Biblical and Theological Foundations

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In this Statement:

• Biblical and Theological Foundations
• The Crisis
• Theological, Historical, and Missional Mandate
• The Place of Children
• Justice and Mercy
• Our Historical Response
• Mutuality in Ministry
• The Appeal Mandate and Authorization
• Goals
• Strategies for Annual Conferences and Timelines
• The Challenge and the Opportunity for United Methodists Today

Biblical and Theological Foundations

The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church believes that a new moment of decision in regard to the Church's witness in Africa is upon us. With this Bishops' Appeal the Council is answering God's call to witness for peace, justice, and compassion by leading the global United Methodist family in the rebuilding of the Church in Africa and the renewal and restoration of spiritual and material ministries for children. This Appeal is a significant extension of the ongoing Episcopal Initiative on Children and Poverty that is revitalizing our church. You are invited to study and reflect on the biblical and theological foundations undergirding the Council's work and to pray for and with the members of the Council of Bishops as they undertake this appeal to the Church.

The ground of hope for the children of Africa, as for all God's children, is found in the mission and ministry of Jesus, in his announcement and enactment of the coming of the divine reign of justice, generosity, and joy. And we know that this hope is sure by his resurrection from the dead. The church of Christ has been given the commission to be a sign of hope in a world that is perishing, a sign that the dominion of division, destitution, despair, and death is being overcome through the love of God that is poured out in our hearts and made manifest by our deeds. This appeal is an opportunity for us to give dramatic testimony to the unity of the body of Christ, to the mutuality of love, to the promise of life that overcomes death. United Methodists in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas will be enabled through this Appeal to attest to our unity in the Spirit of love that binds us together.

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Of all the things the diverse nations of the continent of Africa have in common, none is so stark as the shared fact of the conflicts that have plagued so many nations for so many years. The nature of those conflicts differs from country to country but there is a sameness to the result: chaos and hardship caused by forces of evil that threaten the peace and ignore God's promise of abundant life for all God's children; country after country and ministry after ministry hobbled by the devastation; families torn apart and children left to fend for themselves in a world where neighbors are turned against each other, hope is battered, and dreams are trampled. The fallen buildings left in the wake of fighting assault the eye. But it is the damage to the ministries once housed within them-- ministries that breathed life into those structures by serving God's children--that assault the spirit.

This is a moment of urgent witness for the Church. It is a moment when we must see beyond the ruins to the hope that still lives. Peace is still fragile in many countries but most have finally started to rebuild after the religious, ethnic, political, or cultural conflicts that have devastated economies, broken up families, and separated entire populations from their homelands. And in all these countries the spirit of Christ is alive and well among God's people

In the words of Bishop Joseph C. Humper, "It is our freedom to worship God that is helping the people hold on and not give up easily. In the midst of all this pain and anguish and trouble, when they hear the church bell they go to give praise to God for everything. The spiritual life of the people has become the medication for the people. They go from one suffering to another and still they say, `I believe God is there, I believe that he will help us make it through.' We are being called to go and preach the gospel and come rain or come shine, we must go because people are waiting for us. Muslims are waiting for us. Christians are waiting for us. Even those who profess not to worship God in any way are waiting for us to come and speak to their consciences and strike their hearts to return to the God who made them. And that can only be possible if we have our structures rebuilt and our ministries restored to tend to the welfare of our children. If we do not care for them soon there will be no one left to go and preach." 1

The Council of Bishops has resolved to lead the global United Methodist family in faithful response to circumstances that for all their brutality, have not weakened this vibrant Christian witness coming out of Africa.

The appeal is for donations of new monies, materials, and labor specifically for rebuilding in those countries where so many church buildings have been destroyed or have decayed because they had to be abandoned during the years of fighting. Much of the money will be dedicated to rebuilding and restocking churches, schools, hospitals, and seminaries so that old ministries can be renewed and special programs to minister to children of war can begin.

Here are brief descriptions of the situation in some areas where churches and ministries have been damaged or destroyed by war: [A complete list of structures and ministries in need of rebuilding and restoration is being compiled for distribution.]

• In the Angola East area, where the fragile economy continues to be strained by the influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), mission staff reports almost total destruction. Schools and education ministries that had been responsible for educating thousands of youngsters over the years have had to cease operations and the buildings must be rebuilt so that those ministries can be restored.
• In the Angola West area, which is relatively peaceful, the church remains spiritually strong in spite of ruined churches in the cities and the provinces. These churches once housed important ministries for children for every day that they are left in ruins, more children are denied the material and spiritual services they need.
• In Rwanda, where ethnic hostilities continue, hundreds of people congregate on Sundays to worship under torn and tattered tarps stretched between buildings. Homeless refugees, many of them abandoned children, are returning home from refugee camps with no churches in which to worship and no ministries in place to tend to their well-being.
• In Burundi, thousands of destitute children who lost their families in a civil war that has plagued the country since 1993 now roam the streets of Bujumbura begging for money, with no ministries in place to care for them. The war has resulted in a massive loss of church buildings, but the church is alive in spirit.
• In Kenya, where so many Burundians have fled, people crowd into the churches they are building in the villages to house new congregations. Parents who have spent their last dollars trying to educate their children now struggle to find the money and the facilities to keep those children in school.
• In Mozambique, where peace after 15 years of civil war is making it possible for many people to gradually return to their homes, church membership is growing rapidly. Members are trying to repair churches, schools and hospitals. The church has been very successful in bringing together children who have lost parents with parents who have lost children in home-like care settings. However, the loss of so many church structures is making it quite difficult to develop and offer ministries to receive and care for people returning from Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and South Africa.
• In Zimbabwe, with 60 percent of its population under the age of 20, lack of churches and trained pastors to minister to people struggling with extreme poverty, AIDS, and little or no access to education, is putting more and more children at risk. There is a growing phenomenon of street children orphaned by AIDS and by the war in Mozambique, which the church must address through special ministries. Church growth is so rapid that there are not enough buildings to contain the worshipers and services are being held in schools, under trees or wherever people can congregate.
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose new president, Laurent Kabila, was educated in the United Methodist Church, ironically, the destruction of so many church ministries threatens to permanently stunt the spiritual and educational growth of the next generation of potential church and civic leaders.
• In Sierra Leone, where the centrally located church once reached out into the towns and villages to minister to people, the war has damaged structures and scattered the population. Since the population has become mobile, in an attempt to stay ahead of the rebels, the church must rebuild and find a way to bring care to these people.
• In Liberia, whose economy--like so many others--has been destroyed by the war, schools and churches either have been knocked down in the fighting or fallen down after the years of emptiness when the war kept people away. Because so many children were forcibly conscripted into the military, there are serious aftereffects and emotional trauma that must be addressed through special ministries with these children.
• In Nigeria, where hardship persists because rich natural resources have not translated into prosperity for the people, church membership of 170,000 United Methodists is projected to grow to 200,000. With such a large rate of growth projected the conference is stretched to the limit in its evangelistic outreach because of inadequate conference facilities. 2

In these places and others on the continent of Africa, the Church is called to be a prophetic presence; called to confront; called to be in solidarity with those for whom justice has been elusive; and called to be a sign of hope when despair most threatens to extinguish the joy in the hearts of God's people.

It is that spirit which we embrace and uplift with this appeal.

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The Council of Bishops has adopted an ongoing Initiative on Children and poverty and this Appeal is in keeping with that emphasis. More than half the population of Africa is under the age of 18. Those who are affected by the plight of violence and deprivation are overwhelmingly children and the churches of Africa are committed to announcing and enacting hope for the children of Africa.

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The Place of Children

It hardly seems necessary to remind ourselves of the Church's responsibility for the well-being of children. However, other interests frequently turn us to matters of lesser warrant, resulting in the need to reaffirm our concern for and devotion to "the little ones," which is central to the discipleship of the church in the world.

More compelling than simply the wish to be concerned about the most innocent and defenseless is the awareness of the unique place of children in God's most vivid self- disclosure and continuing ministry in our midst. "God is with us," the Word announces, and the moment is marked by the birth of a baby.

Incarnation, time fulfilled, and promised salvation assured--and it happened when "a child was given." The truth is stark and clear: children hold a special place of holiness in the mind of God and of worth in the affairs of God's world, and we dare not violate God's intentions.

Jesus, of course, underscores several times what he knew to be God's special regard for children: "If anyone offends or mistreats one of them, the consequences will be severe--like having a stone tied about one's neck and being thrown into the sea...." (Luke 17:2); or "Entry into heaven is for those who are childlike, humble in spirit" (Mark 10:15). And Jesus gave special place to the powerless and marginalized: "Greater are those who are the least or most in need" (Luke 7:28). It follows, then, that for the Church the care of children is a mission priority consistent with the will of the Holy. Thus, this Bishop's Appeal, "Hope for the Children of Africa," is timely and worthy.

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However, more is needed than the familiar dramatization of stricken and impoverished babies and the appeals for monies and medicines. More than such limited acts of charity are required to confront the injustices within the nations of Africa (and in our nation) that are the causes of the starving babies and their traumatized and hopeless parents.

We must remind ourselves that the prosperity of European and American society owes much to the unpaid labor of Africans over the course of four centuries. Slave trade and slave labor both subsidized the growing prosperity of Europe and America and deprived Africa of peace and the human resources to build prosperity.

Nor is this simply ancient history. Africa continues to subsidize Euro-American prosperity through exorbitant interest paid on "debt"; the poorest continent thus subsidizes the financial institutions of the wealthiest nations. This is why the churches have called for a "Jubilee" cancellation of international debt.

Moreover the violence that has ravaged Africa has been fostered by policies that have favored military dictatorships in countries like Zaire and armed insurrection in Angola and Mozambique. Multinational corporations make millions selling arms to Africa and peddling worthless medicines.

The point of recalling these things is not to wallow in guilt but to turn with eager hope to the One who offers us a new beginning through the confession and forgiveness of sin.

This era offers to United Methodism a time to repent of its own sinful neglect of Africa's children and to commit energy and resources needed to help make life healthier and better for our sisters and brothers and their children on that troubled continent.

In the Foundation document for the Episcopal Initiative "Children and Poverty" we have said:

"Faithfulness to God requires solidarity with and justice for the most vulnerable (the widows and children).

Relationships of justice, compassion, and mercy toward the poor are more important than cultic practices and are normative expectations of the people of God. "Give justice to the weak (and the children); maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute."

"Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:3-4).

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The Wesleyan tradition that informs United Methodism is a history of participation in God's mission. The "Theology of Mission Statement" of the General Board of Global Ministries, our church's mission agency, states it well:

"...partnership in God's mission is personal and social, inseparably combining evangelism and social action. Those who are justified and sanctified by God's saving grace seek to spread scriptural holiness for the transformation, redemption, and renewal of the whole world.

"The response to God's prior grace results in particular identification and solidarity with the poor, the oppressed, the outcast, and the abandoned. For John Wesley, solidarity with the poor was expressed by providing direct aid and immediate relief to human suffering as well as by engaging in prophetic witness against the sinful causes of poverty and suffering." 3

Our church is engaged in Christian witness in nearly all the so-called troubled areas. Today, the Central Conferences in Africa include 13 Annual Conferences, some with districts in other African countries. The scope of United Methodist Church mission is further enlarged by relationships with autonomous Methodist Churches in some countries.

Millions of Africans have been educated, healed, and fed through the church's seminaries, schools, hospitals, and agricultural ministries. African Christians--working alongside missionaries--laid the groundwork for today's thriving churches, and are overwhelmingly responsible for the phenomenal growth of the church in Africa and the movement to spread the Gospel into new regions and villages. There now are close to a million United Methodists in Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zaire, and Zimbabwe, under the episcopal leadership of 13 African bishops. United Methodist Women groups are strong in most countries where the church is in mission and African church women have been the backbone of the successful ministries that serve the needs of young people.

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When St. Paul undertook an "appeal" among the congregations of gentiles for the poor of the community in Jerusalem, he underscored the importance of mutuality in the body of Christ. He wrote "...that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality." (2 Cor. 8:14).

Africa, which is humankind's first homeland, is not just a story of humiliation and violation. It is also a land of astonishing faith and hope and joy. Those who live in more prosperous and peaceful societies receive from African Christians their testimony of unquenchable faith, unflinching endurance, and the song of joy that banishes doubt and fear.

In partnership with the people, and especially the children of Africa, our own faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ will be renewed and our hope for the transformation of the earth restored.

Indigenous United Methodist clergy, lay pastors and other laity, along with missionaries and mission volunteers from throughout the global church have labored on bicycle and on foot, in seasons of drought and refuge, to witness for the unbroken chords of Jesus' love and to sing of God's liberation.

The wars have been fought and the suffering continues but still the people proclaim, "God has not been defeated. God is still working and so we must go to church," for consolation and reconciliation; for spiritual nurturing; and to answer the profound human need for oneness with God. Even when the church buildings are barely standing and ministries are barely able to provide material comfort the people still come to feed their spirits.

As the document from the 1997 consultation with Africa Bishops, held in Harare, Zimbabwe concludes, "Yes, there is Hutu vs. Tutsi in Rwanda and Burundi. Yes, the civilian government has been replaced in Sierra Leone. And, yes, there is the clash between the old culture and the new in some nations. But there is also the faith of South Africa, the hope of Namibia, the love of Uganda, and the spirit of Mozambique, where the people are singing the Lord's song with new fervor."

As partners in God's mission we are called into prophetic, sacrificial, risk-filled opposition to the forces of evil, injustice, violence, and oppression; challenging, in the name of Jesus Christ, those structures, systems, policies and practices that destroy God's design for creation and usurp God's authority over the created order. Such witness is a foretaste of the fulfillment of God's reign. (Mark 13:3-13) 4

See also:

• Making Mission Mutual by Bishop Joao Somane Machado, Mozambique Area, The United Methodist Church
• Mutuality as Mission: Beyond Charity and Paternalism by Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, Nashville Area, The United Methodist Church

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In November 1997, the Council of Bishops voted to recommend a three-year Bishops' Appeal, "Hope for the Children of Africa" to provide relief, reconciliation, and rebuilding of the church, with specific attention to the physical, social, and spiritual well-being of children suffering the devastating effects of civil wars.

The church wide appeal received approval from the General Council on Finance and Administration at its December 1997 meeting.

A joint task force was appointed with the directive that it prepare a plan for a Bishops' Appeal, "Hope for the Children of Africa," that would engage the entire family of the Church in restoring war-ravaged church buildings and the life-changing ministries they once housed.

This document is the result of the work of that task force and is being sent to the Church with the authorization of the Council of Bishops. The task force continues to develop resources to undergird the appeal and to support the goals articulated by the Council of Bishops.

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Where there is faith there is hope, as witnessed by the incredible capacity of the human spirit to transcend division and despair. We are bound in the unity of the Spirit with others who belong to Christ. We draw strength and an even greater ability to share from that companionship of sisters and brothers.

Our goals for the "Hope for the Children of Africa" appeal are to rebuild United Methodist churches, which are committed to announcing and enacting hope for the children of Africa, restore ministries, and plan new ones that address the traumas of war, advance peace and reconciliation, and bring all God's people back into the caring community of the church.

We are called to witness hope for the children of Africa by celebrating the spiritual freedom that allows us to worship and to preach the gospel of reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. Our witness for children assures that they may grow to continue the church's partnership in God's mission.

We are called to stand in steadfast, vigorous solidarity with the people called Methodist in Africa as we take our Christian witness for justice, compassion, and mercy to the cities, the towns, the villages, and the corridors of power. In all of these places our proclamation must be heard by the aggressors, the politicians, and the armies: These victims--children and adult alike--are God's people and their care is in our hands.

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The successful completion of our work depends on the full support of each annual conference. As the appeal proceeds strategies for the conferences will be fully outlined. The executive committee of the council has asked each appointed bishop to designate a committee of the annual or central conference with authorization for that committee to work on generating support for the duration of the appeal.

The three-year Bishops' Appeal begins with the 1998 Lenten season of sacrifice, reflection, and celebration and ends at General Conference 2000. The Bishops have asked each congregation to participate in the appeal by taking a special Lenten offering to help launch the church's response. Another church wide offering will be requested during Advent 1998. A detailed time line for events, programs, and projects to undergird the appeal will be provided.

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The Challenge and the Opportunity for United Methodists Today

Through the Church we proclaim the good news by seeking justice, relief, and the restoration of life in wholeness and abundance for all God's children. Just a year after the Bishops of the United Methodist Church launched the Children and Poverty Initiative, our church's celebration of mission in Kansas City, "Global Gathering III" followed up with the question, "Whose Child is This?" The resounding answer from the thousands of people assembled from all corners of the world was, "Our child!"

Our witness in these chaotic times for so many nations of sub-Saharan Africa acknowledges and affirms the connection between spiritual issues and everyday economic issues and acknowledges and affirms the need to rebuild the churches and institutions and their ministries.

• Spiritual ministries: The church is the people of God called to witness and to serve. Children are an integral part of the church and their spiritual development cannot be ignored. It is through restoration of church facilities and spiritual ministries that we provide a framework within which we can equip children to respond to God's call. Resources will include Bible study programs and materials for children, faith enrichment resources, peace education, alleviation of ethnic tensions, conflict resolution, children's books, and special programs for street children and children traumatized by war.
• Education ministries: Education promotes empowerment and possibility and enables children to attain the knowledge they need to fulfill God's purpose in their lives. Resources under development include basic educational materials, literacy education materials, and basic educational supplies and equipment for war-torn institutions.
• Healing ministries: Comprehensive community health care promotes physical well-being. Attention will be given to programs to reduce infant mortality through adequate nutrition, immunizations, safe drinking water, proper food handling, and AIDS education. Good health requires more than just attention to the absence of illness. We will work in consultation with the different communities to assure that facilities and programs are appropriate to answer the need for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
• Special ministries: Children of war face special problems. Attention will be given to special programs to reintegrate child soldiers into their communities; encourage the return of young males and females who have left school because of war; minister to girls who have been especially victimized; and address the issue of land mines.

Explanatory materials designed to provoke thought, study, and a clear understanding of the crisis and the issues contributing to it, and the role of the church, will be developed and supplemented with mission study and action plans for congregations, conferences, church agencies, and the Council of Bishops. The materials will include those suitable for adult study and those designed specifically for children.

Over the next three years of this appeal much will depend on the enthusiastic participation of the global United Methodist family through prayers, study, labor, and financial support.

There is an urgency and enormity to this task of working as partners in mission, "guided by the vision of God's justice, mercy and peace, bearing witness to God who judges, supersedes and transcends all social institutions and ideologies, political and economic power structures." 5 We of the Church dare not turn away.