Lima first came to the United States to assist another pastor in his ministry. He quickly discovered, however, that in many communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Brazilian immigrants lacked a church home. They had worshiped as Presbyterians in Brazil, but now they weren’t able to find a Presbyterian, Portuguese-speaking congregation that understood the unique challenges and opportunities they were facing. Their only option was to go to a church of another tradition, but they weren’t comfortable, Lima says, with the theology or worship.
Read MoreOur first retreat for the Northern NY Committee On Ministry Network was a great success. We met in Albany, NY over the weekend of May 20th. We had participants from all five of the presbyteries in the network (Albany, Cayuga-Syracuse, Susquehanna Valley, Northern New York and Utica), and some guests from other presbyteries close by as well. It was such a benefit to be in the same physical space as one another and to put faces and stories to our ministry settings.
Read MoreI hadn’t realized what I was really headed for was a visit into the homes of our Korean sisters and brothers. As we wandered the streets of Seoul each scene was filled with stories. As we walked through Moongil’s childhood neighborhood, he shared stories of his life; some were so very similar to my own boyhood remembrances and some very different. The story sharing drew us closer and the joy deepened.
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