Partnership between SAU and HAU

As some of us were hoping, Spring Arbor University (SAU) and Hope Africa University (HAU) have developed and signed a Partnership Agreement.  Following a February visit to HAU by SAU Provost, Dr. Betty Overton-Adkins, a process was undertaken to develop a partnership statement.  Thanks to the ever-supportive Carla Knootz, Executive Director of the SAU Center for Global Studies and Initiatives, John McCready had an opportunity to participate in one of the consultation meetings.

The Partnership Agreement was signed at the SAU Reception that was held during the Free Methodist General Conference at Roberts Wesleyan College in July.  Dr. Overton-Adkins, Provost at SAU, and Bishop Gerald Bates, President of Friends for Hope Africa University, spoke and the Partnership Agreement was signed by SAU President, Dr. Charles Webb, and HAU Rector, Bishop Elie Buconyori.  John McCready attended the signing ceremony and took the accompanying photograph.

The comprehensive Partnership Agreement covers a variety of important areas for collaboration between faculty and students of both universities, including the development of joint grant proposals for development projects and research projects in a number of areas of mutual interest.  With support from SAU and HAU, John McCready has already begun a consultation process that might lead to one or more proposals to pursue some significant projects.  Stay tuned.

John McCready was on campus to brainstorm with the grant writers from Advancement, Al Kauffman of the Nursing program, Karen Parsons from the White Library, and GPS adjunct professor, Barbara Rose about his vision for some exciting opportunities with HAU and entities in Burundi (SAU Center for Global Studies and Initiatives, October Newsletter).

Display 

Invited by Linda Peterson and with assistance and support from Burton and Janet Hamilton, John McCready had a table and display during Missions Night at the Maple Grove Christian Retreat Centre in July.  This was an opportunity in Thamesford, Ontario to showcase and describe the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund and its Student Grants Program.  Of course many people who visited the display remember the work and contributions in Burundi of Canadians John Wesley Haley, Jennie (Hamilton) Haley, Burton McCready and Dorothy (Haley) McCready.

Donation Forms

As US Thanksgiving and Christmas near, the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund now has two new donation forms.  Thanks to Mark Molczanski and Roseline Isaac of the Free Methodist Church in Canada, we have a new form for donations in Canada (Download Canadian form here) and thanks to Timothy Burkhart and Dan Kurtz of the Free Methodist Foundation in Spring Arbor, we have a new form for donations in the United States (Download U.S. form here).

Book

As previously reported in an earlier newsletter, John McCready found John Wesley Haley’s unpublished manuscript on building the indigenous church.  With the aim of developing a book highlighting the manuscript and the indigenous development model, John McCready has already organized three additional authors who will contribute parts for the book and spoken to two publishers who are interested in considering the book for publication.

Part 1: The Life and Work of J.W. Haley, Bishop Gerald Bates
Bishop Bates has been considering the nature of his part of the book and he has gained permission to draw from the material in Soul Afire; his biography on the work of J.W. Haley.

Part 2: Building an Indigenous Church, Rev. John Wesley Haley (edited by Dr. John McCready)
Although John McCready wants to respect the style and content of the original manuscript, he is working on the editing of the manuscript for the book.

Part 3: The Legacy of the Indigenous Church in Burundi and Central Africa, Bishop Elie Buconyori
Thanks to donations from the Hamilton family, Bishop Buconyori has already started the development of a status report on the indigenous church in Burundi by hiring Rev. Evariste Harerimana to work as his Research Assistant.

Part 4: The Relevance of the Indigenous Model, Rev. Dan Sheffield
Rev. Sheffield has begun his research and writing on describing the context within which J.W. Haley used the indigenous model and its relevance then and now.

The work continues.