General Assembly News - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Congo Initiative LaunchedGlobal Ministries is excited to announce thelaunch of a new initiative designed toencourage individuals and congregations toform deeper connections with internationalpartners. In seeking to enable Christian Church(Disciples of Christ) and United Church ofChrist (UCC) constituents to experience adeeper understandingand closer connections t oparticular partners,while continuing theongoing work withpartners globally,Global Ministries is focusing attention on aspecific region of the world. For the next 18months we will be focusing on our partners inthe Democratic Republic of CongoThere are a number of reasons for this specific focus. In2011, both the UCC Synod and DOC Assembly approvedresolutions calling for reflection, education and advocacyon behalf of the Congo. Over the past decade,approximately 6 million people have been killed in ongoingconflict and war for control of the Congo’s vast mineralresources. Any of us who currently use cell phones andcomputers benefit from these mineral resources thatcause so much death and misery. In addition, we have along history of engagement in the Congo and today,through Global Ministries, the Christian Church (Disciplesof Christ) and the United Church of Christ continue thislegacy of connections and relationships. I Corinthians12:16 states that when one part of the body suffers, weall suffer. With a history and engagement in the Congosince 1899, we cannot ignore our calling to walk insolidarity with sisters and brothers there.This emphasis will involve manyaspects of engagement:• Bible study curriculum, written by both NorthAmericans and Congolese, focusing on issues suchas partnership and mutuality, HIV/AIDS andhealthcare, the rights of women and children, andthe access to and use of natural resources• People to People immersion trips to the Congo aswell as hosting delegates from the partner church/organization• opportunities to learn about and be involved inadvocacy issues which have been identified bypartners in the Congo• worship resources designed to help experience Godand faith in new and challenging ways.Our hope and prayer is that through these many andvaried experiences, we will better understand the issues,priorities, successes and struggles of sisters and brothersin the Congo and, in turn, be challenged to understandourselves, our world and our faith anew. In short, wehope that this emphasis puts a very real and personalface on God’s mission in the world as we engage withfriends.To learn more about this exciting new initiative, please visit www.GlobalMinistries.org/congo-initiative/4CHRISTIAN CHURCH DISCIPLES OF CHRIST | JULY 13-17, 2013