The weather was beautiful, the company exceptional, and Shepherd of the Hills and Rev. Andy Hamer were terrific hosts! Click here to see the full list of future PZDP Anniversary Events.
Encircling the World Prayer Book
Encircling the World is a children’s prayer booklet that is both a resource and an invitation to pray for children in our ethnically diverse congregations. It challenges the churches in the presbytery to become the church of the stranger by welcoming and standing with refugees, migrants and other displaced children in the community and in the world.
Why this book? As Christian community one of the fundamental ways we come together to express our faith is through worship. Our times of worship thus become important opportunities to remember and pray for those who are displaced, and to commit ourselves to working for peace and justice on their behalf.
Many of these prayers are quite personal. They reflect how a child sees the world in which they live, and they can only hope and pray to live in a better world. We encourage you to see the names, pictures and churches so that you can intercede in prayer for each child encircling the world in our Presbytery. Download your copy here and let the prayers begin!
Lightning Strikes Highlands Camp
On Tuesday, July 7, Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center took a lightning strike which has resulted in a temporary shut-down of the phone and internet systems. It is hoped that the service will resume by Tuesday, July 14. In the mean time the emergency number is 303-747-1138.
Please also pray for the staff and campers during this challenging time for all!
UPDATE: The phone and internet services have been restored as of July 21st!
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An Invitation to Pray
In light of last week’s shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, the Mosaic Diversity Workgroup of the Presbytery of Denver invites all to pray for healing.
As we grieve and lament as a nation, we are reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon title, “Where do we go from here?” “When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice”. (Sermon: “Where do we go from here?”- delivered at the 11th Annual SCLC Convention, Atlanta, GA, August 16, 1967).
Where do we go from here, really? When we face the myriad of problems in our country, especially racial profiling, gun violence, mental health, fear, and race hatred of those who are different. We need to cry out with the prophet “How long, O Lord, must I cry for help…?” It is a time for lament. Yet our Brief Statement of Faith encourages us “to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask the idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and work with others for justice, freedom and peace” (A Brief Statement of Faith, 67-71). We can do this and we must because we need God’s healing in our midst.
“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b).
Olivia Hudson Smith, Co-moderator of Mosaic Diversity Workgroup
David Chai, Co-moderator of Mosaic Diversity Workgroup
William Sanders
Joe Mares
Darryll Young
Neil Berry
Amy Mendez
Resources for Responding to Gun Violence
As a pre-assembly event in May, the Relations and Communications Work Group sponsored the showing of the film,Trigger: The Effects of Gun Violence, which was produced by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Following the film Jean Demmler, a member of the work group, an elder at Capitol Heights Church and a member of the General Assembly’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, led a discussion about the film. To see a clip of the film click here.
Many requested the links to helpful resources mentioned during the event. The website and resource links about gun violence are as follows:
Trigger study guide - $5.00 - http://store.pcusa.org/Trigger-Study-and-Action-Guide
Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call – report approved by the 219th General Assembly (2010) - https://www.pcusa.org/resource/gun-violence-gospel-values-mobilizing-response-god/
Washington Theological Consortium Resource Pages - http://washtheocon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Christian-Churches-and-Gun-Violence-3.pdf
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Resources - http://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence/resources#.VVuSZ03bL3g
Congregational toolkit - http://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/files/gunviolence/GVP%20Toolkit2.pdf
Presbyterian Mission Resources for Responding to Gun Violence - http://www.presbyterianmission.org/gunviolence/
PC(USA) Resources on Gun Violence – http://www.pcusa.org/browse/resources-resource/tag/gun%20violence/ (many are duplicates from the mission resources but all in one place)
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Resource material - http://pda.pcusa.org/situation/hcd/
Shootings responded to by PDA - http://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/pda/pdfs/shootings_responded_to_by_presbyterian_disaster_assistance.pdf
May 2015 Assembly
Thanks to Providence and Mountain View United churches for hosting dinner and to Bill Strickland for the photos!