Gillette pens hymn to commemorate

slayings in Charleston church

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, co-pastor of Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Del., released the hymn, "They Met to Read the Bible," last Saturday after the murder of nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The three men and six women were gunned down the evening of June 17 while attending a prayer meeting. "This hymn is a prayer that we as a society will find courage to change," said Gillette. "We need to live differently. We can't put our faith in weapons or in symbols of hatred any longer. We need to hope for justice, to pray for justice, and to work for justice. We need to realize we are all brothers and sisters. We're all children of God." The complete Presbyterian News Service story can be found at "Charleston Slayings."

PC(USA)'s Parsons issues statement

on Supreme Court's marriage decision

Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), issued a statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week on same-gender marriage. After noting the denomination's definition of marriage, Parsons wrote that the Supreme Court's decision "granting equal protection under  the law for same-gender, loving people and allowing their marriages to be recognized in all 50 states is welcomed by many within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." Parsons' complete statement can be found at "Marriage."

Office of Public Witness applauds

affordable care decision

The Supreme Court of the United States decided last week, in a 6-3 vote, to uphold the Affordable Care Act, saying it authorizes subsidies to those living in states with their own exchanges and citizens of the 34 states currently utilizing federal marketplaces. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, expressed praise for the decision of the court. "The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness has advocated for affordable healthcare for all citizens of the United States for more than sixty years," he said. "We are grateful that the Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of state exchanges, which provide greater access to enrollment in states that are not participating in the federal effort to insure people." The complete Presbyterian News Service story is at "Affordable Care."

Jarvie Commonweal Service committee

files complaint, asks for standstill

Changes are imminent in a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related agency that provides services to elderly people in the New York metropolitan area. And there is disagreement about whether that's the right direction in which to go. A complaint has been filed with the New York attorney general's office regarding the administration of the Jarvie Commonweal Service, which is financed through a $95 million endowment fund held by the Presbyterian Foundation. These actions come at a time when the leadership of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, facing declining PC(USA) revenues and membership, is looking carefully at what programs conform to the denomination's priorities and which do not. The complete story by Leslie Scanlon of The Presbyterian Outlook can be found at "Jarvie."

Hoey files defamation lawsuit against PC(USA)

A second defamation lawsuit has been filed against the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) A Corporation, the denomination's corporate entity, stemming from an ethics investigation involving the 1001 New Worshiping Communities program. Eric Hoey, who has served as the PC(USA)'s director of evangelism and church growth, filed suit in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky on June 16. Hoey is the second person involved with the investigation to file a defamation suit. Roger Dermody, who was hired in 2010 as the PC(USA)'s deputy executive director for mission, serving directly under Linda Valentine, executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, filed suit on May 29. The complete story by Leslie Scanlon of The Presbyterian Outlook can be found at "Second Lawsuit."

PMA Board issues churchwide pastoral letter

Marilyn Gamm, chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, and Jo Stewart, vice chair, issued a churchwide pastoral letter last week to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), noting that in their call "is an implicit, mutual understanding that we will be faithful and accountable in carrying out Christ's mission, including execution of the day-to-day ecclesiastical foundations that support our faith." The letter adds, "Although we wish that we could share with you the many ways we are at work in the service of Christ Jesus on behalf of the church in our present circumstances ... we are unable to release any further information at this time ... " The complete letter can be found at "Pastoral Letter."

PC(USA) welcomes release

of Pope Francis' encyclical 'Laudato Sii'

Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), acknowledged Pope Francis' papal encyclical "Laudato Sii," celebrating "the faithful witness and words [that encourage] responsible loving care for God's creation." Parsons noted, "[W]e join the Pope in the urgency of truth-telling: we humans are largely responsible for global warming and we have to find ways to reverse track." (Photo of Pope Francis reprinted from the Catholic Herald of England and Wales.) Parsons' complete statement can be found at "Papal Encyclical."

U.S.-Cuba relations thaw uplifts

Cuba's Presbyterian leader

For most of his 54 years, the Rev. Daniel Izquierdo Hernández, secretary general of the National Synod of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, has lived in a balmy, tropical country with a 55-year long winter in its political relationship with the United States. During a late-morning conversation on June 23, sponsored by the United Nations' offices of the World Council of Churches and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Izquierdo discussed the role of religion and U.S./Cuban relations with an ecumenical audience. Izquierdo, from the city of Santa Clara located in the heart of Cuba, recalled how hints about a potential exchange of U.S. and Cuban political prisoners began circulating last fall. Experience told him there would probably be a pre-Christmas thaw; he assumed the swap would be the three remaining members of The Cuban Five for American businessman, Alan Philip Gross. The complete Presbyterian News Service story is at "United States and Cuba."