Mission Yearbook: Maryland church is damaged by fire

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First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, Maryland, suffered a fire on July 1. Worship services are being held elsewhere during the next 6-12 months (photo by Gregg Brekke)

A lightning-caused gas line fire ignited at First Presbyterian Church of Howard County (Maryland) in the early evening hours of July 1, triggering damage to the church’s fellowship hall, sanctuary and the structural beams that support the sanctuary floor.

The church is out of the building for worship for the next six while restoration work is underway, church officials said. The congregation is part of the Presbytery of Baltimore and is located about 20 miles south of the city. Average worship attendance is about 175, according to the most recent statistical report.

Interim pastor the Rev. Ken Page was at the church preparing for a 7 p.m. meeting when one of the meeting participants ran into the office around 6:50 p.m. saying she smelled gas. Page made his way to the nearest exit while the church’s Director of Christian Education, Virginia Callegary, went downstairs to investigate.

Callegary came outside and told the others she smelled smoke and saw water in the fellowship hall. A call to the fire department quickly brought fire crews, 10 trucks in total, to contain the blaze.

“The fire marshal suspects a lightning strike traveled through a lightning rod or up from the ground and into our gas line,” Page said. “The gas ignited and found a way out, blowing a hole in the pipe that runs in the ceiling of our fellowship hall, directly under the sanctuary stage.”

Thunderstorms had passed through the area on a hot and humid afternoon, but the fire wasn’t discovered until a few hours later.

“We never heard a local lightning clap,” said Page, who had been at the building during the storm. “Like when you see and hear the lightning at the same time and it makes you jump out of your skin.”

No one is sure how long the gas fire burned. A torch of flame burned the insulation around the pipe and set off one sprinkler, but due to the confined nature and no other burning materials, the primary fire alarm didn’t go off until after fire crews had arrived. The force of the flame from the burst pipe was intense enough that it melted part of the structural beams supporting the sanctuary’s 4-inch-thick concrete floor. The concrete floor became so hot that it ignited portions of the sanctuary stage, resulting in the smoke that triggered the alarm.

“Once the gas was turned off and things cooled down, the fire dissipated quickly,” said Page. “Crews used some water to cool off the beams downstairs [in the fellowship hall] then used chainsaws and other tools to remove the portions of the smoldering stage. It was so hot and humid, they had to swap out crews after two hours.”

In the wake of the fire, cleanup crews continue their smoke mitigation and renovation efforts. A faint “campfire” smell remained in the sanctuary a week after the fire and specialists in church fire restoration have been contracted to clean pews, Bibles, hymnals and instruments. The only instrument lost, said Page, is likely the fellowship hall piano.

“It could have been much worse,” he said. “We were fortunate the fire was contained to a small area, and it was stopped before it ignited a larger fire in the sanctuary. The fire crew did incredible and careful work.”

With the church’s sanctuary unusable for the foreseeable future, four local PC(USA) congregations stepped in to offer their support ranging from combining services to arranging for First to use their sanctuaries for worship before or after their own services.

The congregation decided to join the worship service at Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church the Sunday after the fire. The session knew there was a long road ahead for the church’s restoration and said, “at least for this first week, let’s just let them minister to us.”

A long-term plan for worship location hasn’t yet been determined. First’s original sanctuary, now used as a chapel, is a likely option, though a determination of occupancy from the fire marshal will determine these next steps.

Gregg Brekke for the Presbyterian Foundation (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Jessica Kelley, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Publishing & Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Wilson Kennedy, Associate Director, Annual Giving, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

O Lord, open our lips that we might show forth thy praise! Amen.

Minute for Mission: Transgender Day of Remembrance

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cottonbro from Pexels

I’m proud of being a transwoman. I’m happy with my decision to live into my own reality and make peace with what I felt called to do both emotionally and spiritually. It is also true that life as a transgender human these days is tough. It’s scary and painful when current events are so unimaginable.

Nov. 20 each year is designated Transgender Day of Remembrance for those murdered or who died by suicide each year for being transgender. The day brings recognition to this growing concern, provides opportunities to ritualize our grief and loss, and helps build relationships and undergird community bonds against homophobia and transphobia. Unfortunately, it feels like beating your head against a wall repeatedly year after year as the number of trans people killed grows higher and higher.

My privilege as a white, educated, and well-supported person has kept me somewhat safe. I will likely never suffer the kind of transphobia that many of my siblings do on a regular basis because of the color of their skin or financial situation.

However, with so much negative legislative work, as well as governmental efforts to erase trans history and education, I feel less and less safe in the current political environment.

One of the greatest tragedies is that the United States of America continues to be one of the places where trans folx experience violence on a regular basis. In the past 12 months in this country alone, there were over 50 people who experienced a violent death simply for being transgender or gender nonconforming, while there were well over 350 globally.

If your local community of faith doesn’t have a service or special time dedicated to Transgender Day of Remembrance, I encourage you to light a candle, say a quiet prayer, perhaps take a few deep breaths, and remember lives lost for no good reason. On this day, remember lives created by God, cut down, and wiped out through hate and fear.

Grace Cox-Johnson, Blueridge Presbyterian Church, Raytown, Missouri

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Andy Keeney, Information Security Officer, Information Systems, The Presbyterian Foundation
Stephen Keizer, Vice President, Ministry Relations, The Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Holy Creator, knowing that you made all people and genders, open our minds and hearts to hear your call to love and justice. Guide our communities of faith to seek out and pray for all people regardless of how they look or dress. Open our eyes to see the joy and delight of every human so that we might see your holiness in each person. Direct our imaginations to find you in ways and places unexpected. Hold each of us in your love that we might remember and live as incarnations of you here and now and always. Amen.

God's Mission Our Gifts: Your December Mission and Service Stories and more!

Scroll down for congregational stewardship news! HELP AND HOPE AFTER DISASTER STRIKES In Cuba, Hurricane Melissa destroyed homes, schools, and communities. Families are beginning to rebuild but urgently need help.   In the Philippines, Super Typhoon Fung-wong struck just days after another devastating storm. Over one million people were evacuated. Immediate relief and long-term recovery are critical.   Mission and Service partners are responding – providing immediate relief such as food, shelter, clean water, medicine, and psychosocial support to those most affected. Through Mission and Service, your gift is needed to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow.   We also ask for your support in prayer for the people affected by the typhoons in the Philippines and by Hurricane Melissa. Your December Mission and Service Stories PowerPoint slides for each story are available on the Mission and Service in Worship page.

DECEMBER 7 Gifts with Joy, Gifts with Hope, Gifts with Vision [Image credit: The United Church of Canada]   As you settle into the holiday season, whether you’re a planner or a last-minute shopper, consider a gift that gives back. Gifts with Vision is just a click away.  DECEMBER 14 Strengthening Communities [Image credit: Bissell Centre]   During the 2025 federal budget announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney delighted many by highlighting a Mission and Service partner: Bissell Centre in Edmonton. While Bissell Centre’s roots go back more than a century, their mission today is urgent and forward-looking: reducing poverty, preventing homelessness, and creating a community where everyone belongs. DECEMBER 21 An Advent Lesson from Children [Image credit: Natee Jindakum] This Advent, Mission and Service invites the church to share sparks of compassion that can ignite fires of change. When generosity is passed from one person to another, it grows into comfort, hope, and lasting impact for those who need it most. DECEMBER 28 Rooted in Hope as a New Year Begins [Image credit: Honey Haze Photography] A new year invites reflection, but it also invites imagination. It offers space to dream, to reset, and to open ourselves once again to the transforming power of Christ’s love. Congregational Stewardship and Generosity   As the church year comes to an end this month, and the calendar year end is also fast approaching, it is normal to be “wrapping things up” and starting to look ahead.   Many of your Communities of Faith may be feeling anxious or downright scared about what “year-end” will look like financially. Budgets that won’t be met. Deficits that are growing. It’s easy to be caught into the scarcity and fear cycle.   Now is the time of year to be intentional and Review – What has gone before and what has brought you to this place? Re-View – How might you see, hear, and imagine things differently? Renew – Don’t just follow the same path. Do just one thing differently. Instead of scarcity, where do you find abundance? How has God blessed and equipped the people that make up your Community of Faith and your neighbourhood?   Instead of focusing on meeting the budget, how are people growing in faith and practice? What difference is your Community of Faith making for its participants and those beyond?   The Stewardship Team is here to let you know there is another way, and we’d love to talk to you about it. Give us a call.   I wish you a blessed ending and beginning.   Take care. God loves you! Sharing and Stewardship What a difference doing a good giving program in your community of faith can make!   "Church A" had $6,000 in one-time gifts as a result of their program and are anticipating $8,000 more in PAR next year. At the end of the giving program at "Church B," 69% of those who had returned pledge cards planned to "step up" using their giving levels step chart. Both also tell really great stories of relationship building – and of better morale in their congregation.    Learn more and sign up for Setting Up Your Giving Program on CHURCHx.   Let’s Get Ready! During Advent, how will you inspire and invite generosity to both Mission and Service and local?  Everyone is talking about giving gifts. Don’t be left out!  Be sure to use a Mission and Service Story each Sunday and specifically include an invitation to give to Mission and Service with your offering.  Set and promote both a Mission and Service goal and a goal for a local social service organization – just for the Advent and Christmas season – as your Community of Faith’s gift to those in need.  Tell an inspiring story of what your Community of Faith is doing for Advent and Christmas to make a difference in people’s lives, and invite a gift to help make it grow.  Invite people who really don’t need more “stuff” to ask their family to make a gift to your Community of Faith and/or Mission and Service instead.  Shine the stewardship light of generosity during the season of Epiphany. Five complete weeks of Epiphany-themed worship materials, including liturgy and full-sermons. Download “Discover Your Gifts – Share Your Gifts” from the Stewardship in worship web page. Looking ahead to Annual Meetings – there’s still lots of time to change things up. Make this year’s meeting about abundance, not scarcity. Prepare a Narrative Budget to tell the inspiring stories of what the money does, not just how it is distributed. Throw a “thank-you party” to make sure people know they are appreciated for who they are, not just what they give. Write a nice personal message (or make a short video) for the annual meeting, to say “thank you” for 2025 and give a couple of inspiring highlights from the past year of how you made a difference in people’s lives and increased in discipleship. Resources You Need! Free Themed Stewardship Resource Kits The Starter Kit, the Digging Deeper Kit, the Stewardship Program Kit, the Planned Legacy Giving Kit. Get them at Free Stewardship Resource Kits. Coming soon: the Capital Campaign Kit! Stewardship Seconds (updated for July-December 2025!) Short, pithy sayings that pack a punch, to help infiltrate stewardship thinking into your community of faith. Add them to newsletters, worship, announcements, webpages, wherever people gather!  Find them at the Stewardship in Worship page.   Offering Introductions & Dedication Prayers (updated for July-December 2025!) The offering time in worship is NOT about collecting money! It is about growing generous disciples and stewards. These Offering Introductions and Dedication Prayers for each Sunday of the year will help. Find them at the Stewardship in Worship page. Get the Stewardship Support You Need The people and resources to help you succeed are here. Gifts with Vision News This year’s Gifts with Vision catalogue – featuring the gifts currently on the Gifts with Vision website – is small but mighty, and it’s available now! Email Gifts with Vision and we’ll send you as many copies as you need.   If you have questions, send us an email at info@giftswithvision.ca, or call us at 1-844-715-7969. Why be a Mission and Service Volunteer? What do you feel called to do? There's a place for you! You might be a Church Administrator: maybe you’d like to include some Mission and Service information in the weekly bulletin, or you’d like to give better answers when people call with Mission and Service questions. We can help you answer the questions and provide you with Mission and Service news you can use.  As a volunteer, you can send us the insights that come from working with your community of faith. You’ll get a weekly email with information you can share with your colleagues and congregation. And you’ll have help answering those difficult questions about Mission and Service.    It’s easy to take the next step to become a Mission and Service volunteer. Just call us at 1-800-465-3771 or email ms@united-church.ca. GOD’S MISSION, OUR GIFTS is your newsletter. We want to provide news and information that you can use in your community of faith, whether you’re a minister, a board member, an administrator, a treasurer, or anyone else who wants to make a difference.   What else would you like to see? What can we do to help your community of faith get where it needs to go? Send us your thoughts! Donate Facebook Website Email Instagram YouTube LinkedIn   Your generosity enables the United Church to love, serve, and minister in the world. Make an online donation or learn more about your options to support the work of the church.

Copyright © 2025 The United Church of Canada, All rights reserved.

Mission Yearbook: Theoharis: Faith and justice must walk hand in hand

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St. John the Baptist by Donatello (Photo by Phil Botha via Unsplash)

When the crowds asked him, John the Baptist knew just what people should do: share, behave and be satisfied.

With Luke 3:10-14 as the centerpiece for a worship service at Synod School, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis was ready to preach on one of her favorite Bible passages.

But before she could, the Rev. Brendan McLean, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Tyler, Texas, led a children’s time to illustrate John’s admonition. McLean gave each child who came forward two pieces of candy — one for themselves and one to give “to a new friend” seated in Schaller Chapel. The children quickly and gracefully carried out their assignment.

Theoharis said she’s always appreciated this portion of Luke’s gospel because John is “moving away from the trappings of empire into the wilderness to wake people up, shape them and send them out to fight the good fight.”

“They want to know what they are supposed to do. People in the wilderness have detoxed from the hustle and bustle. … They are ready for something life-giving and liberating, and they are sure curious” about what that might be, she said.

“For years I believed that if people just knew what we could do to abolish poverty and end injustice, we would do it,” said the founder of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice and the co-founder of the Poor People’s Campaign. “When we knew what made for justice and peace, we would do it.”

“That’s what’s happening in Luke 3,” she said. “It’s about justice, truth and love, and righting wrongs. It’s biblical rather than political.”

Or, “as we say in the movement: When you lift from the bottom, everyone rises.”

She traced the liberation movement of the Bible back to Aaron, Moses and Miriam, who “sang their way out of enslavement. God sent plagues and pandemics that only hardened the hearts of the authorities.” God’s people “entered the Reed Sea, crossed to the other side, and the weapons and chariots of empire were swallowed up,” Theoharis noted.

The people “passed so many liberatory prescriptions, and it continues into the New Testament. Acts 4 reminds us that God’s grace was so powerfully at work there was no needy person among them.”

Today we might be asking ourselves, do I have the capacity to do more? What happens if people push back? “It doesn’t end so well for John the Baptist,” Theoharis said.

“This is where my mom comes in,” she said.

“When I would get serious and questioning, she would remind my siblings and me she wasn’t raising ballet dancers and baseball players,” Theoharis said, which she and her siblings practiced hard at. “She would remind us she was raising children to make a difference in the world.

Her mother would quote Micah 6, especially verse 8. She gave her daughter the stole Theoharis had been wearing all week during Synod School. “My mom ordered her life around fulfilling Micah’s call,” she said, “and told us that’s what we were supposed to do.”

“She knew that working for peace and justice required being connected to people across the world,” Theoharis said. “She knew that doing justice and loving kindness and walking humbly was the true instruction and meaning for our lives. For my mom, faith and moral action were one.”

In this very moment, “there are millions of people doing such good work,” she said. Food banks are supporting hungry people. Churches are providing sanctuary for the unhoused. Women and LGBTQ folks “are getting the health care they need,” she said.

Theoharis repeated the question asked of John: What should we do?

“Are we willing to sign up to be an ambulance driver? To ask others to stand in the gap? To ask them to link arms and say, ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’ We should ask ourselves and others, are we ready to get out of our comfort zone, to respond when people come to us and ask, ‘What should we do? What does the Lord require of me?’”

“If you’re able to answer, ‘Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God,’ you’re not alone. Thanks be to God.”

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

Let us join in prayer for:

Bequi Jump, Translator, Global Language Resources, Administrative Services Group
Kevin Keaton, Engagement & Church Relations, Church Consultant, Houston, TX, The Board of Pension          

Let us pray:

Lord God, we pray that you make a way to build a healthy ministry. Multiply our limited resources. Help men, women, and youth of the church to recognize the talents and gifts you have given them. May we serve the common good, giving all glory and honor to you. Amen.

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