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UMMA UpDate

UMMA UpDate Issue 11

A newsletter of the
United Methodist Missionary Association
REGISTER FOR APRIL GATHERING
Registration is now open for the 2019 UMMA Gathering in Atlanta, GA, April 7-8.  The event will start with fellowship time on Sunday, followed by a business meeting and lunch on Monday.  The cost is $40 for each day or $80 for both days including two lunches and the annual membership dues. The Gathering is just prior to Bicentennial Mission Celebration at Emory University, April 8-10. You must register for the 200th anniversary celebration separately through Global Ministries.  To register for the UMMA Gathering fill out this form with multiple payment options: 

https://tinyurl.com/UMMA2019april

Plan to attend the celebration and the gathering to meet old friends and celebrate 200 years of mission!
See below for more event details.
 

Fall Board Meeting Report
With a focus on Native American Ministries, the Board of Directors of Global Ministries opened with a special worship service entitled "All My Relations" led by Maskoke and Cherokee leaders from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.  The service featured a cleansing of the sanctuary and tobacco offering in the form of incense, and a water ceremony where tobacco leaves were offered to be released and floated on a river where the Moskoke nation lived for 16,000 years until they were exiled to Oklahoma.  

Following the emotive service, General Secretary Thomas Kemper reported on the state of the agency and its work.  He noted several accomplishments and progress in relationships with Native Americans including standing in solidarity with Native American leadership calling for an end to "demeaning sports team names" and standing with those in Standing Rock.  UMCOR engaged in a one million dollar project to provide sanitary water in Deering, Alaska.  It was noted that one of the first Methodist missionaries was John Stewart, an African-American who ministered to the Wyandotte nation in Ohio starting 1790.  Next year land held in trust by Global Ministries for the Wyandotte nation will be returned to them. The general secretary continued his remarks noting the "power of connection" in several places including the participation of 18,000 people from 110 countries who signed the online petition #LetThemLeave urging the release of three of our missionaries in The Philippines; the first Meeting of Asian Methodist Mission Platform; and a roundtable for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Seven directors reported on their August visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

General Treasurer Roland Fernandez announced that active and retired missionaries will receive an increase of 2% in their salaries in 2019. Judy Chung reported that there were a total of 336 missionaries from all categories in service around the world at this time.  This consists of 168 in international placements, 44 in U.S. placements, and 124 as young adult missionaries serving in the U.S. and internationally.  Eight new missionaries were commissioned at the conclusion of the Board of Directors meeting.  

A Friday evening conversation on "A Way Forward" Commission to prepare for the upcoming special General Conference Session to decide on a definitive stance to questions around human sexuality highlighted an informative report by Florida Bishop Ken Carter, Global Ministries staff and commission member Alfiado Zuniga, and The Philippine's Bishop Pedro M. Torio, Jr.

UMMA Welcomes Eight Newly Commissioned Missionaries
At the conclusion of the October Board of Directors meeting in Atlanta eight new missionaries were commissioned to serve around the world.  UMMA extends a warm welcome to them as they join the missionary community.  The missionaries are:
  • Natalie Marionneaux, from Louisiana to serve as a Church and Community Worker in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, US.
  • Daniel Alberto Trujillo Fajardo from Honduras to to serve in Argentina in a joint mission district of the Argentinean Evangelical Methodist Church and the Methodist Church in Uruguay together with Oscar Fernando Quevedo Garcia from Colombia (serving in Uruguay) and Sergio Tristan from Kansas (serving in Argentina)
  • Renee Shaw from Ohio to serve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Southern Area)
  • Nicholas Shaw from Ohio to serve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Southern Area)
  • Milton Llovares from Honduras to serve in Belize
  • Rosemary (Rosie) Grattan from Texas to serve as a Church and Community Worker in West Virginia
  • Israeal Painit from the Philippines to serve in Laos.
In this Issue
Stay in Touch
UMMA on Facebook
UMMA Website
Email the Editor
Email the Chairperson
Membership Status confirmation

!! Our database has not been updated for 2019 !! Lifetime members should be accurate, but others will reflect your 2018 status and may not be current. Many apologies!

<<First Name>>,  We're happy to share this newsletter with you. Would you consider supporting our community by becoming an active (dues paying) member

2019 Rates for Membership Dues
Full Membership
  • $36 per person
  • for current and retired missionaries
Affiliate Membership
  • $25 per person
  • for non-missionaries, supporters or low-cost participation
  • No vote
Lifetime Membership
  • $540 ($36*15 years)
  • $360 ($36*10) if over 75 years
  • $375 ($25*15) for affiliate lifetime
Pay dues by Credit Card
Pay dues by check
Make checks payable to:
UMMA
Sent to:
Becky Wright
636 Riverside Drive
New Braunfels, TX 78130

+1-830-643-9717
bhinscj@yahoo.com
Forward to a friend
Help us connect with more people in the community by forwarding this newsletter
Gathering Schedule and 
Optional Events
Fill out this Form to let us know you plan to attend these UMMA events on Sunday and Monday. Option to pay by PayPal or CreditCard or mailed check.

Sunday April 7 -- Missionary Fellowship
Join together with active, alumni and retired Missionaries for lunch, fellowship and a time of sharing in the Grace Cafe at the Global Ministries office in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 11am Worship
    • Come early and worship together at Grace UMC 435 Ponce de Leon Ave Atlanta
  • 12:15 - 5pm Lunch and Fellowship in Grace Cafe
    • A casual catered lunch (included in registration) will be available following worship in the Grace Cafe (west side of the sanctuary of Grace UMC) starting at about 12:30pm along with time to get to know each other and catch up with old friends.
  • 2 - 5pm+ Optional fellowship outings
    • Kristen and Larry Schmitz have prepared a list of fun outings that can enhance our visit to Atlanta. Based on the interest of those in attendance, we will make a spontaneous decision to visit Martin Luther King National Historic Park or another of their suggestions. Grace Cafe will also be available for continued fellowship and to connect with anyone arriving late.
  • Sunday evening dinner
    • Dinner is on your own as folks may want to split off for a quiet evening with classmates, but many of us will join together for a meal at the Double Zero in Emory Village.
Monday April 8 -- UMMA Business Meeting
Gather again with us in Grace Cafe (west side of the sanctuary of Grace UMC at the Global Ministries Offfices at 435 Ponce de Leon Ave Atlanta) for the annual UMMA Business Meeting.
  • 10 am-noon Review and reflection
    • UMMA officers will present reports on UMMA activities, discussions and advocacy from the past year. Option to join by Skype.
  • Noon Fellowship lunch
    • A catered lunch (included in registration)
  • 1 - 3 pm Future planning
    • Share your experiences and help us to strategize about how we can strengthen our community and nurture a connection for the purpose of promoting Christian mission. Option to join by Skype.
  • 4 - 5 pm Move to Bicentennial Conference
    • Emory Conference Center Hotel (1615 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329)
    • Conference registration is 2-5 pm
  • 5 pm Bicentennial Conference Opening Banquet
Accommodations
  • The Bicentennial Conference will take place at the Emory Conference Center Hotel at 1615 Clifton Road in Atlanta. Conference attendees are encouraged to stay there.
  • There are a FEW rooms available at the International Villa, on a first come first serve basis,  http://www.villainternational.org  or +1 404 633 6783.  The Villa would be about a 15-minute walk from the Convention Center. 
  • Most other Atlanta hotels are priced comparably to the Emory Convention Center.

Passings Noted

Russell Lang, who worked at El Vergel, Chile betweem1960-1974, passed away in Craig, Nebraska on 24 August 2018.

Here is the paragraph from the attached obituary describing his work in Chile:

In February 1960 they [Russell and Nancy] sailed for Chile to begin work as agricultural missionaries of the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church at El Vergel, Angol. While in Chile he was teacher and director of the Agricultural School, assistant manager of the farm and preached regularly in churches in the area. In August 1974, Russell, Nancy and family returned to Nebraska and resided at Alder Grove. He taught agriculture at Tekamah-Herman High School for one year and then joined the Extension Service as a county agent in Dodge County, Fremont where he served until 1998. 

- submitted by Stanley Moore
 

James Ingals (Jim) Pettibone, born April 9, 1923, passed on October 3, 2018 in Colorado.  Jim served as a missionary in Nepal for twelve years.  
The UpDate is a quarterly newsletter of the United Methodist Missionary Association

Ron Whitlatch, Editor
ronwhitlatch@gmail.com
 
Submit an article or news item
View the list of Steering Committee Representative
"The Purpose of the United Methodist Missionary Association (UMMA) is to develop and nurture a vital connectional network among active, inactive and retired missionaries of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church for the purpose of promoting Christian mission." (UMMA Constitution)
Copyright © 2019 United Methodist Missionary Association, All rights reserved.


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