Today in the Mission Yearbook - Bless, do not curse, changes

Understanding and embracing a new day

August 31, 2022

“Seems like changes come faster and faster all the time!” My grandmother, who was born in 1904, told me this one day, as she described her youth without cars and then astronauts on the moon six decades later. Some of the changes over her 97 years were unwelcome. She never did buy a microwave. Other changes, like the “www” in her morning newspaper ads, intrigued her.

As we haltingly step out of the pandemic, changes still seem to come faster and faster all the time. We have Bible study on Zoom and worship on YouTube. Masks are on; masks are off — and of course, everyone has an opinion about the latest public health guidance.

We are not the first generation to see such change. And I am not just reaching back to my grandmother’s generation. Acts 11:1–18 describes a monumental change in the history of God’s people that was not welcomed.

Peter has been preaching to the Gentiles in Caesarea, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them —much to the surprise of his missionary team, all of whom, like Peter himself, are Jewish converts. The new Gentile believers are baptized before Peter heads back to Jerusalem, but not without some criticism as Christians of Jewish descent ask, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Peter’s enthusiastic baptisms of his new siblings were not received all that enthusiastically by his longtime siblings. Peter is not alone.

In our families, workplaces and churches, sometimes a change that we prefer is less preferable for others. The pandemic exposed this as one of the many divides in our culture. In our churches, this divide has been over online worship: Some embrace the opportunity to not worry about keeping their children quiet during worship, while others fear that online options will thwart the relationship-building necessary to the faith. One member’s unwelcome change is another member’s intriguing possibility.

In our passage, Peter meets his resistance by describing two dreams: one of his own and one that comes to an inquiring Gentile. Both dreams explain his decision to baptize the newcomers. In Peter’s dream, he has a vision of all the foods that Jews considered unclean coming down from heaven in a sheet, along with a voice telling him to eat up. By the third time Peter hears the words to eat, he realizes that the Gospel is open to Gentiles without their following Jewish dietary laws. In the Gentile’s dream, an angel promises that Peter will give him a message by which his entire household will be saved. He and his family are among the ones Peter baptizes.

In some ways, Peter’s double dream functions as what contemporary authors Dan and Chip Heath call a “destination postcard” in their book “Switch.” Sometimes the best way to bring about change is to sketch out an inspiring picture of the way the world can be, after the desired transformation has taken place. Doubters can then picture a future they want to join. Peter helps his critics imagine a world where doors are opened, barriers are lifted and even Gentiles, of all people, come to faith in Christ.

The pandemic has thrust change onto our congregations; some of it is unwelcome, and some is intriguing. What will your “destination postcard” look like?

The Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick, Transitional Synod Executive of the Synod of the Covenant

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Alicia DeMartra-Pressley, Administrative Assistant, Vital Congregations, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Sheldon Dennis, Vice President, Human Resources, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

Lord, help us to share our ideas, our resources and our passion for your work in the world so that together we may be the body of Christ, sharing the Good News and healing the tears in our social fabric. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Journaling your way to the Divine

Words reveal, challenge and inspire

August 30, 2022

Many of us probably kept a journal at some point growing up. I know I did. And when I look back at them, I read entries about what I did, what I ate and the time I went to bed on any given day. I’m not sure why I ever thought that last piece of information about my fascinating 10-year-old life would be important for any future reading. It seems, though, taking inventory of our days comes naturally to us.

The practice of spiritual journaling stems from that same instinct to catalog our days. But rather than make note of our eating and sleeping activities, the focus is on the deeper reality of our relationship with the Divine. As daunting as that might seem, it doesn’t have to be. Taking stock of your spiritual life can be a powerful tool that helps you recognize the people who are allowing you to move farther in your walk with God or, conversely, those things that are blocking that journey. And while you can invest in a fancy journal or a special pen, any old notebook and ballpoint pen will work just fine.

Start your spiritual journaling by picking a time of day that works best for you and that can be somewhat consistent. If you are a morning person, take time to write about the hopes and aspirations for the day. If you prefer journaling in the evening, walk through your day in your mind and note where you were aware of God being revealed in the people or situations you encountered.

Depending on your own style and personality, you may find it easy to write in prose, or you might prefer to make bullet points. You may even just doodle with words or images. If you find yourself with writer’s block, you may choose to base your journaling on passages of Scripture, using key words or verses as writing prompts. For example, select a passage and read it a few times, allowing thoughts to come to the front of your mind. Then, write them down. Write about what the passage means to you or what it might be saying to a particular situation you face. Perhaps there is some question that comes to mind, or the passage challenges you in some way. Whatever you write, do so freely and without judgment. This isn’t an academic paper, so you don’t need to develop a thesis or come to any neat conclusions.

Like any spiritual practice, the rewards of spiritual journaling come through the intentional slowing down of our lives. Each time we engage in the act of putting pen to paper we slow our minds and give that space to be present to God and God to us.

Often as I read back through previous journal entries, I am heartened by the ways that God is revealed and reminded of both the joys and struggles that God led me through. And these spiritual journaling entries are a lot more interesting than those telling me what time I went to bed!

The Rev. Dr. Maureen Paterson is associate pastor at Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Dee Decker, Acting Director of Communications, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Chelsea De Lisser, Retreat Center Manager, Stony Point Center, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

We thank you, O God, that nothing can separate us from your great love. We thank you for knitting us together not on the basis of bricks and mortar but through the blood, sweat and tears of Jesus Christ. Keep us faithful and let us not grow weary in doing good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Come as you are

The 2022 Walton Award recipients worship in a building, a garden and home gymnasium

August 29, 2022

First Light Fellowship in Anthem, Arizona, is one of three Walton Award recipients for 2022. During their Easter egg hunt this year, children found scriptural passages telling the story of Jesus. (Contributed photo)

Three new worshiping communities in Arizona, Georgia and Louisiana have been named winners of the 2022 Sam & Helen R. Walton Awards. Each recipient, listed below, will receive $15,000 for their excellence in furthering Presbyterian mission in their communities and neighborhoods.

• First Light Fellowship (Presbytery of Grand Canyon, Synod of the Southwest) is the only Reformed expression of church in Anthem, Arizona, providing refuge and community for people who do not feel welcome or cared for by other Christian faith expressions. First Light strives to be in community with those who haven’t been exposed to the gospel message, encouraging those God has gathered to work for justice in their community. More than half of the 60 people who call First Light home haven’t been involved in church for over a decade, if ever. The Walton Award will be used to finish renovations on building space the presbytery recently acquired on First Light’s behalf with signage, furniture and audio-visual needs.

• 

  Residents of a primarily low-income neighborhood worship at Okra Abbey, a functioning community garden in the Pigeon Town neighborhood in New Orleans. (Contributed photo)

  Okra Abbey (Presbytery of South Louisiana, Synod of Sun) is both a NWC and functioning community garden in the primarily low-income Pigeon Town neighborhood of New Orleans.

Through the growing of food and sharing of meals, Okra Abbey is building a unique community of faith. In a garden, people come as they are with their physical needs for food and water, with their questions and doubts, and their curiosity about faith. Surrounded by church buildings which are rarely open, except on Sunday, people in Pigeon Town are increasingly facing gentrification. Okra Abbey will use its Walton Award to purchase rainwater barrels and solar panels — green infrastructure that will allow it to be more resilient and operate more efficiently.

• 

  Nick and Liz Johnson (center) run a nonprofit CrossFit business and new worshiping community out of their garage. (Contributed photo)

   WAYS (With All Your Strength) (Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, Synod of South Atlantic) is led by Nick and Liz Johnson, who converted their home garage into a nonprofit business, which includes “Cross Fit Liminal.” Here the Johnsons started an NWC. Worship modeling the rhythms and movement of the PC(USA)’s Book of Common Worship happens on the gym floor while the community is working out.

Roughly 50% of WAYS’ anticipated budget will be directed to those with financial need. About half of the residents of Clarkston, Georgia are foreign-born. They’re immigrants and refugees hailing from 50 different countries. WAYS currently has 20 adult members, plus an average of 20 children, which is the maximum allowed attendance due to space restrictions. Currently negotiating a lease in a larger building, WAYS will use the Walton Award to improve this new expanded space and purchase additional equipment.

Each Walton winner was nominated by the Mission Development Resource Committee (MDRC), an elected body of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB).  These recommendations were endorsed by the PMAB.

In December 1991, Sam and Helen R. Walton made a gift through the Presbyterian Foundation of $6 million, which included $3 million to be used for new worshiping communities. Since 1993 there have been 125 Walton Awards totaling $5 million — and representing 77 presbyteries.

Visit Mission Program Grants for information on additional grant opportunities for 1001 New Worshiping Communities and presbyteries working on congregational transformation.

Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Deb Davies, Manager, Meeting Services, Office of the General Assembly
Allison Davis, Digitization Coordinator, Presbyterian Historical Society

Let us pray

Gracious God, may we be open to your freshness and to your recreative work in our midst. Repurpose us to do your work as we live into your kingdom. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - All hands on deck

Turning the good ship SS Ministry even as it continues sailing in uncharted waters

August 28, 2022

Photo by Sensei Minimal via Unsplash

A recent edition of Leading Theologically took on a nautical theme as host the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty and guest Gina Yeager-Buckley launched into this topic: “Turning the Ship: What Ministry Feels Like Right Now.”

Listen to the full conversation between Hinson-Hasty, senior director for Theological Funds Development for the Committee on Theological Education of the PC(USA) and the Presbyterian Foundation, and Yeager-Buckley, associate for Presbyterian Youth and Triennium, by going here or here.

“In some ways, this is a pessimistic title I’ve given you,” Yeager-Buckley told Hinson-Hasty. “But I think that’s OK because a lot of us are feeling this way right now. Right now it feels like I’m in the hold where the steamy hot engines are and I have no windows and no steering wheel and I’m being asked to turn this ship, cancel an event that’s beloved by thousands, and then figure out something new.”

“I think we are being asked constantly in ministry to turn this ship,” she said. “For me right now as a follower of Jesus Christ and a youth worker I feel like I’m being asked to turn a ship of hundreds of years of white privilege and turn it so I’m grabbing young people onto this boat. It’s really hard and good and baffling work, turning it while also building it and needing to repaint it and, oh yeah, there’s big holes in it and it’s sinking.”

“It’s not like, ‘Shipbuilding. It’s fun!’” Yeager-Buckley said. “It’s hard.”

The Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty

“I am a sailor. I get this,” Hinson-Hasty said. “Your sail tears or your rudder breaks. You’ve got to figure out new ways of doing things. I think pastors and youth workers in the church feel this way right now.”

Yeager-Buckley said those pastors and youth workers who’ve spent two years engaged mainly in online ministry “are paddling with their hands. We’re dealing with imperfect technology, but I think we’re getting pretty good with it.”

“One thing I hope it teaches us is we will make mistakes and we will have to learn from them and give grace,” she said. “Things may never be like they were, but certain parts will come back. I don’t want people to feel hopeless [about ministry to young people], especially youth workers. We will always have young people around us.”

What Yeager-Buckley strives to do more of in her own ministry is “find the energy to work to want relationships more than programs. At the start of the pandemic, part of me wishes we had slowed down like everyone else, watched the world and developed relationships more than throwing out programs. … What’s going on in the minds and hearts of these anxious young people that we have?”

Not only are many young people anxious, thanks in part to social media, “they have more ways of sharing their anxiety directly,” Yeager-Buckley said.

Gina Yeager-Buckley

In spite of all the challenges, churches and worshiping communities are finding ways to minister to young people — even when the young people aren’t readily apparent.

“I just saw the coolest thing,” Yeager-Buckley told Hinson-Hasty, tacking into a story told to her by a colleague in 1001 New Worshiping Communities. A certain church — as other churches have in recent years — wondered how to continue with its youth ministry when there were no more youth attending regularly. This church “summoned up their energy and their creativity and started doing things to support their local school’s sports teams,” Yeager-Buckley said, including providing them snacks and “respite care” for the athletes’ parents over the holidays.

“I love that. Those are the stories I want people to hear,” she said. It matters, she said, to ask a parent, “What can I do for you as a parent? We need to support these accompaniers of youth and their families.”

“On this ship, people know each other by name,” Hinson-Hasty replied. “We are part of a community and we aren’t waiting for people to come to us. We’re engaging them. I want to be on that ship.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

April Davenport, Associate General Counsel, Legal Services, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Kathie Davenport,  Program Administrator, Church Engagement, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

Dear Lord, the source of our strength, you are good to provide for our needs in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Thank you for your guidance and wisdom to carry out the work you have called us to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Could a culture of public forgiveness break our modern outrage cycle?

Theologians weigh in on the idea that our culture’s pervasive anger is tied to a lack of forgiveness

August 27, 2022

Photo by Uriel Soberanes via Unsplash

A recent article published by Vox titled “Everyone wants forgiveness, but no one is being forgiven” captured our attention. “Modern outrage is a cycle,” the subhead reads. “Could a culture of public forgiveness ever break it?”

The article suggests that in this “era of polarized politics, ‘cancel culture’ and the tendency of social media users to conduct informal modern tribunals without a lot of due process, seeking and granting public forgiveness is increasingly complicated.”

Presbyterian News Service invited several theologians to speak about forgiveness, which seems to be, according to the article, “perpetually beyond our reach.” Here are excerpts of our conversation.

(PNS) The article suggests that the anger in our culture is tied to a lack of forgiveness. What are your thoughts?

Dr. Susan Hylen teaches New Testament at the Emory Candler School of Theology. (Contributed photo)

Dr. Susan E. Hylen, associate professor of New Testament, Emory Candler School of Theology: I would say the current anger in our culture comes from a lack of repentance. People don’t take the time to feel the remorse for what they’ve done. If there was real public remorse, a public apology forgiveness might actually happen. I think every time we teach people to forgive in the church, there should also be a teaching on repentance. How often do we sin against each other in church without going through the communal process of acknowledging the sin, the need to repent and then forgive?

Dr. Brian K. Blount is president and professor of New Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary.

Dr. Brian K. Blount, president and professor of New Testament, Union Presbyterian Seminary: Reparation and justice go along with forgiveness — recompense is built into it. True repentance creates the condition for forgiveness and for the relationship to be restored. You can’t truly build community and trust unless there is justice. The fundamental breakdown in community right now makes forgiveness very difficult.

Dr. William P. Brown teaches Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. (Photo by Paul Seebeck)

Dr. William P. Brown, professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary:

Presbyterians believe in total depravity. We are inclined toward immorality, which means we believe in the necessity and a culture of forgiveness. The culture of outrage feeds upon itself. Destructive anger takes up a lot of energy. It condemns and destroys others, including their reputation and livelihood. But a constructive form of outrage, such as in the form of protest expressed in the face of injustice, can be used to change systems.

(PNS) What thoughts did this article on forgiveness spark for you?

Brown: God is the supreme forgiver, always offering second chances and providing new beginnings. Released from sin, we no longer need to be caught up in the cycle of condemnation and destructive outrage. In Exodus 34:6–7, God confesses who God is. God’s most basic characteristic is God’s readiness to forgive. Nevertheless, forgiveness and accountability exist together. It’s easier to talk about forgiveness in an intimate relationship, where there’s clear communication, personal confession, and repentance, than in the public arena, which makes forgiveness more difficult but not impossible.

Blount: In the social media world it’s hard to establish a sense of community.  People of different contexts and realities speak harshly against others of different contexts and realties. Social media is fast. It causes a breakdown, and people are unable to get to know each other. The classroom, at least for me, is a community where we listen to each other. Sometimes, we unintentionally or intentionally hurt someone. So, we grapple with issues of faith and justice, which allows forgiveness to take root. In the social media world, we don’t have that communal understanding. There’s not enough trust to get to repentance and forgiveness.

Hylen: Mundane, everyday forgiveness is most interesting to me, because it takes the kind of spiritual work Jesus talked about in Matthew 18. We always hear about the reference to forgive in Matthew 18:21–22 where Jesus tells Peter to forgive either 70 times 7, or 77 times. But the context for this comes after a long set of injunctions for the church (Matthew 18:15–20). Here is a communal process for forgiveness, which says to a person, “What you did is wrong. You need to acknowledge you got it wrong.” And if the person doesn’t listen, then one should distance themselves from the one who’s harmed them. We don’t necessarily acknowledge how important and how hard this work of repentance and forgiveness is.

Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Kerri Daly, Product Manager, Flyaway Books, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Nora D’Ambrosio, Guest Services, Stony Point Center

Let us pray

O Lord our God, you are always inviting us to change, to grow, to go down a new path. We crave stability, and yet you push us beyond our comfort zones into the places you have planned for us. Grant us strength and courage. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Church discovers key to vitality

People are seeking to serve

August 26, 2022

Franklin Presbyterian Church’s Clothes Closet is one of the many ways the church is answering its call to be a Matthew 25 congregation. Courtesy of Franklin Presbyterian

One of the things that attracted the Rev. Daniel Van Beek to Franklin Presbyterian Church was its commitment to Matthew 25. “Their pastor had left, and the interim hadn’t even come, yet they still moved forward with Matthew 25,” said Van Beek, who joined the Franklin, Kentucky, congregation in 2020.

While engaging in all three Matthew 25 focuses — building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty — it is the church’s work in the latter that has garnered attention.

Franklin, named one of the 50 best small Southern cities, is not without its challenges. Many families, says Van Beek, struggle with Jesus’ Matthew 25 saying, “I was naked and you clothed me.” Aware of this, Franklin Presbyterian began a clothes closet in its basement. Clothing donations came pouring in, and soon, Van Beek says, there was no room to move.

Today, the Matthew 25 Clothes Closet provides clothing for its neighbors. As for its name, the Matthew 25 committee made it a point not to call it the Franklin Presbyterian Clothes Closet.

“We are not here to promote the church’s name, but to make known what we stand for,” said Van Beek. Now that the clothing ministry is up and running, the Matthew 25 team can explore what’s next.

That exploration is at the heart of Franklin Presbyterian’s mission. So much so that when a gift was left to the church, it was decided to invest the money in a new staff position. “We didn’t want that money for hospice care,” said Van Beek.

In 2021, the Rev. Bailey Pickens joined the congregation as its new community connections director. Pickens sees her role as “connecting the dots” within the community. Many of these dots get connected by nurturing conversations.

One of the places such conversations are held is within the church. In 2014, an addition was built onto the sanctuary. It is viewed as a space for the community. “We’re using the resources we have to listen,” said Pickens.

Van Beek adds that Matthew 25 “has opened conversations” he never imagined would take place.

Through its anti-racism and poverty work, Franklin Presbyterian has also discovered what a vital congregation is.

“It is where everyone is doing the ministry,” said Pickens. It is also where people want to be part of the mission.

This past winter, the congregation welcomed 10 new members — many of whom joined because of the work being done in the community, Van Beek says.

Donna Frischknecht Jackson, Editor, Presbyterians Today

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Patricia Curtis, Production Clerk, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 
Dana Dages, Web Developer/Designer, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

Gracious God, you give strength to the weary and power to the faint. Lift up those who have given so much. May they know the peace of Christ, the peace that surpasses all human understanding. In your gracious name we pray. Amen.

Ministry Matters - Dementia and Christian discipleship | Work and rest and being human

How do we nurture discipleship among those who have forgotten Jesus? Dementia and Christian discipleship by Ken Carder   Dementia does not threaten or diminish Christian discipleship. On the contrary, dementia forces us to broaden the scope of discipleship beyond abstract beliefs, intellectual formulation and reflections, and prescribed behavioral activities. Christian discipleship is a way of being that bears witness to and engages with the reality of divine presence and love. Read here

How can our work be a part of being the human we yearn to be? Work and rest and being human by Jake Owensby   Let’s face it, too many of us derive our sense of worth—and respect the relative worth of other people—on the basis of work. I am what I accomplish, the kind of job I hold, the career success I’ve achieved, the salary I draw. You are too. At least, that’s the toxic lesson that many of us absorb from our social, economic ecosystem. Read here

How do we help our kids celebrate God's gift of creation? Creation, stewardship, and kids by Joyce Brown   As you teach the Creation story to children who have been entrusted to your care, remember that you are a steward. You are to use your gifts of time, talent, resources, and relationships to help children celebrate God’s gift of creation and to help children learn to be caretakers of creation. Read here

Sermon notes for what's ahead this Sunday Guess who should be coming to dinner?

Elements for what matters most in worship this Sunday

We're looking for congregational leaders like you. Our mission is to offer resources and content that can help you in your work—and we want to know how you are putting those resources to use. We're looking for congregational leaders to review books and other resources for MinistryMatters, helping orient our readers to the resource and explaining how the resource has influenced your practices in ministry. If you are interested in becoming a published reviewer, please contact our editor here.