wfn.org | United Methodism grows in East Africa

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Sept. 1, 1998  Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York       {509}

By United Methodist News Service

Congregations in the newly expanded East Africa United Methodist Annual
Conference continue to grow, despite poverty and internal conflicts.

Formerly known as the Burundi Annual Conference, East Africa now
includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. Statistics are being
collected to document the growth.

More than 100 representatives from those districts gathered in early
August at the Naivasha Lakeside Tourist Hotel in Kenya. Bishop J. Alfred
Ndoricimpa, based in Nairobi, presided, assisted by retired U.S. bishops
David Lawson and Forrest Stith.

Representatives from southern Sudan, struggling with disease, hunger and
the need for shelter, asked for help from the United Methodist Committee
on Relief (UMCOR). 

UMCOR is contributing to famine relief efforts in the Sudan through
Action By Churches Together (ACT). Donations can be made to UMCOR's
International Disaster Response No. 982450-8, designated "Sudan Famine"
and dropped in church collection plates or mailed to 475 Riverside
Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115.

Another relief agency with United Methodist ties, Stop Hunger Now, also
is appealing for emergency funds to assist the more than 2 million
Sudanese in immediate danger of starvation. Its director, the Rev. Ray
Buchanan, will visit Sudan in early October to coordinate his agency's
efforts with other relief groups. More information is available by
calling (888) 501-8840.

The Ugandan delegation reported a problem with United Methodist
leadership in that country, particularly in terms of administrative and
financial abuses. The delegation said it had been discovered that the
church was legally registered with the government of Uganda as a company
completely controlled by three members of a family.

East Africa delegates voted to cease association with that registered
entity and to allow the Ugandans to register as a new church under a new
name, East Africa United Methodist Church. The conference membership of
the Rev. Solomon Muwanga, a former district superintendent in Uganda,
also was terminated.

The official district superintendents in Uganda now are the Rev. Eliezer
Ona, Arua district; the Rev. Daniel Wandabula, Kampala/Jinja district;
and the Rev. James Mwoho, Busia district.

Growth was reported in Rwanda, the five districts of Burundi and in the
fledgling Kenyan churches located primarily along the border with
Uganda, in the Busia area. Despite the internal conflict in Burundi,
stability has returned to some areas, according to the delegation.

The women of all 11 districts reported that they had organized as United
Methodist Women and were working hard to support women and children in
East Africa, despite limited resources. They appealed for denominational
support for relief and long-term self-help projects.

Following the annual conference, several executives of the United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries led a consultation on church
growth. However, meetings were suspended for three days following the
U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi, about 80 kilometers away. A memorial
service for all victims took place during the national period of
mourning. 

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United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/