“He gets it!”

A letter from Doug Baker serving in Northern Ireland

June 2015

Dear Friends,

I was embarrassed when Maurice introduced me!

For several years I have been teaching a short module on Handling Conflict to ministerial students at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin.  It is one part of their Leadership course coordinated by the principal, Maurice Elliott.  He and I have crossed paths in various places of his ministry over the past 15 years. Our relationship is an example of mutual mission.  Along the way he has called upon me for help, opened doors for me to work with a variety of groups, and taught me lessons about costly pastoral leadership.  We have become friends who share a commitment to promoting a ministry of reconciliation both within the church and by the church in wider society.

YAVs Suzanne and Allison with some of the participants at the “away day”

Maurice always comes to the first session of the module I teach in order to introduce me to the class.  This spring when he did so he simply said, “I think the best way to describe Doug is that he is a gift from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to the Irish churches.”  I blushed.  Such flattery!  And then I realized he wasn’t talking about my gifts or giftedness or anything of the sort.  He was talking about your generosity in making me available to be used in the ways and places where Maurice appreciates my involvement.

He gets it!  The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) doesn’t have to use some of its resources to engage in a ministry of reconciliation in Ireland, but nonetheless it chooses to do so.  Why do we?  Well, for at least a couple of good reasons.  First, for some decades now the PC(USA) has recognized that reconciliation is at the heart of God’s mission and therefore at the heart of what we are called to become partners in pursuing.  PC(USA) World Mission has, in fact, declared “Engaging in ministries of reconciliation in cultures plagued by violence” as one of the three critical global issues around which to focus its energies over the next number of years.  Second, PC(USA) World Mission works in partnership with churches around the globe with which we have established relationships over many years.  When you consider that Presbyterianism in North America was founded by immigrants from the north of Ireland in the 17th century, this could be said to rank as our longest partnership.   Hence, way back in 1979 when the PC(USA) was approached by the Corrymeela Community and asked if they would support me as a mission co-worker working alongside them for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, our World Mission department enthusiastically said yes.   Because of your generosity my involvement in reconciliation ministry has been able to continue ever since.

Students at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute

As you know, my role as a mission co-worker was changed a number of years ago from that of being on the staff of a particular Christian reconciliation initiative in Northern Ireland to that of being Regional Liaison for Ireland and the United Kingdom.  A significant part of the job description given to me by PC(USA) World Mission is “to be a resource to the Irish churches as they develop their own capacity for peacebuilding.”   This takes many forms: teaching, developing study materials, facilitating dialogues, serving as a consultant to various initiatives, acting as a mediator.  Often it is also simply being someone who can respond to a need expressed by one of our partners and is available to do so.

One recent example was being asked to lead a day of renewal for a Methodist congregation that has been through a very difficult period with staff transitions and loss of funding for much of its wider community work.  The latter has led to a number of staff redundancies and substantially more work piled on the plates of those who remain.  When I met with two of their clearly exhausted staff responsible for planning the “away day” for the congregation, I asked if there would be children present and what, if any, plans there were for them.  They said there would be, and then one looked at the other and somewhat dejectedly said, “I suppose each of us will need to opt out of one of the sessions to do some kind of kids program.”  Knowing even a little bit of what they have been through in the past couple of years, I felt certain that that was not what they needed to be doing!  They needed this day for themselves.  So I told them, “I think I can get someone to be with the children and free you up to simply be participants.”  Their faces glowed!

Worship team preparing music at “away day”

A couple of days later I approached two of the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers currently here and explained the situation to them.  Even though that was meant to be one of their days off, they immediately understood the need and agreed to help.  They also get it!  Their year also is, in part, about being a gift from the PC(USA) to be available to be used by our partners as and where needed.  When the day came the kids had a ball with them and they really enjoyed being with the kids.  More important, the two pastoral staff had a day to be nourished and refreshed themselves rather than carry more responsibility.

Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  In the Christian community we are all a gift from God to each other.   It is “the law of Christ” and the bonds of our fellowship in the one worldwide church that causes us to use some of our resources to support those we can in their times of need.  This is true whether they sit in the pew next to us or are in some distant setting across the globe.   Because we experience the generosity of God in the amazing gift we have received in Jesus Christ we make gifts available to others.  Thank you that you also get it.  Your continued prayers and support help to make our ministry here possible.

Faithfully yours,
Doug Baker

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 322