United Methodist Missionary Association

UMMA Update, December 3, 2001

Thanksgiving Continues - Richard Schwenk, ed.
Messages of Hope - UMMA UpDate Readers
Reminder: General Secretary Application Deadline, March 31, 2002
Financing a Missionary Kid's Education - James Dwyer
Missionary Gatherings
Board Contact Corrections
UMMA Membership and Dues - Gilbert Bascom

1. Thanksgiving Continues

by Richard Schwenk, ed.

Caring and I drove from Pasadena to Pilgrim Place at Claremont, CA, November 9 to celebrate with about 25 GBGM friends on their 53rd annual Pilgrim Place Festival. The Pilgrim Story was a full dress-up drama in their outdoor auditorium. Massasoit, the peace loving tribal chief, was played by Stan E. Moore who smoked a peace pipe and said in sign language (translated by the Squanto), "Our people want peace. The Great Spirit is the spirit of all...In peace we make treaty with the earth. The land is not ours. The land is not yours. The land is Mother. No one owns mother..."

Beryl Moore played Mistress Brown. Omar Hartzler played Master Brown and Dorothy (Jones) Hartzler played Mistress Warren and a recorder for music. Elizabeth Clarke played Mistress Winslow. Ruth Harris and Pat Patterson provided special resource materials. These were some of the identifiable Pilgrim Place players from GBGM retirees who performed and sang each day for the last week with some crowds of school kids from the community that numbered more than 500.

It was an inspirational history recounting America's blessings derived from that tiny congregation who, inspired by the Spirit, wrote the first constitution in the New World--The Mayflower Compact--and grew their first corn with Squanto's coaching. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving 380 years ago with their Native American benefactors. Great things can happen in small congregations of God's saints.

UM missionaries in Pilgrim Place, at present time are:

Kay Bower (husband Ed deceased) - Chile
Bill and Frances Bray - Japan
Wallace and Helen Brownlee - Japan
Elizabeth Clarke - Japan
Ivan and Eleanor Dornan - Japan
Carolyn Francis - Japan
Dean and Elsie Freudenberger - Congo, USA
Ruth Harris - China, USA
Pat Patterson - Japan, USA
Omar and Dorothy Hartzler - Africa, USA (Omar); Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA (Dorothy)
Helen Hillhouse - Hawaii, Japan, USA
Tom Lung - Philippines, Hong Kong
Marie Losh (Mrs. Ken) - Philippines, USA
Thelma Maw - Korea, Vietnam, Japan
Stan and Beryl Moore - Chile
George and Ruth Parrott - Japan
Helen Post - Japan, USA
Boyd and Jitsuko Reedy - Japan
Lorinne Reinoehl (Mrs. Waldo) - Malaysia, Singapore, USA
Eliot and Toni Shimer - Japan, USA
Catherine Thompson (Mrs. Lawrance) - Japan
Ariel and Mary Zambrano - Mexico, USA

There are, additionally, a number of UMs who were pastors, seminary professors, etc. in this country. John Cobb is the son of China missionaries, he was president of the So. Cal. School of Theology here in Claremont.

2. Messages of Hope - UMMA UpDate Readers

EMANA Project in Kusayapu, Chile

"...Last night in church a lay person gave the message. Juan Contreras, a wonderful man who is full of God's Holy Spirit. His topic? "The peace of God..." Juan reminded us of all the many people from the United States who have stood in front of our congregation to be introduced. These are people who have come to Chile on workteams. Juan spoke of how these people come and worship with us, pray with us, share with us and serve us. Then Juan said, 'And now the time has come when we can finally do something for them.' Juan invited me to come forward along with several leaders of the Church; they laid hands on me and prayed for me and my country. Prayed for God's peace for my country. Prayers of comfort and concern. Prayers that somehow people will be able to get beyond the anger and the pain and find God's peace.

"Nothing will ever make what happened right or good. But God can make good come out of anything. I have already begun to see glimmers of it. Let us search for the good that will surely come. In Peace, Janet"
From email newsletter of Luis and Janet Garcia (kusayapu@entelchile.net), Iquique, Chile. See their website here.

"Thanks so much for the information.We had heard lots of rumors, of course, but it's nice to have some solid info. If it's not too much trouble, could you change our e-mail address to ctmcgin@racsa.co.cr. Thanks again. - Jeannie McGinnis, Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana, San José, Costa Rica.

From Paul Jeffrey's Pakistan Journal

"I spent the morning documenting a project sponsored here by Church World Service that pays refugee women to make quilts, which are then in turn given to other Afghan refugee families that need them. One of the good things about the project is that by providing income for women, it indirectly begins to change the power relations within the family. As women earn cash, they begin to have more of a say in how the family is managed. Some of the women sewing quilts were new arrivals, having come across the border since the US bombing began. I also visited a school where the refugees' kids go, run by an Afghan organization supported by CWS. Had a nice talk with a group of the teachers, all Afghan women with faces..."

"...It brings to mind...for the first time...the retirees of GBGM have NO way to keep in the loop except for UMMA. More and more of us need to know that." - Norma Kehrberg

3. Reminder: General Secretary Application Deadline, March 31, 2002

General Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries.

Contact: Bishop Joel Martinez, P.O. Box 781688, San Antonio, TX, 78278-1688. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2002.

Exempt Job Description

Job Title: General Secretary
Date Prepared: August 1996
Unit:
Reports to: Board President and Board of Directors
Level: E
Executive/Professional Staff Positions Supervised: 230+/-

Purpose: The primary responsibility of the person in this position shall be to serve as chief administrative and staff officer working with the Directors of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), encouraging development of responsible policy, and carrying out such policies within the mandate of General Conference, the Board's charter and bylaws (pdf document).

Essential Functions

Know the structure of the General Board of Global Ministries, its work, its placement within the structure of The United Methodist Church, and its mission.
Administer the board's program within goals and policies set by the Board, and present major policy issues to the Directors of GBGM.
Serve as primary spokesperson for the board to The United Methodist Church, ecumenical bodies, and the world, including maintaining liaison with the World Methodist Council, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and the World Council of Churches.
Communicate the theology of mission, as developed by the Board, to the entire Church.
Develop, present and interpret to the Board, the General /council on Ministries, and the General Council on Finance and Administration, and in cooperation with the General Treasurer and related staff, a recommended program budget, which is cognizant of and makes maximum use of available resources.
Consult with the appropriate units and committees of the Board on the allocation of fund balances, and make recommendations to the Board.
Assign administrative responsibilities to the Deputy General Secretaries of the Board.
Be responsible for the employment of personnel and the administration of personnel practices, the evaluation of the performance of directly-supervised staff, and the general supervision of the entire Board staff in conformity with the policies of the Board.
Be responsible for the assignment of persons to assume administrative responsibility in situations which involve incapacitation of staff resulting from physical or emotional disability, personal emergencies, or leaves.
Initiate redeployment of staff resources in emerging and emergency situations.
Assist persons and groups in achieving full potential through opportunities for training, personal and group development, conflict resolution, and team building.
Review and study the operation of the Board, and facilitate its long-range planning process.
Initiate new programs and coordinate exiting programs of the Board.
Implement the Board's Affirmative Action Plan.
Chair the Board Cabinet.
Assume responsibility for meeting Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) objectives and implementing affirmative action goals within the context of the General Board of Global Ministries' EEO and Affirmative Action Policies.

General Qualifications

Education: PhD. Or equivalent (Master's degree with years of experience to equal PhD. Level), preferably in the fields of international affairs, theology, and/or human relations. Study or experience in the area of church development essential. Must be able to speak English and at least two other languages.

Experience: Minimum of 10 years experience with a mission institution or organization, working with local, state, city or regional church or development agencies; must have inter-cultural experience as a supervisor or administrator.

Membership in The United Methodist Church required.

Skill, Knowledge, Abilities

Must be committed and loyal to the General Board of global Ministries and to The United Methodist Church.
Must understand the missionary movement and the history of mission in Protestantism in general and The United Methodist Church in particular.
Must possess a high degree of tact, sensitivity and integrity to handle the level of internal and external contacts.
Must have effective analytical skills,
Must have a clear understanding of financial administration and the development of a budget.
Must possess supervisorial skills with effective experience in this area; including staff development.
Must possess excellent oral and written presentation ability.
Must be able to work in a diverse environment.
Must be able to prioritize and work well and with flexibility under deadline pressure.
Must be able to work in a collegial style throughout the GBGM structure.

4. Financing a Missionary Kid's Education - James Dwyer

Most U.S. GBGM missionaries serving outside the U.S. are aware that the GBGM deducts a portion of their salary each month as a forced savings plan at the rate of 3 percent for each child under 18 in the missionary household.Many of us may have questions about those funds.As a father who has learned by costly experience what inaccurate declaration of the funds can do, James Dwyer has put together this rudimentary "FAQ" of questions he has frequently asked himself in the process of dealing with educational expenses of his two oldest children and in anticipation of another round with the youngest in the immediate future.Please submit your own questions and any answers you may have discovered, as well as any corrections or variant experiences, to Jim jim@peacechurch.de for a future revision of this FAQ.

5. Missionary Gatherings

April 19-21, 2002
1957 Short-Termers "3s" 45th Reunion, "Journey's End"

Fowlers' home, Inks Lake, Burnet, TX 78611 (about 1 1/2 hours northwest of the Austin Airport, 11 miles west of Burnet, off of Highway 29). Andy and Nina Fowler (andina@star.net); 512.793.2430 weekdays or 254.634.3366 weekends.

July 9-10, 2002
UMMA GATHERING

Noon Tuesday the 9th to noon Wednesday. Simpsonwood, Atlanta, GA. Email Gilbert Bascom, Coordinator (gbascom1467@earthlink.net).

August 1-4, 2002
Korean Missionary Reunion

All denominations; at Lake Junaluska, NC. Email Gene Matthews (genematt@home.com).

August 1-5, 2002
Philippine Missionaries Reunion at Scarritt College, Nashville

Merwyn and Barbara Mackey Nelson, 2100 Barberry Dr., Springfield, IL 62704-4117
217.546.8930
Email Barbara Mackey Nelson (bmackey36@aol.com).

Aug 9-11, 2002
Servants of Sierra Leone Reunion

Cottontree Inn and Convention Center, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Email Winnie Bradford (Bradford@fidalgo.net).

November 12-14, 2002
9th Agricultural Missions Conference

ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), Ft. Myers, FL
Email Don Cobb (doncobb@echonet.org).

6. Board Contact Corrections on "Who's in Charge" from UUpdate #4

Katie Wilkes-Ball, North America West and Mexico: Kwilkes@gbgm-umc.org.

Jeanette Zaragoza-de Leon, N. America-East/Caribbean/Guyana/Cent. America: Jzaragoz@gbgm-umc.org.

Janie Stevenson in charge of South America: Jstevens@gbgm-umc.org.

By the way, Caring and I along with other missionaries appreciate the quick help of Susie Canafax in getting medical records from Emory Clinic (wellness@gbgm-umc.org.

7. UMMA Membership and Dues - Gilbert Bascom

The current dues schedule until changed by the GATHERING is: MEMBERS = $25 and AFFILIATES (non-voting) = $15. Membership Application Forms are available here. Or, email Gilbert Bascom, Coordinator, at gbbascom1467@earthlink.net.

Paid-up membership is approaching 450. Come join in!

We welcome your comments:
gbascom1467@earthlink.net