Justice Corner
Justice Corner
Justice Corner is an opportunity for us to periodically share the latest activities and updates for the Justice Ministries of Pittsburgh Presbytery. For more information on those programs, please visit our Justice Ministries page. If you would like to get involved, please contact Rev. Ralph Lowe, Director of Justice Ministries.
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries is launching a new virtual Bible study to celebrate Black History Month. The series is called “Models of Black Resistance Past and Present” and will stream on the RE&WIM Facebook page at 5 p.m. Eastern Time each Wednesday from February 1 through March 15.
posted 1/26/23
The Presbyterian Mission Agency has released new resources to help promote LGBTQIA+ inclusion and understanding within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as well as anywhere that individuals or families may be seeking answers about issues related to inclusion and diversity. “They are written to be easily navigated by both clergy and lay members of the church,” said the Rev. Shanea Leonard, Director of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries. “They are intended to be used as guides or resources for teaching and group discussion, and they are intended for anyone who searches our PC(USA) website wondering about how we tangibly back up the statements made by our General Assembly.”
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posted 1/18/23
Racial Wealth Gap Simulation
“Bread for the World: Racial Wealth Gap Simulation” is a brunch and learning simulation on Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 9:00am – 12:00pm at Hiland Presbyterian Church. Co-hosted by Hiland Presbyterian Church and Waverly Presbyterian Church, the simulation is an empathy-building exercise to aid understanding in the connections among racial equity, hunger, poverty, and wealth. Rev. Liddy Barlow, Executive Minister of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, will lead the event. Please RSVP to indicate your interest in this event to Jen Imler at hilandchurchoffice@gmail.com or 412-364-9000.
posted 1/12/23
Upcoming Webinar: Depleted Uranium in Iraq
The Office of Public Witness invites you to a webinar on Wednesday, January 18, at Noon, co-sponsored by the Presbyterian Iraq Partnership Network, Presbyterian World Mission, and the Presbyterian Ministry at the UN. They will focus on the scourge of Depleted Uranium left in Iraq as a result of U.S. weapons used during the US-Iraq conflict. Our own Rev. Matthew Fricker will be one of the speakers.
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posted 1/12/23
Justice and Peace Book Discussion Group
Presbyterian Women Churchwide’s Justice and Peace Committee is once again hosting book discussion groups in 2023. And you’re invited to participate! They will discuss five books and one movie, plus host a special webinar with a book author! The first book will be discussed on January 9, 2023, and will be Call Me A Woman: On Our Way to Equality and Peace by Laurie Levin.
The discussions will be held on Zoom, bimonthly on the second Monday, 6:30–8:30 PM (Eastern). It’s free to participate, but registration is required. You will receive questions for reflection/discussion, as well as a Zoom link, 24 hours prior to each session. Be sure to sign up today!
Jesus commands us to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves, and he says, “just as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me.” Love and justice are essential in the Bible, and justice in America includes the right to vote. The Pittsburgh Presbytery voted in May to adopt a statement called “Citizens’ Right to Vote: A Call to Action,” which noted our church’s long history of supporting voting rights and urged us all to carry on this vital tradition. Now, in this election season, we need to do more. As individuals and congregations we can make a difference. Click here to read more.
Citizens’ Right to Vote: A Call to Action
Dear Presbytery Sisters and Brothers,
At our regular meeting on May 19, 2022, Pittsburgh Presbytery adopted the attached Call to Action regarding preserving and strengthening voter access to the ballot box. This is an issue of deep moral concern driven by our Christian faith, rooted in the teachings of Jesus and ancient Hebrew prophets.
Providing for equal access to the ballot box for all eligible voters is a faith concern for people who believe that every human being is made equally in God’s image. Jesus rebukes his disciples for preventing “the little ones” from gaining access to him, thus teaching that everyone great and small is equally privileged in God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:13-15). In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus equates the welcome we give to the poor and vulnerable with welcoming him personally.
We have prepared a bulletin insert to introduce this to your congregation. Please circulate this call to your church members.
Sincerely yours,
Sheldon W. Sorge
General Minister
Juneteenth Parade
The annual Pittsburgh Juneteenth Parade is approaching, and members of Presbyterian churches are requested to participate in the celebration in honor of Rev. Henry Highland Garnet. In 1870, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Equal Rights League hosted the Grand Jubilee of Freedmen-Juneteenth Parade here in Pittsburgh. This parade commemorated the day in 1865 when the news of freedom of the enslaved was made known in Galveston, Texas (two + years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed) and the passage of the 15th Amendment. Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, a Presbyterian minister and abolitionist, was one of the founding members of the league that organized the parade in Pittsburgh. On Saturday, June 18, 2022 a re-enactment of this historic event will occur with the parade and other celebratory events.The Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus (NBPC) will be traveling in the parade via Molly’s Trolleys.If interested, you are invited to participate in this procession. A fee of $15.00 per person is requested to cover the expense of the trolley. Interested individuals are asked to send payment to NBPC, Pittsburgh, c/o Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1000 Bryn Mawr Rd., Pgh., PA 15219. Please indicate “Molly’s Trolley” in the memo of the check.
The trolley will be filled on a first come-first served basis. If there are questions, contact Milea Perry at 412-651-6191. Please share the information with those you think may be interested.
