Minute for Mission: Building Beloved Communities; Dismantling Structural Racism

Too often, I am reminded that few people associate the ministry of reparative justice with deep spiritual joy. While 2025 has been a year marked by discouraging economic and political developments, the Holy Spirit continues to work, steadily weaving unexpected, hope-filled threads into the fabric of our shared life.

This year, I am a witness to the Holy Spirit guiding us from despair and apathy toward new and joyful working possibilities.

In 2025, our work with mid council leaders in Puerto Rico, Alaska, South Carolina and Kansas has been especially life-giving. Through our seven mid council pilot programs, congregations of color with substantial economic challenges across the PC(USA) will soon receive support for up to three years of full-time transformative pastoral ministry.

Also, this year’s collaboration with the National Hispanic Latino Presbyterian Caucus, focused on uncovering and addressing historic inequities affecting Puerto Rican clergy, is strengthening relationships, fostering clearer collective understanding and opening new avenues for interdependent longevity. Even in these early stages, other caucuses are noticing the emerging possibilities and inquiring about collaborative opportunities for moving forward together.

The 2023 work of apology and reparation for the racist closure of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Juneau, Alaska, in 1963 has created a blessed opportunity for faithful follow-up with Native Alaskans. This year, with support from the Stated Clerk, we advanced toward the transgenerational goal of repatriating Raven Helmet. The Center for Repair and the Sitka tribes collaborated with the Kiks.ádi. clan to reclaim this sacred object, unethically possessed by Presbyterians and others for over a century, and thanks in part to a letter from the Stated Clerk, Raven Helmet is now on its way home.

This year, we began partnering with the Youth Desk at the Liberia Council of Churches to examine how the Presbyterian cofounded American Colonization Society impacted Indigenous Liberians and contributed to civil war. Currently, we are translating documents like the Confession of 1967 into Bassa and Kpelle, transforming two centuries of missed opportunities for theological dialogue into living opportunities for a blessed re-encounter. In Peru, through relationships nurtured by the Presbyterian Hunger Program, we supported the publication and English translation of the world’s first scholarly book advocating for Afro-Peruvian reparations.

God’s Spirit continues to move through faithful actions that have blessed us as witnesses. In 2025, the Presbytery of San Gabriel returned land to the Tongva tribe in a joyous public worship celebration, while the Presbytery of Baltimore established a reparative justice fund to respond to calls for justice from African American communities.

Looking ahead, the 2024 General Assembly’s decision to allocate proceeds from the sale of property derived from enslaved Afro-descendants will allow those funds to be returned to living descendants beginning in 2026 — a moment not only for celebration but also to marvel at our habitual shortsightedness concerning the power of God to move his people ever onward!

Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, Ministry Director, Center for the Repair of Historic Harms

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Carla Sutton, Operations Admin, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation
Jonathon Talbott, Administrative Support I/Receptionist, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Creator, we love you and rejoice in your justice and restoration; grant us eyes to see the unseen and courage to stay the course through the power of your Spirit. Amen. 

Minute for Mission: Racial & Intercultural Justice — Presbyterians Affirm Black Lives Matter

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Samantha Davis

“The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love, we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.” — bell hooks (“Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations,” 1994)

Freedom: the quality or state of being free: such as 1. the ability to fully participate socially, economically, and civically in society; 2. the ability to navigate society with agency and authenticity without fear of persecution.

We live in a world shaped by colonization and white supremacy. A world that allotted few “freedom” while systemically oppressing the majority. As a Black woman, my ability to be free is hindered by being coerced into conformity, through the shaming and criminalizing of my culture, the defunding of my communities, and the silencing and invalidating of my voice and experiences.

This past year, that lack of freedom has intensified with the federal occupation of Washington, D.C. (my home, a historically Black city and still a majority people of color city) and the interference of the Trump administration and Congress into the lives of D.C. residents.

The impact of these authoritarian and oppressive acts is at least life-altering and at worst fatal for those of us at the margins. In the D.C. area over the past year, hundreds of Black and Brown people, including children, have been stopped, harassed and arrested by police officers or federal agents in recent months.

And thousands of immigrant neighbors have been arrested or disappeared in D.C.

In one week, three Black men were killed by D.C. police officers: David Warren Childs, Demetrius Alston and Kevin Booker.

In one month, two men were shot at by federal agents during traffic stops: Justin Brian Nelson and Phillip Brown.

Congress is undoing pillars to our justice system that have protected Black people in D.C. for decades. The most glaring attempts have been putting in place cash bail and attempting to prosecute 14-year-olds as adults.

We are witnessing the rise of an authoritative, fascist regime that is rooted in anti-Blackness and relying on tactics of fear and divisiveness to keep us separate and silent.

The liberation of God’s people requires us to ACT, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). Christians especially must ACT. We especially must declare that Black Lives Matter; both because God calls us to and because Christianity plays a dominant role in the violence Black and other marginalized people face. The truth is the Bible was and is used as a tool of oppression in our homes, churches and laws of this nation. We have been conditioned by the man-made interpretations of the Bible that justified the acts of the enslavement of African people, the theft of Indigenous land, the suppression of women, and the violence of queer and trans people. We must acknowledge that truth. We must differentiate the teachings of God from our own biases. When we do not, the conflation of the two perpetuates systemic oppression and serves as a conductor of hate and violence that marginalized people experience daily.

The freedom God intended for us is possible. The ways in which to move toward it, though trying, are not unknown or futile. Isaiah 61 gives specific instructions on what the work of liberation looks like.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

God is clear in God’s directive. Our obligation to love one another and to seek justice means we are also obligated to take on the work of the liberation of God’s people. I charge each of us to take these steps:

• Intentionally learn and acknowledge the ways in which our own actions cause harm, uphold white supremacy culture and perpetuate systemic oppression;
• Identify, evaluate and overcome our implicit bias;
• Center and affirm marginalized people in all our authenticity and humanity; and
• Speak out against injustices. Being silent is being complicit with violence. Staying neutral is being complicit with violence.

I charge you to reflect on what moving toward freedom looks like for you. In your own microcosm of the world, where can you choose to love?

Samantha Paige Davis, Associate for Gender and Racial Justice

Let us join in prayer for:

Shawnda Styles, Senior Accounting Clerk, Controllers, The Presbyterian Foundation
Sarah Sullivan, Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Risk Management, Administrative Service Group

Let us pray:

God of justice, hope, love and mercy, help us to continually live into the church that you have called us to be. Compel us to stand against injustice wherever it may be found. Provoke us to hold firm to the gospel message of inclusion and equity. And empower us to continually be salt and light in a world that so desperately needs more representation of your Spirit. We love you and strive to love others in the same way. Through God’s grace, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen and Ase.

Mission Yearbook: Camp Grier in North Carolina responds to crisis and helps community

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All photos contributed by Jason McDougald

When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina in September 2024, leaving communities without power, water and access to basic services, Camp Grier in Old Fort, North Carolina stood out — not just for its resilience, but for its rapid, community-centered response. Within days, the camp transformed into a disaster relief hub, offering hot meals, showers, laundry services and shelter to hundreds of residents.

This extraordinary pivot wasn’t a matter of luck — it was the result of a decade-long transformation in Camp Grier’s governance and mission.

Camp Grier’s ability to respond so nimbly to Hurricane Helene traces back to a pivotal decision in 2013 predicated on the financial necessity of its governing bodies. Originally owned and operated by three presbyteries — Charlotte, Salem and Western North Carolina — the camp was spun off into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This move, led by a tri-presbytery task force co-chaired by the Rev. Paul Sink, gave Camp Grier the autonomy to act quickly without waiting for multiple mid council approvals.

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Tracks across from camp derailed by Hurricane Helene

According to Sink, a Camp Grier board member and outgoing stated clerk of Salem Presbytery, the presbyteries faced shrinking budgets and found it increasingly difficult to maintain responsibility for multiple camp properties. Jason McDougald, who became executive director of Camp Grier in 2013, noted that while the support of three presbyteries had benefits, there were governance challenges — bylaws required all three to vote on capital expenditures over $50,000 or on changes to vision or strategy.

The camp’s location makes it most accessible to churches in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, with travel times ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 hours for Salem Presbytery churches and two hours for the Presbytery of Charlotte. As a Presbyterian-founded camp, Grier maintains ties with churches in all three presbyteries that host retreats, send campers and offer scholarships. While Salem and Charlotte presbyteries withdrew budget support within two years of incorporation, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina has continued funding through a designated fund for cabin renovation and scholarships.

Sink said the shift to independent governance proved invaluable during the hurricane. “We would not have been able to make a $50,000 capital purchase in three days if we were still owned by three presbyteries,” he said, referring to the generator that restored water and power to the site.

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Water pours into the home of Camp Grier’s director of maintenance during Hurricane Helene. The house is being rebuilt with help from the Old Ford Strong Fund and contributions from several Presbyterian churches in Virginia. 

Independence meant that Camp Grier needed to diversify revenue streams well beyond summer camp and retreats. McDougald envisioned positioning Old Fort as a hub for outdoor recreation by making the camp, which borders Pisgah National Forest, a year-round destination.

Under his leadership, the camp forged key partnerships. The G5 Trail Collective, launched with the U.S. Forest Service, began work on a 42-mile trail expansion in 2021, with support from Dogwood Health Trust. Partnering with People on the Move for Old Fort, a Black-led advocacy group, the project also sought to reconnect the local Black community to the forest through job creation.

To foster equitable economic growth, Grier joined with Eagle Market Street Development Corp., whose first project was a 2,500-square-foot business incubation hub in downtown Old Fort.

The G5 Trail Collective has since attracted millions in grants, especially after Hurricane Helene, as the Forest Service, which lost 10% of its workforce in 2025, now depends heavily on contractors for trail restoration and maintenance in areas damaged by flooding and erosion.

Camp Grier also acquired Tanawha Adventures and Pisgah Productions, race and event production companies that host trail running and mountain biking events that draw hundreds of participants and generate significant income.

A new partnership with McDowell Tech Community College will create student housing and offer training in culinary arts and outdoor maintenance.

McDougald has announced the upcoming Grier Village project — a $15 million development with a new dining hall, student housing and high-end rental cabins. Profits will be reinvested into scholarships, trail upkeep and community programs. The camp also acquired a 250-acre property in Fairview, North Carolina, for youth career exploration programs and day camps.

These ventures will not only sustain the camp financially but also allow it to keep summer camp fees affordable. In 2022, Camp Grier awarded 100 scholarships.

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist

Let us join in prayer for:

Tim Stepp, Associate Director, Internal Audit, Administrative Services Group
Andrea Stevens, Gift Planning Specialist, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, you showed us that in God’s manna world there is enough bread for all. With gratitude, we are mindful of God’s abundant gifts. So, wherever there is scarcity, let us serve with strong limbs and joyful hearts. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Video shows how Minnesota church is answering the question ‘Is Racial Justice Possible?’

In a time when conversations about racial justice can feel polarized or paralyzed, Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Minnesota, is offering a bold and faithful witness to what is possible when a congregation commits to repair. Its journey is documented in the video “Is Racial Justice Possible?,” the second installment in the five-part series “Zero to One: A Congregation’s Journey to Repair,” produced by the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

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The Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms, speaks with members of Oak Grove Presbyterian Church after worship. (All photos by Rich Copley)

This video, available on the PC(USA) Vimeo channel and the Center’s resource page, features candid reflections from Oak Grove members and leaders as they wrestle with the theological, historical and personal dimensions of racial justice. Through interviews and Scripture, the video explores how faith communities can move beyond lip service to tangible action — especially reparations.

The voices in this episode are diverse and deeply rooted in experience. Becky Dop, a ruling elder, said, “I do think racial justice is possible,” but cautioned that achieving it requires intentional learning and listening, especially about white privilege and its pervasive influence. Ruling Elder Bob Heise added, “Until you actually get in and start doing something about it, you're effectively paying lip service.” Their words reflect a congregation that has moved from reflection to action.

The video also features the Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for the Repair of Historic Harms. Ross-Allam speaks to the spiritual urgency of reparations, noting that preaching the gospel without addressing systemic racism felt hollow. His work with Oak Grove began during a time of national and local reckoning in the wake of the deaths of Philando Castile and Jamar Clarke and helped catalyze the church’s commitment to reparative giving.

Other voices, like Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley, Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020), bring historical and denominational context to the conversation. Street-Stewart reminds viewers that Oak Grove’s story is part of a larger narrative of settler colonialism and Indigenous displacement, while Bentley challenges the church to develop the “moral imagination” to envision a different world.

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The choir at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, whose mission is to be “a joyful, inclusive, compassionate community of faith seeking to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.”

Scriptural grounding for the episode includes Galatians 3:23–28, emphasizing communal responsibility and spiritual unity. These texts frame reparations not as political gestures, but as expressions of the gospel.

The “Zero to One” series chronicles Oak Grove’s journey from initial conversations to concrete commitments, including significant financial contributions to Indigenous and Afro-American communities made possible through the nonprofit organization Restorative Actions. Each episode was released weekly through August and early September, offering a step-by-step look at how one congregation is living out its call to justice.

“Is Racial Justice Possible?” doesn’t offer easy answers — but it does offer hope. In order for this hope to be realized, bold political and economic action is required, but so is a collective “metanoia,” — a transformation of our social imagination that repents of past and present systems of thought and socio-political-economic structures.

In response to this particular video and reflecting on the question, “Is racial justice possible?” Ross-Allam said that though the phrase “racial justice” is very familiar, it is in fact an oxymoron. “Reformed theology recognizes there can be no true justice built on the concept of race — especially so-called ‘racial justice,’” he said.

This video and its companions offer a spiritual invitation for individuals and congregations to consider their role in repair and to recognize that even small steps taken in faith can lead to transformation.

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Marsha Stearley, Desktop Support Analyst, Information Technology Infrastructure, Administrative Services Group
Elaine Stepp, Operations Reconciliation Specialist, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Loving God, too often we see people who are suffering, and we cross to the other side of the street. Help us to be compassionate, to love our neighbors to feed your lambs. Amen.

Reminder to Remit Special Offerings Gifts by January 22

January 22 is the Deadline for Remitting 2025 Gifts In order to ensure your gifts are counted in 2025, you must remit Special Offering gifts by January 22, 2026. Any gifts received after this date, when the books close, will be designated as 2026 gifts.  Gifts received after the books close for the Pentecost and Peace & Global Witness offerings Pentecost Offering funds remitted after January 22 will still support the causes of children at risk, youth and young adults, but will be reported as gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering, where the General Assembly moved these causes. Peace & Global Witness funds remitted after January 22 will still support the causes of peacemaking and global witness, but will be reported as gifts to the World Communion Offering, where the General Assembly moved these causes.  How to Remit Funds Congregations remit through their normal receiving agency (usually the presbytery) or mail checks to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) P.O. Box 643700 Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Mid Councils remit to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) P.O. Box 643751 Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3751 or through Payer Express. Learn about Special Offerings changes. Contact us with questions by replying to this email or calling 800-728-7228 ext. 5047. Thank you for your support of the Churchwide Special Offerings.

Copyright © 2026 Special Offerings, All rights reserved.

Mission Yearbook: U.S. Supreme Court Bar admits Board of Pensions general counsel

Vivian D. Wesson, executive vice president and general counsel of the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. She is the first Board of Pensions executive to achieve this professional honor.

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Vivian D. Wesson

Wesson, also agency corporate secretary, joined the Board of Pensions three years ago from Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., where she was chief intellectual property counsel. In more than 16 years with the global professional services firm, she held other leadership roles in key areas such as mergers and acquisitions, compliance, reinsurance and strategic investments.

Since joining the agency’s Executive Team in 2022, Wesson has strengthened operations in the critical areas of corporate governance and risk management. A noted legal expert on artificial intelligence, she has presented frequently on the topic to other lawyers, law students and the Church Benefits Association.

Wesson is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association, an out-of-state delegate to the NYSBA House of Delegates, chair of its Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, vice chair of its Committee on Membership, and immediate past chair of its Committee on Attorney Professionalism. She is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Pomona College and Phillips Exeter Academy.

In addition to practicing before the high court, members of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar gain access to a network of fellow legal professionals.

The Board of Pensions is an agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Through the Benefits Plan of the PC(USA), we provide a broad range of benefits and programs to PC(USA) congregations, agencies, and mid councils as well as affiliate employers — including educational institutions, camps and conference centers, retirement and senior housing communities and human services organizations.

Board of Pensions (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Roger Spalding, Prospect Research Analyst, Funds Development Operations, Administrative Services Group
Frank Spencer, President, Office of the President, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Gracious and merciful God, empty us of the judgment, fear, and anger we harbor toward others, so that we may follow your example of love and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Farminary at Princeton Theological Seminary turns 10 with four-day celebration

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Princeton Theological Seminary celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Farminary with a four-day gathering Sept 24–27. The event convened some of the brightest minds shaping the future of theological education and ecological imagination, including Willie James Jennings, Barbara Brown Taylor, Jeff Chu, Michael Twitty, Tiya Miles and Heber Brown. Together, they explored urgent questions at the intersections of theology, ecology, food justice, Sabbath, and community through keynote presentations, conversations, panel discussions, shared meals, workshops and more.

Established in 2015, the Farminary is a 21-acre sustainable farm where students and community members engage in regenerative agriculture as a context for theological reflection. Over the past decade, it has become a vital space for spiritual formation, communal healing and deep engagement with the ecological challenges of our time.

The Farminary is the heart of Princeton Seminary’s Master of Arts in Theology and Ecology (MTE), a visionary degree program launched in 2023 to prepare leaders for ministry in an era marked by ecological urgency, complexity and possibility.

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Rooted in the conviction that theological education must respond to the realities of a changing planet, the program has already doubled in size and recently welcomed 14 students into its new cohort. While the Farminary is the foundational location for the MTE program, seminary students from all degree programs have an opportunity to learn not only from books and classrooms but also from compost piles, planting beds, livestock, and shared meals that reflect a theology of interdependence and care. “If the classroom is where we think about God, the garden is where we remember we belong to God, and to one another. The Farminary invites us to do both,” shared Barbara Brown Taylor, author of “An Altar in the World” and “Holy Envy,” preached at the celebration’s opening worship service.

Over the past decade, the Farminary has also become a gathering ground for neighbors, theologians, artists and seekers of all ages. The anniversary celebration was designed to reflect this expansive vision and nourish body, mind and spirit.

The celebration began on Princeton Seminary’s main campus with community worship and shared meals, featuring a sermon by Brown Taylor and an afternoon keynote at the Farminary from Willie James Jennings, joined by respondents Norman Wirzba, Tink Tinker and Hanna Reichel for a rich theological discussion on Creation. The evening concluded with Wine and the Bible, a unique wine tasting and spiritual reflection led by John Anthony Dunne.

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Thursday, Sept. 25, was a day of hands-on learning and spiritual formation, including workshops on composting, native seed collection, poetry and ecological infrastructure. Crystal Oliver (EcoTheo Review) and Larry Rogers (Farminary farm manager) led sessions alongside partners from Princeton Open Space. The day culminated in a powerful evening conversation between Jeff Chu and Chef Michael Twitty, exploring food, land, identity and faith.

Friday, Sept. 26’s sessions included workshops on institutional ecology, social entrepreneurship, and congregational farming practices, led by practitioners including Nick Babladelis, Lissette Gonzalez Sosa, Werner Ramirez and Chef Gabby Aron. Alumni reflected on how the Farminary has shaped their ministry, and a Farm Chef Fest offered a curated tasting experience from local culinary leaders. The evening closed with a featured conversation between Tiya Miles and Nate Stucky, exploring Black environmental consciousness, storytelling and sacred ecology.

The celebration concluded on Saturday, Sept. 27, with a joyful, community-centered closing worship service at the Farminary. The sermon was delivered by Heber Brown III, a nationally recognized pastor and founder of the Black Church Food Security Network.

As the Farminary enters its second decade, it does so with deep roots and a wide vision for what comes next.

Continued growth will require thoughtful investment in the infrastructure necessary to support its expanding and diverse community, including students, First Thursday and event participants, and all who recognize the land as a vital context for theological formation, learning and connection.

The Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary integrates theological education with regenerative farming practices and ecological attunement. It serves as a unique learning environment where students explore the rhythms of the land alongside their spiritual and academic formation. The Farminary emphasizes ecological stewardship, community engagement, and the cultivation of leaders equipped to respond to the urgent challenges of climate, justice and hope.

For more information about the Farminary and the 10th Anniversary Celebration, visit ptsem.edu/farminary10.

Princeton Theological Seminary

Let us join in prayer for:

Barbara Soete,  Mission Specialist, Administrative Services Group
Teresa Sontarp, Controller, Finance, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Thank you, God, for taking the gifts you have given us and multiplying them into more abundance than we could ever imagine so that your name and your love can be shared far and wide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.