| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
WCC News: On International Day of Human Fraternity, eyes turn toward bridging divides
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian educator sees everything that churches do as part of their teaching ministry
Sarah Dianne Jones is a guest on ‘A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast’
February 6, 2024
Sarah Dianne Jones
From Sarah Dianne Jones’ perspective, Christian education “is everything the church does.”
“The church teaches from the pulpit, at the table, at the font, through our actions and in our words,” Jones, program associate for the Center for Excellence in Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, told hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong during an episode of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast.” “When the church is behaving as the church should, everything is teaching.”
Listen to the half-hour conversation among Jones, Doong and Catoe here. Jones is introduced at the 13:15 mark.
Early in the pandemic, Jones was directing a church’s children’s ministry. Once during an online Sunday school class, she asked children what they wanted to pray for that week. “I have a prayer request, but I don’t think we’re allowed to talk about it at church,” one girl said. Jones asked the girl if she could guess what her request was. “I knew this child. She said, ‘You can try,’” Jones said. “I said, ‘Do you want to pray for the people who are protesting? For the country?’ She said, ‘Yes, but we can’t talk about that at church.’”
“I think that’s an encapsulation of what we’re seeing missing in Christian education,” Jones said. “We are leaving out the fact that justice is a faith issue.” Many people of faith can quote Micah 6:8, “but we’re terrified of being political, of being polarizing, of finding ourselves at the other end of a hate group or a protest outside our doors, and so we leave out the pieces that root us. …”
The Center for Excellence in Christian Education is working with two other centers at the seminary, the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation and the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership, to build curriculum that congregations can use based on webinars put on by the two latter centers. “It’s been hard to watch matters of simple justice be polarized completely,” Jones said. Here’s one of the messages she hears from churches when she’s asked to preach there: As long as you bring it back to the scriptural text, I’m OK with you talking about Black Lives Matter, gun violence and other matters. “I just need to know why it’s coming from the pulpit,” they tell Jones.
“A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” with the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong drops each Thursday.
“I think people are more willing to hear opposing viewpoints, to recognize the church is not a place for us to be polarized,” Jones told Catoe and Doong. “It’s a place to come together and recognize we are all children of God who were created as perfectly imperfect, beloved people. … We all have different starting points, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t have room to grow.”
To Jones, one gift of the PC(USA) “is that education is part of our baptismal vows. It’s a part of everything we stand on, and so when we devalue Christian educators … we are absolutely as a church forgetting our baptismal vows to one another.”
For congregations, values matter immensely, Jones said. “Do we value being known as a church with a phenomenal music program? Do we want to be a church that’s super theologically grounded? Or do we want to be a church that’s constantly seeking out ways to learn and grow, and to recognize what’s happening in the world and think about how we can engage the world in different ways, learn together and go into every aspect of our lives knowing that we are not in control and the best thing about us is God is God and we are not.”
“I don’t know that we do that well all the time,” Jones said, “but when we do it well, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Learning intergenerationally is a favorite go-to. “If you say it’s intergenerational, you can have [modeling compound] on the tables and people don’t get upset. Grownups understand how much fun it is to work with their hands as they’re learning,” Jones said. “For so many people, the church is the place where generations mix.”
New episodes of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” drop each Thursday. Listen to previous editions here.
Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service
Today’s Focus: Sarah Dianne Jones is a guest on ‘A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast’
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Serrita Bell, Director of Communications & Marketing, Presbyterian Foundation
Sharon Bell, 1001 apprentice, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
O God, we offer our small gifts to you. We are grateful for all you have given us, and we want to entrust our futures to you as well. May new life grow, giving us the assurance that you are faithful and will lead us into a future filled with promise. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and example, we pray. Amen.
Monday, February 5, 2024
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian hymn writer pens ‘Now There Is War’
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette’s hymn laments the deaths of children in the Middle Eastern war
February 5, 2024
Photo by Arusfly via Unsplash
Presbyterian hymn writer and pastor the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written “Now There Is War” to help Presbyterians as they sing, pray and act for peace.
The new hymn is set to the melody “O WALY WALY,” which is also the tune for “Though I May Speak.”
“This hymn laments the deaths of children in the current Middle Eastern war,” Gillette says on her website.
Gillette grants permission for free use of the hymn, adding she would appreciate hearing (even afterward) that you used it. Reach her here. Her hymns can be found here.
Now There Is War
O WALY WALY 8.8.8.8 (“Though I May Speak”)
Now there is war and children die,
but theirs is not the battle cry.
This is their time to live and grow —
to think of things the young should know.
This is their time to open doors —
to read new books, to do their chores,
to make new friends, to share their bread.
The world gives pain and death instead.
This is their time for soccer teams,
for watching clouds, for dreaming dreams.
They long for peace; they’re told to “Wait!”
They long for love; they’re taught to hate.
O God, your reign belongs to these
who make up songs and skin their knees.
May we seek peace and daily strive
to build a world where they may thrive.
Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service
Today’s Focus: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette’s pens ‘Now There is War’ hymn
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jon Baxter, Engineer, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Glen Bell, Senior Vice President of Development, Presbyterian Foundation
Let us pray
O God, when the world’s needs seem to overwhelm our ability to help, let us remember that you ask us to give what we have, not what we do not have. By your Spirit, we can do more than we ever dreamed. Give us faith to trust your Word and obey your commands through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Minute for Mission: Remember Our Chaplains – Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies
February 4, 2024
Matthew 25: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me. … I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
On Feb. 3, 1943, four U.S. Army chaplains from different faith traditions selflessly gave up their life jackets to others on the USAT Dorchester as it sank from a strike by an enemy torpedo. Survivors recall seeing four chaplains, arms linked together, praying as the ship slipped beneath the waves. Since that date, Feb. 3 has become an observance called the Four Chaplains Day and serves to bring together people of diverse backgrounds to recognize our common humanity.
Our Book of Order states: “God sends the Church to join the mission of Jesus Christ in service to the world.” Just as those four chaplains were called to serve their military community during World War II, today dedicated chaplains are ministering in various federal, state and local ministries as they seek to remain faithful to that call.
The Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies endorses PC(USA) chaplains serving in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Veterans Affairs hospitals and the branches of our military. As highlighted in Matthew 25, these chaplains are called to bring hope and transform their respective communities through acts of love and compassion: feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting prisoners, freeing captives, sheltering the homeless, welcoming strangers, comforting those who mourn and being present with all who are in need. These times include:
A VA chaplain called to sit with an elderly veteran in his hospital room during his last few moments of life. The chaplain conveyed words of love and reassurance and offered prayers while waiting for the family to arrive. They were grateful knowing their loved one was never alone.
A military chaplain who conducted a funeral service for a soldier whose remains were identified 73 years after he was declared Missing in Action. The chaplain said it was an honor and privilege to help bring closure to the family that waited so long for their loved one to be returned.
A Federal Bureau of Prisons chaplain advocating for incarcerated adults and daily proclaiming God’s grace as they deal with shame, guilt, anger and the belief that no one, not even God, can ever love them. This chaplain firmly believes these spiritual and emotional chains can be broken and chaplains can help release them from their control.
Whether it’s 1943 or 2024, PC(USA) chaplains seek to engage with people when life brings about cause for celebration, sorrow, accomplishment, doubt, renewal and despair. Pray for our chaplains who selflessly give of themselves so that the voice of the voiceless can be heard, the needs of those in need can be met, and the gift of hope and life itself can be given in the darkest moments in unexpected ways.
For more information on serving as a Veterans Affairs, federal prison or military chaplain, email info@presfedchap.org.
Rev. Dennis E. Hysom, Executive Director, Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies, and retired Army Chaplain
Today’s Focus: Remember Our Chaplains – Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Dwayne Batcho, Production Clerk II, Presbyterian Distribution Center, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Doug Batezel, Vice President, Information Technology, Board of Pensions
Let us pray
Loving God, you know how deep wounds go. You know that many in our communities suffer, and you feel that pain in their lives. You know the memories that haunt them and the scars that many of them continue to carry. O merciful Savior, bring healing to those who are still hurting. Please grant patience and wisdom to those around them who cannot understand but can sometimes help. Permit both physical and spiritual healing to wounds that remain. For this, we pray in your most holy name. Amen.
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Charlotte’s Myers Park Presbyterian Church celebrates 75 years of ministry in Congo
After a trip there in October, the church’s Congo Team continues its work to strengthen the longtime partnership
February 3, 2024
Members and friends of Myers Park Presbyterian Church
celebrate 75 years of partnership in Congo. (Photo by Steve
Mezardjian)
More than 100 members of Myers Park Presbyterian Church (MPCC) and the Charlotte community celebrated 75 years of ministry in Congo in November. The two-hour celebration included ministers, the church’s Congo Ministry Team, members of the Congolese community and church members and friends.
Dr. William Bradford, a physician who ignited the ministry during the early 1990s and into the early part of the 21st century, was also present, telling the group that it is seldom that people can see the ongoing strength of something they were committed to decades before. Other Congo travelers expressed thanksgiving for the trips they took to Congo to sustain a ministry that is thriving today.
“The main thing I’ve noticed is that in the midst of renewing our team in the past year, we have all benefited from the fellowship with new team members,” said MPCC’s Bob Davies, the master of ceremonies for the celebration. “Those of us who traveled to Congo [in October] benefited from faith-sharing with our Congolese brothers and sisters. It never seems to fail — when you offer yourself, you are blessed in return.”
The 21st-century-era of MPPC’s Congo Ministry is focused on the education of Congolese girls. MPPC and its Presbyterian partners in Congo have established two schools. One is located in Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was established in 2012. The other is in Mbuji-Mai in the DRC and was established in 2018. Two thousand Congolese girls are currently attending these schools.
In the Congo Team’s fall newsletter, Davies writes about the team’s most recent trip to the campuses. At one, “two long lines of girls on opposite ends of the courtyard began singing with all their might. First one side and then the next. Then the girl with her back to us led a chorus of ‘welcome and gratitude’ on our behalf. They had us at hello.”
“Somehow, through first Ebola and then Covid, we managed to keep together through Zoom calls, prayer and the Holy Spirit,” Davies wrote. “Our partners see our presence as a gift from God and take our relationship very seriously. We are a blessing to each other, but there are significant changes and challenges ahead.” Team members are concerned about the viability of the secondary school in Les Mages. Its loss, Davies wrote, “would be a critical issue with respect to our mission of changing the lives of women in Congo.”
Dr. William Bradford, at left, was among those honored during
last month’s celebration of 75 years of partnership in Congo.
Pictured with Bradford are the even’s master of ceremonies, Bob
Davies, and Congo Team co-chair Fay Grasty. (Photo by Steve
Mezardjian)
Still, against “some unimaginably harsh circumstances, the Congolese endure,” Davies wrote. “There is a spontaneous cheerfulness that is not difficult to find. Our sometimes-unexpected presence often created a pop-up celebration. A ‘bonjour’ said to a curious little girl almost always triggers a huge smile, sparkling eyes and an instant connection.”
For most of the students, “their waking hours are spent walking, riding some form of mass transit, collecting and managing water, procuring and preparing food, cleaning clothing, tending to personal hygiene and, for our girls, being in school,” Davies wrote. “We got the impression that their time in school was their primary source of joy — to be with friends, to learn and to dream about a future that holds greater possibility.”
Congolese worship “is not just punctuated by amazing music,” Davies wrote. “Everything about it is lyrical and rhythmic, and when our brothers and sisters in Christ are not devoting themselves to our savior, they are welcoming us, thanking us and honoring us. … Their worship takes a little longer, but in just over two hours, we became their neighbors, an experience we will not forget. Thank God.”
“We encourage each of you to think about how you can get involved,” Davies added. “As our Congolese friends have just reminded us, we don’t do it for them. We don’t do it for us. We do it to glorify the Lord.”
Watch a 2022 video about Myers Park Presbyterian Church’s outreach programs in Malawi, Uganda and Congo here. Learn more about the church’s Congo Ministry Team here.
Information provided by Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Special to Presbyterian News Service
Today’s Focus: Myers Park Presbyterian Church celebrates 75 years of ministry in Congo
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jennifer Barr, Reference & Outreach Archivist, Presbyterian Historical Society
Andrew Kang Bartlett, Associate, National Hunger Concerns, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
Dear Creator God, we praise you for the abundance of life-giving strength and provisions you surround us with, even in the midst of disaster. May we open our eyes to the resources you give us to help our neighbors as we help ourselves, so that together we create a more livable world. Amen.
Friday, February 2, 2024
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbytery of Milwaukee helps congregations’ vitality to shine
November gathering celebrates the gifted areas of each of the presbytery’s 41 churches
February 2, 2024
The Rev. Anne Langhole and the rev. Lisa Lynne Kirkpatrick preside over
communion at the November meeting of the Presbytery of Milwaukee
celebrating the completion of the Vital Congregations Initiative.
(Contributed
photo)
In November, the Presbytery of Milwaukee celebrated the completion of a two-year focus on Congregational Vitality during its final standing meeting of 2023.
The presbytery, which meets four times each year, structured its meetings over a two-year period to highlight and investigate one of the Seven Marks as described in the Vital Congregations Initiative.
In between meetings, congregations were encouraged through grants, prompts, and videos provided by the presbytery to go deeper into how the congregations might show these marks. The Presbytery of Milwaukee took a similar approach to the three foci of the Matthew 25 Movement, spending a year discussing systemic poverty during presbytery meetings and another year learning about structural racism and efforts to dismantle it among congregations. For the third Matthew 25 foci — building congregational vitality — the presbytery’s council turned to the materials of the Vital Congregations Initiative and dedicated two years of its gatherings and resource development to cover the topics of caring relationships, lifelong discipleship, outward incarnational focus, empowered servant leadership, ecclesial health, Spirit-inspired worship and intentional authentic evangelism.
Nicole McCarty opens the November meeting of the Presbytery of Milwaukee
by singing “Jesus, Teach Us to Be Neighbors.” (Contributed photo)
The approach to the Vital Congregations Initiative has been untraditional according to the Rev. Ann Gibbs, associate for Ministry Vitality for the Presbytery of Milwaukee, who says that instead of recruiting individual congregations to sign onto the initiative and to walk through the program together in leadership cohorts, the presbytery’s council “decided to do what was a two-year ‘vital marks’ initiative throughout the presbytery,” in the hopes that people would gain a better understanding of what the different marks mean and “different ways to engage them.”
To learn about the marks of Ecclesial Health and Empowered Servant Leadership, the presbytery hosted the Rev. Dr. Tod Bolsinger, who has authored several books on ministry in times of challenge and change. Afterward, some congregations applied for grant funds through the presbytery’s Commission on Congregational Vitality to host a book study on one of Bolsinger’s books. Congregations can apply to for grants on any of the marks and are encouraged to go deeper on each one.
To highlight the possibilities of each mark in various contexts, Gibbs interviews leaders from various churches on the theme of one of the marks and posts those videos to the presbytery’s YouTube channel and website as a resource and inspiration for others. Gibbs has had no issues finding ways each of the 41 congregations in the presbytery embody vitality. “My goal is that always the person and the congregation shines and what they are working on comes across well,” Gibbs said in describing the seven-to-20-minute videos that populate the webpage dedicated to Congregational Vitality Resources. The page is easy to search as videos are organized by each of the seven marks and accessed by clicking on its colorful icon.
The Rev. Tony Oltmann presents on the 7 Marks of Vital Congregations
during workshops held at the Presbytery of Milwaukee’s gathering last
month. (Contributed photo)
In a video on Empowered Servant Leadership entitled “Empowering not Fussy,” three members of the First Presbyterian Church of Richfield, Wisconsin, describe how their congregation of under 40 members alternates between worship with a sermon and communion and a Bible study lead over Zoom by lay leaders. The format addresses the difficulties the church has had in securing pastoral leadership for Sunday worship and offers accessible ways to gather during harsh winters or when the spread of viruses is on the rise.
Now that the two years are complete, Gibbs believes all congregations in the Presbytery of Milwaukee have a better grasp of the seven vital marks and hopes that some churches will choose to go deeper. She said that developing the practical resources for each mark was important. Even more important was raising awareness among all the congregations about how others are pursuing a vision of congregational vitality.
“Here are people living into dreams that they have for their congregation or recognizing that they already do excel in this area. They might have something to offer a congregation that doesn’t, and learn from one that does have the ability,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs believes that partnerships will develop between congregations because of the approach that the presbytery has taken. “Our goal in opening it up not just to those congregations that sign on, but all of the congregations will hopefully develop those relationships where they’re in some way all engaging vitality.”
Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Today’s Focus: Presbytery of Milwaukee and congregational vitality
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Susan Barnett, Coordinator, Research Services, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
David Barnhart, Associate, Story Ministry & Documentary Filmmaker, Compassion, Peace & Justice, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
Guide, nurture, and sustain, O God, all those whom you call into your ministry and service. May they, in whatever calling of yours they follow, find in you the direction to lead your people faithfully in and to your will and purpose for their individual and communal lives. Amen.
Ash Wednesday is two weeks away!
| |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mission Yearbook: Author discusses ‘Sacred Curiosity’
Image Britney Winn Lee (photo courtesy of Britney Winn Lee) Author Britney Winn Lee literally wrote the book on sacred curiosity, and she ha...
-
Betsy Shirley , the editor in chief of Sojourners , recently told the hosts of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” that resilience in diff...
-
Image Photo by Sincerely Media via Unsplash The Rev. Dr. Jermaine McKinley, the co-chair of the Self-Development of People Ministry Team for...
-
For their sixth episode, podcast hosts reach out to a sage and seasoned pair of Presbyterian pastors July 1, 2024 Photo by Benarelexander vi...
