Mission Yearbook: Video explores how faith is part of repair

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Oak Grove Presbyterian Church's communion set (All photos by Rich Copley)

“God emptied God’s self in the form of Jesus — and it cost God something,” says the Rev. Dr. Bart Roush, pastor and head of staff at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Minnesota. For Roush, this theological truth challenges Christians to consider what repairing historic harms might cost them. “We’re on board with food pantries and diaper drives,” he says, “but that doesn’t change systems. Repair asks more of us.”

Roush is featured in the fourth episode in the series "Zero to One: A Congregation’s Journey to Repair," which explores the spiritual heart of this congregation’s reparative work, delving into how theology, discipleship and trust in God have shaped the congregation’s decision to surrender wealth as an act of justice.

The series, which documents Oak Grove’s journey toward restorative action, began with questions about history, systemic racism and white privilege. By episode 4, the focus shifts to the deeper motivations behind repair: the faith that calls Christians to act, accepting that their actions will cost them something.

Sue Greimel, a ruling elder at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, connects the church’s decision to surrender $267,000 to the concept of atonement. “I wondered what I would have done if I had seen Jesus being treated that way,” she says. “Would I have spoken up? Restorative action feels similar — it’s painful, but it’s right.”

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The Rev. Dr. Bart Roush presides over communion at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms, reframes reparations not as charity, but as theological surrender. “The act of surrendering is a spiritual discipline that allows people to realize that you are not a benefactor, a philanthropist, a donor or a giver,” says Ross-Allam, “but you are a recipient of a debt, and that debt must be paid.”

This surrender, Oak Grove leaders emphasize, must come without strings. Greimel recalls discussions within the finance committee about how the funds would be used. “I was relieved to say, ‘I don’t care.’ It’s not our job to decide. We’re trusting God and the trustees to do what’s right.”

Becky Dop, ruling elder at Oak Grove, shares how the process helped her confront assumptions rooted in white privilege. “We think we know best,” she says. “But it was freeing to realize we don’t. That’s not humility — it’s truth.”

The episode also includes reflections from Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, synod executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and the Rev. Gregory Bentley, who along with Street-Stewart served as Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020). Both speak to the spiritual imperative of justice. “I can’t imagine following Jesus without being committed to this work,” Bentley says. “It’s what he was committed to.”

Bentley describes a future where resources are shared equitably, and where compassion — not competition — guides our relationships. “We must disabuse ourselves of the myth of scarcity,” he says. “There is enough for everyone.”

Street-Stewart, a member of the Delaware Nanticoke tribe and a longtime advocate for Indigenous justice, reminds viewers that justice is always possible. “Our ancestors prayed for it even in the midst of genocide,” she says. “And they gave thanks for the world the Creator had given them.”

The voices in “How is faith part of repair?” testify to how reparations is not just a political or economic issue, but also a spiritual witness.

Watch the full series and learn more here. Read the series introduction here.

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Communications (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Caralee Wheeler, Program Associate, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation
John Wilkinson, Director, Stewardship & Funds Development, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Loving God, thank you for continuing to move in our lives; for sending us and for sending others to us. Bless all who you call to serve, whether down the street or across the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ministry Matters - Building for 2026: Strategy and Soul

A Word from the Editor  January brings that familiar tension: the fresh energy of a new year colliding with the reality that you're still tired from December, and your congregation might be too. This is when well-meaning planning retreats can feel more exhausting than energizing, and when "building community" has become such a buzzword that it's lost all meaning.  This month, we're offering tools that acknowledge where we actually are in 2026. Strategic planning needs to be adaptive, not rigid—because none of us can predict what next quarter will bring. And community formation needs to go deeper than programming, addressing the real loneliness epidemic even in our churches. These resources are designed to help you lead with both clarity and compassion as you navigate the year ahead.  —Cameron  From vision to action: Adaptive planning for uncertain times by Ministry Matters "Five-year plans don't work when you can't predict next quarter. Learn how to adapt frameworks like a strategic cascade for church contexts, moving from compelling vision to executable quarterly priorities without getting paralyzed by uncertainty. This practical approach helps you answer: Where will we focus? How will we win? What do we actually need to make it happen?"  Learn More Right Questions to ask as the new year begins by Lovett H. Weems Jr. "Before rushing into 2026 planning, ask the diagnostic questions that reveal what's actually working. Lovett Weems offers seven essential questions about first-time guests, volunteers, community change, glimpses of vitality, finances, and new people that will give you the clarity you need to plan wisely."  Read Now What questions will guide your church's path forward this year? Beyond Christian nationalism by Justin Coleman "Christian nationalism did not arise because Christians suddenly became too political. It arose because Christian spirituality became too thin. That distinction matters. It reframes the problem in a way that neither excuses nor simplifies what we are facing." Continue Reading

Lovett H. Weems, Jr. equips church leaders with field-tested questions organized into 14 categories to navigate personnel challenges, expand ministry impact, and make better decisions in any denominational setting. Leading scholars and practitioners from Duke Divinity School explore how Trinitarian theology provides vital resources for contemporary ministry challenges—from worship and preaching to climate crisis and church renewal—demonstrating that the ancient Nicene confession remains powerfully relevant for twenty-first century faith and practice. Twenty-four ready-to-use sermon series from diverse preachers offer fresh themes, focus Scriptures, sermon starters, and creative ideas for extending each topic into worship, education, and outreach—saving pastors valuable preparation time while bringing meaningful depth to the pulpit year-round.

Mission Yearbook: Pastor explains how she welcomes neurodivergent worshipers at church

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For the Rev. Dr. Michelle Junkin, a recent guest on the “Around the Table” podcast, welcoming neurodiverse children to worship and helping families to feel like they belong in church “is learning how your church can walk alongside and unlock a world of sensory-friendly support within your own ministry.”

Junkin, pastor of spiritual formation at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City and the co-director of Big Faith Resources, was hosted on “Around the Table” by the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush, associate pastor for youth and their families at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Rev. Cliff Haddox, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Dayton, Ohio. Listen to their 44-minute conversation here.

Big Faith Resources began in the fall of 2024 after receiving a $1.2 million grant to empower churches to support neurodiverse children and their families with innovative resources for worship and Christian education. It’s based at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Ordained in 2001, Junkin said she recalls language around families having “a child who is different,” whom we would now say fits under the umbrella of neurodiversity. She also noted diagnostic tools are now more refined: In 2001, 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2024, it was one child in 36.

Along with better diagnostic tools, “what changed is the awareness,” she told Haddox and Thomas-Bush. Neurodiversity is not a medical term but “a term used to describe the natural variation in brain function and development. Think about the biodiversity that’s all around us in the world,” she said. “We don’t often think about it, but that same variation exists within our brains. Neurodiversity is a term that came out of advocacy that’s used to describe all those natural variations in brain function development. It’s a way we now understand that people learn differently that they think differently and they process information differently.”

The input and data coming in is filtered and processed differently, and it’s “a unique perspective” for each neurodivergent person. “Part of understanding neurodiversity is knowing not that the way a child or congregation member is processing sensory cues is wrong; it’s not wrong,” she said. “They just process differently. Part of the awareness of neurodiversity is helping to understand these are not deficits, but that someone’s body is part of God’s wide variety. They’re still in God’s image. There’s not just one normal way for a brain to function.”

Junkin advises congregations take baby steps to become more inclusive. “One of the first things is awareness,” she said. “That starts to shift the way we look at our Sunday school classes and the way we offer worship.” Churches can offer people headphones that reduce noise overload, which “make sounds in a noisy environment feel more comfortable to children,” she said.

At Westminster Presbyterian Church, “anything that we offer that is sensory friendly is open to all. All children can decide to be in our sensory room or not; it’s not punitive,” she said. “Some neurotypical children might start off there, and we say, ‘OK, it’s time to start our lesson.’ Some kids just stay behind” to take in that lesson in the sensory space.

“Instead of saying ‘you have to comply,’ what sensory-friendly can do is offer a lot of grace, to let parents and children, your Christian educator and pastor, have conversations to move in faith formation and say, ‘here are the resources we have,’” Junkin said.

That also allows teachers to tell parents, “‘today your child really loved the sensory room. They really came to life. Did you see that?’” she said. “We ask parents, ‘is that what you need now? If that changes, let’s be in conversation about when you want your son not to be spending so much time in the sensory-friendly room or how can we bring a teacher into that room so they’re still getting the Bible lessons and stories.’”

That’s not child care, Junkin explained.

“There is a time and place for child care and nursery care in churches,” she said. “But when it’s Christian faith formation time, we’re really trying to find ways to have those tools at church and at home.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service  Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

V. George Waters, Ministry Relations Officer, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation
Donyale White, Accounting Clerk, Accounts Payable Office, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

God, we look to you this day and ask that the Holy Spirit would move in our lives, our neighborhoods, our churches and our cities to make us one. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Proposed transfer of sacred land in Arizona is temporarily stopped

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The proposed transfer of a site that’s sacred to Native Americans such as the Western Apache was temporarily halted to the delight of those who don’t want to see the land in Tonto National Forest turned into a copper mine.

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel granted an injunction, keeping the U.S. Forest Service from transferring the land, known as Oak Flat or Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, to a foreign company, Resolution Copper, for the moment.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe and others opposed to the mining project had requested the temporary injunction after a district judge recently declined to stop the transfer of about 2,400 acres of land, which could have taken place as early as Aug. 19.

Now, cases brought by the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition (AMRC) and the San Carlos Apache tribe have been consolidated.

Court records indicate that the panel granted the temporary administrative injunction to preserve the status quo while motions are pending and that the panel did not take a position on the merits of the motions.

Those happy about the injunction include Eileen Schuhmann, associate for global engagement and resources for the Presbyterian Hunger Program. She’s a supporter of preserving the land, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We celebrate that yet again, the courts have, at least temporarily, stopped the destruction of Oak Flat!” Schuhmann told Presbyterian News Service. “Oak Flat is sacred ground, and we cannot survive if we sacrifice what is sacred for profit.”

Oak Flat has long been a place of worship, prayer and religious ceremony for Native Americans. But in 2014, a last-minute rider was attached to a defense bill, setting the stage for the site to be transferred to Resolution Copper. However, the project has been tied up in the courts with multiple lawsuits.

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Photo of Oak Flat by Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity

President Donald Trump made it clear on social media that he is not happy with the latest delay, blaming it on a “Radical Left Court,” and claiming that “3,800 Jobs are affected, and our Country, quite simply, needs Copper – AND NOW! They are looking to do an Expedited Appeal before the Ninth Circuit, but it is so sad that Radical Left Activists can do this, and affect the lives of so many people.”

Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold responded by asking whether this is a nation that respects religious freedom. He also stressed the importance of preserving the land for future generations.

“If we destroy our sacred land and poison our environment, we are betraying our children and grandchildren and hurting ourselves,” said Nosie, as reported on the Apache Stronghold/Save Oak Flat Facebook page. “Three times now, courts have stopped this destructive project. That is because it is unjust, bad for our nation, and bad for the world. We hope the courts will stop the destruction of Oak Flat once and for all. No matter what happens, I call on all people to continue to pray for justice and to stand with us in protecting Oak Flat.”

 

The effort to save Oak Flat has been going on for years and has gained support from allies of various faiths and backgrounds as well as those who care about the environment.

“Everyone who loves Oak Flat and who’s been fighting for years to save it can exhale for now,” Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release. “The battle over this extraordinary place is far from over. I’m grateful the lawsuits challenging this terrible mine will be heard and I’m hopeful the courts will protect Oak Flat for future generations."

The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery held interfaith prayer circles earlier this week to give supporters a chance to pray for Oak Flat and Mother Earth and to discuss future actions to support the cause.

Schuhmann was among the participants, and she urges people who are concerned about Oak Flat not to give up. “As Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. reminds us, this is a desperate time for miracles. Pray, stand in solidarity and protect what is sacred.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist   Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Matthew Warmbier, Administrative Assistant, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation
Renee Warner, Operations Administrator, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation   

Let us pray:

Father, open our eyes to people you love who seem beyond our awareness. Give us compassion to include them in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Jazz musicians close Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference

When the three-day Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference ended in New Orleans, they were glad they packed a pair of dancing shoes.

Because the final worship service sure brought them to their feet.

The jazz stylings of three of New Orleans’ finest musicians, Big Joe Kennedy, Zach Lange and Kelly Cuppett, found participants not only energized for their journey and ministry, but also dancing on their way.

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Kelly Cuppett, Stewardship Kaleidoscope's Worship Co-Director. (Contributed photo)

“‘Jazz Mass’ or ‘Jazz Service’ is a common tradition here among churches during Carnival season, where a church will bring in jazz musicians to play instead of their usual pianist or organist,” said Cuppett, a New Orleans-based pianist and board-certified music therapist who served as Stewardship Kaleidoscope’s worship co-director. “The music in those services is still sacred but often features more spirituals or puts a jazz flair on traditional hymns. It's very cool and really fun.”

In planning the closing worship, Cuppett thought immediately of reaching out to two outstanding musical colleagues, Kennedy and Lange, to give attendees an authentic New Orleans experience.

Of soulful pianist Big Joe Kennedy, OffBeat magazine wrote, “BJK is one of NOLA’s better-kept secrets. He’s got a strong pianistic touch, immersed in the NOLA tradition of Dr. John and James Booker.” Lange is a gifted trumpeter and educator.

Themed “Stewardship: The Art of Resiliency,” this year’s conference was held from Sept. 22–24 at the Sheraton Canal Street, New Orleans. Drawing leaders from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and other ecumenical partners, Stewardship Kaleidoscope was designed to ignite generosity in faith-based communities, give practical tools for cultivating generosity in congregations, expand the leadership capacity of those who lead stewardship initiatives and cultivate adaptive approaches for funding Christ’s mission.

Featured keynoters and preachers this year were the Rev. Dr. David P. King, Karen Lake Buttrey director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving; the Rev. Dr. Corey Nelson, pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado; the Rev. Jean Marie Peacock, organizing pastor of Be Well-Come Together in Harvey, Louisiana; the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich, an ordained ELCA and author of the 2021 book “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living; and the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator for the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People Program in the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA).

Emily Enders Odom, Former Associate Director of Mission Communications (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Michael Wade, Production Clerk, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group
Donald Walker, Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Investments, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Gracious God, we give you thanks that, without our knowledge, you have filled our baskets to overflowing. Help us to see the hunger in others and recognize that we can share our plenty with those in need. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: PC(USA) leaders visit Peru to see impacts of mining, other industries

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The PC(USA) delegation was in Lima, Peru, with the Evangelical Association of Theological Education and the Young Adult Volunteer program. (Photo courtesy of Jed Koball)

Could the heart of the Amazon hold wisdom that can heal the planet? Could the people of Peru point the way for U.S. Presbyterians to repair relationships with the land they live on and the Indigenous people in their own contexts?

A delegation of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders, including the Rev. Tony Larson, Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly of the PC(USA), recently traveled to Peru in pursuit of answers to these questions. They spent eight days in conversation with Global Ecumenical Liaison the Rev. Jed Koball and local partners about the impacts of extractive industries like mining on the environment and Indigenous communities.

The delegation also included Dr. Dianna Wright, director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations; the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, director of Humanitarian and Global Ecumenical Engagement; and Valery Nodem, Associate for International Hunger Concerns.

Two other trip participants — the Rev. Annanda Barclay of the Presbytery of San Jose and Dr. Clarice Hutchens of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy — embody what Kraus considers an exciting expansion of how PC(USA) moderators engage with global partners and mid councils and congregations here in the U.S.

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The PC(USA) delegation is photographed in La Oroya, Peru, with members of the Conservation Committee of Villa El Sol. (Photo courtesy of Jed Koball)

“We have not historically looked at how we might engage our mid council and congregational partners in these efforts, beyond an expectation that the Moderator would share the stories and results of their visit in their work around the Church,” Kraus said. “This, we realize, is a lost opportunity for our Church, as well as for the partners who have taken time and effort to share their work and vision with us. This time, instead of limiting the trip to staff leads and the Co-Moderator, we intentionally invited leaders from two presbyteries that have been involved in the Joining Hands work in Peru.”

Koball, a Global Ecumenical Liaison for the PC(USA), says this trip has been in the making for at least five years. It developed out of work with the Presbyterian Hunger Program — particularly its Joining Hands Initiative, which seeks to address systemic causes of hunger in countries around the world. Koball says during that time, Joining Hands has identified its work, globally, as addressing and dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.

The 15th century Doctrine of Discovery established by the Catholic Church granted Christian European nations the right to claim lands and resources they “discovered” from non-Christian peoples. In Peru, this doctrine led to the conquest of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, including land theft, disruptions of spiritualities, and genocide.

Koball emphasized that the destructive mentality of conquest in Peru, and many other places including the United States, is not just historic, but ongoing.

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The delegation is seen In Callao, Peru, with people from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. (Photo courtesy of Jed Koball)

“That relationship with the land is defined today as we talk about extractivism,” Koball said, “where we see the Earth as something that is a resource for generating wealth.”

By contrast, Indigenous communities have maintained a more harmonious relationship with the environment.

“Humanity is dependent on a harmonious and healthy relationship with the Earth, and those most equipped to promote that relationship are Indigenous peoples,” Koball said. “So, getting land in Indigenous hands is ultimately kind of the goal here.”

The purpose of the delegation’s time in Peru was twofold: to see how this ongoing mentality of conquest and the extractivist industry of mining are impacting both the environment and the people there — especially Indigenous and Afro-descendant people — and to learn how Peruvians are addressing these issues so that knowledge might inform how Presbyterians engage in similar efforts in the U.S. Several members of the group come from presbyteries already working on addressing the impacts of extractivism on their local environments and Indigenous communities.

Over the course of eight days, the delegation traveled to three different regions of Peru. They visited La Oroya in the Andes, home to a smelting operation that has earned the city a reputation as one of the most polluted places in the world and where people have been protesting for more than two decades. On the coast around Lima, the group encountered the literal downstream impacts of mining: a contaminated river and beach. They also traveled to the Amazon to meet with a federation of native peoples working to prevent encroachment and extractive activity on their land.

Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist

Let us join in prayer for:

Judy Walton, Vice President, Lending Services, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Laura Wampler, Operations & Rights Associate, Operations, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Lord, thank you for opportunities to serve you. Bless us as we share our loaves with the children, youth and adults. Help us to remember that in John’s Gospel, the sharing of loaves began with a child. Amen.