In February, I was pleased to lead a small team back to Egypt to be “mutually encouraged” by our partners there. A member of our team, Rachel Segars, was making her third trip with Outreach. In this excerpt from one of our trip blogs, she beautifully reflects on our visit to ETSC. Marilyn Borst, Associate Director for Partnership Development
Read MoreDeep in the lush tropical landscape of the Mexican Gulf state of Tabasco is the campus of Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Sureste, founded in 1985 and a long-time Outreach partner, is committed to equipping the next generation of pastors and servant leaders for the Presbyterian church in the southern states of Tabasco and Chiapas where the church is growing rapidly. Most students are studying to complete a bachelor’s degree in theology. Outreach partners provide partial scholarships for many of the students studying for this degree.
Read MoreThe Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) supports a ministry rescuing girls who might be forced into early marriage by providing rescue centers for them. The Outreach Foundation partners with the PCEA and civil authorities in this ministry. All of the rescue centers are connected to a PCEA boarding school, offering the girls a hopeful future. Lauren Scharstein, Outreach global worker and Deputy Director of Mission for the PCEA, shared the current major needs of the rescue centers:
New Dorm for PCEA Mother Esther Girls' School and Rescue Center
We currently have 175 girls under our care ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. Our dormitories are at full capacity, some girls already sleep two on the bottom of a twin bunk bed. The big need for a new dormitory is also due to the fact that we have 25 girls who will finish 8th grade in March and move into high school.
Sebber Banda serves as Project Director for the Holistic Evangelism Project in Tete Province, Mozambique. Her work has transformed the health of thousands of people through programs such as lay leadership training, drilling wells, and constructing new churches in Tete Province. We recently received this exciting news from Sebber and Outreach trustee Berry Long:
Today, was a big day at Madzimaera!! It marked the groundbreaking for a shelter at the clinic for women to use after arrival before having their babies.
Read MoreThe Church of Ukraine is diverse, though more heavily populated by the Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic, and Ukrainian Greek Catholic traditions. On Friday morning, March 4, the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv held a round table discussion between key representatives of these major traditions. Tom Boone, our Associate Director of Mission and staff point person for our European Initiatives, was honored to be invited to this dialogue.
The purpose of the round table was to present how their various traditions are responding to the war. Also, each provided insights into their traditions’ official positions regarding Moscow. It was inspiring to see these leaders take time to express their views openly even as they are enmeshed in this war. One of the leaders was delivering humanitarian relief to Kyiv and showed us the traffic crossing a bridge and activity at a checkpoint.
Read MoreParents the world over are concerned about meeting the needs of their children for love, shelter, food, clothing, and education. Whether in a church school in western North Carolina or under a tree in a refugee camp in western Ethiopia, preschools are helping to meet some of these basic needs.
Read MoreClean drinking water is a much sought-after commodity in East Africa. The Outreach Foundation and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) have partnered to bring water to thirsty villages. East Africa Mission Consultant Stu Ross recently sent a report on this life-changing partnership:
Water is life! Over 50% of Kenyans don’t have piped water. It has to be fetched, mainly by women and children, in 20-liter cans. The water may be up to 15 km (10+ miles) away, which makes this an all-day job, two-three times a week. Consequently, mothers are not at home and children miss school. In Maasai land, where water is far away in many villages, children and adults aren’t able to wash regularly and skin disease is common. Diarrhea and dysentery are also widespread diseases where water is either not available or not clean.
Read MoreNile Theological College (NTC) provides theological and practical training to equip men and women for effective ministry in Sudan and South Sudan. Our support helps provide scholarships for students to continue to study and make an impact serving their congregations, denominations, and other organizations. Here are excerpts from NTC’s most recent newsletter, Light to the Nations:
Read MoreCongratulations to Freda Li
She was given an “excellent” rating by her faculty at the University of Liverpool, Suzhou, China, and was recognized for being a faculty member of distinction. This is rarely attained by new faculty members. Freda earned this while taking care of her son as a single mother, volunteering as a preacher at her church, and serving as a small group leader. Freda was the main speaker for our last conversation with Chinese friends.
Nancy Warlick shared this note and information from the Madagascar Mission Network:
There is great need at this time for prayer for God's people and rebuilding in Madagascar following the devastation caused by Cyclone Batsirai in early February.
Read MoreMathilde and Firas, two bondservants of Christ Jesus, were sent to shepherd God’s people in the Al-Hasakeh Governorate in the far northeastern corner of Syria. This tip of the country is bordered by Turkey in the north, the Tigris in the northeast, Iraq in the southeast, and the Euphrates in the southwest. It is a contested region, forgotten by much of the world, where Turkey has annexed a swath of the north and the Kurds have declared it an autonomous region. It is to this impossibly difficult region that Mathilde, Firas, and their families were called.
Read MoreYellow Mountain became “Green with growth”
“Yellow Mountain” is a rather picturesque-sounding name for a sprawling slum area in greater Cairo to which many people migrated from other parts of the country to find more opportunities. Most of those people are from poor backgrounds and had lived in small villages. About 10 years ago, one of the seminary students from ETSC (Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo), Jimmy Wageeh, went to the area to meet some of those families. He started by visiting them in their homes, forming a Bible study group, and then serving kids. After the number of families increased, they rented a place to have ministry and worship. The church grew in both number and quality of services.
Read MoreStu Ross, East Africa Mission Consultant, recently sent this note about the dedication of PCEA Ndagara Church in Kenya. The church was built in partnership with First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN.
Dear friends,
Today, February 6, 2022, we dedicated Ndagara Church in Laikipia Presbytery, which is about a six-hour drive from home. Although we have already built six churches in the Presbytery,
Read MoreMy name is Mofreh Abdelmasieh (pictured on the left). I’m from a village called Dashloot. I grew up in an evangelical family. My father is an elder in our village church, which was founded by American missionaries in 1886. My father loves the church, and I was raised hearing about the important role of the church in people’s lives. When I was young, my father talked to me about becoming a pastor, but I rejected that idea until I went to university. I started serving with a ministry helping students develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ then leading them on the journey of discipleship. I continued for three years until I graduated and began my military service. While serving in the military, I heard God call me to pastoral ministry, so I made the decision to attend ETSC.
Read MoreMusalaha is a faith-based organization that teaches, trains, and facilitates reconciliation, mainly between Israelis and Palestinians from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, but also international groups, based on biblical principles of peace, tolerance, and love. We recently received news about Musalaha from Executive Director Daniel Munayer:
I find myself both excited and humbled to be taking on the role of Executive Director. I am well aware of the big shoes I have to fill, but together as a team, we have already begun rethinking our strategy and approach as an organization. Some changes include revisiting our organizational structure and sharpening our mission statement. Some other changes include further developing our projects domestically and expanding our vision and expertise internationally.
Read MoreJesus, Bread of life, Multiplying Loaves and Lives in Liverpool
This story has been used with permission from Operation Promises.
Imagine fleeing from your home, cut off from family and friends, and facing an unknown future. This is the painful reality confronting many refugees. Layered on this trauma is the uncertainty and pain of the pandemic. Yet, there is hope and life to be found even in the midst of these distressing times. The Frontline Iranian Refugee Church, located in the heart of Liverpool, is a place where God is working and bringing about new life and a hopeful future for many displaced people.
Read MoreTruly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Matthew 25:40
It is not in the news much these days, but it is a significant part of the ministry we do, especially in places like Jordan, Lebanon, and South Sudan. And we do it with your help, my friends. There are currently more than 80 million displaced people around the world – that means one out of every 97 people – and more than 40% are children. This desperate situation is compounded by the pandemic as well as by the economic disasters of host countries, such as is in Lebanon.
Read MoreWe recently received this note from Stu Ross, Outreach’s East Africa Mission Consultant.
The Matasia Boys’ High School library is the seventh library we have built. On January 20, we placed and organized 2,000 books on the shelves. In schools where we have built libraries, students’ grades have improved.
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