Easter in the Valley of the Shadow of Death
April 16, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 16, 2020 This year Easter arrived amid the deadliest viral outbreak in more than a century. Death is everywhere at hand, and we don’t yet know …
Don’t Touch Me!
April 9, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 9, 2020 As Jesus proceeds from disciple to disciple with basin and towel, he gets stopped by Peter. “Don’t touch me!” Peter in effect protests. …
Disagreements in a Time of Crisis
April 2, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 2, 2020 Helping congregations handle internal disagreements graciously is one of the most critical tasks of church leadership. Faced with disagreements about which foods are …
With Measured Steps
March 26, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 26, 2020 The Board of Pensions’ CREDO program gathers pastors for intensive eight-day seminars during which the thirty participants are led in a comprehensive, granular examination of …
A Message from Brian Wallace, Associate Minister
March 19, 2020 | Posted in Weekly Newsletter
Prudence or Panic?
March 12, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 12, 2020 Last week’s letter addressed the growing impact of the coronavirus epidemic on church gatherings. Registration for June’s General Assembly (GA) was supposed to open …
Congregational Health and Physical Contact
March 5, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister March 5, 2020 We are in a series looking at markers of congregational health, something we ordinarily term “congregational vitality.” Many measures of health can be adduced …
Vital Ministry
February 27, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister February 27, 2020 Vitality – it’s something we all want for our own selves, for those we love, for work about which we care, and for institutions …
Hope That Never Disappoints
February 20, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister February 20, 2020 In his litany of the good fruit Christ bears in us, Paul says that Jesus gives us hope that “does not disappoint us.” …
The Memorial Mandate
February 13, 2020 | Posted in Letters from General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister February 13, 2020 In Hebrew Scriptures, God’s people are commanded to erect memorials to help them remember God’s saving acts in very specific times and places. One …