Delegates from Africa, Europe will address world drug crisis
5/8/2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York By United Methodist News Service Nearly 100 delegates from Africa and Europe will participate in a United Methodist consultation on the global drug crisis May 27-June 4 in Evenes, Norway.
Called "Hope for the World: Making a Christian Witness to Eliminate Alcohol, Other Drugs and Related Violence," the event is sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and organized by the denomination's Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV).
The consultation marks the first time that adult and youth leaders representing churches in both Africa and Europe will gather to share their experiences with ministries addressing substance abuse and related violence, according to Melissa Davis, SPSARV director. A few U.S. delegates also will participate. The event will be at Soltun Folkehogskole, a United Methodist facility that provides educational experiences for young people.
Besides exchanging strategies to develop and strengthen drug abuse ministries, participants will examine such issues as drug trafficking and border control; global alcohol and tobacco marketing policies; the effect of substance abuse on AIDS and other health problems; and the links among substance abuse, personal strife and civil war. Delegates are expected to develop action plans for local responses and a support network with United Methodists from Europe and Africa.
United Methodist bishops scheduled to participate are Bishop Onema Fama, Democratic Republic of Congo; Bishop Christopher Jokomo, Zimbabwe; Bishop Felton May, Washington; and Bishop Oystein Olsen, Northern Europe.
SPSARV was created by the 1992 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, and has become an ongoing church program. It began as an outgrowth of the United Methodist Council of Bishops' Initiative on Drugs and Drug Violence in 1989.
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