|
November 3, 2006
Special Report:
United Methodist Council of Bishops
Maputo, Mozambique November 1-6, 2006
By Stephen Drachler
sdrachler@umcom.org
Council President exhorts church to live the United Methodist
way, start new churches, care for children, battle diseases of poverty
United Methodist Council of Bishops President Janice Riggle Huie says
the people of the church expect bishops to lead boldly by making
disciples and saving lives around the globe.
“This meeting is a threshold… It is decision time,” Huie told bishops
during her presidential address in Maputo, Mozambique. “I believe that a
new Pentecost can happen here… I believe the Holy Spirit is calling the
people of the United Methodist Church into action.”
“Christianity has changed. The day and time when people went to
church because it was expected and ‘everybody did it’ is gone. Christian
discipleship is now a matter of decision… [often] made in the face of
obstacles and even hostility,” Huie said.
While Christianity has changed, “what I see and hear is the deep
human desire for hope,” Huie added. She cited the dramatic growth of
persons in Volunteers in Mission ministries after Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, and the tremendous response to the 2005 tsunami in eastern Asia.
To date, United Methodists have donated more than $100 million to those
efforts.
To succeed, to follow Jesus and make disciples, bishops must take
risks, Huie said. “Not many people are going to step out into a new
future if the leaders are focused on the rear-view mirror of
institutional survival and self-preservation… We need to do a lot of
listening and a lot of loving… We will also need to remind people of
what they already know: We follow Jesus… God is with us.”
Eleven million United Methodists, she said, can:
- Live the United Methodist way in their daily lives and public
witness;
- Begin a new church every day somewhere around the globe;
- Reach and save children all over the globe; and
- Lead in the effort to stamp out the killer diseases of poverty:
HIV/AIDS.
These calls to action reflect a strategy under development by the
Council, the church’s general agencies, and members of The Connectional
Table, the denomination’s program coordination group.
Huie concluded by saying, “It is God who gives us hope. The Holy
Spirit gives us courage. Jesus expects us to follow him. John Wesley
gives us the method. The people of The United Methodist Church expect us
to lead.”
Nearly 80 bishops are meeting in Mozambique for the council’s
semiannual meeting, including Indiana Area Bishop Mike Coyner. It is the
first meeting to be held outside the territorial United States.
Bishop Innis Focuses on African Growth, Reality during Sermon
Liberian Bishop John Innis focused on the reality of preaching and
leading in Africa during Thursday’s morning service or word and table.
“The church of Jesus Christ called United Methodist is indeed alive
in Africa,” Innis said during his sermon, citing the long history of
mission and disciple-making on the continent.
The United Methodist Church has been in ministry in Africa since the
1830s. United Methodists have congregations and missions in two dozen
African countries. United Methodist schools, clinics and hospitals play
a key role in those countries.
“By coming to Africa, we, the bishops, show recognition of the
contributions of Africa to our church… The United Methodist Church is a
powerful church… it is great [in Africa],” Innis said.
Christianity is growing rapidly across Africa, Innis said. “Nowhere
is there a record of such growth – 350 million Christians in Africa. We
are a reality the Christian world cannot ignore.”
Pastors, district superintendents and bishops work under difficult
conditions, Innis said, noting they often walk “10, 20 miles… 20 hours
to reach our people… When they see us, they say, ‘Jesus is here.’”
Fact Check: United Methodist Church in Mozambique
- Methodism in Mozambique started in 1890. 10,000 people
attended the 100 year anniversary celebration in 1990.
- Growth: The church has tripled in size in Mozambique in
the last thirteen years. There are now over 125,000 members in the
more than 170 congregations of the 23 districts. The church works in
all ten provinces of Mozambique and is divided into two annual
conferences.
- Leadership: Bishop João Somane Machado leads both the
Mozambique North and Mozambique South Annual Conferences. They are
comprised of 50 circuits, 132 ordained pastors, 32 Deacons and 278
evangelists. The Bishop also oversees 29 schools, 1 theological
school, some agricultural programs, 1 hospital (Chicuque Hospital),
2 clinics, 1 seminary, and 4 bible schools.
- Local church life: United Methodist churches in
Mozambique are community centers that impact every aspect of
people’s lives. People gather at the churches for worship,
fellowship and mutual support. Worship services (held in buildings
or mud huts, or under trees) are filled with standing-room-only
crowds on most Sundays. Worship is a wonderful experience with much
music in a longer service than is traditional in the USA.
- Social action: Since the end of the 17-year war
(1975-1992), the church has dedicated itself to rebuilding the
social fabric and restoring property that supports the lives of
Mozambicans. While the national government is overwhelmed with
paying international debt and repairing the infrastructure following
decades of war and natural disasters, the church presents
dependability and security in the lives of people. The church is
linked to hospitals, schools, trade schools, homeless shelters and
international aid throughout the country. The UMC in Mozambique is
also active in ecumenical efforts and provides leadership in the
Christian Council of Mozambique.
(Source: Mozambique Initiative: Carol Kreamer, U.S. coordinator)
# # #
e-HUM Announcement copyright
2006 by Indiana Area United Methodist Communications.
|
