves as the youth director at First Presbyterian of Strasburg.

As the Kondratowskis balance multiple ministry jobs and parenting four kids at home, the couple is taking turns meeting the ordination standards of the PC(USA). When Walter finishes seminary, it’s Kristin’s turn. 

Looking ahead, Walter hopes to empower more leaders to take ownership of the ministry and possibly expand to other underserved areas. “We planted a church in the margins of our lives,” he said. “Now we want others to step into leadership and see God work.”

Kristin added, “We want everyone to have a seat at our table — no matter their age, ability or circumstance.”

To learn more, visit Our Table’s website.

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Emily Hord, Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Risk Management, Administrative Services Group
Demetria Hurnton , Administrator, Benefits, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Loving God, as we seek to serve you wherever we are planted, we ask you to help us bear fruit, to proclaim your good news and to share your love with others. Bless us, we pray, as we seek to be faithful in word and deed. Amen.

World Evangelical Alliance - Join us for GO Day

GO Day is a valued partner of the WEA. Join Us for GO Day Share Jesus with One Person We’d love to invite you and your church or network to be part of GO Day on Pentecost Saturday, May 23, 2026. GO Day is a global movement of believers sharing Jesus. Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit empowers every believer to be a witness, and GO Day is a simple opportunity to live that out in everyday life. The invitation is simple: Share Jesus with one person. You don’t need a big program or a perfect plan. Just take one step of faith and ask God to use you. How to Participate 1. Pray Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart and open a door for a Gospel conversation. 2. Prepare Think of one person you can reach out to. You can also prepare your own story of what Jesus has done in your life. 3. Share Start a simple conversation. Offer to pray, share your testimony, or tell them the good news of Jesus. 4. Celebrate Share what God did and encourage others to take a step too. GO Day is about ordinary believers stepping out together, one person at a time. Imagine what could happen if every believer shared Jesus with just one person. Will you join us for GO Day? Join GO Day: https://bit.ly/3PkJ36b Let’s pray, share, and GO. With gratitude, World Evangelical Alliance  Over two billion Christians in the world today are represented by three world church bodies. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is one of those, serving more than 650 million evangelicals belonging to churches that are part of 163 national Evangelical Alliances in 9 regions. Launched in London in 1846, the WEA unites evangelicals across denominations for prayer, evangelism, mission, theological education, religious freedom, human rights advocacy, relief, and engagement in a wide range of social issues. It speaks with one voice to United Nations, governments, and media in public or through behind-the-scenes diplomacy on issues of common concern to the Church. For more information, visit worldea.org WEA has been a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 1980. WEA is audited annually by an independent public accounting firm. WEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In the United States, your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

© Copyright 2026 World Evangelical Alliance

Mission Yearbook: Seattle youth pastor says keys to discernment are consistency and community

You go into ministry with tons of energy, excitement and ideas. “Then you hit this reality wall where ministry is not what you expected it to be,” said the Rev. Tim Yi, who has spent over 15 years in youth ministry.

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The Rev. Tim Yi

The youth pastor at Community Church of Seattle, a primarily Korean American congregation, talked about disillusionment, discernment and more with the Rev. Zoë Garry in a recent Leading Theologically program and podcast. Garry is associate director of Theological Education Funds Development for the Presbyterian Foundation.

Yi said he can’t remember exactly when discernment became a priority — only that it was in his most difficult moments.

He realized it wasn’t about how smart or talented he was or how well he planned, and that he couldn’t do it alone. It was in those valleys he sought discernment and wisdom from God and trusted people in his life. That changed how he does ministry.

“Sometimes I question my own calling,” he said. “Like, is this really for me? Are my kids listening to my sermons? Do they even like me? So, I’m thankful for people who speak life and truth into me, saying: ‘Hey, we all go through that.’”

Volunteers fuel Community Church’s youth program. What qualities, Garry asked, does Yi look for in adult leaders?

Yi, who came to faith in high school, said faith is No. 1. “I really do believe God uses people in the church to guide our students.”

Faith is a given, but consistency is vital because it demonstrates caring and builds trust. “Your presence matters way more than what you can say. Showing up is, I would say, 80% of youth ministry. … When I recruit teachers, I tell them: ‘Show up, man, even if it’s like for 30 or 40 minutes. Just come say hello.’”

Teachability, in the sense of being willing to learn from the students themselves, is also important. Life experience is good, but “sometimes students can teach us about God. We don’t have all the information.”

Regardless of age, Yi added, adult leaders need to be relatable. (Yes, being able to tell a corny joke helps.)

Consistency doesn’t have to be hard, Yi emphasized.

“You’re not asking someone to move a mountain. You’re asking someone to show up. I think almost every single person has it in their power to be consistent, and it pours into building trust.”

Consistency of character is especially important in the picked and chosen social media world. Yi, who has an active YouTube channel, admits he’s figuring it out along the way. Though online ministries can be genuine, the desire to garner views can easily override authenticity. It’s still a place to reach people who might never set foot in a church.

“A certain topic or video could be their first exposure to Christianity,” he said.

While there’s room for both in-person and online ministry, “one of the things the church can offer is that real, genuine human connection, and it really comes down to consistency.”

In his Asian American context, Yi has seen more open discussion in recent years on topics such as mental health and the intersection of faith and politics. In 2025, you can find answers to any question you might have — answers that support your or anyone else’s position. He encourages students to search with care, ask more questions and seek input from trusted people in their circles.

“Again, that’s where discernment comes in,” Yi said. As an example, he described walking students through their fear about the end of the world ending on a particular day based on something they saw online. “That content is really popular because it gets a lot of views, and they were really influenced by that,” he said.

Yi spent time with the students talking about where the information came from, what the Bible actually says and where their attention might be better directed.

Even in a culture of self-reliance and individualism, he said, “the Christian faith is also corporate.”

Nancy Crowe for the Presbyterian Foundation (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Steve Hoehn, Manager, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group
Cathy Holland, HR Generalist, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group                             

Let us pray:

What we know not, teach us. What we are not, make us. What we have not, give us. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Pastor challenges ministers to adopt rest as sacred practice at 1001 NWC gathering

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The space had been transformed for closing worship (Photos by Beth Waltemath).

As soft jazz filtered through Hyde Chapel at the YMCA of the Rockies, worshipers settled into a space transformed by woven blankets and wooden lanterns — a sanctuary carefully curated to embody the very rest it proclaimed.

A brown paper runner stretched the length of a narrow table, sprinkled with the faded yellows of dried aspen leaves and the scrawled prayers of those who gathered. Each handwritten plea answered a question asked a few days prior at the worship service that opened the week: “What is it you are seeking?”

The service featured music led by Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones and a sermon by her husband, the Rev. Dr. Winterbourne Harrison-Jones, pastor of Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Two days before the conference opened, the couple had visited local thrift stores to transform the worship space with throw pillows and soft décor, creating what participants described as a comforting, contemplative atmosphere imbued with the spirit of local hospitality and natural harmony.

“What would happen if we honored the Divine within ourselves, the various dimensions of who God has called us to be, just as we honor the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine?” the Rev. Dr. Harrison-Jones asked as he began his sermon for the closing worship of the 1001 New Worshiping Communities national gathering. He challenged the 150 gathered leaders to embrace self-care as a sacred practice equal to communion and baptism. 

“What would happen to our lives if we would adopt this new sacrament?” he asked.

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The Rev. Dr. Winterbourne Harrison-Jones

His message capped a three-day gathering focused on “rest as resistance,” where new worshiping community leaders experienced extended free time, contemplative worship and the serene beauty of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Drawing from Matthew 11:28–30 and the Magi's alternative route home in Matthew 2:9–12, Harrison-Jones framed the gathering as both warning and welcome. He referenced Christian contemplative and theologian Dr. Howard Thurman’s meditation on life’s fluidity, asking participants, “What do you want? ... Really?”

In Thurman’s recorded voice, played during the service, he reflected that “there is a dynamism in which all life, individual life is grounded and that purposes, therefore, goals, genes, ideals, can fulfill themselves because of the fluid, flowing character of all of life.” Life, he said, is not fixed, but fluid, meaning encounters with God’s love and call are both welcome and warning.

“Might this be the warning you have been waiting for,” Harrison-Jones preached, “that the ways that we live, our inabilities to set boundaries, our inability to reach out for help, the supermen and superwomen complexes that we carry? Could it be that God has allowed us to have this encounter, and has warned us that the way that we are going will only lead to destruction?”

Following the sermon, Harrison-Jones invited worshipers to gather in small groups to discuss concrete commitments they would take home from the mountain experience.

The Rev. Jemimah Ngatia, originally from Kenya and serving as the first African woman to be ordained in the PC(USA), said she was taking home this self-care sacrament. 

“I needed to hear when I break the bread that this is self,” said Ngatia, who serves Neema Fellowship, a new worshiping community in Denver

Courtnye Lloyd of The Gathering, a worshiping community in Indianapolis, said, “Something that stood out for me was to think about what the rhythm looks like, but also to be intentional in developing a rhythm connecting with the land and nature.”

The message resonated with leaders navigating burnout and boundary challenges. Harrison-Jones defined self-care as “developing rhythms, rituals and routines that nurture the divine within.” 

The service concluded with a poetic reflection by the Rev. Laura Beth Buchleiter, spoken against an improvised piano postlude echoing the closing song, “I Need You to Survive," by Hezekiah Walker:

“I was caught up in the novelty of my own existence and never sure if the next turn would create calm or chaos, constantly searching for meaning, for purpose, for roots watered with love. I was wandering,” Buchleiter said, describing the feeling of following a story arc so distant, “always a step ahead, always a step forward, always a step along, never, never stepping into the peace that had been promised.”

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us join in prayer for:

Matt Hinkle, Analyst, Information Systems, The Presbyterian Foundation
Patricia Hoehn, Production Clerk, Presbyterian Distribution Center, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Redeemer Lord, please guide your church as it seeks to make your truth and love known to all peoples. In your name we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Unification Commission’s work explained through model of church with two committees

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The Rev. Scott Lumsden

Imagine you’re a member of a local Presbyterian church — a unique Presbyterian church with no pastor and no session. The church does have two associate pastors who each lead a committee that plans all the activities of the church. One committee, the Worship Committee, is in charge of Sunday worship and everything that goes with it; and the other, the Program Committee, develops and leads the weekly program of the church. With the help of these two very capable associate pastors, these two committees oversee two entirely separate staffs, with two entirely separate budgets — with very little to no coordination between them.

Additionally, this church has a Board of Trustees who oversees the financial program for the church and provides a shared administrative staff who serves both the Program and Worship committees.

The Program Committee is funded primarily by endowments reaching all the way back into the 200-year history of the church. Though the return on those endowments provides a reliable source of income, it can be challenging to innovate and adapt to the ministry challenges of today because of endowment restrictions.

The Sunday Worship Committee, on the other hand, is funded almost exclusively by the Sunday offering and is challenged by a steadily decreasing membership, which hinders its ability to provide the services its members have come to expect.

One year, after many years of analysis and study, the congregation decided it was time to bring the Program and Worship committees together to fully share the responsibilities of ministering to the church. It no longer made sense (if it ever did) to have two separate committees, two separate staffs and two separate budgets. The church instead wanted to express its unity by being one body, with one staff, and one budget so that it could live out its unity in its vision, its shape and its form.

So, in 2022, the church formed a commission from among its members and gave it all the power it needed to unify the Program and Worship committees so that the overall ministry of the church would be more coordinated, unified and streamlined.

This story is, of course, about the work of the Unification Commission. As a member of this commission, I recognize the oversimplified analogy above has its limitations. But, in general, this is more or less how our national church has been organized and has operated since reunion. I say this because it’s important to remind ourselves that the reasons for unification are primarily structural, not financial. No church would have two separate leadership structures with two separate staffs and budgets — it makes no sense.

For many years, we lived with the current system because we viewed the challenges to change the system as too great. But thanks to the faithful work of many people, the General Assembly is now closer to living up to its calling as the highest council of our church — one who  “constitutes the bond of union, community and mission among all its congregations to the end that the church becomes a community of faith, hope, love, and witness” (G-3.0501). 

Friends, we are not at the end, but at the beginning phases of this large and complex unification journey. And there is more work to be done after the Unification Commission concludes its work at the next Assembly. I ask that if you sense a call to live out the “bond of union, community and mission” in tangible ways at the national level, that you apply to serve on the next governing body that will be established to carry on this charge. You can find out more information about the next governing body and apply here.

It’s been an honor to work alongside the Rev. Jihyun Oh, our first Stated Clerk and Executive Director, her interim senior leadership team, and the whole staff of the Interim Unifying Agency — their commitment and dedication to living into a unified vision of the national church is truly inspiring. And many thanks to as well as our incredibly dedicated and faithful (and tired) Unification Commission members. I pray our efforts to embody a shared vision of the national church in our organizational life as a church continues to be blessed.

The Rev. Scott Lumsden is a member of the Unification Commission.(Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Carissa Herold, Marketing Associate, Presbyterian Women
Michael Hilliard, Sales & Event Coordinator, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Eternal God, grant us sufficient confidence in ourselves, in your Word, and in that inner voice that confirms the truth of your Word, to overcome fears and to lead the people through the narrow gate. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Christ’s mission statement is focus of a Bible study at WCRC’s General Council

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The Rev. Dr. Bridget Ben-Naimah of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Ghana leads Bible study Tuesday for the WCRC's 27th General Council (Photo by William Gibson).

Jesus’ first words in ministry continue to echo across centuries — a call to heal, to free and to restore.

That message came alive during a Bible study session at the 27th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), where the Rev. Dr. Bridget Ben-Naimah of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Ghana urged believers to live out the mission Christ declared in Luke 4:14–21.

“This passage contains a manifesto for his work and ministry. Some refer to it as a mission statement,” Ben-Naimah said. “Jesus declared, in accordance with the prophecies, that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him — to proclaim the good news of salvation, release captives from bondage, restore sight to the blind and set the oppressed free.”

Ben-Naimah reminded the gathered delegates that if Christians truly believe Jesus is the savior of the world, they must also embrace his mission in their own time.

“Who are the captives, the blind, and the oppressed of our time who need to be released, to see, and to be liberated?” she asked. “People may be treated with cruelty and indignity or have their freedom restricted. Others are locked out of normal life — economically, culturally, intellectually, socially, and mentally.”

In some cases, she noted, those seeking solace in faith have been exploited by church leaders.

“In West Africa, some people fall prey to false prophets who control their lives in the name of prophecy,” Ben-Naimah said. “There are young people in Africa who are captives of drug abuse or gambling — seeking to escape their challenges but instead becoming trapped in cycles that destroy their lives. Can we identify the captives?”

She went on to describe the “blind” as those who have lost hope, unable to see beyond despair.

“These could include people in war-torn regions who see nothing but devastation,” she said. “Livelihoods, homes, schools and families destroyed — their dreams and futures buried in rubble.”

Ben-Naimah called on churches to lift people out of captivity, blindness, and oppression by engaging in tangible acts of compassion and advocacy.

“We are called to engage in awareness creation and information sharing that will lead to possible solutions,” she said. “We are called to be the impactful voice of our day — to build capacity for action, to stand in solidarity with those affected, and to create pathways for help.”

She concluded her message with words of comfort and hope.

“If you are the captive, the blind, or the oppressed of today, be encouraged knowing that you matter to Jesus Christ. You matter to the communion of his followers,” she said. “Do not suffer alone. Reach out to sisters and brothers in the Communion for support. Persevere to find help, and you will find it. Christ is our ever-present help in times of trouble.”

Rick Jones, Director of Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Brian Henson, Desktop Support Analyst, Information Technology Infrastructure, Administrative Services Group
Jessica Hernandez, Electronic Marketing Associate, Electronic Resources & Strategic Business Development, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Lord, remind me that all human beings are my fellows, whatever their age, state of health or handicap. You are at work in each of us to lead us to what is best in us and for us. That is your mission and we are here to serve it. Amen.