Please download the MONTHLY MISSION STORY for your church bulletin or newsletter:   
            September 2009: text only or pdf or español
            October 2009: text only or pdf or español

To download the WEEKLY PRAYER for Sunday Worship, click here: Poland

Take Action for Cuba on September 30, 2009: Cuba Go!

Will you participate in the Critical Presence for Critical Times Appeal? Special Appeal

GM Co-Executive Delivers "Award of Affirmation" to the Philippines in Person
During a recent visit to the East Asia and Pacific Region with Xiaoling Zhu and Cally Rogers-Witte, David Vargas, Co-Executive of Global Ministries, had the opportunity to meet with Rev. Berlin and Melinda Guerrero and other leaders of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). Rev. Guerrero and his wife Melinda were invited to attend the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis this past summer, but were denied a visa by the United States because of supposed "terrorist activities". Berlin and Melinda have dedicated their lives to walking with the poor in the communities where they serve. To read the story and see a photo of the presentation, click here:  http://globalministries.org/news/eap/award-of-affirmation.html

GM Missionary in Colombia Reports on Cordoba Murders of Protestant Pastors
So far in 2009 six Protestant church leaders from southern Córdoba have been murdered by paramilitary armed groups. Several attempted murders and dozens of death threats have caused the forced displacement of hundreds of people. Some churches have been literally caught in the crossfire. In one town six pastors were threatened to be killed if they failed to make extortion payments. A significant number of the victims were targeted for their community leadership in land-rights struggles and for opposing the violence affecting their communities. To read more and take action, click here:  http://colombiacalling.blogspot.com/2009/09/murders-and-threats-against-church.html

To read the Prophetic Call which documents the human rights and law violations, click here:
In English: http://www.justapaz.org/IMG/pdf_LP4_Ing_web.pdf
In Spanish: http://www.justapaz.org/IMG/pdf_LP4e_Web.pdf

Religious Leaders Send Letter to Obama on Middle East Peace
"…Religious leaders have praised the President's efforts to bring peace to the region, and have cited six principles to help him "chart a path to a better future." The principles were stated in a message to Mr. Obama signed by the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary, Ambassador Warren Clark, CMEP Executive Director, and other U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders. "We must indeed find a way forward," said Kinnamon. "The pain and suffering caused by this conflict cannot be calculated. Those of us who trace our faith to Abraham share both a common bond and a common agony that the Holy Land remains a venue of endless bitterness and bloodshed. It has to stop, and stopping it must be a major moral commitment by all of us." To read the letter, click here:  http://globalministries.org/news/mee/john-thomas-joins.html 

Congo Week Scheduled for October 18-24, 2009
Mark your calendars and plan to have your congregation participate in Congo Week October 18-24. You can go to http://www.congoweek.org/english/ to register for Congo Week and get ideas and resources.  To see the program of activities that First Christian Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, has planned for Congo Week, click here: http://globalministries.org/news/news/congoflyer.pdf

To order a Congo resource from Chalice Press which will be available January 2010, click here: http://www.chalicepress.com/New-Day-for-Christians-EnglishBR-One-Person-Can-Make-a-Difference-P577.aspx

NYCOSH's 9/11 work Conducted in partnership with UCC National Disaster Ministries
Thousands of people who participated in rescue, recovery or cleanup work after 9/11 are now sick. Many more may become sick as a result of exposure to contaminated dust and smoke. The New York State Workers' Compensation Law has been changed to allow someone who was exposed, but is not sick, to register. Registering now will protect your right to file a workers' compensation claim if you become sick at any time in the future. To read more, click here:  http://www.ucc.org/disaster/nycoshs-911-related-work-is.html

UCC Pastor Swims English Channel to Raise Funds for Angola
Saturday, September 19 at 11:14 a.m. GMT, Reverend Mike Solberg stepped into the chilly water of the English Channel. Thirteen hours and 31 minutes later, Mike arrived on the shores of France after swimming the English Channel to raise funds for Global Ministries partner, the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola, for a primary school in Waku Kungo, Angola. Congratulations and many thanks to Mike! Check out Mike's site for his story http://www.swimmikeswim.com/. For more information about the school project in Angola, click here: http://globalministries.org/africa/projects/waku-kungo-primary-school.html

Donations thus far total about 65% of the cost of the school.

If you would like to receive directly to your inbox these weekly Global Ministries updates, please send your name, e-mail address, physical address, phone number, and home church to: bshebeck@dom.disciples.org

Upcoming Ministries and Mission Interpreters (MMI) Training Events:

• Cleveland, Ohio: October 9-11, 2009 beginning with dinner on Friday and going through Sunday at noon. Radisson Gateway, Cleveland, OH.  Registration deadline extended until September 18, 2009 To register for the event go to: http://globalministries.org/calendar/mmi-october-2009.html 
• Southern California: Saturday, October 31, 2009 sponsored by the Pacific Southwest Region (DOC) and the Southern California-Nevada Conference (UCC) – For more info, contact Larry Hixon larryhixon@yahoo.com or got to: http://globalministries.org/calendar/mmi-training-in-claremont.html 
• Enid, Oklahoma: April 22-23, 2009 in conjunction with the Oklahoma Regional Assembly. More information coming…
• Greensboro, North Carolina: Monday June 21, 2010 @ 6:30pm to Wednesday June 23, 2010 @ 1:30pm, before the Disciples Women's Quadrennial Assembly. To see more details and download the registration form, click here: http://globalministries.org/calendar/quadrennial-2010-mmi-training.html 
• Cleveland, Ohio: October 7-10, 2010 (tentative): Missionworks with an MMI training. More information to come…

Find a Missionary Visit in your State:
IA: September 1 – October 11 and October 17-31, 2009, John Campbell-Nelson (Indonesia/Timor) Contact: Hal and Donna Rusk h.rusk@mchsi.com
CT: September 13 – October 8 and October 12-31, 2009, Lydia Bartholomew (Jerusalem) Contact: Cecile Gilson cecileg@ctucc.org
MD: October 18 & November 1, 2009, Marla Schrader (Palestine) Contact: Robert Maddox robtjr11@comcast.net
Penn Central: November 8, 2009, John Campbell-Nelson (Indonesia/Timor) Contact: Tyson Frey tysonf@apostlesucc.org
AZ: January 11 – March 6, 2010, Mark Behle (Lesotho) Contact: Barbara Decker bdecker@uccswc.com
MA: March 20-21, 2010, Mark Behle (Lesotho) Contact: Marilyn Crosby marilyncrosby@yahoo.com
WI: April 11 – May 16, 2010, Mark Behle (Lesotho) Contact: William Kesting wkesting@excel.net