University honors Murapa's 10 years of service

Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo (left) and the Rev. Beauty Maenzanise share a dance with Rukudzo Murapa at a farewell dinner honoring Murapa’s years of leadership at Africa University. UMNS photos by Linda Green.

By Linda Green*

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) - While Africa University has grown in size and enrollment in the past 10 years, an even greater future lies ahead, according to the school's outgoing vice chancellor.

The United Methodist-related school has more than doubled its student population to nearly 1,400 during the past decade, but Rukudzo Murapa said the university "has just yet touched its potential." Murapa told a gathering in his honor that the "greater horizon is out there," and the university community must pull together with one mind and in one direction to reach it.

"Whoever named the university 'Africa,' for whatever reason they had, has given this university a challenge," he said. "... It is a dream the size of the continent called Africa, and it must be realized for the continent."

Diplomats, business people, church and community leaders, alumni and students came together in a Nov. 30 farewell extravaganza to honor Murapa and his leadership of the pan-African school.

Last October, Murapa decided to step down as vice chancellor of the university, ending nearly 10 years at the helm. The Africa University Board of Directors appointed Fanuel Tagwira, dean of agriculture and natural resources, as the school's interim leader, effective Dec. 1.

"I will try my best, but I know that you are all going to work with me to make sure that this work is done well and that the institution continues to run smoothly as it has been doing under the wise leadership of Professor Murapa," Tagwira said.

During the Nov. 30 ceremony in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn, Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo told the crowd of more than 200 people that "Murapa makes us proud."

Murapa emphasized that he didn't lead the university alone.

"If I have done anything in the last 10 years to contribute to the growth of Africa University, one thing is clear: It was not done by one person. It is a collective role that we have all played together," Murapa said.

Africa University had only been in existence for six years when Murapa took over day-to-day leadership from the founding vice chancellor, John W. Z. Kurewa, in 1998. However, his involvement with the institution dated back to its inception. Before joining Africa University as vice chancellor, Murapa led the international planning committee that oversaw the development and launch of the Faculty of Management & Administration.

Under Murapa's leadership, demographic diversity among the students has increased along with the enrollment, despite challenges related to the increasing cost of private higher education in Africa.

In particular, Murapa has encouraged faculty and students to work at the community level on efforts to solve problems, improve quality of life and bring about sustainable development.

Changing Africa
Ntambo, the school's chancellor and chairman of the board of directors, said Murapa made Africans proud. "We are so proud of you for your commitment and for your love; so proud of you for your vision; so proud of your commitment to make a difference among many Africans."

While many Africans left the continent to be educated in Europe or the United States and never came back, Murapa was different, he said. "This man came back to change Africa for tomorrow."

Throughout the program, messages from a variety of people were read, the Africa University Choir sang, and gifts were presented.

Speaking for the Africa University Alumni Association, Cyndrella Musodza told the gathering that her matriculation at Africa University was one of the greatest educational experiences of her life. Murapa, she said, "always went out of his way to assist his students in every way he could." He surrounded himself with staff and lecturers who "provided a good dose of the word of God for anyone who had a willing heart to receive it," she said.

One of Murapa's legacies is the connections the university has made across the world, said Isdore Fungai, a member of the faculty of management and administration. "He has left Africa University with a lot of contacts, and as a networker we will not miss him because network means there is no distance."

Humble beginnings
In 1974 Bishop Felton May stood on the hilltop on the grounds Hilltop United Methodist Church and wondered as he looked down onto Sakubva, the Mutare suburb where Murapa was born, if any good thing could emerge from that place. He described it as being a "mangled housing project of shacks and shanties and some sturdy houses of residences."

May, a member of the university's board of directors, told Murapa that God "made you and gave you sufficient wisdom and power and courage to move from that spot physically, but never emotionally, and to share the gifts that you have been so richly blessed with with the world." May is the interim top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Caroline Njuki, a member of the board of directors, told United Methodist News Service later that from humble beginnings Murapa rose through the ranks to rub shoulders with top leaders, "without forgetting were he came from and who he is. He leaves a lasting legacy on Africa University."

Washington Mbizvo, Zimbabwe's minister of tertiary education, called Africa University a "unique" multicultural institution that is guided by Christian values. He told Murapa that the "fact that you have been able to steer the ship in the last 10 years is paramount."

Murapa began his academic career at Cornell University as an associate professor and taught in the areas of political science, African studies and public administration for more than a decade. He returned to serve at the University of Zimbabwe in 1979, holding such posts as head of the Department of Political and Administrative studies and dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences between 1979 and 1988.

During a brief stint with the Southern Africa Development Community, based in Swaziland, he served as the senior adviser on the establishment of the SADC portfolio on Human Resources Development.

In 1988, Murapa left academia to set up the first field office of a joint United Nations, World Bank/Economic Development Institute and ILO program to strengthen public sector training management training institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Before becoming vice chancellor of Africa University, Murapa served as an inter-regional adviser on Governance, Finance and Public Administration with the U.N. Department of Development Support and Management Services. His work covered many African countries and Eastern Europe, including Bosnia.

Throughout his career, he has published extensively and helped to found several professional bodies, including the African Association of Political Science; the Society for International Development-Zimbabwe Chapter; and the African Association of Public Administration and Management.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Africa University acts to keep staff in face of weak economy


Bishop Marcus Matthews (left) and Fanuel Tagwira participate in the Africa University Board of Directors' meeting. Matthews is vice chairperson of the board, and Tagwira is the school's new interim vice chancellor. UMNS photos by Linda Green.

By Linda Green*

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) - Africa University officials are taking steps to keep teachers and other staff at a time when many professionals are leaving Zimbabwe because of the country's struggling economy.

The Africa University Board of Directors approved a policy for staff retention during its Nov. 28-Dec. 1 meeting. The policy is aimed at keeping professional and skilled staff.

In the past three years, nearly 20 experienced staffers have left Africa University for jobs outside the country. The school has a faculty and staff of 250 people, serving nearly 1,400 students from around the continent.

News media have reported that some 25,000 teachers of primary, secondary and higher education have left Zimbabwe for greener pastures.

The devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar, shortages of commodities and continuous power outages and water shortages are contributing to the exodus of staff across the country. The official hyperinflation rate is 8,000 percent, and news media report the current inflation of food and fuel at 14,841 percent.

"The combined impact of these and other related factors has made it extremely difficult for the university to recruit and retain critical professional staff," said Zimbabwe Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa, chairman of the finance committee.

Former vice chancellor Rudukzo Murapa cited experts as saying the best coping strategies are those that address working conditions and include "an incentive and motivation system" as the most effective way to pay staff. "They maintain that attractive salaries and better working conditions are the key to retaining skilled professionals in their home countries."

Africa University has received support from numerous foundations and agencies. However, compensation of staff and staff career development are critical issues that need solutions, Murapa said.

The retention policy approved by the board:

• Provides for a housing and vehicle scheme, similar to what state universities have already implemented for their staff.


• Implements a retention allowance in convertible currency for eligible staff.


• Provides two levels of sabbatical leave.


• Offers money for research for individuals who excel in their work.
  

Time of transition
During the meeting, the board appointed a new interim vice chancellor to take the United Methodist-related university through a period of transition following Murapa's decision to step down after almost 10 years. Fanuel Tagwira, dean of agriculture and natural resources, took over Dec. 1 as interim leader.

"We are in a critical time of transition in the life and work of Africa University," said the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, in his report to the board about the mission and ministry of Africa University.

"Times of intensive transition are both a blessing and a burden. They offer time to anticipate and plan for new beginnings, a fresh start on a journey that continuously unfolds new possibilities and challenges. They also afford us an opportunity, retrospectively, to take stock of the big picture," he said.

Del Pino, the top executive of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, told the university board that it must fulfill its governance and policy-making role by:

• Minimizing draw-downs of its reserves and holding forth the university as a tuition-fee-driven institution rather than one that's apportionment-driven.


• Bringing the fees and tuition for international students more in line with those for Zimbabwean students.


• Maintaining a U.S.$2 million reserve.


• Helping management develop a plan for at least a 60-40 ratio of enrollment of international and Zimbabwean students to be a truly pan-African school.


• Developing a comprehensive building maintenance plan.


• Improving quality of life for students, including living environment, food service, nutrition, dormitory life and student support services.


• Maintaining quality faculty and staff.


• Initiating new programs only when human and financial resources are available and sustainable.


• "While support for Africa University by the U.S.-based part of our church is indeed prominent, it cannot be assumed that continuation of the apportionment is not being strongly challenged," Del Pino said.
  
  In other action, the board:
  


• Adopted a recommendation that an interim dean of students be appointed within 30 days, and that the interim dean report to the board at its March 25-28 meeting on the 10 most urgent priorities for student welfare.


• Approved a master's degree in intellectual property studies in the Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance, in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization, an agency of the United Nations.


• Adopted a developing disaster management and recovery plan for the university.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Africa University names interim leader

Rukudzo Murapa, Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo and James Salley congratulate Fanuel Tagwira (second from right) on his election as interim vice chancellor at Africa University. A UMNS photo by Linda Green.

By Linda Green*

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) - The directors of United Methodist-related Africa University have appointed the dean of agriculture and natural resources as interim leader of the pan-African school.

Fanuel Tagwira, 50, took the reins Dec. 1 to carry the university through a period of transition following Rukudzo Murapa's October decision to step down after almost 10 years as vice chancellor.

"I am humbly honored by the responsibility that has been put on me," Tagwira said at a university gathering that day. His announcement was met with a standing ovation and ululation.
"I take courage in knowing that God is on our side," Tagwira said. "I feel great to serve this institution because it has brought me up, it has made me who I am, and I want to give back to the institution by serving it in a higher capacity."

A Zimbabwe native, Tagwira joined the university in 1992 as the first full-time member of the academic staff in agriculture. He has made contributions to teaching, research and community outreach efforts, as well as to the overall development of the school. He was awarded the Best Researcher prize during Africa University's 10th anniversary celebrations in 2002.

Never thinking that his tenure at the university would span 15 years, Tagwira said he is "delighted to be given this responsibility of being the interim vice chancellor. I will try my best, but I know that you are all going to work with me to make sure that this work is done well and that the institution continues to run smoothly as it has been doing under the wise leadership of Professor Murapa."

Zimbabwe's hyperinflation poses myriad challenges for the university, and Tagwira called on his colleagues to work with him to overcome them.

"I am passionate about this university, having grown so much in and with it," he said. "I caught the vision and passion that drive Africa University ... so it is a privilege to be entrusted with its leadership."

Search gets under way
A search committee, led by board chairman and university chancellor Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo, has been appointed to find a new vice chancellor. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are expected to be involved in the selection process. The vice chairwoman of the committee is Johnnetta Cole, retired president of United Methodist-related Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, N.C.

"From its inception, Africa University has been blessed with energetic, visionary and committed leadership at all levels, and in this time of transition, the board has found in Professor Tagwira someone of true commitment," said Ntambo, episcopal leader of the church's North Katanga Area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"He is a dynamic, accomplished and principled administrator and scientist with a very intimate knowledge of the university and an incredible passion for its development and for the ongoing transformation of the African continent," he said.

With the appointment, the board has reaffirmed its commitment to enable the university to pursue a vision of excellence as the anchor institution of The United Methodist Church's mission in higher education in Africa, according to the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

"I am confident that Professor Tagwira will give collaborative and accountable leadership during this time of transition that will enable students, staff and faculty to achieve a greater level of excellence in accomplishing the primary mission of the university: to educate transformative leaders for church and society in Africa and throughout the world, thereby fulfilling the mandate of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church," Del Pino said.

Zimbabwe Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa, chairman of the board's finance committee, said, "There is no doubt that (Tagwira) will lead the university well, taking up what has been entrusted to him and giving priority to the welfare of students and staff, while pursuing excellence at every level."

Setting goals
In his new role, Tagwira will work closely with James Salley, the university's associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement. Salley's involvement with Africa University dates back to 1987, when he served on the site-selection committee that chose Mutare as the school's home.

"It is my honor to serve the institution, and I frankly feel like it is my calling," Salley said. During the transition, he is taking on an expanded portfolio, which includes overseeing the university's church and external/international relations functions.

"Change is exciting," Salley said. "We have a responsibility to build from the rich foundation that has already been laid here at Africa University."

He and Tagwira will use a team approach, he said. "We will do the kind of things that will lay foundations and then turn them over."

They have already identified student and staff welfare, infrastructure maintenance, and overall academic and physical capacity limitations as key concerns.

Tagwira has pledged to pursue collective decision-making processes that allow students, faculty and staff to feel fully vested in the institution. "There are many things that need to be done, and having been on the faculty since 1992, I know the issues that are critically important to the university community - especially those related to infrastructure, compensation and professional development," Tagwira said.

As Murapa turned the leadership over to Tagwira and Salley on Dec. 1, he told the Africa University community that his 10 years at the helm have been "perhaps the greatest honor in my life." Speaking to board members, faculty, staff and students, he said that regardless of the capacity in which one serves Africa University, "it becomes indelible in you. It does not, it will not, it shall not leave you, nor shall you ever leave Africa University because it will always be a part and parcel of you."

He told Tagwira and Salley that as they navigate the obstacles ahead to remember that satisfaction comes from challenges. "Challenges are the essence of satisfaction. They are the ones that call out of you the best that you have to give."

United Methodist-related Africa University is a private school that draws students from across the continent, regardless of race, ethnicity, social standing or religious affiliation.

It promotes inclusiveness and tolerance in it programs, and focuses on improving access to professional training for women and other socially and/or economically disadvantaged groups.

The school has nearly 1,400 students in its programs, which cover the fields of agriculture, business and public administration, education, health sciences, the humanities and social sciences, peace, leadership and governance, and theology.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Andra Stevens, director of Africa University's office of information and public affairs, contributed to this story.

Ministry gives hope to AIDS orphans in Africa

A UMNS Report

By Chuck Long*

A Kenyan orphan cares for chickens at Giving Hope, a United Methodist mission that teaches AIDS orphans the skills needed to provide for their future. UMNS photos courtesy of ZOE Ministry.

Working diligently in a small vegetable garden in rural Kenya, 14-year-old Alex wears an enormous smile as he harvests a handful of kale.

The smile masks a heartbreaking truth. Alex is one of more than 16 million Africans orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.

In the face of that cruel statistic, however, a United Methodist ministry called Giving Hope is doing just that - providing AIDS orphans with the seeds needed to sow their future. The program is part of the ZOE Ministry, designed to empower orphans to care for themselves and their families.

Giving Hope nurtures relationships that bring children out of isolation and into family environments of emotional support. Once ostracized and stigmatized, youngsters develop into leaders.

For Alex, a brown and white spotted goat grazing in a nearby pen may hold a key to his future. Alex and his younger brother are learning to care for the droopy-eared animal.

A goat provides milk and a source of income for the children.

"If the goat can give out like 4 liters of milk, (Alex) can be able to sell half of it and the other he can consume with the family," explains ZOE's Reegan Kaberia of Maua, Kenya. "One liter of goat milk costs about 50 shillings, and that will be a big boost for the family."

Like many of his peers in Kenya, Alex has been forced to grow up faster than his counterparts across the globe. While many teens spend countless hours playing videogames, Alex is showing off seedlings from his starter garden.

"He will sell some of the small plants and eventually the crop and keep some to feed his family," said Kaberia. "He will start saving for shoes, which he doesn't have any good shoes, and make sure he has something in his account so he can prepare for secondary school."

Asked what his future holds, Alex beams, then speaks through a translator: "He believes when he finishes school that he would like to be a pilot."

Emotional support
Epiphanie Mujawimana, who heads Giving Hope in Africa, says skills learned by the orphans are empowering. "Children themselves have a vision for their future, and they can take action to change their lives," she says as she watches a group working in a large garden.

In addition to developing income-generating skills, Giving Hope emphasizes instruction in discipleship or how to be a follower of Jesus Christ, HIV/AIDS awareness, health and hygiene, animal husbandry and cultivating crops.

"In every meeting, we make sure they don't feel like orphans or hopeless children," said Mujawimana. "We tell them they have a heavenly father that loves them and will provide everything they need. The Bible says each of us has to work so we can survive on our work."

Giving Hope encourages cooperative relationships among children to help bring them out of isolation.

"When they gather together as a group, they can initiate a common project, they can plant potatoes or raise chicken, and once they sell it, they can use it to support one who is in need," Mujawimana said.

'Life-changing ministry'
ZOE's Giving Hope launched in Rwanda and Kenya in early 2007, and the ministry will reach more than 3,000 in the two east Africa countries by the beginning of 2008. The ministry is designed to help the orphans and their families achieve financial independence within three years.

The Rev. Greg Jenks, founder of the ZOE Ministry, calls Giving Hope "truly a life-changing ministry" and praises Mujawimana for shepherding the program. Jenks' ministry already has a big impact in parts of Zimbabwe, where it began as the Zimbabwe Orphans Endeavor.

Changing lives isn't something Mujawimana takes lightly. She understands what's at stake.

"It's been incredible to see the life change taking place among these kids who now have animals to raise, crops to tend to, and income-generating projects," Mujawimana said. "And to know that in two to three years they're not going to need us anymore because they've learned to take care of themselves. That's what giving hope is all about."

Details are available at http://www.zoeministry.org/ or by calling (919) 550-0255. Donations to the ZOE Ministry can be made through the United Methodist Advance for Christ giving program at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/advance/advance-projects/index.cfm. Giving Hope is Advance Project #982023.

*Long is a freelance producer and writer in Nashville, Tenn. This report was compiled with information provided by the Rev. Greg Jenks, founder of ZOE Ministry.

United Methodist Bible College Opens in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Almaty, Kazakhstan, October 4, 2007 -- A United Methodist Bible College for laity opened in Almaty, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on September 29.

It is the first such denominational school of its kind in Central Asia, an area where The United Methodist Church is developing new congregations and social ministries. The Central Asia Mission was launched in 2003 and is part of the Eurasia Episcopal Area, led by Bishop Hans Vaxby of Moscow, who was on hand for the school's opening.

The first twelve students attend classes every Tuesday and Thursday in a term to run for eight months the first year. Depending on results and resources, a second year may be added. The primary course topics are the Bible, the Life of a Christian, and Methodist Theology and Church History.

Pastors of the Central Asia Mission have their own continuing education program separate from the new lay Bible School.

In an address opening the first term, Bishop Vaxby said that "good Christian education always involves head, heart, and feet: If you miss one of the components, you have missed the whole idea with the training." He based this advice on the words "teaching," "compassion" and "went about" in Matthew 9:35-36.

The new school has a director, Dauren Kansultanov, and three teachers, the Rev. Dmitri Lee, Viktoria Kim Syng Ri, and Rev. Kanat Khazhamuraatov.

Kazakhstan is the world's ninth largest country in land area but only 62nd in population with 15.3 million residents, according to 2006 figures. It is located immediately south of central Russia and extends from the Caspian Sea on the west to the border of China on the east. Kazakhstan is a traditionally Muslim country. Sixty-three percent of the population is Kazakhs and 23 percent Russian.

Classes at the new Bible School are held at the United Methodist Mission Center in Almaty, made possible by a $130,000 gift from the First United Methodist Church in Flushing, New York.

The United Methodist Central Asia Mission now has a total of nine congregations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It is an initiative of the Eurasia Area in collaboration with the General Board of Global Ministries, the church's international mission agency.

The mission board currently has two missionaries in Kazakhstan. Dr. Christiana Koisey Hena is coordinator of a comprehensive community-based health care program in eastern Kazakhstan. Hee Jin Park is coordinator of evangelism and church growth.

The Central Asia Mission can be supported through the Advance for Christ and His Church, the United Methodist designated mission giving program. The Advance number is 14939A. Gifts to the Advance can be made by credit card online at http://givetomission.org, or by phone at (888) 252-6174. Checks may be sent to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO New York, NY 10087-9068, or put into the offering at any United Methodist congregated, marked "Advance 14939A."

Native American plan to focus on new church starts
A UMNS Report By Linda Green*

Promoting evangelism, assisting in new church starts and revitalizing existing congregations are the plans of the task force charged with encouraging Native American participation in the life of The United Methodist Church.

The evangelistic focus for the Native American Comprehensive Plan parallels the denomination's aggressive vision of "Path One," the newly organized strategy team on new congregational development under the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

Meeting Sept. 27 in Reno, Nev., the task force visualized ways over the next four years to be part of the renewed emphasis on church growth in The United Methodist Church. The plan also seeks new ways to address poverty in Native America and provide native resources for the church and world.

In the United States, there are more than 100 United Methodist Native American churches, ministries and organizations, and an estimated 18,000 Native Americans among the denomination's 8 million U.S. members. The plan seeks to work with at least two annual (regional) conferences a year to begin new Native American churches or faith communities. The plan also seeks to help revitalize urban, rural and reservation churches.

"Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of faith communities and congregations across the United States and make new Native American disciples of Jesus Christ," according to the Rev. Anita Phillips, the plan's executive director.

Aligning with Path One
Phillips calls Path One an exciting venture because the denomination "is no longer hiding from the reality of declining numbers, but rather we are claiming a future and an identity in Jesus Christ." Path One, she said, "approaches the decline in the U.S. church by believing that Creator God has great work for the U.S church to accomplish in building the kingdom."

Since 1964, the denomination has experienced a 27 percent U.S. membership decline despite a 54 percent population explosion. The Path One team, organized earlier this year, seeks to help the church start 650 new United Methodist congregations by 2012. The new emphasis on church growth aims to return the denomination to its evangelistic heritage of starting a new congregation every day.

The Native American Comprehensive Plan and its 19-member task force were created under a mandate by the 1992 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, to help United Methodists view Native Americans as partners in ministry rather than as a mission of the church. It seeks to make disciples for Jesus Christ within the Native American community while recognizing the unique cultures and languages of native people.

Specifically, the plan's mandate is to develop and strengthen native congregations, ministries and fellowships; train and develop native leaders; and encourage their contributions to the life of the church. Key to each area are contributions that Native American cultures and spiritual expression bring to the mission of the whole church.

The focus on new church starts and revitalization of Native American congregations is the genesis behind the plan's request to the 2008 General Conference to move from the umbrella of the church's Board of Global Ministries to its Board of Discipleship, according to the Rev. David Wilson, chairman of the plan.

"We are shifting from being a mission to reminding the church of what we contribute to its life and our wanting to be a resource for the denomination. We are more than a mission. We are viable and have contributions to make to the church," Wilson said.

Studying evangelism
Beginning next Feb. 14-15 in Fort Worth, Texas, the plan begins a series of one-day "listening posts" among clergy and laity in regions where native churches and communities exist. Native Americans are invited to share information and testimony on presenting the Gospel within Native America.

"We will be trying to get feedback from local churches on how we can better talk about evangelism and new church starts," Wilson said.

Native American ministries exist throughout the United States. The Bureau of Indian Affairs recognizes 561 tribal governments in the country, and the 2003 U.S. census estimates there are more than 2.7 million Native Americans.

The plan wants to hear particularly from native people who have separated themselves from the Christian church but participate in traditional religions. "We want them to come speak to us about what might it take for you to consider taking part in some of our activities," said Phillips. "We are hoping to learn how to set the Gospel in the context of Native America in the 21st century."

The regional meetings will set the tone for a proposed Native American School of Evangelism to be held within the next four years. Phillips said the school and other proposed endeavors are the plan's way of helping the church become more aware about native identity and native Christian identity.

A writers gathering, to be held Oct. 26-28 in Tulsa, Okla., aims to nurture and encourage Native Americans "experiencing a call to write" to produce work that contributes both to the native community and the entire church. "This is an important part of the work and future of the church," Phillips said.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

South African Methodists offer hope to refugees

Children gather at the preschool and child care ministry of Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, South Africa. They include refugees whose families have fled Zimbabwe and are being served by the church's "Ray of Hope" ministry. A UMNS photo by Faye Richardson.

A UMNS Report By Linda Bloom*

South African Methodists are offering a "ray of hope" to homeless asylum seekers, refugees and displaced people crowding into the capital city of Johannesburg.

At Central Methodist Mission, the refugees find shelter, food, clothing, child care, counseling and employment assistance. The mission accommodated some 900 in just the first three months of 2007, and an average of 20 new people arrive each day - the majority from Zimbabwe.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has assisted by providing $25,000 in grants in the first half of 2007, according to David Sadoo, an UMCOR executive. The grants are "keeping the lights on," he said, and covering other infrastructure costs, "as well as supporting some of the actual programs they have with the refugees."

More than 3,000 people have received services at the mission in the past 15 months. "Since the end of the apartheid government, refugees from all over Africa have sought safety and economic opportunity in South Africa," according to a funding application to UMCOR from the staff at Central Methodist Mission, led by Bishop Paul Verryn. "The worsening situation in Zimbabwe, however, has created a near crisis situation."

The South African government does not recognize Zimbabweans as official refugees. "Individual Zimbabweans who seek to apply for political asylum are confronted by excessive levels of bureaucracy, often waiting more than nine months for their status to be assessed, as well as high levels of corruption in the South African Department of Home Affairs," the application states.

"While applying for refugee status, Zimbabweans are regularly harassed by South African police, detained and often beaten. Like other foreigners in Johannesburg, they are vulnerable to the growing levels of xenophobia and violence against foreigners which are increasingly prevalent in South African society."

Ray of Hope
Through the "Ray of Hope" project, the mission has managed to provide temporary and safe accommodations for homeless asylum seekers, refugees and displaced people; offer one substantial meal each day for temporary residents; and provide food and supplies for infants whose mothers have no financial support.

The project also ensures clean facilities for temporary residents, access to clean water for drinking and washing, and an adequate supply of basic medicines and supplies.

The Rev. Carleen Gerber, pastor of First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Conn., a United Church of Christ congregation, has witnessed the amazing but difficult work at the Johannesburg church. First Congregational has partnered with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa for 20 years and helped Central Methodist make the connection with UMCOR.

"We really have been so grateful for the level of support and the continuity of support that UMCOR has given," she said.

First Congregational has raised about $8,000 for the project. "We knew that the refugee crisis had been brewing, and there were refugees living in the building," Gerber explained. But it was not until she led a congregational trip to Johannesburg in October 2006 that they "realized the scope of the need."

The sheer numbers can be overwhelming - both for the church staff and the physical plant itself. Central Methodist, for example, has six toilets available for approximately 700 people staying there at any one time. "The conditions are exceedingly difficult," she said.

Circumstances have transformed the six-story, inner-city church into a village, according to Gerber. The offices, classrooms and social service spaces where the church's regular programs operate during the day are given over to the refugees in the evening. Everyone has communal responsibilities, and attendance is required at nightly worship services. Music and "wonderful fellowship" often follow, she noted.

Several of the bigger rooms are allotted to women and children and to married couples. "The biggest number (of refugees) would be single men," she said. "They may have left family behind. They are literally sleeping all over the floors and the stairways and outside the elevators."

Many of the refugees from Zimbabwe are teachers or other professionals and some teach classes at the church. "They're bright, often highly educated people," Gerber said.

Living the Gospel
Specific programs at Central Methodist include:

.A pre-school and extended child care for 120 of the poorest inner-city children, including many refugee children, along with an infant care program for 20 children under age 2;
.A small legal aid clinic run by two college-educated refugees from Zimbabwe who have been trained through Witwatersrand University's legal aid program. The clinic helps refugees who are trying to establish legal status, have been arrested or are threatened with deportation;
.Basic literacy, numeracy and English language programs designed to help refugees and displaced South Africans survive in a demanding environment. The classes are organized and taught by three college-educated refugees from Zimbabwe;
.A free clinic that operates two afternoons a week to provide basic health care, counseling and referrals for patients who need more advanced care. The clinic is run by two volunteer physicians, one South African and one American.

Other Methodist churches in South Africa have provided financial support to Central Methodist, which is working with various governmental and international agencies "to obtain a building which can provide temporary accommodation on a formal and permanent basis."

The efforts of Verryn and other staff at the mission made the front page of The New York Times in a June 23 article citing Central Methodist Mission's refugee work. The Zimbabwean reported in 2006 that an "endless queue" of at least five people from Zimbabwe wait each day outside Verryn's office.

Gerber said her congregation's relationship with Central Methodist has provided a teaching opportunity. "The people of Central Methodist are living the Gospel in a courageous way that should inspire each and every one of us," she said.

Donations to the Ray of Hope project can be made through UMCOR Advance No. 982540, Global Refugee Response, and dropped in local church collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Credit card donations can be made online at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=982540&id=3019059 or by calling (800) 554-8583.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Emergency appeal aims to save refugees in Chad
By Diane Denton*

Responding to an emergency appeal from the United Nations, Nothing But Nets is raising $400,000 to distribute insecticide-treated sleeping nets in Chad for 200,000 refugees displaced by violence in Darfur. A UMNS photo courtesy of ACT International.

CHICAGO (UMNS) - Warning that malaria could kill thousands of refugees in Chad as the African nation's rainy season begins, the United Nations Foundation launched an emergency fundraising appeal July 16 to purchase 40,000 insecticide-treated sleeping nets.

The foundation called on Americans to help raise $400,000 to respond to the immediate need of people living in 15 refugee camps along Chad's eastern border with Sudan and its southern border with the Central African Republic.

Children are particularly at risk among the more than 200,000 refugees displaced by spreading violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. U.N. officials estimate that 25 percent of children under age 5 living in the camps will die from malaria without protection at night, when mosquito-borne malaria is usually transmitted.

The money is being raised through Nothing But Nets, a grassroots campaign to distribute the life-saving nets. The people of The United Methodist Church are among the founding partners of the 2006 initiative, which urges people to "send a net, save a life" for the cost of $10 per net.

Immediate need
Speaking at a news conference to launch the campaign, organizers said the prevalence of malaria in refugee camps is expected to rise sharply with the start of the region's rainy season in June.
"To meet this immediate need in Chad, the U.N. Foundation, through our Nothing But Nets campaign, is asking individuals to answer our call - 10 dollars at a time," said Kathy Bushkin Calvin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the foundation.

"A donation of 10 dollars is all it takes to purchase and distribute a life-saving net and educate a community health worker on its proper use."

Assistance is being sought from relief organizations working together in Chad, including UNICEF, the U.N. High Commission on Refugees and the MENTOR Initiative. Responding to an emergency request from the United Nations, the U.N. Foundation pledged to raise $400,000 to purchase, ship and distribute the nets.

Also attending the news conference were representatives from several Nothing But Nets partner organizations, including the NBA's Chicago Bulls, a local partner.

"We need about 40,000 bed nets for 15 temporary camps in Chad right now," said Bulls forward Luol Deng, a native of Sudan and a national spokesman for Nothing But Nets. "One of every four children would die in the rainy season without nets. I'm personally committed to this issue and supporting the appeal, and I'm proud to say my team, the Chicago Bulls, has taken this issue to heart."

Steve Schanwald, executive vice president for business operations for the Bulls organization, presented the foundation with a check for $10,000 to purchase the first 1,000 bed nets and pledged to mobilize basketball fans to help.

Humanity United, a U.S.-based social investment organization, has agreed to match donations dollar for dollar and net for net for the Chad effort, according to Elizabeth McKee, director of Nothing But Nets.

McKee said the MENTOR Initiative, a United Kingdom-based emergency agency fighting malaria, is working quickly to begin distributing about 1,000 per day. Each net can safely cover five people if used properly, she said.

Calling on United Methodists
Following the news conference, United Methodist Bishop Thomas Bickerton urged the church to respond generously to the emergency.

"This is just another opportunity to do what we do best," said Bickerton, the denomination's spokesman for the campaign. "The United Methodist Church has proven that when a major need arises, we are able to produce significant results to meet the need. This is our opportunity again to respond to a need in the human family."

Bickerton praised the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), which has supported efforts to help displaced Sudanese in Chad since 2004 through its partnership with Action by Churches Together (ACT), an international aid alliance.

Earlier this month, UMCOR responded to a new ACT appeal with a grant that will go toward health services, wells, community services and shelter for 35,000 of the most vulnerable people living in camps along the Chad-Sudan border.

UMCOR expects to provide additional assistance in the near future, according to spokeswoman Linda Beher.

The foundation's emergency appeal came during a series of Nothing But Nets events this month in Chicago as part of a U.S. multi-city tour to raise money and awareness for malaria prevention. The Chicago events involve the people of The United Methodist Church, the Chicago Bulls, the WNBA's Chicago Sky, the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, MLS W.O.R.K.S., the U.N. Foundation and the Luol Deng Foundation.

Interfaith breakfast
More than 100 Chicago-area faith leaders attended a July 17 interfaith breakfast hosted by First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple. Together, they prayed for victims of malaria and talked about opportunities to support Nothing But Nets.

United Methodist Bishop Hee-soo Jung of the Chicago area told the group he plans to fast one meal a day for 100 days in behalf of the campaign. He pledged $10 for every meal he skips.
Others shared personal testimonies about the deadly disease.

"I grew up as a missionary child in Nigeria where malaria is as common as a cold," said the Rev. Karen Hundrieser, pastor of Worth (Ill.) United Methodist Church. "I had it so bad once that, 35 years later, I still remember the pain and thinking I wasn't going to make it through the night."
Hundrieser's church is getting pledges of $10 for a net for every $100 donated to its building repair program. "To date, we've raised enough for 45 nets," she said.

High school student Martin Kim of Roselle (Ill.) United Methodist Church said Nothing But Nets has a particular appeal to young people.

"One of the things that motivates me as a youth is when people say, 'You're just a child, you can't do that.' The fact is, with Nothing But Nets, $10 can save a life," Kim said.

Chicago Fire star Diego Gutierrez told those at the breakfast that living in a global community "has a lot of perks but also a lot of responsibility." He reminded the group that all children are important, whether they live in Europe, the United States or Africa. "We have to live in a place where children don't die just because of where they're born geographically," he said.

Malaria 'boot camp'
At a July 16 malaria "boot camp" sponsored by Nothing But Nets, players from the Bulls, the Fire and the Sky helped educate local youth about malaria and how they can spread awareness, involve others and raise money.

Speaking to the 250 youth ages 8 to 17, Bickerton reminded the crowd that "nets save kids' lives!"

"Every 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria," Bickerton said. "I think most of you in this room have a good chance of living a long, sustained life. Don't those kids in Africa deserve the same chance? Ten dollars and a kid's life has changed."

At the conclusion of his remarks, Bickerton pointed out that perhaps 15 children had died during his brief presentation. "We'd better get busy, don't you think?"

Esther Ikoro, 17, from South Lawn United Methodist Church, said boot camp gave her some good ideas. "I knew I wanted to do something to make a difference, and now I have a focus," she said.

Clarice Woods and Laura McIntee took a day off from work to bring eight youth from Chicago's St. Matthew United Methodist Church. McIntee said she learned about the campaign from the United Methodist Web site at http://www.umc.org/. The church's youth group plans to hold a car wash and bake sale to help.

Vanessa Mendenhall, 15, was among 19 youth that came from Ivanhoe United Methodist Church in Riverdale, Ill. "I learned about malaria and how many people it affects, how many people care about it, and what we can do to help," she said. "I want to see if we could help bring more people to raise money and make more people aware."

Since May 2006, the Nothing But Nets campaign has raised more than $7 million. The average donation is about $60. To donate, visit http://www.nothingbutnets.net/ or www.umc.org/nets.

*Denton is director of public information for The United Methodist Church.

Kenya clinic provides health care amid doctor shortage
By Barry Simmons*

Aggrey Omondi founded a health care clinic in Ugunja, Kenya, thanks to a donationof property from adjacent St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The clinic also is supported by the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund.UMNS photos by Barry Simmons.


UGUNJA, Kenya (UMNS) - In a poor farming town along Kenya's rural western border, the nearest health care provider is a nurse at St. Paul's Methodist Health Center.

The small clinic was founded three years ago next to St. Paul's United Methodist Church on property donated by the Kenyan church. It stands as a beacon of hope for those who are ill or dying with AIDS and other diseases - but has no doctor on staff.

With one clinical officer, four unlicensed nurses and a lab technician, staff members say they are overwhelmed by cases they're not qualified to treat. Together, they provide free care for nearly 300 people living with HIV. Volunteers also visit nearby homes to encourage others to get tested for AIDS.

"Why, why do we have no doctor," asks nurse Dan Rateng, "and then the patient is dying?"
Kenya suffers one of the worst health worker shortages in Africa. It's hardest on rural areas like Ugunja where few doctors want to settle. "There is a shortage," says Rateng. "Why? Because they simply go for the greener pastures."

According to the Center for Global Development, 51 percent of Kenya's doctors have emigrated so that more Kenyan doctors now work abroad than at home. After graduating medical school in Kenya, many move to South Africa, England and other nations where they can multiply their incomes 10 times.

The Kenyan government, which operates several health clinics in the region, employs just three doctors in Siaya District, which serves 450,000 people.

The dearth of available health care is among reasons that local leader Aggrey Omondi founded the clinic in 2004 after his community lost 15 people in one week to dysentery, a common ailment that is preventable with antibiotics.

"By providing this facility," he says, "we are trying to prolong the lives of the people and also make them more productive."

Omondi walks with a severe limp from a childhood cut that went untreated and eventually became infected, leaving him crippled. It is a daily reminder to him that simple medical care could ease the suffering for tens of thousands of people.

"Here we have widowers," he says, pointing to a gathering of AIDS patients at the clinic. "It's a challenging issue. How do you deal with that?"

With one out of four people infected with HIV, Ugunja has one of the highest rates of AIDS in Kenya. Omondi recently started an AIDS/HIV support group that meets each week at the neighboring church.

"Nowadays, having come together, it no longer scares us," says Sylvester Opiyo, a participant in the support group. "We've got the virus. We have to (live) with it."

"If you see those who are very sick and you get scared, really scared," says Pamea Ouko, who recently joined the group after discovering she is infected with HIV. "But when you come here together, we are taught to go on with our everyday life."

Omondi recently began work on a maternity wing for women with AIDS to provide them with drug treatments to protect their newborns. A shortage of funds has brought construction to halt, however.

Last December the clinic was so strapped for cash that Omondi was forced to release several clinical officers. The clinic would have closed permanently, he says, if the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund had not committed $10,000 to keep it open.

If the clinic closes, many of the sick will have nowhere to turn, according to Omondi. "We don't have affordable health systems in Kenya - not even health insurance, nothing like that," he says.
*Simmons is a freelance producer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Faith and sacrifice build new church in Zimbabwe

By Shaun A. Lane*

United Methodist Bishops John R. Schol (left) and Eben Nhiwatiwa address the congregation gathered for the Muradzikwa United Methodist Church groundbreaking ceremony in Zimbabwe. UMNS photos by Shaun Lane.

MURADZIKWA, Zimbabwe (UMNS)--The words sacrifice and faith had new meaning for members of a congregation gathered for the groundbreaking of their new church building in Zimbabwe.

The new Muradzikwa United Methodist Church will be built 300 yards from the current structure.

"Everyone is welcome here," sang the choir in their native Shona language as Dawson Pasirai, vice district lay leader of the Zimbabwe Conference, reflected on the strength of the 300-member church and the significance of the June 10 groundbreaking.

"They have had the vision of a new church for a while now," said Pasirai, "and the members here have very little money. But they walk on faith, and now they are on the verge of having a new church."

Taking part in the service were Zimbabwe United Methodist Church officials, including Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa, and a delegation from the Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference, including Bishop John R. Schol.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference has been in partnership with the two Zimbabwe annual conferences since 1996.

"The Baltimore-Washington Conference partnership with us is significant in many ways," said Nhiwatiwa. "Bishop Schol has helped to equip our pastors with leadership. And more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to exchange ideas with them."

During the ceremony, Nhiwatiwa asked church members if they had the necessary materials--bricks, mortar and other building essentials--to complete the project. When they answered "yes" to all of the questions, he pronounced the church ready to begin building.

"They still need the money to build," Nhiwatiwa said. "But we cannot promise them anything. The church has to step forward."

Pasirai said the estimated cost of the project is $10,000, but he is confident the money will come.

"We will work on faith," he said. "We do good things here and we want to do more. God will provide. And our members will come through when needed."

Schol said the conference's Hope Fund and Bel Air United Methodist Church will help to close the financial gap, but the people of Muradzikwa are giving generously now.

After the ceremonial groundbreaking, congregants walked up to the groundbreaking hole and placed money in it, singing and dancing the entire time.

"They make sacrifices every day just to survive sometimes, so giving extra money for a new building will not break them," Pasirai said. "This church started in 1905 and God has provided every step of the way. This will not be any different. We serve a very good God."

*Lane is director of communications for the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference

United Methodists, Muslims partner to ease suffering

By Kathleen LaCamera*

LONDON (UMNS)-Religious leaders, diplomats, British government ministers and members of Parliament are praising the new partnership between United Methodist and Muslim relief agencies as "bold," "significant" and one that "confounds stereotypes."

British government minister Stephen Timms signs the partnership agreement between the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Muslim Aid at the House of Commons in London. UMNS photos by Ginny Underwood.

The New York-based United Methodist Committee on Relief signed a partnership agreement with the London-based global relief and development agency Muslim Aid on June 26 at the House of Commons.

Stephen Timms, the British government minister who hosted the event, said UMCOR and Muslim Aid both were formed out of an "ambition to relieve suffering."

Referring to joint projects already under way, Timms said the partnership is special because the two faith groups have worked together across a divide thought to be "unbridgeable."

UMCOR and Muslim Aid already have put $9.8 million into joint projects in Sri Lanka to provide tsunami recovery and support to displaced civilians affected by renewed fighting between Tamil Tigers and government military forces. The new partnership agreement could result in as much as $15 million more to combat the effects of disaster, war and poverty around the world.

"No one should underestimate the potential for good that Christians and Muslims (working together) can do in the UK and in the rest of the world," said Timms. "This shows what distinctive faiths can achieve when the focus is on shared values."

'Only a beginning'
Signing the agreement on behalf of UMCOR, United Methodist Bishop Edward Paup said "responding to human need will make this partnership succeed." Paup, who is the agency's president, said the coming together of two organizations from different religions is "only a beginning."

"We are responding as partners to human need, not proselytizing," says Farooq Murad of Muslim Aid.

"We hope we have set the table, and we are now inviting others to join us," he added.

The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of UMCOR's parent organization, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said that "while we come from different theological positions, we have the same humanitarian values to relieve the suffering of those in need, no matter who they are or what they believe."

UMCOR is part of the 11.5 million-member United Methodist Church and is active in more than 80 countries.

Farooq Murad signed the agreement on behalf of Muslim Aid, an organization with a 20-year history of relief work in more than 60 countries with 500 local partners. As Muslim Aid's chairman, Murad believes that practical cooperative work across religious traditions reduces people's suspicions of faith-based organizations.

"We are responding as partners to human need, not proselytizing," he said.

Guy Hovey, UMCOR's Sri Lanka director, has seen the powerful difference interfaith cooperation makes in that nation. In 2006, when fighting broke out between Tamil rebels and government troops in Mutur, UMCOR workers met with a level of violence and threats that made it impossible to deliver much-needed aid and support to displaced civilians.

Turning to their Muslim Aid partners-who had proved so valuable in tsunami relief and recovery efforts-the two groups joined forces and reached out to Buddhist leaders as well.

"We are responding as partners to human need, not proselytizing," says Farooq Murad of Muslim Aid.

Together through grassroots community faith groups, they addressed crucial local needs such as irrigation, health care, education and security.

"We were able to walk through villages where before people would have thrown stones at us. Now they were smiling at us," Hovey told United Methodist News Service. "We built unique relationships with faith leaders. Seeing us trusting and working with each other, people felt they could trust local faith communities.

"We didn't look at it as a Muslim/Christian project," he said. "First it was a desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with those working with displaced people. It started on the ground as an effort to bring relief and development to more than 50,000 people."

Improved credibility and effectiveness
Faith-based organizations gain credibility and effectiveness when they work across faith boundaries, said British Methodist Relief and Development Fund representatives attending the UMCOR/Muslim Aid launch.

"Government officials as well as individual people can be suspicious of faith-based organizations. They worry about proselytizing. They have an assumption that these groups will only be interested in looking after their own," said Kirsty Smith, the fund's director.

In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Sri Lankan Methodist Church, one of the fund's partners, has worked closely with local Buddhists. Like Hovey, Smith said interfaith cooperation has been crucial in identifying and addressing key local needs.

While Muslim Aid and UMCOR don't have all the answers, Day said that working in partnership allows them to deliver aid more effectively without leaving aside the particularities and distinctiveness of their individual faiths. He hopes other non-proselytizing, faith-based organizations will join with UMCOR and Muslim Aid to work for peace and against poverty and suffering.

"Doing this work together we have seen that we can relieve the effects of conflict without being a part of it," Day told those gathered for the launch.

"We are two communities looking at the same problem: the outbreak of global poverty and inequality," explained Murad of Muslim Aid. "We want to increase our effectiveness together. We can do a great deal more. … The Koran says to cooperate in what is right and what is just."

*LaCamera is a United Methodist News Service correspondent based in England.

The United Methodist Church in Senegal

from a report by the Rev. William E. Lovell

Ordained Class of 2007, Senegal United Methodist Church. Left to right: Dembo Diatte, Joseph Bleck, Antoine Ndecky, Jean Pierre Ndour, Dibor Fatou Ndour (Marie-Agnes), Jean Noel Diouf, Bishop Benjamin Boni, Leon MBu Kitete, Valentin Ilonga Bayemon, Jerome Bako

Woman reporter asked why the UMC came to Senegal? Pastor Djungu answered and Bishop Boni also responded by saying, “A man by the name of Mamadou Djiaye invited the UMC to Senegal because he saw many of social concerns which the United Methodist were addressing.”

Another reporter asked if the church was growing and about relations with the Roman Catholics and other groups. Djungu said, “The first missionary couple came to Senegal in 1955. After two years they returned to America and Pastor Djungu’s family came in 1997 and have been here ever since.”

Bishop Boni spoke about the influence of Wesley from the 19th century. Bishop also explained the Wesleyan organizational system. Another reporter asked what is the difference between the UMC and other churches. He also asked how the UMC was formed. Bishop Boni responded by speaking about grace, salvation by faith, social service, the Bible, and faith for the whole person.

Another reporter asked about the number of persons to be ordained and the steps of beginning the UMC here. Djungu spoke of the beginning of house churches in 1998 and how that is done even today. Bishop Boni spoke about the number of persons to be ordained.

Another reporter spoke about the role of women in the church and asked about the Biblical reference for the ordination of women. Bishop Boni responded by talking about the women as resurrection witnesses. He said that Marie-Agnes was the first woman in all Christianity to be ordained in Senegal. He emphasized the responsibility of the pastor to work with all people. Bishop Boni continued to address the issue of women pastors.

Isaac spoke about the importance of training in a pastor’s life. He spoke of the period of waiting for four years for each pastor. And that after seven years the candidate who progresses well is recommended and ordained. Ellis said, “For fifty years we have accepted women pastors in the USA. It has taken a long time to learn that. The Bible says there is neither slave nor free, black or white, male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.”

Another reporter asked if other church groups had been invited to the ordination service. Djungu answered yes, that all religious leaders had been asked to come and represent their religious group at the Ordination Celebration. Another reporter asked if women were ordained in the Roman Catholic Church. And what nationality and ages were the candidates for ordination.

Another reporter asked why Americans were present and why the word UNITED is in UMC. All questions were answered carefully. Ellis said, “At Wesley Seminary where I have been a teacher, we have 800 students and 300 of them are African-American. A reporter asked Bill “Why has Christianity not solved all the world’s problems? Has it failed? Bill attempted to answer that question by saying that Christianity had not failed but failures had come through the weakness of human beings.

Christians continue work in Pakistan, despite hostility
A UMNS Report
By Rebecca C. Asedillo


The Church of Pakistan's Diocese of Peshawar runs economic development programs that include 24 sewing centers. The church is an official partner of The United Methodist Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of the Diocese of Peshawar.


What does it mean to be a Christian minority in a post 9/11 Islamic society?

Christians in Pakistan "live and move and have their being" in a context of increasing uncertainty. Sometimes that environment turns hostile.

.On Oct. 28, 2001, in Bahawalpur, Multan province, a congregation sharing worship space at a Roman Catholic Church was attacked by armed men. Sixteen people died, including several children.

.On Aug. 5, 2002, armed gunmen attacked the Murree Christian School in the Himalayan foothills, about 30 miles north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, killing six adults but leaving the students unharmed.

.On Nov. 12, 2005, a mob, angry at a perceived insult against the Qur'an (later found to be baseless), set on fire three churches, two houses of priests, a convent, one high school and the houses of three Christian families in a place called Sangla Hill, not far from the city of Lahore. Almost 400 Christian families had to evacuate their homes before the situation could be put under control.

.On Feb. 6, 2006, following the publication of the Danish cartoon that many Muslims saw as ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad, mobs with sticks, chains and stones attacked institutions run by the church, including Edwardes College, Elizabeth Girls School and College, St. Pauls Church and School, the Mission Hospital and the Pennell High School and College in the Northwest Frontier Province.

.On May 16, 2007, BBC News reported that the small Christian community in a place called Charsadda, also in the northwest province, was threatened with violence if its members did not become Muslims.

Despite the conditions, the church's work continues.

The Northwest Frontier Province is an area where Christian communities experience an extraordinary level of tension and sense of vulnerability.

The Diocese of Peshawar, whose territory coincides with the province, is one of the eight dioceses that make up the Church of Pakistan. This diocese originally belonged to the Anglican tradition, but with the merger of the Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans (Norwegian) and Scottish Presbyterians in 1970, it is now a part of the united Church of Pakistan, an official partner with The United Methodist Church.

Servanthood ministry
The catastrophic earthquake of Oct. 8, 2005, in Pakistan killed an estimated 86,000 people. The diocese responded to the emergency by adopting a cluster of six villages in an area known as Pateka. Besides the immediate response to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical aid right after the earthquake, the diocese is now involved in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the villages. It facilitated the creation of a community-based organization to address livelihood recovery, health, education, water and sanitation, house repair and other communal needs.

Trust among Christians and Muslims in these communities has been developing, according to Ashar Dean, the diocesan staff overseeing communications and evaluation of the program. "If we give them respect, they will give us respect," he said.

In the northwest province, the majority of the people are Pashtuns (or Pathans), while most Christians are Punjabi descendants of the camp followers of the British Army during the late 19th century. In a society that has traditionally looked down on Christians not only for their adherence to what is perceived as a "foreign/western religion" but also for the fact that a majority of them come from the lower castes, the development of trust is a significant achievement.

Seventy-five-year-old Mohammad Ayub, a respected elder of Pateka testified, "During the relief and recovery phase, the diocesan staff maintained our self-respect, dignity and honor. At no point did they let us feel we were dependent on them…"

"In interfaith dialogue, we try to make our Muslim neighbors understand that we too are Pakistanis," Dean said. In the past, he explained, Pakistani Christians had followed the isolationist model of the British, who did not interact with the majority community. This is now changing. "I want the two societies - Muslims and Christians - to come together."

Women's ministries
Some of the women of the diocese discussed the low social status accorded to women in Pakistan where, according to Human Rights Watch, victims of sexual assault are deemed guilty of illegal sex rather than victims of unlawful violence or abuse. For this so-called "honor" crime, many women are imprisoned, and some are even killed.

"We are living in a country where the role of women is not up to the mark," said Reena Patrick of the diocesan women's desk. "Women are degraded and are deprived of many things in life."

However, "women now have more courage to speak," asserted a member of the diocesan women's group, which gathered for a reception with a guest from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. The women's association holds seminars on women's health, legal rights and HIV/AIDS. It ministers among women prisoners who, cultural norms dictate, could not be visited by men.

While often facing obstacles in their pursuit for education and jobs within their society, the youth of the diocese are reaching out in a program for interfaith dialogue called "Youth Faith Friends." The young people are also very much aware of how suspicion of Christians has increased since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. "Because of Bush's war on Iraq, our churches have been attacked," one of the young people said.

The youth of the diocese are active in the Pateka villages, organizing sports and creative activities for the children there. They also continue to serve and strengthen their own networks through youth sports festivals, career counseling programs and participating in regional ecumenical youth events. They dream of building a center with a gymnasium and a library where they could organize discussion groups, sports events and other activities.

Education ministry
The first school in the Northwest Frontier Province was established by the church in 1853 - Edwardes School in Kohati Gate, Peshawar. Since then, the diocese has opened 12 more schools, three colleges, two hostels, a computer center and a Vocational Training Center.

The schools are highly regarded by the majority Muslim community for the quality education they provide at nominal charges, but sometimes they become targets of extremist elements. In February, reports that female suicide bombers might target schools sent officials scurrying around to beef up security arrangements.

Health needs are great in this part of Pakistan, but the resources are few. The mission hospital run by the diocese in Peshawar has obviously seen better days, with its antiquated equipment and decaying infrastructure, but its outpatient department continues to serve children with tuberculosis.

Another hospital is in a place called Bannu, a breeding ground for Islamic fundamentalists. "Why are we there, where every minute of your life could be your last?" asked the bishop of the diocese, Bishop Munawar "Mano" Rumalshah. The answer is obvious: the hospital is there to serve the needs of the people in the community. The bishop has put out a call for volunteer doctors and other health professionals to serve in this ministry.

The diocese also runs literacy and economic development programs, such as job apprenticeships training in tailoring, carpentry, computer repair and welding, and has sewing sites in 24 centers.More information is available on the Diocese of Peshawar's Web site, at www.peshawardiocese.org.



*Asedillo is an executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Encounter fund assists Methodists in Latin America, Caribbean

A UMNS Report By Linda Bloom*

A desire to shift more decision-making about mission in Latin America to Methodist churches in the region has led to the successful development of a permanent fund to support projects in those countries.

The Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean Permanent Fund, administered by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, uses the interest from nearly $1.5 million in principal to finance the projects.

By the end of 2006, 24 projects in 14 different countries had received support through $150,000 in grants. The projects included:

A program of the Methodist Church of Brazil to increase awareness and provide tools and skills to combat racism against people of African heritage and to promote racial equality in both the church and community.

An emphasis on mission formation and leadership for Methodist youth in Argentina, designed to reach 120 youth in the church's seven regions.

A training program for indigenous Methodist leaders in Bolivia to help them acquire the necessary skills to understand the country's social and political dynamics.

A plan by the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas to develop and produce a common church school curriculum for the region.

A project to train health care workers in Venezuela to manage small health centers in four isolated communities in the Andes Mountains.

Mission priorities
The vision behind the permanent fund began with a 1991 meeting in Antigua, Guatemala, according to the Rev. Wilson Boots, the fund's director of interpretation. The meeting brought together 60 clergy and lay leaders from the region and representatives of the Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Council of Bishops, British Methodist Church and United Church of Canada.

The fund was established a year later. "This fund provides the flexibility and the resources to seize the moment for special opportunities," he explained.

Mission priorities are evangelism and new church development, community-based health care and the needs of women, children and youth. One of the programs in Bolivia, for example, resulted in the training of 450 youth in workshops on mission and social justice.

Boots said he saw the impact that the grant had while attending the 100th anniversary of the Methodist Church in Bolivia last August, an event that took place "with the active involvement and leadership of the youth within the church. It had an immediate, direct connection for us."

Decisions regarding grants from the dispersal of interest money are made by a committee with equal representation from Latin American/Caribbean churches and Global Ministries - a process that Boots considers "historic and bold" for a new mission age.

Appeals for support
Several direct appeals for donations to Encounter with Christ are made annually to a mailing list of more than 1,000 people, according to the Rev. C. Rex Bevins, the fund's director of financial development. "Normally, our gifts come in from local churches and individual donors," he said.

United Methodist Volunteer in Mission teams also have become involved in projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Over several years, for example, about 76 volunteers from the New York Annual Conference helped build 120 rural homes in Bolivia, with a tithe on each home dedicated to Encounter with Christ, Boots reported.

Churches in Western North Carolina, Texas, Oregon, Nebraska and Eastern Pennsylvania also have incorporated gifts to the fund as part of their mission trips. Conference-wide promotions in the Texas and Florida annual conferences resulted in significant gifts as well, according to Boots. The denomination's Southeastern and South Central jurisdictions have appointed people as Encounter fund advocates.

Even individuals are contributing to the Encounter with Christ Fund. A bequest from John L. Carl of Philippi, Wash., provided a gift of some $600,000 - the largest donation from an individual so far. Philippi, who was moved as a youth by a call to missionary service, was never able to become a missionary himself, but still wanted to support global mission, Boots said.

Encounter with Christ also has received financial support from the region's churches themselves, especially through the Council of Evangelical Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean (CIEMAL) and the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Contributions earmarked for the Encounter with Christ Permanent Fund No. 025100 can be dropped in church collection plates. Checks payable to the General Board of Global Ministries also can be mailed directly to the agency at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1449, New York, NY 10115.
Those interested in deferred giving or who want to order a DVD about Encounter with Christ can contact Bevins at rexbevins@alltel.net or (402) 742-9010.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Bishops focus on poverty in Africa and its causes

By Linda Green*

Bishop Jose Quipungo

SPRINGMAID BEACH, S.C. (UMNS) - What is poverty, and why is the word used to describe Africa?

The questions were posed during an April 29-May 4 meeting of the Holistic Strategy on Africa committee, which is made up of African and U.S. church leaders seeking to strengthen ministries of The United Methodist Church in Africa.

Africa is rich in diversity and uniqueness, but a common thread throughout the continent is degrees of poverty that adversely affect its people and their national governments.

Although the continent is rich in mineral resources, "the resources are not controlled by Africa," said Bishop Joseph Humper of Sierra Leone.

"Poverty itself needs to be redefined because Africa is not poor," said Bishop David Yemba of the Central Congo Annual Conference. "Africans have their fields, sheep, food."

The roots of poverty
The challenge, according to East Angola Bishop Jose Quipungo, is "the struggle for an African to live day to day." He said that churches, especially those in Portuguese-speaking countries, had no resources when colonialism ended and had to fight for access to education and technology.

"We started at zero to have the achievements we have today," he declared, adding that education is necessary in eliminating poverty. "Give education to the people so that they can get the education about the resources they need. We may not become like America today or tomorrow but, in 20 to 30 years, we will not be the Africa we are today."

Rukudzo Murapa, vice chancellor for Africa University and convener of the session, said that avoiding the issue of poverty "is in itself the enemy" and that any cultural traits that keep Africans from seeking knowledge need to be examined. "Ignorance is the worst form of servitude," he added. "It is one of the root forms of poverty."

Poverty is the result of slavery "when the leaders were taken away and the gap has not been filled," according to Zimbabwean Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa, adding that Africa is still suffering long after the slave trade has ended.

"Poverty is a complicated subject," said Bishop Benjamin Boni of the Cote d'Ivoire Annual Conference. "It needs to be discussed over a long period of time to arrive at solutions," but "surely, churches need to be financially empowered to address poverty."

Speaking for the voiceless
East African Bishop Daniel Wandabula spoke of how ignorance, exploitation and diseases of poverty plague Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. "If the church is to be effective, these issues have to be addressed by the whole church which is entrusted to speak for the voiceless," he said.

Africa does not manufacture guns, land mines or other weapons used for killing, he added, "but the people continue to suffer from these weapons being directed at them."

Murapa shared strategies for addressing poverty, which include:

.Understanding the relationship between Africa and developed countries;
.Investing in human resources and human capital;
.Investing in higher education with disciplines and other subjects that can guarantee a return;
.Fostering a climate of entrepreneurship using models from the Nation of Islam;
.Teaching people that accumulating wealth is not a bad thing - but that how they use that wealth can be;
.Finding ways to stop the "brain drain" from poor nations, in which bright and talented people leave to work in other countries;
.Urging the church and government to collaborate in the fight against poverty.

United Methodist bishops in Africa will meet Sept. 10-13 at Africa University in Zimbabwe for further discussion about responses to poverty.

On another matter, a committee working to develop models for pension systems for pastors and church workers in United Methodist conferences outside the United States has begun working toward a $2 million campaign to fund pilot pension projects in Africa. The committee named Liberia for a pilot project in 2006 and is considering where to begin the next three pilots projects before the 2008 General Conference.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Bishops updating 'In Defense of Creation' document
By Linda Green*


The Rev. J. Phillip Wogaman addresses the United Methodist Council of Bishops during its spring meeting. Wogaman is slated to write the church's updated "In Defense of Creation" letter. UMNS photos by Linda Green.

SPRINGMAID BEACH, S.C. (UMNS) - United Methodists are invited to assist the church's bishops in drafting a statement exploring the problems of and solutions to nuclear weapons, environmental degradation, global warming, endemic poverty and disease.

More than 20 years ago, the United Methodist Council of Bishops introduced a pastoral letter called "In Defense of Creation." The 1986 letter responded to the possibility of nuclear war and the potential for extinction of life.

"The pastoral letter ... came as an urgent reminder that this world is God's creation, a sacred gift to be received and nurtured with respect," according to an episcopal invitation to the church for conversation on a new creation document.

On May 3, the Council of Bishops heard a presentation from a task force seeking to update the 1986 statement with input from The United Methodist Church and "other persons of goodwill" as authorized by the 2004 General Conference.

When the first statement was drafted, the world faced the threat of nuclear disaster in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The original document called for the elimination of nuclear weapons and "was one of the most serious engagements by our church with public policy," said Florida Conference Bishop Timothy Whitaker, chairman of the task force.

"By taking up the task of renewing In Defense of Creation for our time ... we are building a tradition of our church being seriously engaged with public policy concerning the issues that most affect the human race," he said.

Exploring new challenges
The bishops are being assisted with their research on these complex issues by the Church's Center for Theology and Public Policy at Wesley Seminary in Washington. The center was founded 30 years ago by Bishop James Mathews and assisted in drafting the 1986 document.

"The problems facing the world have changed dramatically in the 20 years since the previous pastoral letter. It is the responsibility of the church to provide leadership and discernment to meet those challenges," said the Rev. Barbara Green, a Presbyterian clergywoman and the center's executive director.

Those challenges, she said, include global warming, endemic poverty and disease "and a world awash in weapons."

"Defending creation is important because it is God's comprehensive gift which is the basis of all life."

While the Cold War is over and the Soviet Union no longer exists, an increasing number of countries possess nuclear weapons and others aspire to become nuclear powers, the invitation notes. Acts of terrorism are part of the world's new political landscape.

The world faces a very different situation that is "more complicated by the interconnections" between the ongoing nuclear danger and realities of violence, the environment, global warming and the continuing struggles by hundreds of millions of the world's people for basic economic subsistence," the invitation says.

Two decades ago, the world was a dangerous place and a "great wave of social moral concern arose." Countries demanded an end to the nuclear arms race and In Defense of Creation "was a central part of that great awakening and moral voice," said David Cortright, president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, a Goshen, Ind.-based organization that tracks and addresses global nuclear nonproliferation and security issues.

"The danger of nuclear war has not gone away. In many respects, it is more alarming today than it was then," he said, adding that the U.S. policy of unilateral militarism drives nations to seek weapons. "While the U.S. encourages others to give up bombs, we are in the process of developing nuclear weapons" that may be acquired by terrorists.

"This danger is very real," Cortright said, "but there is also reason for hope."

Inclusion of world hunger
The Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, an advocacy group seeking to eradicate world hunger, told the council that The United Methodist Church "always gets the connection between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and social transformation."

The Lutheran pastor and economist thanked the council for including poverty in its new creation document since roughly a billion people live in "subhuman conditions" and "people who live in serious poverty never are able to come close to the potential that God has built into them."

Poverty, he said, breeds violence, cynicism, disorder and environmental degradation. "It is a threat to creation and it is really right that it be lifted up in your proposed pastoral letter," he said.

Beckmann spoke about the hope to eradicate hunger, disease and poverty "in our time." Within the last 30 years, the proportion of undernourished people has decreased and, despite population growth, "there are fewer hungry people in the world today than there were in the world 30 years ago." However, while developing countries are addressing poverty, the United States has not made significant progress on the issue since the mid-1970s, he said.

The task force will host a two-day hearing in October in Washington to explore the interconnection between debt and nuclear weapons, poverty and economics and the environment.

The task force encourages annual conferences, seminaries and other constitutenties to conduct hearings, conversation and study on nuclear proliferation, the environment and poverty in 2007 and 2008. The results should be sent to the Rev. Barbara Green, executive director of the Church's Center for Theology and Public Policy (www.cctpp.org) or by mail to 4500 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016. For more information, contact Green at (202) 885-8648.

The findings will be turned into a pastoral letter and foundation document, as was done for the 1986 statement. The bishops anticipate approving a new document, written by the Rev. J. Phillip Wogaman, in May 2009 and releasing it to the church for study and action.

In a related matter, the bishops were updated about the Katrina Recovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. An appeal through the United Methodist Committee on Relief has collected more than $60 million. Hurricane Katrina roared across the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

Proclaiming that leadership requires action and investment, the bishops collected $1,865 for the fund in response to an appeal from Bishop William Morris.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.