Stories

I work for a PCUSA congregation in Kennesaw, Georgia, helping with administrative duties. The pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, Catherine Renken, approached Session (the governing body of the congregation) about hanging a banner on the outside of the church as a sign of welcome to all in our community. The Session immediately approved the motion… Read More →

The congregation I serve — Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church — sits on the campus of Warren Wilson College, a progressive-leaning liberal arts college located just outside of Asheville, NC. Like so many progressive-minded young people today, the students at Wilson are deeply suspicious of institutional faith. So much so, in fact, I sometimes wonder if… Read More →

After the divisiveness after last November’s election, the session at Spirit of Life Presbyterian wanted to share a message to our neighborhood of welcome. We ran across this image created by David Lamotte and felt this is the welcome we wish to share. This third Sunday of Advent, our theme this week is #WordOfWelcome. It… Read More →

We live across the street from a middle school and in a neighborhood with lots of political views. Our sign has been up for close to a year a now and we get lots of positive comments but mostly, I’m really glad that we have a concrete way to make the invitation to be neighbors… Read More →

People stop on a weekly basis to read our sign or say how much they appreciate it. Today this note was placed inside our screen door. Friends, everyone is looking for signs of hope…glad we have an 8ft one on our house.

Hey neighbors! The people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, New York recently put up our “Let’s Be Neighbors” banner in English and Spanish. We believe that now is the time for faith communities of all kinds to be bold, prophetic witnesses of peace and hospitality in these divisive times. The message… Read More →

Back in February our Session added a new position, an Elder for Cultural Engagement. A young adult named Will Ford was ordained and given the task of reaching out to other young folks in the community, spiritual-but-not-religious neighbors, and pretty much anyone in town who is not already connected to the church. He addressed music… Read More →

The sessions of the two churches I serve considered these banners and enthusiastically decided to have them printed. It exemplifies who we hope to be in our communities. We put up one of the banners this past week. Today was commencement for Austin College, just across the street. As I greeted people following worship this… Read More →