NATION & WORLD

Clergy women Rediscover, Reclaim Sabbath
United Methodists help build 20 prison chapels in Louisiana
Q&A - Africa University carries on through challenges

Expanded News Briefs
Church Leaders pledge cooperation on budget
New study guide offers bishops' reflections on Sept. 11
Igniting Ministry awards matching grants, unveils Easter ad
McAnally Retires as Head of United Methodist News Service


UMNS National News Briefs

Released January 15, 2002
United Methodists help build 20 prison chapels in Louisiana

A UMNS Feature
By Betty Backstrom

United Methodists in Louisiana are involved in a campaign to construct 20 interfaith chapels in prisons throughout their state.

The first, Grace Chapel, opened in December at Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport, and three more will be completed in January.

Before Grace Chapel was built, religious services at Avoyelles were held in cafeterias or general assembly rooms. A blessing service for the new chapel drew religious leaders from a variety of faith traditions on Dec. 12, and Gov. M.J. "Mike" Foster Jr. issued a statement noting the significance of the event.

"This is a great day for Louisiana - another positive - something that will continue to provide results for many years to come," Foster said. Foster and his wife are honorary co-chairpersons of the Louisiana Prison Chapel Foundation, which is building the series of interfaith chapels. Charles C. Kleinpeter heads up the nonprofit, ecumenical foundation.

Bishop William Hutchinson, who leads the United Methodist Church's Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference, and the Rev. William Youngblood, Alexandria District superintendent, were among those at Grace Chapel's ecumenical blessing service.

"How shall this building be named?" Hutchinson asked during the service. Fellow United Methodist Vinita Martin responded, "On behalf of my husband and myself, we bless this building for the worship of God and the service to the inmates and the staff at Avoyelles Correction Center to be named Grace Chapel." Martin and husband, Roy Martin Jr., have been major donors to the Grace Chapel fund.

"The dedication of the new chapel at the Avoyelles Correctional Center was an inspiring experience," Youngblood said. "It was so moving to see such hope and joy in the faces of those who have every reason to have lost hope."

"This very important project will offer the inmates a freedom of spirit," said Sara Simmonds, a member of the foundation board and of First United Methodist Church in Alexandria. Simmonds, along with Avoyelles Warden Baron Kaylo, was instrumental in organizing fund-raising efforts for the project in Central Louisiana. Kaylo is a member of Marksville United Methodist Church.

Construction of the chapels began in 2001, after the foundation announced it had raised $1.3 million from individuals and congregations throughout the state. "Gifts from various religious denominations, individuals and foundations have made it possible to complete the first four chapels," Kleinpeter said.

The other three chapels are at C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in DeQuincy, Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel and Wade Correctional Center in Homer. Dedication services will be scheduled soon for those, Kleinpeter said.

In addition to the Louisiana Conference, support for the first phase of the chapel project is being provided by the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, the Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the Episcopal Church of Louisiana.

"In this first phase, we have individuals who have provided gifts from $5 to over $300,000," Kleinpeter said. "Many small gifts have been made in church collections at Sunday services. Every dollar counts, and we are deeply moved by this generosity."

Each chapel will use a similar architectural design for optimal efficiency. The chapels will include a chaplain's office, meeting rooms, chancel/alter space, baptistery and storage space. The basic structure consists of a metal building frame, concrete block walls, standing seamed metal roof, a concrete foundation and aluminum frame windows. Grace & Hebert AIA Architects Inc. of Baton Rouge designed the chapels.

Inmates have lowered the construction costs by providing substantial labor and other assistance, including site preparation; concrete slab work; installation of electrical, plumbing, carpet and ceiling materials; interior finishing work; final grading and cleanup. The contractor, Guy Hopkins Construction Co., supplied all building materials and installed the metal building, steeple, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Avoyelles Senior Chaplain Robbie Strong was pleased with the new chapel. "I am definitely excited about having a place to worship which we can call our own."

Backstrom is editor of Louisiana Now!, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Louisiana Annual Conference. This story originally appeared in that publication.
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Released January 18, 2002
Q&A - Africa University carries on through challenges

A UMNS Feature
By the Rev. Dean Snyder

Africa University, a United Methodist-related school serving the African continent, is preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2002. While Africa University's mission is to serve all of Africa, it is located in Zimbabwe, a nation experiencing political and economic distress as it prepares for a controversial presidential election in March. In this edited interview, Africa University's vice chancellor, Professor Rukudzo Murapa, discusses the school's successes and the ramifications of the political situation in Zimbabwe on the university. Murapa is Africa University's highest official, the equivalent of a university president in the United States. He was interviewed Jan. 14 in Columbia, Md., by the UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Q: Given the political situation in Zimbabwe, how is Africa University doing?

A: Africa University continues to exist in a very difficult environment, politically, socially, and economically. Zimbabwe has indices which show that it is experiencing 65 percent unemployment and over 100 percent inflation, and we have elections coming up.

But, in spite of all these things, I think we have done fairly well, and continue to do well, thanks to the support we have been getting from the church community and from families and individuals, particularly in the United States.

We have also been getting remarkable support from a number of foundations. They are seeing Africa University as a beacon of hope. The Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation and others are making increasing investments in Africa University, which they see as providing hope in the midst of problems.

Africa University has been chosen by the Kellogg Foundation to provide coordination of its support to universities within southern Africa. Africa University, and myself as vice chancellor, have been asked to do an assessment of Kellogg's efforts in 10 universities in southern Africa.

The Rockefeller Foundation continues to support our work in the area of agriculture and also our new effort to build an Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance.

Just before I left home, I was on the phone with the Ford Foundation, which has indicated that it will be giving us two new grants for institutional support to allow us to continue to attract academics of high caliber. We have been fortunate to receive increasing support, while other universities are suffering.

Q: To what do you attribute this kind of support?

A: It is because of our status as an independent, private, church-supported university. It is because we draw our students and staff from across the continent. There is a multiplier effect at work through Africa University. Support given to Africa University has direct impact outside Zimbabwe, as well as within the country, because our students return to their homelands when they graduate.

Q: In its beginnings, Africa University was primarily supported by church funds. How long have you been receiving foundation support?

A: It happened in very modest ways, one student here, one lecturer there, in the latter part of the 1990s, but significant interest has come only in the last two years. The Kellogg Foundation, for example, became interested in our efforts to support agriculture. We initiated a program to train small-scale rural businessmen who support agriculture with fertilizers, seeds and implements, and by training the young agriculturalists.

This is our view at Africa University: Yes, we may not agree with the government's way of doing land redistribution, but there is a national consensus that there is a need for land redistribution. The people who have been settled in these small plots on these farms are people who literally have nothing other than the clothes they have on their backs. They don't have the know-how, they don't have the agricultural supports, they don't have marketing facilities. We see them as a target group that we can provide knowledge and skills to, a group we can train. We have developed programs on agribusiness to support these new resettled farmers.

The truth is that we cannot wish them away. The reality is that they are now there and they must be productive or otherwise the nation starves. So we have designed these programs and gone to the foundations for support.

Q: What has happened to your support from the United Methodist Church during the past 10 years? Is it stronger now than it was 10 years ago?

A: In term of quantity, it has remained very steady, but when you put that over against the increasing number of students, new programs and the capital development taking place, it is really falling behind the needs of a growing university. When we go to the next General Conference in 2004, we hope to make a case for increased support for Africa University. Clearly we cannot exist now on the same level of support that we received in 1994 and 1995.

Q: Are you building any new buildings right now?

A: Yes. Thanks to the support we are receiving from USAID, we have begun a building for our new Faculty of Health Sciences. Just last Monday, we commissioned phase two of the Jokomo-Yamada Library, which will house our information technology center for distance education as well as our computer center. We are constructing a building for the Faculty of Theology that should be completed by July thanks to the support of the South Carolina Conference.

Q: What is the progress on opening the school of health sciences?

A: The board approved it last year, but it hasn't opened yet because the financial support was not in place. We are now in the process of putting together the curriculum. The Health and Welfare Division of the General Board of Global Ministries is providing us with the help of Dr. Cherian Thomas for at least a three-month period to help us finalize plans for curriculum, staff and budget. If all goes well, we are hoping to start at least two programs, one in nursing science and another in health science, this next academic year.

Q: Are you eventually going to have a medical school?

A: Down the road, yes, but we must learn to walk before we run.

Q: What is the Institute for Peace, Leadership and Governance?

A: This is a new institute we have been working on with the support of the foundations and the United Nations development program. We intend to set up a world-class institute that will produce a new type of leader for the African continent, not only political leaders, heads of state and senior government officials, although that is important, but leadership across the board - church leadership, school leadership, leadership in civic organizations and the private sector. How can we bring about a new culture of leadership, a new culture of governance? We are now at the stage where we are recruiting students for that program, starting at the master's level.

Q: Will this program draw students from across the continent or is it focused on Zimbabwe?

A: Everything that we do must be continentwide. It will draw from across the continent. We expect to attract students through our relationships with groups active in the area of change, such as United Nations organizations dealing with children, food distribution, refugees and mediation, and organizations like the Organization of African Unity. In fact, the chair of our advisory council is the outgoing general secretary of the Organization of African Unity, Salim Salim. We are also talking to the councils of churches across Africa.

Q: How is AIDS impacting Africa University?

A: It is affecting every facet of life in Africa. Indeed, if Africa is facing a major threat, it is HIV-AIDS. We have had countries such as Uganda come to grips with the realities of this disease, and some statistics show a slowing down of incidence. But even then, when you consider the numbers of those affected, it is still very frightening. What are we doing at Africa University? Last year, I appointed a universitywide task force on HIV-AIDS to raise awareness among students and to develop counseling groups. More than that, we are establishing a collaboration with St. Jude Children's Hospital and the Methodist Health Center in Memphis. St. Jude's Hospital has developed an HIV vaccine which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing. The testing will be done jointly by St. Jude and Africa University.

Q: Has the political situation in Zimbabwe affected Africa University's ability to draw students from other countries?

A: Not at all, thank heavens. Whatever else you want to say about the political situation, the government has a lot of respect for Africa University. President Mugabe continues to talk about being the first graduate of Africa University, and we are proud of this. He received our first honorary degree. Generally we have had a lot of support from the government. Last year, the Ministry of Higher Education and Technology made a grant to purchase computers for Africa University. The government continues to respect the church and the university. Africa University is a pioneer institution. So, in spite of everything else, there has been support. Students from other countries have not been negatively affected at all.

Q: What about students from Zimbabwe?

A: They have had some difficulty because of inflation, but we have tried to cushion this with scholarships. We are in a dilemma. If you look at the mission of Africa University, it is our goal to target those poor families who have not had the opportunity to send their children to a university. Yet these are the people least able to pay. At the same time, the university must generate income and meet costs, so we also need students who are able to pay. We try to strike a balance.

Q: Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold elections soon. No matter how the election turns out, will Africa University still have a future?

A: Absolutely, no doubt in my mind. There is no event I can see taking place as a result of the election that would diminish the role of Africa University.

Q: We here in the United States hear stories about war and widespread destruction in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Could this happen in Zimbabwe?

A: Zimbabwe is nowhere near that, far from it, both in terms of the tensions that exist now or even the propensity for confrontation. Zimbabwe's infrastructure is so strong compared to Rwanda or Burundi, it simply could not be knocked down. The level of confidence both internally and externally is still there. If you come to Zimbabwe as a visitor, you will ask, Where is the problem? Some of the international students at Africa University say, What are you complaining about?

But if I were to say one thing to the international community, the church included, I would say: Do not commit the same error you did with Burundi, Rwanda or Sierra Leone, which was sitting by the wayside with folded hands when massive genocide was taking place and the sacredness of life was being trampled on. We must remain engaged. Even where we have confidence that things will not fall apart, we must ensure that they do not in fact fall apart. The only way to do so is to remain engaged rather than drop out. We committed errors by sitting on the wayside. Let's not repeat that.

Q: It appears from reading news reports that Zimbabwe seems to be developing a strong independent press. Is that true?

A: No doubt about it. We have a very vigorous independent press in Zimbabwe. In fact, the government sees it as too vigorous, too independent, hence the passage recently of a new law, called Draconian by many, which seeks to limit that freedom.

In the past we have seen the offices of the independent press bombed, but it did not shut the press down. Today the biggest selling newspaper in Zimbabwe is not the government's newspaper, it is the independent Daily News.

Even this new law that has been passed has already been taken to court, and one wonders whether, if the judiciary remains independent, it can stand. Yes, there is a very vigorous independent press.

Q: Could you say a word more about how inflation is affecting your students?

A: Very simply, it is like this: I go to the board with a budget in which I have included the cost of meals for students. A month later, maybe a week later, there is an erosion of that cost because of inflation, which currently stands at 104 percent. I cannot continue to buy food at the price I presented to the board, so I must pass on the cost by raising the price of food for the students. Therefore the student ends up not eating three meals a day.

Literally we have students eating two meals a day. Occasionally you find students eating one meal, because the cost keeps rising. We try to keep increases as minimal as we possibly can, but we have to pay the prices set by the Grain Marketing Board.

Now the government has imposed price controls, again partially because of the election, but that has brought its own problems. Shortages arise. Bread is in shortage now because of price controls. Either way, prices go up or, if you try to control prices, you have shortages. This impacts the students.

Q: What else would you like United Methodists to know about Africa University?

A: I think something we need to emphasize is that we are not just an academic institution. We have a very vigorous outreach program to respond to immediate needs in communities both near and distant. We run a series of programs in emergency and disaster with the support of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. We have trained well over 300 individuals from 25 different African countries.

These individuals are now engaged on a daily basis in addressing emergency problems, dealing with children, orphans, the elderly, victims of conflicts, some in war-torn countries. They are trained for six-week periods at Africa University in capacity building, policy development, designing strategies, coordination, and maximizing support from church and international agencies. This program has become so successful that we are now training people from as far away as New Guinea and Indonesia. We are now getting requests for help with training from Latin America.

We have also designed a program to assist communities devastated by cyclones in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Africa University has identified specific communities where each of our faculties has taken on the responsibility to design a program to assist the devastated community. For example, the Faculty of Agriculture has put together programs that train the women in those communities to grow and preserve vegetables. Then, the Faculty of Management trains those same women in how to market the vegetables. The Faculty of Education goes into the same community to work with the teachers on literacy programs. We have a very active outreach program in addition to our commitment to academic development.

NOTE: Africa University's Web site is at http://users.harare.iafrica.com/~auinfo/au.html Snyder is editor of UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference.
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United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org

EXPANDED NEWS BRIEFS

Released January 22, 2002
Church agencies' leaders pledge cooperation on budget, work
By United Methodist News Service

The top staff executives of the United Methodist Church's 14 general agencies have pledged to work together in new ways and to avoid a "fight over the dollars" at the 2004 General Conference.

The executives, or general secretaries, of the denomination's boards and agencies made the pledge as they met Jan. 14-16 in Orlando, Fla., to begin working on the budget for the 2005-2008 quadrennium. The United Methodist Church organizes its work in four-year periods, with funding requests for each period going to the General Conference for approval. The denomination's top legislative assembly will meet in Pittsburgh in 2004.

The budget process is often viewed as a time of intense competition for funds among the agencies.

"We are saying we do not want to fight over the dollars," said the Rev. Randolph Nugent, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in New York. "We want to help educate about the mission and ministry of the whole church."

The general secretaries also discussed the need for a concerted effort to educate people about the church's connectional system. As a first step, each agency's board of directors will set aside time on its agenda for learning more about the general ministries of the church and for viewing the video, "Changing Lives in the Name of Christ." The video interprets the denomination's World Service Fund, which underwrites a major portion of the agencies' ministries.

"We are appealing to our boards to reach across the church to support all the funds that enable ministry," said Neil Alexander, president of the United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tenn. Alexander's agency receives no general church funds.

The general secretaries drew guidance for their work by using historic Wesleyan covenant liturgies and reflecting on Jesus' words: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." The agency leaders pledged to work together in new ways to meet the challenges of carrying out that ministry today.

The staff executives also committed to revising the budget process so that the needs of the whole denomination are addressed, and to develop a way to conduct coordinated planning for the future.

"This is not business as usual," said Sandra Kelley Lackore, top staff executive of the General Council on Finance and Administration in Evanston, Ill. "We are looking to the future, and our intention is to build support for all the funds of the church in order to support the total mission."

One area of need will involve addressing the denomination's changing demographics. Representatives of the church's Shared Mission Focus on Young People reported to the staff executives on plans to ask General Conference to increase ministry with youth and young adults.

The Rev. Mary Council-Austin, co-chair of the Communications Team of the Shared Mission Focus on Youth and a clergy member of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, said the plan involves "turning up the volume" about the need for a more focused and intentional effort to engage youth and young adults in ministry.
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Released January 22, 2002
Igniting Ministry awards matching grants, unveils Easter ad

By Nancye Willis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Igniting Ministry, the United Methodist Church's national television advertising campaign, has awarded matching grants to 27 individual congregations, clusters of congregations and annual (regional) conferences.

The grants of up to $50,000 each enable recipients to conduct local and regional Igniting Ministry broadcast television campaigns to support the national media schedules (flights) during Lent.

The recipients are spread across the denomination's five jurisdictions and represent a total population of more than 28 million. They are:

North Central Jurisdiction - First United Methodist Church, Franklin, Ohio; Hope United Methodist Church, Flint, Mich.; LaCrosse/LaCrescent (Mich.) Cluster; and Northern Illinois Annual Conference.

Northeastern Jurisdiction - First United Methodist Church, Schenectady, N.Y.; Green Street United Methodist Church, Augusta, Maine; Rutland (Vt.) United Methodist Church; St. John's United Methodist Church, Lutherville, Md.; Virginia Annual Conference; West Chester (Pa.) Bethune District; and Western New York Annual Conference.

South Central Jurisdiction - Abilene (Texas) District; Bryan/College Station (Texas) Cluster; First United Methodist Church, McAllen, Texas; Kansas West Annual Conference; Mark Twain District, Canton, Mo., and LaMoine River District, Quincy, Ill.; and Missouri Midstate District, Columbia.

Southeastern Jurisdiction - Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, Greenville, S.C.; Mississippi Annual Conference; Prestonburg (Ky.) District; West Palm Beach District, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Tennessee Annual Conference.

Western Jurisdiction - Cochise County (Ariz.) United Methodist churches; Los Gatos United Methodist Church, Boulder Creek, Calif.; Northern Nevada Consortium, Reno; Sunshine District, Pueblo, Colo.; and Yuba City (Calif.) Cluster.

The denomination, through United Methodist Communications (UMCom), is providing $1 million in matching grants each year and nearly $17 million in national placement of spots on cable television channels in 2001-04.

Matching-grant spots will be shown during the 2002 Lenten, back-to-school and Advent seasons. The three seasons were chosen because they represent the times people are most receptive to spiritual messages, according to Jackie Vaughan, director of the matching grants program.

Igniting Ministry recently unveiled a new Easter television spot that will air nationally during Lent. " 'Dream' is the first seasonal spot produced for the campaign. It will speak to a special unchurched audience and can be customized for local use," said the Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, executive director of the four-year initiative launched in late 2000.

Applications for the back-to-school and/or Advent grants will be received April 1-May 1, according to Vaughan.

"The matching grant program represents a partnering effort to ignite mission and ministry," Vaughan added. "It also helps local congregations create images and messages that speak the language of the people."

Final selection of matching grant recipients was based on optimum media coverage, for the best reach and frequency throughout the United States, Vaughan said. "The church's goal is to speak to and invite as many people as possible, particularly those we have never before contacted."

Horswill-Johnston said Igniting Ministry represents "a continuing effort to engage popular culture in a meaningful way."

Applications for matching grants and more information about Igniting Ministry are available from the matching grants office: toll-free (877) 281-6535; e-mail imgrants@umcom.org; or on the Web site at www.ignitingministry.org/matchinggrants.

Willis is a writer/designer for United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn.
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Released January 17, 2002
McAnally Retires as Head of United Methodist News Service

(RNS) Tom McAnally, the longtime director of United Methodist News Service who pioneered church-sponsored independent news agencies, has retired after 33 years with the church. McAnally, 61, accepted an early retirement package late last year and said he wants to spend his time relaxing and focusing on creative writing projects. McAnally, director of the office since 1983, started working with the church in 1969.

McAnally moved the office from a small operation to a widely respected news service that reported on the activities -- and conflicts -- in the nation's second-largest Protestant church. As director, McAnally functioned as unofficial spokesman, public relations chief and liaison to the secular media.

"In a sense we have one foot in the media, and one in the church," McAnally said from his Nashville home. "We spend a lot of time helping the news media understand the church, and helping people in the church understand the news media."

McAnally covered 12 church General Conference meetings, the quadrennial, labor-intensive legislative sessions for the church. He also developed the news service into one of the first church agencies to harness the power of e-mail and the World Wide Web.

Throughout his career, McAnally felt strongly that his office should be able to maintain an independent voice without the threat of church censorship. "We have to tell the bad news, too, to maintain any kind of credibility," he said.

Church leaders praised McAnally for his professionalism in three decades of reporting. "He has always written the news stories with accuracy, and whenever you see Tom's name on anything, you can be assured that it is both fair and accurate," said Dallas Bishop William Oden, president of United Methodist Communications.
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