In early August two Geneva faculty members will spend time in Cambodia on independent trips using their areas of expertise to lecture and minister in various venues. Dr. Cathy Sigmund, a professor of human services at Geneva will travel to Cambodia from August 4-14 on a pastoral care, grief and trauma training mission. At the same time, Mark Kennedy, a part-time Geneva engineering professor will travel to Cambodia to teaching water treatment and sanitation at Mean Chey University in Sisophon.
Dr. Sigmund’s trip is part of a larger Geneva interdepartmental faculty-led initiative entitled Institute for Intercultural Care & Community (or I2Care for short). I2Care was developed to provide a forum for church and academic discussions and training in providing incarnational care and ministry in cross cultural context here at home in the United States and abroad, especially on mission fields. While in Cambodia, Sigmund will lead interdenominational church-based seminars on “Our Churches as Centers for Help, Hope and Healing.” She will also be lecturing at the Royal University of Phnom Penh on the role of culture in psychological practice and training. Her trip is being funded by the Cambodian Partnership, Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh, PA.
“My hope for this mission trip is that I would be able to present the gospel and underscore the potential differences between educating college/university students from a Christian worldview versus a secular one in the area of clinical psychology,” explains Sigmund, “Specifically, concerning the Christian churches, I am hoping to encourage them in our most holy faith and in the power of ‘Christ in us’ to incarnationally care for those who have trauma, grief and loss issues.”
Several Cambodian churches and missionaries have contacted Sigmund asking for laptops for college students and reading glasses. She requests that anyone who is willing to provide a laptop or reading glasses contact her at csigmund@geneva.edu.
Kennedy was prompted to travel to Mean Chey University by Dr. Robert Reid who just returned from a two week trip there, where he taught AutoCAD to students. This is Kennedy’s first trip there.
Both Geneva faculty ask for prayer both for their travels, ministry and for the nation of Cambodia.
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