How do we connect our work locally to global work for social justice?

Global Ministries, a program administered jointly between the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, works with approximately 250 partners in close to 90 countries. Each week their newsletter features a prayer written by one of the partner congregations, as well as projects funded through Global Ministries. These weekly articles are shared with our congregation through our Daily All Church Emails.

A note from Lauren Herbert (for FCC Global Ministries team):

Please let me know if you are interested in being involved in Global Ministries. As a next step for Global Ministries, I would like to learn about the efforts of other progressive faith communities in the Eugene-Springfield area to see how we could collaborate on global issues.

I plan to have a Global Ministries update each Monday through the All Church Email, and include information such as global partners featured by the national organization; news (when available) about our collaboration with CIS on the island of on Tasajera, El Salvador, and information about other events with global connections. I would also like to share ideas about how we can effectively, respectfully and lovingly contribute as a church to others in the world. Please let me know if you would like to be involved; email globalministries@fcceugene.org.

We Covenant with our Partners in Tasajera, El Salvador

In 2008 we began a partnership with the fishing community of Tasajera, El Salvador. Our relationship began with supporting healthcare on the Island, and since then our work together has expanded to include environmental stewardship, economic development, access to clean water, and now a focus on education.

Our Tasajera sisters and brothers identified education as the single most important area of development of their community. Since 2012 we have shared our resources with the community to provide scholarships for high school and university studies. We have seen many of the Tasajera scholarship students graduate from high school and college due to our partnership with Centro de intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS), an organization that provides technical and cultural assistance to communities throughout El Salvador. Never before has this community had full access to education beyond the 9th grade.

Our annual special giving for the Tasajera Scholarship Fund pays school fees, purchasing of materials, school uniforms, transportation and in some cases housing for students who attend university.  It costs approximately $400 for a year of high school per student and $1000 for a year of university per student. The greater our gifts, the bigger the impact of our giving. Thank you for prayerfully considering a generous gift.

In 2017 ten members of our church, five adults and five youth, traveled to Tasajera to spend time on the Island with our fourteen scholarship students and their families, and to share in the life of the whole community of Tasajera.  We got to experience first hand the stories and see the positive impact that opportunities for education have brought to Tasajera, and the power of this partnership that has crossed borders and built friendship and solidarity.

The Vision

To develop together an enduring relationship of mutuality, hope and trust, as we seek to be in relationship “beyond borders.” As we draw together our communities of different nationalities, languages, class, race, and life circumstances, we seek to do our part to make real God’s dream of wholeness, peace, and justice for all creation.

Please contact Brent Arnold for further information.