Church action frees pastor detained in Switzerland
9/1/2000 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn. A pastor who was detained in Switzerland for five weeks was finally allowed to return to the United States after the United Methodist connection went into action.
The Rev. Samuel Ngale had been invited to attend two conferences, July 7-21, sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. Ngale, a Mozambican, serves as assistant pastor of the Warwick (N.Y.) United Methodist Church and is pursuing his master in theological studies degree at United Methodist-related Drew University School of Theology. The churchwide Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns paid for his travel to the conferences.
The trip turned sour on July 21, when he attempted to board a plane for his return flight from Geneva to New York City and was refused permission to embark. What followed were five weeks of extensive teamwork on three continents to certify that Ngale was in the United States legally to do the work of a United Methodist clergy member.
"His detention in Switzerland was clearly a rush to judgment on the part of officials in the U.S. Embassy," said the Rev. Jim Fitzgerald, a leader of the Mozambique-New York Sister Conference Task Force. "They assumed Rev. Ngale was not in the United States legally and connected their negative assumptions in a way to confirm their worst suspicions."
Ngale has been working in the New York Annual (regional) Conference since January 1999. He is in the United States through the efforts of the Sister Conference Task Force and will return to Mozambique in 2002. Back home, he is director of the seminary in Cambine, which trains most of the United Methodist clergy in his country. The southeast African nation has one of the most rapidly growing annual conferences in the world.
When he was barred from leaving Switzerland, Ngale notified Warwick church members, and the connection went to work. Marilyn McCarter, a Warwick member and an avid user of e-mail, notified others in the New York Conference. Meanwhile, the WCC at the Bossey Institute gave the pastor room and board for the five weeks.
Initial efforts to resolve the problem were unsuccessful. The WCC liaison in the United States worked with the National Council of Churches, and two U.S. senators intervened on Ngale's behalf, but to no avail. U.S. embassies in an overseas country have the final word to determine whether or not someone enters the United States.
Attorney Ira Gollobin, who has specialized in immigration law since 1936, was enlisted to help. Letters were written by Bishop Joao Machado of the Mozambique Conference; Bishop Ernest Lyght of the New York Conference; the Rev. Wayne Lavender, who had arranged for Ngale's visit in the first place; and the Rev. Ernie VanderKruik, Warwick's senior pastor. The Rev. Skip George, who has given ongoing support to Ngale, provided important documentation. Fitzgerald, a staff member at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, helped coordinate the efforts.
Ngale's supporters realized that he needed an advocate in Switzerland as well. Ethel Scott, with the Salem United Methodist Church in New York City, remembered attorney Deborah Enix-Ross, a Salem member and a former conference trustee now working with the United Nations in Geneva. Though she was on vacation, Enix-Ross volunteered the necessary time to advocate for Ngale with the U.S. Embassy.
Warwick church members raised money for Ngale's legal fees. The pastor also received prayer support from other people and congregations. "The perseverance and skill of all involved would have come to naught without the power of prayer for the pastor," Fitzgerald wrote.
Ngale finally arrived back home in Warwick on Aug. 28. He was "exhausted by thrilled to be home," McCarter said.
In an e-mail to supporters, Ngale wrote: "I want to say through this letter that your efforts and prayers to help me get out of the immigration situation that I was in resulted in my safe return home. I have no words to thank you for all you have done. The e-mails that you sent me were a source of support and comfort in a time of loneliness and waiting. God bless you all."
"Everyone involved dropped what they were doing and did whatever they could to help Rev. Ngale," Fitzgerald said. "This was truly a team effort."
# # #
*Information for this report was provided by the Rev. Jim Fitzgerald with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in New York.
A pastor who was detained in Switzerland for five weeks was finally allowed to return to the United States after the United Methodist connection went into action.
The Rev. Samuel Ngale had been invited to attend two conferences, July 7-21, sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. Ngale, a Mozambican, serves as assistant pastor of the Warwick (N.Y.) United Methodist Church and is pursuing his master in theological studies degree at United Methodist-related Drew University School of Theology. The churchwide Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns paid for his travel to the conferences.
The trip turned sour on July 21, when he attempted to board a plane for his return flight from Geneva to New York City and was refused permission to embark. What followed were five weeks of extensive teamwork on three continents to certify that Ngale was in the United States legally to do the work of a United Methodist clergy member.
"His detention in Switzerland was clearly a rush to judgment on the part of officials in the U.S. Embassy," said the Rev. Jim Fitzgerald, a leader of the Mozambique-New York Sister Conference Task Force. "They assumed Rev. Ngale was not in the United States legally and connected their negative assumptions in a way to confirm their worst suspicions."
Ngale has been working in the New York Annual (regional) Conference since January 1999. He is in the United States through the efforts of the Sister Conference Task Force and will return to Mozambique in 2002. Back home, he is director of the seminary in Cambine, which trains most of the United Methodist clergy in his country. The southeast African nation has one of the most rapidly growing annual conferences in the world.
When he was barred from leaving Switzerland, Ngale notified Warwick church members, and the connection went to work. Marilyn McCarter, a Warwick member and an avid user of e-mail, notified others in the New York Conference. Meanwhile, the WCC at the Bossey Institute gave the pastor room and board for the five weeks.
Initial efforts to resolve the problem were unsuccessful. The WCC liaison in the United States worked with the National Council of Churches, and two U.S. senators intervened on Ngale's behalf, but to no avail. U.S. embassies in an overseas country have the final word to determine whether or not someone enters the United States.
Attorney Ira Gollobin, who has specialized in immigration law since 1936, was enlisted to help. Letters were written by Bishop Joao Machado of the Mozambique Conference; Bishop Ernest Lyght of the New York Conference; the Rev. Wayne Lavender, who had arranged for Ngale's visit in the first place; and the Rev. Ernie VanderKruik, Warwick's senior pastor. The Rev. Skip George, who has given ongoing support to Ngale, provided important documentation. Fitzgerald, a staff member at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, helped coordinate the efforts.
Ngale's supporters realized that he needed an advocate in Switzerland as well. Ethel Scott, with the Salem United Methodist Church in New York City, remembered attorney Deborah Enix-Ross, a Salem member and a former conference trustee now working with the United Nations in Geneva. Though she was on vacation, Enix-Ross volunteered the necessary time to advocate for Ngale with the U.S. Embassy.
Warwick church members raised money for Ngale's legal fees. The pastor also received prayer support from other people and congregations. "The perseverance and skill of all involved would have come to naught without the power of prayer for the pastor," Fitzgerald wrote.
Ngale finally arrived back home in Warwick on Aug. 28. He was "exhausted by thrilled to be home," McCarter said.
In an e-mail to supporters, Ngale wrote: "I want to say through this letter that your efforts and prayers to help me get out of the immigration situation that I was in resulted in my safe return home. I have no words to thank you for all you have done. The e-mails that you sent me were a source of support and comfort in a time of loneliness and waiting. God bless you all."
"Everyone involved dropped what they were doing and did whatever they could to help Rev. Ngale," Fitzgerald said. "This was truly a team effort."
# # #
*Information for this report was provided by the Rev. Jim Fitzgerald with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in New York.
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