#KingdomConnection: Emerging Generation

Giving Tuesday 2017 is on November 28th, and we hope that you will partner with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction to promote, encourage and enable people to exemplify "Christian Love in Action" through short-term mission service both at home and around the world! Please give generously by clicking here!

UMVIM's theme for this year's Giving Tuesday is #KingdomConnection. Through this, we will tell the stories of United Methodists who have been empowered to Live, Learn, and Love through connecting to mission opportunities throughout the Kingdom of God. 

UMVIM is passionate about connecting the emerging generation to a life of mission service! One young adult who has been enabled to serve through the UMC's #KingdomConnection is Allen Doyle, senior at Birmingham-Southern College and UMVIM, SEJ's 2017 Summer Intern. Through his internship, he went through UMVIM Team Leader Training and got the chance to serve with the North Carolina Annual Conference's Disaster Recovery program and Bahamas Methodist Habitat. Check out what he has to say about his experiences below! 

1) Tell us about the mission work that you partook in this summer.

Allen: The nature of my mission work this summer was centered around Environmental Hazards and the churches role in all phases of a disaster. UMCOR divides disaster response into 5 categories. Preparedness, Rescue, Relief, Recovery, Review. During my time in North Carolina we focused on the long term Recovery Phase of Hurricane Matthew in various communities (Princeville, Tarboro, Lumberton, Little Washington, and Fayetteville.) Most of this work involved case management and home repairs and reconstruction. In the Bahamas, my focus was entirely on the Review and Preparedness phases. I created Standard Operational Procedure for an Emergency Shelter, as well as a Disaster Response Manual for the organization.

2) How did you see the locals of Bahamas Methodist Habitat and North Carolina impacted by the work that your missions teams contributed to?

Allen: In North Carolina the impact of the volunteer work teams was immeasurable. The ability for a person to move back into their home after such a traumatic experience is so vital to their recovery process. It is also so empowering to see so much work being done in your neighborhood and community as you collectively work to create a new normal. Although there are major hesitations for a recovering community to allow large number of untrained volunteers, it creates a sense of support for persons during the loneliness created during loss. Similarly the work done in the Bahamas is so vital to the James Cistern community. The four greatest impacts to the community surrounding BMH is the jobs created for the staff, as well as the ability for Bahamian individuals to be involved with international communities. The work done by work teams is much needed in the community, and the impact that an international mission has on a person is life changing. 

3) Going off of your experience, how would you explain the value of United Methodist mission work to someone who had never been on a trip like this? How did UMVIM prepare you for your work?

Allen: Having any sort of experience in an international context is radical. It opens your mind in ways that no domestic experience. Any opportunity to go abroad is valuable and impactful. However going on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Places that exist in communities across the globe can change lives in ways that are radical in ways beyond comprehension. The connectional ministry that is the United Methodist Church and the Wesleyan Faith is broad and immense. Not only does it creates a sense of home for a traveler out of their context, it creates a commonality with persons as they attempt to work together for each other and for the kingdom of God. The Methodist church is not unique in its good works. The menagerie of faiths worldwide are all actively working for the common good. The thing that makes the Methodist Church stand out is the training, thoughtfulness, and nuance it approaches missions with. The UMVIM team leader training opened my eyes to the world of Missions and the unintended consequences that can occur on these trips. It also opened my eyes to the profound impact they can make in peoples lives. This training also allowed for me to understand the more business and leadership aspects of mission work to create and implement a meaningful trip that is a good use of money and time resources.  

#KingdomConnection: Emerging Generations

Giving Tuesday 2017 is on November 28th, and we hope that you will partner with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction to promote, encourage and enable people to exemplify "Christian Love in Action" through short-term mission service both at home and around the world! Please give generously by clicking here!

UMVIM's theme for this year's Giving Tuesday is #KingdomConnection. Through this, we will tell the stories of United Methodists who have been empowered to Live, Learn, and Love through connecting to mission opportunities throughout the Kingdom of God. 

UMVIM is passionate about connecting the emerging generation to a life of mission service! One young adult who has found a #KingdomConnection to serve is Miles Hunt of St. Andrews UMC in Garner, North Carolina. With his church, he has had the chance to serve in Ahuachapan, El Salvador as part of a long-term commitment that the church has taken on. Miles is also familiar with the work of UMVIM, having worked with us on our youth and young adult initiatives in the past. 

Tell us about your local church's work in El Salvador.

Miles: For the past 13 years, Saint Andrew's UMC has had a missional partnership with the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en El Salvador and the Salvadoran Mission Project. Our team has two ministry focuses; construction and sewing. The first focus is construction work. Within the construction project, our team works on local home building projects within the area of Ahuachapán. While the focus is often local home construction, our team has worked on various other building projects including schools and churches. The second focus is sewing. Our team started a sewing ministry several years ago. Several dedicated team members teach a one-week sewing intensive attended by Salvadorian citizens from various parts of the country. This course allows the students to learn sewing skills to benefit their family both through material productions as well as economically from the products made and sold at market.

How did you see the locals of El Salvador impacted by the work that your team contributed to?

Miles: The locals benefit from both the construction projects as well as the sewing course. With the construction projects, families gain a home they otherwise could not have obtained. Communities acquire much needed churches and schools where families can gather to worship and where children have a safe place to learn and grow their faith. The sewing course teaches a skill. The learning of this skill can provide both material and economic relief to the sewing students family. While these two missions provide benefits to the people of El Salvador, it is imperative to note, we the missionaries are also impacted and learn from the faith and dedication of the El Salvadorian people themselves. As missionaries, in addition to working to complete a specific task, we must always be vigilant to what people can teach us about our faith.


From your experience, how would you explain the value of United Methodist mission work to someone who had never been on a trip like this?

Miles: We as Christians, and United Methodists, are obligated to serve others. Jesus even says "whatever is done to the least of these, you did for me.". As a United Methodist, one focus of our ministry as a global church is to engage in ministry with the poor. We are called, both as Christians, and United Methodists, to be in ministry to, and with, the marginalized, the least of these.   Having the opportunity to serve is a life changing experience. If you have the chance to do mission work, at home or abroad, short-term or long-term, take it. Your life will be changed. Mission work leads to several things of value: 1) it deepens your personal faith; 2) it builds relationships; 3) a difference is made.

"Thank You, my Jesus. Wherever I Am Now is Just For Your Grace."

Memphis Annual Conference 
Residence in Ministry Group: Tanzania 2017

Memphis Annual Conference Residence in Ministry Missioners With Their Friends in Tanzania

"Thank you, my Lord. Thank you, my Jesus. Wherever I am now is just for your grace."
(words sung by the youth choir during worship at Gamasara UMC)

Covenant life is central to the Residence in Ministry experience. Residents build trusting community as they journey together toward ordination, sharing retreat and learning experiences, and gathering frequently within their residency peer group. Often, groups will rotate peer group meeting locations to experience the wide variety of ministry contexts across our Annual Conference. What to do though, if one group member's Ministry setting is beyond the geographical bounds of the Conference?  Way beyond.

For the second-year residents (RIM2) of the Memphis Annual Conference, this reality became an opportunity to travel beyond our expectations, to trust God, to see God more clearly in one another, and to see God more clearly in new friends far away.

Rev. Eric Soard is a General Board of Global Missions missionary serving and living in Tanzania, Africa. When Eric was commissioned as a Deacon, he became part of a peer group with Rev. Janean Tinsley (Provisional Deacon), Rev. Amanda Crice (Provisional Elder), and Rev. Amanda Hartman Westmoreland (Provisional Elder). Group Leaders, Rev. Mary Beth Bernheisel and Rev. Eddie Bromley have worked creatively and intentionally to ensure Eric remains connected with his group - making good used of technology to do so. However, electronic connections have their limitations and the group celebrates each time they can meet fully in person. The idea of traveling to Tanzania began with some tentative, prayerful pondering. When Rev. Daphne Moses, UMVIM leader, caught the vision, the idea began to take shape. The bold and faithful support from our Board of Ordained Ministry moved us from idea to reality. The Board's abundant sharing of prayer and encouragement, and approval for MEF funds to help supplement the financial cost, made this journey possible. We are deeply grateful.

The relationships within this RIM group inspired the opportunity to build relationships stretching across our global Methodist connection. While in Tanzania we worshipped with students at Wesley College, with congregations in the urban city of Mwanza, with the growing faith community in Gamasara, and with congregations in the rural area of Tarime. In each setting, worship was rich and vibrant as the Word was proclaimed through music and preaching, and as we came to the Lord's Table together - sacred moments of community and Holy Communion.

God's Spirit was present in worship, and in the conversations that followed. What a gift to connect, really connect, with brothers and sisters - true family bound by our faith in Jesus and our shared Wesleyan heritage. What a gift also to have our conversation reveal just how much we hold in common - our joys and struggles in ministry remarkably the same.

We all give thanks for the opportunity to see God more clearly through God's people in Tanzania. As RIM group leader, Eddie Bromley reflected, "It was incredible to see the bonds of community deepened as the members of our RIM group participated in an international mission trip together.  The profound impact it had on these new pastors cannot be overstated.  I simply cannot think a better way to engage a group in the process of spiritual formation than to allow them such an immersive experience as we had in Africa."

Thanks be to God! Blessings!
Rev. Renee Dillard, Residence in Ministry Coordinator
Board of Ordained Ministry, Memphis Annual Conference

Hear From the Missioners!

Janean: "Before going to Tanzania, I had a preconceived idea of what it would be like - dirty, impoverished, needy. And yes, those adjectives can still be used. But what I found was so much more. It's a place full of people who are beautifully and wonderfully made by the same God who created me. We have much in common. And these commonalities far outweigh the differences. We each have very personal stories that need to be told. I met people of incredible faith and love for neighbor. The truth is, I fell in love with Jesus Christ all over again through every encounter with the Tanzanian people.... To see the connectionism with United Methodists on the other side of the world reinforces the importance of who we are as a church..... And to experience Eric's work will only deepen the covenant created in our RIM group. Now that we have experienced life in Eric's context, we can better understand how to support him in prayer, conversation, and accountability. Neema ne mungu."

Amanda H W: "During my time in Tanzania, I experienced God's grace through the relationships I made with the people we met in churches, schools, and homes. Though separated by a difference of language and life experiences from opposite sides of the world, we found common ground in dancing joyfully, singing praises to God, and having deep conversations about our faith and church. As a resident in ministry preparing for ordination, I am thankful for this international mission experience that opened my eyes to the fruitful and faithful potential for intentional partnerships with those living in developing nations across the globe."

Amanda C: "While in Tanzania we had the chance to meet other groups of pastors who were also understanding how to work together to cultivate kingdom work ... I believe pastors from both countries left our time together with a new depth of understanding of God's Kingdom and how we are each invited to participate in it.  We left better equipped to strengthen the connection of our United Methodist church locally and globally.  We understand more about healthy mission partnerships and disciple making.  And, I believe we see the fruit of a cooperative/team approach to ministry as opposed to ministry as "lone ranger" work.  I believe we will all be better for our time in Tanzania together.  I also believe an experience like this would grow and equip every pastor and I hope to see future RIM groups have similar opportunities."

A Statement on Hurricane Irma from UMVIM, SEJ's Executive Director

While those in Texas and Louisiana are starting to plan for their recovery, Hurricane Irma barrels towards the Carribbean islands and the Southeast United States. Even if Irma does not make landfall, or weakens significantly before hitting the United States, it has already made a grave impact. Reports from the Barbuda government have indicated that it has destroyed or damaged 90% of the island’s infrastructure (link: http://abcnews.go.com/International/hurricane-irma-destroys-90-percent-structures-vehicles-barbuda/story?id=49665358 )

More than likely Irma will cause significant damage with whatever it comes in contact with. Currently it is one of the most powerful hurricanes in the Atlantic ever measured.
As soon as we hear of needs from areas affected by Hurricane Irma we will relay that information through the proper channels.

A couple of things to keep in mind for any disaster situation:

-Never self-deploy to an affected area without an invitation

-If you have questions about ERT training, please contact your local Annual Conference Disaster Response Coordinator ( http://umvim.org/go/disaster_response/disaster_response_coordinators.html )

-UMCOR ( http://www.umcor.org/ ) will be sure to promote any and all needs requested from areas affected

-The best way to help is to give through The Advance ( http://www.umcor.org/Search-for-Projects/Projects/901670 ). 100% of your funds go towards the project that you designate.

Thank You,
Matt Lacey
Executive Director
United Methodist Volunteers in Mission
Southeastern Jurisdiction

Hurricane Harvey: A Message from UMVIM, SEJ's Executive Director

Hurricane Harvey has left its mark on Louisiana and Texas.
Sadly, the disaster is on-going and more than likely will get worse
over the next few days.

Here are a couple of ways you can help right now:

- Give to the UMCOR Domestic Disaster Response Advance
#901670. The Advance is a great tool we have as United
Methodists to show our support. 100% of what you give will go
to the relief effort.
- If you are ERT trained and certified, put down your car keys
and organize with other ERT trained individuals in your local
church and community to be ready when the call comes for
teams. It may be weeks, or even months, before the request
for teams comes in. The pain and loss that victims feel will
continue long after the camera crews have left—and that’s
when we are needed most.

Here are a couple of things that are NOT helpful:

-Letting your need to help draw the attention away from the
needs of victims in the affected areas.
-Repeatedly calling or emailing the Rio Texas Conference or other
affected areas in the next few days and letting them know you
want to help. The disaster is on-going and their resources right
now should be focused on managing the disaster—not phone
calls of potential volunteers. They will let us know what they
need, I promise.
-Getting in your car and going to the affected areas, or donating
used clothes and other items that may not be needed.
We will be updating our website with new information as it comes
in.

The Rio Texas Conference has a webpage set up at riotexas.org/
harvey for you to stay informed.

Thank You,

Matt Lacey
Executive Director
United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction

UMVIM, SEJ Announces New Communications/Development Director

Recent University of Mississippi graduate, Billy Rainey, now serves as the Director of Communications and Development for UMVIM, SEJ. In this position, Rainey will develop and coordinate external communications for the office, while also cultivating relationships with local churches throughout the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. A lifelong United Methodist, Rainey brings with him a deep appreciation for what the connection of the UMC can do to help followers of Christ make a profound impact on the world. "The United Methodist Church has a long history of breaking down barriers for the sake of extending the love of Christ to a hurting world," Rainey said. "The connection that the UMC offers, through organizations such as UMVIM, SEJ, continues to enable the body of Christ to serve all around the world with efficiency and love."

Rainey recently moved to Birmingham from Oxford, MS, where he graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications in May of 2017. During his college years, Rainey served as a leader at the Ole Miss Wesley Foundation, an intern at Oxford-University UMC, a delegate on the Mississippi Conference’s Young Adult Delegation to South Korea, and as a Design Team member for SEJ’s Young People in Mission conference at Lake Junaluska, NC. Rainey also has a track record in the field of marketing and communications, having worked as a Marketing Assistant for the Ole Miss Department of Student Housing, a Public Relations Intern for the University of Mississippi Foundation, and having planned and implemented multiple communications campaigns while in college.

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Rainey is excited to do his part to serve UMVIM, SEJ and its vision of transforming the world through "Christian love in action." "I thank God for the opportunity to tell the story of this movement that mobilizes Christians to make much of the name of Christ by serving the needs of this world," Rainey said. "Jesus tells us that we will be known as his disciples by how we love one another. UMVIM is working to help people follow this model, and it's an honor to be a part of that effort."


The UMVIM, SEJ staff and Board of Directors is excited to welcome Billy to the team. United Methodists can expect to see Rainey around the jurisdiction promoting UMVIM, SEJ and partnering with local congregations to strengthen the impact of mission work in the United Methodist Church. If you are interested in speaking with Rainey or having him visit your congregation, he would love to hear from you! He can be reached by emailing billy_rainey@umvim.org by calling 205.453.9480

Better, Not Best: A Reflection from Allen Doyle, 2017 Summer Intern

         

In life, I rarely seek input from others about a major decision. I like to think of myself as an individualistic and spontaneous person; yet on this March afternoon I found myself frantically seeking advice from any person that would listen. I was just offered an Internship from the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction and despite any and all conscious efforts to make a decision independently, I needed help. Although I was unaware of it at the time, this indecision was a symptom of the internal challenges I wrestled with throughout the summer.

I met with my Chaplain, called my parents, sister, and grandfathers. I stopped random people on the streets of Birmingham (unbiased opinions are sometimes the most valuable), and still I couldn’t make a decision. Upon reflection at the end of this Internship program, I realize that this struggle was not of my desire to serve in this position or not but of a grander discourse involving my relationship with the church itself.

Having been raised by United Methodist ministers, (both of which are also preacher’s kids), I have always been actively involved in the church and its various ministries. Whether it was in a local congregation, Annual Conferences, during my time at Lakeshore UMA, Carolina Cross Connection, Birmingham-Southern College or the myriad of Methodist organizations in which I have become affiliated, I think of them all as a blessing. These amazing experiences, and the persons I have met through the years, have shaped my identity, my faith, and the ways in which I interact with the world.

I was struggling with my relationship with the church. This stemmed not from a discontent for my past but from a desire to experience “other”, and so I ran away from it. Just as Jonah ran away from Nineveh, I was running away from God (unlike Jonah however, I had people waiting for me in Nineveh with open arms).

I accepted the internship, and soon my summer began at North Alabama Annual Conference gathering in Huntsville, Alabama. This time was spent hearing and sharing stories with old and new friends, family, and complete strangers. It allowed me an opportunity to center myself and focus my heart. During the ordination service I sensed a feeling I had been missing for sometime (but after an hour or so, I decided to pass it off as indigestion). The next morning I found myself sitting next to my grandfather, listening to the words spoken by the Bishop James R. King Jr. during his message entitled, “Better… Not the Best”. It resonated on many levels. I have always had struggles and frustrations as a perfectionist and held the constant misconception that I have to do everything by myself. These issues have only been exasperated by my time as an undergraduate. But in that moment surrounded by familiar faces of “beautiful people” I felt this weight lift off my shoulders. My fears and regrets, though still present, began to transition from stains on my heart into opportunities for growth.

I spent the next several days in Birmingham at the UMVIM, SEJ office, diving into its ministries, the organizational structures and beliefs of the United Methodist Church, and the details of the International and Domestic components of my internship, all the while delving into my own thoughts as to my future vocation and next steps after graduation.

I have always been drawn to environmental hazards and the disasters that they cause. The chaos and tragedies that occur create vulnerabilities, losses, and pains that we as Christians are called to relieve. After many conversations with the UMVIM, SEJ staff, it was decided that my time in this program would be focused upon faith based disaster recovery and relief. After going through UMCOR Early-Response Team Training, UMVIM Team leader training, and heading up to North Alabama Disaster Relief Warehouse, it was time for me to head out into the field.

I spent the first 3 weeks of the program traveling all over the coastal plains and inner banks of North Carolina, working with the North Carolina Conference Disaster Recovery program. Every day I found myself surrounded by people more knowledgeable, more dedicated, and more skilled than me. I spent my days learning as much as possible and being of as much use as possible. This journey was one of the most humbling yet empowering experiences. I went into this knowing I knew very little, and came out thinking I knew even less. But I left North Carolina thankful and praising God for the amazing people I met and all they meant to me. But even more importantly, I praised God for all they meant to everyone else.

I travelled and arrived at the Bahamas Methodist Habitat [BMH] for the next portion of my internship. I immediately got put to work in a familiar yet foreign context. The ‘camping ministry’ setting was familiar; yet the ‘international’ component was new to me. After coming off of my intensive crash course in faith-based disaster relief in North Carolina, I knew nothing about the environmental, political, and infrastructural conditions that contribute to the Bahamas’ unique needs and challenges experienced during a disaster. I struggled with this unfamiliarity, yet I was able to become fully immersed in the ministries of BMH. I was allowed to serve in many different capacities, getting to participate in all the various components of the organization. My specific task, however, was to work alongside the Executive Director and Board of Directors to create programming, policy, and procedures for BMH to more efficiently and effectively implement their mission as a disaster relief organization. At the end of three weeks, it was far from finished. But instead of being frustrated I began to thank God. I thanked God that the written policy is now “better”. I thanked God that my knowledge of NGO’s, international relief, and struggles of many Bahamians got “better”. And I pray that my work there can make persons affected by disaster a sense of comfort and relief so that they can begin the process of getting “better”.

This summer provided so many unique and diverse experiences that allowed for personal and vocational decantation. Although I am not any closer to determining what to do after graduation, I am not worried because I know that I am not alone. Am I over my obsessions with perfection? Not even close. But I have a renewed comfort in knowing and experiencing God’s prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. We are called to serve God in missions, not because we have everything figured out, but because we are called to be “better”… not the best.