The Illinois Conference has two missions: Illinois Maya Ministry and Angola Partners.
Illinois Maya Ministry (IMM) is a project of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ. For over twenty years, IMM has joined with the Maya peoples of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico in a ministry of accompaniment, reconciliation, and transformation to strive toward a world vision of justice and dignity. Our activities include:
- Providing and organizing delegations to the regions to learn about the social, economic, political, and religious challenges that confront the Maya people in their struggle for autonomy
- Providing support to the missionaries
- Providing material aid such as food, equipment, and educational and medical supplies
- Providing support to grass-roots efforts for structural change
- Providing educational forums and workshops on Maya culture and spirituality, economic justice, the global effects of free trade vs. fair trade, peace building and ecumenism
- Providing and promoting advocacy for human rights
- Through this ministry we have grown in our faith, and have been blessed with the friendship of many sisters and brothers who share our commitment to God’s vision of the beloved community. We invite you to join us on this challenging and rewarding journey.
For more information go to: www.illinoismayaministry.blogspot.com
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer so you will reach out your hands to comfort them and change their pain into joy. And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in this world so you will do the things which others say connot be done.
– Barbara de Souza
Bibles for Angola
In the summer of 2004, the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ initiated a partnership with the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola with the encouragement and assistance of Global Ministries Team of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The Illinois Conference/Angola Partnership Team is responsible to continue working on developing this partnership.
Our partners in Angola say they have a shortage of Bibles. People are not able to listen to God’s word, to read and learn, to study and be transformed, simply because the books are not available. To further our partnership, and to share the Word of God, the Conference is working to purchase 1,000 Bibles for the people of Angola. Won’t you help? To find out more about how to do this, visit the Angola Mission and Partnership Team page.