By Laura Stephens-Reed I vividly remember (20 years ago now!) walking from the parking deck to my seminary classroom building when I saw an undergrad, talking on her phone, stride boldly into a crosswalk. An oncoming car screeched to a stop to avoid hitting her. The student never turned her head. I began to notice … Continue reading
By Marv Knox A perfect storm of calamity—the immigration crisis, COVID-19 and a hurricane—has buffeted Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief ministry in Matamoros, Mexico. The needs are dire; the response is sacrificial. Since 2018, Fellowship Southwest has supported feeding projects on the Gateway International Bridge between Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, as well as in the sprawling … Continue reading
Ben Brown Most graduations in the spring of 2020 were altered or adjusted for safety due to COVID-19. For the graduates of Brinkley Heights Urban Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, this year’s graduation was one to remember. Brinkley Heights Urban Academy in Memphis serves an at-risk population and is on a campus that lacks adequate … Continue reading
By Elket Rodríguez Hurricane Hanna left a trail of devastation as it tore through Texas’ Rio Grande Valley near the Gulf of Mexico July 25. Hanna dumped more than 15 inches of rain on the region, severely flooding rural areas and colonias. Hanna’s impetuous winds also wreaked havoc, overturning trailer homes and ripping roofs off … Continue reading
Por Elket Rodríguez El huracán Hanna dejó una estela de devastación al pasar el pasado 25 de julio por el Valle del Río Grande de Texas. Hanna arrojó más de 15 pulgadas de lluvia en la región cercana al Golfo de México, inundando severamente las zonas rurales y las colonias. Los impetuosos vientos de Hanna … Continue reading
By Bekah Rhea COVID-19 is spurring us on to take up a wide variety of hobbies. Gardening is one of the most popular, presenting the opportunity to spend time outdoors and away from Netflix. In fact, so many people are starting their “COVID gardens” that seasoned community gardeners like CBF’s Rick Burnette are having some … Continue reading
By Elket Rodríguez COVID-19 not only tests the limits of medical care, economic endurance and society’s willpower, but also congregations’ ability to meet burgeoning needs all around them. Three pastors from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley experience the pandemic’s stress on their churches and communities every day. Ivan De León of Iglesia Vino Nuevo—New Wine Church—in … Continue reading
By Grayson Hester The coronavirus is novel. Oppression is not. In the wake of Ohio’s most populated county having declared racism a public health crisis; in the shadow of the Ahmaud Arbery shooting; and in the face of endless barrages of statistics revealing that COVID-19 is disproportionately infecting, hospitalizing and killing black and brown people, … Continue reading
By Sara Crocker “I’m just so tired of this,” Karen immediately responded when I asked about her experience in quarantine. The North African country in which Karen serves was officially locked down beginning March 20. That lockdown lasted until June 24 when some restrictions began to be slightly lifted. Karen celebrated by taking a picture … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette Friday, June 12 Friday afternoon, June 12, was scorching hot in Immokalee, Florida. Practicing social distancing, we were sharing food with a few hundred residents in the parking lot of Misión Peniel – a food pantry ministry supported by Southwest Florida PC(USA) congregations. Off to the side, a few staff from Doctors … Continue reading
