Encouraging, challenging and equipping congregations to thrive spiritually and be apostles for reconciliation
From the General Presbyter My daughter and I visited a temple in Kerala, India devoted to Shiva, the third god of the Hindu trinity. I noticed two things about this experience. First, Shiva got a 21st century makeover as you can see in these pictures! The second thing I noticed was that the inside of […]
From the General Presbyter “God is on our side..today” Happy Black History Month! The verse above is from the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” sung in many congregations during the month of February. I lift up this particular verse because it speaks of the audacity of Black Americans who claim their cause of securing […]
From the General Presbyter Happy New Year! At my daughter’s college graduation last month, the doctoral students received their degrees first. As the first name was called (by an AI generated program!) I noticed the thesis was very specific. It went something like: “John Q. Public, receiving his doctorate for the study of the Madagascar […]
From the General Presbyter When I discovered ChatGPT, I shared my enthusiasm with Frank, our communications manager. He responded with something to the effect of “it’s a great tool but be aware; sometimes it makes stuff up.” In seminary several students walked out of my Old Testament class when the professor proclaimed the story of […]
From the General Presbyter In 2016 I called my then mentor, the Rev. Warner Durnell, who served as an Exec in Alabama. I remember asking him “how do I lead when the worst has happened?” Progressives, this is a terrible day for us. Warner’s comments were honest, and prophetic. He admitted that he too had […]
From the General Presbyter Just returned from the Stewardship Kaleidoscope conference in Portland, Oregon. A good time was had by all, and I have asked Frank to create a Stewardship Resources page on the website where I will deposit some helpful and interesting resources from the conference. The first plenary was a panel discussion from […]
Summer Series: The Presbytery, the Strategic Plan and You From the General Presbyter Empowering leaders, Engaging churches, Embodying justice and inclusivity in the name of Christ. The “E” words in this vision statement represent a state of being as well as action steps. The “ing” at the end of the words promotes an ongoing commitment […]
Summer Series: The Presbytery, the Strategic Plan and You From the General Presbyter I recently heard an expression, “shop your closet.” The article reminded people that perfectly good clothing and accessories are tucked away and ready to wear. I know this because there are times when I do a clean out and exclaim, “Oh, I […]
The Presbytery, the Strategic Plan and You Summer Series From the General Presbyter In our previous episodes, we recognized the importance of justice for all, and aiming toward loving inclusive community. Now we get to talk about where the “rubber meets the road.” Today I want to focus on the first word in this value: […]
The Presbytery, the Strategic Plan and You Summer Series From the General Presbyter The 226th PC(USA) General Assembly was steeped in inclusivity, and it was wonderful to see and experience. Though most members of the PC(USA) are of European descent and over 50 years of age, other races and cultures were represented, as commissioners and […]
