Global Ministries

In 1992, the United Nations declared a day to celebrate indigenous peoples called the International Day of Indigenous Peoples. During President Hugo Chávez's administration in Venezuela, October 12 was established as the "Day of Indigenous Resistance." This replaced the traditionally given names to the holiday. The decision was endorsed in the constitutional text. The Venezuelan Constitution recognizes in its articles the right of indigenous peoples to "maintain and develop their ethnic and cultural identity, worldview, values, spirituality and their sacred places and places of worship." 

Missed the Venezuela Conference and want to review some of the highlights? You're in luck! Below you'll find some videos from the conference. For more information on the issues discussed, we recommend reading this article. After you've watched some of these videos and/or read the article, please take some time to send a message to your members of Congress. 

Note: To see some of the video highlights of the Venezuela Conference, please click here.

Contact your members of Congress about this issue now!

The Latin America and the Caribbean Office confirmed a suspicion shared by the leadership of the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela.  A U.S.-sponsored military aggression against Venezuela could be real before the U.S. presidential election on November 3, 2020.   Admiral Remigio Ceballos, chief of the strategic, operational command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB), said that "The international intelligence agencies allied to Venezuela inform us that Colombia is preparing aggression, and the FANB will respond with force and forcefulness to any aggression against the sovereignty and independence of Venezuela, under the command of our Commander in Chief Nicolas Maduro Moros." "We are in the presence of a Colombian government that has attacked Venezuela the most in all our history," he added. Ceballos also wrote on Twitter: During the year 2000, Plan Colombia was installed with 7 U.S. military bases in that country "to prepare its aggression against our nation and the entire region." Days before, Samuel Moncada, Venezuela's ambassador to the U.N., denounced, "Washington's propaganda bodies already promote the invading multinational force in Venezuela. ...It must be with military occupation but without the visible presence of the United States in the front line. It is the armies of Colombia and Central America that will do the dirty work." In another message, Moncada pointed out that the "final phase" of aggression against Venezuela, whose campaign of maximum pressure is already underway, is moving to the military dimension. "They are looking for the 'October surprise.' In Venezuela, we must prepare ourselves for the provocation in the making." See the link: https://www.resumen-english.org/2020/08/venezuela-aggression-in-october/

I have been getting recently different messages directly from Venezuela.  Some of them expressed concerns and uncertainties about the future. Most of these messages stressed and showed the tension between resistance and hope.  My understanding is that there is a deep conviction, primarily among pastors and lay leaders, that affirms a faith that provides a horizon of hope for the future.

More than 40 churches and ecumenical organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean signed a letter regarding the actual situation in Venezuela.  They based their message on recent events regarding the deployment of military presence on the Venezuelan coast and the imposition of economic measures against that country. This declaration followed and supported the one made by the National Council of Churches in the U.S. on similar issues, and made a call to churches around the world, as well as all people of goodwill, to increase prayers and acts of peace, justice, and reconciliation for the people of Venezuela.  The Global Ministries' Latin America and Caribbean Office accompanied the process as Partners and other fellow organizations in the continent submitted signatures into the said letter.

In the early hours of May 3, 2020, the Venezuelan Armed Force and the National Bolivarian Police repelled the incursion of a group of armed mercenaries into the coastal state of La Guaira.  The mercenaries, travelled from Colombia in speedboats and were planning, together with local accomplices, to initiate military operations aimed at government institutions and State officials, according to testimony given by those captured. 

Read the PDF of this document in English and in Spanish.

April 7, 2020

Donald J. Trump, President
United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump:

Global Ministries highly values the words and perspectives of partners. When partners tell us that they are concerned with something, it becomes the concern of Global Ministries, too. This profound act of listening and solidarity helps us all to walk together in mutuality and hope.

Recently, much has been happening in Venezuela. Global Ministries turned to our partner there, the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela (UEPV) to learn more about the situation from their perspective. These pieces are developed to help you better connect to the UEPV and the situation in Venezuela. These resources may be used in worship, Sunday school, or for individual understanding and reflection.

To the members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ:

Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Jeremiah 31:15 (NRSV)

Leaders from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada and the United Church of Christ in the U.S. engaged in a Pilgrimage in solidarity with the people of Venezuela from September 23^rd- 27^th, 2019.  John Dorhauer and Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens, General Ministers and Presidents of both churches, teamed up with Julia Brown Karimu and Karen Georgia Thompson, the two Global Ministries Co-Executives, to affirm their desire to accompany our partner church in Venezuela on their pastoral and prophetic work for peace and justice in the country.  In their travel, they met key actors in the present situation on the Venezuelan society and had the opportunity to listen to the contextual analysis and challenges faced in the country as well as mechanisms for our work of solidarity.  In addition to that, they all traveled to strengthen our commitment to establish a framework of solidarity and accompaniment to the people of Venezuela.