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First among these new partners is the Belarusian Round Table
for Interchurch Aid, an ecumenical organization with Orthodox,
Baptist, Lutheran, Reformed, and Bible Society representation.
The small staff of the Round Table dedicates itself to social
ministries aiding both the followers of Christ and those who do
not yet know Christ.
At the heart of the Round Table's outreach are diaconal stations
established at parishes throughout the country. Faithful volunteers
provide a wide range of support to those trapped in poverty: medicines
for the elderly; care for street children and orphans; clothing,
shoes, blankets for invalids. I recently visited five stations
in central and northwestern Belarus.
In the town of Smorgon, the women of a small diaconal station
eagerly showed me hand-sewn dolls they had made for children and
orphans in their area. Over tea and apples from the fall harvest,
they shared their dreams of helping others in Christian love and
their own stories of struggle and pain. In this country with only
limited interaction with the rest of the world, I was the first
guest to ever visit their small workshop.
In the rural community of Invenetz, Father Victor, a Russian
Orthodox priest, described his station's ongoing work to provide
support across the 42 villages in his parish. On a meager budget,
they provide hot meals for children from Monday to Friday; clothing
and medical supplies to the elderly; and summer camps where the
young can find respite and recovery. In a moment of great candor,
he told me that the problems of alcohol, poverty, and Chernobyl
all linked together to conspire against the young people in his
area. In all things, Father Victor strived to provide "a
passing ticket to life" for so many without hope.
Our deepening relationship with the Belarusian Round Table is
also leading us into new partnerships to combat HIV/AIDS. With
the disease spreading rapidly in former communist states, we continue
to explore ways in which the Presbyterian AIDS Action Program
can connect with Belarusians for purposes of education and prevention.
As a first step, a Round Table staff member participated in the
recent New York City consultation "The Global AIDS Pandemic:
A Consultation for People of Faith, "sponsored by the Presbyterian
UN Office and the International Health Ministries Office of the
Worldwide Ministries Division.
Against this backdrop of poverty, alcoholism, and disease is
the everpresent reality of the residual impact of the 1986 nuclear
disaster at Chernobyl. Prevailing winds carrying Cesium 137, Strontium
90, and Plutonium 239 contaminated 23 percent of Belarus. The
impact continues to reverberate through the country: childhood
leukemia, chromosome aberrations, and contaminated fodder eaten
by cattle and entering the human food chain through milk products
and meat. Presbyterian congregations and individuals have supported
Chernobyl relief for years. In this time of deepening engagement,
we are being called to find ways to continue to support the victims
of this disaster.
And, in the year of "doing a new thing," the Twinning
Project is expanding from Russia to Belarus to link PC(USA) congregations
and Belarusian congregations together in a shared faith journey.
To the thirty-plus twinning relationships in the Russian Federation,
we now have the opportunity to come alongside Christians who face
a host of economic, social, and political challenges as churches
in this former communist state revive themselves.
Christ's message is a message of hope! We as his followers are
a people of strength and resilience. I pray that in this season
of new beginnings you may be called to ask, "What is my role
in mission with Christians in Belarus?" Is it support for
a Round Table project serving children or the elderly? Is it support
to HIV/AIDS education and prevention? Is it Chernobyl relief?
Perhaps your congregation is being called into a twining relationship
with a worshipping community in Belarus?
The Worldwide Ministries Division has established a pathway to
enable our new beginnings. The Extra Commitment Opportunity "Belarusian
Partner Churches #051630" is the channel by which we can
provide financial support to our new partners.
With the joy of new beginnings and the hope of 2003 before us,
I pray that the Lord will lead us forward into deeper "mission
in partnership."
May the Peace of Christ be with you,
Gary
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