wfn.org | Volunteers In Mission participants experience global church

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

Nov. 12, 1998	Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS) - A three-day conference on sending and hosting
volunteers enabled representatives from 36 countries to see the global
nature of the United Methodist Church in new ways.

The gathering, held at Oklahoma City University Nov. 9-11, brought
together United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) coordinators,
directors and participants from across the world to discuss topics
related to their work in evangelism, education, construction and other
mission-oriented projects.

"Never before has there been such an inspiring gathering of United
Methodist Volunteers in Mission from all over the world," said Robert E.
Walton, a staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, as he described the International Conference on Sending and
Hosting Volunteers. 

"The level of participation has been astounding. The relationships that
have been built, the ideas that have been exchanged (and) the visions
that have been shared will profoundly influence countless lives,"  he
said.

The event was hosted by the United Methodist-related university and the
Oklahoma Annual Conference Volunteers in Mission office. The churchwide
Board of Global Ministries served as a resource for the meeting. More
than 144 men and women from 42 U.S. annual conferences and 35 other
countries prepared a working document about the goals of Volunteers in
Mission. 

"As I sit in this room, with so many people from so many places, I have
never been more aware that the United Methodist Church is a global
church," Walton said. "Here we see our diversity, not just with token
representation, but with authentic participation of people from many
cultures, races and points of view." 

The diversity was evident in every session, Walton said. "We had a
powerful worship ... full of global language and global music. We are
worshipping in each other's modes of worship, singing each other's
songs."

In the workshops, participants talked openly and honestly, he said. They
focused on the mission of the church to unite people in Christ and not
on fringe issues that cause division.

"We are listening to one another, learning from one another," Walton
said. "People are saying, 'Tell me what I can do to be in ministry with
you, and I'll tell you what you can do to be in ministry with me.' And
we are getting a glimpse of what our global church can be."	 

The participants also discussed creative ways to expand Volunteer in
Mission services in their areas. Representatives of some countries that
have received mission workers in the past began exploring possibilities
of sending teams to other countries. 

Volunteer in Mission teams are having an ongoing impact on Zimbabwe
through their work at Africa University and other areas, according to
the Rev. Gladman Kapfumvuti, United Methodist Volunteer in Mission
coordinator and director of the council on ministries for the Zimbabwe
Annual Conference in Harare.

He said that his annual conference will explore sending teams to other
countries because they have seen how mission groups "have been able to
overcome parochialism and gain broader understanding of the Christian
mission."

Some U.S. conferences that have sent teams abroad discussed inviting
teams from other countries to travel to the United States, and they
explored ways to provide funds for those trips.  

Such exchanges would be helpful, Walton said. "One way the VIM movement
has changed lives has been by tearing down barriers that keep people
apart. When we open ourselves up and dare to build bridges that bring us
together, all of us benefit."

Walton described the tone of the gathering as hopeful and noted that he
had not detected any cynicism. "Even though we are aware of problems we
face, we have talked about the 21st century with confidence. There's a
strong feeling here that the volunteer movement can be a catalyst to
empower our church." 

"The  volunteer movement, taken as a whole, is growing rapidly," said
Paul Dirdak, deputy general secretary of the Board of Global Ministries
and head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. "It's changing
people's lives, it's convicting people of the power of being Christians
in community."

The Rev. Darrel Cates, pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in
Oklahoma City, said he was inspired by the gathering. Meeting with
people of faith from every corner of the globe "just can't help but
expand your appreciation of our God and of our faith, and of God's
people working around the world." 
# # #
*Information for this story was provided by Boyce Bowdon, director of
communications for the Oklahoma Annual Conference.

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