WorldHope Corps

Live streaming sessions of the Shalom National Summit are free of cost: http://gbgm-umc.org/shalom Thursday, October 29 • 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Opening Session and Worship: Greetings from Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor of South Carolina, Mayor Bob Cobble of Columbia, with a sermon by Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the Council of Bishops, and a report on the "State of Shalom" by Dr. Michael Christensen, National Director. • 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Session One: "Stepping Up to Shalom: "From Just as I Am to Justice I AM" with Dr. Christensen, Annie Allen, national program associate, and special guests Vien Truong, Green for All; and Steve Tamayo, organizer of ROAM Arts Cooperative, Rosebud Reservation. • 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Session Two: "Prophetic Leadership and Shalom--Seeking Systemic Change," with Bishop Joseph Sprague (retired), who initially proposed Shalom; Jayda Jacques, founder of Nine Strong Women of Newark; Robert Linthicum, auth...

Communities of Shalom National Summit this week will be video streamed live from Columbia, South Carolina, beginning Thursday morning, October 29, at 9:30am EST (see schedule below). If the purpose of a National Summit is to bring together representatives from a national network for a time of personal sharing, inspiration, team building and group training, then this year’s National Shalom Summit will fulfill its purpose and more through live webcasting to those who are unable to attend in person. http://gbgm-umc.org/shalom “When the General Board of Global Ministries offered to podcast the Summit, I was delighted,” said Dr. Christensen. “I knew this was a virtual sign and tangible indication that there was sufficient momentum in the Shalom movement to ‘step up’ to a new level of web technology for this once small grass roots initiative called ‘shalom zones.’ “ All four General Training Sessions plus the two worship services and Shalom Banquet will be video streamed through the ...

Over 300 shalomers descend this week upon Columbia, South Carolina for the National Shalom Summit 2009.  And hundreds more will join us via live streaming on the internet October 28-31. The purpose of a National Summit is to bring together representatives of our 104 Shalom sites for a time of sharing, inspiration, learning, networking and training.   Previous Summits were hosted in Stamford, Ct (1994), Charleston (1995), Philadelphia (1996), Los Angeles (1997), Houston (1998), Washington D.C. (2002), and Chicago (1997).  The National Shalom Summit 2009 is hosted by the South Carolina Annual Conference which sponsors and supports over 30 individual shalom sites in its State?  Columbia, SC was chosen by the planning committee because of its unique rural Shalom sites and their prophetic witness to racial reconciliation and economic community development.  South Carolina was the first Annual Conference to adopt and adapt the urban ShalomZone concept to t...

I enjoyed Bono's Op Ed piece in the New York Times today.  Rebranding America   By BONO In it he affirms the President for being selected for the Nobel Peace Prize, and praises America as potentially the world's leading partner in eliminating the three greatest threats to the global village: 1) EXTREME POVERTY, 2) EXTREME IDEOLOGY AND 3) EXTREME CLIMATE CHANGE. As an Irishman, he calls for America to "rebrand, restart reboot" to fulfill the promises made in the year 2000 when the USA and other countries adopted the Millennium Goals.  See  United Nations Millennium Development Goals President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in part, according to Bono, because he's working to fulfill that pledge.  Its a short article well worth the read: Rebranding America   By BONO There are many great links to Bono's Christian and humanitarian witness: Here is a clip of Bono speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. http://www...

Where the Streets Have No Name Okay, I admit I’m a big fan of   Bono and   U2 .   I love how they blend compelling lyrics, delightful sights and sounds, top performance, social commentary, and humanitarian causes in a seamless liturgy of a rock concert/love fest in huge stadiums.   I   own three previous concert tour DVD’s   but had never attended a live event until last week at Giants Stadium.     It was my good friend’s birthday.   Jeff Markay had given me Bono-style sun glasses for my birthday a few years ago, and we had gone together to a Bruce Springsteen concert last year, so this year was an opportunity to experience together U2’s 360 Tour.   At first blush we considered wearing our clerical albs to the concert and offering a pre-concert ‘U2Charist' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MfPrkkzc3k in the parking lot for ‘whosoever will’ among the devoted tail gate party crowd. But after floating the idea out to family and fr...

It came through last week!  A $20,000 grant from United Methodist Global AIDS Fund for WorldHope Corps to provide another year of operation of our Hope Home program in Malawi.   Together--Mzuzu United Methodist Church in Malawi and many sponsors in the USA--we are feeding and clothing over 100 orphaned and vulnerable children, and keeping them alive and in school during this our third year of operation. This is an international answer to prayer.  Pastor Copeland joins me in giving thanks to God: Rev Michael, I thank God for the donation towards the HOPE HOMES and HOPE SCHOLARSHIP from UMC Global AIDS Fund to enable us to run for another year.  Special thanks to you, Christian, Jessica, Don, and all friends that have considered us for this precious support. You are the father appointed by God for these many orphans.  Please continue.    Copeland Also, here's an inspiring story from Malawi that was featured last week on Go...