Mission Yearbook: Exploring discernment in a changing church

Continuing a “Leading Theologically” series exploring discernment, the Rev. Zoë Garry recently invited the Rev. Ann-Henley Nicholson, vice president of Enrollment Management and Vocational Outreach at Columbia Theological Seminary, to be her guest. Listen to their 34-minute conversation here.

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Nicholson, a former actor in New York City, told Garry that discernment became part of her practice “well before I was aware I was doing that.” She’s often wrestled with answering the question, “what is my greatest and highest use?”

Asked what questions she’s been hearing recently from students, Nicholson said they include “how might they meet this moment they and the country find themselves in” as well as “how can they articulate what they believe in a way that helps them and doesn’t harm others” and “how might they disrupt what they have come to know about God … and about themselves in an environment that encourages that kind of intellectual and theological curiosity.”

“Some need us to demystify what theological education is. Others are familiar with it and have wrestled with a call to ministry, some for decades,” Nicholson noted. “If they’re invested in the church and they want to see the church continue to exist, then God’s going to continue to call people. Usually when you remind people of that, someone hears a call.”

When Garry was a campus minister, she would ask every senior she could, “are you feeling a call to ministry?”

“I was astounded at how many students would say yes,” Garry said.

Increasing numbers of seminary students aren’t hearing a specific call to serve a faith community, Nicholson said. “I like to say that God’s call always lies beyond the limits of my imagination,” she told Garry.

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The Rev. Zoë Garry

Possessing a “healthy dose of humility and humanity” is “an opportunity for letting the Spirit come in and do its work,” Nicholson said. “It’s also a healthy recognition that this is Jesus’ ministry we have been called to be part of. It’s not ours.”

When Nicholson was a seminarian, “I had to remind myself that we are a community of shepherds, but we are also sheep,” she said. “That continues to preach to me. If I am practicing my ministry from that place, it means I am acknowledging my humanity and my reliance on others and all of Creation and most especially God, within and among us.”

Our Reformed theology reminds us “that ministry is something we’ve all been called to, whether or not we go to seminary,” Nicholson said. “We believe ministry is not restricted to those wearing robes.”

In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), “we really do hang our hat on the sense that we cannot do this alone, that God is God and we are not. We need each other and we need all the different gifts within the kingdom to be a fuller human and a fuller church.”

Garry asked Nicholson what’s changed in PC(USA)-related seminaries and what’s remained the same. “You’re crushing it with your questions, Zoë!” Nicholson said, noting the “increase in diversity of thought, theology and vocational possibilities” present in today’s seminaries. Some students are called to ordained ministry. Others are interested in chaplaincy work. “More and more are drawn to pastoral care and counseling,” Nicholson said, while others see their future serving in nonprofit sectors or new worshiping communities.

“We are seeing people called to serve a church that doesn’t yet exist, and yet they are faithful to God’s leaning on their life and the Spirit leading them to seminary to discern how they might use these skills,” Nicholson said. “We’re also seeing more and more imagination in our faculty and their openness to the ways they are called to form and transform these current students and this future ever-evolving church.”

“The constant,” Nicholson said, “is that God continues to call people to ministry in so many different ways, which continues to sing to my heart, reminding me that God is not going to leave the church without a witness. I believe this with all my heart.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Vaughn Ratliff, HR Specialist, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Rebecca Rayner, Paralegal, Legal & Risk Management, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Lord of all times, nations and peoples, help us to see each other through your eyes, celebrating the love you have given that binds us together. We ask your blessing upon the churches and peoples, so that we might be and make disciples in your name. Amen.

World Communion Offering Update Resources and Grants

World Communion Offering Announcements In preparation for the World Communion Offering, we wanted to remind you of a few important dates. Sept. 6, A Season of Preparation begins. Oct. 4, the World Communion Offering is received, on World Communion Sunday World Communion Offering Resources You can find resources for this year’s first-ever World Communion Offering on our website, ready for download. Or you can order printed resources from the PC(USA) Store. Watch for emails highlighting specific World Communion Offering resources later this summer. Download World Communion Offering Resources World Communion Offering Grant Updates! Information on the grant program has now been solidified and will be forthcoming. It will include a timeline, what the grants should be used for, details on who can apply and contact information for questions you may have. Watch your inbox for more information coming next week!  Visit our website for more information about the World Communion Offering and to download resources. We are the Church. Together. Thank you for generously supporting the World Communion Offering.   If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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Mission Yearbook: Former students celebrate 100 years of ministry at University of Oregon

When Jennifer Daniels wants to connect with students at the University of Oregon, she doesn't start with theology — she starts with toast.

“Last winter, I thought that maybe the smell of toast might bring in the students for coffee and snack,” Daniels, the current director of the UKirk campus ministry at the University of Oregon, told alumni recently gathered to celebrate the ministry’s 100th anniversary. “By the end of winter term, students were asking if we could keep making toast through the spring, and now we have Toast Tuesday as a regular activity.”

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A crowd gathers at the ministry center for the open house of Compass Campus Ministry, which celebrated 100 years of Presbyterian campus ministry at the University of Oregon in November 2025. (Photo by Austin Supanapong).

The simple weekly gathering exemplifies Daniels’ approach to reaching a new generation. “Something I’ve learned since I’ve been on campus with the students is that our message needs to be gentle, but it needs to be very clear,” she said. “I won’t mis-advertise anything. If it’s a Bible study, it’s a Bible study, and if it’s a Toast Tuesday, it’s just toast.”

That clarity matters to students who “have reservations” about faith communities, Daniels explained. “Many of the students have seen Christians on TV. They're also a generation that wants to know what’s behind the screen.”

The anniversary celebration, held at the university’s Ford Alumni Center, drew alumni, board members, presbytery leaders and friends to honor a ministry that has shaped countless lives since 1925. Tables decorated in university colors featured timelines where guests added memories, while old photo albums revealed decades of fellowship.

Among the speakers was Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall, a deputy director of Presbyterian Life & Witness, who credited his undergraduate years at what was then called the Koinonia Center with transforming his life trajectory.

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The University of Oregon's UKirk board chair, the Rev. Dr. Liz Leavitt ,and comedian Tyler Boeh are pictured at the 100th anniversary of the campus ministry. (Photo contributed by Tyler Boeh)

“This was where I developed deep lifelong bonds, where I experienced true community,” Schlosser-Hall said. He spoke about the critical work of discernment that can happen during the college years and the support he received from campus pastors for that formative grappling. He encouraged supporters of the current program to stay engaged, reminding them how valuable this work is and how far-reaching the effects are.

“One of the most significant things that happened was kind of a deep vocational exploration,” Schlosser-Hall said, noting the table of friends who joined him — including his wife, the Rev. Adrienne Schlosser-Hall — all connected through campus ministry. “What happened through this campus ministry is we were not only given permission but also encouragement to explore: What does it mean to be a human in the world? What does it mean to be a human that’s trying to follow our Lord and Savior?”

He described how campus ministry became “a place of belonging that could be a place that you could launch from with some boldness because you knew you were valued.” The community celebrated his engagement and wedding and, decades later, sang at his daughter’s wedding. “It’s just become such a community of remarkable belonging that it’s shifted our lives in significant, meaningful ways.”

The Rev. Dr. Liz Leavitt, the current board president who served as co-chair of Presbyterian Collegiate Ministry from 2012 to 2015, traced the ministry’s evolution through its names. Originally Westminster House, it became the Koinonia Center in 1969. “Our little Presbyterian campus ministry has also always been a place where we can try new things in service to the gospel,” she said.

After months of discernment, the board decided the Greek term “Koinonia” no longer resonated with students unfamiliar with church. “We grappled with that for a while and eventually decided that something more identifiable would help us communicate who and what we are,” Leavitt said. Beginning this fall, the ministry is known as Compass Campus Ministry.

“It’s the same welcome we've spent 100 years offering, just a new identity that fits a new century,” Leavitt explained, distributing small compass tokens as reminders “that God is with you too, just as God has been in this ministry all these years.”

The celebration included greetings from the Rev. Paul Belz-Templeman, stated clerk for the Presbytery of the Cascades, and comedy from alumnus Tyler Boeh. Three former campus pastors were honored: the Revs. Tiare Mathison, Ann Bowersox and Jennifer Martin. Ed Willson of Central Presbyterian Church received special recognition for 17 years of board service. 

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Rick Purdy, HR Manager, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Douglas Portz, Vice President, Church Relations, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions                    

Let us pray:

Dear God, thank you for raising up prophets in our midst to bring us good news. Accompany them in their journeys, and strengthen their ministries. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Massachusetts church celebrates restoration after arson attack

With united hearts and voices, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts recently celebrated what it called “The Return of the Remnant”: the rebuilding and dedication of a sanctuary burned five years ago by an arsonist.

Watch the celebration here. The 2-hour, 40-minute service was held in the beautifully restored sanctuary and was led by the church’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery.

Numerous guests, including the contractors who helped make the project possible, Springfield-area faith leaders, presbytery and synod representatives, and others made for a warm and lively celebration, held in a reconstructed sanctuary that features a labyrinth on the floor.

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Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery. (Photo by Kim Fuller Photography)

“I want you to look around at this wonderful tapestry of God’s people,” Curry Avery told those gathered. “Your testimony here today is a living testimony that we are united in hope.”

“We’re here, y’all, and we’re not going anywhere,” she said. “We are reclaiming our space.” Throughout the service, Springfield artist Erin Washington, who grew up in the church, painted some of the sights those in worship were experiencing.

“Today is a testimony to what it means when we say, what you have meant for evil, God has used for good,” said the Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley, who leads the Synod of the Northeast. The synod “is so proud of your witness here in this community. We look forward to seeing what God will do next.”

A pair of church deacons came forward to remember the work and energy of church members active throughout the past few years but who passed before the project was completed.

Shannon Rudder, president and CEO of Springfield-based Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, said the agency was “born of this very church. Here, a courageous congregation believed that even the smallest seed in God’s hands could grow into a mighty work of service, compassion and justice in action. Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services is the fruit of your faith.”

“We are proud to stand forever as partners in this work, in this ministry and in hope. This is your new chapter, and today we rise together in joy and in purpose in your new chapter,” Rudder said. “I know it was great sorrow and complexity, but I want to acknowledge how you held fast to God’s providence.”

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The Rev. Dr. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Southern New England, was among the speakers Sunday. (Photo by the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins)

“This is more than a reopening,” Rudder said. “It is a rebirth and a joyful rising.”

The Rev. Dr. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Southern New England, offered God thanks for “the opportunity to be part of your church — the church of liberty, justice, peace and wholeness.”

“We remember the saints and ancestors who surround us, for everyone who worked so hard to get us to this place: for the people who showed up on the day of the fire, the day of arson and terror; for good people in federal agencies who continue to labor.”

“We give you thanks that even though this building burned, you protected life. No one was hurt, and we give you thanks for that small mercy,” she said. In addition to thanking PC(USA) ministries including Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Vance-Ocampo offered thanks for the church’s session and deacons and for “former leaders of this church, some who are part of the great cloud of ancestors around us.”

Curry Avery took obvious delight in inviting three key contractors forward so those gathered could thank them for their hard work. “It was clear it was a labor of love. You understood this assignment went well beyond the walls of this church,” she said. “More than anything, when I made a request for something, your response was always, ‘I’ll try, pastor,’ and you always came through.”

“In the three of you, we have seen the Lord who provides, the God who heals, and the God of peace. Thank you for letting the Lord use you,” she said. “We are deeply, deeply grateful.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Katherine Pierce, Strategic Knowledge & Project Manager, The Board of Pensions
Tracy Pou, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions  

Let us pray:

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of seeing the transformation in our community and in our own hearts as we walk out your love in a different way. We praise you, God, for giving us your second great commandment — to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Teacher shows retreat participants Celtic ways

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Abbey ruins in Northumbria in the United Kingdom (Photo by Jeff Eddings)

“If there were people who ever needed re-educating, it’s Americans. We all know that.” Andy Raine’s provocative statement hung in the digital space of a Zoom call, but his smile suggested he meant it with affection. The member of the Northumbria Community, a Celtic Christian center in northeast England, recently joined 35 Presbyterian leaders for the second day of a Celtic Spirituality Retreat hosted by 1001 New Worshiping Communities.

What followed was a conversation that ranged from ancient saints to contemporary American political divisions, from theological authenticity to the practice of blessing one's enemies — all grounded in Celtic Christianity's distinctive approach to faith and community. 

Raine's own journey to Holy Island — also known as Lindisfarne — began with an unexpected conversation. “I was a student in London, and I was busy having an argument with God,” he recalled. “I was saying, ‘So, where are you sending me?’ And I wasn’t expecting an answer. I was just being rhetorically irritated. And there was a reply. It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was enough to make me turn around, and I knew what had been said, and it was Holy Island.” 

Years later, a photograph taken during a childhood day trip with his father was found. In it was a young Raine in “long, short trousers” gazing up at the statue of St. Aidan, the founder of the monastery on Lindisfarne. “I don’t think he had any idea who Aidan was,” Raine said of his father. “It just was a good photo opportunity.” 

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The Rev. Jeff Eddings, associate for coaching and spiritual formation with 1001 New Worshiping Communities. (jeffeddings.com)

When Raine eventually moved to the island, he discovered it was “a prayed-in place” where “the prayers of the people who had been here and prayed centuries before had somehow changed this place forever.” 

The island holds special significance in Celtic Christian history as the missionary base of St. Aidan, who came from Scotland in 635 to evangelize the Anglo-Saxon people of Northumbria. Later, St. Cuthbert served as bishop there. The Northumbria Community, which Raine helped found, draws on this heritage while maintaining its retreat center about 45 minutes south of the island. 

When asked for an “elevator pitch” on Celtic spirituality, Raine pointed to several defining characteristics. “One of the things would be a flexibility, an openness to welcome,” he explained. “One of the pictures of Brigid is living with arms wide open, and that’s also a picture of the cross — that we’re to have a heart that’s exposed.” 

He emphasized how Celtic Christians found God revealed through Creation. “The created world speaks to us everything that the Scriptures would speak and does it more immediately for people. ... They had an experience of the created world that was part of that same whole thing that made perfect sense to them.” 

Raine also highlighted the Celtic approach to encounter through stories of St. Aidan. “Aidan used to go and connect with individual people and listen to their story. He had a recognition that whoever he met had something to teach him, and he would meet them one-to-one.” 

Significantly, Aidan “would travel not on horseback, because he didn’t want to be associated with being the ‘us and them,’ the haves rather than the have nots. He was identified with people with their feet on the ground.” 

Hannah, a participant who has incorporated Celtic daily prayers into her family’s practice, raised a concern many felt: How do white Americans engage Celtic traditions without appropriating them? 

Raine responded thoughtfully. “Some of you will have some Celtic blood in you anyway, but that almost becomes a distraction. ... The key thing is that some of the most important places of Celtic spirituality are not from people who were Celtic by blood anyway.” 

He continued: “What we’re looking to is something that predates it being called ‘Celtic.’ We’re looking to the spirituality of John, the beloved disciple who leaned on the breast of Jesus, and the continuity beginning to come through.” 

The crucial posture, Raine suggested, involves treating those we don’t understand with respect. “You treat somebody who you don’t understand with respect and say, ‘What can I learn from you?’” 

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Stephanie M. Patterson, Communications Manager, Presbyterian Women
Jim Phares, Web Systems Developer, Digital Strategy & Information Systems, Administrative Systems Group

Let us pray:

Generous God, as you have given so freely to us, we give you thanks that, as possible, we are able to freely give to others. May your Spirit sustain the many helping hands, and may your blessings abound for those being served. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Ohio church nurtures faith through compassion, service and connection

“Growing Together: Generation to Generation” is a heartfelt portrait of life within First Presbyterian Church of Westerville, Ohio, a congregation devoted to nurturing faith through connection, compassion and service. The film below explores how true growth happens when people choose to care for one another — across ages, abilities and seasons of life.

From the laughter of young children discovering friendship through play, to the quiet dedication of volunteers supporting neighbors in crisis, each story reflects a community that believes love is most powerful when it’s shared. Viewers witness moments of rebuilding, serving and belonging that reveal how every generation brings something essential to the next: energy, wisdom, hope and grace.

https://vimeo.com/1136154318?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

One of the film’s most moving highlights is the church’s Mobility Assistance Program (MAP) — a volunteer-driven ministry that provides wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility equipment to elderly residents and individuals in need. With each donated device, MAP restores independence, dignity and connection, reminding us that small acts of service can transform lives in profound ways.

At its core, “Growing Together: Generation to Generation” celebrates a truth central to the identity of First Presbyterian Church of Westerville: When we lift one another up, we grow together. And when we grow together, grace multiplies — strengthening a community where everyone has a place and every generation matters.

Alex Simon, Multimedia Specialist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Sung-Joo Park, Relationship Manager, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Sunkyoo Park, Associate, Adult Curriculum, Korean Language, Growing Faith Resources, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation                  

Let us pray:

God of mercy, remind us of our affluence, and call us to a sacrificial lifestyle. We pray that our brothers and sisters will continue to find ways to overcome poverty. Through our prayers and gifts, may they be blessed! Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Presbyterian leaders explore Celtic Christianity at retreat

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The Rev. Jeff Eddings shows off a tattoo of the Scottish Highland cow which inspired a meditation for the Celtic spirituality online retreat. (contributed photo)

“White cow, don't make yourself miserable with what’s to come, or not to come.”

The words of 13th-century Persian poet Rumi seemed an unlikely starting point for a Christian retreat. But for the Rev. Jeff Eddings, they perfectly captured the anxious restlessness many ministry leaders bring to their work — and pointed toward the gentler wisdom of Celtic spirituality. 

Approximately 35 leaders, attendees and friends of new worshiping communities recently gathered virtually three times daily for a Celtic spirituality retreat sponsored by 1001 New Worshiping Communities, a movement of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Led by Eddings, associate for coaching and spiritual formation with 1001 New Worshiping Communities, the retreat invited participants to explore John Philip Newell’s book “Listening to the Heartbeat of God” and discover how ancient Celtic Christian traditions speak to contemporary ministry challenges. 

The retreat's structure reflected Celtic rhythms of prayer, with sessions at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern time. Participants used prayers from the Northumbria Community’s “Celtic Daily Prayer” book and engaged in contemplative practices between sessions, including walking meditations and creative prayer writing. 

From the opening session, it became clear this exploration would challenge familiar theological frameworks. While Augustine emphasized original sin and human depravity, Celtic teacher Pelagius insisted that “to look into the face of a newborn is to look at the image of God.” 

For many participants, this shift proved profound. “I felt very intimate and personal, very close to God when you say your beloved — it builds a relationship,” one participant reflected during the retreat’s first gathering. 

Another noted the difficulty of the reframing: “It was easier for me to say I was beloved rather than good. That’s where I had the difficulty.” 

Celtic spirituality emphasizes that “God’s Spirit dwells” not just in humans but in animals, birds, insects and fish — all of Creation reveals divine presence. This theme resonated deeply with participants. 

The Rev. Jenelle Holmes from Ormewood Church in Atlanta described growing up in Washington state: “Being outside was the first place I experienced God. And so later in life, finding a way of being Christian that not just accepted that, but was built on it, was very refreshing for me.” 

The retreat incorporated this emphasis through contemplative practices. Participants were invited on phone-free walks to notice “the manifestation of God” in Creation, then to sit in silence for five minutes outdoors. 

The Rev. Terence Dougherty, pastor of Ocean View Presbyterian Church in Delaware, found the Celtic approach liberating for his emerging ministry. “I have a group that has started a Walkers and Waggers service before our Sunday service. ... It’s become a place of deep spirituality and deep connection. I love it.” 

One of the retreat’s most memorable moments came when Eddings shared a personal meditation comparing Rumi's anxious white cow — perpetually worried about tomorrow's grass — with the gentle Highland coo he encountered in Scotland, characterized by calm steadiness and trust. 

Oladotun Akinnubi, an associate pastor of Grace Sanctuary in Cold Lake, Canada, said, “The first poem resonated with me. … It reminded me about Scripture that talks about casting our cares upon God because God cares for us.” 

The meditation prompted participants to consider which “cow” they embody in their ministries and lives — the anxious one consumed by scarcity thinking, or the trusting one present to God's provision. 

For ministry leaders accustomed to perfectionism, the Celtic emphasis on embracing both light and shadow proved liberating. The Rev. Ebenezer Alonge, organizing pastor of David’s Court Ministry International, said, “There is a tendency to want to turn towards perfectionism where you don't feel that anything is wrong. You’re never anxious, you’re never troubled. But I think on the whole, life is about positives and negatives. ... The last line — ‘Two cows in a field, which will I be today?’ — gives yourself the liberty not to be perfect.” 

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Matthew Nurkin,  Vice President & Managing Director, Investments, The Board of Pensions
Laura Olliges, Chief Financial Officer, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program         

Let us pray:

Bless, O Lord, our witness to your world. May our words and deeds speak to your whole creation, in all of its wonderful diversity. Amen.