International Peacemaker to Speak at Penn State Behrend
This Sunday, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host a speaking engagement by Rev. Probe Augustin Mukendi Kabongo, an international peacemaker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mukendi will speak on Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. The talk is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in the Junker Center lot.
His presentation will focus on bringing peace and justice to the Congo, including key issues such as gender inequality and its impact on peace and justice, challenges Christian youth face in the Congo, the current water crisis facing the Congolese society, and the difficulty of sustaining self-sufficiency in the Congo.
“Having Rev. Mukendi on campus is a wonderful way to integrate International Peace Day with Penn State Behrend’s Service Week 2009,” Cynara Stubbs, coordinator of community service and the Smith Chapel, said.
Mukendi is one of 16 international peacemakers identified by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program of the Presbyterian Church. The peacemakers represent 11 countries, including the Congo, Armenia, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Iraq, the Philippines, Russia, Sudan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
According to the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, international peacemakers are leaders who are engaged in peacemaking in their respective areas of the world. They are invited by the Presbyterian Church to visit with Presbyterians in the United States to promote an increase in understanding peace- and justice-related concerns around the globe.
Mukendi has served as the executive secretary of the Presbytery of Tshibashi for the Presbyterian Community in the Congo since 2001. He is the co-founder and coordinator for Presbyterian Action Against HIV/AIDS.
His appearance at Penn State Behrend is being sponsored by the college’s Protestant Campus Ministry, an interdenominational Christian organization on campus.