Imagining a New Future

Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Joel 2:1-2 “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near – a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.”

The prophet Joel is calling upon his listeners to use their imaginations.  He asks them to imagine what is unimaginable: a day of darkness and gloom, the end of life as they have known it. He’s talking about an insect army, storming its way across the land and wreaking havoc as it goes.

, wreaking havoc wherever children die, parents can’t work, and young people are unable to fulfill their dreams. It is the end of the world for a child every 45 seconds when the light goes out of a child’s eye because of malaria.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There’s good news in the prophet’s message.  The future can be different if people will come together to weep and fast. We too are called to weep and fast in order to change the way the story ends for many people in Africa with malaria.

Through awareness and education, we learn about the effects of malaria on our brothers and sisters in Africa, and we weep.  The prophet calls for fasting and to leave a blessing. Imagine No Malaria calls us to leave a blessing: to give generously so that others can live.  Maybe our fasting from a daily latte or a weekly night out for dinner could change the future for someone else.

The Lenten season is a time to return to God; to repent of our lack of imagination for what it’s like to lose a child to malaria and the imagination that shows us what we can do to change that reality.  When the people of the United Methodist Church come together–just like the prophet said–to weep for those in need and to sacrifice what we have so that there’s a future without deaths from malaria.

Imagine that!

Prayer:  Dear God, give us the imagination like that of the prophet Joel, that we might see the need and imagine a new future for our brothers and sisters in Africa who suffer daily from malaria.  Let this season of Lent cause us to both weep in support and give in abundance that others might have life and health.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

- Sally Dyck, Resident Bishop of Minnesota

It only takes $10 to make a life-saving difference for a child in Africa: Text MALARIA to 27722 to give $10

The Imagine No Malaria documentary, “A Killer in the Dark,” has won another award! This time, the documentary, based on the United Methodist ministry, was selected as “Platinum Best of Show” by the Aurora Awards, the organization’s highest honor.

Among the glowing praise from the competition’s judges’ included comments about the production’s “beautiful visuals/quality/editing” while the execution and creativity were deemed to be “excellent.”

The news of this recognition joins a growing list of awards for the Imagine No Malaria TV special. In November 2011, the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals honored “A Killer in the Dark” with two top “Platinum” honors for Video/Nonprofit and Script/Nonprofit. (read it here)

The documentary, which appeared on many NBC affiliates in 2011, was created to increase awareness and action against malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 45 seconds. Hosted by actress Pauley Perrette, the documentary chronicles the daily struggle against malaria that people in Africa face every day.  It also highlights the community-based efforts underway to fight malaria through Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of The United Methodist Church that aims to end preventable deaths from malaria, especially the death of a child or a mother.

Click here to make a life-saving donation, today >>

Haven’t seen it? Click here to order your free copy of of the Imagine No Malaria DVD, which includes the feature presentation of “A Killer in the Dark.”

About the Aurora Awards:

The Aurora Awards celebrates this same ability of media creators around the world by recognizing this same ability to captivate audiences by their creative displays of color and light. Competitors come from the independent, corporate, and freelance production groups, advertising agencies, broadcast stations, large and small.

The Aurora Awards is a international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. It specifically targets products, programs and commercials that would not normally have the opportunity to compete on a national level, by focusing on non-national commercials, regional or special interest entertainment and corporate sponsored film and video. Entries have come from across the US, and abroad. such as Russia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia, Mexico, etc.

Learn more about the Aurora Awards >>

by Victoria Rebeck

Minnesota United Methodists have raised $2,226,023 in pledges and gifts for Imagine No Malaria, The United Methodist Church’s campaign to eliminate malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015.

That total, the highest amount raised by a United Methodist annual (regional) conference to date, is “a vivid demonstration of the vitality of our participating churches,” said Minnesota Bishop Sally Dyck.

Read the full story on UMC.org >>

To find out more about how your church or annual conference can get involved, please contact us at INMinfo@umcom.org or call 866-521-1179

In a recent edition, TIME surveyed the highs and lows, the good and the bad, of the past 12 months. In the category “Top Medical Breakthroughs,” the first-ever malaria vaccine came in at #2 on the list.

The vaccine, which has succeed in clinical trials, marks the first of its kind against malaria, a disease that kills nearly a million people each year. While it holds great promise for the future, we must continue to provide resources for life-saving prevention and treatment of malaria. To help today, click here and give the gift of life.

Top Medical Breakthroughs of 2011

1. Scientists Use Cloning to Create Stem Cells
2. FIRST-EVER MALARIA VACCINE
3. HIV Treatment as Prevention 
4. The Food Pyramid Becomes a Plate
5. Body Parts Grown in a Lab

Click here to read the full article >>

The World Health Organization has released its 2011 World Malaria Report, which offers some key findings in our fight against this killer disease. This annual report details everything from global incidence/ mortality rates, prevention, treatment and funding for malaria programs. View and download the report >> WHO World Malaria Report 2011

Here is an overview of the key findings of the report:

• An estimated 3.3 billion people throughout the globe were at risk of malaria in 2010.

• Malaria has been reduced worldwide by approximately 17% since 2000.

• 91% of all malaria deaths worldwide occur in Africa.

• Delivery of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) has risen from 5.6 million in 2004 to 145 million in 2010.

• It is estimated that 50% of Africa households own at least one bed net – with 96% actually using it to prevent malaria.

• The most effective treatment for malaria (ACT) has increased in availability from 11.2 million in 2005 to 181 million in 2010.

• Although malaria incidence and death is declining, so is the projected funding to fight the disease. We must increase funding to achieve our goal!

In summary, because of your generosity and support, progress is being made against malaria. Countless children are alive today due to your work and commitment to this cause. While we all eagerly look forward to a day when malaria is no longer a health issue, we continue to put our faith into action against is needless killer disease.

Get Involved Today! A donation to Imagine No Malaria makes a great stocking stuffer! Click here to give the gift of life in honor of someone special in your life.

Still looking for a great gift idea? Got a hard-to-shop-for person on your list?

Why not honor someone important to you with a gift to Imagine No Malaria? This life-saving donation is a great way to truly live the joy of the holiday season.

Click here to give the gift of life today.

Then, download and print a special Imagine No Malaria insert to include in your greeting card.

Your contribution to Imagine No Malaria helps fight a disease that kills a child in Africa every 45 seconds. Your gift is used to build sustainable infrastructure, train health workers, implement comprehensive malaria programs and of course providing mosquito nets to families in Africa. With your support we will eliminate malaria as a major source of death and suffering in Africa.

Every year, December 1st is recognized throughout the globe as World AIDS Day.  In 2011, we take a moment to pray for the millions of people who suffer from this disease.

AIDS and malaria are both diseases of poverty – they are responsible for more than 3 million deaths per year.  Here are some facts to consider:

• The effectiveness of anti-malarial treatment can be hampered by HIV infection.
• Malaria causes anemia, which requires blood transfusion to treat. This procedure, done in areas where effective blood screening is not accessible, can lead to HIV infection.
• Both diseases are preventable and treatable.
• Malaria and AIDS are widely prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical areas (like sub-Saharan Africa)
• The work of Imagine No Malaria will help fight both diseases: building infrastructure and increasing capacity to fight disease in Africa.

Please support Imagine No Malaria. Donate here today.

For more information on how The UMC is fighting AIDS, please visit UMCOR online: click here

United Methodist Communications announced today the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals has recognized the Imagine No Malaria documentary:  “A Killer in the Dark: An Extraordinary Effort to Combat Malaria” with its prestigious Platinum Award.

“To be recognized for the quality of our work is rewarding,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. “But more importantly, the awards turn the spotlight on two very important issues that are the focus of this documentary on malaria. We hope to send the message that we need to care more and do more.”

The international awards competition recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communications professionals. The Platinum Award is presented to those judged to be among the most outstanding among the more than 6,000 entries in the 2011 competition. “A Killer in the Dark” garnered two top honors for Video/Nonprofit and Script/Nonprofit.

The documentary, which appeared on many NBC affiliates earlier this year, was created to increase awareness and action against malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 45 seconds. Hosted by actress Pauley Perrette, the documentary chronicles the daily struggle against malaria that people in Africa face every day.  It also highlights the community-based efforts underway to fight malaria through Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of The United Methodist Church that aims to eliminate death and suffering from malaria by 2015.

MarCom is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected competitions in the creative industry. Winners were selected from over 200 categories in seven forms of media and communication efforts: marketing, publications, marketing/promotion, public service/pro bono, creativity and electronic/interactive. About 18 percent of the entries won the Platinum Award, the organization’s top honor.

Haven’t seen it? Click here to order your free copy of of the Imagine No Malaria DVD, entitled Faith in Action: A Video Collection, which includes the feature presentation of “A Killer in the Dark.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 14, 2011

United Methodists’ malaria fight continues as United Nations Foundation provides $3 million grant for campaign support

Nashville, Tenn.: The United Methodist Church will get a surge of support for its work to eliminate deaths and suffering from malaria in Africa, thanks to a $3 million supplemental grant from the United Nations Foundation.

“The United Methodist Church brings a unique piece to solving the global puzzle of malaria and maternal and child health: Faith. It is who we are, where we come from and where we are going. It transcends challenges, political boundaries and even deadly diseases,” said Bishop Thomas Bickerton, who chairs the United Methodist Global Health Initiative.

The grant will support administrative costs for the denomination’s Imagine No Malaria campaign, an effort to raise $75 million to empower the entire African continent to achieve a sustainable victory over malaria through prevention, education, communication and treatment.

“We believe faith-based organizations play a critical role in fighting diseases like malaria,” said Michael Pajonk, the UN Foundation’s Director of Organizational Partnerships. “The United Methodist Church is a valued partner and we are proud to support the work of its Imagine No Malaria campaign.”

The people of The United Methodist Church were founding partners of the UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets in 2006—a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by sending insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria in Africa. The United Methodist Church then expanded its commitment in 2008 when they joined the UN Foundation Malaria Partnership and with the creation of Imagine No Malaria. They subsequently received a $4.8 million grant to support Imagine No Malaria, a fundraising and educational campaign that launched on World Malaria Day 2010.

To date, The United Methodist Church has raised more than $18 million to support the fight against malaria. These funds have already been utilized in Africa, providing more than 588,000 bed nets, establishing 15 in-country health boards to ensure greater accountability of donor funds and training more than 3,500 local health workers since April 2010. The church’s work drew recognition from philanthropist Melinda Gates during the Malaria Forum sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in October 2011.

About Imagine No Malaria
Imagine No Malaria is an extraordinary ministry of The people of The United Methodist Church to eliminate death and suffering from malaria in Africa by 2015. With a goal of raising $75 million to improve health infrastructure and empower a sustainable victory over the disease, Imagine No Malaria is our opportunity to rethink how we reach beyond our church, opening doors to those who need it most. For more information, visit www.ImagineNoMalaria.org.

Five years ago I began a journey with the phrase “What If”.   It started when I volunteered for a week of service in a rural health clinic in northern Haiti as part of an UMVIM team.  On that first trip I watched as a dehydrated, 3-day old infant was brought back from the brink as sugar water was pushed into her stomach via a syringe connected to a tiny tube threaded down her esophagus.  The moments as I slowly pushed on the syringe with a nurse by my side, doing my part to rehydrate the child, those moments transformed not only her life, but mine as well.  I watched as her skin began to plump up, losing its wrinkles, her eyes brighten, and I asked myself silently – “What if the woman who had begun this medical clinic effort had seen the overwhelming need in this village and simply turned away to deal with the everyday pressures of her life?”  The child before me would be dead, have no chance.  Instead this woman, a member of my church,  decided to do what she could to help alleviate the pain, and for 30 years this village has received medical care through the work of trained Haitian healthcare workers, as well as quarterly visits by American medical teams.   She answered that “What If” question in a way that mattered for others.

Pamela Carter (far left) and Danielle Snider meet with Rep Heath Shuler to urge protecting funds for malaria.

I returned to my home after that first trip and began to ask myself more “What If” questions.  What if my church could make a difference?  What if we could do more?  What if I asked other churches to help?   I did not find it hard to ask others to help when I knew the need firsthand;  I had held the tiny hand that could have been lost that day in the clinic.  In my own small ways, in my hometown and through our church’s ministry I advocated for change in this one place of need in the world.  I guess you could call this my response to a specific need, on a micro level of sorts.

But I have learned recently that there is another “What If” question.  It is a macro level “What If”.  What if our efforts could affect the lives of not just one child, or hundreds even, but MILLIONS every year? What if the effort could be a macro effort saving as many as 500,000 or a million a year from a preventable and treatable illness?   Wouldn’t that be even better?

Just a few short weeks ago I had the opportunity to advocate not just for one village but a continent of need as I joined a group from across our denomination to advocate for continued federal funding to fight against the killer disease, malaria, in sub-Saharan Africa.  I had seen firsthand patients who contracted the illness and witnessed its effects so I was more than willing to add my voice to the effort when I was invited to the event by a friend from the General Board of Church and Society.  I learned that those with vision in our denomination had been asking this very large “What If” question in a significant way, and the results were impressive.   Already the United Methodist Church, along with many world organizations had partnered to deliver life-saving bed nets, as well as vital education about their use to rural villages throughout the continent.  So effective was this effort that where once a child died every 30 seconds of malaria, the toll had now been reduced to one death every 45 seconds.  That meant over 1,000 children saved every day.  So in a group of 40 or more we gathered to learn how we could be a part of the effort.

In the course of our time there several groups visited with their senators and congressional representatives.  We were all asking macro, “what if” questions.  What if our federal government did not cut the 1% of our national budget that makes possible so many highly successful efforts in the area of global health, such as the effort to eradicate malaria?  What if this one percent of our budget stayed the same?  What if that effort continued at the current level and we made even more progress?  How many thousands or millions of lives would be saved?  What if?

As I sat in the office of my congressional representative I was very nervous and then I thought of the small infant who had eventually gained the strength to curl her tiny fingers around mine that day, five years ago, and I thought – “What if when I speak in this place, God is using me to speak on her behalf, as well as for the many millions of those who suffer in similar ways?”  Their voices would never be heard in these elegant rooms, but mine could be.  It was then my voice became strong with emotion as I shared the need.   All my reticence quickly disappeared as I realized that my voice, along with that of my friend Danielle, were speaking for millions of those who would not be heard, who could not walk the halls of Congress or ask for help.

“What if” can be a simple, personal question, a prompting of the spirit to act?  But sometimes “ What If” is a question about not just one child, or one village, but the world.  Then it needs to speak more loudly and convincingly on behalf of the suffering of millions. It needs not the solo voice of a single person,  or a single congregation, but a chorus that is full and strong.  One is no less the call of God upon our lives than the other, but the scale of the dream and the scale of the results we hope and pray for are huge.

About two weeks ago our umc.org website featured an article titled “Why Congregations Need Denominations.”  The article stressed the need by congregations for the denominational structure during times of stress, conflict or change.  I believe this is true, but I also believe that our individual congregations cannot achieve this type of change, on this scale, without a denomination.  A single church can support a particular ministry, in a particular village perhaps.  I have seen this happen.  But to effect change on the scale we are discussing we need a denomination.  Or more precisely, we need one another.  For a dream this big, a goal this large, we need to respond in mass, as a connection, to effect the change, whether through advocacy, through our gifts, through diplomacy or through partnerships.  So I returned from my experience in DC asking how I could invite others to join this mighty chorus, and I am honored to have the opportunity to add my voice to this choir.

What if?  A beautiful question for one person, but even more so for a denomination.  What if?