JOURNEY TO CHINA
As the June Messenger goes to print, I am en route to
China! This journey
began last autumn when I had the good fortune of being selected
by Plowshares Institute
to join a delegation of twenty doctoral students and professors
from throughout the United States. I received an opportunity of
a lifetime to travel to Asia with this delegation for the
purpose of seeking an understanding of "the Chinese reality" in
the context of our current global community. The delegation will
tour the country and then Hong Kong for two weeks, all the while
meeting with officials and citizens for official as well as
"underground" conversations. The Advisory Council Chairperson is
none other than Archbishop Desmund Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
(who will not be joining this particular delegation).
The trip's primary focus is on issues
of Human Rights, Economics, and the Role of the Church. Some of
the travel highlights will include encounters at: the Olympic
site, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the American
Embassy (all in Beijing); Nanjing Massacre Museum, Amity
Foundation, Jiangsu International Cultural Exchange Center (all
in Nanjing); and the Three- elf Patriotic Movement Church
Headquarters (the official, sanctioned church of China) in
Shanghai. Unofficial visits to other churches I will be able to
share with you upon my return.
This is a very timely trip for me for
three reasons. The first reason is that throughout much of my
teens and twenties, I felt a strong calling to do mission work
in China. I studied Chinese history and language in college, and
before Seminary worked with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to
find a placement somewhere in the vast country of China. Alas, I
was unable to obtain a visa, and instead did mission work in
Taiwan in 1992 and 1993. The second reason I find this trip
timely is recent world events: the violence in Tibet, the
devastating earthquake in the Sichuan province, and the upcoming
Olympics. Perhaps now more than ever, the eyes of the
world are truly on China. The final reason is our country's
changing economic and political relationship with China. I have
many questions.
This will undoubtedly prove to be a
fascinating trip, and I look forward to sharing my experiences
with you in a formal manner during the month of August, when the
Adult Education Ministry will present four Sunday morning
seminars focusing on China. I ask for your prayers while I am
away, and want you to know that you and Westminster are never
far from my prayers and my thoughts.
"Zi- hien!" or
"Bye for now!"
In Christ,
Sara |
Summer Lifetime
Activities Two
Lifetime activities will meet in June. The Lunch Bunch
will travel to the HoneyBaked Ham Company & Café on June 10th at
12:30 p.m. The café is at 4107 Pioneer Woods Drive, at the
southern end of the strip mall. If you are not on the regular
calling list and need a ride, call Jeanne Giles, 484-6651. A
carpool will leave the church at noon.
Westminster's Prairie Readers will discuss The Book
Thief by Marcus Zusak when they meet at the Sunrise Coffee
Shop in the Piedmont Center at 1 p.m., June 11th. Zusak is
an Australian author, the son of an Austrian father and a German
mother. Zusak is best known for his internationally successful
novels, I Am The Messenger and The Book Thief.
FOUNDATION
BIRTHDAY CLUB
The Trustees of
Westminster
Presbyterian Church Foundation
invite members who are celebrating
a birthday that month to become a
member of the Foundation's
Birthday Club or renew their
membership by making a
contribution to the ministry and
mission of our church. A suggested
contribution is $1.00 for each year
the member has been on earth as
one of God's children.
Congratulations to the following
members who celebrated birthdays
during May and renewed or became members of the
Foundation Birthday Club.
Marybell Avery
Carol Campbell
Mike Campbell
Dan Cuda
Bob Dawson
Howard Dinsdale
April Douglas
Michael Gregg
Pat Sinkey |
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