223rd General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
I had the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the Daily Worship Team for the 223rd General Assembly in St. Louis, MO. I provided leadership to the team, edited liturgies, composed an original dramatic reading of scripture, and presided over communion along with children (a first in the history of the G.A.). You can go to the live stream videos of G.A. using the link: Video Streaming Archives
- I preside over communion with the children on the "June 21, 2018 General Assembly Convenes with Worship" video beginning at 49:10.
- The presentation of the dramatic reading of scripture I wrote can be viewed on the "June 23, 2018 General Assembly Convenes with Plenary - Session 12 & Closing Worship" video beginning at 2:09:10.
- My child Owen can be seen dancing in the "June 16, 2018 223rd General Assembly Convenes with Opening Worship" video beginning at 1:10:10.
- I was also featured in the General Assembly Introductory Video below. I begin speaking at 5:28. (I was later told that the video team was to interview me because I would "speak theologically" about my church's mission.)
Links to Articles, News Broadcasts,
& Radio Interviews about Joshua
"Living the Call" from Princeton Theological Seminary
"Helping Teens Today Become Proud Adults Tomorrow" by the Presbyterian Mission Agency
"Free Summer Meals for All Kids" a feature story/interview on KSDK - St. Louis
"Good Biscuits and the Bread of Life" G.A. article from the Presbyterian Outlook
"The Persistent Prayer" G.A. article from the Presbyterian Outlook
"Free Summer Meals for Kids in the Quad Cities" local radio interview on KJFF
"Holy Risk-Taking: Queer Pastor Livestreams Coming Out to Congregation" online article in Impact Magazine
"Helping Teens Today Become Proud Adults Tomorrow" by the Presbyterian Mission Agency
"Free Summer Meals for All Kids" a feature story/interview on KSDK - St. Louis
"Good Biscuits and the Bread of Life" G.A. article from the Presbyterian Outlook
"The Persistent Prayer" G.A. article from the Presbyterian Outlook
"Free Summer Meals for Kids in the Quad Cities" local radio interview on KJFF
"Holy Risk-Taking: Queer Pastor Livestreams Coming Out to Congregation" online article in Impact Magazine
Mission & Ministry at Grace Presbyterian
To discover some of the other ways that I've helped to lead missional outreach at Grace Presbyterian,
click on the "Serving" link on the Grace Presbyterian website.
click on the "Serving" link on the Grace Presbyterian website.
Mission & Ministry at Trinity Presbyterian
Bless Friday Mission Event - 11/28/2014
Over 60 children, youth, and adults gathered together to turn "Black Friday" into "Bless Friday" by serving others in various ways. Children of God from ages 3 to 83 gathered together to serve their neighbors! Below is a YouTube video created by one of the youth of the church to show some images of the work the church did, including: making 150 sack lunches for a local soup kitchen, sending youth and adults to serve in the soup kitchen, collecting food outside a supermarket to help restock a local food pantry, collecting clothing for a local charity, setting up an alternative Christmas shop to support organizations like 10,000 Villages, Living Water International, and Heifer International, sorting medications for the Dominican Republic medical mission trip, and decorating the church for the Advent & Christmas seasons.
Monmouth Presbytery Youth Summer Mission Program
Working together with other churches in the presbytery, we developed relationships between youth for the good of the Reign of God in our community through our presbytery-wide, Summer youth mission trip to help with Hurricane Sandy relief. A youth group from Albany, NY also joined us in our mission work. I coordinated and co-lead the mission trip with former General Assembly Vice-Moderator Larissa Kwong-Abazia.
Youth Group Lenten Prayer
During the Season of Lent, the Youth Group of Trinity participated in a weekly practice of prayer, both together and at home. Here are images of a series of prayer stations around the communion table. The youth also engaged in Taize'-style prayer/song to help them enter into this time of reflective prayer. The full curriculum for the Lenten Prayer Series is included below. NOTE: The curriculum might now appear on your mobile device.
Teaching Sunday School: Young Children & Worship Program
Missio/Imago: An Experiential Confirmation Program
Below are the materials for my current experiential confirmation program. The program takes adolescents out of the classroom and into the church, where we want them to be after they finish confirmation. The use of my program has dramatically increased the rate at which youth stay active in the congregation following confirmation. It has also helped maintain the integrity of the confirmation process by setting high expectations, but generous flexibility. All youth and parents who are genuinely interested in pursuing confirmation stick with the program and reap the benefits of such a program in terms of the faith develop of the youth. The program is a work in progress and evolves as I continue to make observations of the youth in the process.
Please note that these materials are the sole property of the author. They may be used for your own church's confirmation program, provided that the author is given feedback about their use within your context.
NOTE: The curriculum might not appear on your mobile device.
Please note that these materials are the sole property of the author. They may be used for your own church's confirmation program, provided that the author is given feedback about their use within your context.
NOTE: The curriculum might not appear on your mobile device.