Introducing: Miracle Sunday
You may remember Rev. Collins Etchi Ako, a United Methodist missionary serving in East Congo, who visited our congregation last November. Rev. Ako is a provisional elder of the Cameroon Mission of The United Methodist Church who holds four degrees from universities in Yaounde, Cameroon, including a master’s in theology. That education puts Rev. Ako in a rare class, as fewer than 5% of United Methodist pastors outside the U.S. have attained that degree, compared to more than 71% of our U.S. clergy.
That disparity in pastoral education levels reflects the stronger denominational funding ($54 million annually) and substantial endowments available to seminaries in the United States, while more than 20 theological schools in Africa, Europe, and the Philippines operate with limited support ($5 million annually) and little or no endowment.
For the next five weeks, millions of United Methodists around the world are joining in a journey of prayer, learning, and generosity—inviting our whole connection to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously—culminating in a worldwide “Miracle Sunday” offering in May to fund a permanent endowment. The shared goal of the 30,000 congregations in 100 countries is to endow 500 scholarships per year, in perpetuity, to help raise up a new generation of outstanding clergy leaders for the most challenging mission fields outside the United States.
Here’s a short video from one pastor who became the first United Methodist elder in Romania, and whose ministry includes working with refugees who have fled war-torn Ukraine.
Please watch for more information on Miracle Sunday in the coming weeks.
