indonesia Archives

Rescue work continues following earthquake in Indonesia

Posted August 8th, 2018

More than 100 people are dead and hundreds more are injured or missing following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia. The quake struck Sunday night on the popular resort island of Lombok. Two days later, rescuers are still pulling survivors from the rubble.

‘Learning God’s Love, Living God’s Love’ around the world

Posted July 12th, 2018

Congregants at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison, Wisconsin are getting a snapshot of four countries around the world this month through the lens of Presbyterian mission work. The ministries of Presbyterian mission co-workers in Guatemala, Peru, Indonesia and South Sudan are being highlighted in worship during the first four Sundays in July.

World Council of Churches condemns terror attacks on churches in Indonesia

Posted May 14th, 2018

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit condemned the suicide bombing attacks at three separate churches in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, on Sunday.

New Jersey church seeks release for member picked up by federal authorities

Posted January 30th, 2018

First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen, New Jersey is seeking the release of an Indonesian Christian member, picked up last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Roby Sanger was dropping his daughter off at middle school when the agents approached and took him into custody. He now faces deportation.

Threats of deportation jeopardize congregation

Posted January 2nd, 2018

No one likes to lose a church member. Now imagine the prospect of losing 70 percent of a congregation. Marturia Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New Hampshire, is facing such a reality as its Indonesian members have fallen under the focus of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Welcoming the stranger

Posted November 24th, 2017

For nearly three decades the Synod of the Covenant (Michigan and Ohio) has continued to participate in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission to the USA program. The synod began participating in the effort which links congregations in the synod with mission partners including international church leaders as well as both clergy and lay leaders in 1989.

Seeking unity in God’s mission

Posted June 28th, 2016

I felt trepidation as I entered the auditorium at the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) in Yogyakarta. More than 500 students filled every seat and many sat on the floor. The women sat on the left and the men on the right. I knew I was not the main attraction. A radical Muslim cleric, who had been in and out of jail, was one of the speakers. Some of his students had been suicide bombers in Bali.