| Prayer, policy and politics theme of 2004 mission school By Linda Worthington
UMCONNECTION STAFF Prayer, policy and politics was the focus of this year's School of Christian Mission, held July 22-25 at the Clarion Conference Center in Hagerstown. Prayer took center stage for the 263 participants as the Rev. Terri Rae Chattin, the plenary speaker, led the assembly through a series of prayers — meditation, intercessory, liturgical and biblical — referring always to biblical references. | LINDA WORTHINGTON/UMCONNECTION Obi Egbuna, right, speaks with a woman in a class on Cuba at the School of Christian Mission, lead by the Rev. Doug Sands. | In the three 90-minute plenary sessions she brought understanding and spiritual gbwc_superuserance to listeners as she led them through the Lord's Prayer and ways to move from introspection in their prayer life to performing works of justice and mercy in the world.
' I loved her class on prayer,' said Lee DeLong, who ran the resource center.
The School of Christian Mission is sponsored by the United Methodist Women and the conference Board of Christian Presence in God's World. In workshops on 'Cuba' (a geographical emphasis) and 'Public Education' (a social concerns emphasis), the participants had many opportunities to learn about the study area and focus their prayers on specific social issues. The Rev. Thom White Wolf Fassett, former chief executive of the General Board of Church and Society, led one of the study groups on Cuba. He cautioned the group, 'Sometimes our religious passions are mistaken for politics. ... Anything you say about Cuba in some contexts shows you're embracing Fidel (Castro).' A woman asked how to present material on Cuba to her home church. 'I hope (the material) opens your eyes not just to Cuba but other places as well. The real secret is to present the material as a person of faith,' Fassett responded. In another session on Cuba, led by the Rev. Douglas Sands, guest Obi Egbuna of the Pan African Liberation Organization shared his interest in medical exchanges between Cuban doctors and universities in this country. ' It's not easy for a Cuban, or any other foreign doctor to practice in the U.S.,' said Ana Brito, herself of Cuban ancestry. She listed many obstacles from language to licensing that would make such an exchange difficult. As the group discussed the U.S. blockade of Cuba and the future of the country, Egbuna urged them to 'lift the blockade with the same energy as abolishing apartheid (in South Africa).' The social action study on public education was led by the Revs. Carletta Allen and Eliezer Valentin-Castanon, and Jean Creek, a retired principal. The classes, divided into small discussion groups, explored model partnerships between United Methodist churches and public schools, the voucher system, and policy changes including the Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision. 'The end purpose is to take action — what folks can do to impact policy on public education,' said Valentin-Castanon. Bishop Felton Edwin May and Phyllis May were welcomed to the school by chairwoman, Darlynn McCrae. She presented gifts to them and thanked them for their support over the years. Bishop May made an appeal for support for orphans of HIV/AIDS before the offering.
This summer 38,000 United Methodist Women across the country will be trained, he said. 'What would it look like if we spoke up for the children of HIV/AIDS around the world? If we don't we'll need to be concerned about the walking dead among us. … We must apply our resources here on earth for the Kingdom of God.' Most of the participants had been to the school before, but 26 were first timers, reported Business Manager Saundra Brooks. At least two people were attending for the 43rd time. No courses were offered specifically for youth this year, as in the past few years, but 'we need to do that again,' Pennington said. Rev. Richard Brown-Whale, conference Global Ministries Secretary, updated the members on conference mission opportunities. 'Mission begins at home, at the walls of your church,' Brown-Whale said. 'Your church is a mission station to your community. We know that, but we treat the church as a private club for ourselves.' | 
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