A Pastoral Letter to Friends, Colleagues, and the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

On July 31, 2025, the Presbyterian News Service shared a letter from the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA), as she addressed the devastating crisis in Gaza and called for 10 actions ‘grounded in the Gospel’.

While it seems that there has not been an organized effort to attack or discredit the statement or our Stated Clerk, we know that individuals can be just as toxic both on social platforms and in personal inboxes. For those of us who are deeply appreciative of this statement, if there is an increased negative response, I want to pre-emptively show support for my colleagues and resist yielding these spaces to those who would attempt to distract us from addressing what is lifted in the letter. More importantly, I want to avoid drawing our focus away from Gaza and — with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love — spend more time working to fulfill the callings that she laid before us.

To be completely transparent, Rev. Oh is not only a denominational colleague and sibling in Christ, but, as are others who serve in our national offices, she is a friend. No matter how much we try to ignore the trolls, my heart aches knowing what my friends may be receiving in response to this statement. So, as I do, I wrote a few things down that I would say directly to them in this moment and invite others to add their names if you so feel called.

Dear Jihyun and Friends —

We are friends, family, colleagues, and strangers. We are Presbyterian, Christian, holders of other faiths, faith adjacent, faith curious, or claim no faith at all. What we have in common is our gratitude for your letter addressing the devastating crisis in Gaza and calling us and the world to action.

While we wish that statements like yours were made earlier, we understand and acknowledge that the reality of navigating the politics, policies, and personalities of a large institution like the Presbyterian Church (USA) is daunting, so for your perseverance and public witness, know that our gratitude is heartfelt and genuine.

So first, thank you...

• Thank you for the physical, emotional, and spiritual energy spent to get the letter written and shared.
• Thank you for your courage to speak these words at this moment in time.
• Thank you for your thoughtfulness in discerning why and what should be said.
• Thank you for challenging us to live the faith we claim to believe.
• And thank you for making bold statements and calling us to specific actions.

And so we pray for you...

• May you tend to your heart, mind, body, and soul.
• May you embrace heartfelt affirmation, wrestle with thoughtful critique, and reject all else.
• May you find spaces to vent, weep, rage, and retreat.
• May you experience grace, hope, laughter, love, and joy.
• May your people remind you to rest, play, eat, and hydrate.
• May you continue to drink deeply from the well of courage and calling.
• May you speak out again when the Spirit says it is time.
• And may you always know and believe that you are enough, you are not alone, and you are loved by God.

And finally, we know that the intent of this letter was not to center yourselves. Please receive our words as intended, not to draw energy away from the callings that you offered regarding Gaza and Palestine, but as sustenance for your bodies, minds, and spirits as you continue to call us into the fullness of what it means to be the church.

Thank you —

Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Colleague, and Friend

And others in order of submission | updated on August 9, 2025 | 235+ names

• Rev. Katherine Cunningham, Coastlands Presbytery
• Rev. Mary Gene Boteler
• Rev. Gail Doering, Wichita, KS
• The Rev. Christine Caton, member of the Presbytery of Southern New England
• Rev. Dr. John Anderson
• Rev. Monte McClain, College Avenue Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA
• Merissa Magdael-Lauron, Stockton, CA
• Rev. Dr. Neal D. Presa, Exec. Presbyter (San José Presbytery) & Moderator of 220th General Assembly
• Noushin Darya Framke, First Presbyterian Church NYC, Member of General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
• Rev. Dr. Sarah Reyes-Gibbs, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Dr. Byron A. Wade, Presbytery of Western North Carolina
• Rev. Dr. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, Presbytery of Southern New England
• Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Rev. Shawna Bowman, Friendship Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL
• Dana Fisher Ashrawi, President of Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
• Dr. Michael Spath, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
• Donna J Hicks, Episcopalian
• Rev. Ashley McFaul-Erwin, Lake View Presbyterian Church, Chicago
• Jessica Sun, Pax Christi USA
• Philip Farah, co-chair, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
• Dee Roberts, MDiv/MILS, Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Atlanta, GA
• Rev. Joanna Lawrence Shenk, First Mennonite Church of San Francisco
• Rev. Erin Marth, Chicago, IL
• Rev. Fahed AbuAkel, past Moderator of 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian church USA
• Rev. Jack Shriver
• Rev. Stef Coleman, Mayfair Presbyterian Church, Chicago
• Alejandra Spir-Haddad. United Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, IN
• Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia, Robbinsville, NJ
• Dr. Bob Ross, Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Lisa Kenkeremath, PCUSA
• Kathy Drinkard, Springfield, VA
• Sarah Mayer, KCMO
• Allison K. Schmitt, Le Center, Minnesota
• Kristi Lentz, MTS, Catholic/Quaker
• Rev. Magdalena I. García, Chicago, IL
• Rev. Marietta Macy, Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Dr. Kai Moore, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Leila J. Richards, MD, MPH
• Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, Orland Hills IL; Palestine Justice Network
• Rev. Dr. Mary E. Westfall, Presbytery of the Coastlands, PCUSA
• Rev. Dr. Shannon Smythe, NJ Coastlands Presbytery
• Jenna Cobb, Pasadena, CA
• Amgad Beblawi, Des Moines Presbytery
• Dr. Robert Trawick, General Presbyter Albany Presbytery
• Dr. Linda Gaither, on behalf of Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Justice Network
• Rev. Susan P. Wilder, Co-Moderator, Palestine Justice Network of the PC(USA)
• Amanda Philip, Oakland, CA
• Beverly G Henkel
• Pastor Chris Scott, Oak Life Church, Oakland CA
• Daphne Kiplinger, Washington, DC
• Pr. John-Otto Liljenstolpe, ELCA retired
• Gail Mott, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY
• Rev. Beth Anne Guzman, PC(USA), Morton Grove, IL
• Rev. Deborah Lee, Co Exec Director, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
• Rev. Tyler Orem, First Presbyterian Church of Highland, IN
• Hannah Amundson
• Dillon Ingram
• Rev. Roger Reaber, Benicia CA
• Douglas Olson, Heartland Presbyterian Church, of Clive, IA
• Rev. Ronee Christy PCUSA
• Rev Sandra R Mackie, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Jesse Steven Wheeler M.Div., Associate Executive Director, Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
• Rev. Joe Roos, Mennonite Church USA
• Rev. Diane Dulin, UCC and FOSNA Board member
• Rev. Elaine Murray, Pipe Creek Presbyterian Church
• Rev. Dr. David Ensign, Arlington, VA
• Rev. Andy Acton, PC(USA) Atlanta
• Rev. Meagan Henry, First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Brooklyn, NY
• Rev. Jean Davidson, PC(USA), Maryville, TN
• Hamilton Cha, Christ follower, Lisle, IL
• Rev. C. Arlin Talley, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Bart Smith, Tucson, AZ
• Elder Bill Vandivier
• Rev. Tricia Lloyd-Sidle, Mid-Kentucky Presbytery
• Rev. Dr. Aemina Razzano, Albany NY
• Rev. Rob Jackson, Greenville, NC
• Rev. Amy Williams Fowler, Retired, Presbytery of Boston
• Rev. Philip J. Price II, Salina, KS
• Dorothy H. Lewis, Mount Pleasant, SC
• Rev. Nii Addo Abrahams
• Dr Fred E Brogdon Jr. Sumter, SC
• Pastor Tom Forbes, Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, Bunker Hill, WV, USA
• Sabine Won, SURJ San Mateo (Showing Up for Racial Justice)
• Nancy Lauder Brown, Elder, Downtown United Presbyterian Rochester, NY
• Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Boone McLean, PC(USA)
• Rev. Josh Young, Lacey, WA
• Ruth DeYoe, PCUSA, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Rev. Katie Mulligan, United Presbyterian Church, Levittown, NY, USA
• Jennifer Bixler
• Louise Westfall, retired PC(USA) pastor
• Lynette DuClos Adelson, Santa Cruz, CA
• Rev. Hannah Lundberg, Ann Arbor, MI
• Rev. Teresa Blythe, Phoenix AZ
• Noelle Tennis Gulden, M.Div./former Associate for the National Network of Presbyterian College Women
• Rev. Kathryn Barlow Westmoreland, PC(USA)
• Rev. Dr. Stephen Moon, Intercultural Mosaics, North Central California Presbytery
• Meredith White, Noble Road Presbyterian Church, Cleveland Ohio
• Rev. Clover Bailey
• Rev. Dr. Greg Bolt, Salem First Presbyterian Church, Salem, OR
• Rev. Ruth Hicks, retired Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Laura Mendenhall, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Deborah L. Matthews, Woodstock, IL
• Miriam Kishi, Retired Presbyterian Christian Educator, Sunnyvale, CA
• Rev. Dr. David A. Torrey, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Beverly Green Henkel, First Presbyterian Church, PCUSA, Norfolk, NE
• Erin Sorrels, Network For Dismantling Racism, Synod of the Sun, PC(USA)
• Rev. Anna Small, PC(USA)
• Rev. Dr. Jackie Putnam, Greenville, SC
• Tom M. Castlen, Long Island
• Rev. Jody Mask, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Lora Burge, Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
• Barbara Vaughan, CRE, Oak Lawn Presbyterian Church, IL
• Rev Cyndi Wunder, PC(USA), Baker City OR
• Rev. Terra Pennington, Stephenville TX
• Rev. Katy Walters, UT Southwestern Clements University Hospital Chaplain, Dallas, TX
• Rev. Carol Tompkins, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Michael A. Moore, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Erin Kobs, Organizational Presbyter, Kiskiminetas Presbytery
• Thomas S. Russell, Episcopal Church USA
• Rev. Marta Pumroy, Tres Rios Border Ministry Coordinator, El Paso, TX
• Rev. Kim Robles, Pinecrest Presbyterian Church
• SarahLee Morris, Lubbock, TX
• Rev. Sara Martin
• Ruling Elder JoAnne Sharp, CCE
• Naveeda V., USA
• Rev. Karen Ware Jackson, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Mary Lynn Tobin, Fort Collins, CO
• Sr Patty OBrien, Episcopalian
• Leila J. Richrds, MD, MPH, Sixth Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh PA
• The Rev. Jo Ann Staebler, Olympia WA
• Rev. Teri Nilson Baird, Christian Church of Vacaville, California, Disciples of Christ
• Ron Shive, Salem Presbytery
• Pauline M Coffman, First United Presbyterian Church, Oak Park, IL.
• Leah H Johnson, Ruling Elder, PC(USA)
• Gail Mott, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY
• Debby Vial, Black Mountain NC Presbyterian
• Rev. Marranda Major, First United Presbyterian Church of Troy, NY
• Rev. Merritt N. Schatz, PCUSA, Oxford, PA
• Rev. Sue Westfall, Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, Alabama
• John A. Bolt, First Presbyterian Church, Morgantown, WV
• Kristy Rodgers, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
• Rev. Brian Entz, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, MN
• Rev. John Allen Taylor Bankson, Union Presbyterian Church, Fort Madison, IA
• Rev. Laura Viau, Wilmington, DE
• Rev. Joanna Hipp, Plymouth, MN
• Maria Arroyo, PC(USA)
• Catherine Matier
• Rev. Dr. Martha Murchison
• Rev. W. Mark Koenig, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Rev. Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava, More Light Presbyterians
• Serena Lee
• Rev. Timothy J. Black, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev Dr Brett Mitchell, La Mesa Presbyterian Church
• Rev. Kate Jones Calone, Presbytery of Long Island
• Tev. Marianne Bishop Turner, Dahlonega Presbyterian Church
• Rev. Ashley Abraham Hood, Frame Memorial Presbyterian Church, Stevens Point, WI
• Lisa D. Bender, Co-chair, United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
• Rev. John D. Kidd Raleigh NC
• Bob Schminkey, Ruling Elder, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg VA
• Rev. Dr. Andrew Philip Long, First Presbyterian Church of Watertown, NY
• Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes, Center for Faith and Peacemaking
• Rev. Dr. Sam Codington, Trinity Presbytery, Columbia, South Carolina
• Rev. Dr. Joanne C Sizoo, Grace Presbyterian Church, Ft Mill ,SC
• Rev. Marthame Sanders, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Lindsey Anderson, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Dr. Robert Agnew & Diane Agnew
• Rev. Essie Koenig-Reinke, First Presbyterian Church of Albuquerque
• Rev. Lynn R. Hargrove, Houston, TX
• Rev. Susan Andrews, Moderator of the 225th General Assembly
• Susan Shelton Perry, RE, Logan, WV
• Ruling Elder Kate Trigger Duffert, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Rev. TJ Remaley, Southminster Presbyterian Church of Boise, ID
• Rev. Dr. Wayne A. Yost
• Rev. Dr. Lori Knight-Whitehouse, honorably retired, PC(USA) minister
• Gradye Parsons, Knoxville, TN
• Rev. Rose Wayland, Sixth Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC
• Rev. John McCrosky, Heritage Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Elder Ann Christian ( PCUSA, Ft Worth, TX)
• Rev Matthew L Sauer, First Presbyterian, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
• Rev. Meg Elliott Rift, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Rev. Bethany Benz-Whittington, Olympia, WA
• Marc L. Penrod-Elder First Presbyterian Church, Sweetwater, Tn
• Rev. Bethany Benz-Whittington, Olympia, WA
• Michael Casey, Greenwich, New York, Member, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, New York
• Lex Gallion, First Presbyterian Church, Austin Texas
• Chandra Mills Cooper, Salina First Presbyterian Church
• Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas, Simsbury, CT
• Rev. Dr. Sarah Erickson, Stone Mountain, GA
• Rev Sharyl Marshall Dixon
• Rev. Daniel Morales, New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Miami, FL
• Rev. Irene Pak Lee, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Rev. Colleen Earp, Rockingham, VA
• Rev. Jim Mitulski, Congregational Church of the Peninsula UCC Belmont CA
• Ginny Shanda, (RE, PCUSA), Lexington, KY
• Nancy Eng MacNeill, Rancho Mirage, CA
• Nehal Aslam
• Helen Kester, PCUSA
• Makini Hassan, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Laura Slack, Tabor Presbyterian Church, Crozet, VA
• Rev. Allison Krahling Seed, Philadelphia, PA
• Richard B. Burrill
• Philip Swain, First Presbyterian Church of New Bern, NC
• Elder Carol Hylkema; Geneva Presbyterian Church; Detroit Presbytery
• Rev. Susan K Trigger, Louisville, KY
• Rev David Bowman, Slackwood Presbyterian Church, Lawrenceville, NJ
• C. Lauron, Stockton, CA
• Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes, Winnebago Presbytery (member at large)
• Rev. Matthew Messenger, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Jeff Shankle, Marin County, CA
• Rev. Jon Brown, Old Bergen Church, Jersey City, NJ
• Rev. Anni Thorn
• Rev. Donald L. Smith, Glendale, CA
• Rev. Matt Prinz, Oakland, CA
• Dianne L. Thompson, Bainbridge Island, WA
• Rev. Tracy Williams, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Beth Lepinski, Elder PCUSA
• Rev. Sue Smith, Coastlands Presbytery
• Rev. Dr. Richard Young, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Jerusha Van Camp, First Presbyterian Church of Evansville
• Rev. Ann Conklin, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara, CA
• Rev. Dr. David Tsai Shinn
• Rev. Francis P. Miller, II, Lyndhurst Community of Faith Church
• Kim Rivera, Elder, Southside Presbyterian Church, Tucson, AZ
• Rev, Alison Harrington, Southside Presbyterian Church, Tucson, AZ
• Rev. Nicole Cruz Talkington, Austin, TX, PCUSA Chaplain
• Rev. Dr. Cheni Khonje, The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Philadelphia PA
• Catherine Tyree, All Saints Episcopal Church, Corpus Christi, TX
• Elder Megan Dosher Hansen, PC(USA), The Woodlands, TX
• Rev. Beth Scibienski, Hopewell, NJ
• Rev. Dr. Kathryn McLean, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Rev. Clayton Thomas, Simsbury, CT
• Rev. Christopher Miller, Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, MO
• Nancy Ross-Hullinger, Pastor Gethsemane and Bethany Presbyterian
• Churches Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Rev. Carol Dolezal
• Rev. Adrian White, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Add your name here ...

Full letter on PNS, July 31, 2025

The Rev. Jihyun Oh calls for urgent accountability in the devastating crisis in Gaza

In a letter, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency calls for 10 actions ‘grounded in the Gospel’

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to stand in the deepest places of suffering, to speak when silence enables harm, and to act wherever human worth is disregarded. Christ walked among the sick, the hungry and the sorrowful. He reminds us still: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Gaza has become one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in recent history. Reports now estimate that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, many of them women and children. In recent weeks alone, nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been murdered. We have witnessed the destruction of entire communities and the forced displacement of nearly the entire population. The most vulnerable are being killed in homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship. Nearly every person in Gaza has lost their home. Entire families have been erased, and thousands remain buried beneath the rubble. The health care system has completely collapsed. Medical workers have been killed while tending the wounded. Journalists and aid workers have been targeted. In the West Bank, settler violence and deadly military raids continue to escalate with impunity.

The humanitarian catastrophe has reached unfathomable proportions. Gazans are facing mass starvation in what experts now describe as a human-made famine. Starvation is used as a weapon of war, as children have died by the thousands. Since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement on March 2, nearly all food and humanitarian supplies have been cut off, leaving 2 million people without access to the most basic necessities. On July 20, Israeli military forces opened fire on a crowd gathered outside a World Food Program center, killing dozens who were trying to reach food distribution sites. The trickle of aid that has begun to move in recent days is not enough to address the deep needs.

More than 110 humanitarian and human rights organizations have issued a joint statement urgently warning the world about mass starvation spreading across Gaza. They report that supplies are now completely depleted and that humanitarian workers are watching their own colleagues and partners grow weak from hunger. Despite this, life-saving resources, including food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter materials and fuel remain stuck at access points, blocked from reaching those in desperate need.

This suffering cannot be explained away as the collateral damage of war. It is the result of choices that violate international law and fundamental moral norms. The world’s tolerance, even facilitation, of this violence has become a collective moral failure. Silence in the face of this is not neutrality; it is complicity.

We must name what we are witnessing. The deliberate targeting of civilians and the systematic erasure of Palestinian life demand urgent accountability. Increasing numbers of international legal scholars, Christian denominations, human rights organizations, and genocide experts, including Christian, Jewish, and Israeli voices, have warned that the unfolding destruction in Gaza meets the criteria of genocide under international law.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long-standing ties to the Holy Land and decades of policy affirming the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace, security and dignity. Our criticism of Israeli government policy is never a condemnation of a people or a faith. We reject hate in the form of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. We grieve every loss of life by murder as a violation of God’s image in humanity. We hold in prayer both Palestinian and Israeli families who have experienced terror, trauma, and profound grief. We condemn the horrifying attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and mourn with all whose lives have been shattered by the ongoing war.

Our General Assembly has consistently argued for peace in the Holy Land. We have:

• Recognized that Israeli laws and practices toward Palestinians meet the international legal definition of apartheid.
• Called for an end to military occupation and systemic discrimination.
• Opposed the blockade of Gaza and the use of collective punishment.
• Urged the U.S. government to ensure that its aid does not contribute to violations of human rights.
• Condemned all acts of violence and targeting of civilians.
• Supported divestment from companies profiting from the occupation and boycotts of settlement products.

As human dignity is systematically denied, we lift our voices in lament, outrage and urgent moral witness. At the same time, we acknowledge that we are called not only to weep but also to act. Our actions are expressions of a commitment to moral accountability — a core commitment of our Reformed tradition. As Reformed Christians, we believe that faith must be expressed through justice. This is a call to conscience, a moral demand rooted in our commitment to human rights, international law, and the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Scripture compels us: “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalm 82:3). And: “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Rooted in this witness and grounded in the Gospel, we call for:

• An immediate and permanent ceasefire and the protection of all civilians.
• A renewed international commitment to a just peace that ensures equality, safety and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis.
• Adherence to international law and all relevant United Nations resolutions.
• Independent investigations into violations of international humanitarian law.
• Full and unrestricted humanitarian access to meet urgent needs.
• The release of all hostages and detainees held without due process.
• An end to the occupation and recognition of the right of Palestinians to freedom, justice, return and self-determination.
• Solidarity with Palestinian Christians and all communities working toward peace.
• Suspension of U.S. military aid that contributes to civilian harm and sustains cycles of violence.
• Support for nonviolent tools such as boycott and divestment as legitimate expressions of conscience.

Let us pray for peace that is rooted in justice and justice that leads to lasting peace. Let us pray for God’s wholeness in a just peace where Palestinians and Israelis, people of all faiths, can flourish. And let us not look away.

The Rev. Jihyun Oh
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Executive Director, Interim Unified Agency
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)