As travel restrictions begin to loosen worldwide and churches start thinking about long- and short-term mission trips, a group of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission leaders, World Mission staff and mission co-workers joined together on Zoom Wednesday night to talk about how to be thoughtful travelers when visiting global partners in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Wednesday’s virtual journey to Guatemala carried this title: “Confronting Climate Change with Actions of Hope.” The webinar, attended by more than 100 people, featured Bible study by The Rev. Dr. Karla Koll, a mission co-worker and professor of history, mission and religion at the Latin American Biblical University, an ecumenical institution in San Jose, Costa Rica.
During the 32 years since my ordination as a Presbyterian minister and mission co-worker, I have engaged in many not-so-ordinary activities of ministry.
The chain of events that first introduced me to Virginia Laparra was set into motion on Ash Wednesday, March 2. What has happened since then has pushed me far outside my comfort zone. My pastoral visits with Virginia have stretched me greatly in my own lifelong journey of faith.
Tuesday is World Water Day and Living Waters for the World (LWW) is celebrating the call of Matthew 25, the gift of pure water and the gift of water partners.
Joseph Russ’ appointment as Presbyterian World Mission’s coordinator for migration issues, advocacy and mission in the Northern Triangle of Central America, a new mission co-worker position, is the fulfillment of an overture passed by the 223rd General Assembly, held in St. Louis in 2018.
When individuals and small groups are ready once again to travel to places like Guatemala to learn about and walk alongside that nation’s welcoming people, CEDEPCA, the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America, is ready to handle all the details and deepen visitors’ experience.
While Guatemala has been struggling with the global pandemic, mission co-workers Eric and Betsey Moe have been working remotely from Spokane, Washington.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness joined 16 other faith, humanitarian, and civil society organizations in signing a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of her trip to Mexico and Guatemala Sunday and Monday to address the issues that lead tens of thousands of Central Americans to come to the United States.
