UMW 2017 Ubuntu Journeys Announced!

Please pray about joining other United Methodist Women in building strong missional bridges between Methodist Christian women on (or more!) of the following Journeys:

Ubuntu Journey, Colombia

Dates: April 20-27, 2017

Anticipated Cost: $2,200.00

Theme: Empowering and Dignifying Women through Faith, Love and Hope

Bible Text: Ephesians 2:14-15  “For it is He who is our peace….made both groups one by tearing down the wall…creating one new humanity…thereby making peace.”

For more information, contact Team Leader, Paula Morgan at: impmorg@hotmail.com

Ubuntu Journey, Mozambique

Dates: July 18-26, 2017

Anticipated Cost: $TBA

Theme: Women of Faith and Determination 

Bible Text: Exodus 3:7-10 (NRSV). “ I have heard their cry… indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them and to bring them up out of that land to a good, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

For more information, contact Team Leader, Sandy Binotto  at: Yashe4jc@hotmail.com

Ubuntu Journey, Portugal   

Dates: September, 10-18, 2017

Anticipated Cost: $TBA

Theme:  To Love and To Serve Together

Bible Text: Revelation 22:2 “…through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life…”

For more information, contact Team Leader, Marcia Florkey at: mlbflorkey@gmail.com

For information on any of the 2017 Ubuntu Journeys, you may also email: Ubuntu@unitedmethodistwomen.org 

Please note that these trips are not associated with UMVIM, SEJ. 

{Priority Projects} Chile

Please contact the UMVIM, SEJ office at 205-453-9480 or sejinfo@umvim.org for additional information. Click here to read the Mission Highlight on John Elmore, the UMC Missionary to Chile.

• Northern District of Chile: The Methodist Church of Chile has been trying to start a Church community in the town of Hurra, a town of about 2,000 people in the Middle of the Antacama Desert. They have the property and a building was constructed, but the earthquake in 2005 completely destroyed the building, and they would like to rebuild this church building.
• Valparais: Located 80 towards the coast from Santiago, Chile is a community called "Villa Alemana".  They wish to build a new church and the foundations have been installed, however, they need help to finish the project.
• City of Santiago, Chile: A building over fifty years ago, and the fourth church of Santiago, "Buen  Samaritano" is located in La Cisterna, a community in Santiago. The construction of the church was done very poorly, and the roof is now leaking, in additional to numerous other problems. Repairs are needed.
• District William Taylor: Due to the Earthquake of 2010, the Talca Methodist Church parsonage is in need of major repairs. The church community there would like to add another room to the parsonage.
• District Concepcion: Built 60 years ago, the first Methodist Church of Lota parsonage needs to be rebuilt. Lota is  25 miles from the Seaport town of Concepcion, the third largest city in Chile.
• Southern District of Chile: Located in the Lake District of Chile, the Methodist  Church of Osorno building is in need of major repairs.
• Coelemu: There is an urgent need to complete the parsonage. There are also Sunday school classrooms that need painting. It would be ideal to have teams who also can provide Church Leadership Training for laity, Bible School for Children and Youth, vitamins and calcium supplements for older adults and children, as well as aspirin for adults and children.
• Pitrufquen: Repairs are needed on the sanctuary and parsonage, and the Social Hall needs to painted. It is also requested that the teams also provide Bible School for children and youth, a communion altar cloth and communion set, vitamins and calcium supplements for older adults and children, as well as aspirin for adults and children.
• Puerto Natales: Construction of Sunday school classrooms and repairs on the parsonage are needed. The best time for volunteer teams in the Chilean Patagonia is from October to March, during the Spring/Summer. 

Mission Volunteer Opportunities

If you are being called to serve in mission service beyond a week or ten days, the Mission Volunteer Program sponsored by Global Ministries provides opportunities for individuals and couples to serve from two months to two years in a variety of ministries around the world. Here are some examples:

In Honduras there are ministries that need volunteers to serve as youth leaders, to coordinate team projects, and to minister to children with disabilities.

In Africa, a volunteer is needed at the Malawi United Methodist Church Conference Offices. The position is for an international financial management consultant. This is a partnership with the Church of the Resurrection. The main responsibility is to develop and implement a financial accounting management system.

Our missionary in Chile is seeking a volunteer to serve as a gardener and groundskeeper.

The McCurdey School in Espanola, New Mexico has ongoing needs for directors.

In Haiti there is a need for a couple to serve as volunteers-in-mission team coordinators.

To respond to these volunteer requests and others, become a Mission Volunteer. Apply now at www.missionvolunteers.org in time for our October 21-24 training event. For more information, please contact Malcolm Frazier at mfrazier@umcmission.org or call 212 870-3659.

{Guest Blogger} Introducing Moyo

By Ben Rawlins, Moyo Staff 

When it comes to spirituality and justice, many Christians view these two parts of life and faith as opposed. I’m a contemplative, one person claims. Another says, I’m an activist. But why must we view these two beautiful and necessary aspects of the Christian life as antithetical?

At Moyo, we’re trying to re-imagine the Christian call to spirituality and justice, following in the footsteps of organizations like UMVIM that believe in strong theological thinking as the cornerstone of mission work. Moyo is an interactive website that provides experiences for visitors to confront issues of global importance, engage these issues spiritually, and discover ways to act on them in the world. Through the experience on the website, visitors can begin to integrate the “being” and “doing” of life.

 

On the website, a visitor engages with the issues through a Guided Path. The Guided Path starts with an Encounter, allowing the visitor to learn more about the issue. Then, the visitor moves to a Reflection, which provides a reflective type of experience. Lastly, the visitor moves to an Action. The Action shows different ways of engaging the issue in the world. The Guided Path offers experiences with a variety of creative content – videos, photographs, prose, and poetry. The website also has The Feed, which is a blog-like feature. On The Feed, we’ll offer diverse perspectives on current events and global issues. All together, these experiences are a tool for visitors to see contemplation and action in new ways and engage in the world with spiritually infused, justice-oriented action.

Without a doubt, UMVIM’s mission aligns with the experiences that Moyo provides. Like UMVIM, we want to see “Christian love in action” and start conversations that move people of faith to combine their spirituality with justice action. 

Our website has just recently become live, and we’re launching our first two topics: Water &Restoration of Life and Disaster & Human Dignity. Both of these topics reflect work that UMVIM does all over the world. On Moyo, we feature UMVIM on an Action as a suggested way to volunteer for disaster relief. 

How can you become involved? First, we would love for you to visit the website – feel free to send feedback to us or share with people who you believe might be interested in the mission of Moyo. We’re also looking for contributors to submit creative content to the website! Please share your voice and experiences to Moyo. You can check out our Submission Website for more information on how to do so or you can email the Moyo Team.

As stated above, Moyo is a tool that can provide new ways of thinking about spirituality and justice. We are so grateful that we can partner with groups like UMVIM who complement our mission in such important ways. Moyo is a community – we’re glad you can be a part of it. 

Questions? Contact Jenn Bryant (jbryant@umcdiscipleship.org) or Ben Rawlins (brawlins@umcdiscipleship.org)

Why We Train Short-Term Mission Team Leaders

Every day, UMVIM helps to expand the work of missionaries across the world. Have you considered being part of a trained UMVIM team, or have you been praying about how to empower our ministry that exists to empower you? Read on to learn more about why we connect and equip the dozens of short-term volunteers who depart each week to serve with UMC missionaries and their vital ministries across the country and the world.

UMVIM Prays and Surrounds Missionaries With God's Love

Before the devastation of the Ebola crisis, missionaries Nancy and Kip Robinson were serving the people of Sierra Leone. Nancy trained pastors, evangelists and lay leaders, while Kip oversaw the numerous building efforts of the Sierra Leone Annual Conference, including wells, schools, and hospitals. Though stateside for the time being, the Robinsons will return to Sierra Leone, where people will need medical professionals, teachers will need salaries, and the children orphaned by Ebola will need families. Can you provide funds to help train team leaders to serve alongside the Robinsons?

UMVIM Teams Help Missionaries With Crucial Repairs and Rebuilds 

In Chile, missionary John Elmore works at the El Vergel Agricultural School, a Methodist boarding school that teaches horticulture and animal husbandry to the local youth. Thanks to UMVIM teams, John will be able to install new heating systems and accomplish general upkeep. Additionally, John is in charge of rebuilding Angol Methodist Church, which was badly damaged in a 2010 earthquake that devastated this beautiful country. Can your church send a team to help repair the school and the church?

UMVIM Helps Missionaries Reach More People 

In Panama, with the assistance of two nurses who shared their knowledge of community-based health, missionary Rhett Thompson was able to implement a curriculum that has trained more than two dozen indigenous Ngabe about key public health practices such as first aid, sanitation, disease prevention and sexual and reproductive health. Many of the graduates from this program, in turn, teach these essential skills in their own communities. What can you share to help keep public health education in Panama moving forward? 

These are just four missionaries who have dedicated their lives to UMC ministries across the world, and we are proud to have UMVIM teams serving alongside them. Want one more suggestion for contributing? Sign up for UMVIM Team Leader Training so that you are ready to go. The needs are there. Please help the ministry of UMVIM and the communities we serve.
  

With your gift to support UMVIM, SEJ, you empower thousands of volunteers and help to transform lives through God's love and grace.   

Please consider generously giving to Advance #901875 by clicking here, or mailing a check to 100 Centerview Drive, Suite 210, Birmingham, AL 35216.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support that keep our ministry strong.

Grace and peace,

Paulette West

Executive Director

Individual Volunteer Opportunities

One of the practical ways of engaging in mission is through a short-term mission experience. If you would like to serve for a longer period, the Individual Volunteer Program sponsored by Global Ministries can help you accomplish that. The program offers opportunities for individuals and couples to serve in mission from two months to two years in a variety of placements around the world.

One placement site that is in need of a volunteer is Open Doors, Inc., a Church World Service agency that provides support for incoming refugees who were forced to leave their home countries. It is located in Sacramento, California.

Another placement site is Colegio Metodista Piracicabano in Brazil. They are seeking an English teacher for primary and secondary schools. The volunteer will assist in teaching, as well as promote and design cultural workshops. 

If you perhaps called to the Middle East, there is an urgent need at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Mafraq, Jordan for volunteer school teachers. The students are children of Syrian refugees.

To learn more about these volunteer opportunities and many more, or to apply, please visit www.individualvolunteers.info. The next training will be held May 13-16, 2015 in Nashville, TN. Please contact Malcom Frazier at mfrazier@umcmission.org or call 212-870-3659.

{Mission Highlight} John Elmore of Angol, Chile

In 2015, we will be highlighting UMC missionaries who have been commissioned from the Southeastern Jurisdiction to serve around the world. Many of these missionaries accept volunteers to help with the important and necessary ministries they have established or are in partnership with. Contact UMVIM, SEJ for more information on how to serve!

Chile is a long, narrow strip of a country on the western coast of South America; it’s a healthy and happy nation with rich culture, good food, and those funny big-headed statues on Easter Island. For almost two decades, it’s also the place that UMC Missionary John Elmore and his wife Maria have called “home.” A native of Virginia and a member of Forest Lake UMC in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, John quit his job in carpentry and dove into missions 20 years ago.

Although John and Maria spent 12 years serving in northern Chile, for the last 6 they have been living and serving in the town of Angol in the southern part of the country. There are two important and worthwhile projects that he is leading, both of which need the prayers and commitment of us here in the SEJ:

El Vergel Agricultural School is a Methodist boarding school that teaches horticulture, farming practices, and animal husbandry, coupled with a Christian-based high school education.

When it opened in 1920, it was the only school of its kind in this area. It provides a free education for the local youth, and is a place where they learn a trade and the teachings of the Christian faith. El Vergel is funded solely on government, donations, and the support of covenant churches and UMVIM teams. The needs here are great, including new heating systems and general upkeep–virtually all things that can be accomplished with some prayer and the helping hands of UMVIM teams. (Read more about El Vergel school by clicking here.

Additionally, Bishop Pedro Grandon has put John in charge of rebuilding Angol Methodist Church. In February of 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake (the 6th strongest ever recorded), hit in the same region where the Elmores serve. The economic toll was estimated to be in the billions, which is small compared the human loss of more than 500. However, the last 5 years have seen incredible resolve of the Chilean people, and this is the last piece of property that needs to be repaired in Angol. John and his partners will be needing lots of UMVIM teams starting next spring, so now is the perfect time to start pulling together your group or congregation!  

A quick read through John's blog will reveal his thought-provoking words on the necessity of churches working side-by-side with missionaries as they empower the locals and share the Word. Here at UMVIM, we try to teach our team leaders what it means to be in covenant relationship, but we love how John explains it....from the heart of a missionary. 

"If your church is in a covenant relationship with a missionary somewhere around the globe, and all you do is write a check and send in your yearly contribution, then you are only filling one-third of your commitment to those whom you support.

If you are in prayers for your missionary and send your annual check, then you are completing two-thirds of your obligation to him or her. 

If every year your church experiences the joy that only serving God's children brings, especially the projects where your missionary is serving and where you have made a financial commitment and a prayerful commitment, then you have and are completing the full missionary relationship covenant."

If you feel called to partner with John and the efforts of the UMC in Chile, please reach out to us and let's start a conversation. UMVIM, SEJ not only acts as the connecting hub between volunteer teams and mission projects, but we also train and equip team leaders on how to make the most of these mission journeys. We look forward to serving you!



Words: Malinda Nichols | Photos: Courtesy of John Elmore