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¿Necesita agua y comida? Do you need food and water? It’s a question that Samaritan Volunteer Gail Kocourek repeats often as she travels along the U.S.-Mexico border carrying these very items — water, food, first aid supplies. The Samaritan program…

The post Samaritans and ranchers: Voices of people who regularly meet migrants at U.S.-Mexico border appeared first on United Church of Christ.

In preparation for the 27th General Council, we are publishing a series of feature articles exploring key insights from Reformed theology that shape our shared journey of faith and witness. These reflections offer a deeper understanding of the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ (WCRC) self-understanding as a discerning communion—a body that listens, reflects, and responds […]

The post The Power of Discernment in Christian Witness: Discerning God’s Call for the Future appeared first on WCRC.

The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) calls on ecumenical partners to join in prayer for peace, democracy, and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. In December 2024, South Korea experienced a period of political instability following the declaration of martial law. While the situation has since shifted, uncertainty remains as the nation seeks […]

The post A Prayer Request for Peace and Life on the Korean Peninsula appeared first on WCRC.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will speak at a JC2033 Unity Night global gathering on 27 February. 

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall

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Introduced in 2019, BLUUHavens immediately garnered interest in about a dozen areas, including Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis.

In conjunction with Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Kathryn Gonzales shares her personal story of having an eating disorder and how she reconciles this with the God story

A snapshot of the powerful way the word of God is impacting the lives of those facing hardship during the war in Ukraine

Backbench Labour MPs are vocalising their concerns in response to Leadbeater’s U-turn

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to all Muslims across the world as they celebrate the month of Ramadan. 

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Grace Kim, a chaplain and licensed counselor serving in the U.S. Army, works 24/7, 365 days a year. She wakes up every day at 5:30 a.m. for physical training and keeps formal office hours from 9 to 5 p.m., but she’s always available for counseling whenever a fellow soldier needs it. Her weekends are spent preparing for and providing Sunday morning worship services for 20-60 service members and their families. “For me, number one is the needs of the Army. Number two, the needs of the Army. And number three, the needs of the Army,” Kim, one of two Episcopal chaplains stationed in South Korea, told Episcopal News Service. “Whatever and whenever soldiers need me, I will be there. If someone is hospitalized, I will sit in the emergency room with them. If they’re in prison, I will visit them every weekend. If someone asks me to train with them, I will join them on the field.” Kim serves as the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade chaplain for soldiers and airmen at the U.S. Air Force’s Osan Air Base near Pyeongtaek. She also provides chaplain training for the U.S. and South Korean armed forces. Her colleague, the Rev. Nick Earl, is stationed at the Army’s Camp Humphreys, also in Pyeongtaek. Military chaplains like Kim give service members and their families spiritual and moral support. They also provide religious services, including rites and sacraments, premarital counseling and religious formation, and they provide counseling and help soldiers keep calm during operations. The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, The Episcopal Church’s bishop suffragan for armed forces and federal ministries, told ENS in an email that Kim “exemplifies the heart of a chaplain at its best.”` “[Kim] is a compassionate and caring leader who lives Jesus’ Way of Love daily. Grace is indeed the perfect name for Chaplain Kim. That is what she offers other chaplains and soldiers under her care as she lives out her mission to make God’s reconciling love known in all the world,” Ritonia said. “All chaplains serving in the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries take their charge seriously to ensure religious freedom for those they serve, and as missionaries of the gospel, they engage those who might never enter a local church if not for their witness.” As of 2023, about 3,000 active duty, reserve and National Guard chaplains of many faiths serve the U.S. military. This includes 105 Episcopal chaplains, 64 of whom, including Kim, are on active duty. Ritonia, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, oversees the chaplains and connects with them at least once a month through virtual prayer meetings. She is scheduled to visit chaplains stationed in South Korea, Guam and Japan during Lent. Kim’s journey to serving as an Episcopal Army chaplain was unconventional. Born in 1968 in Busan, South Korea, to a Presbyterian minister, as a child she wanted to serve God even though in those days only men served as clergy. She eventually saw women clergy in 1989 when she moved to the United States. She later became ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) after working as a counselor in schools and prisons. She also served as a youth minister for 17 years and earned a doctorate in practical theology from Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles, California. After much insistence by one of her best friends, repeated contacts by a recruiter and prayer, Kim entered active duty with the ranking of captain in 2013 at age 44 with a waiver; the Army’s standard age limit for active-duty enlistment is 35. “Soldiers who had just graduated from high school were in basic training with me at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. On the first day, I couldn’t do any sit-ups; three months later, I could do 56 sit-ups,” Kim, 57, said. “Knowing I was going out there to serve the Lord and serve soldiers and their families kept me motivated the whole time.” Kim joined The Episcopal Church in 2016, she said, after experiencing multiple microaggressions as a female Presbyterian pastor of color while enrolled in the Army’s chaplain candidate program. She was ordained a deacon in 2019 through the Diocese of the Rio Grande and ordained an Episcopal priest the following year. “When I joined the Army, the Army Chaplain Corps was mostly white, male, Baptist conservative captains, so I wasn’t very accepted among them. … I loved my ministries, but my first brigade captain wasn’t happy that I’m a colored woman, so he tried to get me out of the Army,” Kim said. “The only place I could go pray and cry out and just be with God without people looking at me was a church off base. … My supervisor in the chaplain program was an Episcopal priest, and we would do morning prayer together. From there, I slowly transitioned into becoming an Episcopalian.” Kim previously served as a chaplain school instructor at Fort Jackson before she was stationed in South Korea in June 2023. When she arrived at Osan Air Base, many service members were surprised to see both a female captain and a female chaplain for the first time. Kim is still the only female military captain and chaplain stationed in South Korea, and she said many women, especially mothers, prefer to seek her guidance over her male counterparts because she’s a grandmother. Kim frequently checks on mothers during pregnancy and after they’ve given birth. She also provides counseling for couples and helps fathers prepare for parenthood. “I teach new mothers how to take care of their baby during pregnancy and other preparations – what to eat, how to deal with negative thoughts and other things – which is especially helpful when they are so far away from their extended family. I also teach them how to encourage lactation and get their babies to latch while breastfeeding,” Kim said. “Chaplains already do a lot, but as a woman chaplain, I can provide an extra mile of duties that male chaplains […]