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Global Mission Office

The novelty of being a ‘Kiwi Presbyterian’ in the land of my birth soon evaporated as we walked through the shacks of Gompotown, a ‘township’ in the middle of the city of East London, South Africa. The Hospice nurse told us that the official statistics were wrong. She believed that the AIDS infection rate had hit 50%. As we walked in between the corrugated iron and cardboard ‘homes’, I wondered how Christ would have responded when every second person is on ‘death row’?

More details of the visit by the delegation from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand to the 2003 Assembly of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa will appear in the next edition of sPanz. Photos and other details will be on the website as soon as possible. However Rev Winston and Mrs Bernice Baker, Rev Noel and Mrs Rosemary Butler and/or I would welcome the opportunity to show you our photos and ‘tell the story’. Please invite us.

Volunteers in South Africa

Mrs Margaret Sutherland is currently completing 6 weeks of volunteer work in Eshowe in Zululand. My hope is that she is piloting a volunteer mission programme that will serve as a model for South Africa and elsewhere.

Mr Andrew Johnston is currently training and serving for 3 months at ‘Beautiful Gate’, a YWAM run programme for street children in Cape Town. Our hope is that he will serve with CWM for a year in Lusaka, Zambia in 2004.

Global Mission Gazette

The August edition featured Asia and was posted to over 500 people on our mailing list. If you did not receive a copy, please register your interest by sending an email to globalmissiongazette@xtra.co.nz or contact the Global Mission Office (GMO).

We were delighted when some congregations asked to receive more than one copy for distribution. The Kidz Gazette which is included is designed in a black and white format for photo-copying purposes.

Indonesia

Responding to the challenges of Indonesia is a special feature of the latest edition of the GMG. Rev Dr Robyn McPhail has written about her recent visit and projects to which congregations can respond. More information will be available when the new website goes live. In the meantime you can read about the rural ministry programme on

www.schoolofministry.ac.nz/RuralMinistry

or access the Global Mission Gazette.

The Big News – Glenn Barclay will serve in Israel Palestine

Probably the biggest news of the month is that we have finally been able to overcome all the obstacles and secured a place for Rev Glenn Barclay to serve as a member of the WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme to Israel Palestine (EAPPI). Details on the programme are available at here: EAP

Glenn will be leaving in the next few weeks for an initial period of three months.  This is a courageous undertaking and Glenn is helping us all to fulfill the 2002 Assembly decision that we as a Church took to support this programme.  It is a very expensive commitment too, and congregations wishing to demonstrate their support financially are invited to send donations to the newly established Trust Fund known as “Global Missioner – Israel Palestine”.  Please be sure to remember Glenn and the ‘Holy Land’ in your weekly prayers.

A resource written in New Zealand

I’m sure some will want to understand why Glenn wants to serve in this way. Our intention is that Glenn will be able to record her thoughts and experiences on the website in a ‘diary format’ readily available to APW’s, congregations and individuals.

Understanding the conflict in the Holy Land is so crucial in the affairs of our world that a resource has been published in New Zealand. The Churches Agency on International Issues, of which the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is a significant partner, has recently produced a ‘Backgrounder’. Simply titled “Understanding conflict in the Holy Land”, the aim is to provide an impartial analysis of the historical, Biblical and current factors that feed the conflict. It is available free of charge from the GMO or CWS and we urge congregations to use it as a tool for study and greater understanding.

Heartbreaking Stories

Of course the heartbreaking stories are easily accessible. One of the latest concerns besides the ongoing cycle of attack and retaliation, is the fence/wall that is literally separates families – and even fields. The WCC has recorded the stories of people like Katam Mahmod Zud who now has the wall being built between her house and the small field where she grows grains and beans for her household of ten. "Where am I then going to grow food for my children? The wall is taking the food out of their mouths" is all Zud can say.

The WCC report highlights that the barrier has different names. Most Israelis call it "the separation fence," as in 'good fences make good neighbours', and claim it's needed to protect them from suicide bombers. Most Palestinians dub it "the wall," evoking memories of Berlin and claiming it all amounts to a wholesale grab of their fertile land and fresh water. It's actually a fence in places and an eight-meter high concrete wall in others.

Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, the Episcopal bishop in Jerusalem, warns: "The best of secure borders are reconciled neighbours, and the closest of neighbours are the Palestinians. The Israelis need to wake up before it is too late. Those fences and walls will not only encircle the Palestinian towns and add to the grudges, but they will also close the Israeli community into a kind of ghetto,"

This full text, free photos as well as “Security or Segregation?

The Humanitarian Consequences of Israel's Wall of Separation”, written by two ecumenical accompaniers are available at:
http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/feat-03-11.html

These are the people with whom Glenn will serve and live.

A True Story from South Africa

How would you respond if you received the following letter of resignation from an employee (remembering that the unemployment rate is in excess of 50%).

‘I hereby resign with immediate effect. The reason for this is that I am sick because of my Fore Fathers who want me to become a Witch Doctor. The challenges facing our world are varied and immense as well as deeply spiritual. Our Christian calling is to proclaim the gospel of grace. Daily we must make Jesus Christ known through the nurture and teaching of the Christian faith, and through our loving service which seeks to transform our world. The Gospel call is a missionary one. It is impossible to ignore. You can make a difference.