The Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program’s final application date for international placement is fast-approaching. Candidates interested in placement at one of the five international sites must apply by February 1. Current YAVs are in the process of taking over the program’s Instagram account (@yavprogram) to showcase each site’s partner organizations and also highlight everyday living.
Darius and Vera Swann used their skills as educators to spread the gospel in Asia and become an important part of the Presbyterian mission legacy. Growing up in the segregated South, the Swanns’ mission service was shaped by inequities they knew firsthand.
God’s plans and timing are different from ours. Just ask the Rev. Dr. Donna J. Sloan. Donna has packed her luggage, figuratively, more than once to answer God’s call to mission—a call she has felt since she was nine years old, growing up in Campbell, Ohio.
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.
The death of Cuban president Fidel Castro has had repercussions around the world, most poignantly in Cuba and Miami. The man himself divides opinions and polarizes feelings.
Reconciliation is the active process of healing broken relationships. Many believe coming together for healing is one of the greatest challenges facing our country today. Some believe it can never happen, but after 37 years as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-worker in Northern Ireland, Doug Baker knows the power of acceptance, forgiveness and relationship building.
Retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor the Rev. Rex Wentzel wanted to stay active in the church after he left full time parish ministry. So, like many other retired clergy, he offered his service as a supply preacher for congregations when pastors were ill, on leave or on vacation. But Wentzel wasn’t in it for the money, rather he thought it was an ideal way to promote mission in the congregations he visited.
Unable to focus on their education while they work long shifts for below minimum wage, teenagers in Beirut are vulnerable to abuse, with little hope of escape. Thanks to the Kurkjian family and your ongoing gifts, the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) has created a safe space where teens can study, get counseling and take part in vocational training to work toward their dreams, and grow in the confidence of knowing they are loved by God.
In late June, mere days after winning Pero’s presidential election by a thin margin, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski turned his eyes on the troubled community of La Oroya, where for more than 15 years Presbyterian World Mission and the Presbyterian Hunger Program have joined with partners Joining Hands Peru (Red Uniendo Manos Peru) in seeking justice for city’s residents.
Sometimes the simplest questions give rise to the most interesting conversations. That is what I discovered one morning at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.
