Better Together
About this blog
Better Together provides a space to share experiences with – and strategies for engaging – three critical global issues that PC(USA) global partners are challenging us to address together as the body of Christ. These three issues are 1) addressing root causes of poverty, especially as it impacts women and children; 2) sharing the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ; and 3) working for reconciliation in cultures of violence, including our own. The purpose of Better Together is to feed a conversation to shape concrete action strategies at the October 2012 “Dallas II: Better Together” consultation and beyond.
Join the Dallas II: Better Together conversation on Facebook as well!
Recent posts
- Summary of Dallas II
- Presbyterian News Service story on Dallas II
- Unity, Justice, and Witness
- Afternoon Breakout Sessions of Dallas II
- Breaking the bonds of poverty
Categories
- Mission (2)
- Mission Related (2)
- View all categories →
Archives
Posts with tag: dallas ii
October 17, 2012Summary of Dallas II
The Dallas II global mission consultation brought together more than 200 grassroots and national mission leaders from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as well as ecumenical and global partners. Together they determined that Presbyterian mission work should be centered on the critical global issues of addressing the root causes of poverty, engaging in evangelism, and working for reconciliation, and refined core values and priorities for responding strategically to those issues with concrete, measurable, global initiatives.
- Posted at 10:22 p.m.
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October 12, 2012
Presbyterian News Service story on Dallas II
Bethany Furkin of the Presbyterian News Service writes about the process and outcomes of the Dallas II mission consultation.
- Posted at 9:17 a.m.
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October 9, 2012
Unity, Justice, and Witness
These were the questions of earlier generations, and they are also our questions today. In time, ecumenical Christians came to believe that “we belong together,” and that unity, justice, and witness are streams of the same river...- Posted at 11:13 a.m.
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October 6, 2012
Afternoon Breakout Sessions of Dallas II
A listing of the breakout session conversations, when they are happening, and in what room, during the Dallas II Mission Consultation.- Posted at 11:52 a.m.
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October 6, 2012
Breaking the bonds of poverty
Both Dessa and Cobbie Palm, mission co-workers to the Philippines, were born there as well. In her keynote at Dallas II Friday, she spoke about how the Filipino word “kapwa” literally means “fellow human being,” but actually bears a more profound moral kinship. Kapwa informs the way Christians should treat one another.
Dessa spoke about how, in the 1930s, an accord was signed by the U.S. and the Philippines on sugar trading, engraving the Filipino economy in a triple dependency: on monocrop culture, on sugar trading and industry, and on the U.S. as a single market. Fifty years later, the …
- Posted at 10:51 a.m.
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October 5, 2012
The Need to Know God's Love
"My great-great-grandfather was on the Council of Elders in his village, and when they saw the missionaries coming, they said, 'Those people do not look like us. They are ghosts. We should kill them!'"
Standing before a gathered group of Presbyterians and global partners, brought together by the common desire to discuss not just mission but the ability to do so more effectively, Cyprian Guchiendo tells of the historic roots of the Church in Kenya. Long before the Presbyterian Church of East Africa existed, there were two Christian groups there to do mission - The GMS (Gospel Missionary Society), and …
- Posted at 7:52 p.m.
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October 5, 2012
Dallas II Kicks-Off!
The time has finally arrived, and with only minor travel hiccups, 200+ Presbyterians, global partners, and mission personnel have gathered together in Dallas for the second Mission Consultation. At the first one, those who had gathered together discussed what mission priorities the PC(USA) should focus on, coming up with the three Critical Global Issues. Now, the goal is to come together, to join our voices, spirits and experiences, and discern concrete strategies which will enable us all to more effectively reach out in mission and proclamation.
Hunter Farrell called us together, reminding us of the rich tradition of history the …
- Posted at 3:01 p.m.
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October 3, 2012
Better Together? Indeed We Are!
Seeing the crisis of contaminated water, Living Waters for the World jumped off into the deep end. One of our earliest discoveries was ‘clean water is medicine.’ We’ve seen what happens when a community is empowered, taking charge of their own clean water needs, then one of the ‘root causes’ of poverty begins to loosen its grip.- Posted at 10:53 a.m.
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October 3, 2012
Follow Along from Home!
Detailed instructions for how you can follow all the action & conversation of the Dallas II Mission Consultation from the comfort of your home or office!- Posted at 9:43 a.m.
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October 1, 2012
Pastors Ministering In the Midst of Poverty
There is great potential for growth in the church in Congo. Training and empowering pastors to minister well to their people in this environment of significant material poverty is a challenge.- Posted at 10:41 a.m.
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September 27, 2012
Violence and Reconciliation
You see, the three themes, or Critical Global Issues, of Presbyterian World Mission are not really so very distinct or discrete. They are more like a braided strand which often makes them that much more difficult to untangle and follow...- Posted at 10:14 a.m.
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September 24, 2012
What Good Is A New House?
Presbyterians from our Presbytery show up for a week at a time to walk alongside, offer our support, and get to know the family who is receiving the new home.- Posted at 10:02 a.m.
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September 20, 2012
An Invitation to Multicultural Study
The PC(USA) has been doing mission for 175 years. One of our core learnings has been that it's God's mission, not ours; God's Church, not ours.- Posted at 9:36 a.m.
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September 17, 2012
Addressing Poverty through Partnership
In July 2012 we sent down a CKD “Research Team” that was not a team of experts but rather people who had a heart for this issue and wanted to learn more. This ended up being a real strength...- Posted at 9:15 a.m.
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September 14, 2012
Working toward Reconciliation
Peace-building naturally requires that we identify and address root causes of violence, but RECONCILIATION specifically has to do with fostering positive relationships where there has been enmity.- Posted at 11:06 a.m.
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September 11, 2012
Witness in Reverse - Learning New Church Development from Global Partners
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has adopted a goal of establishing 1001 new worshiping communities over the next few years. Like the “Double the Church Movement” in Korea, this is not a programmatic slogan. Rather it is a call to mobilize the whole church for this task.- Posted at 10:35 a.m.
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September 6, 2012
A Holistic Understanding of Effective Mission
Rebecca Barnes-Davies, PC(USA) Associate for Environmental Ministries, offers up some helpful resources on ways in which environmental degradation impacts women and children, poverty, and increased violence in communities.
In 1990, the PC(USA) adopted a policy that emphasizes justice, sufficiency, and sustainability priniciples. It can be read here.
Resource on children's health and the environment: Read more.
Resources from the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs
- Posted at 11:34 a.m.
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September 4, 2012
Increased Learning Enables More Effective Mission
It is evident that not only do a diversity of ministries respond to the important themes that orient the doing of mission, but also the different ways of learning and un-learning that are the result of living together, sharing and working together.- Posted at 9:34 a.m.
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August 27, 2012
Rethinking the term "Success"
As the PCUSA focuses its efforts on poverty reduction, a question needs to be asked: What is poverty?- Posted at 9:42 a.m.
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August 20, 2012
The Mission Example of the Colombia Accompaniment Program
Sarah Henken reflects on how participation in the Colombia Accompaniment Program has informed and shaped her understanding of effective mission and relationship building in the church.- Posted at 9:41 a.m.
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August 15, 2012
More Room At The Table!
Seats available; Submit your request today!
While there is still a limited space we can work with at the actual Dallas II Mission Consultation, we (like Uncle Sam) want YOU to consider joining us at the table for discussion and participation!
- Posted at 9:38 p.m.
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August 13, 2012
Working for Evangelism, Education, & Social Services in Colombia
Rev. Diego Higuita describes the work of the IPC in Colombia, especially as it relates to furthering the realization of the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God described in Isaiah 61, and claimed by Christ in Luke 4.- Posted at 1:26 p.m.
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August 7, 2012
Mission & Congregations: A Few Questions
Rev. Jonathan Evans, Associate Pastor and Alum of the Young Adult Volunteer Program, leaves us with important questions as we consider our motivations behind engaging in mission and outreach.- Posted at 8:46 a.m.
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July 30, 2012
Addressing the Structural Causes of Spiritual Poverty
Clotilde Loza reflects on supporting women in Bolivia as they strive to rise out of a system of inequality.- Posted at 10:31 a.m.
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July 23, 2012
The Pandora's Box of Boycott
Passionate voices testified before Committee 15 – the Assembly Committee on Middle East Peacemaking issues, both for and against divestment.- Posted at 5:00 p.m.
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July 9, 2012
Dallas II - Part 2: Collective Impact
The philosophy behind the Dallas II Mission Consultation...is the understanding that the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is more effectively realized when done so in community.
- Posted at 12:56 p.m.
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July 4, 2012
Dallas II - Part 1: background for the consultation from Presbyterian World Mission
For the past two years Presbyterian World Mission (PWM) has been undergoing a process of strategic planning in light of the changing circumstances in the world and of new developments within our own denomination. In the course of its research and deliberations, PWM has decided to narrow its mission focus to three critical global issues, which can be summarized as addressing poverty, engaging in witness, and working for reconciliation in cultures of violence. It has also concluded that for maximum effectiveness its work should be done in collaboration with the broader Presbyterian family...
- Posted at 12:07 p.m.
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