wfn.org | Agencies pledge support for church in Africa

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

Feb. 4, 2004  News media contact: Linda Bloom7(646) 369-37597New York7E-mail:
newsdesk@umcom.org ALL-AF-I{036}

NOTE: A photograph is available at http://umns.umc.org.

By Nancye M. Willis
and Barbara Nissen*

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (UMNS) - African church leaders are entering a
collaborative effort with three United Methodist agencies to develop and
distribute resources for ministry in Africa.

During a January meeting in Johannesburg with nine of the denomination's 11
African bishops, representatives of the denomination's publishing,
discipleship and communications agencies pledged support to the African
church's long-term effort to develop and access language- and
culture-appropriate Christian resources.

Few basic United Methodist print resources are available in Portuguese and
French, languages spoken in various parts of Africa, and lack of financial
resources often prevents their purchase and distribution.

"The principles of John Wesley are the same in any language," said United
Methodist Bishop Joco Machado of Mozambique. "But we need them in Portuguese
so the people can understand them, and we need to be able to train Sunday
school teachers in how to use them."

The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the denomination's Board of
Discipleship, said she welcomes the "partnership with the African church. It
emphasizes the interdependence of the African central conferences on one
another to develop appropriate resources." The board cosponsored the meeting,
along with the United Methodist Publishing House and United Methodist
Communications.

The discipleship board's South African Upper Room Ministries office "will
coordinate with U.S. agency staff the creation of a sustainable indigenous
resource development and distribution system for United Methodist churches
and episcopal areas in Africa," Greenwaldt said. The office coordinates the
publishing and distribution of daily devotional guides in five languages,
edited by staff in different regions of Africa.

Collaborative options being considered include the development of English-,
French- and Portuguese-language teams, along with an all-Africa development
team to help develop resources in Africa.

Neil Alexander, top executive of the United Methodist Publishing House, said
his agency will invest financial and personnel support to supply "resources
to bring about vibrant ministry ... and to build capacity and competence to
develop resources."  

Other needs described by representatives of the African central conferences
include enhanced communications capacity, such as through computer programs,
desktop publishing and use of radio. 

African delegates noted the "landmark" quality of the Johannesburg event,
both in the opportunity to develop a continent-wide plan of action and in the
collaborative efforts of the agencies to create materials and partnerships
for ministry.

"The partnerships formed from this meeting hold the potential for changing
and enhancing the scope of educational and communication capacities on the
continent of Africa and beyond," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive of
United Methodist Communications.

The communications agency is proposing to the church's top legislative
assembly, the 2004 General Conference, a Central Conference Communications
Initiative to discover and expand partnerships focusing on communications
with United Methodists in Africa, Europe and Asia, Hollon added. The assembly
will meet April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh.

United Methodists in Africa account for nearly 20 percent of the
denomination's 10.2 million members.

African representatives included Machado and Bishops Onema Fama, Central
Congo; J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, East Africa; Jose Quipungo, East Angola; John G.
Innis, Liberia; D.P. Dabale, Nigeria; Joseph Humper, Sierra Leone; Gaspar
Joco Domingos, West Angola; and F. Herbert Skeete (interim), Zimbabwe.

Representatives of the United Methodist Publishing House were Fred Allen,
executive director of African-American Initiative/International Outreach, and
Ezra Earl Jones, director of congregational relationships. 

Along with Greenwaldt, the Board of Discipleship was represented by Stephen
Bryant, editor/publisher, Upper Room Ministries and Discipleship Resources;
Wesley S.K. Daniel, director, evangelism and international church
development; and Roland Rink (Africa) and Dale Rust Waymack (U.S.),
coordinators, Africa Upper Room Ministries.

Hollon and Barbara Nissen, director of the Communications Resourcing Team and
UMCom training center, represented United Methodist Communications.
# # #

*Willis is editor for the Public Information Team and Nissen is director of
the Communications Resourcing Team at United Methodist Communications in
Nashville, Tenn.

 
 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org