Monday, October 28, 2013

United Methodist News ~ Monday, 28 October 2013


United Methodist News ~ Monday, 28 October 2013
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“As people of faith, we urge reforms that uphold the God-given dignity and rights of every person, each of whom is made in the image of God. We believe fundamental human rights, such as the right to migrate and the right to support a family, are critical.”(Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of the Texas Annual (regional) Conference.)
What St. Francis can teach United Methodists (Heather Hahn)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Francesco di Bernardone was the kind of rebel a teenager could admire.  
He dressed oddly, spent much of his time alone and quarreled with his father.
His father eventually brought him before the local religious authorities, accusing the 25-year-old Francesco of shirking his responsibilities. 
In one of his first public acts, the young man stripped naked, placed his clothes at the feet of his wealthy cloth merchant father and renounced his parentage. From now on, he said, he had no father but God.
Not exactly what you expect of the namesake for the current pope.
Yet, the man Christians around the world celebrate today as St. Francis of Assisi is likely the most popular saint outside the Bible.
Francis’ popularity extends to The United Methodist Church, where hundreds of congregations annually hold blessings of the animals around the time of his feast day on Oct. 4. At least seven United Methodist congregations in the United States bear the name St. or Saint Francis.
Such renown is no surprise to the Rev. Brent Laytham, a United Methodist elder and dean and professor of theology at the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. St. Mary’s is the oldest Catholic seminary in the United States.
The reformer did so much more than inspire countless birdbath statues, Laytham said. For centuries, he has influenced Christian ministry with the poor, preaching, peace and, of course, pets.
He also offered a radical illustration for what it means to follow Christ, Laytham and other church leaders said.
“His life is a great example and motivation that we need to find that path of faithfulness in our own day,” Laytham said.
Ministry with the poor
Pope Francis has won international praise for striving to emulate the saint’s humility. Since his election this year, the pope has made headlines for washing the feet of women prisoners on Holy Thursday and breaking bread at an Assisi, Italy, soup kitchen.
His namesake was known throughout his ministry for rejection of material wealth and close association with people Jesus identified as “the least of these.”
But Francis, who lived from around 1181 to 1226, easily could have chosen a life of soft beds and stylish clothes.
He grew up a member of his day’s nouveau riche. The world of business left its mark on him during his earliest days. He was baptized Giovanni (for John the Baptist), but his father changed the boy’s name to Francesco after a successful business trip to France.
By all accounts, Francis led a dissolute youth preoccupied with social status. But that all began to change after he was taken prisoner in 1202 during a war between Assisi and neighboring Perugia. He returned to freedom seriously ill and contemplating his future.
He lived when the pope commanded an army, and princes of the church could live like kings. But during his recovery, as he later recounted, a dream urged him “to follow the Master, not the man.”
He turned to prayer, penance and alms-giving. One day while praying, he said, God called him to “repair my house.” So, in 1206, he sold some valuable cloth from his family store to rebuild the run-down chapel of San Damiano. That led his father to drag the young man before the religious authorities. Francis’ break with his family was final.
After repudiating his inheritance, Francis became a friar who showed complete trust that God would provide for his needs.
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How St. Francis influences one congregation
Saint Francis United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., founded in 1989, on its website notes that the congregation, like the saint, grew up on “the dangerous side of town.”
The church of about 600 members is in the rich part of the city. And like the young Francis did, its parishioners have faced the temptations of greed and idolatry.
“We choose our name in part, hoping that, like (Francis), we and our children — by clinging closely and passionately to Jesus — might escape the dangers of what wealth we have, and grow to proper children of God,” the church’s website says.
The Rev. Mark Evans, the church’s pastor, said the church continues to follow Francis’ example in its commitment to ministry with the sick and hungry, and in its vision statement.
“We seek to be an inviting, Christ-centered community identified by compassion and Christian love; devoted to spiritual growth and providing refuge from the clamor of the world,” says the church’s vision statement.
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He slept on the ground and eventually made his home in an abandoned church. He wore a dingy tunic, a rope for a belt and no shoes. He tended to lepers, made friends with social outcasts and embraced a life of no possessions.
Paul J. Griffiths, Warren Professor of Catholic Theology at United Methodist-related Duke Divinity School, said Francis’ commitment to poverty went far beyond what many churchgoers today would accept.
“He thought the ideal Christian life to be one in which nothing at all is owned by anyone,” Griffiths said. “That’s a radical political vision, so radical that I doubt we’re prepared even to think about it, much less to act on it.”
Importance of preaching
Francis, however, soon attracted like-minded brothers. By 1208, Francis and his followers had reached the very biblical number of 12.
Laytham of St. Mary’s Seminary said Francis was a compelling preacher.
“And of course preaching has been at the very core of who we are as a people,” Laytham said, “With John Wesley’s field preaching and the circuit riders, preaching’s been crucial to us. I think Francis is a great reminder that preaching matters.”
In his own quirky way, Francis was an effective evangelist. He not only spoke about the Gospels. He made animal sounds, he danced and he played the zither.
“He was courteous, genial, extroverted — he was fun, a quality not always found in saints — and he laid it upon the brothers, as a duty, to be cheerful,” writes Joan Acocella in a New Yorker review of books about the saint.
He also evidently was a master of the sermon illustration. Tradition holds that before delivering a Christmas homily in the town of Greccio, Italy, Francis organized the first living Nativity scene. He used the scene to demonstrate the humble birth of the King of Kings.
Thanks in part to his preaching and personality, his message spread. Before he died at 44, his brothers numbered in the thousands and were working across Europe. He had also inspired Clare, an aristocratic woman in Assisi, to give up her wealth and found the community of women known today as “the Poor Clares.”
Dare for peace
But perhaps Francis’ most audacious move came in 1219. Francis and a dozen other friars traveled to Egypt during the fifth Crusade to try to convert the sultan to Christianity. Francis managed to make it through the battle lines to meet al-Malik al-Kamil, the leader of Egypt, Syria and Palestine.
The two had a cordial conversation. But the sultan did not change faiths, and the war continued.
Griffiths said Francis’ journey had two motives — to convert Muslims and to seek his own martyrdom. “There's no good evidence that he was what we would call a pacifist,” Griffiths said.
While Francis survived the Holy Land trip, the journey most likely shortened his life. He returned to Italy with malaria and a painful eye infection.
Francis also most likely did not write the famous prayer that bears his name and begins “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.” The earliest record of the prayer dates to 1912 in France.
Still, Laytham sees in Francis’ efforts a source of comfort for those trying to be peacemakers today.
“Most of us who are committed to peace have been failing,” he said. “In one sense, Jesus creates our peace precisely out of an event that looks like a failure — Crucifixion. In the end, Jesus is the one who brings peace.”
Care for creation
Francis is most widely known for his celebration of God’s creation. Easily his most famous writing was “Canticle of the Sun.” The prayer is the inspiration for the hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King,” No. 62 in the United Methodist Hymnal.
Stories abound of Francis’ kindness to animals. He preached to birds. He brokered peace between a village and a hungry wolf.
“He rescued a pheasant from a hunter, fish from a fisherman, dogs from cruel owners and taught people through all the ages how they should be kind to animals and protect them from harm,” said the Rev. Arthur D. Thomas, an elder and adjunct professor of the history of spirituality at United Methodist-related Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington.
Thomas recently preached about Francis at his church, Concord-St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Bethesda, Md.
The Rev. David Wilkinson, pastor of the 700-member Saint Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church in Tucson, Ariz., said Francis was “an inspiring and blessed saint who taught us to awaken to harmony not only with the animal kingdom but also in the human kingdom.”
The saint remains popular in part because he is such a tough act to follow, church leaders say.
He “inspires us to do more than we think we can do for Christ,” Thomas said.
“While Protestants are not called to become friars and embrace poverty to do so, they are moved by one who depended on God by faith and lived with such a simple lifestyle to accomplish so much for the ‘least of these’ in society.”
*Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Church’s animal blessing doesn’t miss a bleat Alexis Krell)
GIG HARBOR, Wash. (UMNS) — Gizmo the pug probably didn’t know why she was at church Sunday, but with her tail furiously wagging, she sure was excited to be there.
“Do you want to meet the other dogs?” owner Barry Greenfield asked the almost 2-year-old dog, clad in a Seahawks bandanna and blue fleece that matched his sweatshirt. “We can do that.”
“Gizzy” was one of dozens of animals that came to be blessed Sunday at Gig Harbor United Methodist Church.
She ran to greet 7-year-old miniature schnauzer-West Highland terrier mix Andy on the church lawn, as the pets mingled before the outdoor blessing.
Pastor Jim Head-Corliss said it’s the first year the church has held such a blessing. Similar events at other venues usually take place around Oct. 4, St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day, to honor the Catholic saint’s love for all creatures.
The Gig Harbor congregation plans to hold the blessing annually, Head-Corliss said.
“Us Protestants, that was part of our history as well,” the pastor said. “There are just a lot of spiritual people who are also pet owners. We thought: ‘Let’s have a party for them.’ ”
When asked if he was nervous about what might happen with a mix of dogs, cats, livestock and other animals gathered outside the church, he laughed.
“You never know,” he said. “It’s like people, too, isn’t it? Get a bunch of us together and we might bark at each other. It might be easier (here); they’re on leashes and in carriers.”
Other than a brief snarl or two, the event seemed to go off without much trouble.
There was Russell, the 21-pound orange tabby cat who watched the commotion from inside his cage. And Ginger the Airedale terrier, who was shaking she was so excited to be with the other pets.
Pastor Jim blessed them all one by one during the ceremony, which was punctuated by barks and goat bleats.
He also invited everyone to call out the names of former pets at one point during the blessing; some brought pictures of animals they wanted to remember.
The family wrangling the most animals was probably 11-year-old Rylee Brown’s.
“Three goats, and a rooster, and a cat and a rabbit,” she said.
They didn’t have enough people to bring their two other goats, four pigs, three horses and other cat, she said. Her goat Calico, about a year old, munched on dandelions during the blessing, after racing up and down a hill by the church with Rylee and going nose to nose with a handful of pooches.
“I just think everything we have should be blessed that we can bring,” Rylee said. “We really like them.”
Fox Island United Church of Christ will have its 10th annual animal blessing beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 27 at 726 Sixth Avenue Fi, said Neve Norton, who helped start the tradition there.
She and golden retriever-chow mix Baxter attended Sunday’s blessing.
The Fox Island church has had donkeys, chickens and possums before. It’ll be an extra adventure this year, Norton said: For the first time, they’re going to have the indoor blessing as part of their regular service.
Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268
@amkrell
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Houston clergy urge defeat of immigration bill (Cindy George)
HOUSTON (UMNS) — Houston clergy joined dozens of immigration reform supporters Wednesday to call for Congress to reject legislation that would permit tougher penalties and enforcement for an illegal presence in the United States.
At a news conference organized by The Metropolitan Organization, leaders also urged those who oppose the SAFE Act to contact their representatives in Congress and ask for comprehensive immigration reform.
This spring, a bipartisan group of senators proposed the first major overhaul of U.S. immigration policy since 1986.
The Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act, backed by House Republicans, would allow state and local governments to draft immigration laws that did not conflict with federal statutes. The bill, approved by the House Judiciary Committee this summer, also gives state and local law enforcement agencies more power to arrest and charge immigrants for overstaying visas or entering the country illegally while shifting a visa overstay from a civil to a criminal matter.
'We can do better'
Bishop Michael Rinehart of the Evangelical Lutheran Church's Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod said the SAFE Act contradicts the principles local faith leaders established in 2008. Those include family unity, protection of workers, a viable path to citizenship and reform of deportation procedures to honor human rights.
"It allows for unlimited detention in some instances without federal oversight, it encourages more racial profiling, it denies access to justice and it criminalizes anyone offering Good Samaritan assistance to those who lack immigration status," Rinehart said. "We can do better than this."
But Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies - a Washington, D.C.-based research institute - said The Metropolitan Organization's interpretation of SAFE is "an excuse to oppose something that is going to assist in immigration enforcement" to the benefit of public safety and national security.
"The objective is to make it easier for the people who are causing the most problems and are here illegally to be removed," Vaughan said. "It improves the partnerships between federal immigration enforcement agencies … and local law enforcement organizations who are on the front lines in addressing some of the crime."
According to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics, roughly 11.5 million undocumented immigrants were in the United States in January 2011, and 1.8 million of them resided in Texas. Other estimates put the number of unauthorized residents in the Houston area at more than 500,000.
Concern for the young
SAFE opponents are concerned that young people who have been granted deferred action as childhood arrivals by President Barack Obama under criteria in the proposed DREAM Act could face arrest and deportation. One of those who might become vulnerable is 18-year-old Diana Cinco, a Houston high school senior who arrived here from El Salvador at the age of 7, recently obtained her driver's license and hopes to attend the University of Houston next fall.
"Our stories are just beginning," Cinco said in the sanctuary of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in the Museum District. "Don't do away with deferred action. Don't take away the hopes and dreams or the future from us. We are part of the future of the United States."
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Rev. Kevin Collins 
Phone: 210-279-6646 
Houston-Area Faith Leaders reject the “Safe Act” bill
Wednesday October 23, 1:30 pm St Paul’s United Methodist Church
The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) and members of an Interfaith coalition of Houston area religious leaders, including Bishop Janice Riggle Huie (Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church) Rabbi David Lyon (Congregation Beth Israel), Bishop Michael Rinehart (Gulf Coast Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), Bishop Andrew Doyle (Episcopal Diocese of Texas), Rev. Mike Cole (General Presbyter New Covenant Presbytery), His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo (Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston), Rev. John Ogletree (First Metropolitan Church), and others, will gather on Wednesday October 23, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street, Houston, Texas.
Cardinal DiNardo states, “We will urge the House of Representatives to pass comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together, protects workers and “Dreamers,” and provides a workable path to citizenship. These faith leaders find the “Safe Act” bill unacceptable, as well as any legislation that addresses only border security. For that reason, in light of our principles, it is unacceptable. For the past three years, we faith leaders have met, prayed, studied and spoken in unity over the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. Every day, in parishes, congregations, synagogues and mosques, through our charitable and outreach ministries, we witness the pain, fear and heartache of people who come to us, who live among us in the shadows of society. They can suffer exploitation in the workplace, live under the constant threat of deportation and bear the weight of the fear of possible separation from their family members and friends.”
Speaking for the group, Bishop Huie continues, “As people of faith, we urge reforms that uphold the God-given dignity and rights of every person, each of whom are made in the image of God. We believe fundamental human rights, such as the right to migrate and the right to support a family, are critical. We are dedicated to just and compassionate immigration reform because we value family unity, justice, equity, compassion, love, and the humane treatment of all persons.”
Rabbi Lyon adds, “As leaders of various faith communities, this coalition stands united in our beliefs in the dignity and infinite worth of every human being is made in the image of God. How we treat the immigrant is a core religious value for each of our faith communities - to welcome the immigrant is to welcome a child of God.”
In 2008, the coalition issued a joint statement of shared faith principles which they believe should inform and shape the needed changes to our immigration laws. They have used, andcontinue to use, these principles to evaluate any proposed immigration reform legislation. These principles include:
*Family unity; 
*Protection of workers and an efficient and adequate process for documented entry of new
workers; 
*A viable path to citizenship; and 
*Restoration of due process procedures and reformation of deportation procedures
consistent with the honoring of basic human rights Coalition leaders continue to urge for reform consistent with these principles and find the Safe Act, as well any bill that addresses only border security to be sorely lacking.
The group prays for their Senators and Congress men and women by name.
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General Conference 2016 worship/music leader named ~ GC2016 Worship/Music Director Named
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — United Methodist Communications
Office of Public Information
810 12th Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37203
www.umcpresscenter.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2013
Nashville, Tenn.: The Rev. Laura Jaquith Bartlett of Eagle Creek, Ore. has been named worship and music director for the 2016 United Methodist General Conference by the Commission on the General Conference.
“Laura will coordinate the worship that focuses us for the General Conference work of the global United Methodist Church,"said Sara Hotchkiss, business manager of the General Conference.
Bartlett is president-elect of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music & Worship Arts and program director at the Alton L. Collins Retreat Center, as well as worship coach for several United Methodist churches. Her experience in leading music and worship spans more than two decades. She is an ordained deacon in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and a three-time delegate to General Conference, serving as head of delegation in 2012.
The Commission on the General Conference has chosen “Therefore, go” as the theme of the event. As worship and music director, Bartlett will be responsible for designing and coordinating the worship experience and music in conjunction with the theme. Bartlett will also be responsible for music leadership in the plenary sessions, work with the Council of Bishops' Worship Committee and the General Board of Discipleship in planning worship services, and audition and choose choirs to perform during the 11-day event.
“My hope, as well as my challenge, is to create experiences of worship that are both grand and intimate encounters with God,” said Bartlett. “The amazing experience of having thousands of people from around the world gathered in one place should reflect the grandeur and majesty of God. Yet, I personally believe for General Conference to be truly effective, we need to celebrate the relationships we share with one another and with God, so worship will also lift up the intimacy of the divine-human relationship and the blessings of our connection with each other as members of the Body of Christ.”
The selection committee felt that Bartlett's leadership skills, open spirit, gentleness and vision were well-suited for the position. "We found Laura very comprehensive, ready to cooperate with everybody to perform her work," said Joseph Mulongo, committee chair. "Laura was interested in everyone in the room and made them a part of the service during her interview."
Bartlett graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Theology with both a Master of Sacred Theology and a Master of Sacred Music degree. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, with honors from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore.
About General Conference 2016
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The assembly meets once every four years to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for churchwide programs for the next four years. The next meeting will take place May 10-20, 2016 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore.
Media contact:
Diane Degnan
ddegnan@umcom.org
615.742.5406 (office) 615.483.1765 (cell)
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Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share with others, email newsdesk@umcom.org and put Digest in the subject line.
Lunch and Learn on Christian Leadership in a Pluralistic Society, Monday, Oct. 28 — 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT. Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology will present a free lecture by Robert Hunt at Houston-Galveston Extension Program in Houston. Details.
Welcome Table at Wesley Theological Seminary, Monday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Nov. 21 — 4 to 7:30 p.m. ET, prospective students can join a meal and attend a class at the seminary. Details.
Free webinar “The ELI Project — Developing Young People as Spiritual Leaders,” Wednesday, Oct. 30 — 3 p.m. CT. This webinar is an overview of the Experiential Leadership Initiative, a collaborative effort of the North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference Camp and Retreat Ministry and other ministries. To register.
“JustPeace101,” Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2 — Event in the theory, theology, principles and practices of conflict transformation led by JustPeace, The United Methodist Church’s Center for Conflict Transformation, in Nashville, Tenn. Details.
Free webinar “Exploring the Bible through Multiple Intelligences,” Tuesday, Nov. 5 — 6:30 p.m. CT, applying work of Harvard University’s Howard Gardner to Bible study. To register.
Free webinar “Children and Worship: The Conversation Continues,” Thursday, Nov. 7 — 10 a.m. CT. How did Jesus address children in worship? How should we address that ongoing question of whether children should worship with the gathered body? To register.
Free webinar “Developing Your Ministry Plan 3: Discovering your Discipleship Process,” Thursday, Nov. 7 — 6:30 p.m. CT. This session will focus on four key areas of congregational life: values, small groups, worship and preaching. To register.
In Mission Together, Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 7-9 — The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries will hold 50/50 Partnership Roundtable for United Methodists in the U.S., Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The gathering is at Cheviot United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Details.
“Love across the Spectrum” Conference, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 8-9 — Sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan University Chaplain’s Office. Details.
Red Bird Mission Appalachian Craft Fair, Saturday, November 9 — 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Bethel United Methodist Church-Chewsville, 21006 Twin Springs Dr., Smithsburg, Md. Details.
Spirituality of Advent Retreat, Saturday, Nov. 9 — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT, Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, Tenn. $25. Details.
Veterans Day or Armistice Day, Monday, Nov.11 — Resources for honoring military veterans, from United Methodist Communications and from United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Workshop on Advocacy, Tuesday-Thursday, Nov. 12-14 — Training for anyone asked to be an advocate for a pastor or lay person. To register and learn the cost and location, contact the Rev. Jerry Eckert of Associates in Advocacy at aj_eckert@hotmail.com. Registration limited. 
Free webinar on “Creating Sacred Spaces and Praying through Our Senses,” Thursday, Nov. 14 —7 p.m. CT. The final offering in the “Teach Us to Pray” series will look at the value of creating set-aside space for prayer and devotional time. As Advent approaches, the webinar also will look at how icons and other visual images, music and incense can enrich Christians’ experience of drawing nearer to God through prayer. Details.
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United Methodist News Service
United Methodist Communications
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203 United States
Phone: (615)742~5400
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