Global Missions

As the second chapter of Matthew tells us, God revealed Jesus to wise men in the East through a star. Non-Jewish people, and relatively rich people, would be in on the news of God’s love for the world in Jesus from the very beginning. Jesus is the light of God for all the nations of the world.

That is how Matthews’ gospel begins. It ends with Jesus’ Great Commission “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew makes it clear that we are called to proclaim Christ to all nations.

Sometimes Global Mission is a hard thing for us to get our arms around. The image of a missionary spending years in a different culture with the purpose of “converting” people to Christianity is the usual first impression. But Global Mission encompasses much more. Sometimes it is proclamation of the gospel to cultures that have never heard of Jesus. More often it involves assisting churches in other countries by providing teachers of theology, or assistance with health ministries, or economic development. All of these are ways to proclaim the love of God in Christ. The ELCA seeks to do this in partnership with Christians in other lands. For more information about how the ELCA undertakes global mission of evangelism, witness, education, promotion of justice, relief and development, click on www.elca.org/dgm.

Holy Trinity supports the global mission of the church in some special ways. We support Rosella and Daniel Kameo as missionaries in Indonesia. See their letter (below) to learn of their ministry in Indonesia. We are also a companion congregation with the Usangi Parish in Tanzania. Our synod has had a companion synod relationship with the Pare Diocese in Tanzania for several years now.

Global mission is not limited to our support of the ELCA. Our church supports Bread for the World and we have had guest speakers from organizations that work to share God’s love throughout the world by caring for our neighbor. (from January 2002 newsletter article by Pastor Duane Miller)

The Introductory Letter from our Missionaries
As we walked over to the cashier to pay our bill at the Pesta Kaboen restaurant in Semarang, Central Java, the couple at the next table stood up, blocking our path. "Aren't you Bu Rosie and Pak Dani?" the woman asked, using the names our students call us in the classroom. "Do you remember me? I'm the principal of a Christian school in Ende now and my husband is head of the Regional Planning Board. We graduated from Satya Wacana in 1987. Come and join us for a bit." How many times this scenario has repeated itself in airports, banks, and malls wherever we go in Indonesia! Graduates of Satya Wacana Christian University are eager to renew acquaintances and tell us how much it meant to be in our classes.

The Changing Role of the Missionary
When we envision missionaries, do we think of ordinary people using their skills and talents in a variety of jobs in an overseas context, or do we only picture the Bible toting evangelist in pith helmet, standing in front of a thatched roof hut? The role of the missionary has changed somewhat since I went to India as a short-term missionary in 1964. Unfortunately the image of the missionary has not always kept pace. I frequently receive letters from supporting churches and individuals addressed to The Rev. Rosella Kameo or Pastor Kameo, as though "missionary" requires theological training and expertise. On home leave I have been asked how we justify being called "missionaries" when we are not called by local churches to evangelize. Perhaps some of us still tend to romanticize the role of missionaries, thinking of all missionaries as evangelists and forgetting that a missionary is anyone who witnesses to his faith by serving others across cultural and national boundaries.

Down through the years, global mission has been a means by which our church has proclaimed the Good News and served others in need throughout the world, and so it remains today. Yet as churches in developing countries have grown and matured, their needs have changed as well. In the 1960s, most of the missionaries I knew in Rajahmundry and Guntur were pastors and evangelists. Now only 30% of our missionaries are clergy. Why? Because our evangelistic efforts of the past have been successful. National churches now have competent ministers of their own who are far more adept than outsiders at evangelizing and witnessing to their own people. Instead of issuing calls to outsiders to do what they themselves can do best, they call mission personnel to other jobs - to assist in developing leadership skills for pastors, medical workers, and educators, to affirm the role of women, to support ministries of reconciliation, and to respond to international disasters.

Most missionaries today are ordinary people serving the world through an extraordinary array of skills and talents -lay people called to serve the local church and its institutions as teachers, university professors, medical workers, librarians, or financial administrators. Only 53% of our ELCA missionaries today are long-term missionaries; the rest are short termers, volunteers, associates, one-year young adult service program participants, and ELCA seminary interns. The face of mission has changed, and we need to keep pace with that change.

Witnessing to Our Faith in a Moslem Country
Indonesia, the largest Moslem country in the world in terms of population, does not allow foreigners to come with the purpose of converting people to Christianity. How do we witness then when we are called to be university lecturers and librarians and are not allowed to evangelize? We witness as you do, through our daily lives, through the way in which we deal with our Indonesian superiors and subordinates, through the integrity we show to our students, and through the time and dedication we put into our work. Secondly, we witness by being a Christian university in a Moslem society. We support the witness of the Indonesian church when we help it to prepare strong Christian leaders to balance the overwhelming power of the Moslem majority. Even though Christians are not allowed to attend Moslem schools, around 30% of our students are Moslem. They are drawn to our Christian university by its high academic standards and its reputation among Moslem alumni for non-discriminatory practices. Not every Christian school is like this, of course, but it happens to be one of Satya Wacana's strengths that we are proud of.

Capacity-building
With a student body of over 11,000 representing more than 20 ethnic groups, Satya Wacana Christian University is one of the best private universities in the country. My written job description at Satya Wacana states that I am a teacher of English. The university knows that Indonesians cannot become global citizens without knowing English and that they need native speakers to teach English. I see my official role at Satya Wacana, though, as that of a capacity builder. In addition to teaching language and cross cultural understanding courses, I serve as a language consultant for the department and for the university - for the student magazine, for faculty members writing articles in English or applying for scholarships or research grants, for administrators sending out letters or applications in English, for teachers who line up in front of my desk to ask questions about the lessons they are teaching that day.

My Unique Situation
Because of my marriage to an Indonesian and my membership in an extended family, I have the privilege of being accepted as an insider. The teams Daniel is involved with as the head of the Graduate School in Development Studies, an economist, and a consultant to government projects frequently ask me to translate official government documents, check research proposals, and correct the language in official correspondence. I am also so often called on to help entertain government officials or university guests in our home. Many times I find that this unofficial role is no less important than the formal role assigned to me by Satya Wacana Christian University.

Skills and Talents
What kind of skills does my missionary work require? Fluency in the Indonesian language and intercultural competence top the list. We cannot proclaim the Good News or really serve others in need without it. “But do you need to know Indonesian to teach English?” you might ask. Yes. To understand why Indonesians make the mistakes they do in English requires a knowledge of the Indonesian language. Fluency is also essential for the kind of translation work I do and for entertaining Indonesian guests in our home.

We often say that language is culture. Knowing the Indonesian language has helped me in understanding the culture as well, and sensitivity to and respect for cultural values that differ from our American values is another requirement of ELCA missionaries. Open-mindedness, flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, and yes, the ability to maintain a low profile, go a long way in paving the way for good relationships in another country. It may seem strange, but the ability to fail is another skill I would add to the list. Our American culture is a "doing" culture which values self-esteem, achievement, and success. Anyone who works overseas, however, will fail at something, and those who are not able to deal with failure will soon be on the way home. Laughter is often the best medicine, and one of the most important skills of all is a good sense of humor and the ability to laugh at oneself.

Blooming Where We Are Planted
Our work here does not seem to be extraordinary, nor are we heroes. We are only ordinary people trying to let our light shine through faith and love as we teach at a well-established Christian university in a Moslem world. It is heartwarming to us to see our graduates playing important roles as church leaders, high government officials, directors of non-governmental organizations, bankers, and good lecturers all over the country. And whenever we hear the question "Do you remember me?” we are reminded again of just how important our work is and how much it means to the church to have us here.

Partners in the Gospel
Through your role as a supporting congregation, you are involved in proclaiming the Good News, serving others in need, and accompanying other churches and institutions like Satya Wacana Christian University throughout the world. We are thankful for your support of our work in Indonesia. As time goes on we look forward hearing your own story as well - to learning more about the vital role you play in witnessing and serving the church in Iowa and throughout the world. Daniel joins me in sending our warmest greetings to you from Central Java. God's blessings to you as our partners in the witness of the Gospel,

Rosella M. Kameo Indonesia