Letters from the General Minister
In Praise of Persistence
July 9, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 2, 2020 “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give …
Liberty and Justice for All
July 2, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, July 2, 2020 I became a U.S. citizen in 1995, twenty years after getting my “Green Card” that allowed me, a Canadian, to live and work …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Four
June 28, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Sunday, June 28, 2020 The final day of the 224th General Assembly, June 27, began with the election and installation of the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Three
June 27, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Saturday, June 27, 2020 YES to dismantling structural racism. YES to eradicating systemic poverty. These are two of the three foci of the Matthew 25 Initiative that …
Grace and Gratitude
June 25, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Thursday, June 25, 2020 Many have said – and I concur – that the core of John Calvin’s theology is the intersection of grace and gratitude. Taken …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day Two
June 21, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Sunday, June 21, 2020 A resounding “Yes!” At its second session on June 20, called less than 24 hours earlier, the 224 th General Assembly voted by a two-thirds …
2020 General Assembly Report: Day One
June 20, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Saturday, June 20, 2020 Unprecedented. That word has been much over-used in recent months related to the COVID pandemic, collapse of the economy, and the tsunami of …
The Church on Public Display
June 10, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister June 11, 2020 The church of Jesus Christ is on public display, whether we recognize it or not. The church has led the way in some recent …
A Time to Mourn
June 4, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister June 4, 2020 A week ago, we surpassed the grim total of 100,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, and that number continues to grow daily. A few …
A Cry for Racial Justice
June 1, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister Monday, June 1, 2020 How long, O Lord, how long? Words fail us, as we grieve the horror of black lives lost savagely, cut short in recent …
God at Work Away from the Sanctuary
May 28, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 28, 2020 Pentecost is usually a grand celebration of God’s revolutionizing Spirit at work in the church. Sanctuaries fairly explode with sights and sounds celebrating …
Truthfulness Always
May 21, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 21, 2020 In my recent weekly letters I have been exploring how the church can fulfill its Great Ends (Book of Order F-1.0304) during this season when COVID-19 …
Let My People Go that They May Worship Me!
May 14, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 14, 2020 In the past two letters I have explored how the church, with its facilities locked down, can be guided by the first two …
Public Presence
May 7, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister May 7, 2020 In last week’s letter I suggested that the Great Ends of the Church (Book of Order F-1.0304) offer us sure guidance as we navigate our pathway …
Sure Guidance for a Traumatized Church
April 30, 2020 | Posted in Letters from the General Minister
A Letter to Pittsburgh Presbytery from Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge General Minister April 30, 2020 Let’s be honest. The church has been traumatized by its incapacity to fulfill an essential function, namely, to gather God’s people together for worship, …