Death of Assistant Bishop Rev. Jean Kalonga
Photos from Rev. Jean's last Sunday sermon, November 8, 2009I am sad to report that The United Methodist Church's assistant bishop over Zambia, Rev. Jean Kalonga, passed away unexpectedly yesterday morning in the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. An open-c

Life in Luska: Part II
above: United Methodist young adult choir hang outing out after worship.Most live in Matero (an impoverished part of Lusaka).Hard to believe it has been two months since I moved to Lusaka, Zambia. Rainy season has begun, and my schedule has become overflowing with

Update on Lubudi construction
Photo: congregation in Lubudi showing some of the thousands of bricks they've made for construction project.This just in from our friends in the Lubudi District:Dear Reverends Bob WALTERS and Taylor WALTERS,Today, we finished our con

The Widow's Mite
In this week's Gospel lesson, the "Widow's Mite," Jesus is observing the parade of Temple goers as they bring their offerings.He watches the prominent religious leaders make a show of their generosity out of their wealth. (Let's not hate them too quickly. Maybe they just read the most recent book on church stewardship that encouraged modeling by the community leaders, and they were announcing the lead gifts to begin the fall campaign.)Then came the widow who gave her two small coins, giving all that she had out of her poverty. She, according to Jesus, out gave them all on that day.In worship one Sunday in a church in the Kamina District, I was sitti

Projects for 2010
It was pretty exciting to work this summer with the district superintendents, pastors, and lay leaders in both the North Katanga Conference and the Tanganyika Conference on proposed projects for 2010. The good news is that they/we have some great projects in the pipeline. The hard news is that the price tag breaks through the $500,000 ceiling. (We’re all trusting that God will provide enough friends; the friends will provide the money.)