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Khanya Programme of Mooiplaas, South Africa: Story and Photo Library
In a school classroom in Mooiplaas, South Africa,
church members are joined by others from the
community for a standing-room-only worship
service. This is a special service, a celebration
that lasts for several hours. Men and women, some
dressed all in white, some in vivid colors, dance
and sing, swirling around the crowded room. What
is the cause for this festive occasion-- goats!
Goats have been delivered for members of the
community who are striving to create a more self-
sufficient life for themselves and their
families.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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Humanitarian Crisis Worsened by Continued Fighting in Liberia
The conflict in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and the
most recent fighting between the Liberian
government and the rebel force, Liberians United
for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) have
worsened the already complex humanitarian crisis
in Liberia.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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President Benjamin Boni of the Protestant
Methodist Church of Cote d’Ivoire headed a
delegation of church leadership that met with
General Secretary, Randy Day of the General
Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), cabinet
members and related staff in New York on
February 24, 2003.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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Methodist leaders from the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory
Coast) are blaming France for contributing to
the current unrest in the West African
country.
During a Feb. 26 briefing with the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the
church leaders outlined their viewpoints on the
crisis and the need for U.S. involvement. The
Protestant Methodist Church of Cote d'Ivoire
recently was given "mission church" status with
the Board of Global Ministries.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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Daily devotions thru Ash Wed. March 5th
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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The prevailing assumption in the United States
government is that war with Iraq is inevitable.
As a Christian, I find such sentiment to be
unacceptable. Many of us continue to work
fervently for a peaceful resolution to this
crisis and have been involved in numerous prayer
and worship services, marches and rallies, peace
conferences, and meetings with government
officials intended to avert war. I am grateful
these sisters and brothers from Europe have come
to stand in solidarity with us today against war.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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On the day President Bush sought public support
for war with Iraq on prime-time TV, U.S.
citizens staged a virtual march on the White
House and Congress, and international church
leaders braved a snowstorm for a ceremonial
signing of a statement against the war.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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Being prepared to die thousands of miles away
from home is part of his job description.
He will walk into danger's way without a weapon
because that is where his congregation is going.
Chaplain Capt. Ernest P. Jay West is the perfect
blend of soldier and United Methodist pastor.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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The visiting delegates from The United States
headed by the Rev. Dr. Lloyd Terrell and from
Europe headed by Bishop Olsyen Olsen to the just-
ended 170th Session of the Liberia Annual
Conference of The United Methodist Church
(LAC/UMC) have commended the Church for its
impressive work in promoting the mission and
ministry of Jesus Christ in Liberia.
Date posted:Feb 28, 2003
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The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS
The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing
of AIDS has grown to become the largest AIDS
awareness program in the United States targeting
the Black community. This event is a vehicle for
spiritual renewal, transformation and HIV
prevention education.
Date posted:Feb 26, 2003
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"I keep thinking about the children," says GBGM
General Secretary R. Randy Day, shaking his
head. He is concerned about the daily doses of
war news, and the effects they have on children,
now and in the future. "How are our children
here in the United States dealing with it? What
will it do to the children of Iraq?"
Date posted:Feb 26, 2003
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"Beautiful Houses" Bring Smiles in El Salvador
Under the blistering mid-day heat in La Paz,
Antonia Posada sieves sand for a concrete mix.
Her house in the city's San Lorenzo housing
project is almost finished. She says, "I feel
quite happy and I always will be thankful to God
and all those people who have helped us to have
these beautiful houses."
Date posted:Feb 26, 2003
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Several members of Congress offered
encouragement to justice advocates during a Feb.
25 reception, and noted the need for focusing
more attention on peace and bolstering neglected
parts of the world.
The reception on Capitol Hill provided a break
for the advocates, who met in Washington Feb. 23-
26 for panel discussions and briefings on Africa
and the Middle East. The Advocacy Days gathering
was to conclude with visits to representatives
and senators.
Date posted:Feb 26, 2003
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Never before have so many people in so many
different places around the world united to say
no to war. On February 15th millions marched in
350 cities. Over 100 city councils in the
United States have now adopted resolutions
against war with Iraq. Many churches, trade
unions, and other organizations have issued
statements, held vigils, and spoken out opposing
military force against Iraq. Instead people are
calling for more time for UN weapons
inspections, and for lifting of economic
sanctions which have already devastated the
lives of millions of Iraqi civilians.
Date posted:Feb 25, 2003
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Sally Vonner of the North Texas Conference
completed her term as a 10-10-10 missionary of
the General Board of Global Ministries in
February 2003. She shares reflection on how the
experience of service has enriched and renewed
her life.
Date posted:Feb 24, 2003
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As tensions between the United States and North
Korea grow daily, Korean-American United
Methodists are feeling the pain and frustration
of seeing their dreams for peace and the
reunification of North and South Korea slip
further away.
Date posted:Feb 24, 2003
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Djamila reads a Bible text for the first time in
the worship service of the Methodist
Congregation in the Kabyle Mountains in Algeria.
She does it slowly, her voice is shaky. Some of
the women have tears in their eyes. Djamila was
illiterate. The few years she was able to go to
school did not allow her to learn to read.
Date posted:Feb 24, 2003
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When I was 8 years old, people power came to me
in the form of a short-sleeved, lemon yellow,
thick cotton t-shirt. The front of it was
emblazoned with a giant hand with the index
finger and thumb extended in the shape of
an "L." In the Philippines several time zones
away, my cousins were skipping classes to march
through the streets... At home in Chicago...I
wore the shirt to gym class, with a vague notion
of its connection to the heady rush of events
taking place in the Bayan.
Date posted:Feb 21, 2003
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Leaders of the British Methodist Church have
created a letter about pending military action
against Iraq that is to be read in Feb. 23
worship services throughout the United Kingdom.
A copy of the letter has been forwarded to Prime
Minister Tony Blair.
Date posted:Feb 21, 2003
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Bill and Maria Humbane are missionaries of
General Board of Global Ministries assigned to
Africa University and the Ishe Anesu Project
respectively in Zimbabwe. Maria shares news of
dedication of a children’s center in an
impoverished region of the country.
Date posted:Feb 20, 2003
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A timeline charts North Korea's nuclear weapons
program for the past 10 years.
Date posted:Feb 20, 2003
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On January 19, 2003 in the village of Tanmuna in
eastern Nepal the first
United Methodist Church was dedicated by Dr. S T
Kimbrough, Jr., Associate
General Secretary for Mission Evangelism of the
General Board of Global
Ministries (GBGM) and Dr. David Wu, Assistant
General Secretary for
Congregational Initiatives of the Board.
Date posted:Feb 19, 2003
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The results of war with Iraq would be
catastrophic, a group of church leaders,
including United Methodist Bishop Melvin
Talbert, told British Prime Minister Tony Blair
in a face-to-face meeting Feb. 18.
Date posted:Feb 19, 2003
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The Feb. 18 meeting at 10 Downing Street is the
third such exchange about Iraq between U.S.
religious leaders and European politicians.
Date posted:Feb 19, 2003
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Methodism's witness for peace and social justice
in these troubled times is an imperative of the
Gospel - just as it was for John Wesley, the
founder of the movement, in his own day.
Date posted:Feb 18, 2003
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Dave and Kristan Markay are Missionaries in
Residence who previously served in Lithuania.
An excerpt of their February newsletter offers
commentary on our need to "look for Christ" in
ordinary encounters.
Date posted:Feb 17, 2003
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The Evangelical Methodist Church in Uruguay is
against the use of violence as an instrument to
resolve conflicts. We are conscious of the fear
that terrorism provokes, but the war is not the
solution. Neither will it resolve human rights
abuses, or the absence of democracy in some
parts of the world. Furthermore, the
new “preemptive war” philosophy, endorsed only
by suspicions, puts us in a highly dangerous
path for the future of humanity and the co-
habitation as nations.
Date posted:Feb 14, 2003
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United Methodist teachers and children's leaders
are receiving a packet of information designed
to get kids more involved in supporting missions
around the world.
Date posted:Feb 14, 2003
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Cooperation is increasing among Methodist bodies
in Europe, particularly around issues such as
the treatment of immigrants and minorities.
For example, a dialogue on shared mission
between the British Methodist Church, the single
largest Methodist body in Europe, and the United
Methodist Church, is continuing, according to
Colin Ride, Europe secretary for the British
Methodists. He paid a Feb. 11-12 visit to the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in
New York, a follow-up to a London visit by the
board's cabinet last fall.
Date posted:Feb 14, 2003
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On Saturday, February 15th, millions of people
in over 350 cities across the
globe will march and rally to say "No to War."
Peoples of all faiths, all
races, all ages and all walks of life will come
together to make visible
their commitment to peace and to urge world
leaders to turn from the path to
war. United Methodists will be at many of these
gatherings in many
different countries.
Date posted:Feb 13, 2003
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Afghan Kids Say 'Thank You' for UMCOR School Kits
Afghan refugee children have said, "Thank you!"
for UMCOR school kits they received. They attend
the Nazoo Anna Education Center for Afghan
Refugee Children in Peshawar, Pakistan. The over
700 students who go to this co-educational school
have many needs.
Date posted:Feb 12, 2003
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Thank You Letters from Afghan Refugees at The Nazoo Anna Education Center
Just before Christmas, December 2002, students at
Nazoo Anna Education Center in Peshawar,
Pakistan, sent David Sadoo, UMCOR staff, thank
you letters for UMCOR school and health kits that
they had received. Some of their letters are
reproduced below on this page.
Date posted:Feb 12, 2003
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A seed that was planted in Korea 100 years ago
is taking root in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, today.
Korean United Methodists in the United States
have raised $100,000 to build an information and
training center in Mongolia. The United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries will
contribute another $100,000.
Date posted:Feb 12, 2003
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When the Rev. R. Randy Day, General Secretary of
the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM)
says he loves children, and that baptism is his
favorite sacrament, he goes out of his way to
show it. Recently, following an eight-day trip
to Brazil where he observed the Brazilian
Methodist Church’s mission outreach in action,
he went to the Dominican Republic (DR), where,
first, he attended a mission-related meeting,
and then, he baptized a baby.
Date posted:Feb 11, 2003
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Nan McCurdy and her husband, Miguel Mairena, are
missionaries of the General Board of Global
Ministries assigned to Nicaragua. As we enter a
new year, an excerpt of a recent newsletter from
Nan is reminder of the significance of the local
church’s role in support of mission work.
Date posted:Feb 10, 2003
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The Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of
Latin America and the Caribbean joins its words
with those of the churches, ecumenical and
social organizations, and international
entities, denouncing the preventive war of the
United States and the United Kingdom against
Iraq as a transgression of humanity, given the
massive mortality rate, the sequel of pain,
massive destruction and the ecological
contamination that it will produce in the
present and in the future.
Date posted:Feb 10, 2003
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With a new war at our door, already announced
and debated in all the media, we feel not only a
deep sense of rejection, but also distress.
When and where will the insanity of those
proposing to make it happentake them? In their
desire to obtain total power, they are counting
only their gains, not measuring the consequences.
Date posted:Feb 10, 2003
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Mozambique Floods: UMCOR's Response
In an area already affected by a food crisis,
floods. Around 100,000 families have been left
homeless by the rising waters. Please continue to
give your gifts the Churchwide Appeal for Flood
Recovery in Mozambique and Neighboring Countries
by giving to UMCOR Advance #156500-0.
Date posted:Feb 07, 2003
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Hungry for Peace
Leaders of the World Student Christian
Federation (WSCF) movements in Asia-Pacific have
launched a campaign to aid Iraqi children. They
are saying 'NO! War!' and asking youth and
students throughout the world to join the Skip a
Meal Campaign.
Date posted:Feb 07, 2003
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Stephanie Crutchfield , a missionary of the
General Board
of Global Ministries of The United Methodist
Church speaks of the mutuality of mission as she
serves among the indigenous Ayta population in
the Phillipines. She offers the following
thought provoking question.
Date posted:Feb 06, 2003
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"Fifty percent of the children born in my
country are born into poor homes," said Mariana
Berger. "We don't want to be part of the causes
that make the lives of other people in the world
miserable," said Arnhild Helgesen. Mariana is
from Uruguay and Arnhild is from Norway. The two
young people were taking part in a discussion at
the workshop on youth and globalization
organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC)
at the third World Social Forum.
Date posted:Feb 06, 2003
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Representatives of four Methodist traditions
gathered in Cambodia recently for the first
ordination there of pastors within the Methodist
connection.
Officially recognizing the Jan. 17 ordination in
Phnom Penh were Bishop William Dew, representing
the United Methodist Church in the United
States, Switzerland and France; Bishop Jun Yang
Chul, Korean Methodist Church; Bishop Robert
Solomon, Methodist Church in Singapore; and
Bishop Li Ping Kwong, World Federation of
Chinese Methodist Churches.
Date posted:Feb 06, 2003
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The President of the Council of Bishops, Bishop
Sharon Brown
Christopher, today released a letter to all
United Methodists, asking us
to join the Bishops in prayer at this crucial
and unsettling time.
Date posted:Feb 06, 2003
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“I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound of
the trumpet, the alarm of war. Disaster
overtakes disaster, the whole land is laid
waste.” Jeremiah 4:19-20
Our biblical calling to be peacemakers and the
United Methodist Church’s longstanding support
for peace and justice lead us to lift up the
following principles & issues:
Date posted:Feb 05, 2003
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An indigenous couple has founded the first
United Methodist church in the predominantly
Hindu country of Nepal.
Devi and Karuna Bhujel also are missionaries
with the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, according to the Rev. S T Kimbrough
Jr., a board executive.
Date posted:Feb 05, 2003
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“We will continue struggling” for peace and
dignity in Vieques, assured Bishop Juan Antonio
Vera of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico as
he dismissed the multitude at the Walk for Peace
and Life, convened recently in solidarity with
the people of Vieques.
Date posted:Feb 04, 2003
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The Brazilian Methodist Church’s vital
ministries with the landless, poor and
indigenous peoples greatly impressed the Rev. R.
Randy Day, General Secretary of the General
Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). During the
eight-day trip, Day and GBGM’s Committee to
Eliminate Institutional Racism (CEIR) met with
church leaders and visited a variety of
community projects which address problems of
racism. Brazil, the only Portuguese-speaking
nation in the Western Hemisphere, has the
largest African-descendent population outside of
Africa.
Date posted:Feb 04, 2003
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Kathern B. Stanley is a missionary of the General
Board of Global Ministries of The United
Methodist Church who has assignment among the
Choctaw people in rural Alabama. She shares
news of how her work is impacting the lives of
young people in her community.
Date posted:Feb 03, 2003
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Action Alert Federal Budget Process
February 2003
From: UNITED METHODIST WOMEN’S ACTION NETWORK
Women’s Division – General Board of Global
Ministries
100 Maryland Avenue, NE Suite 530 – Washington,
DC 20002
Tel. (202) 488-5660 * Fax (202) 488-5681
Date posted:Feb 01, 2003
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