Dec. 16 , 2003
United Methodist agency builds 123 homes in Mozambique
By Nancye Willis
MAPUTO, Mozambique (UMNS) — Vasco Cossa ’s new house has a sitting room, but he doesn’t do much sitting there. In fact, the room is pretty bare.
Furnished with little more than a radio that circulates music through the three-room house, the sitting room nevertheless represents a new day for the Cossa family.
The home is one of 123 in the new village of Magoanine, built by the United Methodist Church in Mozambique after catastrophic flooding in 2000 left area residents homeless. Grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the United Methodist Church in Germany helped fund the construction.
The housing is one of the relief agency’s ongoing projects in Mozambique, a southeastern African nation recovering from years of war and hard hit by poverty, disease and disastrous weather.
Bishop João Somane Machado appointed the Rev. Morais Quissico to lead disaster-relief efforts in Mozambique soon after the 2000 flooding. The United Methodist Committee on Relief allocated more than $200,000 to assist Quissico in supplying food, seeds and hoes, mosquito nets, materials for native houses, transportation and labor, and other administrative expenses.
"Magoanine is the first of our projects in Africa to use the earth blocks from area soil," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, who directs the relief agency. "Structures built from the earth blocks are far more stable than the homes that were destroyed in flooding," he added during a visit to the site.
Brick-making machines, purchased especially to assist with flood-recovery efforts, use high pressure to mold native soil, mixed with a small amount of cement, into ceramic-like bricks. Each machine can form 200 26-pound bricks per hour.
"No mortar is necessary, since each brick has interlocking ‘keys’ to hold the structure together," Dirdak said.
The use of indigenous material with no mortar and built by local laborers enables each home to be built for only $2,800. That amount is considerably less than the cost of the area’s typical concrete block structures, and the homes can be completed in about half the time concrete houses require.
"In 2000, nothing was here except the traditional reed houses," Dirdak added. The reed houses offered little resistance to the flooding, and hundreds ended up under water and filled with mud.
The distinctive red-clay brick structures are rent-free to residents, who only pay for electricity and water from several wells. For many residents, it is the first time they have had access to electricity.
Families may expand the three rooms at their own expense, an important consideration when six children is the norm for families in Mozambique. Also, there is no limit on how many family members can inhabit each house.
The government has granted the United Methodist Church permission to build a church, parsonage, school and clinic in this new community. A similar home-building project is planned in the northern part of the Mozambique Annual Conference.
The relief agency and its parent organization, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, also continue to work with the Mozambique church to support land mine clearance. Beyond the physical injuries and deaths associated with land mines, the explosives also disrupt communities, close schools, interrupt education and leave residents unable to grow food to feed their families.
The Accelerated Demining Program uses machinery, detection dogs and trained human de-miners. The program also conducts mine-awareness classes for residents, and, because of the overwhelming spread of HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, the program has incorporated HIV/AIDS awareness into its training.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has granted funds to help local churches with recovery work, including reforestation projects to help control erosion and prevent future flooding, and to replace oxen lost in the floods so that residents can plow their fields.
The denomination’s Chicuque Hospital in Mozambique benefits from the relief agency’s efforts to revitalize health institutions. Medicine boxes, prepared by local churches to the agency’s specifications, enable churches to provide essential drugs and medical supplies; other kits provide resources for the home care of people with terminal diseases.
In addition, the denomination provides food, seeds and tools to people affected by flooding, and it conducts disaster-preparedness seminars.
Working with partner agencies and ecumenical networks, the United Methodist Committee on Relief supports hundreds of projects worldwide, using money received through the denomination’s designated giving program, the Advance, and through its One Great Hour of Sharing offering. The agency uses no apportionment funds.
Donations to support ongoing recovery work in Mozambique may be made to Advance #156500-0 through local United Methodist congregations, or directly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Online credit-card donations may be made at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor or by calling (800) 554-8583.
*Willis is a staff member of United Methodist Communications.
Dec. 18, 2003
Moscow congregation fights for its building
By Felix Corley
Forum 18 News Service*
A Korean United Methodist church in Moscow fears it may lose its church building after the city’s justice department allowed outsiders to change the building’s ownership documents.
On Dec. 9, just three days after the prosecutor’s office dropped its investigation into the disputed transfer, guards loyal to the new "owners" seized the building. The pastor and some 30 church officials and members remained "under siege" inside as of Dec. 15, a church spokeswoman said.
"We are staying here round the clock to try to prevent the illegal seizure," church administrator Svetlana Kim told Forum 18 News Service from inside the church. "But we know they won’t pay any attention to us."
The Kwan Lim (Kvanrim in Russian) United Methodist Church was founded and registered in 1991 and gained re-registration with the Moscow justice department in December 1999. The congregation, which Kim said has some 180 members, built its own church in northern Moscow in 1995 with financial support from Methodists in South Korea. Services are held in Russian and Korean.
The United Methodist Church in Russia is registered with the federal government as a centralized religious organization. It is led by Bishop Ruediger Minor.
In an e-mail message to United Methodist News Service, he said a "group of business people" was attempting to steal the building.
"This is a problem that deeply disturbs the Methodist community in Moscow," Minor told Forum 18. "Though it seems to be one of the ‘usual’ business quarrels, it has some religious undertones. Propaganda against ‘this Korean sect’ and other invectives are used. And, in my judgment, the whole thing could only happen because of some (at least silent) support from administrative and other structures."
The Kwan Lim church center was built with gifts from the Kwan Lim Methodist Church in Seoul for about $1 million, Minor wrote in his e-mail. "It is really the ‘gem’ of all Methodist property in Moscow."
A Christian law firm is helping the church defend its rights, he said.
"In our opinion, there are grave violations of legislation and procedure by the Moscow city legal department, as they recognized the ‘legal documents’ of the new ‘owners,’ Minor wrote. "Furthermore, Moscow bureaucracy, well known for its slow motion and endlessly twisted paths, did work in record speed in this case. This raises indeed very serious doubts and questions."
Aleksandr Buksman, head of the local registration department for religious organizations, said the ownership documents were amended in compliance with the country’s religion law. He said the amendments to the document and approval of new leadership occurred at a church meeting in April 2002, but church officials said no valid meeting took place.
Kim, who signed the original founding document, said problems began when the church belatedly discovered that another group unconnected with the congregation managed to change the founding document after holding a meeting in April or May 2002.
"They did not meet in the church, claimed to have changed all the leaders and had no connection with us, but even so, the justice department accepted the new founding document," she said. "No one from the justice department even checked up with us." The new "owners" then sold the building to others.
Maksim Zubov, an official of the federal Justice Ministry department dealing with religious organizations, said he was not familiar with the United Methodist case but promised that his office would follow up the issue with the Moscow city justice department. "No one has the right to change the founding document of a religious organization without its knowledge," he said.
Kim said this is not the first time religious communities have faced such problems over ownership of buildings, though the problem is more acute in the business world.
The church’s attempt to challenge the Moscow justice department’s recognition of the new founding document in district court got nowhere. "We lodged our appeal there in September 2002, and it still hasn’t been considered," Kim said.
Kim reported that about 20 guards arrived on Dec. 9, breaking the lock and smashing a door to gain access. She said the police came but didn’t intervene.
Since the seizure, guards representing the new "owner" have the building under their control. Kim said the church was able to hold its Sunday service Dec. 14, but only because it persuaded the guards to allow in church members, some of whom remain in the building.
*United Methodist News Service contributed to this report. F18 News is operated by Forum 18, an Oslo, Norway,-based organization dedicated to promoting implementation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dealing with issues of religious freedom. More information is available at http://www.forum18.org/ .
Dec. 19, 2003
President Bush receives top award from United Methodist group
By the Rev. J. Richard Peck*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — President George W. Bush received top honors from United Methodist Men Dec. 17 for his statements of faith and his call for the nation to be in prayer following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The award, certifying the president as a member of the Society of John Wesley Fellows, was presented by Gilbert Hanke, national president of United Methodist Men, which sponsors the award through its foundation.
Hanke was elected to this volunteer position in 2000. He is a speech/language pathologist in Nacogdoches, Texas, working for Nacogdoches Medical Center and Stephen F. Austin State University.
After presenting President Bush with a plaque, Hanke asked and received permission to offer a prayer. “Being the Christmas season,” Hanke said later, “our prayer included a request for ‘peace on earth and good will to all.’”
The presentation ceremony followed a decision made two years ago when United Methodist Men from the South Central Jurisdiction wanted to find a way to express their appreciation to Bush for his actions after the 9-11 tragedy.
Bush is the 426th person to receive the award making him a member of the Society of John Wesley Fellows. Its sponsor, the United Methodist Men Foundation, was created in the early 1980s to ensure that scouting ministries (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire and 4-H) would always be a focus of the denomination. The foundation now supports scouting, evangelistic ministries, a prayer line and other men’s ministries.
“The John Wesley Award is given to clergy, laymen and laywomen who have demonstrated their commitment to Christ and their understanding that this faith affects every aspect of their daily life,” said the Rev. Joe Harris, top staff executive of the Commission on United Methodist Men in Nashville, Tenn. “The recognition of President Bush as a John Wesley fellow emphasizes the significance of this award and honors him for his daily walk with Christ.”
During Hanke’s 10-minute visit in the Oval Office, Bush gave him a tour of some of the furnishings, beginning with the desk made famous in a photo of young John Kennedy Jr.
The president also spoke about the hymn, “Charge to Keep I Have,” by Charles Wesley, John Wesley’s brother, and showed Hanke a framed piece of calligraphy with the words of the hymn that hangs under a painting of the same name. The hymn was sung at his inaugurations as governor of Texas and president.
“And now I have this award named for John Wesley,” Bush told Hanke. “Thank you so much for coming all the way from Texas to give me this.”
Hanke told Bush that he was the first president to receive the award. “How many Methodist presidents have there been?” Bush asked.
“I don’t know, but you’re the best,” Hanke replied.
“Right answer,’ the president fired back.
Bush, a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, sent his greetings and best wishes to the citizens of Nacogdoches, a city he has visited several times.
*Peck is a journalist and consultant for United Methodist Men.
Dec. 22, 2003
Online ‘Interview with God’ draws large following
By Nancye Willis*
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (UMNS) — A Web site called "Interview with God," created by a United Methodist Sunday school teacher, is sweeping the Internet, attracting millions of visitors.
Created by Reata (pronounced "Rita") Strickland, the imaginary conversation with the Almighty uses a combination of landscape photographs, inspirational text and Shockwave animation. Strickland belongs to Romulus United Methodist Church, located in a rural area near Tuscaloosa.
The message of the "interview" is a simple one, touching on such subjects as love, self-worth, relationships and forgiveness, and including God’s hopes for his children. An example: "That they live as if they’ll never die and die as if they’ve never lived."
A Web site designer at the University of Alabama, Strickland originally set out in the spring of 2001 to develop a site for the United Methodist Church’s Tuscaloosa District offices. "I was working on the site, and I said, ‘This needs something.’"
She had seen a PowerPoint presentation of "Interview with God" and had been struck by it. "The words to ‘Interview with God’ are very simple," Strickland says, "and yet they have such a power to them. When I first read them, they really touched me deeply. I wanted to do something with these words."
When the opportunity presented itself, she knew what to do. "I’ll put the ‘Interview with God’ on here," she recalls thinking.
Believing she could improve the visual presentation she’d seen, she developed her own slide show. Pleased with the result, she was not prepared for the reaction. "I expected maybe 20, 25 people in our little town to see this," she says.
The district site was quickly overwhelmed with traffic. "Within a week, the site had crashed," she recalls. "I called the people who maintain the site, and they said, ‘We’ve had over 500,000 hits within the last week.’"
Strickland moved the animation to her personal site, www.reata.org. Word spread by e-mail lists, and the number of visits continued to build. Within a month, 2.4 million people had seen it, and two and half years later, more than 20 million people have found their way to her online devotion. Volunteers have translated the text into 13 languages.
Strickland still marvels at the 15,000 hits the site receives each day. It draws "people from all over the world — from China, Japan, Russian, Europe, everywhere," she says.
"I want to talk to them and ask, ‘Where do you live?’ ‘How did you find this?’ ‘What do you think?’"
The reactions of Web visitors are gratifying, she says. "A 94-year-old man e-mailed me, and he said that he did not believe in God until he viewed this."
Keeping up with the demand requires 40 gigabytes of bandwidth daily, putting a strain on the Strickland budget. To help cover costs of roughly $400 a month, Strickland is selling "Interview with God" screensavers, posters and T-shirts.
She and her husband, Steve, a part-time local pastor serving the Romulus and Pleasant Grove United Methodist churches, believe the Web site’s popularity is the result of a higher power. " I cannot explain it any other way," she says.
"I did my part and God did the rest," she says of the phenomenon. "This speaks to power — the power of words, the power of the Internet and the power of God."
*Willis is editor for the Public Information Team at United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn.
Dec. 17, 2003
Church program helps convicts read to their kids
By Kim Riemland*
Eighteen-month-old Serenity of Pueblo, Colo., is doing what many experts say is one of the most important things a child can do: snuggling on her mother’s lap, listening to a good book.
The voice she hears is that of her father, even though he is miles away, in a Colorado youth offender facility.
"This is all I can give her while I’m here, so I’m trying to do everything I can while I’m in jail," said Serenity’s father, 19-year-old Joaquin Dorrance. He has been serving a sentence for felony robbery since October 2002. Under the terms of the youth offender program, he is eligible for release under supervision next summer.
Every week, members of SonRise United Methodist Church in Pueblo bring books and tape recorders so young fathers — many of whom are learning to become better readers themselves — can read to their children. The church then mails the tape and book to the inmate’s child.
The program is one of several church efforts to raise the literacy rates of children in high-risk groups.
"It helps the dad and it helps the child," said the Rev. Susan Plymell, pastor of the SonRise church.
The National Adult Literacy Survey found that more than 70 percent of U.S. prisoners read at low levels, and that helping adults with their reading skills has a direct and measurable impact on their children.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, children whose families participate in literacy programs make significant gains on school readiness tests and language development.
U.S. Department of Education statistics show that 60 percent of the nation’s prison inmates are illiterate.
As a former teacher, Plymell tells these inmates the gift of reading is priceless.
"We talk to them about how important it is to read to the child and how much a difference learning to read makes in the life of a child," she said.
Almost six years ago, church volunteers began reading with and to children who needed help with reading skills.
"It started because I have a love for reading," said Plymell, who was a teacher before becoming a pastor. "I know how important reading is, and I felt like our congregation needed to have a special mission."
The church now works in four areas of the community, helping underprivileged kids improve their reading, and in turn, their chances at success.
Serenity’s parents hope hearing her father read to her will help her become a good reader some day, and will strengthen the father-daughter relationship.
"I think it is really important that she has a bond with him," said Serenity’s mother, Tiffany Seriano. "He gets to feel good about his daughter receiving books from him and hearing his voice."
Dorrance says he’ll continue to send the tapes and books, but he plans on being home next Christmas to read to his daughter in person.
*Riemland is a UMNS correspondent based in Seattle.
