Midweek service commemorates UN Day and highlights PC(USA)’s New York office
by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service
Sue Rheem heads the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. (Photo by Randy Hobson)
LOUISVILLE — Praying for world peace and an end to the suffering of colonized people, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United States led the midweek service of the Presbyterian Mission Agency on the eve of UN Day.
Operating in New York City, hundreds of miles away from the national headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is one of the PC(USA) advocacy offices working for positive change on a global scale.
“We are here to be the conscience and the moral voice for the UN, the work that happens across the street, to give voice to the voiceless and be a ministry of presence,” said Sue Rheem, who heads PMUN.
Rheem and others from the ministry area hosted the Wednesday service from Tillman Chapel at the Church Center for the United Nations. “It is a sacred space where religious and faith voices come together to declare our deep desire for peace and justice,” she said.
The service was a commemoration of UN Day (Oct. 24), which marks the anniversary of when the nearly 80-year-old United Nations came to be in 1945. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the role of the UN, Rheem said, at a challenging time when conflicts are raging in multiple parts of the world.
Bella Ramos (Photo by Alex Simon)
“Lord, be with those in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Sudan, in Ukraine, in Congo, in Venezuela, and with every nation and people who are suffering from the sins of violence, colonialism and injustice,” prayed Clare Balsan, PMUN advocacy associate. “Help us to hold space in our hearts for gratitude and joy as well as mourning and righteous anger. Convict us in your spirit to be bothered by the brokenness around us and to use our gifts and our voices to work towards a world in which your peace and your justice abound.”
Also taking part in the service were Young Adult Volunteer Bella Ramos and intern Connor Williams. He gave a brief message raising compelling questions about the church.
Connor Williams (Screenshot)
“Can the church actually respond with an answer to the crises that we face from war, the climate disaster, economic disparities, gender violence and the many other issues marking our generation? Simply, is the church still relevant?” Williams asked. “If we look at statistics of today, I believe the answer might be a bit bleak, as our church and our mainline traditions have been seeing a significant drop in membership.”
However, Williams said he finds hope in the spirit that inspired Apostle Paul’s words that everything old has passed away and there is reconciliation through Christ.
“Our duty, our relevance, is rooted in our ministry of reconciliation,” he said. Having been entrusted to inspire newness and seek renewal, there is hope that “we are the future.”
In prayer, Ramos said, “The church is alive because we are alive because your spirit is alive in us” and “justice lies in our capacity to respond, to be hands deep in the ground, tending to both people and planet.”
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is one of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.