The North Carolina Conference’s Mission Celebration, hosted by Rev. Edith Gleaves, began with a powerful prayer and naming of place around the world that the NC Conference is serving, In light of this it can be rightly stated that “the world is our parish.”
Rev. Kristen Brown brought greetings General Board of Global Ministries and shared insights about the global reach of The United Methodist Church. Kristen is a missionary serving as coordinator of interpretation, education, and advocacy through the Methodist liaison office in Jerusalem. UMCOR is a ministry of The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Global Ministries, and our goal is to assist the most vulnerable persons affected by crisis or chronic need without regard to their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We believe all people have God-given worth and dignity. Find the missing UMCOR video here.
Lighthouse Lands Ministry in Haiti was born out of the rubble and destruction of the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the country of Haiti. While many saw the destruction and devastation of the earthquake and questioned the ability of the Haitian people to rise from the rubble, the founders of Lighthouse LANDS dared to believe that where there is life, there is hope! Today, Lighthouse LANDS fulfills this vision by educating, equipping, and training woman in sustainable farming solutions. Our hope is that in empowering women in the rural countryside to grow their own food, hunger can be alleviated among their families and their community.
Other United Methodist Mission initiatives mentioned included Project Agape and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission.
Offering for the evening was designated for Imagine No Malaria.
The final presentation for the evening was by Bishop John K. Yambasu from Sierra Leone. Bishop Yambasunwas elected bishop of the Sierra Leone episcopal area in 2008. A graduate of Candler Theological Seminary, he is an accomplished educator and missionary. Prior to his election as bishop he served as Sierra Leone Conference’s director for Christian education and youth ministries and founded the Child Rescue Centre in Sierra Leone, serving as its executive director until he became a regional missionary in 2000.
The North Carolina Conference welcomes Bishop Yambasu tonight as the speaker for the Mission Celebration.