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| United Methodists Strengthen Mission in Mongolia | ||||||||||||
The United Methodist Church has acquired land and a building for a mission center in Ulaan Baatar, the capital city of Mongolia. The property was dedicated in late June by a team from the General Board of Global Ministries, the National Caucus of Korean United Methodist Church in the USA, and mission personnel in Mongolia. The board is the international mission agency of the denomination. Korean American United Methodists are, to date, the primary funders of the Mongolia Mission Initiative. They have contributed more than $90,000, including the money for the land and building. Helen Shepherd has been the sole United Methodist missionary in Mongolia for the last two years. She will be joined in September by the Rev. Millie Kim, a pastor from the North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference. United Methodist mission work in Mongolia began five years ago with a visit by representatives of the mission agency and the subsequent assignment of Ms. Shepherd. The mission includes a Hospice Ministry. “We were warmly welcomed and I can see a bright future for a United Methodist presence in Mongolia,” said the Rev. R. Randy Day, the chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries, who took part in the dedication of the new property. “Helen Shepherd is doing a remarkable job in expressing the love of God among a wonderful and positive people; Millie Kim’s ministry will multiply our witness and service.” Mongolia, located north of China, is a nation of 2.4 million people. About 22,000 are Christian, a number that has doubled in the last five years. Mongolia has vigorously endorsed a democratic form of government since the fall of communism a decade ago. Since then Buddhism has again flourished and is the traditional and still dominant religion. The country is undergoing rapid social and economic change, according to the Rev. Jong Sung Kim of the mission board staff, who was part of the team visiting in June. He sees improvements in health and education and said he anticipates an active United Methodist ministry. “We have a great opportunity to share God’s love and His Good News,” he said. Both Day and the Rev. Sam Dixon, head of the mission board’s unit on Evangelization and Church Growth, expressed deep appreciation to the Korean American United Methodists for their leadership, in terms of both financial and volunteer effort, in the Mongolia mission initiative. “I cannot say enough to thank the National Caucus of Korean United Methodist Churches,” Dixon said. “The financial contributions are substantial, and we would not be where we are without hundreds of volunteer hours from Korean American clergy and laity. We are especially indebted to Mr. Eugene Kim of Los Angeles, California, who spent five weeks in Mongolia scouting out potential sites for our mission center. He has been of enormous assistance to Helen Shepherd.” The Rev. Lee Cheo Kwon of Los Angeles and Dr. and Mrs. Lee Sang Chun of Detroit
were also part of the group attending the dedication in June. Helen Shepherd was assigned to Mongolia in 2002. Two young men from the mission chorale, Shaun Elhard and Timothy Gates, returned as mission interns that summer. The United Methodist Church was officially registered, as required under Mongolian law, as a non-governmental agency in 2003. Rev. Jong Sung Kim said that the Hospice Ministry, which cares for some 30 terminally-ill patients at a time, has opened the door to many Mongolian families. The hospice operates in a “Ger” district,” that is, an area of intense poverty on the outskirts of Ulaan Baatar. Hospice care expresses the love of Christ to both patients and their families and welcomes persons into Christian community. The new property is strategically located to be able to serve persons both
from the outlying “Ger” districts and from the downtown part of the city.
Date posted: Jul 15, 2004 |
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