Greetings from INFEMIT!
It has been a busy season, filled with exciting movements in our ministry as well as sadness for the loss of our dear brother and Networking Team member, Paul Joshua, who died on September 15th, after a long battle with kidney failure.
We would like to share some brief updates with you about INFEMIT’s ministry during these past few months, as well as some memories of our dear friend, Paul, who courageously lived out the Gospel during his life.
Paul Joshua (Photo: bottom, right)
Paul was a member of the INFEMIT Networking Team who helped to revive the fellowship over the past several years. He consistently encouraged us through his involvement and in his daily life. Paul also served with the South Asia Institute of Christian Studies (SAIACS), the Tamil Brethren Church in Bangalore, India, and in his family with his wife and three kids.
“Following Jesus consistently and unassumingly is far more central than doing things for Jesus” Paul Joshua, during a time of INFEMIT fellowship in Costa Rica.
You can witness Paul’s passion for God and for people through his work. Check out his presentation “Local Leaders” at the Third Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2010.
We are grateful for Paul’s life and ministry. We seek to follow his example, and we join in prayer for his family during this difficult time.
Other Updates
Global Forum of Theological Educators
Theological educators from the major Christian traditions – Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Independent – gathered to share and learn from one another last May in Germany. INFEMIT Networking Team members Munther Isaac, Corneliu Constantineanu, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Wonsuk Ma, and Paul Bendor-Samuel were able to attend and were encouraged by the rich conversations and the commitments shared. Click here to read more.
In our last email, we shared details from this year’s Stott-Bediako Forum (available here). Since then, we have uploaded a number of the papers and audio recordings from the event to ourwebsite, which we encourage you to explore. We can also officially announce that the 2017 Stott-Bediako Forum will be held on June 29-30 at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute in Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana.
American Society of Missiology Annual Meeting
In North America, INFEMIT partners with other organizations and networks which share a vision for Mission as Transformation. This June, INFEMIT members Ruth Padilla Deborst, Las Newman, and Al Tizon (Networking Team), Tori Greaves (Executive Assistant), and Greg Leffel, Amanda Kaminski, and Robin Wainwright (Board) were all able to attend the Annual Meeting of one such organization – the American Society of Missiology. Papers and presentations were excellent, and we look forward to continuing to participate in this event in the years ahead. We also invite other interested mission-practitioners in North America to consider attending this meeting as a way to connect with INFEMIT in your region.
Latin American Theological Fellowship General Assembly
The General Assembly of the Latin American Theological Fellowship convened this June in Lima to discuss the topic “Corruption Kills.” At the conclusion of the program, the assembly elected its new Directive Committee, which will serve during the period of 2016 to 2020. We are extremely grateful to Marcelo Vargas, who participated as a member of the INFEMIT Networking Team as the LATF’s General Secretary during the past four years, and we are excited to work with this new team as they guide the fellowship in Latin America through the season ahead.
Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering
INFEMIT was well represented at the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering this year in Jakarta, Indonesia. Las Newman, Networking Team member from Jamaica, assumed his new position as Associate Director of Lausanne Regions during the gathering and also promoted the recent publication “Creation Care and the Gospel.” Participants also included Tori Greaves (INFEMIT Executive Assistant) and numerous young INFEMIT leaders from theComunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), Micah Global, the Latin American Theological Fellowship (FTL), and other regions. Together, these leaders coordinated sessions for theological reflection and information on INFEMIT and its partners. Click here to read more.
Networking Team News
Beyond these events, we also celebrate some major events in the lives of our Networking Team members. We congratulate Ruth Padilla DeBorst (Costa Rica) for finishing her PhD and Seble Daniel (Ethiopia) for completing an additional MA in Counseling. Paul Bendor-Samuel (OCMS) has officially assumed his role as the Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, and Wonsuk and Julie Ma (formerly at OCMS) have transitioned to work at Oral Roberts University.
We also welcome our newest Networking Team member, Kanthamanee “Gift” Ladaphongphatthana (Thailand). Gift has an MSc in International Development from the University of Birmingham and is currently finishing her PhD, after which she will teach Development and Religion in Bangkok, Thailand. Gift has assisted INFEMIT with administrative and technical support in the past and is currently involved with other Asian leaders to discuss a vision for INFEMIT in this critical and diverse region in the years ahead.
We thank you for your prayers and encouragement of our ministry over these past few months, and we welcome you to explore these events in greater depth through the links provided above. We also invite you to check our Calendar to see whether there are any INFEMIT-related gatherings near you in the months ahead.
Wishing you strength and blessings in your continued ministry.
In the hope of Christ,
INFEMIT
