Many of us remember the visit last year of Quynh-Hoa Nguyen, a General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) missionary assigned to Vietnam. Quynh visited many churches in the NC Conference in October and November 2017. The Conference Missions Team wanted to support her ministry directly on behalf of our Conference churches, so the Team sent her some money so that she and her team could create health kits for poor families who live in mountainous regions of Vietnam. These health kits include quite a bit more items than standard UMCOR kits. The kits are formed by United Methodists in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and sent by bus to various locations where there are fledgling UM Churches being established in the mountains. Local pastors then distribute the kits by motorbike.
Quynh recently wrote that “The health kits not only showed God’s love to the poor but also encouraged them to share the gospel with their neighbors. Churches in Khanh Hoa and Gia Lai were excited to tell me that new people recently have come to church. Many thanks for your faithfulness in spreading God’s love to Vietnam.” She was assisted by Pastor Siu Nhung, DS in Gia Lai and Pastor Thang Dinh, DS in Kon Tum.
The United Methodist Church presence in Vietnam works closely with governing bodies to explore ways in which the currently unregistered Church can help to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the Vietnamese people. Bishop Hope Morgan Ward is the bishop assigned to assist the Vietnam Mission Initiative. The In Mission Together coordinator for GBGM, Joel Rabb (vietnamimt@gmail.com) provides training for U.S. churches to develop healthy partnerships as they move from short-term ministry to long-term relationships that build the capacity of the church in Vietnam. The coordinator also connects the church in the United States with ministry in Vietnam and assists with communication between the two.
For more information, contact Jaye White (jayewhite@nccumc.org) or Steve Taylor (staylor@nccumc.org) who accompanied our bishop to Vietnam last Fall. To contact Quynh directly to thank her for her ministry or to inquire how to help her ministry, email her at nguyenlqh@yahoo.com.