• By Eugene Blair, Flint District Superintendent •
A former missionary with the Methodist Church of Kenya, Blair returned to the East Africa Conference this February 2011 to lead a series of training events for district superintendents and local church leaders in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.
I have spent a good part of my life in East Africa as a missionary, consultant and mission interpreter. At the request of Bishop Daniel Wandabula, I recently returned in February 2011 for a two-week training tour of three countries to train district superintendents.
Few people know much about the East Africa Annual Conference or the work of the UMC in east Africa. It is an exciting and dynamic place for ministry and it is growing everyday.
For the most part, the United Methodist Church in east Africa came into being out of the genocide in the
Rwanda in 2004. People in east Africa saw the work of the UMC through UMCOR and others and decided they too wanted to be United Methodist. The church has been trying to catch up with east Africa ever since. The growth of the church has outstripped resources and superseded leadership and trained clergy available to lead the church.
The East Africa Conference has had its share of leadership struggles. But things are looking brighter every day.
Wandabula was elected as bishop in 2009 to lead this large and far flung conference. I knew Bishop Wandabula as a student in Kenya. The East Africa Annual Conference includes five countries (Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Sudan) and is home to over 100 indigenous languages.
The legal and cultural diversity makes is quite a challenge to cover five countries. Bishop Wandabula is the youngest of the active bishops in the church at 44 years old. He leads the church with great energy, hopefulness, and an infectious smile that turns strangers into friends quickly.
Bishop Wandabula and I made our training tour together. All along the way he encouraged, challenged, and preached to his people about the work of the United Methodist Church and their role in its ministry.
His challenge is to lead this large and diverse conference with few resources amidst great poverty, disease and lack of trained leadership.
In the midst of all this difficulty and struggle, the EAAC is opening schools, training centers, building churches, and training leaders. They are making connections all over the globe and garnering the prayers and resources of connectional church. Worship is vibrant and alive, prayer is a corner stone of the work, and the people are committed.
During our two weeks together, I took the opportunity to interview Bishop Wandabula about the work of the conference.
Blair: What is the mission of the East Africa Annual Conference?
Wandabula: "Our mission is very clear, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We want to make our mission and ministry offering Christ through the United Methodist Church. For us here in Africa, that means reaching the poor, preaching the Word, helping widows, orphans, and the needy. As we do this we must constantly be raising up leaders to move the church's mission forward."
Blair: What do you hope to accomplish as Bishop of this area?
Wandabula: "We want to strengthen and enhance the presence of the United Methodist Church in each of our five countries; to do that we need to develop a cadre of leaders capable of the task. I want to develop programs in our local churches that empower women, assist youth, and promote the health and welfare of children.
Blair: Where is the church the strongest in the EAAC?
Wandabula: "We have a strong presence in all five countries. We have a membership that has increased from 50,000 in 2005 to over 172,825 in 2009. The leadership in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi is very strong and vibrant. The leadership and growth in Sudan has been challenged because of five decades of war. But even there we have missionaries who are helping to build structures and train leaders for the Sudan churches. We are optimistic about the work of the United Methodist Church in all these countries. Our prayer life is rich and our faith is strong."
Blair: What are your greatest challenges and struggles?
Wandabula: "Communication is a key issue. It is difficult with five countries. We have widespread poverty and disease. The predominance of women and children who do not have regular income affect their lives and the work of the church. We have many gifted and committed leaders, but they do not have training and resources. Our pastors rarely get paid. All of this forces us to rely on others. Self-reliance and sustainability is difficult at best. The cost of business operations, travel, meetings, and salaries is difficult. Even having Cabinet meetings and Annual Conference is almost impossible because of the costs. We have the political realities of each country and the government regulations for registering and operating the church within these countries is complex."
Blair: As a bishop, what excites most about the EAAC?
Wandabula: "The church is growing in membership, infrastructure, and service ministry. The leaders are united under my leadership as Bishop. We are becoming a model conference here in Africa. We want our legacy to be that we built a strong, vibrant, self-propagating, self-governed, and self-supporting church. We need the prayers and support of our brothers and sisters in America as we do this."
