The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that there are 50 million uprooted people in the world.

There are 1.7 million refugees in Central Africa.

There are 1.2 million refugees awaiting return to their homes in Bosnia and many to be returned to Kosevo.

While 4 million Afghan refugees have returned, 2.6 million remain in Pakistan and Iran.

500,000 to 1 million are displaced by civil conflict in Colombia,

The United States deported 300,000 undocumented immigrants in the last two years.

Thousands of earthquake victims in Turkey are trying to survive winter in tents.

A baby born in Senegal runs a 65% chance of growing up illiterate.

A baby born in Bolivia will likely have only 90% of the calories suggested for good growth.

A baby in Afghanistan will have only a 21% chance of access to safe water.

The media assaults us each day with the grim situation of people around the world. And yet there is another side to these stories.

Just as the sinfulness in Ninevah called Jonah to proclaim for God, so these situations provide an opportunity for us live our faith. Over the years that Christianity has been spreading around the earth, Christians have been addressing the problems of humanity. This continues today.

Often the problems call for different actions than the traditional teaching, preaching, and healing.

I would like to tell you about some of these non-traditional activities which I have learned about from the "New World Outlook", the Mission Magazine of the United Methodist Church.

Surely you are aware of the long war in Northern Ireland, but did you know that on the dividing line between Protestant and Catholics in West Belfast stands a Methodist church? That church has divided its building into two parts, one part being a community center called "Forthspring" which provides after school programs, a drop-in cafe, a women's group, and senior citizen activities staffed and used by both Protestants and Catholics. They are trying to live the Gospel of reconciliation.

In the vacuum of trust that is Palestine where Israeli appointed mayors are not accepted, the Palestinian Christians have started a conflict resolution center called "Wi'am" or Cordial Relations to mediate disputes between citizens. Brian Underhill, Mission Intern with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries works there training mediators. Mediators have intervened in more than 1000 conflicts and hostilities were ended in about 87% of the cases allowing both sides to "save face"

When the President of Brazil traveled to London he found protesters carrying signs saying "Brazil knows how to care for its children - it kills them." He was shocked that the outside world knew about the problem of street children. However United Methodist pastors in the suburbs of Sao Paulo had long sought solutions. They appealed to the Women's Division of the Board of Global Ministries. Two mission centers are now operating to provide schooling and food for the children and more than that, training and help for their families. Started in 1991, the first group of children has grown up and some are working at the center to save others.

People must be taught to solve their problems without guns. In this vein, 53 African Africans were commissioned as missionaries of hope last July in Zambia. From a number of different countries, they will serve along side 8 US missionaries. All will be paid by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

All mission - even Global Mission is not carried out outside the U. S. Youth from warring factions are combined in "Peace Camps" at Methodist Camp facilities in the States for one or more months of interaction, often combining children of different religions.

The Women's Division of the Board of Global Ministries is particularly interested in work with inner city children. Marge Klashak has gone on a number mission trips sponsored by the District UMW to visit neighborhood centers providing after school programs, senior centers and employment training in cities such as Rochester NY, Youngstown OH and Columbia SC. In Rochester she found them training released criminals at Roger's Restaurant.

Within the Detroit Conference, special mission work is done at the community center of Cass United Methodist Church in the Cass corridor of Detroit, at Methodist Children's Village which is a facility for predelinquent youths, at the Chelsea Children's Home, and the downtown Flint Community Center. The Reverend Faith Fowler awed the six UMW women who heard her talk last year of her work with prostitutes and drug addicts at Cass.

Within the Saginaw Bay District we also have mission projects. One being the growth of Calvary church in Saginaw which many of you know, and another are the native American churches. Last spring six of us joined a UMW work crew to spruce up the Fellowship hall of the one hundred year old Saganing Indian church near Standish. We had a joyous day of painting, fence building, curtain making, window washing, and fellowship.

There was a delicious lunch served by the native Americans.

There are many opportunities for volunteer mission projects. The Klashaks led a group of six to Henderson Settlement in West Virginia on a dormatory painting project a few years ago. Al and Sandy Burmester went to Martinique to reroof after a Hurricane. Jim and I went to Africa University in Zimbabwe to build faculty houses. The Skochdopoles will leave this week for Africa University. There are projects going on all over the US and the world, helping people cope with difficult situations.

I am proud that Aldersgate Church is a spotlight church in mission giving; that we tithe more than 10% of our budget to missions.

I am also proud that we are recognized in Midland for our Thanksgiving basket distribution and sharing tree contribution.

It is exciting that we will be participating in a Habitat home building.

However there is a group of women here who quietly go about the work of mission to church members and community that we are honoring today, the United Methodist Women. Unless you read to the end of your annual report for 1999 - you may not know that we sent over $1000 in mission pledges toward the Woman's Division outside of the church budget. This, when combined with the other churches of the Detroit Conference, added up to more than 1/2 Million dollars. We also gave $2700 from our rummage sale to local charities. We made over 1000 lunches for the Share summer children's program of the Salvation Army. We collected 114 health, sewing, and layette kits from the congregation and mailed them to the UMCOR depot in Louisiana for use in disaster relief.

The Sew 'N Go group created 79 baby quilts, 62 baby sweaters, 54 cancer bags plus many bibs and walker bags, all of which were donated to local agencies.

We serve the church by providing bereavement meals, two last year and one wedding reception. We carry meals to those discharged from the hospital. The UMW cares for the church kitchen and purchases cleaning and paper supplies for it. We provide inspirational and informative reading material for our members and the church in the bookshelf in fellowship hall. You will also find copies of New World Outlook and Response Magazine there.

We welcome all women of the church to join us in our mission.

Our up coming project is the Soup Supper on Thursday February 3rd. There are sign-up sheets for helpers on the Bulletin board by Fellowship hall. We hope to see you all eating if not helping.

Additional information on the Mission of the Church is provided in the bulletin inserts. There are three different ones, so trade with your neighbor if you have read yours.

God told Jonah that he was concerned for all the people and also the animals. And so should we be!

May we pray together the prayer of St. Francis found on page 481 of your Hymnal.