One of the primary characteristics of life is change. To be alive is expressed in a constant adaptation to an environment in change. The underlying thesis of this story is the ever-changing reality in the life of a missionary family for whom doors of opportunity open to new work experiences. They become a part of an organization needing to undergo change in order to respond to the environmental change taking place in the world. The story is built around the personal growth of a missionary as he is challenged to assume new responsibilities. The element of personal growth is reflected in the transformation an organization must make to respond to changing global conditions in order to fulfill its mission. The background to the story is the radical change in the political scene which took place following World War II. Two aspects are highlighted. The first one is the emergence of newly formed nations that gained their independence from having been colonies of European nations. The second was the emergence of the Cold War reshaping the global political scene into a bipolar context between two superpowers. The organization in the story is Church World Service (CWS), the relief and refugee arm of the National Council of Churches. Its mandate was to respond to natural and man-made disasters anywhere in the world. The story is told of the formation of two world bodies that contributed to world peace, the United Nations and the World Council of Churches. The Cold War led to the formation of a series of walls and militarized borders around the world. The story details the intense endeavor to find ways to fulfill the mission of CWS in a fractured world. This book is not a specific history of Church World Service. The key to the story is the creative ways in which CWS reinvented itself to build bridges to overcome the political walls that had been built. The book is an important reading for anyone interested in the history of the Christian Church during the Cold War. It also has value for those who study organizational change.
Rev. Paul F. McCleary is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, Illinois, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Northwestern University, both in Evanston, Illinois. He has an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois. Paul served student appointments in Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church before going to Bolivia as a missionary, where he served as district superintendent and executive secretary of the Annual Conference. He has served denominational posts as executive secretary of the Structure Study Commission of the General Conference, assistant general secretary for Latin America of the Board of Global Ministries, and as associate general secretary of the General Council on Ministries. He also served as executive director of Church World Service of the National Council of Churches of Christ. For several years, he served with nongovernmental organizations, such as Save the Children, Christian Children’s Fund, and Feed the Children. He served two terms as president of the NGO Committee to UNICEF and chair of the Board of InterAction. He served as a consultant to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. McCleary served for eight years as an advisor to the Bishops’ Task Force on Children and Poverty of the United Methodist Church. McCleary is married to Rachel P. and has four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. They currently reside in Tempe, Arizona.
Rev. Paul F. McCleary is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, Illinois, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Northwestern University, both in Evanston, Illinois. He has an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois. Paul served student appointments in Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church before going to Bolivia as a missionary, where he served as district superintendent and executive secretary of the Annual Conference. He has served denominational posts as executive secretary of the Structure Study Commission of the General Conference, assistant general secretary for Latin America of the Board of Global Ministries, and as associate general secretary of the General Council on Ministries. He also served as executive director of Church World Service of the National Council of Churches of Christ. For several years, he served with nongovernmental organizations, such as Save the Children, Christian Children’s Fund, and Feed the Children. He served two terms as president of the NGO Committee to UNICEF and chair of the Board of InterAction. He served as a consultant to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. McCleary served for eight years as an advisor to the Bishops’ Task Force on Children and Poverty of the United Methodist Church. McCleary is married to Rachel P. and has four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. They currently reside in Tempe, Arizona.
The book takes place in the poorest country in South America. In fact, in considering the Western Hemisphere, it ranks next to last, with only Haiti being poorer, yet it is a country rich in national resources. The book covers one of the most tenuous times in Bolivian history. While it is the story of a missionary family, the book provides unusual insight to the rapid change occurring at so many levels in the country. The book points to the 1952 revolution as the starting point of a vastly significant process of social and political transformation that has bought Bolivia to its present status. Bolivia has a history of political change occurring not at the ballot box but most frequently by a military coup. The ’52 revolution was like the jump start to a battery which, in this case, triggered the political awakening of the majority of indigenous communities long held in a semifeudal condition. The book draws out the many external influences which played a role in defining the outcome of the transition. Bolivia’s natural resources were a tempting prize from the early colonial period when gold and silver were the attractions for Spain. During World War II, the metals tin, zinc, and tungsten were important to the United States. More recently, for the time period covered by the book, it was the petroleum and forest products. The external influences were more than economic. The book covered the range from former Nazis to Cuban communists. The thread running through the book is about the life of a missionary family. It is the story of a young couple with three children who left the comfort and security of the US Midwest farming communities to serve Christ as missionaries to Bolivia. However, the book does much more. It reveals how these Americans adjust into what is a semi-hostile environment struggling to cast off its colonial past where 80 percent of the population was kept from participating in society by literacy voting laws. The book draws on sources as diverse as academic studies done as degree work by former missionaries, to declassed information from the State Department files. Events, both local and global, had their impact. Such political currents as those represented by Nazi Klaus Barbie and communist Che Guevara occurred in Bolivia. On the world scene, it ranged from Peron in Argentina to the assassination of President Kennedy in the U.S. While the book is about a missionary family, it so contextualizes them into the social, economic, and political situation in Bolivia, one comes away with a deeper appreciation for and understanding of those who dedicate their lives to the well-being of the world’s poorest and most marginalized.
One of the primary characteristics of life is change. To be alive is expressed in a constant adaptation to an environment in change. The underlying thesis of this story is the ever-changing reality in the life of a missionary family for whom doors of opportunity open to new work experiences. They become a part of an organization needing to undergo change in order to respond to the environmental change taking place in the world. The story is built around the personal growth of a missionary as he is challenged to assume new responsibilities. The element of personal growth is reflected in the transformation an organization must make to respond to changing global conditions in order to fulfill its mission. The background to the story is the radical change in the political scene which took place following World War II. Two aspects are highlighted. The first one is the emergence of newly formed nations that gained their independence from having been colonies of European nations. The second was the emergence of the Cold War reshaping the global political scene into a bipolar context between two superpowers. The organization in the story is Church World Service (CWS), the relief and refugee arm of the National Council of Churches. Its mandate was to respond to natural and man-made disasters anywhere in the world. The story is told of the formation of two world bodies that contributed to world peace, the United Nations and the World Council of Churches. The Cold War led to the formation of a series of walls and militarized borders around the world. The story details the intense endeavor to find ways to fulfill the mission of CWS in a fractured world. This book is not a specific history of Church World Service. The key to the story is the creative ways in which CWS reinvented itself to build bridges to overcome the political walls that had been built. The book is an important reading for anyone interested in the history of the Christian Church during the Cold War. It also has value for those who study organizational change.
One of the most important questions in selecting a retirement community is: Will I be happy here? Can I make friends easily here? One's sense of personal comfort is as important as costs and attractive environment. This is a study of the culture of Friendship Village Tempe. The same approach could be applied to any retirement community
Methodism did not function in a void. It was carrying out its mission in an environment charged with dynamic change. To fully understand the history of Methodism in Southern California, one has to find a way to allow one’s mind to alter as far as possible into the conditions and events of the period. As we are so keenly aware today, these circumstances determine the success or failure of the church to carry out its mission. While Methodism was an early arrival in California, within fifty years, the environment was changing to one that was highly competitive. In addition, the political environment was changing to a more conservative one while Methodism’s leadership and ministerial training of its clergy were more liberal. Added to these external complexities, there were internal difficulties unique to Methodism that needed to be resolved. The task ahead is to examine the challenges and accomplishments of California-Pacific Conference from 1945 to the present.
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