Bob and Kristi Rice - February 2017 Update

Some will know that Kristi and I have been in a “holding pattern” for several weeks, waiting word regarding our future and whether we can return to our home and ministry in Congo. The day after Thanksgiving, we received a text message that changed the trajectory of our current life situation and altered the plans made and later confirmed when we left Congo in early 2016. A few days after receiving the fateful text message, a Skype call confirmed this reality. We are not returning to Congo this month as planned. In short, due to the continued political trials faced by the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, coupled with an ongoing church conflict which has lasted four years and longer, our mission leaders have been advised by our partner church, the Congolese Presbyterian Community, that Kristi and I and another colleague should not return to Congo until a more favorable time. When that “favorable time” pokes its head from the clouds of the current political and ecclesiastical impasse remains anyone’s guess.

Africa, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 15, 2017Bob and Kristi Rice, Democratic Republic of Congo

Don and Martha Wehmeyer (Antioch Partners) - January 2017 Update

From Mérida, Martha and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

We want to thank each of you, our blessed supporters, for your faithfulness during the past year. Additionally we want to thank the staff of The Antioch Partners, our sending agency, who take care of our insurance, tax and budgeting needs so we can focus on our ministry, and the team of The Outreach Foundation which supports theological education and leadership development around the world. May your cup overflow with the grace of the Lord.

This year we are also especially grateful to have Guillen with us. There were some scary weeks while he was in the hospital, six weeks in neo-natal intensive care.

José Carlos Pezini (Outreach) - December 2016 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a very busy and stressful year of my ministry here in Brazil. SARA Ministries is growing so fast that it is almost impossible to respond to all the demands. The number of pastors who are being mentored is growing day by day. This year I have trained more pastors to be mentors, bringing the total to thirty-eight. Each one of these new pastor-mentors serves an average of five pastors.

Justo Mwale University - December 2016 Update

Dear friends,

From time to time we have conversations in ministry that help us to see afresh why we are here in Zambia, and also make us grateful for supporters who make our ministry possible. One of my students recently asked to talk with me in my office. I was a little surprised when he arrived and said he actually wanted to discuss what salvation means. He’s soon to graduate and be ordained, and my experience in America and in Egypt was that pastors and future pastors tend to know fairly well what they think about salvation. But this student was really wrestling with the topic, on account of what he had gone through in his various practical ministry experiences.

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationDecember 16, 2016Justo Mwale University, Dustin and Sherri Ellington, Zambia

Church in Korea: Repaying a Missionary Debt

Monday, October 3 two young pastors and I left for South Korea to begin the 2016 Emerging Leaders Vision Trip. Arriving in the evening one day later, we joined up with eighteen people who had been invited by the Rev. James Kwon, Moderator of the Northwest Coast Presbytery of the PC(USA). The Rev. Kwon had wanted to give people of the presbytery an opportunity to see the Church of Korea which is a fruit of the sacrificial labor of missionaries, many of whom were Presbyterian. Because the aims of our trips were so close, our two groups became one for a ten-day experience of the rich faith and mission outreach of the Church in Korea.

Asia, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationNovember 9, 2016Korea

Kay Day PC(USA) and Scholarships for Presbyterians at PIASS- October 2016 Update

What is involved in reconciliation, pardon and reconstruction? How does that relate to our call as Christians and our struggles within the world? What role can or does the church play in all of this? These were some of the topics of “Winter School” in February 2016 at the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS). It was a “winter break” for twenty students and four faculty from The University of Geneva (Switzerland) who came to participate, but a welcoming summer for hosting the event at PIASS for our twenty students and theology faculty and four students and two faculty from ULPGL of Goma and Bukavu (DR Congo).

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationOctober 13, 2016Kay Day, Scholarships for Presbyterians at PIASS, Rwa

John McCall (PCUSA) - September 2016 Update

It can be depressing to hear the daily news from around the world. So much division among people groups, among political parties and their supporters, even among church folks. So, I have been convicted by the Apostle Paul’s challenge to the church at Corinth and to us, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Asia, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 22, 2016John McCall, Taiwan

Compassion Ministries - August 2016 Update

Sue Kinsler and two pastors, Canadian Korean Rev. Song-Keun Kook and Korean American Rev. Choon Lim, visited North Korea on a GreenTree International (GTI) trip in May. What was the purpose of the visit? Not only was it important to confer about the Disabled North Korean Athletes’ Team plans to attend the Brazil Paralympics in late August, but each pastor had ideas about new ways to help North Korea’s disabled people.

José Carlos Pezini (Mission Staff) - August 2016 update

It is truly amazing what God has accomplished through the SARA ministries this year. The number of pastors in the mentoring program is growing every day. In this update I would like to tell you about a mentor training retreat we held in May in Curitiba.There were thirty-three pastors from six different denominations in attendance. SARA works with the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, Lutheran Church, United Presbyterian Church, Bethany Evangelical Church and Congregational Evangelical Church.

Bob and Kristi Rice (PCUSA) - August 2016 Update

Warm greetings from Bloomington, Illinois! It has been a blessing to be back in the States and to enjoy time with family and friends, and to even witness and experience the changing of the seasons (Bob was taught how to use a snow blower!). This year we are in the United States for our Interpretation Assignment and several months of personal leave. During this time we hope to have a short respite but also make meaningful connections with supporting churches and individuals, helping to interpret the work of the church in Congo so that American Christians feel connected to our sisters and brothers in that part of the world.

Africa, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationAugust 16, 2016Bob and Kristi Rice, Democratic Republic of Congo

John McCall (PCUSA) - July 2016 Update

Dear friends,

I had been asked to be the speaker at a conference for aboriginal youth. Earlier in the week they said on the news that a tropical storm had formed in the Pacific southeast of Taiwan. They weren't predicting that it would amount to anything, so I didn't give it too much thought. But the day before I was to leave for the east coast, they were predicting that it might seriously intensify and was headed to Taiwan. After weathering through so many typhoons over the years, I know that typhoons have a mind of their own and things can change dramatically. I called the pastor in charge of the conference to ask her what she thought (I was secretly hoping they would reschedule the conference.). She replied "We're going ahead. Just pray!"

Asia, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationJuly 27, 2016John McCall, Taiwan

Don and Martha Wehmeyer (Antioch Partners) - June 2016 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings from Don and Martha Wehmeyer in Yucatan. I am teaching an intensive course for pastors working on their master’s degree called “Three Medieval Theologians.” I am going to use Benedict, Bernard and Kempis to see how each one treats the topic of humility. This is the greatest tool to fight against hubris, the greatest of the deadly sins. So this is a class that will be hard to grade: should the students be trying to get an A or an F?

Davydovo Outreach to Children - June 2016 Update

Dear friends of God's mission in Russia,

Last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel with PC(USA) missionary Al Smith to visit with many of Outreach’s partners in Russia. It was an encouraging and rewarding trip. We began in Kursk with a visit to Pastor Andre Beskorovaini and his wife, Larissa.

Dustin and Sherri Ellington (PCUSA) - May 2016 Update

Dear friends,

Once again it is graduation time and, as is now the norm at Justo Mwale University, our sparkling new graduates have already been serving as pastors since November or December. This year I (Sherri) took it upon myself to ask some of them what the biggest surprise has been in their first few months of pastoral work. In their answers I found insight to the challenges they face; I also found tidbits of challenge and inspiration for me as an American Christian. Read on, and let our recent graduates challenge you, as well...

Africa, Missionaries, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 2, 2016Dustin and Sherri Ellington, Zambia

Daniel and Elizabeth Turk (PCUSA) - May 2016 Update

Dear friends,

We had an extra-special Easter this year. Robert had the weekend off from college, and we were able to be together as a family in Decatur, GA with the azaleas and dogwoods blooming.

Philip and Bacilia Beisswenger (TAP) - May 2016 Update

Dear mission partners,

Greetings in Christ from Guatemala! The tradition of missionary home assignments (“furloughs” years ago) started with the Apostles. In Acts, we find Paul returning to his sending church in Antioch after his first missionary journey. Ever since, missionaries have periodically headed home, interpreting their work, bolstering support networks, renewing ties to loved ones and seeking spiritual and vocational rejuvenation.

Michael and Rachel Weller (PCUSA) - March 2016 Update

Fasting is a common practice in Ethiopian Christian communities. Many churches designate one day a week to gather at the church or someone’s house to focus on prayer. They go without eating or drinking all day. The Jabjabe congregation in Gambella practices this discipline every Friday. I was invited to participate with the members of the Jabjabe congregation, a new church with an active membership. At 7:30 a.m. my companion came to my door to escort me to the church.

Africa, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationMarch 31, 2016Michael and Rachel Weller, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan

John McCall (PCUSA) - March 2016 Update

Dear friends,

It's a beautiful Sunday evening here with cool breezes. This is Taipei's weather at its best. This week has been extremely rich with a variety of experiences:

Monday was a national holiday commemorating the February 28, 1947 incident when an anti-government uprising was violently suppressed by the KMT-led Republic of China government. Thousands of civilians were killed, perhaps as many as 30,000.

Asia, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationMarch 22, 2016John McCall, Taiwan

Partner Updates