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Matthew 25 In Action: Honoring National Poetry Month with the Words of Marianne Moore

Poetry, Faith, and the Pursuit of Justice April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the art of language, imagination, and truth-telling through verse. As we reflect on the legacy of faith-driven justice within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we lift up the life and voice of Marianne Moore, one of the most influential Presbyterian poets of the 20th century. In a recent article titled “Peace of heaven, make us free” published by PC(USA), Moore’s poetic work is recognized not only for its technical brilliance but also for its spiritual depth. Her poems are infused with biblical imagery, moral reflection, and subtle resistance to cultural norms—qualities that align with the Matthew 25 Initiative’s core values: building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty. A Poet Rooted in Presbyterian Faith Marianne Moore was not simply a poet of theological musings—she was a lifelong Presbyterian whose work often reflected her reverence for creation, human dignity, and divine mystery. Her poetry insists on integrity, respect for life in all its forms, and a humility that echoes Christ’s teachings in Matthew 25: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me.” Through her unconventional structure and lyrical rigor, Moore gave poetic shape to the kind of attentiveness and justice-seeking to which the gospel calls us. Poetry as a Tool for Vitality and Liberation In the spirit of Building Congregational Vitality, Moore’s poetry encourages us to see the world anew, to listen more carefully, and to approach the divine with imagination and honesty. In a time when churches are rediscovering the power of storytelling and creative expression, her work invites us to reimagine the sacred possibilities within art and worship. In Moore’s vision, poetry is not a luxury—it is a means of awakening, a path to Dismantling Structural Racism and Eradicating Systemic Poverty by drawing attention to the overlooked, the silenced, and the sacred in the everyday. A Poetic Challenge to the Church Today As we celebrate National Poetry Month, we are reminded that poetry—like faith—asks us to see beyond what is and move toward what could be. Marianne Moore’s legacy, grounded in Presbyterian values and prophetic imagination, challenges us to continue using our words and our witness to build a more just, compassionate, and creative world. Let her voice echo in our liturgies, our classrooms, our pulpits, and our protests. Let poetry be one of the tools we use in our shared work of living out the call of Matthew 25. To read the full article from PC(USA), Click Below In Closing: Let the Word Be Heard Whether through preaching, praying, or poetry, our faith calls us to speak truth, uplift the vulnerable, and celebrate the creativity of our Creator. This April, may we honor the power of poetic language—and the lives it continues to inspire—by letting our voices rise in verse and action. Read on for an excerpt from Edward Moran’s poem, “Marianne Moore Grows Up”” “II. Palm Sunday, 1935:  Marianne Moore and  her Mother Join the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. Fading with the morning and the tempest of hosannas a blessed blowout dust storm east from Kansas shearing umbrellas and tree-canopies down to bits, to Oz and maybe back, shredded to the ribs, and then raining the ribbed sprouts furling Missouri soil back upon its roots east to eden, to the place of the “savage’s romance” and the confluence of great rivers, greater tents. The sky was darkened in New York, as damped fire, reported some lookers, and as Brooklyn came to prayer and old John Underwood was helped into his pew at last the sun bore a trace halo of plowed-back dust from its long tearing trail across the fruited plain, as though the Indians changed course, got soul, were ashamed no more, faced their pursuers. Or like bread upon the waters, or plows upon the furrows or like a typist dragging the carriage back a line boustrophedon,  to redeem a key struck in vain: such the explanation of this west-to-east reversal in the prevailing arcs of scythe-describing circle.She knew earth’s loosening, she and her mother both, thinking on ancestral trek from simple truth, as he who warned his flock of riddles, like the angry God who flecked sinners and the just alike in sod. Stripped of his Swedish gold, James Thorpe might have thought of Charlie, or not, or what running meant or how palms are burnt to ash for next year’s Lent. but here, in church of hard Knox, with Calvins on dust is a soul swirling in a shaft of sun. a mote in my father’s eye, I his son.”

Visioning Process Update – March 2025

The Visioning Process is underway, with small groups working diligently to prepare their presentations for the Town Hall meeting scheduled for April 22. Each group is clarifying its future goals and developing clear quarterly objectives to present the proposed vision at the Synod meeting on November 15, 2025, at First United Presbyterian Church in Amsterdam, NY.

Matthew 25 In Action: Celebrating Women of Faith and Justice

The Matthew 25 Initiative invites us to engage deeply in the call of Christ found in Matthew 25:31–46—to live lives that prioritize compassion, justice, and community. This year, in celebration of Women’s History Month, we turn our focus to three dynamic leaders within the Synod of the Northeast and wider Presbyterian Church whose stories embody the Initiative’s three core focus areas:

Join Us for Synod Mission Day at Seneca Nation Churches!

Mark your calendars! On Saturday, June 14, 2025, we will gather at Wright Memorial and Jimersontown Churches for a meaningful day of service, fellowship, and community impact. We need volunteers of all skill levels to help make this day a success!

Apply for Wurffel-Sills Student Aid

The Wurffel-Sills Scholarship and Interest-Free Student Loan program at the Synod of the Northeast was established from a combination of two memorial funds—The Karl, John, Elizabeth Wurffel Memorial Fund and The Allie L. Sills Memorial Fund. The core purpose of the fund is to assist students with demonstrated financial need in their higher education goals within the guidelines of the funding policy.

Mission Trip with the Presbyterian Peach Network for Korea

The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea (PPNK) is arranging a mission trip to South Korea from October 21 to October 30, 2025. Attached you will find a copy of the brochure about the Korea Peace Journey, a document with details of the trip, and a registration form. The registration period has just begun and will continue through April 30.