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BY RICK VANCE
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

Charlie Moore?s faith spans two continents. As a member of a team of 15 people from Community UMC in Crofton, he recently returned from Zimbabwe, where he helped to build a church that is larger than his own.

A grant of $15,000 from the Baltimore-Washington Conference HOPE Fund helped to buy the 60,000 bricks, 22 roof trusses and mortar needed to build the 46-by-70 foot sanctuary for the Juru UMC in Zimbabwe.

The team assisted 700 school children, visited 13 homebound HIV/AIDS families, and taught 20 women how to sew. They took 32 bags of medical supplies, school supplies and sports equipment.

Moore, a communications executive for most of his life, has made seven trips to Zimbabwe. Yet, at one point in his life, he refused to get involved.

'When the first team went in March, 1997, I had only a remote interest and had serious reservations about the cost to commit. I thought missions should begin at home,' he said. 'I had a limited geographical perspective of where my mission efforts should go.'

When the first team returned and began sharing their stories and experiences, he caught the spirit and 'something inside called me to go,' Moore said. 'I then went on the next trip in March, 2001. I was overwhelmed by the needs of the people, by their spirit and hope, in light of what they were facing in the economic, political and health environment.

'It?s tragic,' he added. 'It has caused my heart to grow beyond whatever I thought was possible, particularly as it relates to my awareness that truly individuals can make a difference.'

The people of Moore?s church have been making a difference. More than 50 members of Community UMC have personally been on trips to Zimbabwe. The teams have been diverse, ranging from a 78-year-old grandmother to 22-year-olds, and include doctors, nurses, lawyers, government workers, people from all professions and retirees.

The average trip lasts three weeks, 'We?ve had a couple of senior women go for six weeks. They taught women to sew,' said Moore. Since that time, these women have been teaching other women to sew and have been raising money for various orphan trusts throughout the area. The orphan trusts provide school fees, school uniforms, and nutritional drinks for the children.

Moore related how one of the team members, Mike Elliott, has been on more than 50 mission trips in many locations. With a background in home repairs and renovation, Elliott coordinates work at the job sites.

As Moore reflected on team members who have gone, he said, 'What we need are people with compassion and willingness to get out of their comfort zones. Every team member has contributed significantly.

'Many of the members who go on their first trip go with reservations about whether they personally can make a difference,' he said. 'And, without exception, they all come back with their eyes opened that their gifts and talents go beyond what they thought was possible. It really is a spiritual journey.'

SIDEBAR:
United Methodists make a difference Jo Chesson, conference project manager for Zimbabwe and project coordinator for the HOPE Fund, believes United Methodists can make a significant difference in people?s lives through their giving to the HOPE Fund.

Even small gifts can make a difference. Chesson says, 'Pastors only make $5 U.S. a month there.' Teachers in the mission school for children average $12 U.S. a month. Five dollars will buy 14 loaves of bread; $20 would buy 12 cans of baked beans; $6 pays a student?s annual fee for primary school which lasts for three terms; $10 buys a chemically treated net to use at night to ward off mosquitoes that cause malaria.

'The HOPE Fund is there to help churches,' Chesson said. The goal is for our annual conference 'to raise $1 million by May 2008.' Of that money, $600,000 will go to support ministry in Zimbabwe.

The need is substantial, Chesson said. Zimbabwe has the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in Africa; unemployment is at 80 percent; there is a runaway inflation rate of 1,730 percent and beyond; one out of every three children is an orphan. Life expectancy for males is 37 years; for females, it is 34 years.

Chesson connects people in the Baltimore-Washington Conference who want to make a difference with a variety of ministries in Zimbabwe.

She is making her first trip to Zimbabwe in June, coordinating the teachers for a pastors school for 414 Zimbabwean pastors at Africa University. Baltimore-Washington Conference pastors will co-teach and team teach with Zimbabwean pastors.

'I?m excited about going because I believe that I can make a difference,' Chesson said. 'I?m confident that with Christ all things are possible.'