(OGA) The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is asking the United States to reconsider its plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II is sending a letter this week to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. “The Paris Climate Agreement, joined by nearly every country on earth, serves as a model for cutting the damaging effects of greenhouse gasses and climate change the world over,” the letter reads. “The United States, recognizing our national sin to the world as the second largest contributor to climate changes, should be a leader, not a dissident in this regard.” Last week, Pompeo officially notified the United Nations that the U.S. would withdraw from the agreement. The detailed process of withdrawal will take a year to complete. The PC(USA) has long been a proponent of the agreement in which approximately 200 nations have pledged to reduce greenhouse emissions. The signees have also … [Read more...]
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What's right? 19 hours ago
What’s right about First Presbyterian Church of Brawley?
First Presbyterian Church of Brawley, California Six years ago, we discerned God calling us to explore an alternative to our conventional Vacation Bible School. Out of this discernment process came Summer Service Nights, which is now “something right” the church facilitates each summer. We collect and purchase backpacks, school supplies and hygiene items to provide for 400 local children in need. Businesses, community clubs, Girl Scout troops and other ministries partner with us to donate items and come to church on “service nights” to assemble the backpacks and hygiene kits.… continue reading... -
Editor's viewpoints 20 hours ago
Prayer for Veterans Day
Lord of all, you long for a time when all nations will be ruled with justice and a world where everyone lives in safety and harmony. Until that time when swords are beaten into plowshares and the wolf and the lamb eat together, we give thanks for veterans who have served their country with honor and courage. We remember the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. We know that they endured long seasons apart from loved ones, the disruption of moves and deployments, the stress of… continue reading... -
Looking into the lectionary 4 days ago
22nd Sunday after Pentecost — November 10, 2019
Haggai 1:15b-2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38 Ordinary 32C; Proper 27 Our human focus fixates on matters perhaps inconsequential to God. Jill Duffield’s lectionary reflections are sent to the Outlook’s email list every Monday. This entire scene of religious leaders questioning Jesus reveals the radical disconnect between divine perspectives and human ones. We seek vindication. We want clear evidence of God being on our side. We look to Jesus to affirm our righteousness and rightness. Jesus tells us: You are asking the wrong questions for misguided reasons and unhelpful… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized109 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews106 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews93 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Unified budget discussions will explore ways to fund the denomination October 18, 2019 Outlook Reporting2 comments The Moving Forward Implementation Commission has initiated a process for trying to develop a unified approach for budgeting for 2021-2022 – calling for a “one-day summit” on budget needs that would involve representatives from the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation.
That action – taken Oct. 17 during the commission’s two-day meeting in Baltimore – represents a continuation of conversations regarding financial sustainability in the PC(USA).
The Office of the General Assembly (OGA), which is funded through per capita dollars, is ...
What does financial sustainability look like for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)? September 17, 2019 Outlook Reporting2 comments ATLANTA – What’s at the heart of achieving “financial sustainability” for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
One possibility on the table – although nothing’s been voted on yet, it’s all still up for discussion – is the idea of restructuring the top levels of the denomination. That may not ring a lot of bells for the average Presbyterian in the pews.
But a work group of the Special Committee on Per Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability is giving serious thought t...
Women in ministry — October 7, 2019 October 3, 2019 Digital Issues2 comments Jesus called women to share in his ministry when he walked the earth and he still does today. Nonetheless, the role of women in the church has been debated and contested — and continues to evolve. This issue of the Outlook offers a snapshot of women in Presbyterian ministry past and present.
Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader.
The rise of women in the pulpit Margaret Towner was ordained in 1956 — 36 years after the fir...
Stated Clerk urges U.S. not to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement
Presbyterian chaplain: Congregations can prevent veteran suicide by building connections
(PNS) In the Mission Yearbook message for this Veterans Day, the Rev. (Capt.) Lyman M. Smith, director of the Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel, (PCCMP) writes, “More than 18 million veterans live among us. And of those 18 million, some 18 are likely to die by suicide today.” While there is no all-encompassing explanation for veteran suicide, the Rev. Michael Gillespie, a retired Veterans Administration chaplain, says contributing factors include economic disparities, homelessness, service and social connection, and health and well-being, which apply to the general population as well. Most veteran suicides involve firearms. And veterans have greater access and more familiarity with firearms, which is why “gun violence and gun control are somewhat related to this topic,” Gillespie said. What is alarming to Gillespie is the dramatic increase in veteran suicides among both younger and older veterans. While the 2019 VA report on Suicide Prevention from … [Read more...]
What’s right about First Presbyterian Church of Brawley?
First Presbyterian Church of Brawley, California Six years ago, we discerned God calling us to explore an alternative to our conventional Vacation Bible School. Out of this discernment process came Summer Service Nights, which is now “something right” the church facilitates each summer. We collect and purchase backpacks, school supplies and hygiene items to provide for 400 local children in need. Businesses, community clubs, Girl Scout troops and other ministries partner with us to donate items and come to church on “service nights” to assemble the backpacks and hygiene kits. After many service nights throughout the summer, we are prepared to host a Back to School Event in August. Children are invited to the church to receive a hygiene kit, a backpack filled with school supplies, a haircut and a dental and vision screening. We have crafts, snacks, books and Bibles available. They can also pick out an outfit for school and are ready to begin a new school year! We put faith … [Read more...]
Prayer for Veterans Day
Lord of all, you long for a time when all nations will be ruled with justice and a world where everyone lives in safety and harmony. Until that time when swords are beaten into plowshares and the wolf and the lamb eat together, we give thanks for veterans who have served their country with honor and courage. We remember the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. We know that they endured long seasons apart from loved ones, the disruption of moves and deployments, the stress of being sent to regions engulfed by violence, the repercussions of physical, spiritual and moral injuries. Where the pain of those injuries persists, bring healing. Where the memories of that trauma are harrowing, grant relief. Where the grief of those losses threaten to overwhelm, grant hope. We pray, gracious God, for an end to war and for the new earth where there will be no need for military might. But now, we ask your blessing upon our veterans and those closest to them that … [Read more...]
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance responds to crises in South Sudan and Haiti
(PNS) Recent flooding in South Sudan and ongoing political unrest in Haiti have prompted the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to provide humanitarian aid to partner organizations in those countries to help individuals and families affected by the crises. In South Sudan, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is working with the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency (PRDA), an arm of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, to provide food and non-food items as well as assistance with shelter, said Dayna Oliver, PDA’s associate for international program administration. “More than 800,000 people that have been affected by the flooding” in South Sudan, Oliver said. The situation has been particularly bad in Pibor, where houses have been destroyed and crops have been washed away in heavy rain since July, according to correspondence from PRDA. A solidarity grant from PDA is being sent to help ensure that impacted communities in the Pibor area have access to food and drinking … [Read more...]
Study finds US Latinos are no longer majority-Catholic. Here are some reasons why.
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Emmanuel Perez was about 15 years old when he decided the Catholic faith was not for him. Perez’s cousin had just died in a car crash and his mother drove from her Santa Ana home in Orange County to Tulare near Fresno to help prepare the body for the viewing. She wanted to “be there for her in her last moments,” said Perez, 23. His mother, however, was forbidden from getting close to the body. Because his mom had divorced his father and lived with her new partner without getting married, Perez’s aunt didn’t consider her “holy enough” to be near her niece’s body. Perez said it was heartbreaking, especially because his mother devoted herself to the Catholic faith to create a bond with her family while his dad was not around. That’s when he realized: “This is not for me. This is not what I believe in.” Perez is part of of a religion shift where Latinos in the United States are no longer majority-Catholic, according to a new Pew Research Center … [Read more...]
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