ATLANTA – In the opening worship service of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry’s joint board of directors meeting in Atlanta, April 10-12, the 50+ year-old United Methodist hymn “Many gifts, one spirit” set the tone for the conversations to come.

Many gifts, one Spirit, one love known in many ways.
In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise.
One Giver, one Lord, one Word, known in many ways, hallowing our days.
For the Giver and the Gifts, praise, praise, praise!

The words affirmed that The United Methodist Church values difference as blessing and celebrates diversity as a reflection of God’s image within the global church. A powerful and intentional reminder in light of new U.S. policies that are denying people of their basic rights and dignity and causing reverberations of suffering around the world.

In his report to the boards of directors, General Secretary Roland Fernandes said, “The church cannot completely fill in for U.S. governmental support lost, but we can, indeed we must, do all that we can.” He affirmed the urgent need and Biblical mandate for the church to respond with compassion and be a source of solidarity with increasingly vulnerable communities worldwide: “We have a moral imperative to stand firm on the side of the gospel message, which calls us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and tend to the sick.”

The more than 50 Global Ministries, UMCOR, and Higher Education and Ministry board members discussed ways to expand support in education, migration, health, humanitarian aid and peace. Fernandes identified these as specific areas of focus for the agencies based on their mandates and the impact of current U.S. policies. The meeting facilitated rich presentations on these topics by leaders of partner organizations, institutions and church leaders. The resulting conversations energized the boards to deepen their engagement and ask how the church might be uniquely positioned to meet this moment.

Dr. G. Sujin Pak, dean of Boston University’s School of Theology, presented on the impact of new policies on education; Rick Santos of Church World Service (CWS) and Alba Jaramillo and Melissa Bowe of Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) shared the impact of policy changes within foreign aid and immigration; the Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel, senior pastor of Cascade UMC in Atlanta, urged the boards to not grow weary in working for justice and inclusion for all of God’s children in an era where “exclusion is gaining traction.”  

Both boards approved strategic grants and funding initiatives that will help agency partners “stand in the gap,” ensuring that their vital work with marginalized people and groups can continue. Some actions include a $1 million UMCOR grant to both CWS and ILJN, as well as $1.4 million to partners in Ukraine in support of migrant and refugee work. Higher Education and Ministry awarded the 13 United Methodist theological schools in the U.S. one-time subsidies of $400,000 each in Methodist Education Fund (MEF) supplemental support.

“Global Ministries is expanding and extending the compassion and hope of God right at a time when funding is being cut for disaster relief, health programs, food assistance, legal rights for immigrants and refugees, and Global Ministries is just leaning further into what it has always done,” said Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, chair of the Mission Programs Committee for the Global Ministries board of directors. “We need to step more into the gap and continue to offer the vital services that are needed by people around the world, whether it is for global health programs, the way we are able to attend to people after disasters, and the way we are able to educate and equip people in their own local communities to engage in the mission of God.”

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries and UMCOR and Higher Education and Ministry.

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ATLANTA — Directors of two of The United Methodist Church’s program agencies, both international in scope, were challenged by their shared leader to strengthen their work in response to suffering intensified by rapidly shifting global political landscapes. Roland Fernandes, general secretary of both the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, reinforced the Christian and moral imperative to “stand firm on the side of the gospel message, which calls us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and tend to the sick.”

Fernandes proposed that elected directors of the two agencies, meeting together, formalize actions in support of education, migration, health, food security and livelihoods, and peace, demonstrating a shared mission and ministry with the marginalized and ignored.  

Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry are in the process of aligning their goals and operations. Global Ministries includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Directors meet twice a year and hear a report from the general secretary on the state of matters that affect the agencies. 

While neither agency receives U.S. federal funds for its work, Fernandes described how the elimination or cutbacks in funding of international and domestic programs are creating a worldwide humanitarian crisis. He outlined how the elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) had wiped out thousands of grants and programs, many in health services and vaccines for the earth’s poorest people. 

“The church cannot completely fill in for U.S. governmental support lost, but we can, indeed we must, do all that we can,” Fernandes said in explaining his plan of response to the recent actions. 

Fernandes sharply criticized the elimination of the Department of Education. Dismantling the education department, he said, “…undermines the fundamental principles of justice and opportunity, disproportionately harming students who rely on educational opportunities and standards of excellence across the nation to break cycles of poverty and systemic inequity.” 

Quoting Genesis 1, “God created humanity in God’s own image,” Fernandes held up the inherent worth of every person. He criticized actions that conflict with the gospel message, saying, “When Christ invites us to the table, all are included on the guest list and all receive their portion. Since the dawn of humanity, God’s plan has unwaveringly affirmed the intrinsic value of every person and has issued a powerful call for justice, whenever that divine purpose is disrupted.” 

Fernandes’ words reflect the theology, social principles and teachings of The United Methodist Church. 

He said that Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry are well equipped, along with global and ecumenical partners, to strengthen their work in the areas of education, migration, health, food security and livelihoods, and peace. Examples given included: 

• Provide grants/scholarships where possible to fill in the gaps that emerge from withdrawal of support to educational institutions, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s); 
• Expand support for organizations and networks that serve migrants in U.S. communities; 
• Support health care infrastructure in underserved areas impacted by loss of foreign aid; 
• Expand the church’s Yambasu Agriculture Initiative in Africa to increase food security in the communities the African central conferences serve; and  
• Continue and increase humanitarian aid in Ukraine, the D.R. Congo, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East. 

Fernandes ended his report with encouragement from Galatians 6:9: “Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up.”  

Elliott Wright is an information consultant for Global Ministries and UMCOR. 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry are meeting together this week for a joint gathering of newly elected board members for both agencies. About a third of each agency’s directors are returning to serve an additional board term, despite the extra four years they served in the previous term because of the COVID-19 pandemic and delay of the 2020 General Conference. The benefit of their experience will aid the transition for new board members.

Global Ministries Board of Directors currently consists of 39 members who serve both Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee of Relief (UMCOR). To foster interagency connections, four members who have just finished terms as Higher Education and Ministry directors were welcomed to the Global Ministries’ board. Likewise, two directors who finished terms with Global Ministries will serve as directors with Higher Education and Ministry. Two directors from African central conferences will join once the central conferences have met and elected agency directors in 2025.

Committee structures have been modified as the agencies lean into their joint meeting structure. Global Ministries will have two major program committees, UMCOR and Mission Programs. Several committees will meet jointly for the two agencies: Administrative Matters (which includes financial matters), the Executive /Personnel committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Institutional Racism (CEIR/WIDEA). Another change is that directors will now each serve on one committee rather than two.

The full board of directors accepted the nominations committee report and elected the Global Ministries and UMCOR officers. The full board member list is included below. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson will serve as president for Global Ministries, and Bishop David Wilson will serve as president of UMCOR. Newly elected bishops serving with Global Ministries include Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area, and Bishop Israel Maestrado Painit, of the Davao Episcopal Area, Philippines, who was a Global Ministries’ missionary at the time of this election as bishop. Painit joins the UMCOR Board of Directors. Bishop David Wilson, Great Plains area, served on the board previously as a representative of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, Virginia Conference, and Bishop Joaquina Nhanala from Mozambique are returning directors who served in the previous quadrennium.

General Secretary Roland Fernandes welcomed new and returning directors and said he looked forward to exploring the wealth of ideas and perspectives they bring to Global Ministries. “I welcome this fresh quadrennium and connecting with the board members as they build relationships with one another and with staff, missionaries and our partners who help us extend God’s mission in the world. I appreciate the enthusiasm they bring to the task, and I’m thankful for the possibilities we have to create something new to fulfill what God calls us to do.”

Global Ministries and UMCOR Board Member Listing

Global Ministries
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, President
Bishop Joaquina Nhanala, Vice President
Molly McEntire, Corporate Secretary
Charlie Moore, Treasurer

UMCOR, including Global Health
Bishop David Wilson, Chair
Rev. Katie Dawson, Vice Chair
Rev. Marian Royston, Secretary

Charlie Moore, Treasurer

Mission Programs Committee
Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, Chair
Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, Vice Chair

Global Ministries directors, 2025-2028

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PHNOM PENH – “God invites us to put our commitment on the table in the name of service to the people…because we are connected to one another,” said Bishop Israel Maestrado Painit of the Davao Episcopal Area in the Philippines during his sermon at the opening worship of Global Ministries Fall Board of Directors meeting. The gathering was held Oct. 19-21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and marks the first time that the agency’s board meeting was held in Asia and the second time a board meeting convened outside the United States; the first was the 2023 spring meeting held in Maputo, Mozambique.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR, opened his report to the board with an acknowledgment of the painful history of the meeting’s setting. “We meet in a country that was ravaged by the Khmer Rouge regime decades ago, a regime responsible for the mass genocide of over 3 million of its own citizens,” he said. “The images you have seen and will see are a reminder of the impact of hateful ideologies, which sadly continue to blanket us across the globe.” 

He provided an overview of The United Methodist Church’s long mission history in Asia, stating that much of Methodist mission history is Asian mission history, which stood as a template for mission work around the world. For example, in 1944, nearly two-thirds of foreign missionaries – 795 out of 1210 – were serving in Asia. Today, most missionaries serving in Asia come from Asia. The Cambodia Mission Initiative, which is now a provisional conference, is notable for the ecumenical cooperation among the five Methodist mission agencies that support it. The Cambodia Methodist Church is expected to become an autonomous, self-governing church by 2027.

Missionaries serving throughout Asia gathered in the days preceding the meeting for a time of renewal, fellowship and conversation, primarily with the general secretary and a couple of key staff. The missionaries also spent a day in conversation with the agency’s directors on the opening day of the board meeting.

Fernandes cited many such strategic conversations the agency has held over the last couple of years with staff, missionaries, bishops around the world, church leaders, board members and other general agencies. Key points from these conversations are helping Global Ministries sharpen its programmatic focus around four mission priorities: missionaries, evangelism and church revitalization, global health and humanitarian relief and recovery.

He also informed the board that Global Ministries will be re-engaging on the issue of having a physical presence on the African continent, something that was approved by the board in 2018 but, because of the pandemic and other issues, was not implemented.

The financial review for the first eight months of 2023 showed a significant revenue decline, primarily because of lower Advance giving for Ukraine. Net assets for Global Ministries and UMCOR were at $341.1 million and $95 million, respectively, at the end of August.

Committee chairs provided summaries of their respective meetings that took place remotely in advance of the full board meeting. Below are some of several actions taken by the board.

• The 2024 Mission Appropriations Budget was approved: $49.2 million for Global Ministries and nearly $38.4 million for UMCOR, including Global Health.
• The board approved a one-time grant of $1.4 million to United Women in Faith to support the Brooks Howell Home in Asheville, North Carolina. The grant will create long-term financial sustainability for its retirement community, which serves, among others, some missionaries and former staff.
• The UMCOR committee reported on nearly $4 million in grant approvals, including international and U.S. disaster response, the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative, Environmental Sustainability, Global Migration and Global Health.
  

A significant decision of the board was the unanimous affirmation of the appointment of Roland Fernandes as general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) starting July 1, 2024, after the retirement of the Rev. Greg Bergquist, a role that Fernandes will add to his current responsibilities as general secretary for Global Ministries and UMCOR. The two agencies have been moving toward greater collaboration and alignment over the past two years, bringing together program staff in the areas of scholarships, granting, monitoring and evaluation, shared services and leadership formation and training. Though Global Ministries and GBHEM will remain separate tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) organizations, this change will bring more opportunity for programmatic and operational alignment. Future Global Ministries board meetings will be held jointly with the GBHEM board.

Directors visited several Phnom Penh ministry sites during their time in Cambodia. Their first stop, the Cambodia Students Children Fund Organization, introduced them to the church’s long-term ministry with street children. This ministry shares the gospel and love of God by funding children’s education, teaching vocational skills and providing health care to the sick and undernourished. Directors visited the Susanna Wesley Dorm Ministry, which provides a safe place for young women as they continue college education in Phnom Penh. They also visited the Cambodian Methodist Bible School, the only theological institute in Cambodia that trains pastors and lay leaders to carry out God’s ministries in and through local churches.

The last afternoon of the meeting was spent visiting the Killing Fields just outside Phnom Penh, a sobering memorial of the genocide inflicted on millions of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge regime. In Fernandes’ final remarks of the meeting, he acknowledged the difficulty of seeing the Killing Fields, saying “it’s hard to imagine what the human race can do to each other, and yet, here we are,” referring to the current war in Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and other places of conflict around the world.

The final morning offered an opportunity for directors to attend worship services at two local Methodist churches, Phnom Penh Prektoal Methodist Church and Toul Kork Methodist Church. As the visitors stood side by side with Cambodian Methodists, reciting the Apostles Creed and singing together, Khmer and English blended in harmony. The words of John Wesley, shared in an earlier worship, came to mind, “’Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?’ Without all doubt we may.”

Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for Global Ministries.

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PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – The Fall 2023 report of the chief mission officer of The United Methodist Church reviewed the work of the General Board of Global Ministries across the last four years of unprecedented challenges and anticipated new opportunities and unresolved issues on the pathway into mission tomorrow.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of the organization that incorporates the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a major humanitarian service operation, addressed agency directors, meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 19, its second such session outside the United States. Directors met last April in Maputo, Mozambique. The gatherings in Africa and Asia provided occasions for regional and global face-to-face mission consultation that were impossible since late 2020.

Fernandes continued in Cambodia a theme introduced in Mozambique, based in verses from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another….” (Hebrews 10:23-25, NIV)

He pointed to the faithfulness of God in making possible Christian capacity to spur one another to love and good deeds in mission in times of uncertainty – such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, which overlapped with ethical debates and operational/financial restructure within The United Methodist Church. He summarized the far-ranging and strategic conversations on mission priorities in which directors, staff, missionaries and mission partners continue to be engaged as the denomination approaches a long-postponed policy-making General Conference next spring.

Items on the immediate mission agenda Fernandes mentioned included:

• Alignment of regional (traditional mission work) and sectoral activities (humanitarian and health);
• With such alignment in mind, expansion of the concept of “regional missionaries”;
• Clarification of mission strategy pertaining to Latin America and the Caribbean;
• Renewed exploration of a regional office in Africa comparable to that operative in Asia;
• Combination of the administration of U.S. Disaster Response and International Disaster Response within UMCOR;
• Centralization of grant-making processes;
• Creation of a Peace and Justice program, incorporating concern for the Korean Peninsula and Israel/Palestine;
• Strengthening the Mission Engagement unit to enhance global connections; and
• Discovering ways to achieve greater interagency alignment in the work of the general church.        

Read the full report here.   

Elliott Wright is an information consultant for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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ATLANTA – The 2022 joint annual report for Global Ministries and The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), “God’s grace: our source of hope and mission service,” is now available. The report shares the impact of United Methodist mission in the areas of missionaries, evangelism and church revitalization, global health, and humanitarian relief and recovery.

In their opening letter, General Secretary Roland Fernandes, Bishop Thomas Bickerton and Bishop Hee-Soo Jung write: “Without God’s grace, we would not have so quickly assisted in aiding Ukrainian refugees with food, shelter and psychosocial support. We would not have commissioned 54 missionaries at gatherings in regional hubs like Costa Rica and Northern Ireland. We would not have helped reduce the number of deaths from malaria, cholera and COVID-19, nor partnered in the revitalization of 13 health facilities in which to treat and prevent such diseases. And we would not have supported the flourishing of 27 new faith communities in Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia.”

On behalf of United Methodists all around the world and with the generous support of individuals, churches and conferences, read how Global Ministries and UMCOR continue extending the reach of care and compassion.

View, download and share the full annual report here.

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Atlanta–It is with great sadness that the General Board of Global Ministries announces the sudden death, on June 27, of the Rev. Edgar Avitia Legarda, a key staff member for more than two decades who led the Global Mission Relationships unit until his passing. 

“Edgar had a remarkably keen understanding of the links between local and global Christian mission,” said Roland Fernandes, Global Ministries’ chief executive. “He came to us in 2001 as a specialist in Hispanic and Latino ministry in the United States and expanded his portfolio to include all Latin America and the Caribbean and eventually the global mission community. We heavily depended on his experience and vision. Edgar had a firm grasp on what it means to engage in God’s mission. We join with his family in grieving his sudden passing and join them in prayer at this sad time.”

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, president of Global Ministries’ board, added: “We hold Rev. Avitia and his family in our prayers and give thanks to God for his leadership and dedicated life of service. He was very special to many of us.”

Born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Avitia moved to the United States after his marriage to Giuseppina Lauretano. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish at the University of Texas in El Paso and an MDiv. with a Hispanic American certification at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. Edgar’s interest in the history of the United Methodist Hispanic/Latino experience and polity involved him in writing, teaching, lecturing, representing and participation in Methodist connections in the U.S. and South and Central America. Before appointment to Global Ministries, Avitia served in the Rio Grande Annual Conference (now Rio Texas AC) and in several pastorates in Texas and New Mexico; as chaplain of Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas; and as a district superintendent in South Texas.  

Avitia and his wife have two children and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.  

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Global Ministries recently hosted an Africa Mission Partners Consultation in Maputo, Mozambique, April 17-19. This was the first event of its type held in Africa in several decades and brought together African United Methodist leadership, including bishops and representatives from each of the African UMC annual conferences, representing 17 countries and even more unique cultures. These dedicated leaders were joined in worship and conversation by Global Ministries’ executive committee board members and senior staff, and representatives from other United Methodist agencies, among other guests. It was a long-awaited and welcome reunion for so many of us.

Over the course of three days, we gathered to sing praises to God and pray together. We sang familiar hymns and other songs in many languages, which reminded me of the diversity of God’s people and that we are one in Christ. We also used this time together to do the important work of listening to our partners in Africa. The intention of Global Ministries for this event was to intensely listen and learn about our partners’ contexts, priorities and vision for God’s mission in Africa. It was a tangible expression of our Theology of Mission, which calls us to witness what “God has done and is doing, and to learn from what God is doing in every land where disciples gather in the name of Jesus Christ” (to seek to hear God’s voice and bear witness to God’s activity in every local setting).

At the beginning of the gathering, Bishop Nhanala arranged a meeting for United Methodist leaders present at the conference with the president of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi. We were all impressed at the depth of the president’s knowledge of The United Methodist Church, as well as key areas of environmental shifts and disaster response.

It was a remarkable event in many ways. I was especially impressed by the level of commitment from all participants. The engagement of the bishops, in particular, was impressive and vitally critical. All those attending dedicated themselves to reflecting deeply on questions related to evangelism, health, agriculture, humanitarian relief and missionaries as it applied to their own contexts. These leaders thoughtfully shared their perspectives on mutual partnership as well as assets their conferences bring to that partnership.

Our Africa partners are very interested in developing new and strengthened partnerships that recognize and utilize African assets, build capacity and develop leadership within African conferences. Their desire is to move the church in Africa toward greater self-sustenance based on mutual respect and accountability. One of our partners in mission shared: “We have to rethink how to be in mission in a healthy and supportive way. There are areas where we can get expertise (from Global Ministries). However, people in our conferences are trained and have great capacity. We have to rethink how we approach mission today and build interdependence.”

We also heard some very honest and open feedback from our partners. Some of it affirmed the work we are doing, especially in agriculture and health. Some of it was critical of how mission is done now or has been done in the past, especially those instances in which Global Ministries has come in with an attitude of superior knowledge. However, there was a clear awareness that we did not come to the consultation to impart knowledge or give direction. We knew it would be very important to approach this consultation with a spirit of mutuality and a posture of listening.  

One bishop shared, “Someone is finally listening and asking our opinion, which hasn’t happened for a long time.” Other bishops talked about how important our mission relationships are and how much they appreciated being there. There was also appreciation for the overview provided of Global Ministries work in Africa – to be able to see a fuller picture. Given all the rumors in the denomination, this was very encouraging. Relationship is a fundamental part of mission: on an individual level and an organizational level, with Christ and with each other.

It was also very good to have representatives from other agencies present, including United Methodist Communications, the General Council on Finance and Administration and the General Board of Higher Education Ministry, led by its general secretary, Greg Bergquist. We realized in a much deeper way that our work in Africa has potential to complement one another, especially in the areas of education and leadership development. Many of our African partners spoke of capacity building, which goes hand in hand with education. 

Largely, I think it was a good event and will greatly guide the future expressions of mission through The United Methodist Church. Time will, of course, answer that. We collected a huge amount of information. I am impressed by the immensity of what we have realized, and yet, we have barely touched the surface. Now that the consultation is done, we need to analyze the information, make certain that all participants feel their voices are reflected in it, and assess our capacities together to respond to where we believe God is leading us. It is clear that bringing greater alignment between Global Ministries and its Africa partners has great potential to benefit all of our efforts in God’s mission. We trust God will help us figure out how to carry the work of the consultation forward so that it will have meaningful impact.

Our measure of success will be the long-term results. This work is much bigger than any agency, partner, or individual. This is God’s work.

Roland Fernandes
General Secretary,
General Board of Global Ministries

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ATLANTA (May 2, 2023) — Pledging to move forward with mutual respect in mission and ministry together, leaders of the East Africa Episcopal Area (EAEA) and the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (GBGM) have moved to restore their relationship and bring an end to a more than decade-long freeze on distribution of church and mission funds begun after internal audits raised questions about the episcopal area’s use of certain funds. A confidential agreement – approved by EAEA leaders and the GBGM Board of Directors – acknowledges the long-standing impasse over past audits, implements financial protocols and pledges to move forward with mutual respect.

The East Africa Episcopal Area, which had proactively implemented procedures to improve accounting practices, has agreed to the placement of a treasurer in the East Africa Episcopal Office, a position that will be funded by Global Ministries. The restoration of the relationship between the East Africa Episcopal Area and Global Ministries will allow for the future placement of missionaries in East Africa, as well as the resumption of programs and ministries in humanitarian aid, agriculture, global health and church revitalization.

Global Ministries General Secretary Roland Fernandes retained Holbrook Global, Ltd., an independent public auditing firm, in May 2022, to review the audit issues that had created the longstanding impasse and provide an independent assessment of the situation. A leadership group representing both the East Africa Episcopal Area and Global Ministries then met in Atlanta in January 2023 to review the assessment and discuss a resolution, an in-person meeting that had been long-delayed because of the pandemic.

Parties attending the January meeting met with the mutual intent of moving forward with a spirit of reconciliation and healing. The meeting was mediated by Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas Bickerton, who also serves as the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) president and is a member of the Global Ministries board. It was attended by GBGM General Secretary Roland Fernandes and Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Episcopal Area, as well as the Rev. Dr. Martin Childs (with Bishop Wandabula); Rev. Dr. Karma Denise Kagoro (with Bishop Wandabula); Bishop Hee-Soo Jung (president, GBGM Board of Directors); Bishop Joaquina Nhanala (vice-president, GBGM Board of Directors); Bishop Hope Morgan Ward (chair, GBGM Board audit committee); and Lauren Holbrook (Holbrook Global, Ltd.; GBGM’s audit firm). Also present were General Council on Finance and Administration general secretary, the Rev. Moses Kumar, and Paul Demastus (LBMC, PC; GCFA’s audit firm), who will make their own decisions about EAEA at a future time.

“I am glad that we are now able to move past this long impasse while taking into consideration the issues that led to the impasse and working together to resolve them to everyone’s satisfaction,” said General Secretary Fernandes, while acknowledging the communication issues that had affected the relationship between Global Ministries and the East Africa Episcopal Area. “Moving forward together means that our mission with the people of East Africa will now be resumed, which has been a heavy burden on all of us.”

East Africa Episcopal Area Presiding Bishop Daniel Wandabula and other episcopal area leaders acknowledged the lack of appropriate documentation in certain instances and previous gaps in following best accounting principles. In commenting about the restoration of the relationship with Global Ministries, Bishop Wandabula said, “It has been a long journey and we celebrate this new beginning and the spirit exhibited by all stakeholders in resolving these long-standing issues.” He added: “This reconciliation is a milestone that will enhance the ministry of the four annual conferences in six countries that comprise the East Africa Episcopal Area. We look forward to working with Global Ministries and other partners in mission and ministry to God’s people in East Africa as we continue proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform the world.”

Acknowledging the Spirit at work during their meetings, EAEA and Global Ministries pledged to work together with transparency and with a spirit of full trust in the future. Bishop Bickerton commented on the genuine spirit of collaboration that was evident among all parties. “Guided, I believe, by the Holy Spirit, this mediated resolution represents what is possible when there is a willingness to sit at a common table and intentionally search for potential solutions,” he said. “After many years of conflict, my hope is that we all can rejoice that this matter has been resolved so that the mission and ministry of our church can resume as the central focus of our work.”

“We really thank God for the opportunity that was given to all of us to sit again at the table and talk together,” said Bishop Nhanala. “This is what Christians should do. Not that there will not be challenges; there will always be challenges, but we do not become enemies because there are challenges. When we come back, and we sit together, it is a testament, it is a witness to the world outside the church.” Bishop Jung added: “We came together seeking mutual support and mutual accountability, and God brought us together with forgiveness and wholeness to seek God’s mission. The Holy Spirit guides us in walking a new path to higher ground together in our missional relationship.”

The resumption of the relationship between East Africa Episcopal Area and Global Ministries will allow the East Africa Episcopal Area to once again receive funds for programs and ministries that have been implemented in other parts of Africa. Such funds typically support the placement of missionaries, support hospitals and health clinics, build churches and provide for sustainable agriculture programs, among other ministries. The resumption of these programs will impact the people of four annual conferences in six countries: Kenya/Ethiopia, Uganda/South Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda Provisional conferences.

About East Africa Episcopal Area

Bishop Daniel Wandabula serves as episcopal leader of the East Africa Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church. He was elected bishop in 2006 at a special session of the Africa Central Conference held at Africa University in Zimbabwe, after Bishop Alfred Ndoricimpa died while in office in 2005. He was re-elected as United Methodist bishop for life in 2012. The headquarters of the East Africa Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church is located in Kampala, Uganda, and includes four annual conferences: Kenya/Ethiopia, Uganda/South Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda Provisional conferences.

About The General Board of Global Ministries

The General Board of Global Ministries is the worldwide mission and development agency of The United Methodist Church. Founded in 1819, Global Ministries today supports more than 200 missionaries in over 60 countries, including the United States. It has personnel, projects and partners in 115 countries. Founded in 1940, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian relief agency of The United Methodist Church and is a part of Global Ministries.

___________________________

Media Contacts:

For Global Ministries/UMCOR: Dan Curran, media@umcmission.org or 770-658-9586.

For East Africa Episcopal Area: communications@eaeaumc.org.

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African United Methodists and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries remain committed to collaborating on mission work and the shared goal of helping the church in Africa become self-sustaining, the agency’s top executive said during its first board meetings outside the U.S.

“African partners are very interested in developing new and strengthening partnerships that recognize and utilize African assets, build capacity and develop leadership within African conferences and move the church in Africa towards greater self-sustenance … based on mutual respect and accountability,” said Roland Fernandes, who leads Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

The agency’s board gathered April 20-22 in Maputo, Mozambique for its spring meeting. It was the first time the board has met outside the U.S. 

Fernandes said the board received “some very honest and open feedback” on how self-sustenance was coming along.

“Some of it was affirming for the work we’re doing, especially in agriculture and health,” he said. “Some of it was critical of how our mission was done in the past, especially those instances in which Global Ministries has come in with the attitude that we know what is best.”

In a related move during meeting, the board approved $5 million in funding for the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative, continuing to prioritize the effort to improve food security and strengthen farm communities across Africa. The initiative is named for the late Bishop John K. Yambasu of Sierra Leone, who was a key player in the effort. Yambasu died in a car accident in 2020.

“(The Yambasu Initiative) is ambitious, enlisting sustainable agriculture in the causes of both food security and income production for local churches and annual conferences,” Fernandes said. “It puts land the church already owns into broad-based use. It can serve as a tool of evangelism through the promotion of community welfare and prosperity and hopefully will play a significant economic role in Africa’s United Methodist Church of tomorrow.”

Three days before the board meetings, the Africa Partners Mission Consultation gave members of the executive committee an opportunity to see missions work up close. It was the first in a series of gatherings planned over the next year to discern how God is leading United Methodists in mission. The full board later saw presentations of United Methodist-supported projects. 

Holding the meetings outside the U.S. was significant, Fernandes said. 

“Meeting in Mozambique dramatizes for me the need and the possibility of building broad community and collaboration within the church — to foster within the church a sense of global community and coming together in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ. Diversifying the location where the directors of this United Methodist agency convene is our testimony to the unity of the United Methodist community in faith and mission.” 

Other actions at the board meetings included:

• $356,000 that was earmarked for scholarship funds in 2013 for the Asian Rural Institute was redirected for trainings, educational initiatives and disaster response in Asia.
• It was announced that the denomination’s guiding principles for missionary service will be updated, based on conversations being held with missionary groups. 

Current events including the Ukraine war and faltering stock market affected the board’s finances in 2022. 

The situation in Ukraine was credited with huge growth in operating revenues in 2022. Gifts to the International Disaster Relief Advance fund jumped from $3.9 million in 2021 to $30 million last year, and operating revenues grew from $72.2 million to $101.5 million.

However, net assets went down $48 million to $324.5 million, mostly due to unrealized market losses.

“This primarily is all related to our investment losses,” said Mike Gurick, chief financial officer. “These are unrealized losses; we did not liquidate any of our investments.” In 2023, Global Ministries has seen about $10 million of unrealized gains.

Operating expenditures were $93.6 million, up from $53.1 million in 2021. Large grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief to help migrants and victims of the Ukraine war accounted for that increase. One grant of $1 million went to Church World Service to support host committees in Moldova to improve access to needed services and relief for refugees from Ukraine.

Global Ministries collected “immense” data during the Africa Partners Mission Consultation, Fernandes said. He promised a summary of the results to African partners in 90 days for their review. 

“We have hardly touched the surface,” he said. “Now that the consultation is done, we need to analyze the information … and figure out how we carry the work of the consultation forward so that it will have a meaningful impact.”

Even before the data is analyzed, there is a victory in the “humble leader” approach of the communication between U.S. and African participants, said Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, president of the Global Ministries board.

“The humble leader is a leader who actively lives within the reality of togetherness with the sense of empathetic unity,” Jung said. “So, it’s a tremendous, empathetic unity that we found and we celebrate. 

“Hopefully God will, through the Holy Spirit, continue to strengthen our humble collaboration and the equity-related relationship in mission in Africa.”

Patterson is a UM News reporter in Nashville, Tennessee.

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