Weekly Outlook - Unpacking BoP's new benefits structure

Dear Outlook readers,  I recently had the opportunity to edit a letter by Mark and Katherine Achtemeier as a part of our spring fundraising campaign. I was touched by their description of what the Outlook has represented in their ministry careers:  "...[W]e have found the Presbyterian Outlook to be an indispensable resource for raising our vision and opening our hearts to the dreams and heartaches of our big, diverse and gloriously multi-faceted Presbyterian family." To them, Presbyterianism is not a monolith, and the Outlook is the place they go to hear diverse (sometimes challenging) perspectives. I know I speak for all Outlook staff when I say that we strive to maintain this legacy of fostering conversation. You'll, hopefully, see this effort as we ramp up coverage for the 2024 General Assembly. This week, we published an opinion about an upcoming overture involving the ordination process and have more in development. We are also working with a team of freelance journalists who will write analysis articles about why GA matters. Come and join the conversation. Do you have an opinion on upcoming GA business? Craft your thoughts into an article and send it to us. And as you read our coverage of GA and other PC(USA) business, let us remember that the PC(USA) is not a monolith — that is what makes it special (and often frustrating). We have different opinions. Yet, God calls us to be church anyway. In Christ, Rose Schrott Taylor Outlook digital content editor

Dune 2’s warning echoes the Barmen Declaration by Brendan McLean PC(USA) Board of Pensions announces pricing for new benefits structure by Gregg Brekke The PC(USA) church that became a library by Bill Williamson A call to reform the PC(USA) ordination process by David B. Wigger In case you missed it... Transformative hospitality: To be welcomed shapes us into a welcoming people. Teri McDowell Ott reflects on hospitality from the perspective of her local hospital's emergency waiting room. Utah’s Presbyterian churches prepare to welcome attendees to the 226th General Assembly From gun control to poverty, churches address the needs of their communities. — Rick Jones & Randy Hobson Tea time and liturgical time: Finding grace in repetition Katy Shevel's daily ritual of drinking tea provides punctuation and structure to her days — and reminds her that she is held within the broader design of God’s time.   What the pandemic taught Montreat about conference centers (and hospitality) Richard Dubose discovers the vulnerability that settled in with the pandemic allowed Montreat staffers to understand what authentic and faithful hospitality includes. The hospitality of yes  Showing up and saying yes, even when – especially when – we don’t know where that answer will lead, is a major lesson in Christian hospitality, say Colleen Earp and Clayton Rascoe. The ecumenical future of camps and conferences  Invitations to other denominations isn’t enough. Instead, Joel Winchip believes, finding the strengths – and weaknesses – we all see in our ministries can help us serve more people. Hosts and guests: We and the Other Writer Alejandra Oliva meditates on preparing feasts for friends — and strangers. Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure Maggie Jackson’s celebration of uncertainty can free church leaders from defensiveness, inviting us to ponder and question — Amy Pagliarella

Tonight!