Light in darkness
Encountering a different culture can be so enlightening. My first real experience of this was on a mission trip to China as a young adult. Although initially bewildered in this alien environment, I came to discover it would be one of the most challenging, humbling and enriching experiences of my life.
This month, the Moderator, Dr Sam Mawhinney, recounts the trip he and his wife Karen took to Kenya just before Christmas. He shares insights on time spent with PCI global mission workers, along with the lessons he learned and his thoughts on life in Kenya and how God is at work there.
It is perhaps good for us all to be shaken out of our comfort zones as it’s then that we have no option but to place ourselves firmly in God’s care and trust him completely. It can be difficult for us in the secure bubble of Ireland to truly grasp the reality that faces other Christians around the world. Pip Florit reminds us of the terrible persecution facing brothers and sisters in Christ and urges us to pray for them and support them as much as we can. She says: “There is a temptation to compartmentalise, thinking of ‘the persecuted church’ as something separate from us, but we are…one body, part of which is persecuted.”
Pip’s article is a difficult, yet important, read. Another such article is provided by Amir Abbas Kalhor, from Great Victoria Street & Windsor Presbyterian Church. He shares his story of moving from Iran to Northern Ireland, and bravely testifies to what life was like in his home country. He says: “As children, we couldn’t sleep because of the fear of unpunished sins… We grew up in absolute darkness.”
It is unsettling to hear the stories of those who suffer, but only by doing so can we shine a light on the darkness. PCI is endeavouring to do this in the whole area of abuse in the Church. Jacqui Montgomery-Devlin, PCI’s Head of Safeguarding, outlines the steps that the denomination is taking to tackle this issue, acknowledging that sadly abuse does exist within PCI. She categorically states: “Abuse needs to be met with positive action – silence around abuse is inaction. Encouraging silence is worse than doing nothing.”
While there are many things in life that we would rather not have to think about, the Moderator reflects that lament is an important process for dealing with our pain, and we do so, knowing that we can trust in God and his goodness. He says: “Let me encourage us to lament all we see that is not good and, in line with God’s will, do so with confidence.”
The Presbyterian Herald is the official magazine of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It provides a forum for debate and discussion on a wide range of topics and aims to challenge and encourage Presbyterians, as well as inform them about what the wider Church is involved in. It has a readership in excess of 25,000 and is distributed throughout Ireland.
To find out more go to www.presbyterianireland.org/herald or access the digital version via Issuu.