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UMCOR Has Set up ~D and Story Worked out Well .A ...,. NEW WORLD OUTLOOK Sustaining the Work of Mission I • Publisher R. Randy Day How does a church find the remnants of a congregation after 50 years Editor of repression and systematic dismantling of religious institutions by Christie R. Hou e the state? Is it worth digging into the past to find the answer? Art Director Designer The United Methodist churches of Eastern Europe, Lithuania, Latvia, 4 Frank DeGregorie Hal adler and Russia have had to answer this question over the last two decades. Prod11ctio11 Ma11ager Churches in areas controlled by the former Soviet Union have emerged Brenda L. Carr and are growing today, but in most cases, they started anew because of Editorial Assistar1t/Periodicals the strength and conviction of a remnant. It is worth digging up the past Patricia Y. Bradley 16 because God is faithful and God's covenants are real to the people Editorial Office bound by them, even over time and memory. As the world changes, Christie R. Hou e 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1476 governments change and national boundaries change. But even as New York, NY 10115 the names of former denominations change, God's promises remain 19 212 / 870-3765 constant and God's love sustains the people who follow the example of E-mail : [email protected] Christ, seeking earnestly to be disciples, the followers of Christ. Website: http://gbgm-umc.org/ nwo / In some cases, congregations were recovered because a pastor or 22 layperson kept a photograph of a children's Sunday school class from Advertisi11g/Pro111o tio11 Director Edward Moultrie the 1930s or 1940s. Fifty years later, the families of the children who 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1472 attended the church could be traced from the photograph and invited ew York, Y 10115 212 /870-3784 back to join the church they knew as children. Whole families have joined the church and brought others with them. Published bimonthly by the General Board of These growing churches that have reconnected with the United 28 Global Ministries of The United Method ist Church. (ISSN-0043-8812) Methodist family will be a topic of discussion at the upcoming General Conference. How to train new pastors and sustain them in their vocation Periodicals postage paid at ew York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2003 by in sputtering economies is a challenge for the whole church. As Robert 32 the General Board of Global Ministries of The Harman reminds us in his article, "A Personal Faith with a Global United Methodist Church. o part of New World Outlook may be reproduced in any fo rm without Embrace: Realizing a Connectional Mission" (p. 23), the strength of our written permission from the Editor. church is not only its individual congregations but the way in which Printed in U.S.A. they relate to each other all around the world in connection. 34 Other ministries covered in this issue that depend and thrive on the New World Outlook editorials and unsigned arti­ cles reflect the views of the editors and signed support of the United Methodist connection are Communities of articles the views of authors only. Shalom (p. 32), The National Hispanic Plan (p. 16), Asian Language 36 Unsolicited manuscripts will be acknowledged Ministries (p. 34), the Program on Substance Abuse and Related only if used. Otherwi e, the editors cannot be Violence (p. 19), Ministries with the Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard of responsible for returning them. Hearing, and Deaf-Blind (p. 36), and the emerging churches supported Report change of address to: New World Outlook, by the first-ever United Methodist telethon (p. 40). P.O. Box 548, Newburgh, New York 12551. Send old address label if possible. Allow at least Coverage of these kinds of vital ministries-supported by the 40 30 days notice. Or call 1-800-218-4014. whole connection of The United Methodist Church and assigned by POSTMASTER: Send address changes directly to General Conference to the General Board of Global Ministries, in con­ New World Outlook, P.O. Box 548, Newburgh, New junction with other United Methodist agencies-will continue in the York 12551. Subscriptions in the United States and Possessions: One year $15.00 (combination with next issue of New World Outlook. DEPA Response, $28.00). Single copies $3.00. Two years $26.00. All foreign countries: One year $20.00 (combination with Res po11 se, $30.00). Church Christie R. House Subscription Program: 5 or more one-year sub­ 2 scriptions for $12 each. To Give to the Advance: 22 For United Methodists: Make the check out to your local church and write the Advance name and code number on Photo/Art Credits: page 45. the check. Give your gift to your church treasurer so that your local church and annual conference receive Advance 27 credit. Outside UM channels: Make the check payable to 11 Advance GCFA" with the project name and code Cover: by Richard Lord. A young partici­ number on the check. Send the check to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY l 0087 -9068. To pant enj oys the United Methodist summer contribute with o credit cord, coll l-888-252-617 4. 42 camp in Bratislava, Slovakia. All Advance projects ore also eligible for Supplementary Gifts through United Methodist Women's giving channels. 43 2 NEW WORLD OlITLOOK NOVEMBER/ DECEMB ER 2003 New Series Vol. LXIV, No. 2 NEW WORLD OUTLOOK W~ole Series Vol. XCllI, No ..6 ew World Outlook NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2003 0y eil!\ 0nsbr MISSION ASSIGNMENTS FROM GENERAL CONFERENCE atvi~ 2cades. 4 Eastern European Churches in the 21st Century erged by Christie R. House, photos by Richard Lord ause of epasi 16 The National Plan for Hispanic Ministry: 2001-2004 Quadrennium people by Elf S. Rivera anges, ven as remain 19 Changing the Drinking Culture on College Campus aple ol by Sar/a Chand ;tor or 22 Issues in Global Mission Policy and Practice: Introduction by R. Randy Day s from n who A Personal Faith with a Global Embrace: Real izing a Connectional Mission nvited by Robert J. Harman ; have Jnited 28 The Church in North Korea ~nerru by Youngsook C. Kang and Gail V. Coulson cation ~obe rt 32 Communities of Shalom: Realizing the Vision ~ lobru by Lynda Byrd of our which 34 Learning the Language of Parents: Vietnamese Children in the New World ) fl the by Betty Backstrom ies of guage 36 On the Road with a Story to Tell : National Comm ittee on Ministries elated with Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind People 1rd of 1orted by Peggy Johnson and Carol Stevens ly the 40 In Mission Together for Christ and the World ed by Announcing a new event for mission support 1 con· In the DEPARTMENTS House 2 Sustaining the Work of Mission 22 Statement of Ownership mlier 1111 27 Reader Response ~avo nre no roae 1068. lo 42 Mission Memo ~on n ek . 36 19 43 Bulletin Inserts on Mission NEW WORLD OUTLOOK NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003 3 RN EUROPEAN RCHES IN THE 21ST CENTURY Central and Bishop Heil Althoug each counb BY PHO T OS AN D INTERVIEWS BY RICHARD LORD founded in by returnin _..... __ he dissolution of the Soviet Union in States or fa 1991 sent far-reaching ripples across Asia lished soci< and Eastern Europe. Even before Mikhail munity cen Gorbachev stepped down and Boris of Europe 1 Yeltsin became Russia's democratically throughout elected president, the Communist regimes of Hungary, change oul Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia dissolved under pressure Europe eitf from popular movements encouraged by the fall of the of German Berlin Wall in 1989. By 1993, Czechoslovakia, under its signed' the 1 new president, long-time human rights activist Vaclav revolution Havel, peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and The ME Slovakia (or the Slovak Republic). Yugoslavia, on the because of other hand, was shattered by violence and split into five of the hum different countries. from the I Although political changes happened quickly in South; Me' the early 1990s, the economic and social changes that Brethren iI accompanied political gains proved awkward and therefore s1 painful. The Soviet system undergirded the economic World Wai foundations of the Warsaw Pact countries. It provid­ persecuted ed an outlet for the countries' industry, goods, and Chief ai resources. Under the Communist system, most peo­ ing childre ple who were able to work were guaranteed a job. graphics. T This security quickly ended in a free-market system. the faith ar Unemployment, poverty, hunger, and homelessness adults CUri increased in all the countries. that religio But the economic and social conditions that can provi( went unanswered by the struggling new govern­ service pre ments created a vacuum that Protestant churches began to fill. Under the generation Communist governments, all of the churches endured persecution in the world , different degrees. The Orthodox churches, in some countries supported tion Was ta by the government, aroused the suspicion of many parishioners and Yet, in , membership decreased. As the countries of Eastern Europe opened up to countries c the world, missionaries from new religions ventured in, or, as in the sequent rel RLD OUTLOOK NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2003 case of the Methodist Church, com­ munions long out of contact with their parent denominations began to revive. l Methodist communions that "' rejoined the Unl.ted Methodist con- ......... nection after 1989 include the churches of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (the church of Czechoslovakia remained one conference when the country 1 divided), Serbia (including the UMC of Macedonia), and Bulgaria. They had always been part of the Central and Southern Europe Central Conference, which is presently led by Bishop Heinrich Bolleter, whose conference office is in Zurich, Switzerland.
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