The challenges of the pandemic in Brazil are very similar to those in many Western countries. Apparently small differences in how officials and the population tackle the issue can have large consequences.
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Pray for our health, and for the health of Debora’s and my families in Guatemala and El Salvador
during this pandemic.
Members of our community continue to give thanks for generous donations to the special COVID-19 relief fund – as in this message from Colombo Theological Seminary in Sri Lanka (VSI). Rochelle goes on to say, “The recent practical support that SL so promptly extended to CTS has enabled us to continue paying salaries to faculty …
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The coronavirus pandemic has not spared even a remote place like Nagaland in northeast India, where Oriental Theological Seminary (OTS) is located. When India’s government announced a lightning lockdown on March 23, 2020, millions of migrant workers suddenly left large cities for their hometowns. Those from Nagaland who were either studying or earning a living …
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We rejoice with Mwawi Chilongozi (LeaderStudies) who has been elected Secretary General for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa). Pray for God to strengthen and guide her as she steps into this challenging role.
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We celebrate with Sofía Quintanilla from Costa Rica (LeaderStudies), who successfully defended her dissertation in early September. This is what dissertation defenses look like right now! We’re thankful for the technology that allows scholars to forge ahead and for the courage and commitment of these scholars as they seek to fulfill God’s calling in their …
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I have been busy with loads of work and babysitting my daughter. Schools closed down here in Bolivia, so my two-year-old is no longer in day care.
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Dear friends, Thank you — on behalf of 90 schools of theology, their staffs and students, and their families, and from 31 scholars in formation along with their families, and from the staff and board of ScholarLeaders. Leaders of these schools have confronted a storm from last March: the virus, of course, but also the …
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Our second September book is Theology of Reconciliation in the Context of Church Relations: A Palestinian Christian Perspective in Dialogue with Miroslav Volf by Rula Mansour (Women’s PeerLeader Forum). By analyzing intra-church conflicts and splits in the Arab context, Rula crafts a Middle Eastern approach to Christian peacemaking. She encourages Christians around the world to …
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September’s first book-of-the-month is by Yohanna Katanacho (LeaderStudies; 2020 ScholarLeader of the Year). Reading the Gospel of John through Palestinian Eyes will guide you to understand Christ’s life from the point of view of someone close to His culture – with a particularly rich emphasis on Christ’s miracles in the Palestinian setting.
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Pray for the Church in Colombia, as it engages in ecclesiological reflection, raises its prophetic voice, and serves those in need.
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Colombia as a country is experiencing economic shutdown. The general population is struggling to survive, due to high unemployment rates and severe social restrictions.
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We are under a partial lockdown from 5pm until 5am daily. Typically crowded places like restaurants, malls, churches, and mosques are completely closed until permission from the government. Actually, it has not been easy to stop Sunday worship meetings and all gatherings in our church building. We had to cancel our Holy Week and Easter services in the spring. This has especially challenged traditional Christian communities, especially those with their own liturgies and rituals.
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With heavy hearts, we request prayer for the people of Lebanon, after two explosions on August 5 killed 150+ people, wounded 5,000+, and displaced 300,000+ in Beirut. The blasts damaged buildings several miles from the port, where fires had detonated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, sending shock waves that reached neighboring Cyprus. Several leaders in the ScholarLeaders community live and minister in and near Beirut. We have communicated with each of them and, thankfully, they have all survived and are now participating in cleanup and relief efforts.
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One new development at Musalaha is the Jerusalem Program. This interactive program exposes participants to diverse understandings of the conflict in Jerusalem and to possibilities of conflict transformation.
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