How Did We End Up Here? A Tribute to Dr. Melva Costen

A Letter from Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather, serving in South Sudan

Winter 2023

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“What would you think about signing up for the Young Adult Volunteer program and spending a year in Kenya?” I asked Shelvis. My face reflected the computer’s glow as I scrolled down the PC(USA) website in our apartment in Decatur, Georgia. My final year of seminary had nudged me to start looking for “what’s next?”

Shelvis, on the other hand, felt content. Serving as youth pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in College Park, Georgia, he appreciated the opportunity to work in the church he attended in high school. In addition, we just helped start a youth outreach program, and the relationships developing with families there meant a lot to us.

Dr. Melva Costen, Living History Film, Presbyterian Historical Society, 2014. (Source: PC(USA) news story Remembering Melva Costen)

“Let’s pray about it,” Shelvis responded. Later, he confessed that was his “spiritual” way of trying to avoid the topic. He hoped it would not come up again.

It did. So, we decided to take a step beyond praying and seek the wisdom of our elders. Consequently, we found ourselves at Paschal’s Restaurant across the table from Dr. Melva Costen, a well-respected leader in the Presbyterian Church.

Dining at Paschal’s Restaurant in the West End of Atlanta always felt significant. The stories of MLK Jr. and leaders of the Civil Rights movement eating there while planning steps towards bettering our nation still sit in the booths at Paschal’s. It felt like a sacred space.

“If you feel God has called you to the ministry of reconciliation,” Dr. Costen said, after listening to us pour out our hearts. “Then go to Kenya, learn from what the church is doing there with reconciliation, then bring what you learn back to us here.”

Cover of “Twenty-first Annual Black History Program” at Ascension Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale. PHS Pearl ID: 300372. (Source: PC(USA) news story Remembering Melva Costen)

Both incredible church leaders in their own right, Dr. Melva Costen and her husband, Rev. Dr. James Costen, cherished their deep connections with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). They partnered with the PCEA in the creation of a seminary in Kenya. Consequently, she knew firsthand the benefit of sitting at the feet of Kenyan elders, being strengthened by their experiences and faith.

In the U.S., Dr. Costen is known for her gifts in teaching and music. Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, where she served as Professor of Music and Worship, created The Costen Institute of Worship Leadership in tribute to her legacy. She also led the committee to create the Presbyterian hymnal in 1990 and taught as a visiting professor at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Reflecting back on church history, the Presbyterian Church in the United States split in 1861 over the issue of slavery. In 1983, a worship service was held to reunite the two denominations. Dr. Melva Costen directed the choir for that historic occasion.

While highly accoladed for her musical talent, it was Dr. Costen’s missiology that changed the course of our lives. During our time of discerning international ministry, we carefully listened. Many voices from the church articulated mission as a way the U.S. church helps people in developing countries. Alternatively, Dr. Costen spoke about the mutuality of mission, affirming the inherent value of all members of our global community. Even more, she realized the critical importance of the U.S. church learning from sister denominations in other parts of the world.

Rev. Dr. James Costen and Dr. Melva Costen (Source: PC(USA) news story Remembering Melva Costen)

After our Paschal meal, Shelvis was on board. We applied, interviewed and packed our bags for Nairobi, Kenya. Our one year evolved into 15 years in the region of East Africa. It didn’t take us long to recognize we needed more time to learn about reconciliation from the church in East Africa. Seeking to honor Dr. Costen, we have tried to share with U.S. congregations about the incredible peacebuilding work we witness, about radical forgiveness, and about the transforming miracles of truth and justice. 

I can’t think of a conversation that has had more influence on the course of my life than the one shared over soul food with Melva Costen. We are deeply saddened that we will not be present to mourn her recent passing on the September 8 and to celebrate her life among her loved ones in Atlanta. Her legacy challenges me to take the time to sit with young people, to share a new mindset and a new way of valuing others in our local and global community. For some, it may alter the course of their lives. To God be the Glory. Amen.

For more information, please visit pcusa.org/news/2023/9/13/remembering-melva-costen.

Please read this important message from Director of World Mission Rev. Mienda Uriarte

Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Matthew 25:34-36

Dear friends,

Great things are happening in World Mission! As you know from the letters you’ve been receiving, our mission co-workers are at the forefront of showing us what Matthew 25 looks like in the U.S. and in the wider world. They are addressing issues related to eradicating systemic poverty, building congregational vitality and dismantling structural racism. Together with our partners, mission co-workers are engaged in life-transforming ministries in 80 countries around the world. Here are just a few examples:

As an education consultant in the Democratic Republic of Congo, José Jones assists the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) education department in the development, implementation and evaluation of strategic plans to strengthen the church’s primary and secondary education programs for more than 350 schools.

Based in Manila, Rev. Cathy Chang works closely with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and other partners in ministry to engage programs and networks across Asia that advocate for people vulnerable to forced migration and human trafficking.

Nadia Ayoub works alongside our Greek partners as they faithfully hold to the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Nadia serves with Perichoresis, a ministry of the Evangelical Church of Greece that provides housing and support to refugees; most of whom have come to Greece from Arabic-speaking countries.

Joseph Russ strengthens and supports a network of partners working in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to address migration issues in the Northern Triangle. Based on the needs people on the ground identify, Joseph empowers U.S. congregations to engage in advocacy related to Central America and immigration reform.

Revs. Drs. Noah Park and Esther Shin serve as professors at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC). ETSC graduates work toward revitalizing congregational ministries in Egypt and work with refugee and peace ministries in various countries in the Middle East.

Please consider giving an extra gift this year to support our mission co-workers as they walk alongside our partners and help shape a more life-giving, equitable and hopeful world!

Prayerfully,

Rev. Mienda Uriarte, Director of World Mission
Presbyterian Mission Agency
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

To give online, visit https://bit.ly/23MC-YE.

Honorary gifts can be made by checking the box and writing the mission co-worker’s name in the comment field online.