Dr. Nugent Reflects on Cabinet Visit to Africa Trip

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President Chissano welcomes
GBGM cabinet, Mozambique President Chissano welcomes GBGM cabinet, Mozambique

Africa is not just on the horizon of the church, but is "right in front of us" according to Dr. Randolph Nugent, head of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Nugent made the remarks as he reflected on a January trip to Mozambique by members of the mission board cabinet. Referring to a comment made in last year's presidential debates in which then candidate George W. Bush dismissed Africa as a concern for America, Nugent expressed the hope that the people of the church would never consider the well-being of Africans to be unimportant.

He said, "These are God's people and God calls us to be with people particularly where they are hurting, suffering, and in need. I would hope that we would be willing to share the abundant resources that God has given us. Anything less than that, anything less, would be unworthy of that to which God has called us."

Nugent led the board cabinet on a trip to meet with United Methodist bishops assigned throughout the continent. Each year, the African bishops meet to discuss their concerns and their perspectives on the church's mission and ministry on the continent. Nugent said this year's meeting was doubly significant because it was the first time the entire cabinet of the mission board met with all the bishops and heard "the ways in which the bishops have been hoping and praying for the board to be supportive of the various ministries and efforts in which the people in conferences and churches in Africa are engaged."

At the conclusion of the episcopal meeting, cabinet was to hear presentations from each bishop and to discuss the concerns raised. The entire group later traveled to visit United Methodist churches in Mozambique for worship and further meeting with people of the church. The trips to the churches also were educational in that they allowed cabinet members to experience some of the challenges Africans live with every day.

"It's sobering," Nugent said, "because it is so taxing to have to do the things that people normally have to do in the continent. The transportation infrastructure isn't there, the health infrastructure isn't there, neither is the food there. So, when the cabinet was confronted with all these challenges, I daresay that it made an impact and I do not believe that we and I include myself even though I've been to Africa before--shall ever be the same."

Pointing out that Africa is dealing with many pressing issues and concerns, not the least of which is the havoc wrought by continuing wars, Nugent said the church continues to be a prophetic presence on the continent. "Our bishops were discussing peace, and their efforts for peace. Indeed, one of their most focused concerns is peace for the people.

Much of the current plight of Africa can be traced back to western colonization of the continent and post-colonial policies. With that in mind, Nugent said the West has a responsibility to support the educational, social, health, and economic aspirations of the people there and, importantly, to stop stripping Africa of its abundant resources.

"The continent has grave economic problems, but it also is a continent that has enormous wealth and riches in terms of natural resources. I think that we could find a way to insure that some of those resources, like gold and diamonds, which come out of the earth in Africa, be utilized to improve the standard of living there. That would certainly be more just and equitable than allowing those valuable natural resources to be smuggled out and sold to different countries or used to finance wars," he said.

The board has sought to bring attention to the illegal sale of diamonds mined in Sierra Leone. The sale of these 'conflict diamonds', as they are called, also is a chief source of revenue to purchase the weapons that have prolonged the war in Sierra Leone and in Angola. The board continues its attempts to bring attention to the connection between diamonds and war on the continent. In November, the board's disaster relief unit, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), sponsored a national speaking tour of Sierra Leonean clerics, who are urging the United Nations to intervene in a war they say is rooted in attempts to control the country's diamond mines.

In the area of health, the most visible and debilitating problem is the AIDS epidemic that already has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in sub-Saharan Africa and lowered life expectancy across the continent. With assistance from the board, United Methodist churches, particularly in Zimbabwe, have begun offering a broad range of ministries for children and families affected by the plague.

To effectively deal with the crisis the church in Africa must lead an effort to bring some measure of flexibility to cultural beliefs and traditions that make it difficult for Africans to confront head on the issue of AIDS, Nugent said. However, he said, western nations also have a moral obligation to make effective treatment for the disease more accessible in Africa. "There are medicines available in the west, but those medicines simply are not available in Africa and when they are, the price is enormous despite efforts of the Clinton administration to get drug companies to provide these medicines at less than the cost they would sell for in the west ."

He added, "Africa is a continent where we find all kinds of needs ready to be met and the United Methodist Church stands ready to be of assistance in any way it can. I hope the whole church will continue to lift up Africa in its prayers."

Nearly 200 United Methodist missionaries currently are assigned to Africa by the Board of Global Ministries. They are serving in spiritual, evangelization, health, education, and other ministries focused on strengthening the vibrant Christian witness from Africa.

March 5, 2001

Dr. Nugent Reflects on Cabinet Visit to Africa Trip

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