Bishop Bickerton Reports on UMC Leadership Role
at the International 4th Global Fund Replenishment Conference,
December 2013
Pittsburgh Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, chair of the UMC's Global Health Initiative, shared the following report and his statement from the Global Fund Replenishment Conference with United Methodist Church leadership. He shares it now with leadership in the Imagine No Malaria Campaign.
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
On Monday and Tuesday of this week I had the privilege of representing the people of The United Methodist Church at the 4th Global Fund Replenishment Conference in Washington, D.C. This conference gathered under the theme “No Time to Lose: Sharing the Responsibility to Save Lives.” This conference gathered representatives from across the world to share their commitment to the ongoing global fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
During the conference, these representatives sat at tables, each taking their respective turn in making a pledge from their organization. China made their pledge. So did Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France, India, and the Netherlands. Country after country took the microphone and made their pledge for the 2014-2016 cycle. It was then that Nafsiah Mboi, the Indonesia Minister of Health and the Chair of the Global Fund Board said these words, “I now call upon the representative from The United Methodist Church.”
Our church sat with government and private sector representatives as the only faith-based partner at the table in the collaborative fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria. There is no doubt that there are other faith-based organizations that are working to eliminate killer diseases. But we are the only ones that are pledging our resources, both financial and personnel, in a joint fight with governments and the private sector.
After a while in the pledging conference, persons began looking at their cell phones and notes. But when the United Methodist Church was named, all eyes turned our way. It was a different voice, a different organization, a different pledge of commitment. There is no doubt that as a faith-based partner, we play a critical role on the world scene in this ongoing fight to eliminate killer diseases. We may not have the pledging capacity of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We may not have the power of a large country. But what we do have is an understanding of the local communities and villages that benefit from this collaborative effort. What we do have is a relationship with people through traditional birth attendants, rural clinics, and hospitals. What we do have is something a government or a private sector contributor does not have: the trust of the people. Often we underestimate our worth. We will not eliminate the killer diseases on our own. But today it was very evident that the killer diseases will not be eliminated without us. We are an essential piece in the puzzle of making the world a healthier place for all God’s children.
Below are the remarks I was privileged to share on your behalf and on behalf of all of our people. In the midst of ongoing conflict and controversy within our church and throughout the world, there is a unifying effort taking place which requires everyone’s participation, even ours. Today I was proud to be a United Methodist Christian. As I left the meeting today I said a simple prayer, “Thank you God for letting me be a part of such a great church.” I hope that this can be your prayer as well.
The Journey Continues,
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton
Global Fund Replenishment Conference
Washington, D.C.
Pledging Remarks
Let me say a genuine word of gratitude on behalf of the people of The United Methodist church to the Global Fund for the opportunity to participate in this very important conference.
The United Methodist Church – with eleven and a half million members in the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Philippines currently has a campaign which is a holistic approach to fight malaria called “Imagine NO Malaria.” Our goal is to raise $75 million dollars for this fight against malaria. Part of the proceeds from this campaign is going to strengthen our United Methodist hospitals and clinics in Africa. Another portion is going to the Global Fund. The United Methodist Church has already contributed $8.1 million dollars to the Global Fund. Based on the anticipated successful fundraising campaign of $75 million dollars, today The United Methodist Church is pledging another $19.9 million dollars to the Global Fund over the next three years. This will bring our total contribution to $28 million dollars.
The United Methodist Church is the first faith-based organization to directly support the work of the Global Fund. We are fully aware that collaboration among the governments and private sector partners around this table is a key in this fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. None of us can eliminate these diseases of poverty on our own.
The United Methodist Church has developed health initiatives in Africa for more than a hundred years. We provide clinics, hospitals, and community-based health services without regard to race, religion, or political creed. This has been our calling and it is why we believe that support for indigenous health systems and infrastructures, especially on the continent of Africa, is essential to the success of the Global Fund.
As a church, we place great importance on community and faith-based health organizations and advocate for their role in the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria. We are convinced that strategies developed on a national, or centralized level must also integrate and involve the local level, where solutions are often created and generated by local communities and people. We want to make sure that partners such as local churches, mosques, temples, self-help groups, and schools are involved in meaningful ways in a country’s health coordination and service delivery.
Our financial commitment to the Global Fund is an affirmation of the efforts of faith-based organizations in the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria. Churches and mosques exist in the smallest, most remote villages of sub-Saharan Africa. Often they have no road access or electricity. Yet, the church is there providing a significant presence and influence. We are extremely committed to activating these community entities to support the Global Fund as well as national efforts to fight the diseases of poverty. We believe that The United Methodist Church is in a unique position to see the challenges from both a global and local perspective, which is why we joyfully contribute to the Global Fund and also continue our church and community-based health services. We are committed to the promotion of the Global Fund in our churches around the world and continue to stand as a ready partner in delivering health services to the people who need it most.
More than 40% of the health infrastructure in Africa is run by faith organizations. It is only in close cooperation with those systems that the Global Fund can make a difference.
I would ask all of the Global Fund sponsors and donors to work with the faith-based organizations and the civil society in eliminating deaths from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria. We are convinced that a collaborative effort is the right way at this place in history. It is in a spirit of hope and partnership that we continue our pledge of $28 million dollars.
Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment