Today in the Mission Yearbook - Embracing life’s twists and turns

Labyrinths grow in popularity

June 30,  2022

As a spiritual director, I’m often asked about my own spiritual practices. Meditation tops my list. There’s something about the intimacy of personal time spent with the ultimate divine presence that sustains me. While there are many forms of meditation, there’s none quite like meditating as I walk a labyrinth.

Labyrinths are circular paths that should not be mistaken or confused for a maze. A maze is designed to trick. Its purpose is for you to lose yourself along the way. A labyrinth, though, helps you find yourself. The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, founder of Veriditas, a nonprofit for the education and awareness of labyrinths, has said that the labyrinth is “a blueprint where psyche meets spirit.”

These ancient spiritual paths date as far back as 5,000 years and have been constructed from materials such as brick, stone and grass. Temporary labyrinths can even be made out of some tape on a floor. There are also hand-held labyrinths that you can “walk” by tracing the path with your fingertip. There are a variety of designs as well, from simple four-circuit paths to seven-plus circuits. Many labyrinths were incorporated into the floors of Europe’s great cathedrals in the 12th and 13th centuries. No matter what the physical layout of the labyrinth, they all are a metaphor for life’s journey. Those who walk them come with specific questions, while some seek quiet self-reflection. Walking a labyrinth can be shared with others or experienced alone. People experiencing anxiety or grief often find solace in walking the labyrinth. Caregivers and clergy members often walk a labyrinth to relieve stress, noting a feeling of peace afterward. It is no wonder that companies that sell labyrinths have seen a rise in requests during these Covid days. A 2020 Forbes news report cited labyrinth sales increasing 300% during the height of the pandemic.

I often invite walkers to enter the circle with three “Rs” in mind: release what you are holding, receive what the Spirit is giving you and return with new insights. I often begin by setting an intention, asking, “What is it that I need at this moment? What is my true purpose, and does it please God?” Many times, I offer a prayer in gratitude for the opportunity to pause and allow time to notice the spiritual movement within.

More importantly, though, I try not to have expectations — and I have found that the labyrinth experience never disappoints.

Rasheeda J. Hastings, Spiritual Director and Labyrinth Facilitator, residing in Philadelphia

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Philip Woods, Associate Director, Director’s Office, World Mission, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Dianna Wright, Director, Ecumenical Relations Office of the General Assembly

Let us pray

Dear Lord, Jesus welcomed the little children into his arms and told us we must all become like children to enter the kingdom of God. Help us reach out to our neighbors. Remind us that we are all your children, created and loved for your good pleasure. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Ministry Matters - Addressing Christian nationalism | On schism

What can we say across the chasm that divides us? Addressing Christian nationalism by Pamela Cooper-White   Some Christian leaders, both mainline and evangelical, have begun to sound the alarm about the dangers of Christian nationalism and its corrosive effects on Christian faith from within the church. As a religious leader, how do you help your congregation members to talk about these issues when the country is so divided? Read here

What can the church look like on the other side of schism? On schism: A proposed ecclesiology for a post-split UMC by Cat Clyburn   There is a gap between what Methodist theologians say is true about our church, and what Methodist pastors and leaders have internalized as our ecclesiology. I do not believe that the way forward for the Methodist church is, or ought to be, unity at all costs. Read here

How can new foods help us find our place in new homes? Finding feasts in new places by Jabe Largen   As the moving truck lurched onward to the new place, everything that appeared on the other side of the windshield became more and more foreign with every passing mile and every foot in elevation. Here we were, driving away from everything and everyone that we knew. Read here

Finding sermon notes for what's coming next Preparing your worship pieces for Sunday

Getting guidance on this Sunday's lectionary text

Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘I believe God is holding us accountable for this’

Second of two webinars on race, science and the church explore cures for health-care inequities and our biases

June 29,  2022

Dr. A. Oveta Fuller

Health-care inequities that sicken and kill people of color undermine communities. Reducing those inequities will require working together to improve health-care quality, accessibility and affordability for everyone.

“The church has a huge influence and responsibility. I believe God is holding us accountable for this,” said Dr. A. Oveta Fuller, an associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School, during the second of a two-part webinar, “Race, Science and the Church,” offered by the organization Science for the Church through the Synod of the Covenant. Read a report on the first webinar here.

Fuller offered a number of statistics that indicate disparities in health care outcomes for people of color compared to non-Hispanic white people. Covid, she said, has “helped unveil what we already knew: disparities in health are based on factors that seem to do with race.”

In Michigan, for example, 14% of the population is Black, but 40% of deaths attributed to COVID during the early stages of the pandemic were among Black people. Black children are twice as likely to die at birth than white children are. Black mothers are more than three times more likely to die at childbirth than white mothers are, a statistic that is not reflective of the mother’s economic status.

“I focus on African Americans,” Fuller said, “but you can choose whatever group you want, and you would see a disparity there.”

More on what Covid revealed about disparities in the nation’s health-care system can be found here.

Contributing factors to health-care disparities include socio-economic status, underlying medical conditions, access to medical care, misinformation and systemic and institutionalized racism, she said.

To learn more, Fuller recommended two books: Ibram X. Kendi’s “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019,” and James W. Loewen’s “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.”

“These health disparities didn’t just happen. There are reasons for them, and we need to be brave enough to dig down and get them,” Fuller said. While “you and I may be used to things, our children and our grandchildren are whole different people, and they won’t put up with it.”

What do you tell parents, one person tuned into the webinar wondered, about current efforts to prohibit white children from being taught what the questioner called “their real history in school?”

That pushback against what’s been dubbed critical race theory “could almost be predicted,” because oppressors don’t readily give up their power, Fuller responded.

“We are Christians, and we don’t like to think about demanding things,” Fuller said. “But Jesus taught the disciples to change out of love. … The truth is hard, but we will all be better, and we will use our gifts and graces together if we can all learn the truth together.”

Stress can play a big role in disparate health outcomes. A pregnant woman carrying her child to term is dependent on her hormones reaching a certain level before her body induces labor, Fuller said. But if the mother’s hormone levels start from a higher baseline — because, for example, store cameras follow her she’s shopping for new clothes, or “if I speak up at a faculty meeting, will people think I am ridiculous because I am being who I am?” — her body determines it’s reached the giving birth threshold even though the baby is not fully developed.

“Death by a thousand paper cuts is absolutely real,” Fuller said. “Society has never recognized the inequality despite God creating all of us in God’s image.”

“Let’s sit down and talk,” Fuller said to conclude her portion of the webinar. “It won’t be fun, but we will all be better off because of it.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jung Ju Winner, Marketing Assistant, Presbyterian Women
Janna Wofford, Operations Manager, Association of Presbyterian Colleges & Universities (APCU)

Let us pray

Loving Father, we thank you for your courageous and faithful people. They have so much to teach us about loving you and trusting you for all our needs. As we serve, let us all walk humbly with you as we follow the example given to us by Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Virginia congregation living out its vows to the first sextuplets baptized in the PC(USA)

Four years later, the children are growing, and their parents are grateful for all the grandmas and grandpas who give them hope

June 28,  2022

Video URL: https://vimeo.com/680588314

Adeboye and Ajibola Taiwo (Photo by Rob Collins)

Certain stories are unforgettable.

Like this one, which was first told by the Rev. Mary Kay Collins at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, in 2018. Before baptizing the sextuplets of Adeboye and Ajibola Taiwo, she spoke of the couple’s longing to have children. Introducing their story, she asked, “Is anything too wonderful, too great, too difficult or too tough for God?”

Watch the Taiwos’ story here: Video URL: https://youtu.be/qbY0yghOX-0

Now, the sextuplets are 4 years old. Wondering how they were doing, Presbyterian News Service reached out to Collins. She shared a letter that the Taiwos, who came to the U.S. from Nigeria, wrote to the FPC congregation in January.

“We saw in you the family we were scared we might not have in the U.S.A.,” they wrote. “You accepted us with open arms, you kept us warm in winter and made us comfortable in all seasons. You gave us hope when we thought all hope was gone.”

Adeboye described how he and Ajibola had lost count of the times church members had driven their cars to the family’s home. “Fitting them in car seats and carefully buckling our children in, you drove us to and from church,” he wrote. “You also got me a job by which I am able to put food on the table and a roof over my family. My children are not left out as you always plan and guide in making good decisions about their education including plans for summer school to ensure they have a better future.”

Adeboye wrote the letter because he and Ajibola felt like expressing their gratitude to God and to the church community for the hospitality, love and concern they have received since joining FPC in 2018.

“We have a lot of grandmas and grandpas,” he said. “The joy derived from our children is answer to longtime prayer. There’s a certain kind of happiness and fulfilment that comes in seeing how God provides for us.”

Calling every day an adventure, Adeboye admits that raising six children is not an easy task. But, he says, the grace of God, exhibited to them by their church family, is sufficient.

During the pandemic, their growing and active sextuplets were invited by members of the FPC congregation to play on playgrounds or in their backyards. The grandmas and grandmas would show up at the Taiwos’ apartment with food and then pray for one another, even as COVID-19 challenged the way they could be together.

Understanding the difficulty of navigating life in a new country, another family in the congregation took it upon themselves to walk alongside the Taiwos, helping them find and work with an immigration attorney. This family also found them a place to live.

As Collins’ family was going through a medical crisis, Adeboye frequently texted Mary Kay to say he was praying for her, which strengthened her faith.

“The Taiwos make it so easy to be relational. That it is very much a love ministry for our congregation,” she said. “The congregation has really taken it to heart to live out their baptismal vows, which has deepened their faith. It’s been phenomenal to watch.”

Judy Jamison describes herself as one of the “lead grandmas” at FPC.  She was one of the first to meet the Taiwos. In his letter to the congregation, Adeboye wrote that he “saw the reflection of God” in Jamison and credited her for bringing them to the FPC family.

According to Jamison, their relationship goes beyond the Nigerian culture. Adeboye calls her his American mom — “mum.”

“Part of calling me and others ‘Grandma’ or ‘Grandpa’ is cultural, and part of it is that we feel like we are part of their family,” Jamison said. “I wish I could capture the joy this family brings to our congregation.”

Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Miatta Wilson, Mission Specialist, Christian Formation, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Ashley Winn, Senior Assistant, Loan Operations, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program

Let us pray

O God, our guiding hand, reveal your giving presence as we seek to serve even when our visible resources seem scarce. Thank you for your movement among the faithful and the ways in which you lead us from doubt into wonder. Let every tongue speak with joy the beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Honing a church’s mission

Congregation responds to Jesus’ ‘I was’ statements

June 27, 2022

The Rev. Josh Robinson and members of Austin’s Hope Presbyterian Church recently worked at an organic farm in Elgin, Texas, which is a part of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition. According to Robinson, the organization hits most of the six righteous acts of Matthew 25. Courtesy of Hope Presbyterian Church

Three years ago, if you were to ask Austin, Texas, residents what they knew about Hope Presbyterian Church, chances are they would have remarked on the beautiful roses on the property. Not much would have been said about its mission — until now.

The congregation — which said “yes” to the PC(USA)’s invitation in 2019 to see Christ in one another and serve boldly the least of these — has been on a path of revitalization, honing its message to the community that Hope is a church involved in helping its neighbors.

“Before Matthew 25, if you were to ask what our mission was, you would get 50 different answers,” said the Rev. Josh Robinson. He is not the only clergy to observe the mission-of-the-day phenomena, citing that often the one holding “the mission reins” is the one whose projects get supported.

After Hope’s session spent “a good six months” praying what living out Matthew 25 would entail, they came to realize that all mission work needed to be framed around the six “I was” statements in the Scripture: I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. “These righteous acts are now the basis of Hope’s mission work for the next five years,” said Robinson, adding that even the endowment committee reviews grant applications through the lens of how requests fulfill Matthew 25.

The session introduced Matthew 25 to the congregation in the season of Epiphany, using the time to have “members think about what gifts they had to present to Jesus,” said Robinson.

To help its members not just hear about Matthew 25, but act, the session developed what they called “rapid responses.” For example, a “rapid response” to Jesus’ “I was in prison” was recommitting to the church’s prison letter-writing ministry. As members were responding to the calls to action, Robinson was listening to the stories within the community from leaders, whom he invited to talk to the session. That led to Hope realizing that they couldn’t just focus on vitality but had to engage with the other two Matthew 25 focuses: poverty and racism.

“Matthew 25 has shaped the vision of our congregation,” Robinson said. “We’re now known as that congregation that feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, clothes the naked, cares for the sick, welcomes the stranger and reaches out to the imprisoned.” And the roses? They’re still blooming beautifully.

Donna Frischknecht Jackson, Editor, Presbyterians Today

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Carla Wilson, Customer Service Consultant, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Melaina Wilson, Marketing Program Assistant, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray

Loving God, thank you for providing communities in which we can learn and grow in our faith journey. Strengthen our commitment to build relationships as we work to change our world. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Seeing with our hearts

New possibilities await

June 26,  2022

Crocuses bloom at Old Stone Well Farm, where the author can see the many God possibilities with the eyes of her heart. Donna Frischknecht Jackson

One early spring morning, I gazed upon my property that I had lovingly named “Old Stone Well Farm.” It was far from being a farm, but in my heart, I treasured its potential and held tightly to what I have come to call its “still-to-comes.”

I could see the yet-to-be planted fruit trees surrounding the gnarly old apple tree. I could see that much-needed barn finally standing at the base of the hill. I could see the goat pen arriving and placed near the chicken coop. (I will give a prize to the Presbyterians Today reader who counts the number of times I have mentioned my desire for raising goats!) As the sun rose, with it rose my hope that those “still-to-comes” were not just wistful dreaming. Despite plans being put on hold for one reason or another, I could see with my heart what was not visible to the eyes.

Frederick Buechner, who lives up the mountain road from me here in Vermont, wrote about the importance of seeing with the eyes of the heart, reminding us that often our sight fails because we see things as the world sees and not as God sees. We see things for what they are and not what they can be. I thought about that as I was writing this year’s Lenten devotional, “Lord, When Did We See You?” Based on the Matthew 25 “I was” sayings of Jesus — I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, sick, in prison and naked — I found myself realizing that to serve Christ boldly we need to see not with our eyes, but with our hearts. For when we allow our hearts to illumine the needs around us, we finally begin seeing clearly what God is asking of us. We see that systemic racism isn’t for someone else to dismantle. We see that hunger and poverty are not just something we give money toward, but real issues in our own community that need our action. When we see with our hearts, we might even start seeing vitality in our own congregations. We might even stop ringing the death knell for dwindling numbers and let the bells peal joyously that God, who is in the resurrection business, is re-creating our churches. To see with the heart is to finally see Jesus and, as Buechner wrote, see that his way of life is the only life worth living.

I gazed at my property and saw something beautiful that was not yet visible to others. I saw the potential. I saw the still-to-comes. I then heard a distant voice of a woman exclaiming the good news on that first Easter morning: “I have seen the Lord!” The disciples were skeptical of Mary Magdalene’s news. They needed to see this startling truth with their eyes. They weren’t ready to see with their hearts. I’m ready, though. Are you?

Donna Frischknecht Jackson, Editor, Presbyterians Today

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Brunhilda Williams-Curington, Program Assistant for Stated Clerk, Office of the General Assembly
Jeanne Williams, Managing Editor, Curriculum Resources & Geneva Press, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray

Empowering and energizing God, source of life and light, grant us the vision to see the kingdom of God on earth and the courage to sacrifice to bring that kingdom right here, right now. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Season of Prayer and Reflection in the Korean Peninsula begins

June 25,  2022

KPA Launch Gwanghwamun (provided)

Today, June 25, marks 72 years since the Korean War broke out. Throughout that June, skirmishes along the division border led to North Korean forces crossing the border en masse on the 25th. Most U.S. Americans believe the war then ended in 1953; however, only an armistice agreement was signed at that time. This means outright fighting in the war has paused, but the state-of-war itself has continued for 72 years. Countless resources that might have been directed toward the health and welfare of the people throughout the Korean Peninsula have instead been spent on weapons of destruction and perpetuating hostility. This also means that the U.S. military continues to exert “wartime command authority” over the South Korean military, thus they cannot make any major military decision without the permission of the U.S. commander of forces in Korea, including ending the Korean War. We can then say that the Korean War has become the U.S.’s longest “forever war,” even longer than the war in Afghanistan, despite it not being a war with continuous battles.

In this context, our Christian partners in Korea, including the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea, have been exerting every effort they could to encourage policy makers in Korea and in the U.S. to end policies that deepened hostility and instead open the doors to gradual mutual trust building and the cultivation of a peace regime to replace the forever war regime. We have set this time, June 25 until Aug. 15, as a Season of Prayer and Reflection for Peace on the Korean Peninsula, along with our partners and the World Council of Churches. Now, they are also asking us to join them by signing on to the Korea Peace Appeal, calling for authentic dialogue to end the war now and open a chance for peace. So long as we exert authority over the South Korean military, as U.S. Americans we have a responsibility to remove the obstacles we have placed in the way of a Korean-led peace process. Let us join our voices with all those in Korea praying for an end of the war and for peaceful reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.

Kurt Esslinger 이광원 PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker, National Council of Churches in Korea Reconciliation and Reunification Department Ecumenical Forum for Korea (EFK) – Coordinator

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ryan and Alethia White, Mission co-workers serving in Germany, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Emily Wilkes, Mission Specialist Domestic Refugee in Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

God of peace, guide our hands to make tools for peace instead of weapons of war. Let us learn war no more. Guide our hearts to break down walls of division, not with pressure sanctions and threats, but with love, humility and understanding. God, in solidarity with our siblings in Korea, help us to make a way where there is no way. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - A hymn to help voice prayers for peace

As Russia considered invading neighboring Ukraine, Presbyterian hymn-writer published ‘We Pray for Peace’

June 24,  2022

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a Presbyterian hymn-writer who has penned new lyrics to more than 400 hymns, has published her most recent hymn, “We Pray for Peace” to Finlandia, the tune for the hymn “Be Still, My Soul” and “This is My Song.”

The new hymn was written as the world braced for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fighting that followed such an invasion.

The lyrics “May leaders hear the truth the prophets teach us/that gifts of peace are well worth struggling for” conclude the first verse.

As with other hymns Gillette has authored, this hymn comes with a YouTube video performed by the Rev. Casey Carbone, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Mahopac, New York, and the information technology and communications facilitator for Hudson River Presbytery. Carbone gives permission for use of his video, as does Gillette for “We Pray for Peace.”

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Contributed photo)

We Pray for Peace
FINLANDIA 11.10.11.10.11.10 (“This is My Song”)
We pray for peace, O God of love and justice,
as once again, we face a time of war.
The meek and humble try — amid the crisis —
to love and build, to nurture and restore.
May leaders hear the truth the prophets teach us —
that gifts of peace are well worth struggling for.

We pray for peace, O Christ who calmed the waters —
who stilled the storm, who stilled disciples’ fear.
You spoke with love and with amazing power;
be with us now when trouble is so near.
May leaders see the miracle you offer —
that words and deeds can calm the nations here.

We pray for peace, O Spirit here among us;
your love emboldens, judges and restrains.
Take any hate and acts of impulse from us;
make leaders wise, amid competing claims.
May we seek peace, O God of love and justice;
may love and mercy be our highest aims.

Video URL: https://youtu.be/RCdbrqgzfJU

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Barbra Whaley, Hubbard Press, Production Clerk II, Administrative Services Group, A Corp
Donyale White, Account Clerk III, Administrative Services Group, A Corp

Let us pray

Gracious God, we celebrate that you are in charge of our future. We are honored to be part of your amazing story of birth and new life. Allow us to be open to you and your guiding Spirit. Amen.