President’s Blog: 2nd January 2022
Greetings!
Happy New Year Everyone!
A New Year – a time for self-assessment, a time for renewal, a time to grasp new opportunities. Excitement is rising in the Parrott household as we continue the countdown to our Colombian visit/adventure – only 9 days to go! Our itinerary has yet to be confirmed but it promises to be an extremely interesting trip hosted by the Methodist Church in Colombia and CEPALC who work with the impoverished sectors of Colombia in defence of their rights and dignity. They are working with the Zenu indigenous communities in the department of Cordoba on the Caribbean Coast; with groups of young coal miners in Boyaca, with members of the families of guerrillas demobilized by the peace agreements in various areas of the department of Meta and they also accompany children’s and youth groups from Bogota, Ibague, Sogamoso (Boyaca) in their training processes. We will be visiting some of these projects, which involves internal flights and maybe motorbike rides! We will also be visiting CEPAC’s online radio station ‘Encuentro Radio’. We will have been well vaccinated with rabies and typhoid vaccines by the time we fly.
I quote from CEPALC’s Current Strategy:
‘Our strategic plan seeks, in a few words, to make the message of active compassion that the gospel teaches us a reality. We work with impoverished sectors seeking the empowerment of new leadership among young people, especially among women; strengthen the commitment to peace of groups such as ex-guerrillas demobilized after the agreements signed with the State; promote the enforcements of children’s rights; favour the appropriation and management of the media by sectors and groups excluded from our society. The processes of formation and accompaniment to the groups are carried out following these axes: Ecumenism; Gender Vision; Human Rights and Culture of Peace. These axes. In turn, are born from our institutional mission: Make all our work an act, an expression of love.’
When our itinerary has been confirmed, I will send it out. We would really value your prayers as we travel and while we are there. It promises to be an experience like none other and I thank the Global Relations team, especially Sandra Lopez, who will be accompanying us, the Methodist Church in Colombia and you of course, who have made this visit possible.
Blessings
Ruth
