Back in February I introduced the Imagine No Malaria Campaign. Here’s what I wrote We kicked off our Imagine No Malaria campaign at church today, with the goal of saving 2500 lives in the next three years. Through education, bed nets, medicine, draining stagnant water and communication …
It has taken awhile to get back into the blogging routine, but I’m hopeful that this week will change that. I’ve started to work a new second job, and am loving it. I’ll be writing about it soon. In January I happened upon a documentary …
I love this boy.
I just came home from an extremely energizing meeting at work staff and lay leaders from program ministries met together to look at our plans for ministry in the next two years.
One of the things that got me most excited was our discussion around the United Methodist Church’s “Imagine No Malaria” campaign.
Here are the facts:
We are not alone. Imagine No Malaria has some pretty awesome partners to help make beating malaria a reality. We work with global heavy hitters like the United Nations Foundation, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These organizations are global leaders in the fight against malaria and other diseases of poverty. That’s because they require the best from their people and their partners.
So, why do they need us? Well, The United Methodist Church brings some very unique resources to the table. Obviously, the financial support of 11 million United Methodists worldwide is a significant part of it. But there’s much more. The UMC has worked in Africa for more than 160 years. We operate churches, school, hospitals and clinics across the continent in places where no one else will go. Wherever the road runs out, you’ll find us bringing hope to the hopeless andempowering the powerless.
These partners know we are a key to healthcare delivery in Africa, and as a result that means your donation is multiplied many times by the support they provide.
I am so excited to be working on this. I am trying to think of as many different ways to work on this over the next three years. I’m hoping to have projects and experiential learning opportunities for my youth and children at work. I want to host parties at home and I want to find ways to empower others to help raise support for this cause.
Park Avenue will be launching our “Imagine No Malaria” campaign early in 2012, and I am grateful for a few moths to think through some things and come up with a way to make a meaningful difference.
Note – On Friday THE NOBEL PRIZE COMMISSION ANNOUNCED THAT ONE OF THIS YEAR’S WINNERS FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IS PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF OF LIBERIA. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR PRESIDENT JOHNSON SIRLEAF SPEAK IN 2008 IN MINNEAPOLIS. WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE …
Yesterday, the Nobel committee announced that one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize for Peace this year is President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. In 2008 I had a chance to hear President Sirleaf Johnson speak in Minneapolis. Her visit coincided with Holy Week. …
The Nobel Prize Committee awarded the Peace prize this year to three women, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia. I had a chance to hear President Johnson Sirleaf speak in 2008. It was a truly powerful experience, so I am re-posting what I wrote three years ago.
The Humphrey Institute hosted a lecture by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia at the U of MN today. The President is the first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa. She’s a phenomenal leader. I confess I know very little about her story or her politics, but I was moved at the event today.
Liberia has a very complicated history tied to the history of the United States, former slaves from the United States were sent to West Africa, what would eventually become Liberia. The capital city Monrovia, is named for our former president. My head is swimming as I reflect on this afternoon so here’s my first reflection.
President Johnson Sirleaf took office in 2006. There are 3.5 million people living in Liberia. Since she took office, neighborhoods that had been without electricity or hot water for 15 years have received both. Twenty Six new schools have been built. 400 new teachers have been trained. The National debt has shrunk considerable, and is projected to be done in the next year or so. This “Iron Lady” has led her country to something quite extraordinary.
When Ellen was first born her grandfather looked at her and said, “This child will be great.”
Truly this is a great woman.
In my studies we talk a lot about “Speech Act Theory.” Words, according to this theory not only communicate ideas, but create or do something. When a groom says, “I do,” he not only communicates that he loves that woman in white at the altar, but he does something, after he says, “I do” he is married to that woman. He is no longer single he is married. Words communicate and do. In Speech Act Theory, what words do, their effect is called perlocution.
Imagine the perlocution of these words. “This child will be great.” Imagine growing up in a multicultural family, in a multicultural country, having heard those words. Imagine facing political and bodily threat, but constantly being reminded of this story. “Ellen when you were born. . .”
When Yahweh talks to the prophet Jeremiah he says, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you and set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1.5)”
Simeon and Anna spoke words to Mary, Joseph and Jesus. “this child is destined to . . .” (Luke 2).
Lord, too often the words we speak into a child’s life are, “No, you can’t.” “You won’t do that.” “You’re just like your dad (mom, grandma, aunt).” “We don’t do that in our family.” ” boys in our culture don’t go to college.” “girls don’t do that.” Forgive us God and let us use our words to speak a future and a hope into the lives of the young people around us. Our children, our students, our clients, our friends, our neighbors, the youth in our pew. God give us eyes, like Ellen’s grandfather to see young people through your eyes and courage to speak that future to them.
Amen
Post Script – President Johnson Sirleaf has book titledThis Child Will Be Great, it is available on Amazon. I haven’t read it yet, but it is going on my wish list right now.
