Presbyterians looking for new ways to engage congregations and communities on issues such as gun violence and immigration reform have new resources at their disposal.

More than 100 Presbyterians stepped away from committee business at the 223rd General Assembly this week to rally on the issue of immigration.

Rev. Fernández is moderator of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba (IPRC), pastor of a congregation in Matanzas and professor at that city’s Evangelical Theological Seminary. This week, he’s also IPRC delegate to GA223.

In Committee 10: Mission Coordination and at the Cuba Partners Network breakfast and booth, Fernandez has shared his insights about Cuba’s Reformed community, relating its hopes and concerns and affirming its links with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

By a vote of 352–160, the 223rd General Assembly (2018) approved a motion presented by the Assembly Committee on Theological and Church Growth Issues and Institutions that will initiate the process toward amending the Book of Confessions to potentially include the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

The 223rd General Assembly (2018) confirmed the Rev. Diane Moffett as president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency by voice vote on Wednesday evening.

Kennerly David Benraty, a young adult advisory delegate from the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia, spoke eloquently to the 223rd General Assembly (2018) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Wednesday evening, seeking passage of an amended commissioner resolution to reaffirm the requirements for inclusiveness as stated in the denomination’s constitution.

It was just another Sunday morning in the Cornhusker State. The faithful entered Southern Heights Presbyterian’s sanctuary, filling the cavernous room with chatter before the start of worship. The bell chimed and the chattering — as well as the rustling of coats, worship bulletins and those flipping through the hymnals and marking the hymns for the day — subsided. The Christ candle was solemnly lit, leaving a flickering flame to aid in prayerful contemplation. The prelude broke the silence. It was time to stand for the Call to Worship. Now sit for the Confession. And back up again for the singing of the Gloria Patri.

After taking an overnight break, the Assembly Committee on Church Polity and Ordered Ministry continued grappling with how to move the ideals of paid family leave forward in the face of policy and financial constraints.

While acknowledging that the Board of Pensions cannot be directed to add paid family leave benefits, the committee is still recommending to the assembly that the BOP be urged to add a benefits package of eight weeks of paid family leave and four weeks of unpaid family leave for parents of new children and in cases of critical family need.

As the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a denomination more than 90 percent white, struggles to become a more intercultural church, it might help to enroll more second-generation Asian Americans in U.S. seminaries.

Ruling elders from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met on Wednesday to hear about how to be spiritual leaders from the Rev. Joan S. Gray, who spoke at the Ruling Elder Luncheon, sponsored by the Office of the General Assembly.