On this week's episode we are beyond grateful to share our recent Pastoral Roundtable Conversation on Anti-Racism, a pre-presbytery event in conjunction with the January Stated Meeting. Facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo, Associate Dean for Institutional Diversity and Community Engagement at Princeton Theological Seminary, this roundtable was attended by over forty  leaders around the presbytery who are venturing into this critical conversation within their congregations.  We invite you to listen in and even share with your communities, then stay tuned for future opportunities to continue this conversation that moves beyond a training program and, as Rev. Dr. Aloyo reminds us, is deeply integrated in our spiritual formation and Christian discipleship.

In 2018, minister members of our presbytery read the full text of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech," as the sermon for the January Stated Meeting.

Readers:

Rev. Dr. Janel T. Dixon

Rev. Raymond Bonwell

Rev. Wonjae Choi

Rev. Sameh Shaker

Rev. Austin Shelley

Rev. Randy Barge

Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace

Rev. Kevin Porter

2020 is now in the rear view mirror, yet the call to lean into what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ remains vital, especially as we continue to navigate the challenges of congregational life, revitalized witness, and discerning imaginative possibilities to live into the gospel within and beyond the walls of our buildings. That said, we decided to begin the New Year with reflections from leaders of our presbytery who have been pivotal in our Presbytery's launch of the Vital Congregations Initiative of the PCUSA as we talk Gospel Possibilities and Congregational Vitality.

Note: what follows is not an ad for participation in this two-year venture in which eleven of our congregations are intentionally pilgrimaging through together. Instead, we wanted to take time to share what we have found beneficial at the beginnings of our journey that could be life-giving for all our churches and related ministries as they discern where and how the Spirit is calling them to discern, dream, and vision what it means to bear witness to the gospel in their unique location and ministry season. If interested, you can learn more about the Vital Congregations initiative on our website, www.presbyphl.org and under the Ministry and Leadership Incubator Tab: https://presbyphl.org/ministry-incubator/vital-congregations/

On this Christmas, presbytery staff reads poem by late Madeline L'Engle, "First Coming." May Christ meet you in the madness of all that is and has been and yet to be.

In a surreal way, we have already arrived at the fourth Sunday of Advent. The liturgical candle of love is lit in living rooms and kitchen tables, makeshift chapels and on zoom screens in worship. Wherever you are in need of encountering the love of Jesus this day, we pray you find it. We also give thanks for the ways our churches and related ministries live into this same love come down. This week, as we wrap up our Advent series, we hear from our Executive Presbyter, Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace. We invite you to listen as she shares about where fear and hope meet, based on a reading from Luke 1:26-38.

Grateful for Found Wandering, who graciously provided their music throughout Advent. Check them out on www.foundwandering.com

This week we feature a bonus episode for Advent as our Moderator, Vijay Aggarwal, facilitated a conversation with our Executive Presbyter, Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Vide Moderator, Rev. Ashley Rossi,  Convener of our Cultiviating Enough in the Care of Clergy initiative, Rev. Larissa Kwong-Abazia, and yours truly. We talked a bit about Rest in a Season of Waiting. Aware of the unique challenges posed by the last year, the increased energies and demands of the liturgical season, and yet the real call to practice a discipline of rest and self-care, this twenty-five-minute conversation proved timely and sacred. Listen in and then consider how the Spirit is nudging you to rest in this season of waiting and wondering and longing for the presence of Christ.

Quick note of celebration; Our presbytery has recently been awarded a grant through the Lilly Endowment to leverage a five-year initiative called Cultivating Enough in the Care of Clergy. We are excited about the ways we will be able to walk alongside ministers in small congregations, churches in communities of color, and church plants and replants. Stay tuned for more details and read more about this venture at www.presbyphl.org under the tab marked Ministry and Leadership Incubator.

Music for this episode provided by Found Wandering, "On This Day Earth Shall Ring" (2016). www.foundwandering.com

This Sunday we light the third candle for joy and, as is custom for many, we remember Mary the Mother of Jesus. Joy may be a tough find these days, much like a candle in the night. But joy is more than an emotion, it is a faithful perspective that carries us forward. We are grateful for the ways our churches illuminate this joy in our time and place. This week, we invite you to listen in to reflections on Luke 1:46-56 and Mary’s Magnificat as shared by our Associate Presbyter, Rev. Greg Klimovitz.

Week 2 of Advent is upon us and as we light our candles of peace, we linger still in the longing for God’s dreams of peace to break into our reality once and for all. We continue to lift in prayer the saints of this presbytery, along with our siblings of the faith near and far. May you experience the peace of Christ this season in whatever way your spirit covets and craves.

As we continue our weekly meditations on Scripture, we are grateful that this week we hear from the Moderator of our Presbytery, Elder Vijay Aggarwal. Vijay is a member of the Wayne Presbyterian Church and has been a faithful leader and visionary for our Presbytery, especially in this very difficult and obscure year. We invite you to listen in as Vijay reflects on the lectionary gospel for this Sunday, which comes to us from Mark 1:1-8.

Blessed Advent.

Music for this episode provided by Found Wandering, "Lo How A Rose E're Blooming" (2015). www.foundwandering.com

Believe it or not, Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. We have been through so much in 2020, whether the pandemic of COVID-19, the increased reality of systemic racism, financial challenges and insecurities, and the pressures of adapting to the increasings needs of a digital world, a four-week season of waiting may feel, well, a bit pastorally insensitive.

We have been waiting long enough.

Still, the liturgical season, even more so the good news of Jesus Christ, meets us and reminds us that God is with us in and through it all. For the next four weeks, our abbreviated episodes will feature reflections from our Presbytery leaders as they mull over the lectionary gospel texts as they intersect with a time such as this. I invite to listen in now as we hear first from our Stated Clerk, the Rev. Kevin Porter, as he reflects on Mark 13:24-37.

Music for this episode provided by Found Wandering, "Lo How A Rose E're Blooming" (2015). https://www.foundwandering.com

On this episode of PresbySpeak we share excerpts from the recent Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Philadelphia. The sermon delivered by Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia, Vice Moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014) and current Convener of our Cultivating Enough in the Care of Clergy. The sermon is followed by the executive staff report shared with the Presbytery through the Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace (Executive Presbyter), Rev. Greg Klimovitz (Associate Presbyter), and Rev. Kevin Porter (Stated Clerk).

Our next Stated Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. More details to come! Be well saints of in and around Philly.

Audio backdrop is "Rise Up" (Cover)by the African Gospel Choir Dublin Virtual Choir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj7cEVtkWFk