I am currently attending a conference of Global Mission Personnel Officers in Indianapolis. Our conversations have been centered around the Presbyterian Church's (PCUSA) world mission strategic direction which is based upon a "Community of Mission Practice" with the central office, global partner, and US Presbyterians in conversation and partnership with one another in mission engagement - a direction which I think the Episcopal Church has been moving towards also. The PCUSA, as with the Episcopal Church, has seen a growth in congregations that are directly involved in global mission. Communicating, partnering, listening to one another's story enhances our participation in God's mission, whether this is between congregations and the denominational headquarters, between denominations in ecumenical dialog, or between churches from different cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds.
I am always enriched and informed when I meet with my ecumenical colleagues and am grateful for this opportunity to share our stories. Today I was reminded of another story told by Chimamanda Adichie called "The Danger of the Single Story"... I highly recommend listening to the story and have added a link below. I hope you will also be enriched through hearing it.
"Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding." Click on the link below to hear this remarkable story.
http://youtu.be/CLWRclarri0The PCUSA strategy document can be found at http://www.pcusa.org/resource/world-mission-strategic-direction/
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