Conference Missions: Illinois Maya Ministry; Angola Mission and Partnership

On this page you will find information about our Illinois Conference Missions: Illinois Maya Ministry and Angola Partners. There are links provide for further information after each introduction.

llinois Maya Ministry is called to a ministry of ACCOMPANIMENT, RECONCILIATION, and TRANSFORMATION
with the Mayan people of Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala, and the people of the Illinois Conference UCC.

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 as they 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

Last summer, our Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ initiated a partnership with the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola. The Conference is now actively working on developing that 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, click on the links below.