Medical Missions Newsletter June 2025
In February of 2025 a group of church members interested in medical missions met to explore establishing a medical missions focus as part of World Missions at 1st Presbyterian Church. This group met and reviewed the rich history of 1st Pres short-term mission teams serving in many areas of the world. Some of these teams had a medical focus, with physicians, nurses, and non-medical members participating.
In 2024, a 1st Pres medical team joined with members of churches from Virginia and Pennsylvania to provide basic medical care in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. This team worked with the ministry of Imbumi and Martha Makuku and returned with a desire to see more medical mission teams serve in this location as well as in other areas of need.
In response to this desire the World Missions Executive Committee approved the formation of a Medical Missions Subcommittee. The committee has 12 members including medical providers who have been on previous trips. The committee’s work has focused on the following areas:
· Assessing and responding to requests for medical teams from missionary and ministry partners
· Building a roster of medical and non-medical individuals interested in medical missions, and possibly participating in future short-term medical trips
· Developing a medication and supply list for use by 1st Pres medical teams
· Communicating the work of medical missions with 1st Pres and other community churches through the World Missions website, the Church Ministry Fair, and other avenues including social media, church announcements, and newsletters
Upcoming Medical Mission Trip 2025
A team of three 1st Pres members and one Rock Creek Fellowship member will be traveling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia June 27 through July 6. This team will be conducting clinics in the slum communities of the city with the Ethiopia ACT ministry.
ACT started in 2002 as an HIV/AIDS project, caring for families impacted by the disease. Today, ACT still cares for many HIV+ people, but also responds to other public health problems and diseases, like tuberculosis and cervical cancer. ACT works to strengthen the public health system and partners closely with the health centers in the communities where they work. ACT monitors the health of the people in the project and ensures that all its interventions are high impact.
Potential Medical Mission Trip 2026 and Beyond
The committee hopes additional medical teams will be sent to serve the medically underserved in various parts of the world. Once the church receives a request for a team from a ministry the committee will evaluate and respond to the request and submit a recommendation to the World Missions Committee. If the trip is approved, recruitment for team members will begin. We hope that many of you will prayerfully consider participating on a short-term mission trip whether it has a medical focus or not.