Congo Initiative

First Pres liaison: Leah Tang

Congo Initiative envisions a community of Christ-centered Congolese leaders and global partners united to help transform lives and ensure a flourishing Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization educates ethical leaders, invests in a sustainable, vibrant Congolese society, and develops grassroots initiatives for peace, hope, and justice. Despite millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, Congo still endures long-term cycles of conflict, poverty, and illness. Congo Initiative makes education a crucial priority for securing the future of the next generation, particularly girls and women. congoinitiative.org

Duta Wacana Christian University

Contact: Farsijana and Bernard Adeney-Risakotta, +6 227-456-3929
First Pres liaison: Tom Elson

This Indonesian university attracts faithful and intelligent leaders who are committed to serving God and the people of Indonesia. Duta Wacana offers scholarships to pastors from all over Indonesia to study theology at the graduate level, so that they are prepared to lead the church in the midst of rapid social change. Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta teaches in the social entrepreneurship program at Duta Wacana and works with the Center for Development and Social Transformation in the Faculty of Business. She is the founder and director of the House of Authentic Sense, a community-based cooperative comprised of village entrepreneurs. www.ukdw.ac.id

Langham Partnership

First Pres liaison: Doug Chin

Langham Partnership is an interdenominational fellowship working to strengthen the global church by raising standards of Biblical preaching and teaching, and by working with national leaders to nurture indigenous preaching movements for pastors and lay preachers. Langham provides majority world pastors, scholars, and seminary libraries with evangelical books and electronic resources. It also offers financial support to evangelical doctoral students from the majority world so that they can train pastors and other Christian leaders in their home countries. us.langham.org

Near East School of Theology

Contact: Dr. George Sabra, telephone +9 61 1 738639 or +961 1 329901
First Pres liaison: Mae Chan

The Near East School of Theology is an interconfessional Protestant seminary serving the evangelical churches of the Middle East. The school trains pastors and other leaders for ministry within churches and other evangelical organizations. NEST welcomes candidates from Middle Eastern churches, as well as any person seeking to learn about Protestant theology and faith, regardless of religious affiliation. Located in Beirut, Lebanon, the school was formed in 1932 by the merger of the School for Religious Workers in Beirut and the School of Religion in Athens. It is built on a history of evangelical theological education in the Near East that goes back to 1835. theonest.edu.lb

Roblealto Child Care Association

To volunteer: www.roblealto.org/get-involved, or telephone (506) 2286-0161
First Pres liaison: Martha Allen

Although education is free and mandatory in Costa Rica, many children living in urban and marginalized communities fall through the cracks. Instead of going to school, these children work on coffee plantations, at construction sites, and in factories. Roblealto is committed to providing socially vulnerable children access to formal education. The organization also offers workshops and training sessions for parents to help fight inequality and break the cycle of poverty. roblealto.org

Wycliffe Bible Translators

First Pres liaison: Tom Elson

Since 1948 First Pres has supported Nadine Burns and her late husband, Don, during their time serving with Wycliffe Bible translators in South America. Through Wycliffe, the Burnses worked with heads of governments to open doors to education and literacy for people in remote areas of Peru, and consulted with the governments of Ecuador and Bolivia on Quechua bilingual education programs in order to share the gospel in those countries.