Juarez Mission
Mission team members from Suncreek United Methodist Church sift out rocks as part of the mortar-making process. They spent three days building a cinder-block home for the Quinoñes family of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Similar teams with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission serve around the world. (Photo by Sam Hodges, UMNS)
2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the first denomination-wide mission society in any of The United Methodist Church's predecessor bodies.
Global Ministries is coordinating several components to celebrate this milestone. One is collecting and sharing stories of Methodists in mission throughout our history. These stories are intended to help us understand who we have been in mission and propel us forward into a new age of mission.
The story collection process is open to anyone. You can submit your story here: http://methodistmission200.org/mission-stories/submit-your-story/
As the website indicates, the stories should answer the questions: "What has God done through Methodists in mission historically in your area? How is God moving in mission among Methodists in your area today?"
It continues, "You are encouraged to share short written stories of mission pioneers, persons who brought Methodism to a new area; mission exemplars, individuals, institutions, movements, and events that represent a significant aspect of Methodist mission; and mission lessons learned from current or recent mission projects. These stories can be illustrated by photos and video."
You can read the stories collected here: http://methodistmission200.org/mission-stories/
A United Methodist layman, Dr. David W. Scott serves as director of mission theology for the General Board of Global Ministries in Atlanta, Ga., and as blogmaster for UM & Global, the collaborative blog of United Methodist Professors of Mission. This post is republished with permission from UM & Global.