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ATLANTA – On Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, the General Board of Global Ministries’ board of directors unanimously voted to affirm the appointment of Roland Fernandes as general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education Ministry (GBHEM), a position he will hold in addition to his roles as general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR. The appointment will be effective as of July 1, 2024, upon the June 30 retirement of GBHEM’s current general secretary, the Rev. Greg Bergquist. GBHEM and Global Ministries will remain separate tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. 

This appointment builds on the collaborative programmatic work led by Fernandes and Bergquist throughout 2022 and 2023 in the areas of scholarships, granting, monitoring and evaluation, shared services, and leadership formation and training. With Fernandes leading both organizations, continued alignment and deeper partnership will be possible. 

Read the joint announcement here.

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ATLANTA – The Rev. Claudine Leary was one of a few children in her Rwandan village to attend primary school through high school. But the year she entered Rwanda National University, civil war engulfed the country and a time of horrific genocide ensued. Leary survived by fleeing the country, residing in different refugee camps for years. There was no opportunity for completing her education in the camps, but she found a way. Today, Leary serves as the director of development at Methodist Theological School in Ohio and is also involved with a nonprofit she co-founded to resource and advocate for the education of children living in refugee camps in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Rev. Olga Maria Raimundo Choto grew up in Chipongo, a rural area of South Mozambique. Her parents were farmers who never had the opportunity to attend school, but they worked hard so she could attend. As a pastor and single parent, she says she experienced many situations of gender injustice and found the path to becoming an independent adult to be challenging. She is studying to perfect her research skills to begin a major project on gender-violence and the status of women and girls in her country.

Christian Love Daroy-Gagno, the fifth of seven children in her immediate family, grew up in the Philippines, where her father served as clergy for The United Methodist Church. She studied business administration, but then joined the UMC young adult mission program and became a mission intern. After mission service, she worked for one of the church’s mission institutions, Kapitiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc. (KKFI), where her life course took a new direction. Today, she works with the Indigenous community of T’boli in South Cotabato, Philippines.

These are just three of the average 50 scholars who receive United Methodist scholarships for higher education through the World Communion Sunday offering each year. World Communion Sunday is a United Methodist opportunity for connectional giving presented annually in October. The lives these scholarships impact and the dreams and aspirations they fulfill are not just those of the scholars, but of the many people reached by them as they complete their studies and develop ways to fulfil God’s calling in their lives.

“I traveled with all those refugee children in my heart.”

Although Claudine Leary was already in her early twenties when she fled Rwanda, she spent a lot of time with the children in the refugee camps she where she lived. “Some of them genuinely saved my life because playing with them and caring for them made camp life bearable. I promised myself that if ever life gives me an opportunity, I will serve disadvantaged children and their families,” Leary said.

Finally, the Jesuits Refugee Services sponsored her first year to finish her undergraduate studies at Africa University in Zimbabwe and she then received additional scholarships from the UMC to complete her degree. From there, she was able to secure a visa to the U.S., completed her MBA and later received a scholarship to study at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, earning her Master of Divinity, and is ordained as an elder in the West Ohio Conference.

“When I lived in the refugee camps, the greatest pains parents around me had was how their children would resume school. There were no schools in those camps back then.”

Leary worked with friends to establish a nonprofit run by volunteers called “Watoto Read” (www.watotoread.com). Watoto is a Swahili word for children. The nonprofit started work in 2016 and has since built multiple schools in the refugee camps of Chad.

“We provided benches, latrines and menstrual hygiene kits to 21,000 girls in the 13 refugee camps of Chad,” notes Leary. “We are currently supporting preschools in these refugee camps while also paying tuition for 14 high school girls in Dzaleka Refugee camp in Malawi, a camp I lived in over 27 years ago.”

Leary’s current studies for a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change at Antioch University in the U.S. are helping her to increase involvement in advocacy and join a larger community to work on the issue of poverty. She hopes to ensure that children can access quality education and other resources to succeed in life.

“Since my youth, I have been passionate about gender justice.”

Olga Choto studied basic theology at the United Seminary of Ricatla, an ecumenical institution. She obtained her Master of Divinity and then a Master in Conflict Management at African University. She has been a pastor in the UMC of Mozambique since 1993 and is the mother of a boy and two girls.

“As a female pastor, I have experienced many situations of injustice that directly affect women and children in my country and on the African continent in general,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been working with this disadvantaged group who experience gender-based domestic violence, early and forced marriages and early pregnancies, who are unable to finish school, forced to return home at an early age.”

Currently, Choto is studying for a Ph.D. in Education at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique, with a research concentration on Education and Gender Relations. She wants to refine her research skills to bring the facts of gender-based violence in Africa to light, encouraging as many people as possible to intervene to change this situation.

“I am excited to share what I am learning with those I serve.”

Christian Love Gagno’s career and purpose have been formed by God over time. Growing up in a Christian family, serving as a UMC mission intern, and then as a program director of KKFI made her wonder about the lives of the people she encountered. She pivoted from her business studies and, with her scholarship, concentrated on a master’s degree in Social Services and Development at the Asian Social Institute. She is currently working on her thesis.

After she took off work to care for her first baby, she found deeper meaning in her studies and was struck with the idea of starting an NGO (nongovernmental organization) to work with vulnerable children, youth and families in Cotabato.

“We started the NGO I prayed for and we are implementing programs and projects for community development,” Gagno confirmed. “We work with the T’boli Indigenous group in Surallah, South Cotabato, Philippines.”

Children and youth in this community must walk 2½ to 3 miles every day to get to school. Meanwhile, at home, their parents have trouble meeting the most basic needs of the family, so, many children eventually give up the trek and remain home to work. People in this community are subsistence farmers, and many work odd jobs like charcoal making or as hands on the pineapple plantations and cornfields.

“My heart goes to the children and youth who are in vulnerable situations, either due to poverty, injustice or abuse. My experience as a missionary and my work at KKFI have opened my eyes to the ugly truth that poor communities face daily. I believe that the fullness of life can happen through Jesus and we can be part of God’s mission.”

These words from Christian Love Gagno to the church on the important impact congregational giving makes for scholars were also echoed by Claudine Leary and Olga Choto:

“I feel privileged to be a recipient of God’s grace through you. You are the Lord’s vessel, so I can do what God calls me to do. Your giving allows us to experience God’s love and generosity and it makes a huge difference to my life and to many children, youth, families and communities.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

World Communion Sunday

The World Communion Sunday offering provides scholarships and leadership development opportunities for international students and U.S. racial-ethnic students who are pursuing advanced degrees. Gifts not only make an impact in the lives of individual students, but also the religious, social and civic communities in which they lead and serve. These funds are administered by Global Ministries in collaboration with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Connect here to give online and mark World Communion Sunday.

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May 19, 2022 | ATLANTA

Mounting human-made and natural disasters around the world have increased demands for relief, recovery, migrant and health ministries, which Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) are working to provide. Global Ministries directors, meeting virtually May 11-12, reviewed and approved the work the mission agency and UMCOR directors approved grants for global health and humanitarian relief as part of the semiannual gathering of Global Ministries Board of Directors.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR, urged directors and staff to depend on the grace of God in these times: “With all the uncertainties that continue to rage and the new complexities and challenges that keep emerging, we need to remain focused on our mission mandate, which does not change, but must of course adapt to evolving realities.”

Disaster response and recovery

UMCOR directors approved a total of more than $6 million for U.S. disaster ministries, including several multimillion-dollar grants for U.S. disaster recovery:

• Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference – received a $2.9 million grant for flood and storm recovery to continue and expand the conference’s disaster case management, volunteer coordination and construction projects. Flooding occurred in two counties of Tennessee in August 2021 after 20 inches of rain fell in just five hours. A total of 16 counties were affected by the tornadoes in both states last December. Through case management and direct service, the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference plans to assist at least 1,250 households in achieving their long-term recovery goals.

• The Greater New Jersey Conference’s Hurricane Ida Recovery project focuses on three of the top five most impacted counties affected by Hurricane Ida in September 2021, working with low income, senior, access- and functional-needs households in marginalized communities, and particularly, communities of color. The $1.8 million UMCOR grant will assist with case management for 200 households and home repairs for at least 50 households.

Additional grants approved for U.S. disaster recovery:

• Michigan Conference – supporting case management for households in the Metro Detroit area affected by severe flooding in June 2021.
• Mountain Sky Conference – for recovery efforts related to the Marshall Wildfire in Boulder County, Colorado, in December 2021.
• Oklahoma Conference – to continue the next phase of its recovery project with households affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in 2019.

Directors also approved grants totaling more than $690,000 for international disaster response:

• North Katanga Episcopal Area – A grant for emergency food rations will help to serve the needs of people displaced by interethnic violence in the Central African Republic who currently live in camps and with host families in the DRC. Additional global migration grants were approved for the East Congo and South Congo episcopal areas to provide food and supplies to people affected by violence in their specific regions.
• Haiti – UMCOR continues to support organizations working for recovery and resiliency after the 2021 earthquake. A grant to the Methodist Church in Haiti will support food security in the 11 Methodist circuits to provide personnel for earthquake recovery activities and rebuild some of the church’s infrastructure, including a church and several schools. A grant to Project Living Hope will support the construction of an educational center for vocational skills and disaster preparedness in Camp Marie, which can also be used as an evacuation shelter when needed.

• Philippines – A grant to the Manila Episcopal Area will address basic human needs in Cavite City (Manila) communities affected by a February 2022 fire that destroyed 760 households. The grant provides supplemental food rations, WASH/hygiene kits, cash assistance for families and portable solar home systems for 100 of the poorest households. Funding for an additional 22 solar streetlights will improve security and safety.

Assisting refugees, displaced people and asylum seekers

Human migration is a global phenomenon that affects every nation. Today, stories about refugees from Ukraine fill newsfeeds and broadcasts. Many of the grants released since February by UMCOR for assistance with refugees from Ukraine were ratified by directors during committee meeting:

• United Methodist Church of Ukraine – received two UMCOR grants and more than $300,000 from the United Methodist In Mission Together Advance.
• United Methodist churches in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia and Romania – received emergency grants to provide hospitality to refugees entering their countries.
• ACT Alliance and the International Orthodox Christian Charities – grants for ecumenical organizations working across borders, were also ratified.

The situation in Ukraine is reviewed weekly and additional grants will be forthcoming and approved as needed.

New global migration grants totaling close to $1 million approved in this meeting will provide help for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants in a variety of countries:

• Migrant centers – grants were approved for migration ministries in Germany, Hong Kong, El Salvador, Mexico and Greece.
• Human trafficking – a grant to the Manila Episcopal Area will help to welcome and reintegrate trafficked Filipino workers as they return home.
• National Justice for Our Neighbors – this grant continues the three-year program to help migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

Global health, health infrastructure and WASH

Directors approved more than $1.7 million to improve health services and increase access to care in remote places, particularly through support of United Methodist health boards in Africa. These concentrated on improved services for mothers, newborns and children and efforts to combat malaria:

• Maternal, Newborn and Child Health – a grant to the Sierra Leone Health Board focuses on community-based primary health care and HIV and AIDS testing and treatment for pregnant mothers.
• Imagine No Malaria program – grants approved for health boards in Zimbabwe, East Angola, North Katanga (DRC), Burundi and Nigeria.
• Health System Strengthening – health boards in Sierra Leone, Burundi, Nigeria, South Congo and two facilities in Haiti were approved for grants to improve overall delivery of health services by addressing staff and education needs, procuring medicines and other medical supplies, rebuilding aging structures and filling other gaps that hinder the quality of health care.

• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – a grant to Engineers in Action in Bolivia will supply three Methodist churches in the altiplano with clean water sources and sanitation, which will also benefit their surrounding communities.

Program grants and scholarships

Global Ministries directors approved three grants and 46 scholarships in the mission program committee meeting:

• Community Developers Program – Two grants approved, one for the Village at Forest Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the other for Bethany UMC in New Orleans, each for $15,000.
• Native American Ministry – a $75,000 grant from the Native American Sunday offering approved repairs to Clanton Chapel in Dulac, Louisiana. The Clanton Chapel ministry serves a significant population of people of the United Houma Nation in Louisiana. This grant supports a joint partnership of Clanton Chapel, the Louisiana Conference, and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference to rebuild portions of the facility damaged during Hurricane Ida and Tropical Storm Nicholas last year.
• Scholarships – A total of 46 students from 20 countries received scholarships through Global Ministries’ World Communion and Leadership Development scholarship programs. Academic fields range from theological and Christian leadership training to ministry certificate courses, professional degrees and agricultural studies. Ten of these scholars are studying for various degrees in health and medical fields.

Directors also received information on 50 other grants that were  approved and implemented since the Fall 2021 board meeting and needed no further action. A good number of these support ongoing program ministries, such as the four ethnic ministry plans. Other grants supported congregational development, ministry with the poor and leadership development.

The full board of directors affirmed the allocation of $9 million from Global Ministries’ undesignated reserves to support four key areas of programming. This action sets aside funds that will be used for future grants as designated:

• The Bishop John K. Yambasu Agriculture Initiative ($3.5 million) – This funding enables new grants focused on building capacity through training, allowing field visits and monitoring, and improving management efficiency.
• Global health ($2.5 million) – To support community health partnerships through annual conference and episcopal area health boards and networks of church-related health facilities. The funding will prioritize infrastructure improvement, training and service delivery.
• The Africa Central Conferences Sustainability Fund ($2 million) – established to help United Methodist churches in Africa with infrastructure needs and human resources.
• International mission gatherings ($1 million) – To bring together missionaries, Nationals in Mission, staff and mission partners in regional in-person meetings.

During the board meeting’s opening worship session, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, UMCOR’s chair, reminded directors and staff of their sacred duty as facilitators of the global mission of the church: “We are called to deal with the challenges in front of us…throughout the worst of times, our church has risen with ministries to do the best of things.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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Martha Fatoma, a 2021 graduate with a B.S. in nursing from Africa University, has worked in her field for 20 years. A World Communion Scholarship helped her attain a degree as well as a higher level of understanding and professionalism, which she now passes on to the nurses she supervises.

By Martha Fatoma
September 21, 2021 | SIERRA LEONE

I am a wife and mother in my 40s, with a daughter in high school, and I also care for my niece and my father.

I am matron at the United Methodist Kissy General Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. For the past three years, I have worked with nurses to administer the day-to-day running of nursing affairs. I prepare duty rosters, compile reports from all departments, oversee medical and nursing care for all patients and do my best to coordinate the work of caring for patients at the hospital.

Born in the Bo District of Sierra Leone and a member of the United Methodist Church in Kossoh Town, I entered nursing school in 1997 and attained a State Enrolled Community Health Nursing Certificate (SECHN) in 2001. That year I began work with Kissy Hospital. In 2007, I sought further studies at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, where I obtained a State Registered Nursing Certificate in 2010. I then resumed my duties with Kissy Hospital in December that same year.

I used to travel as a health worker in the community, helping to inform people about health care, administering vaccinations and referring children at-risk for malnutrition back to the hospital. I enjoyed this kind of work to promote community health.

Even though my life was already hectic, I wanted to pursue further studies for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I hoped to improve at promoting and restoring health, preventing illness and facilitating a better life for those in need. So, in 2019, after I received a World Communion Scholarship from Global Ministries, in partnership with the Sierra Leone Annual Conference, I left my family and duties in Sierra Leone and traveled to Zimbabwe to pursue further education. 

I arrived at Africa University’s main campus on August 5, 2019. I stayed a year on campus until August 2020. Then COVID-19 began to take its toll on Zimbabwe.

Before long, lock-downs became serious, and I wondered when I would see my family again. But fortunately, the chancellor of Africa University at that time was also my resident bishop in Sierra Leone, Bishop John Yambasu. He arranged for my return home, since the university authorities decided all students would continue classes online the following semester. Tragically, Bishop Yambasu died in a car accident that same month, but he got me home to Sierra Leone.

In-person classes and online learning have marked differences. The course content was the same in both cases, undiluted. But learning online was difficult for me because my internet access was limited, and I had trouble reaching the virtual library. I enjoyed researching through the main campus library, as I received much-needed assistance from the university librarians. The medium online poses certain difficulties and requires a reliable network connection and an understanding of phonetics and the pronunciation of words by lecturers on audio and video presentations. I had trouble downloading assignments when the package was too large for my network to handle, almost daily. Communication with the university administrators from my home country posed another challenge.

I continued third semester classes online. Then my last semester was coupled with a 12-week internship, which we were able to arrange with the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Complex. I graduated by virtual means on July 3, 2021.

As part of my studies, I learned managerial skills that I am applying now at Kissy Hospital, teaching my colleague nurses how to provide quality care to our patients, to work with colleagues cordially and to be examples in leadership. Kissy Hospital has undergone considerable improvements in management and care over the last decade with the development of the Sierra Leone United Methodist Health Board. Punctuality in reporting to duty, observing the institutional rules and regulations and cordial relationships are taken much more seriously now.

I learned a good deal about professional standards for hospital management and patient care and I have helped to raise the standards among the nurses at Kissy Hospital. They are now consistently punctual on duty, rendering quality care to our patients in all the departments – maternity, medicine, surgery, physiotherapy and all other departments. Reports are sent to management on time, as I am now working with the reporters.

I have taken on a role as coach for quality improvement. We have changed the patients’ waiting time from 3-4 hours to 2 hours, especially at the maternity department. We’ve also improved report writing, prompt referral to the central hospitals and communication skills from junior and intermediate staff to management.

Though I have returned to the same job as hospital matron, I feel my studies have allowed me to approach my work in a different way and to pass on my new perspectives to my colleagues and coworkers. It was not an easy journey for me, but it was a gift from God, and I am thankful for God’s steadfast love and care.

Martha Fatoma, a World Communion Scholar through Global Ministries, continues to serve her family, church and community in Sierra Leone through her work at Kissy Hospital and in her personal and spiritual life.

World Communion Sunday is one of United Methodism’s six Special Sunday offerings, taken this year on October 3. Funds collected in local churches continue a long history of educating for excellence in any number of fields. Prepare for the October offering with your local church, find out more or give online at the link above.

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By Barbara Dunlap-Berg
April 21, 2021 | ATLANTA 

In 2020, Joshua Nii Ofori Suttah traveled 8,500 miles from his home in Ghana to attend the Rural Leader Training Program at the Asian Rural Institute in Japan. For this young man, every mile was worth it. 

“Through this long journey,” he said, “I acquired a lot of new skills and ideas to transform my community.” 

Suttah hails from Adenkrebi, population 400, near Accra, Ghana, in West Africa. He works with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and worships with the Adenkrebi Gligal congregation. Thanks to a scholarship from Global Ministries, he had an opportunity to embark on nine months of intensive training at ARI. 

Ninety-eight percent of the people in Suttah’s village, located in the mountains of eastern Ghana, are farmers. They “leave home in the morning to [labor in] their farms and come back in the evening to take care of their children and livestock,” he said. 

The staple food is corn and cassava. Suttah cultivates vegetables and raises sheep and chickens. His knowledge as an electrician also helps to support his family. 

“The positive achievement I get from farming,” he said, “is that most of the foodstuffs used at my house is from my farm without buying from outside.” 

Because much of the land near the community was sold to outsiders, many local farmers rent land from caretakers who work for landowners. Compounding the problem is the expense of transporting products from the community to sell at market. 

Still, the villagers are determined. 

“The members in the community support each other,” Suttah said, “by rotating from one farm to another to help each other and show love among themselves.” 

Suttah uses his love for football to attract community youth. They’ve grown to respect him as a mentor. He encourages youth to stay in the community rather than moving to the city in search of nonexistent jobs. 

“The youth-in-livestock project,” he explained, “was introduced by the United Methodist Committee on Relief and later handed over to my sending body [Presbyterian Church] to take care of for sustainability. 

“I am the leading organizer of the youth in my community in running this livestock program,” Suttah said. The young people raise sheep and goats. The project also supplements family incomes. 

Suttah’s reach is intergenerational. He networks with experts who help lead quarterly seminars for farmers. Topics range from climate change to diseases affecting crops and livestock. “I sometimes serve as an interpreter, providing oral interpretation to the facilitators of the program by translating from English to the native language of the farmers,” he said. By blending lessons in organic crop farming, animal husbandry and leadership growth, people gain self-sufficiency. 

In 2015, Suttah was selected to participate in a weeklong seminar where he was introduced to the moringa tree, called a “miracle tree” because of its health benefits; soybean production and utilization; and beekeeping. It was here that Suttah decided to enrich his knowledge at Asian Rural Institute. 

At ARI, combining classroom sessions with field experiences encourages participants to practice servant leadership in many settings, whether listening to lectures, raising livestock, planting vegetables, practicing cooking skills in the kitchen or gathering for a meal in the dining hall. 

“Before coming to ARI,” Suttah said, “I was relying on others to change our community. Through this program, I realized that I can start with what I have to make an impact on my community. I now believe that anyone can lead if given some opportunity, training and support. 

“I have not only learned about servant leadership and sustainable agriculture,” he added. “I also had lots of opportunities to learn other things like food processing and soap making, which will also transform the youth of my community and their lives in general.” 

Indeed, leadership development is key to ARI’s ministry. 

“My way of thinking about leadership totally changed,” Suttah said. “Leading the people is not important, but working with the people is the way to be a good servant leader because I can understand their feelings and thoughts and gain their trust. Supporting each other and finding the strength of each person are important for transforming my community.” 

Suttah’s experience has opened windows to his future. “I have chosen to do this kind of work,” he said, “because the development of my community is on my heart. I feel happy to assist my community with my skills and knowledge acquired.” 

He offered an example. “Organic farming without using pesticides and chemicals on our land is completely new to me,” Suttah said, “but of such great relevance to my community as chemicals are used rather indiscriminately with its consequent effect on the environment. Rearing of livestock organically is also completely new to me.” 

Because veterinary services in the community are sporadic and scarce, he would like to become an Animal Health Agent – and maybe even a veterinarian – to help people assess and improve livestock health. 

“Now I know how I want the future to look,” Suttah said. “I am grateful for this because having a vision without a proper structure will render that vision difficult to accomplish. 

“My dream is to empower community-based leaders to promote rural life and organic agriculture through churches. My ultimate goal is to work with rural people to transform rural communities and to teach sustainable agriculture and sustainable living.” 

Tomoko Arakawa, the institute’s director, agrees. 

“Through Joshua, the skills and experience gained at ARI will be passed on to his people,” Arakawa said. “Training of one local rural leader benefits a whole community.” 

Global Ministries supports the work of scholars in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Suttah is one of 122 men and women who are currently learning and growing in the areas of leadership and congregational development, global health and ministry with the poor. 

Barbara Dunlap-Berg is a freelance writer and editor for Global Ministries.

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By Elliott Wright

December 2020 | ATLANTA

Forty-four students from 16 countries will receive leadership development scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year from Global Ministries, the worldwide mission agency of The United Methodist Church. Thirty-six of the scholars are new awardees.

Study stipends totaling $231,800 were approved on November 12 by directors of Global Ministries. The students are or will be enrolled in a wide range of fields within four current focus areas of The United Methodist Church: leadership development, congregational development, ministry with the poor and global health.

Among the new recipients are:

• Muangeni Nelly Kongolo Tulume, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is a candidate for a doctorate in dental surgery at Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia;

• Israel Eugenio Massango, from Mozambique, working toward a master’s degree in sustainable agriculture at Africa University in Zimbabwe;

• Seonyeong Jeong, from the United States, studying for the Master of Divinity degree at Claremont School of Theology, currently relocating from California to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon;

• Matri Joosua Hollman, from Estonia, studying for a bachelor’s degree in music at the University of West London, United Kingdom;

• Oanh Thi Kieu Le, from Vietnam, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Hutech University in his home country, and

• Hasitha Roshan Fernando, from Sri Lanka, studying for a Master of Theological Studies at the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

Global Ministries’ scholarships are intended to equip persons for service to church and community. They are open to international students and to racial minority students in the U.S. Grants may be for single or multiple years of study. The grants for next year range in size from $1,000 to $15,000. Regionally, a majority of the grant recipients are from countries in Africa.

Funds come from a variety of sources, including the World Communion Sunday Special Offering, endowments and bequests, and the basic mission budget. Those persons receiving support from the special Sunday offering are designated World Communion Scholars.

Of the new grants, 12 totaling $102,100 are in the congregational development category, 21 totaling $70,900 in leadership development, eight totaling $41,200 in global health, and three totaling $19,600 in ministry with the poor. The larger figures indicate greater pools of designated funds.

Elliott Wright is an information consultant with Global Ministries.

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For more than 40 years, United Methodists around the world have observed World Communion Sunday in celebration of our connectedness as the body of Christ. This year, it is being observed on Sunday, October 4.

World Communion Sunday is an occasion to support educational opportunities for both international students and racial-ethnic students in the United States.

The World Communion Sunday offering funds scholarships for graduate students studying for professional degrees in their specific fields. Since 2002, the World Communion Scholarship program of Global Ministries has awarded $11,166,931 to more than 500 students.

One of those students is Cleber Lizardo de Assis.

Lizardo de Assis attended Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and graduated with a degree in psychology. In 2008 and 2009, he received a World Communion Scholarship to continue his studies there and pursue a Master of Psychology.

Learn more about Lizardo de Assis, the impact of the scholarship on his educational goals and how he has become an agent of change in his community in the brief interview below.

How did you learn about the World Communion Scholarship program? What were your professional goals at that time and how did receiving the scholarship impact those goals?

I got to know the program through a friend and missionary from the Methodist Church in Brazil. I wanted to pursue a master’s degree but did not have the financial means.

I was active in a church in Belo Horizonte and helped with several community projects in the Liberdade neighborhood: Juventude ao Extremo (Youth to the Extreme), for young people; Sombra e Água Fresca (Shade and Fresh Water), for migrant children from 6- to 14-years-old; and Third Age, for older adults.

At the time, I was a national agent and advisor for Sombra e Água Fresca of the Methodist Church of Brazil and helped to implement projects across the country.

The scholarship allowed me to pursue higher education, continue my service to the community and expand my commitment to social transformation in the world.

How have you advanced in your field of work? How are you an agent of change in your community?

I have since received a Doctor of Psychology and a postdoctoral degree in philosophy. I spent years as a professor and researcher in psychology and have written articles in the field.

As a teacher in psychology, theology, philosophy and social practices, I have helped to train community leaders and current teachers in these fields of study.

I also enjoy creating and implementing social programs that promote justice and peace for often marginalized groups: street children, perpetrators, people addicted to drugs, indigenous people, women and older adults.

You’ve recently written a children’s book. What is it about and what was the inspiration behind it?

“Minhoca Benzoca” is my first children’s book, illustrated by my son Ângelo Kalein. The work invites everyone to taste the good things in life. I am in production on other books, too. You can read more about them here.

What future goals do you have in your field of work?

I am concluding the Mental Health Project for All, a service that provides face-to-face and online psychotherapeutic assistance, free lectures and patient visits.

The next project I am developing and hope to implement next year is called Clínica Livre, which aims to serve Brazilians around the world, in addition to supporting the efforts of nongovernmental organizations in several countries to promote mental health.

Support students around the world in their pursuit of education and social transformation. Give to the World Communion Sunday offering.


Sara Logeman is the content strategist for Global Ministries. 

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According to the Afterschool Alliance, 282,453 children are enrolled in afterschool programming in the state of Georgia, and another 590,278 are still waiting to enroll. Many parents say they would enroll their children if programs were available at a rate scalable to their income. Along with having available and affordable programs, parents in low-income households also cite safe transportation to and from afterschool centers as an important factor when deciding to enroll their children in a program.

Global Ministries’ Global Health unit has partnered with the Healthy Youth USA Foundation (www.healthyyouthusa.org) to fill some of the service gaps for low-income families in the North Atlanta area. The Healthy Youth USA afterschool and summer camping programs reach about 150 children and youth with the Afterschool Club and 60-70 full-day campers in the summer.

Charles Sharper, founder and director of Healthy Youth USA, says the majority of participants in the program come from Sandy Springs and some from Dunwoody. Some live in low-income housing and some come from single-parent homes. Not all families need financial aid, but many in this service area need scholarships for their children to attend. A Global Health grant supported the scholarship program to give more children and youth access to a safe place to have fun, work on homework and experience new activities.

Healthy Youth USA provides a multifaceted program for its students, working toward positive youth development through mentorship, arts initiatives and recreational enrichment. As a nonprofit foundation, it seeks to educate families, communities and organizations on the benefits of afterschool and summer programs. With a commitment to good nutrition and engaging students in physical activity, Healthy Youth USA seeks to eliminate childhood obesity and enhance student academic and social achievement.

Trina Olidge’s son, Augustus, attends the Afterschool Club. In a video produced by Good News, Atlanta, she said that when her son returned from the afterschool program and talked about a dodgeball game he played that afternoon, it took her and her husband back to their childhood. “Kids these days are overscheduled and overstimulated. We were gratified to know he was learning how to play dodgeball,” she said.

When she and her husband were looking for afterschool programming, they found many good programs, she said, but they were unilateral in focus.

“They were just about homework,” Olidge commented. “Here at Healthy Youth, homework is certainly emphasized, but it seems to be a lot more well-rounded. This program is more than just sports. They are teaching values, and we have many shared values with the coaches here,” Olidge concluded.

Sharper says a typical day in the afterschool program includes a snack, a turn at the study table, help with homework and then a choice of physical education, arts and crafts, drama, music or sometimes a program with a speaker.

During the year, participants can choose to get involved in activities that require more commitment, such as a cheering squad, or Dance Force, a dance troop that has competed on a national level. An intramural basketball league – with some kids from Healthy Youth USA and others joining from outside the program – gives an opportunity for competition outside the afterschool program.

Selena attends the Healthy Youth USA afterschool program on scholarship. Her mother, Lashanda, says Selena has had a rewarding experience in the program and she, as a mother, values the safe and caring environment it provides. “My daughter and I love the program. She enjoys exercising, playing sports, and dancing. I like being a volunteer with the dance team,” Lashanda said.

When the school year ends, and children have free time in the long days of summer, Healthy Youth USA provides a summer day camp for children whose parents work during the day. A unique aspect of this summer program is that the participants take a field trip every day.

“Yes, every single day,” Sharper confirmed. The 8-9-week summer program runs 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week. “In the summer, we get out and see all Atlanta has to offer. We visit the Georgia Aquarium, tour the Mercedes Benz stadium and explore the botanical garden. We have two swim days a week, movie days and skating days. We visit the radio stations and WSB TV Atlanta, a local news station. It’s something different every day. A favorite of the kids every year is our visit to Stone Mountain,” Sharper said.

Arts, music, drama, sports and recreation are also part of the summer camp, and speakers sometimes come to interact with the campers.

Yet, what keeps parents coming back with their children is the trust they have for Healthy Youth USA. Georgia Sellum, one of those parents, says that when the kids are with Healthy Youth, they are completely safe, and her kids love being there.

“The hardest thing about Healthy Youth,” Sellum says, “is getting your kids to leave when it’s time to go.”

Help more children and youth in North Atlanta find a healthy, safe place to grow with a gift to the Abundant Health Initiative, Advance #3021770.

Christie R. House is the senior writer/editor for Global Ministries.

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