Until in-person visits can resume safely, there has never been a better time to invite mission co-workers to visit your congregation virtually than right now.
It was dark; our only illumination came from the stars and the faint light of electric candles. Frogs and crickets serenaded us, and it struck me as a beautiful and holy space. The labyrinth was in a small clearing, surrounded by trees, under the open sky, so I stopped and looked up at the stars every so often as I walked.
Reconciliation is the heart of mission Dei, God’s vision for creation. God’s intended purpose for the fullness of time is for all things to be reconciled through Christ (Eph. 1:10). We cannot turn a blind eye to injustice, to pain, to brokenness, and claim to be participants in God’s mission. In communities across the U.S. and in every corner of the globe, as Christ’s church we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–19).
The Presbyterian Church of Colombia is working for a just and lasting peace in a nation plagued by generations of politically and ideologically motivated violence.
You won’t go to India to do something an Indian cannot do,” the Rev. Thomas John told me. He was the site coordinator for the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program in India, and I was a college senior, interviewing to serve as a YAV on the other side of the globe. I don’t think I had any delusions of single-handedly transforming the world, but I was surely guided by a desire to help, to contribute, to be of service. That was in 2002. Today I serve as site coordinator for the YAV program in Colombia, and I encounter those same motivations again and again in current applicants.
A peace accord ratified between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrilla group in late 2016 has been in the process of implementation this year, and former guerrilla combatants have settled in 25 “transitional normalization zones” around the country. The process of transitioning into civilian life has included educational programs and the laying down of arms through a three-part handover to the United Nations. The arms handover is now 100 percent — a hopeful sign for the construction of peace in Colombia.
«¿Por qué vas a la iglesia?» preguntamos. «Porque creemos en Dios» dijo alguien. «para escuchar la Palabra», dijo otra persona. «para aprender a amarnos los unos a los otros». «para construir un mundo mejor».
The Presbyterian witness in Venezuela started at the Colegio Americano of Caracas, which was founded in 1896. That educational ministry continues strong today, and the Presbyterian Church of Venezuela.
After four years of dialogue and negotiations, President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrilla group agreed to end hostilities on June 23, 2016. The final peace accord, announced on August 24 and formally signed on September 26, will be placed before the Colombian people for a popular vote on October 2.
