General Assembly Mission Council

May 2012 Cover Story

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Answering God's call

Being female is an asset, not an obstacle, when it comes to church leadership. Meet five gifted women who are changing the world around them as they live out God’s call in a variety of ways.

Open to God’s surprises

Laura Mendenhall’s calling has taken her places she never could have imagined

By Emily Enders Odom

When Laura Mendenhall was growing up in Tyler, Texas, even her own pastor, T. Hartley Hall IV, had never seen a woman serving as pastor. Yet as Mendenhall was about to graduate from Presbyterian-related Austin College in the late 1960s, Hall asked her if she would consider going to seminary.

The pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tyler “saw in me the essence of my calling in a way that I could never have named,” Mendenhall says. “I’m 65 now, and I can say pastor is the essence of my calling for my life—and he saw it and named it correctly.”

In a career that includes becoming the first woman to be called as president of Columbia Theological Seminary, Mendenhall has always been open to being surprised by God.

Unleashing the power of women

Presbyterian women’s groups have supported the work of the church for more than 200 years. Today’s Presbyterian Women, a network with a vast domestic and international reach, has an estimated 300,000 participants in approximately 65 percent of PC(USA) congregations.

Investing in our children

A young adult finds her calling after life-changing mission experiences in Northern Ireland and at the U.S.-Mexico border. A teenager and her mother are challenged to a deeper level of Christian commitment. Children at risk of dropping out of school discover that learning can be fun in a summer program hosted by a Presbyterian congregation. These stories all have at least one thing in common: they would not have been possible without the donations of Presbyterians to the Pentecost Offering.

Leading by example

Linda Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Mission Council, explores how Presbyterian women find inspiration in a legacy of leadership. Read about the work and leadership of Cynthia Campbell of Catrelia Hunter.

Committed to serve

Presbyterian mission worker Sharon Curry’s heart sank when a South Sudanese official told her: “We can’t guarantee that we can keep you safe. You should go now, while you can get out.”

What Presbyterians Believe

Presbyterians Today’s new special issue and guidebook — “What Presbyterians Believe” — is a compilation of the most-requested articles from the “What Presbyterians Believe” series that was published for many years.

Welcome to the Presbyterian Church!

Presbyterians Today’s special issue and guidebook — “Welcome to the Presbyterian Church!” — is a wonderful introduction and overview of all things Presbyterian.