African bishops have affirmed their support for worldwide regionalization and pledged to continue the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church.
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The bishops, meeting during the Africa Colleges of Bishops annual retreat Sept. 2-5 at Africa University under the theme “Behold I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19), said it was important to remain in the wider connection and focus on church growth.
“Now is a Kairos moment for us to focus on mission and evangelism in Africa in order to advance church growth,” said North Katanga Area Bishop Mande Muyombo, who was selected president of the Africa Colleges of Bishops at the close of the meeting.
“It is also time to make mission and ministry effective in regionalization while remaining authentic and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while at the same time remaining connected to our brothers and sisters in the wider connection,” he said. “It is also the time to strengthen relationships with friends and partners while always bringing to the table our assets and emphasizing that we are equal partners in God’s kingdom.”
Muyombo said the African bishops are committed to support training on regionalization to provide an accurate understanding of what the plan is all about.
The bishops urged their annual conferences to ratify the regionalization amendment and explained that it would allow the church in Africa to draft and publish its own resources, such as a regional Book of Discipline, set requirements for ordination and develop practices related to marriage ceremonies that align with cultural contexts and laws in their different countries.
In their statement, the bishops condemned those providing misinformation about The United Methodist Church and people working for the interests of the breakaway Global Methodist Church from within the denomination.
Mozambique and South Africa Area Bishop Joaquina F. Nhanala, the first and only United Methodist female bishop on the African continent, will be retiring at the Africa Central Conference session in March. She encouraged female clergy to heed the call to episcopal leadership.
Five African bishops will retire between now and March.
The episcopal leaders also set aside time for prayer and reflection during their gathering. At the Sept. 4 worship service, the bishops laid hands upon and prayed for students and members of the Africa University community. They then went up to a cross on the mountain at the campus.
At the mountain, the bishops — led by Bishops Yemba and Brown — took time to pray, share and reflect that the church is experiencing challenging times but the cross remains a symbol of hope and a bright future.
“We are in a time of transition,” Brown said. “The future is going to look different from the past. We need to trust God and follow his lead.”
excerpt from a story by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News correspondent based in Zimbabwe.
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