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Mission Yearbook
Children and teens swarmed around First United Presbyterian’s churchyard, their laughter and chatter almost as loud as the buzzing of the summer mosquitoes. Poles were scattered on the grass, as were piles of shapeless pieces of neon orange nylon, black tarp and Army green canvas.
At any given weekly meal and Bible study, or monthly worship at Faith Point Fellowship in Greensboro, North Carolina, the full scope of humanity is represented.
Workers were busy recently at the Sandy Beach Women’s Cooperative in Hopkins Village, a coastal community in southeastern Belize. This was a big day, not only for the women-owned and operated restaurant, but for the country’s Departments of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The top official was paying a visit to meet with members of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People.
One of our core beliefs as Presbyterians is that the more people involved in a decision, the more likely we are to figure out where God is leading us. That’s why so many teaching elders and ruling elders attend General Assembly. It’s also why Presbyterians spend so much time in meetings. We believe that many cooks only make the broth tastier.
The clouds opened up, dropping heavy rain and forcing members of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) to huddle under a thatch roof to meet with members of the Trio Farmers’ Cooperative in Belize. SDOP recently spent a week visiting villages in remote sections of the country to see how work has progressed in enterprises that have received SDOP financial support.
Living Waters for the World (LWW), the global ministry of Synod of Living Waters, has partnered with popular all-girl singing group Cimorelli to raise awareness of the world’s water crisis and LWW’s efforts to address it. The group’s youngest members, Dani and Lauren, along with their father, Mike Cimorelli, traveled to Cuba with LWW earlier this year to meet with partners there. Their resulting awareness campaign, which includes release of the song “Thirst for Life” and an accompanying music video, has generated an enthusiastic response. The video has received over 100,000 views worldwide.
As Jesus prepared to voluntarily sacrifice his life that we might have life, he said to the disciples, “No one has greater love than this — that one lays down his life for his friends.” Following the example of Jesus, many others have given their lives in their service in God’s kingdom.
A little more than six years ago, the families living in remote villages in the Toledo region of Belize were facing some serious problems. Children were undernourished, barely attending school, and there was little income to be made.
After months of unrest in Venezuela, the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela recently met in Barquisimeto, Lara, and issued a pastoral letter that “aligns with our understanding of the citizenship we are called to practice in this land of grace where we dwell and where the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela ministers.”
We pause today to remember and celebrate the brave action of the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. On that date the delegates voted to officially adopt the Declaration of Independence. A committee of five was tasked to have the text printed and dispatched across the 13 colonies as rapidly as possible. These copies departed Philadelphia on July 5.
