Encouraging, challenging and equipping congregations to thrive spiritually and be apostles for reconciliation
From the General Presbyter Is everybody miserable? Cranky? Irritable? Reactive? My high school graduate came home after two hours of work at her restaurant job complaining bitterly that it was “slow” and so they sent employees home. Oh, the first world problems of the teenager who is fully subsidized by her mother. And yet others, […]
From the General Presbyter “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions. And the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart Some neighbors, who are also colleagues, gave me some ferns out of their garden. At home, I found the perfect spot and began to dig. The first spot resisted. […]
From the General Presbyter “But on you will go, though the weather be foul.On you will go, though your enemies prowl.Onward up many a frightening creek,Though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. — Oh the Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss My daughter received this book for her high school […]
From the General Presbyter I don’t know about you, but I am tired. Not the proverbial tired of the pandemic or the news about anti-racism marches. Speaking of marches, I attended the Howard County march and it was wonderful. Police, organizers and citizens working together to promote justice and create a meaningful event. No, […]
May 30, 2020: George Floyd I once heard someone say, “you can’t fight ignorance with violence.” I believe that. I believe violence, mayhem, and destructive rioting do nothing to make the naïve suddenly aware, voices heard or problems solved. But how long will the ignorant, the naïve and the unaware hide behind their dominant culture […]
From the General Presbyter Today I was on a Zoom call with Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, the Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, who talked about being a “Matthew 25 Church,” a new posture of the PC(USA) based on the named text, but more importantly, how we engage the “isms” of our society. I listen […]
May 22, 2020 Many of you have heard the news that Donald Trump wants churches to open this Sunday. It’s been determined that Governors and religious authorities make the final call about buildings reopening this weekend. As I mentioned in my report to the Gathering, congregations are not ready to regather unless their facilities are […]
From the General Presbyter Don’t get me wrong. This whole pandemic thing is getting old for me too. I’m a yogi and a kickboxer and I am not able to go to those classes. I can’t visit my friends and I play dodge ball every time I go out grocery shopping. I can’t visit your […]
May 14, 2020 Sisters and Brothers in Christ. As you know, the Governor of Maryland has created an Executive Order entitled: Allowing Reopening of Certain Businesses and Facilities, Subject to Local Regulation. In this order, houses of worship may open to the general public, provided, however, that “the total number of persons permitted…at any one […]
From the General Presbyter The characters Jamie and Tea Cake in Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes are Watching God , are living in the Everglades when they hear a hurricane is coming. They first decide to wait it out, but soon the storm presses in with wind, rain and flooding. The characters end up […]
