It’s All About The Future, Says Africa University Benefactor
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emembering her two-year stint in the Peace Corps 50 years ago, the Rev. Gaye G. Benson, now 74, decided it would be fun to visit Chile again. She started a travel fund, but God had another plan for her $6,000: Give it to Africa University. So, she did.
100% SUPPORT
After the Peace Corps, Gaye earned an M.S. degree in community development and later, a Ph.D. in political science. She was a community development specialist in Missouri and Michigan and a political science professor at California Polytechnic State University. Though active in church life growing up, Gaye says she left during her college years and deliberately didn’t return for over twenty years.
part of my life,” she said. “Yet, I paid only a small portion of the true costs. When I read in the Acacia newsletter that more than half of the students accepted did not have funding, I decided to give the Rev. Gaye G. Benson $6,000. My donation to Africa University is just passing on a portion of the opportunity given me. “For me,” concluded Gaye, who has never been to Africa, “going to Chile would have been largely about the past; making an Africa University scholarship donation is about the future.” Barbara Dunlap-Berg Freelance writer and editor
Thank you for investing at 100 percent in the Africa University Fund in 2017. The Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church with a 100 percent or more remittance to the AUF apportionment over the past two years are: North Central Jurisdiction Detroit East Ohio Illinois Great Rivers Indiana Iowa Minnesota West Michigan West Ohio Wisconsin Jurisdiction Total Support
2017 100% 105.32% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100.24% 100% 105.24% 99.83%
2016
96.52%
Northeastern Jurisdiction Baltimore-Washington
2017 100%
2016 100%
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 104.21% 100%
Eastern Pennsylvania Greater New Jersey New England New York Peninsula-Delaware Susquehanna Upper New York West Virginia Western Pennsylvania Jurisdiction Total Support
100% 100% 100% 107.18% 100% 100% 102.04% 100% 100% 100.71%
108.16% 100% 100% 100.96% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100.93%
South Central Jurisdiction Central Texas North Texas Oklahoma Indian Missionary Jurisdiction Total Support
2017 100% 100% 100% 88.42%
2016 100% 100.01% 91.65%
Southeastern Jurisdiction Florida
2017 100%
2016 100%
Kentucky North Alabama North Carolina Red Bird Missionary South Carolina Tennessee Jurisdiction Total Support
100% 100% 100% 113.58% 100% 196.48% 98.15%
100% 113.80% 100% 100% 100% 100% 92.49%
Western Jurisdiction Alaska United Methodist California Nevada California Pacific Desert Southwest Oregon Idaho Pacific Northwest Rocky Mountain Yellowstone Jurisdiction Total Support
2017 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
2016 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99.70%
Fall 2018
“For me... going to Chile would have been largely about the past; making an Africa University scholarship donation is about the future.”
But after her family moved to California, her husband developed a series of brain tumors. “In a time of great need,” she said, “the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church – without asking questions or our even being members – helped take care of my family. He died in October 1987, and I joined the church the last Sunday of that year; I was 44 years old.” Six years later, she headed for the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California. “I started seminary about the same time Africa University was starting,” Gaye said. “I’ve been watching it ever since. I enjoyed hearing the AU choir at two General Conferences and at the California-Nevada Annual Conference.” Ordained a deacon in 1998 and an elder in full connection in 2001, Gaye served as pastor of two California-based United Methodist congregations: St. Mark’s, Stockton, and El Sobrante. She retired in 2014. “Formal education has been an important
Africa University Today — Fall 2018
Rev. Gérard Nsabimana: From Refugee to Senior Pastor
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érard Nsabimana fled Burundi in 1995, at the age of 21, because of internecine warfare. He has remained in exile for 23 years and has had to grieve the deaths of relatives and friends from afar. Gérard grew up in the Methodist church. His late father was a United Methodist pastor. His mother still attends the church that her late husband pastored for 39 years until his untimely death. After fleeing Burundi, Gérard lived in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in a refugee camp in Tanzania. He enrolled at Africa University in 1997, majored in horticulture and graduated in 2002. He pursued a graduate degree at Oklahoma State University (OSU) with the assistance of Rev. Charles Ellinwood and his late wife, Susanna. At OSU, Gérard interned at the Wesley Foundation. After earning a master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2005, he was hired by the OSU Wesley Foundation as its coordinator
of international student ministries. Gérard said that he had been ignoring the call to ordained ministry for a long time. However, everything changed in 2007. His mother became gravely ill and was hospitalized. He returned to
Burundi to be with her. While ministering to his mother, Gérard decided he could no longer ignore the call to ministry. After his mother’s health improved, Gérard returned to the United States, enrolled in the graduate program at Duke Divinity School (Durham, North Carolina) and was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in 2011. Gérard has been senior pastor at First United Methodist Church (Stroud, Oklahoma) since June 2014. He is grateful to e United Methodist Church, Africa University and those God placed in his path along his faith journey. Having endowed a scholarship, Gérard is the first Africa University graduate to be inducted into the Richard E. “Dick” Reeves Legacy Society. His dream is to return to his beloved country with his wife, Alina, and their three daughters to be of service in the development of Burundi. Elaine Jenkins Director of Planned Giving
Rev. Gérard Nsabimana
How You Can Help ocated at Old Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa University is an accredited United Methodist-related educational institution in Africa, established by the action of the General Conference. Africa University offers degree programs in three colleges: business, peace, leadership and governance; health, agriculture and natural sciences; and social sciences, theology, humanities and education. New academic programs include master’s and doctoral degree programs in migration, citizenship, and refugee protection; intellectual property; child rights and childhood studies; and entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity.
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Africa University welcomed more than 400 students from 11 African countries into the community in October with its annual matriculation ceremony. In his message to the students, Africa University vice chancellor, Dr. Munashe Furusa, highlighted mutual respect, African ingenuity and collaboration as essential to success, both on campus and across the region. “We welcome diversity and difference and this is our identity,” he said. “By being here, you have chosen to become part of an international community… ere can be no progress where we choose to work in isolation, removed from others.”
Africa University continues to be the evidence of faith, hope and belief in the visions of dreamers. We are counting on you! Encourage your church to set a 100 percent apportionment remittance goal. Sending a portion of your goal each month makes it easier to reach full remittance by year’s end. Your church’s 100 percent apportionment remittance means 100 percent support of Africa University’s operational budget for costs such as utilities, equipment, and faculty salaries. Continued next page.
How you can help... continued. Consider these additional ways of helping the university educate new leaders for the nations of Africa:
Bishop is First AU Grad to Chair University’s Board
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that we can not only ishop Mande Muyombo, continue to invest in AU, the first Africa University but to invest in mission graduate elected as bishop, is work and make disciples for now the first graduate to the transformation of the chair the institution’s board world,” he said. of directors. Mande wants the e 45-year-old North university to continue Katanga Area bishop Bishop Mande Muyombo (right) began his to train expert faculty and succeeded retired Bishop tenure as Board Chair in October. administrators for other Marcus Matthews during the United Methodist institutions of higher learning board’s October meeting. across Africa and serve as a beacon of hope and “is is an expression of hope for the future. Here you have a young man who could not afford unity for the denomination. Lisa Tichenor, an AU board member and to go to school but was trained through the member of Highland Park United Church in dedication in mission by the church to invest North Texas, described Mande’s appointment in the future,” Mande said. as “brilliant. He is a person with connections “It is a reminder that I am called to serve the next generation of leaders,” he said, expressing his throughout the world who knows how to get gratitude to the AU staff and peers who journeyed things done. He is very optimistic, positive and just creates an environment that encourages with him. everyone around to join in the mission,” Mande, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Tichenor said. eology and a master’s degree in Peace, Africa University Vice Chancellor Munashe Leadership and Governance from Africa Furusa said, “I have known him as a visionary University, highlighted the institution’s leader and I look forward to working with him as commitment to its mission. we develop and build a world-class university. “e unity of the church, which is the gift of ” God, produced Africa University. is gift of unity Eveline Chikwanah, a communicator should inspire our denomination to cherish it so of the Zimbabwe East Conference.
Planned Gifts are the foundation for the long-term survival of Africa University. As you make your estate plans, consider leaving a gift or bequest to Africa University in your will. If you have already included the university in your estate plans, please let us know so we may welcome you to the Richard E. “Dick” Reeves Legacy Society. Usahwira—This word in the Shona language means “a beautiful friendship.” Encourage your local church to become a partner with Africa University by supporting one student at the university for four years. The annual cost of supporting one undergraduate student is just under $6,000. Local churches may provide full or partial scholarships. Endowment Fund—Give to the Africa University Endowment Fund (World Service Special Gift #03-01-88). The interest income from the endowment provides scholarships for our students. For more information about giving opportunities or to make a gift, visit us at support-africauniversity.org. To learn about Africa University and its impact, visit africau.edu. Let’s work together to continue the transformation of lives and of Africa. To order resources to help tell the story of the Africa University Fund apportionment, visit umcgiving.org or infoserv.um.org. Or, call United Methodist Communications, toll-free, (888) 346-3862, during normal business hours. Available resources include:
Testing Tech Tools to Increase Milk Yields
• Africa University: A Place of Peace, Learning and Hope DVD (600115)
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• Africa University Fund: Pieces of the Dream DVD (600512)
he i5Hub—Africa University’s innovation and business incubation unit—is partnering with Econet, a leading telecommunications company, to test the impact of wearable technology in dairy farming. e aim of the i5Hub-Econet project is to use real time data, especially relating to peak fertility and animal behavior, to dramatically increase milk production on the continent. Cows at the Africa University farm have been fitted with smart collars developed and owned by Econet. e collars have a battery life of five years and are dust and water resistant, permitting the
technology to operate seamlessly, accurately and with little maintenance. Data from the collars is fed to AU’s dairy herd managers via Econet’s cell network, allowing them to breed calves more effectively and increase lifetime milk production in the herd. Currently, AU averages around 5,000 liters of milk per cow annually in its dairy operation – 25 times more than the average milk production of 200 liters per cow in some African countries. Farming provides more than a third of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is responsible for about two-thirds of all jobs in Africa.
• We are Africa University (600611)
Africa University Development Office P.O. Box 340007 Nashville, TN 37203-0007 (615) 340-7438 audevoffice@gbhem.org www.support-africauniversity.org
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Africa University Today — Fall 2018
Bishop Visits AU Center She Helped Build
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owa Bishop Laurie Haller visited Africa University in October to see the Ubuntu Center, the final product of a $500,000 fundraising campaign she led while a district superintendent in Michigan. Haller, now bishop of the Iowa Episcopal Area, was accompanied by her husband, the Rev. Gary Haller. e 11-member team from Iowa included five district superintendents. e trip was an opportunity to interact with the campus community and generate ideas for expanding the conference’s partnership with the university. About 450 churches in West Michigan raised $500,000, which was matched by an anonymous donor, bringing the total donation to $1 million to construct the center. “It was a wonderful thing. It helped us come
“It (the Ubuntu Center) allows for more informal, intimate and impactful interactions than we ever had with stakeholders and friends when most of them stayed off campus,” said James Salley, associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement. Eveline Chikwanah, a communicator of the Zimbabwe East Conference.
together for a common purpose. Some rooms at the center have plaques honoring individuals, churches and districts for their substantial donations,” said Haller. Ubuntu is an African term for “humanity to others.” Literally, the word means “I am what I am because of who we all are.” e center is a 24-room facility on a hill overlooking the Kwang Lim Chapel. Before the center was built, visitors stayed in hotels in Mutare, a city about 12 miles away. ey had to be driven to the campus and returned to their hotels daily.
The AU Today is published by the Africa University Development Office, in partnership with the Office of Communications, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). For more information, contact the: Africa University Development Office P.O. Box 340007 Nashville, TN 37203-0007 Tel: Fax: Email:
(615) 340-7438 (615) 340-7290 audevoffice@gbhem.org support-africauniversity.org.