Rwandan United Methodists aim at reconciliation
6/15/2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York
NEW YORK (UMNS) - Compared to the horror of the 1994 massacres, life in Rwanda is quiet today, says a United Methodist pastor.
Reconciliation efforts between the Hutus and Tutsis are a prime concern of the church there, according to the Rev. Kaberuka Jupa, superintendent of the Rwanda District, a part of the United Methodist East Africa Annual Conference. He spoke about the Rwandan church during a June 14 discussion at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Any tensions these days are political, manufactured by those who want "to maintain their seats or their presence in the government," he said. Poverty makes young people, in particular, susceptible to others who use them to stir up trouble, he added.
But the Rwandan government is trying to help youth and to assist the church in its own efforts, Jupa said. The government has given unoccupied buildings to the church for renovation into schools. So far, the church has opened three schools and two health clinics.
Born in the refugee camps in Zaire - where people had fled following the genocide in which 800,000 died - the United Methodist Church survived the transplant back to Rwanda and has officially recorded 48,000 members. Located in three different regions, the church has 32 full-time pastors, 10 probationary pastors and 66 local pastors.
Jupa said they are being asked by local authorities to open more schools, but he explained that the resources currently do not exist to allow additional projects. The various places of worship also serve as centers where people can learn to read and write.
The situation of street children and orphans remains a concern in Rwanda. While the government has encouraged people to take such children into their homes, Jupa explained, it couldn't offer financial assistance as an incentive. The government does provide for scholarships and other needs for students enrolled in school, he added.
The pastor stressed the importance of letting young people know the history of Rwanda's conflict and allowing adults to come together in reconciliation. Part of the job of the church, he said, is "to help these people to treat the wounds in their hearts."
The Board of Global Ministries is in the final stages of completing a comprehensive mission plan for the East Africa Annual Conference, which also includes Burundi, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. The Rev. Clyde Anderson, a board executive, said its work with Rwanda would continue under that plan.
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