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Mission Yearbook
An international task force from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) recently returned from a visit to Belize, where it met with groups that have received funding to become more self-sustaining. SDOP selected Belize as a focus country in 2010 because of its continued struggle with extreme poverty.
The Rev. Abby King-Kaiser, associate director of the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice at Xavier University in Cincinnati, will serve as worship leader and coordinator for “Living, Dying, Rising,” the 2017 national gathering for 1001 New Worshiping Communities. “Living, Dying, Rising” will be held Aug. 7–10 at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The 2017 national gathering will outline the story of the life of Christ and the life of the church.
As a high school student, Lily Jones had a beautiful 18-month-old daughter and a strong desire to finish school. Lily knew the importance of education to her future and that of her daughter Sophia, but day care posed a problem.
When the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board met in Puerto Rico this spring, several board members went on a field trip. The visit to Mision Presbiteriana Rio Grande was the first experience with a new worshiping community for several board members. The first sign that this was not “church as usual” occurred when the drivers pulled up to a small storefront location squeezed between a mechanic shop and a laundromat in a tiny strip mall. Instead of stained glass windows and pews, they saw handmade decorations, vases of flowers picked from local gardens, and a welcoming crew of pastor Eileen Rivas and a few church elders. The space was just about the right size for the 35 attendees who show up regularly for worship.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers Bob and Kristi Rice have accepted a call to serve in South Sudan after six years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For members of Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church of West Virginia, solar power is the wave of the future. While the cost of converting to solar energy can be high, the congregation has found some innovative ways to make it happen without breaking the bank.
A group of Presbyterians got some hands-on experience in coffee farming during a recent trip to Nicaragua. The 11-member delegation, which included staff from the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP), World Mission and Equal Exchange, spent a week learning about fair trade and how the coffee is grown, processed and shipped to other countries.
Lisle Gwynn Garrity has the “great privilege” of being both an artist and a minister. In her work as founder and creative director of Sanctified Art, Gwynn Garrity leads art retreats and does live paintings during worship at congregations around the country.
One Oklahoma church has adopted a unique format in its effort to confront personal and societal racism. Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City began a 10-week “Racism and Racists Anonymous” discussion group in February.
All of us face the possibility of dealing with natural disasters. Depending on where you live, these can include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, floods and wildfires. Preparing for and dealing with disasters can be stressful for everyone, but disasters can be especially challenging for people with disabilities — including the elderly.
