JAMES DOEPKEN Rev. James (Jim) Doepken is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, mission agency of The United Methodist Church. He is assigned to the Alaska United Methodist Conference where he serves as pastor of Girdwood Chapel United Methodist Church in Girdwood, Alaska. Living and working in Alaska has its unique challenges. The Alaska United Methodist Conference covers an area twice the size of Texas and has 27 churches and 4000 members. Some of the mission stations can only be reached by boat, plane, or dog sled. Temperatures can vary as much as 160 degrees in some areas. The extremes of daylight and darkness (depending upon the time of year) add to the sense of stress and isolation. Alaska is uniquely beautiful and depressing. With over 600,000 persons who call Alaska home, the church bears witness to the Creator who bears the face of Christ and seeks to make disciples in His name. Prior to his present appointment, Rev. Doepken was pastor of The United Methodist of The New Covenant in Kenai, Alaska (1997-2000); and Trinity United Methodist Church, Frankfort, Indiana (1994-1997). Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Jim and his wife, Julie, who is also a missionary, are parents to one son, Samuel, and twin daughters Mariah and Susannah. Rev. Doepken is the son of Betsy and Tony Doepken who reside in Zionsville, Indiana, where they attend Zionsville United Methodist Church. A member of the Indiana Conference, James was ordained to the ministry in June of 1993, and was commissioned as a missionary in June of 1998. He holds a B.A. from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana (1991), and a M.Div. from Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina (1994). James Doepken is available for Covenant Relationship support in Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: James Doepken #931464 Missionary Support Code: 931464 Email: Chapel@girdwood.net JAMES DWYER A missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, James (Jim) is serving in New York. Jim and wife Helen, a retired BGM missionary, began their acclimation to U.S society and culture and the isle of Manhattan, county of New York, in Spring 2007 after 23 years of service in Vienna (Austria), and Munich and Hamburg (Germany). Faust-according-to-Goethe debates the devil and his wiles and agonizes over the sensation of zwei Seelen in meiner Brust of two souls in his body fighting for supremacy in life s decision-making. Whether to return to old familiar Europe for a final missionary term before retirement or to take on yet one more strange assignment this time in the U.S. had at least Helen empathizing pretty well with Faust and fervently praying for other consequences of the decision than the downfall that was Faust s. Jim was the Regional Executive Secretary in the Mission Personnel Program Area for Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South
Asia; also irreverently known as the rest of the world. Jim assumed the office after a vacancy of almost exactly one year since Mark Masters sudden illness and death in Nepal. A number of quiet moments have been spent remembering Mark as his visa application for his trip to Nepal and India and other artifacts of his last days in the office have come to light. Helen assumed the assignment of MIR (Missionary in Residence, not to be confused with MIIR Jurisdictional Mission Interpreter in Residence), a position traditionally associated with linking standard support and other missionaries in their various points of assignment with staff and administration of GBGM at TIC The Interchurch Center (also known as God Box or numerically as 475 ). Kathy and Bruce Griffith, the much-appreciated predecessors, left the MIR office in October 2006 before Helen s arrival around June 1, 2007. For Jim and Helen there is a sense of family reunion in moving back to the U.S. When the family moved to Munich in 1992, they left daughter Anne behind to finish 12th grade and her Matura in Austrian schools in Vienna. Erica and Paul completed the Abitur in Munich in 1999 and 2003. All three were in college or graduate school when Jim and Helen moved, empty nest and all, to Hamburg. Now they are united in the same country again, albeit with residences in Pomona (California), Philadelphia and Ann Arbor (Michigan). Jim s brother, the only other immediate family member lives in Raleigh (North Carolina). Jim and Helen have both been able to function in German in the countries they have served. Now it seems that Spanish may be needed to grow into the community on New York s Upper West Side, although any number of the other languages could also prove helpful. Their experiences dealing with people in international congregations will, in any case, be useful. Jim is thankful for finding ways to be of service to missionaries and the mission of Christ in his responsibilities. James Dwyer is available for Covenant Relationship support in Iowa Annual Conference and Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: James Dwyer #09390Z. Missionary Support Code: 09390Z Email: jdwyer@gbgm-umc.org TERRY HENDERSON Terry Henderson is an agricultural missionary assigned to the Methodist Church of Mexico with his wife, Muriel, where they have served since 1972. As director of the "Give Ye Them to Eat" program, Terry oversees the work of this integrated development project which is sponsored jointly by the Methodist Church of Mexico and the United Methodist Church through the Advance program of the Board of Global Ministries. Mr. Henderson describes his ministry: "This social outreach program complements the evangelistic work of the Methodist Church of Mexico. We offer classes, workshops and courses in a variety of subjects including leadership development, nutrition and family health, appropriate technology, and alternative construction methods. We also offer training in sustainable agricultural practices that curb erosion and improve the soil so their rocky, eroded hillsides will produce food for the family and feed for their livestock. Environmentally-sound livestock management practices are also taught and quality livestock are distributed." Reflecting on his mission, he comments, "When needy people have the tools for development, they can solve the problems within their own
community. The knowledge and skills to make their land produce in a way that is environmentally sound and economically feasible provide farm families with the means to remain on their land rather than migrating to crowded cities where only urban poverty awaits them. Learning how to build low-cost, thermal structures for home construction and cook stoves as well as the building of dry-composting toilet systems give people alternatives to crossing national borders in search of a more secure future. When I see people reaching the potential that God has placed within them, I have no doubt God is working through them and this outreach ministry." Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Terry studied at Mesa Community College, Arizona State University, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona campus. He worked as an evaluator-trainer for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for the State of Arizona; as an agricultural mechanic for the University of Arizona Experimental Farm, and as a social worker at Wesley Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to going to Mexico, Mr. Henderson served at the El Vergel Agricultural School in Chile where he taught classes in agriculture and related subjects. Terry and his wife, Muriel, are parents of two adult children, Terrell and Tony and six grandchildren. They hold church membership in the Desert Southwest Annual Conference. Terry Henderson is available for Covenant Relationship support in California/Pacific Annual Conference, Susquehanna Annual Conference, Central Texas Annual Conference, Desert Southwest Annual Conference, Kansas East Annual Conference, Minnesota Annual Conference, Indiana Annual Conference, and West Virginia Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Terry Henderson #05281Z Missionary Support Code: 05281Z MARIA HUMBANE Maria Sabino Humbane is a missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to church and community ministries in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Born in Chikuki, Maxixe Mozambique, Maria earned a certificate in practical nursing in 1971 from Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN, after graduating from Eastbrook High School in Upland, IN, in 1970. Prior to this assignment, Maria was a secretarial volunteer in the bishop's office of the Zimbabwe Annual Conference from 1996-97. She was a bilingual secretary and receptionist and switchboard operator for the Royal Danish Embassy from 1986-94 and held a similar position in Mozambique for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 1976-86. Maria shares: I became moved during a devotion by Bishop Jokomo in Zimbabwe when he talked about the miserable homeless children and unwed mothers in Harare, living in slum areas. I am planning to establish a project of rehabilitation of homeless children and unwed mothers in Mutare. I believe that through my work, they will see the importance of the church's work and therefore become believers. Maria is married to Dr. William James Humbane and has five adult children, four sons and one daughter. She is a member of Hilltop United Methodist Church in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Maria Humbane is available for Covenant Relationship support in Holston Annual Conference, Indiana Annual Conference and West Michigan Annual Conference.
Make an online donation to: Maria Humbane #12912Z. Missionary Support Code: 12912Z SIMEON KASHALA As a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, Dr. (Simeon) Kambandja Kasongo Kashala serves through GBGM Global Health as: 1) Director of Samuteb Memorial United Methodist Hospital, a rural UMC facility; and 2) Coordinator of Methodist Church Medical Activities of the Annual Conferences of CALU and KANOK in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since his assignment in the rural area, Dr. Kashala travels from village to village to care for patients who suffer from various diseases and who are many times in severe poverty conditions. During his village visits, Dr. Kashala educates the population about HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy and many other infectious diseases. He feels strongly that the fight against infantile diseases is through the use of vaccinations. Born in Kasaji, DRC, Dr. Kashala attended primary and secondary schools in his home district of Lualaba. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Kisangani, DRC, in Biomedical Science. Dr. Kashala earned his Doctor of Medicine, Surgery and Childbirth degree from the University of Lubumbashi in 1997, and in 2003 he received a Master of Public Health from the University of Kinshasa. Dr. Kashala began his medical career in 1997 as an assistant at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Lubumbashi Clinic. In 1998 he became Chief Medical Officer of the Kapanga Health Zone and Director of Samuteb Memorial United Methodist Hospital. Dr. Kashala is also Medical Coordinator of Public Health of the United Methodist Church in the South Congo Diocese, a position he assumed in 2000. Since 2002 he has also been General Director of the Medical Technical School in Kapanga, which is a nursing school. Holding leadership positions in University organizations, Dr. Kashala is president of the core group of physicians in the Lualaba District, which is government-organized health care. He continues to participate in trainings and seminars relating to health and development. Baptized at age 14, Dr. Kashala feels he is accomplishing the recommendations of Christ who not only preached but also looked after and healed sick people. Dr. Kashala and wife Madame Kasela Kashala are the parents of three daughters, Betita Samba, Naomi Makumba, Raissa Kayinda and son Ken Kasongo. Dr. Kashala served as a delegate from South Congo Annual Conference to the 2004 United Methodist General Conference in Pittsburgh. Simeon Kashala is available for Covenant Relationship support in Detroit Annual Conference, Indiana Annual Conference, Texas Annual Conference and Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Simeon Kashala #15164Z. Missionary Support Code: 15164Z
JANET MCCARTY Returning to serve at Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges (SPMC) at the beginning of 2007, Janet McCarty is a commissioned deaconess and missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church who has served in Nepal as well as the Philippines. SPMC, located in Minddanao, the large southernmost island of the Philippines, started in 1994. Because the college is in an economically depressed area the majority of the students are on scholarship for need. The college offers a BA in Theology, Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, an Associate in Computer Science, a Certificate in Early Childhood Education for 18 units, and a pastors school. The Bachelor in Early Childhood Education is for deaconesses who will serve in the church as preschool teachers, leaders of Sunday school, music coordinators and co-workers with the pastors. Ma am Janet, as she is called, helped to develop this program when she served at SPMC from 1999 to 2002. Currently, she is serving as Dean of Education and Acting President while teaching education courses. B.A. Degree in Sociology from Illinois College in Jacksonville and received a Master's in Education Degree from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Mrs. McCarty has two grown children living in Illinois. Her home church is Centenary United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, IL. Before becoming a missionary Mrs. McCarty was a public elementary school teacher for Jacksonville School District #117. Janet McCarty is available for Covenant Relationship support in Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference and Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Janet McCarty #13028Z. Missionary Support Code: 13028Z Email: jmccarty50@yahoo.com From 2002 through 2006 Mrs. McCarty taught children of the UMN (United Mission to Nepal) appointees in a tutorial setting. (Missionaries are not allowed in Nepal so they are called appointees.) UMN is a co-operative effort between the people of Nepal and a large number of Christian organizations from 18 countries on four continents. The United Methodist Church was one of the founding members of UMN in 1954. UMN seeks to serve the people of Nepal in the name and spirit of Christ. Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Mrs. McCarty studied accounting at Hardin Brown Business College in Jacksonville. She later earned a
R. STEPHEN NEWNUM The Rev. Dr. Stephen (Steve) Newnum, a missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, is currently serving as professor at the Methodist Center for Education and Training (CEMETRE) in Maringa, Parana, Brazil, where he has served since 1988. CEMETRE is a theological institution for training pastors and laity of the Sixth Region (Conference) of the Brazilian Methodist Church, serving the states of Santa Catarina and Parana in southern Brazil. The metropolitan area of Maringa has a population of around 500,000 and is the economic pole of the surrounding region. Steve also serves on the academic coordination committee at CEMETRE. He has previously served in the positions of academic dean, president, vice-president and dean of students. Steve previously taught in Londrina at the Presbyterian and Missionary seminaries, and in Maringa at the Maringa University Center. Involved in activities not associated with CEMETRE, Steve also teaches theology at an ecumenical seminary; is active in the ecumenical movement involving Catholics and Protestants; participates in an inter-religious dialog involving Moslems, Buddists, African-Brazilian Religions and other groups; participates in a monthly Theological Coffee (started/coordinated by wife Maria) which combines discussions of religion, culture and art; and participates in work with indigenous people. Before arriving at CEMETRE, Steve served six years in the state of Santa Catarina developing new churches in Joinville, Blumenau and Camboriu, and one year as District Superintendent. He also served three years as pastor of the Methodist Church in Apucarana and four years at the Sun Garden Methodist Church in Londrina when he arrived to CEMETRE. Since 1996 his missionary service has been solely at CEMETRE. Steve served eight years in United Methodist churches in the North Indiana Annual Conference before he began his mission service in Brazil. He has a B.A. in Philosophy and Mathematics from Purdue University, a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Religious Sciences in Theology and History from the Methodist University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Newnum is married to Maria Aparecida Severino Newnum, who also teaches at CEMETRE, and is involved with Steve in the above activities. Maria also participates in the Municipal Women s Council by representing the ecumenical movement. R. Stephen Newnum is available for Covenant Relationship support in Minnesota Annual Conference and Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: R. Stephen Newnum #08451Z. Missionary Support Code: 08451Z I am increasingly led to the conviction that to be a Christian is not basically about doing things for God. God doesn t need us to do that. Instead, being a Christian is doing the maximum possible for people who need to see God through us. This is the missionary challenge for all of us every day.
GARY STEPHENSON Gary is an Associate in Mission Service (AIMS) serving with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church as Program Coordinator with Henderson Settlement of the Redbird Missionary Conference in Frakes, Kentucky. Mr. Stephenson began working with Henderson Settlement in January 2001, and his primary focus is the care and maintenance of a fleet of 27 vehicles which are utilized in various capacities in the ministries of Henderson Settlement. Gary describes two situations in which he knew that God was moving through his ministry at Henderson Settlement: When I first arrived at Henderson, there were three vehicles sitting at the shop that had been given up on. I was able to get them back on the road for the ministry to use. Describing the second situation, Gary shares, After a few work teams came and worked on an unchurched individual s home, he saw God s love in them, started going to church, and began to make a change in the way he lived. Mr. Stephenson was born in Evansville, Indiana. After completing his primary and secondary education, he attended Ivy Tech College in Fort Wayne, Indiana earning an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences. Gary is a mechanic, and before joining GBGM he utilized his training and skills in that capacity from 1988-2001. Gary and his wife Vicki are the parents of two adult children, Angela and Amanda. Gary and Vicki s home church is Taylor Chapel UMC in the Indiana Conference. Gary Stephenson is available for Covenant Relationship support in Kentucky Annual Conference and Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Gary Stephenson #773814. Missionary Support Code: 773814 Email: Mountainmangws@yahoo.com VICKI STEPHENSON Vicki Stephenson, a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, is serving in the Red Bird Missionary Conference at Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky, as an Associate in Mission Service (AIMS). Mrs. Stephenson s responsibilities include scheduling itineration for Henderson Settlement staff, overseeing the development and maintenance of all public relations material (website, Henderson Hollers newsletter, Appeal Letters, pamphlets), assisting with tours, research and grant writing, and coordination and planning of fund raising events, retreats and special events held on site. Reflecting how she believes God s mission is being carried out in her work, Vicki shares, God calls us to love and reach out and minister to all people, no matter their age, race, status, financial situation, or gender. By developing new relationships and continuing to educate individuals and churches about the mission and ministries of Henderson Settlement, we are able as a mission institution to continue to provide basic human needs to the community through God's love. Mrs. Stephenson remembers times she knew God was moving through the ministry in which she serves. "I can't tell you the number of times individuals have shared with me that they were unfamiliar with Henderson Settlement, or had no idea of the number of ministries we offer to this Appalachian community. When individuals and churches
are aware of the high unemployment and many other needs and challenges that face our community today, they are more than willing to assist us with both financial and in-kind gifts. When a need arises, God does provide for us through our supporters." Vicki has been serving with GBGM since March of 2001. She served as Mission chairperson with Taylor Chapel UMC in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as a Retirement Plan Officer with National City Bank prior to beginning service with GBGM. Mrs. Stephenson was born in Belleville, Illinois, and received her education from R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with an emphasis in business. Her home church is Taylor Chapel UMC in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Indiana Conference. Vicki and her husband Gary, also an Associate in Mission Service, are the parents of two adult children, Angela and Amanda. Vicki Stephenson is available for Covenant Relationship support in Kentucky Annual Conference and Indiana Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Vicki Stephenson #773814. Missionary Support Code: 773814 Email: Decoloresvls@yahoo.com KAREN JOHNSON UJEREH Karen Johnson Ujereh, missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, is serving as Mission Interpreter in Residence (MIIR) with the North Central Jurisdiction (Midwest). Mission Interpreters in Residence are United Methodist missionaries assigned to serve in the U.S. jurisdictions to interpret the mission of the United Methodist Church through the Board of Global Ministries, particularly as it relates to mission personnel and their support through the Advance for Christ and his Church with annual conferences, districts and local churches. Before her stateside assignment, Karen served in Dakar, Senegal, as the BGM s Area Financial Executive (AFE) and supervised projects of the United Methodist Church in Senegal. As AFE her responsibilities included oversight of all receipts and disbursements of GBGM funds for projects in the conference. While supervising the Prison Ministry in three prisons, two women s prisons and one youth boy s prison, Karen was also the VIM Coordinator for Senegal. Additions to Karen s responsibilities included supervising the staff and work of the Women s Skills Center, which is a sewing center. It is a three-year program and has approximately 40 students. She also directed the Agriculture Program, both rural and urban. The rural program deals primarily with digging wells and the urban program trains communities in the Rooftop Garden technology. Karen supervised the Micro-Credit Program, a program that loans approximately $150,000 a year to enable people to begin their own businesses. The program is currently working with about 500 Senegalese, most of them women. The repayment rate is 100%. Reflecting on her assignment in Senegal, Karen says, I was a facilitator. If I did not do my job properly, that affected all projects in Senegal. I take my job seriously because I believe the Lord called me because of my organizational skills. Senegal is a mission of the GBGM, she explains. The first missionaries were sent to Senegal in 1995. I am excited and grateful to
God that I was able to be a small part of a great beginning. We established many projects over the years and I am happy to say that I feel a part of all of them. The past few years we have been in great financial difficulty. Through prayers and hard work we have always ended up the year in good standing." A native of New Orleans, Karen holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Southern University in New Orleans. Before going to Senegal, she served as Area Financial Executive in Harare, Zimbabwe for more than two years, working with the Zimbabwe Annual Conference. Prior to that, she served the same post in Lubumbashi, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), working with the North Shaba and Southern Zaire Conferences. She was head of the accounting and finance department and, earlier, a lecturer at Plateau State Polytechnic. She also was an accountant for the First Homestead Savings and Loan Association. Karen and husband Sebastine, a native of Nigeria who also served as a UM missionary, have three adult children: Jessica, born in New Orleans, and Sebastine, Jr. and Laura, who were both born in Nigeria. Karen is a lifelong member of Bethany United Methodist Church in New Orleans. Karen Johnson Ujereh is available for Covenant Relationship support in Indiana Annual Conference, Arkansas Annual Conference, Louisiana Annual Conference, Mississippi Annual Conference, Northern Illinois Annual Conference, West Virginia Annual Conference, and Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Karen Johnson Ujereh #10918Z. Missionary Support Code: 10918Z Email: KUjereh@gbgm-umc.org MARY RANDALL ZIGBUO Mary Randall Zigbuo is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church serving as of April 2011 with Circles of Hope/Anson County in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. She worked for many years in Liberia with support and development of educational, healthcare, and social-welfare programs. Circles of Hope/Anson County, based at First United Methodist Church, Wadesboro, North Carolina, is part of the United Methodist priority emphasis on ministry with the poor. Its aim is to "provide all people of Anson County with the knowledge, relationships, and necessary resources to achieve economic stability." Mary is a "circles coach," a role that utilizes her background in counseling, education, health, and community building. The Circles program in Wadesboro is a model for anti-poverty work related to United Methodist and ecumenical groups across the United States. It recruits and trains "allies" who work with families living in poverty to find more secure economic futures. Some 21 percent of the residents of the county live below the poverty line, compared to 14 percent statewide. Poverty is reflected in such factors as low educational attainment, crime, substance abuse, substandard housing, and a lack of jobs. Mary is a native of Bolton, North Carolina. She and her husband, Herbert, served as missionaries in West Africa for more than 20 years. From 2008 through 2010, Mary helped the United Methodist Church in Liberia to develop social and educational programs for disabled persons. Prior to that assignment, Mary was (from 2003 to 2007) administrator of the Ganta United Methodist Mission Station Hospital, serving with
Herbert, who was the mission station's superintendent. Mary served as a guidance counselor for the Ganta United Methodist School from 1988 to 1992. Civil unrest required Mary and her family to be temporarily assigned to Danané, Ivory Coast (Côte d'ivoire) during 1992 and 1993, where she organized, developed, and staffed a counseling program for Liberian refugee students. From 1996 to 2001 Mary and Herbert served as co-coordinators of Operation Classroom; also, from 1998 to 2001, they served as co-directors for the Department of General Education for the Liberia Annual Conference. Once again, civil unrest in the country led to their temporary assignment to work with Liberian refugees in Guinea during six months of 2003. Mary completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Community Mental Health, a Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling, and a Master's Degree in Adult Education. Mary and Herbert are the parents of several adult children. Mary Randall Zigbuo is available for Covenant Relationship support in Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, Detroit Annual Conference, Holston Annual Conference, North Carolina Annual Conference, Oregon/Idaho Annual Conference, Red Bird Missionary Annual Conference, Indiana Annual Conference and Western North Carolina Annual Conference. Make an online donation to: Mary Randall Zigbuo #10721Z. Missionary Support Code: 10721Z Email: maryzigbuo@yahoo.com