Page 10 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

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PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2018
presbyterian.ca
Connection
INTERNATIONAL
Crossing Frontiers in Cuba
By David Lee, Knox College student and Youth Pastor at St. Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto
As part of the Mission Practicum curriculum, Knox College sends stu- dents for an exposure trip to Cuba. International Ministries, through funding from Presbyterians Sharing, has been financially supporting this initiative since 2008. In February 2018, two faculty members and 11 students, including David Lee, par- ticipated in the trip.
“An important component of the educational training for the Knox Col- lege students, church leadership in training, stems from their immersive, intercultural experience through their trip to Cuba. Experience has told us that our working partnership with the seminary in Matanzas and Interna- tional Ministries of The Presbyterian Church in Canada has been invalu- able. The growing importance of this partnership cannot be stressed
enough.” — the Rev. Dr. Dong-Ha Kim, Interim Director of Academic Programs, Knox College.
For a long time, I have had misgiv- ings about the idea of Christian mis- sion and its practices. Much of it stemmed from my personal experi- ence of a mission trip in high school and since then I have shied away from participating in mission trips in the church. It seemed as though mis- sion was solely undertaken for the sake of evangelism, which manifest- ed in a subtle form of proselytism. Engaging in a personal relationship with a specific agenda in mind, rath- er than one’s own genuine interest in the other, did not sit well with me.
Taking part in ecumenical discus- sions with the faculty and the stu- dents at the Matanzas Theological Seminary gave me the opportunity to reflect on and re-evaluate my under- standing of mission.
I believe mission should never
be done for the sake of evangelism; rather, I believe the latter should flow out of the former in a mutual and or- ganic process led by the Holy Spirit. To borrow the definition coined by the South African missiologist David Bosch, in our mission we “cross the frontiers”; in our act of moving closer to the world, we cross various eth- nic, cultural, geographical, religious, ideological and social boundaries. And in this sensitive and delicate task we engage in the practice of evange- lism—a genuine encounter with the other—not for the sole purpose of religious conversion, but for the sake of truly knowing the other. I believe it is in this mutual, life-giving encounter that both parties of the encounter are enriched and transformed.
In Matanzas, we attended a wor- ship service at a house church one evening. None of the students had any idea on what to expect as it was our first time visiting a house church. Even though we were the ones who had moved into the physical space of the residents’ apartment, we were graciously welcomed and blessed by their generous hospitality. It did not matter whether or not we were two groups of different denominations; the residents embraced us with- out judgement. We simply prayed, shared, sang and ate together with joy and gratitude. Although brief, it certainly showed me the beauty and the power of living out the good
Knox College students outside of El Seminario Evangelico de Teologia in Matanzas, Cuba.
news of Christ in community. It also prompted me to reflect on the spirit of hospitality and generosity that we embody within our own praxis: Are we truly gracious, open and present for the other in our posture as wit- nesses of Christ?
When Jesus encountered the Sa- maritan woman at the well, he invited her by asking her to give him a drink (John 4:7). Not only did he violate the established custom between men and women, he closed the invisible dis- tance dividing two groups of people. By initiating the personal encounter with the woman, Jesus affirmed her humanity and freedom and empow- ered her to give as well as to receive. In his simple yet powerful act of wit- ness, Jesus allowed for a mutual and
loving encounter to emerge, and he ultimately brought healing, restoration and transformation. It all began from a place of great empathy, love and genuine interest in the other.
This short visit to a foreign land was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences for me—par- ticularly in my understanding of mis- sion, evangelism and its praxis. Now I see mission as that which springs from a place of repentance, with a mindset of openness and a spirit of humility and discernment. As we navigate our way through the diverse landscape of faith and culture, I be- lieve this experience is a must for all future ministers. Mission is not our own undertaking but God’s. We are merely the participants.
No fear in love.
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Canadians Ministering to Koreans
By International Ministries
On Sept. 22, the Rev. Glynis Wil- liams and Lily Ko of International Ministries attended the opening of an exhibit of Canadian missionaries to Japan who ministered to Koreans. Vision Fellowship has created a mu- seum dedicated to Canadian mis- sionaries to Korea and they recently added this new exhibit to honour missionaries ministering to Koreans in Japan. The PCC’s history with Korea began in 1893 with the Rev. William J. MacKenzie, who went as an independent missionary. Then, in 1898, the PCC sent the Rev. Dr. Rober t and Mrs. Lena Grierson as missionaries.
The PCC has been sending mis- sion staff to Japan since 1927 and our par tnership with the Korean
The Revs. Bob and Priscilla Anderson, former mission staff to Japan, greeting guests.
Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ) goes back 91 years. The Rev. Rob- ert (Bob) Anderson, who served in Japan intermittently for 16 years from 1966–1998, was invited to
preach at the opening worship. Da- vid McIntosh, currently supported by the PCC in Japan, and the Rev. Byung Ho Kim, General Secretary of KCCJ, were also in attendance.