General Board of Global Ministries The United Methodist Church 475 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10115 Contact: Elliott Wright Tel: 212/870-3921 email: ewright@gbgm-umc.org A worship celebration in Mongolia. Image by: ST Kimbrough Source: Evangelization and Church Growth A worship celebration in Mongolia. Image by: ST Kimbrough Source: Evangelization and Church Growth

New York, NY, December 8, 2005-More than 300 people gathered in late November in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to celebrate the first anniversary of the first United Methodist congregation in that ancient Asian land immediately north of China.

Many children took part in the celebration held in a brightly decorated "ger," a tent-like, traditional Mongolian dwelling set up as a sanctuary on the grounds of the United Methodist Center. Also present was a delegation from the General Board of Global Ministries, the denomination's international mission agency.

Joyful sounds filled the ger as children and youth praised God and Jesus Christ in songs and prayers. "It was such a happy occasion," said the Rev. Jong Song Kim, a staff member of the Evangelization and Church Growth Program Area of the mission board and part of the delegation. "The energy was amazing. I wish we could have brought it back to share with congregations in the United States. The children were very engaged in the sermon, 'You are the Salt of the Earth,' by the Rev. Dr. ST Kimbrough. The preacher asked them Bible questions and they enthusiastically responded through translators."

Rev. Jong Song Kim said that more people would have attended but the gates to the mission center had to be closed when the space limitation was reached. "We couldn't accommodate any more people." There were five adults and 25 children present when Rev. Millie Kim held the first United Methodist service of worship a year earlier.

United Methodist mission work in Mongolia began in 2001 through a youth mission choral, and the next year a missionary, Helen Sheperd, arrived to start a hospice in an extremely poor area of Ulaanbaatar. The congregation was organized last year with the arrival of a second missionary, the Rev. Millie Kim, a clergy member of the North Georgia Annual Conference.

In addition to a palliative health care program, food programs, and multiple outreach programs for children and youth, the United Methodist mission includes Bible study, worship, and evangelism.

The Korean United Methodist Mongolia Mission Support Group and the North Georgia Annual Conference have provided much of the financial backing for the work in Mongolia. Several Korean American groups have made mission trips to Mongolia in recent months. A third missionary will likely be assigned soon and plans are underway for a full-time physician for a clinic that will be housed in the United Methodist Center.

Korean American United Methodists contributed $100,000 for the Ulaanbaatar mission center in 2003 and an additional $80,000 the next year. The Korean Community Church of Leonia, New Jersey, has committed $130,000 to the center, and the Detroit Korean United Methodist Church is committed to the support of the projected doctor for the mission center clinic. The building, which has about a half-acre of grounds, now contains a sanctuary, classrooms, and offices. The hospice will continue in an acutely poor area of the capital city.

In his sermon, Dr. Kimbrough said that "God has worked powerfully through the new mission initiative in Mongolia, the United Methodist missionaries, and the indigenous Mongolians who have committed themselves as servants of Christ and the Church."

Kimbrough heads the Mission Evangelism Office and the Global Praise music program at the General Board of Global Ministries. He organized and directed the GBGM Youth Mission Chorale in a 2001 tour that included a concert at the Ulaanbaatar opera house. That trip laid the foundations that led to the appointment of Missionary Helen Sheperd.

Mongolia 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.

Additional information on the Mongolia Mission can be obtained from Rev. Jung Song Kim at 212 870-3829 or Dr. David Wu, another mission board executive who was at the anniversary celebration, at 212 870-3955. General support for the Mongolia Mission Initiative can be channel through the United Methodist Advance for Christ and His Church either through local congregations or by direct contribution. Make checks payable to ADVANCE GCFA and write "Mongolia Advance # 00209A" on it. Place in any United Methodist offering plate or mail to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, and New York, NY 10087-9068. Gifts may also be made by credit card at (888) 252-6174. Missionaries in Mongolia are paid by the General Board of Global Ministries with money from two sources: The general World Service Fund of the denomination and designated gifts for missionary support, particularly through "covenant relationships." For more information on how to set up a covenant relationship, go online to http://gbgm-umc.org/who_we_are/mp/covenant.cfm.

	See Also... Topic: Christian love |  Communities |  Evangelization |  GBGM programs |  Missionaries |  United Methodist Church |  Partners/partnerships |  Methodism |  Geographic Region: Mongolia |  Source: GBGM Press Releases
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Date posted: Dec 08, 2005