Letters from the General Minister
Worship Is A Verb
September 10, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, September 10, 2020 Some of our congregations have opened their sanctuary doors on Sundays, while others continue to offer services only remotely. Several of our congregations …
Unshakable
September 3, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, August 20, 2020 Beloved of God, have you noticed that we are in a time of great shaking? Protests and counter-protests have been escalating into violence, …
The Power of Testimony
August 27, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, August 27, 2020 I grew up in a church that had Sunday night services, which always included time for sharing personal “testimonies” about what God has …
Whom Shall We Fear?
August 20, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
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 …
The Legacy We Leave
August 6, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
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
July 29, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
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” …
Where is God in This Picture?
July 15, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 16, 2020 “How could a good, all-powerful God let bad things happen to good people?” This ancient question, which philosophers call “the problem of …
In Praise of Persistence
July 9, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 2, 2020 “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give …
Liberty and Justice for All
July 2, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 2, 2020 I became a U.S. citizen in 1995, twenty years after getting my “Green Card” that allowed me, a Canadian, to live and work …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Four
June 28, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Sunday, June 28, 2020 The final day of the 224th General Assembly, June 27, began with the election and installation of the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Three
June 27, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Saturday, June 27, 2020 YES to dismantling structural racism. YES to eradicating systemic poverty. These are two of the three foci of the Matthew 25 Initiative that …
Grace and Gratitude
June 25, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, June 25, 2020 Many have said – and I concur – that the core of John Calvin’s theology is the intersection of grace and gratitude. Taken …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Two
June 21, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Sunday, June 21, 2020 A resounding “Yes!” At its second session on June 20, called less than 24 hours earlier, the 224 th General Assembly voted by a two-thirds …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day One
June 20, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Saturday, June 20, 2020 Unprecedented. That word has been much over-used in recent months related to the COVID pandemic, collapse of the economy, and the tsunami of …
The Church on Public Display
June 10, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister June 11, 2020 The church of Jesus Christ is on public display, whether we recognize it or not. The church has led the way in some recent …