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Wednesday, May 18, 2022
WCC NEWS: Latest issue of International Review of Mission continues focus on “Christ’s love: mission and unity”
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Today in the Mission Yearbook - The power of solitude
An ancient practice remedies busy life
May 17, 2022
Getty Images
Movie theaters and concert venues have reopened, and my social life has become colorful again. After experiencing pandemic social distancing, I can mingle in a crowd and exchange appreciative comments and nods. As social animals, we are driven to connect and congregate. Yet the Christian faith also makes a strong case for the spiritual practice of solitude: If you want to find your life, you need to lose it by stepping back from the crowd, by doing less and by doing with less.
The church has scheduled an annual observance of solitude for us called the season of Lent. What can the beginning of Lent tell us about the benefits of solitude that we might have forgotten after having an unwelcomed season of COVID-19 solitude?
The Lenten season began in the late fourth century when Christians were no longer persecuted for their faith. They no longer had to meet in secret. And they no longer had to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit to join the church. In short, most people were Christians in name only. So, a small group resolved to do something about the lax attitude they witnessed. They sold their possessions and gave to the poor. They lived in the wilderness in the style of John the Baptist: eating what the land offered and spending much time in prayer. Above all, they practiced silence, solitude and simplicity.
Soon these communities of loners made headlines in the ancient world. Bishops made the journey to see these solitary wise ones for themselves. What they discovered was people who had little in terms of physical comforts, yet they had what traditional Christians back home lacked: Their faces were radiant. Upon their return to their parishes, bishops scheduled a season prior to Easter where Christians were to live like those desert folk.
My social life has become colorful again, but I cannot forget the important need for practicing solitude. We need this holy time — and we need not wait for Lent to have it. Start by making intentional time for solitude. Turn off all electronic devices for half a day. Set aside time when you make phone calls and answer emails, rather than sprinkling them throughout the day. Now that you have made the time, try sitting and not doing any other activity except becoming more aware of Christ alive in you.
Practicing solitude is not about being alone, but about being more present to God. The church had good reason for implementing the practice of solitude. By it, we once again recover a sense of joy and peace.
The Rev. Dr. Annemarie S. Kidder; Pastor of Pennfield Presbyterian Church, Battle Creek, Michigan; Author of several books on spiritual practices, including “The Power of Solitude: Discovering Your True Self in a World of Nonsense and Noise.”
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Paul Seebeck, Communications Strategist, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Jonathan and Emily Seitz, Mission Co-workers serving in Taiwan, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
Dear Lord, sustain us as we seek to sustain each other in the beauty of your kingdom, with the bounty of your earth, amid the needs of your cities and through the fellowship of neighbors working together. Amen.
Monday, May 16, 2022
Minute for Mission: Palestinian Nakba Remembrance Day
May 15, 2022
Dr. Bernard Sabella (provided)
Like thousands of other Palestinians, my parents experienced dispossession and became refugees because of the Nakba (disaster) that befell the Palestinian people and society on May 15, 1948. Becoming refugees and seeing the disintegration of all that you used to love is a very difficult transition. Spiritual guidance and comfort are a resource that I witnessed both my father and mother use to recoup and go on. But it was not an easy process. I often accompanied my father to the nearby Holy Sepulchre where the saga of Crucifixion and Resurrection happened. Our home of refugee was just minutes away from the church and it became essential for my parents to reinvigorate themselves by visiting the church frequently to recover from the trauma of dispossession and refuge. The model that my parents offered was one of faith, despite all odds.
Palestine and the Palestinian people have been on the trek of transition since the Nakba day in 1948. The experiences of the first generation of refugees from the 1948 Arab Israeli war, which saw the disintegration of Palestinian society and the ingathering of the Jews in the nascent State of Israel, pointed to two opposed processes. On the one hand, there was rebirth, and on the other, there was death and disintegration. The essential question remains can these two conflicting processes be reconciled? Healing remains needed to reconcile to trauma and dispossession experienced by Palestinians. It is needed also as a means of acknowledging the narrative and pain of the other by the Israelis. Healing is a mutual undertaking and religion can have an instrumental role in the process. The model of my parents, and I am sure that of countless others, who reverted to their belief and faith to overcome remains to be explored by more Palestinians and Israelis.
Disasters, Nakbas, are part of our collective experience and recollection. Now that our world experiences conflict in Europe, the Old Continent, in countries of the Middle East Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Occupied Territory as well as in Yemen and Libya among others. With climate change and the millions affected in Africa and all over, we all need to learn from the lesson of Resurrection and to rise together to face the challenges of a world in crisis.
For us, in Occupied Palestine and in Israel, we have a particular challenge: how to make of Nakba day a day for coming together; acknowledging each other and overcoming decades of conflict and communal confrontation. We need each other, as our populations increase and as our land, the Holy Land, remains limited in its resources. Nakba day is not simply a day for recollection, but it is also a day that calls for recouping and for exploring ways towards a future of healing where occupation is no longer and where reconciliation becomes in order.
Dr. Bernard Sabella, Director of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches, retired associate professor of Sociology at Bethlehem University, living in Jerusalem with his wife, Mary
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Corey Schlosser-Hall, Deputy Executive Director of Visioning, Rebuilding and Innovation, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Jeanie Schmuckie, Legal Assistant, Presbyterian Foundation
Let us pray
As in the promise of Revelation 21:2–4 that the old order of things will pass and so in Palestine and Israel: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘This is our story’
The National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches holds its Jubilee Symposium
May 16, 2022
“This is Our Story” was the them of the Jubilee Symposium of the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches. (Contributed photo)
To celebrate the first 50 years of the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches (NCKPC), the organization held its Jubilee Symposium, “This Is Our Story,” last fall.
The hybrid event not only allowed for testifying to God’s faithfulness in the Korean American churches of the PC(USA) for the past 50 years, but also for envisioning the next 50 years of Korean American churches that serve and bless the third through fifth generations of Koreans.
Keynote speakers for the symposium included a fifth-generation Chinese American sociologist, third-generation Japanese American theologians, and first- and second-generation Korean American scholars. Through the keynote presentations and a panel discussion, presenters shared their stories and experiences for the future of Korean American churches.
Dr. Russell Jeung, co-founder of STOP AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) HATE and an expert on Asian American hate crime, addressed the issue of the rise of anti-Asian racism in the United States.
The Rev. Gun Ho Lee, pastor of the Greenville Korean Presbyterian Church in Winterville, North Carolina, and a member of the Jubilee Preparation Committee, said, “The 2021 Jubilee Symposium of the NCKPC provided an opportunity to enlarge the NCKPC’s tent through intercultural learning led by various Asian leaders. The organization was strengthened by intergenerational cooperation between the first-generation and the second-generation leaders.”
Lee says the symposium challenged the NCKPC to think outside of the box and do such things use English, not Korean, as the event’s main language. “The invitation of non-Korean, particularly other Asian speakers and most of all, the co-planning of the symposium between the first-generation and second-generation leaders, meant a great deal to the NCKPC,” Lee said.
The Rev. SuYoung Kim, education pastor of The Korean Church of Boston and also a member of the preparation committee for NCKPC’s First Jubilee Symposium, said, “As a first-generation pastor of a Korean immigrant church, this was an eye-opening experience for me. I now realize the power of our stories — the stories of great Korean Americans who left their birthplace and relatives, like many in the Bible, and made America their home in the face of many challenges. These are the stories of Asian Americans who had been discriminated against and condemned then later joined to build the country together and tried to become a part of the blessing for the country, and the stories of Asian American kids who look just like my kids (they are girls!) having grown into bold and bright leaders finding their own voices, places, and meaning in America.”
When asked what he thought was accomplished at the Jubilee, the Rev. Samuel An, senior pastor of The New Hope Church of Michigan, in Redford, Michigan, and a member of the group, replied, “Over the course of more than a year, many leaders of the Korean-American caucus [NCKPC] were praying and looking at where we had come from to discern our path for the next 50 years. We looked at our history and saw too much pragmatism and not enough prophetic self-critique within our churches. We repented of neglecting to work on generational divides, the marginalization of many women, the needs of those outside the church, and a lack of partnership with other churches. I believe the work of the committee did much to prepare the hearts of many leaders for the messages we heard during the symposium.”
“This Jubilee is a sign of hope for the future,” said Lee. “This means that the NCKPC is no longer a gathering of the first-generation pastors and elders, but it means that intercultural and intergenerational fertilization is possible.”
Many women played a key role in the planning and execution of Jubilee Symposium. Ruling Elder Hu Nam served as chairperson of the Jubilee Preparation Committee. However, there are not many Korean women pastoring Korean churches.
Lee said, “I do not think there is any theological problem with Korean women leading Korean churches. There are many good women leaders in Korean churches. It is a matter of very slow cultural transition from the first generation to the next. I am looking forward to seeing what happened in the PC(USA) in terms of women leadership happening in Korean churches, hopefully in the near future.”
To watch videos of the symposium, click here.
Gail Strange, Director of Church and Mid Council Communications, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Eileen Schuhmann, Mission Specialist, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Michelle Schulz, Administrative Manager, Information Technology, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Let us pray
Dear God, let us not become complacent in our daily lives but see instead the many ways we can reach out to others in our own community every day. Amen.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Minute for Mission: Fair Trade Day
May 14, 2022
Two Prophets Frame the Question
Farmer of the Café Justo coffee cooperative holds his picking basket as he explains the coffee growing process to a group of Presbyterians. (provided by Jessica Maudlin)
Ezekiel and Eduardo
Ezekiel, the Israelite, lived in depressing and politically volatile times, 590 years before Christ. A hundred years before he was born, his country was conquered, first by the Assyrians, later by the Babylonians. Eduardo Perez Verdugo, the coffee farmer from Chiapas Driven from his homeland in search of work, lived in depressing and economically volatile Times, 2000 years after the birth of Christ. Both prophets in exile speak with anguish about Their similar plights and both plead for justice as they search for a vision of hope amid despair.
Ezekiel, Prophet of Israel
The prophet Ezekiel had a tough job. He was called by God to prophesy to the people of Israel, who had been living in exile for longer than they wanted to remember. These were the People who longed to be on their own land, who wrote the song that says, “We sat by the Waters of Babylon and we wept. … How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” It was a very difficult time when Ezekiel was writing his “complaints.” His country was a poor vassal state of Babylon. People did whatever necessary to keep themselves and their families alive. Most were slaves working to support the economy of their captors. Many had Been forced to migrate from their homeland into Babylon in order to do the undesirable work spurned by the ruling class in Babylon. Burdened by their loneliness and their lack of ability to improve their lives, while also Missing their homeland and its deep spiritual history, the people understandably felt depressed, isolated and desperate. Their lives were bleak and marginal. They wondered if There was any hope.
In the midst of this oppressive situation, the God of Israel appeared to Ezekiel. The Lord took him to a broad deserted valley filled with bones of the dead, very dry and very dead Bones — symbolizing his very desperate and quite dead homeland, and asked him, “Ezekiel, Do you believe these bones can live again? (Is there any hope for your country and your People?)”
Sitting in that seemingly lifeless place, trying, probably without much success, to imagine A better future for his country, he answered, perhaps politely, perhaps sarcastically, “Lord, Don’t ask me. You alone know. I’ve got no clue.”
In that very moment, with very few viable options for the present and with the future totally Unknown, God and Ezekiel struggled with the most important and, perhaps, the right Question — the question that was on everyone’s mind, “Is there any hope?” And, in the very act of asking the question, the dream found a voice.
Eduardo Perez Verdugo, Prophet at the Border
Eduardo Perez Verdugo fled the lush mountainside of Chiapas in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch washed away much of his community. In a similar fashion, the dramatic fall in coffee and corn prices During the 1990s had already washed away much of the economic base of his community. The money he was making could barely provide for his children and wife and certainly could not be Stretched to cover the costs of rebuilding. Eduardo migrated over 2000 miles from Mexico’s border with Guatemala to the northern border town of Agua Prieta. He arrived in 1999 when there was still a lot of factory work available. Eduardo’s purpose was to earn enough money to rebuild His home in Chiapas and the church building that Hurricane Mitch Had destroyed. Eduardo found spiritual and material refuge with Lily of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Agua Prieta where he joined other people from the state of Chiapas who were also living In economic exile. Corn and coffee farmers, who had seen the prices for their products drop Dramatically in the early 1990s, had been drawn to the dry and dusty border town to find Employment. Agua Prieta offered people the prospect of being able To provide the basics for their families. Some brought their guitars and continued to sing The Lord’s song in this new and strange land — albeit in a minor key.
Just as the exiles in Babylon found a livelihood allowing them to provide for their families, So also the economic exiles who had fled their fields in the south of Mexico for the factories Of Agua Prieta found a livelihood. Like the exiles in Babylon, many of the economic exiles in Agua Prieta also longed to be home. This situation was a clear witness that “justice is not flowing like a mighty stream” in areas of the world where people can no longer support their families from the fruits of their labors. The majority of these folks left their lands, not because they wanted to live on the border or in the United States, but because the price they received for their coffee and farm products had fallen dramatically.
Eduardo estimated it would take him two to three years of working 48 hours each week, at $50 a week, to earn enough money to return to the land he loved so much. During one of his breaks from work, a friend invited him to go to Phoenix to work on a golf Course where he would get paid $10 an hour. Eduardo declined the offer. The next day this Friend insisted that he come, as his cousin had secured two jobs for them. Again Eduardo Declined. The third day, the friend asked Eduardo how long he thought it would take for Him to earn enough money in the factory to return home.
On Oct. 4, 1999, Eduardo joined a group of Mexico’s poor attempting to cross illegally Into the United States.
Three days later Eduardo was back at the church building In Agua Prieta, battered and bruised both emotionally and physically. He had not achieved the “American Dream.” The limp in his walk testified to the twisted ankle and the banged knee he suffered falling down an embankment during his Night hike. The scrapes on his face gave witness to the tight passage through the unforgiving mesquite forests of the Sulphur Springs Valley.
Eduardo’s pained expression pointed to scars deeper than the physical ones that were most apparent. His group had been chased by the Border Patrol and because Eduardo was already Injured, he was easily caught. He tried to explain to the agent that the same blood Ran through both of their veins And that both had the same need to provide for their families. Eduardo received a kick to his face and a boot on his neck for his efforts. Eduardo had experienced the Sulphur Springs Valley surrounding Agua Prieta and extending up into Arizona as a valley of very dry bones—a valley of despair, a valley of fear, a valley of division.
After he shared his experiences, Eduardo reflected, “Salir de nuestra Tierra es sufrir,” which means, “To leave our land is to suffer.”
He did not say, “Walking through the mesquite forests in the middle of the night and being scraped by the thorns is suffering.”
He did not say, “Falling down into a ditch, twisting my ankle and banging my knee is suffering.”
He did not say, “Being chased as a criminal and thrown down on the ground is suffering.”
He did not say, “Being kicked and having a boot placed on my neck with my face in the desert floor is suffering.”
He said, “To leave our land is to suffer.”
Experiencing forced economic exile was at the core of his suffering. All the other emotional And physical suffering paled in comparison.
Prophet’s Questions Frame the Vision
The most amazing thing about this conversation with Eduardo was that he did not stop with the phrase “To leave our land Is to suffer.” He continued on to say, “If only we could control the sale of our coffee, we would be able to stay on our land.” In the midst of Eduardo’s pain and suffering, hope bubbled up in his being, a hope that the bones could live again, a hope that not only he but his community would be able to return to their land and provide for their families once again. Still battered and bruised, Eduardo became a voice of the Spirit of the Lord saying, “Maybe — just maybe — these bones Can live!”
Eduardo’s question was now clearly framed. “Is there any way to change this situation?” “Is there any hope?” “Will it ever be different for us?” “Can we ever return home to our families?”
In the process of asking the question, Eduardo gave voice to a dream … That posed a Challenge … That framed a vision … That led to the creation of Café Justo, a fair trade coffee cooperative that offers farming families in Chiapas the opportunity to remain on their land and support their families with dignity.
Mark Adams, Mission Co-Worker with Frontera De Cristo, excerpted from the Just Coffee Story
Jessica Maudlin, Associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns, Presbyterian Hunger Program
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Elizabeth Sanders, Customer Service Representative, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Lee Sangik, Translator, Global Language Resources, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Let us pray
Dear God of Justice, forgive us for the ways in which we acquire goods without thought to the full human cost. We thank you for the prophetic voices that still speak to us today and makes ways for us to honor the dignity of our siblings. May our ears never close to your truth and our eyes never lose the vision for your Kingdom here on Earth. Amen.
Friday, May 13, 2022
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Session stands up to racism
School board letter gets noticed
May 13, 2022
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who was hanged for his role in seeking to overthrow the Nazi regime during World War II, once said, “Not to speak is to speak.” Yet the fear of losing members and pledges keeps many congregations silent when it comes to championing the causes of God’s hurting children. The Presbyterian Church of Deep Run in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, is not one of those congregations.
Last September, the elders of session voted to embrace one of the three Matthew 25 calls to action — dismantling structural racism — in a bold way. They wrote a letter to the local school board conveying their concern with the board’s decision to disband a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Rather, an ad hoc committee would be formed to explore if diversity was an issue in the predominantly white community. For the Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer, that “if” was unsettling. He shared his concern with his session during his pastor’s report. “I wanted to let my elders know that, as a parent, I was probably going to do something,” said Schondelmeyer. But when the elders responded with “What can we do as a church?” the pastor embraced the opportunity.
“We began talking about how we committed to dismantling systemic racism as a Matthew 25 church and that what we were seeing in our community was racism on full display,” said Schondelmeyer.
It was decided to write a carefully crafted letter to the school board, one that would hopefully begin what Schondelmeyer calls a “compassionate conversation.” The letter not only addressed the “embedded biases” but shared with the school board the church’s Matthew 25 commitment to work for racial justice. In addition to the school board letter, an op-ed piece was sent to the local paper.
Not everyone was thrilled with the church’s public statements. Within the congregation and without, the pastor received negative feedback. “Even the community’s ecumenical clergy group felt that the Presbyterian Church of Deep Run’s letters were too forward,” said Schondelmeyer.
Still, the positive outweighed the negative. The letters led to the church’s adult education offering a community discussion on race. More than 25 people attended, said Schondelmeyer. “I began hearing from others outside of the church, many thanking us for opening a space to have these talks. One person even thanked me for making it easier to talk about race,” he said.
As the Presbyterian Church of Deep Run moves forward as a Matthew 25 congregation, it is learning valuable lessons along the way. The congregation has discovered that the way to congregational vitality — another focus of the Matthew 25 vision — is often found in taking risks. Since the letters addressing structural racism within its community, the church has welcomed several new families, all under the age of 35. “Half of those who have recently joined us said they have come because of our church being active in public life,” said Schondelmeyer.
Donna Frischknecht Jackson, Editor, Presbyterians Today
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Yvette Russell, Vice President, Customer Engagement, Board of Pensions
Alicia Samuels, Vice President of eCommerce & Marketing & Flyaway Books Editorial, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Let us pray
God, tend to your seedbeds wherever you have planted them. When the wind blows, allow the plants to spread the goodness of your work in this world. Bring all your people and their worlds into your harvest. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Today in the Mission Yearbook - Church pays ‘royalties’ for use of African American spirituals
Honoring the contributions of formerly enslaved musicians
May 12, 2022
A detail of an African American monument along River Street waterfront in Savannah. Getty Images
A Boston news station recently shared a story about a Massachusetts church that came up with a unique reparation idea to undo the injustices to those men and women who authored the great African American spirituals in many a hymn book. Each time the choir sings such a spiritual, the church will pay a royalty. It is common practice for churches to pay royalties to publishers for the use of hymns, but according to the news report, Susan DeSelms, minister of music of the United Parish in Brookline, which came up with the idea, “the enslaved people who created this music were never rewarded for their art.”
DeSelms also noted that “there was a growing discomfort” among the predominantly white congregation around how to use these songs of the enslaved in a way that honored, respected and redeemed the past. DeSelms introduced the royalty idea in a sermon, sharing with worshipers the history of the spiritual, beginning in 1619 when the first Africans were brought to America as slaves, and continuing through to today. The royalty paid, she said, will be a special collection taken every time a spiritual is sung in the church. The money will be donated to a nonprofit youth music program in Roxbury, Massachusetts, that is devoted to carrying on the tradition of this music by teaching the songs to the next generation.
Presbyterians are intrigued by this idea and will start the new year exploring how to perhaps do likewise. Says the Rev. Adele Crawford, pastor of Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church in Kensington, Maryland, “What a fantastic idea for majority white congregations.”
Donna Frischknecht Jackson, Editor, Presbyterians Today
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Cindy Rubin, Administrative Assistant, Mission Engagement & Support, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Joseph Russ, Mission co-worker, Coordinator for Migration Issues, Advocacy & Mission with the Northern Triangle, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
God, as you sow seeds within our hearts, let us also reap love throughout the world by supporting those who need our help and serving others as Jesus did. Amen.
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