AIFRICA TASK FORCE REPORT

World Division, Board of Global Ministries The United Methodist Church 1978 ll..FRICA TAS.t\ FORCE

W:Jrld Division, Beard of Global Ministries

llie United t-1ethcdist OlUrc."'l

REPORl' ll..ND ~TICNS

SEPTEMBER 1978

CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR QUorATICN OR CITATICN EGYPT

CAP£ VERDE IS...... Khartoum• TME... GAMBIA SUDAN Banjul

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SlYCHEI.LES IS. •! ~. :: ;.. ~ ... COMOROIS.- PREFACE

'Ihe Africa Task Force was initiated by the World Division of the Board of Global Ministries at its October, 1976 rreeting and mandated to rep::>rt to the World Division in Octcber, 1978. What follcws is the re­ Sp::>nse of the Task Force to that mandate.

In one sense this Report represents ·the end of -a process! ':the Task Force brought together representatives fran the World Division, fran other Divisions of the Board, fran African churches, all named by those bodies, plus missionaries, ecum::mi.cal representatives and at large members fran the United Methodist Church. It rret twice as a full body, once in the United States and once in Africa. Menbers studied a whole series of docu­ ments, analyzing the emerging African reality and wrote prel.iminacy papers on major issues. At Linruru, Kenya in March 1978, it adopted its recorrm:m­ dations on policies and prcgrams. The full Report has been adopted by mail and is new submitted to the lvorld Division. With that action the Task · Force o:::mes to an end.

But in a nore in"portant sense, this Rep::>rt is only one srr.all elerrent in the ongoing process of finding a creative and faithful respon~ to the mandate of Jesus Olrist to carry out His mission in the world. It contains background infonnation and analysis al:out the African context that will be tested, adopted, and perhaps, if it holds up, used by those who ca..~ out the mission in Africa. 'Ihe Rep::>rt contains recc:mnendations. These go to the World Division for its cor.sideration, amendm:nt, and where the Division deans appropriate, action. As adopted by t[l..e Division, some recamendations will then go on to the Board as a whole, to ether Divisions, to other Boards, to African Conferences and churches or to the General Conference. Each of these diverse and creative bodies will place their starrp upon the reo:mnen­ dations before they beccme actua.l p::>licies or programs. Thus, this Rep::>rt is only one rrament in a continuing process.

Within all this study and writing, this debate and decision we . believe that the Spirit of the loving and liberating God is at work, enlightening, correcting, ernpcwering, transfonning, so that what we do ca11 be caught up in God's enduring struggle for human rederrption. It is in this confidence, both in God and in God •s people, that the Task Force submits this report to the World Division for its action. CONTENTS

PREFACE Page I. INTRODUCTION The Africa Task Force· - Its History and I-!a.ndate • 1 The :African Context -- I·1ajor Issues ...... 4

II. CHURCH GRQ\·,'TR ...... 9 (Recommendations) ...... 16

III. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPHENT • ...... 21 (Recommendations) ...... 27

IV. CHURCH TO CHURCH RELATIONSHIPS ...... 30 (Recommendations) ...... 34

v. SUPPORT PATTERNS 38 (Recommendations) • ...... 41

VI. CHURCR~STATE RELATIONS AND DEVELOP!>!ENT 43 (Recommendations) . . . 47

VII. CONCLUSION ...... 49

VIII. APPENDICES ...... ~ . . . . 52 A. The Confession of Alexandria, A.A.C.C,, 1976 B. Africa U}IC Consultation (Salisbury, 1974): Resolutions C. Africa Task Force: I>!embership and \fork D. U.M.C.O.R. Projects in J1rica E. Africa Task Force: Country ReiJorts 1. Algeria 2~ · · Angola 3. Botswana 4. Ghana 5. Kenya 6. Liberia 7. Mozambique 8. Niger 9. Nigeria 10. Sierra Leone 11. South Africa 12. Tunisia 13. Zaire 14. Zambia 15. Zimbabwe (IL~odesia) I. INTRODUCTION

THE AFRICA TASK FORCE - ITS HISTORY .AlrD MANDATE

New ventures seldom spring out of old institutions without precedents that prepare the way. vfuen the Africa Task Force was established by the \Vorld Division of the Board of Global !Unis tries in October 1 976, three important forerunners had already been at work.

First, in 1971 an African Affairs Office was created in the World Division. It came out of the initiative of the Black Staff Task Force to create w~thin the World Division an office that would deal with the mis­ sion of the Church in the broadest possible dimension. It was to take into consideration, for example, the significant religious, social, political, and economic forces that are having an important impact on Christian Mis­ sion. Another function of .the office was to integrate the interests and sensitivities of the Black Community in the United States into the total effort of the Church's mission in Africa, including relationships to the African churches. This was to be an office which clearly was to direct its energies to policy direction of the Division more than routine administra­ tion. The first major effort of the office was the Salisbury Consultation.

Second, within the Division, a Latin America Task Force had presented a creative report that alerted the Division to the implications for mis­ sion strategy of the liberation struggles in Latin America.

Third, in Africa a major consultation had been held bet1-reen representa­ tives of the African churches related to The Ulti ted !1ethodist Church. This 1974 Salisbury Con$ultation was the first opportunity for the African chur­ ches to speak out of their experience as one voice to the Board. Its in­ sights and findings, supplemented by-.reports of some consultations held in individual countries, provided fertile ground for the Africa Task Force as it began its work and as it shaped its recommendations.

As established by the World Division, the Africa Task Force was broadly representative. Its 33 members include directors and staff of the 1vorld, National, Women's, Health and Welfare, Education and Cultivation, and ill1COR Divisions, representatives of the United Methodist conferences in Africa - 2- I

(chosen by those conferences), missionaries, and at-large members from The United Methodist Church and ecumenical agencies. But such organizational I representation only begins to tell the story of the rich variety of gifts represented by black and white Americans, women and men, Africans from east I and west, north and south of that massive continent, ministers, bishops and laypersons, many with extensive experience in Africa. I The task assigned to this diverse group by the World Division was: I "to study the relationship of events in changing Africa today to missio~ and to the life and work of the church; I to impact the policies of the World Division c£ the BOGM relating to Africa; I -to examine seriously the broad context (social, political, cultural, and religious) in which the mission of the Church in Africa is to unfold." I The Task Force was mandated to report to the World Division in October 1978. I ~Atlantic Ci~r Meeting. The first meeting of the whole Africa Task Force >'las convened in Atlantic City, New Jersey, May t-5, 1 977, ilnmedia tely J following the Spring meeting of the Board. As it shaped its work, two things became clear. First, to be realistic and credible, the Task Force needed J direct contact ~~th the African context. Therefore, it determined to hold its second meeting in Africa with as much shared experience in Africa by Task Force members as possible before that meeting. Second, the Task Force would 1 not just present findings about the changing social, political, economic, and ] religious context for mission in Africa. It would translate those emerging realities into clear recommendations for policy and program in The United Methodist Church, directed first to the World Division, but designed to chal­ lenge the consciousness and commitment of the whole United Methodist Church.

The bulk of this first meeting 'i'Tas given to identifying the major issues confronting the Church in Africa, based on reports of African members of the Task Force, a rich variety of background papers gathered by the staff, and presentations by Africa specialists. Thirteen major issue areas emerged. Simply to list them indicates the scope and complexity of the task:

Africanization Church-to-church Relationships Economic Development - 3- ~/ Evangelism Leadership Development Liberation and Human Rights I~inistry Other Religious Groups Personnel Refugees-Political Exiles-Io!igrant Labor Social Services Support Patterns rlomen

/ In the months following the Atlantic City meeting, members of the Task Force prepared papers exploring each of these areas, indicating some of their implications for United :r.rethodist policy.

~ Limuru Heeting. The .Africa meeting of the Task Force came in two stages. In the first stage, five teams visited a total of 14 countries in which The United Methodist Church supports work through several divisions of the Board. (Reports of these groups are found in Appendix D.) In each of these countries, local church leaders set up encounters with key leaders and local groups in Christian communities, including Methodists and a wide variety of others, with government officials, with creative leaders in edu­ cation, health care, and economic development, with students, lrith local pastors and lay people, with liberation movements, and with persons from other faiths.

The second stage came at Limuru, Kenya, from February 26 - March 3, 1978. There the Task Force processed its insights from specific countries, integrated those with its study of the issues, and developed and adopted a series of specific policy and program recommendations for the Church's future work in .Africa. These are found at the end of each of the five major sections. The draft report which placed these recommendations in interpretive context was prepared by several members of the Task Force, both .Africans and Americans, directors and staff, under the supervision of the Executive Committee. The basic points of the recommendations were shared with the vlorld Division in April 1 978. The first draft of the full Report has been circulated to the full Task Force by mail for response and evaluation. A second draft has been adopted by mail vote. vfuat follows thus groi·TS out of the rich soil of the .African context, filtered through

the experience of 33 church leaders, ~~th both their gifts and their limi­ tations, and shaped by a tuo-year process of analysis. -4-

THE AFRICAN CONTEXT--MAJOR ISSUES

Africa, ~continent of rapid change. The last two decades have brought dramatic change in Africa, a change probably more profound than in any other region of a rapidly changing world. And the next two decades promise, if anything~ accelerated shifts :ln African life. It is not an exaggeration to­ say that a kairos is at work in Africa: today? one of those decisive periods of human history, pregnant with possibilities for the future-a period in which the life of succeeding generations will be shaped decisively.

This change is most visible politically. Ghana's independence on March 6, 1957 transferred power from the representatives of the Queen of England to elected African leaders. It marked the beginning of a new era for the whole continent, and the end of the era that began with the arrival of the white colonial powers in the 15th century. Since that day 44 African countries have gained their political independence, some by armed struggle. Only Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe remain under white political control, and in each of these armed struggle is underway. At no time in history have so many new nations / emerged in so brief a time over so large an area.

Political struggle has not ended with liberation from colonial regimes, however. Like other new nations, those in Africa have been faced with massive problems and contesting forces. The colonial powers that lost direct political control have worked powerfully to maintain economic control over natural resources and markets through sophisticated forms of neo-colonialism. Elites develop within the African countries and class struggle emerges. Tribal loyalties fracture the first fragile bonds of national unity. Major population movements into the cities change traditional social patterns and create immense needs for housing and social services. Single crop economics leave new nations vulnerable to exploi ta­ tion. Given such realities, continuing political struggle in the new African states, including 21 military coups since 1958, should not be surprising. Nor should the development of radical ideologies, using those of East and West mixed with African experience, and a large dose of pragmatism, be unexpected as new nations shape their future in a world of such contending forces. Christianity.£!! the continent.£! rapid change. The church in Africa not - 5 - I only lives in the midst of rapid change. It is one of the active agents of change. That fact can be clearly seen in the leaders of the new na­ I tions, most of whom came through mission schools and many of whom remain active and faithful Christians, some of them as bishops or other leaders I in the church. No matter what political ideologies they develop, even those theoretically hostile to religion, the influence of Christian teach­

ing and experience remains formative f~r many. I /

But Christian participation in the African revolution goes much deeper I than the education of political leaders. Christians believe in a revolu­ tionary God at work in their history. They see the revolution in Africa r built upon the faithful ministl"J and lives of fathers and mothers in the faith, missionaries and nationals, many of whom still witness to this day ! by the presence of their graves in the communities they served. Christ­ ians also see the revolutions in Africa built upon the selfless efforts of their brothers and sisters, who, even after attaining education in foreign countries, Y

Such Christians pray in confidence that God will not give them stones for bread. ¥r.hen they consider the love and dedication of sister churches

that sent their sons and daughters as w·ell as money to Africa; vrhen they :,. consider their able leaders who rotted in political prisons and detention camps; and when they consider their sons and daughters who died and are still dying for the liberation of their lands, they hear the echoes of the biblical witness to a liberating God. They believe that the revolution taking place on the continent of Africa today is also of God. And as they continue to make that revolution serve the needs of all the people they share the vision of the prophet Amos:

But let justice roll dolm. like waters, and righteousness like an everflo1·Iing stream. (.Amos 5:24)

The African chu.."""Ch .!£ _!! ~ of ranid change. In its encounter 'd th the African churches, the Task Force found three dominant realities that must shape any relationships with the African churches in the future. .At - 6- the same time, these three realities represent gifts of the African churches desperately needed by The United Methodist Church in the USA.

1. Church Grm'l'th. In 1970 David Barrett predicted that by 2000 A.D. there would be 350 million Christians in Africa, more than in any other con­ tinent. In most countries visited by the Task Force the churches are devel­ oping so rapidly that this prediction may be fulfilled. It is common for j churches related to The United r•Iethodist Church to be gro~dng- at the rate of ten percent per year. Independent African churches are growing even faster.

The reasons for this rapid growth go deep into the life of·the churches and cannot be explained by special programs or strategies, although the lat­ ter are sometimes present. There is a firm faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ and the enabling power of the Spirit. There is the faithful wit­ ness of village catechists and of lay people sharing 1dth their own friends and relatives. There is the creative use of African music and story. "We started to grow when the drums came in the church," said persons in "'vest Af­ rica and Zaire. In other cases, the shift to African leadership triggered rapid grouth. In many places, particularly those places where the church was going through political oppression, it was the creative development of cells of Christians meeting in homes that began as a means of survival and then led to growth (as is now happening in Zimbabwe). In some countries, such as An­ gola, Kenya, and Zaire, growth came rapidly after liberation because the church had identified with the people, at great cost in lives and suffering, through the long struggle for liberation (the blood of the martyrs continues to be the seed of the church). As a result, issues of church growth pene~ trate all the other areas covered by the Task Force Report. Support patterns, kinds of mission personnel, indigenization, commitment to development and liberation--all and many more are entwined with the reality of church growth.

Such growth, of course, is not automatic. It takes continuing creativity, commitment, and resources. This is clearly a moment when the doors to the gospel are 1'1'id.e open in Africa, a decisive moment i'lhen resources can, g pro­ vided in ~ right way, lead to historic breakthroughs. But it is also a time when African leaders, in touch "~>Ti th subtle and powerful understanding of African culture and deeply embedded in the life of the African church, have proven that they are God's chosen instrument for evangelism and sustained church grovrth. Therefore, it is a time when significant resources need to be made available to African leadership, but always under African control. Then - 7- the promise of this moment of history for church growth has a chance for fulfillment.

2. Holistic Discipleship. The segmenting of life into separate spheres, with its implied individualism, so characteristic of U.S. life including the churches, makes little sense in African culture. As churches live out of their African experience they come to view life in Christ in its totality of human relationships. It "is an orientation that derives from African traditional religious life and finds harmony 11ith biblical teaching. Religiosity is not a sign of divorce from social responsibility, for both belong together. This is the reason why Christians in several countries in Africa would spend the whole night singing, praying, and giv­ ing testimonies, and the follo1dng day would parade in a rally for politi­ cal liberation.

This holistic understanding of the Gospel and discipleship is broadly based as well as deeply rooted in the African experience. In 1976 the. General Committee of the All Africa Conference of Churches, which includes significant independent African churches and the Coptic Church, met in Alexandria to celebrate the coming of St. !·!ark to North Africa. It issued a statement that reflects the holistic nature of Christian discipleship in which the Christian leaders declared:

"Our commitment to the struggle for human liberation is one of the ways 1-re confess our faith in an Incarnate God, who loved us so much that He came among us in our own human form, suffered, was crucified for our redemption and was raised for our justifi­ cation. Such undeserved grace evokes a response of love and joy that we are seeking to express and to share in language, modes of spirituality, liturgical forms, patterns of mission and struc­ tures of organization that belong uniquely to our own cultural context."

The Task Force found this holistic pattern throughout Africa. Per­ sonal piety and political involvement support each other rather than fight each other. A U1-1:C bishop can sing "What a friend we have in J"esus" before a General Conference and lead a political movement 1dthout any sense of contradiction. The churches in Liberia have developed a Godpower !-1ovement that mixes evangelistic outreach and stewardship for total community devel­ opment. Churches in Zaire use "developmental evangelism" that blends di­ rect proclamation of the Gospel with leadership training and national development. - 8-

3. Self-determination. Just as the end of the colonial era brought na­ tional independence, so the end of the missionary era has brought a clear commitment to self-determination among the African churches. They expect to be treated as co-workers, not dependents; as brothers and sisters, not chil­ dren. They are realistic about the resources they need from fellow Christ­ ians to do the work to i'lhich all are called: money, personnel, and some forms of training. They are clear" that these' must be under African control.

This realit<.r underlies many of the recommendations of the Task Force. The creation of an African Quadrennial Committee would make possible a stronger, clearer expression of the voice of African churches in their rela- · tionships to United Methodist boards and agencies. In this way, it would continue some of the virtues of the Salisbury Consultation. The provisions for control of the African Church Growth and Development Fund by that body follows the same pattern of African self-det-ermination in a framework of honest consultation with others. African contributions to the African Church Growth and Development Fund and to vlorld Service would make clear that Afri­ can churches are assuming the responsibilities of partners, each contributing sacrificially according to their I:.leans. The move away from lifetime missiona­ ries removes one major form of possible dependency, and virtually requires that Africans provide the long-term, controlling leadership of the churches. The many provisions for exchange of leadership and program resources among the African churches links those churches to each other directly rather than through a common hub in the United States or Europe.

The language of partnership has been with us for some time. These provi­ sions will help build into our actions and structures the reality of African self-determination and a functioning partnership in mission. For United Methodists in the USA these changes will embody a gro1dng consciousness that the African churches have developed gifts desperately needed by the American churches. Congregations which have lost much of their evangelical power (even when they use the old~time language) need the fire of a witnessing faith that trorks through the totality of the churches' lives, like that of many African Christians. Those ·~rho fragment the Gospel by their individual­ ism and the reductionism of "evangelicals" and "social activistsn need to catch a vision of the wholeness of the faith. And those who are preoccupied with their own internal structures and enamored with their o~T. methods need the confrontation that comes when brothers and sisters who exert their dig­ nity as equals speak the tr~th in love. - 9 -

II. CEURCH GRO"W"TH

Church gre~·rth and development is the most crucial aspect of church life in Africa today. The Pentecost experience occurs again and again in Africa as the Gospel is preached in cultural forms that people understand. It causes men and women to desire a total redemntion of life and community, .;.t ... / personal and social. Therefore church growth and development must be under- stood in the context of the struggle for total human liberation.

EVANGELIS!·i

Evangelism is the 1-rhole ministry of the church. Even during times of national political struggle when churches are forced to go underground, their witness to the reality of Christ demonstrates the genuine Christian understanding of victory through the Cross and hope in C'h--..1.st Jesus. Even in times of agony and suffering, many identify with Christ and confess Him as their only hope.

United Methodist annual conferences in Africa, and other lct~rican chur- ches directly related to it, * consider evangelism as the supreme task of the church. Much spontaneous evangelism takes place as individual Christ­ ians share with relatives and neighbors the joy they experience in accept­ ing Christ. It is significant that most churches began to grow more rapid­ ly following election of their o~m bishops as people found pride and joy in their o1m leadership.

The evangelistic methods that are used vary according to local tradi­ tions, circumstances, and the religious orientation of the evangelist.

* There are eight annual conferences in Africa today which are connected i'l'i th the General Conference of The United i-iethodist Church. The Africa Central Conference includes the Angola, 1-!ozambique, Rhodesia ( Zimbabue) conferences, and the Central Zaire, North Shaba, and South Shaba confer­ ence in Zaire. Liberia is a central conference by itself, and the church in North Africa is linked 1rl th United :[11ethodism in Europe. The Sierra Leone conference is an affiliated autonomous church. The Muri Church in northern Uigeria grew· out of the missi.ona....""'Y work of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church, and retains close ties 1-ri th United !o!ethodism. In addition, United Methodists cooperate closely with the Methodist churches in Kenya and Ghana. - 10 -

The churches of Africa are growing rapidly as they respond to the needs of people with new forms of evangelism. Some are adaptations from Western models. Others emerge out of distinctly African cultural roots.

In countries like Zaire, traditional evangelistic methods like mass eva gelism, and lTitnessing through church-related schools and hospitals, are still effective.

The Godpovrer movement in Liberia has been a vibrant source of reneiial and evangelistic outreach within the church since 1971 • It includes wi tnes· · sing to new persons, training them in what it means to follow Christ, and teaching stewardship in terms of total community development.

In Angola the church is gro~Ting very rapidly through the adaptation to .African need of the Wesleyan class meeting tradition, grouping together i 2 to 20 Christians for Bible study, prayer, and witnessing. During years of political and national struggle, when 95 percent of the church's pastors were killed, imprisoned, or in exile, Christians continued to pray and wit­ ness th-"!"'ugh class meetings. Today the class meetings that sustained the church through days of persecution are bursting "'dth vigor and enthusiasm an1 becoming the nuclei of nevr congregations. Similarly, Christians in Mozambi­ que and Zimbabwe formed house churches during days of political Un.rest· i'rhen

Sunday se~ces were suspended.

Every Sunday worship service presents evangelistic opportunities for m~ congregations. In Zimbab1-1e, for example, urban church attendance may be t"I'Tice that of membership as Africans migrate from war zones into the torms.

Urban pastors must be familiar ~Ti th _the charge, "do the w·ork of the evange­ list" (2 Tim. 4:5).

Women's organizations have also created opportunities for evangelistic outreach. 1-!any women who come to such groups are searching for meaning and p1L.-pose amid social and cultural changes. And what is more meaningful and satisfactory than meeting 1>1-i th people i'Tho care and are capable to introduce another individual to Jesus Christ (John 1 :41)?

Primary evangelism can best be done in Africa by Africans. It is diffi­ cult to be an effective evangelist unless immersed in the language, culture, and life of the people. Those who depend heavily on outside evangelists, funds, and techniques are generally-ineffective. - 11 - I Nevertheless, numerous opportunities exist for United Methodists to I assist and strengthen one another in the i·Tork of evangelism in Africa. The African Church Growth and Development~' which the Task Force pro­ poses, will enable the church to support creative new programs of church I growth on a continuing basis.

r .AFRIC.AlTIZATION / I Africanization, theologically speaking, is affirming the Incarnate God in the African setting. It is affirming that, at long last, the God of the ancestors who has been acknowledged throughout the continent has now come I to Eis people and has encountered them on their familiar African path in [ the person of His Son. Thus African Christian coi!ll!luni ties have no option other than to worship Him as African people. Africanization is not to be imported or taught by outsiders. For African Christians it means simply I "being ourselves". I The Task Force understands Africanization as a way of relating the Chri-stian faith to the African situation, and sees it as a central task. ( of the African Chu...""Ch today and tomorro"'v. It involves:· A new appreciation of African religion as preparation for under­ [ standing C-od through Christ .Jesus; Effective preaching of Christ using African imageries a.."ld idioms;

Theology emphasizing a holistic approach to life, God as revealed r through African culture, and Christ's sharing of the needs and con­ cerns as voiced in Africa;

Organizational and leadership styles emphasizing African spiri tu­ ality and genuineness in human relations; and

i'lorship in ¥Thich church architecture, music, liturgy, and art are authentic expressions of African religious experience.

CHRISTIA!ITTY Al>TD OTEER RELIGIONS

Three religious traditions predominate in Africa today in the beliefs, values, and loyalties of the diverse peoples of the continent. African traditional religion throughout Africa, with its belief in a Supreme Being and affirmation that religion permeates all concerns of life, remains a meaningful heritage. Chris tiani t-.t, although intraduced in the first cen­

tury in North Africa, did not reach the heart of sub-saharan P~rica until - 12 - J the era of Western colonial expansion. In both numerical grolith and vi tal­ ity of indigenous expression Christianity today has become an authentically 1 African faith. Islam, likevlise, can claim its rightful place as a religion of Africa. Since its introduction in North Africa in the seventh century, Islam has spread and continues to grow· widely in both vlest and East Africa, -as well as holding its domjnance in Uorth Africa. The Task Force in Algeria, Liberia, Niger, Ni~ria, Sierra Leone, and Tunisi~,(of countries visited) found Islam either predominant or accorded eqU:al recognition and influence with Christianity, and gro-viing.

The question African churches are raising among themselves is how to re­ late to these other religions as Christians. Nissionary Christianity often i'l'aS openly hostile to both traditional African religions and to Islam. Christianity today cannot afford to continue this same attitude.

"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the proph­ ets but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Reb. 1 :1-2). Al­ though written of Israels's historic faith, these words provide guidance for African Christians today as they rethink their understanding of both tradi­ tional African relig:i.ons and of Islam. The pluralistic existence ·of reli­ gions in Africa should not necessarily create an atmosphere of hostility among their followers.

In some West African countries Muslims are increasing rapidly the number of their missionaries, and are opening schools, clinics, and orphanages in areas where historically only Christian groups offered such social services. These efforts should be -vrelcomed in areas in which the combined resources of

government and religious groups remain inadequate to meet gro~r.Ulg needs for education and adequate health care. Such initia ti ves should challenge Afri­ can churches to proclaim with renewed relevance the gospel of Jesus Christ to strengthen the Christian community, and to explore other areas of service.

The Task Force identified the follo1v.Ulg areas of common interest and con­ cern among Christians and those of other faiths:

progra.:ns and policies that will promote mutual respect and understand­ ing;

study of social and political issues and comoon action related to th them; and

- meeting needs for education and health care. - 13 - LIBERATIO£T AND HITHAN RIGHTS

The United }!ethodist Church has been deeply involved in the struggle for liberation in Africa, including that of oppressed people in Southern Africa. In 1969 'l'he Board of :russians declared:

" ••• We are concerned "'ii th the continued denial of basic human rights in Southern Africa because of white minority dominated governments ••• vie see, as Christians , a strategic mission issue. \ve see mission in terms of assisting forces· that are likely to bring changes leading to justice .and peace."

Reaffirming this declaration, the 1972 General Conference recommended that The United Hethodist Council:

" ••• join other organizations rd. th similar concerns in efforts to re-enforce and publicize the struggle of people and movements in Southern Africa, our church's involvement, our government and industry.

" ••• provide relief a."'l.d assistance to persons persecuted under re­ pressive and discriminatorJ l&gislation in South Africa, Namibia, and Southern Rhodesia and to their families •••

~~"••• continue the support of liberation movements, in the non-mili­ tary aspects of their program, including e.duca.tion, medical assist­ ance and special assistance to women and children ••• "

Such support has been .made available through the church's special South­ ern Africa Fund, through U.M.C.O.R.'s funding of such projects as legal defense funds in Zimbab·w·e and South Africa, and through support of the 1'lorld Council of Churches' Programme to Combat Racism.

More important, the commitment and sacrifice of the churches in Africa has demonstrated Christian commitment to the total liberation of Africa's .j people. For exaiilple, 33 United Methodist pastors in Angola were killed by the Portuguese during that nation's struggle for liberation, and many leaders of the church spent long terms in prison or in political exile.

As a result, the witness of the church in the new nations of Africa is respected and openly received. This has become a major influence as the church has gro-.;m rapidly both in evangelistic outreach and in social service and action. For African Christians liberation touches multiple dimensions of hu­ man life. !ro matter 1-1here one begins, all dimensions of human life need - 14 - 1 liberation for the individual to feel liberated. To affirm this holistic 1 gospel, the Task Force places its discussion and recommendations concerning liberation and human rights under "Church Growth", since church growth and development in Africa must be understood in the context of the struggle for 1 total human liberation.

Christ Jesus is the key to such an e:Xperience and understanding of lib- J eration. He came proclaiming release to the captives ••• setting at liberty those who are oppressed ( Lk. 4: 18) • He alone _claimed to give genuine free­ dom to man (Jn. 8:36). Paul testified to the fact of this freedom in the._ lives of those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour (Gal. 5:1).

· Today the remaining struggles for political liberation in countries like Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe engage world attention. We as Christians support the legitimate struggles for African majority :rule in these coun­ tries. wnile affirming the imperative that political power be transferred to the majorl ty, we are acutely aware of the human suffering of persons of every poll tical persuasion in that struggle.· lfe see Christ in our brothers and sisters suffering political detention and imprisonment, fleeing as re:fu­ gees, sta....-..ving in concentration camps, and brutalized by mass killings.

Others lift up for our concern the economic dimension of liberation. In Zimbab>·ie most African farmers are confined to 6-8 acres of land to plow whereas an average white farm encompasses 4,000 acres. Increasingly Ameri­ cans are becoming a1·rare that U.S. corporate investments in South Africa in­ clude operation within a status quo that denies Africans a just return for their labor and insures a high profit for investors.

But the struggle should also be understood in its socio-cultural dimen--· sion. There is need for an African consciousness in order to be able to deal with feelings and impressions implanted during long years of colonial rule. Everywhere people seem to attain self-respect, dignity, and confidence in themselves when they are conscious and proud of themselves as a people 't'Ti th· their own history, ciV'iliza tion, and culture.

One of the major aspects of socio-cultural liberation is that for women. \·Tomen every1·rhere express the need for liberation from domination by men.

The Tas~ Force noted vdth interest that although the majori~J of church con­ gregations have more ivcmen· than men, members rarely choose vTomen as congre- - 15- gational leaders. The idea that every nan is a leader and every woman a follower must soon come to an end.

Finally, liberation is a religious experience. African Christians emerging from persecution testify how Christ the liberator undergirds them day by day. Those 11ho sing and pray amid their struggle for liberation tell of rene1·red strength and hope received, like Paul and Silas of old. il - 16- I

RECOHI·1E1IDATIOHS

TO TEE BOA.."R.D OF GLOBAL HIHISTRIES

1. That the Board of Global Hinistries, together vrith the Board on Church and Society, sponsor in September 1979 a seminar for selected di• rectors and staff members of all boards and agencies of The United ~Ietho~ dist Church on "Liberation and Human Rights in Africa". Participants should include both strong representations by African men and wonen, and consultants on the economic, political, and social issues to be discussed.

This seminar should be the beginning of an in-depth process of consti­ tuency education in both the USA and Africa concerning the human situation on the African continent, especially concerning the liberation struggles in South Africa, Uamibia, and Zimbabi'l'e. It should promote in--depth under,.;. standing by United I>iethodists of the economic, social, political, and reli­ gious realities in each African country where the church has relationships. . . Such understanding should raise the follo;·Iing que_stions:

What effect do the~e realities· have on the people?

wnat struggles are people involved in?

l'dhat effect do world economic, social, and political policies have on African countries? i·lha.t is the role of the church in these realities and struggles of these peoples? How shall the church relate to the movements for independence and to movements for human rights and justice?

Participa:n.ts in the seminar shall be responsible for developing semi­ nars throughout The United f-1ethodist Church during the 1980-84 quadrennium.

2. That the Board of cGlobal Mini'stries promote a special scholarship fund for refugees from Southern Africa, similar to that which existed in the former Board of Itissi.ona in the early 1960's, recognizing that growing numbers of refugees in Southern Africa are young people lacking opportuni­ ties there for higher education. - 17 1

RECQI.ir·:!ENDATIOUS (con' d)

TO TB:E iJORLD DI"VTSION AND OTHER DIVISIONS

1. That the Ttlorld Division participate in strengthening the program of training in evangelism of the African churches by providing support for materials and leadership as requested bY,: the churc:g.es. *

2. That the staff of the 1-Iorld Division facilitate exchanges of pastors betlieen United I•1ethodist churches of Africa and the USA for increased moti­ vation and training in evangelism in close cooperation •:rhere appropriate i-d. th the Board of Discipleship and the \

3. That the staff of the i·Jorld and Education and Cultivation Divisions develop the mechanism and/or process where churches, districts, and annual conferences in the United States which desire Africa..'l'ls as mission interpre­ ters uill be able to secure assistance in making contacts and arrange~ents.

4. That the i'lorld Division, together uith the \>lorld Nethodist Council, enter into conversation in Zambia with the United Church of Zambia and the African Hethodist Episcopar Church to explore possibilities for partnership in programs of evangelism, church grow·th, and church development.

5. That the lforld Division support seminars and other leadership train­ ing programs designed by the African churches to strengthen the indigeniza­ tion of the church.

6. That the "i'lorld Division continue support of programs promoting Christian-l!uslim respect and understanding in north Africa, the Near East, and other African nations ivhere needed through the work of \'lorld Division missionaries, existing ir..stitutes, Christian councils, and the Christian­ Muslim Task Force of the National Council of Churches (USA).

7. That the \'lorld Division support the efforts of the Institute of

* Note: Among urgent requests for funds and personnel received by the Task Force and passed on to the World Division were those for school chaplains, Christian education and adult literacy i·rorkers (Sierra Leone), trainers of village and rural ministers (Liberia), evangelistic and outreach programs among women (Zambia), ministries among "Ymmen and children (Algeria), and urban evangelisn (Ziobabl'l'e). - 18 - 1

"" .·.• · .•. i··'l··.l....

RECQlifl.ffi:NDATIONS (con' d) ~ ~ 'f

Church and Society in Ibadan, Nigeria, in joint study and action by Ch..""istians and l•!uslims concerning social and political issues.

8. That the staffs of the l'lorld Division and U!-ICOR, together with those of the Division of Overseas V~nistries (NCCUSA), assist national chu.~h bodies in Africa as they survey unmet and future needs for reset­ tlement and reconstruction for persons dislocated during the liberation struggles in Zi.mbab't·re, .Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa, and recommend policies and programs by which the churches can work together •.•. 11 to meet some of these urgent needs. ~~ 9. That the staffs of the liorld Division and U!-ICOR, in cooperation with the Division of Overseas Ministries (NCCUSA), assist the African churches in the assessment of continuing needs of persons immediately af­ fected by the liberation struggles in Southern Africa (refugees, politi­ cal prisoners, villagers in the "war zone", orphans, disabled persons, etc.), and facilitate ·an increased response by United Nethodists to these needs, through such local ecumenical efforts as Christian Care.and Rural Ecumenical Action on Hunger in Zimbabwe. f'

10. That the \'loman's and \'Torld Divisions strengthen exchange programs for United !-Iethodist vromen of Africa, including opportunities to strengthen

::.~elations between women within Africa. Through joint training programs and mutual involvement in programs concerning issues of human rights, l'lO­ men participants shall increase consciousness for decision-making and in­ creased participation by women in the life of the church and society.

11. That the Education and Cultivation Division publish in Response and New \oJ'orld Outlook a series of articles on African issues during 1979- 1980, including issues of liberation and human rights.

TO TEE AFRIC.AlT CHURCHES

1. That each African annual conference adopt detailed goals for their program of evangelistic outreach, as has already been done by The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone for 1977-80. - 19 -

RECO~mNDATIONS (con'd)

2. That the churches of Africa initiate an active program of sharing evangelists, inviting churches in Africa and the World Division to provide appropriate financial assistance.

3. That each annual conference strpngthen it~ theological training pro­ gram for both clergy and laity to include:

a) a theological school curriculum adequate to equip future ministers for their evangelistic tasks;

b) a continuing education program for village pastors and evangelists on ways to nurture new Christi~~s in daily growth and understanding of the faith;

c) programs to train lay pastors, men, women, and youth for evangel~­ istic outreach; and d) workshops to strengthen indigenous African ways of affirming Christ in the life and >-7itness of the church (in preaching, music, prayer, and outreach).

4. T'.aat the African churches study and recommend \·rays by which leaders of one United Methodist Church can assist another in evangelistic training, motivation, inspiration, and exchange of understanding, considering the New World !fission as one viable option for those countries desiring it.

5. That the African churches give priority to new opportunities for a holistic presentation of the gospel through radio, television, and other media in keeping with African ways and needs, and request assistance from the Board of Global Ministries in training and funding where appropriate.

6. That African churches be encouraged to develop programs that promote mutual respect and understanding among Christians, !·!uslims, and members of other religions, including those related to church-state and development issues.

7. That the African churches, with the assistance of the ·world Division, develop a theology of Christian presence in a Huslim environment ( w·here rele­ vant), utilizing existing ecumenical studies and research.

8. That the United I·Iethodist churches of \

RECON11EUDATIONS (con' d) action by Christians and Muslims concerning social and political issues.

9. That each United !'Iethodist conference in Africa establish and fund a women's work program, such as already exists in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. - ~1 - I I III. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPNENT

The future of the African churches rests upon the possibility of pro­ I ducing an informed, properly trained leadership at all levels of the chur­ ches. Leadership development surfaced as a top priority in all of the I Task Force groups. The same was true for ecumenical agencies and for secu­ ( lar agencies contacted which were dealihg wit~ de~elopment. Leadership, as explained to the Task Force in Afr.ica, is more than oc

It is these qualities of real leadership which require a special em­ phasis in periods of rapid change such as we see in A£rica today. It is essential that we "seize the mission moment" and help the .A:f'rican people assume the positions of leadership in the African churches. To do the es­ sential task of preserving the churches, greater opportunity for training and fundamental education must be made available to African women, men, and youth..

There is a tremendous appreciation for the foresight of missionary and national leaders of earlier generations whose efforts years ago led to the training of a significant number of people who are important leaders in the churches today. They are in prominent places in the church, in government, in education, and in politics as a result of scholarships and ! programs of leadership development.

The desire for leadership training and education is specific and se­ t lective. There is a healthy rejection of the remains of colonial educa­ tional ideas and structures. The purposes of colonial education were - 22 - clear to Africans. They were to make Africans good civil servants wi. thou t national or personal aspirations. Education lacked moral and spiritual di­ mensions. Its ethic was one of t•·;o dimensions. First, education 1-1as a means of assimilation into the colonial l·lestern world 1-d th its foreign culture and values 1-1hich negated African values and identity. Secondly, -~Q.ucation "t·ras a means to escape work. The educated, according to colonial tradition and practice, did not toil, work uith the soil, or idth their hands.

As the African churches participate in the process of nation-building their people shared ~dth the Task Force ideas and values which they desire included in educational programs. The colonial systems are being dismantled for several reasons. The governments of former colonial territories, along

~dth church leaders, conclude that the old educational systems are not pre­ paring African children for essential, meaningful service in their new soci­ eties. The schools have been inculcating foreign, irrelevant subjects, of­ ten producing an elite class of people alien to indigenous African values and life styles.

The trend now is to try to coordinate educational goals with national aspirations. To this end several nations have nationalized the educational system. For some young governments, e.g. Zaire, schools have proved too ex­ pensive to run, and have been given back to the churches.

Generally, the churches in Africa have welcomed government initiative to take over responsibility for formal education. It frees the church to con­ centrate on preaching and teaching more about the Christian faith than they have been able to do with so,many social responsibilities in the past.

It would seem that the role of the church should be to cooperate w~th the state L~ relation to education. There are situations in which the state seeks out partnership •d th churches in education. The church may be asked to con­ tinue recruiting and training teachers and managing schools, rihile the state provides salaries and equipment grants. \·ihere desired by the state, we be­ lieve that the church should participate in nation-building in this way.

TECID!IC.A.L .AliD VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

It is clear that African countries desire to develop and raise standards in agricultural economics, engineering, home economics, and all areas of - ~)- scientific technology and administration. In many of these areas in which formal colonial governments reserved posts for the whites only, technical and vocational training will have to be accelerated at all levels.

!·1any African young people retain "colonial" attitudes that practical and vocational education is inferior to primary academic education. Gov­ ernments and church-sponsored educational insti.tutions are now saying that an appropriate philosophy of education must restore value and dignity to all forzns of labor. This is true for all forms of education, and at all levels.

Adult education is an essential educational program throughout Africa today. There are a number of areas to be tackled: adult literacy, the handicapped, school leavers, and many others.

In general, it may not be feasible for churches to establish technical and vocational schools. Probably the most significant role the church can play will be to bring the issue to the awareness of national governments while at the Sa.Ille time giving scholarships to its own young people i'l'hom they know would become potential leaders within the system.

CHURCH LEADERSHIP TRAINING

The concept of ministry and the kind of training that the African clergy are exposed to today is a system inherited from the \'lest which tends to perpetuate Western structures with all of their inhibiting elements. Different forms for trainingministers need exploration for the.African situation.

A broad approach to ministry is needed that includes both ordained and lay ministry, and both salaried and self-supporting clergy. !•!any churches need to re-examine the value of having ordained ministers who earn their ovm living through other employment ~hile giving pastoral services to a community. !>!ore of the African churches need to adopt this alternate form of ministr.r through i'l'hich talents of certain laity can be discovered so that they can perform. set-apart ministries in church and community leader­ ship.

There is a great need to develop models of ministr.r that are indige­ nous or relevant to the African socio-cul~~ral and economic setting. To - 24 -

be candid, a full-time appointment may be a luxury ~·rhich the African churches cannot afford.

The following points may be helpful towards moving in the right direction with regard to church leadership training:

Candidates for the Christian ministry must demonstrate a potential for leadership inside and beyond the churcn's community, and a vital Christian experience.

The training of women for responsible leadership roles at all levels of the church must be properly planned and funded.

The self-supporting ministry (also called "worker-priest" or "tent­ making ministry") needs more exploration. The Anglican Church in Mozambique is experimenting rather successfully with worker-priest models. There is a need to emphasize the use of seminars to continue informal training and general theological education for the entire church in Africa today. This should touch all groups in the church: women, men, youth, and children.

vle can all agree that training of church leadership is a great and pro­ mising investment for the church in Africa. The church in Africa will have to learn to be a good ste1-rard of trained personnel as well. 'tlhen people are trained, and especially for the African situation, the church should see to it that such potential leaders are given the oppor~~ty to serve both their Christian communi ties and the nation at ·large.

One of the fundamental gifts of the Christian churches to Africa as a whole has been the development of leaders in Africa on national and interna­ tional levels, in addition to leaders within the churches. !.fa.ny persons trained by the chureh now use their training both through work in government or industry, and through voluntary service as active church members. In fu­ ture the church should support a massive scholarship program needed to devel­ op African talents and skills.

The church's mission in Africa must be to the entire people by intention as it is in reality. There will be, hopefully, a number of persons trained as ChristiaJ:lS ~ by Christians, 1·1ho 1dll make Christian contributions to new, developing societies.

This must be done and accepted as mission, even when our basic commit- - .::, - ment is to the strengthening of the total evangelistic and theological posture of the churches themselves.

In places where competent Africans have moved into leadership roles as bishops, district superintendents, or evangelists, the churches have grown as much as fifty percent in ten years. This is true in Ghana, Kenya, and Liberia. In Mozambique, since 1975 the indigenous church leaders have sent three to four times the number of men and women out of the country for training as were sent out when expatriates were in control. Symbolism, too, is important for leadership~ To gain a sense of selfhood, to gain . the respect of new African governments, and to attract young .Ai'ricans to the churches, qualified Africans must be at all levels of leadership.

A particular emphasis must be made in the training and training expe­ riences of and for women. American and European women groups can do much to help in the training and advocacy of African women. Funds are needed to provide for language study, for literacy programs, and for the training of women for leadership in every area of the church's program. An essen­ tial aspect of this concern must respect as a top priority the African woman's desire to meet, know, and share the experiences and skills of other African women.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

For years the World Division has spent 65 to 85 percent of its Africa budget in support of missionary personnel. Mission began with a strong commitment to send persons across borders, cultures, and races to share the good news. As a .result' healing and growth, frequently with pain' have taken place. Churches have been "born" as well as imported. Struc­ ttu-es have been changed. Societies have been changed. Nationalism has given birth to new nations.

Initiative and leadership have. now passed ··.to .. African church leaders, and rightly so. Filled with the infectious virus of freedom, they demand self-expression, cultural identity, and self-direction for the African church, and through creative leadership of comnii tted Christians for the societies and governments of Africa as well.

Much of the money that the U.S. church once spent for missionary lead- - 26- I ership must now be spent to develop and support African leadership. It will be a leadership of the new generation aware of the past, and committed to I the present and future. It will cr~llenge our concepts which so often ap­ pear to be based on a knowledge of the past, with too limited a view of the I future and a screen over the "now"! 1 The U.S. church, nevertheless, is s~ill called/by the gospel to send persons into mission. They need not be limited, ho>oTever, to the sending of

Americ~~s. The most permanent and relevant contribution to African leader­ ship development will be provided through investments "in people" who will provide creative leadership in the place where Christianity is growing most rapidly on earth--Africa! - 27 -

RECO!

TO THE BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES

1. That the UMC increase its involvement in technical and industrial training in· Africa. This means an intentional program policy which will increase the areas where it will work with governments and ecumenical bodies. Much of this is being done now by U?1COR. Projects would include training and utilization of several skills such as construction, agricul­ ture, canning, mechanics, and health care.

2. That the BOGI1 and the African annual conferences establish jointly an African Scholarship.~ to which all participating churches would con­ tribute. The purpose of the fund would be for leadership development in the churches. (Refer to the BO~i Scholarship Committee.)

3. That the Pan-African direction of the Mindolo Ecumenical Centre be affirmed, and that the BOGM support future funding for the Centre along with other agencies in sue~ a way that it achieves a firm financial base.

4. That the school of Quessua (Angola) be supported as a basic insti­ tution for the training of women from Angola and Mozambique. It is recom­ mended that immediate available funding be made available for this school.

5. That the theological school at Ricatla (Mozambique) be develop~d, in cooperation with the UI1C in Mozambique and the Christian Council of Mozambique, as a major theological center for Angola and Mozambique with increased support by the BOGM.

6. That the BOGI-1 encourage the Church of Christ of Zaire (ECZ) and ecumenical agencies to develop the Union Theological Seminary in Kinshasa (Zaire) as a major ecumenical center for pastors of Francophone Africa.

/ 7. That the BOGM encourage the cooperating churches of the United Theological College in Salisbury, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to develop that semi­ nary as a major theological center for English-speaking countries of southern Africa.

8. That the Women's Division give priority to the funding of projects for preschool children where they will develop self-awareness preparatory - 28 - I RECO!

TO THE WORLD DIVISION / ~ 1. That the World Division recognize and give support to priority pro­ grams of leadership training as recommended by the African churches in the I follo1fing areas: I - regional training centers seminars on the future of women's work in the church I scholarships technical and industrial training training for church leadership I - fundamental education for women. I 2. That language training be made available by the annual conferences in Africa, especially for women, to expand leadership skills and foster bet­ I ter communication.

). That a seminar be funded in Rhodesia and !.Yozambique on a theme deal­ I ing with the future mission and role of the church in new political contexts. I 4. That specialized training seminars be funded dealing with:

training of pastors and lay leaders in rural and urban ministries I and with the worker-priest concept of the ministry

- church administration at all levels for youth, women, and men.

TO THE AFRICAN CEURCEES

1. That they contribute to the Scholarship Fund.

2. That efforts be made by the churches in Africa to raise consciousness among young people to the value of a technical education.

). That the African churches develop programs which will encourage early school leavers to return to either vocational or academic programs. - 29 -

RECOHMEIIDATIONS (con' d)

4. That the annual conferences of the African churches study the needs of handicapped persons and sponsor training programs to as_sist them.

5. That seminary and continuing education programs for pastors be strengthened to both raise consciousness and prepare pastors ~ trainers of lay leadership. I - 30 -

I IV. CHURCH TO CEORCH RELATIOUSEIPS

I "In Africa we are moving very fast. 'ltle are ooving :c:::.ore in five years than in the previOUS one hundred years • j·]e do not 1·Tant YOU to be behind I us. We. \ia.D.t the United Uethodist Church and its Board of Global Hinis­ tries to take us seriously. There must be changes in Board policies to­ I wards African churche.s." With these 1iords an African bishop presented to the Task Force the imperative for change in church to church relatior..ships.

I Until recently overseas churches related to mission fields in Af:-ica.· Today African Christians affir.n their selfhood as churches ready to teach I as well as listen, to share as well as receive. Patterns of continuing dependence deny the selfhood of the African church and perpetuate church I neo-colonialism. But the rejection of dependency does not imply an inde­ pendency of. separation and estrangement from fellow Christians in other I countries. Instead, .African Christians seek patterns of mutual sharing, caring, and enabling that can best be described as interdependence.

I The Task Foree participated in a lively debate on the issue of auto­ nomy. At the Salisbury Consultation, autonomy was affirmed as a long­ I range goal by the African churches, that is, as a status to be desired. · At the same time African church leaders affirmed that autonomy in fact was I already being attained as churches :-ealized their selfhood and i.TJ.creased I their financial self-reliance. The present structure of The United Hethodist Church makes difficult

the achievement of ·that interde~ndence ~'lhich African church leaders de­ I sire. Bishops of "affiliated autonomous" churches feel isloated from de­ cision-making at General Conference while those of other episcopal areas

I retain a voice and a vote. Methodis~s of such churches in Sierra Leone and Nigeria experience a lack of clarity in their relationships with the I Council of Bishops, the i'Torld Division, and the Boa:-d of Global !•!inis• tries. "Autonomy" seems to imply more a severing than a maturing in rela­ I tionships. The ii'Ord lacks theological mea.njng from an African perspective.

The Task Force found that most United Methodist leaders in Africa I cherish the Methodist connectional system w·hich links Ch...-istians of dif­ I ferent natior.al churches. They desire relationships as equal partners - 31 - I with other United Ivlethodist churches and new· patterns of mutual concern and sharing which emphasize interdependence and are in harmony with the idea of I Christian community. I Old structures must change, however, if true interdependency is to be achieved. At present, final decisions concerning projects to be funded and personnel to be recruited are made in the United States. African church 1 leaders feel that they are forced into the rol~ of/professional beggars. To break this neo-colonial pattern, the Task Foree recommends several policy changes. I The formation of an Africa Q!ladrennial Committee would be a first step in the transfer of decision-making power to a committee in Africa. The Afri­ can churches would be represented as would the Board of Global Ministries. I The Committee would seek to define new relationships needed for the churches to be more effective in mission in Africa. It would receive requests for personnel, programs, and funding from each participating church,. including the USA church. Together, priori ties 1rould be set. Each church would pledge contributions as they are able to do so. Often African churches would have personnel available to meet needs in other countries. The USA church would pledge major support out of its greater financial resources.

The Task Force anticipates that dealing on a peer rather than a power basis will involve many changes. Conferences in Africa may desire to form their own mission boards, as the church in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) has done­ boards able to relate to those of the USA church on the same level.

Another recommended.change concerns the desire for a coordinated team approach among the Board's Africa Region staff. Rather than channeling all correspondence through one area secretary, African church leaders desire multiple linkages with several secretaries responsible for personnel, fi­ nance, and·church development, respectively.

The Task Foree reaffirms for Africa a vision of a church sharing its re­ sources denominationally, ecumenically, and internationally-a church coop­ erating deeply in programs of evangelism, service, and social change. Ma­

turity in mission ~lill require mutual sharing of resources-personnel and funds-in the years ahead to a far greater extent than previously attempted. - 32 -

Full development of African leadership will be enhanced as African churches respond to each other's needs. Often requests for personnel (evangelists, teachers, agriculturalists, nurses, etc.) can be met by sis­ ter churches in Africa. This kind of mutual sharing will strengthen the African churches in understanding of their mission and in the total minis­ try of the church. Often a mutual response idll include financial support from churches in North America o~ Europe to facilitate such an exchange. ;..:

~lissionaries are still needed. From Liberia to Angola, and from Al­ geria to Zimbab,·.re , the Task Force received positive appreciation of the work done by former missionaries in preparing Africa~ Christians for lead­ ership. The task of equipping God's people in Africa for their ministries is increasing today as churches grow rapidly in both numbers and community leadership.

Out of a realistic assessment of effective styles of missionary lead­ ership the Salisb~ Consultation declared:

"The African churches emphatically discourage the idea of life­ time missi9naries in Africa, in order to encourage African leader­ ship towards its fullest possible development."

The Task Force agrees with this recommendation, and suggests further that the normal term for the regular missionary should be three years, 1ti. th a maximum of six years in one country (with special exceptions allow·­ ed after a full review). Missionaries could be reassigned to another country after that period of service. The goal of these recommendations is to place authority firmly in the hands of national leaders to emphasize the imperative of training others, and to end that pattern of personal and financial dependency on outside support that so often develops when mis­ sionaries remain on one assignment for an extended time.

The Task Force proposes, however, that the number and types of Persons in Mission be strengthened. The proposed criteria provide a clear distinc­ tion bet·w·een the "secular" technician and the "person in mission". The missionary shall be an intentionally committed Christian, qualified to serve in a community other than his or her own, and able to relate effec­ tively to persons of racial and economic backgrounds different from one's own. Such persons would expect to participate actively in a local church of the receiving community and to maintain contact vdth thei~ local send- - 3)- ing church.

Such persons should be deemed acceptable for commissioning as "Persons in Mission". Some "'tould receive salaries from the church. Many others would be financially supported in_ other "irays. Some would be secunded with salaries by their employers. Others would be self-employed but willing to volunteer their service. Still others would answer the calls of African governments c for technical personnel to serve on contract with them. The Task Force noted the very special roles that Black Americans can fill in such service in Afri­ I ca and urges their response to Africa's call for their assistance. Another particular group mentioned is ordained ministers in the United States, many of whom should be freed for short periods of service in Africa.

With these proposals the Task Force reaffirmed the Board's Persons in

~assion emphasis with its five categories of mission service:_ regular mis­ sionaries; international persons in mission, national workers in mission, short-term missionaries, and volunteers in mission.

The church should think more broadly and creatively about new forms of mission in church to church relationships.

The Task Force affirms the importance of ecumenical relationships. Ef­ fective church participation in many development projects from cattle ranch­ ing in Uiger, to village polytechnics in Kenya, to refugee services in Bot­ swana requires that Christians of various denominations work together. Sig­ nificant results have been achieved in both national development and leader­ ship training through such cooperation, with the United Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief (Ul-tCOR) making valuable contributions in many African countries. We commend also those leaders of United Methodist churches in Africa who have initiated and supported efforts for ecumenical cooperation.

At the same time, the Task Force enjoyed fellowship with Christians who desire closer contact with us as United Methodists. Many of them live in countries "'i'here our denomination has not worked historically. Opportunities for United Methodists to be in contact with local church leaders are limited

~here the only relationship of our denomination within that country is to an ecumenical body. The Task Force believes that new relationships with local denominations, when developed on a mutuality rather than a dependency model, ii'ill enable our church to share in the vitality of the church's witness and growth in many countries of Africa. I - ./4 -

RECOM!-lENDATIONS

Tb TEE BOARD OF GLOBAL rHNISTRIES

1. That the BOGN create an Africa Quadrennial Committee of represen­ tatives of African churches and the BOGM to set priorities for personnel and program needs for all of Africa, both for the cf1..a.nneling of resources from the U.S. churches, and for the exchange of resources between African countries. It shall be composed of a majority of African church represen­ tatives with three representatives of each ffi;IC annual conference or affi­ liated church body in Africa, one of whom shall be a woman. It shall in­ clude a representative group of directors of the BOGM and related staff. The Committee would select from their number a smaller executive body to meet yearly to revie?r and update actions.

! TO TEE WORLD DIVISION AND THE AFRICA-~ CHURCHES

Concerning Persons in Mission we recommend the following policies:

1. We affirm the validity of the sen~ing of missiona~ personnel from one country to another in response to the biblical and theological man­ date. However, in the contemporary African context certain other criteria are necessary in order to ensure self-determination, church growth, and development. The sending of a missionary should meet all the following criteria:

it is in response to a specific request from a receiving community (church or related institution) no national is available for the task it is on the terms of the receiving community it is linked to a specific traiiling program for a national replacement the person sent is duly qualified.

2. That each person in mission meet the follo~....ng qualifications:

be an intentionally committed Christian meet screening requirements of the sending church and of the receiving community have an expectation of participation in the local church - 35-

RECOM!~ATIONS (con'd)

be willing to live within the expectation of the receiving community regarding life-style possess sensitivity and experience in relating effectively to persons with different racial and economic backgrounds from one's own.

3. That the following policies b~ adopted for Regular Missionaries: j

a~ Those concerning "Persons in Mission" as recommended by the Salisbury Consultation (see Appendix~). b. In the recruitment of missionary personnel for service in other countries, life tenure shall no longer be anticipated. c. All contractual arrangements shall be limited to a maximum of 3-year terms in the work situation. d. Shorter terms should be encouraged, where feasible, and pursued vigorously.

e. Wherever missionaries are in service with another church, they should serve under a contract with that church which includes:

(1) assurance of a national co-worker-in-training to replace the missionary wherever possible

( 2) a specific time limit on the missionary 1 s term of service.

f. There shall be a 6-year limit on service in any one country, with special exceptions allowed only after full review,,evalua­ tion, and vote by both the World Division and the African church during the sixth year of service. g. Reassignment to another country is possible after serving to the 6-year limit in one country.

4. That the contracts for National Workers in Mission include:

a realistic salary within the church's future ability to pay for a national worker as a Person in Mission an agreement on a date of decrease or termination of Board of Global-Ministries' support wherever a national -serves as a Person in 1-lission ill their own coi:tntry, with the church assuming that increasing support.

TO THE "\·TORLD DIVISION

1. That the World Division adopt the follovdng policies to facilitate - 36- !· I f t· i RECOHnEJ:rnATIONS (con' d) the recruitment of many persons on short-term or volunteer assignment as Persons in Mission in Africa:

a. The World Division shall petition the General Conference for disciplinary changes, making it possible for a clergy person in short-term mission assignments to retain membership in a. USA annual conference, even if he/she joins an overseas re­ . \ . I ceiving annual conference, in order to facilitate re-entry .,f at termination of overseas service.

b. The Board of Global 1'-ti.nistries shall recruit qualified, com­ mitted Christians in so-called "secular" or. church-related vocations through second.ment or leave.

c. The Board of Global Ministries shall assist such persons in making arrangements with their employers for leave and re­ entry without loss of seniority or salary status.

d. Qualified self~mployed persons shall also be recruited for short-term mission service.

e. vle affirm the sending of missionary personnel -into countries where they are employed by entities other than the church, provided that:

(1) they are invited by the Christian community which pro­ vides a. moral and spiritual support base, and

(2) there is a clear relationship of accountability to some local Christian community.

f. In situations where the state has . assumed responsibility for public education, health care, or forms of developmental voca­ tions, and requests help from the church in recruiting quali­ fied personnel, the World Division shall cooperate in recruit­ ing and proViding orientation for such personnel who will be employed by the government. 'Local conferences would notify their governments of this policy.

g. The BOGM shall intensify its efforts to recruit black (USA) missionaries for service in Africa.

Concerning Africa Region Staff Resnonsibilities we recommend:

2. That staff assignments, at present geographic, be changed in the Africa Region so that a staff team be created around the following three functions: (a) personnel relationships and support; (b) projects and their administration; and (c) church growth and leadership training. One of the three shall be designated coordinator. - 37-

RECONNENDATIONS (con'd)

Concerning Functional Secretaries we recommend:

3. That the Personnel Committee restudy the system of functional sacre­ taries within the l'iorld Division, in the light of the above reco:r:l.rn.endation that executive secretaries of the Africa Region assume functional rather

., _,.,~ than geographic responsibilities.

Concerning Church to Church Re;J..ationshins we recommend:

4. Tl1a. t the i'Jorld Division set up a committee to study relationships desired by affiliated autonomous, autonomous, and other I>lethodist churches with United Nethodists, and ways and means by which mutuality in mission ca."l be facilitated through changes in such relationships. Their report Day in­ clude recomm.endations to the ffiiiC Commission on Central Conference Affairs, and petitions to the General Conference.

5. That L~ every count~J where our cnurch's relationship has been solely to an ecumenical body, t~~t we attempt also to establish a relationship with· a local denomination. It is hoped tha:t such ne-:f relationships can begi..~ "t<;i th churches of common !-lethodist heritage. Wherever a new relationship is to be established rdth a church that has traditionally been related to another national church body, it should be developed on a mutuali~J model rather than a dependency model.

6. That the churches in Africa and the United s·ta tes be encouraged to continue paixing of conferences and districts, provided that such relation­ ships are established on a mutual and interdependent basis, with participat­ ing churches both giving and receiving. The term "adoption11 to describe such a relationship is discouraged, as it implies a continued paternalistic relationsr..ip. - 38- I

I V. SUPPORT PATTEP.NS I There is no doubt that the next five years are critical for the fu­ ture of Christianity in Africa. All evidence and signs for African evan­ I gelism and church growth indicate "go no11"! The churches are ready. Pro­ grams are prepared. The challenges ~e recogniz~d and accepted. The spi­

rits and spirituality of the people are high~ Women and youth are eager I to assume their roles as full participants. At this moment in history I there are unique tasks and services which the Christian churches can do. In nel-1 nations the churches are free to evarige lize' to train, and to I grow. They still provide a significant percentage of valued social ser­ vices in education and rural development~ In many of these nations, chur­ ches are still able to supply teachers of religious education in public I schools.

I The changing political and economic situations are having arduous ef­ fects on the abilities of the churches to meet their operating" costs. I Inflation, which in some places runs from 3-6 percent per -vreek, works havoc with church budgets in Africa. Most African nations are suffering from large deficits in foreign exchange. This is a plight common to coun­ I tries forced to export their foodstuffs or minerals at low world prices I while importing petroleum and manufactured goods at steadily rising prices. All of this means that we I:IUSt look ane1v at our support patterns. Can we now discuss ways of funding that will help extricate the churches I~ from endemic financial limitations? Is there a way to provide funds so that the giving churches share in mission, and the receiving churches give greater insights into the meaning of mission? Can we develop relationships • determined more by qualitative values than by money? Can we develop mu­ ~ tually agreed upon criteria· for evaluating goals and programs? If so, then we will have succeeded in creating support patterns which 1i'ill make ~ each person and church a significant living partner in mission. Relation­ ships will be the basis of decision makin~, and even the basis of a total • audit of program and funds. A key proposal of the Task Force calls for the creation of a - 39-

$7,000,000.00 developmental fund. The income from this fund would enable the development of people and programs essential to the continued gro1vth of the African church. It would provide a strong basis and capabili ~J for the training of women and youth leaders along with laity and clergy. It has been suggested that a major stipulation for the creation of the developmental fund would require that one-third of the benefits would support the development of women's leadership programs. There would alsg have to be proper considera­ tion for the support for youth programs.

It should also be clear that the Task Force is not asking for $7,000,000 from vlorld Service funds. It is asking for permission to raise new mission money from United Methodists of the 40,000 congregations in the USA and from African congregations for Christian mission in Africa, where the success of evangelistic outreach results-in the fastest growth of the Christian faith anywhere in the world! We want to challenge United r1ethodis'ts in the USA to catch up idth and support the spiritual vitality of the churches in Africa. "\'le vrant them to be a part of an exciting, dynamic Christian presence in Af­ rica that becomes more important each day. Christianity must be a strong, visible, viable part of the ne\>r Africa which is emerging. As a religion and a molder of social and political values, it must be supported.

Can 40,000 local churches catch the vision and contribute $250.00 each in four years for the establishment of a permanent mission thrust in Africa? Such a response would enable The United Methodist Church to begin to realize its great positive potential for mission. Africa would be one place. Next could be Latin America or the South Pacific, the Carribbean, or any other part of the world.

We are confronted at times with dramatic catastrophies like floods, earthquakes, and famines i-rhich affect the lives of thousands of people. Our responses have always been generous and prompt. The Task Force witnessed human earthquakes in Africa. We saw the evidence of a continental human earthquake with the earthshaking effects of wars of liberation, the pain of oppressive governments, the hunger from famine and drought, the poverty from impossible inflation, and the sickness from the scourges of untrammeled disease.

African churches need an assured reserve which will give them the abil­ ity to deal 1r.Lth the challenges related to growth and development. They - 40-

need funds to help them deal ~dth the results of effective evangelism. Christian nurture must be . made a significant part of evangelism if church development and leadership are to be kept commensurate with church grol':th.

There would be a joint committee of Africans and Directors of the Board of Global Ministries (predominantly the former) working ~dth . staff members who ;-1ould determine the developmental programs, projects or em­ phases to be supported from the proceeds of the fund.

Another need that 1ms seen is the coordination of all funding. The Task Force 1-m.s tremendously impressed 1-d th the size and quality of UMCOR 's work in Africa. · The insights of the Task Force were. greatly enhanced by the contributions of UI

The Advance Special programs have provided a means by which any church or individual can participate directly in the overall mission of The United 1-iethodist Church in Africa. The i·/omen •s Division provides major support for many projects needing overseas assistance. In strength­ ening the ecumenical life of African Christianity, the i·lomen's and \forld Divisions, U!-iCOR, and the Advance Program all play a significant part.

viliat is needed now is more coordination of resources, which we pro­ vide as an entire church. There are still too many solo activities by individual conferences, agencies, churches, and officials.

The Task Force makes some specific recommendations relating to all of the funding and spending resources of The United ?

I TO TEE BOARD OF GLOBAL NINISTRIES I A. Africa Quadrennial Committee and Church Gro;·:th and Development Fund 1. That the General Conference authorize the BOGH to seek funds to I establish an African Church Gro~·rth and Development Fund, ;d th a goal of $7,000,000.00 for the 1980-84 quadrennium, the income from which shall I be used for church development. 2. That the income from the Fund be administered and disbursed by an I Africa Quadrennial Committee composed of representatives of the African churches, of the BOGH. The majority of the Com:r:ri. ttee 1-1ill be Africans.

I 3. That the Africa Quadrennial Committee consider Leadership Training as one of the first priorities in allocating income from the Fund.

I 4. That the Africa Quadrennial Committee nominate trustees for the African Church Gro1-rth and Development Fund,, to be elected by the liorld I Division; and that the other trustees 't·dll also be elected by the liorld Division. I 5. Truit a percentage of the Fund be raised by the African churches, the amount to be decided at the recomi:llendatiom of the Africa Quadrennial I Committee, and upon the concurrent action. of the African annual conferences. I 6.. That the Fund not be considered as a substitute for the current sup­ port patterns, i.e. the Advance, 'llorld or iiomen 's Divisions appropriations, I and UNCOR programs or projects. B. Communication Regarding Funds for Projects in Africa I That when all funds from the BOill1 are granted to projects in Africa, either denominational or ecumenical, such information shall be communicated I to the United Methodist Church or other related church body of that country via the World Division. I TO TEE WORLD DIVISION I 1. That the World Division shall initiate exploration of possible changes in the Advance Program to facilitate church gro~¥th and development. I We recommend to the Advance Committee the "sister church plan" whereby a conference, district, or local church in the USA assumes a covenant with an I - 42 -

RECON?·!EUDATIONS .(co~ 'd)

P£rican unit to assure completion of an Advance Special project.

2. That the vlorld Division assist when requested the African churches to seek loans and grants from the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Church Loan Fund.

3. That the World Division should continue to explore ways by which the African churches can be empowered ldth adequate representation and voice in setting.program goals, and the determination of resources of money and personnel necessary to achieve the same.

4. That the 1-lorld Division affirms the lrillingness of the African churches to contribute to the World Service Fund, and shall communicate this fact to the General Council on Finance and Administration. Such askings and acceptances shall be mutually arranged.

1. That the African annual conferences give support to an African Church Grow·th and Development Fund through pledges to raise a percentage of the deter.oine goal.

2. That African conferences contribute to the i'lorld Service Fund.

3. That the decision on program and budget priorities is the respon­ sibility of the national church in that country. The missionary should never play more than a consultative role.

4. That the African churches seek loans and grants from the viorld Council of Churches' Ecumenical Church Loail Fund (ECLOF). - 45- I

I VI. CHURCH-STATE RELATIONS .AlTD DEVELOPHENT

Through most of the colonial period the missionaries, and the churches

they founded, spread across Africa ~~de~ the protection and encouragement of the ruling European gover!l!lents. Churches with missionary leadership joined hands ui th colonial officials on the common understanding that they

both civilized the Africa.~. Only occasionally was this pattern broken, nore frequently during the recent liberation struggles, such as the con­ flict of The United Hethodist Church with the Portuguese regime in Angola that led to the arrest and subsequent expulsion of the missionaries and persecution of the church. I Patterns lihich worked against development i"Iere sr..aped by the needs of the colonial poHers. Economies were built around the export of a fei·T I primary products of agriculture or mining. Prices paid or goods given in exchange 1-;ere exploitive. Control of technology and other means of pro­ duction i'Tas in the hands of colonial governments and corporations. The economy was not balanced but weighted to serve the interests of· the colo­ I nial power's economy. \fuile there w·ere some programs to improve small­ scale agriculture, including some by mission churches, these benefits did I not begiri. to compensate for the massive effects of colonial political and economic policies.

r From the begimiing Africans were a't'lare of this system of oppression. As some i'rere sent abroad for advanced education, often by mission chur­ I ches, they soon came in direct contact w.i. th more options than '·iestern colonial gover!'.ments linked to a capitalist ideology. They discovered I various forms of socialism and various political options ranging from par­ liamentarJ democracies to single-party governments. As such leaders came I to po1rer, it became apparent that political independence did not lead to economic independence. Single ezport economies controlled by foreign I capital, technology, and markets could not be easily changed to balanced economies controlled by the need to develop a higher quality of life for one's own people. So:uJ.e ne1-r nations simply continue wi.th the old pattern, I seeking to maximize the exchange rates and their Gin?, settling for pros­

peri~J for a small elite. Others have re:uJ.ained in the capitalist world I economy but try to broaden their economic base and provide better services I - 44-

to their o~m people. Many more nations have seen socialism as a tested al­ ternative capable of bringing do)m the colonial capitalistic system of de~ velopment and building a new society. Some countries follow the type known as "scientific socialism" with extensive use of 11arxist perspectives.

Others speak of "African socialism" and draw heavily upon the communal tradition of African society. The po~i tical stry.ctures, both in nations oriented tm·rard capitalism or tOi'rard socialism, are most often single-party governments attempting to maintain uni~ in the midst of rapidly changing, complex problems.

~fuere does this leave. the African churches? In most cases,· the churches are genuinely involved in these struggles. Their concern for the whole life of the people does not allow isolation. Their invo1'Vement in government can take many forms. During a period of struggle for independence, as in Zi:rn,... babwe, a church like The United Hethodist Church may provide the core of the administratQrs of the existing educational system, a bishop lTho serves as the leader of one liberation group within the country, and many freedom fighters from among its youth. In Liberia a Methodist bishop serves as Vice-President of the nation, and in Kenya another is a member of parliament.

Relationships of church institutions to the state can vary widely. In some cases they carry on education and medical care using state funds. In other cases the state takes over church schools and hospitals. Churches can agree with the aims of the state and give it support and approval, or they can disagree 1dth the state and resist its policies. Both of these re­ sponses can be found in .African nations oriented toward the West and toward the socialist world. In some places the church faces persecution or opposi­ tion from the state. It may be by leaders who represent another faith, or who see the church as identified with another tribal group. Occasionally, it may be by totalitarian leaders who see the church as a rival for the loyal­ ties of the people. Opposition may come because of some churches' long­ standing support of colonial regimes, strengthened by an ideology that sus­ pects religion of al1vays aligning itself with oppressors.

This political complexity is matched by the economic situation •. New Af­ rican nations struggle with many fundamental choices that have profound ethical implications for the Christian conscience. 1iho will benefit from - 45-

I@·.\;'; particular economic systems or policies? Will it be an African elite and t the corporate interests of the rich nations? Or will it be the masses of people in rural areas and the fringe of majo~ cities? ilhat vdll be the I criteria of successful economic development? Will it be the quantity of goods measured by the Gross National Product, and shiny high-rise build­ ings in the capital city, or l'l'i.ll it be the quality of nutrition, health I care, education, and employment available to all the people? Who will control the economy, including the land, the factories, the capital, and I the technology? Ttlill it be representatives of the wealthy nations working through. banks, multi-national corporations, trade agreements, and highly capital-intensive technology? Or will it be Africans who represent the interests of the 1-rhole people and not a small ruling class? The answers to these questions are determined by long-range political ideologies and by day-in, ·day-out decisions of a complex economic process.

The recommendations of the Task Force begin with a basic guideline for church-eta te relationships: "In any country, no matter what the ideo logy of tl::!e State, the Church seeks to maintain its own freedom, identity, in­ tegrity, and agenda, l'Thile at the same time cooperating in nation-build­ ing as it enhances the quality of life for all people." Such a guideline can be made effective only if the church is constantly aware of political and economic realities, of how policies may restrict or enhance the chur­ ch's mission, holT they may work for or against the quality of life for the masses of people.

Members of the Task Force visited the Institute of Church and Society in Ibadan, JTigeria, and were much impressed by the way it 1'1'as enabling

the churches to address major church.. ~tate and development issues. It has done an analysis of the effect of Islamic law on the justice system of Nigeria, prepared curricula for the religious education components of the

ne't'T program of universal education in Nigeria, critically evalua~ed one Five Year Development Plan of the Government, and IEade constructive input into the next Five Year Plan, among other matters. As the Task Force surveyed the churches in southern Africa, it saw a need for a similar in­ stitute that could serve the churches in the special mixture of longer established African states, newly independeni: states, and peoples still struggling to throw off oppressive white governments. It recognizes this 't'rould be difficult to place vlhere Christians from all these nations could - 46- I have access to it. !·!any of its programs uould have to be mobile and its staff deployable in several nations. It is possible that it could expand I on an existing center. vfuile the Task Force is urging The United Methodist Church to take some initiative in forming such an institute, it recognizes I that a:n:y effective program of 'this kind must be broadly ecumenical. I The institute is a long-term project~: !-!ore imm~diately, the Task Force proposing that funds be made available for church leaders in Angola and Mo­ I zambique, who share a similar political situation but bring different kinds of experience, to come together for seminars in church-state relations, dra't'r.i.ng upon those church and government leaders from their own countries or I other countries 'With a similar ideology that they would find helpful. I Folloi~g a similar strategy of bringing Africans together to share their gifts with each other, the Task Force also recommends that funds be made I available for consultations of those working in the ti'l'O areas of greatest need--rural development and Urban community development. The Task Force en­ countered many creative projects and leaders in each of these areas who have I much to sha-~ with each other, vdth strategies and perspectives ·deeply root­ ed in African realities. I Finally, decisions that vitally effect the welfare of African peoples I are made in centers of power like Ne1>r York and l'lashington as >-Tell as in Af­ rica. Therefore, the Task Force is recommending that the Board of Global I I•Iinistries and the Board of Church and Society 1'l'O:rk closely i'l'"i th the African churches to challenge those economic policies of major world po"''rers that fail to serve all the African people, and to support moves toward a just I world economic order. As one way to facilitate a close working relationship it is proposed that more African members, presumably those with special in­ I sights into development issues, be added to the membership of those Boards. Hopefully, this can help raise the consciousness of the churches in the I United States to thei"l" role in shaping those lrorld systems that radically effect the quality of life of sisters and brothers in Africa. I I I I - 47 -

P..ECO!-ll>!ENDATIOUS

TO THE BOARD OF GLOBAL !ITNISTRIES

1. That the BOG!·1 adopt the follo"li."lg guideline concerning the rela­ tion bet~~en church and state:

In any country, no matter what the ideology of the state, the Board supports the church as it seeks to maintain its O"i\'D. freedom, identity, integrity, and agenda, l'Thile at the same time cooperating in nation-building as it enhances the quality of life for all people.

TO .THE WORLD DIVISION

1. That the llorld Division, in cooperation l'rith the churches of Africa and ecumenical agencies, support the founding of an Institute. of· Church and Society in Southern Africa (including Zaire).

Description:

(a) to arrange seminars on church-state relations, black studies, development issues, education, health and social welfare, communications, etc.;

{b) to have an ecumenical base;

(c) to be located in a situation most accessible to all southern 1: African countries, and its program to be mobile and staff and resources j.· deployable.

Funding:

Funds should be made available by the World Division and other appro­ priate agencies of The U'ni ted Methodist Church, in cooperation with the Committee on Ecumenical Inter-religious Concerns, the \'l'orld Coun.cil of

Churches r Development on Church and Society, the national council of chur­

ches in countries involved in Africa, and the ur~c Central Conferences of Africa.

It is understood that these proposals are directed to the 1'lorld Divi­ sion for funding and to the Africa Office for further development of the proposal. -48- I P..ECOI.U.tEI-IDATIONS (con' d) I 2. That funds be made available as soon as possible for. seminars on church-state relations, beginning in Angola and Mozambique, bringing together J church leaders with such other leaders as they would select. The seminars would be organized jointly by the UMC annual conference and the Christian I Councils of the respective countries. /

j 3. That in areas such as South Africa where United Methodist funds are 1 given to specific ecumenical projects, care be taken to ensure that such projects are truly liberating (i.e., assisting people to develop their own 1 power resources rather than endorsing structures which are palliative in · nature). I 4. That the World Division recommend that the Board of Global Ministries, together 1dth the Board of Church and Society, jointly challenge those econo­ I mic policies of major 1forld powers i·Thich adversely affect the economic devel­ opment of African nations and work together to support policies that support J a more just world economic order. I 5. That the World Division stand ready to cooperate and to provide links between the Board of Church and Society and African church leaders and insti­ tutions that are actively at work on issues of economic development. To I facilitate such cooperation we recommend that the Board of Church and Society include African members. I

6. That the.World Division and m~COR, in cooperation w~th the African conferences and ecumenical agencies (Agricultural Missions, Inc., AACC, wee, I etc.) support the organization of an All-Africa consultation for rural devel­ opment vTorkers and the establishment of a clearing house for information con­ I cerning such creative projects as Family Farms (Zambia), Butchershop-in-the­ backyard (Zimbabwe), village polytechnics (Kenya), etc. I 7. That the 1-Torld Division, in cooperation with the African churches and I ecumenical agencies, support the organization of an ongoing Pan-African pro­ gram of continuing education for urban pastors and lay leaders, and the establishment of a clearing house to share ideas concerning urban ministry. I I I - 49 -

VII. CONCLUSION

On the road to Gaza, Phillip baptized an Ethiopian adr!linistrator from the court of Queen Candace (Acts 9:26 ff. ) , 'l{ho ruled. in the highlands located. south~·rard where the Red Sea empties into the Indian Ocea-'1; the eastern gateway to Black Africa. Bishop Athanasius sent a missionary named Frumentius to preach in Ethiopia about 330 A.D.; and a corps of Egyptian monks vlere sent about 480 A.D. The Ethiopian Ch'lrch, shielded by high mountains from the expansion of Islam durL'I'lg the seventh centuzy, has one of the longest continuous histories in Christendom. The coastal regions of Equatorial Africa, south of the Sahara Desert, first experi­ enced Christianity with the coming of the Spanish and Portuguese mariners in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The interior of central and southern Africa were impacted. by Christ­ ian missions during a major tkeological shift in western Christendom. Be­ fore r1artin Luther's Protestant Reformation, western Christ_endom had placed its primary emphasis upon piety and good works. After the Refor­ mation, the theological emphas·is shifted to justification by faith. But with the advent of the great evangelical revivals, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the theological accent in the Protestant community was on "sav­

11 ing grace • With it came a new passion for the "lost". Hence, Africa and Asia, largely untouched by the Gospel, became prime targets for the Christ­ ian missionary enterprise.

Interestingly, .Hebre•-;-christian religion, though historically connect­ II ed, have had very different consequences in the world. Judaism, during the centuries of its existence, has been non-missional. Its 11 chosen peo­ ple" preoccupation centered attention of the divine promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the growth of the Jewish community of faith has been arithmetic, depending principally on birth rate increases for its enlargement. Christianity, on the other hand, has been gregarious from the beginning; responding to the Great Commission of Christ: i•Go ye into all the world" (Natt. 28:19). Africa has been one of the chief benefici­ aries of that aggressive impetus.

In spite of the natural difficulties encountered by the early mission- -50-

aries attempting to penetrate tropical Africa, many stalwarts responded to the call in wave after wave of sacrificial commitment. Their persistence accomplished in a century and a half the most remarkable missionary achieve­ ment in modern history.

Two other theological factors had much to do with Christian success in Africa. Spirituality is deeply rooted in African culture and custom, relat­ ing to all aspects of existence. But this pervasive spirituality was not / encumbered by a ponderous religious establishment. On the contrary, Afri- can spirituality was an authentic folk expression maintained and modified by the experience of the family and the tribe. Thus the Christian missiona­ ries did not have to compete with highly organized institutional resistance, as was the aase in Asia and the Arab countries.

The Roman Catholic notion of prevenient grace, later embraced with great enthusiasm by John Wesley, seems an altogether appropriate rationale for Christian success in Africa. Africans, already deeply committed to a spiri­ tual interpretation of the universe, were receptive to the notion of the di­ vine revelation in Jesus Christ. The open Bible raised the expectation of African converts. The suffering Christ, who brings freedom from the power and penalty of sin, proved to be a dominant incentive complementing the Africans' search for the "abundant life". Likewise, the biblical narrative of ancient Israel's deliverance from oppression was immediately understood, as Africans equated their own colonial situation and hope for deliverance with the liberating power of God in Jesus Christ.

One of Africa's fastest growing religious movements was founded by the Prophet Kimbangu. in Zaire. Mr. Ben Silu, a contemporary spokesman for the sect, offers this interesting theological interpretation: " ••• We believe that grace alone cannot save ••• Every Christian is responsible to respond to the redemptive act of Christ not only through faith but through good works as well" (AACC Newsletter, May 1977). At first, his words sound heretical. But on close examination it is an African theological expression which bears the ring of Wesley's Arminian connection. Contemporary African Christianity· is thoroughly involved in the everyday issues of existence.

Professor John Mbiti, Director of WCC's Ecumenical Institute in Bessey, charges that African Christianity has become "like a toothless child which eats prechewed food from its mother's mouth". He goes on to plead for the - 51 -

Africanization of Christianity: " ••• that is, give it an indelible Afri­ can character" (Ibid.). As the African church grows in membership and in prominence in the world Christian community, the theolo~J of the Epistle of James ~ay find a bright new advocate. Thus, the whole church may be forced to re-evaluate its discipleship by the criteria of both profession and performance. This will not dull the consequences of "saving grace"; but it will reassert the Master's credibility connection: ·~e shall know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:16).

In the formative years of Christianity, Africa gave three great lead­ ers to Latin Christianity: Augustine, Cyprian, and Tertullian. They were each associated with the North African Church. Next to St. Paul himself, no theologian has had a more pervasive influence on Christian theology than St. Augustine. In the century just ahead, from cep.tral and southern Africa will emerge new theological voices and new models of Christian community whose effect on the future of Christendom may be more profound than the contribution of their Mediterranean predecessors.

The practical recommendations included in the Africa Task Force Report may provide spiritual therapy for the negative navel gazing of contempo­ rary American-European mainline Christendom; so sorely distressed over the loss of both membership and influence. As the church turns its focus to the newest and most exciting success story in mission, and gives it­ self sacrificially to the task of further assisting the expansion and maturation of the African Christian community, we may discover the means of grace by which we ourselves may be revived. Did not Jesus himself say: "Whoever seeks to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake, the same shall find it" (Luke 9:24). I - 52-

I VIII. APPENDICES l A. The Confession of Alexandria, A.A.C.C., 1976.

I B. Africa m.tc Consultation (Salisbury, 1974): Resolutions [ C. Africa Task Force: r~Iembership and Work

D. Africa Task Force: Country Reports I

APPENDIX A J

TEE CONFESSION OF ALEXANDRIA 1

(As adopted by the General Committee, All-Africa Conference of Churches, 1976) ]

/ We African Christians gathered from all parts of the continent in the General ] Committee of the All-Africa Conference of Churches, praise God for having brought us together in Alexandria, the holy city in which tradition places the martyrdom of St. Ma~, the Evangelist. J Therefore God calls us to repentance, He grants us forgiveness, He leads us to confess our faith with joy, in the great fellowship of the Saints through­ aut the ages • 1

The Christian Community in Africa gives praise to God for His revelation through Jesus Christ, His Son and His constant presence among His people through the Holy Spirit.

As members of Christ's Church in Africa today, we have become conscious of the ] fact that we are inheritors of a rich tradition. Our current concern with issues related to: J economic justice the total liberation of men and women from every form of oppression and J exploitation, and peace in Africa as well as our contemporary search for authentic responses to Christ as Lord ] over the whole of our lives have led us to a deeper understanding of the heri­ tage delivered to us by the Fathers of the Early Church in North Africa. Our commitment to the struggle for human liberation is one of the ways we con­ J fess our faith in an Incarnate God, who loved us so much that He came among us in our own human form, suffered, was crucified for our redemption and was raised for our justification. Such undeserved grace evokes a response of love and joy that we are seeking to express and to share in language, modes of spirituality, liturgical forms, patterns of mission and structures of organisation that belong uniquely to our own cultural context. l This is what the Fathers of the Early Church in North Africa did with the Gospel brought to them by St. Mark. As a result they were able to develop a Christian­ 1 ity that was orthodox and catholic both in its outreach and in its cultural authenticity - and a Church which throughout the ages has endured persecution and martyrdom, and still survives, with renewed strength, until our day.

It is this heritage which inspires us to confess that it is the same Incarnate Christ who is calling us to respond to Rim in terms that are authentic, faith­ ful and relevant to the men and women in Africa today. His call is our present and our future. I

As this futu..-e breaks illto the present, Christians ill A.frica have every reason I to be joyful. Through the continuing work of Christ, God is charting Eis High­ way of Freedom (Isaiah 40: 3-5) from Alexandr_ia to the Cape of Good E:ope. By witnessing to the victorious power of the Cross (Romans 8) we, Ch...-i.stians i.Il I Africa, are encouraged to be co-workers w~th all those who are called by God to participate in His work.

I The Stor.n.s of Histor.r have sometimes led us astzoa:r. ~ile have been too ~;ill i ng to rush off this H;ig.b.)~-ay into deadend paths. We have not al~iays kept close round Christ. We have spoken against evil when it 1·ia.s convenient. ;.;-e have often avoided su£f'ering for the sake of others, thus :efusillg to follo"t-r His I example (I Peter 2:21 ) • ~!e have preferred religiosity to listening to what the Hol:t Spirit might be whispering to us~ We have struggled against colo­ nialism and many other e'V'ils, and yet have built up again those things ~rhich. I iie had torn doT:;n (Gal. 2: 18) • We con:f'ess tha. t we have often been too pater­ nalistic toi·:ard others. We have often condoned exploitation and oppression by foreigners. vlhen ife have condemned these evils we have condoned the sa.m.e I things by our people. We have ~~ed a blind eye to the st~~c~~s of injus­ tice in our societies, concentrating on the sm v l. val of our cb:urches as insti­ I t"u.tions. ~e have been a s~~bling block for too~· For these . ~d many other sins, I 1re are sorry and. ask God to forgive us. A full understa.l:d"'ng of this forgiveness, leaves us :o choice but to con1:2.:ue the struggle for the fuU liberation of all men and )-romen, and of their I societies.

We accept that political liberation in .Africa~ and the ?fiddle East, is pa:t of this liberation. But the enslav"'..ng forees and the abuse of hUl:lan rights I in independent Africa. point to the need for a more comprahensive understand­ I ing of Liberation. Uberation is therefore a CO:b~INUD!G STRUGGLE (Lusaka '74). ~Toi·l" to Hi~ 'irho is able to do ilm:leasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, by the poi-rer which is at i'Tor~ a:oong us, to Eim. be glory in the Church. and in I Ch..-ist Jesus from generation to generation ·ever.nore! (Ephesians 3:20-21 ) . I I I I I I A-~!CA uniTED ~mT~ODIST CEURCH CONSULTATION (S)_LISBURY. 1974): R£SOLUTIONS

! • Persons in Mission

-The Con.sul.ta.tion acx:epts the '"llorl:::i.:ag Pa;Jer on Persons in r.fi.ssi onrt as indieati.ve of an imporlant new d.i.rectl.on •"i. thin the missj,on of the church.

-The Consultati.on aceept3 the t;-.;o basic af.f.ir:la.tions o~ the paper and encourages further de~opment of the f:i7& categories o~ rt?ersons in Mi.ssi.cn u di3cussad..

-In light ot tb:i.s acceptance o! the c:.o;lcept of persons in missions, the CcmsuJ.tat:ion there£on re~,ends:

l. That each Afri.can Churcil and the Board of GlobaL Min:i.stries c:ars.f1l.ll3" and hones~ eva.ln.ate i t.s overseas !llissi.ona...7 personnel and decide which ones of these persons a..-e ~al.l;r needed a.1'ld ho.. ..r rrw::rr can be rea.dil7 replaced by qua.J.i.fied. A!ric.ans were support f1md:s av:ai 1 abJ e • '

2. Tllat each Ai"r.Lcan Churr:h d.eter.ll:ine how much support would be needed, =mplementcuy and supplement.ary to existi."lg locaJ. resources, from the U.S. cl:tzrc.h. i! such replaca:ent o! overseas personnel iiere to be e!'.fected.

3. ':ehat the :Soard. of Gl.obaJ. Ministties in ConsuJ.tat:ion '..d. th A.!'tica.n Qml"Ches rethink and rede.t:ine the role (including tam o.£ service and life style) o£ the missionarj"' in light o! the Persons in ·· Misdon et~ncept. The Afrl.can clmrclles emphati.call;r d:isccurage the idea o£ li.f'e-time m:issi.onar.i.es i..'l Africa, in order to encourage Aftican leadersb:ip toward its _£..i!.l.est possible deveJ.ap::ent.

4. That the Eoa...-d of Global M:i.rd.stri.es orl.ent new overseas missiona'Ij' personnel towards the responsibility to prepa."""a and cooperate with the locaJ. church towards replacament 'a:! a national and that movement in ~s di.re<:tion be one cr.i. terion of evalua.t.d.on of the person.

S. That the World Division of the Eoa.rd of Gl.obal Ministries e£.£ect policy :revision su!f.icient to insure and ass-ure tb.e A!tican churches that 'budgetar,r aJJ.ocations designated for "Persons in Mi.ssion:t can be utili.zed !or a.lJ. categoti.es of persons in mission as de.f:ined by the w-orking paper.

II. Su-c-oort Pattems:

l. The ConsuJ.t.a.tion a!i'!.r.:ls that as Christia..'"lS iie are .slJ. inta.,.­ dependent; that we are all givers and receivers; all senders and receptors. 2. The ConsuJ.tat.ion believes that :atarial cu:.d r:anpower as3J.s""C..:mca from the Unitad Sta:tas church to the Ai'rtca1 ci::l::-ciles i.s still gnatl7 needed and ;."i.lJ. be for se1:e t~ to cc::e.

3. The Consultati.c:l belis-ves that the .:...frica: cl:urcl:.es ha.7e r.'.Jch to share ~"'i til the Un:i. tad St.at-es cb:urcll. ill areas of talents and ge:e::-~ in'I'tttd.n resources.

4. The CcnsuJ.tat.:i.cn believes that t.'le ~~ sti.ng pat"t.cr.l.S o! ~crt, including the Advance PI'og:rQI!l, are · in need o£ so:;:e cl:lal:lge and · revisi.on.

5. The Cons-~tati.on feels that there i3 g.lea.t need j,n ~l"''"'1i!lg CQT"'Tltln.; cation bet-oi'een the .A.!ricm church leaders, ·the stat.£ and Eoa....-.1 members • . 6. Tr..e Co:.sult.aticn believes that the c!m..~ in t.be U.S. c

1. that A!ri.em Churci'...es be inc..""'e~-..!lgly u•.;,.; .. ed. as i:ta:pntars of the need of thei: ~ches.

2. that t."le Uri can Cb.'I:l:ci:J.es be given adequate· voice in the setting of goals at 'both the World D:i.'Vis:i.on ~ the Eoa..-d levels.

3. that the· A.f:ri.e

o..... a.J.J.ocation of T.-iorld Serrlce conies • b. allocation of World Se.!"'l.ce monies cy Board o! Global ~ n.; str.i.es to the World Di~_sion. c. allocati.on of T,Jorld "Di vi..sion fu!'Jis by region. d. alJ.ocation of World Divi_sio:J. fu:ds ;.~thin t."le .~r!.can. region.

4. that the A!ric

5. that ta"le World Di-.r...sion a.>ld the Eoa.-d. canti.x:r.le to ~pport. programs and projects regardless of wb.et..her tbey a..~ headed by an oTarseas :person i:l mission or a national..

De-veloUir.ent

--The Co~t~tion accepts the broadest possible defi~~tion or develop=ent as en.abl~nt of persons to a.tt.ai,.,. abunc:!a.J:lce of l:i.i'e i.."l it.s fullsst se.:l.Se.

4 --L"l view ot t ..lo. s a..""ld of d:isc-.....ssions a..-c".:..~ci. the DerveJ.opment ioio~ng Paper, the Consul. tatio:J. re co =mends : l. that each c::m:reb.· representad further de£1 ne and dssenbe d.r1el.apment in light o£ its Ull:ique soci.aJ., polit:ical, economic anti cul~ ba~ and constraints.

2. that each cl:uJ:eh det.el:rd.ne i:c. ma.t S"Ced.!i.c areas it should become

4. that each clmrdl, follOwing such evaluation, repr.iorl.ti.z.e raq:uests for program.:~, projects, and pe~eJ. support from tlle Board.

5. that the World .Dirtsion o£ the Eca.rd of Gl.obal ~tr-es, :m.d. the Afr.ican clmr:hes them:selve~, seek and solid.t enciQ1..1llellt or other il:m!:stment fm:ds fr= ~ ava1 J able scarces to 'be used as seed D:JrJJ!t1 !or sel!-development of A!:C.c:m. clmrch.es.

IV. Alltonomt

The Consul.ta:tion aecepta and agrees idth tl:a proposals regarding ·a:utc:nomr as set forth in Ej.shop l-morewa' s paper emphasizing:

l. that t.'le long-nnp gQal of the Url.C3ll churciles is to beccme autoo.omctts.

2. tha:t ~cs geognphical, polit:i.c.al., and Ctlltural cct!d:i.t:ions do not peDd.t the ear~ acbi.evement of tbi..s long-range goal, the patt.e:c of Can-t-raJ. Canferences needs to be retained for sc:=e time.

3. that although. auto~ is S'ta.tad as a. long-range goal, a:nthenuc autono::ey- is at the presm t ti:me bei.ng reached for by the .Ai'riccm clmrehes in. te:c::s o~

a. leadersll:i.D develotment. b. !'l,nancial. resourc:Ss • c. mal.iza.tiz o£ sel..-Phood.

4. that · wl.th the attai::l.llellt. of autono~ the ~ti.ma;te goal is to be not onl:y" a Un:i ted Methodist Church bnt to be a lmited 01...... ;-sti.an clmrch in. A!r.ica a:.d in the tihole world.

V. Ec:unen:ical Relatiocs

l. The COllS1llta.ticn a.!!!.r.rls the i::pQrtcnce of ccntimsj ng ec::;:,en:ical rel.a.t:ions and cooperation n""j.th tb.e e:d..sting ec:=e::i.cal bodies.

2. '!he CollS\lJ.ta.tion especiall.7 encou:-ages d:i.alogue idth the African Independent Cl:mrclles •iri.ch are often more rs-fiect:ive o£ Ai'rican ~enence md c:;lt:lre th:m a.re the tra.d:.tional c..'lor.:rch 'cod:i..es .- 3. The Consultation requests that the A!:rican Conferences sha...--e ;.,~ t.h the tolorJ.d D:ivis1.cn in the deci.si.on-maki ~g process rega.rd.i!lg e~ca1. projects ill their a..-eas.

VI. Thealorical F.d:ucat.ion

1. Tb.e Cons:IJ.tation believes that t.l;cs p=eac.-ry-l rg of the C-os-pel in A!nca conti.nues t.:l be ca.. .. .:..ed out pr'....mar4 by A.!=ican c::.r:.....sti.a..Tl.S t.hemse.l-ves •

2. Th:a .CcnsuJ.tat:i.on a.fi'i..."":ris that all thooJ.ogie.aJ. educat:.on ar..d. tra.; n.; ,..,g in Attica must i:lclud.e a thorough sto:d:j o£ tra.d:i.tionaJ.. Ai'rican theolOg, e:tperi.ence, and cuJ. ~:-a t.owa.r--<....s the end o£ tb... deval.opment o.! an A!tiC

3. The Ccn.su.lt.ation afi'.ir.ns tha~ then should be .ti"ri.can:i.zation of the stat'.! of theological education and tra-l nj ng inst:i.tnt=..ons aJ:.d opport't:Itit:i.es tor atta.i.nne.."lt of t..."lis goal shouJd be :.ada a-va-ilar1e. APPE1TDIX C I I AFRICA TASK FORCE ME!.ffiERSHIP I A. From World Division Board of Directors I 1 • MS. JEAN WICKETT 631 Clfff Drive, Laguna: Beach, CA 92653 (Chairperson, Africa/Europe Regional Committee, World Division) I 2. DR. RICHARD THOLlN 824 Ridge Terrace, Evanston, IL 60201 (Chairperson, Africa Task Force) J 3. REV. FORREST STITH 516 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201 (Deputy Chairperson, Africa Task Force) · ) 4. MS. WILLA CURRY 1139 Evergreen Circle, Rock Hill, SC 29730 5. BISHOP EMILIO DE CARVALHO C.P. 68-C, Luanda, ANGOLA I 6. MS. DOROTHY GOEBEL 17 11a.dison Ave. , Apt. 72, Madison, N.J 07940 7. BISHOP ROY NICHOLS 223 Fourth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 I

B. F2-om Other Divisions, Board of Global r·tinistries I

8. MS. SONIA AGUILA 500 Paragon Mills Road, G-2, Nashville, TN 37211 ) (Education and Cultivation)

9. l·ffi. KATHRYN CARROLL 2124 Blackwood Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (UMCOR) .

1 0. I.ffi. l-1ARC DEAN 315 W. 99th Place, Chicago, IL 60628 (National)

11 • l·ffi • lW GRAY 3406 Benton Blvd., Kansas City, r

12. MS. PLYNA STRONG 4602 Canterbury, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 (Health and Welfare)

C. From Staff

13. DR. LOIS MILLER 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1516, New York, NY 10027 (Associate General Secretary, World Division)

14. DR. ISAAC BIVENS 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1528, New York, NY 10027 (Assistant General Secretary for Africa/Europe, World Division) C. From Staff (con'd)

15. DR. JUEL NORDBY Ulsholt Veien 25, Oslo 10, NORWAY (Formerly Executive Secretary, Africa II, World Divisi·on)

16.· MS. PATRICIA ROTEROCK 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1531, New York, NY 10027 (Executive Secretary, Africa III, World Division)

17. 1-15. ROSE CATCHINGS 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1525, UewYork, NY 10027 (Functional Executive Secretary·, Ministry of Women, World Division)

18. MS. till AD.JALI 777 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (Executive Secretary, UN/International Affairs, Women's Division) 19. MS. MELBA SI1ITH (Alt.) 777 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (Resource Specialist, UN/International Affairs, i'iomen's Division)

D.. From Members of The United Methodist -Church at Large

20. DR. FELTON 1.U.Y 215 s. Hanson St., Easton, MD 21601

21. REV. .JOHN TRUNDLE P.O. Bo:x: 92, Signal Mt., TN37377

E. russionaries

22. REV. w"ILLI.A!-! DAVIS The United I-tethodist Church, Excel, AL 36439

23. MS. SHIRLEY DE WOLF Old Umtali UMC Centre, P.B.P. 7024, Umtali, RHODESIA 24. l-IS • VIVIENNE GRAY 700 S. Carter St., Marshall, TX 75670

25. DR. .JOYCE MATHISON Epidemiology Unit, P.}i.B. 2061, Yola, NIGERIA

F. Ecumenical .

26. FR. ROBERT POWELL 475 Riverside Dr., Room 612, New York, NY 10027 (Africa Secretary, Division o~Overseas }tixdstries, Nat'l Council of Churches/USA)

/

G. African Church Representatives

27. MRS. SHDIBA BULA.YA B .P. 9950, Kinshasa I , REP. DU ZAIRE

28. MRS. GERTRUDE COUTEE c/o Bishop Carew, P.O. Box 523, Freetown, SIERRA LEONE

- ·-·- --·- .. --- ·- - -·------·------·------·-· ------· -- · G. African Church Representatives (con'd)

29. DR. JOHN KOB.E\"lA P.O. Box 3408, Salisbury, RHODESIA

30. REV. !-IARCOS IUCIIAVA Box 7 Cam.bine, Morrumbene, MOZAMBIQUE

31. REV. E. WEA NATT, SR. P. 0. ,.Box 1 01 0, Monrovia, LIBERIA / 32. !.ffiS. · RITA WEBBA C.P. 68-c, Luanda, ANGOLA

33. REV. DR. SHAUMBA TENIA WEMBO B.P. 45 Limite, Kinshasa, REP. DU ZAIRE

II. Staff.Associate

34. DR. NOWti\N E. Tlior.iAS 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1533-A, New York, NY 10027

I. Staff Consultants

35. DR. BEVERLY CRAIN 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1325, New York, NY 1 0027

36. I•m. GEORGE DANIELS 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1355, New York, NY 10027

37. r-m. GERALD scmuDT 475 Riverside Dr., Room 1470, New York, NY 10027 1 -

APPENDIX D U .M.C.O.R. PROJECTS IN AFRICA

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (U.M.C.O.R.) involvement in Africa covers the length and breadth of the continent with indepth projects over many years. U.M~C.O.R. works both with churches related to the United Methodist Church and with ecumenical agencies and other organizations involved in relief and development projects. A very signi­ ficant part of the churches and agencies response to the plight of more than 3,000,000 refugees is supported"by U.M.C.O.R. The following list indicates the immense geographic range and strategic creativity of U.M.C.O.R. projects and provides essential elements in a complete picture of United

Methodist involvement in Africa.

/ - 2 -

UMCOR PROJECTS IN AFRICA

BOTSWANA

ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES 20,000 (Relief, Refugee) per year

KWEN ING RURAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 15,.,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

PELEGANO VILLAGE INDUSTRIES AND REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM 12,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 15,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

BURUNDI

ASSISTANCE TO RWANDESE 15,000 REFUGEES m BURUNDI per year (Refugee)

. . CAMEROON ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN 5,000 CAMAROON (Refugee per year

COM>RO.ISLANDS

INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 10,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

ETHIOPIA

ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN 10,000 ETHIOPIA (Refugee) per year

GHANA

AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORK (Renewal of 25,000 Life/Development per year

AID FOR THE CHRISTIAN SERVICE COMMITTEE (Renewal 10,000 of life/Development) per year - ..;

MOBILE FISHERY SCHOOL (Rene~al of Life/Development) 20,000 per year PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROGRAM - GHANA (Renewal of 5,000 Life) per year

KENYA

ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN 15,000 KENYA (Refugee) per year

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 4,000 (Rehabilitation) per year

FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE 4,000 (Rehabilitation) per year

LEADERSHIP TRAINING -RURAL DEVELOPMENT (Renewal of 35,000 Life/Development) per year

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY 3,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

GROWTH CENTERS 15,000 (Rehabilitation) per year

FAMINE RELIEF (Relief) 5,000 per year AGRICULTURAL RESETTLEMENT SCHEME FOR NOMADS 60,000 (Rehabilitation) per year RANGE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS (Renewal of 3,000 Life/Development) per year

REFORESTATION (Renewal of 6,000 Life/Development) per year

RURAL TRAINING CENTERS (Renewal of Life/Development) 12,500 per year

WATER DEVELOPMENT (Renewal 5,000 of Life/Development) per year

PARTNERSHIP FOR PRODUCTIVITY (Renewal of 20,000 Life/Development) per year - 4 J RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OF THE METHODIST $50,000 CHURCH (Renewal of Life/ per year Development)

LESOTHO

BUILDING AND EQUIPPING OF MOUNTAIN HOSPTIAL AT $10,000 SEMONKONG P'7r year/

MAS rrE AGRICULTURAL $ 3,000 PROJECT (Renewal of Life) per year

LIBERIA

DECOURSEY AGRICULTURAL $115,000 PROJECT (Renewal of Life) Total

FARMERS' COOPERATIVE $17,500 STOBE (Renewal of Life) Total

MADAGASCAR

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT $ 2,000 WORK (Renewal of.Life) per year

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, ANALALVA (Renewal $2,7500 of Life/Development) per year

VILLAGE HEALTH SERVICES $10,000 PROGRAM (Rehabilitation) per year

MALAWI

CHRISTIAN SERVICE COMMI'ITEE $40,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

MAURITANIA

RURAL DEVELOPMENT $20,000 PROGRAM-IVS (Renewal of Life) per year

NIGER

AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PLOTS $25,000 (Renewal of Life/Development per year - "'·

I . AIR MOUNTAINS PROJECT $25,000 (Rehabilitation) per year

CATTLE RAISING STATIONS (Renewal of Life/Development) $25,000 per year

ENTOMOLOGICAL PROGRAM-"LADYBUG" $10,000 (Rehabilitation) per year

TARA AGRICULTURAL PROJECT (Renewal of Life/Development) $40,000-1979 $25,000-1980

NIGERIA

FOOD AND EQUIPMeNT FOR MIJRI ' ! CHRISTIAN TRAINING CENTER , $25,000 i (Renewal of Life/Development) per year

RHODESIA (ZIMBABWE) .. AID TO FAMIL:mS OF POLITICAL $35,000 I RESTRICTEES (Rehabilitation) per year HLERWENI RURAL EXTENSION, l AGRICULTURAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER $7,500 ( (Rehabilitation) per year HUNGER REL:mF AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM $50,000 l (Relief, Rehabilitation) per year I RWANDA ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN $ 5,000 I RWANDA (Refugee) per year / SAHEL I SAHEL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM-WEST AFRICA $75,000 (Relief, Rehabilitation, per year I Renewal of Life) 1 I - 6 I

SENEGAL I

INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AT PODOR $25,000 I (Renewal of Life/Development) per year RURAL/URBAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT-YMCA $35,000 I /· (Renewal of Life/Development) per ye~:r RURAL DEVELOPMENT AT I WASSADOU-BANTANT INTING $75,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year I SOMALIA I EMERGENCY MATERIAL AID TO DROUGHT VICTIMS (Relief) $15,000 per year I SOUTH AFRICA I AID TO FAMILIE~ OF POLITICAL DETAINEES (Rehabilitation) $25,000 per year I

SUDAN I PROVISION OF SAFE DRINKING WATER IN RURAL AREAS (Renewal $25,000 of Life/Development) per year I

SOUTH SUDAN RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (Renewal of $75,000 I Life/Development) per year I TANZANIA ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN I TANZANIA (Refugee) $ 5,000 per year

COOPERATIVE SOCIETY SOAP I PROJECT (Renewal of $ 8,000 Life/Development) per year .I UGANDA I ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN $32,000 UGANDA (Refugee) per year I - 7

CHRISTIAN RURAL SERVICE PROGRAM-GULU (Renewal of $ 2,500 I Life) per year ""' KARAMOJA AGRICULTURAL PROJECT (Renewal of $15,000 I Life/Development) per year

COORD INATnTG UNTI FOR I PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT $ 8,000 (Renewal of Life/Development) per year I ZAIRE

ASS !STANCE TO REFUGEES m $30,000 I ZAIRE (Refugee per year

EMERGENCY MEDICAL I ASSISTANCE (Rehabilitation $25,000

~ Relie~) per year I FOOD-FOR-WORK NUTRITION PROJECT m CENTRAL ZAIRE $30,000 I (Rehabilitatiot!-) per year I I I I I I I I I APPENDIX E - COUNTRY REPORTS t: t 1. Algeria 2. Angola 3. Bots"'Taila t 4. Ghana 5. Kenya 6. Liberia 7. Mozambique l 8. Niger 9. Nigeria 10. Sierra Leone t 11. South Africa .. 12. Tunisia .. 13. Zaire U 14. Zambia 15. Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) li.· ll

·. . 1. ;.. I APPENDIX E - COIDITRY REPORTS I ALGERIA I

LAND I 919,590 sq. mi. (almost 1/3rd the ~ize of / the continental U.S.; larger than Zaire). 19% arable; 81% desert, steppes; wasteland, I and mountains • Resources: petroleum, .natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, lead, zinc, and mercury. .I PEOPLE 17,300,000 (1976 est.); density 19 per sq. mi.; I urban 52%; annual gro1-rth rate 3. 5% ( 1974). Life expectancy: 53 yrs. Ethnic groups: Arabs 75%, Berbers 25% I Languages: Arabic (official), Berber, French Cities (1973): Algiers (met.) 1 ,200,000; Oran 327,493; Constantine 243,558 I GOVER.l~IENT Capital: Algiers Independence: July 5, 1962 I Type: centralized republic; one-party (National Liberation Front - FLN) Head of State: President Hourari Boumedienne I

ECOlfOMY GDP: $7. 5 billion ( 1 973) ; annual gro11;th rate 11 • 8% I Per capita income: $660 (1974) Labor force: 5o% agricultural; 6% manufacturing Chief crops: grains, corn, w~ne grapes, potatoes, artichokes, J flax, olives, tobacco, dates, figs, pomegranates Industries: wine, cigarettes, oil products (14th largest w·orld producer in 1975), iron, steel, textiles, fertilizer, plastics. I RELIGIONS Sunni Muslim (state religion) 98% I Roman Catholic - 45,000 Small Protestant and Jewish communities I

The United !•1ethodist Church has been in mission in Algiers since 1908. Today's mission in North Africa is characterized as a Christian presence I among Huslims by ecumenical cooperation and communion. In 1972 The United Methodist Church in Algeria joined with the Reformed Church of that country (formerly French Reformed) and individual members of other denominations to I form the United Protestant Church of Algeria. Most ~embers are expatriates I Algeria, p. 2

although there is a small Algerian Christian membership. All officially recognized Protestant pastors in North Africa are United Methodist mis­ ·sionaries. United r

Almost all church-related institutions ,.;ere turned over after independence to the government or to non-governmental organizations such as the Red Crescent (the r•Iuslim equivalent of the Red Cross). !-!any of the fourteen f ur~c missionaries are working at these institutions. One teaches at a kin­ dergarten teachers' training program begun by the church ~n cooperation with the Algerian Red Crescent. Another is responsible for a l'lOrkshop for deaf girls in Constantine - a joint government, Red Crescent, Catholic, l and United Z-Iethodist project. Several teach at state universities.

Encounter and Development is the agency through which churches and "neu­ I tral. nations" can respond to relief and development needs of Algeria, especially through the recruitment of teachers, agriculturalists, and other skilled technicians. UI1COR and .Church vlorld Service also cooperate l'li th l projects of the Red Crescent in the care of 105,000 refugees from the l•!iddle East, Africa, and even South America, and in the work id th refugees (· and development projects of the Kazah Liberation I1ovement. The following is~ues emerged from Task Force discussions in Algeria:

(1) Affirming the ecumenical and international character of the ( work and the 't'iOrkers;

(2) Adapting the church program and mission to the political reality I (implication of being a minority religion 'i'Ti th reduction in build­ ings tor worship, church insti~~tions, and personnel);

(3) i·Ierging of "religious" and "secular" concerns in the life and I "t-Iork of the church as persons in mission increasingly are employed by secular institutions and government;

I (4) Supporting 1-rork _vrlth refugE;es and development projects through 1'l'hich the church cooperates to meet social and political problems. I I I I I J ANGOLA I

LAND I 481,351 sq. mi. (larger than Texas and California combined; larger than South· Africa). Includes Cabinda, an enclave separated from rest of country by the short Atlantic coast of Zaire. Largely a plateau 3-5,000 ft. above sea level, rising from a narrow coastal strip. Rich resources of oil, diamonds, iron, cop­ per, manganese, sulphur, and phosphates. PEOPLE 6,000,000 (1975);·density 12 per sq. mi. Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 38%, Kimbundu 23%, Bakongo 23%, European 1%, Mestizos 2$. Life expectancy ( 1970-75): 37.0 male, 40.1 female Languages: Portuguese (official) , various African languages Cities (1970): Luanda (met.) 475,328; Huambo 61 ,885; Lobito 59,528

·GOVERmiENT Capital: Luanda Independence: November 11 , 1975, after nearly 400 years of Port"J.gu.ese rule and a 14 year war of liberation. Type: People's republic led by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MFLA) - two competing parties, FNLA. and UNITA continue sporadic resistance. Head of State: President Agostinho Neto ECONOMY GDP: $3.15 billion (1974 est.) Per capita income: $510.00 (1974) Labor force: 63% agricultural Chief crops: coffee (5% of world crop), corn, sugar, palm oil, cotton, wheat, tobacco, cocoa, sisal. Industries: alcohol, cotton goods, fishmeal, paper, palm oil, footwear. RELIGIONS Roman Catholic 3CJ/o, Protestant 12%, African traditional religions. Angola, p. 2

Angola became independent on November 11, 1975 after 500 years of Portu­ guese colonialism and oppression. Shortly thereafter a second liberation rrar broX:e out betv;een Angolan movements holding conflicting vie1·rs ~-ri thin the coun­ try. In this the Popular !{ovement for the Liberation of Angola (HPLA) pre­ vailed and has become responsible for shaping the policies of gove:rnnent and nation-building. The two i·rars left Angola is economy in disarray and one nil­ lion (out of six million) of her population homeless. The task of reconstruc­ tion has absorbed the major energies of the Angolan people in recent months.

Roman Catholicism was introduced as early as the 16th century into Angola. Although .Angola's largest religious group, many government leaders and other I Angolans vdthhold support from the Catholic Church because of its close iden­ tification 1-1i th Portuguese colonialism. I Hethodist work in Angola started in 1885 l'ihen Bishop 'Willj.am Taylor at­ tempted to open five self-supporting missions. Out of this pioneer effort schools and churches developed 't·dth Luanda, Zuessua, and Halanje as centers of the Church's out:-each. From the beginning African Christians "Harked side I by side with expatriate missionaries to proclaim .the Gospel, teach people the way of God, and establish schools.

I i·ib.en the 1-1ar of independence broke out in 1961, Protestants immediately became the object of suspicion and repression. Four World Division missiona­ ries 1·rere imprisoned. By 1968 all World Division missionaries were either ex­ I pelled by the Portuguese, or refused re-entry visas. !-iany Angolan pastors and lay leaders were killed as imprisoned. At the heighth of the liberation war 95% of all UUC pastors were either killed (33 in number), .jailed, or in exile. The Portuguese authorities forcibly closed some churches, other buildings were I seized and used to house troops, and still others "'>Irecked. At Dondos, an en­ tire congregation vias massacred. All national officers of the Church's ifo­ men 's Fellov;ship were jailed upo:n suspicion that their contribution to the I 1 tlorld Federation of I:Iethqdist ~'!omen had been sent for political use. r.~uch of the 1-rork of the Church i·Tent underground. Hen, women, and youth learned to assume nelz- leadership as Christians continue to meet in forests, homes, and I prisons.

The Church emerged from persecution more dynamic and self-reli~~t than ever before. In 1972 Emilio de Carvalho l'ias elected the Church's first Ango­ lan bishop. In 1978 the Church re~opened two of its former districts closed during the war, and asked each urban congregation not only to support their O''m pastor, but to give to support another in a ne11 district. In this i·;ay the 50,000 Angolan Hethodists raised 1007& of the support of the Church's 154 pastors.

I During 1977 Angolan Protestants reorganized the Bible Society in Angola under Angolan leadership, vlith its o•m constitution. ~Iith all literature in short supply, there is an unprecedented demand for scrip~~res. In the same I year eight denominations came together to form the Angolan Council of Evangel­ ical Churches 1-dth Bishop de Carvalho as its first president. Its ~fork is organized under seven co!iii!lissions: Evangelism, Theological and Christian Edu­ I cation, Cocmunication, Social Service, Public Relations and Interdenomina­ tional Cooperation, i·Ioeen, and Finance.

The Task Force team uas the first official ID1C delegation to visit Angola I since Independence. Follo>·

The Task Force team ~ras the first official ffi.IC delegation to visit Angola I since Independence. Follmdng discussion i·rith representative D1·1C leaders, those of other churches, and ti·ro Governoent ministers, the team listed among priority concerns the follo~nng: I 1 ) Evangelism: In Angolan evangelism is a holistic emphasis combining concerns for the spiritual and material welfare of each person. Every member I is expected to be an evangelist through_ daily wi tn~ss to the Lordship of Christ and contributing for the opening of ne~~ chtirches or re-opening of those in former i·rar-torn areas. Thi·s work could be accelerated through outside as­ sistance for specific projects (e.g. transport for pastors, initial capital I and operating costs for a church newspaper and radio station, and scholarships for training in evangelism. I 2) Patterns .2£ support: ~h;e Angolan church leads the way amo~ United Methodists in Africa in self-suppQrt. Pastors' salaries are raised entirely by the Church in .Angola. Parsonages and church buildings are being erected I through local efforts. Increased giving supports pensions for retired pas­ tors, pastor's irl.doi'iS, and their minor clP.ldren at levels never attempted be­ fore. Through· the Fello't·rship of the Least Coin and other special offerings, Angolan Methodists help in caring for refugees, support their Angolan Council 1 of Churches, and contribute to projects beyond Angola. The Church is prepared to participate in the raising of funds for llorld Service, and for Advance Spe­ cial projects in other countries. It desires a new system of decision-making 1 concerning projects, hOi·rever, in which the African churches can have a signi­ ficant voice and vote in the selling of goals and priorities.

3) Liberation: In the Angolan c~ntext liberation is a holistic concept embracing the freedom of every person in community to develop one's full poten­ tial. Since both Church and State affirm this concept, the socialist govern­ ment of the ~WLA is open to the Church's contribution. It expects the Chur­ ch to cooperate with the State in fields of education, health, refugee work, and consciousness-raising concerning national goals. This may includes the "freedom to be ourselves" - a concept found to be more meaningful than "Afri­ canization". New theological developments ~~11 take the direction of a theol­ ogy of the "here and no1-r" i'Thich grows out of the Church's work of witness and service in a socialist context.

4) Leadership Develo'Pment ~Education: The challenges of nation-build­ ing in Angola present ne1-r opportunities for the Church. The Church cooperates in literacy training through government programs. The Ministry of Health seek seeks thousands of ";vomen as "health protectors" trained in nutrition, basic hygiene, and the importance of immunization. United r.~ethodist 1·romen could assist in this. Re-opened churches need short, intensive courses for lay leaders and pastors to strengthen their leadership in both church and commu­ nity development. New approaches include formation of a mobile training team composed of Bishop and Mrs. de Carvalho, together with district and conference leaders of men, "l"lomen, and youth to hold intensive training sessions for local leaders. The Church seeks to produce calenders, a newspaper, a church maga­ zine, and a radio station for consciousness-raising. Some programs of basic and continuing theological education for pastors should be planned jointly •d th the church in r•Iozambique. t Angola, p. 4

I 5) \·lorn.en 's Concerns: .Angolan woi:J.en desire to overcome cultural res traints uhiqh prevent their full leadersrs..ip in the Church at all levels. They desire to establish closer contacts and leadership exchanges >d th church women in other countries. Re-opening of the Zuessua \!omen's Training School is· a top I priority. I I l I I I

I· I I I I I I I I I I I BOTSWANA I

LAND I 219,815 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than Texas;/ larger than Zimbabwe). Vast tableland approx. 3,300 ft. elevation; I large Kalahari Desert to SW, Okavango S1'1'amps in the north, rolling plains in east where livestoCk are grazed. Rainfall: average 18 in. varies from 25 in. in I the north to 9 in. or less in Kalahari Desert. Resources: copper, coal, nickel, diamonds; also rrl.ldlife. I

PEOPLE 690,000 (1976 est.); density 3.1 per sq. mi.; I annual growth rate 3. o%; urban 12. 3% ( 197 4) Life Expectancy (1970-75): 41.9 male; 45.1 female Ethnic groups: Botswana and 7 other main tribes; Bushmen, I 1%-i-Wbi. tes. Languages: English (official), Setswana Literacy: 22% (English), 33% (setswana) I Cities: Gaborone 21,000; Francistown 22,000; Lobatse 13,000; Selebi-Pikivi 10,000.

GOVERNMENT I Capital: Gabarone Independence: September 30, 1966 from Great Britain (formerly I BecJ:manaland) Type: Republic, parliamentary democracy, multi-party Head of State: President Seretse l-1. K I ECONOMY GDP: $220 million (1974 est.) I Per capita income: S340 (1974) Labor force:: 87% agricultural; 13% mining and industrial. Chief products: livestock, sorghum, corn, millet, beans, & peanuts and peanuts. . I Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, frozen beef, tourism. RELIGIONS I Christians 15%, majority traditional religions. I I I Bo ts1v-ana, p. 2

Although politically independent since 1966, Botswana is a landlocked com:;t~J, with strong patterns of economic dependency upon South Africa and Rhodesia. It is the only African country sharing common borders with all three states undergoing struggles for liberation- South Africa (Azania), Zimbab1-re (Rhodesia), and Namibia (South-West Africa).

Botsi'Tana is the la.'lld in i"Thich Robert }ioffat, David Livingstone, and others of the London ~ussionary Society pioneered in bringing the Gospel to the Bot­ Si'Tana people. Today the church 'lvhic.h they helped establ:i:sh, noi"T called the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, is but one of several denomi­ nations, including Hethodists, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, and African independent churches, having congregations in the coun­ t~.r. !·!est denominations cooperate through the Botswana Christian Council. It facilitates close cooperation by churches with· the Bots1-1ana Governi:lent in educational, medical, and other developmental projects, many of >·:hich receive government subsidies.

In 1968 the Botswana Christian Council appealed to United Hethodists for help. The Africa Central Conference, then meeting in Gaberones, Botsv;ana 's capital, agreed to join with other groups in establishing the first secondar.; school . in northuestern Botswana at !·!aun. This has become a mission project of the African churches, receivingfinancial support from some and seconded staff from others. The i'lorld Division has contributed both financial assis­ tance and missionary personnel. Since its opening in January 1970, the Haun project has expanded to include a program of community development, of agri­ cultural training at the secondary school, and medical assistance through the r,Ia:urt government hospital and the r:!aun I

Bots"'I"Tana 's proximity to areas of racial conflict creates ne~·r problems for the nation and challenges for Christians~ Foremost among them is that of re­ fugees. During the past ten years more than 7,000 Uamibians, Angolans, and Zimbabi·reans moved into Botsuana establishing more or less permanent residence there. These people need guidance- not money or any handouts. A flood of nei'v refugees entered Bots~...-ana during 1977-8. These included more than 800 from Angola, and 3-4,000 from South Africa and Zimbabwe. Among them are 2-300 tee.nage stu.dents from Soweto. It can be accurately predicted that the refugee p:roblem idll intensify in Bots1-nma. for the foreseeable future.

A1 though the Bots"'vana Government and international agencies like the United }lations provide minimal material assistance, human compassion is often lacking. There are no agreed miJ;timum standards of sanitation, housing, food, or educat:l.on for refugees. I>lonthly grants of 30 pula ($40.) mean living in abject poverty for refugees refused permission to seek employment. No recre­ ation, counseling, or vocational aid is given in a systematic >Iay. Priori ties for the churches in ecumenical response to these needs include long-range planning and coordination of refugee services, provision of counselors, con­ sciousness-raising concerning the plight of refugees in southern Africa, and the securing of places for living, working, or studying overseas for refugees desiring to do so. I I GHANA I

LAND 92,1 00 sq. mi. (slightly smaller ~han Oregon_,.; I larger than Uganda). · . Mostly low fertile plains and scrubland,' cut by rivers and by the artificial Lake Volta. I Resources: indus trial diamonds, manganese, gold, bauxite, timber, rare woods, and rubber. I PEOPLE 10,310,000 (1976 est.); density 112 per sq. mi.; I urban 31.4% (1974); annual growth rate 2.69% Life expectancy.· ( 1970-75) : 41 • 9 male; 45 .1 female Ethnic groups: .Akan 44%, 1-!ashi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga gtfo, others I Languages: English (official), others Literacy: 25% (1973) Cities (1970): Accra (met.) 738,498; Kumasi (met.) 345,117; Takoradi 58,161 I GOVERNMENT I Capital: Accra Independence: 1957 from Great Britain {formerly Gold Coast) Type: Military rule with political parties banned I Head of State: ~ieut. General Fred VT.K • .Akuf'fu ECONOMY I GDP: $1.91 billion (1974) Per capita income: $394 (1974) Labor force: 55% agricultural; 1 C1'/o industrial Chief crops: cocoa (largest producer), coffee, palm products, I corn, rice, cassava, plantain, peanuts, yams, tobacco Industries: alUl!linum, light industry; also forestry and fishing Inflation severe: 55-7<1% per annum I

RELIGIONS Traditional religionists 45% Protestant 29%, Roman catholic 14% Moslem 12%, others Ghana, p. 2

The Ch..-..j_stian coillilUili ty ~·;hich clair!ls the allegiance of the ma.jori ty of Ghe.nians is divided principally into .Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Hethodists, and 'Presbyterians. .Although Europea.'1 forts established along the Gold Coast had their chaplains in the 18th century, not until 1828 did the Basel Nission begin outreach to the local peoples.

Hethodist histor.r in Ghana dates back to 1835. Thomas Birch Freeman, a mulatto, had great influence among the Fanti peoples on the coast and later helped establish the Church in Kumasi, the center of the .Ashanti kingdon. Hethodism thrived th+ough its class meeting and local preacher system vrhich permitted rapid development of local Ghanian leadership, through the popular­ it-.r of its singing, and its early provision of schools. By 1874 a number of African ministers received ordination. On these solid foundations the Church grew rapidly. In 1961 it received autonooy as the Hethodist Church of Ghana. By 1978 it had gro1m to a meobership of 537,000.

Christianity in Ghana today displays not only great diversity of organi­ zation, belief, and ritual, but also strong ecunenical cooperation. The Christian Council of Ghana, organized in 1929, has thirteen "older" churches a.-·1d one African independent church as its members. Cooperation 1d th Roman Catholics through the Council is gro~i.Ulg steadily through common endeavors such as the \'Jeek of Prayer for Christian Unity, religious education in schools, and a joint minist~ of reconciliation •

.African independency began in 1 914 vii th the Prophet Harris movement. To­ day there are oqre than 400 African independent churches. The vlorld Division is related primarily -rd.th the !<1ethodis:f; Church of Ghana through the secondment of a theological teacher to Trinity Theological College, a joint Presbyterian and I•Iethodist school for seminarians begun in 1943 and moved to Legon outside Accra in 1967. UHCOR provides assistance in developoent projects through the activities of the Christian Service Con:mi ttee of the Council.

Ghana's continuing economic crisis affects every effort of human de•relop• ment. .A classic case of economic gro1rth •Jithout development, Ghana in 1977 suffered the highest inflation rate in the >mrld (98.8% in six months). Cur­ rent increas.es in the 1·TO·rld price of cocoa, a principal export, may give tem­ pora.~r relief, but "l'iill not solve the basic problem - that costs of ma.~ufac­ tured goods to be imported rise faster than those of prima~J products to be sold abroad. The return to civilian rule after several years of I:Lili tar.r dic­ tatorship has been delayed due to these problems.

The I;Iethodist Church of Ghana hosted the Task Force team. .After meeting rlith leaders of various churches and the Christian Council in .Accra, as i:ell as ~d th ambassadors of several countries, the team divided to visit develop­ o.ent projects in both rural and urban areas. T'ne follm·iing major issues -:·:ere identified:

1) .Agriculture: I'Iuch of the uork of the Christian Service Connittee is done to help fa..'T'!!!ers in northern Ghana to improve their farming. UHCOR pro­ vides assistance to the esc for the operation of ten a~icultural extensio~ centers. 1-Tith goals of increa<:>ing food production through soil ma.nagenent, diversification of crops, improvement of 1-1ater supplies, provision of ferti­ lizer pools, and the formation of cooperatives. Each of the ten centers has eYolved a local :program to meet specific needs. To combat the destruction of Ghana, p. 3 I

crops by insects, mold, and rodents, which can result in a 25-4o% loss of har­ vest, the esc has introduced a new type of grain storage silo. Leaders need I to consider transfer of responsibility for these strong programs to coopera­ tives or the Govemment in order to free the churches to pioneer in ne1·r ven­ tures. I

2) I1Iedical: .An active Committee on Christian !·!arriage and Family Life of the Council 1-rorks in three interrelated areas of family ministries: family I planning, family counseling, and family life educatjon. m~COR supports three nutritional rehabilitation centers 't'Thich provide eourses for mothers in child care and nutrition, and mobile family plaJ+Iling units 'l~orking especially in rural communities. I

3) Urban Development: For eighteen years industrial chaplains have viOrk­ ed in the port community of Tema i·Ti th the gro1-Ting nuobers of people moving in­ I to the city in search of employment. The program is called Urban/Rural Indus­ trial JY~ission because most of the i·iorkers are from rural areas. Tv:enty Kerker "felloi-iShips" meet regularly in factories, since the seven-day-a-w·eek pattern I of shift 1·rork prevents regular church attendance. Heetings during brea...~ times include liorship, study, discussion of common problems, and development of ac­ tion programs on behalf of workers. I 4) Christian Education: Christianity has removed traditional taboos but has not succeeded in filling the resulting void id th nelr values and moral sanctions for many Ghanians. The result has been a breakdo't';n of moral stan­ I dards and LTJ.crease of criminal behavior. To help meet this need the Council's Education Committee is preparLTJ.g a neu syllabus for the teaching of Religious Education in elementary school, and in-service training courses for its tea.ch­ I ers to be called "chaplains". Training courses and study materials are pro­ vided also for parents and Sunday School teachers. I 5) Church .,:2 Church Relationships: The Hethodist Church of Ghana is open to nelr relationships with other churches. On the one hand it is i·rorking to­ ivards union -vd. th other denominations in Ghana. On the other hand, it desires a closer mutual sharing 1dth the United Hethodist Church. This should include I a tlro-i'ray sharing of personnel, programs of vromen' s leadership exchange and training, and the strengthening of present cooperative efforts. The desire of the Ghanian Church to receive .American blacks as "Persons in r.Iission" is af­ I firmed. I I I I I I KENYA

I LAND I I I 224,960 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than Texas; larger than Botswana) Tropical, hot and humid coastline; central plateau (3-10,000 ft.)·bisected by the Great Rift Valley; northern 3/5ths of country arid. Resources: wildlife, hides, timber, limited I minerals PEOPLE I 13,850,000 (1976 est.); density 62 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 3.4% (1975), urban 9.9% (1969) Life expectancy: 46.9 male, 51.2 female Ethnic groups : Kikuyu 2a%, Luo t'J/o, Balhya 1 3%, Kamba 11%, l Kisii 6%, Meru 5%, others including 280,000 Asians, Arabs, Europeans Languages: Sl>rahili and English (both official) I Literacy: 25% (1973) Cities· (1973 est.): Uairobi (met.) 630,000, Mombasa (met.) 301,000 I GOVERNMENT Capital: Nairobi Independence: December 12, 1963 from Great Britain I Type: Republic; one party (Kenya African National Union - KANU) Head of State: President Jomo Kenyatta I ECONOMY GDP: $2.67 billion (1974) Per capita income: $209 (1975) I Labor force: eo% agricultural; 13% industrial Chief products: coffee, tea, cereals, cotton, sisal, timber, meat and meat products, hides · I Industries: tourism, light industry (petroleum products, cement, beer) I RELIGIOUS Of the African population, traditional religionists 38% I Protestant 37%,',; Roman Catholic 22%, Muslim 3% I I I Kenya, p. 2 I

United Methodists have not established congregations in Kenya. Instead, I the BOGM has cooperated in programs initiated by the All Africa Conference of Churches through its headquarters in Nairobi, the National Christian Council of Kenya (NCCK), and the !•iethodist Church in Kenya. The UMCOR has made major I contributions to the development projects which tackle the root causes of hun­ ger of the NCCK. Five World Division missionaries currently work ~dth the Methodist Church of Kenya in comprehensive programs for rural development and leadership training. I Bishop Lawi Imathiu of the Methodist. Church' in Kenya arranged for the Task Force team to participate in a retreat for I>iethodist church l'TOrkers, and to I visit urban development projects in Nairobi and several in rural areas, includ­ ing the Masai and Kaaga Rural Training Centers and the RAPSU resettlement vil­ lage for nomads. The following issues were identified as priorities: I 1) Ruman Development: !•Iethodist leaders affirmed .that the priority of the Church in Kenya is human development in a Christian context at the grass­ roots level. They believe that evangelization and liberation must go together. I ~rnffiT, the Methodist Educational Resource Team, is a team ministry aimed at finding ways to integrate the physical, emotional, and spiritual emphases of all programs related to the Church. I

2) Rural Development: For many years the Methodist Church in Kenya was committed to medical and educational work in rural areas. Beginning in 1963 I the Church responded in several ne1v lrays. The Kaaga and r'rariman ti Training Centres uere established to provide training facilities for local farmers. T"'IO irrigation schemes at Kinna and Rapsu were a response to acute conditions I of draught in the Isiolo District. Responding to the unemployment challenge, the Church. assisted in establishing Village Polytechnics and training farms in an attempt to provide self-financing agricultural training for school lea­ vers. These programs are consistent with the national goal to find productive I occupation for all citizens as the most effective means to greater social eco­ nomic equality. Since the rural projects are similar to those sponsored by the Government in other parts of the country, the Church is re-examining the I special contributions that the churches can make~ and its theology of develop­ ment. I 3) Church to Church Relations: The United Methodist Church (USA) seeks to establish a working relationship with the Methodist Church in Kenya, with guidelines that have mutuality as their base. Policies which presume a depen­ dency relationship, such as one-way sharing of personnel, evaluation proce­ I dures, or concepts will be resented. Kenya Methodism's designation of over­ seas vtorkers as "seconded personnel" rather than "missionaries" may be sugges­ tive to other churches. I I I I I LIBERIA

LAND 43,000 sq. mi. (slightly small~r than Pennsyl­ vania) The marshy Atlantic coastline rises to low moun- tains and plateaus in the interior, which is largely forested. Heavy rainfall in wet season, averaging 150-170 Average annual daily temperature 80 F Resources: iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds

PEOPLE 1,750,000 (1976 est.); density 41 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 3.3%; urban 27.6% ( 1971) Life ·expectancy: 45.8 male, 44.0 female ( 1971) Ethnic groups: Americo-Liberians 2.5%, 16 tribes 97.5%, princi.... - pally Mande, West Atlantic, and Kwa I· Languages: English (official), 28 tribal dialects Literacy: 1o% (1973) Cities (1970 est.): Monrovia 96,226 I GOVEIOOIENT Capital: !-tonrovia Independence: 1847 I Type: Republic modeled after U.S.A. Poll tical Party: True Whig Party I Read of State: President William Richard Tolbert ECONOMY GDP: S855 million (1975) Per capita income: $235 (1973) Labor foJ:"ce: 74% agricultural Chief products: rubber, timber, fibers, palm kernels, rice, cassava, coffee, cocoa, sugar Industries: food processing; some fishing

RELIGIONS / Traditional religionists 70-Bo% Muslim 1 o-2Q% Christian 1 o%

Liberia •.;as the first foreign mission field of the I4:ethodist Episcopal Church. Ylhen the first nethodist I:lissionary, Ie!el ville Beveridge Cox, ar­ rived in 1833, hm·Tever, he found Hethodist societies already formed and under the care of local ministers. The mission conference, recognized in Liberia, p. 2 I

1836, quickly became a full annual conference in 1848. From early days the I church received creative leadership by black missionaries, as well as white, from the United States, including bishops assigned by the Central Jurisdic­ tion as episcopal leaders for the church in Liberia. I In 1968 Liberia formed its own Central Conference and elected its first Liberian Bishop, s. Trow·en Nagbe, Sr. Upon his untimely death in 1972, Bishop Bennie Warner was elected. Under their leadership the church has I more than doubled in membership. "

Bishop \'Tamer's election as National Vice President in October 1977 I continued a tradition of leadership by 1:Iethodists in national politics. The church has 1-rorked closely with the government in programs of national development. The College of West Africa in ~·1onrovia is today but one of I several United Hethodist secondary schools in the country. Elementary, teacher training schools, and Cuttington College (in cooperation vdth Epis­ copalians) are all part of the church's educational outreach. Pastors and evangelists receive training at Gbarnga, with a higher level of training offered at the Cuttington Divinity School. Ganta Hospital near the Guinean border has been the hub of medical outreach by the church into the interior. The vdde range of medical services offered includes nurses' training, lep­ I rosy control and rehabilitation, and public health work in the Ganta area. In recent years the church has expanded its program in rural development. The comprehensive rural program, begun at Gbason tovm. in 1 972, has been sup­ I ported by United Methodists in Nonray. Others include ranching at Garra­ way, poultry raising at l'lhite Plains, and agricultural education at Gbarnga. I The Liberian Church affirms the desirability of a continuing missionary involvement (currently 26 World Division missionaries serve in Liberia) as long as their presence enhances the selfhood of the church. The goal of training Liberians to fill leadership posts has progressed rapidly with I lack of salary support the principal remaining constraint.

The Task Force team attended the UNC .Annual Conference and visited the I major centers of the church's vTOrk. Conversations 'td th leaders of govern­ ment departments as well as of other churches provided insights into na­ tional and ecumenical issues. Liberian leaders identified the following I priority issues: 1) Evangelism and Church Development: There are significant signs of I positive grmrth under African leadership of the Liberian church. From a church of 9,000 members in 1965, the Liberian UUC included 33,000 members by 1977. Vigorous efforts for indigenization of leadership, i'rorship, and theology have helped Liberians to feel that "the church is ours". The pro­ I clamation of "the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ unto salvation and total liberation of our people" strikes a responsive chord. I 2) Community and Agricultural Develo"Pment: The Liberian government's official policy of "integrated rural development" includes goals of diver­ sifying the agricultural economy, increasing the participation of Liberian I citizens, increasing the purchasing power of the people, and improving nu­ trition. The Liberian Church affirms these goals and hopes to develop church land in ways cons is tent with emphasis on nutrition and sanitation. Present pro.jects include the Gbarnga Agricultural Program (rubber, fruits, I I Liberia, p. 3

and vegetables grown to further self-support); the Clara To>m Faro Store .(agricultural supplies sold at reasonable cost in Honrovia); the \-Jli te Plains Farm (poult~J projects and fruits); the Decoursey Faro Project (production for church incom~); and Gbason To1m Agricultural Project (model farming and agricultural development). One stated aim of most of these projects is to generate funds for self-support.

3) . General Education: The goal of reaching 85% of Liberia's people l·rith the Gospel of Jesus Christ involves ~mrk in 16 major Liberian lan­ guage. Various denoirina.tions share in a vigorous literacy program. The church continues to cooperate t'li th government in staffing and equipping schools at various levels. Higher priority shall be given in future to vocational education and leadership development at all levels, including v1omen and children's ministries. There is a heal thy and gro1·dng partici­ pation by viomen in leadership positions in both Government and Church, ~d th one woman serving as a District Superintendent and 5 others newly ordained. Teachers and persons ~.;ho can provide leadership training are I greatly needed and desired. 4) Health and l•ielfare: Liberia is struggling to reduce its oortali ty I rate lThich is unfortunately one of the highest in the i·rorld. In the past the Church led in curative rnedicine through hospital and training schools at Ganta and Phebe. Preventive medicine and human resource developnent I shall be of increasing importance in future. 5) Church-State Relations: Church and State have COI!llnon goals in terms of the development needf3 of the Liberian people. The good uorking I relationship w·hich no1-r exists should continue.

6) Ecttnenical cooperation: Liberian Christians realize that the task I of fulfilling the 11hole mission of an indigenous Liberian Church requires ecumenical efforts. The UNC is taking leadership in foming a ?I a tional Council of Churches in Liberia. Present cooperative projects include a I joint project of religious television programs ("Concern"), a joint Lutheran-trHC bookstore a..."ld audio-visual libra~J, joint production of Christian education curriculum materials (tdth Sierra Leone Nethodists), I and the Union Theological Semina~J at Gbarnga. I I I

I I MOZAMBIQUE

WID 303, 373 sq. mi. (larger than Tex~:s; larger than Zambia) , Coastal lowlands comprise nearly half the country with plateaus rising in steps to the mountains along the western border. Resources: largely unsurveyed; known depo­ sits of coal, tantalite, copper, iron, bawd te, and gold · · PEOPLE 9,440,000 (1976 est.); density_31 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 2.:;% Life expectancy: 41.9 male, 45.1 female Ethnic groups: Tsonga and Changane in the sou thl Sena and Manyika in the center, Nyanja in the northwest, Macua in the north, and Makonde in the northeast. Languages: Portuguese (official), others Cities (1970): Maputo (met.) 383,775; Beira 115,000 I GOVERNMENT Capital: Maputo (formerly Laurenco Marques) Independence: June 25, 1975,after 450 years of Portuguese rule and I 11 years _of liberation war. Type: People's Republic with one party, FRELIMO ~Front for the Liberation of Mozambique) I Read of State: President Samora Machel ECONOMY I GDP: $3 billion (est. 1974) . Per capita income: $300 {1974) Labor force: 74% agn.cultura.l; formerly 100,000 men employed as I contract miners in South Africa. Chief products: agriculture provides So% of export earnings (cashews, cotton, copra, sugar, sisal, and tea). Industries: cement, alcohol, textiles; also shipping through I ports at Maputo and Beira. RELIGIONS I Mainly traditional religions; 15% Christian (11% Roman Catholic, 4% Protestant) 12.5% Muslim I I Mozambique, p. 2 Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975 after 475 ye~rs of Portuguese rule. Portugal's colonial rule was c~~racterized by military conquest, the extraction of natural resources, slave trading in earlier tines and forced lab'or in later ones, a life of privilege for whites and the tiny assinilado elite, and a general lack of interest in developing the country. ·Hare than 100,000 Mozambican men worked on eleven-month contracts at low wages in South Africa's mines. The end of Portuguese rule -v;as preceded by ten years of guerrilla warfare led by FRELU!O (the Front for the Liberation of Hozambique). I By 1974 FRELH!O had TtlOn control of the country's northern areas and had set up a ne'IT pattern of. administration, education, and health care which Tt:as later to be duplicated throughout the country.

I Independence brought far-reaching changes and problems to the countrY'. Al­ most all of the 250,000 Portuguese who had lived in I-iozambique, including most of the country's technicians, left by 1976. Agricultural production I dropped, and medical services vrere limited by a grave shortage of doc tors. The 800 mile-long border 1dth Rhodesia became a war zone as the struggle in­ tensified for the liberation of Zimbabwe, with frequent incursions by Rhode­ I sian security forces into Mozambique. Refugees from both Zimbabwe and South Africa, more than 27,000 in number, sought asylum in J-!ozambique, further straining the nation's resources.

I Catholic missionaries accompanied the first Portuguese explorers to reach Io!ozambique and from the beginning formed one arm of the colonial presence and exploitation. The 1940 Concordat between Portugal and the Vatican assured I the Roman Catholic Church of a privileged position legally and socially, and in turn placed upon.it the obligation to provide all education for Africans in Portuguese colonies. Although Catholic missions viere fully supported by I the state, the church established schools and churches only in a 'minority of communities. For the masses, ho-v;ever, the Ca tho lie Church represented the I spiritual arm of Portu~~ese neglect and oppression. l•!ethodist work in Hozambique beg'1"-n in 1893 when Ed,.Tin H. Richards, a self­ supporting missionai"'J under appointment by Bishop vlilliam Taylor, purchased the former American Board (Congregational,) property at In..''lambane in the south I of the colony. The I·Jomen 's Foreign I•!issionary Society began its >·:-ork there in 1903. Followi.ng the extension of ministry to I-!ozambicans to oiners Tt;ork­ ing in the Transvaal of South Africa, the church organized as the Southeast I African 1-!ission Conference in 1920. Although the church began and was concentrated formany years in the Inhambane I· district, it has spread much further. There are a number of active congrega­ tions in the capital city, I<'.a.puto (formerly Lourenco I•!arques) and others as far north as Beira. The church now claims 40,000 members. In 1964 Bishop Escrivai Zunguze 1v-as elected the first African head of the church. Bishop Almeida Penicela, chosen in d 976, is the church's present leader.

Despite opposition from the Portuguese government, Protestant churches made great efforts to educate l·!ozambicans of all ages. The United :L-1ethodist Church expanded primary schools, but only at the slow rate permitted by the Portu­ guese. It organized Pedro Nunez Institute in Haputo as the only Protestant secondary school in the countrJ. Following independence, the new government took over responsibility for all education and medical care, with the excep­ tion of the theological training programs at Cambine and Ricatla. T~~s in­ cluded the excellent hospital and nurses' training school developed by the church at Chicuque. !·1ozambique , p. 3

The Task Force held conversations with leaders of the United Methodist and other churches, as i-Tell as with some FRELUIO officials. They emphasized the follo1-dng issues.:

1) Church-state relations: The Task Force found a genuine reservoir of goodwill among government officials tor1ard the United r1ethodist Church because the U!oiC in the USA gave early and long-term support to FRELniO 's objectives and leaders during the liberation struggle. Within Mozambique the church lives in a Marxist socialist state which has taken firm control over all pub­ lic education, social services, and communication, and actively seeks to en­ list the energy and commitment of all its peOple. The Constitution provides for complete separation of church and state, freedom to practice any religion or no religion, and sanctions against anyone violating these freedoms. Some government officials have questioned infant baptism as a violation of reli­ gious freedom, whereas others affirm that religion is an essential part of African culture to be shared and taught freely. Leaders of the church are counseling cooperation with the constructive efforts of the state to deal with poverty, ill-health, illiteracy, drug-addiction, prostitution, and other legacies of colonialism. They would resist, however, enfringements on their freedom to witness to the Christian faith, arguing that the Constitution up­ holds that freedom.

·2) Economic-social develoEment: Both Catholic and Protestant churches are searching for the best role they can play in their new society, in which the government has assumed responsibility over all political, economic, and social institutions. Church leaders see some new possibilities to participate in nation-building which do not preempt the unique role of the government to mobilize the people of the nation. Committed Christians continue serving as teachers, doctors, and nurses in schools and hospitals now run by the govern­ ment and can play an active part in FRELTI-10. The massive problems of unem­ ployment, agricultural backvTardness, illiteracy, and endemic illness 1dll re­ quir~ the combined efforts of all leaders for their solutions.

3) Leadership development: WithL~ a socialist state education is the responsibility of the government, but the church can play a unique role in leadership development. For many years the church has carried on a program of adult education, including literacy training and production of literature in the Xi tsw·a language most commonly used by the United 1-!ethodist community. Seminary training for future pastors and their vdves needs to be upgraded. The Task Fo.rce recommends that Ricatla Union Seminary be developed as a major ecumenical theological college to. serve both Mozambique and Angola·. An ex­ panded leadership training program for women will be consistent with the government's emphasis that men and women are equal. Two young women have entered the seminary in preparation for ordained ministry. Others desire to prepare for leadership responsibilities in both church and community, and are asking for opportunities to receive training along "ld th ivomen from other Afri­ can countries in a cross-cultural setting.

4) Church grm"Tth: The new political realities demand nevT innovative forms of evangelism. Immediately after independence many feared government persecution of Christians and left the church. Recently many have returned after a careful appraisal of the importance of spiritUal values affirmed by Cb_~stians in a society ostensibly Marxist and socialistic. Historically the church grew ou~"lvards from the hub of the mission station with its paid profes­ sional leadership. Today evangelism best takes place on a one-to-one basis as individual Christians share their faith in daily encounters and ·through x·fozambique, p. 4

small home meetings. Large regions of the count~J to i·rhich organized Christ­ ianity has not spread haYe been designated as "areas of expansion", but the ch11;rch lacks funds to support pastors or evangelists there. These oppo::-tuni­ ties idll probably be met only as committed Christians choose to move and .-d t­ ness for Christ in such areas >'lhile employed as teachers, health viorkers, ag­ riculturalists, etc.

5) Theology and S'Dirituality: In the colonial period the United Hetho­ dist Church developed an emphasis on personal piety vihich appeared to suit a minority religious community facing occasional persecution. In its ne1·: social situation today, the church is struggling to articulate a new and relevant theology. African concepts of spirituality emphasizing the llholeness of life, and liberation theologies based on an understanding of God's active involve­ ment iri the total redemption of society have relevance.

6) Africani,?:ation: During the colonial era many Christians patterned religious life in Hozambique after '\{estern models. African culture, customs, religion, music, and art 1·1ere repressed as heathen and un-christian. Today I>1ozambican Christians are beginning to raise questions regarding the relation­ ship of Christianity to their ow-n cultural and social roots. At >·lorkshops musicians are beginning to write new· hymns expressing the reality of African religious experience using the tempos and rhythms of traditional song and dance. But Africanization is understood as far more than si.."lging or beating of d;rums. It is the authentic involvement of African Christians in the life and >mrk of the church, according to their present situation.

7) I·1issionary tJersonnel: The !oiozambique church seeks ne>'l' missionary per­ sonn~l, especially for short-term service to train national >..:orke::-s. Each should be fully committed to train f·'Iozambicans to take over the job in t•m to three years. They should be sympathetic >'lith the social revolution taking place in the country, and concerned to grow· in understanding of the local Af<:­ rican culture. Each should understand and accept the fact that they i·iill serve under local leadership. Those desiring to lmrk in educational, medical, and other social institutions should plan to work as full-time employees re­ cruited and paid by the Hozambique government.

8) Church to church relations: NeioJ" opportunities exist in Hozambique for significant cooperation bet<"l'een Catholics and Protestants. During the colonial era such cooperation 1-;as difficult because of the privileged posi­ tion of Roman. Catholics. Since independence all churches are in a similar relationship to the government. All share co:mmon concerns for evangelism, the training of clergy, Africanization, and ne't'T forms of social service. The Mozambique church leaders need increased contacts ~dth leaders in other coun­ tries v1ho face similar problems, especially those in socialist or other Afri­ can countries. SODEP~"{, which represents both the \-iCC and the Vatican, could provide one vehicle for organi-zational suppo::-t. Nultiple opportunities for such sharing should be developed, beginning •n th short seminars and conferences organized on an ecumenical -basis, with the possibility that a training center may need to be developed in the future on an ecumenical basis. I I NIGER I LAND 490,000 sq. mi. (larger than Texas and California combined; largest in W. Africa) I 3% agricultural, 1 7% ari'd. grazing land so;& arid desert ./ · Large uranium· deposits I Exports ground nuts & livestock

PEOPLE I 4,972,000 (1977 est.); density 8.1 per sq. mi. in agricultural zone; annual ·growth rate 2.7% (1974) I Literacy 6% Life Expectancy: 37 yrs. I GOVERNMENT Capital: Niamey Independence: August 3, 1960 I Type: All powers vested in the Supreme Military Council Head of State: President Seyni Kountche I ECONOX.IT GDP: $420.5 million (1974) Per capita income: $93 (1974) I Growth rate: · -5. 3% RELIGIO:t-TS I Mus lim 8 5%, Animist 14 • 5%, Ch-"""is tian 0. 5% (est. ) Roman Catholics: 19 schools, 25 priests, 12,500 Catholics Protestants: 13 mission centers since 1927 I

Involvement of.the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in Niger I began in 1973 when UMCOR responded to the tragic Sahelian drought through the administrative field office of Church World Service. The initial response was emergency relief including feeding programs and mobile medi­ I cal facilities • However, the emergency phase of the work in Niger was quickly superceded by long-term programs to provide self-help of a devel­ opmental natUre. Future disasters must be prevented. I

From the period between 1973 and 1978, UMCOR has funded projects in Niger~ of agriculture, water development, demonstration farms, entomoloe:,"ical programs, school gardens, and irrigated farming by control of the Niger I River floods. UMCOR's financial support of these development programs has reached $588,000.00, which includes more than 7o% of the CWS Niger budget. CWS is slowly phasing out its involvement in Niger as the Niger I Government increasingly takes responsibility for these projects, with total withdrawal projected for 1979. I Niger, p. 2

The current state of food production in Niger remains in perilous balance, with. the danger of famine ever present in years of drought. Above average rainfall in 1978 permits a short-term optimistic forecast, with European governments covering the estimated shortfall of grain of 5,000 metric tons.

The Africa Task Force team visited two UMCOR/CWS-related projects • . Both are designed to attack the root causes of huriger, to increase food produc­ tion and self-reliance by the Niger people and government.

The Belande Training School for young farmers is a joint effort of Church World Service and the Niger Government. Forty trainees learn agricultural techniques appropriate for their local area during the six-month course, including seed selection, use of water resources, crop rotation, and the use of animal traction. A literacy center provides new skills in reading and mathematics which enables young farmers to avoid being cheated when they take their crops to market. The ox team, wagon, and plow received by each graduate as a loan (valued at $1 ,000.00 to be repaid over five years) enable each farmer to put into immediate practice the new technology learn­ ed. A French volunteer will provide the follow-up extension service.

The Tara Agricultural Project, administered by AFRICARE, is a large pilot project of irrigated farming on the Niger River. A large dike prevents flooding of the fields while smaller dikes and canals provide irrigation ~Tater. Current local research will provide the necessary information con­ cerning crop strains, livestock, poultry, and range management most appro­ priate for the climate and soil of the area. The comprehensive rural devel­ opment program includes community health, literacy, cooperatives, a market 1-­ association, and other rural social restructuring. UMCOR 's commitment is $450,000.00 over a three-year period. I The Christian community in Niger is very small, with most Protestants being members of the Sudan Interior Mission, the Evangelical Baptist Church, and a few small fundamentalist groups. These groups have not desired a closer I ecumenical association, nor participated in the substantial CWS-related development projects. A ne\-T indigenous church, the E .E .R.N. (Eglise Evangelique du Republic de I Niger) is gathering strength and seeking links to a wider ecumenical com­ I!llllli ty. The World Division should develop new contacts with the leadership I of this church as a possible ecumenical counterpart for inter-church aid. I / I I I I NIGERIA

LAND 356,669 sq. mi. (more than twice c:the size of California; larger than Mozambique) Four main climatic zones: humid coastal belt of mangrove swamp; tropical rain forest and oil palm bush 5Q-1 00 mi. wide, high 6-7,000 ft. plateau of dry open woodland and savanna in north, and semi-arid desert in extreme north. Resources: oil, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, and forest. PEOPLE 79,800,000 (1973 est.); density 224 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 2.66% (197Q-75) Life expectance: 37.2 male, 36.7 female (1965-66) Ethnic groups: 250 tribal groups, the largest being Hausa-Fulani (32% in north), Yoruba ( 1 a% in west), and Ibo ( 1a% in east) Languages: English (official), Hause, Yoruba, Ibo,- others · Literacy: 25% (1973) Cities (1975 est.): Lagos (met.) 1,476,837; Ibadan 847,000; Ogbomosho 432,000; Kana 399,000

GOVEIOO!ENT Capital: Lagos Independence: October 1, 1960 from Great Britain Type: Federal Republic (military rule) ; 1 9 states with mili tar,y governors; political parties banned since 1966 Head of State: Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo ECONOMY GDP: S18 billion (1974) Per capita income: $210 (1974) Labor force: 67% agricultural, 1 afo industrial; 230,000 in armed forces Chief products: cocoa (main export crop), tobacco, palm products, peanuts, cotton, soybeans; also timber, rubber, and hides Minerals: crude oil (world's 7th largest producer; accounts for 90% of exports) Industries: food processing, assembly of vehicles, and other equipment RELIGIONS 47% Muslim, mainly in North 34% C~-istian, mainly in South 19% Traditional religionists and others Nigeria, p. 2

United ?

In 1977 the I·!uri Church n~bered 7,850 members grouped in 42 local chur­ ches situated on both sides of the Benue River in the Nuri district of the northeastern state. The former Gumter !·1emorial Hospital has no•·r become the Bambur General Hospital, with its medical and auxiliary staff now vmrking un­ der the Gongola State f·Iinistry of Health. The Banyam and Kakulu Bible Schools provide not only theological training for rural pastors and evangelists, but also practical agricultural and rural development skills. Primary and second­ arJ schools and teacher training colleges, many of them formerly church relat­ ed, continue under state auspices to include ·christian Kno1iledge instruction in their curricula. A strong Women's Fellowship is developing leadership training programs in more than thirty rural villages, employing health educa­ tion, child care, nutrition, adult education, agriculture, Bible study, and basic economics.

Rev. I'Iazadu Bakila, Chairman of the !·!uri Church, introduced the Task Force to Church leaders and their work. The travel team met most of the twenty United Hethodist missionaries there. They visited ecumenical projects sup­ ported by the Church, including the Theological College of Northern Nigeria near Jos, and the Institute of Church and Society in Ibadan. They discussed opportunities for ecumenical cooperation 1d th leaders of TEK.AlT, the 1-!ethodist Church of Nigeria, and the Christian Council of Nigeria. TJ!.!COR supports rural development projects through Church viorld Service and the CCN.

The following issue~? are priorities today for the Church in Nigeria:

1) Church~ Church Relationshi~s: Several mission related churches have passed through trJing periods of division and leadership conflicts, including the !~Iuri Church and !-1:ethodists related historically to British Hethodism. Leaders of the r-Iuri Church have for a long time suffered from an inferiority complex,for their church is one of the youngest and smallest of the TEKUT churches. They wish to strengthen the denominational ties of the !.furi Church 1dth ,other United I-Iethodists, as other participating churches in TEKA11 are no\.; doing, ;.Ti th their denominational counterparts. They believe that such a step is essential for ecumenical participation to be effective. They are not clear hoi-T this can be achieved >-Thile retaining the strengths of autonomy and having one's own church constitution.

Present dependence on missionaries for leadership, funding, and overseas contacts must be reduce.d if more mature church to church relationships are to be developed. Conti~ued in service training in church leadership and church management should be a special emphasis. Seminars, workshops, and courses are needed on budgeting, bookkeepL~g, personnel management, and comcunity organi­ zation. Further consultation is recommended on possible future relationships betvleen the Huri Church and the ffi.IC/USA, and between missionary and national leaders. Nigeria, p. 3

2) Leadership Development: Local leaders need the kind of training that will enable them to take effective control over their ow~ affairs, including the encouragement of women to be involved in decision-making. In many places the Church is gro1dng rapidly through community to community evangelism. New congregations often consist of a handful of new converts led by an untrained lay evangelist. A trained pastor often supervises the work of 65 to 80 such evangelists. Where their leadership and guidance of evangelists (who in turn provide pastoral care· and Christian teaching for new converts) is effective, the Church grows rapidly. The existincg three levels of theological training should be continued and strengthened: the education of future ministers at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, of pastors at the Banyam Bible School, and of evangelists at the Banyam and Kakulu Bible Schools. Agricul­ tural and rural development components of the courses should be improved with the assistance of UHCOR. 3) Youth: Nigeria must remain a pluralistic state in the religious loyalties of its citizens. At present the Government supports religious in­ struction in all schools, and pays the salaries of religious knowledge teaeh­ ers, both Christian and Muslim. The recruitment and training of Christian Knowledge teachers today is a top priority in Christian education and youth work. Another need is to develop youth centers in each district staffed by full-time youth, Christian education, and Sunday School workers.

4) liomen: A strong Homen's Fellowship emerged in more than thirty r.1ral villages as a result of an excellent earlier leadership training program. The present in-service training program needs to be strengthened and selected leaders sent for advanced studies to the Mindolo Pan-African course in Zambia. 5) Ag-ricultural and Rural Development: Present planning calls for vil­ lage evangelists to serve also as rural extension workers working closely I·Ti th the staff of the agricultural program. Outside aid is needed for transport, equipment, seeds, and livestock. An improved program should include technical training for village youth, either through a comprehensive tecimical school teaching building, carpentry, masonry, mechanics, electrical and auto repair, or smaller decentralized training opportunities along the lines of the Kenyan village polytechnics.

6) Medical ~: The present close cooperation between government and church in this field should be affirmed, with the Church continuing to recruit staff to serve in government institutions. The !·!edical AuxiliarJ School at Bambus, which trains nurses' aides and village dispensers should be continued. In this way the Church would affirm. its commitment to an effective program of preventive medicine in control of infectious diseases, and in health and nu­ trition education. SIERRA LEONE

LAND 27,925 sq. mi. (slightly smaller than South Carolina; smaller than Liberia) 60 mi. wide coastal belt of mangrove swamps, with wooded hill country and upland plateau to the East. Average temperature 80°F; average rainfall more than 125 in. Resources: timber, diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, and rutile. PEOPLE .3, 11 0, 000 ( 1976 -est.) ; density 111 per sq. mi. ; annual growth rate 2.4% (1970-75) Life expectancy: 41.9 male, 45.1 female (1970-75) Ethnic groups: 3o% Temme; 3o% I.fende; other tribes Languages: English (official); Krio; indigenous languages Literacy: 1o% (1973) Cities (1974 est.): Freetown 214,443; Bo 45,000; Kenema 30,000

GOVERNMENT Capital: Freetown Independence: April 27, 1961 Type: Republic w~th unicameral House and Executive political party, All People's Congress (APC)

ECONOMY GDP: $648 million (1975) Per capita income: S230 (1974) Labor force: 73% agricultural; 1cY/o industrial; some mining and fishing Chief products: cocoa, coffee, palm kernels, kola nuts, ginger ~anerals: diamonds, iron ore, bau.xi te Industries: wood products RELIGIONS 7Cif'o Traditional relig{~nist 25% Muslim 5% Christian I I I Sierra Leone, p. 2

Sierra Leone United Hethodism grevr out of the missionary endeavors of the· Evangelical United Brethren Church begun in 1855. Folloi-Ting the organization of the West·Africa Conference in 1880, the Church developed the Rotifunk Hos­ pital (Hatfield-Archer Hospital), Albe~t Academy for Boys in Freeto~m, and Harford School for Girls in Moyamba as pioneer institutions in the countrJ. Rev. S.M. Renner became the first Leonean superintendent in 1950, and B.A. Care~·: the Church's first Leonean bishop in 1973. By 1977 the Sierra Leone Conference had a communicant membership of 34,504 persons in 206 organized churches and 1 68 other preaching plac7s.

./ Issues of politi.cal unrest, tribalism, uneven economic growth, and a re­ surgence of Islamic influence affect the Church's life and work. -Political stability has been achieved at the price of reduced civil liberties. Gains in foreign earning from export of primary products have been erased by the higher costs.of essential imports. The result has been chronic balance of trade deficits, inflation without affluence, dependence on foreign aid, and high unemployment, particularly among urban and migrant youth. In religious affairs the missionary activity of Islam seems to be outstripping that of Christianity. Muslims are opening new primary and secondary schools at a time when many Christian denominations are tiring of continued involvement in general education. The Task Force team met with leaders of church and government in Freeto>m and then divided to visit the major provincial centers of the Church's work. Leaders identified four priority issues: 1) Evangelism and church grow·tn: In this nation of more than 3 r:dllion people, less than ten percent call themselves Christians. Many villages are ~et unreached by the Gospel. In other areas the Church has only a minimal presence and id tness. Yet, in an era of rapid social change and increased tensions the people of Sierra Leone are now more open and responsive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ than ever before. The Conference goal is to add an- . nually 500 new communicant members in each of its 6 districts each year of the 1 976-80 quadrennium. I>1ajor emphasis shall be placed on the training of ' each member to share their faith and present the claims of Christ, utilizing the methods of the New Life for All Hovement. The purpose of the program is not only numerical church growth but also growth in understanding of the full implications of the Christian faith, that is, a real rene~-;al of the church. The new full-time Conference Secretary of Evangelism will organize training programs in evangelism for both pastors and lay_persons, and develop further a proposal to establish a permanent training center for personnel for evan­ gelism. 2) Leadership Develo-pment: "Christian education should involve the 1¥hole Church," Sierra Leone leaders affirmed. They favor "a broad spectrum approach that symbolizes the Church's ministry t;l.S the priesthood of all believers." They recommend that the Theological Hall and Church Training Centre in Free­ to~m become involved not only in training candidates for ordination but also in the training of lay personnel for their ministries. Among new courses would be a one-year training course in school chaplaincy open for qualified Christian teachers. A Theological Education by Extension course would enable candidates for ministry serving churches in the provinces to engage in con­ tinuous.study under supervision. The exist~g training center for women at Yonibana should be continued and strengthened. f·leaningful participation of Sierra Leone, p. 3

women in the leadership of the Church (particularly at the decision making levels) is imperative for the success a."ld gro1:th of the Church.

3) rUssian priori ties and relationships: The Sierra Leone Church is I struggling vTith the meaning of autonomy. It inherited a structu:-e of adminis­ tration and program, including large educational and health institutions, i·rhich 1-ras :maintained through heaV'.f overseas subsidies in finance and seconded missionary personnel. Today the Church faces the herculean task of cari"Jing I on this work under national leadership v:ith limited financial resources. Pro­ viding adequate support for the ordained clergy is another major need. \"lith present salaries often below the per capita natiop.al income, it is difficult I to challenge young people to enter the ministry, or for those who have receiv­ ed overseas training-to return for pastoral appointment. The Church requests .that t~e BOG!·~ revie1

I'i "' I I SOUTH AFRICA I

LAND I 471,819 sq. mi. (4/5 the size of Alaska; slightly smaller than Angola). The large interior plateau reaches close to the I country's 2,700 mi. coastline. Temperate climate, mean yearly temperature 61.8 F; rainfall varies from 40 in. or more in I the east to less than 5 in. along ~he west coast. Resources: virtually all essential minerals except oil. J PEOPLE 26 , 1 30,000 ( 1 976 est. ) ; -density 55 per sq. mi. ; annual growth rate J 2.74% (197Q-75); urban 47.9% (1972). Life expectancy: 49.8 yrs. male; 53.3 female (197Q-75); but wide variation between whites and blacks. Ethnic groups: Africans 7Cf/o of total (Zulu 19%, Xhosa 18%, Tswana 1 8%), Whites 17 .5%, Coloureds 9;4%, Asians 2.9% Languages: Afrikaans and English (official) ; also various African and Indian. 1 · Li.teracy: 35% ( 1 973) Cities: Johannesburg (met.) 1 ,500,000; Capetown (met.) 1 ,100,000; Durban (met.) 843,327; Pretoria (met.) 561 ,703; Port Elizabeth (met.) 468,577. OOVERNI

Since urban riots erupted in Soweto in 1976, world attention intensified on South Africa and its apartheid policies. For many years thought by outsi­ ders to be firmly under the control of its white minority, South Africa no~; appears likely to experience increasing violence as Africans intensify their efforts to win majority rule. Black militancy increased following the death by torture of Steve Biko in 1977, and the ba.nDing of most black movements for political change, as well as the multi-racial Christian Institute of Southern Africa.

The beginning of South Africa's present cr~s~s goes back 300 years to a period when Europeans, most frequently Dutch and English, migrated there to take advantage of the country's rich farmland, vast mineral resources, and pleasant climate. vilrites today comprise approximately seventeen percent of the .population of South Africa, yet allocate for their own use eighty-seven percent of the land.

vihites seek to perpetuate the myth that African!=' migrated into South Afri­ ca from the North simultaneously vTi th European development of vihat is novr the Cape Province. In fact almost all of South Africa's eighteen million Africans (called 11 Bantus" by the white Afrikaners who call themselves "Africans") are· descendants of Sotho and Nguni groups that established themselves in South Af­ rica centuries before the coming of the first i-rhite settlers. The South Afri­ can Government is attempting to designate scattered· parcels of rural land as "Bantuhomelands or Bantustans" (less than thirteen percent of the total land). Despite efforts to remove up to two million unemployed Blacks from urban areas, Inore than eight million Africans nearly half the total black population - live in urban -townships.

Coloreds, more than two million in number, are the fastest growing of South Africa's racial groups. They are descendants of the indigenous people of the Cape Province, some of i-rhom intermarried id th farm laborers brought from i-lalaysia. Asians, about 700,000 in number, trace their ancestry back to East Indians brought as indentured laborers to work ·on sugar estates in Natal. l·ihile government policy calls for a new federal system giving political repre­ sentation through separate assemblies to Asians and Coloreds, many of them, col!li:lonly labeled "non-rrhi te" by those in pow·er, have thro"rt."'Il in their political aspirations with the black majority.

The African National Congress (ANC) was established in 1 91 2 to fight iorhi te minority rule in South Africa. Each effort to use non-violent means to pro­ mote racial justice, including boycotts, petitions, and strikes, was met by repressive laws and police brutality. After the 1960 Sharpville massacre, in which sixty-nine people vrere killed while peacefully protesting the passbook laws, the ANC a."'ld other liberation organizations, including the Pan African-. ist Congress, were banned and forced underground.

An estimated 17.6 million Cr..ristians live in South Africa. The country's five million other residents include Jews, Huslims, and Hindus. Host govern­ ment officials belong to the Dutch Reformed Church which helped develop a theo­ logical justification for apartheid, and continues to support the system. Hethodists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Congregationalists con­ sti~~te the English-speaking Protestant churches in South Africa. About eighty percent of their fifteen million members are Africans, as ~-rell as a majority of Roman Catholics. Many blacks, however, have chosen to join the African independent churches, now more than four thousand in number, i-rhich South Africa, p. 3 I under black leadership seek less Western forms of Christianity. I The South African Council of Churches, representing most English-speaking Protestants as well as a fe1-r African independent churches, has publicly re­ jected apartheid. The Council, under its first black General SecretarJ, Bi­ I shop Desmond Tutu, provides an open forum in vrhich black and white church· leaders ·can discuss questions concerning South Africa's future. I The United ?·!ethodist Church has not,:tried to establish itself as a denomi­ nation in South Africa. For many years World ~ivision missionaries and Afri­ can pastors ca_~ed on ministries (both religious and educational, including I literacy training) to I•!ozambican men working on labor contracts in the gold and coal mines. This vras an extension of the Church in Mozambique since al­ most every adult male in the area of Mozambique where the ID1C is strong came I at one time or another to w·ork in the mines. The future of this work is un­ certain, as the ?·Iozambican Government hopes to phase out this migrant labor system. Other World Division ministries in South Africa have been undergoing I change. The Central 1-Iission Press, begun in 1924 to produce Christian liter~­ tu_~ for use in various African countries, has been closed due to the increas­ ing difficulty of having Christian literature printed in South Africa for use in independent African states. For several years the I'Iorld Division assigned I missionaries to work with the interdenominational Bureau of Literacy and Lit­ eratU-~ in producing materials for literacy classes and training teachers in its use. J In recent years the BOG!-! has shifted its priorities to relate to the lib­ eration str~ggle in South Africa. Increasingly funds have been given to pro­ jects seeking to raise levels of consciousness both vdthin and outside South I Afric~ to the injustices of the apartheid system. This includes support for ministries of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the now· banned Christian Institute, black consciousness groups, and the iiorld Council of I Churches' Program to Combat Racism. The ·world Division subsidized the shoT:dng of the dramatic film, Last Grave at Dimboza, on public television, and a pro­ ject enabling South AfriCan blacks-to publish their Oiin newspaper. I

U.S. involvements in South Africa include $1 .7 billion in corporate in­ vestments and $2.0 billion in bank loans - many of them to agencies related J to the South African Government. Affirming that Christians should iiork for corporate and government policies ivhich seek to end the racial injustice of the apartheid system, the vlorld Division gives grants to the \'lashington Office on Africa, Southern Africa magazine, Africa Ne-vrs, the U.s. Committee on Afri­ I ca, and the Interfaith Committee on Corporate Responsibility. The lfomen's Division, through the Church's Center at the United Nations, conducts semi­ nars on South African issues, and maintains contacts with diplomats and lead­ I ers of liberation movements. Only one Task Force member received a visa to visit South Africa. Her I longer informal visits, however, provided opportunities to visit i·:i th a i'lide range of community leaders in Capetovm, Durban, and Johannesburg. Hajor is­ sues discussed included: I 1) .Unem-ployment: All leaders consul ted named this as. the number one emerge~cy issue facing black South Africans. New legislation designed to classify urban blacks unemployed for more than four months as "idle Bantus"· J would make them subject to loss of rights to urban residence, to detention in J I South Africa, p. 4

a rehabilitation center, or conscription into the labor force of a prison I farm. Hare than t~io million blacks are unemployed. One creative approach taken by congregations in Durban and other east coast cities, ~~th the assis­ tance of the SACC, has been the creation of commtul.ity self-employment indus­ I tries ( uood1-rorking, toy :r:taking, candle facto~J, etc.). iforkers receive food 'lrhile gro't'Ting ?-n economic independence a."ld political awareness.

2) Theological training: Considerable rethinking is underi·ray concerning I the trays to teach theology amidst rising racial tensions. Hany black Christ­ expect the churches to lead in the struggle against racial injustice. Federal Theological SeminarJ, closed at Fort Hare due to suspected political radical­ I ism, hopes to relocate 1·rhere seminarians can engage in black studies, but prospects remain dim. Training for urban team ministries oay be atteopted on the spot in urban areas.

I 3) Liberation concerns: Both denominations and. ecumenical bodies are torn bet

LAND I 63,378 sq. mi. (slightly larger than Florida; smaller than Ghana). " . The North is wooded and fertile; the cen~ I tral coastal plains are suited for graz­ ing and orchards; the South is arid and approaches the Sahara Desert Resources: oil, phosphates, iron ore, lead, I lead, zinc PEOPLE I 5,740,000 (1976 est.); density 91 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 2.6% (1970-75) Life expectancy: 52.5 male, 55.7 female (1970-75) I Ethmic groups: Arabs, small Berber minority, 1% Europeans Languages: Arabic (official), French Literacy: 32% (1973) I Cities (1966): Tunis (met.) 647,640; Safaqis 215,836

GOVERNMEh""T .I Capital: Tunis Independence: March 20, 1956 from France Type: Republic with unicameral assembly popularly elected on I universal adult suffrage Political party: Destourian Socialist Party Head of State: President Habib Bourguiba I ECONQr'IY GDP: $4.44 billion (1976) I Per capita income: $714 (1975) Labor Force: 46% agricultural, 28% industrial Chief products: wheat, olives, citrus fruits, grapes, I Industries: food processing, textiles, clothing, leather, oi:. products, construction materials, tourism Chief e"tports_: petroleum, phosphates, olive oil I RELIGIONS Islam nearly universal I Others include .Te1'l"S (20,000), Roman Catholics (20,000), Greek Orthodix, and a few French and English Protestants I I I Tunisia, p. 2

Tunisia is one of the fei'r places in the 't·rorld ~~here Christianity once flourished and then didiidled and disappeared. The tragic histor-.r of l-1us­ lim-christian conflict since the seventh century included atrocities and intolerance on both sides.

French Hethodists began their iiOrk in Tunisia in 1885. Since 1908 American I•Iethodist missionaries have cooperated in work in that country. Increasingly such involYement has been carried out on an ecumenical basis i"rith fello~r Christians, both Protestant and Catholic • .

Present U!

The l·lorld Division giYes support to the vlorld Council of Churches' ser­ vice agency engaged in rural development at the request of the Tunisian gover:c:nent. Since 1976 the director of the rural development program has been a Tunisian. ·

The Task Force members did not visit Tunisia, but received a report from ~.;orkers there.. The follovring key issues i·rere identified, not only for the church's witness in Tunisia, but in all: of Uorth Africa:

1 • Develoning a theolo€j1J of Christian -presence in a !>Iuslim environnent. To live as foreign Christians in Tunisia. or Algeria is to remove all arro­ gance and any pretense of ecclesiastical pouer. Sharing the daily life of Tunisiat:.s involves learning to appreciate deeply Uorth African values. Out of such experience can develop an inca.-""D.ational theology in i'rhich persons express the Christian faith .in Arabic vocabulary and thought for=s previous­ ly associated only id th Islam. The end result is neither a syncretistic compromise nor a naive tolerance but rather a renewed affiroation of the faith experience in Christ in a Huslim cultural context.

2. Deenenil"..g Christian... Io!uslimdialogue • . In the past, s't'..tdents in Christian schools in Uorth Africa studied Western culture and belief sys­ tems. Today the roles are reversed. Christians desiring to engage in serious dialogue 'tdth I·!uslims need first to study both Islam and the his­ tory of Christian presence in North Africa. Competency in Arabic 'tdll be required. Often dialogue will .begin as Christians and Huslims share in common moral, religious, sGcial, economic, and political concerns. It should be dialogue in the places '!·ihere Christians are at i·rork, and less often in centers for stady of theological or theoretical issues.

}. Long-term missionary assi~...:r.ents in s-pecial situations. Thorough understanding of the culture and its people is a p:rerequisite for effec­ tive Ch...-..j.stian-1:Iuslim d.ialogu.e in Harth Africa. This fact :leans that Harth Africa needs certain missionaries on long-te!'!!l assigm:ents. ZAIRE ·

LAND 905,063 sq. mi. (1/4th the size of the USA, slightly smaller than Algeria) Includes the bulk of the 2,718 mi. long Zaire River basin; a low lying plateau covered· by rain forest surrounded by mountains in the ~vest and East, grasslands toward the North and savannas to the South and sE, with. a / short" strip of a.Ccess to the Atlantic "ocean. Rot and humid; on the equator; average rain­ fall 42 in. Resources: abundant minerals including cobalt (2/3rds of world output), copper, gold, tin, zinc, iron, industrta.l diamonds, manganese, coal, and rare metals; 13% of world hydro- · electric potential.

PEOPLE 25, 630,000 ( 1 976 est. ) ; density 28 per sq. mi. ; annual growth rate 2.47% (1970-75); urban 26.4% (1974) Life expectancy: 41.9 male; 45.1 female (1970-75) Ethnic groups: over 200 tribal groups including Luba 18%, :r!ongo 17%, Kongo 12%, Ruanda 1a%, and others . Lano~ges: French (official); also Lingala, Kjkango, Tshiluba, and Kingwa.na (a dialect of Kisl'rahili) Literacy: 12% (1973) . Cities ( 1 974 est. ) : Kinshasa 2, 008, 352; Kanan~ 601 , 239; Lubumbashi 403,623

GOVEIOO!ENT Capital: Kinshasa Independence: .June 30, 1 960 from Belgium (formerly Belgian Congo) Type: Presidential rule by army commander; one party - the Popular Movement of the Revolution (!{PR) Read of State: President r~Iobuto Sese Seko

ECo:t-TOl•IY GDP: $3.53 billion (1974) Per capita income: $124 (1974) Labor force: 7e% agricultura.l Chief crops: coffee, palm oil, rubber, tea, cotton, cocoa (cash crops); manoic, plantains, bananas, corn, rice, vegetables, fruits, sugar (food crops) Industry: processed and unprocessed minerals, consumer products, metal and chemical products, construction materials

RELIGIONS 60'/o Christian (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Kimbanguist) 1% I·tuslim Others of traditional African religions Zaire, p. 2

Bishop \"lilliam Taylor made the first Hethodist contacts in what is novr Zaire in 1885-6 as he sought to organize mission stations between Nalebo Pool (formerly Stanley Pool) and the sea. l·fuen the Bishop stressed ne1-r work in Angola, these stations v1ere abandoned or transferred to other missions. In 1907 Rev. and Mrs. John Springer explored the Southern region and established work in Katanga. In 1912 the ~Iethodist Episcopal Church, South began work in Central Zaire at \Iembo Nyama under Bishop vialter R. Lambuth and Dr. John \'r'es­ ley Gilbirt, a black professor from Payne College. The three United Methodist Conferences (Central Zaire, North Shaba, and South Shaba) with approximately 250-260,000 members, are the successors of these early pioneer efforts.

Since its inception in 1970, Methodists have been one of the fifty-three member Communities of the Church of Christ in Zaire (ECZ). Bishops Onema Fama and Ngoy ~iakadilo are Presidents of two of the nine regions of the ECZ. United Methodists support relief and development projects through the ECZ, as well as ecumenical projects in evangelization, Christian education, and theo­ logical education. Contacts and cooperation are increasing with the other tv;o major Christian groupings in Zaire-- the Roman ·catholic and Kimban~~ist chur­ ches.

Task Force members held discussions with leaders of church and government in Kinshasa and in each UMC conference. The overriding national issue is development. Chronic underdevelopment l·ras deepened by the eighty day ~;ar in Shaba Province, and by the second war of !•Iay 1 978. These disruptions only in­ creased rampant political instability, economic gloom, l'lidespread poverty and I depression, and a demoralized citizenry. Beset by problems beyond its abili­ ties, the Zaire Government has reques-ted the Church not only to be the moral guardian of the nation, but also to provide many_basic social services. Pri­ mary and secondary schools, nationalized by the State in 1975-6, now have been I returned to the Church. Direct appeals have been made that the Church assist in agricultural development, road building, improved medical services, and provision of air transport. The Church struggles "to care for the rrhole person I who is victimized by a government unable to meet urgent human needs.

Zairois leaders outlined their needs for holistic development in the fol­ I lol·Ting areas :

1) Economic~ agricultural development: With eighty percent of Zaire's population engaged in subsistence agriculture, a comprehensive village devel­ I=~-· - opment program is urgently needed. The role of the Church is seen first at the point of motivation. The State desires the Church's help in providing in... foi'I!lAtion for better training and production, in organizing cooperatives, and 1 in involving young people in development projects. The Church is urged also to tackle major problems of transportation, including road construction and maintenance, which have caused Vfhole districts to revert from cash crop to I subsistence agriculture due .. to lack of access to markets. Specific projects recommended by church leaders include the reconstruction of the agricultural school at Sandoa, the development of rice farming, and the establishment of I polytechnic schools and teclmical training for fishermen. Only a creative ap­ ~r proach will avoid the danger that increased outside assistance

to read, to farm, and to prevent diseases. Churches are the major motivators I iii contact with the people. All personnel - both indigenous and overseas - are called to present such a holistic approach. Development concerns have an important place in theological studies for men and women preparing for minis­ J try. Effective community leadership requires improved levels of training for both pastors and lay people, including university studies for key leaders. Acute problems of church support must be faced as a church composed largely of subsistence farmers aspires for a more educated ministry. Pastors need more adequate pensions, transport, salaries, and housing. The "tent-making" (self-supporting) style of ministry of the Kimbanguists may provide an alter­ nate approach.

3) Human develonment: Zairois leaders affirm that people - not diamonds, cobalt, or copper - are the nation's most precious resource. The people, how­ ever, like the minerals they help to mine, are an exploited commodity. Amid rampant bribery and corruption in public life, the Church is called to develop in people a sense ·of moral values, justice and equality, and a commitment to a costly development of the nation and the Church. Major areas of human development, particularly seen from the perspective of the Church are identified as training in:

living in rural villages (agricultural training);

living as women (literacy and educational development, role identifica­ tion, skill training, family life problems, nutrition awareness - all in both rural and urban settings);

theological education (an identification and education in an African way of thinking about God for clergy, lay persons, evangelists, cataehim~s, etc.);

technological skills (business management, marketing, engineering, mechanical maintenance, medicine, piloting planes, construction, etc.).

Providing trainers in these and other areas would require an increase in overseas personnel in the short term. Each job description should include a statement regarding the training of indigenous personnel for such responsibi­ lities. Outside financial assistance should be designed to reduce dependency on overseas funding. The Zairois Church requests grants for investment pro­ jects so as to break the cycle of dependency and produce income for develop­ ment. I I ZAI.ffiiA I LAND I 290,724 sq. mi. (larger than Texas; slightly smaller than ~!ozambique). Mostly high plateau savanna and forest, including the watershed sources of I the Zaire and Zambezi rivers Sub-tropical in climB. te; average annual rainfall 25-30 in. I ·Resources: copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, coal I PEOPLE 5,140,000 (1976 est.); density 18 per sq. mi.; annual growth rate 3.12% (1970-75); urban 36.3% (1975) I Life expectancy: 42.9 male, 46.1 female (1970-75) Ethnic groups: ~9% Africans of 73 different tribes (Bemba, Tonga, Nyanja, and Lozi the largest); 1% Europeans and Asians I Languages: English (official); 70 others Literacy: 2o% (1975) Cities (1972 est.): Lusaka (met.) 448,000; Kitwe (met.) 331 ,000; I Ndola (met.) '235,000 GOVERNrmT I Capital: Lusaka Independence: October 24, 1964 fro:m Great Britain (formerly Northern Rhodesia) Type: Republic; one-party state -... United National Independence I .. Party ( UNIP) Head of State: President Kenneth David Kaunda I ECONQ!.IT GDP: $2.26 billion (1976) Per capita income: $504 (1974) I Labor force: 69% agricultural; 15% industrial Chief crops: corn, tobacco, peanuts, cotton, sugar Minerals: copper (provided 95% of foreign earnings and 5o% of I national budget incoJile in 1 975) IndustrJ: foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizers I RELIGIOifS 15% Christian (Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Church of Zambia, others) I Others traditional religionists except for small Muslim and Hindu coilllll.unities I I Zambia, p. 2

As a landlocked country, Zambia has been greatly affected by the political conflicts in neighboring countries {Angola, Namibia, Zaire, and Zimbabwe). The economy, already in imbalance due to the dependence upon copper to provide half the national budget and 9o% of the nation's foreign earnings, has been seriously disrupted both by the depressed world price of copper since 1975 and by the periodic closure of trade routes to the sea. Committed to the libera­ tion of Namibia and Zimbabwe.from white minority rule, Zambia closed her bor­ der with Rhodesia in 1973, reduced her trade with South Africa and Rhodesia to essentials like coal and mining equipment, and offered bases to liberation movements. ;-: /

Christian missions played an important part in the development of African education, medicine, and other social services during the colonial era. Mis­ sionaries of the Paris Mission, Plymouth Brethren, Anglican, Methodist, Dutch Reformed, and Roman Catholic churches, both African and European, began work in widely scattered parts of the country. The United Churches Mission to. the Copperbelt in the 1930s was a pioneer cooperative effort by Methodists, Con­ gregationalists, Presbyterians, and Baptists in the early copper mining to1ms.

Although a majority of Zambians today profess to be Christians, many con­ tinue to uphold traditional religious beliefs, values, and rituals. Only a minority of the population are members of Christian churches. Roman Catholics have the largest membership, followed by the United Church of Zambia (formed in 1965 by those of Methodist, Congregational, and Reformed traditions), An­ glican, African Methodist, Episcopal, and Baptist churches. There are numer­ ous small African independent churches. Muslims are few in number. United Methodism has never organized a ·church in Zambia. Instead, expa­ triate United Methodists from Zimbabwe, Zaire, and other countries are encou?­ aged to affiliate with the United Church of Zambia.

Ecumenical projects in Zambia are very strong with a high level of Protes­ tant-catholic C'ooperation. The r-!indolo Ecumenical Centre at Kitwe, not far from the Zaire border, is the largest of the church-sponsored leadership train­ ing centers in Africa. Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation provides Pan-African courses for leaders of women and youth, a full range of vocational training courses for personnel in industry and commerce, seminars and conferences on church and national development, and the Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Library. Other autonomous institutions on the campus include the Africa Literature Cen­ ter with Pan African courses for journalists, publishers, and artists, the United Church of Zambia Theological College, and training centers of the YtvCA and Barclays Bank.

The Christian Council of Zambia maintains strong programs in women's work, youth, rural development, and refugee assistance. It sponsors two church-re­ lated teacher training colleges. An ambitious investment project in downto1m Lusaka is designed both to provide an expanded headquarters building and in­ come sufficient to support an expanded program in future.

Other ecumenical projects include Multimedia Zambia and Family Farms, Inc. Multimedia Zambia, established in 1971 as a joint Protestant-catholic venture, carries out an active program of religious radio and television broadcasting, production of a·national newspaper, of religious books, and of audio-visuals on behalf of the churches. Since 1975 an, entirely Zambian staff of tvrenty has led this project. One of the most successful development projects in Africa Zambia, p. 3

is Family Farms in Zambia's Southern Province, where African farmers and fish­ ermen are being resettled on abandoned colonial estates. Staff members assist With training and extension services.

The United Methodist Church has provided both funding and personnel for these ecumenical projects upon request of internationai agencies such as the World Council of Churches and the World Association of Christian Corm:::~.unication.

The Christian Council of Zambia arranged for the Task Force team to visit these ecumenical projects, and to discuss priority issues with church leaders, government officials, leaders of various non-governmental organizations in­ volved in social services, and ;.."i th participants in the Pan-African courses at Mindolo. Of many issues discussed, the follo•.dng deserve special mention:

1) Leadership Development: The ?-!indole Ecumenical Centre demonstrates the value of concentrating funding, personnel, and students to provide quality training. The Pan-Af.rican programs provide for a cross-fertilization of ideas, the building of common concerns, understandings, and values, and the deveJ.op­ ment of trained leaders to serve in various African countries. The staff in­ creasingly should constitute itself as a mobile training team to conduct short and relatively inexpensive courses in other countries during several months of each year. The resources both of prograa and personnel of the center \>Till be utilized more fully if bilingual staff can be employed capable of conducting courses in French, Portuguese, or S"tiahili as l'l'ell as English. Donors need to increase the financial stability of the center through assured budgets and funds to provide inves.tmen t income.

2) Economic· Development: The Church ·has an opportunity to work closely I "rith the Zambian Government on issues of economic development. The Zambian philosophy of Humanism includes an emphasis on service to man, derived in large measure from Christian teaching. President Kaunda and other government leaders recognize that non-governmental organizations often achieve more sig­ I nificant results in development than governmental agencies. · The most impor­ tant role for the churches Will be in·model or demonstration projects, which, if successful, can then be implemented by government on a larger scale. Fam­ ily Farms rural resettlement and the .American Friends Service Committee self­ help urban housing projects are t1vo such projects. Formation of effective credit unions, and cooperatives for both producers and consumers, are two I priority needs.

3) Church ~ Church E.elationships: ltlhile affirming the importance of I continued ecumenical involvement by United Methodists in Zambia, creative op­ portunities exist for ne~1 relationships with individual denominations~ Among those related historically to Methodism are the United Church of Zambia and the African Hethodist Episcopal Church. Nutual sharing of resources for church I development 1d th these churches may help to redress the present imbalance in Zambia in lvhich the resources available to one ecumenical project exceed those I of an entire major denomination. I I I ZINBABi'IE

LAND 150,.333 sq. mi. (nearly as large p.s Cali- fornia; smaller than Botswana). .~ High plateau country rising to mountains on East, sloping down to rivers (Zam­ bezi and Limpopo) on other bo·rders Sub-tropical climate; 25-30 in. annual average rainfall Resources: chrome, coal, asbestos, cop­ per, nickel, gold, iron ore.

PEOPLE 6,530,000 (1976 est.); density 43 per sq. mi.; annual gro"l\rth rate 3.35%; urban 19.4% Life expectancy: 49.8 male, 53.3 female (1970-75) Ethnic groups: 96% African, 3% European, less than 1% Coloureds and Asians Languages: English (official), Shona, Ndebele Literacy: 25% (1973) Cities (1973 est.): Salisbury (met.) 502,000; Bulawayo (met.) 307,000 GOVERUNENT Capital: Salisbury Type: Republic declared in 1970 (Rhodesia) after Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965 .. formerly· self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia._ No-.;·; in transition to African majority rule. Parties: Rhodesia.Front (white), United African National Council (UANC), Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU), Zimbabiie African National Union Heads of "interim governt:lent": Ian Smith, Bishop Abel Huzorewa, Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, Chief .Josiah Chirau Heads of Liberation Movements: .Joshua likomo (ZAPU), Robert Mugabe (ZAlnJ)

ECONO!-IT GDP: S3.15 billion (1974) Per capita income: 3502 (1974); much lower for Africans. Labor force: 63% agricultural, 9% industrial Chief crops: tobacco, sugar, cotton, corn, tea ~linerals: asbestos, copper, iron, coal, chrome Industries: clothing, chemicals, light industries

RELIGIONS 75% Christian (Roman Catholic, Protestant, African independent) 24% Traditional religionist 1% 1-iuslim, .Jewish, Hindu l Zimbab-vre, p. 2 To the British Gove~ent this has been kno~m since 1890 as the colony of Southern Rhodesia. The white-settler regime led by Ian Smith calls it the I Repllblic of Rhodesia. For Africans the country is Zimbabue. From 1890 to 1923 the British Government allocated control over the territorJ to the Brit­ ish South Africa Company headed by Cecil .John Rhodes. In 1923 the small I white settler community voted to become a self-governing colony and received ·control over the police and army. In 1965 they used this po1·rer to defy Brit­ ish authori~J and world opinion, unilaterally declaring their independence in I order to perpetuate 'i'

I United l~·!ethodist vrork began >d th a visit of Bishop .Joseph C. Hartzell in 1897, when he obtained a large tract of land >·d th buildings from Cecil Rhodes. From this center called OldUmtali, the work spread within a 62,000 square mile area in the northeastern part of the country. At present it in­ I cludes five districts. The Mtasa/Makoni and Umtali districts are located on the eastern border. The 1-!rel'ra and !~toko/Nyadiri districts lie northeast of Salisbury. The fifth district includes churches in Salisbury, Bula1·1ayo, and I Gwelo.

For many years the church worked closely >nth the state by providing almost I all schools for Africans and much of the health services in rural areas. In· 1970 the church opposed government discrimination in education and gave up its primary schools, although it retained secondarJ schools and teacher train­ I ing colleges. Opposition to vrhi te racism in Rhodesia brought many of the principal denominations closer together, including the Roman Catholics. Chur~h leaders through the Christian Cou.'llcil of Rhodesia strongly criticized many policies of the Smith regime, a situation i·rhich led to the deportation of a I number of missionaries, including former Uf.'iC bishop Ralph E. Dodge.

:Host rural United Hethodist congregations are located in those districts of I the country which have become war zones since 1973. More than 250,000 people have been uprooted from their homes and forced to live behind barbed >-fire in keeps (protected villages). EverJ aspect of community life -:- farning, chur­ I ches, schools, clinics, etc. - has bee.n disrupted. Nany persons have been killed; others have fled to the cities for security. Those ;·:ho remain are often sick and hungry. It is under such conditions that the church today carries on its ministry. UNCOR shares in ministry to the victims of this I unrest through its support of Christian Care, the social w·elfare arm of the churches.

I The Task Force team ,.;as able to visit in each district of the UHC 's 1·rork. Leaders emphasized the follo1·dng six issues for the church's future life and I witness in Zimbabue: 1) Liberation: The UHC in Zimbabwe has had four of its five districts engulfed in the brutal liberation war. Congregational worship and pastoral I care have been traumatically interr..1pted. Both laity and clergy r..ave been I Zimbab"i·re, p. 3 forced to lead the people into a deeper meaning of the role and vti tness of the church in the drama of deliverance and salvation. Bishop Huzoreua's pol­ itical leadership gives high visibili~J to the church's involvement in the liberation struggle. \·ii th painstaking effort Christians try to apply the gospel to the oppressive system in vThich they live. At times their tasks of mercy and compassion are sioilar to that of the biblical Good Samaritan. At other times Christians ask: "\",!hat is our Christian duty i'l'hen 1-re find people in the heat of a battle?"

2) Church growth: In a time of civil war, church grow·th in Zimbab'~'l'e can best be measured as a new depth of perception of what the gospel has to say about the wholeness of life and God's grace as a redeeming force before the great presence of evil in the 1-rorld. To persons shattered by human tragedy a praying church shares Christian vision and hope. "It is the only place 1i'here blacks are free," one student said~ The church 1 s aid to the war's vic­ tims goes out to .all in-need. Women who comprise 7/10ths of the church's membership are active in reaching out to others. The ifOmen 1 s organizations are alive and expanding, vrith the first conference executive for ;vomen's work noi·T appointed.

3) Leadershin training: N'e1-r opportunities will increase rapidly w·hen African majority rule comes to Zimbabv;e. J::rany persons no>·r working for the church rrill move into positions in government and industr.r novr held by whites. A crash program idll be required to train Zimbabweans to fill many technical posts previously denied them. There vrill be a need for short-term persons in mission with·technical skills to provide such training. A colonial mentality that taught persons to look down upon those -.;·rho I'ICrked with their hands vrill need to be overcome. At present the church is committed to sponsoring two­ year tech.~ical high schools, but recognizes that higher level technical train­ ing, including an engineering school, ;till be required. In theological edu­ cation the church has provided a high quality of training with nineteen UHC ca.~didates, including four women, preparing for the full-time ministry at ·United Theological College (Ep•mrth). The \-Tomen 's department there includes training for pastors' wives and a school for young children.

4) Africanization: The ID-!C in Zimbab·we has already developed many forms of church life ·that have moved beyond vrestern patterns. I-1any of the ques­ tions raised by pastors in training, the writings of young theologians, and the songs and expressions of Christians at worship .arise out of the cultural traditions and social organization of African life. It ~·ras generally felt that this aspect of church life should be allowed to gro1v naturally and not be excessively accelerated through new programs.

5) Church to church relationshins: 1dhile desiring total control over its ovm decision-making and fiscal independence, the ID-!C of Zimbab..,;e feels uncor:llortable vri th the concept of "autonomy". It implies "standing alone" whereas the church desires relationships of mutual concern and sharing vri th other churches in Africa and overseas. Several ministers have served as Per­ sons in !-Iission within annual conferences in the USA, and the Conference sup­ ports an evangelist in neighboring Botswana. w1Ule giving sacrificially both in the struggle tov:ard church self-reliance and to assist others, !·!ethodists of Zimbabwe call for help in the task of rebuilding the nation.

6) Urban/rural resettlement: In many rural areas whole villages have been destroyed, first by the Smith regime's troops as persons were crowded Ziobab~re, p. 4

into keeps, a.'>ld later. by the guerrillas, forcing many to seek shelter in the forest. Resettlement ~~11 .require the total rebuilding of communities -­ homes, schools, clinics, farms, and of relationships among those ivho remain -­ those i'rho joined the freedom fighters, and those i'iho fled as refugees. to to1-ms and surrounding countries. Urban co~unities face similar problems of human resettlement. Establishing to~mships doubled and tripled in population ~iith­ out any increase in housing, 1-rf!..ile thousands erected temporary shelters on the outskirts. Those returning from political detention and inprisonment >Jill have major adjustments to make in the new society. UNCOR has assisted :S:lelmeni Farm 1·rhich provides vocational training for ex-detainees and 1·rill need to expand support of similar programs. The church must be prepared to ser;e as advocate for the homeless and unemployed, and to participate in planning for a new quality of urban life.

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