Global Ministries

Greetings in the love of Christ,

We give thanks for the longstanding ecumenical fellowship between our churches, The Evangelical Protestant Church of Timor (GMIT), The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the United Church of Christ, through the Common Global Ministries Board. We feel blessed by the common work of GMIT and Global Ministries in many fields of ministry. Especially in difficult times, we have always been able to count on Global Ministries.

After two months of house worship and empty church buildings, the Synod office of GMIT (the Evangelical Protestant Church of Timor) encouraged households to observe a day of fasting, an uncommon practice among GMIT’s rich tradition of rituals.

Global Ministries has received several wonderful videos from partners expressing how they are experiencing and responding to COVID-19. These videos will be shared via Facebook, Youtube, Vimeo, and right here on this page. The most recently posted video(s) will be at the top.

We encourage you to share these updates with your friends on social media. You may also consider using them during your virtual Sunday School meetings. It would be a great opportunity to hear from a partner and then pray for them.

We pray these videos will provide new insights and inspiration.

Rev. Dr. Mery Kolimon

Moderator of the Synod of Evangelical Protestant Church in Timor GMIT, Indonesia

(Translated by Dr. Karen Campbell Nelson)

A contribution to an Online Discussion on the topic “Church and Government Synergy in Handling the Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia” on April 30, 2020.

The Southern Asia region, comprising of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, is one of the most populous regions in the world. Although many of these countries have reported fewer deaths and confirmed cases, as per some analysts, it is hard to be definite about these claims in view of the limited testing and monitoring capacities. With the indefinite nature of the lockdowns, and with most services and industries shut, and with hardly any economic activity, millions of people who live on daily wages are now exposed to hunger and homelessness. Churches in this region, although small and many, are actively engaged in community awareness and in reaching out to the most marginalized sections with daily supplies.

The Southern Asia region, comprising of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, is one of the most populous regions in the world. Although many of these countries have reported fewer deaths and confirmed cases, as per some analysts, it is hard to be definite about these claims in view of the limited testing and monitoring capacities. With current indefinite lockdowns and with hardly any economic activity, millions of people who live on daily wages are now exposed to hunger and homelessness. Churches in this region, although small and many, are actively engaged in community awareness and in reaching out to the most marginalized sections with daily supplies.

The following was sent by mission co-worker in Indonesia, Karen Campbell-Nelson, in response to an email sent to all mission co-workers from Global Ministries Co-Executives, Rev. Dr. Julia Brown Karimu and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson.

First, a story from Delhi that resonates with the sighs of millions in the region.

Baby Devi has already lost 80% of her monthly earnings to the spread of the coronavirus - and the worst in India may be yet to come.

The 38-year-old mother of four, who cleans homes for a living, lost jobs with two of her three employers. Like many relatively well-off Indians, they've begun social distancing to fight the highly infectious virus.

For Devi, who is now taking home about $0.67 a day, her diminished earnings are as much of a concern as her living conditions. As India races to break the chain of transmission of the illness known as COVID-19, her family - living in a cramped single room and sharing a bathroom and toilet with two other households - is among those most at risk.

by Rev. Dr. Mery Kolimon

FORGIVE US, MOTHER EARTH

Beloved Mother Earth,
All other creatures,
The Creator has made all things good
All creatures are our brothers and sisters
Living by the Grace of The Creator of life
Blessed by the Earth that gives food each day.
Yet we have hurt Mother Earth.
We have destroyed our brothers and sisters.
With a desire for more and more wealth, more and more prosperity
We have damaged the earth without mercy.
We dump our waste everywhere
The oceans, mountains, fields, and forests
Broken by our actions.
Even the bowels of the earth have been dredged without mercy
For gold, coal, manganese, marble, and other minerals.
Forgive our pride and greed.
Forgive our arrogance and evil ways.
May this plague be an opportunity for us to learn
That our human economy is not everything.
The economy must move with ecology.
Ecology and economy must be balanced for the sake of the oikoumene,
So the Earth can be a home worthy of inhabitance by all creatures.
May we learn with our minds, all of creation is not our enemy
We must organize our lives more wisely
To distance life from extinction
So that we of this generation
May experience the intention of The Creator of Life that is truly good.
Forgive us, Mother Earth,
Forgive us, fellow members of creation.
Please accept us back in the dance of divine life
Where we hug each other as brothers and sisters
Sharing energy with each other for life that is mutual and whole.

Rev. Dr. Mery Kolimon, a well-known theologian, activist, and church leader from Indonesia, offered this prayer.

Lectionary Selection:  John 3:1-17

Prayers for Indonesia:  

Loving Creator, the earth cries out against us. Open our ears! Volcanoes drown islands in ash in the Philippines and raging fires spin into tornadoes in Australia. Today we pray especially for Indonesia: for slum dwellers in Jakarta who die in floods; for the forests and air of Kalimantan where fires clearing land for palm oil plantations burn out of control, releasing microscopic toxins into the air; for the earth, waters, and indigenous peoples of Papua where security forces violate human rights while protecting the exploitation of resources. We confess we have become inured to news of our dying world and cling to the very lifestyles that hasten destruction. We allow abuse and neglect to flourish. We seek Your forgiveness, redemption, and grace, O Great Spirit. Pour a special blessing on the Christians of South Central Alor that their trees may flourish and their enthusiasm be sustained. May their care for the earth inspire us as well, that all be born again into the Spirit of radical love for the environment. Open our ears, our hearts, and our hands that we, our children and grandchildren, are not condemned but saved through Jesus whose ministry was one with creation.