This digest is a compilation of the social witness-related items that came before the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly in 2012.
Keep ReadingIntroduction The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been engaged in a decade-long struggle to divest from companies that are profiting from the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. After an extensive corporate engagement process, the Committee
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This interview takes us from US memories of the anti-apartheid movement to the continuing struggles for a more peaceful and prosperous South Africa. It looks at the power of hope but also the terrible legacy of underdevelopment. Stepping around the many laudatory remarks of politicians and commentators who generally did
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The following is a supplement to an editorial by Chris Iosso regarding the October 2013 government shutdown. It is meant to be a thorough and representative (but by no means comprehensive!) compilation of PC(USA) social witness policy relevant to the issues raised by the shutdown. World of Hurt, Word of
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I joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) in my early twenties because I saw a denomination that was committed to God’s call to work for justice not in word only but in deed as well. In fact, the PC(USA) has established two advocacy committees with the purpose of holding the denomination
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Even as a life-long Presbyterian, I knew very little about the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns until I joined the committee in 2010. I had read some of the Committee’s Advice and Counsel memoranda speaking to pertinent General Assembly Overtures and Resolutions, but I was unaware of its mission, purpose,
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Historic African American seminary, Johnson C. Smith, takes the lead in mobilizing new approaches to HIV/AIDS care and advocacy through its “AIDS Competent Churches and Church Leaders” certification program. The following is the first article of a February 7–March 7, 2013, series of reflections from Johnson C. Smith’s first annual
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The LGBTQ Experience in the Church, and the Children that Keep Me Here This week on Unbound we honor National Coming Out Day (October 11) and LGBT History Month (October) with a series of stories from PC(USA) inquirers and candidates for ordained ministry, who gathered this summer to explore their
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October 2012 Issue Table of Contents Social Witness at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly Opening Editorials “Caution and Commitment” by Chris Iosso “Young Adults: Will We Stay?” by Patrick David Heery The Young Adult Perspective “Stay with Us” by Emily Morrell “Paralyzed” by Rachel Helgeson “Gears, Forks, and
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On the Peace Discernment Interim Report By Sara Dorrien View and Print as PDF. Nestled quietly within a jam-packed week of hotly debated issues ranging from divestment in companies profiting from the occupation of Palestine to marriage equality for same-sex couples, The Interim Report from the Peace Discernment
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Why the PC(USA) 220th General Assembly Voted Against Divestment By Robert Trawick View and Print as PDF. The General Assembly has come and gone, and amidst much sound and fury, we now face the task of reflecting on what we have done and who we are now. From
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Same-Sex Marriage at the 220th General Assembly By Rev. Aimee Moiso, 2012 Teaching Elder Commissioner and Moderator for Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues View and Print as PDF. In the two months since the 220th General Assembly concluded in Pittsburgh, I’ve had difficulty framing my experience
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