As PCI seeks to share the gospel and reach out to others in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church has developed partnership links with other churches, Christian institutions and international mission agencies in more than 20 countries across the world.
In Indonesia, PCI partners with three churches: the Christian Church of Sumba; the Evangelical Christian Church in Timor; and the Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera.
Accompanied by the Rev John Hanna of Glendermott Presbyterian Church, who served in Indonesia in the 1980s and 1990s, Mrs. Hughes said before leaving, “Last April, we were delighted to welcome three leaders from the Christian Church of Sumba to Ireland. We were very challenged by our discussions with them, especially by learning about amazing growth the church has enjoyed since the 1980s.
“John and myself are excited about going to Sumba, to meet the church leaders again, and see at first-hand how their church has grown and how they are ministering and discipling the increasing numbers of young Christians in their congregations.
“We are also very much looking forward to our visit to the Evangelical Christian Church in Timor, which is the second largest Protestant church in Indonesia with over 1.5 million members in Timor and 13 neighbouring islands.
“I expect our visit to both churches will be a time of mutual encouragement and learning, and that the visit will strengthen our partnerships with the two churches,” she said.
Indonesia is a chain of over 17,000 islands in Southeast Asia, two thirds of which are inhabited. It is the world’s fourth most populous country, after the United States, and has the world’s highest Muslim population.
Rev. Liz Hughes Convener of the Council for Global Mission with Rev Marlin Lomi, General Secretary of the Christian Church of Sumba (GKS) with the General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev. Trevor Gribben when a delegation of GKS leades visited Ireland last April.