Lighten the Burden III

You're receiving this message because you provided contact information to The General Board of Church and Society. A Message from the General Board of Church and Society Register for Lighten the Burden III AIDS Conference NOW! Deadline: Sept. 20 Dear AIDS Ambassador: Lighten the Burden III, the third international AIDS conference sponsored by the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund committee, will be Oct. 14-16 at the Radisson Central Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Join us along with AIDS activists and advocates on this educational and spiritual journey to work toward an AIDS-free world. The conference will feature national and international speakers, each bringing his or her own unique perspective to the AIDS pandemic. Featured speakers include: Dr. Musa W. Dube, theologian and biblical scholar, the University of Botswana; Dr. Pauline Muchina, senior partnership adviser, UNAIDS; Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, episcopal leader of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference; Jeffrey Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (invited); and the Rev. Tyrone Gordon, St. Luke UMC, Dallas. Conference workshop sessions include discussions of: "Looking at AIDS through Cultural Context," "AIDS & Communities of Color — How can the church respond?" and "Resourcing Local Churches & Annual Conference AIDS Ministries." Dr. Don Messer, executive director of the Center for the Church & Global AIDS, is a Lighten the Burden III workshop leader. He hopes this conference will help "awaken the sleeping giant called The United Methodist Church" by helping find practical ways to be involved in education, prevention, care and treatment. "In doing so, we will fulfill the command of Christ to 'heal every sickness and cure every illness,'" Messer said. Your presence is vital! To register for Lighten the Burden III, click here by Sept. 20. Questions? Contact Donna Brandyberry, General Board of Church & Society, dbrandyberry@umc-gbcs.org or (202) 488-5641. I am Prophet-Driven! Put those at the bottom of the economic ladder at the top of the economic agenda. Healthy Families, Healthy Planet 2011 UM Calendar Help for Haiti Contact Us gbcs@umc-gbcs.org 202.488.5600 Facebook Twitter United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. Reach us on the web at www.umc-gbcs.org Copyright 2010

Share the Gospel and Social Principles Around the World

"I encourage you to do more!"

Dear HIV/AIDS Advocate,

During April, I was privileged to join three General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) colleagues at a training event about the United Methodist Social Principles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The trip to the remote village of Kamina is one of five Social Principles training events planned in Central Conferences this year.

Bishop Ntambo explains the work on a drainage canal restoration project in Kamina. (GBCS photo courtesy of Wesley Paulson)

When we arrived in DRC, the Rev. Dr. Kabwita Kayombo arranged for those of us from GBCS — the Revs. Neal Christie, Cynthia Abrams, Clayton Childers and myself — to celebrate Easter at several churches in Lubumbashi. Afterwards, Bishop Ntambo welcomed us to Kamina.

For the next several days over 130 attendees from the North Katanga and Southern Congo conferences engaged in learning and discussion about the United Methodist Social Principles. We received many affirmative comments from participants about our efforts. Two of them said:

We will apply what we learned in our families, our churches and we will train others to apply these principles in their church and society.

We want to greatly thank this organization for facilitating better collaboration between ourselves and the whole world in fighting against poverty, discrimination against women or violence towards women. May God give you eternal and marvelous life.

The Kamina training was an expensive endeavor supported by GBCS's operating budget. In addition to the financial outlay, it required hundreds of hours of staff time by teams on both sides of the Atlantic.

In a message thanking GBCS after the training, Bishop Ntambo said:

You came to open a new chapter in our Area. Now people have a real understanding of the UMC through the involvement of the Church in society. … The seminar was a great success, starting from the quality of presenters, their humility, humbleness and knowledge and the enthusiasm of participants. … I end by congratulating you for such a ministry and encourage you to do more, but more especially I end by extending another invitation to North Katanga — why not to the rest of our Episcopal Areas?

Your generous gift to the United Methodist Social Justice Endowment Fund will help ensure that such valuable training events will occur around the world in the future. As the endowment grows, its investment income will provide a significant financial resource for sharing the history and tradition of the Social Principles at events such as the one in Kamina.

Please carefully consider making a donation to the fund now. There are several ways to give your support, including options for planned gifts of appreciated assets such as stocks and real estate. Support the Social Justice Ministries Endowment Fund today by sending an eCard or discussing a planned gift with the United Methodist Foundation!

In his report on Kamina, Dr. Kabwita, who is superintendent of the Jerusalem District in South Congo Conference, wrote:

This seminar was an opportunity to reflect on the Church and Christ's resurrection. It was so challenging, interactive and informative. So we would like to have these seminars on the Social Principles that will reflect the global image of the Church throughout jurisdictions and central conferences.

Your support of the Social Justice Endowment Fund will be appreciated very much — not just by this generation of United Methodists, but by those in the years to come.

Yours in Christ,
Wesley Paulson
Chief Financial Officer
General Board of Church & Society