Author Archives: Adrien

PNews – 09/17/20

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Are We Leading by Example? When church officers promise to be friends in ministry to their colleagues, and to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church, they promise to embody in their relationships the … →

---

PNews – 9/10/20

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Do We Gather for Worship, or to Worship? The conversation about returning to the sanctuary has revealed a persisting pattern among us, a tendency to call the gathering “worship.” This way of putting it suggests that … →

---

PNews – 9/3/2020

News From Pittsburgh Presbytery Shaken to the Core. Over recent months we have been shaken to the core – by the pandemic, by police shootings, and by resultant protests and counter-protests. There’s a whole lot of shaking going on in … →

---

Waiver of 2019 Minutes Reading Requirement

Waiver of 2019 Minutes Reading Requirement Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic which has prevented in-person minutes readings and the disparity in access to technology to permit electronic minutes readings, the Ecclesiastical Committee has granted congregations within Pittsburgh Presbytery a … →

---

PNews – 8/27/20

News From Pittsburgh Presbytery What’s Your Story? Last year our presbytery voted to enroll as a “Matthew 25 Presbytery,” joining in our denomination’s national Matthew 25 Initiative, encouraging and equipping congregations to: 1. Strengthen congregational vitality, 2. Dismantle structural racism, and … →

---

Whom Shall We Fear?

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, August 20, 2020 Stoking fear and resentment is a powerful way to gain a mass following. Some politicians, and even some preachers, traffic in raising anxieties … →

---

PNews – 8/20/20

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery When Should We Embrace Fear, and When Should We Resist It? Stoking fear and resentment is a powerful way to gain a mass following. But not all fear is bad. We do our children a great … →

---

COVID-19 Financial Assistance Updates

As the pool of grants shrinks for financial assistance related to economic hardship caused by COVID-19, it is helpful to know where to look for the assistance that is still available. The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is still offering some … →

---

There Will Be A Day

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Elder Ralph Lowe Director of Justice Ministries August 13, 2020 A few months ago, I wrote a letter to my white siblings in Christ expressing my exhaustion, outrage, worry, desperation, and hurt as a … →

---

PNews – 08/13/20

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery How Do We Truly Become Unified? Mark 3:25 says “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.“ Divided we are easily manipulated to resentment, anger, superiority, and distrust. Where and how do we … →

---

On Baptism and Ordination in a Time of Pandemic

July 2020 Many people are inquiring about how to celebrate the sacrament of baptism and services of ordination/installation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Theology and … →

---

PNews – 08/06/2020

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Are We Going to Atrophy or Adapt? A titan of our age was laid to rest last week. John Lewis kept going moving forward undeterred throughout his life, no matter how much resistance he faced. Likewise, the … →

---

The Legacy We Leave

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, August 6, 2020 A titan of our age was laid to rest last week. He was small in stature, but mighty in influence. Georgia Representative John … →

---

Saying Yes and Saying No

A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 30, 2020 The world that God creates, redeems, and renews stands under a great big divine “Yes!” When God declares everything in creation as “good” … →

---

PNews – 7/30/20

News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Which Denials Underlie Our Affirmations? If we are to be Christ’s faithful followers and authentic ambassadors, we must be a people marked first and foremost by saying “Yes!” Yet beneath every “Yes” we utter lies a … →

---