07402
July 5, 2007

New network formed to support ministry in Iraq

by Pat Cole
Associate for Communication

LOUISVILLE — When Larry and Evie Richards hear war news from Iraq, it often triggers memories of people and places they’ve cherished since serving as Presbyterian missionaries there during the 1960s.

They taught for nearly a decade at Baghdad High School in Mansour, a Christian school for girls. Many of their students went on to assume high-ranking positions in government and business.

The Richardses and other missionaries were expelled from the country in 1969, the result of tense relations between the U.S. and Iraqi governments.  Their forced departure, however, did not quell their interest in the country.

That’s why the Rock Hill, SC, couple joined about 30 other people in Louisville June 18–20 to form the Iraq Network.

“We’re glad to be part of this body to support continued ministry in Iraq,” Larry Richards says. The country is home to five Presbyterian congregations, three of which have been able to continue meeting despite the violence gripping the war-torn country.

“Through thick and thin, they’ve been faithful people,” Evie Richards says.

The Richardses served in Iraq under the auspices of the United Mission in Iraq, an organization that included Presbyterian missionaries as well as missionaries from the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the United Church of Christ (UCC). Both denominations are working with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the Iraq Network.

The Richardses, along with Bob and Vi Block, former RCA missionaries in Iraq, are providing leadership for the network.

During their meeting the network members discussed several ways they might begin their involvement in Iraq. Ideas that surfaced included:

1. Meeting with representatives of the Iraqi Presbyterian congregations somewhere in the Middle East, possibly in 2008. “It’s hard to be involved with a Christian entity you don’t know,” Marilyn Borst, a network member from Atlanta told the group.
2. Soliciting financial support for Iraqis preparing for vocational ministry. Iraqi Presbyterians are in desperate need of more trained leaders.
3. Stepping up education about the situation in Iraq and calling on Presbyterians to advocate for peace in that nation.
4. Aiding the millions of Iraqi refugees through advocacy and direct support.
5. Thinking of ways that congregations in the United States can accompany Iraqi Christians and other Iraqis during Iraq’s long journey of reconstruction.

The Iraq Network is the 23rd country network formed by grassroots Presbyterians who come together to share information and coordinate involvement in international ministries. PC(USA).  There are similar networks devoted to the Kurdish people and international education.