As I write, my baptism certificate and a few photographs from that day in February of 1953 are scattered on the desk next to my laptop. I look at the black and white images of my sister, brother, and my mother sitting on our front porch steps. Mama is holding... Continue reading

What do you think of when you hear the words “birthing waters”? What images come to your mind or from your memory? As a mother of four adult children, three of whom I birthed, the first image that pops up for me is a photo that was taken when my... Continue reading

You will be reflecting on 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 this month as you study Lesson Seven on an “Economy of Grace." When I traveled over last summer to introduce the study one of the questions that was frequently asked in relation to this lesson was this: “How do you define economy?”... Continue reading

Travel was the theme for my summer as I began to introduce Reconciling Paul, the 2014/2015 Horizons bible study. I led workshops for Presbyterian Women preparing to teach the bible study at Stony Point Conference Center, Massanetta Springs Conference Center, Mo Ranch Conference Center, Montreat Conference Center, and Columbia Seminary.... Continue reading

Scripture: Exodus 25-31; 33:7-11; 34:11-40; 38; Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Key Scripture: Exodus 25:1-9; 33:7-11; 40:34-38; Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Key Idea: The tabernacle represented God's ongoing presence among the people in the wilderness, just as Jesus and the Holy Spirit represent God's eternal presence among us now. PW Marketing Associate Carissa Herold reflects... Continue reading

The creativity continues to flow! Sue Moore (and Debbie!) from Southminster Presbyterian Church in Springfield, MO finished their quilt and presented it at their PW luncheon on Saturday, April 5, 2014. Sue and Debbie created this quilt using the quilt pattern found on the Horizons website at http://pcusa.org/horizons/. Feeling inspired?... Continue reading

Hazel B. Sparks of Clemson, SC (pictured). Hazel is 87 years young and is over the moon with excitement about winning the An Abiding Hope Quilt! She is a lifelong Presbyterian and even went to high school and college at Montreat. She has served as president of the women of... Continue reading

Look who got creative? Carol Tigges from VA Beach! Carol worked all fall on creating this quilt using the quilt pattern found on the Horizons website at http://pcusa.org/horizons/ and took it to her PW Women's Christmas gathering on January 5th where it made its debut. The fabric-art quilt that originated... Continue reading

Pictured is the official An Abiding Hope Quilt won this week by HAZEL B. SPARKS from Clemson, SC. Isn't it lovely?! If you are feeling creative and want to create your own An Abiding Hope quilt, go to http://horizons.pcusa.org/ and download the quilt pattern! Continue reading

We have a winner! The drawing for the An Abiding Hope quilt was conducted on January 14, 2014 in the main office of Presbyterian Women, Inc. located in Louisville, KY. The winner is: HAZEL B. SPARKS from Clemson, SC! Check out the short movie to see the drawing take place... Continue reading

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…(1 Peter 1:3-4, NRSV) When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said... Continue reading

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN, CULPEPER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CULPEPER, VA June 2012 Our study of the Beatitudes and the Acra Confession has given us, the women of the Culpeper Presbyterian Church, Culpeper, VA, a better understanding of how a confession of faith differs from the traditional confession for personal prayers of confession of sins and requests for forgiveness. A confession of faith assesses and acknowledges our faith position on issues we encounter in our daily lives. Our confession of faith and commitment addresses the needs of the poor, hungry, physically and spiritually persecuted, and is our pledge to act in ways that will spread the gospel of Christ. We support the programs and missions of Presbyterian Women nationally, specifically those directed toward providing pure drinking water in the Sudan, fighting violence against women, and aiding women to become economically self sufficient. Our goals are to support actions to help women and families in the community, regionally, and globally. Locally, our fundraising efforts contribute... Continue reading

From the Elder, To the chosen one and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not only I, but also all who have come to know the truth—because of the truth that lives in us and is with us forever: May grace, mercy, and peace be with you in... Continue reading

Greatly honored are the mourners, for they will be comforted. --Mt. 5:4 Greatly honored are you who weep now, for you will laugh. But shame on you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. --Lk. 6:21b, 25b Much is said today about listening to the voices of the global church. And yet, when our sisters and brothers from the rest of the church speak, it can often leave us uncomfortable. We are often unprepared to hear their grief, their anger, and their calls for justice because it makes demands on us and our way of life. So it is with the Accra Confession, the confession that the World Alliance of Reformed Churches passed back in 2004 and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) affirmed in 2010. All told, the WCRC represents 80 million Reformed Christians, most of whom live in the global south. Listen to what they say: The annual income of the richest 1 per... Continue reading

When you Presbyterian women asked me to write this study, one of your instructions was that I should tackle Jesus' beatitudes both in the gospel according to Matthew (Mt. 5:3-12) and in the gospel according to Luke (Lk. 6:20-26). [You can find all of your “marching orders” to me on the inside front cover of your study book.] That's not as easy as it sounds as there are some significant differences between the two. Take, for instance, the first beatitude. The author of Luke records Jesus saying, “Greatly honored are you who are ptochoi (destitute).” The author of Matthew records Jesus saying “Greatly honored are the ptochoi (destitute) in spirit.” These seem to be saying quite different things. It is tempting to ignore the rendering of the first beatitude in Luke, and insist that the first beatitude in Matthew has to do with humility and piety. While that is certainly a valid way to interpret these ancient teachings, perhaps it... Continue reading

I know, I know. You miss your "Blessed ares." Where are those words we have come to love, we have memorized all our lives? Where are those great, poetic words of Tyndale and the King James Bible that we have loved all our lives? And I agree with you. The King James version of the Beatitudes is beautiful and it makes my soul sing too. I just think that, if we don't take a step back and consider what these words mean, we could make a mistake. We could mistake destitution, mourning and weeping, oppression and humiliation, hunger, thirst and the yearning for justice as blessings of God. After all, isn't that what "blessed are" means? Well, not really. You see, the word for "blessing" of God is "eulogeo" or "eulogia." It's exactly where the word "eulogy" comes from. When the New Testament writers want to indicate that God is blessing someone else, they usually use a form of one... Continue reading

Blog the Beatitudes with Margaret Aymer beginning in July! We'll be testing the site for the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information! Continue reading