The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recently traveled to New York City to meet, worship, and fellowship with a number of Presbyterians attending the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.
In this week’s devotional, Nelson shares his thoughts and hopes for the future.
Remember those that have been left behind. A special Christmas word from the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Christmas Day. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II urges churches to be more engaging with those that are hurting this holiday season and beyond.
Stated Clerk delivers sermon on the need for change
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II preached at Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama, on Sunday. Screenshot.
Jesus’ disciples faced a lot of fear and uncertainty in those final days of his ministry on earth. The Bible details how many stumbled, denied, hid and pondered what to do next as Christ faced persecution and crucifixion on the cross.
The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shared passages from the Book of Acts during a sermon this past week at Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama. The church’s pastor is the Rev. Gregory Bentley, who served as Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020).
“The Book of Acts reminds us of the fear and trembling as the disciples sat in the upper room, hiding because they were afraid of losing their life when Jesus was crucified,” Nelson said. “Can you imagine a friend of yours who was put upon a cross, nailed and left there to die without having any sense of help along the way to ease the pain? Doing this for the sake of those who had followed him and those whom he had called? It was the terrifying lynching of our Savior.”
Nelson told the congregation he is convinced that while the disciples were together, they blamed each other for what happened and that church members today often place blame on others instead of themselves. He adds that Presbyterians, like all Christians, need to accept that “we are individuals living by the grace of God."
“God’s grace woke us up this morning when others did not. God’s grace gives us an opportunity to worship when others cannot. God gave us grace to be in the midst of a world right now where we can think about things that are ahead of us and can challenge ourselves when others did not make it and cannot do it,” he said. “Every day is a day of Thanksgiving. We also know the grips of fear and struggle that comes in the midst of us where somehow the world in which we live does not act the way we would like it to.”
Nelson added that the church of Jesus Christ is in repair, struggling to figure out what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
“We are afraid right now. In the midst of our faith, in the midst of coronavirus, in the midst of what has taken place in public schools, all the madness in this particular election cycle, the world is in disarray,” he said. “People are lost in the streets and cannot make it. They do not have hope in their lives, and many are being locked up somewhere because the game is against them, and they do not have a chance because they are not born in privilege and yet they are fighting every day of their lives to make it.”
Nelson says the church must be about the business of massive transition and transformative work and move away from focusing on how large or small a church might be.
“I’m convinced that the relevance of white and Black churches is going to have to turn to people as Jesus did that are struggling on the vine today,” he said. “It is not about just me, my and mine, but things that have to be done to transform a world that has run amok. Even in high places we have seen it, the power mongering without concern for those who are struggling.”
Nelson concluded by saying church must change the way it looks at ministry.
“We can no longer be a place that believes if we build it, they will come. We are in a ruthless society now and we must learn to rise above it and claim it,” Nelson said. “No longer can we go to church and get happy on Sunday and send people back to hell on Monday. This world needs to be cleaned up.”
The Stated Clerk’s entire sermon can be viewed here .
Stated Clerk reflects on the legacy and life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a crowd at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. in 1963. - National Archives Record #542015 - Public Domain.
On this special day, we pause to reflect on the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I wish we could say today that his dream has finally become a reality. However, we find ourselves still struggling with the ravages of racism, sexism, and militarism. As a matter of faith, we are more entrenched today than we were at the time of his assassination. We are still a divided nation racially and economically. Discriminatory practices are still robbing poor people from being properly educated to earn a high school diploma in low-income communities. The continual rise of illegal drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamines continues to rob the potential for greatness in our communities across this nation. Many of our congressional leaders seem to be more concerned about the money wheel than the will of the people whose hopes are dying on the vine.
Dr. King had a vision beyond the despair of our nation. He called for a unity of spirit across the world. He called us to repair the soul of the United States of America. This was a spiritual cry that could only be accomplished by the bonding of our souls to one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Our love for God through Jesus Christ must extend beyond ourselves in order to accomplish this reality.
I pray that the inequities in our society will not be overlooked. Many Presbyterians have labored before us on this journey toward justice. Our commitment to justice advocacy is still heralded in many quarters of our world. Our commitment to the civil rights movement and dismantling apartheid are examples of our commitment to justice advocacy.
We encourage you to utilize the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. as a starting point. Let us not be late in this period of opportunity to free the captives.
The continued occupation in Palestine/Israel is 21st-century slavery and should be abolished immediately. Given the history of Jewish humble beginnings and persecution, there should be no ambiguity as to the ethical, moral, and dehumanizing marginalization and enslavement of other human beings. The United States of America must be a major influencer of calling this injustice both immoral and intolerable.
I would also hope that the Jewish community in the United States would influence the call to join the U.S. government in ending the immoral enslavement. Dr. King continuously preached a Gospel of justice, so that all people could live in dignity.
We are still in the midst of a pandemic that is plaguing our world and nation. May we be mindful of those persons whose lives have never been whole since birth. Let us all be a beacon of hope in this time of despair.
Let us love our neighbor as we love ourselves. May we as followers find it in our hearts to capture the essence of following Jesus Christ who taught us how to love one another.
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ Luke 10: 27
Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Stated Clerk looks ahead in the new year
The pandemic, immigration, political challenges on Capitol Hill. As another year kicks off, many of the challenges faced in the past two years continue to be front and center in 2022.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), looks at the year ahead.
Stated Clerk remembers Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. -Photo by Doug Tilton
A mighty oak has fallen! The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joins South African partners and people of faith around the world in giving thanks to God for the life, ministry and witness of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, who died Sunday, December 26 at the age of 90.
Archbishop Tutu played an enormous role in South Africa’s transition from institutionalized white supremacy — known as apartheid —to a democratic state whose constitution protects the rights of all the country’s people.
As the first Black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978 to 1984, his courageous leadership and outspoken support for the campaign against apartheid, including his endorsement of international economic sanctions, helped to deepen the involvement of the global ecumenical movement in the struggle for human and civil rights in South Africa and the region. Following his election as the Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, he continued to work for the dignity of all, building alliances with community groups and making St. George’s Cathedral a beacon of hope in the struggle for liberation.
Following South Africa’s transition to democratic rule in 1994, Archbishop Tutu played a pivotal role in shaping the work of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), created to establish a common record of the gross human rights violations committed during the apartheid era. Tutu believed passionately that South Africa’s future harmony required both justice and reconciliation. Through two years of high-profile public hearings under Tutu’s firm but compassionate leadership, the TRC sought to make restorative, rather than retributive, justice its lodestar.
As South Africa faced new challenges — growing economic inequality, persistent racism, and corruption in the public and private sectors — Archbishop Tutu (now Archbishop Emeritus) often emerged as the nation’s moral compass. He was fiercely independent but implacably committed to economic justice, social equity and inclusion, and protection of the rights and dignity of all, especially marginalized groups. He embraced people living with HIV and AIDS, demanding accessible treatment and an end to stigma. He was an outspoken opponent of sexism, homophobia and transphobia in both church and society.
Renowned for his infectious laugh and self-deprecating humour, Archbishop Tutu’s humility, zeal for peace with justice, and love for “the Rainbow People of God” were reflected in his books and spirituality. His commitment to ecumenism was evident in his years at the SACC and later as President of the All Africa Conference of Churches, while his high-profile friendship with the 14th Dalai Lama illustrated his appreciation of interfaith cooperation.
Archbishop Tutu, the late Prof. Russel Botman (then president of the South African Council of Churches), and two other former SACC presidents (Bishop Manas Buthelezi and Bishop Peter Storey) at a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the SACC in July 2007. -Photo by Doug Tilton
In recent years, the Archbishop became a respected moral voice on a wide range of global issues, including a basic income grant, Palestinian human rights, the Darfur conflict, and climate change. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” Tutu observed. “If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” Despite the constant stream of international invitations that came his way, he continued for many years to lead early morning eucharist services in Cape Town whenever he could, delighting in joining members of the congregation for breakfast afterwards.
In 2011, following the ratification of the decision of the 219th General Assembly (2010) to permit the ordination of non-celibate LGBTQIA people, Archbishop Tutu wrote an open letter to the PC(USA) expressing support for the church’s action. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” Tutu wrote. “In Christ we are not bound by old, narrow prejudice, but free to embrace the full humanity of our brothers and sisters in all our glorious differences.”
I was fortunate to visit South Africa as a seminary student during the apartheid in 1979. The tremendous opposition to justice for all people was both overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable. However, Archbishop Tutu and others were focused on freedom. It was even more gratifying to know that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was on the right side of justice through both active engagement and support for freedom. We mourn the death of this giant freedom fighter who gave his life to reconciling humanity through God’s amazing gift of love..ative power of Christ. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to Archbishop Emeritus Tutu’s family and colleagues and to the many who mourn his passing. Let us honor his memory by redoubling our efforts to ensure that all feel the embrace of inclusion and know the love of God. Let us all be reminded that the struggle for justice is not over.
Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Stated Clerk shares hope and love for the season
As the world still copes with a pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down, the world has reason to rejoice this Christmas Day. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), shares words of encouragement in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Holiday greetings from the Stated Clerk
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), says it’s a time to be thankful.
After 20 years, J. Herbert Nelson says retaliation isn’t the answer
Tribute in Light memorial next to the new One World Trade (2012).Photo by Anthony Quntano licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Twenty years ago this week, our world changed. For those who remember that fateful day in September 2001, you likely recall where you were when you first heard that a plane had struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center. As the next several hours unfolded, we stood in shock as plane after plane, carrying hundreds of people, crashed into the second tower, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. For the first time in most of our lives, our country, and our very way of life, were under attack.
As the dust began to settle on that September day, 2,977 people were dead, including passengers and office workers, as well as police, firefighters and other emergency personnel who disregarded their own safety to rescue as many people as they could.
People lost their spouses, children lost their parents, and parents lost their children. Thousands who survived that day went on to deal with lifelong health issues and deep emotional scars that will never heal.
New York City firefighters take a much needed break during emergency response efforts following the 9/11 attacks. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers file photo - Public Domain
But the victims of those coordinated attacks, as well as their families, were not the only ones to suffer. Many have paid the price over the past two decades. We are just now seeing the U.S. military pull out of Afghanistan, where the “War on Terror” has concluded, leaving tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans and NATO allies dead.
The human cost in Afghanistan has been staggering, according to statistics gathered by both Harvard and Brown Universities.
If the purpose behind the Sept. 11 attacks was to create cracks in the fabric of our nation, then they have succeeded. Post-9/11 America is a different place. The unity many felt immediately after the attacks has given way to mistrust, racism and divided culture.
Muslims, or anyone perceived to be Middle Eastern, were the victims of countless hate crimes. People were targeted by their beliefs or what they wore and branded as “terrorists.”
As the U.S. and its allies prepared counter attacks, thousands of families fled their homeland in Afghanistan or Iraq, many with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
The bloodshed and heartache of the past 20 years have taught us that retaliation won’t heal wounds or provide shelter for the homeless or food for the hungry. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other denominations and faith groups have invested dollars and people into seeking solutions that don’t require guns, grenades or hate to make a difference. Many of our siblings in Christ live in these regions. Others have traveled there to meet, pray and support those struggling to survive.
It is one thing to watch the news unfold in the comfort of our living rooms, but it’s another to be there and personally see the heartache and suffering of the people on the ground.
What happened 20 years ago this week was a defining tragedy. What has happened since is just as tragic. Those born in the midst of Sept. 11 have only witnessed war and mass evacuation. In place of open arms, they see walls and closed doors. We talk of humanity and our genuine quest for peace and love, yet our actions speak louder than words.
It is my prayer that we forge a new path going forward so that 20 years from now, people are commemorating a restored sense of humanity and Christ’s love over the hate and violence that came before.
We must do better. God requires us to do better.
Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), records a sermon for Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, at the Presbyterian Center's chapel in Louisville. Photo by Randy Hobson.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God.” — excerpt from Romans 12:1–3
More than 16 months after the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grasp on the world, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is urging churches not to lose hope. The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II preached virtually to Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, last week.
Nelson told the church that the presence of the Lord reminds Christians that they are not alone in times like these.
“The writer of Romans says mimicking God is not bad. Mimicking the one who gives us health, strength and life is not bad. The one who walks with us every hour and shows us the way because we cannot find for ourselves is not bad,” said Nelson. “Actually, it is a will that we should have driving through our spirit and soul in times like these.”
Even though vaccinations have brought a reopening across the country, the new variants of the virus have caused an uptick in the infection rate for those who have not been vaccinated. Nelson says people need to continue to lean on Christ in these times.
“I do believe this is a test and a challenge in so many ways in our personal lives because they are so busy and clouded with things that have to be done right now at this moment. We created a world like that,” he said. “And yet, we see now, not the crumbling of people’s lives and pain of losing loved ones, but the transformation of institutions that have to rethink their purpose and care for their workers. Institutions that have to stop for a moment and give homage to one that is greater than what their empire represents in these current days.”
Nelson told the congregation that God has not abandoned the world.
“Could God be saying something, not bringing on the pandemic, but by being in our presence while we deal with it?” Nelson asked. “That’s the way God always acts, through the moments when we are most vulnerable, when we have lost our way, when we are crying and struggling over how we are going to get through it. That’s when God gets our attention.”
Nelson says challenges with COVID-19 still remain.
“Some people have not been vaccinated and yet there are those in denial mode that this is even a reality. But there is something we are called to do in faith,” he said. “A calling to be what God wants us to be in these moments, to be sane and sober with regards to our actions and understanding of who God is, to not test God in these moments.”
The Stated Clerk added that this could be a “God moment” for people to go deeper in faith and understanding of what it means to be part of humanity and to love their neighbors.
“Maybe it’s time to break down barriers of racial injustice and invite all to be a part of it. Maybe it’s time to think what new reality looks like and to fully engage the cultural realities of our time when we see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer,” said Nelson. “Maybe it’s time to think fully about what it means to give some of what we have to others rather than holding onto it.”
Nelson acknowledges that churches are anxious to get back to routine and in-person worship. But he adds that Christians need to listen to what God wants from the church moving forward.
“I think God is calling us to adjust to what it really means to be human, to love, to care for our neighbors and reground ourselves to the root of the gospel. This is time to think through and calibrate what future ministry looks like in days to come,” he said. “Some predict we will have variances of this virus indefinitely. We don’t know what the future holds, but we’ve never known what the future holds.”
Nelson told the Oakhurst congregation that it’s time to “recalibrate and pull out a new message of faith and hope.”
Former vice president served his country and his church
He served as vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, but for many across the country, Walter Mondale will be remembered for his historic decision to ask Geraldine Ferraro to be his running mate in the 1984 U.S. presidential election. That groundbreaking decision opened the door for women to seek the nation’s highest office, helping lead Kamala Harris to become the first woman and person of color to be elected vice president.
Mondale had a long political career in Washington, D.C., and was elected to a full Senate term in 1966. He was reelected six years later and resigned in 1976 to prepare for his new role in the Carter administration.
During his time in the Senate, Mondale proved to be a champion for people, supporting desegregation of schools, tax reform and fair housing as well as consumer protection.
But what many people don’t know is that he was a dedicated member in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Mondale and his wife, Joan, joined Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis in the early ’90s and remained a member there until his death on April 19.
The Mondales’ church connections run deep. The former vice president’s father was a Methodist pastor, while his father-in law was a Presbyterian minister. Staying connected and involved with their church came natural for this couple, and we know the congregation and staff mourn his passing.
God has a call for each of us, but it is up to us to heed that call. I thank God that Walter Mondale acted on that tap on the shoulder and we pray that in these difficult times, the Lord is reaching out to others to continue the work he and others have started. For it is in times such as these that leadership is needed that will break the bonds of repression, racism and poverty and lead us to a better world where everyone has a seat at the table.
On behalf of the PC(USA), we extend our condolences to the Mondale family and his Westminster family as well.
Stated Clerk reflects on 35 years of ministry and the importance of having a partner in ministry
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II would be the first to tell you that community played a powerful role in his journey with God. Growing up in the 1960s, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can name a number of Christians in his father’s church and neighborhood who were guiding lights for him in those formative years.
But Nelson says it has been the lifelong partnership with his wife, the Rev. Gail Porter Nelson, that has been his strength as he moved from pastorates to heading up the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., and finally, his move to Louisville in 2016.
J. Herbert Nelson, II, says now is not the time to return to in-person gatherings
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| The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II speaks on June 27, 2020 during the 224th General Assembly (2020), which was held online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. —Photo by Randy Hobson |
LOUISVILLE — The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had a pastoral message Wednesday for Presbyterians anxious about the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election even as ballots are still being counted.
“I am convinced the Lord has given us this moment of pause to think through who we are in this present age,” said the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, during a virtual chapel service put on by the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness and attended by more than 90 people. “How will we respond? How will we conduct ourselves in ways that will remind the world that God, through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit” fills God’s children with love “even among the hatred and bigotry out on the streets of the United States of America.”
We’re in a period of waiting not unlike Jesus experienced when he asked his disciples to stay awake and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before the Lord was crucified. Instead, the disciples fall asleep.
Nelson said we’re being asked to pray “to the only wise God we know … This is a time of pause, of deep contemplation, over how we conduct ourselves in the midst of what seems to be a great deal of tension … I believe God has given us this moment for justice, to prepare ourselves to represent the peaceable kingdom, to an openness to God even though we don’t get the outcome we were looking for — or maybe we do.”
“We’re called to be repairers of the breach, which has always been there,” Nelson said. The population includes “demented minds and spirits” who have “created problems we could never imagine” and taken us “to places we thought we would never have to engage.”
“Our faith is in a God who never fails or forsakes us or leaves us alone,” he said. “We don’t get all we think we are promised, but we have a faith to hold onto even when promises are broken.”
During this moment of pause, “will it be anger that will consume some of us? Will it be the calm of Gethsemane,” when the disciples couldn’t stay awake with Jesus as he prayed “and Jesus got a little upset about that,” Nelson noted.
“The calling of discipleship is moments like these, when we offer our hearts and turn toward each other rather than on each other, because we know what God can do,” Nelson said. While we may not know who our next president will be, “we know what God has done for us, and we know the faith we hold. God was willing to give up the only begotten child of God for little old you and little old me. Let us never forget we took up the task as people of faith to follow that God to the end, no matter the outcome.”
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), spoke this summer during a vigil for justice for Breonna Taylor. (Photo by Rich Copley)
No matter the election’s outcome, Nelson said that the work ahead for Presbyterians and other people of faith “is to prepare for whatever the outcome and stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, to stand in places where others don’t want to go, to mourn — but not for too long, because there will be work to be done no matter who the president of the United States might be.”
Rather than being “disturbed or deterred by what is in front of us,” Nelson urged worshipers to “prepare for the journey ahead, through the One who gives us life, health and strength, my friends. No matter who the president or vice-president might be, God has a plan to lift the spirits of the faithful and love those who have been dispossessed. We know that plan. We serve in that plan. We have been blessed by that plan — and more importantly, we are still called to that plan.”
Then Nelson broke into song, rendering the lyrics to the old gospel hymn “Only Believe”: “Only believe, only believe, just trust in Jesus, only believe.”
Following a video of Presbyterians at work serving God and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, Nelson closed the worship service with a prayer and a benediction.
“We give thanks to a God who never fails us or forsakes us or leaves us alone,” Nelson said. “We walk toward a savior who died for our sin, and we live in the midst of a Spirit who has never abandoned us.
“We have nothing to fear, to mourn for in this moment, nothing to be truly distressed about. We have the same God who gives us mercy and peace and power. Use the power to transform the world. Go in peace, my friends.”
J. Herbert Nelson reflects on UN/PCUSA connection
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson.
For three-quarters of a century now, the United Nations, through its member states, has made significant changes in the lives of individuals across the world. What began on October 24, 1945, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to [hu]mankind,” [this is a quote from the preamble to the UN Charter] continues to this day. But what makes this special to me, is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been there from the beginning, stressing the importance of an international community committed to preserving peace, maintaining international law, promoting economic and social development, and adapting to changing conditions. If there has ever been a need for the United Nations in our world, now is that time.
The PC(USA) holds special consultative status through the UN Economic and Social Council. This gives the church a global voice on the issues of peace and security, hunger, poverty, and human rights violations. Through the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, we are able to take part in advocacy by meeting with member states, attending conferences, and making oral and written statements.
A detailed view of the United Nations General Assembly Hall. UN Photo by Cia Pak.
The ministry has two important tasks: to inspire and equip Presbyterians for global discipleship following Jesus Christ and to advocate for peace and justice in Christ’s name based on the policies of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at the United Nations.
As the U.N. commemorates this milestone anniversary, there is little time for celebration. Our world has changed dramatically in these past several months as the COVID-19 pandemic has reached every corner of our world, impacting the wealthy and the poor, the young and the old. In a time of frustration, fighting, and feuding, we look to the U.N. to be the calm, unifying voice for those in need, those suffering from conflict and violence, disease, starvation, and the soul-crushing violations of human rights.
We give thanks to the Lord God for our ministry at the U.N. and for all of those that have walked alongside the United Nations in times of war and strife these past 75 years. We ask Presbyterians and all followers of Christ to pray daily for the work that is taking place there and to learn more about how they can help.
Learn more: Study & Devotional Guide.
Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
