wfn.org | Church Delegation Visits North Korea

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
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Note 552 by UMNS on Jan. 16, 1998 at 17:17 Eastern (2970 characters).

CONTACT: Linda Bloom					25(10-71B){552}
		New York (212) 870-3803		Jan. 16, 1998

United Methodist delegation worships
with North Korean Christians

				by United Methodist News Service

	A United Methodist delegation to North Korea was able to share worship and
express solidarity with the small Christian community there.
	However, the five-member Board of Global Ministries team was not permitted to
visit relief operations and food distribution centers established to deal with
the famine in that country.
	Bishop Dan Solomon of Baton Rouge, La., board president, said the delegation
expressed "keen disappointment" to North Korean government officials about the
refusal.
	Instead, the delegation was confined to meetings with government leaders,
visits to historical sites in Pyongyang and tours of a women's hospital and
children's center. The group visited North Korea Jan. 10-13.
	The Rev. Randolph Nugent, the board's general secretary, noted that Solomon
was allowed to preach freely during Sunday worship with the Bonzsu
congregation in Pyongyang, probably the first United Methodist bishop to
preach in that country since the Korean war. The delegation also met with
leaders of the Korea Christian Federation.
	Nugent added that he drew satisfaction from being in solidarity with North
Korean Christians and applauded their commitment in the midst of a difficult
situation.
	"These are people who are faithful and prepared to increase the influence and
importance of the church in the lives of people," he said.
	The delegation met with Eric Weingartner, a member of the United Nations'
World Food Programme staff in North Korea.
"He has every reason to believe the distribution is going well," Nugent said.
	Weingartner is a liaison with nongovernmental organizations shipping relief
supplies. He was assigned there through Church World Service, the relief
agency of the U.S. National Council of Churches, and Action By Churches
Together, a coalition formed through the World Council of Churches.
	Both the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Church World
Service have been among the worldwide donors participating in the relief
effort for North Korea. Declining crop production, compounded by severe
flooding, resulted in a massive food shortage there.
	In early January, United Nations officials reported that North Korea
currently needs more than a million tons of food assistance for its population
of 23 million.
	Other delegation members were Jane Bucher of Park City, Ky., finance
chairperson for the Women's Division; Jerry Williams of Chesterfield, Mo.,
South Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Women's president; and the Rev. S.
Michael Hahm, a board executive.
	United Methodists can contribute to relief work through UMCOR Advance No.
226435-0, North Korea Emergency. Gifts can be given through local churches or
mailed to UMCOR at Room 330, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115.
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