The Presbyterian Outlook - News and Articles from the The Presbyterian Outlook

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’Twas the day of Christmas, and all across the land, church members were trying their best to understand. Oh, some things were the same — the ornaments and lights, the sweets and treats, packages wrapped merry and bright. But for many folks, it was still hard to believe, that they had not been to church on that Christmas Eve. They had not lifted their candles into the air; they had not raised their voices in song or in prayer; had not been able even to darken the doors, for COVID continue reading... On this Christmas so different from what we are used to, Emmanuel, God be with us. Be with those who long to fill the pews to hear the story of Christ’s birth, to sing “Silent Night” and light candles to shine God’s light through all the church and into the world. Be with us as we gather at the manger in a different way. Emmanuel, be with us. Be with those who will spend this Christmas alone, with those who work helping the sick through the night, with young adults continue reading... Pastor and professor Samuel Wells tells a moving story in a recent issue of the Christian Century. He recalls a time when he was asked to speak to a dying man. This man wasn’t sure where he stood on religion, and was anticipating the end of his life in the coming months.  Wells remembers one of the poignant questions the man asked of him, “What would you want written on your tombstone?” Wells was surprised. A Christian ethicist by trade, and currently a prominent pastor in the Anglican Church of continue reading... Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case by The Presbyterian Outlook January 1, 1995 Uncategorized113 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.Ministering with the Earth by The Presbyterian Outlook January 1, 1998 Book Reviews131 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of Neo-Orthodoxy by The Presbyterian Outlook January 1, 1998 Book Reviews134 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.Moving Forward Implementation Commission takes administrative action by Leslie Scanlon June 18, 2020 Outlook Reporting2 comments The Moving Forward Implementation Commission voted June 18 to take administrative action in five areas — with some of the actions intended to help the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pursue a unified budget process over the next two years.That action was taken one day before the 2020 General Assembly of the PC(USA) convenes — and just before it is recommended that Moving Forward transition from a commission (with the authority to act between General Assemblies) to a special committee, without that power.What will the 2022 General Assembly look like?  Plans are taking shape by Leslie Scanlon December 3, 2020 Outlook Reporting2 comments The 2022 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be in Louisville, Kentucky – not Columbus, Ohio, as originally planned – and will be a mixture of in-person committee work and online plenary sessions.That’s at the heart of action the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly took in closed session Dec. 3.Rick Jones, communications director for the Office of the General Assembly, said in an email following that closed session: Dates for the 2022 General Assembly have not yet been set, although it’s likely to be in the summer. There will be 13 General Assembly committees, mee...What s right about Second Presbyterian Church? by The Presbyterian Outlook December 1, 2020 What's right?1 comment Second Presbyterian Church — Waynesboro, VirginiaWe’re a small church with a membership of about 70 located in a low income, transient neighborhood. In early 2007, church members were asked by a food bank representative about opening a soup kitchen. That year, we partnered with volunteers from five area churches to host Disciples’ Kitchen — serving lunch two days each week. As volunteer support increased, we expanded to three days a week!When faced with COVID-19 restrictions this year, we felt we may need to close. But instead, we decided to try handing out meals in the church parking lot. April Cranfor...’Twas the day of ChristmasDecember 25, 2020 by Andrew Taylor-Troutman Leave a Comment ’Twas the day of Christmas, and all across the land,church members were trying their best to understand.Oh, some things were the same — the ornaments and lights,the sweets and treats, packages wrapped merry and bright.But for many folks, it was still hard to believe,that they had not been to church on that Christmas Eve.They had not lifted their candles into the air;they had not raised their voices in song or in prayer;had not been able even to darken the doors,for COVID had prevented this, and so much more.This Christmas, though decorations filled up the rooms,many loved ones were seen and heard only through Zoom,or FaceTime, Google Hangout or some other name,which was better than nothing, but hardly the same.And so, this pastor wondered just what he might say,to his flock watching on their screens this Christmas Day.The more he thought about the truth of what he’d share,he realized, for some, sadness had already been there.For whether there’s a [Read more...]Tagged With: Christmas • COVID19Outpost Blog Tags: Christmas/ COVID19Emmanuel, be with us: A Christmas Day prayerDecember 25, 2020 by Leslie Scanlon Leave a Comment On this Christmas so different from what we are used to, Emmanuel, God be with us.Be with those who long to fill the pews to hear the story of Christ’s birth, to sing “Silent Night” and light candles to shine God’s light through all the church and into the world. Be with us as we gather at the manger in a different way. Emmanuel, be with us.Be with those who will spend this Christmas alone, with those who work helping the sick through the night, with young adults far from their families, with those who cannot gather with their children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, or their families of choice because the risks are too great. Emmanuel, be with us.Be with those who have lost loved ones this year, because of the pandemic or in other ways, who were not able to visit at the hospital or the nursing home; who didn’t have the funeral or even the chance to hug one another. Be with those who have lost their jobs, their homes, their beloved pets, their plans for school and [Read more...]Tagged With: Christmas • COVID19 • prayersWorship Resources Tags: Christmas/ COVID19/ prayersFor hospital chaplains, being vaccinated first brings a mix of emotionsDecember 24, 2020 by Religion News Service Leave a Comment (RNS) — Jennie has tried to keep it together, she really has.Her job demands nothing less. As a hospital chaplain for a Catholic health association in the Midwest, she has spent the past year shouldering the weighty burden of working with COVID-19 patients amid a ruthless pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans. Sometimes she gets to work with patients on the road to recovery, but with infection rates skyrocketing nationwide, she has too often found herself sitting next to a hospital bed — her face obscured by an inhuman visage of mask and face shield — softly singing the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” as a dying patient rattles out a final breath.Over and over, she then turned to family members briefly granted access to their loved one, their newly tear-stained faces also hidden behind layers of fabric and plastic. And over and over, she has found the strength to help them mourn — pushing aside the knowledge that she can never know for certain [Read more...]Religion News Service Expecting in the unexpected: Make it beautifulDecember 24, 2020 by Joshua Gritter Leave a Comment Pastor and professor Samuel Wells tells a moving story in a recent issue of the Christian Century. He recalls a time when he was asked to speak to a dying man. This man wasn’t sure where he stood on religion, and was anticipating the end of his life in the coming months.  Wells remembers one of the poignant questions the man asked of him, “What would you want written on your tombstone?” Wells was surprised. A Christian ethicist by trade, and currently a prominent pastor in the Anglican Church of England, he had never considered this before. Wells joked: “Well, I’m not sure I want anything written on my tombstone. Eternity is a long time to commit to.” After a few chuckles, Wells answered for real: “I suppose I would write make it beautiful.” Life is not always good, but it can still be beautiful. This is Wells’ approach to pastoral care for those caught in the throes of difficult circumstances.The first Advent was not good. A young couple travels deep into their third trimester of [Read more...]Tagged With: expecting during the unexpectedOutpost Blog Tags: expecting during the unexpected/ Featured Home PageChristmas Eve prayerDecember 24, 2020 by Roger Gench Leave a Comment O God of incarnate love, we come to this blessed Christmas Eve with the awe of the shepherds who, when they beheld the Savior who had come into our world, praised your majesty and holy name. Your incarnation reveals your glory in all creation. In the nativity scene, we see the reflection of your image and glory — in the child and the family, the animals at the manger, the shepherds and magi who came to worship, following the star in the sky.Help us to know that your image and glory are manifest in each face, each creature, each star around us on this holy night.  We remember especially the children who hold the promise of your glory, their wonder and joy. And parents who bear the promised hope, wise people who, like the magi, seek to discern God’s will and who witness to the promise of a Savior for all the earth. Tonight we seek your glory, O God, in all these faces — those with us this evening, those beloved ones who are gone but remain so present in memory, those far away in this [Read more...]Tagged With: Christmas • prayersWorship Resources Tags: Christmas/ prayers2021 Lenten devotions from the Presbyterian OutlookDecember 23, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment Praying with Scripture during LentTheologically sound, inspiring and affordable devotions for the congregationThe six-week Lenten journey is an opportunity to take on a new spiritual discipline. This year, congregations are invited to pray with Scripture as a way of discerning God’s movement in our personal lives and in the life of the world around us.6 weeks of Lenten devotions — $20About these devotions:Throughout the season of Lent, you will be invited to pray with one passage from Scripture each day and prompted to reflect on what it discloses to you about movement toward God and movement away from God in your life. These devotions written by Roger Gench, Presbyterian pastor and author, will guide you in this daily practice of praying with Scripture.John Calvin spoke of the Bible as the “lens of faith,” likening it to a pair of eyeglasses that enables us to see the world with clearer vision as God’s creation. As theologian Serene Jones noted in "Engaging Biblical [Read more...]Tagged With: LentBulletin Inserts/ Outlook Offers Happenings Home Page Tags: Lent1232990Next Page Current Issue Most CommentedMost PopularGA meeting site in Baltimore to be converted into field hospital A decision may be getting closer about whether to hold the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – set...Debate over relationship between San Francisco Theological Seminary and the PC(USA) may rise at General Assembly  When is a historically Presbyterian seminary no longer a "Presbyterian seminary”?That question is on the docket for the 224th General...PC(USA) General Assembly affirms that Black lives matter; pledges to work against systemic racism The 2020 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted overwhelmingly June 26 to approve a resolution declaring that Black...Churches go back to the future with drive-in services in the time of the coronavirus (RNS) — When it came time to pass the peace Sunday at Pathway Baptist Church, Senior Pastor Mike Donald didn’t...Advent devotions — 2020 (Year B) Advent time: Devotions for the congregationAre you looking for theologically sound, inspiring and affordable Advent devotions for the congregation?The Presbyterian...PC(USA) General Assembly affirms that Black lives matter; pledges to work against systemic racism The 2020 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted overwhelmingly June 26 to approve a resolution declaring that Black...Download Order of WorshipAdditional information about this service and Self-Development of People announces COVID-19 grant recipientsPresbyterian News Service December 17, 2020 LOUISVILLE (PNS) — The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) has approved grants totaling $118,000 to 30 community-based projects in the United States aimed at alleviating the impact of the Regarding Ruling Elders: New worshipping communitiesPresbyterian News Service December 16, 2020 (OGA) A group of women gather within the walls of a state penitentiary to move through prayer stations, sing about hope, and hear a bit of good news.A lively choir of African immigrants celebrate the joy of community More US churches commit to racism-linked reparationsReligion News Service December 15, 2020 NEW YORK (AP) — The Episcopal Diocese of Texas acknowledges that its first bishop in 1859 was a slaveholder. An Episcopal church erects a plaque noting the building’s creation in New York City in 1810 was made possible Church pageants go virtual amid a COVID-19 ChristmasReligion News Service December 10, 2020 (RNS) — The New Testament’s Christmas story doesn’t say where Mary was exactly when the  angel appeared to tell her about the baby she would have, named Jesus. But last Sunday (Dec. 6), at Leawood (Kansas) United Outlook Offers & Happenings2021 Lenten devotions from the Presbyterian OutlookBulletin Inserts, Outlook Offers Happenings Home PagePraying with Scripture during LentTheologically sound, inspiring and affordable devotions for the From Editor to Pastor: Hopes, Dreams and Reflections on the ChurchOutlook Offers Happenings Home Page, WebinarsSpend an evening with Jill Duffield.Hosted by Christopher EdmonstonRecorded November 12, Running on empty: An invitation to a new fuel sourceOutlook Offers Happenings Home Page, Webinars90-minute Presbyterian Outlook webinarRecorded October 29, 2020 On-demand video Testimony: Vocabulary of FaithBulletin Inserts, Faith Formation Resources, Outlook Offers Happenings Home PageWe are excited to offer this new curriculum, which we hope frees people to live their Reformed faith More Stories▼ Marilynne Robinson Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 320 pages Reviewed by Sarah Kiewitz Young couples sometimes slip into cemeteries at night to have dramatic conversation, like an early scene in Marilynne Robinson’s “Jack,” but here the drama is adult, fraught. Jack, a middle-aged, self-proclaimed bum is mourning his toddler daughter, whom he abandoned and never met. She is buried in a modest cemetery in Gilead, Iowa, the home of his unconditionally loving family — family he hasn’t visited in 20 years. But Jack, a charming thief, compulsive liar and alcoholic, receives When I was growing up in the years B.C. (before COVID-19), Ms. Joyce would stoop to wrap each child in her arms as we exited single file from her Sunday school classroom. She’d always say, “Amen.” A hug can be a prayer. In the year of COVID-19, the church I serve has offered online worship since the outbreak in March. Our congregation recently began gathering for outdoor worship as well. We pray the Lord’s Prayer. We hear familiar scriptures like Matthew 25 and Psalm 23. There have been instrumental versions Guest commentary by Robert P. Hoch The British composer John Rutter has just completed a new choral piece, “Joseph’s Carol.” It will commemorate the work of the Oxford scientists who designed a vaccine for COVID-19. The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra will stream the recorded service on Friday, December 18 at 1:30 p.m. (EST). I haven’t heard the carol but only had the tiniest glimpse of what it will be like from recent news reports. Like most people, I’ll be listening for the first time on the 18th. I am also recently Barbara Brown Taylor Westminster John Knox Press, 242 pages Reviewed by Anne H.K. Apple Serving as a pastor of a church in great transition, and navigating leading and being Christ’s church in the throes of a pandemic, I strongly recommend Barbara Brown Taylor’s book “Always a Guest.” In each chapter, a well-crafted sermon and a reminder to stay in God’s Word. In each chapter, a priceless reminder to trust that the Holy Spirit will make necessary connections. In each chapter, a reminder that we are always guests wading in cavernous

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