First Methodist East African Ministry
In Fall 2021, we partnered with other congregations and agencies to welcome newly resettled refugees in Bloomington as a new office for Exodus Refugee Immigration, opened here. We supported our first family from East Africa in 2022, and the community has grown tremendously ever since. We seek to be a church where a fusion of cultures, languages, and experiences are shared as we serve Christ together. Our East African ministry includes:
pastoral support for new arrivals
transportation with our church van
language translation, including sermon notes in Kiswahili and French every Sunday
Multilingual Praise & Prayer every Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
special celebrations at Christmas and Easter
an East African Choir
hospitality to families at Discipleship Hour, VBS, and other special activities
help with navigating jobs, schools, medical care, driving requirements, and adapting to life in the U.S.
Below you can learn more about some of our regular ministry opportunities.
East African Christmas Party
Starting at 1:15pm on December 15th we’ll be hosting our annual East African Christmas Party in the Great Hall. All are welcome to join us for great food and fellowship while we celebrate our East African community members and bless them with gifts!
Multi-lingual praise & prayer
Sundays at 10:45 a.m.
Each Sunday, during our discipleship hour, members of our East African ministry lead a special time of praise and prayer in the Great Hall. This features music, devotions, and prayer. All are welcome to attend!
U.S. Life 101
U.S. Life 101 happens once a month, on the second Sunday, instead of Multi-Lingual Praise & Prayer at 10:45am in the Great Hall. These sessions often feature a guest speaker on a special topic of interest, as well as time for food and fellowship. Past topics include: public education, Bloomington activities, law enforcement, health care, and personal finance.
Multi-Lingual Choir
The multi-lingual choir practices regularly and often shares their musical gifts in our worship services. Watch the video to see their most recent contribution in worship!
Interested in learning more?
We have produced several videos for a variety of programs that feature our East African members. Watch them below to learn more.
Free to Welcome - Stewardship 2024
This video helped us kick off our 2024 stewardship campaign in Fall 2023. It features Pendeza and she shares her story of immigrating to the U.S. and her journey at First United Methodist Church.
World Refugee Day 2024
We produced this video for World Refugee Day in Summer 2024. We partnered with Exodus Immigration and we invited staff members to share some of their stories. Noella also shared some of her story as well.
Seasons of Generosity - Stewardship 2025
We featured this video in our 2025 stewardship campaign in Fall 2024. It features David and Gentille and they share how they feel welcome and part of the First United Methodist community.
Want to join the ministry team?
Interested in joining our the East African Ministry Team? We are always looking for people with a servant leader’s attitude! Helping can be as simple as giving a ride to church or something more involved like assisting with job placement. Contact Clint and Jessica Merkel at clintmerkel@gmail.com to learn more.