4.4.9.    World Wide Ministries

4.4.9.1.    Membership:

Chairperson and nine members. Including persons interested in fostering a devotion to mission activity near and far among the Presbytery’s congregations and mission communities. That includes developing close-to-home short-term missions, sharing ways to tell and show the Good News of Christ in host communities, encouraging focused short-term mission at international sites, growing the Partnership with the Illubabor Bethel Synod in Ethiopia, developing and maintaining support for denominational mission co-workers, and ecumenical and advocacy relationships.

        4.4.9.2.    Duties:

Foster an understanding among congregations and mission communities that mission—taking action beyond church walls to show Christ’s love--occurs in churches’ close-in neighborhoods, nearby communities, throughout the Presbytery territory, wherever national disaster and human need call for our sacrificial help, and in the world beyond where we can tell about and demonstrate God’s love through Christ.

A.    Encourage each congregation prayerfully to seek, find and share God’s calling in mission close to home.
1.    Using Presbytery forums, workshops, the website, and electronic messages to disseminate information about successful short-term mission trips.
2.    Training teams in best practices for short-term mission in workshops and other venues.
3.    Monitoring and advertising needs within the Presbytery and beyond that can be addressed by short-term missions.
4.    Advising mission communities on how to develop cooperative projects involving diverse congregations and groups.

B.    Nurture the Partnership with the Illubabor Bethel Synod in Ethiopia including:
1.    Preparing prayer requests for regular prayer for our Partner Synod.
2.    Planning visits and interactions with the partners.
3.    Serving as a link to missionaries from Shenandoah Presbytery to Illubabor.
4.    Providing information and publicity about the Partnership, utilizing the Partnership web site and Presbytery communication tools.
5.    Making budget requests to support these efforts and monitoring the expenditures.
6.    Planning regular celebrations of the Partnership.

C.    Promote the cause of global missions in the mission communities and congregations throughout Presbytery. This will include:
l.    Encouraging prayer for mission work throughout the world.
2.    Being a resource for materials and programs.
3.    Setting criteria for the use of designated funds such as the Ramsey Fund and the Bernice Hiett Fund, to assist short-term international mission trips and other “foreign missions” activities by congregations, the Partnership Committee, and Shenandoah Presbytery.
4.    Monitoring follow-up reports on mission endeavors.
5.    Maintaining a list of Shenandoah Presbytery missionaries for prayer and serving as a resource for guest speakers for mission events.

D.    Serve as the conscience of Presbytery in encouraging advocacy efforts on behalf of justice and compassion.

E.    Promote ecumenical ministries and relations where participation as a Presbytery is called for.

F.    Provide information about ecumenical partners utilizing Presbytery communication tools