Mission Co-Workers Share God’s Love Through Multifaceted Ministries
July 5, 2016
For PC(USA) mission co-workers in Latin America and the Caribbean, doing the work of the Lord can mean serving in many ways. A few examples:
• Preparing church and community leaders to respond to natural disasters in Nicaragua;
• Helping farmers in Haiti produce more food so that Haitians can rely less on imports;
• Developing programs that promote conflict resolution and peace throughout Central America.
In addition, the PC(USA) is resuming a full-time presence in Cuba, through the appointment of mission co-workers David Cortes-Fuentes and Josey Saez-Acevedo. They will be the first Presbyterian mission co-workers sent to live and work in Cuba since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
Churches in the region face challenges similar to those we face in the United States, such as growing secularism and rampant consumerism. Communities are deeply polarized between privileged elites and excluded majorities. In this context, churches must discern how to bear witness to hope in Jesus Christ, how to challenge structures of violence and how to lift up a prophetic voice in an ideologically polarized world.
According to Elisabeth Cook, a mission co-worker in Costa Rica, justice and human dignity “are deepest longings for the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, especially those who have long been socially marginalized and excluded.”
Our sisters and brothers in Latin America and the Caribbean understand that we are all in this together. For centuries they have witnessed how foreign governments and multinational corporations often have used their political and economic influence to undercut the common good and the integrity of creation.
Our partners in God’s mission continue to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 NIV), proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ by working for reconciliation and peace and against injustice in this broken world so loved by God. Let us join our brothers and sisters in prayer, supporting one another, trusting that God will continue to transform lives and defend the integrity of creation in this region.
Valdir Franca, Area Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Gina Yeager-Buckley, PMA
Beth Ann Zornick, BOP
Let us pray
God of compassion and justice, we pray your blessing on the churches and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. May your Spirit anoint these brothers and sisters in Christ and lead us to join them as they proclaim good news to the poor and release from all that holds people captive. Amen.
Daily Lectionary
Morning Psalms 12; 146
First Reading Numbers 35:1-3, 9-15, 30-34
Second Reading Romans 8:31-39
Gospel Reading Matthew 23:13-26
Evening Psalms 36; 7
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