Weekly Outlook - PC(USA) churches offering sanctuary to migrants

Dear readers, I'm intentionally adding wrinkles to my daily patterns this week: starting work early so I can run errands mid-morning, simplifying a workout so there's time to attend an evening prayer service, going out of my way to have ice cream on a Tuesday. I love my routine, and I am a homebody, but it sometimes seems weeks go by without much notice.  My social media algorithm tells me I'm not alone in feeling numb. I recently came across a woman whose mission is to help others embrace life. According to her, adding small deviations to your daily schedule (drive home a different way, try a new recipe) and planning larger new experiences once a month can help you feel like you're engaging life rather than running on the hamster wheel.  In a world so full of chaos, the hamster wheel of daily routine holds its appeal, even if it grows tiresome. What can one average person do in the face of natural disasters, cancer, prejudice, war, tariffs ... ? It's an overwhelming thought — especially when you believe in a God who calls you to action. In the face of this question, two stories have comforted me this week: the work Southeastern Presbyterian camps and conference centers continue to do to recover from this fall's hurricanes and prepare for a summer full of hospitality; and the courage of churches stepping up efforts to provide support to vulnerable migrants amid heightened immigration enforcement. These are stories of people, surrounded by chaos, who looked at what lay in front of them and said, "This is my work. I will not give up on it." It fills me with hope, and makes me wonder, what is my work? What is yours? Peace, Rose Schrott Taylor Digital Content Editor

Presbyterian camp and conference centers recover and ready for summer by Colleen Earp These PC(USA) churches offer shelter and sanctuary to vulnerable migrants. Here’s why. by Patrick Davis, Anna King and Sarah Ventre DEI: Gospel imperative or radical leftwing agenda? by Emery J. Cummins You’ve likely heard the Serenity Prayer − but not its backstory by Scott Paeth  In case you missed it... Cultivating curiosity during Lent To address the world's most entrenched problems, we need people who yearn to know more about our world and the creatures with whom we share it. — James Calvin Davis White House unfreezes $19 million in USAID funding for Samaritan’s Purse Graham defended the Trump administration's review of USAID funding as an important step in reining in federal waste and fraud. — Tony Mator Unification Commission approves a job description for the Stated Clerk/Executive Director Commissioners also receive an update on the transformation of World Mission. — Mike Ferguson The transformative power of Easter joy A barista’s joy transforms Teri McDowell Ott's routine Starbucks visit into a lesson on contagious, life-changing joy — shared, uncontained, and deeply felt. Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand Journalist and pastor Jeff Chu reflects on the lessons he learned at Princeton Seminary's Farminary. — Amy Pagliarella The surprising power of small churches Phillip Blackburn shares how a small rural church in Arkansas is making a big impact — and why challenging our assumptions about church size and leadership matters. Navigating the stars and stripes in the sanctuary David Dack shares how his church navigated the U.S. flag's physical presence in worship, balancing faith and patriotism through thoughtful conversation and respect. I have a question: Embracing wonder and curiosity in faith Maggie Alsup explores how childlike wonder deepens faith and sparks joy.

In four sessions, "Badass Women of the Bible" by Katrina Pekich-Bundy challenges readers with the Bible’s witness to the power and persistence of women of faith. While the church has romanticized biblical women as either virgins or whores, the Bible reveals myriad examples of strong, badass women who were determined to stand against dehumanization and oppression. They called on us to do the same.