Africa University Today - Fall 2022

Peter Mageto Installed as Africa University’s 5th VC

By Eveline Chikwanah

Fireworks accompanied by thunderous applause, whistling and traditional ululating by the women punctuated Africa University’s 30th anniversary celebration this past October. Over 3,000 guests witnessed the inauguration of the Rev. Peter Mageto as the university’s fifth vice chancellor, becoming the first non-Zimbabwean to hold the position since the institution’s 1992 establishment.

In his inaugural address, Mageto said people invest in the hope that the evolving project will bear fruit. He also paid tribute to the four vice chancellors who had gone before him. He thanked the United Methodist General Conference for approving the establishment of the university, and the Zimbabwe Annual Conference for donating 1,542 acres of land and pledging consistent financial support for the institution.

Bishop Mande Muyombo of the North Katanga Area and chair of AU’s board of directors, said it had been a long journey to find the right leader

who would move the university to the next level. “I am excited the church is here, society is here, our bishops are here. You have the full support of the board,” Mande said to Mageto.

Mageto joined AU in September 2018 as deputy vice chancellor and in 2021 as vice chancellor. He holds two degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois: a Doctor of Philosophy in theological ethics and a Master of

Liberians Reflect on Africa University’s Impact

By E Julu Swen

Africa University’s 30th anniversary included retired Bishop Arthur F. Kulah’s remembrances of the 1988 General Conference that approved creation of the institution. From Liberia, elected to the episcopacy in 1980, Kulah recalled bishops asking what the church in Africa wanted. “I told them that we needed a university in Africa,” explaining that AU was built to enhance quality theological education on the continent and in 30 years the church has succeeded in educating Africans through Africa University.

AU alumnus and representative of Liberia’s national legislature, Roger S.W.Y. Domah values being educated with the Pan-African concept of leadership that encourages putting the interests of others first. “AU students were trained to be the voice of the people on the continent where they were assigned to work,” he said. “Advocacy has been my line of duty since I left Africa University.”

Chairing Liberia’s legislative committee on human and civil rights, Domah is prepared to work with

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Theological Studies. He earned a postgraduate certificate in African studies at Northwestern University, Chicago, and his Bachelor of Divinity degree was awarded by St. Paul’s United Theological College in Kenya. He is married to Irene, a forensic nurse scientist, and they have two adult children.

Chikwanah is a communicator of the Zimbabwe East Conference.

Rev. Peter Mageto

Bishop Arthur Kulah (photo right) was one of two African leaders whose appeal to the worldwide United Methodist Church, to address higher education access and leadership formation in Africa, provided the impetus to establish Africa University.

Africa University celebrates 30 years

Africa University’s 30th anniversary celebrations drew over 3,000 people in-person as well as thousands of virtual guests from around the world. Through a wide-ranging schedule of events, including a special convocation Oct. 22, attendees applauded AU’s accomplishments.

Looking toward what might be accomplished in the next 30 years, keynote speaker Michael Ugwueke, president and chief executive officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.) asked “What does AU need to do to fulfill its responsibility in the progress of Africa?

“To change 1,000 lives through education is good, to change 10,000 lives is better, but how does AU change millions of lives? If we think that is too ambitious a responsibility for the institution, just look at what we have celebrated here today,” Ugwueke said.

The Zimbabwe government granted the Africa University Charter in 1991. From an initial 40 students studying agriculture and divinity in 1992, the university has grown to an enrollment of 3,000 in 65 academic programs. Africa University currently boasts of 10,449 alumni from 32 African countries.

The Rev. Beauty R. Maenzanise, a former dean of the Faculty of Theology for 10 years, sees how Africa University is investing in Africa.

“Africa University alumni are no longer leaders of the future but of today,” she said. “Not only are they working in the church but also contributing to the development of their societies.”

Many of the university’s stakeholders and friends marked the occasion with celebratory gift-making.

To date, 30th anniversary celebration-related gifts from U.S. donors exceed $3 million. Among them are gifts from the 86-person U.S. delegation that traveled by charter to southern Africa for the

celebrations (Oct. 19-27); and from the president of Claflin University, Dwaun Warmack and his family. Claflin University, an Africa University partner, is one of the 11 historically Black schools and colleges in the U.S. related to The United Methodist Church.

An initiative to raise $300,000 to endow scholarships, led by the chair of the Africa University Board and Advisory Development Committees and Indiana Area Bishop Julius C. Trimble and his wife, Mrs. Racelder Granberry Trimble, continues as part of the celebratory giftmaking effort.

AFRICANS GIVING BACK

“The 30th anniversary also marks the beginning of the African endowment for scholarships,” said James Salley, president and chief executive officer of Africa University (Tennessee) Inc., the entity that raises, invests and is accountable to donors for their gifts to the ministry of Africa University. He is also associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement.

Zimbabwe businesses and individual gifts from alumni, faculty and staff are supporting the African scholarship endowment initiative, which had an initial goal of $100,000.

“We surpassed that goal,” Salley said. “It is a dream come true.”

The Zimbabwe Episcopal Area cabinet, led by Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, gave a $10,000 gift to the institution, in addition to continuing support for two students each year.

Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe invested $10,000 and CIMAS Medical Aid Society, the university’s health insurance services partner, provided $25,000, designated for laboratory equipment. Salley said the African-based endowment is “the ultimate empowerment story.”

The celebration coincided with the inauguration of the Rev. Peter Mageto of Kenya as Africa University’s fifth vice chancellor.

Compiled from stories by Nashville-based freelance writer Kathy Gilbert and Zimbabwe East Conference communicator, Eveline Chikwanah.

Gathering as a global community to celebrate 30 years of dreams realized

A WEEKEND CELEBRATION FULL OF MUSIC, DANCE, JOY AND FIRE

The 30th anniversary celebration events attracted a global audience, comprised of online and in-person guests. More than 100 guests from Europe and North America were warmly welcomed on the main campus in Zimbabwe. First-timers, eager to see the school of dreams for themselves, mingled with alumni and friends in an experience that felt like a homecoming.

Celebration highlights from Saturday, October 22, 2022.

Thanksgiving Sunday Worship Service…and kudos for a job well-done for 30th Anniversary Planning Committee co-chairs, Mr. James H. Salley and Dr. Pamela Machakanja.

100% SUPPORT

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 2021 2020

Dakotas 100% 100%

East Ohio 100%

Illinois Great Rivers 100%

Indiana 100%

Northern Illinois 100%

West Ohio 100% 100%

Wisconsin 100.23%

Jurisdiction Total Support 88.06% 90.5%

Northeastern Jurisdiction 2021 2020

Baltimore-Washington 100%

New England 100% 100%

New York 100.34%

Peninsula-Delaware 100% 100%

Susquehanna 100%

Upper New York 100% 100%

West Virginia 100% 100%

Western Pennsylvania 100% 100%

Jurisdiction Total Support 89.42% 96.11%

South Central Jurisdiction 2021 2020

Oklahoma Indian Missionary 100% 100%

Jurisdiction Total Support 74.24% 74.18%

Southeastern Jurisdiction 2021 2020

Florida 100% 100%

North Alabama 100%

North Carolina 100%

Red Bird Missionary 100% 100%

South Carolina 100% 100%

Tennessee 100%

Virginia 102.91%

Western North Carolina 110.64%

Jurisdiction Total Support 86.53% 90.97%

Western Jurisdiction 2021 2020

Alaska United Methodist 100%

California Nevada 100% 100%

California Pacific 100%

Desert Southwest 100%

Mountain Sky 100%

Oregon-Idaho 100%

Pacific Northwest 100%

Jurisdiction Total Support 93.30% 99.93%

Love of children brings $800,000 gift to Zimbabwe

By Kathy L. Gilbert

In 2001, the Rev. John Holler and a mission team from South Carolina traveled to work at Fairfield Children’s Home located in Old Mutare Mission in Zimbabwe. They fell in love with the orphans and Holler promised to return. On Oct. 21, Holler returned with a gift of $800,029. “For 20 years, it was a promise unkept,” he said. “It is amazing to return to this place.”

More than 80 United Methodists traveled from the U.S. to celebrate Africa University’s 30th anniversary. Many on the journey were donors from the South Carolina Conference. Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, SC episcopal leader said he wanted people to “see with their own eyes how the money they give is making a difference.”

Because the university was built on land originally belonging to the mission and donated by the church in Zimbabwe, Holston explained, “We have no choice but to embrace the Old Mutare Mission.”

The gift resulted from a campaign to raise funds for Epworth Children’s Home in SC where recently retired Holler was president/CEO. Holston agreed to the fundraising idea but asked Holler to add a foreign mission component with a tithe of 10% of whatever was raised. They agreed Fairfield would be the recipient. Two years into the campaign, the pandemic hit; but through internet work and innovative ways, including vacation Bible school collections, they raised $8 million!

The money will be used to support the children and the mission’s ministry. A scholarship fund to Africa University also will be established. “We are working

The Rev. John Holler (standing) speaks to Bishop L. Jonathan Holston about the connection and commitment they share with Fairfield Children’s Home. Holler led a campaign that raised $8 million for the South Carolina Epworth Children’s Home. He and Bishop Holston agreed to tithe 10 percent of that money to the United Methodist orphanage in Zimbabwe. Photo courtesy of the Africa University Public Affairs Office.

toward scholarships for any of the children from Fairfield to attend Africa University,” Holler said. “It is amazing to return … to celebrate together in God’s miraculous world.”

Gilbert is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennessee.

Liberians Reflect on Africa University’s

all African cultures. Since graduating in 2004, he has served as a pastor, teacher, and legislator from Nimba County.

Alumnus Rev. Henry S. Dolopei was one of seven students sent in 2002 to share Africa University experiences with U.S. partners. He said the quality education he received sharpened his experience with Christ and community and afforded him the opportunity to compete in professional job markets.

The growth and expansion includes partnership with the Wesley House in Cambridge, England, to

Impact

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provide time and space for leaders of theological educational institutions in Africa. The Rev. Jerry P. Kulah, a nephew of Bishop Kulah and vice president for graduate studies at the United Methodist University of Liberia, said the AU professors and the campus facilities are ideal for their studies.

Without Africa University many Africans would not have had the educational opportunity to acquire quality college and post-graduate education.

Swen is a communicator in Liberia. Read more celebration testimonies online at www.supportafricauniversity.org.

Former Africa University Vice Chancellor Dies at 82

Rukudzo J. Murapa, 82, who served as Africa University’s second vice chancellor (1988 to 2007), died in Mutare, Zimbabwe on Oct. 27. His death came just days after the university’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Murapa is remembered for his vision, network strategies, and leadership, including helping to establish the university’s Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance.

James H. Salley, AU associate vice chancellor, said Murapa had the background and experiences to know how important a relationship with the diaspora was for the university and the students. “He was a master politician with the ability to think beyond Mutare and Zimbabwe. . . . Working for the United Nations, he

became a global citizen and brought that perspective to AU. . . . I am so happy he lived long enough to see the dreams of peace and governance that emanate from the university become a reality.”

The memory of Murapa and his late wife, Hellen, will live on through a residence hall named in their honor and built with funding from the Indiana Conference.

Murapa held a bachelor’s degree in political science from UM-related Hamline University in Minnesota, a master’s degree in political science, and a doctorate in public administration, comparative politics, and economics from Northern Illinois University. He is survived by son Kudzai, daughter Meleni, and three grandchildren.

Story by Eveline Chikwanah, a communicator of the Zimbabwe East Conference.

AFRICA UNIVERSITY OFFERS YOUNG REFUGEE RENEWED

HOPE AND A FUTURE

By Barbara Dunlap-Berg

As a youth in the Tongogara Refugee Camp in Rupisi, Zimbabwe, Adosi Christian Nsingani cherished learning. Early on, however, he realized his limits. Camp residents have access to primary and secondary school. For university, they must pay their own way.

“We also faced a big challenge concerning food, education and other social life issues.” Each refugee received $15 per person per month for food. Stretching the $15 ration into a month’s worth of food was tough.

Christian recalled happier days as a child in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father owned a large farm. When Christian wasn’t in school, he accompanied his father to the farm every day. Later, facing hunger in the refugee camp, Christian used what he’d learned to grow food to eat and sell.

Christian longed to study agriculture at Africa University. He wrote to the vice chancellor seeking AU scholarship support but was turned down twice.

Meanwhile – 9,000 miles away in Austin, Texas - the Rev. Dr.

Roger Ireson, a Methodist preacher’s son and former top executive of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, was talking with his neighbor Edward Richard “Dick” Rathgeber Jr., 89, the son of a Lutheran pastor, and a real-estate developer and philanthropist.

Ireson shared the story of Africa University and its impact with Rathgeber, describing engagement with the institution as “a tremendous opportunity to change lives.”

When James “Jim” Salley, president and CEO of Africa University (Tennessee) Inc., visited Texas, Ireson invited him to lunch with Rathgeber. The result was a direct scholarship gift of $6,000 from Dick Rathgeber and his wife, Sarah. Christian was the lucky recipient.

“My hope for Christian is that he will get out of school and teach at least 10 more people what he knows about agriculture,” Rathgeber said. “I don’t want to just educate one person. I want to educate a whole bunch, and I want practical knowledge passed on.” Christian hopes to graduate from AU in 2026.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Located at Old Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa University is an accredited United Methodist-related educational institution in Africa, established by action of the General Conference. The university offers degree programs in three colleges: Health, Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CHANS); Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance (CBPLG); and Social Sciences, Theology, Humanities and Education (CSSTH&E). New academic programs include master’s and doctoral degree programs in military chaplaincy, migration, citizenship and refugee protection; and entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity.

Africa University continues to be the evidence of faith, hope and belief in the visions of dreamers. Thank you for investing in changed lives and communities! 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 generosity ensures 100 percent support of Africa University’s operational budget for costs such as utilities, equipment, and faculty salaries.

Consider these additional ways of helping the university educate new leaders for the nations of Africa:

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 for four years. The annual cost of supporting one undergraduate student is just under $6,000. Local churches and individuals 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 download resources to help tell the story of the Africa University Fund apportionment, visit: ResourceUMC.org and/ or the resources page at support-africauniversity.org. Current resources include:

• Africa University at 30 - Talking Points

• Africa University: The School of Hope (video)

• Usahwira (brochure)

• AU in a Nutshell (presentation)

Africa University Development Office

P O Box 340007, Nashville, TN 37203-0007

(615) 340-7438; Fax: (615) 340-7290 audevoffice@gbhem.org www.support-africauniversity.org

Nurturing Leaders. Changing Lives.

Sara and Richard “Dick” Rathgeber

Adosi Christian Nsingani

Africa University Development Office

The United Methodist Church

P.O. Box 340007

Nashville, TN 37203-0007

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Nashville, Tenn. Permit No. 11

Latest News from Africa University

The year 1995 found Sara and Lowell Kafer packing up their Michigan home to embark on a spirit-led journey—one so fulfilling, they are still on it today! “We are willing to share the Africa University story with anyone who asks,” says Dr. Kafer. People hearing of their work and travels to the university always want to know more.

Upon their retirement, the Kafers served as Volunteers in Mission at Africa University. When they heard news of the university’s groundbreaking, they wanted to be a part of what they consider is “the most exciting venture of the United Methodist Church.”

With experiences in teaching school-age children, counseling women, and in higher education administration, Dr. Kafer helped organize a faculty committee to establish the Faculty of Education, and Mrs. Kafer taught English to students from nonEnglish speaking countries.

The couple celebrates the blessings of making lifelong connections with students and volunteers to

work for the common purpose of establishing university programs. Two years after the completion of their assignment, they returned to evaluate the students who had gone through the program and found them all performing well in their educational goals for transforming Africa.

Nearly 30 years after their first travels through Christmas Pass and the sight of the jacaranda tree-lined streets of Mutare, the Kafers are proud that Africa University has “exceeded anything we ever thought would happen.” As Legacy Society members, they are committed to the next 30 years and beyond, confident that the university will continue to grow and have a greater influence around the world.

The AU Today is published by the Africa University Development Office.

For more information, contact the: Africa University Development Office P.O. Box 340007 Nashville, TN 37203-0007

Tel: (615) 340-7438

Fax: (615) 340-7290 Email: audevoffice@gbhem.org support-africauniversity.org.

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

Committed to the Next 30 Years and Beyond!

Dr. Lowell G. Kafer and Mrs. Sara L. Kafer