OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD, OUR STRENGTH EVERY MORNING
The prophet Isaiah lived through a complex and difficult time in history, not unlike ours today. It was a time of internal injustice and inequity within the kingdom of Judah. Yet it was also a time of religious revival and reform, including those led by Isaiah himself. Isaiah 33:2 assures us of hope in challenging times. “We hope in you,” Isaiah proclaims, even “in times of distress.” In such times, we dig deep into our faith and hold on tight to hope, trusting in God to “be our strength every morning,” whether on a personal, organizational or global level. Hope is here; we never have to wait for it. Even in the most violent places of the world there are seeds of hope. Global Ministries experienced many changes throughout 2024, both in the church and in the world. Some of these transitions, like Global Ministries’ alignment with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), could be anticipated and planned for in our work. Others, like decisions made at General Conference, will take time to live into, such as the meaning and practical enactment of the regional structure of the UMC. Across the church, there is hope that regionalization will be ratified and will lead us into a less colonial way of being the church together. We have historically made a strong distinction between work in the United States and work in other countries, but now, we must see our work in a holistic way. One of the key shifts in the work of Global Ministries over the past few years has been a deepening engagement with our partners around the world. In 2024, Global Ministries developed a new strategic plan for 2025-2026, which organizes our mission programs and four priority areas into two broad categories going forward:
connecting the church in mission, which includes the work of missionaries and mission volunteers, multiethnic ministries and the Mission Engagement unit; and alleviating human suffering, our Global Ministries’ Global Health work and disaster response and recovery through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), as well as agricultural and income development through the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative. The formal alignment of Global Ministries and GBHEM under one general secretary transpired in the summer, though the agencies had been working together for several years. Alignment will create a unified presence and an integrated structure for both agencies as they interact with partners and share information across units. This will help us best respond to and support our partners in their mission and ministry. When we ground ourselves in hope and allow it to direct our sight, then we can see instances of people partnering together to share food and medical care. We see transformative leaders courageously leading congregations and conferences into new expressions of church. We see mission partners recommitting themselves to be in relationship with one another for the sake of serving the world. Hope is not dependent on what is happening. We can choose hope. Christ is with us and the Holy Spirit gives us the tenacity to be a witness in our hope. We thank God for all those who partner with us, answering God’s call to be in mission together. This report delves into some of the many impacts of the work made possible by faith- ful giving and strong support. We thank you, church members, donors, partners and those we serve for the hope you give us to further God’s mission every day.
Roland Fernandes General Secretary,
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson President, Global Ministries
Bishop David Wilson President, UMCOR
Global Ministries Higher Education and Ministry UMCOR
UMCMission.org 1
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