North Central Jurisdiction Holds UMVIM Round-Up

Rukang Chikomb, GBGM Missionary

  David Malloy, Annual Conference Advance Liaison

The quadrennial UMVIM "Round-Up 2011" entitled, "Real Situations/Real Connections/Real Faith at Work" was held August 12-14 at Epworth Forest Conference Center in North Webster, Indiana. About 80 attendees gathered to hear a variety of Plenary speakers that included Rev. Lekisha Reed, Indiana; Rev. Willie Berman, Mexico, Rev. Ed Kail, Iowa and Jane Dunn, Illinois who spoke on "Models of Community Health".

Workshops were led on spiritual formation, disaster relief, UMVIM leader training, volunteer needs in Senegal, Mexico, Democratic Republic of Congo, Poland, Camphor Mission and Operation Classroom in Liberia, . Topics on Haiti response plan, homes for Haitians and Haiti Solar Oven Project and UMVIM packing were also shared.  In addition to the on-site presenters, plenary conversations were held via skype with Becky Harrell, GBGM Missionary in Costa Rica and Tom Heaton, Indiana Missionary in Guatemala.  On Sunday, Rev. Bert Kite impersonated John Wesley at the morning worship service.

This blog will highlight details of health related needs expressed at this conference.  Please look for upcoming postings about opportunities in Mexico, Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

RxConnexion Health Volunteer Conference "Turning of the World" Held

Over 50 health team volunteers and Parish Nurses met at First United Methodist Church, Glen Ellyn, IL for their annual week-end conference from April 29-May1st.  The conference theme was based on the song, "The Turning of the World" and emphasized health volunteers 'at home and abroad'. 

On Friday evening, after a greeting by pastor Tom Potenza and song fest led by the Church's Oasis Praise team, local area agencies offering healthy opportunities for the impoverished were showcased.

Saturday was a full day that began with morning devotions by Northern Illinois Conference Bishop, Hee Soo Jung and plenary sessions that dealt with the use of Community Based Primary Health Care approaches in the global community, Haiti after the Earthquake and a presentation by Rev. Patrick Friday of  "In Mission Together" on 50/50 Mission Partnerships.  Break-out workshop sessions addressed UMVIM Leader Training, Focometer Training, Parish Nurse Programming, Team Spiritual Leadership, Short-term Volunteers for Long-term Development and The Wesley Theology of What it Means to be in Mission as United Methodists.  Activities on Saturday concluded with a violin, cello and piano concert featuring Marianne Kim, Church Music Director, Ji Ho Chung, Violin and Eun Kim, Cello.

Announcing UMVIM Health Volunteer Conference

Readers,
Please select the announcement header in red for this posting to learn all about the health conference hosted by the Northern Illinois Conference and sponsored by the North Central Jurisdiction the last week-end in April, 2011.  You can click on links from the resulting page and be directed to registration and additional program information.

If you have trouble viewing the Conference page inside the blog, you may go directly to a stand alone meeting announcement by clicking on this post title, above.
Jane

United Methodists of Roscoe, IL Host Senegal Consultation

Rev. Paul Messer Preaches

Supporters, veteran volunteer missioners and friends of the United Methodist movement in Senegal gathered at the Roscoe, Illinois United Methodist Church to hear about progress with the women's workshop, education of local community health workers and growth within the Senegalese United Methodist Churches.

The Friday evening worship and concert was webcast live via the United Methodist's 10 Fold Program.  One of the gathering's goals was to raise  $2000 to support the ongoing work of the women's workshop, which helps Senegalese women establish an income through fabric and craft arts. Through the generosity of the group, well over $2000 was collected.


Chicago UMC African Choir Sings



The program featured Rev. Joe Bleck, a Senegalese District Superintendant in Dakar, Rev. Paul Messer, UM Missionary to Dakar, Dr. Carol Meynen, who was involved in training community health workers and Rev. Patrick Friday, representing the General Board of Global Ministries and the 10 Fold Program.

The Chicago UMC African Choir performed for attendees and was sometimes joined by Rev. Bleck on the guitar.



SENEGAL MISSION CONSULTATION WEBCAST

Watch Friday night and join the conversation!

FRIDAY EVENING                             NOVEMBER 12                                 7:00-9:30 PM CST

WATCH AT: http://www.10-Fold.org/live

You can watch the upcoming Senegal Mission Initiative Consultation on the internet tonight, November 12th from 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Central Standard Time.  I hope you will watch and listen as we celebrate the mission through wonderful music from Senegal and partner churches telling their stories. We will hear from our Mission Superintendent, Rev. Joe Bleck, and GBGM missionary, Rev. Paul Messer. You can also participate in the conversation. Please feel free to type in your questions or comments live on the webcast page.

Thanks for your participation! This is an exciting new way for the Senegal Mission Initiative to communicate with our partners around the world.
See you on the webcast!

Honduras Summit to Have Skype Connection October 7th

Dear Friends of Honduras:


 For those who are NOT able to attend this year’s 2010 Honduras Summit at Main Street UMC in Alton, IL, there will be a skype cast connection. Through the magic of technology (and our good friends at the GBGM office in New York) we are going to do an interactive Web/Skype Cast of the Summit on Thursday, October 7 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. CST.

The broadcast may be accessed by going to this Link, http://gbgm-umc.org/consultations/ .  This broadcast will feature a discussion on In Mission Together  programs led by Patrick Friday, GBGM In Mission Together Director and Greg Gelzinnis, In Mission Together Coordinator for Honduras. The broadcast will aslo feautre a mini-concert by "Encounter", Main Street UMC’s 50-voice Youth Choir celebrating their 38th Season and message by Directing Pastor – Rev. Jame Hahs.
We are VERY excited about being able to use today’s emerging technology to connect our “Friends of Honduras” to the Summit and shrink the distance between us…it truly is a small world today. Please help us get this exciting news out to your church and your colleagues and we look forward to welcoming all of you either in person or via the internet over the next several days.

In HIS Service,
Greg Gelzinnis, Chairman
2010 Honduras Summit

Honduras Summit Announced

Note: Honduras regularly hosts teams providing medical services.  The summit would be one way to learn more about those opportunities. - J. Dunn

Brothers & Sisters In Christ:
On October 6 – 9, 2010 the 2010 Honduras Summit will be held in Alton, IL (near St. Louis, MO) and ALL those with a heart for the work going on within the Mission Initiative of Honduras are being invited to join us and share in the vision of the Mission, to engage in the process of building a sustainable foundation, and to celebrate our successes over the last several years – a Fiesta for sure!

But at this time, I also want to extend a personal invitation to those of you who are just beginning to feel the “tug on your heart” from God about the thought of Missions, those of you who are brand new to a Team, and those of you who have been somewhat fearful of the thought of International Missions (in general, not just to Honduras) and all of those UNKNOWNS. The 2010 Honduras Summit has been designed with YOU in mind. The entire afternoon of our first day, entitled Missions 101, has been designed to dispel your fears of the concept of International Missions, to explain what VIM (Volunteers in Mission) is all about, how to go about engaging your church and putting a Team together, and what you yourself need to do to prepare to serve Christ in this “life-changing” arena. Of course, we hope by the end of the day you will at least consider joining us in one of our favorite mission initiatives – Honduras.

The local organizing committee has been working diligently to “roll out the red carpet” to all of our guests…Plenary sessions organized, Small group discussions planned, Daily worship being prepared, An opening night Fiesta Celebration in the works, Fellowship opportunities for old-timers and first-timers available all week long, Transportation service being made ready, and did I mention the Food??? But none of this works without YOU! Invite a friend, clear your schedule, and make plans to join us for the 2010 Honduras Summit in Alton, IL. I promise you won’t regret it!!!

En Cristo,

Greg Gelzinnis & The 2010 Honduras Summit Team

Have You Checked Out Global Health Delivery Online?

Excerpt from GHDOnline Website:
Professionals representing 1153 organizations across 132 countries are collaborating in GHDonline communities to improve the delivery of health care in resource-limited settings. Join one or several of the public communities below, or click here to learn more about the 28 private GHDonline communities designed to support the work of individual organizations and partnerships.


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Health IT
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HIV Prevention
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 Malaria Treatment & Prevention
Members from 328 organizations across 69 countries are working together on Malaria Treatment & Prevention challenges.

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Members from 594 organizations across 103 countries are working together on tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB management challenges.

TB Infection Control
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Why join GHDonline?
By joining GHDonline, you will become part of a unique, open collaboration platform developed by and for global health implementers.

• Discussions
• Engage in real-time problem-solving with peers
• Enrich your practice by sharing your experience, challenges, and lessons from the field
• Discussions are archived and fully searchable

Christian Connections for International Health Holds Conference

CCIH 2010 Annual Conference  June 11-13, 2010, Bishop Claggett Center, Buckeystown, MD (just south of Frederick)

Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH), a networking agency of 125 Christian and 32 Affiliate organizations held its 2010 Annual Conference on June 11-13. The theme of this year's conference was The Faith Community and the Millennium Development Goals: Accountability to God and the World.

During the three days of the conference discussion were held about how the faith community - and specifically the Christian community - can move beyond a focus on meeting specific and finite goals to a focus on wholistic and transformative health and development. This is not to say that quantitative goals are not important or desirable. Goals such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and others point us in the right direction, help to define common national and international targets and support the formation of partnerships. They help donors make funding decisions and governments formulate policies. But they do not always address deeper human needs such as independence and self-worth, provide flexibility to address complementary factors or go beyond the goals to the next level of need.

At the CCIH conference we take that next step - to talk about the extra added value of faith in meeting the needs of communities with which we work; to tackle the question of accountability to God and our neighbors. Through formal conference sessions, informal discussions, exhibits, worship, fellowship and individual introspection, participants share and learn from each other about such things as best practices, forming partnerships, promoting empowerment and independence, model programs, monitoring and evaluation, successes and failures, lessons learned and working toward the future. Topics to be tackled included gender inequities, child survival, maternal health, family planning and reproductive health, organizational capacity, Christian Hospitals, and disease control.

By the end of the conference, participants identified some of the unique parameters by which the faith community is holding itself accountable in its health and development activities and celebrating the role and responsibility of the faith community to share those parameters with its global partners and neighbors.

Speakers included:
- Dr. Samuel Mwenda (Christian Health Association of Kenya)
- Patrick Kwakfut, Esq (Christian Health Association of Nigeria)
- Jean Duff (Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty)
- Ted Karpf (Partnerships Office, WHO)
- Katherine Marshall (World Faiths Development Dialogue)
- Prof. Henry Mosley (Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health)
- Dr. Henry Perry (Future Generations/ Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health)
- Dr. Jono Quick (CEO, Management Sciences for Health)
- Rick Santos (CEO, IMA World Health)
For more information, contact Sharon Franzén sfranzen@ccih.org or visit the CCIH website at www.ccih.org.

"Empowering Ministries of Health" Conference Set

A conference focusing on the creation of a culture that makes wellness a priority in the United Methodist Church has been scheduled for September 21-23, 2010 at Hilton Salt Lake City Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The event is sponsored by the General Boards of Global Ministries and Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church.

Those encouraged to attend are:

• Benefits Officers
• Church leadership
• Clergy
• Health educators and advocates
• Parish Nurses

Some conference topic highlights include: Starting a Formal Health Ministries Program; Writing and Developing a Health Ministries Plan; Facilitating Effective Conversations between a Congregation and Its Pastor; Prioritizing Your Personal Health; Funding Sources - Grant Writing; Evaluating Results; Setting and Managing Personal Boundaries; Coping with Stress through Spiritual Journaling; Creating Wellness Ministries for Children.

To register or learn more about how Conference teams can earn grants, click on the blog title, above and select "Events and Education".

RxConnexion Consultation a Success!

Rev. Gesner Paul, Haiti Methodist President, in Plenary Session

Over 75 participants gathered at Walnut Hills United Methodist Church in suburban Des Moines, Iowa to share and learn about issues that impact health volunteers.  Rev. Gesner Paul of Haiti was the honored guest at this year's gathering.  Other plenary sessions were led by Rev. Karen Nichols Dungan, assistant to the Bishop of the Iowa Conference for Connectional ministries on "Incoporating Spiritual Formation into the VIM experience"; Roger Boe, M.D., Health Consultant, (retired) for Individual Volunteers, on "Diseases of Poverty"; Jane Dunn, RN, MS, GBGM Consultant, and Barry Kram, D.O. on "The Use of Community Based Health Principles within Short-term Health Teams".

Attendees selected from a vaiety of workshop options that included:

• 
  
  "Packing it All In" led by Teresa Miller, RN, West minichigan Conference
• 
  
  "Iowa's Nigerian Partnership" led by Beverly Nolte and Anne Hartman, Iowa Conference
• 
  
  "Solar Ovens" led by Rick Jost, Dakotas Conference missioner for Haiti
• 
  
  "Medical Teams Needed in Haiti" led by Rev. Gesner Paul
• 
  
  "Medical Teams to Columbia" led by Robert Rabb, UMVIM Coordinator for Columbia
• 
  
  "Medical Professionals as individual Volunteers" led by Nancy Eubanks, GBGM Consultant
• 
  
  "Child Protection Issues" led by Deaconess Joanne Reich, GBGM Child Protection Officer
• 
  
  "UMVIM Team Leader Training" led by Lorna Jost, UMVIM-NCJ Coordinator
• 
  
  "Parish Nursing" led by Patricia Magyar, RN, MPH, GBGM Executive Secretary, Health Ministries

The 2011 RxConnexion Consultation will be held on April 29-May 1st at First United Methodist Church of Glen Ellyn, IL, 424 Forest Avenue.  More details to follow.  Please plan to attend this important event.

Click on  post title, above to view picture album of the conference.

Calling All Health Volunteers to RxConnexion

RxConnexion

Friday, May 7 - Sunday May 9

(UMVIM Health Volunteer Consultation)

It's not too late to sign up-read below for meeting information:

MEETING CONTENT SUMMARY:

• Friday Pre-conference session with Rev. Gessner Paul President of Methodist Church of Haiti
• Plenary Sessions on:
• Spiritual Care for Health Teams - Rev. Karen Nichols Dungan, Iowa Bishops Office
• Diseases of Poverty - Roger Boe, M.D. Health Consultant for Individual Volunteers
• Parish Nurse session - Patricia Magyar, R.N. M.P.H., Executive Secretary, UMCOR Health
• Community Based Health- Jane Dunn, R.N., M.S., NCJ Health Consultant/GBGM Blog
• Workshops:
• Team Packing - Teresa Miller, President UMVIM-NCJ Board
• Iowa Nigerian partnership - Beverly Nolte & Ann Hartman, Iowa Conference
• Solar Ovens - Rick Jost, Dakotas Conference missioner for Haiti
• Medical Team Needs in Haiti - Rev. Gesner Paul, President Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti
• Medical Teams to Columbia - Robert Rabb, UMVIM Coordinator for Columbia
• Medical Professionals as Individual Volunteers - Nancy Eubanks, GBGM Consultant
• Child protection issues for UMVIM - Deaconness Joanne Reich, GBGM 
• Medical Needs on Native American Reservations- not yet confirmed
• Team Leader Training - all team types - Lorna Jost, Coordinator, UMVIM-NCJ

COST:  Registration - $75 + cost of lodging on or before Monday, April 19th

              Registration $100+cost of lodging after April 19th

              Above fee covers expenses for special guests, materials, Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and

              dinner, snacks with fair trade coffee or tea.  Breakfast is not included

LODGING: Area guest rooms are on-hold at a group rate of under $60/night

LOCATION: Walnut Hills United Methodist Church, Des Moines, IA area

                         12321 Hickman

                         Urbandale, IA 50323

TO REGISTER: e-mail Lorna Jost at  umvim-ncj@brookings.net  or go to Rx webpage: www.gbgm-umc.org/northcentralvim and select RxConnexion drop down menu.

FREE conference on Medical Volunteerism

Co-Sponsored by the Emory University School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Mercer School of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia , and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

•  Learn from the inspiring stories of medical, dental, and lay volunteers
•  Network with health care professionals, students, and lay people volunteering in all areas of health care and public health.
•  Network with non-profit organizations offering a range of volunteer opportunities for medical and lay people
• Learn about activities such as screenings, free clinics, surgical interventions, public health education, & health care provider training.
•  Learn about a range of volunteer opportunities in the Atlanta area, the United States , & around the world... Latin America - Haiti - Africa - East Asia - Mongolia - Eastern Europe - the Middle East

DATE: April 16th-18th, 2010

LOCATION: Emory University campus, Atlanta , GA

REGISTRATION: online at www.emoryimvc.org

ADMISSION: Free ~ REGISTER NOW!

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission will be participating in this event. We hope you will pass this information along to interested parties.

UMVIM, SEJ

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission

Save May 7-9 for Annual RxConnexion in Des Moines

The 2010 annual RxConnexion Consultation offers many new, exciting learning opportunities for individual volunteers and health teams.  The details of the conference are:

Place:  Walnuts Hills United Methodist Church

12321 Hickman

Urbandale, IA 50323

Date: May 7-9, 2010

Cost: $75.00 + lodging (early bird)

$100 + lodging after April 19, 2010

Cost includes: fees for special guests, materials, Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner, snacks and fair trade coffee or tea.  Breakfast is not included. Area hotel rooms are on hold at a $58 rate until 4/19.

Fees may be associated with:

  ECHO agriclture based training

Focometer Training

Leadership Training Manuals - $25

Invited Faculty (not yet confirmed) are: Rev. Gesner Paul, President Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti, MCCA, Dr. Roger Boe, retired Health Consultant for Individual Volunteers and GBGM, Robert Rabb, UMVIM Coordinator for Columbia.

Confirmed Faculty: Rev. Karen Nichols Dungan, Assistant to the Bishop of Iowa Conference; Patricia Magyar, Executive Secretary for UMCOR - Health; Teresa Miller, President Board of UMVIM-NCJ; Beverly Nolte/Ann Hartman, Iowa Conference; Rick Jost, Solar Ovens and missioner for Haiti;
Joanne Reich, GBGM, Child Protection and Community Assistance Officer; ECHO project staff, Ft. Myers, Fla; Lorna Jost, UMVIM-NCJ Coordinator; Jane Dunn, editor/creator GBGM Health Blog;

Curriculum offerings will include: Incorporating Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Care; Medical Needs in Haiti; Parish Nurse Training on Disaster Response & Community Health; Iowa's Nigerian Partnership, Solar Ovens; Medical Professionals as Individual Volunteers;  Medical Teams to Columbia, Child Protection Issues; Incorporating Community Based Primary Health into Volunteer Work; Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) and UMVIM Team Leader Training.

For more information or to register go to the Rx webpage and select RxConnexion drop down menu.

UM Global Health Volunteers Consultation Comment Site

Shannon Trilli facilitates discussion and Sam Dixon Greets Attendees

View Jamkhed CRHP Results Video (above)

On Tuesday, December 2nd and 3rd selected members of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), United Methodist volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) and invited jurisdiction guests held a meeting in Austin, Texas to provide a forum to:
1. Address the scope of UMCOR health ministries
2. Learn about projects that relate to the UMC Global Health Initiative
3. Plan a strategy for connecting UMVIM teans and individuals to UMCOR health Projects

The group used the Jamkhed model (in video) and reports from the field to guide their study.

Dr. Sam Dixon, Deputy General Secretary of UMCOR and other mission leaders offerred presentations and participated with attendees in framing future mission challenges.

Conference Participants are encouraged to select the word "comments" in red type below this posting and enter thoughts about any issues presented at the meeting. We hope to create an on-line discussion forum as the Consultation progresses.