ATLANTA – Human Rights Watch reports that increasing violence has put the population of Haiti at grave risk. Gang violence, rising prices, falling income and below-normal rainfall that results in low agricultural production fuels the violence. Suffering is made worse when humanitarian aid can’t reach the communities that need it.

After the 2021 earthquake in Haiti, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) joined other humanitarian and faith-based organizations to increase relief efforts across the country. But today, only 10% of Port-au-Prince remains under government control, with criminal groups escalating attacks since late 2024. These groups have targeted key infrastructure, such as airports, seaports and roads, as well as state institutions, schools, health centers, media outlets, and residential and commercial areas.

“People no longer have a safe place to flee to,” an aid worker told Human Rights Watch. “Women who come here seeking help have not only lost loved ones, but have also been raped, displaced and left on the streets, starving and struggling to survive. We don’t know how much longer they can endure such suffering.”

In the face of these challenges, UMCOR has been working with Haitian partners that have capacity and ability to serve women, children and families. Providing health care and counseling for women, food and medical care for children and general food and shelter relief to families has become the focus for UMCOR’s grants in Haiti.

One way of getting health care and specifically, gynecological care for women, to the temporary places where they are sheltering is to meet them where they are using mobile clinics. Several partners have access to vehicles, staff and expertise to do this.

The Association for the Promotion of Haitian Family (Profamil) is a Haitian non-governmental organization dedicated to providing sexual and reproductive health services to women and adolescents. Places where displaced people shelter are typically schools, churches, and public spaces – none of which are designed for this purpose – yet they accommodate thousands of individuals.

“During our mobile clinics, we transport our equipment to these makeshift sites and set up our operations,” noted Profamil staff. “On one occasion, the room provided to us served as living quarters for 20 families. For the duration of the day, these families graciously moved their personal belongings to make space for us to establish our clinic in this room. We were able to provide medical consultations to over 100 women in a single day under these challenging conditions.”

REFKAD, an organization that brings together 30 women’s organizations in Haiti, received an UMCOR grant to organize community mobile clinics to assist women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence. It supplied medical staff, medicines, consultation and psychosocial support to women in shelters.

The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine Foundation (CHFF), a Haitian nonprofit that helps underfunded schools and hospitals serving marginalized Haitian communities, supports health care, education, child protection and job creation services. CHFF hosted mobile clinics that visited K-9^th grade schools to provide health care for children and their families and school staff. CHFF also provided meals.

Négés Mawon, another Haitian nonprofit, received an UMCOR grant to improve the safehouse in Port au Prince that houses women, adolescents and children who are survivors of abuse. The grant was used to increase access to counseling and to make the residence more comfortable and functional for the residents.

The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) Haiti District has been a major emergency food distributor for several years now through ongoing and shifting disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, severe flooding, and now political and social unrest. MCCA Haiti, also knows as EMH, or the Methodist Church of Haiti, has an agreement with UMCOR to buy and distribute food throughout the 13 circuits (or districts) of the church across Haiti. These ongoing rations of rice, beans and cooking oil help to supplement many families’ food needs.

Other support for food programs includes Project St. Anne’s, which distributes similar food packets to families in Camp Perrin, in the western part of Haiti. In Dondon, south of Cap-Haitien, Organization for the Development Integral of Dondon (ODID), a grant helped to support cash assistance or food, medical supplies and school needs.

The Community Coalition of Haiti (CCH) has been working in Grand Sud and Port au Prince regions to provide emergency response and urgent activities to bring immediate relief to those most affected by the current crisis. Flexible cash grants provide help to vulnerable families in households that have doubled or even tripled in size because of people fleeing violence. In addition, educational institutions and parents seeking a way to help students in places where schools have been forced to close will receive resources and support to continue educational activities outside the classroom. Since Haiti is often struck by natural disasters, the coalition will also continue to work with communities on disaster response readiness, given that the government currently has no capacity to respond.

The humanitarian need in Haiti is so severe that UMCOR continues to explore new partnerships and granting possibilities, especially with Haitian nonprofits. Consultations with Global Ministries’ Global Health unit ensure that programs involving health care are reviewed and any guidance relayed to the partner.

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

UMCOR DISASTER RESPONSE

United Methodist Committee on Relief Disaster Response and Recovery serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike both inside and outside of the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities outside the U.S. affected by natural or humanmade disasters.

The post Health, safety and food – UMCOR grants in Haiti appeared first on Global Ministries.

Evanston, Ill. — Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree upon Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry during its 169th Commencement ceremony on May 9 in the Alice Millar Chapel on Northwestern University’s campus, honoring his years of leadership in global mission, education and humanitarian service in The United Methodist Church (UMC). 
 
“For several decades and on multiple continents, the leadership of Roland Fernandes has had profound and transformative impact, in the church and in the lives of communities and individuals,” said the Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera, president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. “As a layperson who understands his work as ministry, we honor him for his wise and bold stewardship of our key institutions, for his partnership in amplifying the church’s voice, role, and purpose in the most vulnerable communities around the world, and for the witness of his life lived in total service to God and to neighbor.” 
 
Fernandes was awarded his honorary degree by Garrett professor Dr. Hendrik R. Pieterse, who recognized his advocacy for the flourishing of God’s people and for his enduring example of service to the UMC. Dr. Hla Hla Aye (Caroline Mawia) also received a Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony. 
 
The president of GBHEM’s board of directors, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball, celebrated this honor for Fernandes. “Roland has dedicated more than 30 years to the mission and ministry of Christ through The United Methodist Church – giving leadership to GBGM, UMCOR, and now GBHEM. He is a catalyst for the vision, support, education and training of United Methodist missionaries, educators, pastors, lay persons and relief workers around the world. Roland’s faithfulness and dedication bring transformation to denominational systems, communities, individuals, and the denomination. This honorary degree is a recognition and celebration of one of our great leaders who develops, encourages and empowers those whom God has called to be the Light, Hope and Life of Christ in this challenging, ever-changing world.”  
 
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, president of Global Ministries’ board, added her praise. “I am delighted that Roland Fernandes has received this honor. Roland has committed himself fully to serving Jesus Christ and enriching the lives of others. He is a gifted and gracious leader of our church.”  
 
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, who led Global Ministries’ board from 2012 to 2024 said, “This degree honors Roland’s longstanding stewardship of the denomination’s mission agency, Global Ministries, and the innovative thinking he now brings to his leadership at GBHEM. It recognizes his deep commitment to the church and humanity. I pray and give thanks for his authentic leadership daily.”  
 
In his address to the graduates, Fernandes urged them to remember their roots while embracing transformation in ministry. “It is one thing to be changed by experience, by faith, by education—but it is another to lose sight of where we come from,” he told graduates. “Today… I hope you will remember the roots that have grounded you and the journey that has brought you here.” 
 
Originally from Kolkata, India, Fernandes began his career as a missionary with Global Ministries, serving in India and the Philippines. A chartered accountant by training, he later transitioned into financial leadership roles within the agency. During his 30-year tenure at Global Ministries, he has guided the organization through periods of major transition, serving as interim general secretary and chief operating officer. He was named general secretary in January 2020, just a few months before the start of the pandemic, officially starting his role in September 2020. He assumed the unprecedented dual leadership role of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry in 2024 and is now guiding operational and programmatic alignment for both agencies.  
 
Committed to service, Fernandes has founded several humanitarian agencies and served on numerous nonprofit boards. He and his wife, Liesl, live in Atlanta. 
 
In closing, Fernandes noted that with hearts filled with trust, openness and the flexibility to pivot, the graduates would experience learning, growth and even great joy through their lives. “May you remember your roots, may you be filled with a spirit of openness and trust, and may you go forth with a heart full of gratitude for what you have learned here at Garrett,” he said. “May you be ready to serve and lead wherever you are called to in the name of Christ.”  

The post Garrett Seminary confers honorary degree on Roland Fernandes   appeared first on Global Ministries.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Partner with Native American Ministries this Sunday appeared first on Global Ministries.

Atlanta — Roland Fernandes, general secretary of the General Boards of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church, joined more than 500 higher education and other UM-related school leaders in signing “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” a statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) defending the essential freedoms of U.S. colleges and universities against political interference and coercive government overreach.

“As leaders of America’s colleges, universities and scholarly societies, we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach…,” the statement reads, while affirming support for legitimate oversight and constructive reform.

Fernandes also noted John Wesley’s advocacy for knowledge as a right for everyone, and to empower individuals to make informed decisions and contribute positively to society.  In a recent statement in support of the Department of Education, Fernandes said: “The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church describe the denomination’s continuing commitment to the importance of education as a fundamental human right. These principles forcefully encourage and promote efforts to eliminate barriers to education, such as poverty, discrimination and inadequate resources.”

The United Methodist Church has a historic legacy of advocating for inclusive, accessible education—values that align with the AAC&U’s mission to advance equity, innovation and excellence in liberal education.

Wendy R. Cromwell is senior manager of digital engagement for Global Ministries and UMCOR. 

The post General secretary signs AAC&U statement defending academic freedom appeared first on Global Ministries.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has supported relief and recovery projects in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Working with many different partners, UMCOR has accompanied people affected by the war through ongoing phases of humanitarian response.

At the recent Global Ministries Board of Directors meeting, members approved two major grants for continued war recovery in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has had devastating effects on the population, causing widespread infrastructure damage and large-scale economic disruption.

A new grant of $1 million to International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)gives continued support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with disabilities living in conflicted areas, such as Zakarpattia, Rivne, Ternopil, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk. It will provide food and other essentials, and job training, thereby fostering stability, self-reliance and improving prospects for long-term recovery. Economic empowerment is especially crucial for women IDPs, who care for children and parents and face additional barriers to employment. IOCC will also establish safe housing conditions in three shelters and two institutions.

Another UMCOR partner, One Collective, is building an apartment complex in Zakarpatska Oblast, projected to house 40 people. Apartments have private bathroom facilities and a common kitchen, living room, and laundromat facilities. Many residents cannot obtain safe and permanent homes until after the end of the war. In addition to building houses, the grant of $400,000 will help the project incorporate construction training for displaced individuals and others who have lost their primary source of income because of the war. Those who participate in the training will receive jobs to build the houses. This type of programming seeks to address the needs of livelihood as well as housing.

“It is becoming apparent that many from Eastern Ukraine will not be able to return home,” Katie Hills, director of UMCOR Disaster Response, said to UMCOR directors at their committee meeting in April. Therefore, two critical areas requiring aid are shelter and livelihood programs. Return to stable and reliable medical care, which includes trauma counseling and Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome (PTSD) counseling for civilians and military personnel, are also concerns that UMCOR is addressing.

The United Methodist Church in Ukraine – In 2023, UMCOR confirmed a significant grant to purchase property, providing reliable shelter for displaced families and a base for the UMC outreach ministries. Through local connections, the UMC in Ukraine purchased Pid Zamkom, Ukrainian for “Under the Castle,” a hotel, restaurant and event venue near Kam’yanytsya. The new shelter hosts 40 displaced people currently and provides space for United Methodist conferences, training and community outreach. The long-term vision for Pid Zamkom is to transform it into a rehabilitation center for war-related trauma survivors. Today, the residents are mostly women, children and the elderly, with many having stayed several years because of the war’s ongoing devastation.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) – An earlier grant to IOCC improved the living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with special needs living in shelters throughout Western Ukraine, IOCC is supplying or installing home and kitchen appliances and providing humanitarian kits and non-food items to targeted communities. In addition, IOCC is procuring essential medical equipment to restore medical services in the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv.

Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation – UMCOR supports psychosocial care provided to Ukrainian veterans and active military personnel at the Vinnytsia Rehabilitation Facility. This grant also provides wheelchairs and other medical equipment and nutritional support.

Tutapona – There is increasing need to support mental health and emotional healing in women, men, girls, and boys affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tutapona adult and child-focused group therapy curricula supports people in need of intensive mental health support in Lviv. Facilitated by trained, in-house Tutapona staff, these programs aim to produce a measurable decrease in trauma symptoms and increase well-being.

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

International Disaster Response

United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters.

The post UMCOR awards new grants for displaced communities in Ukraine appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA – In the opening worship service of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry’s joint board of directors meeting in Atlanta, April 10-12, the 50+ year-old United Methodist hymn “Many gifts, one spirit” set the tone for the conversations to come.

Many gifts, one Spirit, one love known in many ways.
In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise.
One Giver, one Lord, one Word, known in many ways, hallowing our days.
For the Giver and the Gifts, praise, praise, praise!

The words affirmed that The United Methodist Church values difference as blessing and celebrates diversity as a reflection of God’s image within the global church. A powerful and intentional reminder in light of new U.S. policies that are denying people of their basic rights and dignity and causing reverberations of suffering around the world.

In his report to the boards of directors, General Secretary Roland Fernandes said, “The church cannot completely fill in for U.S. governmental support lost, but we can, indeed we must, do all that we can.” He affirmed the urgent need and Biblical mandate for the church to respond with compassion and be a source of solidarity with increasingly vulnerable communities worldwide: “We have a moral imperative to stand firm on the side of the gospel message, which calls us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and tend to the sick.”

The more than 50 Global Ministries, UMCOR, and Higher Education and Ministry board members discussed ways to expand support in education, migration, health, humanitarian aid and peace. Fernandes identified these as specific areas of focus for the agencies based on their mandates and the impact of current U.S. policies. The meeting facilitated rich presentations on these topics by leaders of partner organizations, institutions and church leaders. The resulting conversations energized the boards to deepen their engagement and ask how the church might be uniquely positioned to meet this moment.

Dr. G. Sujin Pak, dean of Boston University’s School of Theology, presented on the impact of new policies on education; Rick Santos of Church World Service (CWS) and Alba Jaramillo and Melissa Bowe of Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) shared the impact of policy changes within foreign aid and immigration; the Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel, senior pastor of Cascade UMC in Atlanta, urged the boards to not grow weary in working for justice and inclusion for all of God’s children in an era where “exclusion is gaining traction.”  

Both boards approved strategic grants and funding initiatives that will help agency partners “stand in the gap,” ensuring that their vital work with marginalized people and groups can continue. Some actions include a $1 million UMCOR grant to both CWS and ILJN, as well as $1.4 million to partners in Ukraine in support of migrant and refugee work. Higher Education and Ministry awarded the 13 United Methodist theological schools in the U.S. one-time subsidies of $400,000 each in Methodist Education Fund (MEF) supplemental support.

“Global Ministries is expanding and extending the compassion and hope of God right at a time when funding is being cut for disaster relief, health programs, food assistance, legal rights for immigrants and refugees, and Global Ministries is just leaning further into what it has always done,” said Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, chair of the Mission Programs Committee for the Global Ministries board of directors. “We need to step more into the gap and continue to offer the vital services that are needed by people around the world, whether it is for global health programs, the way we are able to attend to people after disasters, and the way we are able to educate and equip people in their own local communities to engage in the mission of God.”

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries and UMCOR and Higher Education and Ministry.

The post Boards affirm expanding and extending the love of God appeared first on Global Ministries.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Hope is one of the cardinal Christian virtues and a gift of the Holy Spirit. If we reflect on the opening verse of this writing, we observe that God has amazing yet mysterious ways of blessing us with spiritual gifts. It is fantastic because the spiritual gift of hope brings peace even amidst utter chaos.

In my placement site in Southeast Asia, I witness the hope of the Lord in both mysterious and amazing ways. The context in which I am serving is not hospitable for Christianity. Openly professing the gospel of Christ to nonbelievers is prohibited. Most churches operate underground. Only one denomination has gained government recognition, and it also must keep operations limited. The situation is better in the capital, but serious consequences await you in the countryside if you talk about the Good News of Jesus.

I have met and heard stories of pastors who were excommunicated from their community and even jailed just for talking about God. This is the very point where I witness the hope of the Lord in my placement site. Christians here have never let go of hope, despite persecution; they continue to profess God’s word. I see how persecution has revitalized their faith rather than breaking their hope. 

As Psalm 27:10 states; “My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me.” Many new Christians here are banished by their families, but even such painful incidents work in building their faith in God, cultivating hope. 

The ways that I witness hope here I have never seen in countries that are free to worship God and spread the gospel. Here, I have seen the hope of God spreading inwardly and outwardly, vertically and horizontally. Personal hope helps people grow deeper in their faith and continue working for God. The hope of salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ is spread to others. The hope of freedom from sin and cleansing of the heart is passed to each other amid worldly torment. Hebrews 10:22 describes it as encouraging believers to approach God with sincere hearts and full assurance of faith, having their hearts cleansed from a guilty conscience and their bodies washed with pure water.  

Prayer: May all the missionaries and servants of God in this place become the source of hope to all the people who have met, or are yet to meet, Jesus. May we all not only receive the hope of the Lord but also reflect the Lord’s hope like sincere mirrors. Amen!

S. Gill is a Global Mission Fellow serving as an English teacher in Southeast Asia.

The post Hope in the Lord  appeared first on Global Ministries.

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

Psalm 27: 14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Trust in Christ…hope fulfilled appeared first on Global Ministries.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 Psalm 27:13

My first few years in El Salvador it was common to see women carrying jugs of water on their heads. Usually, they were carrying the water that their households needed for the day. Just a few years ago many Salvadoran families lived without close access to water.

Today it is not very common in El Salvador to see anyone carrying water. This makes the reality of inadequate water access much more hidden. In many communities running water may be available only a few days a week. And when it is available the demand is so high that it only runs at a trickle. While families have running water on their property, they still must complete basic chores like laundry washing at the river because water is scarce.

With this context in mind, the concept of living water that Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman at the well, and continues to offer to anyone who is thirsty today, has a greater significance. It is often in the dry spells of life that a need is more recognizable. Give thanks to God for any need that you may have today. Many times, we as humans are ashamed of our needs, thinking that need represents weakness, shortcomings or failure. Without need we never long for a Savior. Need is not something to avoid, rather it is something to be embraced. Give thanks to God for any need that you may have today and take time to reflect upon how that need may represent an opportunity to grow in your faith and trust in Jesus.

Imagine the One, who is and was and is to come, sitting on a humble donkey, entering Jerusalem with full knowledge of each of the events that would occur in the upcoming days, eventually leading to him laying down his very life for the sake of others. It is incredible to have a creator who loves his creation enough to step down from his throne and take on the very life of that creation. I am moved by the extreme level of humility that Jesus took on to have a living relationship with me. I am even more humbled when I realize that I am called to follow his example.

In following Jesus’ example of a humble servant, we are called to lay down anything that may hinder us from connecting to him. What looks like a blessing in the physical or material world may be a hindrance. What looks like suffering or need may be a blessing.

Where many see suffering and lack, Jesus sees blessing. What many see as abundance and “at your fingertips” access and luxurious comfort, may be a stumbling block.

Prayer: Holy God, Lord of Heaven and Earth, Savior of the world, thank you for coming as a humble servant. Thank you for creating us with an eternal need for You. Help us today to see need in a new light, as an opportunity to trust in you. Help us not to try to erase need from the world, but to embrace it by finding ways to live in community with those in need, together pointing each other to you. Amen.

About this reflection

Ellyn Benson Dubberly is a Global Missionary serving as a leadership development coordinator in Central America with the Evangelical Methodist Church in Central America.

The post Embracing the need for God appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA — Directors of two of The United Methodist Church’s program agencies, both international in scope, were challenged by their shared leader to strengthen their work in response to suffering intensified by rapidly shifting global political landscapes. Roland Fernandes, general secretary of both the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, reinforced the Christian and moral imperative to “stand firm on the side of the gospel message, which calls us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and tend to the sick.”

Fernandes proposed that elected directors of the two agencies, meeting together, formalize actions in support of education, migration, health, food security and livelihoods, and peace, demonstrating a shared mission and ministry with the marginalized and ignored.  

Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry are in the process of aligning their goals and operations. Global Ministries includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Directors meet twice a year and hear a report from the general secretary on the state of matters that affect the agencies. 

While neither agency receives U.S. federal funds for its work, Fernandes described how the elimination or cutbacks in funding of international and domestic programs are creating a worldwide humanitarian crisis. He outlined how the elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) had wiped out thousands of grants and programs, many in health services and vaccines for the earth’s poorest people. 

“The church cannot completely fill in for U.S. governmental support lost, but we can, indeed we must, do all that we can,” Fernandes said in explaining his plan of response to the recent actions. 

Fernandes sharply criticized the elimination of the Department of Education. Dismantling the education department, he said, “…undermines the fundamental principles of justice and opportunity, disproportionately harming students who rely on educational opportunities and standards of excellence across the nation to break cycles of poverty and systemic inequity.” 

Quoting Genesis 1, “God created humanity in God’s own image,” Fernandes held up the inherent worth of every person. He criticized actions that conflict with the gospel message, saying, “When Christ invites us to the table, all are included on the guest list and all receive their portion. Since the dawn of humanity, God’s plan has unwaveringly affirmed the intrinsic value of every person and has issued a powerful call for justice, whenever that divine purpose is disrupted.” 

Fernandes’ words reflect the theology, social principles and teachings of The United Methodist Church. 

He said that Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry are well equipped, along with global and ecumenical partners, to strengthen their work in the areas of education, migration, health, food security and livelihoods, and peace. Examples given included: 

• Provide grants/scholarships where possible to fill in the gaps that emerge from withdrawal of support to educational institutions, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s); 
• Expand support for organizations and networks that serve migrants in U.S. communities; 
• Support health care infrastructure in underserved areas impacted by loss of foreign aid; 
• Expand the church’s Yambasu Agriculture Initiative in Africa to increase food security in the communities the African central conferences serve; and  
• Continue and increase humanitarian aid in Ukraine, the D.R. Congo, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East. 

Fernandes ended his report with encouragement from Galatians 6:9: “Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up.”  

Elliott Wright is an information consultant for Global Ministries and UMCOR. 

The post A moral imperative to stand on the side of the gospel  appeared first on Global Ministries.