The 222nd General Assembly is considering 5 Risking Peace affirmations to guide the church as we live out Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Peacemaking is an essential aspect of “the ministry of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:18). The Peace Discernment process which
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The author would like to note that the opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. When I came to General Assembly, I’d already spent three years of my life working on divestment from fossil fuels. Fossil Free PCUSA was born in 2013, and in the last year we’ve worked with Presbyterians
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On Item 11-08 and Apologizing to Native Peoples Apology isn’t a sexy word. Quite often it seems like a weak word. A word we want to skirt around. A word we want to avoid. But that’s been the problem. We as a people of faith are called into something different.
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Much work has been done to make the General Assembly as inclusive a gathering as possible. Fair representation of both Ruling Elder and Teaching Elder Commissioners is ensured. We hear from Advisory Delegates, who represent a wider swath of voices, the majority of whom (YAADs) represent a younger generation, prior
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During his tenure as the Moderator of the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Heath Rada has listened deeply and broadly to people across this denomination. Moderators of the PC(USA) often have this unique and sacred privilege of really listening as they travel and hold conversations with Presbyterians in congregations, presbyteries,
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Being the Church of Matthew 25 One year ago, I took in my first shocking breath of the Arizona heat. Punctuated by saguaro cacti and surrounded by foreboding mountains, the Sonoran Desert represents one of the most treacherous climates for human survival. Despite rhetoric of dryness alleviating the burden of
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In March 2016, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) called for a consumer boycott of Wendy’s until it joins the Fair Food Program. After having engaged Wendy’s with the CIW for ten years, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted denominational support for the boycott at its April meeting. In this
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Poster-Cult for Total War Almost daily, the media calls our attention to the horrendous behavior of a group known as ISIS. We are rightly concerned about the threat this group poses to the quality of life as we know it. However, discussions of ISIS seem to focus more on the
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An Excerpt from the Office of Public Witness’ New Study Guide on Voting Rights and Voter Suppression By Mara Sawdy and Nora Leccese – Read and/or download entire resource here! Introduction At the direction of the General Assembly, we at the Office of Public Witness have compiled resources to aid
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When I heard the reports and then saw the video of Eric Garner’s arrest, something deep inside me clicked. I’ve been involved in interreligious social justice movements for more than 25 years and thought that nothing could surprise me. However, in those moments I didn’t just see the injustice of
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