ATLANTA – April 27 was a great day of celebration for United Methodists in the Central African Republic (CAR). Many gathered for the inaugural worship service in their new church building, a United Methodist temple in Bangui. Church members watched in wonder as choirs, men’s groups, women’s groups, youth groups and church leaders lined up to walk through the temple doors and enter the sanctuary. The pastor, the Rev. Aquilas Soronaka, and Deacon Cynthia Soronaka took their places behind the altar, which was decked out in proper vestments. Nothing could dampen the joy that flowed out of the open windows of the new temple that day.

A week later, Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, showed a few minutes of the video of the CAR opening worship in its May 4 service.

“That gives new meaning to the phrase ‘Make a joyful noise onto the Lord,’” the Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel proclaimed to his congregation. Cascade UMC, a predominantly Black congregation, is one of the partners that made the building of the UMC temple possible. About a year ago, the congregation collected and dedicated its Lenten offering of more than $150,000 to the building of the facility in Bangui (see earlier story). An additional grant from Cascade helped to furnish the church and purchase musical instruments to enhance the church’s joyful noise. 

“This has been an overwhelming blessing in the life of that church,” Murriel continued, “a church that is growing exponentially, and Pastor Aquilas has told me they have already celebrated a first baptism and a first wedding in that church.”

CAR leadership was able to purchase land for the building with the help of a Global Ministries’ grant, another partner in their work as a Global Ministries’ mission initiative. The new temple has a 500-seat capacity, and a section of the building also houses the CAR UMC national offices, so the church has created a central home.

A separate Global Health grant will support the building of the first UMC health facility in the CAR, which will also include a borehole well to ensure clean, potable water. The health facility, the church and the surrounding community will be able to draw water at this well.

Frido Kinkolenge, Global Ministries’ staff and Africa area liaison, noted: “They are not only going to fetch the water from the well, but it is going to be an opportunity to drink from a spiritual well. The United Methodist Church is bringing not only a place to worship, but a place to quench thirst that is both physical and spiritual.”

Last year, Kinkolenge led a Youth Leadership Development course in Bagui, providing relevant resources, creative ideas and training for this new generation of Central African Methodists.

In July, staff members from various units of Global Ministries and a few members of Cascade United Methodist Church will travel to Bangui to participate in the dedication ceremony of the new UMC Temple. While Cascade members have an opportunity to deepen their relationships with CAR members there, Global Ministries will offer more training, and a Global Health team will meet with leaders to review the plans for the facility and the church’s overall health program.

Faith has sustained the church through some challenging years, and today, hope is growing and blossoming as God creates a new faith community in the Central African Republic.

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

The post A new church home for Central Africans appeared first on Global Ministries.

Native American Ministries grants, made possible through offerings on this special Sunday, can support ministries as unique and creative as the tribal affiliations of the congregations that put them to work.

When the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) first visited the Standing Rock Reservation to distribute UMCOR school kits, a wrong turn led their mission team to the Little Eagle community, where they observed several challenges faced by residents, including high unemployment and poverty. Through this wrong turn, which turned out to be God’s right turn, the OIMC established an ongoing relationship with the community.

An OIMC mission team brought holiday joy to the students at Little Eagle Grant School last Christmas through its annual Christmas mission trip, now in its fourth year. The project provides Christmas gifts to K-8th grade students at the school, located in a remote area of South Dakota. A second grant for OIMC supported another mission to the Standing Rock Reservation to distribute school kits earlier in the year.

Great-Spirit UMC in Portland, Oregon, and the Native American Cooperative Ministry (NACM) in Pembroke, North Carolina, both applied for grants to provide food for their communities. Great-Spirit provides a Sunday dinner every week and NACM delivers food to mostly Lumbee community members. Their plan incorporated a host of volunteers to plant and harvest two vegetable gardens and make the food deliveries with a personal touch.

A Navajo congregation in Cortez, Colorado, requested help to support their pastor and his work. Native Grace UMC is seeking to build sustainability while serving intergenerational Navajo families just outside the Navajo Reservation, which is next door in Montezuma Creek, Utah. The Navajo pastor shares the love of Christ through the lens of Navajo language, culture and spiritual practice.

Contributions on Native American Ministries Sunday help develop and strengthen Native American ministries within each United Methodist annual conference and provide scholarships for Native Americans pursuing ordained or licensed pastoral ministry.

United Methodists are called to recognize and honor the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society and church. The United Methodist Church acknowledges a gap in understanding Native American life and culture, while affirming the sacredness of Indigenous peoples, their languages, their unique identities and their contributions to the church and the world.

Half of what is collected on this special Sunday will stay within the annual conference of the churches that collect the offering to help sustain regional and local Native American Ministries.

Celebrate the ministries, communities and congregations of Native Americans across the U.S. with an online gift to Native American Ministries or drop a gift in the offering plate of your local church when the offering is taken.

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

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ATLANTA – Did you know that The United Methodist Church (UMC) empowers local leaders worldwide to deepen mission engagement through Global Ministries’ Nationals in Mission (NIM) program?

NIM grants enable Global Ministries’ mission partners to identify leadership roles they deem critical for the church to flourish and then employ skilled, local leaders to fill those roles. Because NIMs are native to the country where they serve, they bring a deep cultural and contextual understanding to the ways they build relationships, address needs, and implement and lead sustainable ministries.

Recognizing the vital role that NIMs play in deepening the impact of mission in today’s global context, Global Ministries awarded grants totaling nearly $1.25 million to the program in 2024.

“By investing in indigenous leaders through the Nationals in Mission program, The United Methodist Church honors the importance of agency for our mission partners worldwide to provide sustainable leadership for critical ministries,” said the Rev. Dee Stickley-Miner, executive director for mission engagement for Global Ministries.

Currently, more than 300 NIMs are serving around the world, working in various areas including education, health care, community development, pastoral leadership, evangelism and social justice. Many also partner with UMC conferences, ecumenical organizations, or Methodist-affiliated institutions to expand their reach.

A NIM grant opened an opportunity for a church worker to focus on human rights with partner organization Centro Ecuménico Popular para América Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC) in Colombia. And in Pakistan, a NIM grant enabled a student to return to his home country to answer a call to ministry: counseling survivors with the kind of trauma and terror his own family experienced in a deadly bombing.

You can support the NIM program through a gift to Advance #12122L.

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries.

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The Rev. Aquilas Soronaka, the current country director for the Central African Republic Mission Initiative, says that having a home church building is crucial at this stage of the church’s development.

“Since 2016, we have not been able to have a church worthy of its name to house the souls coming to God through the evangelism and mission we undertake,” Soronaka said in a video message. “The country is emerging from war, with low purchasing power, which is why we have faced numerous challenges in building a church. We find ourselves in people’s homes and private properties, but this doesn’t give us dignity and confidence.”

The beginnings of a United Methodist presence in the Central African Republic can be traced back to a Global Ministries-sponsored French radio program in the early 2000s known as Radio Afrique Internationale. The broadcasts focused on God’s mission and the vision and objectives of The United Methodist Church across the world.

The Central African Mission Initiative was launched by Global Ministries in 2015, building on the work of the adjoining East Congo Episcopal Area and Bishop Gabriel Unda, who continues to provide leadership as the presiding bishop of the mission initiative. The initiative has experienced many challenges, such as civil unrest and difficulty finding acceptance among older faith communities. Today, with new local leadership, the mission initiative has been revived. Yet, The United Methodist Church in Central Africa has never had an actual church building of its own.

Two years ago, major changes were also taking place with Grace UMC in Atlanta, GA, the church on Global Ministries’ campus. After years of transition, the pastor and congregation worked in coordination with the North Georgia Conference to identify a partner that could reach out to the residents who currently surround the church, a very different community from when the church was founded.

A partner was found in Cascade United Methodist Church, a 7,000-member congregation in Southwest Atlanta with predominantly African American membership. They had been looking to expand where they could increase their community outreach and service, which Grace’s location in Atlanta’s midtown Old Fourth Ward neighborhood could provide. Grace’s congregation merged with Cascade to form Cascade UMC’s midtown campus.

The relationship between Cascade and Global Ministries has been growing and strengthening. “We asked Global Ministries about an area of mission need that Cascade could become a partner in – to make a tremendous impact in an area that was underdeveloped or really had promise for making disciples of Jesus Christ. That was the motivator and our driver,” said the Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel, Cascade UMC’s senior pastor.

“When Rev. Aquilas said: ‘When people ask us, where is our church? We can’t give them an address. We have no location.’ That resonated so much with our church and our leaders, who are so generous of heart,” Murriel continued.

The Cascade congregation has just completed a major renovation on its Southwest Atlanta campus. “We now have two places, both immaculate, in which we can worship God as much as we desire. What does that say for our brothers and sisters who don’t have that, and then, what is God calling us to?”

In fact, the project resonated so well with the congregation that they raised $150,000 in three weeks during Lent, exceeding their goal by $50,000! Dr. Murriel confirmed they had donations from across the U.S. from members who attend their online worship services, and even some from other countries across the world.

Now that the funding has been secured, the Central African Republic Mission Initiative will purchase land through a grant provided by Global Ministries and begin the hard work of building the church. Yet, knowing that another congregation from the U.S. is walking alongside them in this journey gives the church hope.

“I assure you that by constructing this church, you are bringing dignity to the grassroots work we are currently undertaking,” Rev. Soronaka assured the Cascade congregation. “It lends weight to our position with political authorities and strengthens our standing among other churches with similar goals in the CAR. It will be a place to shelter the people of God and a space of teaching and training of young people and women.”

Cynthia Priscillia Soronaka, who is married to Rev. Soronaka, is the first woman to be ordained as a deacon in the church. In an earlier story from Chadrack Tombwe Londe, UM News correspondent in the DRC, Cynthia said: “Many evangelical churches in the Central African Republic do not accept the pastoral consecration of women in ministry. A woman like me can become a pastor, what an opportunity for evangelism.”

Both Cynthia and Aquilas Soronaka serve as Nationals in Mission with Global Ministries, providing leadership for the church in their own country.

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries, thanked Cascade members in person and in writing. He has followed the work of the initiative since its original founding and affirms that this is the time for a tangible symbol of Methodist presence in the country.

“The donation to the Central African Republic Mission Initiative will really propel the Methodist movement in CAR at an exciting time in the history of the development of the church,” he noted. “It is also remarkable to see the impact Cascade is having in the local community and abroad.”

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

EVANGELISM AND CHURCH REVITALIZATION
Founding and nurturing new faith communities and supporting existing congregations that seek to increase membership and expand ministries into local communities have historic roots and contemporary implications for Global Ministries. Missionaries who train pastors to plant churches in new places; mission initiatives, which start new Methodist faith communities; scholarships that assist church leaders to earn the credentials and degrees they need for service and ministry; and networks that resource racial and ethnic faith communities across the United States are examples of Global Ministries’ commitment to evangelism and church revitalization.

Support evangelism and church revitalization by giving to Advance #400400.

The post Providing a church “home” in Africa inspires Cascade UMC in the U.S. appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA – On April 25, 2024, delegates at the United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, voted to approve the transition of the Eurasia Episcopal Area from a United Methodist Church to become an autonomous affiliated Methodist Church on its own. The four annual conferences of Eurasia, Central Russia, Eastern Russia, Northwest Russia and Belarus Provisional, and Southern Russian Provisional requested and approved this transition in their respective annual meetings and brought it to the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters+ for approval and recommendation to General Conference.

Unlike U.S. congregational disaffiliations, which used a time-limited paragraph 2553 inserted into the Book of Discipline by the 2019 Special General Conference, Eurasia chose to exit using the long-standing autonomy section of the Book of Discipline, paragraph 572. For this reason, the move is not a disaffiliation. Bishop Harald Rückert of Germany, chair of the Standing Committee, described the process as “recognizing that the history in Eurasia and in Europe has developed in different directions, and we can extend grace to each other and let go, even though our hearts are in pain, because we feel that we are still sisters and brothers, but we will take different routes when we go into the future.”

Bishop Eduard Khegay, of the Eurasia Episcopal Area, expressed his thanks to General Conference delegates after the resounding majority with which the action passed on the floor, 672 for and 67 against. “Bolshoe spasibo!” he said. “This is how we say thank you in Russia.”

Bishop Khegay also thanked the General Board of Global Ministries for its investments of time, personnel and partnership coordination to plant churches and build relationships and facilities in what was then the Russian Mission Initiative. “GBGM has sent long-term missionaries, short-term mission teams, and millions of dollars so that we in Eurasia can be encouraged and inspired to be in mission among our people in post-Soviet countries.” He also thanked the United Methodist Committee on Relief for its role in helping through times of disaster.

Before World War II, Methodism was established in Russia, as early as 1888, in St. Petersburg. The recognition of those early Methodists by the Russian government in 1909, documented in government records, benefitted the new church as it reemerged and grew in Russia after the 1989 decline of the Soviet Union. A series of visits beginning in 1991 by Global Ministries’ leaders identified areas that held on to Methodist practice even though their churches had been closed and confiscated and the pastors arrested and imprisoned.

In consultation with the remaining faith communities and other Protestant entities as well as the Russian Orthodox Church, missionaries were sent to start work in strategic places. The Russia Mission Initiative also opened the door to church partnerships in the U.S. and Europe, matching individual congregations with newly established faith communities in Russia and making a way for volunteer mission teams to visit and deepen partner relationships. A number of these partnerships and missionaries were recognized by Khegay.

“I became a Christian because the UMC in Los Angeles sent a young man named J. Park to do mission work in Russia in 1992,” Khegay confirmed. Today, J.* and his wife C.* have reentered missionary service as Global Ministries missionaries in Southeast Asia.* “I was baptized in Moscow Central UMC by a Global Ministries’ missionary, Y. C. Cho,* in 1992. These people and members of The United Methodist Church in Moscow showed me the way of Christ, the way of love and encouragement, forgiveness and practical holiness.”

Because of the historical congregations, the UMC was able to register as a centralized religious organization in 1995 and again in 1999, when Russian law changed, with the right to use Russia in its name and conduct public activities in all parts of the Russian Federation. Those rights will continue as the church transitions to an autonomous Methodist Church.

Bishop Khegay mentioned a number of challenges and hardships faced by the Eurasian church in his 12 years of episcopal ministry, such as the East-West divide, geopolitical manipulations by superpowers, economic ups and downs, and theological controversies. The geopolitical realities in Russia at present make it difficult to be part of organizations perceived to be connected to the Western World.

According to the Discipline, Eurasia will remain in the United Methodist connection until the Eurasian Central Conference meets in 2025 and a final vote for autonomy is ratified, at which point it will transition to its new status and will be free to create its own structure and guidelines.

Bishop Rückert emphasized that conversations between the Standing Committee members and Eurasian representatives took place in an amicable way with a sense of mutual respect. He also indicated that no barriers to continuing relationships should be perceived and that if circumstances change, the church is free to consider another course of action. “There are no closed doors for future development between us,” he said. “All doors are open in the future.”

+The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters is a permanent General Conference Committee that convenes several times in a quadrennium to coordinate matters that come before General Conference from the central conferences. [BOD, Section XVI. ¶ 2201.] On matters of affiliation and autonomy, the Standing Committee reports directly to the General Conference.

*J. and C. Park serve in a sensitive area with a Global Ministries mission initiative in Southeast Asia. For this reason, their full names and exact country assignment have been withheld. Y.C. Cho and his wife, S. Cho, continue to serve as missionaries in another part of Eurasia.

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

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This article is shared by youth who attended Youth 2023 in Florida with support from Native American Ministries Sunday offerings. They reflect on the life lessons and impact the event had for them. Native American Ministries Sunday is set for April 14, 2024, but congregations can celebrate this churchwide Sunday at any convenient time. The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) has published a list of resources as a resource for allies and partners to engage and support Native American ministries throughout The United Methodist Church.

FLETCHER, OKLAHOMA –More than 2,500 young individuals convened at Discipleship Ministries’ Youth 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida, in July 2023, immersing themselves in a collective pursuit of faith-building experiences and camaraderie. Workshops, worship, concerts, and a poignant beach-side communion were among the activities that threaded together under the theme “BOLD – Being Ourselves, Living Different.”

Reflecting on their experiences, attendees from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) expressed profound takeaways that transcended the event’s activities.

“For me, the worship and the chance to meet new people were the highlights,” shared Mariah Gooday, 18, encapsulating the electric atmosphere she encountered. “There was a lot of energy, and I felt it every time I walked into that building.” Mariah is a descendant of the Comanche, Ft. Sill Apache and Kiowa Tribes and a senior at Anadarko High School.

Shayan Gooday found solace in the resonance of shared beliefs, stating, “It made me feel really good that there are teenagers who believe in God and who aren’t afraid to talk about him.” Shayan is a descendant of the Comanche, Ft. Sill Apache and Kiowa tribes and a sophomore at Anadarko High School.

Mylin Wilson, contrary to popular expectations, found his standout moments within the workshops, relishing in the connections forged. “It was definitely an amazing experience to meet with other people,” he reflected. Mylin is a freshman at Apache High School and is a descendant of the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Ho-Chunk Tribes.

Cedric Littlecrow, in awe of the ocean’s grandeur, vividly recounted his first encounter. “I kind of just stood there before I went out in the water and stared out looking at the ocean and waves, it was really pretty.” Cedric is in 8th  grade and is descendant of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Otoe, and Ho-Chunk Tribes.

The journey to Youth 2023 was made possible through grants from the Oklahoma Conference and the General Board of Global Ministries, alongside dedicated efforts by youth groups who organized bake sales, taco sales, and various fundraisers.

Beyond the activities and the scenic backdrop, the event became a canvas for these young minds to paint lessons in faith, connection, and the beauty of nature—a mosaic of experiences that they continue to cherish and reflect upon in their everyday lives.

Ginny Underwood is a communication consultant with ties to the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. She is a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. This story was originally published by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference on its website. Read it here.

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NAIROBI – “I feel as if I am in a dream…I can’t believe this meeting is happening,” said Bishop Daniel Wandabula, episcopal leader of the East Africa Episcopal Area, as he welcomed guests attending the East Africa Mission Consultation, Jan. 16-17, in Nairobi, Kenya. The mission consultation, led by General Board of Global Ministries’ General Secretary Roland Fernandes, was the first formal meeting held between Global Ministries and the East Africa Episcopal Area since they announced in May 2023 that they had reestablished formal relations, after more than a decade-long freeze on church and mission funds because of past auditing issues.

In his opening remarks, Bishop Wandabula expressed gratitude to God for allowing 2024 to begin with such an historic event. He praised the courage, commitment and efforts of all who had sought to address the mission opportunities and challenges of the episcopal area and noted the significant efforts by Global Ministries to review past audits and negotiate a path forward that would allow funding for mission work to restart. The Bishop offered appreciation to Roland Fernandes for his dedicated leadership in seeking to reestablish the relationship and in planning and holding the consultation. Acknowledging the deep pain caused by the long-severed relationship, as well as isolation from the ministry of the broader United Methodist Church during that time, Bishop Wandabula reinforced his commitment to transparency and accountability moving forward.

Fernandes also spoke about the audit issues that led to the long-fractured relationship between the East Africa Episcopal Area and Global Ministries, while expressing his hope that the consultation would be forward-looking.  “We are here because we want to listen to you and continue to learn about what God is doing in your midst,” Fernandes said. “We have often used the words ‘mutuality in mission’ and I hope this will be a space where we can live it.”

Fernandes acknowledged both the significance and the complexity of this time for East Africa, the African continent, The United Methodist Church and the world. He urged consultation participants to trust that “God has called us to God’s mission in such a time as this, and with God’s help, our actions can bring new hope for mission in the region.”

Consultation participants included representatives from the four annual conferences that comprise the East Africa Episcopal Area, Uganda-South Sudan, Kenya-Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda; the general secretary, staff and board members from Global Ministries; and general secretaries and staff from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) and United Methodist Communications (UMCOM), two agencies in close partnership with Global Ministries. The Rev. Dr. Peter Mageto, vice chancellor of Africa University, served as a resource person for the event.

In his sermon, “Does your soul look back?,” Mageto referenced the story in Genesis of Lot and his wife as they fled the city of Sodom. He urged consultation participants to look ahead, charging them to recast the future for their children and “to be witnesses of the transformation that is taking place in the lives of men and women because of faith.”

On the first day of the meeting, representatives from each of the four conferences of the episcopal area presented their strategic and program visions for their conferences, sharing pressing needs and challenges. All delegations talked about the impact of the 12-year “embargo.” Subsequently, staff from the various programs of Global Ministries shared overviews of their programs as did staff from GBHEM and UMCOM.  Following the overviews, conference teams met individually with staff leaders of each Global Ministries program and each general secretary in attendance.

Delegates from each conference shared their feedback from the individual conversations in the final session of the consultation. Training, capacity development and infrastructure, as well as missionary placements and disaster assistance, were expressed as urgent needs by conference leadership. Agriculture and global health support were also lifted up, among other programs, as vital to the overall well-being of the people of each conference.  Above all, the delegates expressed great hope for the future of mission in the region. There was also feedback from the delegates about the importance of accountability and transparency to prevent a recurrence of what had happened.

In his closing remarks, Fernandes expressed his concern for the impact of the long freeze on mission support for the people of the East Africa Episcopal Area. He pledged that Global Ministries would work closely with each conference after they provide their respective strategic plans, which will be used to determine how Global Ministries might partner with each conference and how conference needs relate to Global Ministries’ strategic priorities and available resources.  He highlighted the bishop’s and his shared focus on identifying a missionary to serve as treasurer for the episcopal area as soon as possible so that funding can be released for mission. A treasurer will also be able to implement processes, financial training and best practices to aid the conferences. Fernandes expressed gratitude for the candid conversations that will guide future mission partnerships between Global Ministries and the East Africa Episcopal Area. Bishop Wandabula expressed his deep thanks to Global Ministries for enabling and leading this event and his enthusiasm for the results of the consultation.  

Missionary training and commissioning events were held a few days prior to the East Africa Mission Consultation. Thirty-nine young adult Global Mission Fellows were commissioned by Bishop Wandabula at Trinity United Methodist Church in Naivasha, Kenya.

The gathering in Kenya marked the fourth mission consultation organized by Global Ministries within the last year. Other consultations were held in 2023 in Maputo, Mozambique; Seoul, Korea; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for Global Ministries.

The post Moving forward in mission with East Africa appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA – Native American personal and collective relationships with their ancestral lands will be the focus of “This Land Calls Us Home: Indigenous Relationships with Southeastern Homelands,” an exhibit that will open Nov. 6, 2023, at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Featuring more than 60 works by 26 contemporary Native American artists and designers, the exhibit is presented by the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (Global Ministries), in collaboration with the church’s Native American Comprehensive Plan, which supports and amplifies the voices of Indigenous peoples to promote increased public understanding about contemporary Native American identity and experience. The exhibit is presented as part of the ATL Airport Art program and will be on display in the gallery space of Concourse T North.

“This Land Calls Us Home” features the work of contemporary Native American artists and designers as they display how ancestral homelands are integral to their present lives through visuals and literature. The works express the visions and voices of Cherokee, Mvskoke and other Native Americans living within, near and beyond the Southeastern homelands.

The exhibit title reflects the contemporary relationships of Native American peoples with their regional roots, and suggests that they return to their origins, spiritually and literally, to reconstruct an identity fragmented by history. Five basic relationship categories are included in the installation: community and autonomy, communication and expression, heritage and legacies, identity and diversity, and nature and nurture.

The project was led by the Rev. Chebon Kernell, a Seminole/Muscogee* scholar and educator. When he conceived the project, he led Native American programming for Global Ministries and now serves as executive director of the Native American Comprehensive Plan of The United Methodist Church. In 2020, with the support of Global Ministries and its related Native American programs, Kernell led a team of museum professionals and other Native American scholars to develop an exhibit that would convey the ongoing ties Native American people maintain with homelands in the Southeastern United States. Native American leadership on Global Ministries’ board, as well as from other boards of United Methodist agencies and entities, provided perspective and guidance for the exhibit.

“This installation will be seen by tens of thousands of daily airport visitors,” said Kernell. “We have also launched an accompanying website for the exhibit, umcmission.org/thisland, that will provide global reach for this exhibit, further amplifying the voices of Native American and Indigenous peoples.”

“This Land Calls Us Home” features art and artists primarily selected for how effectively they address contemporary issues pertinent to Native American relationships with ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States. The artists and works express contemporary issues, while they also parallel historical themes. The artists and subject matter were also chosen with consideration for the exhibit audience and setting, which calls for art objects that can be enjoyed for their simple visual power and beauty. Most of the featured artists are Muskogee, descendants of ancient Mound Builders and Cherokee peoples indigenous to the region.

“Global Ministries is pleased to partner with representatives from our denomination’s Native American community to present this exhibit for display at Atlanta’s airport,” said Global Ministries’ chief executive Roland Fernandes. “The installation offers a unique opportunity to help facilitate a greater understanding of Native American and Indigenous peoples of the Southeast. Many of the artists have close ties to specific ancestral sites now in the Greater Atlanta and Georgia region, which may also be of special interest to travelers visiting the Atlanta area.”

The exhibit will be on display in the gallery space of the T North Concourse near gates T12-T15 for a year starting Nov. 6, 2023. View the exhibit website at umcmission.org/thisland.

The General Board of Global Ministries
The General Board of Global Ministries, which includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), is the worldwide mission, humanitarian relief 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 more than 110 countries. Learn more at www.umcmission.org.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
ATL is the first airport in history to serve more than 100 million passengers in one year and continues to top passenger totals worldwide. The Airport boasts an annual direct economic impact of $66 billion in the state. A frequent recipient of awards of excellence, ATL is recognized for its leadership in concessions, operations, sustainability, architectural engineering and construction. For more information, visit www.atl.com.

*”Muskogee” is the way the tribal name is often spelled in Oklahoma while “Muscogee” is the form often used in the homelands of Georgia and Alabama. Alternately, the Native American language spelling “Mvskoke” is often used today. All forms are often followed by the term “Creek” the name given to the tribal group by Europeans long ago and still familiar to many.

# # #

DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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ATLANTA – Dr. Aquilas Soronaka, country director of United Methodist Global Ministries’ mission initiative in the Central African Republic (CAR), was ordained as an elder in The United Methodist Church on Aug. 29, 2023, by Bishop Gabriel Unda. His ordination was held in the city of Kindu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His wife, Priscila Soronaka, was also commissioned as the first deaconess in CAR.

Soronaka received teaching on Methodist polity and completed theological training prior to his ordination. He is the only ordained UMC minister in CAR, other than the Rev. M. Sachou, a missionary who will be leaving CAR later this year.

CAR was designated as a new mission initiative in 2015, focused on congregational development; forming youth fellowship groups, scouts, women’s and men’s groups; and training church leadership. This work builds on mission outreach from the adjoining East Congo Episcopal Area which borders CAR to the northwest.

Soronaka’s training and ordination bring renewed hope and energy for the mission initiative. “My ordination gives me the conviction that The United Methodist Church in CAR will continue to make a great impact,” said Soronaka. It also strengthens the partnership between the East Congo Episcopal Area led by Bishop Unda. In November, Bishop Unda is planning to send a team of pastors from East Congo to train local pastors in CAR.

Greater partnership with the associated UMC conferences is a key goal for mission initiatives started by Global Ministries. Global Ministries has started more than a dozen since the early 1990s – in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America. Several have become integral parts of the United Methodist connection and some have or will become annual conferences, districts or autonomous churches.

Under Soronaka’s leadership as the country director and now ordained elder, three new United Methodist churches have been planted, rising from 14 to 17.

Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for the General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR.

EVANGELISM AND CHURCH REVITALIZATION

Founding and nurturing new faith communities and supporting existing congregations that seek to increase membership and expand ministries into local communities have historic roots and contemporary implications for Global Ministries. Missionaries who train pastors to plant churches in new places; mission initiatives, which start new Methodist faith communities; scholarships that assist church leaders to earn the credentials and degrees they need for service and ministry; and networks that resource racial and ethnic faith communities across the United States are examples of Global Ministries’ commitment to evangelism and church revitalization.

Support evangelism and church revitalization by giving to Advance #400400.

The post Ordination energizes mission initiative in CAR appeared first on Global Ministries.