wfn.org | Exchange program gives church members broader world view

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Oct. 10, 2002  News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.	10-31-32-71B{466}

A UMNS Feature
By Kathy L. Gilbert*

Forty-two strangers invaded United Methodist churches and took over the
pulpits this past summer. 

The Rev. Paul Bailey would like to see that happen in more than 100 churches
next year.

Bailey is the coordinator for the World Exchange Program, sponsored by the
World Methodist Council. Through the program, United Methodist pastors in
the United States exchanged pulpits with pastors in Great Britain, Ireland,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Caribbean this year. The goal
is to expand the exchanges to all of the World Methodist Council's 78 member
denominations in 132 countries.

And pastors don't just exchange pulpits; they exchange congregations,
parsonages and automobiles. 

"A commitment for an exchange is made not only by the participating
ministers, but also by the congregations they serve," Bailey says. 

"Those who have participated in the exchange program speak openly of their
deeper appreciation for and understanding of those who share the Wesleyan
heritage in a different cultural setting," he says. "Furthermore, this
exchange ministry has made a distinctive Methodist contribution in the
larger ecumenical movement around the world."

The World Exchange Program started in 1947 with churches in the United
States, Great Britain, and Ireland. It has grown to include other countries,
with participation by active as well as retired clergy and lay people. At
the World Methodist Council's recent executive committee meeting in Oslo,
Norway, plans were made to include youth in the exchange program.

"The whole exchange experience proved once again to me the value of such
opportunities," says the Rev. Peter E. Whalton of Braunton in North Devon,
England. "It broadens one's mind, strengthens one's faith and gives time to
reflect on one's ministry in a way you rarely get at home." Whalton served
as pastor at Lafayette United Methodist Church in Cumberland, Tenn.

The Rev. Jeffrey McDowell, pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in
Bath, N.Y., exchanged pulpits with the Rev. Richard M. Lowson of
Boroughbridge, England.

"My experience was eye-opening and heart-opening, and my understanding of
the global church was enlarged," McDowell says. "It was wonderful to see how
the 'circuit rider' concept was still alive and well in England." 

"Having a pastoral charge of four chapels, I was looking forward to the
opportunity of ministering in one large church," Lowson says. "Leading two
morning services each Sunday was a real challenge. 

"Things that struck me about worship were a willingness (by church members)
to be involved in worship through special music, worship leading and time
when congregations were invited to share joys and concerns," he says.
"Greeting each other in Christ's name went far beyond a limp handshake; it
was done with feeling and Christian love for each other. 

"I left feeling very affirmed in my ministry," he says. "We will never
forget our summer - the people we met, the places we saw, friendships made,
and worship and life we shared." 

The exchanges usually happen during the summer for five or six weeks. Each
person applying for an exchange must obtain his or her church's endorsement
and submit a letter of recommendation from the area bishop and district
superintendent or denominational executive leader. Applications must be
submitted by Oct. 1 for an exchange the following summer. 

Two important considerations for applicants are language barriers and the
economic disparities between the United States and other parts of the world,
Bailey says. 

"My concern for the summer of 2003 is to find enough pastors from other
countries to exchange with the applicants from the United States," he says.
 
Last year's Sept. 11 terrorist acts in the United States affected the
exchange program in 2002, he says. "Some pastors and families, as might be
expected, feared the uncertainty of safety within the United States at that
time. They hesitated to become vulnerable targets on airplane flights into
the U.S. This resulted in fewer exchanges for this summer of 2002 than
previous years." 

Pastors who have participated in past exchanges talk about the richness of
their experience and are grateful for the chance to expand their world view.

"We started to look at the possibility of developing a partnership between
our respective churches. This has been a wonderful, uplifting experience
that has reaffirmed my ministry, given me many new avenues to explore, and
blessed me with a number of new friendships and memories," says the Rev.
Richard M. Andrew, an Englishman who went to a two-point charge in
Mississippi - Christ United Methodist Church in Long Beach and First United
Methodist Church in Pass Christian.

The Rev. Andrew Lindley of Gravesend in Kent, England, traveled to
Casuarina, the Uniting Church congregation in Darwin, Australia. "I feel an
even greater sense of awe at the greatness of God that created such a vast
and wonderful world with its varieties of people. I also feel a deeper sense
of grace from having received the gift of this pastoral exchange." 

"The two churches I serve in England are very different from the one I
served here in the states," says the Rev. Timothy Bagwell of Porterfield
Memorial United Methodist Church in Albany, Ga. He served an inner-city
British Methodist church in London. "The opportunity to know these wonderful
people and to be blessed by their joy was a life-changing experience for my
family and me.	I am profoundly grateful to the World Methodist Council for
arranging this opportunity for us."
 
"On a personal basis, this exchange reaffirmed my call to ministry, and
seeing this call transcend cultures encouraged my understanding of eternal
truths," says the Rev. Jeffrey M. Stratton of Round Lake (N.Y.) United
Methodist Church, who served a circuit in Teignmouth, England. "I've
returned with a sense of gratitude for the wonderful privilege that was
ours."

"I challenge churches to intentionally target intelligent and committed
ministers and enlist their participation in an exchange," Bailey says.
"They, in turn, will return with the richness of their experience and be an
advocate in motivating others to engage in ministry in a culture different
from their own. 

"It will affirm their call to ministry," he says. "It will enhance the
richness of our Wesleyan heritage and the people called Methodists
throughout the world. Most of all, it will, by God's grace, become a vehicle
by which the gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed in a fresh and
vibrant way."

For more information contact the Rev. Paul Bailey, director, World Exchange
Program, 71 Old White Bridge Road, Waynesboro, VA 22980; telephone/fax:
(540) 943-0900; e-mail: pnrbailey@rica.net.

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*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.

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United Methodist News Service
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