Mission Yearbook: Inspiring Bible study challenges participants to persevere in Christian witness and explore disability theology

The Garden of Gethsemane, described in Luke 22, serves as a pivotal backdrop in the hours leading up to Jesus’ arrest — a moment filled with greed, fear, loss and compassion.

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The Rev. Dr. Miriam Spies of the United Church of Canada is a self-described "Crip Theologian." (photo by Rick Jones)

The Rev. Dr. Miriam Spies, an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada and a self-described “Crip Theologian,” recently led a Bible study at the 27th General Council of the World Community of Reformed Churches on this passage, using it to explore disability theology and the call to persevere in Christian witness.

Living with a physical disability, Spies said her faith and lived experience challenge traditional models of inclusion and theological unity. Reflecting on the moment when soldiers came to arrest Jesus, she drew attention to Peter’s reaction — drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant — and Jesus’ immediate act of healing.

“In the panic of the moment, the disciples turn away from ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ toward the use of violence,” Spies said.

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The Rev. Dr. Miriam Spies of the United Church of Canada delivered Thursday's Bible study at the 27th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. (photo by Rick Jones)

She cautioned against interpreting the healing solely as a restoration of bodily wholeness. “As a Crip Theologian, I don’t understand the story of Jesus restoring the ear as his concern about the slave’s body being whole,” she said. “Such interpretations of healing are often caught up in an ableist desire for a ‘normal’ body. They may lead people to pray for healing over those who are disabled — as if the goal is to eliminate disabled people rather than acknowledging and claiming our actual bodies. The ableism embedded in such actions is deeply harmful.”

Spies connected the story to present-day systems of oppression, noting that the logic of the empire — both ancient and modern — often treats certain bodies as expendable.

“We see this, here and now, put onto Palestinian bodies, Indigenous bodies, Black and brown bodies, poor bodies, disabled bodies,” she said. “Genocides, maiming, violence, systemic oppression — tools of the empire, of settler colonialism, funded by the Global North — clearly show which bodies do not matter.”

Spies said Jesus’ act of healing the slave’s ear demonstrates God’s incarnational promise that all bodies matter, especially those deemed unworthy or expendable by society.

“Jesus’ restoration of the slave’s ear is a form of reparation, restoring what has been destroyed or harmed,” she said. “We know that so much in our world cries out for this restoration — from harm caused by slavery, colonialism, war, intergenerational trauma and ongoing damage. The use of the sword, the ability to maim another through violence, is not Jesus’ way. His action tells us that, despite structures and systems that would denigrate it, the slave’s body matters. This is part of the solidarity that we call incarnation.”

In her closing remarks, Spies urged Christians to reflect on how they respond to violence and oppression.

“In moments of crisis, how do we persevere in our Christian witness? How do we manage the impulse to respond to violence with violence?” she asked. “In our biblical text, the disciple responds to the threat of violence by cutting off the slave’s ear. Jesus responds by restoring the ear, which speaks not to the need for wholeness but to the need for compassion, reconciliation — even love — as the response to violence.”

Rick Jones, Director of Communications, Presbyterian Life & Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Lynne Foreman, Major Gifts Officer, Stewardship and Major Gift Officers, Administrative Services Group
Adam Foster, Accountant, Financial Reporting, Administrative Services Group     

Let us pray:

God of great miracles, we thank you for your providence in the midst of scarcity, your reconciliation and healing after a time of broken connections and your love nurtured between neighbors across the world. Amen.

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Mission Yearbook: Oak Flat vigil draws faith leaders from around the country

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Oak Flat by Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity

Faith leaders from across the nation recently gathered for a prayer vigil, expressing support for preserving Oak Flat, a southwestern swath of land treasured by some Native Americans and others who view it as sacred.

The gathering followed news that the U.S. Supreme Court had refused for a second time to take up the case of Apache Stronghold, a coalition of Apaches and allies who want to keep the land from being converted into a copper mining operation that would create a massive crater on the Arizona site.

Multiple lawsuits by various parties continue winding their way through the courts to try to stop the project by Resolution Copper, a foreign-owned mining company. But in the meantime, supporters are rallying to draw more support and prayers for saving the land, which is in Tonto National Forest, about 60 miles east of Phoenix.

Back in 2014, a last-minute rider was attached to a defense bill to clear the way for the government to transfer the land, also known as Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, to the mining company for the project that has the support of the Trump administration.

Speaking at the recent vigil, the Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner, president of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, expressed concerns that the mine would “poison the air, poison the waters, and decimate this place that is the site of the Creation story for the Apache and many other Indigenous peoples.” 

“This is a struggle of protecting Mother Earth, of stopping ecological devastation. It is also a fight for religious freedom, for the U.S. government is trying to say that the Apache do not get to declare that this is sacred land to them … so we have come together on this day with our prayers, with our meditations, with our petitions, and we implore you — we implore you — to join us,” said Tanner, who leads a congregation in Summit, New Jersey.

The Rev. Andrew Black, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, New Mexico, also offered remarks, lamenting the proposed mining project and wondering aloud, “If 'for God so loved the world,' why don’t we?”

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Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr., founder of Apache Stronghold, spoke at the Livestreamed vigil.

“We’re working to protect Oak Flat, and we’re standing in solidarity (with the Indigenous peoples) because we recognize that it is important for the religious, for the spiritual freedom of the San Carlos Apache and all of their ancestors and descendants as well,” said Black, founder of EarthKeepers 360, a movement that equips spiritual leaders to become engaged in environmental issues.

Several faiths and peoples, including Apache, Diné, Episcopal, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist and Presbyterian, were represented at the vigil, which was livestreamed on Facebook.

“Thank you for being in our holy place,” said Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr., founder of Apache Stronghold, who lamented the potential loss of a gift from God to corporate interests.

The Apaches see Oak Flat as the dwelling place of spiritual beings called Ga’an, who are considered to be guardians or messengers between the Creator and people in the physical world, according to court records. The land, where a large copper deposit was discovered in 1995, also is the site of religious ceremonies that Apache Stronghold has said can’t take place elsewhere.

Multiple speakers were touched by being able to witness a female coming-of-age ceremony at Oak Flat prior to the vigil. It is the kind of practice that Apache Stronghold says is being jeopardized by the mining proposal.

The Rt. Rev. Pat Bell, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, said there is a God-given and constitutional right “to express the spiritual vitality and life of these people” through ceremonies at Oak Flat.

Bell went on to say it’s important for the Indigenous people “to be able to participate in ancient traditions that their families, their ancestors have practiced, and they're passing on to their children and their grandchildren.”

He added that Christians could “learn so much from these people, from Indigenous people around the world, who have connection to their spiritual dimensions that we have lost track of.”

Watch a recording of the vigil here.

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Rob Fohr, VP, Strategic Alignment & Mid-Council Relations, Strategic Alignment, The Presbyterian Foundation
Shawn Ford,. Internal Auditor, Internal Audit, Administrative Services Group           

Let us pray:

O Lord God, lead us by your Holy Spirit into relationship with those around us, both in our congregations and communities and in the wider world. And work through those relationships for the transformation of the world and the sanctification of each human life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: In churches, stewardship doesn’t have to be hard or perfect

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Maggie Harmon spoke as part of Stewardship Kaleidoscope. (photo by Gregg Brekke)

Maggie Harmon began her workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope with a simple aim: to guide participants in creating a stewardship plan.

But the conversation quickly turned into something more. The audience leaned in with ideas, questions and stories of their own, so much so that the workshop became a shared exploration of what stewardship really means in congregational life. And Harmon, a ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California, was happy to let it happen.

“The big thing I want you to take away,” Harmon told the group, “is that it doesn’t have to be that hard, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Harmon reminded participants that many people immediately associate stewardship with money. “When you say we’re going to talk about stewardship, they grab their wallets,” she said with a smile. “They think you’re coming for their money.”

But Scripture paints a broader picture. Drawing from Genesis 2:15, she noted that stewardship is tending, caring and helping something grow.

“Generosity and offering aren’t the same thing,” she said. “Generosity is the readiness to give more than expected. An offering is a sacrifice ceremonially offered as part of worship. What if we asked people to take a moment, breathe and think about what we are asking them to do? What is the ritual around it — not the habit?”

Harmon spoke from the perspective of a small church. First Presbyterian Church in Oakland averages 60 in worship. Most churches in the PC(USA) are under 100 members, she pointed out, and the majority of stewardship teams are only one or two people. That makes planning both critical and doable.

For pledge campaigns, Harmon advised congregations to give themselves two to three months of preparation and keep the active campaign to four to six weeks. “Longer than that and people get tired. Shorter, and you risk missing folks,” she said.

Choosing a theme rooted in Scripture, writing clear letters and setting specific goals all help congregations focus their efforts.

“The compelling story is not ‘the electric company raised our rates,’” Harmon emphasized. “The message is we want to create a welcoming worship space everyone is comfortable in.”

Harmon then walked participants through the anatomy of an effective stewardship letter:

Start with Scripture. Ground the appeal in God’s Word.

Celebrate accomplishments. Highlight three to five ways the congregation’s gifts made a difference in the past year.

Cast vision. Name two or three aspirations for the coming year, with Scripture as the guide.

Be specific in the ask. Don’t shy away from inviting people to pledge their gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Give thanks. Repeat the ask and always close with gratitude.

“Pick three to five highlights,” Harmon said. “You’ll want to list 20, but don’t. Keep it clear, keep it simple.”

Beyond annual campaigns, Harmon encouraged congregations to weave stewardship into year-round communication. Monthly or biweekly notes in bulletins and newsletters, reflections on generosity, updates on ministry goals and reminders about legacy giving all keep the conversation alive.

“What I like to do is sit down and map it all out at once, so I know the rhythm of the year,” Harmon said. “Stewardship isn’t a season. It’s part of how we live as God’s people.”

The workshop was filled with engaged dialogue: A pastor asked how to handle snowbirds who split time between two churches, another leader shared how their stewardship planning began months before their new pastor arrived, and yet another cited Habakkuk 3:17–18 as a text for a campaign in uncertain times.

The energy in the room reflected Harmon’s central message, that stewardship is not simply about balancing a budget, but about grounding a congregation’s life in faith, generosity and trust in God’s provision.

Robyn Davis Sekula, Presbyterian Foundation (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Michael Fallon, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Finance, The Board of Pensions
Tina Finley, Accountant, General Ledger Office, Administrative Services Group            

Let us pray:

Help us to see beyond our own walls, O God, to the friendships we have yet to form — relationships that will help us to grow and to extend your faith in ways that bring light to all people. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Caucus of young adults ponders faith, purpose and technology

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William Gibson, at right, and the Rev. Sabrina Slater spoke to the Young Adult Caucus Wednesday during the 27th Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. (Photo by Rick Jones)

In a world where algorithms increasingly shape human interaction, young adults gathered at the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ 27th Council to ask what faith looks like in a digital age — and how to hold on to hope when despair seems to dominate the headlines.

One morning, about 30 young adults aged 18 to 35 came together to wrestle with questions of faith, technology and purpose. Leading the conversation was William Gibson, a candidate for ministry in the Church of Scotland and a PhD candidate in Theology at the University of Glasgow.

Gibson invited participants to reflect on how digital tools — including artificial intelligence — affect their faith lives. “What concerns and what hopes do you have about digital tools and platforms?” he asked, prompting lively small-group discussion. One participant reflected that “digital platforms, including AI, influence how we think, instead of the other way around.”

Gibson shared his own experience of using technology to build community, describing how he and his wife started a house church that began as an online discussion group. “Eventually, that virtual connection became a strong, in-person community of about 40 people,” he said.

He then posed a deeper question: Can social media itself be a form of Christian witness?

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The Rev. Sabrina Slater, the pastor at Christ the King Fellowship in Spencer, New York, speaks to the Young Adult Caucus at the 27th Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. (Photo by Rick Jones)

A young adult from the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan offered a moving example. After a barrier lake overflowed and flooded homes in eastern Taiwan, her congregation used Instagram and Facebook to coordinate clean-up efforts. “Social media can be a kind of witness when we use it wisely,” she said. “It lets people see there is a link between church and society.”

When the discussion turned to artificial intelligence, Gibson acknowledged its practical benefits — speed, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness — but also noted its ethical challenges, especially its impact on labor and the environment.

“The proclamation of the church is our creative, collective task together,” Gibson said. “It’s about observing the world, learning from it, and responding to God’s act of creating. Our proclamation requires a creative response to politics, nationalism, patriarchy and war.”

He emphasized that what is at stake is not only faith but humanity itself. “The central question,” he said, “is about our humanity — our capacity to create and imagine. The process is just as important as the end result.”

Participants reflected on how faith can counter the performative tendencies of the online world. “Our witness should recognize that we all have different gifts,” one said. “We’re not in competition for the most likes.” Another added, “The digital world pushes values of self-glorification. We should be authentic, not performative.”

Later that morning, Rev. Sabrina Slater, a PC(USA) pastor at Christ the King Fellowship in Spencer, New York, led a session centered on hope. “I’m confident God will be with us and has something to offer us,” she said. “I’m excited for that.”

Slater invited participants to introduce themselves and reflect on what they brought to their time in Chiang Mai. Then, she posed a challenging question: What are the hopeless things we see around us?

The responses came quickly — injustice, violence, polarization, corruption, poverty, colonization, genocide, war, apathy, starvation and the climate crisis, among others.

Reflecting on Jeremiah 4:22–28, especially verse 27 — “The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end” — Slater noted, “We named so many things that tell us the Earth is in desolation, and yet we’re here. Scripture says ‘not to a full end,’ and that gives us this space.”

In small groups, the young adults turned to other texts — Genesis 1:27–2:3, Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, and Matthew 11:28–30 — and shared their reflections. One participant called the gospel reading “an invitation to rest in Jesus and partner with him in the work he has for us.”

“There is still work to be done,” Slater said, “but it’s OK to pause. One way we can hope is to seek God, ask God for hope, read Scripture, tell stories and listen to where God is in our midst.”

Her final words carried the tone of both challenge and comfort: “Be curious about where people are finding hope — and listen to those stories.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Richard Embry, Systems Developer, Digital Strategy & Information Systems, Administrative Services Group
David English,  AVP Financial & Investment Planning Professional, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Dear God, we pray for young people seeking to discern your calling in their lives. We pray for the ministers who love them, challenge them and offer them the living water of life in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: 1001 leaders share a sacred pause at gathering

“O God, as we reflect on this divine invitation that you've afforded us to gather on this night for this experience, to worship and to selah, to pause and to breathe, to be reminded and to remember again your purpose for our lives, the call on our ministries ... we have gathered here, O Lord, to encounter you,” prayed the Rev. Dr. Winterbourne LaPucelle Harrison-Jones, his voice rising over an interlude of music composed by his wife, Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones. “And what a joy it is to know, O Lord, that we do not come to this garden alone. We are here together in community bounded by this amazing network of leaders.”

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Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones leads the choir at opening worship for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities national gathering. 

Recently at the YMCA of the Rockies, nestled in the mountains outside Estes Park, Colorado, the 1001 New Worshiping Communities National Gathering opened with a worship service invoking the week’s theme, “Come Away and Rest a While.” The service invited leaders of new communities from across the country to pause, reflect, and reconnect with God and one another.

Musicians Ike Sturm, founder of Finding Our Way Home, and Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones led the community in worship through music by blending jazz, ambient sound and choral harmonies that created a contemplative atmosphere.

The Rev. Dolly Dong, campus minister and pastor of Linden Road Chinese Community Ministry in Ohio, preached on the Hebrew word “selah,” found throughout the Psalms. “Selah is the rest area of our life journey,” Dong said. “It is a time to pause and ponder upon the truth that has been said or sung.”

Drawing from her own experience of burnout and recovery, Dong shared how selah became a spiritual anchor. “Last year, as I was praying, God gave me the word selah to meditate on daily,” she said. “I skipped this word many times when reading Scripture, but now I see its deep meaning. It’s a sacred pause, a moment to reflect and rest.”

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The Rev. Dolly Dong.

Dong’s sermon was grounded in Scripture, including Psalm 46 and Mark 6, where Jesus invites his disciples to “come away and rest.” She challenged attendees to consider whether they would accept that invitation if Jesus appeared before them today. “Can you 100% say that you would immediately stop and follow his invitation?” she asked.

Rev. Dr. Harrison-Jones continued the theme of rest and reflection in his pastoral prayer, invoking the words of theologian Howard Thurman: “Oh, how good it is to center down.” He invited the gathered community to consider what they were truly seeking in the days ahead — healing, joy, clarity — and to covenant together to find it through silence, laughter, solitude and community.

The worship service concluded with a communal prayer and candlelight reflection as participants sat quietly, breathing deeply and centering themselves in God’s presence.

“The rest was evident and palpable in the crowd,” said the Rev. Sara Hayden, host of 1001’s “New Way” podcast. She called the “welcome, music, words, intentions, ambience and the rest … sublime.”

Among those moved by the experience were the Rev. Rafael Viana and his wife, the Rev. Ivette Llano, leaders of immigrant congregations serving Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking communities, El Camino and Casa Brasil. Viana, who was attending the gathering as a new worshiping leader and as a member of the Mission Development Resources Committee, which awards grants to new worshiping communities, described the constant mental activity that ministry often demands. “This reminder — that we need to rest in God — is powerful,” he said.

Llano described feeling refreshed as she left the assembly hall on the gathering’s first evening. “The worship felt like descanso and refrigerio — rest and refreshment,” she said. Viana nodded in agreement. “Ah, yes, if you put those together, it’s amazing.”

For Viana, Llano and many others, the gathering offered more than just a break from routine. It was a sacred pause — a selah — in the midst of busy lives and demanding ministries. And as the evening closed, the words of Harrison-Jones lingered in the mountain air: “Oh, how good it is to center down.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Lindy Ebbs, Raiser's Edge Data Administration, Funds Development Operations, Administrative Services Group
Cynthia Embry, Senior Financial Reporting Accountant, Financial Reporting, Administrative Services Group       

Let us pray:

Gracious God, we give thanks for opportunities to be the good news for one another. Strengthen us as we strive to glorify you. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

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Armenian Church Collage

They left their homeland in fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing …

A heartbreaking tragedy is unfolding in Armenia due to continuous greedy and barbaric invasions by Azerbaijan. More than 120,000 innocent people of Artsakh (the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), who endured starvation for over nine months under severe blockade, have been forced to flee their homeland to save their lives. They left in fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing, abandoning an irreplaceable cultural and religious landscape that includes at least 300 Armenian heritage sites, ranging from exquisite medieval monasteries to historic cemeteries adorned with iconic Armenian engraved cross stones. Recent history, just over the past two years, demonstrates the inevitable risk of dismantling, destruction, and falsification of these cultural and religious sites. 

Their escape was perilous and fraught with danger. Numerous casualties and assaults occurred along the journey until they reached Armenia. Furthermore, young men crossing the border faced the risk of unlawful detention, with many destined to join the list of over 500 missing individuals.

As of Sept. 30, 2023, more than 120,000 forcibly displaced people are in Armenia, all in critical condition: their bodies exhausted from malnutrition and continuous flight, their hope shaken by injustice and betrayal, and their minds severely traumatized by war. Most require urgent medical attention. Once nourished and healed, they will need shelter and employment to care for their families. Later, they will face a range of psychological and physiological consequences from the trauma of relocation and adjusting to a new life they never chose. We can all empathize with their plight to some extent. 

What can we do together now to assist in immediate relief?

• Provide medication and rehabilitation services to those severely harmed.
• Provide food and means to cover basic human needs.
• Provide free physical and psychological treatment to the injured at the Dr. Norayr Baboumian Sevan Rehabilitation Center.

What do we plan to do later as a development program for those who have already settled?

• Provide knowledge, skills and capital to start small businesses.
• Involve children and youth in our Education and Civil Society projects to speed up their integration into their new environment.

With approximately 120,000 people affected, including children and the elderly, additional resources will enable us to assist more individuals. We are grateful to be on this noble journey together with you, inspired by your trust and generosity. 

We firmly believe that acts of kindness can change the world, motivating us to remain committed to a mission that supports countries facing dire circumstances. No gift is too small. Whether you contribute to covering daily or monthly basic human needs or support a long-term sustainability plan, we know it will be life-changing for these children and their families. 

For details about the Jinishian Memorial Program, please visit pcusa.org/about-pcusa/agencies-entities/interim-unified-agency/ministry-areas/global-ecumenical-partnerships/mission-networks/jinishian-memorial-program. 

May God bless and protect you and your loved ones.

Eliza Minasyan, Executive Director, Jinishian Memorial Program, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Christopher Drane, IT Specialist, Information Technology, The Presbyterian Foundation
Angela Duffy, CFO, Trust Services, The Presbyterian Foundation    

Let us pray:

On the day I called, you answered me; you made me bold with strength in my soul (Psalm 138:3). In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.