"Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit calling for God's shalom.  Peace with justice witnesses to God's demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, and secure world." (Par. 264.5, The Book of Discipline 2004)

UMCOR at A Glance

Refugees, Immigrants Bring New Life to Churches

Sunday, June 20 is World Refugee Day. This year's theme is "A New Home, a New Life," focusing on the United States' proud tradition of welcoming refugees and the many contributions they bring to towns and cities across America.

Htoo Saw Ywa spent two years in a Burmese jail where the government held him, his mother, two brothers and a sister. He was 12 years old.   

The family was imprisoned because the government was trying to capture his father, an officer with the ethnic Karen minority army fighting the Burmese government for a homeland of their own.

At 17, he fled Burma to avoid arrest for his involvement in a student demonstration, living for more than a decade in refugee camps along the Burma-Thailand border. He married and fathered three children in the camps.  "I did not know what would happen to me, but I could not go back into Burma because it was dangerous for me," Htoo recalls.

Htoo's immediate family was assigned to UMCOR by Church World Service, which works with the U.S. government and several religious denominations and local social service agencies to help resettle refugees.  New World UMC in Arlington, Texas then sponsored them.

"They have helped us grow, as much as anything we have done for them," the Rev. Mike Dawson says. "This ministry has transformed the lives of all the people who work in it.  Our church on Sunday morning now looks more like what you think the church, apostolic and universal, ought to look like."

A Bulletin Insert and worship resources are available at: www.churchworldservice.org/Immigration/archives/2007/05/158.html

With Annual Conference coming up, we hope that your congregation is taking a special offering for HFCA.  We also ask that you bring new toothbrushes, toothpaste, children's vitamins, children's Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, Band Aid type bandages, sterile surgical gloves, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, reams of copy paper, dustless chalk, etc. to Annual Conference.

Visit our new web site www.hopeforthechildrenofafrica.com for additional collection opportunities and other information.  If you are interested in hands-on helping with the collecting, sorting, and packing of the container, please contact Terri & Mike Hobbs, 360-675-0102 or 320-1323, skipjack@whidbey.net.
 

Ann Wilson from Stanwood UMC is now the sponsor coordinator.  She can be contacted at 360-939-0193 or HFCA@stanwoodumc.org.  We also are offering sponsorships for the boys living at the temporary orphanage (Jamaa Letu II).

Our Congolese friends are incredibly grateful for our conference's support and generosity!  We (Bishop's task force - Hope For the Children of Africa) also are grateful for your ongoing support.  THANK YOU!

Cooperative Schools of Christian Mission:  Have You Registered Yet?

Scholarships for Cooperative Schools of Christian Mission

Attention Women, Men, Youth, and Children:  You qualify to receive a scholarship to the Cooperative School of Christian Mission (CSOCM).  YES, scholarships are available to anyone who would like to attend.  Special priority will be given to:

      ♪ Ethnic Women

      ♪ Youth and young women under 45 years old

      ♪ Women belonging to small units (under 30 members)

      ♪ Women belonging to new units

      ♪ First time attendee

Even if you do not fall into one of these categories; please apply because many times scholarship funds go unused. 

Scholarships are available from: local churches or local United Methodist Women, District United Methodist Women, Conference United Methodist Women, and the Cooperative School of Christian Mission.  Apply first to your local church and/or local United Methodist Women, then district and conference UMW or school.  Each group may offer a full or partial scholarship.  The conference UMW and the school offer � of the registration fee.  You will need to contact the individual groups to find out what amount they offer.  If the entire registration fee can not be awarded by one of those listed and is needed, please ask that your scholarship application be forwarded to the next source or you may fill out and submit the appropriate application.  Please note on the application any amount you are receiving from another group.  You will be notified by a representative of each group you apply to of the amount awarded.  All scholarship awards should be sent directly to the CSOCM registrar.  If there is a balance not covered by the scholarship(s), you must send it with your registration form.  Registrations will not be accepted without proper payment by the deadline. 

Check with each group for their respective deadlines.  The deadline for conference UMW and CSCOM scholarship applications is June 22, 2007.

Newsletters from Our Missionaries

• Paul Jeffrey  (Eugene, OR)
• Janice McLain  (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• David & Lorene Persons  (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Jeff & Ellen Hoover  (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Devi Bhujel  (Nepal)
• Mary Kelly  (Tonga)

Mission Speakers Still Have Some Open Slots

Annual Conference delegations across the U.S. are invited to join General Board of Global Ministries staff in exploring what makes for peace in the Middle East.

Program Highlights

�     Exposure to Land & Peoples Today

�     Meeting with Israeli & Palestinian Religious leadership, "How is religion helping or hurting the quest for a just and durable peace?"

�     Solidarity visits with Palestinian and Israeli families & worship with religious communities

�     Conversations with Political, NGO, & Human Rights leaders across the spectrum of both communities

�     Visiting Advance Projects and Area Partners, exposure to their work, how it is impacted by situation and how they are working to build hope for people

�     Strategizing with Palestinian & Israeli Peace workers about most effective methods to communicate what is needed for a just & durable peace

�     Learning from Annual Conferences whose work on this issue is developed, presentation on models from other denominations,  presentations on mission & advocacy work going on in US from a variety of arenas

�     Planning - to develop accountability plans for individual commitments and possible actions for Annual Conferences, Jurisdictions, General Church, meeting within and across AC groups

Mission Study Goals

�     Examine current issues of racism, terrorism, occupation, refugees & liberation

�     Analyzecomplexities of land issues, borders & statehood

�     Explore stance of UMC & other faith communities during ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict

�     Explore impact of Israeli-Palestinian conflict on women & children

Costs

Approximately $1000 (accommodations, all meals, ground transportation, tips, fees, honorariums, supplies and materials) + airfare to Tel Aviv + personal spending money

Visit http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/me/resources/travelseminars for more information.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Noriko Lao, Conference Mission Secretary, before September 30.

UMVIM Connects with NEPAL

From the Desk of UMVIM  Coordinators

Ronda Cordill and Rev Ruth Mathis (Conference Coordinators for UMVIM) will be at Annual Conference to update you on what is going 'What's New' with UMVIM.  This past year many new connections have been made and there are new teams and locations to tell you about.

• Cell Phones:  Don't forget to collect and bring used cell phone to Tacoma
• Early Morning Worship:  The UMVIM Coordinators are planning the Early Morning Worship Services on Wednesday and Saturday at Kilworth Chapel.  There is a rumor that Noah might be a guest speaker.
• UMVIM Luncheon:  There will be a get together luncheon on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.  Room to be announced, so watch for signs.  Any one who has led a team, been a member of a team or would like to learn more about UMVIM is invited.
• Ministry Fair:  UMVIM will have a booth.  Stop by and see what's new with UMVIM.  Please introduce yourself and any team leader who comes by will get a prize.

UMVIM is about the People

During spring break, Cheney UMC sent 6 high school youth and 4 adults to Chihuahua, Mexico.  They worked on a church and connected with the people, especially with the children and youth.  Here is one report which describes what UMVIM truly is meant to be:

"During this past spring break we went to Chihuahua, Mexico where I spent the best week of my life.  It truly was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and to pick one good part of it would be too hard.  We painted and worked on a church full of amazing people, and the day we left I have never been so emotional about people I only knew for four days.  The bonds between everyone involved in that trip grew so strong that we become best friends and many of us couldn't even speak the same language.  The one thing that will bring me back every year though is my "little sister" Naeba (nay-va).  She and I become very close and I will always remember her.  To talk about it brings back so many memories and I wish I could share them all but there isn't even time in the day to tell it all.  I will always remember our week in Mexico and it changed our lives forever."  Sara Jackson (age 15)

Christian Love in Action!

What did you do during your spring break?  Members of the Kennewick First UMC took their tool trailer and adopted a cabin at Camp Twinlow.  Twenty-five people traveled to the camp and spent at least a day or more (5 of them worked for the entire week) hammering, sawing, electrical work, painting, cleaning, and having fun.  Linda Bauer was the team leader of this very special group of people who chose to fix up cabin and ended up building relationships in their service for God.

NOMADS Need More Volunteers

NOMADS (Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service) will be busy this summer and fall right here in the Pacific Northwest!  That is if some more workers will sign up to work at the Twinlow Camp in Rathrum, ID or at the Randle UMC in Randle, WA during the work period of Aug. 6 - 23.  And you do not have to be a member of the NOMADS organization to get signed up!  That can be taken care of by the Team leader.  So this is a chance for you to come and experience the fellowship and work activities that make a NOMADS project such a special event.  And you could even be a Leader for the project at the Ocean Park Camp from Sept. 15 - Oct. 4 where we have 5 couples already signed up as workers.  For more information contact Tom Hager at

425-485-0744, tomterrific3@juno.com, or come to the Mission Fair at Annual Conference Wednesday evening June 13 from 7 to 9 pm!

How are you engaged in mission?  Have you had an invaluable UMVIM or NOMAD experience lately?  Do you have openings on your UMVIM team that other church members can join?  How do you get youth and children involved in mission?  Does your church have a great community outreach program -- a food bank, after-school program, etc.?  What joys does the Covenant Relationship with a missionary bring to your congregation?  Do you have exciting and enjoyable ways to raise funds for mission?

Please share your mission stories with the readers of H.A.I.L.  Send your article of about 250 words in length to the editor at norikolao@cs.com.  Send the picture (in JPEG format) separately.  H.A.I.L. is published as needed, that is, whenever there is enough news.  So, there is no specific deadline, except for a timed material.  To keep the H.A.I.L. going, please send in your article.