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April 2024

Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! Because Easter isn’t just a Sunday or even only a season, but rather a new way of life, your Ministry Engagement and Support team continues to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4) with you by offering you the wealth of resources below.

Special Offerings | Support the Pentecost Offering

Pentecost Sunday is May 19. Join us in receiving and celebrating the Pentecost Offering, which supports children at risk, ministries with children and youth, including the Youth Triennium, and the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program. Let’s join together to ensure that our younger siblings in Christ begin life with a solid foundation of faith.

Online resources include minutes for mission, worship resources, children’s curriculum with activities, a PowerPoint presentation and social media/newsletter images. There is also a short video titled “I Am Coming to You” for use as a minute for mission in worship and other gatherings. Posters, minutes for mission, bulletin inserts and offering envelopes are available in English, Spanish and Korean.

Presbyterian Giving Catalog | Embrace the Season of Giving: Join the Summer Commitment Opportunity

We invite you to embrace the spirit of generosity during a season that, historically, sees a decline in charitable giving. The Presbyterian Giving Catalog’s 2024 Summer Commitment Opportunity kicks off in May and encourages support in the months of June, July and August — times when our collective impact can truly flourish.

This year's opportunity* features several vital projects, each chosen for their potential to create lasting impact for people and communities in need: Garden Wells, Famine Relief Food Vouchers and Piglets. (*Available in English only.)

Invite your members to be part of this ongoing story of hope!

Better lives today and brighter, more hopeful tomorrows — that’s the power of giving.

Celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day: Discover how generosity can spark change and provide hope on special days like Mother’s and Father’s Day. The Presbyterian Giving Catalog is providing meaningful ways to honor the mothers/mother figures and fathers/father figures in our lives while making a difference in the lives of others.

Mothers and fathers show us love, teach us kindness and bring us joy as we grow. They are a source of loving inspiration and gentle nurturing throughout our lives. Today, put the love your mom or dad gave you back into the world. Making a difference can be simple. Download fun graphics* to use in newsletters, on websites and in your bulletins — visit presbyteriangifts.org/mothersday or presbyteriangifts.org/fathersday. (*Available in English only.)

Through your support of the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, you will be helping mothers and fathers worldwide provide for their children.

Between 2 Pulpits Podcast: Check out the Between 2 Pulpits podcast.* New for this program year, this podcast helps leaders learn about the impact of the Special Offerings and the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. Additionally, we connect you with free resources, and you’ll hear from great guests about the work being done in this world to make a difference. We recently added five new episodes during the season of Lent, and new episodes featuring recipients of the Pentecost Offering will be coming soon. You can listen to Between 2 Pulpits here or wherever you usually find your podcasts. (*Available in English only.)

Mission Toolkits

World Mission, in collaboration with other ministry areas, created mission toolkits* that provide resources for PC(USA) congregations interested in furthering God’s mission in their communities and abroad. Church leadership and Christian educators will find resources to better understand, connect with and advocate for God’s people. (*Available in English only.)

Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2024 Spring Summit | May 17–19; Washington, D.C.

The Leadership Team of EAD has chosen a two-part path forward, and we are excited to invite you to support and walk with us. Those two components of our work throughout 2024 will include focusing our attention on a strategic planning process to envision EAD’s bold future — while also organizing a smaller, focused EAD “summit” to keep EAD in the minds (and calendars) of our sponsor organizations and advocates. The title of the May 17–19 event is “Faith in Action: Advancing Human Rights and Peace for All,” and it is an in-person event.

Our attendees are eager to gather in person to connect with their peers, especially in this election year. The 2024 EAD Spring Summit will include advocacy training for new and growing participant categories (seminary students, young adults) and will offer a chance for those who work with domestic and international priorities to connect and share. Ultimately, we want the universal voice of God, one of compassion, justice and peace, to be lifted during these challenging times. Click here to learn more or to register.

Matthew 25: Being Connected: Welcome to the next steps in the transformative journey of the Matthew 25 movement, Being Connected, a series of ongoing conversations dedicated to delving into the pillars of the Matthew 25 movement — building congregational vitality, eradicating systemic poverty and dismantling structural racism.

Building on the foundation laid by the Matthew 25 Summit, these sessions aim to deepen our understanding and engagement with key challenges such as poverty, vital congregations, climate change, heteropatriarchy, gender justice and militarism. The Matthew 25 Being Connected events* aim to foster a sense of connection, awareness, and action through insightful discussions, collaborative conversations, shared learnings and resources. Join us in this meaningful exploration as together we strive to create positive change, empower communities, and embody the principles of justice, compassion and love. (*These events will not be available in Spanish or Korean.)

April:

Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Vital Congregations: Join ministry leaders for support, explore the 7 Marks of Vital Congregations, and share questions, ideas, challenges and resources. Register here! Wednesdays, April 3 and 17; 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Eradicating Systemic Poverty: Join ministry leaders for support and to share ideas, dreams, challenges and resources. Register here! Thursdays, April 4, 11 and 18; 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EDT.
Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Intersectional Priorities: Join ministry leaders to explore your questions and needs around the intersectional priorities of climate change, gender justice and heteropatriarchy, and militarism. Register here! Tuesday, April 16, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT. (Future meeting dates will be determined by group.)
Imagining a Future Beyond Systemic Poverty and Structural Racism: The Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis will be a special guest for this part-educational, part-conversational engagement. During her keynote at the Matthew 25 Summit in Atlanta, Theoharis eloquently articulated that ending systemic poverty is within our means and within our reach. Let’s explore how we can envision that possibility and make it so. Register here! Wednesday, April 24, 7 p.m. EDT.

May:

Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Vital Congregations: Join ministry leaders for support, explore the 7 Marks of Vital Congregations, and share questions, ideas, challenges and resources. Register here! Wednesdays, May 1, 15 and 29; 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
Imagining a Future Beyond Systemic Poverty and Structural Racism: Special guest Nicole Mitchell Gantt, American jazz flautist, educator and author of “The Mandorla Letters: For the Hopeful,” will join the Zoomversation that seeks to catalyze solutions-focused imagination, attitudes, planning and action. Register here! Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m. EDT.
Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Eradicating Systemic Poverty: Join ministry leaders for support and to share ideas, dreams, challenges and resources. Register here! Thursdays, May 2, 9, 23 and 30; 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EDT.
Overbrook Housing Crisis Symposium: Join us for a three-day dive into the housing crisis in America with leadership from around the country. We will discuss the parameters of the housing crisis and the root causes, learn which coalition models show promise and how to build them, share resources to get your congregation or community to be active and effective, and hear how active engagement transforms a congregation/community. May 15–17. Click here for more information and to register. First-time users will create an account — you won’t be charged until you check out with a credit card.

Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Intersectional Priorities: Join ministry leaders to explore your questions and needs around the intersectional priorities of climate change, gender justice and heteropatriarchy, and militarism. Register here! Tuesday, May 21, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
Tuesday, May 21, 2 p.m. EDT. (Future meeting dates will be determined by group.)
Peace Cannot Be Achieved Through War and Weapons: Korean Women Struggle Against U.S. Military Bases on the Korean Peninsula: A panel of Korean women will speak about the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula. Register here! Thursday, May 23, 8 p.m. EDT.

June:

Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Vital Congregations: Join ministry leaders for support, explore the 7 Marks of Vital Congregations, and share ideas, challenges and resources. Register here! Wednesdays, June 12 and 26, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Eradicating Systemic Poverty: Join ministry leaders for support and to share ideas, dreams, challenges and resources. Register here! Thursdays, June 6, 13 and 20, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EDT.
Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Intersectional Priorities: Join ministry leaders to explore your questions and needs around the intersectional priorities of climate change, gender justice and heteropatriarchy, and militarism. Register here! Tuesday, June 18, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.

Interactive Resource Guides from the PC(USA) Store

The digital resource guides at the PC(USA) Store are perfect for researching the resources you need for yourself, your education and leadership teams, and your congregation. In addition to guides for Advent and Lent, we also have guides for Matthew 25 organizations, preachers, group study, a gift guide perfect for personal and church gifts, and a guide that provides resources for Presbyterian leadership training and congregational education. We update these guides* regularly, so be sure to bookmark this page so you always have access to the latest information! (*While there are a few Korean- and Spanish-language resources included in a handful of these guides, the guides themselves are not available in these languages.)

From the Office of Christian Formation

Around the Table is a Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded initiative in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that will engage faith communities and parents and caregivers in innovative practices of sharing stories that grow intergenerational communities to support household faith formation. Follow this blog for updates on the initiative, including where you can get resources, engage your congregation in cohorts, and support households as they share and grow in faith. Go here to learn about our first resource, the Around the Table: Sharing Our Stories podcast.

Expressions of Older Adult Ministry is a new online resource webpage available from the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Network (POAMN) in collaboration with the Office of Christian Formation. You can explore the Guiding Principles of Older Adult Ministry, an Older Adult theological framework, best practices and specific expressions of Older Adult ministry to adapt for your setting. There are engaging videos, quicksheets, program ideas, presentations and downloadable resources. Whether you are a volunteer leader, pastor or faith formation leader, in a smaller or larger context, there is something for you.

New Retreat Modules: Looking for a program outline for a retreat? Here are new downloads created in collaboration with the Presbyterian Church Camps and Conferences Association, the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association and POAMN:

Resources available now in Spanish and Korean:

Why Presbyterians Are Like That (10-Session Bible Study) in Spanish or Korean
Promise and Possibility: The Movement of the Spirit Through Gen Z (Four-Session Adult Study) in Spanish or Korean

Older Adult Week: The first week in May is designated to honor older adults for their commitment to life, witness and ministry in the church. Find resources for liturgy and celebration here, including in Spanish. Find program ideas and other resources in the new POAMN Planning Guide.

Upcoming Events:

The New Face of Aging: Transforming Older Adult Ministry: May 29–30 in San Diego. (Sponsored by POAMN.)

Good God Y’All: UKirk Collegiate Ministries National Gathering: June 11–14 at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Sponsored by UKirk Collegiate Ministries)

Opening Doors to Discipleship: This is a training site for faith formation leaders of all kinds. New resources to this site include Embracing Neurodiversity and Disability Inclusion, with sections on Woman Theology and Queer Theology to be added this spring.

From Theology, Formation and Evangelism

2024 Evangelism Conference: Come join us to journey into a more expansive and authentic understanding and practice of evangelism. For too long, evangelism has been used to grow our churches or convert people to a certain way of believing in God. This expression of evangelism has hurt many people and promoted injustice. During our gathering, we will explore how we are called to embody the good news of God’s healing and compassion through a Lifestyle that Exudes Justice! The 2024 Evangelism Conference will be held in person at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville on Oct. 3–5. There will also be an option to attend virtually. This year’s theme is “A Lifestyle that Exudes Justice,” centered around Matthew 9:35–38. The Rev. Dr. Debra J. Mumford, dean of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Frank H. Caldwell Professor of Homiletics, will preach for the conference, and the Rev. Dr. Elaine A. Heath (elaineaheath.org) will be the plenary speaker. Registration and more conference information will be available soon at pcusa.org/evangelism.

Special Days and Emphasis Sundays
Listed below are the special days and emphasis Sundays through mid-November. If a date below is not hyperlinked to available resources, please visit the Special Days and Emphasis Sundays site for ongoing updates.

April

International Roma Day (April 8, 2024)

Black Maternal/Birthing Health Week begins (April 11–17, 2024)

International Day of Farmers’ Struggles (April 17, 2024)

Earth Day (April 22, 2024)

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24, 2024)

May

Mental Health Awareness Month begins (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)

Foster Care Month begins (May 1, 2024)

National Day of Prayer (May 2, 2024)

May Friendship Day (May 3, 2024)

Older Adult Week begins (May 5, 2024)