New York City—"To the church gathered here and around the world, I present your new missionaries." With that declaration, Bishop Joel Martinez sent forth the first United Methodist missionaries of the new quadrennium. The service of worship, commitment, and celebration was held Thursday evening in the chapel of General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) headquarters in Manhattan. The commissioning represented the largest ever class of missionaries sent forth to take the Gospel "into all the world on behalf of the United Methodist Church." The 60 deaconesses and missionaries are from nine countries, including Brazil, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, the Phillippines, Senegal, and the United States. One by one, they kneeled for the laying on of hands and then, against a backdrop of bishops clad in white robes and red stoles, stood to have anchor crosses placed around their necks. The crosses are a traditional symbol of strength for the journey. One by one, they kneeled for the laying on of hands, then, against a backdrop of white robed bishops cloaked in red stoles, stood to have anchor crosses symbolizing strength for the mission journey placed around their necks. Board President Martinez was joined at the service by Bishops Joseph Humper of Sierra Leone, Johnathan Keaton of Ohio,William Dew of Desert Southwest, and Hae Jong Kim of Western Pennsylvania Describing the context in which the church answers the gospel call to mission as a world of diversity in which a tiny minority of people control an enormous amount of wealth Dr. Randolph Nugent, General Secretary, exhorted the missionaries to "lift high the cross" and to remember that their bearing the sign and symbol of "Him who died" means that they have a responsibility to emulate the life of Christ. As the audience of some 300 family, friends, and GBGM directors and staff looked on, the new missionaries asserted that they have been led by the Spirit of God to engage in mission and vowed to carry out their ministries "in sincerity and in love" under the direction of the church. United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) chief executive Paul Dirdak described the death and destruction wrought by landmines around the world and about the mission board's initiative to remove them quickly and safely. In response to warnings about the danger of undertaking this work, he said, "The only thing more dangerous than removing the landmines is leaving them where they are. The offering was dedicated to Landmine Removal Advance #982575-3. Missionary Esperance Kayombo of the North Katanga Annual Conference in Central Africa said, "I'm so excited. I have been devoted to serving women, children, and youth and now I will depend on God to give me the strength to answer my call." Roseangela Soares de Oliveira of the Methodist Church in Brazil is assigned to Women's Leadership Development in Brazil. She said, "I feel the church is giving me a great opportunity to answer the call of God to lift the lives of women in Latin America and to witness dignity for all of them through mission." The newest class brings to more than 2,100 the number of United Methodist missionaries assigned throughout the world by GBGM. Click HERE for the list of persons commissioned. October 13, 2000
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