A letter from Barry and Shelly Dawson in Thailand (regional liaison for Southeast Asia)
Late Winter 2013
Dear Friends,
Heavy rains in January forced more than 30,000 people in Jakarta, Indonesia, to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter. When we visited a Jakarta church that had opened its doors and hearts to the flood victims, we had conversations with some parents and children who had to abandon their modest homes along the riverbank to the relentlessly rising brown water. Those displaced Indonesians were deeply grateful that the church was providing them with a roof over their heads and some rice in their stomachs. In fact, we could see that the hosting church had become a living example of mission partnership as it worked closely with other local churches and seminary students to feed three meals a day to 1,300 persons and to provide shelter for hundreds who slept on simple mats within its walls.
-1_medium250.jpeg)
Flood victim families are sheltered in Jakarta church
Several years before January’s flood waters turned their church building into a temporary homeless shelter the pastors and elders had decided to reach out to the poor families along the river by providing tutoring for their children. Since Indonesia has more Muslim citizens than any other nation in the world, it was naturally expected that many of the students and families that the church served through its tutoring program would be Muslims. Slowly, as they continued to tutor the children and as the children increasingly succeeded in school, deeper levels of trust developed between the church and its neighbors. So, when those same neighbors’ homes were flooded, the church was able to provide a ministry of hospitality by quickly creating mission partnerships with other local churches. In a time of crisis the church was well positioned to be an instrument of God’s grace and a catalyst for mission partnership because its leaders had chosen years before to be “an incarnational presence of care and solidarity” in the community.
-2_medium250.jpeg)
Barry preaches at the morning chapel service at Jakarta Theological Seminary
We saw other tangible signs of the fruit of mission partnerships abounding at Jakarta Theological Seminary. While staying on the seminary campus we visited with PC(USA) mission co-worker Rev. Dr. Becca Young, a professor who teaches systematic theology. As we sat next to joyfully animated students in Dr. Young’s “Care of Creation” theology class, we could sense the passion for ecological justice and faithful stewardship of God’s earth in the voices of the seminary students whose homeland consists of more than 17,000 islands that are frequently under siege by erupting volcanoes, widespread deforestation, life-diminishing air pollution, and towering tsunamis. The seminary students’ passionate faith in Christ also was demonstrated in their robust singing each day in the morning chapel service. During a Friday morning chapel service Barry had the privilege of preaching , and we were both moved by the heartfelt worship of the seminary community. We give thanks to God that one of the joys of mission partnerships is working together with several denominations and Jakarta Theological Seminary to help grow the next generation of leaders for the Christian Church in Indonesia.
-3_medium250.jpeg)
Barry and Shelly receive a gift from leaders of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia
Another key component to mission partnerships that we discovered in Indonesia is ecumenical cooperation. In Jakarta we were pleased to meet with the General Secretary and the General Chairman of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI). CCI includes 88 member denominations that collectively have 17 million members. In fact, the member denominations of CCI account for 85 percent of all Christians in the country of Indonesia. With such a broad-based, multi-denominational platform for the Christian community in Indonesia, CCI is able to be a key player in fostering positive interfaith relations with the majority Muslim population and also provide opportunities for cross-denominational leadership development. In a world where churches often succumb to societal pressures to operate independently and act unilaterally, CCI provides a shining example of ecumenical mission partnerships that witness to our unity in Christ and highly value the gifts of each member of the body of Christ.
While we were in Indonesia God once again reminded us that the path of global mission is a journey best walked together in partnerships marked by mutual empowerment. The journey of mission partnership calls us repeatedly to embrace a holistic gospel and embody the values and practices perfectly revealed in Jesus: Ultimate Trust in God … Grace … Humility … Justice … Solidarity with the Poor … A Life of Prayer … Power Made Perfect in Weakness … Sacrificial Love.
Invitation to Partner in Mission with Us
This letter focused on mission partnerships in Indonesia would not be complete without asking you to consider partnering with us in our mission service in Southeast Asia. We invite you to pray for us, to learn about the joys and challenges facing Christians in this region, and to give generously to help us raise the financial support that is needed to fund the mission work to which we have been called in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Thank you for your love, your prayers, your gifts, and your mission partnership with us!
In Christ’s Hope,
Barry and Shelly
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 224
Read more about Barry and Shelly Dawson's ministry
Write to Barry Dawson
Write to Shelly Dawson
Individuals: Give to E200493 for Barry and Shelly Dawson's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D507570 for Barry and Shelly Dawson's sending and support
