Minute for Mission: Day of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula

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North and South Korean Christians gathered in 2017, along with ecumenical colleagues and supporters as part of the Ecumenical Forum for Korea.

“He is our peace … and has broken down the dividing wall.” — Ephesians 2:14 

Each year, Presbyterians around the world join with Korean Christians in observing the Day of Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, lifting up prayers rooted in grief, hope and a yearning for peace that transcends borders. For many, this is not just a political issue; it is deeply spiritual and profoundly personal.

After World War II, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel, a temporary military line that, in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950–1953), solidified into a permanent and heavily fortified border. What had started as an arbitrary border evolved into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), now considered one of the most militarized borders in the world. “Families, communities and cultures were split almost overnight,” said the Rev. Hyunghee Kim, a United Methodist pastor and Hebrew Bible scholar living in Girdwood, Alaska.

The consequences of this split were deeply personal: Millions of families were torn apart by the conflict, with loved ones stranded on opposite sides of a sealed frontier, unable to reach one another. In 1983, South Korea responded with a poignant national broadcast, “Finding Dispersed Families,” where people went on live television to search for missing relatives. “It became a national moment of weeping, mourning and deep yearning,” Hyunghee said.

For Korean Christians, the longing for reunification is rooted in both faith and history, but the path forward is complex. “I believe that true reconciliation requires not only spiritual healing, but also political, historical and emotional restoration,” said Miyoung Kim, a Korean Presbyterian living in Virginia. “I hope our prayers can come from a place of compassion, humility and a desire to understand its complexity.”

The hope of reunification is more than nationalistic; it is also theological. “Though it is a political reality, the separation is deeply spiritual,” Hyunghee said. “In Korean Christian theology, this longing often parallels biblical themes of exile and return, brokenness and healing, and division and reconciliation.”

Worship practices for this day include intercessory prayer, lighting candles for the North and South, and singing beloved hymns like “Let Us Be One” (하나되게 하소서), which prays, “Let us be one, in the love of the Lord.” Likewise, secular songs like “Arirang Alone” (홀로아리랑) express a sense of deep longing.

As we mark this Day of Prayer, let us join in that longing, with candles lit, hymns lifted and hearts open.

Alex Pickell, Peacemaking Fellow, Office of Public Witness

Let us join in prayer for:

Yun Kyoung Yang, Editorial Assistant, Korean, Growing Faith Resources, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Andrew Yeager-Buckley, Project Manager II, President’s Office, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

God of mercy, we weep for what has been lost — families torn, stories silenced, generations divided. Bring healing to this land and peace to your people.

하나되게 하소서, 주님의 뜻 안에서.

Make us one, O Lord, in your purpose and will.

Mission Yearbook: Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb tours Bethlehem university with PC(USA) delegation

The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, an author, pastor, social entrepreneur and theologian who founded and leads Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, recently took a six-member PC(USA) delegation around campus and shared lunch with them in the signature domed restaurant on campus.

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The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb shows an art gallery at Dar al-Kalima University to members of a delegation from the PC(USA) (Photos by Rich Copley)

Raheb has been a longtime partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “My claim to fame is I have participated in more PC(USA) General Assemblies than any other pastor. I’ve been to five of them,” he said. “I am proud of the PC(USA) and proud of your stands.”

As home to about 600 students, Dar al-Kalima University focuses on art, culture and design programs, which Raheb said “are really important” in carving out a Palestinian identity. About two-thirds of the students are women. “This is a university invested in women power and gender justice,” he said.

The striking campus “was designed by Palestinian minds and built by Palestinian hands,” he said. “It is a beacon for the whole region.”

Raheb outlined four major challenges that are “facing us and the region”

Settler colonization in Palestine. “Settlers come to a land with the intent to replace Indigenous people. This happened in the U.S. 400 years ago, and so it’s nothing new for you,” Raheb said. “Here, it has happened in a decade, which is unbelievable.” But even with the war in Gaza, Palestinians have been very resilient, he said, and “that’s a sign of hope.”

What Raheb called “the Israelization of the world,” which accelerated after 9/11. Before that terror attack, people who would fly in to visit Israel were frustrated with the level of airport security in Israel. Israel began promoting itself as “being security experts par excellence,” and started exporting its technology after the attacks when authorities worked to make flying safer. “Think about how America looks more and more like Israel,” he said. Even walls have become more popular, and the current American president ran on a slogan of “build the wall” during his first campaign. A “global Palestine has risen up that was not there before. You can see people all over the world demonstrating for Palestine.” There is global Israel, he said, “but you also have global Palestine rising.”

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The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb explains challenges that Palestinians face to members of the PC(USA) delegation, being led by the Rev. Jihyun Oh.

What Raheb called “the Zionization of theology,” which has been going on for a half-century, he said. Christian Zionism used to be limited to the Western world, he said. Now it’s “much stronger” in the Global South. Despite that, “I was shocked positively to see right now we have 20 young Palestinians doing their doctoral work in theology. All these young people are thinking decolonial,” he said.

“The region is not poor; the region is made poor,” he said. In addition, the leaders in the Middle East “are not the best leaders. We didn’t do a good job creating a democratic and just society.” 

Majors in art, culture and design can help address these challenges, he said. “If we did a lecture, 50 people might come, but 40 don’t need to be there” because “they know everything. Five people are there by mistake, and the other five are there to make problems.”

But screen a film and “you will attract people who have not heard about Palestine before,” he said. 

“When we started, there were no Palestinian films,” he said. “We now have films on Netflix our students have worked on.”

There’s also an increased demand for Palestinian art, and Raheb showed the visitors some of the works displayed at the university on their way to a multi-course lunch prepared by student chefs.

“We are proud to be able to contribute to this process,” he said, “as part of our creative resistance.”

Dar al-Kalima University had a campus in Gaza, but it was destroyed during Holy Week in 2024. The 40 staff members are all displaced and live in tents. “Every day I take a shower, I think of them. They are so resilient, and they say we cannot stop,” Raheb said.

Those staffers are working to provide art therapy for children in refugee camps in Gaza. To date they’ve reached 25,000 children. “It’s amazing work. I could not do that,” Raheb said. “It’s the resilience of our people.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

Aniria Williams, Administrative Support, Annual Giving, Administrative Services Group
Kaden Wood, Business Analyst, Operations, The Presbyterian Foundation      

Let us pray:

Our loving God, thank you for the gift of those who reach out to their friends in a spirit of love. May their example be a light to the world, that all may live in peace. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Free guide is a primer on Congregation-Based Community Organizing

Churches interested in grassroots organizing as a way to help their communities and boost congregational vitality have a new downloadable resource from the Presbyterian Hunger Program.

The ministry has released a free, eight-page guide, “Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO): A Call to Do Justice, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly.” 

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The Presbyterian Hunger Program has released a new guide on congregation-based community organizing.

The guide is a primer on CBCO, which is defined as “a grassroots, faith-rooted approach to building collective power and addressing systemic injustices within local contexts.”

The guide includes tips on getting started; examples of victories won by groups, such as the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative and Justice United Seeking Transformation in Pensacola (JUST Pensacola); and a list of CBCO networks.

The Rev. Phil Tom of the West Kensington Ministry in Philadelphia said congregation-based community organizing allows congregations to be more impactful than working alone and can be utilized by churches of any size.

“It’s about building people power and building community power, and the church can be a part of that, even though it's a small congregation,” Tom said. This kind of organizing can make “a powerful difference in their neighborhood and the city.”

Through research, listening sessions and Nehemiah action assemblies, CBCO groups focus on key issues for problem-solving and advocate for solutions while putting collective pressure on community leaders.

“CBCO is grounded in the belief that, through deep relationships and faithful witness, faith communities are uniquely equipped to walk alongside frontline communities in the shared pursuit of justice and the common good,” the guide notes.

City leaders “see the power in numbers and they see that you’re united,” Tom said.

The Rev. Dr. Angela Johnson, pastor of Grace Hope Presbyterian Church in Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood, knows the value of CBCO work. She’s co-president of Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together, better known as CLOUT, which has been pushing for change in that Kentucky city for decades on topics such as police-community relations, gun violence, aging in place and the development of an affordable housing trust fund.

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At Louisville Seminary’s Black Church Studies Consultation, the Rev. Dr. Angela Johnson, president of CLOUT, stands next to John Aden, an associate organizer for CLOUT. (Photo courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Angela Johnson)

CBCO is an effective way of holding leaders accountable, Johnson said, and is tied to the idea that elected officials have a responsibility to the people. “They work for us,” Johnson said.

Grace Hope was one of the original conveners of CLOUT. Its most recent victories include successfully campaigning for a crisis intervention center that will offer mental health services and be an alternative to both jail and the emergency room for individuals in need of evaluation. 

Some of CLOUT’s Nehemiah action assemblies, during which key leaders are brought on stage to be asked to commit to solutions, have attracted around 1,000 people, Johnson said. 

“We have gone to the stakeholders in advance and said, ‘This (proposed solution) is what we're asking for. Will you do this?’” Johnson said. “We do that within a committee, and then they come on stage, and we ask them that in front of the people.”

Even if the official doesn’t agree to what CLOUT is pushing for, that “doesn't mean, as far as we're concerned, that it's over,” Johnson said. “We will keep pursuing (the issue) because we know that’s for the good of the people.”

Tom said CBCO can be a way to increase spiritual and congregational vitality and appeal to young people, who want to be active in their communities and in social movements.

Trying to make a difference in the community is part of answering God’s call for justice and to take care of those who are hungry or have other needs, such as being unhoused, Tom said. In passage after passage in the Bible, “how can you ignore the word ‘justice’?”

To download the CBCO guide, go here. To read an article about an episode of the Presbyterian Advocacy Hour that focused on grassroots organizing, go here.

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Caralee Wheeler, Program Associate, Development Office, The Presbyterian Foundation
John Wilkinson, Director, Stewardship & Funds Development, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

Lord of the harvest, be with your laborers, so that their faithfulness may bear much fruit. Amen.

World Communion Offering Cultivating Forms of Reconciliation

Causes Supported by the World Communion Offering The World Communion Offering supports five cause areas that cultivate reconciliation around God’s Table of Grace. You can read more about the specifics of this work in our Leader’s Guide and by clicking the links below.

Racial Justice Presbyterians have long worked for racial justice in the world by partnering in mission work like Project 180. This project celebrates the coming 180th anniversary of Liberia’s independence from the American Colonization Society, which you can read more about on page six of the Leader’s Guide.

Gender Justice The PC(USA) holds itself accountable to its commitments to actively work against sexism and for gender justice, partnering in events like the National Queer Gathering and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Peacemaking The way to peace includes helping to clarify the moral and ethical issues at stake in public policy. The Office of Public Witness supports projects like the Decade to End Gun Violence, focused on preventing illegal guns from getting into the wrong hands.

Global Witness Global Ecumenical Partnerships connects, equips, and accompanies people in shared work and witness for God's work in the world. Global Ecumenical Liaisons prioritize locally discerned, partner-led initiatives, ensuring that shared witness follows relationships and that local wisdom guides decision-making, like this one in the Middle East.

Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Supporting ministry around the world with other denominations and ecumenical partners is part of the PC(USA)’s identity. This includes articulating Reformed and Presbyterian identity in the midst of the church’s ecumenical commitments and providing guidance for the church’s conversations with non-Christian religious traditions.

Read more information about the World Communion Offering in our Leader's Guide.

Download the Leader’s Guide

Thank you for supporting the World Communion Offering. We hope your congregation will consider receiving this new offering on Oct. 4, World Communion Sunday.

If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

World Communion Offering — Free Resources for All Ages

Lesson Plans and Activities for All Ages Looking for ways to involve children or your whole congregation in the World Communion Offering this year? We have some excellent activities and lesson plans to use with your congregation. Intergenerational Lesson Plan Use this lesson plan to help your congregation be in community with each other while learning about the World Communion Offering and its reconciliation ministries. Download Intergenerational Lesson Plan Stand-Alone Activities Pair these activity suggestions with one of the lesson plans, use them as a filler at the end of a Sunday school lesson or fellowship meal, or even include them as part of your Rally Day or program year kickoff. Download Activity Page Young Children Lesson Plan Geared for younger children, this lesson plan focuses on Micah 6:8: “love kindness.” Use this lesson plan as its own special one-time event or use it in a small group setting such as Sunday school. Download Younger Children Lesson Plan Older Children Lesson Plan This curriculum, meant for older children, uses Micah 6:8 to talk about loving kindness. This lesson plan works well as a single event or in a regularly scheduled gathering. Download Older Children Lesson Plan Looking for other World Communion Offering resources? Check out our previous email or view all of our resources on our website. Thank you for generously supporting the World Communion Offering.   If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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WCC NEWS: Granddaughter of Hiroshima survivor shares her family’s story

Erin Tsutsui is a 16-year-old rising junior at Henry M. Gunn High School in California. She visited the World Council of Churches on 5 August with a group from the League of Creative Minds. She shared her grandfather’s story of surviving the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Photo: Pauline Tete/WCC 05 August 2026 You have been growing up listening to your grandfather's stories. Could you tell me a little more about your background and his? Tsutsui: My grandfather was born and raised in Hiroshima. He was four-and-a-half years old when he became a survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. He tells me that in the morning, he was playing outside behind a large tree when the bomb hit. Everything around him blew up, and he got glass shards stuck in his hand, which he pulled out. Blood came out of his hand, but his life was saved because he wasn't actually that far from the epicenter. He wasn't close enough to die instantly, so it is a miracle that he survived. His family also happened to be safe; his mom and siblings were inside the house or nearby. His dad was actually very close to the epicenter but was underground, so he was also able to survive. However, I believe maybe a year later, his brother died. I think it was a mixture of radiation sickness, food poisoning, starvation, or something like that. That is what happens in wartime. My grandfather struggled with radiation sickness for a very long time, so he did not attend most of elementary school. He tells me stories about how his teacher told him he should study for a test, and he told his teacher, "I think I'm going to die anyways." The teacher was very shocked and started crying. His mother always told him that, especially because she was so affected by one of his brothers dying, she said she would, no matter what, make sure that he lives. He eventually became a medical student and an oral surgeon. He met my grandma, had my mom, and then my mom moved to the US. I was born in the US in Michigan before moving to California. I am Japanese American and have never lived in Japan, but my favorite memories are from visiting my grandpa in Japan. I visited him this year. I think he is now 85 and lives alone, but I think he is really excited about whatever he sees. He is amazing to talk to, and he is open to telling me his stories. Actually, he didn't talk about his experience too much with my mom while she was growing up. My mom told me that only when I was a little kid and very curious did I ask all these questions, and that is when he started opening up. So I am glad that I was able to be part of why he is able to talk about his experience. How is it for you to be Japanese-American given the history between the two countries? Tsutsui: It is very interesting and complicated, but I really want to pursue something within US-Japan relations in the future. I think that friendship is super important. Obviously, during the war they were enemies, but now I would love to see how the two countries that I call home can be fast-paced and connected. Also, my grandfather doesn't have any hate towards the US. He actually really likes the United States, which is just fun. Does he remember the time when the bomb was dropped, or is it something that he was told? Tsutsui: I think he does remember because he wasn't exactly right next to his family. He just remembers himself being behind this tree and afterwards. I think all the houses except one were completely burned down. So everyone from the neighborhood went to that one house, and he tells me, "All I could think about was when my next meal would be," something like that. I think because it is such a scar, it is seared into his memory, even when he is asleep.  What motivates you to tell this story today? Tsutsui: I have been growing up from a young age hearing all of this, and it has motivated me. I think because I know that nuclear warfare is in my bloodline, right? It is in my family, the impact of nuclear weapons. So I want to do anything I can to prevent that from ever happening and to learn from what my grandpa had to go through so that we never have to experience another nuclear weapon. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland