1st UMC trip to South Africa

Phakamisa is Zulu for Uplift

First United Methodist Church of Denton, NC sent a mission team to engage and support the Phakamisa project of Pinetown Methodist Church, Pinetown, South Africa last summer. The Phakamisa project of Pinetown S. Africa exists to serve and uplift impoverished communities through the provision of educational training, resources and support. The team was in mission with orphans, orphan caregivers and AIDS support groups. These groups endure extreme adversity, poverty and suffering in the townships near Pinetown.

The focus of the mission trip was to provide respites for these groups. Respites consisted of daytrips to the petting zoo for the kids and a trip to the nearby aquarium for the adults. The team was also in mission with several daycares supported by Phakamisa. Before departing, the team spent a day helping with the construction of the Hillcrest AIDS Clinic, a project of Hillcrest Methodist Church, in Hillcrest, S. Africa.

First UMC-Denton has committed to be in local mission for the 2009 year as they rotate between global and local mission each year. Therefore, the earliest another mission team would be sent to South Africa would be the summer of 2010. Anyone interested in being in mission to South Africa with the Phakamisa project may contact Rev. Bill Foust at Denton: First-Canaan UMC, phone: 336-859-4603, email: wfoust001@triad.rr.com. The mission team is available to visit area churches and present details of the mission trip with personal stories, slides and videos. For additional information or to donate to Phakamisa please go online to http://www.phakamisa.org/.

For United Methodist Advance connectional giving, Phakamisa is number 14154A.

Bev and Ed Wentz

Beverly (Bev) A. Wentz, R.N. (Retired) and Edward (Ed) L. Wentz, Jr., P.E. (Retired) have served as Individual Volunteers in Mission through GBGM into several African Countries, working especially in the water supply/needs area. For more information on contacting them, email me at mcollins@wnccumc.org

Bev and Ed are members of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, NC, Greensboro District

Scholarship Fund

Annual Oak Ridge United Methodist Church (ORUMC) Scholarship Fund:

This program was implemented after return from our first trip to Zimbabwe in June, 2005 when we first resided at Africa University while working at Old Mutare Mission. Students supported thus far with full scholarships are: Isaiah Njimbu, DRC, graduated June, 2006 with a degree in Sociology; Virginia Chipenhi, Angola, graduated June 2008 with a degree in Economics; Martin Kanund, DRC will graduate June, 2009 with a degree in Animal Production in the School of Agriculture and Tresor Yav Mutas, DRC who is a second year marketing student in the school of management and administration. To date ORUMC has raised approximately $32,200 + in scholarship funds and related support.

Child Action Initiative

Child Action Initiative, Kasungami, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Child Action is a Non-Government Organization founded in 2006 by Isaiah Njimbu after graduation from Africa University with a sociology degree, when he returned home to Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Child Action has been sanctioned by Southern Katanga Province United Methodist Bishop Katembo Kainda. Isaiah is currently in the process of submitting an application to UM GBGM, New York City, for financial support for this mission in nearby Kasungami, DRC where approximately 20,000 people reside. The original purpose of this organization was to provide primary and secondary education for children whose parents died from HIV/AIDS, who reside in Kasungami and attend Nazareth United Methodist Church. In the summer of 2006 Isaiah contacted us about the dire need for potable drinking water in Kasungami. Nazareth UMC is in a serious state of disrepair and would welcome support from UM Building Teams.

Bev and I (Ed Wentz) visited Lubumbashi and Kasungami, DRC May, 2008, to take an inventory of the existing sources of drinking water in Kasungami. While there we also observed the dire need for medical services and a continual source for food for all residents. We also met with the mayor of Lubumbashi and officials of World Vision whose DRC headquarters are in Lubumbashi to discuss their capabilities to drill wells.

The drinking water aspect of this project is tentatively receiving financial support from the Hershey and West Harrisburg, PA and Lubumbashi, DRC Rotary Clubs. This is being made possible through our friend Richard (Dick) E. Wright who is a retired professional geologist, member of First UM Church, Hershey, PA and a Hershey Rotary Club member. Dick is Chairman of the Rotary's Water Resources Committee which is studying the best approach to solve the need for water in Kasungami and methodology to raise funds to finance the project. January 20, 2008, Mr. Wright contacted me to advise he has made a significant contact with Mr. Kim Lorenz with World Vision, Federal Way, Washington who will ultimately advise their interest in providing matching funds for drilling wells in Kasungami.

The Child Action program has grown from providing education and clothing for the orphaned children of Kasungami to providing drinking water, medical services such as visiting nurses and doctors, facility for expectant mothers, a facility to care for the sick, vaccines and the development of a subsistence farming program in order that the residents can raise nutritional food for their own consumption and selling it to earn an income. We facilitated Isaiah to visit the United Methodist Mujilla Falls Agriculture Centre, Zambia in September, 2008 to learn about the program developed by Rev. Paul Webster resident missionary.

Nyadire Mission, Mutoko, Zimbabwe

During our re-visit to Old Mutare Mission in 2007, Zimbabwe UM Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa's office requested Bev and I to visit Nyadire Mission to assess drinking water needs. This mission has been without a reliable drinking water supply for about two years. In cooperation with George Mutasa, we performed a study of the water and waste water needs, wrote a report of our finding which was submitted to The Nyadire Connection chaired by Mr. Drew Harvey with Christ UMC, Pittsburgh, PA in the Western Pennsylvanica UM Annual Conference, the prime mover on this project. At this writing Mr. Mutasa is overeeing the contruction of three 250 cubic meter reservoirs, installation of three new well pumps and piping infrastructure to the 200 bed mission hospital/outpatient clinic, primary and secondary schools, nursing and teachers college and the mission as a whole. Progress on this project has been hampered by the current political situation in Zimbabwe. At the time of this writing, we received photographs from Mr. Mutasa documenting the progress being made. Mission population is approximately 4,000 people.

Old Mutare Mission

Old Mutare Mission Centre, Old Mutare, Zimbabwe:

As members of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, NC, we accompanied a VIM team to this mission with members of the South Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference (SC UMAC) in June, 2005, 2006 & 2007. Ed Wentz served and continue to serve, as required, as technical advisor to SC UMAC to rehabilitate the drinking water system at the mission which has been in a bad state of disrepair for years. Bev worked with Dr. Wally Fridy at the mission outpatient clinic. Under the local direction of geologist George Mutasa, to date, two new 250 cubic meter reservoirs have been built, new borehole (well) pump(s) installed and new piping system installed between the reservoirs and hospital. This is an on-going project that hopefully will involve installation of water delivery piping to Mandisodza Village located on the mission property, funds permitting. Mission population is 3,000 to 4,000 people.

Democratic Republic of Congo Gathering

Several members from the Western North Carolina, Eastern Pa and the Penninsula Delaware Annual Conferences will be meeting on March 12, 2009 to share ideas and how we can work best together. The conference will take place in Concord at the Comfort Suites' Concord Room. Please keep these delegates in your prayers.

Africa World Desk

Thank you for your interests in working together in ministries and missions throughout Africa. This is our first attempt at working together in mission relationships using blogs.

I see us sharing information in several ways:
1. Using this Blog: The blog will cover information I receive through the General Board of Global Ministries, work we aredoing within the Commission on Mission/Outreach, and news I receive through emails, … It is a joint process. I am urging others to join us share information that can benefit the total mission work. Share information you wish to be placed on the blog in one of two ways: email information to me, mcollins@wnccumc.org or share your comments after each posting.
2. Enews: The WNCC-enews is our number one way of sharing information. If you have not signed up for the WNCC-enews please do so at http://www.wnccumc.org/.
3. Conference Calls: As time and finances permit, we will have conference calls to share information.
4. Commission on Mission/Outreach: The Commission (or its future organization) meets two-four times a year through conference calls or in-person. Don Turner is our Desk Coordinator. Should items be brought to our attention through the Blog or other means, Don will bring this to the Commission’s attention.

I am looking forward to partnership with you.

Mike Collins