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Rodriguez, Flor

First Clergywoman In Methodist Church Of Chile, Missionary To Ecuador

“I was feeling unloved, lonely, angry. I was 12 years old, a poor child off the streets when I saw the open doors of a Methodist church. I walked in and dared their hospitality.”

Now Flor Rodriguez looks back on her life in the church, full of struggle and full of grace.

“Through the church I’ve been accepted into an extended family. And through it all, my own faith has grown and deepened.”

Flor Rodriguez became the first ordained clergywoman of the Methodist Church of Chile. She did her theological studies in Chile and at Scarritt College, Nashville, Tennessee. While pastoring churches in Chile, she served on the first executive committee of the Latin America Council of Churches and on the World Council of Churches, the Program to Combat Racism. She served as a missionary from Chile serving in Ecuador.

Local church folks in Chile could tell some “Flor stories.” How they picketed her arrival as pastor then a year later begged the bishop to reappoint her there. How the men of the church, before they knew what hit them, were cooking and serving hot breakfasts to the street children. How Flor, with proper clergy collar, greeted the pope, reminding him of all the Roman Catholic women waiting for ordination.

Folks in Ecuador can join in telling of Flor’s strength and strong leadership and lively humor. She pastored a church there, taught in a lay training program, and made a vigorous witness with her colorful life.

“The most critical moment for me came when I had to decide between a safe and easy life and a life committed to following Jesus Christ.”

Adapted from “Flowering of Faith: Flor Rodriguez of Chile,” in People Just Like These: Stories of Persons in Mission Serving Around the World, edited by Elizabeth L. Howard. (Denver, CO, and New York, NY: Global Mission Partners and The World Division, The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, 1992), p. 14.

Montierio, Simei (1943- )

Brazilian Hymn Writer And Translator

Photo from WikiMonde, https://wikimonde.com/article/Simei_Monteiro

Simei Monteiro, a retired United Methodist-sponsored Person in Mission in her home country of Brazil, searches to sing her faith in a uniquely Brazilian way.

“I felt very strongly that we Brazilians should be expressing our faith in our own musical traditions. I committed myself to compose music which would be ours and through which we could sing our faith.”

Simei received a degree in sacred music, worked with her Baptist pastor-husband in local parishes, and published a hymnal called The Lord’s Song in the Land of Brazil. Slowly her hymns and songs of praise have been received, used, and loved. Simei’s determination to make music and worship meaningful in people’s lives is bearing fruit.

Simei Monteiro was a professor of music and liturgy at the Methodist Seminary in Sao Paulo. She translated many of Charles Wesley’s hymns into Portuguese. She was an active part of the Methodist Church in Brazil, the Latin America Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches.

“Faith grows stronger through simple acts of solidarity, of love, and compassion. I know that I am not alone. I am one among many following Christ’s Way.”

How better to be an evangelist and missionary than to sing songs, both fresh and familiar, to see us on the Way!

Adapted from “Singing the Lord’s Song — in Portuguese with a Brazilian Beat,” in People Just Like These: Stories of Persons in Mission Serving Around the World, Vol. II, ed. by Elizabeth L. Howard. (Denver, CO: Global Mission Partners, 1992), 12.

Addition information from:

“Simei Monteiro,” International Bible Reading Association, http://www.ibraglobal.org/fresh-from-the-word/our-writers/simei-monteiro/, accessed Feb. 27, 2018.

“Simei Monteiro,” WikiMonde, https://wikimonde.com/article/Simei_Monteiro, accessed Feb. 27, 2018.

Johnson, Hugh and Shirliann

Peace Award-Winning Missionaries To Algeria

Pastor Hugh Johnson and his wife Shirliann (“Fritzi”) received the 2014 World Methodist Peace Award. Hugh and Shirliann dedicated their lives to the United Methodist Church for more than 40 years – 1963 up to 2005 – working in Algeria. The couple operated under a simple slogan: The church must be where the plight of the people is at its greatest. They learned Arabic, Kabyle and French, sharing the local life with the Algerian people – in the time of the Revolutionary War and the subsequent turmoil as well as in later years of serious unrest.

The World Methodist Peace Award was conceived in 1976. It is presented to people who are, in a unique way, examples of courage in the service, of creativity in the commitment to peace, and of consistency even in the face of difficulties – or, as Gillian Kingston from Ireland also said, to people who have “overcome the fear of the stranger.”

Kingston, the Vice-President of the World Methodist Council said, “I cannot think of people more worthy of this honor” than Hugh and Shirliann Johnson. Many people would feel that attacks on them personally and on their home would be good reason to leave a country. But in spite of a number of dangerous situations, they had made North Africa their home and also “opposed the authorities” in their stand for the faith. However, the Peace Award would not only be an expression of honor and thankfulness for a life-long work and witness, but also a sign “that we identify in an appropriate way with the suffering church” in North Africa.

“Why we?” the couple asked when they realized that they were selected to be the recipients of the 2014 World Methodist Peace Award. “We did not do anything special,” stated Hugh Johnson during the official ceremony. “And we particularly did not do it alone,” but always in cooperation with other members of the small Christian community in Algeria.

Hugh was born in Virginia and Shirliann in New Jersey. After schooling, Hugh was ordained an elder in the Switzerland-France-North Africa Annual Conference, which appointed him to Global Ministries for service as pastor and superintendent in Algeria. Thomas Kemper, General Secretary of Global Ministries, noted of their work, “They were first in the Kabyle Mountains east of Algiers, then for many years in the capital city. Hugh had a circuit covering 86,000 square miles. Fritzi was a teacher and worked especially in teacher training for those engaged with refugee and special needs youngsters.” In the desert west of Algeria, Shirliann Johnson helped to organize humanitarian aid to Sahrawis living in refugee camps. In addition, she trained young women in building and conducting kindergarten classes to assist and uplift children and families who had to leave their homes due to armed conflicts.

Hugh Johnson was repeatedly confronted with great difficulties in his work and experienced several life-threatening situations. As Kemper explained, “The Johnsons weathered a war of independence, shifting ideologies, chilling government attitudes toward churches, and restrictions on worship and Christian education.” Nevertheless, they always stood strong in their faith and were a pillar in the faith community.

Retired United Methodist Bishop Heinrich Bolleter recalled, “When I accompanied them in their service, there were many alarming situations in regard to the Christians in Algeria and also in regard to the safety of Hugh and Fritzi Johnson. From time to time friends from the USA and from Europe put pressure on me and told me that it would be time to get Hugh and Fritzi out of the danger zone. But when I once visited them worrying about their safety and trying to evaluate the situation, Hugh responded to my concerns with the following words: “The church needs to be present where the needs are the greatest!””

Bolleter continued, “Hugh and Fritzi always showed a deep solidarity with the people in Algeria and Tunis – with Christians and Muslims, with the poor and with migrants. Whoever knocked on the doors of the church center was welcomed. This solidarity was echoed in an impressing way one day. During the time of the war in Iraq, a furious crowd of Muslims attacked the house where Hugh and Fritzi lived. The situation was very dangerous – and then the neighbors surrounded the house with a protecting human chain.”

Hugh Johnson regularly spoke on Algerian radio programs. The fact that he often was in discussion with Muslim representatives further aided efforts at reconciliation and mutual understanding in the communities he served. He was also an intermediary who repeatedly approached Muslim people and met them with appreciation. Shirliann explained their view of interreligious dialogue, “To encounter the other person with full respect, to accept him unconditionally and to reach out the hand in a brotherly way – only by doing this a dialogue is possible. Of course, dialogue also entails risks: the risk to change the other, but also the risk to be changed yourself.”

This biography is adapted from “Pastor-Couple to Receive World Methodist Peace Award” (http://worldmethodistcouncil.org/pastor-couple-to-receive-world-methodist-peace-award/) and “’Worthy Recipients’ of the World Methodist Peace Award” (http://worldmethodistcouncil.org/worthy-recipients-of-the-world-methodist-peace-award/), which were themselves reprinted from articles by Barbara Streit and Urs Schweizer on umc-europe.org.

May, Felton (1935-2017)

Advocate Of Holy Boldness

United Methodist Bishop Felton May condemns the U.S. government’s denial of visas for some United Methodists from Africa and the Philippines to attend the church’s 2004 General Conference in Pittsburgh. File photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.

Bishop Felton E. May often spoke of the need for “holy boldness” — and his admirers said he lived the phrase.

He was a forceful preacher and a force away from the pulpit.

“You did not have to ask him to enter the fray,” said James H. Salley, associate vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement for Africa University, a United Methodist School. “If he saw it and felt it was wrong, he opposed it. If he felt it was right and something he needed to support, he did it.”

During five decades of ministry, May led United Methodist churches, conferences and agencies. He was the first African-American bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. He helped start both Africa University and the denomination’s Communities of Shalom movement.

May made church-related visits to the White House, but also accepted a first-ever “set-aside” episcopal assignment to the streets of Washington, during a spike in drug-related violence.

Through his ministry, he acted on a deep concern for those on the margins.

“What I saw was a person who showed bold leadership, a person who was visionary and a person who didn’t mind taking risks on behalf of those who tended to be left outside,” said Bishop Marcus Matthews, who was a district superintendent under May. Matthews retired as bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in 2016.

May was born in Chicago in 1935. He grew up in an apartment on the South Side and regularly attending a Baptist church with his mother and siblings.

While a student at local Judson College, May worked part-time at a reform synagogue. Rabbi Louis Leopold Mann recommended that he become a part of St. James Methodist Church, which had a commitment to integration.

“I think God has called you to be a minister,” May, speaking in 2009 at Wesley Theological Seminary, recalled the rabbi saying.

May also remembered being incredulous at the rabbi’s assertion, but was soon involved in leading Sunday school and youth programs at St. James.

“And then I began to read Methodist literature and its social witness, and it made sense to me. I felt I was called by God to do that,” he told the Baltimore Sun for a 2001 profile.

May was active as a young adult in civil rights work, including Operation Breadbasket. He was ordained as a deacon in the Northern Illinois Conference in1962 and served two pastoral appointments in Chicago, one of them a church start.

To get Maple Park Methodist going, May and his wife knocked on doors, started a children’s ministry and held worship services. The church was chartered with fifteen families and grew to 300 in weekly attendandce during May’s time. It also was active in civil rights and other social justice advocacy.

In 1968, May transferred to the Peninsula Conference and became associate executive director of the Methodist Action Program in Wilmington, Delaware. After earning his master of divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary, he was ordained a United Methodist elder in 1970.

May would again serve as a church pastor, then as a district superintendent and as director of the Conference Council of Ministries.

In 1984, he was elected bishop and assigned to the Harrisburg Episcopal Area.

The Rev. Dean Snyder, now retired, worked on May’s staff in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Snyder said some top church leaders buckle under the responsibility, and complain about all the decisions they’re supposed to make.

Not May.

“Felton never felt sorry for himself, and he never apologized for exercising his responsibility and authority,” Snyder said.

Snyder added that May could be intimidating, but also strongly backed those under him who took a risk in social justice ministry.

“He’d say, ʽI’ll be with you all the way,’ and that was true,” Snyder said. “If people took a prophetic stance, no matter what, Felton was with them.”

May made a vivid impression on many of those he led in the Harrisburg Area, including Iris Green. She recalled that May asked people to put a candle in one of their windows as a symbol of peace.

“I’ve had a candle in my kitchen window ever since,” Green shared by email Feb. 27.

May, as a bishop and as president of the General Council on Ministries, was one of those successfully pushing for the 1988 General Conference to establish Africa University. He would later serve as vice president of its board of directors.

“He was there from the beginning, and there are a number of students who have graduated because of his personal intervention in providing funding,” Salley said.

May also had a key role in forming Communities of Shalom, which the 1992 General Conference started in response to race riots in Los Angeles. Later he successfully pushed for expanding the program into Africa.

“He was the organizing bishop and brought it out internationally,” said the Rev. Michael Christensen, director of the Shalom Initiative for Prophetic Leadership and Community Development at Drew University.

Perhaps May’s highest-profile role came in 1990-91, when he served on special assignment, leading the United Methodist Bishops’ Initiative on Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Violence in Washington. No other bishop has been asked by the Council of Bishops to leave an episcopal area for a special assignment on its behalf, and then return to active service.

In Washington, May and his wife took an apartment in The United Methodist Building, but he spent much of his time working with pastors in the toughest neighborhoods.

“He would be on the street, meeting people where they were,” said Stephen Drachler, who worked with May on the Washington assignment.

Drachler recalled that May heard another pastor refer to churches as “saving stations,” and seized on that term. May and clergy colleagues borrowed tents and erected them on the street, where they held revival-style worship services but also invited drug counselors in to help people battling addictions.

The saving stations concept brought coverage from The New York Times and other news organizations.

“We must mount a holy war against drugs and reclaim our streets,” May told The Times.

May would reprise the strategy in Baltimore during his final episcopal assignment, leading the Baltimore-Washington Conference. The saving stations idea would be adopted elsewhere and would help lead to the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ Special Program on Substance Abuse and Relaated Violence.

All along as bishop, May showed a deep interest in combatting poverty and other social ills in the United States and worldwide.

In 1994, he visited Rwandan refugee camps as part of a United Methodist fact-finding team. He returned two years later to help dedicate a tent village for orphans provided by United Methodists, a change he called a “miracle” compared to lethal conditions he’d seen earlier.

May also served on a White House Presidential Commission on AIDS, travelling across southern African in 1999. The trip helped increase U.S. spending on AIDS worldwide by $100 million.

Under May, the Baltimore-Washington Conference formed a partnership with the Zimbabwe Conference.

“He gave birth to that,” Matthews said, who also would lead the Baltimore-Washington Conference. “I’m proud to say it’s still going.”

In 2004, May retired from the episcopacy, but his work pace hardly let up. He served as dean of the Harry R. Kendall Science and Health Mission Center at United Methodist-affiliated Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.

From 2007-2008, May served as interim top executive of the Board of Global Ministries. During his tenure at the agency, May and three other general secretaries presented four new areas of focus to the denomination at the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The Four Areas of Focus were celebrated by the delegates and have guided much of the church’s work since then.

Late in life, May became a church pastor again, serving both Turning Point United Methodist in Trenton, New Jersey, and Theressa Hoover Memorial United Methodist in Little Rock.

“He was more than willing to come,” said New England Conference Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, who as Greater New Jersey Conference leader asked May to take on the Trenton church. “He was always a pastor, always a prophet and always a great colleague.”

Devadhar noted May didn’t work alone.

“One cannot speak about his ministry without mentioning Phyllis, who was his loyal supporter and true partner,” he said.

May’s indefatigable efforts in social outreach were guided by an unapologetic evangelical fervor.

“Programs have had their day,” he said in his 2009 address at Wesley Theological Seminary. “The power of Christ must rest upon us and our institutions.”

Adapted from “Bishop May, ʽholy boldness’ advocate, dies at 81,” by Sam Hodges, a United Methodist News Service writer. The original article may be found at http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/bishop-may-holy-boldness-advocate-dies-at-81

Kim, Hwal-lan (Helen) (1899-1970)

Pioneering Korean Woman Educator

Dr. Kim Hwal-lan, or Helen Kim—her English name— was a pioneer in many areas: the first Korean woman to receive a doctoral degree; the first Korean woman to become a university president; and the founder of Korea’s first English-language newspaper.

Helen Kim entered Ewha Methodist School in Seoul, Korea, in 1907, known then as Ewha Hakdang—founded in 1886 by US missionary (WFMS) Mary Scranton. Kim progressed through the primary and secondary schools to graduate from Ewha Hakdang College in 1918.

Kim traveled to the United States to study at Ohio Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors in 1924. In 1925, she studied at Boston University receiving a master’s degree. In 1931, she earned a doctoral degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School for Philosophy. In doing so, she became the first Korean woman to receive a PhD.

In 1931, Dr. Kim returned to Korea to become dean of Ewha College, and in 1939, she became its president, a post she would have until 1961. Despite strict control of curriculum and activities by the Japanese during World War II, Dr. Kim developed Ewha’s offerings and student enrollment to become Ewha University. Just five years later she had to move the student body from its Sinchon campus to makeshift quarters in Pursan to escape fighting during the Korean War. After the armistice, they returned to Sinchon and rebuilt the university, adding more schools and a hospital. Under her leadership, Ewha became the largest women’s university in the world. With an enrollment today of more than 8,000 students, it still holds that distinction.

In 1948, while still serving Ewha University as president, Dr. Kim was named as South Korea’s director of public information for President Syngman Rhee. To facilitate communication with the United States, she became founder and publisher of The Korean Times, an English-language newspaper that is still published today. Dr. Kim also founded the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of South Korea.

After her retirement from Ewha University, Dr. Kim took up the work of evangelism in South Korea, visiting and working among construction, industrial, and farm workers in the country. “Win 30 million Koreans for Christ” was her motto. “I believe I am too old to continue to lead the young,” she said in a World Outlook interview in 1960. “I want to live with the people of Korea, and the time has arrived for me to turn to the word of God, whose guidance I will follow for the years that are left to me.”

A beloved and honored figure in Methodism, in hindsight, Dr. Kim’s pragmatism in dealing with the Japanese during World Ward II has stirred controversy. Yet pragmatism was a traditional trait of early Methodist missionaries who sometimes conducted their work under colonial occupiers while reaching indigenous populations. It is important to remember that the Japanese had been the occupying power in Korea since 1910, most of Kim’s adult life, when Korea’s freedom was finally obtained in 1945. Perhaps she explained it best in a speech given to the National Convention of the YWCA in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1946:

“This is the first time in 36 years that I have been able to appear before an audience of other nationalities as a 100 percent Korean. It is a great moment for me. Before, I have always had to pretend to be part Japanese, for I have known that I must return to Korea. I have always felt that I was censored in what I might say. The Japanese Emperor spoke to us on our freedom for the first time over the radio on August 15. That night, and for many nights following, we could not sleep. We were too happy to sleep. We were now Koreans. We did not have to be Japanese anymore. Maybe you do not understand the implications of this. If you cannot be what you are, it is the worst curse in the world.”

Written by Christie R. House. House is the editor of New World Outlook Magazine.

Sources

Helen Kim, Columbia 250—2004 http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/helen_kim.html

“Helen Kim, Mother of the Korean Times,” by Yun Suh-Young, Korean Times, December 11, 2012. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/12/117_97671.html

“Helen Kim,” New York Times obituary, February 12, 1970.

“Become True Light and Salt,” by Elizabeth M, Lee, World Outlook, August 1965, pp. 33-34.

“Korea’s Helen Kim,” by William Clark, World Outlook, August 1960, pp. 29-30.

Bethune, Mary McLeod (1875-1955)

Education And Equality: The Work Of Mary McLeod Bethune

“Invest in the human soul,” Mary McLeod Bethune declared. “Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.” And invest Bethune did. This incredibly accomplished public servant founded the school that became Bethune-Cookman College as well as a training school for nurses, advised the White House, founded the National Council of Negro Women, worked towards integration of the Red Cross and served four times as a delegate to General Conference.

Bethune was born in South Carolina in 1875 to Sam and Patsy McLeod, both former slaves. She recognized the importance of access to education and devoted a significant portion of her life to educational issues. She founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904 in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 1923, it merged with the Cookman Institute and became a coeducational college. She also founded the Mary McLeod Hospital and Training School for Nurses in 1911, which at the time was the only school of its kind that served African-American women on the East Coast.

In addition to her considerable educational initiatives, Bethune worked tirelessly for civil rights. During the First and Second World Wars, she advocated for integration of both the American Red Cross and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. She worked extensively with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, before founding the National Council of Negro Women in 1935. During the Roosevelt administration, she advised the White House on minority affairs, and after her death she became the first black woman to be honored with a statue in Washington, D.C.

During Bethune’s lifetime, the predecessor denominations of The United Methodist Church included the Central Jurisdiction, which effectively ensured segregation within the church. As Methodist leaders began to work toward unification in the 1930s, Bethune argued vehemently for the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction and a more inclusive denominational structure. She served on the Woman’s Division Committee on Minority Groups and Interracial Cooperation and as a delegate to General Conference four times. She identified proudly as “a Methodist woman in mission” until her death in 1955.

Kim, Yonghuk

Korean Immigrant Pastor And Martyr In Russia

In 2014 the United Methodist Church in Eurasia has celebrated its 125th anniversary since the first Methodist congregation started in Eurasia. It was in the year 1889, when a small Methodist congregation began to meet in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. For over 125 years the Spirit has moved and inspired Methodist people to live holy lives and transform their societies, to practice spiritual disciplines and receive grace, to be brave and humble, faithful and sacrificial. By preserving traditions, we are transforming the future. Today the United Methodist people continue to serve actively in Saint Petersburg, Russia and many other cities of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The Holy Spirit leads us to new horizons and opens up new possibilities for us.

It is very important to understand what tradition and values were in the center of ministry for early Methodist people as they developed their mission work in Eurasia. It is similar to our viewing of a family photo album when three or four generation sit on the sofa and open picture after picture. Each photo carries an amazing family story. They will make us laugh and cry at the same time. But one thing is obvious – after viewing the photo album and listening to family stories, we will become different. The Holy Spirit will renew our faith, inspire us through example of our ancestors, and lead us to continue the traditions which will transform the future.

Going for the journey

I invite you to go with me on a journey through space and time. We will begin our journey in Moscow, Russia where we have a Methodist House, which includes a Seminary, several churches, The Eurasia UM Conference office and the Bishop’s office. We will visit different cities and countries, view photos and get inspiration from those who have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.[1] So, sit comfortably, buckle up and be ready to become different. We are going on an amazing journey…

Moscow – Vladivostok

After a nine-hour flight from Moscow going east 6500 km (about 4 thousand miles) over the territory of Russia, you arrive in the dynamically developing city of Vladivostok. New buildings and bridges, inspirational sights and strong winds challenge you and invite you into the journey of new life.

On Komandorskaya street 11 you can visit the State Archive of the Primorskiy region, where friendly staff will give you documents to work in the reading room. I am interested in history of the Methodist church in the Primorskiy region during the 1920s. You can find all about it in “The thematical list of documents on the history of relationships between church and state in the territory of Primorskiy region. 20s-90s. XX century.”[2]

In these archival documents you can learn many things about the activities of evangelical churches and their trials during the twentieth century. One thing is obvious – Methodists in Primorskiy region in 1920s demonstrated courage, faithfulness and sacrificial hearts in their ministry. This It is especially obvious in the life of pastor Yonghuk Kim.

I heard about him for the first time from Rev. Cheho Yu, who serves in our United Methodist Church in Primorskiy region today. He told me about these archival documents and the relatives of pastor Yonghuk Kim who live in Seoul. Looking through these archival documents I have found out that this story has a personal side for me.

At some point in the second part of the nineteenth century the relatives of Pastor Kim emigrated from Korea to Far East Russia so that they could feed their family (there was a famine in Korea at that time), and this was true of my ancestors as well. So, the members of the Methodist church in Vladivostok in the 1920s had roots from Korea. At that time Korea was occupied by Japan.

In March 1923 the membership of Methodist church in Vladivostok was 37 as recorded in the documents. In January 1925 there were already 64 members.

From the end of 1920s to the early 1930s the lives of Methodist people, as well as many other evangelical Christians, became more difficult. The authorities confiscated church buildings, prohibited people without Russian citizenship to gather for worship, etc. Many Koreans had to leave Russia. But for them to leave Russia meant either to return to Korea under Japanese occupation or move to China and begin their life from scratch again.

For those who stayed in Vladivostok and continued to express their faith it was a dangerous time. But many Methodist people demonstrated courage and faithfulness as they continued to gather for worship, to praise God in singing and to serve their neighbors. I am convinced that many of them learned courage and faithfulness from their pastor Yonghuk Kim. I learned more about this story in Seoul, Korea.

Vladivostok – Seoul

It takes only a couple of hours to fly 800 km from Vladivostok to Seoul. When you visit South Korea, you would hardly believe that in 1953 this country was destroyed by war. Today it is a prosperous country with many churches in every block of Seoul. You will be astonished by the level of service, the comfortable life there and, of course, by the hospitality of the Korean people. When asking different Korean people about the secret of their success and prosperity, I have found two major reasons. These are first, early morning prayer and second, education. They are an essential part of life for every Christian in Korea. I pray that we, in Russia and Eurasia, move forward in these directions, especially since education has always been our priority in the society.

In Seoul I met with Rev. Yansup Choi who deeply studied life of Yonghuk Kim and published a book about him and his ministry in Primorskiy region. I hope this book will one day be translated into Russian. Here I want to share a significant part of Pastor Kim’s story.

When the Soviet authorities prohibited people and churches to express their faith, our Methodist church people in Vladivostok had to make a choice – either to leave the country or be arrested and sent to Gulag concentration camp. Some people moved back to Korea. But others in the congregation stayed. Pastor Yonghuk Kim had a family with little children. Many people told him: go back to Korea, do not put yourself and your family in danger. But he replied firmly: “as long as even one Methodist remains in Vladivostok, I will continue to serve here because they are my sheep and I am their shepherd”. He stayed and eventually his wife and children moved to Korea. Later he was arrested and put in Gulag camp where he died in the 1930s, a martyr of faith and pastor in the Methodist church. His faithfulness, his sacrificial and brave heart will inspire many future generations of believers.

Going home

On my way home to Moscow I was reflecting about our time in which the Lord has called us to live in. I could not help but think about one quote which I found on one of the documents in the State Archive of Primorskiy region. It was a letterhead in English which belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church South (USA) which was actively involved in mission work in Siberia (at that time they included Far East as well). At the bottom of this letterhead was a quote in red letters by Bishop Walter R. Lambuth:

“The greatest missionary opportunity of this generation”

The Holy Spirit constantly reminds me of these words and their important meaning for our generation. Since we do not experience persecution and we have freedom to express our faith, we truly have the greatest missionary opportunity. As we continue the traditions of our Methodist brothers and sisters, we transform the future and build the Kingdom of God with faithfulness and brave and sacrificial hearts, which were gifted to us by Yonghuk and other past leaders.

Submitted by Fedor Kim

Bibliography

С Т Кимбро мл., Сестра Анна, Объединенная Методистская Церковь Евразии, г.Москва, 2014 г.
С Т Кимбро-мл. под ред., Методизм в России и странах Балтии: история и возрождение, Издательство Уральского университета, г.Екатеринбург, 2003 г.
Journal of the Finland and Saint Petersburg mission conference, Methodist Press, Rome, 1908.

References

[1] 2 Timothy 4:7, Common English Bible translation

[2] State Archive of Primorskiy region, Vladivostok, 2003

Eklund, Anna

Deaconess Who Served The Poor Of Saint Petersburg, Russia

Going for the journey

Sister Anna Eklund (right) and the Rev. Oscar Pöeld deliver provisions in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1921. Photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History

Moscow, Khamovnicheskiy val 24, stroenie 2

The unique historical document – Journal of the Finland and Saint Petersburg mission conference 1908 – is kept in the Bishop’s office of the United Methodist Church in Eurasia in Moscow, Russia. You can read the report of district superintendent George Simons there. He shares the story of how God blesses the church development in Russia. From his report you may learn that Methodist people in Saint Petersburg had worship services in different languages – Russian, Finnish and Swedish and pastor Hyalmar Salmi could preach in all three languages.[2]

Also, you can feel the difficult atmosphere in which our mission developed. But in spite of the pressure from the local authorities, district superintendent Simons faced these challenges with faith and a sense of humor: “…ыто для всех, особенно для инспекторов, которые приносят свою бумагу и карандаш!”[3]

The history of the Methodist church in Saint Petersburg is rich with examples of lives which deserve special attention from modern day Methodists. One of them was Anna Eklund.

Moscow – Saint Petersburg

In only an hour and a half, you can fly 700 kilometers (about 440 miles) northwest of Moscow and you get to the cultural capital of Russia – Saint Petersburg. I have received much grace living in this city for four years and serving in two Methodist congregations. The sincerity, intelligence and high cultural level of the Saint Petersburg people are always alive in my memory.

In the Russia State library on Ortrovskogo square, Saint Petersburg you can study “The Christian Advocate”[4] magazine which has been published by the Methodist church since 1909. You can find out about everyday life, worship services, the teaching and mission of the Methodist people in Saint Petersburg at that time.

In 1914 Methodist people purchased a building on Bolshoi boulevard, no. 58, enabled by the gift of Fanny Gamble from USA who donated generously for this purpose.[5] This is where the Methodist people of St. Petersburg developed their ministry and mission. However, this building did not survive to modern times and you can see a big apartment building in its place today. The United Methodists of our day continue their ministry in several other places in Saint Petersburg.

Much from the period of the beginning of the twentieth century is described in the two works of Dr. S T Kimbrough, Jr. “Methodism in Russia and the Baltic States” and “Anna Eklund”. The second book was published in Russian in 2014 for the 125th anniversary of the United Methodist Church in Eurasia and is titled “Sister Anna”. Here you can find the amazing story of sister Anna Eklund.

I’ve been deeply moved by the story of sister Anna, by her faithfulness, her bravery and sacrificial heart in her ministry to God and neighbor. Deaconess Anna Eklund did not spare her energy nor her health when she ministered to people who were dying by thousands from hunger and cholera in 1920s. In winter time many people did not have shoes to keep their feet warm. Sister Anna did the impossible in order to organize help for the poor and sick people of Saint Petersburg. She gave away everything that she had in order to save lives of the people and to care for their souls. Tears come to your eyes when you read her letters because you feel in them the great power of God, hope and willingness to give one’s soul for the redemption of many.

When you study life of an outstanding person, it is very important to see how their character and personality were formed. In order to find out that let us travel to Finland. I was not able to visit Finland in 2014, but thanks to my friends and modern means of communication I was able to learn many interesting things.

Moscow – Helsinki (online)

In my skype conversations with Bishop Hans Vaxby I have learned that Anna Eklund’s grave is located in Turku, Finland where she was born. Bishop Hans graciously agreed to go there and make a brief video report.[6]

Helsinki – Turku

After driving a car 170 kilometers west of Helsinki, in three hours you get to one of the largest cities in Finland – Turku. Here on May 25, 1867 Anna Eklund was born. While still a teenager she felt a call from God for ministry and received education as a deaconess at Bethany Center in Hamburg. Already at 19 years old she was commissioned as deaconess at the Annual Mission Conference of Finland and Russia.[7]

Upon arrival to the cemetery in Turku, Turun hautausmaa, which is located in the city just 5 kilometers from the center, you can find Anna Eklund’s grave. The words on her grave stone say: she served the sick and suffering people in Russia from 1907 to 1930. This was her mission and she was faithful to the very end. In fact, Anna was in Saint Petersburg even in 1931 when oppression on Christians turned from bad to worse. But Anna wrote from Saint Petersburg to her Bishop: “our position remains firm – to work for Russia; therefore, in spite of everything we will be beside our people”.[8]

Unfortunately, soon after that the local authorities threw Anna out of the country accusing her of doing harm in all the good deeds that she has done for the poor and sick, and for the children. I pray that every Methodist in Eurasia could be “blamed” for such ministry to people.

Kingdom of Heaven upon earth

On the back cover of the Journal of Mission Conference of Finland and Saint Petersburg 1908 are the words of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement:

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth.”

I believe that Anna Eklund is one of these preachers of the gospel in Eurasia. Because of her faithfulness, brave and sacrificial heart, people of Saint Petersburg could experience Kingdom of Heaven upon earth.

Submitted by Fedor Kim

Bibliography

С Т Кимбро мл., Сестра Анна, Объединенная Методистская Церковь Евразии, г.Москва, 2014 г.
С Т Кимбро-мл. под ред., Методизм в России и странах Балтии: история и возрождение, Издательство Уральского университета, г.Екатеринбург, 2003 г.
Journal of the Finland and Saint Petersburg mission conference, Methodist Press, Rome, 1908.

References

[1] 2 Timothy 4:7, Common English Bible translation

[2] Journal of the Finland and Saint Petersburg mission conference 1908, p. 30

[3] Ibid.

[4] Khristianskiy Pobornik

[5] “Methodism in Russia and the Baltic states: history and revival”, S T Kimbrough, Jr., ….. Издательство Уральского университета, 2003 г.

[6] see video film “Ivan. Anna. Yonghuk”, The United Methodist Church in Eurasia, 2014

[7] Сестра Анна, С Т Кимбро, Объединенная Методистская Церковь Евразии, 2014

[8] Сестра Анна, С Т Кимбро, Объединенная Методистская Церковь Евразии, 2014

Vuksta, Ivan Vasilievich

Faithful Methodist Pastor In Ukraine During Communist Rule

Going for the journey

Moscow, Russia – Uzhgorod, Western Ukraine

After one day of flying 1800 kilometers (about 1100 miles) southwest of Moscow through Kiev to Uzhgorod you arrive in an amazing green world. When you are surrounded by lush green fields, hills and mountains, your heart is filled with thanksgiving to God for His wonderful creation on earth. Add to all this the radical hospitality and extravagant generosity of Transcarpathian people and you can feel the taste of the Heavenly Kingdom here on earth. Every day your heart becomes filled with a desire to stay and live here forever.

You are even more inspired by the ministry of United Methodist churches in Uzhgorod city and Kamianitsa village which is 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) from the city. Pastors Vasil and Alla Vuksta serve God, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of this region. Both adults and children love to come to this church to worship, study Bible, attend Sunday school, prayer meetings and fellowship because they experience the grace of God which flows abundantly on the people in of this church.

Today sisters and brothers of these churches freely worship God with thankful hearts. Many of them remember that it was not always like this. They continue to serve with faithfulness and courage as did their pastor Ivan in the past.

Ivan Vasilievich Vuksta was born in 1929. At that time Uzhgorod was part of Czechoslovakia. His father was a lay leader of the Methodist church in Kamianitsa in the 1930s and actively shared the good news of Jesus Christ and spread spiritual literature in Uzhgorod district traveling around by bicycle. We learn this from the stories of Vasil Vuksta, son of Ivan Vasilievich, and his wife Alla.[2]

The Spirit of God was moving and directing the activity of Methodist people in Uzhgorod even in the early years of the 1920’s. On March 26, 1923 the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church South (USA) purchased a building in Uzhgorod, which was a great gift for the congregation.

While he was a teenager, Ivan witnessed the change of state when Uzhgorod ceased to be Czechoslovakian and became a territory of Hungary in late 1930s. And after World War II Uzhgorod became a part of the Soviet Union. Today you can hear a joke from the people of Uzhgorod about how they visited four countries by staying in the same place the whole time.

Ivan’s teenage years were full of changes, but one man, Yan Gasich, the pastor of the Methodist church in Uzhgorod, played a special role in his life. Pastor Yan encouraged Ivan to study and pray about God’s call to pastoral ministry. This tradition of discerning the gifts of God for pastoral ministry and paying attention to God’s call in other people is still a central for ministry of our churches today. We encourage these people on their journey. Helping people to discern their calling is a great task and privilege of Christian leaders and ministers.

In the late 1950s Ivan Vasilievich became a lay leader of the Methodist church in Kamianitsa. It was a difficult time. After the establishment of the Soviet regime in Western Ukraine, the Methodist people were prohibited from doing any activities for the church. Their church building in Uzhgorod was taken away and given to Baptist church. When in 1948 pastor Gasich requested the local government to let him live in the apartment on our church property he was refused. So we lost our church building and the apartment for a pastor. But the faith of the Methodist people grew even stronger.

When I listen to the story of pastor Ivan, I am amazed by his faithfulness and courage. He experienced so many difficulties that the present generation can hardly imagine. Regular threats against his family, constantly being fired from jobs because of his faith in Jesus Christ, and even the closing of the Kamianitsa village entrances by the police so that people would not be able to participate in worship. Furthermore, imagine windows broken by stones thrown by atheists, refusal to register the church, prohibition to preach the Gospel and sing hymns. How can one stand firm in this situation and continue to serve in unison with the Spirit’s movement? I have found a few main answers in my conversations with Vasil and Alla Vuksta.

First, is a fervent love for God. Pastor Ivan was fully dedicated to God’s ministry. He was constantly thinking how to reach new people with the Gospel. In all of his conversations with people he put God as the center of attention.

Fervent love for God was also a characteristic of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. He also fully dedicated himself to God and worked hard for spreading the gospel among ordinary folk.

Second, is faithfulness to God. I often ask myself – what trials and difficulties have I experienced on my journey today? Perhaps, I can complain about the unfriendly attitude of some people towards the Methodist church, or the lack of funds, etc. But all these seem so insignificant in comparison with what pastor Ivan and the Methodist people of his time experienced.

The faithfulness of pastor Ivan was a spiritual gift which characterized leaders of the Methodist movement. Neither threats, nor a danger of imprisonment, nor humiliation could shake the faithfulness of Ivan. As the apostle Paul, he firmly continued his ministry and completed his mission with faithfulness.

Third, it is having a brave heart! One must be very brave in order to practice peaceful disobedience towards government, which prohibits you and your people to freely express your faith. It may seem unrealistic for many people today, but such was the society where Methodist people lived and grew, constantly receiving refusal to be registered as an official church. Add to this letters from persecutor’s office and from KGB and you can feel the pressure our sisters and brothers lived under in that time.

The brave heart of pastor Ivan brought confidence to his disciples and inspired them to follow Christ. They also became brave and shared the Gospel with people in their village and city in spite of all the risks.

Forth, is a vision from God. Pastor Ivan has had a big vision from God. He envisioned new Methodist churches in Ukraine, new churches full of young people who actively serve the Lord. When God gives such a vision, it is hard to stop you.

Furthermore, pastor Ivan constantly thought about possibilities to train young people to be pastors and lay leaders. Thanks to our sisters and brothers from Hungary this dream came true in the mid-1990s.

Fifth, it is being sacrificial. In spite of his small salary, constantly being fired from jobs because of his faith, and the responsibility of raising five children, pastor Ivan always gave much of his income for the ministry of the church. It was not only his tithe, which many of us give to the Lord. It was much more than that.

Pastor Ivan sacrificed his health. He did not care about his own comfort. He worked day and night because he understood how much God loves people and desires to save their souls.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, pastor Ivan continued traditions of the Methodist movement and transformed the future together with his sisters and brothers. The Lord has abundantly blessed churches in Kamianitsa and Uzhgorod.

It is with thankful hearts that we remember the important role of The Methodist church in Estonia. This church continued its activity during Soviet time and supported our congregation in Kamianitsa in so many ways. Pastor Ivan visited Tallinn in late 1960s several times. Also, brothers and sisters from Estonia visited Kamianitsa and helped the church in its ministry. It strengthened the church and helped its further growth. At a certain point our church in Kamianitsa was recognized as a branch of the Estonian church and that helped the Methodist movement to move forward.

After many refusals our church in Kamianitsa was finally able to register in 1983. Since then the official activity of the church has expanded every year. The movement of the Holy Spirit encourages us when we see the church full of diverse people from small children to grey haired adults. Their dedication to God, faithfulness and brave hearts remind us of the wonderful foundation that Pastor Ivan laid out.

Every time I leave Kamianitsa village I take with me wonderful memories about the love and faithfulness of pastors Vasil and Alla. Their story about Vasil’s father, pastor Ivan Vasilievich Vuksta [3], about his ministry and faithfulness, is an inspiration for them and for all of us today and will continue for many generations to come.

My prayer today is that movement of the Spirit continues doubly in United Methodist people today. May faithfulness, brave and sacrificial hearts be the DNA of our Methodist tradition in Eurasia!

Submitted by Fedor Kim

Bibliography

С Т Кимбро мл., Сестра Анна, Объединенная Методистская Церковь Евразии, г.Москва, 2014 г.
С Т Кимбро-мл. под ред., Методизм в России и странах Балтии: история и возрождение, Издательство Уральского университета, г.Екатеринбург, 2003 г.
Journal of the Finland and Saint Petersburg mission conference, Methodist Press, Rome, 1908.

References

[1] 2 Timothy 4:7, Common English Bible translation

[2] see video film “Ivan. Anna. Yonghuk”, The United Methodist Church in Eurasia, 2014

[3] see video film “Ivan. Anna. Yonghuk”, The United Methodist Church in Eurasia, 2014

Boliolo, Oscar (1934-2017)

Leader Of Uruguayan Methodism

Oscar Bolioli presided over the Methodist Church in Uruguay three times: from 1975-1979, 2002-2008 and 2012-2016.

Bolioli acquired his theological training at the Evangelical Higher Institute of Theological Studies, an ecumenical institution in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was later ordained as an elder in the Methodist Church of Uruguay.

He had a long history as an ecclesiastical leader in Latin America, heading important positions at national and international levels.

He served as secretary of the Latin American Union of Ecumenical Youth and the Commission on Evangelism and Mission of the World Council of Churches. He also served on the boards of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Crandon Institute and was president of the Evangelical Hospital of the Federation of Evangelical Churches of Uruguay.

In the 1970s, during his first term as president of the Methodist Church in Uruguay, dictator regimes ruled that South American country. Many social and community leaders, including pastors and laity of Christian churches, suffered imprisonment, exile, torture and disappearances. Bolioli became a target of the then military government of Uruguay for standing up for the rights of political detainees and their families during his five-year term (1974–1979) as president (comparable to bishop) of the small Uruguayan Methodist church. During this period of political difficulty, Bolioli, “assumed the representation in Uruguay of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and helped those who got free that needed to leave the country. He distributed among relatives of political prisoners aid sent by the Swedish Parliament, and managed visit of religious leaders to political detainees,” said a report by the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2013 when he was recognized as an exemplary citizen.

Press accounts at the time indicate that he felt vulnerable and left his country when he no longer had the protection of the high visibility church role. He moved to the United States with his family, and for two decades he was affiliated with the Latin American and Caribbean work of the National Council of Churches Christ in the USA and the related humanitarian agency, Church World Service. Between 1982 and 2000, Bolioli was the director of the Latin American and Caribbean Department of the National Council of Church of Christ in the USA and of the Church World Service, based in New York. In this role, he supervised support projects to the region and had prominent participation in the process of mediation carried out in the case of the Cuban child Elián González.

He was also active in the global Methodist connection, serving on the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean (CIEMAL). Bolioli became widely known during his years of ecumenical service for his insistence on economic policy and practice that would benefit indigenous people in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also advocated full, responsible accounting of charitable contributions to economic development projects.

Bolioli returned to Uruguay in 2002 at the age of 68 to resume the leadership of the Methodist community there. He served as president until 2008, and was then reelected in 2012 for a term ending in 2016.

In 2003 Bolioli was distinguished as “Citizen Illustrious of Montevideo” by Ana Olivera, the city’s mayor, in recognition of his work in terms of peace, justice and reconciliation. The resolution stated that, “men like Bolioli are not only necessary, but because of their honesty, humanity and ability to work, are an example to make known and follow.”

Bolioli represented Uruguayan Methodists at the United Methodist 2016 General Conference in Portland, Oregon. Since 2016, he served as a member of the executive council and national board of life and mission of the Methodist Church in Uruguay.

He passed away in 2017.

Bolioli was one of several men and women who forged Methodism in South America — including Emilio Castro, José Míguez Bonino, Bishop Federico Jose Pagura and Mortimer Arias — and “have passed to be with the Lord” in the last few years, noted the Rev. Luis de Souza Cardoso, leader of the Buenos Aires regional office of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. In “A Strange Strain of Audacious,” Bishop Sante Uberto Barbieri wrote about the history of great Methodist leaders who spread the faith in England and America as “giants of the gospel and of Methodism.” If Barbieri wrote today, Souza Cardoso said, “Pastor Oscar Bolioli would be on his list of giants of the gospel and Methodism.”

“Pastor Oscar Bolioli shared the vigor of that generation and framed his time with the testimony of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God by the Methodist tradition,” he said. “His struggle for human rights and his untiring work for ecumenical relations are testimony to a life dedicated to the Gospel, to others and to life.”

Adapted from “Latin American Methodist leader remembered,” by Gustavo Vasquez, UMNS, http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/latin-american-methodist-leader-remembered, and “Remembering the Rev. Oscar Bolioli, Methodist and Human Rights Leader from Uruguay,” by Elliott Wright, Global Ministries, https://www.umcmission.org/learn-about-us/news-and-stories/2017/june/0620remembering-the-rev-oscar-bolioli-methodist-and-human-rights-leader-from-uruguay