Presbyterians Today - Healing and reconciliation mean forging new paths

Dear Readers, With the end of June, we close out our second quarter theme for the year on "healing and repair." Reflecting on these ideas as I read the two latest entries on our blog, I'm struck by the fact that healing from past hurts isn't a matter of simply revisiting or attempting to re-do the past. It does require an honest reckoning with what has come before, but it also requires a willingness to forge new pathways, not built on the scar tissue of old wounds. As Rev. Bethany Peerbolte explores in her ministry, Our Tapestry, sometimes a healthy and reconciled future flourishes in a digital space, especially for LGBTQIA+ Christians and others who have been wounded by the church, who need supportive and open community that transcends geography. And digital ministry requires ever-evolving innovation, liturgy, and theology of connection. In Pittsburgh Presbytery, meanwhile, the recently renamed Alliance for Honor and Repair challenges whether the concept of reconciliation as a whole binds us to a past-oriented approach, and whether we must break-free of a desire to fix the past in order to find hope in the future. I appreciate the reminder that healing and hope can be found in newness, in ways of doing things we've maybe never considered. I had some of this on my mind over the past couple of weeks as the 226th General Assembly of the PCUSA happened in Salt Lake City. I was covering the event from home while taking care of my newborn and other daughter, and was grateful for the ways technology allowed me to be plugged in and participate. Of course, the technology also presented some headaches and challenges for all involved. Our Director of Communications often reminded us both before and during the Assembly that -- as has been true for every GA since Covid -- this one was happening in a way that has never been done before. As we collectively try to heal from the trauma and upheaval of Covid (even while it is still a very present reality) we are still being forced to find new ways of doing church together. It is not a seamless process, but it is a reminder that God, too, is always doing a new thing and that wherever and however we gather (and however imperfectly) the Spirit is there dancing, healing, reconciling us to God and one another, and moving in love and beauty. For all the exhaustion of the 2-week Presby-marathon, I walk away from it full of hope for what the church can and will be and for the efforts we make toward healing the world in the here and now. Where have you encountered healing lately? How has it challenged you to embrace new things and new ways of doing/being? Let me know! I'd love to hear. And please take time to read the pieces below. Let them challenge and inspire you. Next we turn out attention to our third quarter themes: leadership and change. I look forward to sharing more insights from brilliants minds and hearts on the PT blog soon. Happy Reading!   Layton Williams Berkes Managing Editor, Presbyterians Today

When Church is Dangerous, Digital Ministry Provides Sanctuary

by Bethany Peerbolte “Finally!” was all my United Methodist friend had to text me when I asked how their general conference was going. While I echo their relief, I know the recovery period for my LGBTQIA+ siblings is far from being final. Presbyterians stand as proof that the vote is sometimes the easiest part of change. As the leader of a ministry with over 90% LGBTQIA+-identifying members, I know a vote is one step of a long journey — one that began with fervent prayers for change. Not to change the Book of Order but to change oneself. For every LGBTQIA+ person raised in the Christian faith, their journey of self-discovery includes years, often decades, of praying to God to change who they are. Our Tapestry logo - rainbow fontIn my time leading Our Tapestry (a 1001 New Worshiping Community supported by the Denver Presbytery), I have heard hundreds of stories from individuals whose journey began with the daily battle of praying to God for change and the daily rejection of that prayer.

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‘Reconciling to what?’

by Jeff Eddings ‘Reconciling to what?’ That was one of the first questions I had from a member of the newly formed “Repair and Reconciliation Alliance” of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. The alliance had been formed with the mandate to do two things: (1) to engage in a thorough review of the experience of our Black Presbyterian churches through history. (2) to offer recommendations on actions of repair and reconciliation. The hopeful outcome of this work is that “the Pittsburgh Presbytery may become a more harmonious, joyful, and just community within the Body of Christ.” As the chair of the committee, I was meeting with each member of the alliance to learn more about their hopes for the work we are going to engage in over the next two years. The alliance is a mix of teaching and ruling elders, both Black and white, and includes pastors from two of our historically Black churches. As I met with Pastor De Neice Welch of Bidwell Presbyterian Church, her question about the destination of reconciliation was one that, thanks to my white privilege, I had not considered.

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