| A church for political refugees By Erik Alsgaard
UMCONNECTION STAFF At about 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoons, a small group of United Methodists gather in borrowed space for a service of worship that is different from anything else happening in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. The 20 or so worshipers, many of them political refugees, dont sing, pray or speak in English. Or Spanish. Or Korean. Instead, they use Mizo, a language from Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Mizoram, one of the states of India. The Mizo United Methodist Fellowship was officially formed May 23 at a service at Ager Road UMC in Hyattsville, which loans space to the fellowship free of charge on Sunday afternoons. The group was recognized at annual conference during the chartering ceremony for FaithPoint UMC, a new church start in Urbana. 
Chhunga | 'We just started this fellowship and we hope that, by the grace of God, this will grow,' said Biak Chhunga, pastor of the fellowship. Chhunga, for whom English is a third language, drives every weekend from his studies in Pittsburgh to attend to the needs of the new group. 'I was kind of asked to lead here about a year or so ago,' he said, 'but I didnt pay attention. Im still doing my doctoral thesis at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, working on my Ph.D. in systematic theology.' Chhunga has already earned a doctor of ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He was sent there for faculty development from the Myanmar Theological College — a Methodist-owned school — while he was the equivalent of president. 'I thought that, after I finished my Ph.D., I might want to do something else,' he said in an interview. 'However, they kind of persisted to ask me to lead here, and eventually I felt that, well, if I could be an instrument to help one person to grow in the grace of God, that would be worthwhile for me.' Chhungas wife is in the United States on political asylum, which, he said, allowed his children to come over. However, this made him a 'derivative political asylee,' he said, 'and at this moment of time it is difficult for me to go back to my country and resume my position there in the Methodist Church.' The Baltimore-Washington Conference is supporting the Mizo Fellowship with a three-year, $10,000 per year grant, according to the Rev. Edwin DeLong, associate council director in charge of church development. 'The reason we supported this ministry is because as asylees come here, they have a need for a United Methodist Church to meet peoples needs,' DeLong said. Methodism first came to Burma in 1887. The situation in that country today is considered appalling: slave labor supports the economy; political prisoners are held in breach of international human rights laws; and limited personal freedoms exist, with government reportedly controlling television, radio, newspapers and telephones. The Womens Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, which represents the 1 million-member United Methodist Women, has been involved in the issue since 2000. For example, President Bush signed a ban on trade with Burma last June. Last March, Judy Nutter, a vice president in the Womens Division, noted to the United Methodist News Service that the Bush-Cheney election apparel being sold on the campaign Web site was made in Burma. 'The decision of the presidents campaign to sell sweatshirts made in Burma shows a lack of support for the human rights of the Burmese people,' Nutter told UMNS. It is the needs of these people, both in the United States and overseas, that drives the ministry of the fellowship. 'Every time we worship we have a kind of common prayer,' said Chhunga. 'We bring our needs, what we care for, what we need for our family members back in Burma or India we gather all these items, these facts, then we pray all together in a meeting. We depend on prayer a lot.' Chhunga knows that coming to America presents many challenges for new immigrants. 'I have a basic feeling if I dont take care of these people, theyre going to end up in bars or in some other thing,' he said. 'There are many, many things to enjoy in this country, so my basic vision is if I could be an instrument to help these people grow in the grace of God, even if it is one person, that is worthwhile for me.' | 
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