In the World

At Brown Memorial, we believe cross-cultural partnerships enrich our understanding of God. Over the years we have lived into several deep partnerships that remind us of the privileges and responsibilities of our place in the global community. We believe in the principles of accompaniment, authentic relationships and walking alongside our partners with mutual respect.

Our partnerships around the globe are cultivated and connected through the Global Mission Committee (GMC). Read more about the GMC and explore our current global mission commitments below.

Global Mission Committee

Youth group members walking in El Salvador.

The mission of the Global Mission Committee (GMC) is to guide Brown Memorial’s missional congregation in seeking out, supporting and accompanying its brothers and sisters beyond Baltimore and around the globe who share Brown’s commitment to participate in God’s redemption of the world.

GMC’s vision: Guided by the Holy Spirit, we walk unafraid with our brothers and sisters worldwide in order to accomplish God’s justice in the world.

GMC’s goals: (1) Accompany Brown’s Faith Partners in bringing to fruition God’s justice in the world. (2) With Brown’s Faith Partners, provide life-changing experiences for Brown members. (3) Educate Brown about global events and issues that need member support and advocacy in order to accomplish real and lasting change. (4) Encourage members to personally promote peace and social justice in their daily lives. (5) Prayerfully be open to God’s leading Brown (i) to new communities where the church is asked to accompany God’s people who are seeking justice and liberation and (ii) to new forms of accompaniment.

Read more about the GMC.

Baltimore Dakota Learning Camps

A girl participating in the Pejuhatizizi Family Learning Camp displays a robot she built.

Since 2003, members of Brown Memorial have participated in a partnership between the Presbytery of Baltimore and the Dakota Presbyteries in South Dakota and Minnesota. Every summer, delegations of adults, youth and children travel from Baltimore to help run Summer Learning Camps at various sites across Native American reservations. In addition to providing the camps, our delegates have learned a great deal about Native culture and the unique challenges of life on the reservation. For more information about the learning camps, visit the BDLC website. To volunteer with the Baltimore Dakota Partnership at Brown Memorial, contact Rachel Cunningham.

Cameroon

We have been in relationship with the Mbengwi Presbyterian Church and Mbengwi Presbyterian Schools since 2005.  Together we have worked towards the creation of a new nursery and primary school with an emphasis on developing a rich learning environment for all.  Scholarship funds have provided families with the means to help students stay in school and reach a higher level of success.  Although the two congregations are across the world, we stay in relationship through prayer.  The Mary Daniels Taylor Fund was created in 2004 in memory of Mary Daniels Taylor, a beloved member of the Brown Memorial Park Avenue congregation and a dedicated educator.  Mary’s keen interest in Global Mission and the need for improved education in many parts of the world, helped us to create a relationship with the families in Mbengwi, Cameroon. To learn more about the Cameroon relationship, please contact Juliette Hanks.

Cuba

Church delegation to Cuba poses for a picture.

In early 2019, Brown Memorial formed a partnership with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Camajuaní, Cuba. Primarily a mission of accompaniment and reconciliation, under the partnership agreement between our church communities, we have committed to pray for, learn from, support, and visit one another. Brown Memorial’s church-to-church partnership exists within a broader partnership between the Presbytery of Baltimore and the El Centro Presbytery of Cuba – a relationship that dates to 2004. Brown Memorial generally sends a delegation of members to Cuba once annually, often in coordination with the bi-annual “Encuentro” organized by the presbytery-level partnership. For more information about the Cuba partnership, please contact Jody Shaw.

El Salvador

Church delegation to El Salvador poses for a picture.

For nearly 30 years, members of Brown Memorial have partnered with Maria Madre De Los Pobres, a Catholic parish on the outskirts of San Salvador. Brown became an “Accompanying Congregation” during the Salvadoran Civil War, sending delegates to San Salvador to support, witness and literally accompany members of the congregation as they faced the dangers of the war.  Today, we continue to support the congregation by supporting the local ministries of their parish and by sending delegations to learn about their culture. Many families at Brown are “Godparents” to children in the neighborhood of La Chacra, supporting their education and basic needs. View a video presentation of the 2016 delegation trip to El Salvador.

For more information about the El Salvador Partnership, contact Andrew Foster Connors. To learn more about how to participate in our Godparents program in La Chacra, contact Andi Zumbrum.