Category Archives: Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations

August 26, 2012 · 9:15 pm

Twice blessed

I give thanks for those who pray for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations and for me. Each of the past two days included an event that reminded me of the power of those prayers.

Second blessing

Today, 26 August, I attended worship at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver. I had the opportunity to speak briefly about the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations during the worship service. A potluck followed worship. There I spoke directly to a number of the members. Before either of those events took place, the Rev. Dr. Pattie Kitchen led the congregation in the pastoral prayer for the morning. She prayed for me – by name – and for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

First blessing

On 23 – 25 August, I took part in the Malawi Mission Network meeting. Again I had the opportunity to speak to the whole network and to have many wonderful conversations with individuals or small groups. I reconnected with some friends that I have known, including Mark and Lin Plumb from my college days. I made many new friends, including Mary Mphande, Helen Zimba, and Mercy Nyirenda who helped me don the chitenge that I won as a door prize.

Saturday evening, we gathered in the outside amphitheater at the Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center. Our partners from Malawi, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Co-workers serving in Malawi, and staff members serving with the Presbyterian Mission Agency sat in the front rows. As a campfire flickered before us, network members stood around us, laid hands on us, and prayed for us.

Each experience moved me deeply, providing touching reminders of the power of prayer and the grace of community. Twice blessed, I give thanks and will remember these moments in the days to come.

See you along the Trail.

My new friend Kathy Bernard took the photo of the group for whom the Malawi Mission Network prayed.

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August 24, 2012 · 5:49 pm

Chitenge on a dare

I am attending the meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Malawi Mission Network at the Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Retreat Center in Allenspark, CO.

Last night (23 August), the opening night of the meeting, I went to the Malawi 101 session. There I won a door prize: a chitenge (also spelled chitenje).

My friend Amanda Craft wrote a reflection about the role of the chitenje when we were on a travel study seminar together. It was for the old blog of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program so it does not show Amanda as the author. She wrote it. I watched her.

The contest involved our birthdays. The person with their birthday closest to last night (23 August) was to win. With a date of one month and one day away, I won.

Amid the laughter came the dare: you should wear this tomorrow (24 August) when you do your presentation on the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

Far be it from me to pass on a dare.

As my presentation began at 10:00 AM Central Time, Mary Mphande, Helen Zimba, and Mercy Nyirenda helped me don the chitenge. Kathy Bernard graciously took the picture.

And the rest is history.

See you along the Trail.

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July 25, 2012 · 4:15 pm

End violence against women, says Orange Day

I originally posted a version of this on my work blog.

Today was the first Orange Day.

The UNiTE campaign has proclaimed every 25th of the month as Orange Day, to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls, not only once a year on 25 November (the International Day to End Violence against Women), but every month!

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

UNiTE brings together a host of UN agencies and offices to galvanize action across the UN system to prevent and punish violence against women.

Through UNiTE, the UN is joining forces with individuals, civil society and governments to put an end to violence against women in all its forms.

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July 17, 2012 · 10:18 pm

Go with God, my dear friend

I knew the day would come. I had checked on it again and again. I did not want to miss the opportunity to say what I wanted to say. But I learned tonight, that I almost did that.

I met Kevin Dance several years ago when I attended a seminar at the Presbyterian United Nations Office (its name at the time). Kevin serves as the representative at the UN for Passionists International. A group from National Capital Presbytery came for a seminar on addressing racism around the world. Kevin spoke to the group because of his work with indigenous peoples. I liked him instantly.

When I arrived in New York in October 2010 to serve with the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations (its current name), Kevin, along with many others, greeted me warmly. We worked together on a several issues including indigenous persons and a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

A gentle, caring man, Kevin mixed a brilliant sense of humor with a profound passion for justice. He played a key role in bringing indigenous voices into the conversation at the UN. When that happened, he continued to work to ensure that the powerful heard our indigenous sisters and brothers.

Earlier this year, the faith-based NGO community learned that the time had come for Kevin to return to his home. We made a special effort to learn about his work with indigenous peoples. We did not want to lose his memories and insights We set a time to hear from him when he gladly provided “not a lecture but more of a meander. An insightful, helpful, challenging meander.

Through the first part of the year, I made a point of asking every time I saw him, when he would leave. I did not want to miss the opportunity to tell him what his friendship and witness means to me.

Of course things got busy in my life and in Kevin’s life. For the last month or so I have neither seen him nor checked his schedule.

Tonight, as I prepare to travel in the morning to a meeting that will keep me away for the rest of the week, I learned that Kevin leaves town on Monday. That last cuppa will not happen. But, with fumbling fingers, I did send him an email thanking him for his friendship and collegiality.

I am grateful I could do that much. Two other thoughts provide comfort as I bid Kevin farewell.

My friend Emily McGinley recently wrote a blog post “Love is Sticky” in which she reflects on the Korean concept of term jeong. Emily notes that:

Jeong is rooted in relationality and it has this disturbing quality of dissolving those barriers between oneself and another. … Jeong is “sticky” because it reminds us that: “we are, whether we want to admit it or not, always connected to one another.”

In theological terms, we are “people of one body, bound together by ultimate love.” Remembering that, I know that even as we go our separate ways, Kevin and I remind bound together.

Secondly, Kevin lives in Australia. I figure since I did not get a chance to say the good-bye I wanted to say in New York, I have to go to Australia to do so. Pretty good deal.

Kevin – thank you for your faith, your witness, and your friendship. Go with God, my dear friend.

See you along the Trail.

 

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July 12, 2012 · 12:42 pm

Perspective 2

A while back, when tempted to whine about the heat, I reflected on perspective with the help of some friends. Today, while touring the United Nations headquarters with a group from China I saw a t-shirt that further deepens my perspective on the challenges of life – the real challenges of life. The t-shirt hangs on the display about displacement – hangs there every day – hangs there every time I accompany a group on a tour. I see it every time. Today, though it spoke to me with a power not present before.

The photo lacks in quality – next time I will bring a better camera – but it conveys the message.

May all who share such hopes have them realized.

May I help answer these hopes of my sisters and brothers.

See you along the Trail.

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July 1, 2012 · 10:50 am

Gee, but it’s good to be back home – in a sense

The Trail has brought me to Pittsburgh for the meeting of the 220th General Assembly (2012) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The PC(USA), as it is known, is my employer.

I lived on Neville Island – seven miles downstream from the Point in Pittsburgh – where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers give birth to the Ohio River – until I was 9 or 10 years old (memory fades). In a sense, this is home.

Here’s what’s up with the Assembly:

The 220th General Assembly (2012) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) began yesterday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Find a variety of ways to follow the business of the General Assembly (the next few days are spent in committees – we are Presbyterian).

The General Assembly consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries. Half of the commissioners will be Ministers of Word and Sacrament, half will be elders. Few will ever have been commissioners to the General Assembly before, but most will have served in one of the other governing bodies of our church: the session, which provides care and oversight of a local congregation; the presbytery, which provides care and oversight of a group of congregations; or the synod which provides care and oversight of several presbyteries.

It reviews the work of synods, resolves controversies in the church, is responsible for matters of common concern for the whole church, and serves as a symbol of unity for the church.

The General Assembly has several specific responsibilities outlined in Chapter 3 of the Book of Order. The assembly seeks to protect our church from errors in faith and practice, is responsible for assuring that the expression of our theology remains true to the biblical standards in our historic confessions. The General Assembly presents a witness for truth and justice in our community and in the world community. It sets priorities for the church and establishes relationships with other churches or ecumenical bodies.

What this does not say is how much of my life this event has consumed and will consume. It is so consuming that it will likely slow down my blogging some.

See you around the Trail.

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March 13, 2012 · 12:09 am

Kony 2012 and children in armed conflict

An issue that has drawn lots of attention lately is the Kony2012 video and campaign. My friend and colleague Jessica Hawkinson gathered some resources for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations that are related to addressing the issue of Kony and the LRA and the larger issue of children in situations of armed conflict.

Millions of viewers have tuned in to the KONY2012 video and campaign, recently released by the organization Invisible Children. The campaign encourages public support for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who is wanted for trial by the International Criminal Court. Kony is charged for, among other things, the widespread recruitment and use of child soldiers. The campaign also seeks to build support for the disarmament of the LRA and rehabilitation of these child soldiers.

For all of the support the campaign has gained, many key stakeholders have raised questions about the video, noting its failure to adequately address the complexities of the issue. Included below are several resources about the video, the Ugandan conflict and the LRA, and ways that you can help bring an end to the use of children in armed conflict.

Learn more about the LRA and children in situations of armed conflict

How you can help

Follow live on Twitter

A prayer for children in situations of armed conflict
by David Gambrell

Loving God, giver of life,
through your prophets you promised
that a little child would come to lead us
in the paths of everlasting peace.
Help us to follow where you lead
and hasten the coming of the day …
when wars throughout the earth will end …
when neighbors and nations will put down their weapons …
when all children will live in safety and freedom …
when all people will have justice and dignity …
when the wolf and lamb will dwell together
and no one will hurt or destroy in all the earth.
We ask these things through Jesus Christ,
your beloved child, our eternal peace.  Amen.

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February 28, 2012 · 9:20 am

What if?

The Ecumenical Women’s worship service at the Commission on the Status of Women today focused on  the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well.

I find myself wondering . . . what if, after that transformational encounter, the woman took a walk down the Jericho road . . . and she followed a priest . . . and she followed a Levite . . . and there was a person mugged and beaten by the side of the road . . .

What if?

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February 26, 2012 · 7:15 am

If the women around the world were paid for their work . . .

My life revolves around the Commission on the Status of Women for the next two weeks. The Commission meets to recommend policies that seek to increase equality between women and men and enhance women’s rights. Nongovernmental organizations come to the meeting of the Commission to advocate for positions and ideas from their particular perspective. The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations hosts the Presbyterian participants – more than 40 people this year! We work in partnership with Ecumenical Women. Yesterday, Ecumenical Women held an orientation for about 180 women and men from the various member organizations.

I caught a few quotes worth sharing:

It’s some times easier to stay at home than to enter the struggle. Easier, but not better.

  • Ana Chã, Brazil

You know what, I am that statistic. When we talk about statistics, we are talking about people.

  • Michelle Deshong, Australia

I wish I could find that teacher who told me I would never amount to anything and tell him where I am speaking.

  • Michelle Deshong, Australia

If women around the world were paid for the work they do, they would be millionaires

  • I didn’t catch the name of the person

Grace Bickers, a Columbia University student who volunteers with us, took the picture at the orientation.

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February 25, 2012 · 6:26 am

Commission on the Status of Women

 

 Between 2,000 and 4,000 women. And a few men.

Those will be my companions for the next two weeks.

Within that group, my circle will likely focus on 40 or so Presbyterians and some of our ecumenical partners..

The 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (“CSW” or “the Commission”) begins on Monday, February 27.

For Presbyterian participants things started last night with an orientation at the Church of the Covenant.

The CSW is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Comprised of representatives of 45 UN Member States, the Commission gathers every year at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.

There are a number of places to follow the CSW including Swords into Plowshares where I blog for my work with the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

Watch the plenary sessions of the Commission on UN Webcast.

Other sources of information include:

This morning we will take part in an orientation with our partners in Ecumenical Women.

Thanks to Grace Bickers who volunteers at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations for the picture.

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