Help me teach and support local priests and ministers in Rwanda
in their important and challenging work

I’m Wayne Gustafson.

I am a United Church of Christ minister, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and teacher of Pastoral Care through the New York School of Ministry.

I have been invited by Friends Peace Teams to spend two weeks in Rwanda this June to teach pastoral care to local clergy. I am inviting you to join me by means of your tax-deductible donations in supporting Rwanda’s local clergy in their important work of addressing the lingering effects of trauma in their midst.

For a description of this appeal, click on a topic to jump to that section or just scroll down.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE SITUATION IN RWANDA
FRIENDS PEACE TEAMS – MY HOSTS
WHY HAS FRIENDS PEACE TEAMS INVITED ME TO RWANDA?
WHAT WILL I BE DOING THERE?
WHY DO I NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT?
ESTIMATED COSTS
HOW TO MAKE YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE SITUATION IN RWANDA

Twenty-five years ago, the small country of Rwanda in central Africa was traumatized by a genocide leaving almost 1 million people dead, hundreds imprisoned, tens of thousands of woman pregnant from rapes, and countless numbers of families decimated.
An outpouring of support from around the world as well as an enlightened government have done much to restore safety and economic resurgence to Rwanda.

Still, many individuals and communities remain traumatized, either from their direct experience of the genocide, or as a result of growing up in such a wounded environment. Churches and other religious organizations do what they can to support the healing of spiritual and psychological wounds and to bring reconciliation to communities, but the local clergy could benefit from further training in caring for traumatized people.

Whenever we caregivers work with traumatized people, the intensity of their experiences can easily overwhelm us. I want to bring resources to help local clergy do this difficult work most effectively and safely for both the receivers and providers of pastoral care.

FRIENDS PEACE TEAMS

“Friends Peace Teams is a Spirit-led organization working to develop long-term relationships with communities in conflict around the world to create programs for peace building, healing and reconciliation.” Through its African Great Lakes Initiative they work to bring healing resources to Rwanda and other countries in the area. You can learn more about this fine organization at friendspeaceteams.org

WHY HAS FRIENDS PEACE TEAMS INVITED ME TO RWANDA?

I am trained both in theology/ministry and in integrating spirituality and psychology in ministries of healing. I won’t put all of the details here, but if you want to see my resume, click this link: Bio and Resume

I have practiced as a pastoral counselor for over thirty years. I have specialized in integrating psychology and spirituality in my counseling, particularly in issues around relationship, addiction, and unresolved trauma. I have also been teaching courses and offering workshops in pastoral care since 1995, most recently with the New York School of Ministry, New York Conference, United Church of Christ. (2005- )

In short, it appears that my training and experience can be valuable to local clergy in Rwanda.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING THERE?

I will modify several of my existing courses and workshops into four two-day events over a two-week period for local clergy in Rwanda.
I plan to cover:

Flexible ways of looking at pastoral care practice,
Specific pastoral care tools and the opportunity to practice them,
Integrating spirituality in healthy ways to help people deal with addictions, and
Integrating spirituality in healthy ways into caring for people with unresolved trauma.

It is not my intent to tell them what to do, rather to offer them some resources and help them figure out appropriate ways to use these perspectives and tools in their work of supporting healing in their ministries.

WHY DO I NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT?

Most of the projects done through Friends Peace Teams are voluntary. I will, therefore, donate my time and expertise to this venture. Of course, it is still necessary for me to raise the funds to cover expenses. That’s where you come in.

But there is more to my request.

I also want to magnify the impact and usefulness of the project.
Therefore, I have negotiated a very reasonable price for a videographer
to accompany me to Rwanda,
film my presentations,
and edit them into training videos,
as well as produce a short documentary to support the work of Friends Peace Teams.

I need to raise a total of about $12,000.

ESTIMATED COSTS

For Wayne
Plane Fare————————–$1600
Food/Lodging——————— $ 650
Course Materials and food–$1500
Misc and unexpected———-$ 650

Wayne’s Total ——————–$4400

For the Videography Project
Plane Fare ————————$1600
Food/Lodging ——————–$ 650
Project Costs
Filming
Editing
Training Videos
Short Documentary ———-$5300
Fund-raising video ————$ 520
Misc and Unexpected ——–$ 330

Videography Total ————$8400

I invite you to help this educational project in Rwanda by making a tax-deductible donation through Friends Peace Teams, either through

friendspeaceteams.org/donate/

or
pay by check  and save Friends Peace Teams from paying the 2.9% PayPal/credit card fees.
Send your check to:

Friends Peace Teams
1001 Park Avenue
St. Louis, MO  63104-3720

Either way, please add a note indicating that your donation is to support Wayne Gustafson’s training project in Rwanda through the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI). For online payments, the place to add a note shows up after you have put in your donation amount and credit card information.

One more donation option is to wait a few days until the Friends Peace Teams facebook page has posted this information. You’ll be able to donate by credit card without processing costs to FPT. I’ll let you know when that happens.

Thank you so very much for your generosity.
The Rev. Wayne E. Gustafson, D.Min.

If you would like to communicate with me regarding this trip, please email me at dr.w.gustafson@gmail.com