Today in the Mission Yearbook - New hymn encourages Presbyterians to gather and deliver emergency kits

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette pens ‘O God, When We Face Trouble’

March 31, 2023

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

Presbyterian pastor and hymn writer the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written a new hymn to encourage Presbyterians and others to gather and send hygiene and other kits to organizations that can put them in the hands of people who need them as the result of natural or human-caused disasters.

Gillette’s new hymn, “O God, When We Face Trouble,” is set to the tune of AURELIA, “The Church’s One Foundation.” After an introductory verse, one of five optional verses — for hygiene, cleaning, school kits, welcome backpacks and period packs — can be inserted. Gillette completes the hymn with a sixth verse.

Gillette wrote the hymn with Church World Service, a partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in mind. Find the new lyrics formatted in hymn form here.

O God When We Face Trouble

AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D (“The Church’s One Foundation”)

O God, when we face trouble, when we need help and care,
you reach to us through others who listen, love and share.
You send us now to neighbors with troubles of their own.
May they know, through our labors, that they are not alone.

We give these kits for hygiene with basic things like soap.
We put in combs and Band-Aids for health care and for hope.
At borders and in shelters, God, may these items be
a sign of love and friendship, and shared humanity.

We give these kits for cleaning — these buckets and supplies,
for more and more, we’re seeing storms rage and waters rise.
When flooding has receded, God, may these buckets bear
supplies to use and also, the promise: Neighbors care!

We give these gifts of School Kits; they’re filled with simple things
like pencils, crayons, notebooks. What joy a school bag brings!
The gift of education begins with basic tools.
May these help youth and children succeed and thrive in schools.

We give these Welcome Backpacks for those who’ve fled in fear,
for neighbors just arriving have few possessions here.
May snacks and pens and blankets and water bottles, too,
give struggling people courage as they begin anew.

We give these gifts for hygiene — these Period Pack supplies.
When things like Pads are lacking, it complicates young lives.
When women have no money, when girls are forced to flee,
may these gifts be a blessing for health and dignity.

You teach us to be neighbors; you teach us what is true —
that when we’re helping others, we’re also serving you.
God, as we share with others, use all these gifts, we pray,
to help our hurting neighbors look toward a better day.

Biblical References: Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 25:31-46
Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864 (“The Church’s One Foundation”)
Text: Copyright © 2023 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: carolynshymns@gmail.com
New Hymns: carolynshymns.com

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ashley Winn, Senior Assistant, Loan Operations, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Jung Ju Winner, Marketing Assistant, Presbyterian Women

Let us pray

God of mercy and justice, we thank you for the fire that purifies and the Spirit that sustains. Bless our modest efforts to speak in your name. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - For the first time, Union Presbyterian Seminary will be led by a woman

Dr. Jacqueline E. Lapsley will begin her new duties on July 1

March 30, 2023

Dr. Jacqueline E. Lapsley

The Board of Trustees has named Dr. Jacqueline E. Lapsley to be the eighth president of Union Presbyterian Seminary.

As the first woman to lead the seminary in its 211-year history, Lapsley is used to being a trailblazer. She was the first woman to serve as dean and vice president for Academic Affairs at Princeton Theological Seminary, a position  she has held since 2018.

She joined the Princeton faculty in 1998. A noted Old Testament scholar who has authored or co-edited a number of works, including “Women’s Bible Commentary,” Lapsley earned her Ph.D. from Emory University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, an M.A. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her A.B. from Smith College. “My father is an alumnus of Union,” she said, “and Brian Blount has been a cherished colleague for years. I’m delighted to be succeeding President Blount as he retires; he has positioned Union so well for the future.”

Co-chairs of the search committee Dr. Steve Allred and the Rev. Lori Archer Raible said, “As Union Presbyterian Seminary is poised to engage the many significant challenges facing theological education, Dr. Lapsley brings a depth of administrative experience, a deep devotion to Christian education, and an abiding commitment to the Church. These leadership gifts will help us build a stronger community across both the Richmond and Charlotte campuses as we strive to be the church in the world.”

Dr. Brian Blount

A cradle Presbyterian, Lapsley’s bold vision for theological education is rooted in the Reformed tradition and intentionally focused on diversity. “The diversity of the world God creates, redeems, and sustains must be reflected on our campuses in order to shape leaders for the world God so loves,” noted Lapsley. Dr. Rodney Sadler, Director of Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation, called Lapsley “a woman of God who has a proven track record of work in racial atonement with the aptitude and attitude to lead us to a greater focus on social justice and diversity.”

The Rev. Dr. Christopher Edmonston, Board of Trustees Chair for Union Presbyterian Seminary, agreed: “Her distinguished scholarship and fresh perspective bring an inspired and wonderful direction to the seminary. She is the right leader for the years to come. I want to thank the search committee for their faithful work.”

Lapsley will begin her duties on July 1. Blount retires on June 30 after 16 years at the helm of the seminary. Blount said, “I have known Dr. Lapsley for two decades. She is poised to continue her exemplary service in theological education at UPSem. I am elated the search committee chose her and the Board named her as the next president.”

Union Presbyterian Seminary, Special to Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Melaina Wilson, Marketing Program Assistant, Presbyterian Foundation
Miatta Wilson, Mission Associate II, Christian Formation, Theology, Formation & Evangelism, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

We know that the secret of bearing fruit is abiding in Christ and he in us. Through communion, servanthood and fellowship, we benefit from Christ’s strength so that we may be able to bear fruit and be a blessing to others. Help us to serve with humility and grace. Amen.

Falling in love with scripture | Reimagining God's social kin-dom

How will we respond to the demands of reading scripture? Falling in love with scripture by Judy Fentress-Williams   Language is complicated. Words can mean more than one thing, and this passage from a book about poetry informs my students that the words of scripture not only come a long way to find us but, like a poem, must be read with attention. Poetry does not yield meaning easily, and it doesn’t promise to make sense. In my not so humble opinion, readers of the Bible would be better off if they approached scripture like poetry. Read here

How do we participate in the coming of God’s kingdom? Reimagining God's social kin-dom by Julianne Snape   “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name….” Sitting quietly, I listen to the Lord’s Prayer lifted by the congregation’s voice, in all its varying tones and tenures. With my eyes closed and breathing deeply, I feel like I am sitting at the threshold of something vast and mysterious, like the ocean’s shoreline. Read here

What does choosing moral consistency and basic integrity require of us? Progressive United Methodists cannot have it both ways by John Lomperis   Traditionalist United Methodists and genuine moderates now wonder if the rapidly changing UMC will have any place for them—other than perhaps as second-class citizens, begrudgingly tolerated as long as they pay apportionments and stay silent. Read here

Genuine conversion, the witnessing guide, and the sermon for this Sunday Connecting worship with the season this Sunday

Preparing to worship with kids on the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian pastor: Don’t fear the ‘E’ word

The Rev. Dr. Cheni Khonje leads a webinar for ruling elders and deacons on the joy and responsibility of evangelism

March 29, 2023

The Rev. Dr. Cheni Khonje

Along with easing any tension over their task as evangelists, Dr. Cheni Khonje recently taught a crowd of nearly 200 ruling elders and deacons some new language around the concepts of “welcome” and “relationship.”

Khonje spoke for more than an hour as part of a Leader Formation webinar offered by the Office of the General Assembly. Martha Miller, manager of ruling elder resources and educator certification in OGA’s Mid Council Ministries, hosted the webinar, “Breaking the Myth of the Presbyterian Fear of the ‘E’ Word,” which can be viewed here.

Khonje was born in Malawi and became a political refugee when she was less than a month old. Along with her siblings, she grew up in Lusaka, Zambia, and Hilversum, the Netherlands. They moved to New York City when her mother began working with the United Nations.

Khonje, who recently joined the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, is a graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska and holds a master’s degree in medical microbiology from Long Island University. She graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Lutheran Seminary.

During the webinar, Khonje quickly got about the work to, as she put it, “bust the myth of Presbyterians being afraid of the ‘E’ word.” Indeed, “Presbyterians have a rich history of welcome. … I believe we can live into our quest to answer Christ’s call to make disciples of all people.”

Scripture abounds with stories of people enthusiastically sharing God’s good news. In 2 Samuel 6:14, David dances before the Lord with all his might. In John’s gospel, Jesus invites his disciples-to-be to “come and see,” calling them by name and even renaming one of them.

“You, beloved elders and deacons, have also been called by your name,” Khonje told those on the call. “By electing you to serve God, the church is affirming what Christ and the Holy Spirit are already doing in your life. Everyone is called to evangelism. It’s a matter of how we act, and not necessarily what we preach.”

Thursday’s webinar was the most recent in the Leader Formation series offered by the Office of the General Assembly.

The importance of the individual approach to evangelism can be found in Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria and Philip’s with the Ethiopian eunuch. “Examining our history as people who have been able to embrace the invitation to evangelism,” Khonje said, “we will discover our destiny and what it is we are supposed to do.”

Khonje traced some of the history of the spread of Christianity into her native Malawi and some of its neighbors, including Tanzania and Mozambique. Scottish missionaries were among those arriving after David Livingstone, who died in Zambia in 1873 after contracting malaria.

“The Scots loved Malawi. It is mountainous and hilly,” Khonje noted. The city where she was born, Blantyre, was named after the Scottish city where Livingstone was born. She credited Presbyterian missionaries with helping to end the slave trade in the region.

Her great-great grandparents helped to build St. Michael and All Angels Church, a church constructed in 1891 that’s still standing near Blantyre, Malawi. About 350 types of bricks comprise the building, according to Khonje. Church services were conducted in the Yao language, “and missionaries learned different languages to help with those church services,” Khonje said.

Khonje herself was born into a royal family, and yet she became a refugee at only 28 days old. The name “Cheni” means “mother of a nation.”

“That’s a heavy load to carry,” she said. Her middle name, given to her by her grandfather, means “peacemaker.”

“Faith in Jesus is made manifest by how one strives for justice and peace in God’s name,” she said. “The work of the evangelist is in sharing the love of Jesus by making sure the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed and the sick are cared for.”

“Cultural compassion,” Khonje said, “is essential for successful mission.”

When Khonje’s family became refugees in Zambia, her grandparents learned to speak four of Zambia’s 72 languages “so they could continue to be elders in a strange land,” Khonje said. From a Yao perspective, “culture is communal. We are part of a larger family.”

The next Leader Formation webinar is scheduled for April 27. It’ll cover theoretical and practical realities of caring for one another in the church. Watch for more information here.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Layton Williams-Berkes, Communications Associate, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Carla Wilson, Customer Service Consultant, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray

Loving God, as you have loved us, may we reach out with love to others. As you have cared for us, may we be caring toward others. As you promise to be with us, strengthen us to be there for others. Keep our eyes and hearts open to new places where we might serve you and the world. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Webinar focuses on nonviolent action in Ukraine

Members of Congress are urged to support diplomacy

March 28, 2023

Photo by Karollyne Hubert via Unsplash

With the one-year anniversary of Russia’s continued aggression toward Ukraine looming, a webinar was held recently to discuss the impact of nonviolent resistance against the war and to make recommendations to Congress, including stressing the need for diplomacy.

The webinar was put on by the Peace & Security Working Group of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC) and included two main speakers: Andre Kamenshikov, a peacebuilding activist who’s lived in Kyiv, Ukraine for the past 10 years, and Felip Daza, a scholar and practitioner of nonviolent civil resistance.

The war has resulted in up to 300,000 casualties in the last year, according to media reports, and been denounced by members of the international community, including the United States. This week, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its forces and for Member States and international organizations to redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve “just and lasting peace.”

“For the Ukranian people, this is a battle for self-determination,” Daza noted during his presentation, adding later, “It is important to develop a comprehensive protection program for nonviolent activists in the occupied territories but also in Russia and Belarus, where the repression is increasing.”

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has spoken out against the war and participates in WISC, which is a network of more than 70 Washington offices of national religious bodies and faith-based organizations that “collaborate on advocacy for U.S. government policies that advance a more just, peaceful and ecologically sustainable world,” according to WISC’s website.

Daza gave an overview of 235 Ukrainian non-violent civil resistance actions taken from February 2022 to June 2022. They included mass protests, graffiti, the hanging of flags and ribbons, and systemic non-cooperation actions.  Such efforts made a difference, including slowing down the advance of the Russian army, protecting residents, contradicting Russian narratives and building community resilience, according to his research.

The Peace & Security Working Group of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community sponsored “The War in Ukraine: Impacts of Nonviolent Resistance and U.S. Policy Implications.” (Screenshot)

“It was really important, the role of grassroots organizations to daily organize communication actions, solidarity actions towards the people,” he said. “This specific resilience was happening at (the) local level in neighborhoods” and gave “support to the people to maintain and to survive.”

He also spoke about the emergence of self-organized groups making daily decisions on how to provide humanitarian action. This “huge community-organizing process in the whole country is a real school of political empowerment,” he said.

Looking to the future, Kamenshikov suggested trying to win favor with the scores of Russians who have left the country since the 2022 invasion.

“Over a million Russians have left the country after Feb. 24 (of) last year, and each of these people has dozens of acquaintances, friends, relatives and so forth that he can directly communicate with,” Kamenshikov said. “My proposal and my hope is, really, let’s engage these people. Let’s turn them into our allies. … If we can do that in a significant way, that might have an impact on what’s happening internally, because the regime of Putin must end and every day it exists is a disaster for Ukraine, for Russia itself, and for the whole world.”

Kamenshikov went on to praise President Joe Biden’s recent speech in Warsaw, Poland. “I would like this message to be strengthened, to be carried out in policy decisions, and to effectively engage in many ways with the people of Russia itself,” he said.

Eli McCarthy of Georgetown University’s Program on Justice and Peace followed the speakers to summarize policy priorities and recommendations. “Number one, we ask for support and funding for peacebuilding aid and nonviolent resistance action, and number two, we ask for a consistent needs-based diplomacy and negotiations for a just peace,” he said.

Representatives of the U.S. government can help, he said, by encouraging the Ukrainian government to develop a non-cooperation strategy that activists can work with to help resist the occupation and invasion.

Also, members of Congress should make public statements supporting diplomacy and reach out to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken privately to advocate for diplomacy, he said, adding, “The prevalent logic of waiting for diplomacy until there is military advantage will almost certainly not yield a durable peace.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

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

Let us pray

Gracious God, we thank you for the way you empower your people to witness in word and deed to your love. We especially praise you for working through our infirmity to show your power and care for a hurting world. Amen.