Today in the Mission Yearbook - Trees of life

What can one person do to combat climate change? Ask Mama Toya

April 30, 2020

Youth from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison, Wisconsin, join with local youth environmentalists organized by global partner Red Uniendo Manos Peru to support the work of Mama Toya. (Photo by Jed Hawkes Koball)

Last year, I took more than two dozen flights. In many cases I could have taken a bus, but for little extra cost, I opted to save time. A flight from Lima (on the Pacific coast) to Tarapoto (in the Amazon) takes a little over an hour. The bus takes more than 25 hours. So, for about $25 more per flight, it seems worth it to travel by air. I know my knees are grateful. But, like so many things in life, there are usually more costs than those that simply make a dent in our wallets. There are environmental costs, too.

Here in Peru those costs are adding up. Two years ago, unprecedented rains on the desert coast led to floods that displaced a quarter of a million people. This year, forest fires are decimating large swaths of the Amazon and threatening the lives of indigenous populations. Every year, farmers in the Andes are seeing their natural water supplies decrease. The water temperatures off the Pacific Coast are rising. The mountaintop glaciers are melting. The biodiversity of the rainforest is dying. This plus gross inequality and poor infrastructure make Peru one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change.

In the grand scheme of things, air travel contributes to a relatively marginal 2% of all greenhouse gases. While not the most contributing factor to global warming, it is notable nonetheless. And, looking at my personal lifestyle, it is quite remarkable: The carbon dioxide emissions attributed to my air travel account for about 75% of my family’s carbon footprint. Despite all of our recycling, reusing, repurposing, limiting red meat consumption, not owning a car and not using air conditioning, our carbon footprint is still twice that of the average Peruvian family. I came here to help, not hurt.

Of the more than 24 flights I took in 2019, all except two were for my work. Some of those flights were to help our global partners prepare for Presbyterian short-term mission trips. We Presbyterians travel a lot! Those of us engaged in World Mission really travel a lot! And, let’s be honest: that’s not going to end anytime soon. And it will be decades before air travel can be supported by renewable energies. So, how can we hold ourselves responsible? How can we live into hope and not out of guilt or fear?

Just east of Lima, in the heart of the Andes mountains, 84-year-old Mama Toya — a friend to many Presbyterians — gets up at sunrise to tend to the trees on the hills outside her home. She has planted more than 30,000 trees over the past 20 years to help restore fertility to her community’s lands that have been contaminated by emissions from a nearby metals smelter as well as to adapt to advancing climate change.

Next year, our global partner, Red Uniendo Manos Peru, will donate $20 to its own newly established tree fund on behalf of each Presbyterian short-term mission trip participant it receives. Every penny of these funds will support Mama Toya’s work to help offset greenhouse gas emissions generated by short-term mission trip participants’ air travel.

What if this offset idea became our Presbyterian practice? What if we Presbyterians put money into a Presbyterian Tree Fund for every single flight taken for Presbyterian-related work? What if global partners around the world were supported in their reforestation efforts with these funds? Yes, there are many such funds one can contribute to. But how often can you see exactly where that money goes, while also igniting passion for the care of the very Earth that sustains the people we have come to love through partnership in mission? In the face of a climate crisis that impacts us all, may such love show us how to live justly in the world today.

Jed Hawkes Koball, Mission Co-Worker in Peru, Presbyterian Mission Agency 

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Laura Caruthers, Presbyterian Foundation
Jennifer Cash, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Lord, help me to listen for your voice, to hear what you are telling me to do and then to do it today. Amen.

Virtual church goes viral

Presbyterian congregations see God growing the church online during the pandemic

by Tammy Warren | Presbyterian News Service

LaGrange Presbyterian Church in LaGrange, Kentucky, is 30 years old this year. The commemoration of this milestone will take place sometime after the social-distancing requirements have been lifted. (Photo by Tammy Warren)

LOUISVILLE — LaGrange Presbyterian Church in LaGrange, Kentucky, had talked about posting its worship services online for years, but money and volunteer support seemed to be lacking. When the COVID-19 quarantine started, the church went into action to give members, friends and anyone else who might be looking for a virtual worship service an online option.

“Our technology guru got us up and running with two eight-year-old (smart) phones and a free software program off the internet,” the Rev. Al Earley said. “It was a real blessing to our congregation. Then, two weeks ago, I heard from an old friend at a church I served 22 years ago. She said she was reading a book on the seven last words of Jesus, and she felt God put my name in her mind. She looked me up and found our church’s website. She clicked through it and watched the worship service. God used the sermon to really speak to her personal struggles at that moment.”

This woman is now a faithful worshiper as part of LaGrange Presbyterian’s internet church, Earley said, which has motivated the church to continue the online option, even after the quarantine is lifted.

Melinda Lawrence Sanders, session moderator at Woodland Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and a member of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, described what she sees happening with online worship at Woodland as “wonderful.”

Four years ago, Woodland’s pastor of 37 years retired, leaving about 30 faithful but primarily elderly members, Sanders said. The church worked with the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee to create a Training Hub model at the church. The “hubbers,” paid part-time ministry staff in their 20s and 30s, began planning worship, children’s activities, community outreach, and special events — even calling the plumber when necessary.

Just as the church started to make a profound turnaround from decline to growth with more than 40 new members in the past two years, tornadoes struck in 2019 and 2020. Those were followed by the global COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-March, Woodland had shifted to online worship services on Zoom.

“When we started the Zoom services, right from the beginning we had more than 50 in worship, a number of whom are parents who live in other states and love having the chance to worship with their children,” Sanders said. “Eight people attended a new member class — most, if not all of whom will be joining the congregation within the coming week. Amazingly, some had attended only a few times before the pandemic forced the closure of in-person services.”

Established in 1858, Woodland Presbyterian Church’s current building was completed in 1918, the same year the Spanish Flu pandemic began. (Contributed photo)

Sanders heard a member of the Woodland family say recently, “It’s nice to have worship where we all look at each other instead of the back of each other’s heads!” She wonders how to continue that kind of community and connection after physical-distancing requirements are lifted and in-person services resume. Everything from how bulletins are distributed to how offering is collected to how the Communion elements are served will have to be re-thought once physical-distancing requirements ease.

The Training Hub at Woodland has helped some young people who had been planning to attend seminary discover they probably aren’t suited for ministry, Sanders said, while others have left to attend seminary or move into other ministry positions in other places. Woodland, a Matthew 25 church, is also a More Light Presbyterians congregation, a network of Presbyterians committed to LGBTQ+ equality.

Three miles from Woodland, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, an English-Spanish language congregation, lost its building to two fires in 2016. Now, members of Woodland and Eastminster join together for a monthly potluck, a fall festival and a combined worship service four times a year. This blending of congregations has been energizing to both.

“Woodland is a very unique place,” Sanders said. “We want it to be safe for an idea not to work.” She said the church is comfortable in acknowledging that new ideas may or may not work. Although Woodland does not currently have a full-time pastor, Training Hub staff or pastors who attend when they are not preaching elsewhere take turns preaching at Woodland.

“We had 70 on Zoom trying to sing [for Easter],” Sanders said. “It was all kinds of glitchy. We’ve learned to roll with the punches in creating community. It’s great when a dog or a cat appears on screen. Our need to laugh is pretty strong; it’s great.”

Woodland had an online Maundy Thursday service with BYOB&J communion (bring your own bread and juice) and a candle. Everyone was instructed to gather by the light of their computer, phone or tablet and a lit candle, which they blew out at the end of the service as the screen went dark. Everyone sat in darkness for a few moments without speaking, similar to leaving an in-person Maundy Thursday service in silence.

COVID-19 has changed many things, Sanders said. Prayer requests used to be things like, “Please pray for Johnny, he’s coming home from college.” Now, she said, the prayer requests are more serious: “I don’t have a job anymore” or “I’m scared my mom has COVID-19.”

The Training Hub’s newest initiative is something called “The Hope Dispensary,” stories of hope shared on Woodland’s Instagram account or emailed to a member. Stories come from a wide variety of sources and are meant to inspire hope. Recent stories posted include a moving company offering free moving services to anyone fleeing domestic violence, a man and his family who made 5,000 sandwiches to thank hospital staff and a man in California serving free coffee to his neighbors from the window of his home.

WCC NEWS: Webinar draws lively global audience seeking “how to be the church” when buildings are closed

Nearly 200 people from across the world participated in a livestreamed webinar organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 29 April with a lineup of speakers who shared insights in how churches across the world have quickly transformed their services because of COVID-19. 

As churches have been forced to close their doors and move services online, “we are doing it and testing it at the same time,” said Ingeborg Dybvig, communications director for the Church of Norway. “We have seen a lot of different solutions.”

Some of those solutions have been compiled and documented by the webinar’s keynote speaker, Dr Heidi Campbell, professor of Communication at Texas A&M University and director of the Network of New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies. Author of the newly released e-book, “The Distanced Church: Doing Church Online in a time of Pandemic,” Campbell said she has been very curious over the last two months to see how churches have adapted and adopted digital technology. “We have this unique interactive environment, so how can we leverage that?” she asked.

In a lively exchange of ideas, webinar speakers and online listeners shared practical examples from their faith communities.

In South Korea, Rev. Jonggoo Kim, senior pastor of Seshin Methodist Church in Seoul, said that not only did his church offer online services, but members also put together a socially distanced mask-making operation and, throughout the whole Easter season, will continue to craft cotton, reusable masks “to share the joy of Easter and the love of God, to distribute to our neighbors in need, to migrants and refugees, and even internationally."

In Germany, Rev. Ralf Peter Reimann, pastor and Internet Commissioner of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, said he has observed online services becoming more participatory as people feel more comfortable reaching out to each other online. “What we had to learn is a different way of doing church, and the key phase was ‘church-at-home,’ so this became the guiding principle,” he said.

Sharing an Orthodox perspective, Rev. Dr Nicolas Kazarian, head of the ecumenical department of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, spoke from New York City, currently one of the world's epicenters of the pandemic. He reflected that it’s not just the online connection that’s important, but the relationship behind that connection that is vital. “The service also has to represent some of the liturgical dignity of the church that you would expect if you go physically to church," he said.

A crucial question that emerged from the audience centered around the challenge of IT and communications in deep rural areas where vulnerable people may be cut off from online church.

Reimann, speaking from Germany, said “remote” church doesn’t always mean online. “In some rural areas, pastors printed out their prayers and put them up in local grocery stores,” he said. “It's the attitude that you want to go and bring church to people’s homes.”

As he moderated the discussion, Rev. Dr Mikie Roberts, WCC programme executive for Spiritual Life, expressed his joy at viewing dozens of real-time comments and questions from the audience. “We definitely know there has to be a webinar 2.0, another round so that we can address the issues that have emerged. For example, can we deal with a theology of online communion?"

Roberts, who closed the webinar with a prayer that drew a chorus of online “Amen’s,” added: “ I am certainly thankful for all who joined us.”

Watch the recording of the "Webinar on Churches’ ministry online"

“Webinar to inspire churches’ ministry online during a pandemic” – WCC news release 28 April 2020

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 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway.

Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press
Our visiting address is:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
Geneve 2 1211
Switzerland

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Did Jesus really descend into hell?

The Apostles’ Creed question that everyone ponders

April 29, 2020

Christ in Limbo, Fresco, by Fra Angelico (ca. 1442)

Of the 12 entries in our Book of Confessions, odds are you’re most familiar with the Apostles’ Creed. Every branch of Christianity’s family tree accepts it. It’s often recited at baptisms. But of its 110 words, four have tripped up Christians for centuries: He descended into hell.

Appearing between “crucified, dead, and buried” and “the third day he rose again,” “descended into hell” wasn’t originally part of the Creed. It was sometime around A.D. 400, in the writings of Rufinus, a monk and theologian, that the first mention of Jesus’ descent appeared. In A.D. 750, the Latin church made it an official part of the Creed.

But why add this line? It all depends on whom you ask.

Let’s start by understanding the definition of the word “hell” in Hebrew (sheol) and Greek (hades). Both translate to mean “land of the dead.” So, like Rufinus, some folks believe that this clause simply means that Jesus, being fully human and fully divine, experienced a true human death. Critics of this view, though, ask why it was necessary to include it in the Creed.

Others argue that “hell” refers to Gehenna, a valley outside of Jerusalem that was originally used for child sacrifice and later used as a garbage dump, which became Hebrew “shorthand” for a place of everlasting punishment. Further complicating matters, Gehenna advocates have different views on why Jesus would have gone there:

• To suffer the consequences of human depravity. Thomas Aquinas held this view, but critics argue that Jesus’ statements on the cross (“Today you will be with me in paradise” and “It is finished!”) contradict it.
• To preach the gospel, thus giving hell’s inhabitants a second chance at salvation. This view is based on a particular reading of Ephesians 4:8–10 and 1 Peter 3:18–20, where the Scriptures seem to indicate that Jesus might have visited the lands of the dead to save those who were there. Critics say this view forces an interpretation originally not intended.

Other views, including John Calvin’s, assert that “hell” shouldn’t be understood literally. Instead, Jesus’ separation from God on the cross constitutes ultimate suffering.

So what do Presbyterians believe about Jesus “descending into hell”? All of the above … none of the above … some combination of the above.

While we might not necessarily agree on the meaning of this phrase, we can agree on the role it plays as part of our confessional heritage.

As Presbyterians, we take a Reformed view of the Bible and the church’s creeds. In the words of our ordination vows, “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments [are], by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to [us],” and we “receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do.” That’s a lot of fancy language that means we believe that the Bible is the authority by which we understand and live out our relationship with God and each other. Scripture gets the final word. Our confessions serve as conversation partners. They come out of specific contexts, giving us snapshots of how those siblings in Christ in those times and places understood what being Christian meant. For example, the Reformer Theodore Beza didn’t agree with John Calvin, as he preferred to omit “he descended into hell.” Calvin kept it.

Creeds aren’t supposed to give us all of the answers. Rather, they help us ask better questions. They drive us back to the Bible, where, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can encounter the love of God expressed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that, regardless of our own understanding of Jesus’ descent, is our takeaway from these four words in the Apostles’ Creed. By reciting these words, we affirm that Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to make — and be — the ultimate sacrifice for us. We celebrate that there’s nowhere devoid of God’s grace and mercy. And we rejoice that death no longer has the final say.

Jodi Craiglow, Ruling Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Libertyville, Illinois

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Nathaniel Carter, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Katie Carter, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Loving God, continue to challenge us to grow in faith, always remembering to be grateful for the foundation you provide. May we be ever open to learning and sharing in your work in our world. Amen.

Answering God’s call to work with refugees in Greece

Mission co-worker Nadia Ayoub sees light in the darkness

by Kathy Melvin | Presbyterian News Service

Before physical distancing, Nadia Ayoub meets with a group of refugee women to do some baking and informal worship. (Contributed photo)

LOUISVILLE — In the fall of 2015, mission co-worker Nadia Ayoub was attending a conference with colleagues in Budapest when the city’s Keleti train station became the epicenter of the refugee crisis overwhelming Europe. She could not forget the images of children sleeping on cardboard, families with not enough to eat and the pervasive fear of what would happen next.

At that moment she felt a strong call to work with refugees.

Then working with the Roma people in Ukraine, she has moved to the city of Katerini on Greece’s mainland to serve in partnership with Perichoresis, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) global partner that works to alleviate some of the hardships suffered by refugees.

Perichoresis provides housing and support for approximately 550 refugees in 115 apartments in Katerini. Initially people were taking refugees into their homes. But it quickly became apparent that was a temporary solution.

In 2015, the Keleti train station in Budapest was the epicenter of Europe’s refugee crisis. (Photo by Burkhard Paetzold)

“When refugees had to camp out in Idomeni, Greece, on their Balkan route trail in 2015, members of the Evangelical Church in Greece rediscovered their own forced migration story from 100 years ago and decided to organize support,” said Burkhard Paetzold, Presbyterian World Mission’s regional liaison for Central and Western Europe.

Now their expanded programs include a nursery school, sports activities, and socio-therapeutic groups for children, adolescents and women. It also supports refugees with medical appointments and visits with lawyers.

Before forced isolation from the pandemic, Ayoub accompanied pregnant women and children to doctor’s appointments to facilitate communication and be an advocate. Currently she serves as a translator. She speaks Arabic, English, Russian and Hungarian, and her Greek vocabulary is expanding rapidly.

According to the International Rescue Committee, the refugee population in Greece is about 50,000 — more than 38,000 on the mainland and more than 11,000 on the islands. Over half are women and children and of those, about 3,000 are traveling alone.

Ayoub says she sees God at work in the families she assists.

The Fouad family, with whom she has an ongoing relationship, has just left Greece after five years to seek asylum in Germany. Perichoresis helped the family, with five children, find housing, and the father a job with a restaurant. He began by doing cleaning; then the owner trained him to work in the kitchen. Before he left, he was preparing traditional Palestinian dishes on a regular basis for the customers.

In early March, the Evangelical Church in Athens received a message about a single Syrian refugee woman with two children who was depressed and needed help but spoke only Arabic. The church sent her information to Nadia to so she could communicate with her. Arabic is Ayoub’s native language.

“Every day I sent her a message and asked about her and her children,” she said. “The messages included some Bible verses and Christian songs. I thank God that he encouraged me to keep talking with her, and little by little she started to be comforted. One day, she sent me a joyful message to thank me for writing to her every day and caring for her and her children. Early one morning she sent me a Bible message for the first time. I trust the Lord is helping her and she is on her way to complete healing.”

Ayoub said refugees lost job opportunities during the agricultural season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many in need of food. The Greek government promised grants, but refugees are not eligible. The Karypidis family, a Greek family she sometimes helps with translation, was disappointed they could not invite refugee families for an Easter celebration. Instead, they distributed food to the 20 families under their care. The grandfather of the family wrote small messages in Greek; Ayoub translated the messages into Arabic to include with the food packages.

“Because most people do not plan to stay in Greece, I wondered if I could create a lasting ministry with impact,” she said. “These examples show me that I can. I really am seeing the goodness of God in this land.”

Her work with Perichoresis, Ayoub believes, is part of the Matthew 25 call. “We welcome strangers into our homes and offer them shelter, food and other things they need,” she said. “They are acting as God’s hands and feet to take care of the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters as Jesus taught in Matthew 25 — what (we are) to do while waiting for the kingdom of God to come. The Greek Evangelical Church has set an example for all.”

Ayoub asks U.S. Presbyterians to keep Perichoresis in their prayers.

“I urge PC(USA) congregations to pray fervently for Perichoresis staff because they are the ones who keep it going in the right direction. Also, I humbly ask for your continued support for me so that I may continue to serve God with this God-founded institution,” she said.

Born into a Christian family in Egypt, Ayoub immigrated to the United States with her family in 1985. Before she left Egypt, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Ain Shams University in Cairo and a Bachelor of Science degree in Christian theology from the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo.

She believes her call to serve refugees is rooted in her own experience of being a stranger in the many places she has called home. Immigrating from Egypt to New Jersey necessitated learning a new land and culture, as did the many years she spent in Central Asia and Ukraine.

“As I think about my call to serve among refugees and strangers,” she said, “I see I was that stranger not once but many times. And God has always provided individuals and communities to welcome me. I only can give thanks to God and pray I will be able to welcome others and make them feel at home in strange places.”

Give to the Peace & Global Witness Offering to support the peace and reconciliation work of church partners through World Mission.

News from Presbyterian World Mission – April 2020

Mission Matters The Rev. Everdith "Evie" Landrau, coordinator of the Young Adult Volunteer program, writes about ways young adults are leading during this time of crisis. Read mission matters →

All mission co-workers are safe in the US or are sheltering in place When it comes to keeping mission co-workers safe in the face of a global pandemic, there is no one-size-fits-all decision. Each situation is different, and each decision is individual. (Photo provided to Leslie Vogel) Read more → COVID-19 impacts overseas Filipino workers Migrants are one the most vulnerable groups identified in the COVID-19 crisis, but especially so in the Philippines, where about 10 percent of the 100 million total population lives or works abroad because of poverty and lack of employment. (Photo provided by Rev. Cathy Chang, courtesy of global partners) Read more →

One mission co-worker’s vision for ‘Strong Kids’ Strong Kids/Strong Emotions is a play-based trauma resiliency program for Iraqi and Syrian refugee kids living in Beirut. (Photo by Scott Parker) Read more → Young Adult Volunteers rising to lead in a time of crisis While Luke Rembold isn’t grateful for the circumstances of the current COVID-19 crisis and the pain and fear it is causing, he is grateful for the way he sees Young Adult Volunteers responding. (Photo by Nathaniel Williams) Read more →

Support mission co-workers Your support of Presbyterian Mission makes these transformational ministries possible even in difficult times. This is a challenging time for the whole world, our mission partners, and our mission co-workers. Your continued support of Presbyterian World Mission is as essential as ever. (Getty Images) Give now → Promoting health in all areas of life in South Sudan during the coronavirus A few weeks before coronavirus, mission co-worker Kristi Rice joined a meeting of women to talk about community development. The women gathered in a circle after the church service, many of them holding young children on their laps. She started the discussion by reflecting on John 10:10, where Jesus expressed his intention to give us "life, and have it abundantly." (Photo by Elijah Luak) Learn more →

Subscribe to mission workers’ letters Would you like to receive all PC(USA) letter updates from mission workers? Now you can sign up to receive all the letters (or as many as you’d like to receive). Subscribe now → Global partners provide COVID-19 resources Presbyterian World Mission has compiled a live document that contains many messages related to COVID-19 and resources from our global partners. They wanted to share words of encouragement and compassion with U.S. partners during this difficult time. This document is updated regularly. (Getty Images) View the resources →

A paper chain built by Presbyterian generosity is unbreakable! Our Links of Love special giving challenge celebrates our united and collective impact toward making a difference in the lives of others around the world. Get involved today. Learn more →

Become a Matthew 25 Church Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. Matthew 25 is a bold new vision and invitation from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with over 460 congregations and mid councils that have already pledged to become a Matthew 25 church by working to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism and eradicate systemic poverty. We invite you to join us on this journey! Find out how →

In Remembrance: Stella Littleton Hillsman, 83 (Congo) Dates of service: 1965–1972 (4/15/2020) Louise Maxwell ‘Coffee’ Worth, 100 (Korea) Dates of service: 1953–75; 1982–84 (3/25/2020) Ruth ‘Kamuanya’ Patterson Phipps Metzel, 93 (Democratic Republic of Congo) Dates of service: 1949–72; 1981–91; 1999–2001 (3/21/2020) The Rev. Darius Leander Swann, 95 (China and India) Dates of service: 1948–64 (3/8/2020)

Coronavirus/COVID-19 — Latest church resources for congregations and members

You are receiving this email because you signed up to stay informed about PC(USA)'s mission work throughout the world. Presbyterian Mission, an agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 800-728-7228 | 502-569-5000