Mission Yearbook: Youth workers are inspired at gathering by the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow

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The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow (Photo by Shawn Kang)

More than 50 youth ministry leaders from across the country recently gathered for the first in-person National Gathering of the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association (PYWA) in nearly a decade. PYWA is part of the Christian Formation Collective with the Office of Christian Formation.

The event featured two keynote addresses by author, activist and the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, who invited attendees into a deeply personal and prophetic exploration of what it means to be called by God in different seasons of life.

The PYWA gathering was co-sponsored by the Office of Presbyterian Youth and Triennium; the Presbytery of San Diego; and Christ Presbyterian Church in Carlsbad, California, which hosted the event. Each attendee received a copy of Reyes-Chow’s latest book, “Everything Good about God Is True: Choosing Faith,” thanks to the sponsorship of the Presbyterian Foundation.

Reyes-Chow shared stories that traced the evolution of his understanding of vocation — from youthful ambition to mature discernment and from personal disappointment to global solidarity.

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Participants were given a copy of Reyes-Chow latest book as gift from the Presbyterian Foundation. (Contributed photo)

In his keynotes, Reyes-Chow reflected on a pivotal moment from his youth: preparing to leave home for college at the University of California, Irvine. “I was excited for college and ready to begin the next stage of life,” recalled Reyes-Chow, reflecting on the significance for a teenager raised by a single mother. But just weeks before the move, his father called to say he could no longer pay for college. “I was devastated, and I could not see beyond my own anger and disappointment.”

That disruption, however, became a turning point. “Fast forward 35 years, and here I am … doing just fine, professionally, emotionally and personally,” he said as he expressed empathy for how hard it must have been for his father to break his promise to pay for college. “With all my heart, mind and soul, I believe that God’s Spirit has been present around, throughout and in it all.”

Rather than viewing God’s call as a rigid plan, Reyes-Chow encouraged youth workers to embrace a more dynamic theology. “I do not believe that there is one singular path for any of us,” he said. “But I do believe that God moves with us no matter where we go.”

In another speech, Reyes-Chow also shared a more recent and sobering story from his February 2024 trip to Palestine with Friends of Sabeel North America and Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian liberation theology organization. He described a harrowing visit to a government-sponsored event in Israel where he and fellow delegates were subjected to propaganda while listening to a grieving father speak about his missing son.

“I had zero compassion for this father,” Reyes-Chow admitted. “And not only no compassion, but I had no empathy. That was not me.”

The experience forced him to confront the emotional toll of occupation and the spiritual cost of dehumanization. “Evil won that room that day,” he said. “And we simply can’t let that happen.”

He emphasized that prophetic calling often involves risk — whether it’s joining a protest, speaking truth from the pulpit or simply choosing empathy in the face of division. “If there isn’t an element of risk involved, then there’s not a prophetic nature of following Jesus into something that God intends for you.”

Throughout the gathering, attendees were invited to reflect on their own callings through worship, liturgy and communal prayer.

In closing, Reyes-Chow reminded participants that being prophetic doesn’t always mean marching in the streets.

“It’s being prophetic in how we actually see another person and have empathy for them … seeing them and their humanity in a different way,” he said.

The event was a powerful reminder that youth workers are not only spiritual guides for young people but also co-collaborators in God’s unfolding hopes for the world.

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Mark DeSantis, Vice President, IT Infrastructure & Security, Information Technology, Board of Pensions
Ann DeVilbiss,  Production Associate, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 

Let us pray:

God of all seasons of life, thank you for the blessing of our church. Guide us and give us wisdom and willingness to let you lead us. Amen.

PC(USA) World Communion Sunday Offering New This Fall

World Communion Offering This fall, per the 226th General Assembly (2024), the Church will receive its first World Communion Offering on Oct. 4, World Communion Sunday. Below you will find helpful information about this new Offering as we move into this new chapter of Special Offerings. A Season of Preparation — Sept. 6–Oct. 4 The time leading up to the World Communion Offering is known as A Season of Preparation. This time helps us prepare in both practical and spiritual ways for World Communion Sunday. There will be a plethora of free resources for both the offering and for World Communion Sunday for you to use. Some of our favorites include the Leader’s Guide, bulletin inserts, social media images, a worship resource and minute for mission scripts, but also new resources specific to the sacrament of communion. Check our website and sign up for our email list to be notified as the resources become available for this season. Sign up for Special Offering Emails World Communion Offering Supported Causes This Offering will be used to further God’s mission and ministry in the world by supporting ministries working in the areas of racial justice, gender justice, peacemaking, global witness, and ecumenical and interfaith relations. World Communion Offering Grants Your congregation or mid council can apply for a grant, even if you don’t participate in the offering. As the information is made available to us, we will share a timeline of the application process, a link to the application and any other helpful tidbits you need to know if you want to apply. Sign up for the Special Offerings email list to stay in the know. World Communion Offering Grant Information Thank you for your support of the Special Offerings. We are the Church, Together.  If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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Mission Yearbook: Editor shares how new book can help families grow together in God’s love

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Jessica Miller Kelley, a senior acquisitions editor at Westminster John Knox Press and the editor of the new book “Growing in God’s Love: A Family Devotional,” recently told the hosts of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” that when families read the Bible together, they must balance honesty with appropriateness.

“There are so many stories in Scripture that are violent or scary or may imply things about God that we don’t want our kids to believe,” she told Simon Doong and the Rev. Lee Catoe during a 57-minute conversation that can be heard here. “The answer to the problem is not to avoid the texts altogether, but to be honest about who wrote the Bible and why, so that we’re teaching kids the Bible was written by people who loved and followed God and were trying to make sense of the world, like we do.”

Kelley added, “Kids have such creative insights about faith and about life. The more conversations we can spark about important issues, the better it is for everybody.” Whether a question elicits “a Sunday school answer or not, just wrestling with Scripture, with faith and with each other,” can help families to grow closer.

“The beautiful thing about Scripture is it took a community to write it, and it took a community to figure out what books were going to be in there,” Catoe said. “I think we miss that communal way of reading Scripture.”

Highlighting stories that are sometimes overlooked “can be a fun way, especially with kids but adults too, to show how interesting Scripture is,” Kelley said. “It can tell us what people were like then and how we can wrestle with God today, too.”

Reading the Bible together “can be scary,” she said. “What if your kid says something you find theologically abhorrent?” But learning about, say, Thomas and his doubts can teach children that “doubt isn’t the absence of trust or faith in God or Scripture or any of that, but an expression of care, that you care enough to wrestle with it.”

The ”fun thing” about a resource for people of all ages is “you’re theoretically teaching kids, but the adult is learning right alongside the kids, and it becomes accessible for everyone,” she said. Children and grownups both learn from the act of storytelling: “how would you tell the story of our family’s origin, our family’s history in faith?” Kelley said. “It wouldn’t sound like Abraham and Sarah, but it would have a similar purpose of showing us who we are and learning from our past.”

When we imagine Scripture coming from those kinds of questions, “it seems a little less magical,” she said. “It’s not a golden book falling from the sky, but it becomes more relatable and understandable as part of human history — how we’re all trying to make sense of the world and connect with God and to see how our life experiences connect to God.”

Every devotion has response options, including discuss, discover and do. Children can act out a story, then talk about the experience, Kelley said. “We tend to see ourselves as the hero in the story, the same as those who wrote the Bible,” she said. “Today especially we need to think about not being the hero and what that means about what we can take from these stories. Hopefully the invitation to play with Scripture can invite some of those insights.”

The book is part of what Kelley called “a trusted brand that Westminster John Knox Press has, the ‘Growing in God’s Love’ line.”

“It’s theology you don’t have to un-teach later. It’s inclusive, and being a story Bible, it’s illustrated, and the illustrations show Jesus more authentically with folk in the brown skin tones that they would have had, and not give erroneous ideas about the Bible.”

“I believe it’s really important to pass on our values to our kids, and those can be rooted in Scripture,” Kelley said. “It’s a shared library we’re all drawing from.”

“Growing in God’s Love: A Family Devotional” is published in collaboration with Around the Table, an initiative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Stacy Davis, Senior Academic Editor, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
John DePaul, Director, Enterprise Reporting & Analytics, Information Technology, Board of Pensions                               

Let us pray:

Loving God, may we be and see others as bridges of hope and transformation. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Presbyterian Youth Workers Association gathers in person for the first time since 2015

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Last week, the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association held its first in-person gathering since 2015. (contributed photo).

“Come to the waters with your full authentic selves and know that it is the Lord who has brought us here,” preached the Rev. Dr. Kathryn Threadgill, vice president of Student Formation and Campus Culture at Columbia Theological Seminary, during the opening worship of the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association (PYWA) Gathering. Her words set the tone for a time of renewal, connection and inspiration for youth workers from across the country.

Held at Christ Presbyterian Church in Carlsbad, California, the 2025 PYWA Gathering marked the first in-person event for the association since 2015, when youth workers last met at Zephyr Point Camp and Conference Center at Lake Tahoe. The theme, “Come to the Water,” invited attendees to reflect on their callings and find rest in the presence of God.

Threadgill preached two sermons during the event, one on Monday evening and another on Tuesday morning. Her messages drew from John 21:6–14, where the risen Christ meets his disciples on the shore and invites them to breakfast. “Christ met them in these waters and transformed their stories,” Threadgill said. “The wonder of Christ’s living water is not through with any of our stories yet.”

Threadgill shared deeply personal stories from her ministry, including a transformative encounter with a 14-year-old girl named Stella at a refugee school in Kenya. “She told me how she had nursed her mother as she died of AIDS and promised to fulfill the call God had placed on her life,” Threadgill recalled. “She looked at me and said, ‘My life belongs to Christ, and I’m made for so much more than just this.’”

That moment, Threadgill said, taught her what it meant to “float in the living water that only Jesus Christ can provide.” She later helped Stella find a safe home, and today Stella has a family of her own and continues to live out her calling. “Christ is not finished with any of us yet,” Threadgill reminded the gathered youth workers.

The gathering was organized by PYWA co-moderators the Rev. Eileen VanGieson and Oliver Page with support from board members, including treasurer and historian the Rev. Tully Fletcher, secretary Kate Satterstrom, and the Rev. Kiersten Hill, a former board member.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, a Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) and the author of six books, was the keynote speaker for the conference. Each attendee received a copy of Reyes-Chow’s latest book, thanks to the sponsorship from the Presbyterian Foundation.

Other sponsors included the Presbyterian Youth Triennium office of the PC(USA), the Presbytery of San Diego, and Christ Presbyterian Church. The gathering featured workshops, soul care sessions, and worship led by musician Morgan Cunningham and her band. PYWA is also part of the Christian Formation Collective with the Office of Christian Formation of the PC(USA).

Threadgill’s sermon continued the theme of transformation through water, reminding youth workers that “the wonder of these waters gives drink to the thirsty who seek after him.” She urged attendees to reflect on their own stories and the ways Christ meets them in their ministries. “How will Christ break into our stories and take our breath away only to give us breath back in new and transformative ways?” she asked.

As youth workers returned to their communities, Threadgill left them with a hopeful charge: “Christ is still writing our stories for good and for transformation and restoration of the world and for all who thirst.” 

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Lisett Cruz, Administrative Assistant, Organizational Planning & Operations, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Jayne Culp, Lead, Operations Support, Organizational Planning & Operations, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

God, help us to discern your presence in all Creation, from the smallest creatures to the great inhabitants of the seas and the birds that fill the skies. Inspire us once again to be caretakers of your holy garden. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Make plans for your church’s planned giving program

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The Presbyterian Foundation's Karl Mattison spoke last month during a workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope. (photo by Gregg Brekke)

It’s a heavy task to talk to church members about how they want to be remembered when they die and if they want to include the church in their estate planning — but it’s a conversation many people want to have to give their end-of-life plans structure and legacy.

Karl Mattison serves the Presbyterian Foundation as the vice president of Planned Giving Resources and of the Planned Giving Navigator Program. He recently shared his experience as a banker and Foundation leader in a workshop at Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2025 in New Orleans. The annual conference was presented by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Using strong graphics and research, Mattison countered common perceptions about generations and their giving.

Planned giving is the process of donating planned gifts, also known as legacy gifts, which are arranged now but distributed at a future date. Commonly donated through a will or trust, planned gifts are usually granted when a donor passes away.

“This is the greatest gift I ever will make,” he said. “One day, we’re all going to die. Estate planning is us saying what means so much to me, that I care so much about, that I lie awake and I worry … is my most transformational gift.”

For most households, about 5% of total assets are in a form that’s readily available to spend on everyday purchases or charitable giving. The other 95% of assets are tied up in savings, investments, in home value, automobiles, furnishings we live with and the IRA we can’t tap until a certain age.

“One day, every single one of us will be finished with all of that remaining 95%,” he said, which is when planned giving comes into play.

Mattison suggested that Presbyterian churches aim their planned giving program for people ages 45 to 65 as this is the time when most planned givers write their first planned gift. Don’t wait until they are in their 80s, he said, because by then they’ve made a will, decided how to allocate their estate and you likely will be too late.

Studies show that only about 5% of people leave a bequest to any charitable cause — but 28% would take that step if they were asked or reminded.

Another fact: Planned gifts average about 2.74 times a person’s lifetime annual giving.

And it is a common fear of the church that members planning a gift will decrease the amount they give annually. Not true, Mattison said. Planned giving doesn’t harm annual giving. In fact, annual giving often goes up 75% after someone makes a planned gift.

If your church doesn’t already have a program in place to talk to members about planned giving, Mattison shared these key points:

• A planned gift most often is the person’s largest gift of their life
• Givers are younger than we expect
• More churches are receiving planned gifts
• Planned giving is the only revenue category increasing in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Planned giving increases annual giving
• For most churches, planned giving is a relatively untapped way to help people connect the now to the forever with their church.

In the face of those opportunities, though, churches face increasing competition for charitable dollars, he said. Most universities have entire departments dedicated to contacting alumni to ask them to include the school in their estate planning.

In most churches, “our tactics have not changed from when there was no competition and when we were younger and simpler,” Mattison said. “Churches’ competitive advantage is having our audience meet within our walls every week.”

He recommended the stewardship team make an annual plan with regularly spaced messages that won’t overwhelm or annoy the audience. It should include:

• Twelve blurbs shared monthly in the bulletin, emails or social media about the benefits and ease of creating a planned gift
• Four short articles about the process and how the church or Presbyterian Foundation can help
• Two announcements about special events or small group meetings for more information
• One Legacy Sunday, typically in May, for detailed sharing about planned giving and how it relates to the donor’s legacy.
• And always — always — have planned giving information on the church website and in printed brochures. 

John C. Williams for the Presbyterian Foundation Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Neema Cyrus-Franklin, Project Coordinator, Around the Table, Leadership Formation-Christian Formation, Presbyterian Life & Witness
April Davenport, Legal and Risk Management, Administrative Services Group                                 

Let us pray:

God, fill our hearts with courage to live with hope in a sometimes hopeless-feeling world. Revitalize your church so that many people might see a new dawn! Amen.

Minute for Mission: International Day of Farmers’ Struggles

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Don Abel López holds a pumpkin. (Photo courtesy of CERDET)

April 17 marks the International Day of Farmer and Peasant Struggles.[i] It is a day when we recognize the sacrifices of smallholder producer farmers who tend the garden and nourish the world. 

Centro de Estudios Regionales para el Desarrollo de Tarija (CERDET), a partner of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, founded in 1989, is a regional NGO that works alongside Indigenous and peasant communities in the Gran Chaco region to defend human rights and provide legal, technical and social support. Through close partnerships with local organizations, it focuses on strengthening community leadership, gender equity, food security and climate resilience.

Its work includes securing land rights, supporting sustainable and agroecological livelihoods, improving access to water and food, and empowering women and youth. CERDET also helps communities build democratic governance, develop local economies, and respond to violence and environmental challenges.

Don Abel López, 74 years old, is the leader of the Weenhayek Indigenous community of Los Pozos, located in the far south of Bolivia, near the border with Argentina. He lives in the Gran Chaco region, where summer temperatures reach 44°C, the soils are sandy, and rainwater is scarce, making agricultural activities extremely difficult.

These Indigenous people, numbering fewer than 6,000 in Bolivia, dedicate six months of the year to fishing in the Pilcomayo River during autumn and winter — a season they consider the time of abundance, as it allows them to sell fish and generate income. The other six months, the hottest of the year, are the hardest for the survival of these families, who turn to harvesting honey from the forest, making handicrafts and gathering wild fruits.

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The family of Don Abel López farming together. (Photo courtesy of CERDET)

Don Abel is one of the few community leaders who has continued the practices of growing corn, squash, watermelons and some vegetables during the rainy season. Through his efforts, he is gradually motivating and encouraging his children and grandchildren to learn how to grow food during the most difficult time of the year. With the support of CERDET through projects backed by Dutch Protestant churches and the Presbyterian Hunger Program from the United States, these Indigenous families are applying agroecological techniques and progressively improving their food security, while also encouraging other families to take up agriculture. 

He says: “We are producing healthy food without using agrochemicals, and I am happy that my grandchildren help me and want to learn how to grow watermelons and vegetables.”

Since 1996, in memory of the massacre of 19 Brazilian landless peasants who were brutally assassinated, the Via Campesina, an international peasants’ movement, has declared April 17 to be the International Day of Farmer and Peasant Struggles, a day for recognizing the struggles of smallholder food producers globally and organizing actions in support of food sovereignty and food justice.

Guido Cortez Franco, the Chief Executive Officer for Centro de Estudios Regionales para el Desarrollo de Tarija (Cerdet)

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Barry Creech, Senior Director, Denominational Identity & Formation, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Freddy Cruz, Program Assistant, Financial Planning, Organizational Planning and Operations, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Creator, we pray today for the farmers and families of CERDET, who care for their lands in the Chaco with resilience, wisdom and deep love for their communities. We give thanks for their commitment to nourishing their people and protecting their territories. We pray for a world where Indigenous and peasant farmers can live with dignity, with secure land, access to water, and the ability to sustain their livelihoods in harmony with creation. Strengthen the leadership of women and young people, and uplift their voices in shaping a just and hopeful future. We pray for protection from violence, for justice where rights have been denied, and for healing in communities that have endured hardship. May all who work the land experience peace, security and your sustaining grace. Amen.

Supporting Children at Risk, Youth and Young Adults through PC(USA) Special Offerings

You Can Receive a Portion of the Christmas Joy Offering on Pentecost! Even though the Pentecost Offering has been sunset through an action of the 226th General Assembly (2024), the ministries of children at risk, youth and young adults are still supported by the Churchwide Special Offerings, under the umbrella of the Christmas Joy Offering. Did you know that an Offering can be received at any time of the year? If your congregation was passionate about supporting the Pentecost Offering, consider receiving a portion of the Christmas Joy Offering this Pentecost Sunday to honor its legacy. Learn more about the Christmas Joy Offering and the causes it supports — children at risk, youth and young adults, leadership development for people of color, Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color, and servants of the church in need (through the Board of Pensions) — at the link below. Learn about Christmas Joy Offering As always, we are here to help. Let us know if you have any questions. Our contact information is below.  Thank you for generously supporting the Churchwide Special offerings.  If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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