Today in the Mission Yearbook - World Mission’s Africa Area Coordinator discusses the value of education, especially for girls

The Rev. Cheryl Barnes addresses the Congo Mission Network

May 29, 2024

The Rev. Cheryl Barnes

The Rev. Cheryl Barnes, Africa Area Coordinator for Presbyterian World Mission, recently delivered an engaging address on education during an in-person and online gathering of the Congo Mission Network.

Barnes, who’s been on the job for less than a year, called her talk “The Value of Education, Especially for Girls.” Barnes touched on the years she spent as education facilitator for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, working with educators, children, their families and other stakeholders in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“The scope of my call was expansive. I had no one to follow; I had to figure it out,” Barnes said, adding that her work “was not different than the Black missionaries who came before me,” including Maria Fearing. After her appointment by the American Presbyterian Congo Mission in the early part of the 20th century, Fearing provided room and board to orphaned girls. “Notice she went to Congo at age 56,” Barnes said, displaying a slide. “You’re never too old, amen?”

The Malawian schools Barnes and others worked with were “chronically understaffed and overcrowded,” she said. Some had a student-teacher ratio of 100:1. Books were in short supply, and desks for primary school students were almost unheard of. The primary-age dropout rate was 40%, she said.

The plan was to partner with the CCAP, educators, students, parents and community leaders to identify the most pressing issues in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe and then work at whatever was limiting student success.

“Then the pandemic hit,” Barnes said. “It hit us like a runaway train going at full speed.”

As in other nations around the world, the closure of schools in Malawi “was the immediate and appropriate response to control the spread of the coronavirus,” Barnes said.

In places including the United States, older people were particularly hard hit by Covid, but in Malawi, “it was mostly children who endured the greatest hardships,” Barnes noted. Options for virtual learning were generally not available. “It seemed like a futile proposition to be given an assignment to improve education in a country like Malawi when the global pandemic was preventing any classroom learning from occurring,” said Barnes, who used much of the pandemic to build relationships and identify priorities among education partners.

“That was the origin of the Educate Our Girls project,” Barnes said. “We cannot deny the fact that technology matters. Educators across the globe began to use Zoom to connect with one another.”

Barnes heard from education secretaries in four of the five Malawi synods in the CCAP that an increasing number of schoolgirls were getting pregnant once the pandemic began shuttering schools. Other concerns included the fact that 42% of Malawian girls are married before their 18th birthday and, according to UNICEF, nearly 1 in 10 wed before they’re 15.

After the eighth grade, education is no longer free for Malawian children. “The biggest hurdle for young mothers to return to school is finding the fees to attend class,” Barnes said. “We put our energy and focus on addressing this one issue.”

Girls who’d stopped attending schools because of their pregnancy and subsequent child-care needs were identified. When it came time to raise money to support Educate Our Girls, the Malawi Mission Network and Northeast Georgia Presbytery were instrumental, Barnes said. Extra Commitment Opportunities helped raise more than $12,700 over three years, enough to place 52 girls on scholarships.

“The negative consequences for girls who don’t complete their education are many. They may never be able to earn a living wage,” Barnes said. “When you educate a girl, more often than not they go back to their homes and teach their siblings, and they become role models for their communities.”

“We must improve and expand programs that address the retention of girls, financially support re-admission to school and encourage families to educate our girls,” she said. “I want our partners to know I understand the value of partnership. I support this amazing team of mission co-workers God has called to work in the Congo. I will walk alongside you to eradicate systemic poverty [through] education, especially for the girls.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Rev. Cheryl Barnes addresses the Congo Mission Network

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Todd Ingves, Vice President, Health & Well Being, Board of Pensions  
Jose Irizarry, Vice President, Education, Church Engagement, Board of Pensions  

Let us pray

Gracious God, you are always faithful. Thank you for sharing your vision of how a church can flourish. Help us to reach out to those in our community who need support and connection with you. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

WCC News: In Colombia, WCC executive committee will focus on life and witness of churches

From 6-11 June, the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee will meet in Bogota, Colombia, where the governing body will focus not only on the business of the WCC but also on absorbing the life and witness of churches at the heart of the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity. The Casa de Nariño, official residence of the President of Colombia. It houses the main office of the executive branch and is located in the capital city of Bogota. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 29 May 2024 The executive committee is meeting at the invitation of the Presbyterian Church in Colombia and in support of the churches’ involvement in peace-building and reconciliation. The programme includes discussion, visits, and celebrations with the churches, communities, and government to learn more about the work for total peace in Colombia.  The meeting is a significant encounter on the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity. “The reason for our intuitive agreement to bring the WCC executive committee to Colombia is part of our mission as WCC,” said Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee. “We acknowledge the important role the churches are playing in the peace process and we feel a great readiness to do whatever we can to support all those who are engaged overcoming conflict and violence in Colombia.” The business agenda includes receiving 2023 narrative programme reports and audited financial reports, and monitoring the implementation of WCC strategies, 2024 plans, and budget and planning for 2025. The meeting is hosted by the churches and ecumenical partners in Colombia, including DiPaz, a national ecumenical platform of churches and faith-based organizations that promote dialogue for peace in Colombia. The Swiss ambassador will host a welcome reception for the executive committee with different embassies, representatives of the Colombian government, and church leaders. The spiritual life includes prayer each morning with different churches. The Colombian Ministry of Interior, through the Office of the Deputy Minister for Social Dialogue, Equality, and Human Rights, will host a session on the importance of international engagement for peace-building and social cohesion. Also on the agenda is monitoring the implementation of WCC strategies, the 2024 budget, programme work, membership matters, and the Green Village property development project. The executive committee will also issue statements on public issues affecting the life and witness of the churches. In 2023, the WCC, with the Colombian Episcopal Conference, United Nations Mission in Colombia, and Organization of American States, has been appointed as a permanent accompanier for peace talks with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) FARC-EP. During the executive committee meeting, Dr Humberto Martin Shikiya, WCC special envoy for the peace process in Colombia, will lead a session presenting the work of the WCC, churches, and partners in the peace process. WCC at peace dialogue table with UN Security Council in Colombia (WCC news release, 15 February 2024) WCC sees firsthand those most affected by conflict in Colombia (WCC news release, 15 December 2023) WCC general secretary speaks before Colombian senate (WCC news release, 15 December 2023) WCC appointed as permanent accompanier in Colombian peace talks (WCC news release, 21 September 2023) 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 352 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC News: Global webinar will launch Season of Creation 2024 Celebration Guide

The official Celebration Guide for the Season of Creation 2024 will be launched online on 5 June at 3 pm CEST. The live streaming in English will be available on YouTube. Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French interpretations will be available via Zoom for registered participants. Photo:  Albin Hillert/WCC 30 May 2024 Dr. Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant on Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice, emphasized the importance of this event: “The Season of Creation is a time for the global Christian community to come together and renew our commitment to caring for our common home. This guide will inspire and equip us to make a tangible impact in our communities.” This year’s Season of Creation 2024 theme, "To Hope and Act with Creation," calls participants to reflect on the biblical message of "The Firstfruits of Hope" (Rom 8:19-25), emphasizing our active role in praying and caring for our planet as we strive for a better future amidst current ecological challenges. Promotional materials, including flyers organized by language are available for widespread distribution. Register for the webinar here More information about the Season of Creation Season of Creation website 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 352 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Loving our enemies is not only possible — it’s what Jesus requires of us

The Rev. Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr. delivers a compelling sermon to the PC(USA)’s national staff

May 28, 2024

Photo by Jamez Picard via Unsplash

Fittingly, a recent chapel service put on by Presbyterian Publishing Corporation staff featured a thoughtful and challenging sermon by an author published in November by Westminster John Knox Press.

The Rev. Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr., Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at the Candler School of Theology, wrote “Hope is Here!: Spiritual Practices for Pursuing Justice and Beloved Community.”

Smith based his sermon, “Loving Our Enemies,” on Luke 6:27–36.

When they were told by Jesus to love their enemies, “What do you imagine the disciples thought and felt upon hearing this? What do we think and feel?” Smith asked. “I suspect the disciples are confused and perhaps dismissive.”

As for those of us who have lived most of our lifetime with this teaching — what is our response? “Do we believe it? I’m not asking, do we believe Jesus believed it? Do we believe it?” Smith asked. “Are our lives being lived as an example of this teaching?”

Hate is, he stressed, “a poison. It not only causes our enemies to suffer and be destroyed, it causes us to suffer and to break God’s heart. … Jesus’ teaching to love your enemies is a fundamental teaching for his disciples. This is not an elective. Neither is it just an aspirational command for some distant future.”

He asked those gathered for worship: How do you choose to relate to your enemies?

“You have them. All of us do,” Smith said. Some people can’t stand us because of what we believe, what we’re accomplished, what we have or don’t have, who we love — or “we just look like someone they can’t stand,” Smith said. “We all have enemies. It’s been my conviction that if you believe you don’t have enemies, you don’t know enough people.”

The Rev. Dr. Luther E. Smith, Jr.

More than 60 years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had this to say about loving our enemies: “Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this command is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. Yes, it is love that will save our world and our civilization, love even for enemies.”

But how do we do it? Jesus instructs the disciples — and us — to pray for those who mistreat you, Smith pointed out. Starting today, Smith suggested that his hearers “struggle with it, persist with it and bring [our enemies] into the moments that we offer our hearts to God in prayer.” He suggested not praying like some of the psalmists who ask the Almighty to wipe out their enemies, but rather to pray for enemies. “Do we know how to do this?” Smith asked. “Even if we don’t, are we willing to try and to begin, both personally and in worship, collectively, gathered before God?”

“It is my prayer,” Smith said, “that we might be guided in understanding not only how to love our enemies, but to give our lives to loving our enemies — for the sake of our own faithful discipleship, for the sake of the world, for God’s sake. Amen.”

In his benediction, Smith asked God to shower blessing on those present that “renew us, enliven us, and provide for us what we need as we make every step in this Lenten journey toward Jerusalem to be who God has called us to be for all the places, for all the people, friends, and enemies that we encounter. We follow the One who instructs us. We follow the One who inspires us. We follow the One who knows us. We follow the One who is for us.”

The Rev. Marissa Galván-Valle, Dr. Sunkyoo Park and Jessica Miller Kelley, all of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, assisted in putting on the chapel service.

 Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Rev. Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr. delivers a compelling sermon to the PC(USA)’s national staff

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Sherri Hunter, Program Assistant, Ecumenical Relations, Office of the General Assembly 
Demetria Hurnton, Business Administrator, Benefits, Board of Pensions   

Let us pray

Lord our God, we thank you for calling us to be your people, and we pray that we may in gratitude extend your love to the many who still need your touch. We ask that you reveal your will for us daily and grant us the grace to yield to the prompting of your Spirit and to walk in your will. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Memorial Day is a day to remember and a day to mourn

The cost of war is seen in Ukraine

May 27, 2024

From Psalm 29 (The Message):

 God’s thunder spits fire.
God thunders, the wilderness quakes;
He makes the desert of Kadesh shake.

 God’s thunder sets the oak trees dancing
A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.
We fall to our knees—we call out, “Glory!”

 Above the floodwaters is God’s throne
    from which his power flows,
    from which he rules the world.

 God makes his people strong.
God gives his people peace.

Chaplain Kozachyn (provided)

War is neither necessary nor romantic. The deaths that come from war are needless and tragic. Those who give their lives in war may be remembered and honored for their selfless sacrifice, but the wars which brought their deaths are not glorious adventures. Our entry into war may at times be unavoidable but must never be sought. We mourn those killed in war on Memorial Day as we grieve the pain of loss and deprivation.

War in our world is a contradiction — we celebrate and rejoice in the redemption God has made available to all, the peace given through the love and grace of our Lord, and the strength we each can embody as we are filled by the precious Spirit. And yet, war remains even as we know sin and hatred are pervasive despite the very presence of God’s kingdom.

On this Memorial Day, we are reminded of the tragedy of war — we remember and give thanks for those who have given their lives in service to our nation. We have often advanced the cause of freedom and justice through taking up arms to defend and protect the oppressed.

But we are also reminded of the cost of war and the evil that produces it. We see in glaring detail the tragedy heaped on the people of Ukraine.

One loss in Ukraine not often mentioned is Maksym Anatolyovych Kozachyn, a military chaplain of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Ordained in 2000, Chaplain Kozachyn was leaving the Kyiv region when shot and killed by advancing Russian soldiers. The soldiers did not permit locals to remove his body from the car in which he was murdered.

The Ukrainian military has embraced chaplains and has made efforts to ensure all faiths are represented. Many chaplains of the United States and other nations have helped Ukraine develop a sense of chaplaincy. These servants play a critical role in ministering to the members of the besieged and outnumbered Ukrainian forces and have brought a palpable sense of the presence of God into the midst of great suffering and chaos. Chaplain Kozachyn gave his life seeking to be with his people.

Father Andriy Zelinskyy, SJ, the chief military chaplain of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said in a recent interview, “We find ourselves at a time when the greatest gift we have is in danger, that is, our humanity. “ 

On this Memorial Day, may we remember and mourn those whose lives have been lost in the tragedy of war. May we also remember God makes us strong and gives us peace through the precious humanity and sacrificial obedience of the beloved child — our Savior and Redeemer. May we seek to redeem all our humanity.

A Litany for Ukraine (written by Father Tim Cole, a retired British Army chaplain who is currently the rector of Christ Church [Episcopal], Georgetown, District of Columbia) 

The Litanist says
God of justice and peace, in the face of unthinkable violence in Ukraine:
We pray for the Ukrainian people in their struggle to retain liberty.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People    hear our prayer.
We pray that they may be spared from trauma, violence and death.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People    hear our prayer.
We pray that global leaders will stand firm,
doing all in their power to protect innocent human life.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for the peoples of Europe and of this nation,
that we may be united in our defense of liberty, justice and peace.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for Russian soldiers,
that they may act with restraint and compassion.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for the Russian people,
that they may reject aggression, violence and war.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for the safety of non-combatants.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for justice.

LitanistLord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.
We pray for peace.

Litanist  Lord, in your mercy,
People     hear our prayer.

A period of silence is kept.

 Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies supports more than 150 PC(USA) chaplains who minister in federal prisons, veteran administration hospitals, and as noncombatants in the military “that all may practice in peace.” Please visit our website at presfedchap.org or call (202) 630-6225 for more information.

Lyman Smith, Executive Director, Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies

Today’s Focus: Memorial Day

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Sy Hughes, Ministry Engagement Advisor, Ministry Engagement & Support, Administrative Services Group, (A Corp)  
Lacey Hunter, Manager, Finance & Administration, Director’s Office, Compassion, Peace & Justice, Presbyterian Mission Agency 

Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘Faith gets lived out in the world’

Presbyterian Hunger Program Coordinator the Rev. Rebecca Barnes is a guest on ‘Between 2 Pulpits’

May 24, 2024

The Rev. Rebecca Barnes (Photo by Rich Copley)

In turn, the Rev. Rebecca Barnes attended seminary, became a pastor and, in 2017, was named coordinator of the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Growing up with both parents serving as Presbyterian pastors and engaging and fun community activities including CROP Hunger Walks helped steer her toward the work she’s been doing for the past seven years.

“I always held” to the notion that “faith gets lived out in the world and our religious convictions should lead to a better world around us,” Barnes told the Rev. Dr. John Wilkinson and Katie Snyder during a recent “Between 2 Pulpits” podcast episode, available here.

Wilkinson, director of Ministry Engagement and Support, said much of the work the PHP and other ministry areas put in “is converting those impulses” of direct service into “more long-term” systemic reforms — working on the root causes of hunger even as, for example, a congregation offers a free weekly meal to anyone in the community who needs it.

Barnes cited two ministries that are working to cut away at the root causes of hunger and poverty. Based in Western North Carolina, BeLoved Asheville “does some distribution to make sure people have what they need,” Barnes said. “But they’re also building community and people power, so people learn skills to advocate for polities.” BeLoved Asheville has a food truck it takes to various Asheville neighborhoods. “They create the table around which people gather, break bread and share stories,” Barnes said. “BeLoved Asheville is a partner I get really excited about because they’re putting their hands and feet into the community and embodying the fight for food justice.”

 

The Rev. Dr. John Wilkinson

Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities uses the Congregation-Based Community Organizing model to uphold the rights of mobile home owners. Barnes said she’s learning the unhelpful impact that zoning laws can have on a community. “In a lot of neighborhoods, you can’t have multi-family units, tiny homes or mobile homes built,” she said. “That really furthers the racial wealth gap and economic inequality.”

PHP is “also walking alongside partners thinking about how environmental damage and climate change affect hunger,” Barnes said. In Yemen, where 17 million people potentially face severe hunger because of a civil war, a PHP partner “has done cool training of households to supply them with economic development tools,” Barnes said, including sewing machines, cameras and phone repair tools people can use to start a microbusiness.

Noting the Matthew 25 Summit that was held in January, Wilkinson asked Barnes about how building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty “come together in your work.”

“We know that there’s a need for movement-building and for empowering people to speak,” Barnes said. “Something like that can energize a congregation and give it a sense of vitality, because you’re going beyond the core group in your own church that cares about these things and all of a sudden, you’re building relationships in your state with people who also care about these issues. That can build a sense of your church’s relevancy and connection to the larger community issues.”

Katie Snyder

“When you’re looking to undo structural racism and attack systemic poverty, you’re really looking at a lot of the same things when it comes down to it: minimum wage, access to jobs and health care, transportation and education, and safe places for children to go,” she said. “Churches going down the route of understanding poverty pretty soon discover, ‘Oh, that is connected to racism. Let’s learn about that.’” She said PHP has connected with the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and World Mission “to help bring education and advocacy efforts to the church to address all of these, because they’re all connected.”

Snyder, the project manager for digital fundraising and interpretation in Special Offerings, asked Barnes about ways congregations “who have a passion” can also get involved in the work.

“It’s hard work and it’s long work,” Barnes said. “Don’t try to do it alone. We’re built for relationships.” It’s important to recruit “a core group of people” so that “it doesn’t rest on one person.”

Other editions of “Between 2 Pulpits” can be heard here.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Rev. Rebecca Barnes is a guest on ‘Between 2 Pulpits’

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Patricia Hoehn, Production Clerk, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 
Steve Hoehn, Manager, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group (A Corp) 

Let us pray

Lord, you have called us and sent us to serve. Open our eyes, our hearts and our church buildings to neighbors in our midst. Bless us with the diverse glory of your children; guide us to serve one another. In the name of your Son. Amen.