Mission District Origins

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Bethanie Watson
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Swartelle de Mello The Free Methodist Church in Mozambique, a Portuguese-speaking country, began outreach to the people of Angola, who also speak Portuguese.

1 Angola Mission District (Brazil General Conference) Population: 19,088,106 Evangelical Christians: 22.5% FM Work Opened: 2007 FM Churches: 15 FM Membership: 764 Ordained Elders: 5 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 10 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Brazil General Conference through Bishop José Ildo Swartelle de Mello The Free Methodist Church in Mozambique, a Portuguese-speaking country, began outreach to the people of Angola, who also speak Portuguese. A leader from Mozambique was sent to lay the ground work for an on-going relationship with a small church group in the capital city, Luanda. The Brazilian Free Methodist General Conference also began a work in Angola, centered in the Malanje district. Over the years the Malanje district has become the primary Free Methodist work in Angola.

2 Botswana Church-in-Formation (Zimbabwe General Conference) Population: 2,155,784 Evangelical Christians: 8.1% FM Work Opened: 1998 FM Membership: 20 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Zimbabwe General Conference through Bishop Isaiah Masiya A small congregation now meets, and the Free Methodist Church has been officially registered in Botswana. Rev. Mapholisa is responsible for a church planting project. A Free Methodist man living in Zimbabwe became burdened for the people of his home country, Botswana. When Zimbabwean leaders conducted a mission trip in 1998 to survey the man s village near Francistown, Botswana, they were warmly welcomed.

Burundi General Conference Population: 10,395,931 Evangelical Christians: 27% FM Work Opened: 1935 FM Churches: 948 FM Membership: 101,944 Ordained Elders: 485 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 85

Hope Hospital of Kibuye is highly are pastored by trained Burundians. The Mweya Theological Institute, founded in 1950, has trained a steady stream of leaders year after year.

3 Burundi General Conference Population: 10,395,931 Evangelical Christians: 27% FM Work Opened: 1935 FM Churches: 948 FM Membership: 101,944 Ordained Elders: 485 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 85 Bishop: Deogratias Nshimiyimana Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference The church ministers to the whole person through medical ministry and public health centers. Hope Hospital of Kibuye is highly are pastored by trained Burundians. The Mweya Theological Institute, founded in 1950, has trained a steady stream of leaders year after year. Pastors also receive training through Theological Education by Extension (TEE). Hope Africa University (HAU), a Free Methodist liberal arts institution, prepares Christian scholars and professionals to effectively apply economic, political and social principles in African society. Pastors are also trained through HAU at bachelor and certificate levels. In 1935, missionary J.W. Haley opened the work in Equatorial Africa at Muyebe, Burundi. Other missionaries soon joined the Haleys. Hundreds came to the Lord, so that within 20 years Burundi became Free Methodism s largest conference. Tragedy hit the church in 1972 during inter-tribal conflict within the country when many of the church leaders were killed during a retaliatory move against intellectuals and scholars. Another uprising in 1993 caused loss of many members. The church began almost immediately to rebuild and has continued to grow steadily in spite of continuing political unrest. It was given full general conference status in 1999.

Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference Population: 77,483,744 Evangelical Christians: 18.

Methodist World Conference Although war has ravaged eastern Congo since 1996, the Free Methodist Church continues to minister over a large area comprising 38 different tribes speaking many and

Nundu Hospital continues to refurbish its facilities and strengthen its medical staff.

4 Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference Population: 77,483,744 Evangelical Christians: 18.7% FM Work Opened: 1963 FM Churches: 664 FM Membership: 135,000 Ordained Elders: 1,200 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 62 Bishop: Lubunga Venance W'Ehusha Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference Although war has ravaged eastern Congo since 1996, the Free Methodist Church continues to minister over a large area comprising 38 different tribes speaking many and fervent preaching characterize services. Much of the work is rural, but churches are also located in six provincial capital cities, as well as in Kinshasa, the nation s capital. Nundu Hospital continues to refurbish its facilities and strengthen its medical staff. Outreach to the World Members of the church have crossed the border into the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) to plant a church there. In 1963, 7000 Christians of the Bembe tribe voted to join the Free Methodist Church. The missionary group that had been working when independence in the country brought upheaval. Two Free Methodist missionary couples then moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo, but were forced to leave and terror. Three thousand Free Methodist members were killed or reported missing. In missionaries and VISA workers returned and established residency. Numerous Free Methodist schools were established throughout the conference on both elementary and high school levels. A A rural health network was established, expanding to include 38 health centers. Workers trained at the hospital nursing school staffed many of these health centers. In 1989 DRC became a provisional general conference electing Rev. Jason Bya Ene as bishop. In September 1991, as the economy collapsed and the country became politically unstable, Free Methodist missionaries were withdrawn. One missionary returned in 1994 and was joined by two couples in 1996 only to evacuate several months later as ethnic tensions increased and turned into full-scale war. Thousands of Free Methodist families fled to neighboring Tanzania or were displaced within the country. The church became a full general conference in 1995.,

5 Ethiopia Provisional Annual Conference Population: 96,633,453 Evangelical Christians: 19.6% FM Work Opened: 1999 FM Churches: 38 FM Membership: 8,428 Ordained Elders: 8 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 6 National Leader: Mekebib Desta Ecclesiastical Accountability: FMC-USA through Bishop David Kendall The Ethiopian FMC has stepped up its church planting efforts, with an anticipated rapid increase of new churches and a corresponding training program that will multiply church planters and pastors. Outreach ministries include International Child Care Ministries schools, as well as a feeding and study program. On March 9, 2012, the Ethiopia FMC gained provisional annual conference status. This work began in 1998 through the partnership of Free Methodist World Missions and the Free Methodist Church in Southern California. The first Free Methodist Church service was held in May 1999.

6 Kenya Provisional General Conference Population: 45,010,056 Evangelical Christians: 48.9% FM Work Opened: 1994 FM Churches: 187 FM Membership: 4,320 Ordained Elders: 72 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 30 Bishop: Hawkins Mugaya Missionaries: Debbie Hogeboom (Affiliate/ Canada), Ken & Letty Myers, Mike & Vickie Reynen Ecclesiastical Accountability: The Burundi General Conference and the Free Methodist World Conference Major cities where churches are located include Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Kericho. The work is also growing in several rural areas. In 2011, the Kenya church launched a village church planting initiative. Three church-planter trainers are each training 15 church planters, each with the goal to plant one church and train two other church planters over the next three years. Outreach to the World The Kenya church continues to support Pastor Manasseh Masiza as a missionary to Uganda. Pastor Elie Buconyori left his homeland of Burundi for Bible college in Kenya. Following graduation he was offered a job in Christian literature development. Along with other Free Methodists working or studying in Kenya, a Free Methodist home fellowship was started with Pastor Buconyori as their leader. The influx of experienced leadership from Burundi and Rwanda during the crises in those countries greatly assisted the new work in Kenya. The Kenya church reached provisional general conference status in March The conference is comprised of two annual conferences: Trans Africa Conference, which includes the work in Uganda, and the Highlands Conference.

7 Malawi Population: 17,377,468 Evangelical Christians: 19.6% FM Work Opened: 1973 Ecclesiastical Accountability: FMC-USA through Bishop David Kendall Central Annual Conference FM Churches: 31 FM Membership: 6,118 Ordained Elders: 13 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 7 Northern Annual Conference FM Churches: 12 FM Membership: 4,011 Ordained Elders: 12 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 4 Southern Annual Conference FM Churches: 67 FM Membership: 6,269 Ordained Elders: 22 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 4 The Malawi churches were organized into an annual conference in 1979, then into three in These conferences have multiple circuits, each with active church-planting programs. Students in the Great Commission Bible School program in Lilongwe are engaged in church planting as a part of their course of study. Outreach to the World The students and pastors of the Malawi FM Church have planted several churches across the borders in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. A graduate of the Free Methodist Bible School in Zimbabwe returned to his home in Malawi in December 1973 to preach and to establish Free Methodist churches. Missionaries from Zimbabwe visited and gave encouragement to the fast-growing work. In 1977 a short-term Bible school was established in Salima.

8 Mozambique General Conference Population: 24,692,144 Evangelical Christians: 11.1% FM Work Opened: 1885 FM Churches: 103 FM Membership: 11,103 Ordained Elders: 136 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 13 Bishop: João Luis Uanela Nyaphale Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference The church in Mozambique oversees Nhaloi Hospital, as well as Inhamachafo Clinic and Primary School, which were confiscated by the government in the early days of independence. In addition, the Evangelist Training is still in operation and a post-high school seminary was opened in the second-largest city, Beira. Five conferences make up this independent general conference. Some efforts are underway to renew the work at Nhaloi, through a partnership with FMC-USA friends. Three of the five missionaries who arrived in South Africa in 1885 traveled northward to Mozambique. G. Harry Agnew, one of them, built the first Free Methodist chapel in Africa. Following the country's independence in 1975, a Marxist state developed. All Free Methodist medical work was nationalized and private schools closed. Missionaries were withdrawn from the country. The church, however, was strong and has carried on in spite of oppression. Outreach to the World The conference has begun work in Swaziland.

Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) Church-in-Formation (Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference) Population: 4,662,446 Evangelical Christians: 15.

9 Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) Church-in-Formation (Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference) Population: 4,662,446 Evangelical Christians: 15.9% FM Work Opened: 2007 FM Churches: 4 FM Membership: 346 Ordained Elders: 6 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 2 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference through Bishop Lubunga Venance W'Ehusha Feeling concern for their neighbors, members of the Free Methodist Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo crossed the border into the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) to plant a church. The new, small congregations are expected to grow into a family of churches.

10 Rwanda General Conference Population: 12,337,138 Evangelical Christians: 26.9% FM Work Opened: 1942 FM Churches: 667 FM Membership: 116,248 Ordained Elders: 248 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 44 Bishop: Samuel Kayinamura Missionaries: Sheila Etherington (Associate/FMWM), Julie Yerger Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference Medical ministry remains strong with Kibogora Hospital as a primary referral center in southwestern Rwanda. Health care is also provided in neighboring health centers. The church has opened a small university, also in Kibogora, to train pastors and young people in a variety of fields of study. Pioneer missionaries Frank and Hazel Adamson, coming from Burundi, established the first Free Methodist mission at Kibogora in A great revival broke out in the area within a few years, resulting in thousands of conversions. This revival was part of a larger movement known as the East Africa Revival. Medical work and an elementary school opened soon after the first missionaries arrived. Later a Bible school was started. The Rwanda conference developed an aggressive in every province of the country. In August 1985, Rwanda became a general conference. In 1994 Rwanda's ethnic conflict erupted in a period of genocide. Missionaries were evacuated. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives. Millions more fled to refugee camps in neighboring countries.

11 South Africa General Conference Population: 48,375,645 Evangelical Christians: 21.1% FM Work Opened: 1895 FM Churches: 11 FM Membership: 983 Ordained Elders: 14 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 6 Bishop: Simon Chánza Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference Today the South Africa FMC has five conferences, all led by Africans. A nationwide evangelism program is given high priority. Greenville Hospital, established in 1955, is now completely staffed by nationals and is under the control of the South African government. Ubunye Urban Housing program and The Haven, a shelter caring for abused women and children, continue to thrive. Outreach to the World A mission team from South Africa established a church in Ndola, Zambia, in The first Free Methodist missionaries to South Africa arrived in Of the five persons in the group, one couple settled in Natal Province of South Africa. The South Africa Conference was organized in Schools were established and medical work begun. Missionary G. Harry Agnew, one of the first five missionaries to Africa, visited the province of Transvaal in He stayed two years, ministering to men from Mozambique who had come to work in the mines. Other missionaries followed, and the work spread to the cities of the Transvaal, now divided into three provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

South Sudan Church-in-Formation (Mid-America Annual Conference) Population: 11,562,695 Religion: Christian 82%, Muslim 18% FM Work Opened: 2013 FM Churches: 17 Worship Attendance: 3,000

12 South Sudan Church-in-Formation (Mid-America Annual Conference) Population: 11,562,695 Religion: Christian 82%, Muslim 18% FM Work Opened: 2013 FM Churches: 17 Worship Attendance: 3,000 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Mid-America Annual Conference Superintendent Dr. Jeff Johnson Ministry in South Sudan affiliated with the Mid-America Conference in In addition to 17 churches with nearly 3,000 in worship attendance, the work includes a hospital and a community center/school.

Swaziland Church-in-Formation (Mozambique General Conference) Population: 1,419,623 Evangelical Christians: 25.

Luis Guambe, a member of the Mozambique General Conference Missions Committee, was sent across the border to work in that country.

She visited the country and was immediately captivated by its beauty, its people and its need.

13 Swaziland Church-in-Formation (Mozambique General Conference) Population: 1,419,623 Evangelical Christians: 25.1% FM Work Opened: 2007 FM Churches: 2 FM Membership: 119 Ordained Elders: 1 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Mozambique General Conference through Bishop João Luis Uanela Nyaphale Pastor Luis Guambe, a member of the Mozambique General Conference Missions Committee, was sent across the border to work in that country. He made some contacts and started a small group but then returned home due to lack of resources and training. Meanwhile, God was giving a vision to a Free Methodist woman in Michigan. She visited the country and was immediately captivated by its beauty, its people and its need. Her great burden for orphaned children in the HIV/AIDS pandemic was combined with a concern that a Free Methodist church be established. Responding to her vision and her passion, her home church, New Covenant, Clio, MI, gave an offering to help. A partnership between New Covenant FMC and the Mozambique FMC has made it possible for a church to be planted in Manzini, Swaziland. The FMC is now registered with the government.

14 Tanzania Annual Conference (Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference) Population: 49,639,138 Evangelical Christians: 17.9% FM Work Opened: 1988 FM Churches: 27 FM Membership: 3,250 Ordained Elders: 35 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 10 Ecclesiastical Accountability: Democratic Republic of Congo General Conference through Bishop Joshua Luheya W Elongo The Tanzanian church has three districts, plus an area in the south being evangelized by the Malawi FM Church. The districts center around Kigoma, on the shores of Lake Tanganika; Mwanza, on the shores of Lake Victoria; and Mugumu near the Kenya border. A local FM church in Michigan has helped develop several church buildings in the Geita district. In 1988 a group of Christians near the Kenya border wanted to become part of the Free Church became registered with the government of Tanzania.

Uganda Provisional General Conference (Rwanda General Conference) Population: 35,918,915 Evangelical Christians: 37% FM Work Opened: 1999 FM Churches: 21 FM Membership: 3,119 Ordained Elders: 19

15 Uganda Provisional General Conference (Rwanda General Conference) Population: 35,918,915 Evangelical Christians: 37% FM Work Opened: 1999 FM Churches: 21 FM Membership: 3,119 Ordained Elders: 19 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 6 Superintendent: Hamlet Mbabazi Kabushenga Ecclesiastical Accountability: The Rwanda General Conference through Bishop Samuel Kayinamura Current Ministries The FMC Uganda is currently developing leadership structures and reaching out holistically to Ugandans. About three times a year, the Kenya church conducts a Bible school in Uganda for pastors in training. A sizable congregation has been formed in Jinja through the outreach efforts of the FMC of Kenya.

16 Zambia Provisional Annual Conference (South Africa General Conference) Population: 14,638,505 Evangelical Christians: 25.7% FM Work Opened: 1997 FM Churches: 6 FM Membership: 567 Ordained Elders: 10 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 5 Ecclesiastical Accountability: The South Africa General Conference In 1997 a Malawian pastor preached in a Zambian village where he had friends. Several people were converted. A Free Methodist church was organized at this location in the northeast corner of the country near the Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania borders. Another group was started near Ndola by a Rwandan refugee pastor. This second group is now under the direction of the South Africa General Conference, which has officially registered the FMC in Zambia.

17 Zimbabwe General Conference Population: 13,771,721 Evangelical Christians: 30.9% FM Work Opened: 1938 FM Churches: 31 FM Membership: 3,179 Ordained Elders: 25 Conference Ministerial Candidates: 5 Bishop: Isaiah Masiya Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference The people of Zimbabwe have experienced terrible suffering for a number of years. The nation s political leadership has been in turmoil, and the economy is precarious, with the world s fastest rate of inflation. Information about the FM Church in Zimbabwe is limited. to Zimbabwe. Large numbers of people were converted over the next two years. Work was centered in two main areas, Chikombedzi and Lundi. Village schools, medical work and a Bible training school supplemented the outreach of the church in the years that followed. Guerrilla warfare broke out in All missionaries were withdrawn, with the exception of one couple. Although many entire Christian villages were destroyed and the people forced to flee, the church continued strong in the faith. In 1980 the people began returning to the villages and rebuilding. The mission hospital at Chikombedzi reopened in 1981 under the direction of the church. Zimbabwe became a general conference in September 2004 and elected Abner Chauke as their bishop.

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