Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel gives thanks for a recent trip to Bangui, CAR, where he attended the dedication of the first United Methodist Church facility in the country. His church in Atlanta, Cascade United Methodist Church, dedicated more than $150,000 of its 2024 Lenten offering to the building of a new church sanctuary and office facility in Bangui (see earlier story). That facility was completed this year.

ATLANTA – I give thanks to God for the opportunity to journey to Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR). Words can hardly express the depth of the experience we shared with the people of this region, particularly during the dedication of the very first United Methodist church facility that now stands as a testimony to God’s faithfulness and the generosity of the Cascade congregation.

God is doing a marvelous work in the Central African Republic. Thousands are being discipled, and the United Methodist movement is growing in powerful and meaningful ways. I share just a few highlights from this life-changing trip as witness to the tangible impact of our collective ministry.

During the service of dedication for the new church, hundreds gathered in celebration. Sixty individuals were baptized into the faith, publicly declaring their love for Christ. The front of the church is adorned with a sign bearing the names of the donors from Cascade and our extended family of supporters – whose generosity made this possible.

The church dedication was a worship experience like no other. We sang, we danced, we received an overwhelming welcome parade, celebrated Holy Communion, preached the gospel, and fellowshipped with our new brothers and sisters in Christ for hours. It was an atmosphere of joy, gratitude and deep spiritual connection.

I had the distinct honor of training nearly 50 pastoral leaders from across the region. These women and men are at the forefront of ministry, leading more than 30 congregations – many of which gather under simple structures in remote districts. Yet, despite limited resources, their faith is strong, and their mission is clear: reach more souls for Jesus Christ in a nation still healing from the scars of war.

We were also able to spend time with the Global Ministries missionary, G. Seza, and the logistics team who serve tirelessly to make ministry possible on the ground in CAR. One of the most humbling and joyous surprises came when the District Superintendent, the Rev. Aquilas Soranaka, announced that the name of the new church would be “Bethel-Cascade United Methodist Church.” This name was chosen by their leaders in honor of Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda and the faithful members of Cascade UMC who generously gave to make this historic project possible.

Bethel-Cascade UMC stands as a beacon of hope and a tangible sign of God’s promise in the Central African Republic. It is already thriving and will serve as a spiritual home for generations to come.

Our work, however, is just beginning. We will remain in ongoing conversations with Global Ministries about how we can continue to support this region. A UMC health clinic is currently under construction, with plans to add a maternity ward to combat maternal mortality. The need is great, but so is our God.

And then, there were the children. So many beautiful, joyful children who captured our hearts and reminded us why this work matters. Their smiles were the very face of hope.

I thank Cascade for being a church that doesn’t just pray about the world – we show up and serve it. God is doing a great work through us, and I am excited about what lies ahead. The true impact cannot be captured in photos alone – it lives in the hearts of the people we encountered and in the seeds of hope we’ve planted together.

The Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Murriel is the senior pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church with campuses in southwest and midtown Atlanta, Georgia.

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FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE – In our communities, breastfeeding continues to play a vital role in improving maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). In Sierra Leone, United Methodist health facilities have observed remarkable benefits resulting from increased awareness and practice of exclusive breastfeeding.

Pastors and Imams speak from the pulpit and in the mosque telling men that a father’s role is important too. If we support women, the children will grow strong. Our MNCH data shows a noticeable decline in malnutrition among infants under six months of age, which we attribute largely to increased exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Through health education, peer support and community outreach, more families are embracing breastfeeding as both a natural practice and a lifesaving intervention.

Breastfed infants in our catchment communities are showing stronger growth, fewer cases of diarrhea and respiratory infections, and overall better immune responses compared to those who are partially or not breastfed.

Mothers who breastfeed exclusively often experience quicker recovery after childbirth. Our reports indicate reduced postpartum bleeding, faster uterine contraction, and emotional bonding that contributes to mental well-being are other benefits of breastfeeding. Mothers may find it useful as a means of family planning, and they engage regularly in clinic visits, health education sessions, and child welfare monitoring, reinforcing the continuum of care.

We have seen a steady improvement in attendance and outcomes at our well-baby clinics. Mothers who breastfeed always bring their children for regular growth monitoring, immunizations and nutritional counseling. This has created a stronger connection between families and United Methodist health services, fostering trust and long-term participation in child health programs.

Catherine Norman is the Health Board Coordinator for United Methodist health facilities in the Sierra Leone Conference.

Global Health

Global Ministries provides a way to support United Methodist health facilities and the medical personnel who help to create sustainable support systems for women who choose to breastfeed their babies through the first six months of life.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, give to Abundant Health.

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ATLANTA — In a world increasingly defined by crisis – political instability, economic injustice, climate change and mass displacement – 42 young adults see a different future: one guided by faith, service and deep commitment to community. On July 18 in Accra, Ghana, Global Ministries commissioned the 2025-2027 cohort of Global Mission Fellows (GMFs) to serve in 23 countries around the world for two years.

While these young adults range in age, background and vocation, a common thread in their stories is clear – a calling to put faith into action and embody change through community.

“As we see an increase of greed in our world, we also see the powerful work of community coming together,” said Hannah Hanson, director of Young Adult Mission Service for Global Ministries. “This cohort is committed to community in an uncertain world. They are creatives, and health practitioners, and environmentalists, and migrant advocates. I am inspired by all their gifts, and most importantly, by the way they are rooted in faith and seek to follow the path God has set for them and the communities they are being sent to.”

For many fellows in this cohort, a call to community is not new. It’s been growing for years, shaped by personal experiences, academic study and spiritual formation.

For Jonathan Odia Mwaba, a fellow from the Democratic Republic of Congo who will serve in the West Angola Conference in the area of agriculture, the calling emerged from seeing his own community’s struggles. “I witnessed the struggles of smallholder farmers like food insecurity, environmental degradation and limited access to resources. These experiences shaped my understanding of the interplay between social justice, environmental stewardship and community resilience.”

Mwaba grew up in The United Methodist Church and earned a degree in agriculture and natural resources management. “I have been influenced by the call to love our neighbors and care for creation,” said Mwaba. “Fundamentally, my goal as a fellow is to create long-lasting change by integrating agricultural knowledge with social and environmental justice. I believe together and through shared learning, new ideas can be developed and created that are beneficial both to people and the planet.”

Seul “Stella” Lee, a native of South Korea who will serve in Germany, senses that the call to serve God in another country and different culture is a turning point in her life. “I have come to a deep realization that the joy overflowing within me is a gift from God and that I must share that gift with the world. Missionary work is not simply about spreading the gospel, but also about putting God’s love into practice,” she said. Equipped with training from the Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul, Lee will work at Bethanien Diakonissen Stiftung (Bethanien Deaconess Foundation) to support vulnerable groups who receive very little to no governmental assistance, like people with mental illness and the elderly.

For Bolivian fellow Anssery Ivia Mamani Cala, who will serve with the Evangelical United Methodist Church of Ecuador, education is a core piece of her calling. “I strongly believe in the power of education as a transformative tool,” she said. “Not only for children but also for communities as a whole. Global Mission Fellows offers me the ideal platform to put into practice what I’ve learned as an early childhood educator and what I’m passionate about: working for a more just and inclusive world.”

Cala’s vision of transformation is not a one-way path. Like many fellows, she sees mission not as something done to or for a community, but something done among and with it. “I firmly believe that working for the well-being of others not only enriches the lives of those who directly benefit, but also profoundly transforms us as human beings. I’ve always felt an inner call to return to the essential, to that which gives meaning to existence: service to others.”

The commissioning service was both a celebration of calling and a sending into service. “The Christian church has a wonderful tradition of sending people into mission service,” said the Rev. Dr. Judy Y. Chung, executive director of Missionary Service for Global Ministries. “In the act of commissioning, these persons are being dedicated to service for a season of their lives. The United Methodist Church and our partner churches support these persons as they go forth into the world on behalf of the church.”

Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church Ghana, the Most. Rev. Prof. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, delivered the sermon and led the act of commissioning. He was joined by four more bishops and Global Ministries representatives who laid hands on the fellows. After they were commissioned, the new fellows were vested with the anchor cross by the outgoing class of GMFs who have journeyed with them as candidates.

“My prayer,” said Hanson, “is that they will listen well and form deep relationships as they seek God’s justice to break through in our world. And my prayer for the church is that we will learn with them and from them.”

As the fellows go forth from Accra, they are sent by The United Methodist Church with both a blessing and a charge: to extend love and care in uncertain times, to build community in unlikely places and to trust that God is already present in the work they are called to do.

Watch a recording of the commissioning service on the Global Mission Fellows Facebook page.
 
Sara Logeman is the senior manager of Content and Marketing for Global Ministries.

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MUTARE, ZIMBABWE—Africa University (AU) and the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (Global Ministries) have entered into a four-year partnership to support pioneering research and innovation in agriculture and public health – two of the most pressing areas shaping the continent’s future. AU’s vital work in these areas was put at risk due to the sudden withdrawal of international aid earlier this year.

Agriculture is part of Africa University’s roots. When AU opened its doors in 1992, Agriculture and Theology were its founding faculties – nourishing both body and spirit. Today, the university’s strategic focus on agricultural innovation marks a return to that foundational call for holistic, transformational education that creates leaders for the continent of Africa, grounded in Christian values.

Global Ministries will provide funding, technical support and capacity-building resources, while AU also lends its agricultural expertise. They will work through Global Ministries’ successful Yambasu Agricultural Initiative, named after the late Bishop John K. Yambasu, who was the fourth chancellor of Africa University, serving from 2020 until his untimely death that same year.

Africa University’s life-saving work on malaria prevention through the Zimbabwe Entomological Support Program in Malaria (ZENTO) will be supported through the partnership. The ZENTO program, conducted with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care and its malaria partners, saw breakthroughs that have included the identification of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and the creation of one of the nation’s largest malaria research and insect reference centers.

The ZENTO program’s achievements have contributed significantly to a reduction in malaria cases across Zimbabwe’s hardest-hit provinces. However, the sudden withdrawal of international aid placed this vital work at risk. With Global Ministries’ support, AU’s laboratories can continue operating, mentoring young scientists and anchoring the nation’s malaria control efforts.

The partnership between AU and Global Ministries also opens doors to extend agriculture and health research impact across United Methodist episcopal areas and health partners in Africa, advancing the pan-African connection and moving toward the collective aspiration of health equity and scientific leadership, born of the continent.

“The elimination of foreign aid funds has impacted vital work at AU. Though we cannot fill the full funding gap caused by these massive funding cuts, we hope to help mitigate some of the impact. This will allow AU to continue vital work in education, health and sustainable agriculture,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary for Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry. “Through the United Methodist network, we also hope this partnership will have an impact on communities throughout the continent.”

Africa University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Professor Peter Mageto, said of the collaboration: “This partnership is a powerful testimony of what Africa University represents – hope, resilience and possibility. At a time when many doors have closed, Global Ministries has continued to invest in African solutions, led by African minds. With this support, our faculty and students can continue doing what they do best: shaping knowledge into action, and action into lasting change. The future is calling, and together, we are answering it!”

Africa University was established 33 years ago as the first private, fully accredited university in Zimbabwe. It is the first university in Africa approved by the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. With four colleges, one school and two training institutes, AU is a Pan-African institution that has educated students from more than 36 African nations.

Global Ministries, the global mission and development agency of The United Methodist Church, has worked in mission and ministry for more than 200 years and is one of the founders of Africa University, reaching more than 100 countries through its programs and through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

Media Contacts:

Susan Clark
Chief Communications Officer, General Board of Global Ministries
Communications@umcmission.org

Jeanette Dadzie
Director, Advancement and Public Affairs, Africa University
dapa@africau.edu

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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.

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Hope in the Lord!
Be strong! Let your heart take courage!
Hope in the Lord!

Psalm 27: 14

David, the author of this Psalm, knows from experience what it means to “hope in the Lord.” He was anointed king at age 16 and didn’t ascend to the throne until he was 30. In the meantime, he was hunted down in the desert by the jealous King Saul. He waited patiently for God’s promise to come true. It’s not easy to hope in God, to wait for Divine intervention. 

Waiting for God’s promise reminds me of visiting Gahambwe, Burundi, in 2020, in the Methodist District of Kiniyiya. When I arrived, I was surprised to see pregnant women, old women in tears and men collecting rocks and stones to deposit in a designated area in the bush. Though they had no money for the work, they hoped that a health clinic might be built, and they put that hope in God.

This community lacks pure water, so they drink polluted river run-off, which causes disease – malaria because of breeding mosquitoes, and cholera. They told me for a long time that their community was suffering, that women and young children were dying because there was no health center near this community.

Seeing these mothers and grandmothers, and even physically handicapped people, holding these stones to deposit them, I began to shed tears. I wondered what could be done and from whom the solution would come. Being a missionary in Africa isn’t easy. People you meet think you can solve their problem in the blink of an eye.

I asked them to hope in God, who hears the prayers of those who call, as we took the information to Global Health at Global Ministries. The day after I returned to Bujumbura, I prayed that God would grant the prayer made by this community. I even wrote this prayer for Gahambwe in my journal on my life as a Global Missionary.

We continued to pray, waiting for the Lord to intervene. And even when the health coordinator of the UMC of Burundi and I were working on the project, we prayed that we’d get there.

Today in 2025, we declare that God has truly been manifested. With the support of Global Ministries through its Global Health unit, this desert scrubland has become a fully equipped health center, with a community well alongside, giving a whole community hope for life. The UMC in Burundi also contributed to this work to build one of the units on the campus. This work is in the image of Jesus, who is the light that makes the darkness disappear. A miraculous development is taking place in Gahambwe.

Let us put our trust in Christ because Christ is worth the wait. I have seen ways that God uses the very time of waiting to refresh, renew and teach us. And then God’s miraculous intervention is accomplished for our joy and happiness.

Let us pray together: Lord Jesus, teach us to hope in you and wait wisely for your intervention in our lives.

Patrick Abro is a missionary from Côte d’Ivoire who serves with the United Methodist Burundi Annual Conference as a health operations manager.

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ATLANTA – Lisa arrived at Old Mutare Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe almost a month before her delivery date. She lives more than 37 miles from the hospital, the closest to her home. She came to stay at the Waiting Mothers’ Shelter to be sure she could give birth in a medical facility. The shelter was just refurbished last year with the help of some outside supporters. The labor and delivery units were expanded and new equipment installed using grants from Global Ministries.

In many medical facilities across Africa, patients’ families are expected to provide all or some food during their stay. Fortunately, Old Mutare established a large garden last year to grow nutritious food for patients. “The vegetables we now eat are grown in this garden. I do not have to ask my relatives to bring me vegetables from back home,” said Lisa.

The garden was possible because the water system had also been reconstructed, with new storage tanks. The Zimbabwe Episcopal Area Health Board has been working on improvements to Old Mutare Mission Hospital over time, as well as to two other United Methodist hospitals, Mutambara and Nyadire, several smaller clinics.

Every year, the Global Health unit of Global Ministries awards grants to health boards and other United Methodist partners to support improvements in health care and administration. In addition, some episcopal areas receive grants for Mother, Newborn and Child Health; prevention and treatment of communicable and noncommunicable diseases; and for major infrastructure and facility improvements increase health care for everyone using the services.

Global Health partners with health teams from 14 sub-Saharan countries, encompassing nine United Methodist episcopal areas. The UMC supports hundreds of health facilities – hospitals in some cases and many small, remote clinics. Currently, about 190 health facilities are working on grant projects.

Working through partners that oversee the work of United Methodist health facilities in Africa, Global Ministries has helped to improve health services in many African countries. Health partners track the progress in their facilities, gathering information on their patients and services, the kinds of health problems they encounter, length of treatment, medical supplies and medicines. With reliable data, Global Health reports reaching, on average, more than a million beneficiaries each year. Last year, 48 grants were awarded among the health boards with 24 additional grants to other partners for a total of $5,291,657.

Reconstructing maternity and delivery wards and building new mothers’ shelters improve the conditions in which babies are born. But it takes much more to keep a baby thriving once he or she leaves the hospital.

United Methodist health teams have created community outreach programs that spread health information on the importance of prenatal care, giving birth in medical facilities, returning to the doctor for check-ups, vaccinations, and how to prevent malaria and other diseases and provide food with better nutritional value.

Some health facilities have staff that visit communities and set up clinics for health checks. Others train volunteers to give out important health information in their communities.

When major grants are released for reconstruction or building new facilities, water infrastructure is often included in the building plans. Clean water goes a long way in preventing disease. Most facilities open new wells and other clean water sources to the surrounding community.

Transportation is another factor for remote health clinics and hospitals to consider. Few rural residents have cars, and some communities lack roads altogether. Stocking facilities with supplies and medications is a constant challenge in some remote areas, especially in rainy seasons. Reliable vehicles are sometimes part of the plan in a health administration budget so conference staff can get to the facilities to assess operations.

The first UMC health boards were developed by UMCOR when Imagine No Malaria collected significant funding for malaria awareness, net distribution and treatment. The campaign needed organized and efficient ways to distribute supplies, information and medicines, that included follow-up by UMC health facilities. The creation of health boards worked so well to coordinate responses that the Global Health unit was developed to extend the work and further explore ways to improve health outcomes.

Today, United Methodist health boards and other partners have expanded their mission as professional health administrators. Even with the uncertainty of government aid, especially from the U.S., the mission of church-related health facilities, which draw support from larger religious and nonprofit networks, continues. They often serve in remote places among the people who need them the most. Family members the world over love and cherish their children, and in God’s eyes, every baby is a gift and a promise for abundant life.

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

Global Health
Through United Methodist conferences and health boards, Global Ministries works to strengthen whole networks of health responses, from revitalization of facilities and staff training to building better water sources, developing sanitation facilities and promoting nutrition. Global Health concentrates on preventing, testing and treating those affected by preventable diseases, such as malaria, HIV and AIDS, and COVID-19, and supporting the most vulnerable populations, including mothers, newborns and children.

Support the work of global health.

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ATLANTA – Eighteen global missionaries and five young adult Global Mission Fellows (GMFs) were commissioned – blessed and sent forth into mission service – on January 26 at Wanyange Central United Methodist Church in Jinga, Uganda. Together, they will serve across 15 countries, including Argentina, Cambodia, Switzerland and…Uganda. Their types of mission service range from pastor and professor to agriculturalist and doctor.

The worship service centered upon the theme of being called to mission, with scripture readings from Isaiah 6:1-8 and Matthew 28:18-20. Isaiah’s response, “Here am I, Lord. Send me,” served as a reminder of the importance of recommitting oneself to join in God’s mission.

Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Episcopal Area delivered a sermon entitled “Living Out the Gospel, Transforming the World.” He reminded the congregation that God’s call upon our lives has the potential to change the world. “Missionary service is not a personal choice; it is a divine summons. Our missionaries and GMFs are not simply following a desire from within themselves. But they are answering a clear call from God to go and make disciples.”

After they were commissioned by Bishop Wandabula with the words “I commission you to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the world,” each candidate was presented with an anchor cross. The newly commissioned missionaries recited Wesley’s Covenant Prayer together, pledging their trust in God and service to the global church.

“Every time we worship in these commissioning services around the world, we are reminded what a great connection we have as The United Methodist Church,” said Global Ministries General Secretary Roland Fernandes. “And though we are different in so many ways, we are one in Jesus.” Fernandes also remarked on the renewed and strengthened relationship between Global Ministries and the East Africa Episcopal Area and shared his great hopes for the future of The United Methodist Church in the region.

As the service concluded, the congregation joined in a final blessing, offering encouragement and prayer over the group as they go forth to serve. Newly commissioned missionary Alejandro Alfaro-Santiz, who will serve in Argentina with his whole family, said he is excited to “…share God’s love through our actions and prayers and service in our daily lives.”

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

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Global Missionaries are a tangible connection between The United Methodist Church and mission. Through denominational or ecumenical ministries, missionaries bear witness to God’s presence all around the world. They are called by God and sent out to serve by the church, usually placed in a new cultural context beyond their country of origin. Missionaries engage in ministry that is defined by mutuality and partnership, seeking to expand the mission of God already present and active in people and places. Explore and support the work of Global Ministries missionaries.

Global Mission Fellows (GMFs) are young adults, ages 20–30, who are committed to serve in social justice ministries for two years. They enter new communities, understanding their challenges and assets through relationships and with the long-term goal to overcome systemic oppression. Fellows partner with community organizations to address a variety of issues, including migration/immigration, education, public health and poverty. Learn more about applying to become a GMF and support current fellows.

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ATLANTA – 140 missionaries and staff gathered for a Town Hall Zoom meeting on Nov. 13, 2024, to talk with General Secretary Roland Fernandes and to celebrate milestone years of service for some missionaries and retirement for others. By the end of 2024, six missionaries at the gathering will be retiring from service in five different countries.

Fernandes affirmed Global Ministries’ rich history in sending missionaries over more than 200 years, and that they are all part of this legacy. “I want to remind all that this is not work that you do for Global Ministries or for The United Methodist Church, but work you do for God, and God has called each of you at this time in the place that you are. We live in hope knowing that God is with us and that we have the love of God amid all that is happening.”

The Rev. Dr. Judy Chung, executive director of Missionary Service, congratulated the group of retiring missionaries and gave each a chance to speak. They come from seven different countries and retire from assignments in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central Africa, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and Liberia. 

The Rev. Dr. Ediberto Lopez Rodriguez, from Puerto Rico, served for 23 years as a missionary professor in New Testament studies with the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico. He said: “I am very grateful for these decades of service to the Lord in the ministry of Global Ministries. My joy comes to fruition when I see my current pastor explaining Scripture every Sunday with competency, and I see his effectiveness as a pastor. He is one of probably 2000 students I taught. If I had the chance to have another life like this, I would come back to my teaching place, to my theological education work for Global Ministries or to whatever place the Lord may send me.”

Nan McCurdy and Miguel Mairena, who are married, retire after 36 years for McCurdy and 28 years for Mairena. Originally Nan started her missionary service in San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua, with her first husband, Phil Mitchell. They were sent by the Baltimore-Washington Conference in 1985. “Phil and I discovered that our most worthwhile work was accompanying people who were grieving and suffering,” McCurdy said. “Almost every family had lost someone at that time.” After becoming Global Ministries’ missionaries in 1988, Mitchell died from a pulmonary embolism in 1991, leaving Nan, and their two girls, ages 13 months and 3 years. When given the choice of staying in Nicaragua or returning to the U.S., McCurdy chose to stay.

“I explained that I was grieving in a country where nearly everyone was grieving, so God had placed me where I needed to be,” she said. She continued work for two years with a foundation for war victims.

McCurdy and Mairena met in Nicaragua and were married in 1995. They served together through four more missionary assignments, the last being with Give Ye Them To Eat (GYTTE) in Puebla, Mexico.

Miguel Mairena grew up on an island in Big Lake, Nicaragua, and had no access to start primary school until he was 20-years-old. He values education very much. “Beginning in 1996, every time Nan and I were in the U.S., I would go to Wesley Seminary for one or two semesters. I graduated in 2007, later in Nicaragua.” He studied law on weekends in Nicaragua and now has a master’s in criminal law as well.

To GYTTE, in Mexico, Mairena gave legal advice, theological advice, but most of all, his ability to fix anything and invent solutions to problems at the 40-acre farm and training center. With his help, they now have water all the time and solar-heated showers.

Grace Musuka began her assignment in 2012, working with United Methodist Women (now United Women in Faith) in Central Africa as a Regional Missionary. Her assignment has been to empower women as peace builders, healers, economic developers in their communities and as leaders in their churches.

“I witnessed women growing spiritually, economically and in their self-esteem,” she said. “I plan to keep growing in my legacy, and my sincere appreciation goes to United Women in Faith and Global Ministries for the chance they gave me to be part of this journey. I’m retired, but I’m not tired. I’ll continue in my work.”

A second Regional Missionary, Emma Cantor, focused her work on leadership and organizational development in Asia. Leadership training encouraged women to stand up for themselves and recognize their abilities. Cantor provided literacy education that combined spiritual growth and various social issues.

She noted: “Some of these young women have become scholars and some went on to careers, so they have developed their leadership and become good decision makers. The leadership in rural areas is about economic development that has given the hope for women and young people to become effective, passionate, compassionate – to help themselves and to help their communities.”

Dr. Emmanuel Mefor is a medical doctor from Nigeria. He and his wife, Florence Mefor, a nurse midwife, have served as medical missionaries in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Dr. Mefor will be retiring from his assignment as a general practitioner with Old Mutare Hospital in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Florence Mefor continues as a missionary with Old Mutare, so they will remain in Zimbabwe for a while longer. Dr. Mefor plans to continue work on a voluntary basis.

“My 24-year journey of missionary work was neither prepared for nor premeditated,” he noted. “We Christians are all called to work daily in the vineyard of our God. To the younger and will-be missionaries; remember that there will be obstacles along your way. Prayers, integrity and passion for what you do are paramount. Being passionate about what you do is the driving force that makes you tireless.”

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

Global Missionaries

Global Ministries missionaries are a tangible connection between The United Methodist Church and mission. Through denominational or ecumenical ministries, missionaries bear witness to God’s presence all around the world. They are called by God and sent out to serve by the church, usually placed in a new cultural context beyond their country of origin. Missionaries engage in ministry that is defined by mutuality and partnership, seeking to expand the mission of God already present and active in people and places.

Explore the work of Global Ministries missionaries.

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