At the crossroads
Critical Global issues for our time
Hunter Farrell
Did you know that…
- Women and children bear a disproportionate share of the burden of poverty today and the number of poor women and children is increasing, despite rising income levels in many countries. Who will work to address the root causes of this plague that weakens the hope of so many?
- Two-thirds of the world’s people have never heard the good news of God’s love in Christ in a way that makes sense to them in their language and culture. Who will share with them this transforming love?
- The texture of warfare has changed significantly in our lifetime: while 90 percent of war casualties in World War II were among enlisted forces, more than 90 percent of today’s war casualties are among civilians. Who will bring healing to the traumatized and work for reconciliation in a world where violence is glorified?
Imagine a secret society—2 million members strong—embedded in 10,000 communities across the most powerful nation in the world. Together, they speak a hundred languages, are one of the best educated groups in the country, can leverage powerful social capital from corporate boardrooms to the halls of Congress to professional associations across the country, and share a common perspective that is deeply rooted in their faith. They are teachers, doctors, factory workers, business executives, public officials, lawyers and social workers. They have deep, long-term relationships with trusted partners in churches around the world.
Imagine if this secret society—in an age of increasing individualism and societal fracturing—felt God’s call to organize itself to make a significant, measurable impact on three critical global issues: addressing the root causes of poverty as it impacts women and children; witnessing to God’s love in Christ together with other members of Christ’s body; and working for reconciliation amid cultures of violence, including our own. The results would be astounding.
In this country and around the world, families would be freed from poverty’s grip, people would come to know the good news of God’s intention for a realm of peace and justice, and communities would be protected from the scourge of violent conflict. But, surprisingly, the impact would be just as transformative for the members of the secret society themselves: the members would find deeper meaning for their lives—they would find opportunities to live out their faith; young and old alike would come together in a heartfelt desire to make a difference in the world; even the divisions within their society would be seen through the lens of the unity that God’s mission brings.
Through consultation with more than 1,500 of the Presbyterian Church’s global partners, mission workers and congregational mission leaders, World Mission has heard a deep desire for all three groups to work together to form movements for justice, evangelism and reconciliation in the name of Jesus Christ. Over the next nine months we’ll be planning the specific strategies and measurable objectives needed to address these monumental goals with Presbyterians across the denomination—and around the world. Please join us in prayer and in practice.
Grace and peace,
Hunter Farrell Director,
Presbyterian World Mission
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