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New Residence Hall Opens for Female Students at Africa University
Through the generosity of laity and clergy supporting the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign of the East Ohio Conference (EOC), a new residence hall for female students is now a reality on the campus of Africa University. The Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence was dedicated on February 26. In addition to building the first three-story dorm on the Africa University campus in the mid-1990s, the EOC has endowed more scholarships at AU than any other conference in The United Methodist Church
When Tracy S. Malone, resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference and a member of the Africa University Board of Directors, learned of increasing enrollment at Africa University and unmet demand for on-campus housing it weighed on her heart. Many students had to find, and commute from, off-campus housing putting them at risk and being subjected to untenable situations. Bishop Malone cast a vision in her
2019 Annual Conference Episcopal Address to build a new residence hall for female students at Africa University; and the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign launched in January 2020.
Four years later, about 90 young women are now living in a brand-new residence hall. “Today, we stand on the threshold of a brighter future for our students, our community, and our continent,” said Malone at the dedication. “The Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence is not just brick and mortar; it is a testament to our unwavering commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders.”
The residence hall has six student lounges, two on each of the building’s three floors, each designed for students to gather, socialize, study together, and relax. The rooms have two beds, two private work areas with a desk and shelf, two dressers, and closets. Three rooms on the first floor of the west wing have specially designed lower study desks and light switches ensuring ease of reach and access for all.
Celebrating the productive partnership between AU and her conference, Dr. Maggie Jackson, the EOC campaign co-chair, said, “This hall will not only provide shelter; it will foster a sense of belonging and community among students from diverse backgrounds. It will be a home away from home, where friendships are forged, and dreams are realized.”
Adapted from “Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence for Female Students Dedicated on the Campus of Africa University” by Rick Wolcott; eocumcnews.com.
View video from the official opening and dedication of the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence at Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe on the EOC UMC Vimeo channel.
AU Grads Playing Vital Roles in the Upcoming GC
African delegates and alternates to the upcoming General Conference gathered at the Catholic Tanzania Episcopal Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Jan. 4-7 for an orientation organized by the advocacy group United Methodist Africa Forum.
More than 50 Africa University graduates, representing conferences in Africa, will participate in the postponed 2020 General Conference scheduled for April 23May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. About 30, representing clergy and lay, will be among Africa’s delegates; other graduates will serve as alternates, marshals, translators, and media crew.
This General Conference’s 862 voting delegates were elected to serve and reflect the diversity of The United Methodist Church. Attendees will be from the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia and concordat churches from The Methodist Church of Great Britain, The Methodist Church of Mexico, The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico
and The Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas. Overall attendance is anticipated to be around 5,000 people. (umc.org)
From the North Katanga Episcopal Area, Rev. Betty Kazadi introduced herself: “I am Kazadi Musau Betty, a delegate to the General Conference. I am an alumna of Africa University, where I was trained to love and lead in the Wesleyan way of building relationships and loving without measures. I am what I am because of Africa University. Forever, I will treasure and protect United Methodist assets.”
Rev. André Cassule Zundo Vieira, an elected delegate for the Angola East Conference, studied at Africa
University from 2006-2009. He explains, “I am now an ordained clergy since 2009. I served in five churches as a local pastor. I am also serving as a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology of Quéssua, where I was the Dean from 2012-2018. From 2019-2023, I served as the Bishop’s Assistant.”
Participating in a General Conference is a remarkable opportunity to witness a unique gathering of United Methodists from all over the world who have accepted the responsibility to come together to pray, worship, and make decisions in support of the denomination’s global mission—to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
