Weekly Newsletter
PNews 7/22/21
Proclamation of the Gospel in a Time of Pandemic Proclamation of the gospel in a time of pandemic requires us to be clear about the difference between a “gospel” that promises us a haven sheltered away from our troubles and …
PNews 7/15/21
Essentials We have only dim ideas of what the post-pandemic church will ultimately look like. But this much we know – the church will survive and thrive only to the extent that it stays true to its essentials. Will the …
PNews 7/8/21
Awareness and Transformation America celebrated two federal holidays within two weeks. The Fourth of July, a holiday for almost 250 years, and Juneteenth, one just celebrated for the first time this year. Juneteenth (June 19th) commemorates the emancipation of the …
PNews 7/1/21
In Dependence Deliverance from tyranny is a central theme of salvation. But it’s not just about what we are set free from – it’s also about what we are set free to. God sets us free not to make us …
PNews 6/24/21
Working Together What are we doing to meet the challenge of working together in our current situation? If you are in ministry of any kind, you also need a weekly gathering for reading, study, and prayer with colleagues. If you …
PNews 6/17/21
Sufficient As we face the unknown territory that lies ahead post-pandemic, we may well wonder whether we have what it takes to survive. Wherever we find ourselves – resource-rich or resource-poor, expanding or diminishing capacities – we have all we …
West Branch August Picnic Meeting – August 26, 2021
Hold the Date for the West Branch Gathering WHEN Thursday, August 26, 2021, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. WHERE Crafton Park, 117 W. Steuben Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 WHO All Ruling Elders, Teaching Elders, Commissioned Ruling Elders, Church Staff, Inquirers & …
PNews 6/10/21
A New Emergence We are in a season of a new emergence for the church following our pandemic shutdown. We don’t know what the new crop will look like or even when its shoots will fully emerge, but we can …
PNews 6/3/2021
Ordinary Times? Our liturgical calendar says we are beginning “Ordinary Time,” but how can anyone consider this upcoming season “ordinary” in 2021? Yet perhaps the best way for us forward at this time is to focus on the ordinary. Especially …
Ordinary Times?
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, June 3, 2021 Ordinary Times? This week the liturgical calendar begins marking “Ordinary Time” following Eastertide and the Festivals of Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity. The season …
PNews 5/27/2021
News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Are We Truly a Trinitarian Church? Perhaps the best way to approach Trinity is not as an idea, but as a description of how God lives and moves. And as such, it offers a model for …
PNews – 05/20/21
News from Pittsburgh Presbytery What Matters More – Being Together, or Being in Agreement? When Jesus left his disciples at his ascension, he gave them one assignment: Wait together in Jerusalem. The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost came when …
PNews – 5/13/21
News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Escape or Transcend? 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 …
PNews – 5/6/21
News from Pittsburgh Presbytery What Will Be Our New Superpower? Presbyterians prize their orderliness, and justifiably so. Our allergy to disorder has proven to be a true “superpower” that has helped make us a “long haul” community. But at this unprecedented …
PNews – 4/29/21
News from Pittsburgh Presbytery Are We Prepared For the Long Haul? For Presbyterians, the way forward in times when we differ involves engaging each other respectfully across our differences, as we seek common ground. We trust that God’s Spirit will …