{"id":10608,"date":"2015-08-07T12:15:35","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T19:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=10608"},"modified":"2015-08-07T12:15:35","modified_gmt":"2015-08-07T19:15:35","slug":"missionaries-visiting-the-pnw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/missionaries-visiting-the-pnw\/","title":{"rendered":"Missionaries Visiting the PNW"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Times and dates are subject to change. Information courtesy of umcmission.org. Special thanks to Joan Hackett.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Jeffrey Hoover &#038; Ellen Hoover<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, Sept. 14<\/strong><br \/>\nLeavenworth UMC, Potluck and Program, 12pm<br \/>\nCashmere UMC, Potluck and Program 5pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, Sept. 15<\/strong><br \/>\nLake Chelan UMC, Coffee and Chat, 9:30am<br \/>\nManson UMC, Lunch and Program, 12pm<br \/>\nMethow Valley UMC, Dinner and Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, Sept. 16<\/strong><br \/>\nOroville UMC, 12pm<\/p>\n<p><!--more Please continue to The PNW News Blog for a complete schedule with bios!--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, Sept. 17<\/strong><br \/>\nTBD (possibly Grand Coulee UMC)<br \/>\nSpokane Valley UMC<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, Sept. 18<\/strong><br \/>\nSpokane: Fowler UMC, Lunch, 12pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, Sept. 19<\/strong><br \/>\nE. Wenatchee: Trinity UMC,<br \/>\nSeven Rivers District UMW Meeting<br \/>\nWenatchee: First UMC, Dinner Gathering,<br \/>\n4pm-6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, Sept. 20<\/strong><br \/>\nPasco: Riverview UMC, Worship, 10am<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, Sept. 21<\/strong><br \/>\nLa Crosse UMC, Potluck Dinner &#038; Program, 5pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, Sept. 22<\/strong><br \/>\nOPEN<br \/>\nBenton City UMC, Meal and Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, Sept. 23<\/strong><br \/>\nKennewick UMC, UMW Lunch, 10:30pm<br \/>\nProsser UMC, Meal and Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, Sept. 24<\/strong><br \/>\nSunnyside UMC, Lunch<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, Sept. 25<\/strong><br \/>\nHFCA 12pm<br \/>\nYelm UMC<br \/>\nPotluck Dinner, Program 5pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, Sept. 26<\/strong><br \/>\nStanwood UMC, Program 4pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, Sept. 27<\/strong><br \/>\nCoupeville UMC<br \/>\nWorship &#038; Lunch, 8:45am &#038; 11am<br \/>\nBremerton UMC, Meal and Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/BACKCOVER_mission_jhoover.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"BACKCOVER_mission_jhoover\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10614\" \/><strong>Jeffrey Hoover<\/strong><br \/>\nServing At: Katanga Methodist University<br \/>\nLocation: DR Congo, Africa<br \/>\nHome Country: US, North America<br \/>\nSpouse: Ellen Hoover<\/p>\n<p>Dr. J. Jeffrey Hoover is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned since 1979 to the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. <\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hoover is a professor at Katanga Methodist University, both in the theological college as professor of church history and in the School of Information Technology.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff also serves as chief librarian, overseeing a computerization and recataloguing project, and has served as founding dean of the School of Information Technology and as a vice-dean for the theological college.<br \/>\nDr. Hoover has been involved in international accreditation issues, development of Congolese faculty, and the development of both concepts and curricula for the new colleges of the university.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff shares that he is deeply committed to the development of a viable United Methodist-related university at Mulungwishi which can help address the critical needs of the Congo that are emerging after three decades of the Mobutu regime and five years of war. In a country where French rather than English is the principal international language, a Congolese university can better and more cost effectively serve the needs of its country while following the principles and values of an African University for English-speaking Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff continues to maintain his ties with the public University of Lubumbashi, one of the three Congolese state universities which for two decades had a monopoly on higher education. He teaches pre-colonial African history, the field of his research, and is also interested in Bantu historical linguistics and social anthropology. He continues to concentrate on teaching beginning undergraduates as well as facilitating the development of Congolese staff.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to teaching, Dr. Hoover has also served as a consultant to government and international organizations involved with development projects in Katanga province. From 1985-92 he served as administrative director of a medical infrastructure project with the cooperation of USAID, the Zairian government, and several Christian denominations, all managed by the Southern Congo Annual Conference.<br \/>\nDr. Hoover received his B.A. degree in history and biology from Luther College in 1969, and earned his M.Ph. degree in 1972 and his Ph.D. in African History in 1978, both from Yale University.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/BACKCOVER_mission_ehoover.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"BACKCOVER_mission_ehoover\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10613\" \/><strong>Ellen Hoover<\/strong><br \/>\nServing At: The English-speaking School of Lubumbashi and Katanga Methodist University in Mulungwishi<br \/>\nLocation: DR Congo, Africa<br \/>\nHome Country: US, North America<br \/>\nSpouse: Jeffrey Hoover<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ellen Titus Hoover is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo (also called DRC or Congo-Kinshasa). She is a part-time professor at the United Methodist University in Mulungwishi where she teaches courses in Islam and church history in the college of theology.<\/p>\n<p>Ellen also works with The English-speaking School of Lubumbashi (TESOL), an elementary and middle school for children of missionaries, full-time church workers and other English-speaking families in a city where French is the common language of instruction. After helping start the school in 1987, she served on the Administrative Council and as director of the school.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hoover holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and a Ph.D. in African History from Yale University.<br \/>\nEllen entered missionary service in 1979 and is married to Dr. Jeffrey Hoover, also a GBGM missionary who serves in the DRC. Their family includes their children Jane, Jeremy and wife Lindsay, and Mark.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Nan McCurdy &#038; Miguel Mairena<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, Sept. 10<\/strong><br \/>\nOPEN<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, Sept. 11<\/strong><br \/>\nSpokane: Manito UMC<br \/>\nPotluck &#038; Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, Sept. 12<\/strong><br \/>\nSpokane: Covenant UMC<br \/>\nDistrict UMW Meeting,<br \/>\n9am-3pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, Sept. 13<\/strong><br \/>\nGoldendale UMC,<br \/>\nWorship, 9:30am<\/p>\n<p>White Salmon UMC,<br \/>\nLunch and Chat, 12pm<br \/>\nOPEN, 5pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, Sept. 14<\/strong><br \/>\nBattle Ground UMC<br \/>\nSalmagundi, 12pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ridgefield UMC<\/strong><br \/>\nMeal &#038; Program, 6:30pm<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday, Sept. 15<br \/>\nOPEN<br \/>\nKelso UMC<br \/>\nPotluck &#038; Program, 6pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, Sept. 16<\/strong><br \/>\nChehalis, 10pm-2pm<br \/>\nFederal Way: Sunrise, Evening<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, Sept. 17<\/strong><br \/>\nOPEN<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, Sept. 18<\/strong><br \/>\nPort Townsend<br \/>\nLunch &#038; Program, 12pm<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, Sept. 19<\/strong><br \/>\nCoupeville UMC<br \/>\nPuget Sound District UMW Meeting<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, Sept. 20<\/strong><br \/>\nPuyallup UMC<br \/>\nWorship<br \/>\n8:55am &#038; 10:35am<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/NEWS_Missionaries_Nan.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"NEWS_Missionaries_Nan\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10615\" \/><strong>Nan McCurdy<\/strong><br \/>\nServing At: General Board of Global Ministries<br \/>\nSpouse: Miguel Mairena <\/p>\n<p>Nan McCurdy is a United Methodist missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries. She and her missionary husband, Miguel Mairena, are serving as Mission Advocates for the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. <\/p>\n<p>Mission Advocates are active missionaries assigned to help annual conferences, districts, and local churches in the United States to understand and participate in global mission. Their work has a particular focus on mission personnel, including support of missionaries through the Advance. <\/p>\n<p>Nan served the people of Nicaragua as a missionary from 1985 to 2014. She and Miguel most recently worked for some 15 years with youth and children through the Women and Community Association in San Francisco Libre. <\/p>\n<p>Of her call to mission, Nan says, \u201cWe are called to follow Christ\u2019s example: to accompany and promote the inclusion of the poor, the women, the outcasts, the old, the sick, the challenged, the children\u2014all those not included fully in society. As God\u2019s children we are called to be about the making of a just society here on earth, one that fulfills the Jubilee (the liberation of slaves, restitution of the earth, forgiveness of debt, and redistribution of riches).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019Sell all your things, give to the poor and follow me\u2019\u2014this is Christ\u2019s most difficult message for us as US Christians,\u201d Nan observes. \u201cOur worth and well-being are so wrapped up in what we have, in contrast to people in countries like Nicaragua who have nothing but their faith.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>During the war in Nicaragua in the 1980s, Nan and her late husband, Philip Mitchell, worked in a pastoral ministry of accompaniment with people. After the war, she assisted in the Foundation for Nicaraguan War Victims. Phil died in 1991\u2014their daughter Nora was one and their son Daniel was three. She married Miguel Mairena in 1995. Nan and Miguel\u2019s blended family that includes 3 daughters and 3 sons in four countries. <\/p>\n<p>Nan and Miguel promote Christ\u2019s example in their work. They spend a lot of their time networking and supporting people in different organizations who are working in favor of the poor, in favor of the life of the community, and providing an example of service to their neighbors. At San Francisco Libre, Nan and Miguel promoted community development, gender equality and prevention of violence against women. <\/p>\n<p>Nan is a very grateful to be a breast cancer survivor and holds degrees in biology, ecology, and pharmacy, and has done extensive non-degree studies in gender in the fields of development and community development.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/NEWS_Missionaries_Miguel.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"NEWS_Missionaries_Miguel\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10616\" \/><strong>Miguel Mairena<\/strong><br \/>\nServing at: General Board of Global Ministries<br \/>\nLocation: USA, North America<br \/>\nHome Country: Nicaragua, Latin America and the Caribbean<\/p>\n<p>Miguel Mairena is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church serving with his missionary wife, Nan McCurdy, as Mission Advocates in the denomination\u2019s Western Jurisdiction in the United States. He was a missionary in Nicaragua from 1997 to 2014. <\/p>\n<p>For Miguel the words of Jesus from Matthew 25:40 are a guide for mission: \u201cI tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Miguel graduated from law school in December 2008 and finished a master\u2019s degree in criminal law in 2011. In Nicaragua he provided legal counsel to women dealing with situations of (physical, psychological, and economic) violence. He also counseled men about reproductive responsibility and to prevent violence against women. He and Nan worked for many years with the Women and Community Association of San Francisco Libre.<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\nA theologian at heart, Miguel weaves religious reflections into his personal encounters while going about his daily work. Miguel also studied Christian education at Wesley Theological Seminary. <\/p>\n<p>Coming from a large, religious, impoverished Nicaraguan farming family, Miguel had few opportunities to study until he was 20 years old, when he began first grade. Growing up on an island in Lake Nicaragua he learned farming, fishing, and boat skills, and worked during his teens as a mechanic and boat driver. <\/p>\n<p>Most of his studies took place during the years of the Sandinista revolution. He then worked in community and agricultural development projects serving farmers and war veterans through the Nazarene Church, World Vision, and two different ecumenical centers. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to continue studying as an adult and constantly encourages other adults to keep studying.<\/p>\n<p>Miguel and Nan have an international and blended family that includes three daughters and three sons currently in four countries. <\/p>\n<p>Nan and Miguel are members of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><center><em>E-mail Joan Hackett for more information at revkeithjoan@hotmail.com.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/PNWUMC\/Channels\/Channels_84_screen.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/LINK_Channels_84.png?resize=696%2C277\" alt=\"LINK_Channels_84\" width=\"696\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/LINK_Channels_84.png?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/LINK_Channels_84.png?resize=300%2C120&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Times and dates are subject to change. Information courtesy of umcmission.org. Special thanks to Joan Hackett. Jeffrey Hoover &#038; Ellen Hoover Monday, Sept. 14 Leavenworth UMC, Potluck and Program, 12pm Cashmere UMC, Potluck and Program 5pm Tuesday, Sept. 15 Lake Chelan UMC, Coffee and Chat, 9:30am Manson UMC, Lunch and Program, 12pm Methow Valley UMC, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":10611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[384,394,168],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10608","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-districts","8":"category-local-church-2","9":"category-missionaries"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/NEWS_Missionaries.png?fit=700%2C357&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2l75j-2L6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10608"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10627,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10608\/revisions\/10627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}