New York's Heart & Soul Community FMC Set to Host July Conference for Displaced Africans

Gifts to assist with the travel expenses of conference participants are welcome and can be sent to: Heart & Soul Community Free Methodist Church 1185 Clinton Ave N Rochester, NY 14621

Heart & Soul Community Free Methodist Church in Rochester, NY, will host a free Bible conference for displaced African Christians on July 8-11. Its theme: "Looking Back and Looking Ahead."

"Primarily intended for the encouragement of Uduks and other displaced Africans, all sessions are open to everybody," says Pastor Peter Schafer.

Heart & Soul is the church home for a group of eight families from the Uduk tribe of southern Sudan. The Uduk people have been displaced from their homeland by the decades-long civil and religious conflict in their home country.

"The conference will offer a chance for displaced Uduks from throughout North America to come together for a first-ever reunion," Shafer added. "Other displaced Africans - and those who assist them - will also be encouraged, informed and inspired by the event."

Conference sessions at Heart & Soul (1185 Clinton Ave. N.) on Friday July 9 (from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), will be in the Uduk language with English translation.

Saturday sessions will be held at New Hope Free Methodist Church (62 N. Union Street, Rochester), also from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The morning session will feature Don Stilwell, retired area director for SIM (Serving in Mission, formerly Sudan Interior Mission), who will illustrate - using historical photographs and descriptions - the work among the Uduk people which began in the late 1930's.

Check out the News Section in the soon-to-be-released July/August issue of Light & Life magazine. We've got a feature on a unique spinning ministry that's helping the Uduk women at Heart & Soul create and market beautiful, brightly colored hand-spun yarn.

In a second Saturday morning session, Stilwell (speaking in English, with Uduk translation) will describe the current conditions for Uduk people in Ethiopian refugee camps and give an update on recent peace negotiations and other developments in Sudan and Ethiopia.

Saturday afternoon, Abdarhaman Ali, senior member of the Uduk community in the United States (speaking in Arabic, with Uduk and English translation), will bring a word of encouragement to all displaced Africans.

The conference will conclude on Sunday July 11 with a celebration worship service at Heart & Soul and will feature a combined Uduk Reunion Choir and a concluding word of challenge by Taib Chito, Heart & Soul staff member.

Further information about the conference is available by calling Taib Chito at (585) 281-4191 or by contacting the Heart & Soul office at (585) 342-7970.