Circuit Writer

I’m excerpting a copy of this post written by Rev. Craig Watts for the Disciples Peace Fellowship that was also featured in the Disciple’s Advocate (Vol. 9 no. 1) a publication of Disciples Home Missions.  It’s a great theological statement and well worth the read.  You can read the entire article by following the link below.

I am an atheist.  Sure lots of people have heard me talk about God, write favorable things about God, pray and worship.  And it was all sincere.  Still I am an atheist.  I’m an atheist the way the members of the early church were atheistic.  Atheism was one of the central charges officials of the Roman Empire made against Christians.  They were vilified for “irreligiosities” continue reading…

Here’s the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for September 2010.  You can read the original article here.

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For I am sure that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38, 39

The Palestinian Christian community, with roots dating back to earliest Christianity, now numbers less than two percent of the population in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  But the community prominently offers a non-violent witness for justice and peace.  Last December in Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians launched “A Moment of Truth.”  They called it a “Kairos” document, the word in early Greek meaning “opportunity” or critical moment in time, and meant to allude to the crucial South African Kairos document which in 1985 prompted debate about Apartheid worldwide.  The Kairos document states that “… Love is seeing the face of God in every human being. Every person is my brother or my sister. However, seeing the face of God in everyone does not mean accepting evil or aggression on their part. Rather, this love seeks to correct the evil and stop the aggression.” continue reading…

Here’s the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for August 2010.  You can read the original article here.

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By God’s great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…I Peter 1: 3b

I recently flew to East Timor for a week of teaching a group of lay preachers who were being prepared to administer the sacraments and provide pastoral care to the many tiny groups of Protestant Christians scattered throughout the mountains of East Timor.  The Protestant Church of East Timor (IPTL) grew a good deal during the Indonesian occupation due to the presence and money of Indonesian protestants, but is now left with an unsustainable structure, empty churches in some areas and Christians, but no churches in others.  They are in a long process of death and resurrection, and Global Ministries has been one of their most faithful partners in the struggle. continue reading…

Here’s the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for July 2010.  You can read the original article here.

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“I will not let you go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:26)

Every Wednesday at noon, Mrs. E is there. She sits in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, Korea with her friends to ask the Japanese government to apologize for its past treatment of Korean women as sex slaves during the Asia Pacific War. Mrs. E is elderly, as are her friends. Many of the so-called “comfort women” have passed away. Mrs. E hopes that justice will be done before she meets her grave. She is surrounded by a crowd of civilians who support her struggle. Over the loud speaker a statement is read, a song is sung, a prayer is given. The window blinds of the Japanese embassy are shut. Stone faced guards and secret police make sure there is no outright confrontation. This peaceful sit-in has continued for seventeen years.

In December 2009, religious leaders from around the world, gathered for the Second Conference on Article Nine and Peace in Asia. There were various Buddhist, Christian and Muslim denominations represented. There was great meaning when we gathered in Seoul, because we were all made aware of the realities of the Cold War which still divide the Korean peninsula. East Asia has not been able to move beyond the dualisms of the Cold War era. What we witnessed was a wall; a remnant from the Cold War. The wall is invisible, but no less as real as the wall being built in Israel.

Part of our program was to join the sit-in, and pray alongside these women who were victimized by war. We were all moved by the experience. I was reminded of the story of Jacob who wrestled all night with the angel of God. Jacob refused to let the angel go until he received a blessing. Mrs. E is one of those Jacobs of our time. I see in her a faith that refuses to let go, trusting that God is a God of love and blessing for all.

Let us pray for the tenacity of Mrs. E and others that their belief in the possibility of justice becomes our call for the enactment of justice.

Jeffrey Mensendiek serves as a Global Ministries missionary with the Council on Cooperative Mission, and as director of the Gakusei (Student) Center in Sendai Japan.

For More Information
Xiaoling Zhu
Area Executive
East Asia and the Pacific
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland,Ohio 44115

216-736-3226
Phone: 866-822-8224 ext. 3226
Fax: 216-736-3203
zhux@ucc.org

Here’s the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for June 2010.  You can read the original article here.

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For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. II Corinthians 1: 5

There are a few “commodities” and “luxuries” our family had in Chicago which we no longer have, relatively speaking, here in El Quiche, Guatemala.  For example, having access to potable water is not only a national problem, but for our area has been a years-long problem. The water truck drives down our street as early as 6 am every day of the week honking the horn and selling water. We buy our water this way. It is then stored in cisterns where the already murky water gets even murkier. Some days I wish I could submerge myself in Lake Michigan to bathe – and to be honest, I have never been interested in Lake Michigan, but now I miss it! continue reading…

Here’s an excerpt from the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for May 2010.  You can read the entire article here.

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All things are possible to those who believe. Mark 9: 23

Eva Chipenda challenged and inspired me to go to Angola. Let me tell you a little about her: As Eva closes in on 80 years of age, she has pushed with all her considerable might to open the Canata Preschool Program which currently enrolls nearly 100 children between the ages of 3 and 5. When you walk in the courtyard door, the children run to greet and embrace you – but, not with the same fervor that occurs when they see Dona Eva enter. They cry out her name and last week practically knocked her off her feet in their enthusiasm to hug her!

Read the rest of the story here.

Here’s an excerpt from the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for April 2010.  You can read the entire article here.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

Our historical secondary school in Izmir, Turkey began a new chapter in its long history. Founded by our missionary predecessors in 1878, the Izmir American Collegiate Institute has now opened a renovated building. In addition to the usual classrooms and school facilities, the new building has a girl’s dormitory. Thirty girls now live on the top floor enjoying modern, spacious living quarters with a magnificent view of Izmir and its bay. What’s more, these girls are from more distant parts of Turkey and this means greater diversity in the student body…

Read the rest of this story here.

Here’s an excerpt from an article hosted by the National Council of Churches. It discusses the Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering last Sunday, March 21 in Washington, D.C.  Disciples’ General Minister and President Sharon Watkins preached at the gathering Sunday morning.  The focus of this year’s event was comprehensive immigration reform.

Washington, March 21, 2010 — As more than 700 delegates to Ecumenical Advocacy Days continued to pursue their hope for just immigration laws, the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins preached about the oneness of the human family.

Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), delivered the sermon at Sunday morning worship on the third day of the ninth annual Advocacy Days gathering in Washington.

Throughout the ages, Watkins noted, human beings have separated into distinct groups. “The broad sweep of human history is not a feel-good story,” she said. “We make boundaries, and we decide who’s in and who’s out.”

Click to READ MORE.

The following is the contents of an email update from Week of Compassion concerning disaster response in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti.  I wanted to post this and pass it along for anyone who does not subscribe to the Week of Compassion newsletter.

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Since Haiti was struck by a massive 7.0 Earthquake on January 12^th, North American Disciples congregations have responded out of faith, hope, and a radical sense of generosity.

Here’s an excerpt from the Global Ministries mission bulletin insert for March 2010.  You can read the entire article here.

Faith apart form works is dead.  James 2:26

Many groups travel from the US to another part of the world on a mission trip. Some of these groups plan their trip with Global Ministries’ People to People Pilgrimages office in order to maximize their spiritual experience as well. One group from Atlanta, GA recently traveled to India.  One pilgrim wrote:

“One month ago today we were ringing in the New Year sitting half way around the world in the Christian Church of Mungeli, India.  Even though the words spoken were unrecognizable Hindi, there were some comfortably familiar sights as I gazed around the sanctuary:  wooden pews filled with worshippers, Bibles and hymnals in their hands; the open communion table; a temperamental sound system that worked intermittently, and the cadence of the Lord’s Prayer …

Read the rest of this story here.