Today in the Mission Yearbook - Serious JuJu: Warehouse closed but ministry continues

1001 worshiping community provides food and care to skateboarders and those who love them

June 30, 2020

A Serious JuJu skateboarder enjoys an outdoor skatepark in Kalispell, Montana. (Photo by Bob Paulus)

Serious JuJu, a skateboarding ministry and 1001 New Worshiping Community in Kalispell, Montana, has been faithful to seeing, feeding and strengthening kids; celebrating skateboarders; and serving Christ for 13 years.

The hungry have been fed. Those who have been cast aside have been welcomed in, seen, called by named and blessed. The weak in spirit have found new heights and resilience through skateboarding. The downcast have been lifted up. The despairing have found comfort and joy, said the Rev. Miriam Mauritzen, community pastor and executive director of Serious JuJu.

Although its warehouse is currently closed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, ministry continues for more than 400 skateboarders in the Flathead Valley, part of Glacier Presbytery in northwestern Montana.

On the second day of the warehouse closure, 18 skaters and family members received food and emotional support, Mauritzen said.

“It is very overwhelming as a pastor, trying to keep up with the needs. It is incredibly tenuous,” Mauritzen said. “But skateboarders are incredibly generous. They watch out for each other and pay attention to each other’s needs.”

The ministry also depends on its faithful donors and prayer, Mauritzen said, especially during food-scare weekends and times of crisis. A donor-bison ranch owner is making bison jerky and another donor is grinding beef for JuJu’s food ministry to youth and their families.

“Watching people who have resources leverage them for kids is a remarkable sign of the Holy Spirit working among our community connecting us even now … they haven’t forgotten us,” Mauritzen said. “The time to come together for the least of these is now.”

Mauritzen expressed gratitude to the Flathead Food Bank for the good food they have shared with the ministry, for Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell for providing storage space in the church, for a skateboard mom and her three young children who packed 100 food bags in five hours, and for the JuJu Board, which unfroze resources meant for a new skatepark to help feed kids and their families during this health crisis.

Serious JuJu is also grateful for the support the ministry has received through Mission Program Grants available through Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries.

At this time of social distancing, JuJu is still distributing bags of food and hygiene items outside its closed warehouse and is prepared to provide limited doorstep grocery deliveries to youth with pronounced needs and older volunteers and supporters who may need to stay away from stores.

About 75% of Serious JuJu skateboarders have endured food insecurity, incarceration of family members, homelessness, compromised housing, family addictions, abandonment, neglect, assault and abuse — trauma that makes them vulnerable to school dropout, illness, risky behavior, suicide and incarceration. Last year, the ministry celebrated 11 graduates, the largest number since the ministry began in 2007.

As a community pastor, a role she developed, Mauritzen describes herself as growing up in the deep south on the “wrong side of the tracks.” However, as Christ became real to her, she began to see sacred in the profane.

“I am not a skater,” Mauritzen said. “I never paid much attention to skaters before. Every place just says: ‘No Skaters,’ like they are something dangerous. I have found them to be incredible athletes. Yes, often their lives are riddled with pain, but their perseverance and power are stunning. Christ gives us all hope. Hope does not disappoint.”

If you have questions about Serious JuJu, contact Mauritzen at jujukalispell@gmail.com or visit seriousjuju.com.

Tammy Warren, Communications Associate, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Laurie Griffith, Office of the General Assembly
Leann Gritton, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Merciful God, we love you, worship you, glorify you. In you we abide that we may live fruitfully: in the wisdom of fearing and knowing you, we dwell peaceably. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - How does PDA respond to a disaster during a pandemic?

With travel and contact restricted, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance turns to virtual response to disasters, COVID-19

June 29, 2020

Traditional Presbyterian Disaster Assistance responses, such as this one made by National Response Team member Liz Branch following tornadoes in Texas a few years ago, aren’t possible during this period of social distancing and travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Contributed photo)

Somewhat submerged in the barrage of headlines about COVID-19 is news that Mother Nature is still doing her thing.

As always, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) plans to respond to calls for help, though in a somewhat altered way, given the limitations of a churchwide domestic travel ban and social distancing necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“Disasters aren’t stopping just because we can’t travel,” says David Rauer, a New Jersey-based National Response Team volunteer for PDA.

As a National Response Team member, Rauer regularly travels to places where disasters strike and helps coordinate a response with local Presbyterian leaders. His deployments can last from days to months.

But this past spring, he was virtually deployed to Cookeville, Tennessee, which was hit hard by severe storms March 2, while staying in his New Jersey home.

“Although it doesn’t happen frequently, PDA has engaged in virtual deployments,” said the Rev. Jim Kirk, associate for disaster response (U.S.). “When the people we needed were not available to travel, we would have to find other ways to respond, sometimes in consulting with leadership in discerning response.”

Support the work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance with a gift to the One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering.

But for the foreseeable future, PDA will have to respond to ongoing and new situations from afar. One of the main things this model has going for it is modern communications technology, allowing response team members to use a variety of tools from cellphones to video conferencing and communication to assess what is happening and develop a response.

In responding to the situation in Cookeville, Rauer said was in regular contact with First Presbyterian Church in Cookeville — which has a very active Facebook presence relaying information on storm efforts and COVID-19 — learning what the situation was, who was involved in recovery efforts, and what was being done. In turn, Rauer was working to orient the church to what long-term recovery involves, what resources are available, and how to plan.

Restrictions of movement and contact also impact ongoing PDA responses and training.

Kathy Riley, PDA associate for emotional and spiritual care, was planning to conduct resilience trainings in several places, including Puerto Rico, before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States. Now, she is looking at taking that training online in the form of a webinar, as well as fielding requests from agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency for resilience training webinars directly related to COVID-19.

“When we’re face to face, there’s a lot of time for sharing stories and tips,” Riley said of in-person resilience training, which helps people navigate the mental health challenges of going through and responding to a disaster.

A pandemic asks for a different kind of resilience than most natural or human-made disasters, Riley said.

“There’s usually a beginning and end, and you walk around knowing what’s happened and that it’s over,” Riley said of the disasters PDA typically responds to. “With this, we don’t know what we’re dealing with, what the scope is, and how long it will last.”

PDA is working on an overall response to COVID-19.

“In ministry, I think presence is crucial,” Kirk said. “People may say, we can save so much money by just doing virtual deployments. While this is true, there is an amazing value added when we (literally) stand with those impacted by a disaster.”

“But I do think that, for instance, in Middle Tennessee Presbytery, with both the presbytery staff and the pastor that David’s working with, there’s a lot of grace, and they understand why we’re not on the ground. There’s that period of grace, where we can do some very good work. While we will gain valuable wisdom in alternate ways of responding, I don’t see it as a template moving forward, again, because of the importance of this ministry being incarnational.”

 Rich Copley, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Annette Greer, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Paul Grier, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Loving God, guide our paths that no matter where we are, we will seek to follow the paths that Christ would walk, to reach out with Christ’s love in caring for our neighbors. Amen.

Minute for Mission: PC(USA) World AIDS Sunday

A choir got tested for HIV during an FJKM fair. (Photo by Elizabeth Turk)

How would you celebrate your 50th anniversary? Last year, the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM), a PC(USA) partner church, promoted free HIV testing at all of the events celebrating its 50th anniversary. FJKM President Irako Andriamahazosoa Ammi was tested publicly last August. Over 40,000 people were educated about HIV and AIDS, and 2,000 were tested during six events.

In addition to promoting HIV testing, FJKM trains all of its pastoral students about HIV and AIDS. In a country where the education level is very low and most rural people have little access to news and the internet, pastors are among the most educated and respected members of their communities. It is important that pastors understand the basics about HIV and AIDS. They are then well placed to help their congregations and communities reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS and to fight against discrimination.

Another exciting way the FJKM fights the spread of HIV and AIDS is by training youth peer educators in FJKM schools. This past spring, the FJKM Development Department and FJKM AIDS Committee trained 40 middle and high school students in northern Madagascar. These youth returned to their schools to share with their peers about how to avoid the dangers of drugs, early pregnancy and illnesses like HIV and AIDS. They also learned skills in long-term planning and setting goals so that they will have a better chance of making sound biblical decisions when faced with pressures and temptations.

UNAIDS notes that “the global AIDS response is at a precarious point — partial success in saving lives and stopping new HIV infections is giving way to complacency.” The FJKM is an excellent example of a group that has not given into complacency even in the face of political crisis and reduced funding.

Working with the FJKM in its fight against HIV/AIDS as a PC(USA) mission co-worker has been a great joy for me. The PC(USA) has faithfully supported FJKM’s efforts to train pastors, produce educational materials, provide HIV testing and train youth peer educators. Together, we are helping to fight the spread of AIDS in Madagascar and providing a powerful witness of God’s love. 

If you’d like to learn about the ways your congregation can help respond to HIV/AIDS, visit pcusa.org/toolkits/hiv-aids.

Elizabeth Turk, Mission Co-Worker serving in Madagascar, World Mission, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Hannah Green, Presbyterian Foundation
Ken Green, Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

God of life, we pray for those in our community and around the world who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. We pray that our Church may be a place of compassion and protection for those in desperate need of healing. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbytery of New York City installs Ruling Elder Frances Thom, the body’s youngest-ever elected moderator

The 2020 theme: ‘An equal world is an enabled world’

June 27, 2020

From left to right are Ruling Elder Frances Thom, the Rev. Krystin Granberg, the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann and Ruling Elder Terri Youn. (Photo by Jim Nedelka)

On Saturday, March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day, the Presbytery of New York City celebrated this year’s theme, “An equal world is an enabled world,” in a unique way: the installation of Ruling Elder Frances Thom and Ruling Elder Terri Youn to their one-year terms as, respectively, moderator and moderator-elect. Present for this historic occasion in the sanctuary of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in the Bronx was the Rev. Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly.

The Rev. Chris Shelton, pastor of Broadway Presbyterian Church, concluded his one-year term as Moderator with the honor of leading the brief but historic ceremony. Along with the traditional denominational questions, two New York traditions were continued: the longstanding passing of the Moderator’s Cross and the relatively new transference of the Moderator’s Stole.

During the communion prayer, Thom, a Riverdale Presbyterian Church member since childhood, along with the Rev. Krystin Granberg, Riverdale’s interim pastor, and Youn, of Bedford Park Presbyterian Church, the first single woman of Korean heritage ordained as a ruling elder in that Bronx congregation, were joined in the chancel by Kohlmann to raise up the names of groundbreaking women, such as:

• The many who have served as deacons since this office was opened to women more than 110 years ago
• Sarah Dickson, the denomination’s first women ruling elder, and Tillie Paul Tamaree, the first Native American woman ruling elder, both ordained in 1930
• The Rev. Margaret Towner, the northern Presbyterian Church’s first female teaching elder, whose 1956 ordination was followed in 1965 by
• The Rev. Rachel Henderlite’s ordination as clergy in the southern Presbyterian Church
• The Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, ordained in 1974 as the first African American clergywoman in the United Presbyterian Church, followed by
• The Rev. Rebecca Reyes, the first Hispanic/Latina clergywoman ordained in 1979, jointed that year by
• The Rev. Elizabeth Kwon, who transferred her ordination from Japan, becoming the denomination’s first Korean-American clergywoman, and by
• The Rev. Holly Haile Smith Davis, the first Native American woman teaching elder ordained in 1987.

As this litany concluded, the names of the 13 women who have also served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as moderator or co-moderator (until recently termed “vice moderator”) since 1983’s reunification were lifted up in prayer.

When Kohlmann blessed the upcoming leadership of Thom and Youn, she provided a surprising tidbit of history: At age 28, Thom is the youngest moderator ever elected in the Presbytery of New York City’s history that reaches back to 1717.

Ruling Elder Jim Nedelka, a Frequent Contributor to the Presbyterian News Service and Member of New York’s Jan Hus Presbyterian Church

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Denise Gray, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Joan Gray, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Lord, we thank you for teaching us how to serve, and we pray for your church’s institutions and their teachers who train a new generation to serve as Christians and through their professions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Survival checklist

Retired Presbyterian pastor asks, ‘Am I as ready as I can be for whatever comes?’

June 26, 2020

Tom Davis, a retired Presbyterian pastor living in Delaware, steers a skimmer in Vietnam, 1970. (Contributed photo)

He drives up the Philadelphia Turnpike for his semi-annual appointment with the allergist, and sneezes. Not unusual for this time of year. Should he, a senior, be nervous? He’s not anxiety-prone, but with the advancing virus constantly in the news, how can he not have dying at the back of his mind?

“Am I as ready as I can be for whatever comes?” he ponders.

Then his mind shifts immediately into reverse, going back 50 years. He remembers asking himself that question many times, “Am I as ready as I can be for whatever comes?” As he tossed in his bunk unable to sleep, he would go through a checklist for every pre-dawn operation.

M-16 cleaned and lubed. Check. Bandolier with four magazines in their sleeves, each with 18, not 20 rounds, loaded to avoid jamming. Check. Extra ammo can loaded and first-aid kit ready to carry aboard the skimmer. Check. Tidal charts indicate adequate water for getting in and out. Check. Call signs and radio frequencies confirmed for air support and medevac. Check. Bone-handled lucky pen knife his wife sent him in his jungle fatigues front pocket. Check. In the morning, he would take off his wristwatch and put it in his other front pocket. Nothing shiny must give him away in the bush. He would take his wedding ring off just before leaving the hooch. Check.

He remembers now. This was how he dealt with the dread of dying and preparations for surviving when he was 25 years old, by doing everything he could that made sense to do: check, check, check. Beyond that there was nothing that could be done, so it didn’t help to fret. Must put all those worries aside and focus on the mission.

That’s how he came through. Returning to the now, he figures that’s the way to get through. Do everything that makes sense to do. Wash hands frequently. Check. Don’t touch face. Check. Avoid crowds. Check. Get plenty of rest. Check. Eat sensibly and stay hydrated. Check. Get daily moderate exercise. Check. Phone loved ones often. Check. Meditate and pray. Check.

Will these measures guarantee survival? No more than his checklist of 50 years ago could guarantee it. But this he remembers above all: Focusing on the mission was the best antidote to fear.

And he still has a mission: to help those like himself who are striving to survive.

The Rev. Tom Davis, Retired Presbyterian Pastor and Commissioned Interfaith Peacemaker with New Castle Presbytery, serving congregations in Delaware and eastern Maryland; Founder and President of the Interfaith Veterans’ Workgroup, a nonprofit launched in 2015 to help returning veterans acclimate to civilian life

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Denise Govindarajan, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Teresa Grant, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Loving God, who walked among us so that we might be liberated from hunger, sin and oppression, help us to share the good news of your grace with all whom we meet. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Mid councils share sorrows and concerns

Church leaders come together for COVID-19 response

June 25, 2020

Fear, exhaustion and grief came through as the primary emotions as a group of mid council leaders gathered on a Zoom call in late March. The group was brought together by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to listen to their concerns and learn how the Church might best help mid councils and congregations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Just as the virus was touching all shores and plains in the United States and across the globe, each person had a story to tell that was eerily familiar and individually unique. Stories of technology challenges were intermixed with examples of how resilient the human spirit can be. Adaptive solutions were found in short time where hurdles had once been encountered. Painful stories were shared of loss, grief and fear — fear for the small churches that were already struggling, fear for the families that couldn’t be with their loved ones in their time of need and fear of losing human connections.

As one participant said, “This disruption helps us to be aware of our blessings, and our neuroses.”

The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, thanked everyone for sharing their stories, concerns and needs. “I want you to know that we hear you, we are praying for you in this unprecedented time and as leaders of the agencies, we are in conversation with one another about ways we can best help.”

The leaders of the agencies, as well as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation, have made the commitment to meet regularly with one another as the situation evolves.

Together they are compiling resources to add to the richly populated COVID-19 resource page on pcusa.org, identifying areas where increased awareness is needed on what is available to congregations and Presbyterians, and looking for new ways to directly address some of the pains — emotionally, spiritually and financially — that are being experienced.

As a direct result of their first conversation, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II released a statement on the need for churches to refrain from gathering physically until the pandemic is under control. “Tithes and offerings can be mailed. The most important thing is to take care of the vessels (the bodies) that God has given,” Nelson said.

The COVID-19 resource page will also contain an archive of communications and any further actions coming from the collaborative efforts of the agency leaders. It’s all to make finding the needed resources and information as easy as possible for users in this stressful time.

One of the mid council leaders said, “We need to have a Sabbath mindset about this.” Sabbath is about renewal and the need to nourish the soul through extra time. Much like the author of Psalm 46 reminds us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

Melody K. Smith, Senior Mission Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Theresa Goodlin, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Catherine Gordon, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

God, may we remember that anything we have in the form of material possessions, work successes, family and friends are only entrusted to and not owned by us. Help us to treasure them as they merit since they come from you and help us to be able to let go of everything as you call us to. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - One Great Hour of Sharing gifts save lives and livelihoods in famine-stricken countries

The PC(USA) and its partners are making a difference in Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria

June 24, 2020

One Great Hour of Sharing gifts save lives and livelihoods in countries stricken by famine. (Photo courtesy of Kaalmo Relief and Development)

Before a hunger emergency struck Somalia, Hawo Abdi and her husband were successful herders near their country’s border with Kenya.

However, two years of intensive drought parched the land to the point that they could no longer raise the camels, cattle, sheep and goats that supported their pastoralist lifestyle. The country’s civil war added further complications to the situation. As her family faced economic ruin, Abdi’s husband died, and at the time of his death, she was two months pregnant with the couple’s fifth child.

Desperate to feed her children, Abdi, 29, decided to leave her home in El-Wak, Somalia, and walk to the Tulia-Anin Camp for internally displaced people. She felt she had no choice but to make the high-risk two-day journey and try as best she could to look out for the safety of her four young children and her unborn child. People who make this trek face the possibility of attack from armed groups, and food and water are scarce.

“We had nothing to take with us, and we had to beg for water,” she said. At the camp, located just outside Beled-Hawa, Somalia, they found refuge, water and food. Abdi and her children receive a monthly allocation of rice, beans, cooking oil and sugar that One Great Hour of Sharing gifts helped provide.

While life is difficult, Abdi and her children, including her baby, are safe and nourished. “The food aid has improved the living conditions of my family,” she said. “I was able to feed my starving children.”

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partners with Kaalmo Relief and Development to provide food aid to people in the camp. “We are very grateful for your contribution,” said Mohamed Ahmed Iriri, Kaalmo’s director. “It will help us a lot in fighting the hunger and poverty affecting our people in Somalia.”

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 5.4 million people in Somalia are food insecure, and another 2.6 million people are internally displaced.

The U.N. has declared that Somalia and three other countries — Northern Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen — are experiencing famine. The causes of famine in the northeast region are driven by political strife, including the Boko Haram insurgency and a conflict between farmers and herders, extreme weather conditions, especially flooding, and a dearth of agricultural infrastructure from years of little to no investment. A famine declaration means that at least 20 percent of people in an area face extreme food shortages and large numbers of people are dying from hunger.

One Great Hour of Sharing gifts are helping to address this crisis through PC(USA) partners in each of the famine-stricken countries. These partners are helping with emergency food assistance and addressing the underlying causes of hunger.

In Yemen, One Great Hour of Sharing gifts are helping to restore the livelihoods of fisherfolk. Their catches provide both income and meals for their families. The Offering helped replace equipment for fisherfolk who lost the tools needed to practice their trade when civil war violence reached their communities.

One-third of Yemen’s population lives along its 1,200-mile coastline, and fish is a nutritional staple for them, says Salah Nehmi, program officer for PC(USA) partner Generations Without Qat, a non-governmental organization based in Yemen.

Nehmi praises the PC(USA)’s commitment to sustainable development and expressed gratitude for the people whose gifts make the church’s work possible. “The Yemeni people appreciate your support and prayers,” he said. “Your support helped some very vulnerable people in Yemen and saved lives.”

For 71 years, One Great Hour of Sharing gifts have been giving a hand up to vulnerable people. The Offering provides support to the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self- Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

 Pat Cole, Special to Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

John Glenn, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Edwin Gonzalez-Castillo, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Almighty God, feed us today with the presence of our risen Lord Jesus Christ and the breath of your Holy Spirit, that we may be bold witnesses and bear abundant fruit in all we say and do to the glory of your Holy Name. Amen.

Hopeful Church - Is healing at the core of our congregations?

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Witness, Share and Evangelize: News from Presbyterian World Mission – June 2020

News from Presbyterian World Mission – June 2020: Mission Matters Kurt Esslinger, mission co-worker in South Korea, writes this month’s Mission Matters column, &qu...

News from Presbyterian World Mission – June 2020

Mission Matters Kurt Esslinger, mission co-worker in South Korea, writes this month’s Mission Matters column, "Global solidarity to end the Korean War: ‘70 years is quite long enough.’" (Photo courtesy of Kurt Esslinger) Read mission matters →

Mission co-workers finding new ways to serve global partners Presbyterian mission co-workers who serve 40 countries around the world are either back in the United States or are sheltering in place in their country of service. But their work has not stopped — far from it. (Photo by Gerardo Oberman) Read more → Hong Kong turns from one crisis to another In Hong Kong, new cases of COVID-19 have dwindled to a handful in recent weeks. Concern has now shifted to China’s plan to impose a tough new national security law. Read more →

PIASS staff works together to solve COVID-19 economic crisis The Rev. Kay Day, mission co-worker in Rwanda, believes she has witnessed true integrity in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Kathy Melvin) Read more →

Support mission co-workers Just as Presbyterians across the nation are charged to stand against racism in all its insidious forms, especially in such turbulent times as these, so are our international mission co-workers called to address racial injustices both in the U.S. and where they serve. As a former small church pastor, the Rev. Paula Cooper, regional liaison for East Central Africa — resourcing churches and institutions in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia — has always been committed to honoring and promoting the dignity of all God’s people. Your gift to our general mission co-worker sending and support will ensure that Cooper and others continue to witness and work in the struggle for racial justice. Give online →

Sudan/South Sudan Mission Network to meet virtually in June The Sudan/South Sudan Mission Network will hold a virtual meeting from 10–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–3 p.m. (ET) June 29 and 30. Email for details → Take part in historic virtual New Wilmington Mission Conference, July 17–19 For the first time in its 115-year history, the New Wilmington Mission Conference will meet online, July 17–19. Programming will be provided for all ages, and there will be no charge to participate in the 2020 conference. Read more →

Matthew 25 — Actively engaged in the world The Matthew 25 invitation officially launched in April 2019. A little over a year later, there are more than 500 churches, groups and mid councils that have made the commitment to become a Matthew 25 church and work toward building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. Learn more →

Subscribe to mission workers’ letters Would you like to receive all PC(USA) letter updates from mission workers? Now you can sign up to receive all the letters (or as many as you’d like to receive). (Photo by Mark Crowner) Subscribe now →

Global partners provide COVID-19 resources Presbyterian World Mission has compiled a live document that contains many messages related to COVID-19 and resources from our global partners. They wanted to share words of encouragement and compassion with U.S. partners during this difficult time. This document is updated regularly. (Getty Images) View the resources →

Coronavirus/COVID-19 — Latest church resources for congregations and members

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