Six newly appointed Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission workers, along with another mission worker who is assuming a new role, attended orientation last month in preparation for their assignments.
All will depart in coming weeks for their places of service. They include:
Sharon Curry, who is going to the Republic of South Sudan as a Community Health Evangelism (CHE) facilitator with the Presbyterian Church of Sudan. CHE programs seek to transform individuals and communities by integrating community-based development, evangelism, and discipleship. Sharon’s home church is St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Hurst, Texas.
Rev. Dr. John McCall, who will work with the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan as a leadership development facilitator. He previously served in Taiwan from 1996 to 2009 and was pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C., before returning to mission service. He is a member of Salem Presbytery.
Rev. Shelvis and Rev. Nancy Smith-Mather, who will serve with the Resource Centre for Civil Leadership (RECONCILE) in the Republic of South Sudan. They will assist with RECONCILE’s efforts to make peace among ethnic groups in South Sudan. RECONCILE’s Peace Institute offers three-month courses in community-based trauma healing, peace studies and conflict transformation. Both Shelvis and Nancy are members of Greater Atlanta Presbytery.
Chenoa Stock, who will facilitate Joining Hands for Life in Bolivia. Joining Hands, an initiative of the Presbyterian Hunger program, links churches and other organizations with Presbyterian congregations and presbyteries in the United States to fight the root causes of poverty. Chenoa previously served as Joining Hands facilitator in Sri Lanka. She is a member of East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth White and Carline St. Victor White, who will serve as facilitators for the Presbyterian response in Haiti. They will link Presbyterian volunteers from the United States with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, Joining Hands Haiti and the ACT Alliance. Kenneth is a member of the Presbytery of Tropical Florida and Carline belongs to Three Angels Seventh Day Adventist Church in St. Joseph, Mo.
A mission worker who attended orientation in January recently returned to mission service in Ethiopia. Rachel Weller is a Community Health Evangelism (CHE) coordinator with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Rachel served in Ethiopia from 1994 to 2008 before leaving mission service to continue her education. Her home church is First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa. She is married to longtime mission worker Michael Weller, who is the PC(USA)'s regional liaison for the Horn of Africa.