| Janet describes her work as being
threefold:
- To represent the solidarity of the PC(USA) to our African
partner churches as they struggle with responding to the HIV/AIDS
crisis in their communities.
- To give technical support to our partner churches in their
HIV/AIDS ministries and projects.
- To interpret for Presbyterian churches in the United States
how the AIDS pandemic affects people and churches in Africa
and how Americans can join with our African brothers and sisters
in responding to this crisis.
Janet was a missionary-in-residence at the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) national offices in Louisville, Kentucky, from January
2001 to January 2002. There she assisted the International Health
Ministries Office in developing its AIDS Task Force.
The PC(USA) has three consultants on AIDS/HIV in Africa. The
kind of consulting work Janet does in southern Africa is done
in central and west Africa in East Africa by mission
co-worker Dorothy Hanson.
Prior to her year in Louisville, Janet's most recent appointment
was as mission co-worker to the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT),
where she did development training and worked on the issues surrounding
the AIDS/HIV epidemic. As a staff member of the Social Development
and Service Department (SDSD), Janet worked to increase AIDS awareness,
helped develop the church's response to the AIDS crisis, assisted
in creating a development training section, and trained key personnel
to lead AIDS projects and development training activities.
Her first appointment to serve in Thailand was in 1990, when
she served as a staff member of Payap University's Research and
Social Development Department as part-time chaplain. She worked
in community development in the villages of northern Thailand
and counseled students at Payap University. There she got involved
in a joint project between the SDSD and the Development and Service
Division (DSD) of the Payap Research and Development Institute
(PRDI). The two departments consolidated information obtained
by rural development officers for use in training events. In addition,
Janet helped provide food and clothing to nearly 20 prisoners
from several continents in the Chiang Mai Central Prison.
Janet earned undergraduate and master's degrees in education
from the University of Oregon. She later graduated from Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary with an M.Div. degree and the University
of Pittsburgh with a master's in social work. She was a student
minister at East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. She
also taught at the International School of Bangkok in Thailand
and in the South Umpqua School District of Myrtle Creek, Oregon.
Birthday: March 10 |
