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.

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DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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ATLANTA – The struggle for racial justice in the U.S. and our beloved church has been part of the Latino story since before Cesar Chavez and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on behalf of the poor in this country. On the heels of the formation of Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR) in 1967, Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA) was founded in 1971 as a commitment to advocacy and equity in the church and society.

MARCHA advocates for a holistic and multicultural church, recognizing that the Latinx people in this country are as diverse as its musical styles. This multiculturalism has always existed in the Latinx community. Our shared stories of migration and immigration recognize the lived experiences of our countries of origin. Whether one came here fleeing poverty and violence or as a product of American colonization, our stories make true Dr. King’s statement, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” 

Over the years, political and social dynamics have tried to continually separate us or make us believe that one group is greater than the other. However, The United Methodist Church (UMC) has been instrumental in creating a shared vision of solidarity amid diversity. In 1988, the MARCHA caucus, under the leadership of Bishop Elias Galvan, the first Hispanic/Latino bishop in the UMC, gave voice to this vision and called the church to respond to the growing need for ministry with and for the Hispanic/Latino population. This led to the creation of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (NPHLM) in 1992.

Since then, the plan has diligently strategized with annual conferences in training both laity and clergy to highlight the unique gifts the Latinx community brings to the church. For example, in the Tennessee/Western Kentucky Annual Conference, the Rev. Myriam Cortes is committed to helping the laity become lay missioners and develop new faith communities. This December, we will celebrate with Ebenezer UMC as it becomes a chartered congregation and births a new faith community in another conference location with a lay missioner trained by the plan. 

This growth is possible because of a strong commitment from conferences and our ongoing partnerships with general agencies of the UMC that embrace a multicultural expression of church. It is also possible because of the plan’s continued process of “acompañamiento,” journeying with annual conferences. In the U.S., there are more than 500 United Methodist Hispanic/Latinx congregations and faith communities.

Now more than ever, all these years of developing multicultural Latinx congregations might pay off to help inform and shape a new vision for a new church if we are willing to listen. 

The Rev. Dr. Lydia E. Muñoz is the executive director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry of The United Methodist Church.

RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINISTRIES

In recognition and celebration of the increasing diversity of the United States, Global Ministries administers four of The United Methodist Church’s six ethnic/language ministry plans, also known as the U.S. “national plans.” These four ministries serve Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Korean and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. The national plans strive for unity within diversity. They aim to expand the ministry of The United Methodist Church in a way that does not compromise the ethnic and cultural context of each of the communities they serve.

The post Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: A multicultural vision appeared first on Global Ministries.

Hurricane Ida, the most damaging storm to make landfall in Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, sent 150 mile an hour winds and a 14-foot storm surge over the southern coastal areas of the state on August 29, 2021. Terrebonne Parish in Lafayette District, home to the UMC Clanton Chapel, was one of the hardest hit areas. Then on September of 2021, Tropical Storm Nicholas flooded the entire area again before many had a chance to recover from Ida.

Clanton Chapel in Dulac suffered major damage, first from the hurricane and then from the soaking rains. Shingles were torn off the church’s roof and siding, the roof collapsed, and the steeple crashed down into the yard. This unique multicultural congregation, led by retired pastor, the Rev. C. Kirby Verret, includes members of the United Houma Nation along with Black, Hispanic and Vietnamese parishioners. Although they found alternate spaces to meet for worship, meetings and ministry after Hurricane Ida struck, they still aren’t back in the building.

But they have not faced these challenges alone.

After the hurricane, a unique coalition came together, which included the local Dulac community, the Louisiana Conference, the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and the General Board of Global Ministries. Each contributed different resources and areas of expertise to aid in the recovery of this congregation and community.

The United Methodist Conference Disaster Response Coordinator (CDRC) for Louisiana, the Rev. Bob Deich, led a small assessment team down to Dulac within a week of the hurricane.

“Dulac is the farthest you can go before you are in the Gulf of Mexico,” Deich said. “Hurricane Ida brought the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana in a way it had never done before. Louisiana lost 139 sq. miles to Ida, much of that in Dulac. Areas of marshlands  and some of the barrier islands are gone.”

Deich explained that the core method of disaster response work is building and strengthening relationships. Terrebonne Parish is often hit by storms and major hurricanes, so he knew Verret and the parish well and felt it was important to be present to see how the conference could accompany the recovery.

Deich continued: “The conference was there for Dulac and Clanton Chapel. It was apparent that the community of Dulac did not have the resources to ensure a full recovery. The main income in the area is from shrimping and working the land – a sugar cane and seafood industry economy. But shrimp and fishing boats were beached and thrown into the marsh and the cane fields were flooded. So, we made contact with people in Louisiana and beyond who have caring hearts and the resources the Dulac community needed.”

Verret and much of his congregation had evacuated North to Houma as the hurricane hit. They knew to do this from years of experience. They moved down to Dulac after the storm passed, where, fortunately, the United Methodist Dulac Community Center, a National Mission Institution, had weathered the storm and was able to open as a distribution center. They joined the Dulac community efforts to distribute emergency relief and supplies from the community center.

The center lost power, but the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) made arrangements to transport a solar array to Dulac so they could continue operations and residents had a secure place to recharge their phones and other electronic necessities.

Pastor Verret, a member of the United Houma Nation, also contacted the Rev. Dr. David Wilson, a friend and member of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, to talk about the destruction they experienced. Hurricanes and storms are so pervasive in this area that insurance is unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Wilson, from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC), who is now a United Methodist bishop serving the Great Plains Episcopal Area, knew from his years of service with the Global Ministries Board of Directors that funds from the Native American Special Sunday offerings could be used to help a congregation like Clanton Chapel recover from devastating circumstances to resume and extend their ministries.

“Clanton Chapel is historic to the Houma people of Dulac,” Wilson noted. “It has provided not only a worship place but has also played a role in education and more. It may be the only Houma UMC in Louisiana. The church is a gathering place for many events and is very important to the Houma people.”

The United Houma Nation is concentrated in just six parishes of the southern Louisiana coastline, of which Terrebonne is one. Much of Clanton Chapel’s mission ministry, such as its preschool and kindergarten, serve a predominantly Houma population.

After initial conversations, Global Ministries sent the application for funding to the Louisiana Conference and a $75,000 grant was secured for Clanton Chapel. Deich’s team gave recommendations for proceeding and Early Response Teams arrived to help, not just from Louisiana, but from North and South Carolina and Pennsylvania and other places across the country.

The roof damage was so extensive that reconstruction required the services of a professional roofing company, which was covered by the grant, and opened space for another miracle. Deich took the responsibility of finding a contractor, which would not be an easy task with so much destruction among wealthier communities also looking for contracting services. But Deich was able to find a Houma contractor who was familiar with Clanton Chapel because he had attended the preschool and kindergarten there and his family had a connection. He set aside other offers and made space to work sacrificially on the chapel with his crew.

To date, the roof, siding and porch reconstruction have all been completed by the contractor within the parameters of the grant. Extensive indoor reconstruction is being provided by volunteer teams, subject to their availability. Verret says he even has an Indian team coming – a team in the U.S. with members who are immigrants from India!

“No, we are still not back in the church,” Verret confirmed, “but we did get our preschool going again.” The preschool is a welcome help to working parents in the surrounding Houma community.

These are the wonders and the miracles that God works through Christian connection, building on relationships and networks of care. Gifts made through United Methodist churches across the connection on the Native American Ministry Sunday last year made possible the grant received by Clanton Chapel. For information on this special Sunday, visit Native American Ministries Pastor and Leader Kit (resourceumc.org).

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

Multiethnic Ministries

Grants from the Native American Ministries Special Sunday offering each year support congregational growth and mission outreach among Native American congregations. This funding assists local churches and conferences with outreach and community ministries, revitalization and discipleship formation, salary supplement, and building repairs and expansions. Global Ministries receives a portion of these gifts to channel back into Native American communities across the United States. Visit https://umcmission.org/multiethnic-ministries/ for more information.

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Agencies meet in formal consultation for first time in more than 20 years. 

By Susan Clark 
August 18, 2022 | Atlanta, GA 

The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (Global Ministries) and the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) mission board held a consultation at Global Ministries’ headquarters on Aug. 15-17, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. The two-day meeting, which included the presidents of the councils of bishops of both churches, represented the first time the two boards have met together in formal consultation since 2001. The consultation was called to discuss mutual partnership opportunities for mission throughout the world, building on the shared history and current realities facing both organizations.  

The consultation was composed of delegations from both agencies, resource people and guests from Global Ministries’ executive committee and staff. At the consultation’s opening banquet, Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), noted the deep-seated commitment to mission that brought the delegations together and expressed his hope that the meeting would offer an opportunity to live into a shared gospel. “My prayer is that we will be guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus Christ himself who called us to be one in the spirit even as we work for the transformation of the world,” he said. Bishop Chul Lee, president of the Korean Methodist Church, shared his hopes for cooperation, noting that, though cultures and ways of thinking for both churches are different, the Korean Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church can act in harmony and unity, called by God.  

Bishop Hee Soo Jung, president of Global Ministries’ board of directors, expressed hope that The United Methodist Church and Korean Methodist Church might fulfill a shared mission to transform the world through a serving church and community. He expressed hope that “we will share wisdom today with the passion to spread this peace and joy to all parts of the world,” further noting that “we can be glad in the abundant peace of Jesus Christ” and “let gentleness show.”  

Throughout the two-day meeting, delegates heard a series of presentations, including an historical overview of mission cooperation between the KMC and UMC and reviews of several mission efforts in areas of Asia and Africa. They also discussed longstanding challenges and opportunities for peace and reunification efforts on the Korean Peninsula, work paused by the global pandemic but which remains foremost on the minds of many Koreans because of the ongoing and painful separation of families and rising military tensions in the region.   

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR, reinforced the long-standing practice of collaboration in mission at Global Ministries. “We form partnerships that foster our goals of mission, which historically and today include evangelism, that is, making disciples for Jesus Christ, church development, building up the household of faith, alleviating suffering, and seeking justice, freedom and peace,” he said.  “The overarching goal is faithful, joyful participation in the missio Dei – God’s mission.”  

Bishop Chung Suk Kim, chair of the KMC Board of Mission, acknowledged several common challenges facing world churches today – declining youth interest in the religious faith, polarization and resulting conflicts, and issues of peace. He acknowledged the long impact of The United Methodist Church in Korea and suggested that the KMC and UMC act as brothers and sisters in mission to build on their history of collaboration.  

As the consultation concluded, leaders from both entities offered their hope for the future, agreeing to continue their consultation and work together to deploy a concrete list of opportunities for cooperation. Both groups acknowledged the mutual respect for one another and love of God that facilitated prayerful and thoughtful conversations throughout the two-day meeting. 

The Korean Methodist Church Board of Mission establishes and implements mission policies in domestic, social and global mission areas, including church planting and growth; peace, reunification and humanitarian help for North Korea; global missionary policy, training and support; and mission relationships with other churches and denominations; among other responsibilities. 

The General Board of Global Ministries, which includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is the worldwide mission, relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church, working with partners and churches all over the word to equip and transform people and places for God’s mission. Global Ministries connects the church in mission through the sending of missionaries, evangelization and church revitalization, global health and humanitarian relief and recovery. 

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

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August 11, 2022

The Pacific Islander Ministry Plan Advisory Committee met, under the banner of By Faith…Let Us Run with Perseverance, on Aug. 8-9, 2022, at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church in Garden Grove, California. The much anticipated in-person meeting, led by chairperson Rev. Michael Seui and Dr. Dana Lyles, director of Multiethnic Ministries for Global Ministries, provided a time for celebration and affirmation of God’s providence and call to Pacific Islanders to press on with perseverance in “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” There was a deep appreciation for the journey of the last 50 years and for those who led and carried the heavy burden of pioneering the work of Pacific Island UMC ministries. By faith, they have brought us this far. 

As for moving forward, the PIM Plan Advisory Committee would like to share the following statements:

• We will continue to live into God’s unity and not focus on issues that divide us. We recognize that the denomination is experiencing the storm of schism and division brought about by the issue of human sexuality. Pacific Islanders, like any other ethnic group, have varying deep theological perspectives on this issue, and we honor and respect them in all of their diversity. However, we are certain that our ministry is so much more than just about this one issue, and that there is room at the UMC table for a wide range of theological diversity within our connectional church family. Our hope is that this one issue will not “conquer and divide” us so that we can continue our journey in the UMC, celebrating, affirming and offering our Pacific Island spiritual gifts and graces to the global church and beyond, and thereby, continue to live into God’s unity. 
  
• A Time of Conversation and Reflection. On Oct. 6, 2022, the PIM Plan will host the “By Faith Our Journey Continues Symposium,” an online event that will bring together Pacific Island denominational leaders, theologians, elders and young people to engage in conversation and offer relevant resources for reflection as we continue to develop a faith-full response to our current reality.  
  
• Plan for an In-Person Leadership Training Summit with a major focus on Second Generation ministry. There is a strong commitment to gather in person in early 2023 for leadership training, with strong emphasis on second-generation ministries. The summit will undergird an offering of micro-grants that will support development of such ministries in local settings.

The Rev. Michael Seui is the chairperson for the PIM Plan Advisory Committee. The committee includes representatives from The Fijian Caucus, The Samoan Caucus and The Kalia `o e `Otua Felenite-Tongan Caucus.

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Grants from the United Methodist Pacific Islander Ministry Plan in 2021 and 2022 helped Tongan, Samoan and Fijian congregations in the U.S. develop tools for online ministry and outreach, particularly to keep senior members engaged during COVID-19 lockdowns.

By Christie R. House
May 27, 2022 | ATLANTA

While all congregations in the United States have felt some degree of disruption and frustration from the COVID-19 pandemic, congregations that draw both spiritual and cultural strength from their church communities have had particularly difficult challenges trying to keep everyone safe and connected. During government and denominational requested lock-downs, some churches were able to embrace the switch to online worship, creating small worship teams, conducting worship, and streaming or recording services for congregations to watch and participate in online. Other congregations had never even imagined a need for this kind of worship and had neither the means nor the know-how to pull it off.

United Methodist Pacific Islander congregations in the United States draw a lot of strength from their faith communities. They have unique rituals, holidays and spiritual practices in addition to those practiced by a majority of United Methodists. Along with spiritual nurture, their churches form a hub of community life, strengthening their cultural identities and their ties to their countries of origin.

When the coronavirus pandemic prevented Pacific Islander churches from gathering, the hardship on the community was great. Fetu Ao United Methodist Church, a Samoan congregation in Torrance, California, had no wi-fi in the church, so streaming was not possible. While they were able to resume in-person services in 2021, many of their elder members feared returning, since COVID-19 variants continue to spread and cause spikes in cases.

Dr. Dana Lyles, director of Global Ministries Multiethnic Ministries, which includes the Pacific Islander Ministry Plan, could see that a little help in this case had the potential to go a long way in resourcing congregations to stay connected with all members, even those who decided they were not ready to return to inside group worship. Fetu Ao was one of 17 Pacific Islander congregation that received a grant to purchase new technological equipment and software to offer online worship. They contracted for wi-fi on the church grounds.

“This grant has allowed us to bring our worship into the 21^st century and reach many more people,” said Rose Leilua, Fetu Ao’s treasurer. “It has been a real blessing.”

In addition to the technology gains, some churches also received Covid-19 safety resources, such as masks, sanitizers and cleaning supplies.

Most Pacific Islander congregations in the U.S. have a majority of Tongan, Samoan or Fijian members, though some churches have a multicultural combination of two or all three. Methodists worship in all three island nations. Pacific Islander immigrants to the U.S. have desired to plant new churches, though they do not always have the resources to do so without the help of established churches.

Pacific Islanders petitioned General Conference for a program whose main purpose is to strengthen existing congregations and plant new faith communities as well as develop a strong network in which congregations can resource one another. The 2012 General Conference passed the Comprehensive Plan for Pacific Islander Ministry in the U.S., developed over a four-year period by a committee of Pacific Islanders and staff members of Global Ministries, which today administers the work of the plan.

Though many of the grant recipient congregations chose to outfit their churches with lap tops, screens, camcorders and tri-pods to produce better online worship, one particular church decided to outfit the congregation instead.

Medford Samoan Mission in Medford, Oregon, decided to purchase Chromebooks to deliver to members of the congregation who had no computer equipment. Not only does this give them access to worship, it also gives children and youth in these households a way to follow schoolwork and connect with their teachers and friends. As a mission outreach, the Medford Samoan Mission request did double duty.

Acquiring the grant to purchase equipment can be half the battle, as the Fetu Ao congregation discovered.

“Our greatest challenge was finding someone or a company for the installation,” notes Leilua. “This was the first time we’d done anything like this, but we ‘googled’ our way through it.”

The challenge was worth it though, increasing the knowledge and capabilities of a few members as well, who now record or live stream services. The big screens they installed have allowed the congregation to incorporate more music, particularly music from Samoa. Their attendance and participation for in-person worship have increased.

Leilua concludes: “Our project seemed like a huge task, but with the Lord’s help and slowly navigating our way, we reached our goal and completed the project. It has incredibly boosted the morale of our congregation.”

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

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By Christie House

May 1, 2022 | ATLANTA

“We really needed to address our structure problems. When they pulled open the rotten siding, there were birds living in the walls of the church,” said Tabitha Harris, a member of Kulli Tuklo United Methodist Church in Idabel, Oklahoma.

This small, rural church with a congregation made up of mostly Choctaw elders has lost members the past three years, some to old age and some to COVID-19. This church and others of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) lack the physical resources to repair their buildings but their congregations are vitally important to their spiritual lives and their communities. Some of the churches, like Kulli Tuklo, cannot even get insurance to help maintain their buildings until some major repairs are made.

In 2020, Global Ministries therefore designated a significant portion of Native American Ministries Sunday funds for repair and reconstruction of Indigenous worship spaces.

The OIMC has 83 churches in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, with members representing more than 39 tribes. Most grant requests for Native American Ministry Sunday funds from OIMC churches relate to building repairs – especially roofs.

After consultation, representatives from Global Ministries and OIMC agreed that providing a block grant directly to the conference was the best way to manage and prioritize the immediate repair needs across the conference.

The block grant supports the OIMC´s strategic priority to increase the vitality of existing communities of faith, revitalize congregations, and create a space where indigenous models of ministry can thrive. The local churches also contribute a percentage of the funds for their projects, including in-kind contributions.

Some of them get a boost from Volunteer in Mission teams who come to help with the work. During the pandemic, volunteer teams could not come, but in January 2021, students from the Associated General Contractors of America Student Chapter of Kansas State University arrived to replace siding and a porch at the historic Kulli Tuklo United Methodist Church in Idabel, Oklahoma.

Kulli Tuklo, a Choctaw congregation, is one of the oldest congregations in the OIMC, according to the Rev. David Wilson, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma who serves as the assistant to the bishop in the OIMC. “It was established after the Choctaw people were removed to Indian Territory,” he said.

The church is the site where many Native peoples gathered after that forced removal, known as the Trail of Tears.

In addition to the Kansas State students, a youth team from Wayne United Methodist Church in Eastern Pennsylvania also arrived to help with siding. Wayne UMC is a returning partner for this work. In 2019, their teams contributed to a complete rebuilding of Good Springs UMC in Oklahoma City.

“They were fun to be around,” Harris confirmed. “They liked to hear about our history and took pride in their work. We even raised a little money to send back with them, not much, but we thought we could help with their next project.”

Today, thanks to funding from Global Ministries, the South Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Wayne UMC, the Kulli Tuklo UMC and labor from the Kansas State University, the church is now in much better shape, with brand new siding and a new porch. The roof is still on the wish list.

Every time it rained, water flowed like a river down the wall of the Yasho UMC sanctuary in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. But today, according to Kimberly McKinney, the lay missioner giving pastoral care to Yasho and a second church, Bethel Hill, the roof has been replaced and the church is dry.

“Our church is a multicultural congregation, with Choctaw, Cherokee, African American and Caucasian of all ages attending. We sing our tribal hymns and use the United Methodist Hymnal too,” McKinney said. “We are a small congregation, but we pay our apportionments, keep church open every Sunday and Wednesday night for services, and we continue to keep our clothing pantry open once a month, free to anyone in need. We make a big impact in our community.”

In addition to the need for a new roof for the sanctuary and the fellowship hall, Yasho needed to replace a covered walkway used by seniors and others who need assistance entering the building.

This congregation also has historic roots dating back to the Trail of Tears. McKinney said the name of the church comes from the Choctaw word yashau, meaning “big black pot.” The oldest male member of the church told her this story:

“When we were forced to move, and our ancestors walked the Trail of Tears, there was a man who carried this big black pot. Every stop he would cook in it to feed the people. He would gather herbs and make medicine for those who were ill. When they made it to this area in Broken Bow, he put his black pot down and said, ‘this is where we will gather to worship the Savior.’”

When Broken Bow became a town, the church was moved to where it now stands. “Yashau is a good name,” McKinney said, “because there was healing, gathering and fellowship from that large black pot. It brought people to know Christ and His love for all.”

Given the concentration of Native American congregations in the OIMC, much of the reconstruction work takes place there. However, Native American congregations outside the OIMC have also benefited from Native American Ministry Sunday funds. For instance, St. John’s UMC in Bridgeton, New Jersey, spiritual home for a Nanticoke Lenni Lenape congregation, received funding to finish reconstruction of their church after a fire that happened years ago. In addition to providing a dedicated and safe worship place, the rebuilding project also allowed them to expand their food pantry for the community.

The goal of the grants designated for Native American church repair and reconstruction is to create safe and comfortable worship environments for churches serving Native communities and to build capacity for local churches to revitalize ministries. Tabitha Harris would add: “We may be a small congregation with little money to spare, but we sure can take care of people, provide them with good meals and good fellowship.”

Members of the visiting teams from Kansas and Pennsylvania agreed!

Native American Ministries Sunday is May 1, 2022. Offerings can be given through your local church or online.

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

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February 14, 2022 | ATLANTA

Media Contact:

Raúl Alegría, NPHLM Interim Executive Director
National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry
The United Methodist Church
Ralegria1130@gmail.com

The Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz, an experienced advocate for multicultural ministries and social justice, will be the new executive director of the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (NPHLM), effective July 1, 2022, the plan’s executive committee announced on February 10, 2022.

“I am excited that Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz will bring her love of God and her deep commitment to creating a more inclusive church to the leadership of the plan,” said Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, chair of the NPHLM Executive Committee. “Rev. Dr. Muñoz has been at the forefront of advocacy on behalf of the marginalized, and her ministry has borne tremendous fruit.

“During the interview process, we were impressed by her vision for the future of the plan, and I look forward to working with her to bring that vision to fruition,” Easterling said. “She is the right executive director for such as time as this.”

Muñoz will be the first woman serving in this position. She is an ordained elder in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, where she has served for the past 16 years. She is a graduate of Penn State University, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s studies, and a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary. She obtained her Doctor of Ministry degree in 2021 from Drew Theological School. Her doctoral focus was on public theology, and her dissertation addressed “Decolonizing and Decentering Whiteness in Christian Worship.”

The Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz

“We at the NPHLM are thrilled that Rev. Muñoz will be joining us as the executive director,” said Bishop Sally Dyck, former chair and current member of the NPHLM Executive Committee. “She brings both a long-term experience with the plan as well as a fresh perspective. We anticipate a new opportunity to engage the church to grow in our multicultural/multiracial ministries.”

To ensure that the work of the NPHLM continues to move forward, its executive committee elected Raúl Alegría to serve as interim executive director through June 30, 2022, and named Manuel Padilla, former interim executive director, to serve as advisor to the NPHLM through June 30, 2022.

Muñoz answered the call of God to ministry during one of the NPHLM’s trainings for lay missioners, so in many ways she is a product of the plan. She has extensive experience developing ministries of justice among marginalized and multicultural communities of all ages and backgrounds, has served as consultant for multiethnic ministries and is a lifelong member of MARCHA (Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa Hispano-Latina Americana). She has served as a mental health therapist, working primarily with adjudicated young people in the school system dealing with emotional and physical trauma. She also is a published author. Muñoz lives outside of Philadelphia, the proud parent of Willow, a student at Delaware County Community College, and their five-year-old rescue dog named Max.

“The United Methodists of Eastern Pennsylvania Conference give thanks to God for the gifts and leadership of Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz and celebrate her becoming the executive director of the national plan,” said Bishop John Schol, episcopal leader of the Greater New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania annual conferences. “Rev. Muñoz’s vision, abilities, experience and passion will build on the past accomplishments of the plan, lead the church in fulfilling the growth and development of Hispanic-Latinx ministries across the church, and advocate for the leadership and involvement of Hispanic-Latinx people in the church and society.”

“It is indeed an honor and privilege to serve the church in this capacity, and I look forward to bringing all my experience and passion to the National Plan,” Muñoz said. “I believe that now more than ever is the time for the church to live incarnationally the gospel of Jesus in all it does for the transformation of the world.”

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United Methodist leaders decry church sponsorship of U.S. abusive “Indian boarding schools” and call for remembrance of victims and survivors. 

September 28, 2021 | ATLANTA 

Recent media reports, a public education campaign, and the announcement of an investigation by the U.S. Department of the Interior have cast renewed light on one of the most shameful practices in the deplorable treatment of the Indigenous people of North America by European colonists across 500 years. This was the forcing of thousands of Native American boys and girls into “Indian boarding schools” in a deliberate attempt to separate them from their families and cultures. 

Disturbing new reports from both Canada and the U.S. indicate that, in some cases, large numbers of the young people died in school custody without notice to families and were buried in mass schoolyard graves. Some of these burials have been documented internally in boarding school records, but others have not. 

While authorized and primarily funded by government, some of these schools were also sponsored or operated by religious organizations, including several with Methodist affiliations. Some Methodists and their institutions shared and promoted the sentiment that Indigenous people must be “Christianized” and then “civilized” to be regarded as human beings, or as stated by prominent proponents, “Kill the Indian and save the man.” 

We know the names and locations of a number of Methodist-related Native American boarding schools and efforts are underway to identify as many such institutions as may have existed. We need to better understand our complicity in this form of cultural genocide and to bring the boarding schools more clearly into focus in our expression of repentance for the inhumane treatment to which the church and its members subjected Indigenous people in the past. Such repentance was expressed by the 2012 United Methodist General Conference (see below). 

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition represents an effort to educate the public in the U.S. about these schools and their lingering harmful legacy. In light of the recent reports of abuse and neglect, the coalition has called for September 30, 2021, to be observed a National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools. This date aligns with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation that is dedicated in Canada to residential school survivors. 

The National Day of Remembrance is being observed by Native American United Methodist leaders, including the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, Native American Comprehensive Plan, Native American International Caucus and numerous annual conference committees on Native American Ministries. Our agencies join our Native American sisters and brothers in this special occasion, an opportunity for individual grief and collective reaffirmation of the 2012 “Act of Repentance Toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous People.” Suggestions from the healing coalition for ways to remember the victims and survivors of the schools can be found online. 

We welcome a recent announcement by U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, that the Bureau of Indian Affairs will investigate the programs and operations of these boarding schools. We will share information we may discover in our investigation of Methodist involvement in such institutions. 

The history of the “Indian boarding schools” is complex and perplexing, particularly regarding religious complicity. Policies and practices regarding such schools in the U.S. took various forms across a century and a half — from the 1820s to the 1980s. Current media attention is on schools reflecting a strict military-style model, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, opened in 1879. While Carlisle itself had no religious sponsors, others of its ilk did. The promotion of Carlisle-type schools corresponded to the development of U.S. policy on Native people at the end of the so-called “Indian wars,” a time when the reservation system was being implemented for Great Plains tribes was emerging and included a short experiment in using Christian missionaries as administrators of the “Indian agencies.” These schools often transported the young people far away from their home regions. The first class at Carlisle came from Dakota Territory. 

There were also earlier Native American boarding schools, usually more local in nature, with mixed patterns of sponsorship — tribal/religious/federal government. At least one Methodist-related example in Ohio in the early 1820s was a tribal/mission school with a federal grant. Some links between churches and the schools lasted for only a few years, while other stretched across decades. 

The General Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Women, which represent Methodist mission outreach in frontier America, are in the process of attempting to determine exactly where and when Methodists sponsored “Indian boarding schools.” In terms of numbers, we have a short list of connections that need further research and our work on that will continue. 

But regardless of numbers or duration, earlier American Methodists helped to perpetuate the concept that Native people should be stripped of their heritage through forced assimilation of youngsters in residential schools apart from their families and communities. This is not a new awareness, although the schools were not specifically cited in the denomination’s public repentance of its former attitudes toward and treatment of Indigenous people. 

The “Act of Repentance Toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous People” was one of the high moments of the 2012 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination’s governing body. The subsequent quadrennial General Conference (2016) adopted an omnibus resolution on “Native People and the United Methodist Church,” drafted by Native members, that specified the forcing of young people into boarding schools as an example of offense. The resolution states: 

“Government and religious institutions intentionally destroyed many of our traditional cultures and belief systems. To assimilate our peoples into mainstream cultures, many of our ancestors as children were forcibly removed to boarding schools, often operated by religious institutions, including historical Methodism.” 

In the face of renewed focus on the damages done by the boarding schools, we: 

• Endorse and join the Day of Remembrance on September 30, 2021, 
• Welcome the investigation underway by the U.S. Department of the Interior, 
• Pledge to conduct our own study and investigation of Methodist-related boarding schools, 
• Seek to embody in our work the spirit of our church’s 2012 “Act of Repentance Toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous People,” 
• Review and implement as possible recommendations for healing and reconciliation found in the resolution of 2016, including measures to increase the role and visibility of Indigenous persons and communities, and 
• Promote equity and justice for Native Americans in both church and society. 

September 27, 2021 

Signed by 

General Board of Global Ministries
Roland Fernandes, General Secretary 

United Methodist Women
Harriett Olson, General Secretary 

General Board of Church and Society
Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary 

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Greg Bergquist, General Secretary 

Discipleship Ministries
Jeff Campbell, Acting General Secretary 

General Commission on Archives and History
Ashley Boggan Dreff, General Secretary 

General Council on Finance and Administration
Moses Kumar, General Secretary and Treasurer

General Commission on Religion and Race
Giovanni Arroyo, General Secretary 

General Commission on the Status and Role of Women
Dawn Wiggins Hare, General Secretary 

United Methodist Communications
Dan Krause, General Secretary 

General Commission on United Methodist Men
Gil Hanke, General Secretary

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September 1, 2021 | ATLANTA

The National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry Committee (NPHLM) announces that its national interim director, Manuel Padilla, will be stepping down from his staff position effective December 31, 2021, to pursue a new vocational opportunity. The NPHLM Committee will be conducting a national search for a new national director, interviewing candidates beginning mid-October 2021.

Padilla accepted his current role as interim national director for two years after serving as a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church since 2013, initially working with the National Plan in the U.S. on strategy and ministry. In the summer of 2016, Padilla was named the manager of conference relations and strategy for the plan. Members of the NPHLM Executive Committee express appreciation for Padilla’s significant work during his tenure. “Manuel Padilla’s commitment to the Hispanic/Latino church has created a steady foundation for the NPHLM to continue to offer relevant programs and resources,” said Bishop Sally Dyck, president of the NPHLM. Padilla has represented the NPHLM in a variety of ways, including serving on the executive board of MARCHA (the National Hispanic/Latino caucus within The United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico) and other boards connected to the work of the NPHLM.

“I have been blessed to lead the NPHLM and to work with this amazing committee under the leadership of bishops Sally Dyck and LaTrelle Easterling,” said Padilla. “The NPHLM Committee undergirded our work as staff to inspire growth, vitality and innovation among leaders who desire to strengthen the Hispanic/Latino and other churches and transform their communities. The NPHLM is a vital mission initiative within The United Methodist Church and I am confident it will continue to strengthen and resource Hispanic/Latino churches and The United Methodist Church for effective and transformational ministry.”

For more information on the position and application, click here.

The NPHLM Search Committee is composed of the following persons:

Raúl Alegría, Chair (SEJ)
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling (NEJ)
Bishop Sally Dyck (NCJ)
Rev. Ismael Ruiz Millán (SEJ)
Rev. Ella Luna-Garza (SCJ)
Rosie Ríos (WJ)
Rev. Juárez Gonçalves (NEJ)

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