Horizons: March/April 2025

March/April 2025
Water

Hebrews 12:1 tells us “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” Now, running a race isn’t a particularly resonant metaphor for me, but this scripture often comes to my mind. The images of putting aside things that are unnecessary or counterproductive remind me just to focus on doing what is essential and right. But it’s the “cloud of witnesses” image that uplifts me. What beautiful language. We’re not simply watched or supported by our predecessors in faith. They’re surrounding us, even lifting us and moving us forward. 

Certainly, I’m not the first to find inspiration in this passage. But when thinking about water for this issue of Horizons—and how we, as people of faith, approach, use and protect water—this was the passage that kept coming to mind. It’s not just that the mere mention of a race to be run gets me thinking about the importance of hydration. It’s probably more that my daughter recently had homework about the water cycle, which allowed me to revisit much of what I had forgotten about this incredible process. And I keep returning to the amazing fact that the freshwater we have today is some of the same water that ancient people watched irrigate their crops or that dinosaurs drank. 

We’re connected to our biblical ancestors not only through our faith or the waters of baptism, but also by literal water that has been cycling from earth to sky for millions of years. The same water molecules that nourished plants and alleviated thirst at the time the Hebrews passage was written are still supporting life today. 

As we consider what races we will run and where we will invest our time and attention, let us remember also to celebrate and care for our communities. Let us keep these important questions before us: How can we honor our cloud of witnesses? What faith legacy can we leave to support future people of faith? How can we care for God’s gifts of water and creation?

—Sharon Dunne Gillies, managing editor

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Features

Fueling Change, Pulling Weeds, Planting Seeds
Kristen Young shares how her experience of advocating for clean water connected her to a community, enriched her appreciation for water, and inspired a deeper connection to God’s creation.

Sacred Water: Honoring God’s Gifts in a Changing World
Hella Tangu reflects on water and in particular glaciers as a gift from God. She looks to Psalm 104 and to science for all that water makes possible, and calls us to consider how we will protect the world’s water. 

From the Pews to Pioneering Progress: Presbyterian Women’s Spotlight on Gender Justice and Participation at the United Nations 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
Kelsey Law highlights the unique witness of Presbyterian Women at the foremost global event focused on justice for women. She describes how faith communities, particularly those led by women, can be powerful agents of change in bringing about the vision of well-being and wholeness we find in the gospel.

PW Resources

Now You Know!
Carissa Herold

2025 Birthday Offering Recipients

Clothed with Christ
Installation Service for Presbyterian Women Leaders
Rev. Dr. Wendy Neff

Anna H. Bedford Bible Study Resource
Dr. Sarah Leer offers reflections and questions for use in studying Lesson Nine of the 2024–2025 PW/Horizons Bible study, Let Justice Roll Down: God’s Call to Care for Neighbors and All Creation, by Patricia K. Tull.

2024 Honorary Life Membership Recipients

Departments

Devotion
Drinking in Living Water
Cecilia Amorocho Hickerson

Unpacking the Theme: Scripture Study
Breaking Barriers: The Transforming Power of the Living Water
Rev. Neneth Omaque Ross

Books
Pages Worth Turning

Faithful Parenting
Back to Baptism
Melanie Marsh

Working for Justice and Peace
Women Plant 15,000 Trees in Guatemala
Carol and Bruce Shumway and the Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery

After the Offering
Springwood Kitchen Renovation
Rev. Ēvelyn Crews

Mosaic
News and Information about Presbyterian Women and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Supporting Mission
An Amazing 75 Years of Thrift for Mission
Diane Gale Andreassi

Stories from the Ages
Noticing and Nurturing 
Hillary Moses Mohaupt