After over 200 years, UMC Global Ministries is moving its headquarters from New York to Atlanta. Our own Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, as president of the Global Ministries Board, joined with others January 19, 2016, to turn over a trowel of dirt symbolizing the onset of construction. The new facility will occupy renovated and repurposed space on the grounds of Grace UMC in Midtown Atlanta. An enthusiastic crowd of local residents and dignitaries welcomed the prospect of new jobs and economic development for the area, as well as new opportunities for worldwide missions. WSB-TV (Channel 2 Atlanta) captured the excitement of the event in its evening broadcast.
In the words of Global Ministries General Secretary Thomas Kemper, “For this moment in time, Atlanta is the best place for us to be in mission worldwide.” Atlanta is home to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), United Methodist affiliated Emory University and Candler School of Theology, and an international airport with non-stop service to Europe, Africa, and the Southern Hemisphere. Expected completion date is August 1, 2016.