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(Photo by Megan Lee via Unsplash)
As summer winds down, many families’ thoughts turn to getting their kids off to a good school year. These days, creating an environment for success isn’t limited to supplying backpacks full of pencils, paper, crayons and tablets. It’s also about ensuring that schools have well-rounded curricula that don’t gloss over the controversial parts of American history, that parents can afford to keep a roof over their heads and that food is plentiful enough to keep children’s minds on their schoolwork and not on their bellies. Providing secure campuses and reducing the availability of guns in society also are important steps toward creating environments that are safe for kids to learn and play.
A recent webinar by the Office of Public Witness provided tips on how Presbyterians and others can get involved in gun violence prevention. You can read more about that webinar in this month’s newsletter. Also, consider what your church can do to support children in the community, from after-school programs to engaging with local school boards or even state lawmakers. Becoming a Hunger Action Congregation, adopting the Educate a Child covenant, starting a community garden and offering tutoring are other ways to support kids and families.
“One of the things we always try to encourage people to do is think outside of the box,” said OPW webinar panelist Tracie Campbell of Charlotte, North Carolina. “… Reading to a child is violence prevention and that is something that most every adult has the opportunity to do, so partnering with our school systems is huge.” |
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(Photo courtesy of Overbrook Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia) Panelists encourage churches to get involved in gun violence prevention |
OPW’s webinar, “The Intersection of Faith and Gun Violence Prevention,” is available on video. |
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(Photo courtesy of PMUN) Raising awareness about South Sudan with help from PMUN |
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations recently hosted the Revs. Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather as the mission co-workers visited the United States to highlight critical needs in South Sudan. |
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(Photo by Isaac Wendland via Unsplash) Join PHP for a book study that begins Sept. 12 |
The Presbyterian Hunger Program invites you to join a book study that will explore the church’s complicity in the colonization and exploitation of Indigenous lands, resources and people. |
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International Peacemakers arriving soon! |
International Peacemakers will be visiting presbyteries Sept. 15 through Oct. 9. Check the website for a peacemaker coming to your area. |
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Emergency cleanup buckets in demand |
The Atlantic hurricane season is underway. You can help by providing Gift of the Heart kits. |
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Attend the next Matthew 25 workshop |
Don’t miss this Matthew 25 workshop on effective models for eradicating systemic poverty. Topics of discussion will include community organizing, movement-building and public policy advocacy. |
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Participants needed for Young Adult Advocacy Conference |
Join us Oct. 20-22 for the Young Adult Advocacy Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. This free event, hosted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is for college students and seminarians who want to learn effective ways to stand up for causes they believe in. |
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Spreading the Vision of Matthew 25 across the Church |
The PC(USA) believes that we are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in all societies – rural and urban, small and large, young and not-so-young. From affordable housing to community gardens to equitable educational and employment opportunities to healing from addiction and mental illness to enacting policy change – there is not just one way to be a part of the Matthew 25 movement. |
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