Disciples of Christ General Assembly 2025 Recap

Global Ministries was thrilled to connect with our friends at the 2025 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, Tennessee, this summer!

“The Spirit of Sankofa: Looking Back to Move Forward” – Global Ministries International Dinner

On July 12, Disciples Overseas Ministries (DOM) hosted more than 200 people for our 2025 Global Ministries International Dinner. The dinner’s theme The Spirit of Sankofa was inspired by the Sankofa bird, from the Akan language of Ghana. The bird represents having one’s feet firmly planted while looking to the past and flying toward the future. “It is the ideal image of where Disciples Overseas Ministries finds itself,” the Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable, DOM President and Global Ministries Co-Executive, said. “It’s the joining together of our past, present, and future.”

During the program, we recognized three instrumental leaders with Lifetime Achievement awards:

Rev. Dr. David Vargas, who became President of DOM and Global Ministries Co-Executive in 2003 and served in the role until he retired in 2011.  

Rev. Dr. Julia Brown Karimu, who served as DOM President and Co-Executive of Global Ministries from 2011 to 2021.  

Rev. Patricia M. Tucker, who became president of DOM in January 1994. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Common Global Ministries Board (CGMB) in partnership with the United Church of Christ and served as our first Disciples Co-Executive until December 2002.

Dr. Ira Desiawanti Mangilio offered the keynote address. She is a Lecturer of Hebrew Scritpure at Artha Wacana Christian University, Kupang – East Nusa Tenggara. Her areas of concentration are biblical studies, postcolonial feminism, and ecological studies.

The evening was a wonderful start to General Assembly 2025—full of fun, fellowship, and deepening our understanding of and commitment to our shared mission and ministry around the world!

All-Assembly Worship and Commissioning

During All-Assembly worship on July 13, the Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable, DOM President, and Krista Johnson Weicksel, DOM Chief Administrative Officer, introduced our International Guests to the General Assembly:

• Rev. Dr. Fidon Mwombeki – General Secretary, All Africa Conference of Churches 
• Mr. Vusie Kunene – General Secretary, Council of Swaziland Churches (Visa Denied)
• Rev. Dr. Marthe Maleke Kondemo – General Secretary for Woman & Family, Church of Christ in Congo (Visa Denied)
• Rev. Lee Sangho – Secretary of the General Assembly Partnership & Ecumenical Relations Committee, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
• Carlos Vicente Chávez Ledezma – President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Paraguay
• Richard Daniel Troche Escobar – President of the International School of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Paraguay
• Rev. Cristobal Fidencio Mareco Lird – President of the Transitional Board of Directors of the International University of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Paraguay
• Rev. Hilda Robles Floran – General Pastor, Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Puerto Rico
• Rev. Sary Nitza Rosario Ferreira – Assistant Pastor for Families and Ministerial Care, Puerto Rico
• Rev. Luis Felipe Ramos Roman – Assistant Pastor for Evangelism and Christian Education, Puerto Rico
• Ms. Selina Abdalla – Grants, Reporting and Compliance Manager for the YWCA of Palestine
• Rev. Dr. Sameer Isaac Khimla – Bishop of the Diocese of Durgapur of the Church of North India
• Dr. Ira Desiawanti Mangililo – Lecturer at Artha Wacana Christian University
• Rev. Adriana Dukabain-Tunliu – GMIT, the Evangelical Church of Timor, Indonesia

The General Assembly also recognized and commissioned four Global Ministries Mission Co-workers during Sunday evening’s worship.

• Paul Chimhungwe – Kgolagano College, Botswana
• Alex Maldonado – Christian Centre for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action, Colombia
• Xiomara Cintron Garcia – Christian Centre for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action, Colombia
• Shalom Cobb – Caminante, Dominican Republic

Resolutions

The following resolutions related to Global Ministries were passed at General Assmbly:

• GA-2514 – Commitment to the Thursdays in Black Campaign: A Global Movement For A World Without Gender-Based Violence
• GA-2568 – An Emergency Resolution Concerning the Moral Crisis of Federal Budget Priorities in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill
• GA-2570 – Emergency Resolution Responding to The United States Federal Government’s Attack on Immigrants, Migrants, And Refugees
• GA-2571 – Affirmation of the World Council of Churches call to “End Apartheid, Occupation, and Impunity in Palestine and Israel,” and of solidarity with Palestinian people as we struggle for an end to genocide

Workshops

Global Ministries staff and partners led three workshops on Monday and Tuesday: The Crisis in the Middle East, Going BEYOND in Ecumenism, and Global Rise of Authoritarianism: Views from Global Partners.

Disciples Overseas Ministries Report to the General Assembly

On July 14, Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable, DOM president, presented the Disciples Overseas Ministries report to the General Assembly during the afternoon business session. The report celebrated the anniversary of 175 years of Disciples’ commitment to global mission (October 2024), as well as the upcoming 2026 milestone of 30 years of formal relationship with the United Church of Christ through Global Ministries.

“Disciples Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries continues to be a healthy, vibrant, and transforming general ministry with a vision that all of God’s people and creation share in God’s abundant life.”

~Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable to the General Assembly

The report highlighted four accomplishments since the last General Assembly:

• The successful conclusion of our five regional initiatives with the Pacific Basin Initiative – one decade of inspiring collaboration and promoting peace across the globe.
• An enhanced Global Mission Intern Program with intention toward inclusivity and accessibility– enabling more young adults to engage in God’s mission in the world.
• The publication of Rooted in Faith and Justice: Christian Calls to Conscience and Cries for Peace in Palestine – inviting reflection and action on an important justice issue of our time.
• Launching the Sacred Encounters Initiative– showcasing first-hand the richness and diversity of the global church through new experiential pilgrimages.

The report ended with a challenge to the Assembly: “Our call is to be a church that listens to those on the margins, and to center the witness of our partners,” Rev. Dr. Cable said. “And through your prayers, your generosity, your advocacy, and your presence, we are walking alongside them.”

“For God so loved the world”

On July 13, Disciples Home Missions and Disciples Overseas Ministries hosted a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel. The event included the tour and a brief conversation around the exhibit “A Culture of Resistance: Slavery in America 1619-1861.”

For those who attended the event, we have arranged for two virtual opportunities to gather, reflect, and share. Click here for more information and to sign-up.