Four churches get into the groove for Congo water wells
04-02-2010Heather Hahn
Editor
Four downtown Little Rock United Methodist churches have joined together this month to drum up support for water wells in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Little Rock First, Quapaw Quarter, Theressa Hoover and Wesley Chapel United Methodist churches will sponsor the 11th annual African Drum and Dance Festival and Silent Auction at 5 p.m. April 10 at Philander Smith College’s Kendall Center. The event’s goal is to raise $8,000 to drill a water well in Congo’s North Katanga Conference, a partner of the Arkansas Conference.“I hope people have fun and that this also raises awareness about the issues African nations face,” said Nicki Spencer, one of the event’s organizers and youth director at Theressa Hoover UMC. “Sometimes you hear about the problems in Africa in the news and they seem so big and so far away. But you can help right here in Little Rock in a small way.”
Highlights of the event include a Parade of Nations in which African immigrants living in central Arkansas represent their native cultures and a performance by Mabelvale Elementary School’s African Drum and Groove Ensemble. The gathering will open with an interfaith blessing delivered by local Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy.
Attendees are encouraged to wear African attire, bring a drum or other percussion instruments and be prepared to join in the drumming and dancing.
The tradition started in 2000 when former Peace Corps worker Kathryn Matchett and her husband, Mike — both members of First Little Rock First UMC — hosted the first African drumming event to aid Burkina Faso in western Africa.
Since then the festival has grown to include not only First UMC but also organizers from Hoover and Wesley Chapel.
This year marks the first time Quapaw Quarter UMC has joined the effort. It also marks the first time organizers have moved the event to Philander Smith College.
Celia Bernheimer, one of the event organizers from Quapaw Quarter, said her congregation is excited to participate.
“It’s nice to get the churches working together,” she said. Members of the churches recently spent an afternoon painting the flags of all 53 African nations, which Bernheimer had earlier outlined. The flags will be hanging in Kendall Center when people attend the event.
Over the years the festival has raised funds for different ministries in Africa including an orphanage in Burkina Faso, hospice in Zimbabwe and the Congo well project. This is the first year the money will go exclusively toward a water well.
“What we like about this program in particular is: First of all, there is a connection to Methodists in Arkansas,” said Liz Parkhurst, a member of Little Rock First UMC, and the event’s co-chair. “Secondly, when these wells are built there are mechanisms in place to make sure they are maintained. They become community gathering places and the people that benefit from it really take ownership of it.”
Since the Arkansas Conference launched its Congo Well Initiative in 2006, the state’s United Methodists have raised more than $107, 000 toward the effort. So far, conference funds have helped build 18 wells.
The clean, fresh water from the wells not only helps prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. Having more accessible wells also means the young girls won’t have to spend so much time searching for water instead of going to school.
Becky Falkowski, the event’s co-chair with Parkhurst, said the African event was one of the reasons she and her husband, Anthony, began attending First UMC more than four years ago.
“The main appeal the event had for me is the community involvement,” she said. “We’re helping to educate people about Africa.”
The 11th annual African Drum and Dance Festival and Silent Auction will be from 5 to 8 p.m. April 10 at the Philander Smith Campus’ Kendall Center, 900 Daisy Bates Drive. Suggested donation is $5 per person or $10 per family. To learn more, visit www.fumclr.org and click on “Missions and Outreach.”
