Sandy: Your Church Is There

Sandy Takes Toll In Central Cuba

                                    Hurricane Sandy

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) continues to monitor Hurricane Sandy. Last week, PDA reached out to all mid-councils in the projected path of the storm to encourage them to be prepared, and to let them know that PDA is available for an immediate response upon request. The impact and needs will become more clear once the storm makes landfall on the U.S. East coast.

PDA has called members of the National Response Team (NRT) so they may be of service where

Egyptian Presbyterians Request Prayer

Students at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo

Presbyterian pastors and mission co-workers addressed the First Presbyterian Church on Thursday evening. The Presbyterian Church in Egypt has about 500,000 members. The Synod of the Nile operates the Evangelical Theological Seminary. The church in Egypt requests prayer and solidarity.

New co-workers will prioritize the work of bringing Egyptian Presbyterians and American Presbyterians together to more fully share their lives in Christ.

Theological Education

There are ten Presbyterian seminaries nationwide, plus two that are closely affiliated. As Presbyterians, we place a high value on an educated clergy. It is a hallmark of our denomination — indeed, a source of pride. To continue this tradition of excellence, we have entrusted 10 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries and two theological institutions related to the denomination by covenant agreement with the responsibility of educating and equipping persons of faith for pastoral leadership.

Currently 3100 students are enrolled in Presbyterian seminaries. One third of students are from underrepresented minorities.

Each Presbyterian congregation gives 1% of its budget to support seminaries but the cost is much higher.

First Presbyterian is committed to a well-educated clergy. The single largest gift from our World Mission Budget is to The Theological Education Fund.