‘Keeping Faith’—Video Stories with Tony De La Rosa
Tony De La Rosa, Interim Executive Director of Presbyterian Mission Agency, has been communicating with leaders in the church through a short video digest, “Keeping Faith.”
Each edition contains three short video stories that are meant to be shared. Below are stories we’ve told that showcase how we as Presbyterians are keeping faith. We invite you to show them in your congregations and presbyteries, and forward them to others, as a way of inspiring them to engage in God’s mission to transform the world.
For this edition of Keeping Faith we take you to St. Louis, the site of this year’s Big Tent gathering and next year’s General Assembly.
Three years ago, on Aug. 9, 2014, a black teenager named Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson. In the aftermath of that shooting, Presbyterian congregations in the Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery have found new ways to confront and engage in the work of racial justice.
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This video contains two short stories in which you can hear and see their response, post-Ferguson.
Sacred Conversations on Race “We immediately started talking about police violence, white supremacy, white privilege and racism. Those are hard things to talk about in the church.” — Rev. Erin Counihan, Oak Hill Presbyterian Church
Hands & Feet (A new initiative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) “One thing we were clear on — it was an opportunity to put faith into action. We had congregations here doing work that could be highlighted, that others can learn from and take back home to their own communities.” — Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard, Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery
All Presbyterians are encouraged to engage in a Hands & Feet mission project around St. Louis before next year’s General Assembly.
In this edition of ‘Keeping Faith’ Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director Tony De La Rosa reports from Rwanda at a gathering of PC(USA) mission co-workers in Africa.
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Forgiveness and Hope. Bringing together survivors from both sides of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, from both sides of the conflict, a Rwandan pastor describes how former enemies are learning to live together in harmony.
Leading by Example. The next generation of compassionate theological leaders are being trained a Protestant University in Rwanda, thanks in no small part to our mission co-worker Kay Day who says, Rwanda is now one of the most secure nations in Central Africa — in fact there’s been no conflict in the last 15 years.”
Best Future from Today. Thanks to a grant from Presbyterian Women, young Rwandan Presbyterians are using their talent and creativity to record their own music.
In this edition of Keeping Faith, Tony De La Rosa, Interim Executive Director for Presbyterian Mission Agency focuses on what Presbyterians are doing together in Puerto Rico.
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$70B Debt Crisis. Standing in solidarity with Puerto Ricans; where one in two are living below the poverty line.
Missional Ministry. Expanding Presbyterian Mission to the island’s eastern edge through a 1001 new worshiping community.
Digital Dream. Helping the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico better most Presbyterians who live on the west side of the island.
In this edition of Keeping Faith Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa features stories on Presbyterian World Mission 180th anniversary, the role Presbyterian Women played in the history of international mission, and a Presbyterian funded DREAAM House — where boys in at-risk environments— are preparing for their greatness.
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“We have to recognize there is a crisis.” At a Presbyterian funded DREAAM House young boys in at-risk environments are on educational path that could create unchartered success for a cohort of African American males.
‘Mission 180’: Presbyterian World Mission celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, by reflecting on the changes that have taken place, over the years, in how we think, talk about, and participate in God’s mission.
Hidden Figures: As Presbyterian World Mission celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, it’s worth noting that well over 200 years ago Presbyterian Women were organizing around mission, both domestically and internationally.
Our only response can be gratitude. See how people of faith offered their lives as tangible expressions of God’s faithfulness, over and over again at the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Their way of giving thanks and offering their gratitude to God for Jesus Christ, the greatest gift to humankind.
In this edition of Keeping Faith, Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa features stories of those experiencing the longing, joy and hope that are part of the Advent.
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In this edition of Keeping Faith, Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa focuses on how Presbyterians are facing racism, building peace and responding to disaster.
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21st Century Church . . . Now. Tony De La Rosa, Interim Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, spent a week with some 5,000 Presbyterian youth and adult volunteers at the 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium on the Purdue University campus (West Lafayette, Indiana), July 19–23. Seeing the energy and enthusiasm of their faith and desire for the church to be a place of spiritual adventure left him with incredible hope for where they might take the 21st century church.
In this edition of Keeping Faith, Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa features stories on the Flint water crisis, the NRA convention in Louisville and a new 1001 ministry in Manhattan, New York.
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Flint Water Crisis. As the poisoned water crisis continues in Flint, Michigan, frustration mounts. Yet one Presbyterian pastor says she has never felt more cared for which gives her strength to minister to those in her congregation who are still without water.
Wrath and Reverence: NRA comes to Louisville. 70,000 people, 500,000 square feet of firearm displays. While the National Rifle Association held its national convention in Louisville, we visited an art exhibit—at 21c Museum Hotel—full of holy places, crafted from parts of armaments and ammunition.
Neighborhood Esperanza. In Manhattan, a new worshiping community is being formed, thanks to a nearly 140-year-old church that takes seriously its belief that all God’s people are holy.
In this edition of Keeping Faith, Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa shows how Presbyterians are working for food justice, ending human trafficking and creating safe spaces for children.
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Fair Food. Recently the Coalition of Immokalee Workers were at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville. The Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.) was an early partner with the coalition in their call for human rights to protect farm workers’ freedom and dignity.
Human Trafficking, a $32 Billion Industry. Through the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Presbyterians have been involved in women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development as delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. At one of the many commission events in New York, one lifetime Presbyterian showcased her new mobile gaming app, designed to keep children and young adults from becoming victims of human traffickers.
40 Acres of Hope. For more than 30 years, the Campbell Farm in Washington State has provided hands-on mission opportunities for thousands of young people—and a place of safety and refuge for families living on or near the Yakima Indian Reservation.
In this inaugural edition of Keeping Faith, Presbyterian Mission Agency Interim Executive Director, Tony De La Rosa highlights stories that show how Presbyterians are living out their faith in Jesus Christ and answering God’s call to do justice.
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Open Hearts. Talk of immigration reform and securing our national borders is part of the fever pitch of our 2016 election season. Paula Cooper, pastor of a multicultural church in St. Louis, says the heated political rhetoric creates fear for some in her congregation.
Everybody Eats. One way the PC(USA) is addressing issues around immigration is by examining and addressing the underlying structures that perpetuate poverty and violence abroad that are forcing people from their homes. In El Salvador, our mission co-workers’ efforts, along with partners who are working for food security, are having a remarkable impact—for families struggling to carve out a sustainable living in their villages and on their land.
Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence. You may remember in early January 2016 how President Obama broke into tears as he stood among parents and relatives of those affected by gun violence. Some of those same parents and relatives were interviewed in the documentary, “Trigger,” a powerful film produced by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.