Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Photo by Karollyne Hubert via Unsplash

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 28, 2023

WEBINAR ON THE NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE AGAINST THE WAR IN UKRAINE - With the one-year anniversary of Russia’s continued aggression toward Ukraine looming, a webinar was held recently to discuss the impact of nonviolent resistance against the war and to make recommendations to Congress, including stressing the need for diplomacy ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

The Rev. Jim Wallis

Today in the Mission Yearbook: September 15, 2022

AUTHOR, ACTIVIST THE REV. JIM WALLIS - For the past five decades, the Rev. Jim Wallis has been exploring the complexity and possibility of two of his favorite words, “justice” and “faith.” Wallis, the founder of Sojourners magazine who now directs the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University, recently delivered a talk at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., exploring whether American democracy is even possible given the threats to voting rights, civil rights and any number of other challenges Americans are facing ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Photo by Element5 Digital via Unsplash

Today in the Mission Yearbook: August 11, 2022

"PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS" WEBINAR - Panelists recently convened to discuss protecting voting rights that in many states are increasingly imperiled decided by the end of the hourlong webinar that churches have an important role to play. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

In the News ... "As El Paso struggles to heal, Walmart shooter's rhetoric builds in GOP"

AP Photo by Eric Gay

• Shooter said he responded to "Hispanic invasion"

By Martha Pskowski, Reporter
• El Paso Times

EL PASO, TEXAS - When Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appeared on a July 5 Fox News segment about fentanyl, his comments quickly turned to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We are being invaded," he told the host.

“We’re being attacked as we were on Pearl Harbor," he followed up.

That same day, Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan signed a disaster declaration. The South Texas county had previously called for help to “defend our borders” from undocumented immigrants. Now Shahan called on Gov. Greg Abbott, as the state’s Commander-in-Chief, to “declare the existence of an invasion on its border with Mexico.”

Patrick and Shahan’s words were familiar to the people of El Paso.

Nearly three years earlier, a white man north of Dallas wrote a diatribe ...

• Read/watch the rest of this EPT report ...

Photo Album: Bell toll memorial honors August 3rd victims

EPT Photo by Gaby Velasquez

• Music, moments of silence, words of condolence inspiration

By Gaby Velasquez, Photographer
• El Paso Times

EL PASO, TEXAS - City Council members gathered to observe a memorial at City Hall in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 ...

• See the rest of this EPT photo album ...

El Pasoans remember Walmart mass shooting victims through prayer

EPT Photo

 • 'Amor Eterno'

By Lauren Villagran, Reporter
• El Paso Times

EL PASO, TEXAS - The morning sun shone on black crosses, each painted with the name of one of the 23 victims.

Community members carried them in solemn procession to the thrum of a single drum and planted them in a semi-circle in a park that for months in the wake of the shooting was home to a makeshift memorial of photos and flowers and mementos.

Through testimony, prayer and song at Ponder Park, El Pasoans remembered those killed in the Walmart mass shooting on Aug. 3, 2019 ...

• Read, watch the rest of this EPT report ...

CRS Briefing ... "Something important is missing from foreign aid! "

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.The CRS Briefing is a monthly service to our supporters. We aspire to keep you informed of our progress and up-to-date on issues that affect the people we serve in more than 100 countries around the world.

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Photo courtesy of Marijn Fidder/Caritas International

Advocate the MINDS Act

Around the globe, hundreds of millions of people struggle with anxiety, depression and other stress related problems. In emergencies, a lack of food, shelter and other basic necessities often lead to psychological distress. And for people fleeing violent conflict—like the millions who have fled Ukraine in the recent months—stress is magnified.>

More than 1 in 5 people in conflict-affected areas are living with a mental health disorder. Around the world, for those in crisis situations—poverty, hunger, violent conflict—emotional support is a fundamental human need that is too often overlooked.

Amid conflict, hunger and other crises, what does it take for a person to thrive?

• Food and water.
• Shelter and safety.
• Mental health care.

Psychosocial support is critical for people with trauma. But mental health services are not consistently integrated into international programs that help our sisters and brothers experiencing violence, forced displacement, food shortages and poverty. The MINDS Act will change this!

Please urge Congress to support HR3988, the Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings Act—the MINDS Act. This is the first-ever U.S. legislation to include mental health services in foreign assistance programming. It reaffirms best practices, lays the groundwork for a global mental health strategy and emphasizes the needs of vulnerable populations.

Lift your voice today so our sisters and brothers in need may have the psychological support systems necessary to uphold their dignity, build resilience and thrive. You can make a difference!

Email your legislators to ask them to Support people experiencing emotional distress due to conflict, hunger and other adversities.

• CLICK HERE to email your legislators

Addressing mental health needs helps communities become more resilient and builds a brighter future for our world.
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Thank you to so many of you who raise your voice to support the MINDS Act and for advocating now on this important legislation!

Prayerfully,

Catholic Relief Services and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

CRS Briefing ... Your voice is needed now!

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.The CRS Briefing is a monthly service to our supporters. We aspire to keep you informed of our progress and up-to-date on issues that affect the people we serve in more than 100 countries around the world.

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CRS Photo

Your voice is needed now!

The House will be voting in the coming weeks on funding bills in the fiscal year 2023 federal budget. Urge your members of Congress to protect funding for international assistance that supports poor and vulnerable communities!‌

If you want to ensure that ...

• Communities experiencing life-threatening food insecurity receive emergency food aid,
• Farmers can continue growing food in the face of worsening droughts,
• Long-term solutions are developed to address conflict, hunger and poverty,

… then Now is the Time to Act!

Email your legislators to ask them to protect funding in the budget for international programs that reduce poverty, keep communities safe and help families survive and thrive.

• CLICK HERE to email your legislators

Thank you for using your voice so all members of our global community can thrive.

Prayerfully,

Catholic Relief Services and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

In the News ... Opinion: "Enter this new day of post Roe v Wade with grace and peace"

• "Here are some practical steps for our future"

By Pastor Darin Wood, First Baptist Church - Midland, Contributor
• Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - As we enter this new day of post Roe v Wade, let us do so with grace and peace for those who disagree and not a spirit of conquest. Those who disagree with us are not our enemies so let’s not treat them as such. They are fellow Americans, gifted with the same freedoms we have. Instead of such animosity, let us live in this new day with a joy of protecting the unborn and all life. Let us live responsibly to fulfill our calling in Christ and our commission toward a more perfect union ...

 • Read the rest of this MRT report ...