New England Conference & Granite District News
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Feb. 1, 2023
Rev. Andrew Foster, center, who was Deaf from childhood, developed schools for the Deaf across Africa in the late 1950s. Photo courtesy of the Gallaudet University Archives.
Black History Month
February is Black History Month, and this is an important opportunity for us as a nation and as a church to take a long look at our past and to use that understanding of our history to create a brighter future.
I would like to tell you about a very famous Black man who was also Deaf. Rev. Andrew Foster was born in 1925 in Ensley, Alabama; he became Deaf at the age of 11 from spinal meningitis.
In those days in Alabama, there were limited education opportunities for students who were Deaf. He moved to Michigan to live with relatives and attended the Michigan School for the Deaf, which provided education for Deaf students as far as the 8th grade. Foster continued his education by taking night classes and correspondence courses while working in restaurants and auto factories. Foster finally received his high school diploma at the age of 26.
He sought entrance to Gallaudet University (then Gallaudet College, an institution of higher education for people who are Deaf in Washington, DC) but was turned down several times because of his race. He was finally accepted and in 1954, became the first Black graduate in the school’s history.
Foster, a fervent Christian, was ordained in the Baptist Church and felt a strong call to international missionary service. He established the “Christian Mission for the Deaf” in 1956 and spent time touring the United States and raising funds in order to establish Deaf Schools in Africa. Very few countries (only 12) on that continent at the time had any educational opportunities for children with hearing loss and few used sign language as a means of classroom instruction.
Finally, Rev. Foster arrived in Africa in 1957 and began establishing schools where there was a need. He met his wife, a German teacher of the Deaf, at the Third World Congress of the Deaf. They were married in 1961 and had four children. He and his wife went on to establish 32 schools and mission churches, which included some in countries that spoke French.
The couple also taught at these schools, preached at the churches, trained teachers, and educated the public about the need for education for Deaf students. Foster also helped to connect some of his school graduates to Gallaudet to pursue their education.
Rev. Foster received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater in 1970; there is a building at Gallaudet named for him. Sadly, he died in a plane crash in December 1987 enroute from Rwanda to Kenya as part of this ministry.
But his legacy lives on in the many schools and churches he established across Africa and the lives he touched along the way. I was one of them. I was privileged to hear him speak at the Urbana Missionary Conference in 1976. He stood on the stage and signed to the audience about the need for people to be in partnership in ministry with Deaf people. I remember being amazed at the time at his sign language and his passion for the souls of the people he wished to reach for Christ.
As a bishop in 2014, I traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and attended the formal dedication of new United Methodist buildings in the East Congo Conference of The United Methodist Church. This country is French speaking, but what a surprise; all the Deaf people there knew American Sign Language, the language that Andrew Foster had brought to them years earlier. I was able to communicate with them easily, and I celebrated those seeds of Deaf education that had been planted years earlier and continued to blossom.
I thank God for Rev. Foster, and I want to remind you that mission work is vitally important. Seek opportunities to partner with international friends in reciprocal relationships. The United Methodist Church has a vitally strong presence in over 300 countries.
Have the spirit of Andrew Foster, who never gave up even though he experienced a great deal of discrimination and personal rejection in the United States and in Africa for being Black, for being Deaf, and for living in a cross-racial marriage. “Never be weary in well doing,” as the Scriptures tell us, “for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart … (Galatians 6:9).”
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate Black History Month in your churches!
Reference: Visionary Leader - May 2014, Andrew Foster
Jan. 19, 2023
Cabinet Appointments
Rev. Jill Colley Robinson and Rev. Taesung Kang
Bishop Peggy A. Johnson is pleased to announce the following New England Conference Cabinet appointments that will be effective July 1, 2023.
After six years on the Cabinet, Rev. Taesung Kang, who serves as Granite District Superintendent, and Rev. Jill Colley Robinson, who serves as Green Mountain District Superintendent and Cabinet Dean, will have their appointments extended for another year.
“I am very grateful to Jill and Taesung for their willingness to continue as superintendents,” said Bishop Johnson. “These are turbulent days for our conference and The United Methodist Church; having experienced leaders in place is critical as we navigate this time of change.”
The Cabinet and the respective District Committees on Superintendency were delighted and grateful to receive the news of these continuing appointments.
“In our short time together, I have come to appreciate the deep faithfulness and exceptional dedication of these two servant leaders,” Bishop Johnson said. “I know their districts are blessed by their leadership.”
Kindly keep Rev. Kang and Rev. Colley Robinson, their families, the staff, leadership, and congregations of these districts in your prayers.