One more reflection from my time at General Conference 2020.

On Monday, April 29, we heard a moving report on Africa University. It was founded in 1994 by United Methodists as a way to lift the entire continent in a substantial way. It’s founding was a dream 100+ years in the making. Is it the last major mission project we’ve completed? I couldn’t help but understand that education is a pathway to freedom and progress. Education reveals truth at so many levels. And the truth, someone wise once said, sets us free. I was moved by how our little church has done something so big. (Are we little or big? We were once large. So large that President Teddy Roosevelt thought it politically expedient to greet General Conference in 1908. Now, we’re still large, but less so. And growing in some places and shrinking in others. It’s a conundrum.)

I did a lot of thinking and feeling about the future of the United Methodist Church. We’re shrinking, money’s tightening. It would be very tempting (and financially astute) to just tighten our belts. But I think that is too short-sighted. (Full disclosure, my own congregation is feeling similar temptations.) Certainly, we need to trim fat of our institution. But do we not also need to invest in key areas of growth? Africa University is showing how a wise investment pays substantial dividends.

What if United Methodists created a 50-year (100-year) plan to invest in education in every continent? Could we begin a “Latin University” in southern Mexico, dedicated to boosting the educational opportunities in Latin America? Could we build a “Eastern University” in Lithuania to boost educational opportunities for poor people in eastern Europe? Could we build a “Southeast University” in Cambodia, a “Methodist University of the South” in Chile; or a “Methodist A&M University” in Wyoming to study ecological strategies? Would the Australians let us build a “Methodist University of Oceania” in Sydney?

What I appreciated about Africa University is how it reflects and teaches our values while adding value to the life of the people it serves and the communities they serve. The multiplying effect was on good display during their presentation at General Conference. Given our commitment to HBCUs and our history of quality education in this country, I believe we should return to this ‘root-level’ work of the church, uplifting people, communities and the world through education.