Misson Yearbook: New presbytery blooms in Pennsylvania

This year in Pennsylvania, a new variety of mountain laurel is blossoming — not the flower, but a presbytery.

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Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton via Unsplash

Lehigh and Lackawanna presbyteries, which cover the northeastern part of the state and include one church in New York, are merging to become one, single, new Mountain Laurel Presbytery, named for the state flower of Pennsylvania.

The mountain laurel, which grows across the state and along the Eastern part of the United States, is known for its ability to thrive in rocky soil.

Lackawanna and Lehigh officially voted in favor of the merger at their May 3 joint assembly. The decision was approved by the Synod of the Trinity at its meeting on June 17. On July 11, the General Assembly’s administrative commission on mid councils, newly created during last summer’s 226th General Assembly, gave final approval.

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The Rev. Denise Pass

Nearly a year ago, the Rev. Denise Pass was called to serve as shared general presbyter for the two merging presbyteries. She emphasizes that she was brought it at the end of a long and involved process. In fact, while these formal steps are recent, Pass said there has been talk of merger among Pennsylvania’s eastern presbyteries going back nearly five decades.

Pass said the ongoing decline in church membership nationally was certainly a contributing factor in the decision to merge, but that other realities more specific to their geographic context also factored in. Portions of that part of Pennsylvania are rural and very sparsely populated, which means that in some cases there may be one small Presbyterian congregation for an entire county.

“There seemed to be a fairly significant disconnect between the denomination and the presbytery and many of the rural or smaller congregations in the presbytery,” Pass said.

When the Rev. Rhonda Kruse was hired as Lehigh’s transitional presbyter in September 2019, talk of collaboration between the two presbyteries reemerged more intentionally. For a while, a third presbytery — Northumberland — was also involved, but eventually dropped out of the process.

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The Rev. Rhonda Kruse

In 2022, Kruse became presbyter for Lackawanna Presbytery as well, and, after a series of staff turnovers,  the presbyteries began to share other personnel as well. Eventually, they began to have joint presbytery meetings and explored what merging might actually look like.

In late 2023, the two presbyteries officially agreed to pursue a merger. The Rev. Karen Kinney was hired as a merger coordinator, with the responsibility of overseeing the union process and ensuring all legal, financial, ecclesiastical and relational needs were met.

Reflecting on the experience upon her retirement in 2024, Kruse said focusing on building relationships between the two presbyteries proved essential.

“The key to the success of all of this was that we were very deliberate about having in-person only meetings, starting in November of ’22,” Kruse said. “We got to know each other, started working on trying to make sure that relationships were being built.”

Pass echoed this sentiment, describing herself as “an adult adoptee of the PC(USA)” who really values the connectional nature of the denomination.

The Rev. Forrest Claassen, the executive for Synod of the Trinity, praised how intentional the two presbyteries were in discussing clearly and explicitly what their expectations were, describing it as the equivalent of “really, really good premarital counseling.”

The process has involved a lot of technical and logistics work, such as combining committees and writing a new operations manual. But there have been fun elements, too. In January, presbytery leaders held a naming contest for the new presbytery. There were a number of suggestions, but Mountain Laurel Presbytery won out.

The name is, perhaps, especially appropriate for a presbytery committed to thriving in the face of a challenging modern church landscape. Claassen explained that many people don’t associate Pennsylvania with Appalachia, but the mountain range does extend through the eastern part of the state. 

Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Denise Gray, Supervisor, General Ledger Office, Administrative Services Group
Katrinia Green, Controller, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Holy One, continue to show us how to multiply our loaves and fishes. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: GA planning director speaks on ‘Persevering Toward Wholeness’

Preaching during a recent weekly online Chapel Service, Kate Trigger Duffert explored the theme of next summer’s 227th General Assembly, “Persevering Toward Wholeness,” announced here.

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Kate Trigger Duffert speaks to the 226th General Assembly, held online and in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Duffert, director of GA planning and an associate stated clerk, based her reflection on some of the images found in Rev. 22:1–7, which will help guide the Assembly —especially this description of the tree of life: “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Duffert pointed out that some churches throughout the denomination elect to use the GA theme as a worship guide for their own services and ministries. “This year’s theme, like many past themes, speaks to the state of the world and the PC(USA)’s call at this time,” she said.

It comes at a time when many people of faith “are challenged by a deepening sense of isolation,” she said. “We’ve been taught a message of individual success, of celebrating self-made millionaires and lifting oneself up by bootstraps.”

That message “drives policies that claim no one should be dependent on one another,” she said. “It’s a message that tells us to look inward and value our individual needs over the needs of the community, that the services that benefit the whole of the nation — from education to affordable housing to emergency relief to health care and more — should be privatized and made accessible only to those who are deemed worthy.”

Once that value of individualization took root, “we developed a world in which the spaces and tools around us reinforce our separation,” she said, naming redlined highways that divide communities; underfunded public transportation; and the devaluing of community centers, libraries, schools and other third spaces. “Those spaces that remain are often made inaccessible by the cost of accessing them,” she said, citing examples including events that are ticketed, customer-only restrooms and membership-based activity centers.

Social media is often used to separate the individual from others, “perhaps even to separate the truth of oneself from the curated identity portrayed to the world,” she said. “Too often, this curation extends to our news services, where we are driven by an algorithm to see only that which benefits revenue and not the stories of those who are the most vulnerable across the globe.”

“These systems undergird much of the world we live in each day,” she said, “a world that tells us not only to look inward but to push out others, to deport people who have done no wrong … and ultimately to reject a world of diversity.”

“Perhaps most painfully,” Duffert said, “these values are often preached as what it means to be a real Christian.”

“Persevering Toward Wholeness” speaks to this challenge, she said, in part by recognizing “the inherent disconnect between a world of division and the world God calls us into.”

“As Presbyterians, we believe in a sovereign God,” a God who is “so tangibly woven into the whole of Creation that there is nothing that can be separated from God,” Duffert said. “Wholeness requires that we recognize the interconnected ecosystem in which we live, and as part of that, that we honor the diversity of ways in which we show up in the world and do the hard work of accountability, of repair and reformation that enables us to be a community where … the ways in which we handle conflict are centered on honoring the God who is in us all.”

“Perhaps in another time and place, the theme of the Assembly could have been ‘Working Toward Wholeness.’ But I suspect many of you, like me, who are tired, have been tired for a long time,” she said. “When every system that we wade through and every message that we hear co-opts our faith to divide us and dishonor God, it is difficult to find holy ground to stand on that’s Spirit-filled, and to breathe.”

It's “a little ironic,” she said, “that the very salve to our current divided world is the outcome we seek in our ongoing work. The wholeness of God’s kin-dom is most evident in community, and it is in community that we find the strength to carry on when the work feels hard.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Denise Govindarajan, Associate Director, Digital Strategy & Information Systems, Administrative Services Group
Joanna Graf, Administrator, Finance, IT, Strategic Initiatives, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Dear God, you are the gardener who planted all that is and delights at its flourishing. Open our eyes to the abundance of Creation, that we might feel free to share what is ours, to ask where there is need, and to partake of the feast of caring for one another. Like the bread that comes from your own table of grace, bless us that we might feed others. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: AI and the church are subjects of Office of Innovation gathering

An ecumenical group of several dozen Christians recently gathered in Minneapolis to engage in conversation about the present and future of Artificial Intelligence and the church. The event, called “Faithful Futures: Guiding AI with Wisdom and Witness,” also took place online.

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Photo by Igor Omilaev via Unsplash

Artificial Intelligence — or AI — is increasingly prevalent in society, particularly with the rise of Large Language Models (LMM) like ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI. While traditional AI focuses on analysis and prediction, generative AI produces new content, including text, images, video and audio. The rapidly expanding access to and use of generative AI by the general public has led to a number of questions about the ethical implications of such technology, including environmental impact and intellectual property rights. In addition to ethical questions, the introduction of generative AI also catalyzes theological questions about creativity, intelligence, love, truth, sin and what it means to be human.

The Office of Innovation within the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA) is committed to helping navigate the transformative landscape of Generative Artificial Intelligence by prioritizing Christian ethics and issues of justice, access, and equity in the use of AI tools alongside the faithful, innovative uses of AI technology.

This work included participation in the organization and implementation of the “AI and the Church Summit,” which took place in Seattle last August and convened leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the PC(USA). The summit took place both at Epiphany Parish and Microsoft’s campus and included a keynote from Father Paolo Benanti, an Italian Catholic priest who advised Pope Francis on ethical issues around technology and who helped write A Rome Call for AI Ethics. Benanti’s talk emphasized the church’s responsibility to question how technology like AI shapes society and demonstrate what ethical stewardship of such technology looks like.

Faithful Futures continued this exploration of “how the Church can help shape the future of artificial intelligence with theological depth, ethical clarity and practical innovation.” The event was organized by the Office of Innovation in collaboration with TryTank Research Institute, a project of Virginia Theological Seminary, the ELCA Innovation Lab, and the United Methodist Church’s Discipleship Ministries. In addition, Benanti participated along with several colleagues from the Catholic Church.

The event featured four speakers: Dr. Philip Butler, Dr. Jane McGonigal, Jovonia Taylor and Dr. Miguel De La Torre.

Butler is a scholar specializing in the intersection of neuroscience, technology, spirituality and Blackness. He serves as the director of the Iliff School of Theology’s AI Institute and is the founder of the Seekr Project, which explores the iterative connections between generative AI, mental health and critical Black consciousness.

McGonigal specializes in developing games that simulate and predict the future. She is the author of several books, most recently including “Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything, Even Things That Seem Impossible Today.”

Taylor is one of Amazon’s Business Technology executives and has more than 20 years of expertise in designing solutions across engineering, marketing, operations, information technology, merchandising, and supplier management.

De La Torre, who offered a charge to close the gathering, is Professor of Social Ethics and Latine Studies at the Iliff School of Theology and focuses on social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class and gender oppression.

In addition to the work of the Office of Innovation, the PC(USA) is responding to questions around the ethics of AI and how the church engages with such technology in other ways. In 2024, the 226th General Assembly directed the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy to develop of a new social witness policy and conduct a study on the responsible use of AI. The office of Research Services is also currently conducting a survey to “help gauge the perception of the wider church on Artificial Intelligence.”

Layton Williams Berkes, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Ashley Gibson, HR Assistant, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group
Sharon Dunne Gillies, Managing Editor, Presbyterian Women

Let us pray:

You who are the Word made flesh, we thank you for the many ways we have to spread your good news. May the presence of your churches reach many who are in need of ministry and the news of your living presence in our midst. Amen.

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 31, 2025

Daily Lectionary Readings (Two-Year Cycle)

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 31, 2025 By Daily Lectionary Readings, Friday, October 31, 2025 12:00 AM Morning Psalm 84 1   How lovely is your dwelling place,           O LORD of hosts! 2   My soul longs, indeed it faints           for the courts of the LORD;      my heart and my flesh sing for joy           to the living God. 3   Even the sparrow finds a home,           and the swallow a nest for herself,           where she may lay her young,      at your altars, O LORD of hosts,           my King and my God. 4   Happy are those who live in your house,           ever singing your praise. Selah 5   Happy are those whose strength is in you,           in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6   As they go through the valley of Baca           they make it a place of springs;           the early rain also covers it with pools. 7   They go from strength to strength;           the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 8   O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;           give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9   Behold our shield, O God;           look on the face of your anointed. 10  For a day in your courts is better           than a thousand elsewhere.      I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God           than live in the tents of wickedness. 11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield;           he bestows favor and honor.      No good thing does the LORD withhold           from those who walk uprightly. 12  O LORD of hosts,           happy is everyone who trusts in you. Morning Psalm 148 1   Praise the Lord!      Praise the Lord from the heavens;           praise him in the heights! 2   Praise him, all his angels;           praise him, all his host! 3   Praise him, sun and moon;           praise him, all you shining stars! 4   Praise him, you highest heavens,           and you waters above the heavens! 5   Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for he commanded and they were created. 6   He established them forever and ever;           he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7   Praise the Lord from the earth,           you sea monsters and all deeps, 8   fire and hail, snow and frost,           stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9   Mountains and all hills,           fruit trees and all cedars! 10  Wild animals and all cattle,           creeping things and flying birds! 11  Kings of the earth and all peoples,           princes and all rulers of the earth! 12  Young men and women alike,           old and young together! 13  Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for his name alone is exalted;           his glory is above earth and heaven. 14  He has raised up a horn for his people,           praise for all his faithful,           for the people of Israel who are close to him.      Praise the Lord! First Reading Nehemiah 2:1-20 1In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. 2So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.” 6The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. 7Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me. 9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent officers of the army and cavalry with me. 10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 11So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. 12Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the animal I rode. 13I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the Dragon’s Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue. 15So I went up by way of the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest that were to do the work. 17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” 18I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.” Or alternate First Reading Lamentations 4:1-22 1   How the gold has grown dim,           how the pure gold is changed!      The sacred stones lie scattered           at the head of every street. 2   The precious children of Zion,           worth their weight in fine gold —      how they are reckoned as earthen pots,           the work of a potter’s hands! 3   Even the jackals offer the breast           and nurse their young,      but my people has become cruel,           like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4   The tongue of the infant sticks           to the roof of its mouth for thirst;      the children beg for food,           but no one gives them anything. 5   Those who feasted on delicacies           perish in the streets;      those who were brought up in purple           cling to ash heaps. 6   For the chastisement of my people has been greater           than the punishment of Sodom,      which was overthrown in a moment,           though no hand was laid on it. 7   Her princes were purer than snow,           whiter than milk;      their bodies were more ruddy than coral,      their hair like sapphire. 8   Now their visage is blacker than soot;           they are not recognized in the streets.      Their skin has shriveled on their bones;           it has become as dry as wood. 9   Happier were those pierced by the sword           than those pierced by hunger,      whose life drains away, deprived           of the produce of the field. 10  The hands of compassionate women           have boiled their own children;      they became their food      in the destruction of my people. 11  The LORD gave full vent to his wrath;           he poured out his hot anger,      and kindled a fire in Zion           that consumed its foundations. 12  The kings of the earth did not believe,           nor did any of the inhabitants of the world,      that foe or enemy could enter           the gates of Jerusalem. 13  It was for the sins of her prophets           and the iniquities of her priests,      who shed the blood of the righteous           in the midst of her. 14  Blindly they wandered through the streets,           so defiled with blood      that no one was able           to touch their garments. 15  “Away! Unclean!” people shouted at them;           “Away! Away! Do not touch!”      So they became fugitives and wanderers;           it was said among the nations,           “They shall stay here no longer.” 16  The LORD himself has scattered them,           he will regard them no more;      no honor was shown to the priests,           no favor to the elders. 17  Our eyes failed, ever watching           vainly for help;      we were watching eagerly           for a nation that could not save. 18  They dogged our steps           so that we could not walk in our streets;      our end drew near; our days were numbered;           for our end had come. 19  Our pursuers were swifter           than the eagles in the heavens;      they chased us on the mountains,           they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. 20  The Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life,           was taken in their pits —      the one of whom we said, “Under his shadow           we shall live among the nations.“ 21  Rejoice and be glad, O daughter Edom,           you that live in the land of Uz;           but to you also the cup shall pass;           you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare. 22  The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter Zion, is accomplished,           he will keep you in exile no longer;      but your iniquity, O daughter Edom, he will punish,           he will uncover your sins. Second Reading Revelation 6:12-7:4 6:12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” 7:1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, 3saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel. Gospel Reading Matthew 13:24-30 24He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Evening Psalm 25 1   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2   O my God, in you I trust;           do not let me be put to shame;           do not let my enemies exult over me. 3   Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;           let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;           teach me your paths. 5   Lead me in your truth, and teach me,           for you are the God of my salvation;           for you I wait all day long. 6   Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,           for they have been from of old. 7   Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;           according to your steadfast love remember me,           for your goodness’ sake, O LORD! 8   Good and upright is the LORD;           therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9   He leads the humble in what is right,           and teaches the humble his way. 10  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,           for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 11  For your name’s sake, O LORD,           pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12  Who are they that fear the LORD?           He will teach them the way that they should choose. 13  They will abide in prosperity,           and their children shall possess the land. 14  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,           and he makes his covenant known to them. 15  My eyes are ever toward the LORD,           for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16  Turn to me and be gracious to me,           for I am lonely and afflicted. 17  Relieve the troubles of my heart,           and bring me out of my distress. 18  Consider my affliction and my trouble,           and forgive all my sins. 19  Consider how many are my foes,           and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20  O guard my life, and deliver me;           do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21  May integrity and uprightness preserve me,           for I wait for you. 22  Redeem Israel, O God,           out of all its troubles. Evening Psalm 40 1   I waited patiently for the LORD;           he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2   He drew me up from the desolate pit,           out of the miry bog,      and set my feet upon a rock,           making my steps secure. 3   He put a new song in my mouth,           a song of praise to our God.      Many will see and fear,           and put their trust in the LORD. 4   Happy are those who make           the LORD their trust,      who do not turn to the proud,           to those who go astray after false gods. 5   You have multiplied, O LORD my God,           your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;           none can compare with you.      Were I to proclaim and tell of them,           they would be more than can be counted. 6   Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,           but you have given me an open ear.      Burnt offering and sin offering           you have not required. 7   Then I said, “Here I am;           in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8   I delight to do your will, O my God;           your law is within my heart.” 9   I have told the glad news of deliverance           in the great congregation;      see, I have not restrained my lips,           as you know, O LORD. 10  I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,           I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;      I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness           from the great congregation. 11  Do not, O LORD, withhold           your mercy from me;      let your steadfast love and your faithfulness           keep me safe forever. 12  For evils have encompassed me           without number;      my iniquities have overtaken me,           until I cannot see;      they are more than the hairs of my head,           and my heart fails me. 13  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;           O LORD, make haste to help me. 14  Let all those be put to shame and confusion           who seek to snatch away my life;      let those be turned back and brought to dishonor           who desire my hurt. 15  Let those be appalled because of their shame           who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” 16  But may all who seek you           rejoice and be glad in you;      may those who love your salvation           say continually, “Great is the LORD!” 17  As for me, I am poor and needy,           but the Lord takes thought for me.      You are my help and my deliverer;           do not delay, O my God. 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Mission Yearbook: Young Presbyterians take part in U.N. sustainability gathering

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Young adult delegates participate in a prayer walk through United Nations-related sites during the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. (Photo by Kristen Gaydos)

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (PMUN) hosted nearly a dozen young people this week for a high-level U.N. gathering in New York focused on Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 to spur global progress toward ending poverty, protecting the planet, achieving peace and ensuring prosperity and partnership worldwide.

The first Presbyterian Young Adult Delegation to the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was comprised of participants nominated by their churches and presbyteries to observe the U.N. discussions and to take part in events organized by PMUN and its partners.

Sue Rheem, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) representative to the U.N. and manager of the PMUN office, said the delegation from around the country was strong and that she was “grateful to the mid council and church leaders for their support in getting the word out and to the Church of the Covenant in New York City for providing housing accommodations with generous support from the Presbytery of New York City.”

The forum brought together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments, as well as other experts and stakeholders, to discuss the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit a decade ago.

Members of the Presbyterian delegation hailed from churches and presbyteries spanning from Newark, New Jersey, to Southern California.

The forum was “an opportunity for young people to come to the U.N. to learn about sustainable development, to meet others from around the world who are working for change to live more sustainably and be part of the solution to create a world that is more just and equitable,” Rheem said.

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Sue Rheem is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) representative to the United Nations (Photo by Randy Hobson)

The theme of this year’s forum was “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.”

The goals being reviewed in-depth were Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Life Below Water, and Partnerships for the Goals, Rheem said.

With the deadline to reach the goals just five years away, the U.N. recently released a report that indicated that the SDGs have improved millions of lives, but change isn’t occurring fast enough to fully achieve every goal by 2030.

Despite gains such as increased access to education, electricity and the internet, “we are not where we need to be,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said during a news conference. “Only 35% of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18% are going in reverse. We are in a global development emergency —  an emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts, and in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people.”

He also stressed the importance of peace, acknowledging the deep links between underdevelopment and conflicts and stressing the importance of continuing to work for peace in places like Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East.

“We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access as a first step to achieve the two-state solution,” he said. Also, “from the DRC to Somalia, from the Sahel to Myanmar, we know that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Lemuel Garcia, Stewardship Officer, Stewardship and Major Gift Officers, Administrative Services Group
Ruth Gardner, Director, Human Resources, Administrative Services Group 

Let us pray:

Gracious God, grant us the wisdom as we explore new ways of serving. Though none follow your path perfectly, we know your grace goes with us on the journey. Help us to serve others along the way. Amen.