October 19, 1998 -- Torture in East Timor. Women on drugs in Brooklyn. Immigrants seeking legal status in Virginia. And, women working to revitalize their community and families in Philadelphia.
They are subjects that don’t relate to each other at first glance, but they all relate to the finances of the Women’s Division and the giving of United Methodist Women. They are the projects of mission personnel from the General Board of Global Ministries who are funded partially by the Women’s Division. On Saturday, four mission personnel put faces and stories with their projects dealing with these issues to help directors better understand what the funds of United Methodist Women support.
This year, the Women’s Division has voted to give $2.4 million to mission personnel, which include deaconesses, church and community center workers, US-2s and mission interns.
Deaconesses, church and community workers, US-2s and mission interns were represented at the committee meeting.
Rebecca Asedillo, a deaconess and peace with justice educator, told about a young East Timorese who recently escaped from Indonesia to speak about his experiences. "As an organizer among the youth and students, he was arrested and tortured and put under surveillance when released," said Ms. Asedillo. "He continues to work actively that peace may come about in his troubled land."
Ms. Asedillo’s work stems from a General Conference resolution calling for increased awareness about the situation in East Timor. General Conference, which meets every four years, is the decision-making body of the United Methodist Church.
Allison Blount, a church and community-center worker at Anchor House Women’s Treatment Facility in Brooklyn, NY, is the only male working in an all-women facility. "This is a formidable challenge," says Allison. "The frequent history of sexual abuse, prostitution, incarceration under male domination solidly establishes justifiable distrust and hostility [of men]," says Mr. Blount.
Yet, the Christian-centered 12-step process to overcoming substance abuse has many success stories, according to Mr. Blount. As an advocate in the court system for one young mother who had undergone treatment for over a year, Mr. Blount was overwhelmed by the plight of the mother to overcome the abuse and be reunited with her children.
Laura Folkwein, a US-2 or two-year young adult missioner within the country, has worked at Just Neighbors Ministry in Falls Church, Virginia. A 2-year-old institution started by United Methodist Women members, Just Neighbors provides free immigration legal services. "It fills an incredible need in the community," says Ms. Folkwein about the large immigrant population that continues to grow.
Fatima, a Somali refugee who had legal status within the United States, found that her grandchildren, all under the age of 6, were going to be put in deportation hearings. Just Neighbors legal expertise came to the rescue. With the children’s parents in a refugee camp in Kenya, Fatima needed to have custody of her grandchildren. According to the immigration law, though, only immediate relatives could gain legal status. Determined to stop the deportation hearings, the lawyer from Just Neighbors, marched in to the court room with the four children following. The judge administratively closed the case and is giving Fatima an opportunity to adopt the children, so they can gain legal immigration status.
Wendy Hudson, a mission intern who serves one year overseas and one year in the United States, is a community organizer, developer, and social services expert in the Frankford neighboorhood of North Philadelphia, an economically destitute area. Ms. Hudson has been helping families develop, working with mother’s like Sue.* Sue moved from Puerto Rico with two small children, no family for support, and struggling with the language and culture. Through family development programs like the one Wendy runs, Sue now takes on leadership roles in the parenting program, speaks in front of groups on child abuse prevention, volunteers at an emergency assistance office, and is starting a parent-support group.
"These are examples are just a fraction of the work of mission personnel," says Connie Takamine, treasurer for the Women’s Division. "But the broad range of work the mission personnnel does around the world is an incredible witness to the presence of Jesus Christ."
The Women’s Division represents United Methodist Women, a one-million member organization whose purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. Members raise more than $20 million a year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world.