For the first time in recent years, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program is hosting one of its Travel Study Seminars in the United States, focusing on a place that’s been in the headlines for a variety of reasons.
The Reformed Calvinist Church of El Salvador (IRCES) is a unique church partner. Though small in number, it is big in vision and commitment to the gospel. Grounded in their reformed identity, they are always making time to analyze and discern their call, based on the context in which they serve. From way south of the border, our partners are watching and anticipating the direct impact of U.S. immigration policy as they turn to longtime U.S. mission partners and confidants to ask, “What are you going to do about this? How can we face this together?”
In 1993, during a study abroad program to Central America, I visited El Salvador, a small Central American nation that had recently signed peace accords after more than a decade of civil war. In a unique exchange with Salvadoran youth, during a Bible study on the beach, we privileged, and somewhat sheltered North American college students were interrogated about our countries’ policies and forced to reflect on our own complicity.
In 1993, during a study abroad program to Central America, I visited El Salvador, a small Central American nation that had just recently signed peace accords after more than a decade of violent civil war. In a unique exchange with Salvadoran youth, during a Bible study on the beach, we privileged and somewhat sheltered North American college students were interrogated about our countries’ policies and forced to reflect on our own complicity.
At a critical juncture in the dialogue around immigration policies, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is working to shift the narrative from a legal perspective to a human one.
For more than 17 years, the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP), through its Joining Hands initiative, has been tackling the root causes of hunger and poverty. PHP staff recently gathered with representatives from several countries to look at the progress and where to go from here.
At last week’s World Mission Café, a GA 222 event, mission co-workers and staff, ecumenical partners, mid-council leaders and congregational representatives gathered to share stories of the joys and struggles of day-to-day mission partnership around the world.
Along the way Kathy nurtured partnerships and continued to build connections with others, leading her to participate, plan, worked behind the scenes at the Peacemaking Conferences. The Peacemaking conference has nurtured three generations of the Runyeon family as they educated themselves and those around about injustice, violence and what people can do to work for peace at home and abroad.
By Kristi Van Nostran, Mission Co-worker, RUMES, Joining Hands El Salvador This year marks the five-year anniversary of the Red Uniendo Manos El Salvador (RUMES), the Joining Hands Network of… Read more »
by Teresa Bidart It has been a long time since the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) first heard from The Community of San Luis, Aguacayo in El Salvador…. Read more »
