By Caleb Mynatt For citizens of most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the crisis that has encompassed our lives over the past year. But for citizens of Venezuela, the pandemic is just one crisis of many that Venezuelans have had to navigate and survive. One group hit particularly hard in Venezuela are … Continue reading
By Jonathan Bailey When I was a seminary student in the early 1990s, I took a course called Music and Missions. It surveyed and tried to investigate the liturgical function of music in church settings globally. At the time, I was serving as the music director for a first-generation West African church in Arlington, Texas. Working with … Continue reading
By Caleb Mynatt When the COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lockdown, it was an unprecedented and often chaotic transition for churches to make. And while figuring out the logistics of virtual business meetings and livestreaming worship services certainly wasn’t easy, there is one group of church leaders that perhaps had the toughest transition of … Continue reading
I hold the Bible as a sacred authority that informs my faith and living. And I also recognize that the Bible contains many unfortunate misogynistic and patriarchal views that have defined the beliefs, religious practices, culture, and family practices of many. One does not have to look very far in our history as a Baptist … Continue reading
By Lesley-Ann Hix Tommey At the beginning of February 2021, I was on the phone with the community relations and AmeriCorps Program coordinator at Ryan Chelsea-Clinton Health Center on 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen. We were talking through a nutrition workshop she and one of her AmeriCorps staff would be leading for our Living Well … Continue reading
by Christopher West In the world of Covid-19, health has become a major topic of discussion and debate within our congregations. It seems that everywhere one goes today, people are discussing public health, health insurance reform, epidemiology, public policy in wake of the coronavirus, and the diminishing health of the American public. The thing missing … Continue reading
by Laura Ellis Last year at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, a drone accidentally discovered a mass grave outside the city on Hart Island. The grave was full of the bodies of people who died in a time when the city’s morgues were full. The bodies were unidentified and unclaimed, … Continue reading
We live in a dog-eat-dog world. Everyone is fighting for a more significant piece of the pie, whether it is power, money, recognition, influence, or peach pie. To a certain extent, our drive to look out for our best interests is part of our evolutionary genetic makeup. I don’t think the human species would have … Continue reading
By Maggie Parker I remember sitting in the admissions room at Agnes Scott College as I prepared to celebrate my graduation with a senior reception, not knowing that the graduation I was longing for would never come. I remember everyone being together and so proud of each other as we all looked forward to the … Continue reading
By Angel Pittman It’s a commonly asked question; but, for me, it’s not the right question. As an educational advocate, I don’t simply attend children’s IEP meetings with their parents. I work with parents in the weeks and months leading up to an IEP meeting. An Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) is a legal document and … Continue reading
