Jeff Finley
Article by Jeff Finley
Photos by Amy Charboneau
(Photo Gallery: Click above to rotate photos.)
Free Methodism in the Midwest and Upper South is becoming increasingly diverse, and the global church is playing a key role in this growth. Just ask Superintendent John Lane.
“When I became superintendent seven years ago, we had about 60 White churches. We had two or three Hispanic churches. We had one Chinese church,” Lane recalled June 10 at the dedication service of LifeWay Indianapolis Free Methodist Church’s building. “And then I got a call from Pastor Kenny [Martin], and Pastor Kenny said, ‘I have an African immigrant pastor I need you to meet.’”
That pastor was Isaac Bujambi who previously served as the general secretary of the Free Methodist Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. War forced Bujambi and his family to flee to Rwanda and then Burundi before they eventually found a new home together in the United States. (Click here for a previous Light + Life article in which Bujambi shares his immigration story.) The Bujambi family ultimately settled in Indianapolis and, like many other African immigrants across the United States, they wanted to continue to be part of the Free Methodist denomination. They found a new church home at John Wesley Free Methodist Church in northwest Indianapolis where Martin served as lead pastor.
_
“African immigrants continue to be attracted to longtime Free Methodist congregations.”
_
John Wesley wasn’t the only local congregation seeing an influx of new immigrant members. Lane said that his introduction to Bujambi came “right on the heels of about 40 African immigrants walking into Aldersgate,” a congregation near Indianapolis’ eastern edge.
Fast-forward several years, and African immigrants continue to be attracted to longtime Free Methodist congregations, but they are also planting new Free Methodist churches in the nation’s heartland.
“I give oversight to two conferences — Wabash, which is Indiana [and part of eastern] Illinois, and New South, which is Kentucky/Tennessee. We went from zero churches of African immigrants to 11 now,” Lane said in the sanctuary of LifeWay’s recently purchased building along Raceway Road, which divides the city of Indianapolis from its western suburbs.
“The Greatness of God”
Bujambi now serves as LifeWay’s lead pastor and an assistant superintendent of the New South and Wabash conferences.
_
“Our God is a good God, and He does great things — things that seem impossible in the eyes of men — and you cannot understand the greatness of God.” – Pastor Isaac Bujambi
_
“Our God is a good God, and He does great things — things that seem impossible in the eyes of men — and you cannot understand the greatness of God. It’s this church of LifeWay that you’ve seen,” Bujambi said at the dedication service. “It started as a Swahili service from John Wesley Free Methodist Church. As many immigrants and refugees from Central Africa were joining John Wesley, it was important that we create a Swahili service under the leadership of Pastor Kenny.”
As multiple ordained Free Methodist elders from Africa came to John Wesley, the Wabash Conference decided it was time for this worship service to become a church plant. LifeWay became a separate congregation in June 2019 while continuing to meet at the John Wesley building until moving into its own building.
“We also had some American friends who joined us,” Bujambi said. “There are people we didn’t even talk to. They came and joined LifeWay and said, ‘Please sign us. We’re members.”
Two of LifeWay’s non-African members include Bill and Diana Waring who previously were members of John Wesley. Bill’s multiple roles have included serving as LifeWay’s delegate and board secretary, and Bujambi said that Bill is a key part of the new property management team and is “always around to help us fix anything.” Diana, a leading author of homeschool history curriculum, attracted national attention to LifeWay during her interview with the “Walk It Out With Tricia Goyer” podcast.
Building the Foundation
Bishop Emeritus Gerald and Marlene Bates — former missionaries to Africa and key leaders in the establishment of Hope Africa University — also became part of LifeWay for a season.
“They helped us build the foundation. At some point, they released us, but, at that point, we were grown-ups,” Bujambi said.
_
“We share in the joy you have with this beautiful facility.” – Bishop Emeritus Gerald Bates
_
Before giving the benediction for the dedication service, Bishop Emeritus Bates said, “I just wanted to say how proud we are and how pleased we are with where you have come and the way the Lord has blessed you. We, at the closing years of our missionary life, invested about three years here in this congregation … so we share in the joy you have with this beautiful facility.”
Marlene Bates worked closely on financial matters with Associate Pastor Thoms Rugabisha, whose duties include serving as LifeWay’s treasurer. Rugabisha said, “I was the leader of a school in Africa, but she taught me a lot more than what I learned when I was leading the school.”
LifeWay is now able to expand its ministries by having its own building that was purchased with the help of FM Financial, which operates the Free Methodist Investment & Loan Fund. The building was most recently home to a Presbyterian congregation that disbanded last fall, and it previously housed Baptist and Nazarene ministries. As LifeWay considered whether to buy the building, the name of Free Methodist Pastor Rex Bullock surfaced in conversations.
“I gave Rex Bullock a call. I said, ‘Do you know this building?’ And he said, ‘Yes, this is where we had our radio ministry,’” Lane said. “I said, ‘Rex, is it a good building?’ He said, ‘It’s an amazing building. You need to get it.’”
Along with pastoring, chairing the General Conference Steering Committee and serving as ICCM regional coordinator for Haiti, Bullock was president of Day Media and host of the “Powersurge” and “Dayspring Radio” programs. Bullock died in January within a few weeks of LifeWay taking ownership of the building.
United in Love
With the new location five miles west of John Wesley, LifeWay is bringing The Free Methodist Way to a new section of Indianapolis. LifeWay’s members hope to continue attracting diverse residents who live in the area.
_
“We believe that our identity as Christians transcends cultural boundaries.”
_
“At LifeWay we embrace the diversity of our city and seek to make a positive impact in the lives of its residents,” according to a new brochure distributed by the congregation. “While our church has an African flavor, we believe that our identity as Christians transcends cultural boundaries. At LifeWay, we strive to be the ‘One New People’ of Ephesians 2, united in our love for God and one another.”
LifeWay continues to have a warm relationship with the congregation from which it launched. Current John Wesley FMC Lead Pastor Jen Finley opened the dedication service in prayer and said that even though the future wasn’t clear at LifeWay’s start four years earlier, “You have been faithful every step of the way. You have brought them to this place, to this beautiful building. Lord, tonight we just praise you because you are the God of miracles.”
+
