Series on Christian Nationalism

“Faithful, Courageous, and Practical Conversations”

Christian nationalism is an ideology that seeks to merge Christian and American identities. It suggests that to be a “true” American, one must be Christian in a particular way—often white, conservative, and politically aligned with nationalist values. It confuses loyalty to God with loyalty to country, and uses religious language to justify systems of power, racial exclusion, and cultural dominance. This is not the same as patriotism, nor is it about expressions of personal faith in public life. Rather, Christian nationalism insists on a narrow, state-supported expression of religion that marginalizes others and undermines core Christian values such as compassion, justice, and humility.

As part of our commitment to dismantling systemic injustice and affirming the image of God in every person, the Committee on Representation and Diversity (CORD) of the Presbytery of the Miami Valley is hosting a series of events that will engage pastors, congregations, and local leaders in faithful, courageous, and practical conversations around this critical issue.

Next Steps in the Series

The Committee on Representation and Diversity will be launching a presbytery-wide invitation to engage in congregational (and inter-congregational) study groups to explore Christian Nationalism.

Group study will center on Dr. Miranda Zapor Cruz’s material, supported by a study guide and additional theological resources. The details and materials, including guidance for congregations on how to organize and participate in these study groups, are in progress and will be shared when available.

In the meantime, congregations are encouraged to make use of the recordings from the first two events, including hosting their own watch gatherings as an entry point.

Past Events in the Series

Teach the Teachers
Sunday, February 22, 2026

This event for Teaching and Ruling Elders was led by Dr. Miranda Zapor Cruz, author of Faithful Politics:  Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters.

This session helps equip our church leaders with definitions of Christian Nationalism, the theological streams and heresies often intertwined with it, and strategies for preaching and leading Bible studies or other conversations on this topic.

Watch the recording

Unmasking Christian Nationalism:
Faithful Witness in the Face of Exclusion and Harm
Saturday, March 21, 2026

This event was for anyone involved in our community of congregations in the PMV and was led by Dr. Miranda Zapor Cruz, author of Faithful Politics:  Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters.

Bring your own questions and concerns as we explore and reflect on what Christian Nationalism is, what it isn’t, how it operates and harms, and how any and all disciples can learn and respond faithfully.

Watch the recording

Active Shooter Preparedness Workshop March 19 at College Hill 

An Active Shooter Preparedness Workshop will be held on March 19, 2026, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, at College Hill Community Church, 1547 Philadelphia Drive, Dayton.

The workshop will be presented by the Dayton Police Department and is co-sponsored by the Third-Thirty Network of Presbytery of the Miami Valley and the College Hill Community Church Older Kids Ministry. A light lunch is included.

For questions about the workshop, email Jose LaMont Jones at joselamont48@gmail.com

Registration

Training for Lay Preachers begins in June 2026

The Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative (CGPI) is now recruiting participants to be part of its third year of training emerging lay preachers.

CGPI is a ministry in the Synod of the Covenant focused on training lay preachers. It is funded by a $1.25m Lilly Compelling Preaching Grant. The goal of CGPI is to strengthen the witness of the Church to the good news of Jesus Christ, by identifying, training, and providing ongoing support to emerging preachers.

Applications are welcome from any member of a PC(USA) congregation withing the bounds of the Synod off the Covenant who has a call to preach. Applications are also welcome from CREs who desire more formation in preaching.

This year, the program begins with a 5-day conference at Alma College in Alma, MI, June 4-8, 2026.

Learn more and apply

Free Webinars for February and March 2026

Here are the February and March 2026 Webinars from Practical Resources for Churches and Presbytery of the Miami Valley.

The schedule offers a diverse range of topics, and you’re sure to find something that interests you!

These webinars are free for all churches of Presbytery of the Miami Valley because of our membership in PRC.

Click on the title for more information and to register.

5 Steps to Help Your Church Be Friendlier to Guests
Tuesday, February 10, 2:00 PM (ET) 

Have you ever wanted your church to be friendlier to newcomers? In many churches, the problem isn’t that people don’t want to be friendly, they just don’t know how. What if your church had a plan that could increase the friendliness quotient of our church immediately, painlessly, and permanently?

Fields of Green: Unlocking Ministry Potential Through Asset Stewardship
Thursday, March 5; 2:00 PM (ET)

This webinar invites congregations to rethink their buildings and campuses as assets for ministry, not liabilities. Sharing stories of various congregations, this workshop will offer practical strategies for churches on how they can use their space to serve the wider community, generate revenue, and expand mission impact.

Increase Giving Through Story-Listening
Tuesday, March 24, 2:00 PM (ET)

People give to places where they feel seen and heard and known.  But we seldom ask our congregants to share what our congregation means to them.  Creating opportunities for people to tell their own stories of transformation increases their sense of belonging, and contributions of time and money follow organically.  Participants will leave this highly interactive session with a dozen practical, no-cost suggestions for eliciting powerful stories in anticipation of pledge drives.

Huntsville is awarded a Matthew 25 Grant
for “The Art of Neighboring”

Huntsville Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, has been awarded a $2000 Synod of the Covenant Matthew 25 Grant for its program “The Art of Neighboring.”

In September and October of 2025, Huntsville’s pastor, the Rev. Ben Beres, preached a sermon series on local evangelism based the book “The Art of Neighboring” by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon.  Over the course of those weeks, the church looked at the Biblical understanding of “neighbor,” our call to be people who love God and love neighbor, and to live that out with our actual, physical neighbors, the occupants of the houses that immediately surround our own. They worked through what it means to build relationships from the ground up, how to care for them as people and not projects, and what it looks like to foster community amongst our neighborhoods.

One of the suggestions in “The Art of Neighboring” book was that people could host block parties. It didn’t have to be an elaborate event, just space to spend time together.  “Come sit by the fire in my backyard.”  “Let’s have hotdogs together.”  The fall was a great time to be trying those sort of things.  But as winter approached, and people head indoors, it would require a little more than a few logs and a match.

Huntsville sought and received a Matthew 25 Grant from the Synod so that the church  could provide some funding to encourage folks in the congregation to keep “neighboring” their neighbors.

“Whatever folks can dream up to do, we wanted help support their ministry (and their discipleship!), and the Synod’s grant has given us the chance to do that,” said Pastor Beres.

“Have a pizza party. Make a fancy dinner. Buy prizes and play Bonko with your neighbors.  Whatever folks can dream up to do, we wanted help support their ministry (and their discipleship!), and the Synod’s grant has given us the chance to do that. We’re thankful for the Synod’s partnership in helping us extend this teaching from the fall into the new year (2026).  Neighboring is an art for all seasons!”

The focus of the Matthew 25 Grants program is to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and/or eradicate systemic poverty. These goals stem from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Matthew 25 movement.

Learn about Synod Grants & Scholarships

The Colombia Partnership 30th Anniversary
The Celebration in Colombia
June 18-22, 2026

Plans are underway around this summer’s Colombia Partnership 30th Anniversary Celebration between the Presbytery of the Miami Valley and the Presbytery of the North Coast! We will be having two celebrations: one in Barranquilla, Colombia and one in Dayton, Ohio.

Read all about the 30th Anniversary Celebration plans in Colombia and learn how you can be a part of the group traveling to Barranquilla, Colombia June 18-22, 2026.

Included in the newsletter is a report about the first visit of members from Bath Presbyterian Church to Colombia.

Read the Colombia Partnership Newsletter

The Colombian Partnership Network of Presbytery of the Miami Valley maintains and expands relationships established in the 30-year-old partnership with Presbiterio de la Costa Norte de Colombia.

Over the years the partnership has involved visits between the sister presbyteries and among churches here in the Miami Valley and in Colombia.

Christmas Blessings 2025

Isaiah the Prophet foretold God’s promise that even in the most difficult of times, when it feels as if hope has dimmed or been lost, that “You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.” (Isaiah 30:29)

As we journey through the seasons of Advent and Christmas, may the music we hear, the scriptures we read, the candles we light, and the celebration of Christ’s birth fill us with a song and fortify our hearts with gladness.

May our lives bear testimony to the one who will bid envy, strife, and discord cease, filling the whole world with heaven’s glory and peace.

Rejoicing with you that God is Emmanuel! Merry Christmas!

The Staff of Presbytery of the Miami Valley
Terry Kukuk – Kat Millhouse – Don Nowak – Ivy Young