What if churches today were more like 12-step programs? What if they were truly places of authenticity, raw honesty and inclusion, committed to transformation, making amends and leaning on God? Shavon Starling-Louis says, “I’m a pretty big lover of the church” — of its ability to be a blessing in the broken places of the world, part of the necessary work of repentance and repair. At its best, “you are magnificent, you are glorious,” she said to the church — preaching during closing worship of the NEXT Church national gathering, held online March 5-7. But Starling-Louis, pastor of Meadowlake Presbyterian Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, also has seen the church in action: she’s experienced it in rural places and cities, in a number of states. “So it is with deep love I come to you,” she told the NEXT community. “I’ve been watching, I’ve been listening. … It seems that we’ve got a problem. We’ve got behaviors that we impulsively and automatically and mindlessly … [Read more...]
NEXT Church closing worship invites a fearless moral inventory
Ministry, learning & loss during COVID-19 — March 15, 2021
Over the course of the past year, churches have changed how they worship, offer Christian education, provide pastoral care and serve their neighborhoods. This issue explores the grief that has weighed heavy and the lessons learned so far. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader Pastoral theology for a pandemic Life in a pandemic reconfigures how we deal with the problem of loss theologically — whether the loss of relationships that lead to being existentially alone, or the loss of a sense of well-being in the world that is God’s. Six lessons about faith formation Rodger Nishioka shares what he learned about Christian education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking forward to a post-pandemic era Reformed theology helps Christians look ahead to life, faith and ministry after the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers and names In the aftermath of the Breonna Taylor killing in Louisville, Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty notes the significance of numbers and names in the … [Read more...]
Genealogies of the intangible: Christine Hong addresses Next Church
The past few years have been marked by multiple griefs, Christine Hong acknowledged in her keynote address to the Next Church 2021 National Gathering, being held online March 5-7. White supremacy and COVID-19 are twin pandemics that have made us “soul-sick,” she said. So she started by offering participants a moment to consider what accretions of grief they are currently holding space for — griefs such as people gone too soon, the pain they see others expressing or a loss of hope. “Hold them and acknowledge them. They are part of you, too,” Hong said in her March 6 presentation. Hong is assistant professor of educational ministry at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She has a special interest in anti-colonial and decolonial approaches to religious education and is the author of the recently released book “Decolonial Futures: Intercultural and Interreligious Intelligence for Theological Education.” Recent years have been defined by witnessing violence and … [Read more...]
Lenny Duncan troubles the waters at NEXT Church gathering: Why is my sacrifice needed for you to wake up?
“What broke you over this last year?” Spoken word artist Glenn McCray of Chop Suey Roots asked that question during opening worship of NEXT Church’s 2021 National Gathering – being held online March 5-7 (with a few technical bumps on the opening day), and built around the theme “Breaking, Blessing, Building.” Some answers to his question from the opening presentations: don’t just think about the COVID-19 pandemic — add in white supremacy, Christian nationalism, climate change, the Trump presidency, the killing of George Floyd and so much more. “This alarm has been going off since 1619, and some of you have been hitting the snooze button,” McCray said. During opening worship, Bertram Johnson, a member of the NEXT strategy team and currently serving as interfaith minister at Union Theological Seminary in New York, preached about “vanilla ISIS” and a white nationalism that threatens to destroy “anything that doesn’t align with its capitalist and colonial Jesus.” For people … [Read more...]
Christian health networks call for global equity and solidarity for COVID-19 vaccine access
While applauding the effort made in order to have safe and effective vaccines, the ecumenical health partners are also concerned “with the emerging trend of rich countries hoarding excess doses to vaccinate their entire populations two or more times over, inflating vaccine prices for poor countries and the overall picture of low or no vaccinations in low-income countries. We are equally concerned that even in rich countries, racial/ethnic minorities and low-income persons are being marginalised in access to the vaccines.” The statement warns on the devastating economic consequences of the lack of vaccines in order to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Christian health networks, which are significant providers of healthcare in many parts of the world, commit to “maintaining their contribution to the global COVID-19 response motivated by the teachings of Jesus of promoting health and healing, prioritizing the sick and vulnerable, finding strength in weakness, servant leadership, and … [Read more...]
PASTOR
Unity Presbyterian Church, Danville, Virginia. “At Unity there is a seat at the table for everyone.” View MIF #11887.AB2. Contact: Harriet Thompson, PNC Chair hmtpwt@chatmosscable.com. Unity Presbyterian Church 835 Franklin Turnpike Danville VA 24540 https://www.facebook.com/UnityPCUSA/ … [Read more...]
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