Methodist bishops urge PH to let go fact-finding missionaries

Miracle Osman of Blantyre, Malawi;Tawanda Chandiwana of Mutare, Zimbabwe; and Adam Shaw of Brunswick, Ohio have faced bureaucratic delays that prevent their departure from the Philippines. Chandiwana (middle) has been held by authorities for more than six weeks. UMC.ORG

ATLANTA, Georgia – Bishops of the United Methodist Church are calling on the Philippine government to allow the departure of three Methodist missionaries–who allegedly have been the victims of repeated bureaucratic delays–including a young adult who has been incarcerated for more than six weeks.

The Council of Bishops and the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, are launching a worldwide campaign to call public attention to the plight of Tawanda Chandiwana and two other missionaries who were doing missionary work in the country.

Despite continuing efforts by the staff of the local regional United Methodist conference, Philippines-based attorneys, and officials with The United Methodist Church, Chandiwana of Mutare, Zimbabwe, Adam Shaw of Brunswick, Ohio, and Miracle Osman of Blantyre, Malawi, have experienced repeated difficulties getting the legal documents and clearance they need to leave the Philippines.

Chandiwana and Osman are Global Mission Fellows, who are among young adults from all over the world between the ages of 20-30, sent by The United Methodist Church to serve for 20 months in works of “justice and mercy through participation in such ministries as peacebuilding, creation care, English teaching, human rights advocacy, and social work.” Many Filipino young adults are part of the program, serving in such places as Japan, South Africa, Ireland, Barbados, and Uruguay.

Shaw is a former Global Mission Fellow in the Philippines who now serves there as a global missionary with The United Methodist Church.

“We vigorously protest this treatment of our mission personnel, placed and supervised in collaboration with The United Methodist Church in the Philippines,” said Thomas Kemper, general secretary (chief executive) of United Methodist Global Ministries, the worldwide mission agency of the denomination with 12.5 million members in the U.S., Africa, Europe, and the Philippines.

“It is unconscionable that Tawanda has been held for six weeks,” continued Kemper. “We are respectfully asking that these young people be allowed to leave.”

On June 26, the full Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church joined their episcopal colleagues in the Philippines and Global Ministries in appealing to the Philippines’ government to free and allow Chandiwana to leave the country.

They also asked for immediate action by the Bureau of Immigration that would allow Osman, and Shaw to leave voluntarily. Read more at https://www.umc.org/who-we-are/united-methodist-bishops-ask-philippines-government-to-release-umc-missiona. 

The Council of Bishops called upon United Methodists to pray daily at noon, wherever they are, for the three missionaries for as long as the three are held.

Chandiwana was taken into custody on May 9, 2018, while attending a training seminar at the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute in Davao City.  He was charged with overstaying his visa, though he had initiated the process of having a missionary visa changed to a tourist status since he was nearing the end of his 20-month missionary term. The charged was expanded when he was found to be on a “watchlist” of suspected subversives.  He denies any wrongdoing and faults a delay in filing visa paperwork.

The passport of Miracle Osman was confiscated while she was applying to extend her tourist visa and waiting for her missionary visa to be approved. Seizure of her passport has made it impossible for her to leave the country voluntarily.  She has requested a return of her passport, which is the property of the Republic of Malawi.

Adam Shaw has been informed that an order to leave is imminent but it has not been served.

All three were detained at police checkpoints in February while taking part in in international ecumenical fact-finding investigation of alleged human rights violations in the southern Philippines area around General Santos City. The area is under martial law in response to disputed reports of terrorist activities.

The United Methodist Church in the Philippines is an organic part of the denomination, represented in the legislating General Conference by lay and clergy delegates.  It has three episcopal areas in the country in Davao, Baguio, and Manila.

The bishop’s appeal pointed out that “Global Ministries has enjoyed cordial relations with denominational and ecumenical organizations in the Philippines for many years.  We have placed young adult missionaries in Mindanao since 2006. We hope to continue to work productively with Filipino partners.”