Sharing and Learning About Mission

A Letter from Cesar Carhuachin, serving in Colombia

October 2019

Greetings from Louisville KY, friends and supporters of God’s mission in Colombia!

As you know, I am visiting congregations, presbyteries and church gatherings here in the U.S. until mid-November as part of my Interpretation Assignment, begun back in June. During these months, I have been so blessed; my ministry has been enriched by being able to witness all the mission work that PC(USA) churches are doing locally and globally and in different creative ways.

In August I attended Big Tent in Baltimore, MD, where I had the chance to reconnect with many of my friends and colleagues in ministry. I was touched by the morning Bible studies with Dr. William P. Brown, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, and the evening messages preached by several brothers and sisters from different ethnic backgrounds. I am grateful to the World Mission office for inviting me to attend this denominational gathering.

“Conditioning Days” for mission co-workers at the Presbyterian Center is a time when we meet with several World Mission staff members for updates, coaching, etc. I had my Conditioning Days the second week of August and found them very useful. World Mission staff play a key role in our work as mission co-workers. I cannot express how thankful I am for their support of my ministry. When you pray for mission co-workers, please pray for Louisville staff too.

Also in August, I visited a Spanish Baptist congregation in Matthews, NC, “Comunidad Evangélica Internacional La Red” (affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship), which meets at a Methodist church and is ministered by Rev. Richard Contreras. I preached two Sundays on “Migration and Christian Faith.” I was impressed by the life of this church, which is made up 100% of immigrants of different Christian backgrounds. This is a vibrant congregation, very involved in local and global mission and focused on relationships. Please pray for this congregation and other Spanish-speaking congregations that nurture the faith of immigrants of diverse Christian backgrounds.

I visited two congregations in the great state of Iowa: Northminster PC in Ames (August 25) and Trinity PC in Clarinda (September 1). I learned much about the huge local mission work of the Missions Committee of Northminster PC, where I preached and had plenty of good conversation time about God’s mission in Colombia. Jan Beran, who with her husband George served as a mission co-worker years ago in the Philippines, shared with me some comments overheard in the congregation during my visit: things like, “I really liked his sermon”… “He helped us to focus on the Great Commission in today’s society”… “I was so pleased to hear about Colombia and its challenges.” I am thankful to God for this church and others like it that are making a difference in their community. Trinity PC is a partner congregation that has supported my ministry in Colombia without even ever having met me. For this reason, it was good for me to come and talk with them in person and thank them for their faithful support.

On September 8, my birthday, I visited Westminster PC in Madison, WI, a church with great commitment on mission. I thank Rev. Scott Anderson for the invitation to preach and share after the service about God’s mission in Colombia, and for the opportunity to learn about this vibrant congregation and its ministry in the community and beyond.

Also, I shared with some students and faculty at McCormick Theological Seminary what God is doing in Colombia in a Global Issues lunch conversation. McCormick is a partner institution of the Reformed University of Colombia, where I am serving. It was great to know that the people there know about the Peace Agreement in Colombia and are deeply interested in current challenges faced by Latin American countries.

Lastly, I visited Rev. Dr. Quentin Small, a retired pastor in Franklin, IN, and his wife Patricia. Since 1965, Rev. Small has led several mission trips to Colombia and other Latin American countries, connecting his parishes with churches in those countries. I praise God for his life and ministry and for the way he has shared his passion for global mission. He and other former members of his mission teams have supported some congregations in the Colombian Presbyterian Church. He and his family are involved in global mission. What a wonderful example of involvement! Please pray that other pastors will get involved in global mission.

I want to request your prayers as I continue with my Interpretation Assignments into mid-November. I am staying at the Furlough Home on the Louisville Seminary campus and am driving from there to my host churches. Also, I ask for your prayers that I will be able to sell the car I bought this past June for these six months of Interpretation Assignment.

Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support of God’s mission in Colombia. Your support is key for my ministry. If you would like to be a partner congregation in this mission adventure, please visit my page at World Mission: www.pcusa.org/cesar-carhuachin.

Peace and Grace.

Please read this important message from Sara Lisherness, interim director of Presbyterian World Mission

Dear friend of Presbyterian Mission,

Greetings in Christ! As the interim director of Presbyterian World Mission, I am grateful to have the opportunity to thank you for your continued support of PC(USA) mission co-workers.

The enclosed newsletter bears witness to some of the many ways in which God is at work in the world through long-standing relationships between global partners and the PC(USA). These partnerships are nurtured and strengthened by the presence of mission co-workers in over 40 countries; you are an important part of this partnership too, as you learn about and share how our church is involved in global ministry; as you pray for our partners and mission co-workers; and as you take action to work with others for God’s justice, peace and healing.

I write to invite you to continue joining us in partnership in three ways. First, your prayers are always needed. Please pray that God will continue guiding the shared work of the PC(USA) and global partners as we engage together in service around the world. Pray, too, for mission co-workers, that they may feel encouraged in the work they are doing under the leadership of global partners.

Second, please consider making a year-end gift for the sending and support of at least one mission co-worker. There is a remittance form at the end of this letter and an enclosed envelope so that you can send in a special year-end gift.

Finally, I encourage you to ask your session to include one or more mission co-workers in your congregation’s mission budget for 2020 and beyond. PC(USA) mission co-workers’ sending and support costs are funded by the designated gifts of individuals and congregations like yours; your gifts allow Presbyterian World Mission to fulfill global partners’ requests for mission personnel.
Faithfully in Christ,

Sara Pottschmidt Lisherness
Director, Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry
Interim Director, Presbyterian World Mission