How does Presbyterian mission reveal itself in the most authoritarian state in Europe? The answers have been learned across two centuries of mission in the world: with prayer, patience, relationship building, and eventually partnership, all led by the Holy Spirit.

In 2005, international mission leaders in Salem Presbytery, North Carolina, organized a milestone event with the cooperation of the Belarusian Round Table and an Orthodox lay service organization. Ten representatives from eight churches in the presbytery joined four PC(USA) mission workers for a weeklong forum designed for sharing and deepening knowledge of the Orthodox Church. Speakers and special tours expanded understanding of Orthodox worship, liturgy, iconography, architecture, and church organization. Shared meals helped build personal relationships across the boundaries of language, culture, and history.

Through worship and prayer, Orthodox and Reformed learned anew that all are brothers and sisters in Christ who share a faith in the triune God. With such a beginning, the future of partnership is brighter.

For many years the Roma people have suffered discrimination in Europe, stigmatized by life on society’s margin. Today, the PC(USA) is in partnership with the Reformed Church in Carpath-Ukraine to raise up Christian leaders within the Roma communities, to teach in Roma schools, and to encourage self-development projects designed by Roma leaders. Thus, Roma churches and community centers are being built or refurbished, Roma leaders are being trained, and children are being taught. Important steps are being taken to make a difference in the lives of many of Ukraine’s poorest and most vulnerable people.