Hosting Katherine Parker

One of the greatest gifts of being part of the Lower Columbia United Methodist Connection is that together we can dream beyond our own communities.

Castle Rock's opportunity to host missionary Katherine Parker reminds us that our mission does not end at the church doors—or even at the banks of the Cowlitz and Columbia Rivers. Through our connection, we are linked to God's work around the world. Katherine's ministry in Nepal—helping families gain access to clean water, improving maternal and child health, and empowering young people—is a living example of faith becoming action.

 T. Parker is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church serving as a Health and Community Transformation Advisor with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). The ecumenical ministry of UMN has a vision of a “fullness of life for all in a transformed Nepali society.” United Methodists have been involved with UMN since it was founded in 1954. More information on its work is available on the UMN website.

Just as she walks alongside communities in Nepal, we are called to walk alongside our neighbors here in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. Different places. One Gospel. One mission. Faith in Action.

When one of our churches welcomes a missionary,  all of us are invited to learn, pray, and discover new ways to serve. That's the beauty of being connected—we become part of God's story far beyond what any one congregation could accomplish alone.

Katherine’s work in Nepal is focused in three areas: 1) Adolescent empowerment, including sexual reproductive health and rights and menstrual hygiene; 2) Maternal and child health; and 3) Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The United Mission to Nepal works in five areas for community transformation: education, health, hospitals, peacebuilding, and sustainable livelihoods.

Katherine is passionate about engaging community groups in participatory research about their environment and in a process of identifying and linking values to action. She believes that through telling the stories of our lives, and exploring the stories of our faith, we are better able to articulate our shared values that form a foundation for us to engage in collective action across cultural and other divisive barriers towards a world where every person can live to his or her fullest potential. She is currently engaged in a project with school- and church-based youth and mother’s groups in three remote villages in western Nepal.