Grace and Gratitude, November 2020

Earlier this year, my mom died unexpectedly. This past Tuesday, my father-in-law transitioned from this life to life eternal. I have known him since I was 15 years old. Therefore, he has always been like a father for me. Losing Boppa is yet another loss in 2020. And the coronavirus remains unchecked and out of control. The election is also consuming our lives. Even though I am writing to you before Election Day, I am convinced that God is lovingly present with us. I continue to encounter God’s purpose and love in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Read more

‘Is this the apocalypse?’ Dr. Catherine Keller, a recent Everyday God-Talk guest, asks: “How did we come to think we could just abstract ourselves and even our faith from the Creation and all of the marvelous critters that God keeps exclaiming about in Genesis 1?” Read more What prevents your organization from being antiracist? UKirk Collegiate Ministries wrestles with this question during antiracism training funded by the Office of Christian Formation. “Recent events make the message even more relevant. Sometimes we as white Christians want to check the work of antiracism off our list. But it’s never really done. We must work at it over and over.” — Annie Haunton, Student Leader, Presbyterian Campus Ministry-Raleigh, North Carolina State University. Read more

NWCs receive grants Funding has been given to 21 NWCs: $7,500 each to 10 new startups — including Jazz Vespers, pictured above; and $25,000 to 11 others to more fully live into their mission and ministry. Read about each community Loan forgiveness for pastors The Rev. John Russell Stanger, a pastor able to pay off student debt while serving a smaller PC(USA) congregation, says, “It’s like they wanted to throw money at people.” Read more

Vital Congregations Applications for the third wave of the Vital Congregations Initiative can be found at www.pcusa.org/vitalcongregations. We will begin receiving these applications in January 2021 — and will make announcements of the third wave in March 2021. For the first time, we are also offering a Church Cohort, for 15 churches who feel ready to walk through the process of Vital Congregations.   Return Application here

Annual APCE event goes digital While the planned in-person 50th anniversary event scheduled for 2021, has been moved to 2022, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators will hold a digital event February 4-6 — with plenaries, worship, and workshops.  Each Presbytery has the opportunity to send four leaders from smaller congregations to this digital even for free — and Christian Formation is partnering with APCE to provide translation in Spanish and Korean for the entire event. Learn more

Advent is coming!  "Call to Worship" provides worship and music suggestions for every Sunday, plus issues on current topics, including lectionary aids for Advent 2020. Available for in print or online-only subscription. Subscribe here

Celebrate the power of the connectional church on #GivingTuesday Join us on #Giving Tuesday, December 1, for an all-day, virtual celebration of the collective power of Presbyterian generosity, as we profess by our actions—and with our gifts—that we can accomplish far more together than any one of us can do alone. On #GivingTuesday, we invite you to join with Presbyterians from near and far for prayer and worship, fun with some familiar faces, and an unparalleled opportunity for your generosity to make a lasting impact around the country and around the world. Your gifts on #GivingTuesday gifts will empower us as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to live out our call to be a Matthew 25 Church by addressing systemic poverty, structural racism, and congregational vitality. Join us in this global giving movement as, together, we feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, welcome the refugee and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the farthest corners of the earth.   Join us

Coronavirus/COVID-19 — Latest church resources for congregations and members

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