What is ecumenism, and what do Presbyterians believe about it? 

From the Presbyterian News Service

Martha Moore-Keish writes an article about the movie Places in the Heart, a story about Edna Spalding, a widowed white mother in the Depression.  Throughout, characters engage in murder, adultery, theft, assault and plain mean-spiritedness. The final scene shows a congregation in a local church gathered for Communion.

This vision of sharing bread with unlikely people across lines of difference captures the heart of the modern ecumenical movement. In the 20th century, many Christians in the U.S. and Europe were inspired by a vision of church unity, rooted in God's reconciling love in Christ for the "whole inhabited world". 

Click to read the full version of the article.

Pasta with Pesto and Mozzarella  

When faced with lots more basil than one can possibly use on pizzas and caprese salads, the desperate cook makes pesto.  Lately I've been making it with almonds, and liking it a lot, though walnuts are good and even pecans will work, or of course the standard pine nuts.  I like to use some lemon juice or zest, and maybe also some other greens, such as parsley or mint.  A little parsley will even help pesto to hold its green color a bit longer.

So, for the pesto:

Put 1/2 c. almonds, 1 or 2 garlic cloves, 4 c. loosely packed basil (flower parts are OK for this) and any other greens , 1 or 2 tsp. lemon juice and a little salt in a blender or small food processor.  Blend this until you have a fairly smooth paste, then blend in 1/2 c. good olive oil.  You want it to be fairly loose and creamy.  Blend in about 1/2 c. grated parmesan, or other hard cheese.  Adjust the salt.  That's your pesto.

For the pasta:

Boil an adequate amount of salted water for the amount of shape pasta (like penne or fusilli) that you are using and add the pasta.  Meanwhile, cut up 8 oz. mozzarella into half-inch chunks, and cut up some zucchini or green beans into similar-sized pieces.  Add the veggies to the pasta water in the last 5 min. of cooking (or earlier or later depending on how done you want them).  When the pasta is done, drain part of the hot water into a mixing bowl to heat it up, then drain the rest of the pasta/veggies.  Dump the water out of the bowl, put the pasta into it, and toss it with the mozzarella pieces and some of the pesto.  A little reserved hot pasta water will help make the pesto creamier.  The residual heat will make the mozzarella gooey.  Throw some extra basil leaves around on the top to make it look pretty.