International Peacemakers

An overview of the program

Leaders from partner denominations and organizations around the world visit the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) each year to interpret issues of peace and justice. These visits inform Presbyterians, open hearts and minds, touch lives, establish relationships and inspire new ministries. By sharing stories of their work and witness, the peacemakers help us understand peace and justice concerns around the world and provide insights that can inspire us to greater faithfulness. Their visits broaden our sense of God’s inclusive family and help equip us to build a culture of peace and nonviolence for all God’s children. Since 1984 more than 350 International Peacemakers from 60 countries have been hosted through the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. The International Peacemakers Program is made possible by your generous gifts to the Peace and Global Witness Offering.

In 2024, the roster of International Peacemakers has expanded to include 2 Domestic Peacemakers. Inspired by the 2023 Travel Study Seminars to the Native Lands of the American Southwest and to Puerto Rico, we are thrilled to announce that a Native American and a Puerto Rican are among the peacemakers this year.

Meet the Peacemakers

Connecting with International Peacemakers: 2024

IN-PERSON – In 2024, Peacemakers will itinerate throughout the church from September 13 – October 7 at the invitation of mid councils and Presbyterian-affiliated institutions. Visits generally last 3-6 days, excluding travel days. Not all visits must or may include a weekend. Midweek visits can be ideal for colleges, universities, or theological institutions. Mid councils, clusters of congregations and educational institutions may apply to host a peacemaker.

Request a Peacemaker

SYMPOSIUM – Beginning in 2020, the Peacemaking Program added a Virtual Symposium as a means to connect with our past International Peacemakers. The Virtual Symposium provides a number of pre-recorded interviews, panel discussions and presentations by our past International Peacemakers. You are invited to view and make use of one or all of the Symposium segments.

Peacemaker Symposium

The Areas of Focus for Our Peacemakers and the Matthew 25 Church Initiative

Our peacemakers have been selected to help the Presbyterian Church (USA) live into the “Matthew 25 Church Initiative,” which seeks to ensure that the PCUSA continues to confront racism, address environmental concerns, stand against violence and militarism and advocate for the dispossessed. The initiative calls for the whole church, at all levels, to locate itself with the poor and to advocate and take risks for and with the poor…”in the soup kitchens and catholic worker houses, among the immigrants, with those working to end mass incarceration, and with those who seek to protect all of us, especially the poorest of the poor around the world, from the vagaries of climate change.” The International Peacemakers will also focus their time on the three priority areas of the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s work: Racism, Poverty and Church Vitality. And they will help us become a Matthew 25 Church by sharing unique experiences and stories from their work in the following areas:

Hunger Ministries: I was hungry and you gave me food
Clean Water/Environmental Justice: I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink
Immigration/Migration/Refugee Welcome: I was a stranger and you welcomed me
Poverty Alleviation: I was naked and you gave me clothing
Health and Wellness: I was sick and you took care of me
Racism/Systems of Oppression and Violence: I was in prison and you visited me

International Peacemakers: A Partnership Between Peacemaking and World Mission

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and World Mission, International Peacemakers who need interpretation assistance are often accompanied by either a PC(USA) mission co-worker or a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) alumnus. This partnership allows Presbyterians to hear firsthand from both a peacemaker and a mission co-worker or young adult volunteer who represents or has represented the PC(USA) in the region. Together the peacemaker and mission co-worker or young adult volunteer share stories of connection and partnership between the PC(USA) and our ministry partners.

Planning the visit

It is best for a team representing the mid-council, institution or a cluster of congregations to work together to host the international peacemaker and to plan a meaningful and complete visit. The hosting team is asked to design a schedule for the peacemaker’s visit that provides many opportunities for meaningful engagement between the peacemaker and various groups and gatherings. Schedules should be planned carefully and thoughtfully to make good use of the peacemaker’s time and talents without being overwhelming or exhausting for either the peacemaker or the hosts. Including a variety of groups and settings enriches the experience both for the peacemaker and the mid-council or institution.

Providing hospitality

The host team provides hospitality for the peacemaker during the visit. They arrange for the peacemaker’s lodging, meals and local transportation. Ordinarily the team shares responsibility for the logistics of the visit and each team member has a role to play. Sometimes the team members each take responsibility for a day or a region, but it is best if hospitality is shared amongst many rather than done by just a few. If possible, for the sake of the peacemaker, it is best to provide lodging in one place for the duration of the visit rather than to move the guest from place to place each night. However, if your peacemaker is moving across the geography of your region and not return to a “home base,” it is less ideal but may be necessary to pack up and move during the visit. Please keep this hospitality issue in mind as you plan the peacemaker’s schedule.

Costs and travel

The hosting organization is asked to contribute $475 to help defray the cost of the program. The Peacemaking Program covers all international and domestic airline travel costs. We will make travel arrangements, purchase tickets, provide health insurance, and inform hosts of travel schedules. As soon as your peacemaker’s visit has been confirmed, instructions for making the payment of $475 will be sent to you.

Application and notification

Please use the online application form to apply to host a peacemaker. Apply early but no later than May 1. Applicants will be notified automatically that their application has been received. If you do not receive an automatic reply, please check with the Peacemaking Program at 502-569-5805 to confirm receipt of your application. Late applications will be filled as space is available.

Apply here

Host orientation

All hosts, whether new to the program or experienced, are expected to attend a zoom orientation meeting led by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.

2024 International Peacemakers

Request a Peacemaker

Costa Rica

Mía Umaña

For 30 years, Mía Umaña has been working to support vulnerable communities in comprehensive and empathetic ways. She has focused on strengthening resilience in communities, using tools such as the creation of Peace Communities. With specialties in conflict resolution and trauma care, Mía trained with the Lutheran World Federation in Brazil and holds a diploma in Risk Management in Natural Disasters (CEPEPCA ACT ALIANZA).

Most recently, Mía finished her course work for her bachelor’s degree in Theological Sciences and is in the process of preparing her thesis at the Universidad Bíblica Latinoamérica (UBL) in Costa Rica. She also earned an International Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith. She currently provides pastoral accompaniment and support to migrants with particular focus on gender violence, feminicide and environmental justice. She works to strengthen relational networks while providing support to migrants at Casa Adobe.

A resilient and faithful woman, mother and grandmother, Mía lives in Montecito – a high elevation, wooded area in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica.

Interpreter – Karla Koll

Karla Ann Koll, a Mission Co-worker with the PC(USA), serves at the Latin American Biblical University (UBL) in San Jose, Costa Rica as professor of history, mission and religions. She previously served in theological education in Nicaragua and Guatemala. In addition to courses in mission and the history of Christianity, she teaches a course on eschatology and climate change. Karla is a member of Pueblo Presbytery.

Fiji

Frances Namoumou

Ms. Frances Namoumou’s involvement in climate change, displacement and disaster management spans more than 20 years. Her area of expertise is Climate Justice and Disaster Management. She currently serves as Ecumenical Enabler for Ecologic Stewardship and Climate Justice Program at the Pacific Conference of Churches in Fiji.

A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, she has been involved in projects with the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation, the Adventist Relief Agency, and the Climate Change/Act on Disaster Risk Reduction with the World Council of Churches. Residing in Suva, Fiji, she is a member of the Methodist Church.

Hong Kong/Philippines

Joram Calimutan

An ordained minister of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Rev. Joram Calimutan was a local pastor for 12 years in the Southern Tagalog region of the Philippines before being assigned as ecumenical co-worker to the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) in Hong Kong. He now serves as head of the Institutional Administration and Finance unit of APMM. APMM is a regional network supporting the empowerment of migrants through its programs of advocacy and campaigns, education, research, and networking.

Rev. Joram Calimutan is also the lead convenor of the Asia Pacific Interfaith Network for the Rights of Migrants (AP INFORM), a network of various faith communities (Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu) supporting the rights of migrants, refugees and other displaced people. AP INFORM works to oppose all forms of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and modern slavery by advocating for human rights, justice and decent work. Additionally, he pastors a worshipping congregation of UCCP in Hong Kong.

He holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary (Cavite, Philippines) and was awarded the Contemporary Theology Award. Born in Lucban, Quezon, Philippines, he is married to Edwina Antonio, Executive Director of Bethune House (Hong Kong), a refuge for migrant women.

Moldova

Dumitru Roibu

Dumitru Roibu is Executive President of YMCA Moldova. His history of YMCA community service includes roles such as World YMCA Youth Empowerment assistant and YMCA Change Agent (a global leadership program), and participation in YES (Youth Engagement in Sports) and TTT (Training The Trainers) seminars. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dumitru Roibu has been involved in supporting Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. To date, helping more than 14,000 refugees, YMCA Moldova has created more than 320 Digital Educational Centers.

In 2013, Dumitru founded a rural youth NGO which supported cultural youth events, such as teaching folk dances. His NGO empowered more than 150 young people from the area to take part in Erasmus+, a European Union program for education, training, youth, and sport. For his exceptional civic service, Dumitru was awarded the Civic Merit Medal in 2018 by the President of the Republic of Moldova.

Dumitru studied International Relations, has a master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies and is currently working on his PhD in Good Governance. He and his wife are expecting their first child in January 2024.

Native Lands of the Southwest U.S.

June L. Lorenzo

An attorney, consultant and human rights advocate, June L. Lorenzo is Laguna Pueblo and Diné (Navajo Nation). Holding a JD and PhD, she currently practices law in New Mexico and advocates for the rights of Indigenous Peoples before United Nations and Organization of American States bodies. June has served as a Judge for 6 Native Nations in New Mexico and has served as legal counsel for both Laguna Pueblo and Navajo Nation, as well as US Senate and US House of Representative committees, and the US Department of Justice (Voting Rights). She is also engaged in advocacy on uranium legacy issues, which is related to protection of sacred areas.

June was a featured speaker for the Peacemaking Program’s 2023 Travel Study Seminar to the Native Lands of the Southwest, which explored the Doctrine of Discovery and its present-day impacts. She has served on a number of PC(USA) committees and task forces at the presbytery, synod and General Assembly level including the Native American Consulting Committee, (former) Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC), General Assembly Task Force on Native American Ministries, Peacemaking Planning, the Native American Consulting Committee, and the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) for the Presbytery of Santa Fe, Synod of the Southwest, and the General Assembly.

June is a member and clerk of session at Laguna United Presbyterian Church (Pueblo of Laguna), the only Native American congregation in the Presbytery of Santa Fe.

Nigeria

Peter Michael Egwudah

Peter Michael Egwudah serves as the Program Coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition for Poverty Eradication (CISCOPE), a Nigerian national-based NGO working across multiple sectors and geographical locations in Nigeria to eradicate poverty and suffering. CISCOPE involves over 80 civil society organizations working on diverse development and humanitarian issues. With the support of UN-OCHA, he facilitated the formation of the Network of Adamawa Non-Governmental Organization (NANGO), comprised of national, communal, and faith-based organizations operating within Adamawa State, to enhance coordination, reporting and information-sharing among humanitarian and development actors.

Peter is also a foundation member, and the current Vice Chairman of the North East Civil Society Organization’s (NESCO), a grouping of civil society organizations operating in the north east region affected by the acts of the dreaded terrorist groups, Boko Haram. He is an activist, advocate for peace and policy influencer for positive change.

Palestine

Zoughbi Zoughbi

Founder and Director of Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Centre in Bethlehem, Zoughbi Zoughbi is a world-renowned speaker, trainer, counselor, activist, and writer. He has written and edited extensive articles and books on interdisciplinary topics of justice, peace and reconciliation.

Founded in 1994 and known by the name “Wi’am”, the Arabic word meaning “cordial relationships”, the center has received some notable awards, including the 2023 Carnall Peace Award and the 2010 Peacebuilding Award in the World Vision International Peace Prize competition. The center offers mediation, training, and psycho-social counseling to help resolve community disputes and alleviate the suffering of people. It includes a trauma-coping program for children, leadership training for women, and nonviolence education programs.

Puerto Rico

Marielis Barreto-Hernández

Rev. Marielis Barreto has been pastoring at the Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana en Aguada (First Presbyterian Church in Aguada) since her ordination in 2000. The congregation stands out for its nearly 20-year community service thrift store ministry, Mission Bazaar. More recently, the congregation has been collaborating with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to support volunteer hurricane relief efforts through Casita Ebenezer Volunteer Center.

Rev. Barreto holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. She earned a Master’s Degree in Divinity and a Doctorate Degree in Ministry in Pastoral Care from the Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico (Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico). She resides in Aguada with her husband.

South Korea

Hiheon Kim

Rev. Dr. Hiheon Kim is senior pastor of Hyanglin Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), chair of the Society of Korean Minjung Theology, and representative of Hyosun-Miseon Peace Park Project. In his local pastorate, Hiheon has been engaged in Christian activism on social justice and spirituality, ecological turn beyond the globalized consumerism, and unification of two Koreas along with various research and action groups in denominational and non-denominational relations.

Hiheon studied theology and social theories at Hanshin University in Korea, and completed Ph.D. program at Claremont Graduate University, CA, with dissertation, titled Minjung Messiah and Process Panentheism. While teaching at Presbyterian and Episcopal seminaries in Korea, Hiheon served as research director in the Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development, general secretary of the Society of Korean Minjung Theology, and executive director of Peace Community Movement Center (PROK).

Hiheon’s published books include Minjung and Process (Bern, 2009), Korean Christians Toward Life and Peace (Seoul, 2011), Pioneers of Korean Theology (Seoul, 2014), Mission in the Context of Margins (Bangalore, 2015). A Theology for the Bereft (Seoul, 2015), and Proclamations, 2 vols. (Seoul, 2016).

South Sudan

James Alexander

The Rt. Rev. James Alexander serves as Presiding Bishop of the African Inland Churches (AIC) in Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. He is on the national Inter-Church Committee of the South Sudan Council of Churches as well as the governing board of longtime PC(USA) partner, RECONCILE International. A widely acclaimed speaker and presenter, Bishop James has preached and keynoted international gatherings for the World Reformed Fellowship, Samaritans Purse and World Council of Churches. In addition, he served more than thirty years as a pastor in Khartoum (Sudan), Juba (South Sudan) and Kampala (Uganda).

Bishop James is currently collaborating with PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers (Rev. Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather), former PC(USA) International Peacemaker (Rev Peter Tibi), RECONCILE International and the Mission Action Network to address the crisis in the South Sudanese refugee camps. Violence in Khartoum, Sudan, and continued instability in South Sudan are causing an overflow of displaced people.

South Sudan

Peter Yien

Peter works with the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) as a pastor and trauma healing facilitator. The SSPEC facilitates trauma healing and reconciliation between victims and perpetrators of violence, and between communities that have been in conflict. It prioritizes creating safe places for those who suffer most from the trauma of war, especially those who are living in refugee camps. Peter plans peace conferences for the communities in the Greater Upper Nile region affected by war and translates trauma training materials from English to the Nuer language, which has expanded the healing and trauma recovery for numerous people.

Peter also serves as the Academic Dean for Nile Theological College in Juba, South Sudan, which has more than 100 students from different denominations and regions of South Sudan being equipped for ministry in their churches to people in a challenging environment.

FOLLOW THE PEACEMAKERS

2024 International Peacemakers Itineration

Peacemakers will be visiting presbyteries September 13 – October 7, 2024. Check back in Summer 2024 for detailed peacemaker itinerary information with dates, mid council hosting team and contact information.

Welcome to the Virtual Symposium!

Beginning in 2020, the Peacemaking Program added a Virtual Symposium as a means to connect with our past International Peacemakers. The Virtual Symposium provides a number of pre-recorded interviews, panel discussions and presentations by our past International Peacemakers. These interviews are a chance to reconnect with these peacemakers, learn about and from their work, be updated on the pressing issues in their countries, and hear their perspective on life, ministry and events around the globe. New guests will be featured each year during the Season of Peace and will remain on the Symposium webpage.

Below are the descriptions and links to the interviews, panel discussions and presentations that comprise this Virtual Symposium. You are invited to view and make use of one or all of the Symposium segments.

AFRICA

CAMEROON

JAFF BAMENJO – Fighting Hunger in War-Torn Cameroon

Jaff Bamenjo (Cameroon, 2019) is the Coordinator of RELUFA, the Network for the Fight Against Hunger, a Joining Hands partner of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Cameroon. He coordinates the advocacy campaigns on land and food justice and transparency in the extractive industries. Jaff was a featured Symposium guest in 2020.

An overview of the program

Connecting with International Peacemakers: 2024

The Areas of Focus for Our Peacemakers and the Matthew 25 Church Initiative

International Peacemakers: A Partnership Between Peacemaking and World Mission

Planning the visit

Providing hospitality

Costs and travel

Application and notification

Host orientation

2024 International Peacemakers

Costa Rica

Mía Umaña

Interpreter – Karla Koll

Fiji

Frances Namoumou

Hong Kong/Philippines

Joram Calimutan

Moldova

Dumitru Roibu

Native Lands of the Southwest U.S.

June L. Lorenzo

Nigeria

Peter Michael Egwudah

Palestine

Zoughbi Zoughbi

Puerto Rico

Marielis Barreto-Hernández

South Korea

Hiheon Kim

South Sudan

James Alexander

South Sudan

Peter Yien

FOLLOW THE PEACEMAKERS

2024 International Peacemakers Itineration

Welcome to the Virtual Symposium!

AFRICA

CAMEROON

MADAGASCAR

MALAWI

RWANDA

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH SUDAN

ZIMBABWE

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

PHILIPPINES

LATIN AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIA

COSTA RICA

CUBA

GUATEMALA

HAITI

MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

GREECE AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

PALESTINE

SYRIA

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