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Welcome to the our second issue! For roughly forty years, the term integral mission has been in popular use throughout Latin America to describe the multi-faceted, holistic approach to ministry that was the hallmark of the early church, is the mainstay of many churches and ministries in Latin America but is largely a foreign concept to evangelical Christians in North America. Of late, however, the movement has been gaining a hearing and even a foothold among some North American churches and ministries. It is our goal to see its propagation gain momentum. To that end we are initiating the publication of a monthly e-newsletter. In these issues you will find:
If you are new to Integral Mission, below you will find a few housekeeping details. Otherwise, please enjoy issue#3! In Jesus, Jim Martin Housekeeping If you have friends to whom you would like to recommend Integral Mission, please feel free to forward this issue to them. Or, you can always find the current issue of our newsletter here and send them a link. (You can also recommend our website to them by clicking here.) If you would like to be sure to not recieve another issue, please use the link at the very bottom of this email to unsubscribe. |
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A letter from the US Conference for the World Council of Churches to the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Porto Alegre, Brazil Grace to you and peace from God the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As leaders from the World Council of Churches member communions in the United States we greet the delegates to the 9th Assembly with joy and gratitude for your partnership in the Gospel in the years since we were last in Harare. During those years you have been constant in your love for us. We remember in particular the ways you embraced us with compassion in the days following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina just months ago. Your pastoral words, your gifts, and your prayers sustained us, reminding us that we were not alone but were joined in the Body of Christ to a community of deep encouragement and consolation. Even now you have welcomed us at this Assembly with rich hospitality. Know that we are profoundly grateful. Yet we acknowledge as well that we are citizens of a nation that has done much in these years to endanger the human family and to abuse the creation. Following the terrorist attacks you sent “living letters” inviting us into a deeper solidarity with those who suffer daily from violence around the world. But our country responded by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable among our global neighbors. Our leaders turned a deaf ear to the voices of church leaders throughout our nation and the world, entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of our own national interests. Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas that are nothing short of idolatrous. We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights. We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war; we acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name; we confess that we have failed to raise a prophetic voice loud enough and persistent enough to deter our leaders from this path of preemptive war. Lord, have mercy... |
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The Historical Development of Globalization Globalization is a historical process. As such, it does not happen suddenly. In the case of present-day imperial globalization, it is the culmination of a process which started five centuries ago and that, throughout this period, has had different Western countries as protagonists and has affected “all other living societies, whether pre-civilizational or civilized” in different ways. My intention in this lecture is to show the connection between the first moment of imperial globalization and its present-day moment. My claim is that, despite the very deep differences between these two historical moments, there is also a real continuity between them—a continuity which in fact makes of present-day globalization one of the greatest challenges to the Christian mission. The Roots of Imperial Globalization The epic that followed Columbus’ accomplishment—the conquest of America—was marked by three ominous factors: greed, ethnocentrism, and religious justification... |
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Community Ministries worth supporting (and a great place to visit!) God is love. God takes up the cause of the weak and oppressed. What do those really mean for the church of Jesus Christ? Leading the way in answering that question with hands-on work is Community Ministries (CM) of Kairos Foundation in Buenos Aries. As a team of social workers, pastors, teachers, and other professionals, their work unfolds in three main arenas:
The reason I am writing to you is that CM’s largest contributor, Tearfund, recently redirected its funding to other ministries around the world. What this means for Kairos is that there is a significant funding deficit. That’s where you and I come in. But first, let me give you a few pictures of CM’s work. I recently had the privilege to spend eight days in Buenos Aires. I saw the work of CM firsthand. As a pastor and member of the church in the U.S., I was humbled, to say the least, to see the Gospel alive in places where at first glance seemed hopeless. In support of these various communities and their creative efforts, Kairos was “giving a reason for the hope” we have in Christ. There was no PowerPoint, wireless microphones, or elaborate stages; just a community of people coming together to break bread, enjoy fellowship, and support one another. The little money they had helped feed the children on the weekends because they normally ate at school and their parents couldn’t afford to feed them. On a different night, I sat on the patio enjoying my new friends and their wonderful food; the believers in Acts 2 came to mind. When they had excess, they gave, and when they had need, it was given. This is what I saw happening firsthand in the barrios of Buenos Aries. I was humbled. I experienced the Gospel in the barrios of Argentina in a way that I seldom do in the United States. As seen in Christ’s teachings, there was simplicity in what they were doing, but the depth of insight and love was endless. The best I can do is tell the stories of Christ work I experienced there and ask your help to keep this work alive through encouraging folks who have means to support this work. I was thankful that CM’s reach touched places where I and my community could never touch as effectively. I would like to challenge you to seriously consider supporting the integral mission of Karios. With the recent loss of major funding, they need our help. When I learned that the annual budget for CM is $36,800 (Which covers their work in three different provinces!) I could not help but think about the communities, organizations, churches, and individuals who could pull together their resources to easily ensure the work of CM this year and many years to come. For $2450 per year ($200 per month) fifteen churches could fund an entire year of Community Ministries through CM. If 20 churches pulled together it would only cost $150 per month. Here at Ecclesia Houston we believe the Gospel is at work Community Ministries and Kairos. We had a person in our community who we thought would be interested in the work happening through CM. We shared the vision and stories with this person and they have given a one-time gift of $5000. Please take some time to pray about how you can help keep this integral mission alive in South America. Integral Mission is glad to serve as a conduit for giving to the ministries of Kairos. Contributing to Community Ministries is as easy as clicking here (or clicking the donate now button below) and filling out our secure web form. Your tax-deductible donation will be facilitated by Groundspring.org for a very small (3%) processing fee. Thank You, |
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Common Dreams |
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all material © 2006 Integral Mission |
C. René Padilla
Patrick Wimberly