Celebrate Justice!

Charges against Indigenous movement leaders and Water Protectors Dawn Goodwin, Tania Aubid, and Winona LaDuke were dismissed September 14, 2024. Read the article in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area newsletter EMerge.

‘Now is the time to dream big, trust God, tear down our barns and put our grain to work’ says pastor and author Mark Elsdon

Joining the Polity, Benefits and Mission Conference viz Zoom on Tuesday, the Rev. Mark Elsdon delivered on the message of his 2021 book of the same name: we aren’t broke.

Elsdon, a Presbyterian pastor who’s executive director of Pres House Campus Ministry and the Pres House Apartments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-founded Rooted Good, told the nearly 300 people in attendance he’s “well aware of the narrative of scarcity” commonly heard in churches struggling with shrining membership and budgets. Read more.

Let’s be honest

When it comes to the future of the church, it's tempting to put our heads in the sand, writes Rebecca Gresham. Let's be honest about the decline of mainline religion — and that God is still present and active. Read more.

Leading by Listening: Ruling Elders and Presbyterian Polity

A Leader Formation Webinar

November 16, 2023; 7-8:30 pm (eastern) Registration Deadline November 8, 2023 HERE

Ruling Elders lead by listening to the Word, the Holy Spirit, and their congregation and our polity invites us into conversations and responsibilities. Those conversations develop relationships which build up the church family. The responsibilities of the Ruling Elder are to nurture, to support, and provide for the spiritual life of a congregation and beyond. Join us for a conversation into the joyful journey of this service.

This event is provided for free for participants and is funded through your per capita dollars. It does not come without cost, however. Knowing the diversity of language within the PC(USA), this webinar will be provided in several languages with interpretation based on requests made through the registration process. As a result, there is a registration deadline of November 8, 2023, in order to be able to have time to arrange for those services. Advanced registration is not necessary for access to the recording which will be available in English following the event. 

Register for the webinar by November 8, 2023, here.

This webinar will be led by the Rev. Gradye Parsons, a retired Presbyterian minister living on a farm in Kodak, Tennessee with his wife Kathy. Gradye served as pastor in congregations in Tennessee and as the Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk in Holston Presbytery. He worked in the PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly and served as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly from 2008-2016. He is currently the parish associate at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. Gradye and Kathy have two children and three grandchildren. 

An apology and reparations occur more than half a century after the fact

JUNEAU, Alaska — In March 2011, when a pastor called a long-serving community member right before his death, only God knew that conversation would be the beginning of a journey and a living example of restorative justice.

The Rev. Dr. Walter Soboleff spent more than 70 years serving God, the community of Southeast Alaska, and the Presbyterian Church. One of the first native Alaskans to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church, Soboleff shared a story from his journey that would change the trajectory of a faith community and become a model of how Presbyterians strive to heal from harm and right the wrongs that some have come to benefit from today. Read more.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we’re posting the 15th and final episode of the Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ / Bassett Creek Oral History Project. Eric Buffalohead describes growing up in St. Louis Park during the 1980s and 1990s. He also shares about sending his children to Breck School in Golden Valley starting in the mid-1990s, and purchasing a home in Plymouth in the mid-2010s. Please check out the whole podcast to hear more Indigenous voices from the West Metro suburbs!

https://open.spotify.com/show/5IaWtTWyWwttThOmKjM2kM

Funding and other support was provided by the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board, Hennepin History Museum, Valley Community Presbyterian Church, and the University of Wisconsin. This publication was also made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Image credit: Jim Elert.

PC(USA) Positions Updated October 5, 2023

English

Korean

Spanish

Presbyterian Foundation - Work for the Foundation

These are liminal times, threshold times, times of significant upheaval and uncertainty, kairos times.

The Ministry Lab’s 2023-2024 Transformative Innovations Series invites clergy, faith formation leaders, and lay members to discover God already at work, lean into current realities, and re-invigorate for ministry that is transformational, sustainable, and life-giving. Discover tools for congregation-wide innovations; learn best practices for creating safe and hospitable spaces for diverse peoples - including yourself! - living with traumas; engage deeply in the work of antiracism; and find hope for a financial future that can reinvigorate your entire community.

We hope you’ll join us for one or all of these exciting opportunities. Members enjoy discounted pricing. Non-members are always welcome - and are encouraged to consider an annual subscription membership to make these and future offerings more accessible.