Advocate For Missions And Education In The Evangelical Association Distinctive bulges on the bridge of Bishop Orwig’s nose appear in Orwig family members to this day, testifying to the persistence of genetic traits. The bishop himself stood out in a debate over another persistent human trait: sin. He defended the position that only those who […]
Missionary Teacher In China In September 1904, an Augusta, GA school teacher did not return to the classroom; instead, she left to begin training as a missionary to China. It was not the safest of career moves. These were the days just after the Boxer Rebellion of 1898-1901–times in which more than 200 Christian missionaries […]
Missionaries To The Iban People Of Sarawak Thomas and Jennie Harris applied for missionary service in 1947, answering a call by Bishop Creighton Lacy to serve the people of China. They were the first African-American couple to be assigned to China by the Methodist Board of Missions. Born and educated in Florida, they were members […]
Gracious Host And Teacher To Missionary Community There she was – a petite woman decked out in a colorful African wrapper, T-shirt, head scarf and smile. As we stepped out of the mission airplane onto the dry, brittle grass covering the dusty village airfield, she stepped up and welcomed us “home”. Saratu DanMallam lived across […]
Leader Among Central Conference Bishops Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church , “Mission Photograph Album – Portraits #07 Page 0051,” UMC Digital Galleries, accessed November 27, 2018, http://catalog.gcah.org/omeka/items/show/60663. Born in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur Province, in 1898, Valencia grew up as a Roman Catholic, although he became acquainted with Protestants through the United Brethren […]
First African Bishop In The Methodist Church Born in Mozambique in 1914, Zunguze became a Christian through his wife, Thelma, who was a graduate of the Hartzell’s Girl School in Chicuque. He was educated at a Methodist Episcopal Church school in Inhambane province, at the Cambine mission, and Old Umtali in then-Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), […]
Educator And Leader For Abolishing The Central Jurisdiction Bishop James Thomas speaks during a service of repentance for racism at the United Methodist Church’s 2000 General Conference in Cleveland. He died Oct. 10 at age 91. A UMNS file photo by Mike DuBose. http://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/2159/8801995.htm?sequence=3 Thomas was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and was ordained and […]
Methodist Educators, Relief Leader, Bishops Board of Missions of the Methodist Church , “Mission Photograph Album – Portraits #06 Page 118,” UMC Digital Galleries, accessed November 27, 2018, http://catalog.gcah.org/omeka/items/show/60442. J. W. Ernst Sommer was born to a German Wesleyan minister father and British mother in Germany. He went to Kingswood, Cambridge University, and the university […]
Deaconess Leading Rural Ministry Board of Missions of the Methodist Church , “Mission Photograph Album – Portraits #08 Page 0036,” UMC Digital Galleries, accessed November 27, 2018, http://catalog.gcah.org/omeka/items/show/60815. Ann McKenzie’s entry into ministry matches that of many women who chose to become deaconesses in The Methodist Church. When she heard about women doing church work, […]
Church And Community Worker Serving As Parish Nurse Earnestine Varnado (center) joins other United Methodist Women in worship during their Assembly in St. Louis. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS My journey into Church and Community ministry began (without my knowledge), when I was a young teen. I enjoyed […]