Pastor's Life - Healing

Our call is to enact healing in the world by Rev. Jessica Tate I heard an expert in biomimicry talk about the healing that happens in nature. As she described it, when there is trauma to land — for instance, through a landslide or when land is clear cut — the first wave of species that comes in are "weed species." These are plants whose job it is to quickly come in and cover the land. Their roots don't go deep, they simply cover the ground to soften the soil and put nutrients into the ground. These species easily give way to the heartier shrubs and berries that follow them. These second phase plants stay a while. They "facilitate" healing by shading tender seedlings and buttressing them against the wind. They add their own nutrients to the soil. Then the next phase of plants comes in, providing yet more shelter and sharing of nutrients, until the land and plant life thrives once again. It's a progression of making way, providing protection, and creating more fertility in the soil for the next phase of plants to come.

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Rev. Jessica Tate serves as a consultant to the Presbyterian Foundation and serves as Associate Pastor to The Georgetown Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Jessica was the founding Director of NEXT Church where she helped shape the energy of NEXT Church into a relational community of Presbyterian leaders who are discerning how to be the faithful church in the 21st century. Prior to serving NEXT Church, Jessica was Associate Pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia. Upon graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jessica served as a Young Adult Intern for the PC(USA) at the denomination’s Washington Office. From there she went on to seminary at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where she received a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Christian Education.

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Joyful Generosity First Presbyterian Church in Garland, Texas, found themselves in the midst of a challenge: they had a big financial need, and weren’t sure what to do. The church staff and members worked together and raised the money they needed – and changed their culture around money – with help from the Presbyterian Foundation. Stewardship Navigator The Stewardship Navigator offers resources and assistance for planning a stewardship campaign, free-of-charge. Access a stewardship calendar full of ideas, a narrative budget template and a legacy giving module. Get started today at the link below.

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