The following is a report from the Reverend Randy J. Mayer, lead pastor at the Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, Arizona. Rev. Mayer is also the co-founder of the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans Humanitarian Group, and a member of the board of the American Waldensian Society. Rev. Randy Mayer visits with the children
War is hell. Since arriving in the West Bank of Palestine midday on Sunday, we’ve sat with multiple friends and partners, as well as our Global Ministries mission co-workers who are serving here. Every conversation inevitably turns to the war in Gaza. Every encounter makes abundantly clear just how devastating it is, and not only
When is the ringing of a church bell more than just a call to Sunday worship? When it rings on a Monday, or a Tuesday — or any other day besides the Sabbath — calling people with each clang to remember, to learn, and to love as Jesus loved. In the Connecticut town of Enfield,
The United Church of Christ’s Washington, D.C. Office of Public Policy and Advocacy recently welcomed three members to its team. Hannah Santos began as communications and campaigns specialist in early June. She will provide strategic and technical support for the overall communication functions of the D.C. office. Santos recently served as the religious freedom program
Episode Transcript [Introductory music – clip from “Way Out of No Way,” performed by the Stop Cop City Choir] Welcome to Fill the Jar – a podcast where we carve out a bit of body and soul breath from the dehumanizing crush that capitalism tries to exert on our lives. Welcome to Fill the Jar
“Life is unbearable here for the average person.. The church is doing what it can to assist those in need but it’s not enough. We need peace.” -Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, pastor of National Evangelical Church in Beirut, Lebanon Rev. Prestemon & Dr. Makari with Rev. Dr. Badr (center) There is an overwhelming sense of uncertainty
The United Church of Christ’s Erica Dollhopf, director of The Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD), has been selected as the winner of the Outstanding Applied Research Award for 2024 from the Religious Research Association. The award is based on research Dollhopf conducted from the results of the Faith Communities Today survey
Meeting the children in one of DSPR’s summer programs She confides it to me while we’re standing in a mosque that memorializes the thousands of Palestinians who died in the 1982 massacre in the Sabra and Shatilla Refugee Camps here in Beirut. Everything is so overwhelming, she says, so much to do. “We’re just a
Global Relations Minister Peter Makari and I joined Global Ministries mission co-workers Rev. Nishan and Maria Bakalian for a lovely dinner and conversation. Beirut….I’ve arrived! I emerged from customs to the heavy heat and humidity of midday in Lebanon. Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe of Global Ministries, welcomed me
