The 2021 Summary of Ministries and 2020 Annual Report is here! If you haven’t yet received a copy in the mail….no worries! You can read the full version online (below).
Connections
When I first saw this year’s cover photo, I smiled! After a 2020 filled with disappointments and postponements, it did me good to see the “normal” moment of celebration for some Papuan students that Paraclete associate Jacinda Basinger captured. I feel like merely getting to 2021 was cause for tossing my hat into the air! And I’m craving more moments of optimism like this. Of course, this photo doesn’t capture the losses that day for the grads and their families who were unable to attend due to COVID limitations. There’s a bit more of the backstory in the Connecting with Students article.
You’ll find more examples of connecting as you read on—through medicine and healthcare workers, via international work in a COVID-year, using justice as a goal. We chose the theme of Connections because connecting remained a priority during the pandemic. Coming alongside—always a Paraclete core strategy—is a natural connection builder.
How associates connected changed in virus-times. Look for the difference in some of our metrics. How, you might wonder, did we manage to minister to 116 countries during 2020 without endangering lives? The answer shows in some of the photos—for most associates, there was a lot of Zooming and other online connections!
Of course, the power of all our connections is Jesus, “…the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Col. 2:19) You are a part of that body, and we cherish our connection with you!
