Several members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joined other faith leaders from around the world Thursday to call for bold, ambitious decisions on the part of world leaders. Billed as the Implementation COP, these negotiations have stalled, with the consequences of inaction being dire.
The most important thing in Christianity isn’t what, but who.
Jesus’ disciples faced a lot of fear and uncertainty in those final days of his ministry on earth. The Bible details how many stumbled, denied, hid and pondered what to do next as Christ faced persecution and crucifixion on the cross.
Nearly 50 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staff gathered online Wednesday to remember and honor the lives of at least 30 transgender people killed so far this year during a Transgender Day of Remembrance service. The Rev. Shanea Leonard, director of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries, led the service, hosted by RE&WIM and the Office of Gender & Racial Justice.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, who directs the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and wrote “Unbroken and Unbowed: Black Protest in America,” published in February by Westminster John Knox Press, joined an online panel Tuesday as part of Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Just Talk/Talk Just series.
The hybrid gathering of the annual Moderators’ Conference came to a conclusion on Saturday evening at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville with parting words from the Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Co-Moderator of the 225th General Assembly (2020).
“We have a power-packed hour for you,” the Rev. Carlton Johnson, coordinator for the Office of Vital Congregations, told the people attending a workshop called “The 7 Marks and You” during the Moderators’ Conference, which concluded Saturday. The conference attracted 145 presbytery and synod moderators and vice moderators from around the country, attending both in person at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and online.
During the evening hours on Friday, the first day of the Moderators’ Conference, the Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly (2022), the Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace and the Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis, answered questions from the 145 or so mid council moderators gathered in person and online and exchanged some of the wisdom that’s helped make them beloved in Presbyterian circles.
Will you be a faithful deacon, teaching charity, urging concern, and directing the people’s help to the friendless and those in need, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?
At first glance it might seem strange to include discussion on the ordination question posed to deacons in a series designed for ruling elders. The two offices are different. They have different functions. In many congregations, a board of deacons meets separately from a session made up of ruling elders. Indeed, some churches don’t even have ordained deacons. Why consider this question?
¿Será usted un diácono o diaconisa fiel, enseñando la caridad, estimulando la inquietud por otros y otras, así como la ayuda del pueblo por los/as desamparados/as y por los/as necesitados/as y en su ministerio, tratará usted de mostrar el amor y la justicia de Jesucristo?
A primera vista, podría parecer extraño incluir la discusión sobre la pregunta de ordenación planteada a los diáconos y diaconisas en una serie diseñada para ancianos gobernantes. Las dos oficinas son diferentes. Tienen diferentes funciones. En muchas congregaciones, una junta de diaconos se reúne por separado de un consistorio compuesto por ancianos gobernantes. De hecho, algunas iglesias ni siquiera han ordenado diáconos ni diaconisas. ¿Por qué considerar esta pregunta?