Blog post by Rev. Ellen Gurnon First Presbyterian and Westminster Presbyterian Cape Girardeau, Missouri It was the winter of 2019-2020 when First Presbyterian Church in downtown Cape Girardeau opened a late-afternoon warming center for the area’s unsheltered neighbors. On our “opening day,” we had three women – all in their 60’s or 70’s – who had volunteered to provide hospitality.…
Guest Editorial from Cecil G. Wood, PhD Ruling Elder, First Presbyterian-Kirkwood Synod Commissioner “Over the past several weeks, I have listened to and watched in awe and horror the retelling of the events of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. After much thought and consideration and hearing the calls for reparations of various types, I have come to the following conclusion which…
Guest Blog Post by Rev. Wendy Downing Steelville Presbyterian Church With so much uncertainty in our lives and in our ministries right now, I was reminded of another time of uncertainty in my life that paralyzed me for a season. More than 25 years ago I went through a divorce. When my husband was going to move out originally, the…
Guest Blog Post by Julie Burchett and Janice Seele Webster Groves Presbyterian Church Advocacy Team Members “Mass shootings mar holiday weekend; at least 2 dead, 20 injured in Florida incident.” “Gunfire sprayed into homes hurts three teens in St. Louis overnight.” “Nine people are dead after a gunman opened fire yesterday morning at the Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard…
Guest Blog Post by Presbyterian Women Coordinating Council The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely…
Guest Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Mark Thomas Honorably Retired Moderator of Administration Team It’s been an emotionally difficult year. The pandemic has taken a toll on us. Not only are we dismayed by the threat of Covid-19 for each of us, but also by the number of souls both here and abroad that have succumbed to this frightening and…
Guest Blog by Elder Lawson Calhoun Chair Presbytery Leader Nominating Committee Member of Westminster Presbyterian-St. Louis Chair of the Board of Trustees for Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize children and to examine ways we can each play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care…
Guest Blog by Rev. Dr. Dieter Heinzl Associate Pastor at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church I was puzzled when I leafed through the New York Times a while back and came upon a blank page. I expected something like “this could have been your ad” ploy, but that was not it. As I turned the page, the following one was blank…
Post by St. Luke’s Hospital with an introduction by Emily Rosencrans, M.Div., MFT, BCC, St. Luke’s Network Director of Pastoral Care Greetings to my clergy colleagues! I have been watching one of The Great Courses series on The Black Death: The World’s Most Devastating Plague, taught by Dorsey Armstrong, Ph.D. Over 75 million people died worldwide in a series of…
EARTH DAY 2021: A reminder that we are not just on Earth for a while, but we are of Earth Blog Post by Rev. Carleton Stock, Honorably Retired Presbytery Earth Care Team I was fortunate to be exposed to nature early on in life when I spent time on my grandparent’s farm during the summers of the Fifties in upstate…