By allowing the Spirit to move in creative ways, the Methodist Church in Cuba is dancing, singing, and spreading scriptural holiness over the land. Since 1999, the church has grown from 8,000 to 36,000 members. Bishop Ricardo Pereira encourages congregations to live out their Wesleyan theology in ways that are uniquely Cuban.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Communities | Evangelism | Global connections | John Wesley | Mission opportunities | United Methodist Church | Wesley | Focus on Congregational Development | Cuba |
Date posted: Mar 06, 2012

Budapest, Hungary, March 1, 2012--The United Methodist Church in Hungary has regained official state recognition, after having been removed from the list of "privileged" religious groups by Parliament in the summer of 2011.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Civil rights | Evangelism | Global connections | Human rights | International affairs | Justice | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development | Hungary |
Date posted: Mar 02, 2012

Thomas Kemper letter: Dear Friends, Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Senegal. They are facing political violence as they prepare for coming elections scheduled for this Sunday. According to Global Ministries national in mission, Aly Bashir, 20 people have died, hundreds have been injured, and hundreds more arrested.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Civil rights | Conflict | Ethics | Global connections | Human rights | International affairs | Peace | Poverty | Violence | War | Statements | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Senegal |
Date posted: Feb 23, 2012

The concept of the roundtable is finding a fresh application in the global mission of The United Methodist Church. Although "round table" may conjure the image of King Arthur and his knights sitting in a circle symbolizing their equal standing and unity of purpose, the roundtable is also a process.
Source: New World Outlook
More about: Evangelism | Global connections | International affairs | Mission opportunities | Focus on Congregational Development | Argentina | Cambodia | Haiti | Russia | Sudan |
Date posted: Feb 15, 2012

February 9, 2012, New York, NY--For the second year in a row, top leaders from the General Board of Global Ministries met with representatives of the Methodist Church of Great Britain to continue conversations with a goal of being more effective partners in mission. The two-day meeting took place in London at the British Methodist headquarters. The United Methodist group was led by Thomas Kemper, general secretary, who said it had been a useful meeting and "showed the growing collaboration between the UMC and British Church in its international mission work."
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Global connections | International affairs | Mission opportunities | United Methodist Church | Wesley | Focus on Congregational Development | United Kingdom | United States |
Date posted: Feb 09, 2012

Tola Seng lives in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia in Southeast Asia. As a child, she experienced the aftermath of a harsh and violent regime that killed much of Cambodia's population. "Twenty-four years ago," Seng says, "I was born to a single mother in a refugee camp on the Thai border. By God's grace, my mother was able to raise my sisters and me on her own. Yet, watching her struggle to support us, I wanted to grow up faster so I could find a job and help her."
Source: New World Outlook
More about: Children | Communities | Conflict | Evangelism | Global connections | Missionaries | United Methodist Church | Violence | Volunteers | War | Women | Youth | Focus on Congregational Development | Cambodia | Laos | Vietnam |
Date posted: Jan 30, 2012

When Gary retired from his work as a human resources trainer and teacher in the year 2000, he thought his career was over. Little did he know, his life's work had just begun. Now, at 63 years old, Gary says, "I can't wait for the next 10 years."
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Communities | Ethics | Justice | Missionaries | Focus on Congregational Development | United States |
Date posted: Jan 25, 2012

Dear Friends, Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. In recent weeks, Christians have been targeted and killed by Boko Haram, a religious extremist group in northern Nigeria. Hundreds more have fled the region in fear. Societal, religious, and economic imbalance is creating a volatile climate, despite calls for peaceful resolutions.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Christian love | Communities | Conflict | Global connections | Hate | Peace | Prayers | United Methodist Church | Violence | War | Statements | Focus on Congregational Development | Nigeria |
Date posted: Jan 18, 2012

The Reverend Paul Shew from the West Ohio Annual Conference has been planting seeds of hope and promise for more than ten years in Japan. "I cannot imagine a place with more opportunity for student ministry than in Japan. We are in a unique position to point young people to a loving God through word and deed." Serving as a long-term mission volunteer through Global Ministries in Japan, Shew is a professor and university chaplain at Aoyama Gakuin, in Tokyo.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Children | Christian love | Communities | Education | Emergencies | Environment | Evangelism | Global connections | International affairs | John Wesley | Mission opportunities | Missionaries | Natural disasters | Volunteers | Tsunami | Focus on Congregational Development | Japan |
Date posted: Nov 30, 2011

I sent Patrick Friday an email, suggesting that we meet for breakfast in the cafeteria for a conversation about social media and mission. Patrick suggested, instead, we should chat, pray, and invite others to join us at a Google+ "hang out." A couple of emails later, Patrick and I logged on to Google+ for our "hang out," a four-way videoconference with Patti Bacher in De Pere, Wisconsin, and Mi Rhang Baek in Madison, Alabama.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Communities | Evangelism | Global connections | Mission opportunities | Missionaries | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development | Asia and the Pacific Islands | Bulgaria | Cameroon | Europe | Honduras | Lithuania | Malawi | Russia | Senegal | United States |
Date posted: Nov 23, 2011

The assembly hall at the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi, Japan, was filled with a spirit of celebration as graduating students anticipated bringing the fruits of their labor back to their home countries. In a commencement message to the 2011 class on November 19, 2011, Thomas Kemper, the head of Global Ministries, said:
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Agriculture | Christian love | Communities | Donations | Emergencies | Environment | Global connections | Health | International affairs | Natural disasters | Poverty | Prayers | Rural | Welfare | Statements | Tsunami | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Leadership Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Focus on Global Health | Japan |
Date posted: Nov 23, 2011

Advent is the season in the Christian year when we hear and participate in the time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. We look with thankfulness and hope for the second coming of Christ. We hear the voice of God in Scripture. We hear the voices of God's people around the earth as we pray together for the joy and peace of Christ's love to warm the hearts and lives of all humankind.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Advent | Christmas | Evangelism | Music | Prayers | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development |
Date posted: Nov 07, 2011

The East Belfast Mission is pitching its tent. The community center, Skainos, an ancient Greek word meaning tent, is being built by missionaries, staff, volunteers, and community members of Ballymacarret in Northern Ireland. All people will be welcome in this East Belfast building which will offer space for outreach groups and individuals seeking healing and transformation.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Christian love | Communities | Conflict | Evangelism | Global connections | Hate | Human rights | Peace | United Methodist Church | Violence | War | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Ireland |
Date posted: Nov 04, 2011

To introduce this issue of New World Outlook--which features a number of Global Ministries' staff members and their offices--I sat down with members of the Mission Initiatives team for a conversation about gospel and culture.
Source: New World Outlook
More about: Evangelism | Global connections | International affairs | Mission opportunities | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development | Philippines | Russia | Uganda | Venezuela |
Date posted: Nov 04, 2011

"In the Tongan language there is no word for cousin, because you are either sister or brother," said Rev. Sione (Loni) Veikoso. On Thursday, October 13, 2011, 35 sisters and brothers of Rev. Loni from the Asian and Pacific Islander network of The United Methodist Church met in the upper Manhattan office of Global Ministries to discuss how to enlarge the Church for all people.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Global connections | Mission opportunities | Missionaries | United Methodist Church | Youth | Focus on Congregational Development | Asia and the Pacific Islands |
Date posted: Oct 18, 2011

New York, NY, October 12, 2011--The 100th anniversary of The United Methodist Church's mission magazine was marked on October 11 with a retrospective of mission highlights from each decade of the last century.
Source: New World Outlook
More about: GBGM events | John Wesley | Mission opportunities | Newsletters | United Methodist Church | Wesley | Methodism | Focus on Congregational Development |
Date posted: Oct 14, 2011

New York, NY, October 13, 2011--United Methodist mission work in three South East countries--Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam--is being divided into separate operational units because of significant growth and maturity. Also, work in Mongolia is being brought into the denomination's formal organizational system.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Evangelization | Global connections | International affairs | United Methodist Church | Mission updates | Focus on Congregational Development | Laos | Mongolia | Thailand | Vietnam |
Date posted: Oct 14, 2011

When the Russia Initiative mini-consultation meets on October 15, 2011, advocates will share stories of friendship and church growth. The group will celebrate Rev. Jim Athearn's leadership as he steps down from coordinating the initiative and meet the new coordinator, David McLaurin, from Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Education | International affairs | Mission opportunities | Natural disasters | Volunteers | Partners/partnerships | Focus on Congregational Development | Asia and the Pacific Islands | Belarus | Moldova | Russia | Ukraine |
Date posted: Oct 10, 2011

Thousands of individuals and churches are expected to engage in mission through 10-Fold, a ten-day online gathering. Beginning on October 10, 2011, the event will offer opportunities to learn about powerful ministries of The United Methodist Church.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Agriculture | Donations | Education | Health | Missionaries | Natural disasters | Youth | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Leadership Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Focus on Global Health | Africa | Congo DR | Germany | Honduras | Philippines |
Date posted: Oct 06, 2011

In the month following South Sudan's independence, the United Methodist people of South Sudan outlined the priorities that will help strengthen the church as part of building a new nation. A team of clergy and lay leaders from Yei District came together for a roundtable meeting in Kampala, Uganda, on August 9 and 10, 2011, with delegates from the East Africa Annual Conference, the General Board of Global Ministries, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the Holston Annual Conference, and Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Agriculture | Education | Finance | Poverty | Water | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Leadership Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Sudan |
Date posted: Sep 23, 2011

The global mission agency of The United Methodist Church joins the voices of other Methodists and of the global ecumenical community in expressing grave concern over the Fijian government's recent restrictions placed on the Fiji Methodist Church.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Civil rights | Evangelism | Ethics | Global connections | Human rights | International affairs | Justice | Prayers | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development | Fiji |
Date posted: Sep 15, 2011

The Holy Bible occupies a central place in the life and witness of churches in China, and it is this theme that the second exciting Bible Ministry Exhibition of the China Christian Council explores when it comes to the United States on September 28. Entitled Thy Word Is Truth, this multimedia event is set to tour.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Bible | Education | Evangelism | Global connections | John Wesley | Mission opportunities | United Methodist Church | Focus on Congregational Development | China |
Date posted: Sep 15, 2011

This coming Saturday will mark 10 years of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The reactions that followed this event radically changed our world and the context of Mission. As we take time together to reflect and pray we are mindful of other instances of violence, including the recent shootings in Norway and all the places and people in the world who suffer violence in this very hour.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Children | Conflict | GBGM events | Global connections | Health | Human rights | Hunger | International affairs | Peace | Poverty | Prayers | Violence | War | Statements | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Ministry with the Poor | Focus on Global Health | United States | Afghanistan | Iraq | Norway |
Date posted: Sep 09, 2011

The Global Praise ministry of the General Board of Global Ministries traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in January 2011 to lead a two-week Worship and Music Training with the leaders of Global Ministries' Mission Initiative in Laos and Thailand. The participants took "core" classes in worship, music theory, and piano or guitar every day.
Source: GBGM Mission News
More about: Education | Evangelism | GBGM events | Mission opportunities | Music | Focus on Congregational Development | Focus on Leadership Development | Thailand |
Date posted: Aug 18, 2011