News from Pittsburgh Presbytery

Today is Ascension Day, a church festival often overlooked, unlike the other major celebrations of Jesus’ life.  As much as virgin conception and bodily resurrection defy all human experience, at least they deal with life’s passages of birth and death with which we are familiar. But ascension? Who ever heard of people being taken alive into the heavens, apart from science fiction? What could it possibly have to do with life as we know it? In this week’s meditation, Escape or Transcend?, Rev. Sheldon W. Sorge answers these questions and more.

Change happens. Transition is how we adapt to change. As we look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, it is obvious that our communities and the world are not the same as they were in 2019. Even the church has changed, adopting technologies and practices that we may not have considered without the impetus of Covid. In such a time as this, church leaders require special skills and understanding. Transitional Ministry Education, once regarded as training for interim pastors, has become a vital resource for all church leaders. To learn about upcoming transitional ministry training opportunities, check out the PCUSA Transitional Ministry Education Consortium website.