A Greeting from Scott and Elmarie Parker, with Elmarie serving as Regional Liaison for Syria, Lebanon and Iraq
December 2018
Write to Scott Parker
Write to Elmarie Parker
Individuals: Give online to E200504 for Scott and Elmarie Parker’s sending and support
Congregations: Give to D507569 for Scott and Elmarie Parker’s sending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery)
On the first Sunday of Advent, the worship leader of our International Church asked congregation members to share in their language how they say “Silent Night.” People responded in over a dozen languages representing people groups in countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. What a taste of Christ’s diverse body bearing witness to our Lord’s ways around this globe.
As we enter this season of waiting and of remembering afresh the gift of Christ’s light into the many places of darkness in our world and in our beings, we give special thanks for the reality of Christ’s body being present in so many contexts and countries. We are filled anew with hope to remember that we are not alone in our work, in our discipleship journey, in the living of our lives — for indeed, not only have we been given the gift of Christ’s Spirit, but we have also been given the gift of Christ’s universal body that our faith might be mutually encouraged by one another.
You are very much a part of that universal body, and we give thanks for you. Your commitment to joining with us in this shared work of bearing witness to Christ’s ways in the Middle East and in the United States is a daily encouragement to us.
We are looking forward to visiting with many of you during our coming time in the United States. Until then, please know how much your partnership through prayer, email correspondence, ministry collaboration, solidarity visits, and financial support mean to us and to our sisters and brothers in Christ in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. We thank you as well for remembering our work with a year-end gift, as you are able, to help us come to a strong finish in 2018, while laying a good foundation for 2019.
May Christ’s light fill you anew with hope and heart-courage this Advent and Christmas Season and into the coming New Year.
With all our gratitude and affection,
Scott and Elmarie Parker
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