July 2003

Dear Friends,

We left the house in Harare, heading for the airport early on the morning of 2 June 2003. Forty-two hours later, after flight cancellations, rescheduling, and a couple of taxi rides, we arrived in our hotel room in Louisville, exhausted and not at all convinced we wanted to begin our 12 days of training early the next morning. But after the first day our minds and hearts were fully engaged and our bodies followed suit a few days later.

Earlier this year we were asked if we would consider taking on the role of “regional liaison” for the Worldwide Ministries Division (WMD) of the PC(USA). “Regional liaison?” What is that, you might ask? We asked that same question. How does it change what we are doing now? What are the new expectations? Do we really want changes? Weren’t we just beginning to feel at home in our present roles? Why make a change? Yet the challenge was inviting and the job description seemed like a great fit and we said, yes, we would like to be regional liaisons.

The more we listened and interacted with WMD staff and other missionaries the more impressed we were with our WMD staff and with the shared vision we all have as outlined in the PC(USA) document entitled “Gathering for God’s Future.”

This paper sets forth the four main challenges God seems to be setting before us today.

1. Witnessing and evangelizing worldwide, especially
   • Where there is a need to share the gospel for the first time
   • Where witness to the gospel is endangered
   • Where the church is dealing with explosive growth
2. Equipping the Church for transforming mission—mission done in such a way as to transform both the giver and the receiver.
3. Engaging in ministries of reconciliation, justice, healing, and grace.
4. Living the Good News of Jesus Christ in community with people who are poor—we have so much to learn from the poor about life and faith.

Our job as regional liaisons will be a work-in-progress and will not require moving to another location. We will continue to do our evangelism and church growth work, but with less travel to some of the countries we serve. We will begin to focus more clearly on the countries where we will have regional liaison responsibilities: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

As regional liaisons our call is to help live out our shared vision in relationships of mutual trust with four groups of people.

1. Our partners—Presbyterian and Reformed church leaders in our region.
2. You at home—helping connect you with ministries here in southern Africa.
3. Mission co-workers—playing a pastoral role of encouragement in the lives of other PC(USA) mission co-workers in the region.
4. WMD staff—establishing clear communications regarding the implementation of our mutual goals.

Our first regional liaison trip will be to South Africa on August 26. Jon Chapman, PC(USA) area coordinator for southern and east Africa will be introducing us to our South African partners. Also accompanying us from PC(USA) will be Cynthia White, coordinator of the Self-Development of People program, and Vernon Broyles, associate director for social justice.

Will you join us in this new endeavor of seeking God’s will together, listening to the needs or our partners and building up the Body of Christ?

We ask all of you to pray, and as you pray, hold those four challenges from “Gathering for God’s Future” before yourself and before the Lord for His anointing.

Those of you who are able can help us raise the additional $10,000 to $15,000 we will need for travel and ministry expenses attendant to our new roles.

We join the apostle Paul in saying, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:4-5).

Thanks for praying for Bob’s surgery. After some complications, he’s making steady progress.

Faithfully Yours,

Bob and Bobbi Snyder

PS. If you have trouble emailing us at rpsnyder@mweb.co.zw try us at rpsnyder2003@yahoo.com.

Contributions to our ministry may be sent to: Central Receiving Service, Section 300, Louisville, KY 40289. Make checks payable to PC(USA), and write the title (Southern Africa Regional Liaison) and the ECO number on the subject line (ECO #051735) of the check and put it on your cover letter, too. Send a copy of the cover letter to the Office of International Evangelism at 100 Witherspoon St. Louisville, KY 40202-1396.

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 51