A pastor with the Presbyterian Church of Colombia talked about her official role as a government negotiator, helping to bring peace to after more than five decades of internal armed conflict in the South American nation.
Presbyterian Mission Agency Mission co-workers the Rev. Sarah Henken and the Rev. Jed Koball led country-specific workshops Wednesday at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days virtual conference. Nearly 50 participants logged into the virtual format to hear first-person accounts, discussions, and practical solutions centering on building peace in Colombia and opposing state-sponsored violence in Peru.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a grassroots Presbyterian group are two of two dozen organizations calling for the suspension of security aid to Colombia and an end to the violent repression of protests in the South American nation.
A multi-billion-dollar tax reform bill that would have increased taxes on basic necessities including food and utilities sent Colombians to the streets in late April to peacefully protest.
The Washington office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has signed onto a letter asking President Joe Biden to make the Colombian government’s full implementation of 2016 peace accords a priority.
Until in-person visits can resume safely, there has never been a better time to invite mission co-workers to visit your congregation virtually than right now.
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia is reaching out to its siblings around the world, sending greetings of “solidarity in God’s call that invites us to do everything in our power to protect the life of the people in our congregations and neighboring communities through pastoral and humanitarian care.”
There were tears in her eyes, as I’d expected there might be, and also an expression that seemed to say, “Thank you,” as her gaze met mine. Thank you for giving voice to the pain and injustice, for naming the complicity. Thank you for seeing me.
The flat, sandy coasts of Colombia don’t lend themselves to guerilla activity. That turned out to be a blessing for Barranquilla, a northern coastal city that is the center of the Presbiterio de la Costa Norte of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC).