Young people helping form ministries outside U.S.
Young people in Africa, the Philippines and Europe will help guide The
United Methodist Church’s ministry with young people. A UMNS file photo
by Mike DuBose. |
By Tim Ghianni*
Sept. 28, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
Three young people from the Philippines, Africa and Europe are
taking a leading role in developing the denomination’s ministry with
youth outside of the United States.
Mighty Rasing, right, a young leader from the Philippines, is helping
develop the denomination’s ministry with youth. A UMNS file photo by
Kathy L. Gilbert.
|
Armindo Mapoissa, Mighty Rasing and Clara Steinert will supply
on-the-ground leadership as part of a new organizational structure by
the United Methodist Board of Discipleship’s Young People’s Ministries
division.
Instead of running everything from Nashville, Mike Ratliff, top
executive of the division, says it makes sense to use people who have a
“cultural understanding” of how the young people’s ministry is working
in their area.
“What we’ve done is identify leadership in the central conferences
(regions outside of the U.S.) and worked with them to be our
representatives. It has really linked us together with the established
ministry structures in the central conferences,” he said.
This new structure began to take form in January, when Mapoissa, 34,
started working for the division in Mozambique and coordinating
activities throughout the continent of Africa.
Rasing, 26, began in March, working out of Quezon City, 30 miles from
Manila. Steinert, 22, from Germany, began learning the ropes for her
work in Europe in August.
“I think this is a great step forward for the church here in the
Philippines,” says Rasing, noting that most Filipinos only were aware
of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and now they are
realizing there is more to The United Methodist Church.
“As central conference staff, and the first ones at that, I feel that
we are carving an important niche in the United Methodist Board of
Discipleship and the general church,” Rasing says. “I know that we are
providing the important connections that would make The United
Methodist Church a truly global church.”
Steinert also says it is important to raise awareness about the board’s ministry with young people.
“I think a lot of youth and young people in Europe don’t know anything about it and the work they-we are doing,” Steinert says.
Ratliff says this new venture was developed in cooperation with the Board of Global Ministries.
“By having staff people in the central conferences, we are able to more
easily identify needs and respond more effectively,” Ratliff says.
Even with workers in these regions, there remain geographical and language concerns.
Mike Ratliff says young
people “on the ground” in
the Philippines, Africa and Europe will help lead the denomination’s ministry
with young people. A UMNS
file photo by Mike DuBose.
|
The Philippines is a long chain of more than 7,000 islands, Rasing
notes. While sometimes it may be hard to physically contact all of the
youth and young adult workers in person, he is using Facebook and a Web
site to keep in contact. Up next are podcasts and video casts to reach
the others.
Mapoissa’s biggest challenge is communication, since African United
Methodists speak a variety of languages, including Portuguese, French
and Swahili.
But he’s working from his home base in Matola, Mozambique, to get
materials translated. Then, he says, “I am going to different places
reaching out to different young people of different ages and people who
work with the young people.”
Steinert is helping prepare for the Global Young People’s Convocation
and Legislative Assembly next July in Berlin. “It is one of my goals to
help for the culture exchange and the possibility to change our
church,” she says.
While much remains to be done, Ratliff is confident the new structure is a step forward.
“It really is about empowering people in their cultural settings to be
in ministry,” he says. “It is also about learning from each other.”
*Ghianni is a Nashville, Tenn.,-based freelance writer for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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