Member Church News: Solidarity, Celebrations

The Council for World Mission (CWM) held a Roundtable Meeting for the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (PCM) and its partners from 2-3 August 2022. It brought together PCM leaders, its partners from Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ), World Communion of Reformed Churches, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, PC(USA), Presbyterian Church in Ireland, CWM East Asia member church delegates, and the CWM Moderator Lydia Neshangwe to discuss and discern how as a global network of churches and ecumenical partners, they could strategise their solidarity and support with PCM.

Carmen Elena Diaz Anzora is looking forward to discussing the issues facing her home country of El Salvador and chatting about her church’s collaborative work with the Presbyterian Church (USA). “I am happy because I feel that this participation will help me grow in faith as well as personally and professionally,” said Diaz, an executive committee member of the Calvinist Reformed Church of El Salvador.

In a service brimming with joy, Carmen Lansdowne, Kwisa’lakw was installed as the 44th Moderator of The United Church of Canada. Held on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the service was live streamed across the country with over 500 people watching.

Celebrating 25 Years of Women’s Ordination: “It all began [for me] on a warm, Wednesday afternoon at Providence Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. We had just finished catechism class, and my classmate and I were standing in the hallway talking to our pastor, waiting for our moms to pick us up,” recalled Rev. Mary Hulst, one of the first women ordained as a minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church.

The Presbyterian Church in the Holy Land held a spiritual conference for parishioners under the slogan “Only live as worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).

From August 25 to 27, 2022, Mission 21’s international online summer school will take a critical look at the power imbalance in development cooperation. Participants will discuss with experts and interested parties from four continents which strategies there are for more equal cooperation. Participation is free.

An ecumenical pastoral solidarity team that visited Sri Lanka from 3 to 7 August, organized by the Christian Conference of Asia, expressed alarm over the deep economic crisis that led to unprecedented political turbulence and social upheaval in Sri Lanka. Mmembers observed that there was a dire need for immediate international intervention to help the crippled nation.

_{Image: CCA Delegation members meeting interreligious leaders in Sri Lanka.}