One Body, One Spirit

A Letter from Jieun and Myung Han, Regional Liaisons for East Asia

Fall 2023

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Dear friends,

In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:5

Since Jieun and I arrived in the U.S. on June 23, we’ve enjoyed sharing our works and stories in different congregations. We have visited two Korean-American churches in Michigan and Chicago, four non-Korean churches in Louisville, Indiana and New York, and a Synod gathering. We are going to visit one more Korean Church in North Carolina before we go back to Seoul, Korea. As we share our mission works and messages, we feel what it means to be in one body of Christ.

There’s one bad piece of news, however. The retina of my right eye became detached, and I will have surgery. It’s not a difficult surgery, but I must bend my head down for two weeks afterward. I am glad to find the right doctor to do it, and I will enjoy two weeks of good rest. I consider it as a payment for having connections in Christ. Thanks be to God!

Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

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.