This February Bon Air Presbyterian Church chose to become a Partner in Mission with Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather. Shelvis and Nancy are Presbyterian ministers, currently serving in Global Mission through the Reformed Church in America. They serve with RECONCILE in South Sudan.

Through RECONCILE—a South Sudanese Christian organization committed to peacebuilding—divided communities are coming together in hope and healing. RECONCILE trains grassroots leaders across South Sudan and in refugee camps, equipping them with tools for conflict transformation and trauma recovery. The organization has remained faithfully present through civil war, mass displacement, and years marked by the highest global aid worker death tolls.

Rev. Nancy and Rev. Shelvis Smith-Mather have served in East Africa for nearly two decades, in efforts CNN and NPR described as “enriching the world.” Nancy led education initiatives to address widespread illiteracy. Shelvis—a University of Oxford graduate—helped develop a peace institute through RECONCILE that trains leaders nationwide. Currently, Shelvis serves as the RECONCILE Peace Institute Advisor, working with Sudanese and South Sudanese colleagues and Cambridge University to review, revise, and update the peace institute curriculum. Their advocacy has led to collaborations with Nobel Peace Prize laureates, African presidents, and institutions such as Oxford, Yale, and UNHCR.  Nancy and Shelvis are grateful their children have been shaped by the extraordinary hope and hospitality of the East African communities they’ve called home.