From @theOutreachFndn ... "Reaching Out Further" for June 2019

Engaging God's people in God's work in the world!

The mission of The Outreach Foundation is "connecting Presbyterians to build the church's capacity to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ." with convictions "committed to the historic Christian faith as it is revealed in God's Word and expressed by the ecumenical creeds and in the Reformed confessions" and priorities geared toward "helping the church live out its missional calling ... building the capacity of the global church, especially where the church is vulnerable or growing rapidly."

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• “I was in prison, and you visited me…”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I'm writing to you today to share some updates from our most recent visit to the Kirkuk Women's Jail. On Tuesday, May 28, I visited the jail along with two sisters in ministry, Susan and Balsam. My husband, Pastor Haitham, also joined us, but he stayed outside with the guards.

During this visit, we met 48 women, and 4 children (ranging from 1 to 3 years old). Most of these women were new and we hadn't met them before. And, similar to several previous visits, the majority of these women are accused of terrorism; most of them are widows of ISIS fighters. The majority of these women were Sunni Arabs (ISIS was exclusively Sunni), as well as a few Kurdish and Turkmani women ...

Read Mayada's full letter ...

• Listen to the new "Changing Mission" episode

Tom Widmer leads a discussion with The Outreach Foundation's Portuguese-language Ministries Coordinator, Rev. Dr. José Pezini, and Pastor of New Hope Presbyterian Church, Rev. Wesley Porto, about the SARA ministry, which serves Brazilian pastors dealing with burnout. They also talk about serving Brazilian immigrants here in the United States.

Hear more in the latest episode of our Changing Mission podcast ...

• Formed

On Friday, June 7, our Outreach Foundation group visited the village of Amphande, in the Tete Province of Mozambique, where men, women, and children were creating their church from the dust of the ground. Their assembly line started in a water-soaked pit where two men hoed and shoveled. After they worked the mud to a smooth consistency, they scooped it by hand into wooden molds and passed them down the line. The last person quickly turned the mold upside down onto the ground and then gently pulled it off the brick-shaped mud. One by one each brick was formed, passed, and spread in drying rows on the ground.

Everyone took part in the creation process. The women carried heavy containers of water. Some rinsed the molds after each use, dunking them in a large drum filled with water. All helped in the assembly line. Each person had a hand in making bricks that would be used for their church.

Read the rest ...

• "Connecting Mission Leaders" conference set for October

Connecting Mission Leaders brings together Presbyterian mission leaders from ECO, EPC and PCUSA churches. This is a great opportunity for missiological reflection, worship and prayer, building relationships for new collaboration in mission, sharing best practices, and more. CML is an ideal gathering for local church mission leaders (staff, mission committee members, etc.) who are passionate about God’s mission in the world and who want to be more effective mission leaders and mission catalysts in their local church contexts.
More information ...

• The Annual Appeal begins August 1

Please consider joining in supporting The Outreach Foundation with the Annual Appeal this August. Gifts to the Annual Appeal support operating costs for Outreach so that we can continue engaging God's people in God's work in the world.

Click here to donate now ...