Deep into a conversation on courage and curiosity with the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty of the Presbyterian Foundation during Wednesday’s edition of “Leading Theologically,” the Rev. Dr. Asa J. Lee, president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, noted this truth about the plight of preachers everywhere: “People don’t like it,” Lee said, “when we preach the gospel that requires us to do things that we don’t want to do.”
For two decades, June 20th’s designation as “World Refugee Day” has drawn global attention to both the plight of refugees living on the edge of survival and their strength and courage. It is also a day to remember the promise made by 146 countries, including the U.S., to provide safe haven and long-term recovery to those forced to flee their homelands.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost. I hadn’t read this poem in years and so, when a friend recently included it in an email, it brought back memories.
Presbyterian youth worker Michelle Phillips felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“Recently some students skipped high school,” she said, her voice trailing off. Then she explained: Speeding, the students were in a tragic car accident. One of the passengers died; the other was in critical condition. The driver walked away without any physical injuries. None of the students were involved at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, Kansas, where Phillips serves as the director of youth and family ministry. But students in Overland Park wanted answers. They came to her asking, “Why did this happen? Why wasn’t the driver hurt?”
Rachel Kahindo’s calm demeanor concealed the distress in which she had left behind her family. Just 24 hours earlier, some 50 children, women and men had been hacked to death a mile up the road from where she lives in Beni, a rural town in the volatile East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was the deadliest attack since the militia had stepped up its activity two years before. Despite the traumatic events, Rachel had traveled to the provincial capital of Goma to be trained as a facilitator for trauma-healing in children. The nine-day event, which included a camp for 50 youngsters age 8 to 18, was organized by the Protestant Council of Churches in Congo (ECC) in collaboration with the DRC Bible Alliance. Rachel, the coordinator of women’s ministries of the Baptist church in the Beni district, met up with 28 ECC women leaders and schoolteachers from five provincial synods, who together represented 12 ECC member denominations.
Something is calling you, but you cannot see it. It leads you to a path and you follow it, until you come across a forest. You step to the edge and see nothing inside. It is neither dark nor light, but simply foggy. It is neither menacing nor inviting, simply mysterious. It is a path into the unknown. But something is pulling you toward it—something inside you that wants to keep going. And as you try to see where the path leads, you realize that the only way to know is to follow the trail and see where it goes.
