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This week What One Can Do features two stories of
embracing God's mission of global reconciliation.
This one, What One Diocese Can Do, from Elisabeth
Keller of the Jubilee
Ministry of the Diocese of Massachusetts.
The Episcopal
Diocese of Massachusetts, through the Jubilee
Ministry, has been actively supporting the Bishop Masereka
Christian Foundation (BMCF) in Uganda since
2003. The mission of BMCF is to support those who
are suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS in
western Uganda.
BMCF is an independent charitable organization that
was founded in 2001 with help from the Anglican Diocese of South
Rwenzori. It is headed by Bishop
Zebedee Masereka, the retired Anglican bishop of
South Rwenzori. His wife, Stella, is also very
involved.
You can learn more about BMCF by visiting their
website at www.BMCF.org.
Jubilee supports BMCF by providing money for school
fees for over 500 orphans each year. We also
encourage other dioceses, parishes and individuals
to consider sponsoring orphans, as the need far
exceeds the current supply of funds.
In addition to its educational outreach programs,
BMCF has become involved in providing direct medical
care to the community. In 2005, BMCF opened a new
medical clinic to serve the district of Kasese,
where the prevalence of HIV is particularly high.
The clinic has been steadily expanding its services
and has quickly become well established and
respected in the community.
Jubilee members have had the privilege of visiting
Kasese, as guests of Bishop Zebedee and Stella, to
see first hand the work of the foundation in western
Uganda.
Several other dioceses and parishes from the US are
also working in partnership with BMCF, and we have
begun to coordinate our efforts. We would like to
invite others to join us in this dynamic ministry.
BMCF operates as a 501(c)3
corporation in the US with a board
that includes members from the Diocese of
Massachusetts, Diocese of Central
Pennsylvania, Diocese of
Southwest Florida, and Maryland.
Individuals and groups from parishes in these
dioceses are involved in different ways; some,
through supporting orphans with school fees; others
through medical mission trips; and in the case of
Saint John?s in Tampa, through a school-to-school
partnership
What can you do to support the work of BMCF?
* Sponsor
one or more orphans by making a donation for school
fees. You may do this by contacting the
program coordinator, Ann Nyangoma at
nyangoma_a@hotmail.com.
Ann will provide details on cost (there are choices)
and you may correspond with the child you choose to
sponsor.
* Contribute
toward funding for a full time Ugandan physician
to work in the BMCF medical clinic. A $25,000 grant
has been made and is contingent upon
matching funds.
*Contribute
toward medical equipment for the
clinic. The needs include a biochemical analyzer
and ultrasound machine.
*If you are associated with an Episcopal school,
consider a partnership with one of the schools in
Kasese supported by BMCF. St. John?s School in
Tampa has had a dynamic partnership of this type for
several years.
You may learn more about any of these opportunities
by communicating
with Bishop Masereka directly at
bpzmase@infocom.co.ug.
| Looking for Litanies and Readings |
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*Bishop
Jeffery Rowthorn, founding board member of
EGR and author of "The
Wideness of God's Mercy: Litanies to Enlarge our
Prayer" is working on a revised edition of that
book -- and wants the assistance of the EGR
community.
He's looking for litanies of a broad social nature
that address God's healing of the deep material
brokenness in the world -- the same healing the
Millennium Development Goals embody.
If you've got such a litany -- or are inspired to
write one, please send it to Jeffery by April 1. You
can email
him at this address.
*The
Rev. Devon Anderson has designed a wonderful
MDG service in the style of a lessons and carols
service. Julia
Huttar Bailey, Chair of the Standing Commission
on Liturgy and Music, has done a great job
suggesting hymns -- and now we're looking for the
readings.
Got a brief reading with a global reconciliation
theme that would be ideal for an MDG service? Send it to EGR.
We'll collect them and have the liturgy with all the
options ready for download from e4gr.org ASAP. Thanks!
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| Sites to See |
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Some great websites on the MDGs
*GlobalIssues.org-
a continually branching tree of articles on global
issues that emphasizes their interrelationship. A
great place to start research on any number of
topics.
*Goodsearch.com
- Every time you use this site to do a search, money
goes to your favorite charity. There are several
already established (more than 25,000 charities &
schools) that you can choose from or add your own.
The site is powered by Yahoo!, so you will get the
same quality search results that you already do.
What is unique is that they have developed a way to
direct money to your charity or school with every
search. The more people who use this site, the more
money will go to those in need. (Thanks to Karen
Romanelli for this one!)
*Find
your ecological footprint- On earthday.net,
this interactive quiz tells you what your
consumption and waste-generation pattern ... how
many earths it would take to produce enough to fit
your lifestyle if everyone lived like you.
*www.e4gr.org
- keep checking it out ... it's updated
every day. Just added - What One
Can Do ... the EGR blog.
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| Quote of the Week |
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" Our shared faith requires of us to participate
in the Missio Dei, God?s work in the world.
We are required to bear witness to the work of God
in partnership with others ? both within and outside
the Christian Church ? to make our communities, our
society and our world a place that is closer to
God?s vision of shalom,"
-The Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane, Primate of
Southern Africa
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What One Person
Can Do |
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Bob Runkle, EGR's
contact in the Diocese of Olympia, shares his
experience deciding where to send his 0.7%
When I decided to support the MDGs,
then I had to figure out how to do it.
Being somewhat unconventional, I decided that I
wanted to do something a bit more than just
contribute to ERD,
which I support during the year anyway. I looked
into what groups within our Diocese served MDGs in
other countries, and finally decided on supporting a
charitable organization founded by someone in our
Diocese.
I settled on an organization called Alternatives for
Burmese Children. It's an organization that is based
out of my hometown of Spokane, Washington and
provides support for Burmese children who are in
refugee camps and in the jungles of neighboring
countries who are trying to make new lives. These
refugees are forced to live in fear of pursuit, camp
destruction, inadequate food, rare medical care, and
communication with the outside world only through
missionaries and through such medical care that is
volunteered.
Much of their funding goes to support teachers in
these camps, and some goes to supporting parents and
older siblings trying to better themselves to become
self-sufficient. I am particularly impressed with
the fact that none of the board members take any
salary or reimbursement, so all the money donated
reaches the reciepients.
I first heard about ABC when my wife and I joined an
Education
for Ministry group with Dr. Joan G. Craig at St.
Stephen's Church in Spokane when we moved from
Illinois. Joan introduced me to Alternatives for
Burmese Children, and MDGs knowledge helped me
select them for my 2007 monthly pledge.
Have fun making your own MDGs choices - try to find
a local group in your diocese. But if you can't,
please consider Alternatives for Burmese Children.
It is a very worthwhile organization!
You can contribute to ABC by sending checks to:
Alternatives for Burmese Children
1923 E. Estates Road
Spokane, WA 99224
You can also reach
Dr. Craig at arjocr@aol.com.
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