Mission Crossroads is a three-time-a-year magazine focused on worldwide work of the PC(USA). It offers news and feature stories about mission personnel, international partners and grassroots Presbyterians involved in God's mission in the world.
Issue link: https://missioncrossroads.epubxp.com/i/592761
Mission Crossroads 17 Several donations and pledges continue to be received toward the strengthening of the church in the Middle East through high-quality theological education in Arabic ofered by the Evangelical Teological Seminary in Cairo. Te Rev. Dr. David Cortes-Fuentes has been identifed to serve as mission co-worker as member of the faculty of the Evangelical Teological Seminary of Matanzas in Cuba. Tis will be the frst placement in Cuba since the revolution (see page 13). Speak Up! Stop Sexual Violence Goal: Build peace and reconciliation in cultures of violence, including our own. pcusa.org/reconciliation God has given all believers the ministry of reconciliation in our broken world (2 Cor. 5:18). Tis campaign is gaining momentum in Presbyterian congregations through "Courageous Conversations." More than 100 U.S. congregations have chosen to teach, preach or hold a service focused on sexual violence this year alone (see page 5). When we speak up about the violent realities faced by women around the globe, we fertilize the ground to become a life- giving, healing presence for those most disproportionately afected by violence in their homes and communities. Men and women are keen to share their eforts and work together to develop ways to address the systemic issues that lead to violence against women and other forms of gender-based violence locally and globally. T here are many issues in the world that break God's heart. Addressing the root causes of these issues is the goal of Presbyterian Mission Agency's critical global initiatives, adopted in 2014 by the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Here is a brief update on each campaigns. Educate a Child, Transform the World Goal: Provide quality education for 1 million children by the year 2020. pcusa.org/globalpoverty Addressing the root causes of poverty by strengthening quality education for children domestically and internationally continues in collaboration with the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministry of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. A website, webinar, Facebook page, blog and various articles relate stories and practices of partnerships in education (see page 4). Projects are being developed with global partners in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East that strengthen quality education for many children. Opportunities exist for partnering early childhood programs, hosted by U.S. Presbyterian congregations, with preschools in rural Africa and Asia. Please visit websites listed on this page for ideas to get your congregation involved in these campaigns. Training Leaders for Community Transformation Goal: Develop 2,000 leaders worldwide by 2017 for evangelistic sharing of the gospel in community-transforming ways. pcusa.org/internationalevangelism Trough holistic training in disease prevention, community development, evangelism and discipleship, Community Health Evangelism (CHE) is transforming lives in Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Malawi, Dominican Republic and Haiti. Collaboration with global partners may assist in launching CHE in Asia. Update on Presbyterian Mission Agency's global campaigns Educating children, training leaders, stopping sexual violence Education is transforming the lives of girls in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Frank Dimmock