November 24 Update from Eliana Maxim

“...pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Dear friends,

Unprecedented. Anxious. Surreal. Forlorn. Challenging.

All words used to describe our now 9th month of Covid-19 pandemic. And as we make our way into the holiday season, they reverberate as we make amended plans to observe Thanksgiving and Advent. Perhaps you’ll Zoom or Facetime with family or friends, make phone calls, or simply set the table for yourself and call it a day. The strangeness of keeping ourselves apart does not wear off, no matter how long we’ve been practicing it, and it’s only accentuated when we must deny ourselves beloved traditions.

But what if, besides acknowledging our losses and grieving them, we also consider other words. 

Discovery. Solidarity. Empathy. Reflection. Hope.

I invite you to join me in centering these words in our Thanksgiving preparations, whether it be roasting a whole turkey or thawing out a frozen chicken dinner. What if in these “unprecedented times” we take the opportunity to more fully notice the world around us, the very same one we are admonished to keep distant from, but by noticing we can become one with our community? What if in this social distancing and “quarantining” time we gain deeper insight into who we are, what our faith means, how we are one with our neighbors, and where this hope of solidarity can take us?

On this Thanksgiving 2020, I give God thanks for each of you; for your faithfulness to God’s leading and to the church, for your commitment to the Gospel and your call, for your steadfastness in being the church while kept away from the building.

I pray that you and your loved ones find strength in Paul’s words to the Thessalonians; may we pray without ceasing, may we give God thanks in all circumstances. And may you all celebrate the opportunities before us to reflect, consider, learn, and be transformed.

In gratitude,

Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter

12 Angry Men - Acts on Stage

Your BROADCAST LINK has arrived! We know it's hard to believe, but watching 12 Angry Men THIS SUNDAY is as simple as clicking that link! We go live at 3:30PM on Sunday and there will be “Watch Now” button to click. Expected run time is an hour and a half.

We hope our broadcast helps you have fruitful conversations, which is why we're also sending you a digital copy of both the 12 Angry Men Program AND the 12 Angry Men Discussion Guide.

We can't wait for you to see this production! See y'all SUNDAY!

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Ways to host a virtual watch party:

It’s really simple. You decide what kind of party you wanna have (virtual or in person).

If VIRTUAL, you can either

1. Share the link and watch separately (but at the same time) and then meet on a Zoom for discussion or

2. All meet on Zoom, do a Share Screen to watch the broadcast and have conversation together. Be sure to select “optimize screen” for best visual quality.

If IN PERSON, you can either watch

1. On your computer screen or

2. Project (cast) your computer screen to your smart TV screen.

Whichever way you choose, you should:

- Invite people to watch!

- Share some background on the film/event (there's plenty o' stuff on our FB and IG pages).

- Make it as communal as you can (provide treats or tell people get their own)!

- Plan to have conversation afterward (use the Discussion Guide)!

November 6 Update from Eliana Maxim

Dear friends,

Election Day has come and gone and ballots are still being counted to determine the outcome. But now what? Where do we go from here?

Listen in to a conversation with Revs. Tali Hairston, Denise Anderson (former PCUSA Co-Mod), and myself as we reflect on what we’ve learned from this national election and what comes next.

Hear more about radical reconciliation by watching Tali’s interview with Allan Bosek and Curits deYoung. 

Wherever we may land, may we never grow weary of doing good, so that we may reap a harvest by not giving up. (Galatians 6:9) That is our call, our purpose as the children of God.

In grace and peace,

Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter

Prayers from the Presbytery of the North Coast, Colombia

Dear Eliana and Colombia Partnership Task Force,

Please receive warm greetings from the Presbytery of the North Coast in these expectant times as you await the results of the electoral process of the US presidential election. We understand this has been a complex process, difficult for all people in the US, and that there may be fear, anxiety, and many concerns. 

We want you to know that you have been in our thoughts, that we pray for you and entire US. We pray that God may help the nation maintain calm and guide all Americans into respectful dialogue, leaning into a call of solidarity as a people in order to resolve differences. We ask God for your good health and joy in the midst of all the challenges caused by Covid-19.

We trust in God’s care and protection over our lives.

Fraternally,

Gloria Ulloa
Executive Presbyter

Read the original letter in Spanish

October 29 Update from Eliana Maxim & Tali Hairston

Dear friends,

In a few short days, the nation will enter another challenging moment as the results of the 2020 election are released. These past months have highlighted a bitterly divided country, a relentless pandemic that has robbed us of over 230,000 loved ones and further exposed the ugly reality of white supremacy and racism in our country. No matter the results of this election, some will rejoice and others will not. Yet in and through all the politics, protests, and pandemic is the story of God’s kingdom, the inbreaking kin-dom of shalom that we are called to strive and yearn for.

The election results will not erase the grief or loss so many have experienced. Our longing for a mask-less existence will continue. The anxiety of the unemployed masses, hungry families, the unhoused and sheltered, and the children separated from their parents at the border will continue to require our prayers and advocacy.  

Perhaps we have been made more aware, conscious, or even drawn closer to the hurting and fragile existence many of our neighbors globally experience. Possibly, we are closer to our own fragility. 

God is never without purpose in the redemption of the human condition. We know God is touched by our brokenness. 

If, as Augustine wrote, “our hearts are restless until they rest with Thee (God)”, then regardless of who wins what office, we are called to keep our hands to the plow. We continue to work while it is day. 

Despite the restlessness many of us are experiencing, we look to God who knows intimately the hungry and hurting, the unclothed and unhoused, and of communities crying out for kindness and justice.  

Thanks be to God, the Gospel is still the Good News and compels us to be people of word and action earnestly seeking God’s Kingdom, God’s will, God’s shalom for all people no matter how anxious the season.  

We invite you into a time of prayerful reflection these days leading up to the election results; may God’s spirit of trust and faith be poured out over the whole nation, may peace prevail over this land. For those seeking a shared space of music and litany post election, please consider this offering sponsored by our siblings at Coastland Commons and Lake Burien Presbyterian Church.

In grace and peace,

Eliana Maxim & Tali Hairston
Seattle Presbytery

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The Seattle Presbytery receives Lilly Endowment Inc. Thriving Congregations Grant

The Seattle Presbytery has received a grant of $955,253 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop new learning cohorts for its local congregations. The program, “Transformational Learning Cohorts Program,” is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. 

The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world. Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants through the Thriving Congregations initiative. The grants will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions, explore and understand better the communities in which they serve, and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs. 

The Seattle Presbytery’s project will strive to prepare congregations to be transformational learning communities able to faithfully and creatively confront social and cultural challenges and allow faith and theological commitments to find new life through community relationships.

“Congregations have an opportunity to thrive; to be fully present to the ways in which the resurrection overcomes death, decline, and even division,” says Rev. W. Tali Hairston, the Seattle Presbytery grant director. Co-Seattle Presbytery executives Rev. Scott Lumsden and Rev. Eliana Maxim believe, “Despite social and culture change, or in the face of it, we are called to learn how the resurrection is both prophetic and instructive.” With Lilly Endowment's support, the Seattle Presbytery imagines a transformation that gives local congregations and communities the opportunity to thrive in old and new ways. “This project is aligned with our mission and vision, and we were thrilled to learn of Lilly Endowment's support,” says Rev. Lumsden.

Seattle Presbytery’s program will engage its congregations in two-year learning cohorts wherein congregations learn to thrive as adaptive and contextual community-based learning organizations. Program participants will be encouraged to: 1) discern congregational identity, 2) exegete their ministry context, 3) practice intercultural community-building, and 4) form innovative collaborative ministry models. 

The Seattle Presbytery is one of 92 organizations taking part in the initiative. “In the midst of a rapidly changing world, Christian congregations are grappling with how they can best carry forward their ministries,” said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These grants will help congregations assess their ministries and draw on practices in their theological traditions to address new challenges and better nurture the spiritual vitality of the people they serve.” Lilly Endowment launched the Thriving Congregations Initiative in 2019 as part of its commitment to support efforts that enhance the vitality of Christian congregations. 

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment’s grantmaking in religion is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen their pastoral and lay leadership. Find out more at lillyendowment.org.

Pastoral Letter from Seattle Presbytery's Executive Board

Beloved Community:

We know the litany well—
Covid 19 is on the rise again, and not going away anytime soon.  
The stock market hums along as unemployment climbs to epic highs.
Exhausted parents work at home while trying to keep the kids on track with school, everybody just trying to hold it together. 
The long unfinished business of racial justice gnaws at our nation’s soul.
We’re enduring a political season as divisive as our nation has known.  

And now an election threatens chaos and violence.  

These are overwhelming—and for some, frightening—times. People are anxious, even scared. 

In these unprecedented times we humbly urge our Presbyterian siblings to

• reclaim our ultimate allegiance to the kingdom of God (Jesus’ favorite topic!), which is not a place we go after we die, but a new reality that began long ago.  God’s reign begun in Jesus—a kin-dom of peace and justice—turns conventional values upside down (if you want to save your life, lose it; if you want to be first, you must be last).

• make a plan to vote, but as we do so be aware of what can cloud our vision: the lens of American nationalism that too easily conflates the kin-dom of God with our nation, robbing the upside down kin-dom of its counter-cultural power; the lens of whiteness that obscures people of color, distorting the kingdom of God; and, an exclusive fixation on the world to come that obscures the kin-dom’s focus on poverty, oppression, and injustice right now. 

• remember real people are in real danger, and scared. As individuals and as congregations let us rededicate ourselves to embody radical hospitality, love of neighbor, and concern for those whom society regards as the least—especially Black and Brown bodies, who are at greater risk and extremely vulnerable to violence during this election and its aftermath. 

In this chaotic time, let us make every effort to be the body of Christ and reach out in love.

Grace and peace, dear friends, 

Jared Chase
Dani Forbess
Brocc Snyder
Hugo Torres
Loretta Pain

Seattle Presbytery Executive Board

Heidi Husted Armstrong
J.P. Kang
Lina Thompson
Jesse Mabanglo
Leslie Ferrell

September 29, 2020 DRAFT Presbytery meeting minutes available

September 29, 2020 DRAFT Seattle Presbytery Meeting draft minutes available.

Contact Stated Clerk Glen Ferguson with suggested corrections.

Presbytery standing rule regarding the minutes of the Executive Board and the presbytery: The Stated Clerk will draft the minutes and distribute them, in the case of the presbytery, to the continuing members and the churches, in the case of the Executive Board, its members, for review and suggested additions, corrections or deletions. Ten days after the distribution and after reviewing any suggestions, the moderator, vice moderator and immediate past moderator may approve the minutes.”

Background: The Stated Clerk proposed a standing rule at the April 30, 2019 Presbytery meeting for approving minutes since the two decision making bodies of the presbytery meet quarterly and their minutes are required to execute approved actions. Waiting until until the minutes are approved at the next meeting creates an inconvenience.

September 17 Update from Co-EP Eliana Maxim

Dear Friends, 

I’ve been doing my very best not to think about Deuteronomy 28. As we continue with this Covid pandemic, continuing racial unrest, rising unemployment, climate based disasters, contentious election season, and most recently the oppressive smoke cover it’s hard not to think of the challenges around us in biblical terms. Layer on all this, parents trying to work from home while their children are schooled from home as well, limitations in personal interactions and travel, and the uncertainty of when this all might change, it’s no wonder many of us feel fearful, angry, or depressed.

And yet, in the midst of all this we are called to be church. We are called to be faithful and prayerful. Like the exiled people in Babylon, God does not release us from singing our song, but rather longs for us even more.

Remarkably, our congregations continue to gather and worship, albeit virtually, every week. Bible studies, book groups, Sunday school classes. All these too are finding a new way to take place. Sessions and congregations hold meetings, elders are being ordained and installed, baptism and communion are being celebrated, lives lost are remembered and mourned. Congregations are finding their voice and place in their communities, coming alongside as valuable partners, seeking ways to serve and accompany.

As a presbytery, we are called to be church despite the swirl of uncertainty and stress as well. We continue to do our work around issues of race and equity and walking alongside 6 congregations in pastoral transitions. We are committed to partnering with our churches in their community engagement and supporting inquirers and candidates for ministry.

Tuesday, September 29 at 5pm we will gather as a presbytery for our first virtual meeting. Like everything we’ve been experiencing these past 6 months, it will be different. It may have bumps in the road and glitches along the way. But we will gather and be church together. And for this - despite smoky skies and uncertain times - we give God thanks.

In grace and peace,

Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter

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September 4 Update from Co-EP Scott Lumsden

Dear Friends, 

As many of you know, we’ve been seeking ways to act, individually and collectively, in ways that support racial justice. One thing we’re doing as a presbytery is beginning to walk with Seattle Urban Academy as it seeks to relaunch its ministry. (Their relationship with CRISTA ended this June). 

To that end, Rev. Tali Hairston and I are working with SUA's former Executive Director, Sharon Okamoto (a member of Japanese PC), on approaching this coming year as a transition / redevelopment year. This may include creating an academic coaching program while students are online this fall. Another part of this work involves the development of a community organized leadership group (who we are informally calling Friends of SUA) to lead and guide the program long term. Education for communities of color has never been more important to sustain, and we’re eager to help organize this effort.  

Seattle Presbytery's role (represented by Tali and me at the moment) is to lend leadership, guidance, and administrative support to form a new community led 501c3 (with its own board eventually) so that it can pursue the future God has for it. We may need to contribute some funds to get this initiative started, but the bulk of support will come from the broad community it has had for 30 years. 

Though in the early stages of this endeavor we are working on vision, staffing, and budgets; it is also important we all understand what the goal is -- to accompany an extremely important ministry. We're not taking it over and making it ours, or planning on running a school long term -- we're entering into a relationship with a well established ministry who successfully serves students of color with the goal of learning and growing with them. This accompaniment will in turn assist us in our own journey as a presbytery toward making tangible growth in our ability to do racial and economic justice work with our community partners. 

We have as much (or more) to learn and grow in this partnership as SUA does. In the end, this is not about oversight or support. We'll still provide that along the way, but those things are not the point -- deepening our relationship / friendship / partnership with communities of color and learning what that looks for us as a presbytery is the opportunity I believe God has in this for us. 

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, 

Scott Lumsden
Co-Executive Presbyter

August 26 Update from Co-EP Eliana Maxim

Dear Friends,

Despite being in the midst of a pandemic, with many working from home, and our usual extracurricular activities limited severely, some things don’t change. Students are preparing or already engaged in virtual or hybrid schooling. Most of us are clinging to whatever sunshine we can in these waning days of summer. And congregations in our presbytery are embarked on pastoral transitions.

Yes, even in a pandemic, pastors discern calls either to serve elsewhere or to retire, and we currently have 6 churches seeking head of staff or senior pastors. 

If you have ever been in this process either as a candidate seeking a call or member of a pastoral nominating committee, you can imagine how social distancing complicates matters. Everyone involved has had to draw on deep reserves of patience, grace, and faithfulness. Folks have found creative ways to learn about each other. And the entire process has slowed as the uncertainty of what comes next and how long this season of nationwide coronavirus contagion will last becomes reality.

This has meant that we have leaned on our interim and transitional pastors more so than usual, and are so very grateful for their call to this specialized ministry. We are blessed to have these leaders maintain a steady hand with congregational worship and life, while at the same time engaging the church with challenging questions and work around identity, purpose, mission, and change. 

Interim and/or transitional pastors are specialized in this area of ministry, and we are fortunate to be one of the few centers in the PCUSA for this training right here in Seattle. Usually an in person week of workshops, Transitional Ministries Workshop Training has now gone virtual with its first session scheduled for October. If you or someone you know are interested in this program, please contact us.

In the meantime, I ask each of you to hold our congregations* in prayer as they journey through pastoral transition. Pray for wisdom and patience; for the congregation to remain faithful to the process; for the sessions and Pastoral Nominating Committees to discern together the will of God; and for the interim/transitional pastors to continue ministering and caring for the congregation with energy, imagination, and love.

In peace and hope,

Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter

*Congregations in pastoral transition:

North Point Presbyterian Church

Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church

Trinity Presbyterian Church

Japanese Presbyterian Church

Madrona Grace Presbyterian Church

Newport Presbyterian Church

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August 21 Update from Co-EP Eliana Maxim

Dear Friends,

As summer winds down and we begin to consider the next season, it’s hard to imagine what to expect or how to plan for what is to come. I know that for many of our congregations and pastoral leaders, a certain sense of weariness might be setting in. After all, we have crossed the 6-month mark of the state’s stay at home order, and doing life in a pandemic. Despite all this, I marvel at the ways the church is being called at this time.

Many pastors are reporting higher than usual worship attendance in their virtual offerings. Churches are seeking to deepen their engagement with community organizations and partners to be more effective in responding to community needs.

Generative, creative, and yes, hard, conversations are taking place about the role and identity of the church, the value of property and buildings, redefining community and relationships, and theological explorations of what God might be up to in our neighborhoods and the world.

I give thanks and delight that we are able to embark on all this together, as a presbytery, as a denomination, as the body of Christ. With that, I want to highlight some ways you can stay engaged with your siblings in faith.

Pastor’s Zoom: Wednesdays at noon. An invitation to all our ordained ministers to join in checking in, exchanging ideas, and learning from one another. Zoom information is available online.

Presbyterian Week of Action: August 24-30. An assortment of opportunities to engage with the national church on issues of racial justice. Please visit https://www.pcusa.org/weekofaction/ to check out the schedule and activities.

Colombia Partnership Zoom:  August 31 at 9:30am. Seattle Presbytery pastors are invited to join in this Zoom conversation with pastors from our partner presbytery in Colombia. A time to listen and share on leading during a pandemic, and praying for each other. Please register online for Zoom information.

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.” (1Thes.5:23-24)

Grace and peace,

Eliana Maxim
Co-Executive Presbyter

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“Trouble the Water: Conversations to Disrupt Racism and Dominance”

“Trouble the Water: Conversations to Disrupt Racism and Dominance” is a documentary series resource produced by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for communities and congregations to facilitate conversation and engagement around the issues of race and racism. As we struggle as a nation with these deep systemic and structural issues on a daily basis, we hope this series can be a resource to listen to one another, have difficult but honest conversations and collectively work together to disrupt systemic racism.

Learn more.

Presbyterian Week of Action

August 24–30, 2020

While we recognize and honor the good work toward justice that has been ongoing in our denomination, we also realize that in this time, it is not enough. Though the Presbyterian Week of Action hopes to meet the immediacy of our current context, it will not be the culmination of our work as a denomination, for we have a long way to go to eradicate systemic racism and white supremacy. It is our hope and prayer that this week will empower us, challenge us and enliven the faith we follow.

Contents

Background & Purpose

Why we say: Presbyterians affirm Black Lives Matter

Schedule of Events

Digital Toolkit

Resources

Respond

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” — Proverbs 21:3

“God sends the Church to work for justice in the world: exercising its power for the common good; dealing honestly in personal and public spheres; seeking dignity and freedom for all people…” — Book of Order, W-5.0304

It is abundantly clear through the gospel narrative and the greater witness of the Bible, that God has called us, as people of faith, to seek justice for those most marginalized in our world. As a Matthew 25 denomination, it is the vision of our church to eradicate white supremacy and dismantle institutionalized racism. Furthermore, in an effort to do the “hands & feet” work the Lord ordains, we must act and bear witness to the gospel in these crucial times.

The PC(USA) staff expressed a deep yearning to be more engaged in responding to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others who died at the hands of the police and racism. From this need has come the “Bearing Witness” working group which has participation from the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Office of the General Assembly, Administrative Services Group and Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. From this group a number of strategies are being formulated to provide advocacy campaigns, education initiatives and opportunities to join with community efforts organized by the Movement for Black Lives, Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice, the Bail Project and other grassroots groups.

As a centerpiece of this movement, we will host a Presbyterian Week of Action. This endeavor is structured to provide a public witness that facilitates education, visibility, and action that reinforces our PC(USA) statements and policy around the support of eradicating racism and acknowledging that God loves all Black lives. By joining together as national staff and the greater church, we hope to provide faithful leadership in the area of justice, love, and equality within our denomination and communities. 

Learn more. 

Adult & Family Events @ Tall Timber Ranch

Come away to 140 acres of fresh air in the Mountains!

Avoid the crowds at packed campgrounds and trailheads!

Stay in a cabin, a tent, or your own RV away from the masses.

We believe you could use some time in the wilderness! We get it.  

You can spend a few days disconnecting from the quarantines and reconnecting with each other in a place set apart for you and your family.

Come and walk, hike, relax, read, and be — in a special place set aside for you.

Learn more.

COVID-19: August 7 Update from Co-EP Scott Lumsden

Dear Friends, 

I pray that as we head into the heart of summer, you are doing well and maybe even getting a bit of a break from your daily routine (previously known as a vacation). Mid July, I was able to enjoy a week of hiking with my two daughters, and even though we hit some serious snow (enough to force us off the trail), the change of scenery and the time together was quite rejuvenating. 

It seems that small breaks now (or real breaks from work even if you don’t go anywhere) are the name of the game as far as trying to maintain our mental and emotional health during this pandemic. So I’d encourage you, if you don’t already do so to take a regular sabbath -- and an extended one when you can. And as always, feel free to reach out to Eliana or me (Scott) if you need a preacher. If we can’t do it, we know many who can. 

As we turn our attention to the fall, it must be acknowledged that the progress we made by flattening the curve seems now to have been lost to an increase in new cases. Sure, they are slowly going down again, but this reality makes whatever plans we were making for the fall and winter quite challenging as we try to balance expectations versus reality. 

In this vein, we’ve gotten many questions about building related issues -- not just related to returning for worship -- but for building use for the congregation’s programs and by outside groups. To address this we asked our attorney’s office to craft a document that defines best practices around building use guidelines. 

If you would like a copy of our Building Use Guidelines, please email EJ and we’ll email it to you. It’s designed to be a template for your session to customize and then adopt as their building use policy (if you don’t already have one). 

We continue to pray for our congregations as they navigate these important times. Let’s stay connected. (1 Cor 12:12)

Scott Lumsden
Co-Executive Presbyter

2020-2021 PW/Horizons Bible Study

Introducing the 2020-2021 PW/Horizons Bible Study

​For information about Horizons Bible study groups and fall gatherings, contact Cherie Murchie (Calvary Presbyterian Church).

Race and Equity: A Young Leaders Panel Discussion

Who gets to tell their own stories? 
Which voices are amplified? 
What narratives are considered to be normative? 
What qualifies as expertise or authority?

These critical questions have been bubbling up, not only in our national conversations, but also around our dinner tables and our elder board meetings and our church social media feeds. How we, the members and friends of the Seattle Presbytery, decide to answer those questions will undoubtedly have a significant impact on our future together. How does the gospel of Jesus Christ compel us to answer?

On Wednesday evening, over 100 people from around the presbytery tuned in to hear the voices, narratives, and expertise of six young leaders of color: Ronald Alvarado, Anthony Ballard, Indigo Brown, Esther Lee, Phil Lewis, and Bianca Quezada. They spoke for over an hour, sharing about what gives them hope and joy in their work, how they see God on the move, and what they believe the Church is called to in this moment.

Throughout the panel, the webinar's chat feature was lively, often with words of support for panelists as they spoke: Amen, Indigo! and Yes, Phil! and Thank you Anthony! Many of us expressed appreciation for the opportunity to listen to their insights, ideas, and experiences in ministry. The story of Jesus' reception in Capernaum comes to mind... "they were amazed by his teaching for he taught as one with authority." (Luke 4:32, Mark 1:22)

In closing I will share, with her permission, Bianca's reflection from the event:

Thank you for the support from Presbytery to host this event. I believe our solid foundation on Jesus Christ will hold us as we continue to build places of peace, rest, and truth for everyone. Stay curious about what God is doing in your life and in the lives of others.

Peace,

Haley Ballast
SeaPres Race & Equity Task Force Chair

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Zoom recording link available upon request. Contact SeaPres Communications.

Race & Mission: October Series for Congregations on Racial Justice as Part of God's Mission

Looking for tools to lead your congregation or student group into deeper conversation on how racial injustice and racism at home impact God's mission in the world?

Join Pittsburgh Seminary's World Mission Initiative for Four Wednesdays in October at 7:30 p.m. (ET) for national speakers Brenda Salter McNeil, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and David Campt. Due to COVID-19 and in the spirit of the namesake of our W. Don McClure annual lecture, we are "flipping" what has traditionally been an on-campus lecture, giving pastors and congregational mission leaders the tools they need to encourage and enhance their congregation's engagement in God's mission around issues of race and racial justice.

We encourage you to organize congregation “watch parties” and gather members for guided discussions each Wednesday evening in October following the plenary presentations. The format will be the same each week:

•         7:30-8:10 p.m. (ET) Plenary Presentation

•         8:10-8:30 p.m. (ET) Nationwide Question & Answer Session

•         8:30-9:30 p.m. (ET) Your congregation holds its own conversation on plenary presentation, using WMI’s leader guide with discussion questions.

In addition to the four national presentations and leader guide, there will also be five pre-recorded workshops that can be accessed and used in the future by participating churches and individuals to go deeper in the intersection of racial justice and God’s mission.

The event is free to everyone, however, you must register to attend. You can register once for the entire series.

Learn more and register online.

TheoTech Podcast features Eliana Maxim

Today we’re discussing church government and COVID-19 with our guest Eliana Maxim, Seattle Presbytery Co-Executive Presbyter. Eliana shares how Seattle area churches are ministering to their congregations and communities through the pandemic. Churches have been facing new technical problems, like how to have communion during a virtual service. And the solutions aren’t coming from denominations or church governments, but individual church leaders. So the Seattle Presbytery is stepping back to “let the church be the church”, and stepping up to having tough theological conversations that build a framework to support innovation. 

This new mission-oriented movement could take us in a new direction, away from institutionalism and toward becoming an agile church, able to move “where the Spirit blows”. If you want to keep up with the work Eliana and the Seattle Presbytery are doing, you can follow them on twitter @seapres.

Become a patron: Visit our Patreon