April 22 - Looking for an African Friend

I walked back to the center which was across from the hotel where the denomination housed the delegates from overseas. I was still a little wet from the rain but figured the air-conditioning would dry me off.

The sun had finally come out as I crossed over to the hotel. I went to the desk and they told me how to use a house phone to call one of the African delegates my Wisconsin friend asked me to meet. The clerk said he had checked in yesterday. I called, got no answer, and left a voice mail saying I would be in the lobby with my red coat on, hoping to see him soon.

As I sat waiting, warm and moist, in the midst of dozens of people from all over the world, I pulled out a book to read and I fell asleep. I must have dozed undisturbed for about a half hour. The Asian gentleman in a chair across from me got up and I assured him I would watch his things until he returned. He smiled and left.

A few minutes later, he returned. We introduced ourselves. He is a bishop from an Evangelical Methodist denomination unofficially related to the UMC. He said he was very interested in seeing how we did things, resolve issues like homosexuality, kept records, and made decisions. I told him a little about Associates in Advocacy and then I shared (unloaded, is more like it) some of my concerns about the quality of personnel work I encountered in our denomination.

I apologized for being so negative but he was most gracious and understanding. He gave me his card and insisted I call him by his nickname rather than “Bishop.” I thought he was like my first bishop, Ralph Alton, only a warmer version, if you can believe that. I was deeply impressed with him as we spoke and hoped he would not fall into the trap our bishops have.

My African friend didn’t come down. I called him to say I would meet him upstairs at the orientation meeting in the hotel’s ball room but had to leave that message on voice mail once again.