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Rev. Ripple to grace Methodist gathering
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Posted on Nov 22 2000
Erstwhile residents of Saipan, Barbara and Jim Ripple will be the honored guests at a gathering of Methodists this Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Paradise Hotel on Middle Road. The Rev. Barbara Grace Ripple is the superintendent of the Hawaii District of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC). She is also the founding Pastor of the Immanuel UMC of Saipan. Jim Ripple is a retired former head of the Commonwealth Development Authority.
Billed as a gathering of Methodists and Friends, the informal social event invites friends of the Ripples and colleagues of Methodist-supported causes to drop-in for a cup of tea and a plateful of tropical fellowship.
The Methodist Church of Saipan consists of different congregations relating to Methodist Churches in the United States, Korea, China and the Philippines. The Methodist Church polity is characterized as a connectional system bridging the wide spectrum of Episcopal authority and local church autonomy.
Methodist presence in Saipan formally began when Lee Myung Taek, Muksa Nim (Reverend), of the Korean Methodist Church established Immanuel Methodist Mission in 1990. Through Rev. Lee and Immanuel’s support and encouragement, the English (International), Chinese and Filipino congregations emerged. Presently, the Korean and Chinese congregations meet at Koblerville. The English congregation and a Filipino fellowship meet at the Oleai House of the Marianas Resource Center in San Jose.
