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Global mission

Presbyterian Overseas Mission and Partnership

Mail Address

St David's Church,
70 Khyber Pass Rd,
Auckland

Email: missionpartners(at)xtra.co.nz

Presbyterian Global Mission Secretary: Rev Neal Whimp (interim)

Phone: 09 306 6445, Fax: 09 306 6440 Mobile: 025 272 3131

Email: globalmissionsec(at)presbyterian.org.nz

How is Your Congregation/Presbytery doing Mission Overseas?

Overseas Mission & Partnership really does want your help to get a picture of New Zealand Presbyterians' mission overseas.

POM&P as an agent for mission overseas, wants to be involved helpfully with your part in the church's global mission, with information, resource and encouragement.

<typohead type=3>Please respond soon from your Congregation</typohead>

<typolist type="1">

with what specific Mission Overseas projects are you involved?

which International Aid Organisations do you support?

who are your contacts through the APW/MWF Mission Associate Scheme?

how is Mission Overseas promoted to your congregation?

would you share your experience with other congregations?

how can Presbyterian Overseas Mission & Partnership help you?

</typolist>

<typohead type=3>Presbytery/District Councils </typohead>

<typolist type="1">

with what Mission Overseas projects is your Presbytery/District Council involved?

in what ways can Presbyterian Overseas Mission encourage, inform, resource you?

</typolist>

Please email globalmissionsec@presbyterian.org.nz or post to Presbyterian Overseas Mission Office, by 31 May.

<typohead type=3>Candles Remind us to Pray for Christians in Israel/Palestine</typohead>

Janet Taege writes: "Here in Darfield we and the Anglicans are lighting a Peace candle at our services and meetings and praying for the Christians in Israel & Palestine and the staff and patients at the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Not much is heard about their plight."

Janet has kept in touch with DSPR (Palestinian Refugee committee) since attending their conference and the Middle East Council of Churches meetings a couple of years ago. Also, as an Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem she has been getting news.

World mission conference in 2005

Preparations for the 2005 conference of the Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of Churches have begun.

The focus will be on churches as reconciling and healing communities. "In a time of gobalisation, with increasing violence, fragmentation and exclu-sion, the mission of the church is to receive, cele-brate, proclaim and work for fullness of life in Christ" says the CWME. Case studies and experiences will be shared and discussed from local churches, healing and reconciling communities and mission groups worldwide. There will also be spaces for personal exchanges and prayer.

The Conference of 500 participants will include Roman Catholic as well as Evangelical and Pentecostal churches. (WCC press release)

He came singing peace

He came singing peace is a collection of twenty seven already published songs by well known New Zealand writers produced for the 'Decade to Overcome Violence: churches seeking reconciliation and peace'.

Foreword: "We live in a violent world ... of war and fighting, the abuse of people, especially women and children, the arrogance of the rich and powerful, the destructiveness of hunger and poverty, injustice and indifference, the desecration of earth, sea and air. .... What songs shall we sing to overcome violence?"

The publisher hopes that "our songs of hope and peace will drown out the songs of hate, revenge and violence, helping to change the thinking of people everywhere." Available from the NZ Hymn Book Trust, P 0 Box 2011, Raumati 6450. Single copies $5 with a generous discount for bulk orders.

Ecumenical Enablers Programme

Sylvia 'Akaau'ola-Tongotongo attended with Chong Woo Kim (Presbyterian)this Christian Conference of Asia programme in Bangkok in March. The theme was 'Reading the Bible with New Asian Eyes'. Sylvia writes that the foremost issue is being a Christian minority. Racism is alive in all aspects of life, socially, economi-cally and in religious circles. Slavery, refugees, sex objects and violent crime, drugs, and weapons are huge problems. Pov-erty, a reality of life, shows the wide gap between rich and poor.

"In this Decade to Over-come Violence we are challenged to make the Bible alive and to use it for healing and pre-venting violence. How can we as church and as Christians become voice for the voiceless and be advocates for the poor and oppressed?"

The Overseas Mission & Partnership Policy Group

The Overseas Mission & Partnership Policy Group meets at St David's, Auckland, 7/8 June. Stuart Vogel (Convenor) s.vogel@clear.net.nz.

The first meeting of the Joint Partnership Group will be in Auckland on 7 June. The JPG coordinates joint overseas projects of Methodist and Presbyterian churches of Aotearoa NZ.

South Africa churches say: We must change approach to Zimbabwe

The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has called for the focus to shift from debate on Zimbabwe's recent presidential election to the rehabilitation of the country. Attention should now be on how to help the Zimbabwean people to deal with their post-election trauma. (CWM News)

India Churches plan show of Christian unity

Catholics, Evangelicals and the Orthodox and Protestant churches have a programme for "Masih Mahotsav" (Christian festival), 3 - 5 December. Forty church leaders from the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI ), the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of India believe that Christian unity in India is "the need of the hour" in the wake of anti-Christian propaganda and violence.

The ecumenical Christian festival to be held in New Delhi will be a Christian contribution to nation building; Christian vision for India promoting the church as a proactive channel of truth, peace and justice. The Masih Mahotsav will be "a celebration of Jesus Christ - the Prince of Peace - to deepen the faith of the Christian community in India,"

After rallies highlighting Christian concerns and cultural programmes, India's first ecumenical Christian festival will end in New Delhi with a convention of Christians from nationwide. Among the 29 Orthodox and Protestant churches that constitute NCCI are the Church of North India, the Church of South India and the Presbyterian Church of India. (Anto Akkara for CWM Info)

All present and corrupt in Madagascar

Even before the current presidential election crisis, the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar was campaigning against corruption.