Building Global Friendships

By Jan Nelson

Photo by Kyle Glenn 

I attended the Reconciling Ministries Network Convocation in Madison, Wisconsin, in July. Thanks to the generosity of RMN and partners from other parts of the United Methodist Church, there were also participants from the Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, and Angola. For five of these six people, it was their first time at an event that celebrated the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people.

Since most of the meals were not provided at the convocation site, Izzy Alvaran recruited some of his WMJM friends to host the international participants for meals at local restaurants. When it was my turn, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce WMJM to some new people and vice versa. So it was that twelve of us gathered around a big round table for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant.

There is something special about gathering over a meal. Of course, we talked about the food. I learned that in other parts of the world there are such things as black rice and purple rice, and we discovered who likes their food spicy and who does not. Beyond food, we had an opportunity to introduce ourselves, share about WMJM and the work we are doing, and learn about our guests, their ministry contexts, and the issues they are facing. They also learned these things about each other.

We heard about the lingering harm caused by breakaway churches and learned that gender-based violence is a common area of concern and ministry. We also laughed a lot and enjoyed each other’s company.

It was a wonderful time of beginning new friendships and building more connections between WMJM and the rest of the United Methodist world. I pray these connections will be fruitful as we move forward together on the journey of God’s justice.