Education for Mission

Reading Program 2001

CONCEPTS OF MISSION

Women’s Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, 1999
79 pages
Glory Dharmaraj (#2820) /$6.00

This is an excellent resource for members of United Methodist Women who seek to expand their concepts of mission. Chapters cover the biblical basis for mission, concepts of mission, selected social justice issues, and include Scripture, a thought for reflection, and a prayer.

DAMIEN THE LEPER

Image Books, Doubleday, 1954
272 pages
John Farrow (#3113) /$12.00

This is a biography of the famed missionary to the leper colony on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Father Damien left a comfortable life in Belgium and spent the rest of his life comforting the sick and dying. It is a story of courage, compassion, and devotion to God.

DO THEY HEAR YOU WHEN YOU CRY?

Delta, 1999
518 pages
Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir (#3116) /$14.95

A true story of persecution, friendship, and ultimate triumph, this book chronicles the struggles of two extraordinary women: Fauziya Kassindja, who fled her African homeland to escape female genital mutilation only to be locked up in American prisons for 16 months; and Layli Miller Bashir, a driven young law student who fought for Fauziya’s freedom.

FAITH IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY: A PRIMER FOR CHRISTIANS

(Difficult reading)
World Council of Churches, 1998
156 pages
Rob van Drimmelen (#3118) /$9.95

The author examines today’s complex economic issues from a Christian perspective, sharing insights on globalization, international trade and finance, transnational corporations, and unemployment. The concluding chapter describes ways we can work to build more just economic systems.

FREE THE CHILDREN: A YOUNG MAN FIGHTS AGAINST CHILD LABOR

Harperperennial Library, 1999
318 pages
Craig Kielburger (#3120) /$13.00

Craig Kielburger, a 12-year-old, read about children sold into slavery to carpet-weavers in Pakistan and India. He traveled to Asia and later created the human rights organization "Free the Children." His story is a moving testament to the power of children and young adults to change the world. (This is also a Youth selection.)

FROM OUR MOTHERS’ ARMS

(Easy reading)
United Church Publishing House, 1999
98 pages
Constance Deiter (#3124) /$16.95

Told through personal interviews and moving reflections, this history of Native American children forcibly removed from their homes to attend residential schools exposes the impact of this racist policy on individuals and their families. Though the examples come from Canada, the same policies existed in the United States.

I BEGIN MY LIFE ALL OVER: THE HMONG AND THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE

Beacon Press, 1998
262 pages
Lillian Faderman with Ghia Xiong (#3132) /$15.00

The author tells the gripping story of Hmong people who escaped through the jungles of Laos following the Vietnam War to become immigrants in the United States. She also interviews their children born in America who are anxious to negotiate a balance between American life and their Hmong heritage. An excellent resource for the 2001-2002 mission study on Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

INSIDE THE REVOLUTION: EVERYDAY LIFE IN SOCIALIST CUBA

Cornell University Press, 1997
197 pages
Mona Rosendahl (#3136) /$15.95

The author, a Swede, spent 15 months living with the Cuban people during the 1980's. She presents a vivid account of how some Cubans live and work, of their families, and of women still dealing with machismo through the residents of the fictional town of Palmera..

MARTYRS: CONTEMPORARY WRITERS ON MODERN LIVES OF FAITH

Orbis Books, 1996
333 pages
Susan Bergman, ed. (#3144) /$15.00

This book tells the story of 20 remarkable individuals who chose faith at the cost of life to become martyrs of the twentieth century–Oscar Romero, Steve Biko, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others who are not as well known. A legacy of inspiring faith remains after the drama of their deaths.

OVERCOMING VIOLENCE: THE CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCHES IN ALL PLACES

World Council of Churches Publications, 1998
86 pages
Margot Kässmann (#3152) /$6.50

The pervasiveness of violence poses challenges to the church today. This book looks at violence and nonviolence in the Bible, violence affecting women, children and youth, and ways the church has responded. The new World Council of Churches Program to Overcome Violence is discussed, along with perspectives for the future.

THE RAINBOW PEOPLE OF GOD

Doubleday, 1994
281 pages
Desmond Tutu (#3155) /$14.95

This book traces South Africa’s struggle and victory over apartheid through the writings of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, providing valuable history as well as a window on one of the world’s foremost spiritual leaders. "The rainbow," Tutu says "is a sign of peace.... And we can have it when the...rainbow people of God work together."

REMEMBERING DEIR YASSIN: THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

(Difficult reading)
Interlink Publishing Group, 1998
150 pages
Daniel McGowan and Marc H. Ellis, eds. (#3159) /$15.00

Deir Yassin was the village where 200 Palestinians were massacred by the Israelis in 1948. The book brings together Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Muslims, and Christians to reflect on the legacy of Deir Yassin and to continue the search for peace.

RETHINKING TOURISM AND ECOTRAVEL

(Study and discussion)
Kumarian Press, 1998
182 pages
Deborah McLaren (#3160) /$15.00

Subtitled "The Paving of Paradise and What You Can Do to Stop It," this book examines the impact of tourism on local host communities where multinational corporations reap the profits and local people are exploited. The environment also suffers as ships discharge waste into the ocean, along with other sources of unchecked pollution. The author suggests alternatives and organizations and resources for responsible travel.

SEEDS 2: SUPPORTING WOMEN’S WORK AROUND THE WORLD

(Study and discussion)
The Feminist Press, 1995
241 pages
Ann Leonard, ed. (#3163) /$12.95

These are stories about women farmers in Mozambique, women dairy workers in Thailand, and new business women in the United States who work towards economic development with the help of the international women’s movement. Each story testifies to courage and inventiveness as women struggle against poverty, sexism, and racism, and move toward self-development and empowerment.