May the world never forget the genocide which occurred in Rwanda in 1994. Within a few hours of an opposition leader's plane being shot down, between 500,000 and 1 million Rwandans were killed in planned attacks ordered by the interim government. The world reeled from the carnage and has long sought to reconcile such horror in our midst. 

Today the situation in Rwanda is far different. Through international involvement and intense programs to seek true reconciliation, Rwanda now supplies 6,000 peacemakers throughout the world supporting UN missions. The nation stands as a model of ongoing reconciliation to honestly deal with the past tragedies. 

Into the midst of the current situation come two US military chaplains to learn and provide. Chaplains David Lile and Mike Burgess from African Command recently spent six days in Kigali working with 21 Rwandan medical and military personnel. Their two goals were to both provide and learn from their counterparts with respect to operations at the tactical level and also to understand the model used by the Rwandan's for combat operational stress control. 

The Rwanda model offers credible guidance for other nations to follow in dealing with combat operational stress. The Rwandans "are careful in screening and selecting troops before, during and after deployments; they have a tight internal structure where soldiers keep watch over each other; they enforce a zero-defect policy concerning ethical conduct; a strict disciplined code of conduct is encapsulated in the Rwandan Defense Force Ethical ROE handbook; and a solid military family structure is integrated into the national fabric. It is all one piece of cloth which characterizes this resilient military." (US African Command Article)

Burgess said, " It is their strong sense of community as families and a nation which has helped their military to be resilient through multiple deployments over the last decade."

As we and other nations have witnessed increased polarization and resultant tragedies from what seems to be an increasingly divided populace, perhaps we can take hope in a nation such as Rwanda - bringing light and hope where hatred and violence had stolen the future. How good it is for our chaplains to be part of this process of learning and healing. Perhaps being salt and light still applies today. 

Congratulations Chaplains Lile and Burgess for your forward thinking and service. 

Lyman Smith

The United Church of the San Juans (UCSJ), in Ridgway, CO.; an outdoor community situated in the beautiful San Juan Mountains in South West Colorado; is a Christian multi-denominational, ecumenical church that is affiliated with the ELCA, PC(USA), UCC & UMC. 

We are seeking a full time ordained pastor from one of these 4 denominations.

Our church was founded in 2003 and has experienced steady growth. Lay members lead many of our ministry and operational programs including mission & outreach, care ministry, congregational life, education and administration. Our congregation is debt-free with regard to the church building and the land, and the adjoining land for future expansion as well.

You are invited on a trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land - for $500.00 single occupancy total cost!

 

Christians United For Israel has been funded for our annual CUFI Pastors/Leaders Israel Trip - for $500.00 per person.  We will meet Palestinian/Arabs, Muslim/Israeli citizens, Jewish leaders and IDF soldiers as we, "...run where Jesus walked!" and you will only miss one Sunday from your pulpit.

Attached you will find our rough itinerary that is still being completed with some new exciting additions. Also attached is your registration form and information as to where to send everything needed to reserve your seat!

We will leave on Monday, February 5, 2018 at (from JFK) and land back in the US very early morning, February 13, 2018.

From one of our members who participated in a previous trip - 

"What I found most valuable was to see the context, and experience the biases (from both sides) so that I could ask more informed questions and arrive at more realistic expectations."