Reaching Out In Missions - Western North Carolina

What could be better than serving as the hand and feet of God...  serving with our brothers
and sisters! World Service is planning a mission trip to the Bryson City, NC, area during the week of September 15-18, 2011. We will partner with Rev. Terry Hanna and a group from Bryson City Presbyterian Church.

Stay tuned for more details.

Reaching Out In Missions - El Salvador

Dennis Grills recently participated in a mission trip to El Salvador with Steele Creek Presbyterian Church.

Susan & Dennis Grills

Their session sent a wonderful letter to Sharon Church commending Dennis for his help. In thanking him, they cited the long hours he spent in helping with preparation for the trip, sharing his experience in international travel, preparing their team both mentally and spiritually, challenging them in their faith walk, and in helping them gain a broader vision of the world and the Church. “Our Mission Team was much more effective in their ministry as a result of Dennis’ thoughtful and diligent work of preparation...  In thanksgiving to God, our Session wishes to commend to you the example of Elder Dennis Grills.  He demonstrated the highest standards of Christian character and witness throughout his time working with and mentoring our Mission Team members...  He has represented Sharon Presbyterian Church and the Lordship of our Savior, Jesus the Christ, in a truly remarkable way.”

Thank you, Dennis!

Celebrate Perú

The National Geographic invites us to explore the Sacred City of the Incas without even leaving the D.C. metro area.

The Embassy of Peru and the National Geographic are together presenting a multimedia Peruvian festival that combines talks, dance, music, film, and ceremony and continues on until July 17, 2012.

Highlights include:

• As part of this multiday event, the National Geographic Museum exhibition Machu Picchu: A Lost City Uncovered, will be opening on June 24, 2012.
• On July 7 from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m there will be a live screening of ceremonies from Machu Picchu.
• A Peruvian Dance Festival with workshops and demonstrations will held on July 17, 2012.

Click here for more information including directions and prices.

Continued Prayers Needed For Cristo Rey

Our dear sisters and brothers, you are here by reminded that prayers are still needed for God's will to be done in the decision of the Cristo Rey Church in Huanta.

The email excerpt below was sent to us from Sara Armstrong:

... "it's really encouraging that people are staying on top of this so carefully, but we all need to keep praying because this Thursday is when the 2 weeks finish, so please let them know the final round is not over. Thank you so very much for spreading this around for a smashing foundation in prayer.

Bendiciones!

Reina Powlison

The above is in reference to preceding posts:

• "The Latest From Cristo Rey" June 9, 2011
• "Cristo Rey Prayers" June 8, 2011

Perú Mission 2011

Dear Participants:

I am long overdue in sending information about our upcoming trip. To say that it has been somewhat of a challenge putting it together this year within the confines of our budget, is an understatement. But despite a whopping 100% increase in airfares from last year to this year, the trip IS coming together. Well so much for the budget!

2011 trip participants include:

1. John Magee {Avondale Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina}
2. Sarah Kate Magee {Avondale Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina}
3. Rose Boelke
4. Shea Chambers {Avondale Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina}
5. Reverend Brad Clayton {Avondale Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina}
6. Connie Dale
7. Van Dale
8. Kaye DuMond
9. Brenda Fairbrother
10. Randy Ross
11. Sarita Ross
12. Tom Skinner
13. Rob Wolf {Port Orange Presbyterian Church, Port Orange, Florida}

Rusty Edmondson will be leading our trip this year. Sara Armstrong will be in Louisville attending a PC(USA) event and finalizing the details of her and Rusty’s agreement to serve another three (3) years in Peru . Yippy Skippy! Or as Rusty would say, “Cool beans!”

Brenda Paredes has graciously agreed to accompany us again this year. Either she loves us very much or just wants to make sure we don’t totally embarrass ourselves while in her country. Or perhaps both.

I have recently caught wind of a plan to kidnap Brenda, bring her back to the United States and enroll her in the fall 2011 semester at Winthrop University, located in bea-u-ti-ful downtown Rock Hill , South Carolina , USA . Mum’s the word!

Also accompanying us on the trip are Brenda’s father and stepmother, Alfredo Paredes and Miriam Laura. Alfredo will assist with trip logistics and Miriam will assist with translating. Oh, the stories we’ll tell (in our very best Spanglish).

All trip participants, except Kaye DuMond (more about this a little later) and possibly Rob Wolf, will travel to Lima via New York and Atlanta . Can someone explain why it costs $550 less per person to fly to Lima from New York versus Charlotte?  Charlotte appears much closer to Peru than New York on all the maps I have seen. Tickets for our group reservation on Delta Airlines will be issued on Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

All trip participants, except Kaye DuMond (I promise, more about this a little later) and definitely Rob Wolf, will travel to/from Charlotte and New York on US Airways. Tickets have been issued.

Rusty has arranged for all “in-country” transportation, accommodations and entertainment. Geez, I hope Rusty’s Spanish has improved dramatically over the past year and we REALLY have room reservations for fifteen participants, not five. We are going to try new restaurants in Lima , Ayacucho and Huanta and a new hotel in Ayacucho this year. Many are local establishments so we are bound to fit right in (in our very best Spanglish).

We welcome the members of Avondale Presbyterian Church joining us this year. I guess they heard the real reason why the group from Port Orange Presbyterian Church (“POPC”) decided not to partner with us again this year. POPC is beginning the first-ever PC(USA) church relationship with the Presbytery of Ayacucho! Please keep the wonderful POPC folks in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their trip and during their time in Peru . The POPC trip is scheduled from July 5 - 13, 2011. Also pray that Kerry Lyons will forget to pack his white tennis shorts this year.

Here is a tentative schedule which, as all seasoned travelers to Peru know, is subject to delays, changes and revisions.

Friday, August 5, 2011: We will travel from the United States to Peru . It will be a long day of travel. Kaye DuMond is flying to Peru a few days before the main group to visit a friend in Lima. Kaye (here is the “later” part I promised) will most likely be flying to and from Peru in business class (and not through New York I might add) and will meet us upon our arrival in Lima (if she can muster the courage to do so). We will check into Casa Kolping for two nights. OK, two half nights.

Saturday, August 6, 2011: We will visit Pastor Adrian Fernandez’s church near Lima . Pastor Adrian is a leader in the Evangelical Presbyterian and Reformed Church of Peru (the “IEPRP”) and an instructor at the Biblical Institute in Huanta, of which he is a founding leader. Members of Pastor Adrian’s church are mostly refugees from Ayacucho, settling near Lima during the time of terror in Peru . Pastor Adrian will be in Huanta during our visit (teaching at the Biblical Institute, no less) but Rusty has other "connections" at this church. We will also make arrangements to ship the donations to Huanta via bus with the assistance of Alfredo, who Van Dale swears knows everyone in Lima.

Sunday, August 7, 2011: Rise and shine at 3:00 am (it will be 4:00 am in the United States ) to catch our 5:30 am (it will be 6:30 am in the United States) flight to Ayacucho. Samuel and Julia Montes will meet us in Ayacucho. After breakfast, we will travel in a spacious and comfortable motor coach to Huanta (past trip participants, shhhhh!). In 2008, the trip from Ayacucho to Huanta took one hour. In 2009, forty-five minutes. In 2010, thirty-five minutes. Perhaps the bus drivers believe the gringos and gringas are gradually getting comfortable traveling in the spacious and comfortable motor coaches from Ayacucho to Huanta. Will it be a fifteen or twenty minute trip this year?

Upon our arrival in Huanta, we will check into the Posada de Marques. Rumor has it that there will be a run on chapla and salt cheese for the six days that follow our arrival.

Monday, August 8 through Friday, August 12, 2011: We will work alongside our hosts to build lecterns and bookcase/storage units for the churches in the Presbytery of Huanta. And more importantly, laugh, pray, sing, play, worship, shed tears and just “be” with each other. Oh, and eat some great Andean food too!

May God be glorified during our time together.

Does anyone believe the Huanta Cup has a snowball’s chance of returning to Charlotte this year?

Saturday, August 13, 2011: Travel to Quinoa (famous for its Andean pottery artisans and easily crashed Quechua wedding receptions) and then on to Ayacucho. We will visit a recently opened museum, highly recommended by Rusty, centered on the time of terror in the region.

Sunday, August 14, 2011: Rise and shine at 4:00 am (it will be 5:00 am in the United States ) to catch our 6:50 am (it will be 7:50 am in the United States) flight to Lima . We will travel to Amen Presbyterian Church for worship and fellowship. Then on to lunch, shopping and dinner before heading to the Lima airport for, well, you know.

Monday, August 15, 2011: Our flight is scheduled to depart Lima bound for Atlanta at 12:40 am. It will be another long day of travel, but definitely well worth it in my humble opinion.

Trip Commissioning is scheduled for Sunday, July 31, 2011 during Worship. Rob Wolf will not be able to participate in person but in his own words “I will definitely be there in spirit though.”

We will get together in mid-July to do our final packing and head over to Genaro’s Peruvian Rotisserie for dinner.

As to the issues facing the Cristo Rey Church in Huanta. I don’t know the history of the Cristo Rey and Genesis churches in Huanta or on what basis the members of the Genesis church claim that the Cristo Rey church property belongs to them. Obviously, there is much at stake. I wouldn’t want to speculate how a ruling against the members of the Cristo Rey church would impact them.

Should we postpone or cancel our trip until the issue is finally resolved? I think not. Legal issues can take many years to be concluded, even in Peru.  And whatever the judge rules, we should be standing alongside our brothers and sisters, whether it is a time of joy or a time of uncertainty or sorrow.

God has blessed me with yet another opportunity to visit and marvel at another facet of His wonderful creation. I look forward to our time together with our brothers and sisters in Peru with more anticipation and excitement than ever before. I am humbled and thankful to be sharing the experience that awaits us with each of you, even if I am not the one who gets to fly business class.

Blessings and thanks to all. Let me know if you have any questions or need additional information regarding our trip.

Forty-five (45) days and counting!

Randy

Pastor Santos' Update 10

Theresa Wolf was be able to spend the afternoon with Pastor Santos Buendia today.  Theresa is formally from Port Orange Presbyterian Church of Port Orange, Florida.  We at Sharon were fortunate to have the Port Orange group join us on the 2010 Peru mission trip.  Theresa and her husband Rob now live in Atlanta and she wishes to thank everyone for the opportunity to visit Pastor Santos on our behalf.

Pastor Santos is doing great and will go for a checkup this coming week.  He has already been cleared by the doctors for the damage done to his face and eye.

Rest assured that Theresa made him feel much better...  and she said "he is so cool"!

Thank you Theresa...  you're the best!

Pastor Santos' Update 9

Hello William,

All seems to be going well with Santos’ recovery. He is having regular weekly appointments with the oral surgeon. Norma and Karis are home in Lima. We are trusting that Santos will be ready to return home the second week in July, if the Lord wills.

Grace

Brenda's Big Day

My dear friends and family in Christ,

Finally I have the date for the Interview, I just heard from the Embassy: 
June 28th, 2pm is the big day
I will be applying for a F-1 student visa. I will need your prayers.

Thank you very much for all your support;
I love and miss you all.

Good Brenda

Chandler Schramm Joins Charlotte Christian For Mission Trip To Dominican Republic

Dear friends and family,

I want to share with you a ministry opportunity God has presented to me. During June 11-18, I will be going to the Dominican Republic with a team from my school, Charlotte Christian School.

Our trip will focus on playing with, and ministering to, children in orphanages and who live in poverty. We will do this in a number of ways, but primarily we will spend time getting to know them, and then hosting a “vacation bible school” experience for the kids. If we raise enough money, we will also use the opportunity to feed an entire village in the name of Jesus! The purpose of our trip is fourfold:

• First, we will be allowing God to work in our lives through the personal enrichment that comes from this type of a mission trip.
• Second, we will pray for the people of the DR, that God may open their eyes and hearts to the message of Jesus.
• Third, we will be visiting many of the children we visited last year, so that Charlotte Christian School can continue to develop a presence in the DR on these yearly trips.
• Fourth, we will encourage local Christians and missionaries in the DR. Our presence will bolster their spirits and support their work through SCORE International.

I'm excited about the opportunity and experience that lie ahead. I hope you see the value in what we will accomplish. I need your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God's leading in ministry in the DR. Without prayer, nothing will happen.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

Chandler Schramm

PS We had an amazing yard sale with items donated by us, our friends, and our families, and raised $6500!!!!! We will be able to help feed, not only one, but 2-3 villages with this money!

The Latest From Cristo Rey

the tele novena continues

hi good william...  visited with samuel. the attorneys made their closing arguments and the judge said he will give his decision within 15 days. samuel sends his saludos y abrazos.

rusty

Hunter Farrell on Presbyterian World Mission

Article from Presbyterians Today:

We’re better together
Each member of the body of Christ has a vital role in God’s mission to the world

By Hunter Farrell

In recent decades a seismic shift in the understanding and practice of mission has opened the door to direct involvement of U.S. Presbyterians at unprecedented levels. As globalization has increased international communication, travel and awareness, U.S. Presbyterians haven’t waited on the denominational offices to engage in mission — they’ve gone themselves! Researchers estimate that 2.2 million Americans traveled on international short-term mission trips in 2008.* There are signs that the Spirit is calling the church to a broader understanding of partnership at the dawn of a new chapter of mission history.

World mission: a story in 3 chapters
The story of Presbyterians’ involvement in God’s mission to the world is a long and beautiful one that can be understood in three chapters.

Chapter 1: Beginning in 1837 the Presbyterian Church’s Board of Foreign Mission sent missionaries into the world to preach, teach and heal. In Brazil, Congo, Egypt, China and other countries, mission workers planted churches and helped them grow into witnessing, serving communities. Thousands of women and men came to faith in Jesus Christ, as U.S. Presbyterians, sent by our denominational mission board, took the gospel around the world. This first chapter of Presbyterian mission history was a good and faithful response to God’s call to our church at that time.

Chapter 2: In the 1950s and 60s Presbyterian communities in other nations multiplied and matured. The developing world’s clamor for self-determination in the waning years of the colonial era grew. U.S. Presbyterians discerned a movement of the Spirit and reformed the church’s mission policy to respect the role of national Christian communities and their leaders in what was previously considered “the mission field.”

General Assembly offices began working with churches around the world in the spirit of partnership, turning over the reins of leadership to them and empowering the national churches to serve their communities through ministries of evangelism, health, justice, education and development. Since then the churches in Korea, China, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Brazil, Mexico and many other countries have exploded in growth, adding millions of members to the church of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 3: In 1960 Presbyterians worked primarily through one centralized international mission agency. Today there are literally thousands of Presbyterian “mission agencies”: congregational mission committees, international presbytery partnerships, and numerous Presbyterian mission organizations. This new context requires that in addition to continuing to partner with churches around the world, Presbyterian World Mission partners with congregations and church members in the United States who are involved in God’s mission.

Good and not so good
The changes in how the church does mission have brought positive effects: more widespread involvement; increased giving; more opportunities for personal and congregational transformation.
But global partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have pointed out several problems:

• Mission efforts have become highly uncoordinated. For example, three congregations arrive at the same Central American community for a work trip.
• Mission outreach is less strategic. In a given year, for example, perhaps a hundred Presbyterian congregations take a mission trip to tourist-friendly Kenya, but only a few to neighboring Sudan, a poorer and less-evangelized nation with a longer history of relationship to the PC(USA).
• In some cases mission projects are less responsive to the needs as perceived by the local overseas community. U.S. congregations offer what they have, which is sometimes not what the partner needs.
• For more faithful and effective witness, World Mission leaders have begun to work intentionally in “communities of mission practice,” gathering and nurturing spaces of prayer, reflection, mutual learning and discipleship. A growing number of mission networks, international presbytery partnerships and other programs provide concrete examples of this emerging phenomenon.

Critical global issues
The rising tide of collaboration comes none too soon: in this age of rapid globalization the causes of poverty and injustice often reach across national borders. To truly make a difference, Presbyterians must coordinate their work with each other and with the church’s global partners.

In many cases global partners are unable to address the root causes of particular problems in their countries without the witness and advocacy of U.S. Christians.

For example:

• Thousands of children in Peru are discovered to have lead-poisoning because of the environmental practices of a U.S.-owned metal smelter.
• U.S. “free trade” policy forced Haiti to lower its tariffs on rice, opening up that impoverished nation to a flood of cheap U.S. rice — subsidized by U.S. taxpayers — effectively destroying all incentive for Haitian farmers to grow rice.
• Women and children in many countries are routinely lured away from their communities in search of a job, but can wind up ensnared in the global web of human trafficking.

Presbyterians are increasingly aware that God’s mission is not dependent on the World Mission offices— nor is it independent of them. Rather this third chapter of mission history is one of profound inter-dependence, where all members of the body of Christ bring to the common table all they have and offer it to God’s mission. Presbyterians doing mission as the body of Christ can testify, “We’re better together!”

Hunter Farrell is director of World Mission for the General Assembly Mission Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). With his wife, Ruth, and their three children, he worked for 15 years as a mission co-worker in Congo and Peru.

Published in Presbyterians Today magazine, May 2010.

*Robert Priest, Effective Engagement in Short-term Missions: Getting It Right! (Pasadena: William Carey Press, 2008).

The above article was sent to us from,
Dennis A. Smith
dennis.smith@pcusa.org

PCUSA Enlace Regional, Brasil y Cono Sur, Misión Mundial
PCUSA Regional Liaison, Brazil and Southern Cone, World Mission
PCUSA Representante Regional, Brasil e Cone Sul, Missão Mundial

Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.pcusa.org/worldmission

Cristo Rey Prayers

Dear sisters and brothers,

Good Afternoon.

We write because we hear from Huanta that there is a need to pray for the Cristo Rey Church. There is a church there, Genesis, that used to belong to the IEPRP. They have been trying for many years to say that the Cristo Rey property also belongs to them. They want to confiscate it. Tomorrow morning the issue will be decided by a judge. The faithful people at Cristo Rey say it is all in the hands of God.

Saludos de Sara y Rusty

Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Coordinadores de Alianzas y Delegaciones con las Iglesias Reformadas de Perú
http://www.puentesperuanos.org/

Pastor Santos' Update 8

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pastor Santos is making steady progress. Last Friday, the oral surgeon attached wires that will temporarily hold his jaw in place while the bones knit together in the proper position. He will have weekly follow-up appointments for the next six weeks. Santos is well enough now that Norma and Karis plan to return home to Lima early next week so that Karis can go back to school.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Santos recovery. Please pray also for traveling mercies for Norma and Karis as they fly home next week.

Blessings in Christ,

Grace Swartz

Prayers For Perú

Dear 2011 Perú Mission Team:

On Sunday, April 10, 2011, a general election to elect the 94th President of Perú was held. Since no one candidate received over 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the two candidates receiving the most votes (Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala) will be held on Sunday, June 5, 2011.

Both candidates come with a lot of baggage and are political unknowns. Here is a link to an article in The Miami Herald that will help provide a general overview of the candidates and the uncertainty surrounding them.

Brenda Paredes has asked for prayers for this election, that the best candidate to lead Perú for the next five years will be elected.

Thanks.

Randy