Mark Meynell speaks to Ria Pasaribu in Indonesia for Episode 7 of The Stott Legacy podcast.
After many years working with university students in Perkantas, the Indonesian member movement of IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), Ria Pasaribu went on to join the staff of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship). Yet, ever since childhood, she had had a deep commitment to her country’s poorest people, a concern which led her to doing social work studies as an undergraduate.
After years of gaining experience in other organisations, she was eventually able to start up her own: Indonesian Care. This exists to be a catalyst for Indonesian churches to wake up to the needs on their doorstep and to channel their members into viable and constructive projects. Over the last decade and a half, this has led to extraordinary opportunities, including partnerships with the office of the Governor of Jakarta, an astonishing feat in what is the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
And some of the biggest influences on her vision and ministry? John Stott’s books Christian Mission in the Modern World(1975) and Issues Facing Christians Today (orig. 1984).
– Indonesian Care – the website is in Bahasa Indonesia but use Google Translate to get an idea!