Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

The Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) provides a high quality, diversified theological education program that prepares young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations, including those of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, and pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba. We recently received this note from the Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham, president of the seminary:

Undoubtedly, the world is undergoing one of the most difficult moments in its history with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that does not distinguish social classes nor geographical locations. Many countries have been affected in a bigger or lesser magnitude in a surprising way since this disease causes severe damage to human beings’ health. Cuba has not been free from it, which is why our Council of Ministers, together with the highest leadership of our country, determined to take a series of measures corresponding with the different epidemiological stages that our country could go through. Educational centers at all levels have closed their premises; sometimes these places have become isolation facilities for patients who were suspected to carry the disease or were positive for the virus. However, alternatives have emerged by using the media to continue teaching students.

Prayer request for Madagascar & the FJKM

A prayer request from our partners in Madagascar:

Please be in prayer for the Malagasy Lutheran church which works very closely with the FJKM. Lutheran President Pastor David Rakotonirina died of COVID-19 Saturday night. The FJKM and Lutheran churches will be in mourning and looking how to move forward in this time when COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and the capital city is on lockdown. Please pray for wisdom for church leaders in deciding what activities to stop and what activities to continue. Please pray that the churches may continue to be a light in a time of uncertainty and fear.

The Outreach FoundationJuly 14, 2020

San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

At this time of year, we would typically be completing another cycle of seminary activities. But COVID-19 changed those plans. We started our semester the first week of February but sent students and employees home on March 17 following the government's mandates.

We are waiting for instruction from the government on when we will be able to reopen. Before resuming classes, we will have to disinfect everything, including all classrooms, and public spaces. We will also need to expand the classrooms to ensure that everyone is at least six feet apart. All students and teachers will have to wash their hands with antibacterial gel and wear face masks, and we will have to take everyone's temperature each time they enter the seminary. We will create a single entrance for everyone and use a sanitary filter with chlorine to clean everyone’s shoes. If anyone shows symptoms of fever, we will need to isolate them and notify the authorities.

José Carlos Pezini - July 2020 Update

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Since March we have been receiving reports about the number of people infected by COVID-19 and the number of deaths keeps rising. Here in Brazil, more than fifty thousand people have died and the number of people who are infected is countless. As if this were not enough to take away our peace and cause fear, it has also brought uncertainty because it demands that we reinvent ourselves and seek new means to fulfill the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us. These challenges have helped make clear how our work makes a difference in the lives of pastors and churches. God has been faithful and tremendously blessed us and those we serve in this new way of accomplishing the ministry.

I am happy to inform you that even with social distancing and being forbidden by the government to travel from one place to another, I have continued to minister through the internet and social media. The SARA Ministries mentoring group, composed of 15 groups of pastors spread across the country, usually holds two retreats annually. Now, we meet remotely by Zoom once a month for two hours. We now realize that this new approach to mentoring is more effective. We have reached and cared for more than 500 pastors virtually, helping them overcome their problems and stress and finding new ways to carry out their pastoral ministry. Click HERE to view a recent video about my ministry.

Don and Martha Wehmeyer - Update

Dear friends,

No, it is not a Martian invader, this is me! The churches are technically closed, but by celebrating the Lord’s supper outdoors on Pentecost Sunday, we were not actually in the building. The members watched the sermon on the internet and then drove over to take the elements. No police arrived to put me in handcuffs, so I figure we can do this again if necessary! God is merciful.

Between COVID-19 and tropical storm Columbus, we are not in ordinary times. The seminary stopped classes at the end of March. Graduation has been postponed. The country has been on lockdown since the end of March. This has meant significant disruptions for workers. Many people get paid by the day, so for them to stay home week after week is a real hardship. The church and government have been making care packages, but it is never enough. Our little church of 20 families is helping 30 families. This means that the church savings are getting depleted pretty fast, but the session decided that this was the best thing to do, and I am proud of them. Several church families have stepped up to help, so I get to see first-hand how the Spirit of the Lord is working powerfully here.

Latin America, Global WorkersThe Outreach FoundationJuly 8, 2020Don and Martha Wehmeyer, Mexico

Daniel and Elizabeth Turk - Update

In late March, we left Madagascar due to the coronavirus pandemic and are currently in Orlando. PC(USA) called all mission co-workers back to the U.S. until the end of 2020. We are well and grateful to be near our children and parents, but it is hard to leave our friends and colleagues for so long in this time of crisis. We are continuing our work and communicate daily with our colleagues in the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) via skype, phone, or email.

Fruits, Vegetables, and Environmental Education Program (FVEE)

The first months of the year are always busy because of the need to plant trees in the early part of the rainy season. From December 2019 through February 2020, thousands of fast-growing trees from the FVEE nursery were planted as part of FJKM’s reforestation efforts. Fruit trees and native trees were planted at three branches of the FJKM University, two FJKM seminaries, and the fruit center at Mahatsinjo. Many thanks to all who helped make this possible by donating to the Outreach Alternative Christmas project, “Trees for Madagascar.”

Your gifts to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal are making a difference...in Lebanon and Syria

With gifts that Outreach supporters sent to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal, along with other funds on hand, we were able to send $16,000 to support the emergency outreach ministries of Together for the Family (TFF), a ministry partner in Lebanon, which serves Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley.

COVID-19 Appeal UpdatesThe Outreach FoundationJuly 8, 2020

Michael and Rachel Weller - June 2020 Update

Dear friends,

I trust that you and your loved ones are healthy and that the Outreach staff has adjusted to the challenges and limitations of promoting global mission during this season of life with COVID-19. Rachel and I are living in Norfolk, VA with our daughter.

We continue as mission co-workers for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. We participate in weekly meetings with our fellow mission co-workers. One of the conversation points that came up was how will PCUSA decide when to redeploy us. Africa is at the beginning point of this pandemic and World Mission will need to interpret the situation and develop the criteria for sending mission staff back.

Global Workers, Africa, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationJuly 2, 2020Michael and Rachel Weller, Ethiopia

Juan Sarmiento has accepted a new call

Dear Friends,

If I need to choose a word to define my relationship with The Outreach Foundation, it would be "gratitude." These almost four years have been a marvelous privilege. I have treasured this time of impactful ministry with our team, trustees, constituents, and partners.

After a prayerful discernment process, I have accepted another call. A very compelling reason behind my decision is an increased desire to dedicate my attention to supporting the church in the United States as it faces significant challenges.

The Outreach FoundationJuly 2, 2020

Frank Dimmock - Update

Dear friends and supporters,

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Paul wrote these words from a Roman jail to his brothers and sisters in the faith in Philippi. They resonate deeply with me these days. Being under “lockdown” with travel restrictions to most of the world, due to the COVID pandemic, it feels a little bit like being in jail… But, like Paul, we can still encourage each other, support one another, and pray for each other! In fact, we have the amazing blessing of technology that reaches many parts of the world. And I do thank God every time I remember you:

The Outreach FoundationJuly 2, 2020

Syria Appeal

Julie Burgess has made 17 journeys with The Outreach Foundation to the Middle East. She agreed to tell the stories of several graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST). This is the first installment of these compelling stories. The next installment will be emailed and posted on our website.

Haiti Outreach Ministries - June 2020 Update

Due to concerns related to the coronavirus, schools, churches, and the airport have been closed in Haiti since March 20. Cases of coronavirus are increasing in Haiti, although our Medical Director Dr. Quency reports that very limited testing makes it difficult to know the number of confirmed cases that exist in our communities. Our medical staff prepared for the virus when the outbreak first began and has since been educating patients and members of the community.

Although U.S. teams cannot travel and schools and churches cannot meet, much is happening. Here are a few highlights about HOM/MICECC’s recent ministry activity

Akrofi-Christaller Institute - June 2020 Update

Warm greetings from Akrofi-Christaller Institute (ACI) in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We hope that in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of you are doing well and keeping safe. We pray that our good and ever-faithful God will preserve and sustain you in these difficult times. It was heartwarming to see Jeff Ritchie leading an Outreach Foundation group to visit ACI last February, pictured above. This letter is to update you on how we are coping with the challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

We have been closed since March 16 when the government of Ghana directed all educational institutions to close. Our international students, however, remain on campus. We have managed, ahead of schedule, to transition to online teaching. We have continued to supervise research students who are writing their project essays and dissertations during this period. We have had to postpone our annual doctoral seminar even though we are in the process of working out how to conduct graduate seminars online. We have conducted one faculty-led online seminar. Our face to face continuing education programs have had to be suspended and that, together with our inability to generate support from our partner congregations (because they cannot meet), has had an impact on our finances. We are currently working on how we can move our continuing education programs online.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 25, 2020Akrofi-Christaller Institute, Ghana

Forman Christian College - June 2020 Update

This spring semester in Lahore was shaping up to be one of the best in Forman Christian College’s 156-year history. Over 8,300 students were enrolled in the Intermediate, Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral programs. FCC Rector Dr. Tebbe recently wrote this report on the spring semester…

We had the biggest and best job fair ever this February with 108 companies coming to recruit our students. Our newly appointed Registrar was blown away by it all. He commented that there was nothing like this in all of Pakistan. International student exchange has been thriving. Internship placements have exploded and are being well managed.

Students and faculty who come to us from other universities assure us that there is no place like Forman Christian College in all of Pakistan.

Asia, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 25, 2020Forman Christian College, Pakistan

Matanzas Theological Evangelical Seminary - June 2020 Update

The Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) provides a high quality, diversified theological education program that prepares young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations, including those of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, and pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba. We recently received this note from the Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham, president of the seminary:

Undoubtedly, the world is undergoing one of the most difficult moments in its history with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that does not distinguish social classes nor geographical locations. Many countries have been affected in a bigger or lesser magnitude in a surprising way since this disease causes severe damage to human beings’ health. Cuba has not been free from it, which is why our Council of Ministers, together with the highest leadership of our country, determined to take a series of measures corresponding with the different epidemiological stages that our country could go through. Educational centers at all levels have closed their premises; sometimes these places have become isolation facilities for patients who were suspected to carry the disease or were positive for the virus. However, alternatives have emerged by using the media to continue teaching students.

Your gifts to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal are making a difference...in South Sudan

With gifts that Outreach supporters sent to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal we were able to send $14,000 to support our family of faith of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan - those who are refugees in camps in Ethiopia as well as displaced women and children near Juba in South Sudan - in providing essential protection against the virus and lifesaving food for many families.

Saturday, June 20, was World Refugee Day and we learned that there are now nearly 26 million refugees globally who have left everything behind and crossed borders to escape war, persecution, or terror (20 people each minute). An additional 55 million have been internally displaced seeking safety and basic services. And the COVID-19 pandemic poses an extra threat to refugees and displaced people.

COVID-19 Appeal UpdatesThe Outreach FoundationJune 24, 2020

Tumaini Children's Ministry - June 2020 Update

A mission effort of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Riamukurwe parish, the Tumaini Children’s Ministry comprises the Tumaini and Huruma homes for vulnerable children. Before the pandemic, more than 100 children lived and attended school at Tumaini. Huruma, a nearby facility that includes a number of disabled children, housed 50 children. The Tumaini ministry also includes a vocational training program, which serves post-secondary students and people from the community.

On March 15th, the Kenyan government announced the closure of all schools and learning institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marj Carpenter joins Church Triumphant

The Outreach Foundation joins with others around the world in giving thanks to God for the life and love of Marj Carpenter. Marge served as Moderator of the 207th Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly (1995). She died on June 13 at 93 years old.

Marj was a Texas newspaper woman for many years before heading up the Presbyterian News Service and serving as mission interpreter for the Worldwide Ministries Division. She was truly one of a kind. In a book about the people of West Texas, Marj is described as “a tough, salty, scotch-sipping ex-newspaper reporter from Big Spring and, strangely, the region’s most famous contemporary Christian.”

The Outreach FoundationJune 16, 2020

Partner Updates