Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #8

Take a page from the book of Nehemiah – do your part. The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference has established a goal of raising $3 million in cash and pledges for Imagine No Malaria by the end of the calendar year. This may seem like a daunting goal, until you picture the campaign from the perspective of Nehemiah.   Consider this excerpt from the book The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, CEO of World Vision:   “Despite opposition and discouragement,...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #7

 Imagine No Malaria Tip of the Week Scale up.   Every 30 seconds… every 45 seconds. (See We're Making Progress Against Malaria.) What made the difference? Scaling up.   Days before his death in the Haitian earthquake in January of 2010, the Rev. Sam Dixon, then head of UMCOR, shared some of his thoughts on increasing the scope of The United Methodist Church’s involvement in the fight against malaria.    “We also need to do the best we...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #5

  Solicit someone famous!   Many household names and few “lesser-knowns” have survived bouts with malaria. Hollywood gossip has been abuzz lately with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Coles’ recent affliction with the disease, contracted while on vacation in Tanzania. Recognize a few of these other malaria survivors and victims?   ·           American Presidents: George Washington, James...

Bishop Speaks at Boy Scout Jamboree, Scouts Save Lives Through Nets

 BOWLING GREEN, Va. ––   Nearing the conclusion of the 10-day National Scout Jamboree At Fort A.P. Hill, some 5,500 Scouts attended an August 1 UM worship service where Bishop Thomas Bickerton spoke about the spirituality of persons in African nations and the Nothing But Nets program to eliminate malaria. “We need to go to Africa to see people who are materially poor but spiritually rich while we are materially rich and spiritually poor,” said the...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week #3

 Imagine No Malaria can be a great outreach tool for your congregation. Just ask the folks of Salem UMC in Wexford. They have been using community events to educate church members and non-members alike on the devastating effects of malaria.   At the same time, they are moving closer and closer to their goal of saving 1,000 lives while simultaneously building awareness of their church in the community.   Activities, planned and completed, include:   A...

Imagine No Malaria-Tip of the Week 2

  Allow youth to inspire your congregation!   Children and youth often inspire congregations to reach out in ministry. That’s happened in several Western PA congregations as support grows for the Imagine No Malaria campaign to save lives in Africa. Here are some examples:   Summer brings with it Vacation Bible School, which is not only fun for the children involved, but also offers opportunities for service for a congregation’s adults. Many VBS programs,...

Imagine No Malaria - Tip of the Week

A little bit of spare change can equal a big difference!   Small = mighty in the fight against malaria. The people of Muhleman Memorial UMC in Braddock, PA may be few in number, but they are mighty of spirit and in generosity!   Over the last six months, the 12 faithful attendees of Muhleman have been collecting their loose change in support of Imagine No Malaria. What they couldn’t imagine was that this simple act would eventually net $1,250! This...

Chabadza Key to Zimbabwe Partnership, Nhiwatiwa Says

  United Methodist Bishops Eben Nhiwatiwa of Zimbabwe and Thomas J. Bickerton of Western Pennsylvania signed a historic “chabadza” partnership agreement between their two areas at the 2010 Western PA Annual Conference in June. “It is not a partnership that will start on material things,” said Bishop Nhiwatiwa in a rousing sermon. “Chabadza is based on relationships -- relationships which are built on strong love and a strong foundation. Chabadza takes place...

June 4, 2010 The Journey Continues...

Many of you are aware that our oldest son T.J. has joined the Peace Corps. You know that because simultaneous joy and concern for him spills rather quickly from my lips. T.J. is in Honduras. Earlier this month he received his permanent assignment for the next two years. The assignment came after two months of intensive language and culture training, along with interviews and analysis of the potential each volunteer possesses. What follows are T.J.’s own words after receiving his...

Locals Do their Part to Change the World

United Methodists throughout Western PA are out to Change the World by “thinking globally and acting locally” to make a difference in their communities and raise awareness and funds to save lives in Africa, where children are dying from malaria, a preventable disease.  The last weekend in April was Change the World weekend and United Methodist all over the world participated in community outreach projects, as well as activities centered on the launch of our denomination’s...

May 7, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

Bishop Bickerton was in Africa recently to kickoff the Imagine No Malaria campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The experience both inspired him and made him ever more determined to work toward eliminating deaths from malaria by 2015. Here are excerpts from his Congo Journal, which was posted on www.wpaumc.org/blogs. From Lubumbashi: For several years, we have promoted a basic understanding of how to do effective ministry on a global scale that has been, for several, difficult to...

Bishop Travels to Africa to Fight Malaria

 Western Pa. United Methodist Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, a South African superstar, government officials and other religious leaders have been helping to distribute 30,000 insecticide-treated bed nets in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where malaria is a leading cause of death.  The net distribution began with a public event April 16.   According to the World Health Organization, malaria infects an estimated 23.6 million people in the DRC each year, and causes...

April 2, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

In the 1930s a young traveler was exploring the French Alps. He came upon a vast stretch of desolate, barren land.  It was forbidding and ugly, the kind of place you hurry away from. Suddenly the traveler stopped dead in his tracks. In the middle of the vast wasteland was a bent-over old man. On his back was a sack of acorns and in his hand a four-foot-long iron pipe. The man was using the pipe to punch holes in the ground. Then he would take an acorn from the sack and put it in the...

UM Colleges Offer Strong Connection to WPA Students

The United Methodist Church is connectional in countless ways. One of those ways is the connectional nature of United Methodist higher education. At the Christmas Conference of 1784, Bishop Francis Asbury had a vision that Methodists could educate the masses, opening their minds and forging an educated and enlightened population of church and community leaders for generations to come. Bishop Asbury’s legacy lives on in the 21st Century through church agencies and over 120 United...

Feb. 5, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

Many of you probably have heard the story of the people in an African village who purchased a television set. For weeks all of the children and adults gathered around the set watching it morning, afternoon, and night. But after a couple of months, the set was turned off and never used again. A visitor to the village asked the chief why. “We have decided to listen to the storyteller,” the chief replied. The visitor asked, “Why? Doesn’t television know more...

Jan. 8, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

As I sit to write this latest entry, a beautiful snow has graced Western Pennsylvania and this holiday season with the latest witness of God’s creative power. It’s just absolutely beautiful! Yet I write from the comfort of my office. The cold temperatures which have allowed this snow to fall are outside of my windows. While the snow is beautiful, it is also a reminder that someone who does not have a home is suffering the consequences of cold temperatures. Someone who does not have...