Key points:
- The Rev. Isaac Broune has died of cancer at age 48.
- He was a trailblazing African communicator for United Methodism, sharing stories through radio, photography, writing, editing and translation.
- Broune also studied at Vanderbilt Divinity School and returned to his home country of Côte d’Ivoire to lead local churches, even as he continued his communications ministry.
The Rev. Isaac Broune, an influential communicator and pastor who played a significant role at every level of the church, is being remembered in his home country of Côte d’Ivoire and across the global United Methodist connection as a kind person who walked with Jesus.
Broune died May 5 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 48.
“For me, he was no longer a colleague but simply a son,” said Bishop Benjamin Boni of the Côte d’Ivoire Conference, where Broune served as assistant to the bishop, among other roles. “The quality of his life and his unshakeable faith even in the last moments remain for us the testimony of a life entirely dedicated to the dead and resurrected Lord.”
Broune’s career tracked with the history of communications in The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire, according to Dominique Tayoro, director of communications for the Côte d’Ivoire Conference. Broune was involved in the startup of the conference’s newspaper and its radio station, she said.
He was multidisciplinary and multidimensional, “a true gift from God in the service of his neighbor,” Tayoro said. “He knew how to spontaneously remove his pastor’s robe to become the servant.
“Reverend Pastor Isaac Broune, the good Samaritan, was our closest collaborator in the ministry,” she said. “He was an attentive ear and a hand always open to give. … He will forever remain in our hearts.”
Broune worked closely with Boni while also leading two congregations, supporting conference communications and coordinating francophone news coverage for UM News and United Methodist Communications.
“Isaac was a passionate leader who embodied the hope and love of the Gospel in his work and life,” said Dan Krause, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications. “His face always wore a smile, even as he filled multiple roles simultaneously and dedicated himself fully to each.
“He leaves large shoes to fill in the Côte d’Ivoire Conference and for our global communications team at UMCom,” Krause said. “Speaking for my colleagues at UMCom, our heart breaks for his family amid their loss, and we pray for God’s presence to give them peace.”
Isaac Donko Kouassi Broune was born to John Robert Broune and Essi Kouma in Sassako-Bégnini. His father was a fisherman and his mother a fishmonger, and he later wrote in a paper for Vanderbilt Divinity School: “I want to perpetuate the main occupation of my parents but in other waters. As it is my calling, I want to catch fishes, prepare and offer them to the Lord, our Creator. As it is written ‘And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?’ (Romans 10:14b -15a).”
The Bible passage from Romans was a favorite, one that Broune had framed on his wall at home and also proclaimed on his license plate: Rom1015.
Broune’s father died when Broune was still a child, and his mother passed away in February of this year. Both parents instilled in him a love for the Methodist church. At 17, he became a Sunday school teacher and later a licensed lay preacher.
While working on his bachelor’s degree at the University of Abidjan-Cocody, Broune formed a lifelong friendship with classmate Hervé Koutouan.
“We met on the first day of class in 1996. Isaac proudly wore a Methodist uniform,” recalled Koutouan, who went on to become a journalist in Abidjan. “I naturally became closer to him,” he said, describing Isaac as a brother.
Upon graduation, Broune went to work as a communicator for what was then the Protestant Methodist Church of Cote d’Ivoire. When his denomination joined The United Methodist Church in the early 2000s, Broune formed lasting relationships with a broad family of communicators and began collaborating with partners at UMCom.
“When United Methodist Communications began an effort called the Central Conference Communications Initiative to build communications capacity in The United Methodist Church across Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the United States, Isaac was instrumental in establishing relationships, identifying key persons and providing training to make this vision concrete,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, former top staff executive of the agency.
Broune participated in the agency’s first major training in Africa in 2006, when communicators from around the continent convened for two weeks at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
“I first met a young Isaac Broune at Africa University while doing training for African communicators hosted by UMCom,” said Bishop Cynthia Harvey, who currently leads the Texas Conference. “We had an instant connection, as I saw in Isaac a humble servant of God. It was a prophetic and sacred meeting. He later became my interpreter on my many trips to Ivory Coast as we developed a partnership between the Texas Annual Conference and The United Methodist Church of Côte d’Ivoire.
“Our relationship spans well over two decades,” she said. “We journeyed together as he came to the U.S. and received his Master of Divinity and was later ordained. When I was elected a bishop, one of my first communications came from Isaac.”
Broune was a key player in a partnership, made possible through the central conference initiative, to establish a radio station in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, said Hollon. La Voix de l’Esperance — the Voice of Hope — radio station was launched in 2010. “It was the first of its kind for the initiative and was replicated in other settings globally,” he said.
His ministry took a wide range, including working on Le Méthodiste, the conference newspaper, and serving as a correspondent for the Methodist Times in Ghana. In 2012, he was asked by UM News to staff the French news desk at General Conference, a move that he once described as the pinnacle of his life to that point.
That pinnacle would be topped a few months later, on July 7, 2012, when he married Diane Baguia Epse in Abidjan. In January 2015, their son, Jason Mike, was born.
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Later in 2015, Broune was admitted to Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee, continuing the pursuit of his dream to become a pastor. He arrived bearing gifts for all of the faculty and his fellow students. Emilie Townes, distinguished professor of womanist ethics and society and gender and sexuality studies, was dean of the school at the time and became a mentor.
“There are many words that members of the VDS faculty use to describe Isaac — remarkable, resilient, journalist, thoughtful, kind, humble, loving, generous, teachable, hope-filled, delightful student,” said Townes, now dean emerita. “I remember him as filled with joy, and most of all, he was faithful. A wonderful warm light has dimmed, but we were blessed with his presence and must carry it on.”
Broune’s faith and joy were reflected in a signature tagline in his messages: “Have faith. God is always up to something.” Conversations often concluded with the assurance, “It shall be well.”
While attending Vanderbilt, Broune worked in the offices of United Methodist Communications and The Upper Room at Discipleship Ministries. He helped launch UMCom’s ongoing francophone news coverage and continued that work with the agency after graduating in 2018.
“Isaac was an eager learner during his years of field education at The Upper Room and Discipleship Ministries,” said Robin Pippin, former executive director of publishing for The Upper Room. Broune worked on the E-Reader Project, serving theological schools across Africa, and he also wrote at least one meditation for The Upper Room’s daily devotional guide, spent time with program areas such as The Walk to Emmaus and assisted in various departments of Discipleship Ministries, including New Church Starts and the Worship section.
“Isaac was well-known and well-loved by staff throughout the building that housed the agency and The Upper Room,” Pippin said.
Upon returning to Côte d’Ivoire, Broune was appointed the conference’s first national chaplain of communication. His responsibilities increased when he became assistant to the bishop upon the death of his mentor, Dr. Yed Angoran, in 2020. The following year, he was ordained a pastor, the culmination of a longtime goal.
“Isaac loved the Lord deeply, (and) seeing him be consecrated pastor in December 2021 was a real source of pride and a great subject of thanksgiving to the Lord for my family and me,” Koutouan said.
“Despite his multiple occupations, he did not depart from his pastoral functions, which he carried out with joy for the two communities for which he was responsible,” Koutouan said. As pastor, Broune led Cité de Paix d’Anani and Bethel United Methodist churches in the Elephant neighborhood of South Abidjan.
Meanwhile, he continued to support conference communications, including providing input into the startup of Esperance TV. He became an accomplished photographer, providing images for articles he wrote on a range of topics, including the Ebola outbreak. The cover of his 2021 memoir features Broune in his clerical attire, holding a camera.
In the memoir, titled “Me Voici (Here I Am): Journaliste Par Passion, Pasteur Par Vocation,” he explored his twin passions of communicating and serving as a pastor. Those skills also converged to make him an expert teacher, and working with UMCom, he trained many communicators in newswriting and photography.
“His death creates a gap of leadership that will be felt across the entire United Methodist connection, as it will a gap in our hearts because we have lost a dear friend and humble servant of God,” Harvey said.
Broune is survived by his wife, Diane, son, Jason Mike, and a large family of relatives. Vigils celebrating his life began in Abidjan on May 15 and a funeral service was set for May 24. A memorial service in the U.S. also is being planned.
Tanton is Chief News Officer at United Methodist Communications. Sam Hodges contributed. Contact them at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.