After taking the time to use a theology library and see family in the United States during December and early January, I returned to Zambia. My flight from the U.S. was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight in Istanbul. The next plane to Zambia was four days later. I gladly received the airline’s gift of four free nights of lodging, all meals included, in a city I’ve wanted to explore.
The history of the Roma (Romani) and Sinti people in Europe is filled with discrimination and bias. That’s why mission co-workers Burkhard Paetzold, Al Smith, and the coordinator for the Middle East and Europe, Luciano Kovacs, helped plan and participate in a conference in Budapest recently, to reflect on the Churches’ history, relationship and interaction with the Roma. The conference was organized by the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME).
From advocating for the people La Oroya in Peru to fighting for farmers’ rights in Haiti, Joining Hands has been an international force for change for the last two decades.
“When I left there, I was ashamed — and I consider myself a convinced European — to be a member of this European Union,“ said Martin Dutzmann, the authorized representative of the Protestant Churches in Germany (EKD) at the German government and the EU after returning from his recent visit to the overcrowded and chaotic refugee camp Moria on Lesvos Island. And, he adds, “the EU has kept the situation in the camps on the Greek islands at bay for years.”
Representatives from Presbyterian World Mission and the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C., along with the National Council of Churches (NCC) and officials from other denominations welcomed a delegation of the Egyptian-U.S. Dialogue Initiative.
The indomitable spirit of the Haitian people will be lifted up this spring as a delegation from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) takes a nine-day trip to the island nation, along with interested members of the public.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been committed to interconnectional ministry in God’s mission at the local, national and global levels since 1837. Since that time, more than 8,000 mission co-workers have shared the good news of Jesus Christ with millions of people worldwide.
“Our congregation wants to go on a short-term mission trip outside the U.S. Are there PC(USA) global partners that can host us?”
“I am planning a trip next summer for families in my church. Does the PC(USA) have a devotional guide for intergenerational trips?”
The Presbyterian Church of Kabuga, Rwanda, has two primary schools — Kabuga (with 310 students) and Muyumba (with 192 students). Parents, students and teachers are celebrating the fourth consecutive school year that students in Primary 6 in both schools have achieved a perfect score on Rwanda’s national examination.
