report coming soon!

The Haitian Methodist Training Event, which took place the week of November 11-15, 2022, continues to reverberate across Haiti with hopes for future events of a similar nature.  Approximately 125 young leaders of the EMH (Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti) from all across this beautiful island nation, along with ten of the Circuit Superintendents and Bishop Jean Leslie Dorcely, gathered in the capital city of Port-au-Prince to delve deeply into their Wesleyan heritage and study best practices in making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

This important event occurred successfully despite heightened political and social turmoil, with gangs controlling much of everyday life, utilizing acts of terror, including kidnappings and murder.  Somehow, by God’s grace, the Methodists bravely came together to celebrate and to help empower a new generation of Christians to develop important skills in ministry.

The funding for the project was provided by Virginia Conference Partnerships of Hope, which worked in partnership with Food for the Poor, a non-governmental agency with over forty years of experience working in Haiti.  Virginia United Methodist Conference provided the funds through generous gifts of churches and individuals, which were matched with funds from this year’s Annual Conference offering. FFTP provided food for participants throughout the week.

Haitian Methodists were greatly encouraged by this event, which follows many other projects in Haiti presently receiving our support, including church-related schools, clinics, church construction, a music school, microcredit projects, and scholarship support.

Our next challenge is to help institute an ongoing scholarship ministry through the EMH to provide opportunities for education for students at all levels, which is key to helping the nation meet its many leadership challenges.

Our Haitian friends know the VA Conference is committed to partnering with them in many ways, and they never stop thanking us, while reminding us that we are ever in their prayers, even as they are in our own. – Rev. Dr. John Martin, POH Haiti Team Leader

John NDay’s Two Priorities: Expanded Irrigation and Egg Incubator

United Methodist Missionary John NDay serves at the Cambine UMC Farm Project in Cambine, Mozambique, and in his agricultural work, he has two priorities at this time:

1. Expanded Irrigation
2. Egg Incubator (2,000 egg capacity)

John NDay is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and when his family arrived at Cambine in Mozambique in February 2017, the farm was inactive. John got to work so that seeds were planted and livestock were added, like chickens, pigs, cows, and fish. This work provides food for the Cambine Mission Center ministries at the orphanage, school, and health center. John has trained people in the community to grow crops and livestock to feed their families and sell any excess produced. A significant early ministry was using manure and compost to improve the sandy soil in the Cambine area for the farm and neighbors. Sometimes the farm has excess produce to sell to help the farm become self-sustaining. The farm needs more water to expand crop and animal production.

The current farm has more room for land cultivation but a need for more water. The river is about a mile away and has plenty of water for the farm year-round. An expanded irrigation system would have powerful solar pumps, water lines, and a drip system. This system will reduce the farm’s reliance on electricity (which can be expensive). It will allow more crops like soybeans to grow their animal feed rather than relying on purchasing those materials. More land could also be used for growing more vegetables and other crops to support the communities living at the Cambine Mission Center, like students, orphans, and patients at The Health Center of Cambine. Additional water for the farm will also allow for adding and sustaining livestock. Expanded irrigation is John NDay’s Priority #1, and the total cost is about $28,000.

An egg incubator would allow the Cambine UMC Farm Project to reduce the cost of providing animal protein for the local community. It could be a cash crop for helping the farm become self-sustaining and expand its ministry. Growing chicken feed through expanded irrigation at the farm would also pair well with this project. An egg incubator is John NDay’s Priority #2, and the total cost for an egg incubator is about $7,000.

In 2022, The New York Annual Conference was the first to give $2,000. Early in 2023 The Virginia Annual Conference sent $8,000. The Oklahoma Annual Conference recently sent $9,317. Those three gifts add up to $19,317, which is more than halfway to the $35,000 needed for both priorities.– Joel Robinette

Virginia Conference is partnering with GBGM to support raising young leaders for the Methodists in VMI. VMI has 70% of its population under 40. In this young country, the Methodist movement started, but it needed a systematic approach to raise young leaders. VAUMC is partnering with mission initiatives to support young leaders to gather, organize and grow through various events. 

One of the events was a sports tournament that invited young methodists around the country. The young leaders planned and organized the event with the support of our conference. POH VMI is committed to supporting the effort of these young leaders through a partnership with the GBGM Asia office. 

We also envision a vision trip supporting a youth retreat soon. So join us in this work! 

Video –https://youtu.be/WGhPQGzmxjI

POH Native Americans could use the reserve fund from previous conference offerings and the Native American Ministries Sunday offering for the continued work through POH Native Americans. 

With your help, a team from Virginia Native American Ministries visited the Tuscarora reservation to hear first-hand accounts from boarding school survivors and pray for the healing of the land. We participated in the work to start a monument to those who died.

On Jan 28, 2023, Rev. Larry Jent, was invited as the keynote speaker for a virtual gathering of Wiconi ministries, an international gathering of indigenous leaders and friends.

Wiconi Ministries had representation from the US, Canada, Japan, and Pacific Islands

The topic was “Who are we?” a discussion of Native identity in the 21st century. The following link includes Rev. Jent’s presentation.

https://youtu.be/ugXiJzaISbY