NOTE: This is a digest of news features provided by United Methodist Communications for April 20-24. It includes summaries of United Methodist News Service stories and additional briefs from around the United Methodist connection. Full versions of the stories with photographs and related features can be found at umc.org/news.
Top Stories
How should General Conference discuss sexuality?PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) — 
The Rev. Maxie Dunnam speaks in opposition to legislation which would have acknowledged that United Methodists disagree on issues of sexuality during the denomination's 2012 General Conference in Tampa, Fla.PreviousNext
How should General Conference discuss sexuality?
By Heather Hahn
PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)
Every four years, The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly debates the denomination’s stance on homosexuality – a debate that includes rancor, protests and a lot of pain.
“It’s like the church is a set of conjoined twins, and we’re in a fist fight,” said the Rev. Frank Beard, vice chair of the Commission on General Conference. “No one wins, and we’re just beating ourselves up.”
The Commission on General Conference, which plans the quadrennial legislative gathering, went behind closed doors with representatives from advocacy groups to try to find a new way to handle this emotional dispute that affects people’s faith and their lives.
The closed-door meeting on April 20 included representatives from five advocacy groups that have a stake in the debate. The commission is holding its last full meeting before the next General Conference in May 2016 in Portland, Oregon.
The invited groups, listed in alphabetical order, were: The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church, Good News, Love Prevails, the Methodist Federation for Social Action and Reconciling Ministries Network. The commission paid for the representatives’ hotel accommodationsand meals, but the groups were responsible for airfare to the meeting at First United Methodist Church in Portland.
Judi M. Kenaston, the commission’s chair, said the commission knew this was not “an exhaustive list” of United Methodist groups with something to say in the discussion. But the body wanted to engage at least some of the more outspoken groups.
Altogether, nine representatives met with commission members in theologically diverse small groups as well as together in joint sessions.
The stakes are high.
Three groups advocate changing what they see as the denomination’s discriminatory policies. Two groups advocate maintaining what they see as the church’s historic definition of marriage and essential doctrine. All the groups cite the Bible in support of their point of view.
“We did not make any plans for what we were going to do,” Kenaston said. “One of the things I thought was positive is that every group there made a commitment to continue in conversation. It was difficult conversation, but it’s a start.”
WHAT DOES THE CHURCH SAY
The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s law book, prohibits United Methodist churches from hosting and clergy from performing “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions.”
Officiating at same-sex unions is a chargeable offense under the Discipline. Clergy convicted in a church court can face a loss of clergy credentials or lesser penalties. The book also allows for complaints against clergy who officiate at same-gender unions to be resolved without a trial. That has been the case with some recent high-profile complaints, including one against retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert.
The Book of Discipline states that marriage is between a man and a woman. It also affirms that all people are of sacred worth, that all are in need of the church’s ministry, and that God’s grace is available to all. The church implores congregations and families not to reject gay and lesbian members and friends.
Read full coverage of sexuality and the church.
Why a closed meeting?
The Book of Discipline — the denomination’s law book — urges open church meetings “in the spirit of openness and accountability.” Paragraph 722makes some exceptions, including for “negotiations, when general knowledge could be harmful to the negotiation process.” That negotiation passage was the reason cited for closing the afternoon session.
“Our hope in having this negotiation is to come to some sort of consensus as a commission that will help to guide and plan for General Conference,” the Rev. Lynn Hill told the commission before the afternoon session he helped organize.
To close a meeting requires a vote of at least three-fourths of the church body. More than three-fourths of the commission voted for the closed session. Before the vote, United Methodist News Service objected to commission leaders, contending the session was not a negotiation and should be public.
Trying to avoid a repeat of 2012
The Book of Discipline since 1972 has proclaimed that all people are of sacred worth but that the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Sharp debate about that position has surfaced at each subsequent General Conference.
Advocates of various theological perspectives all expressed frustration with how the debate unfolded at the 2012 General Conference.
That gathering included time for what were intended to be holy conversations to help delegates discuss the church's position on homosexuality. The time failed to have the hoped-for effect, with many LGBTQ individuals and their allies reporting incidents of bullying. The initials stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer.
Dorothee Benz said she and others told commission members that LGBTQ individuals were called “pedophiles, prostitutes, murderers.” Some couples had their relationships compared to bestiality. In many cases, presiding officers in these conversations did not intervene.
Benz is the national representative from Methodists in New Directions, an advocacy group in New York. She came at the invitation of Love Prevails and was among the advocates who called for an end of what they see as discriminatory practices. She also will be a New York Conference delegate at the 2016 General Conference.
The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, vice president and general manager of Good News, agreed that the intended “holy conversations” were “not well-executed or well-planned.”
“Throughout the conference, there also seemed an attempt to delay and so you ended up at the end of General Conference with a whole backlog of petitions,” he said.
His group advocates for keeping the Book of Discipline’s current stance. The group also wants to strengthen penalties against clergy it sees as breaking covenant by violating the denomination’s ban on “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy or blessing same-gender unions.
“The commission can’t change the vote,” Benz said, “but they define the process.”
Handling demonstrations
Another concern is how General Conference organizers handle protests that frequently occur around the issue.
After the 2012 General Conference rejected efforts to change the church’s language regarding homosexuality, dozens of protestors poured onto the plenary floor, singing “What Does the Lord Require of You?” The demonstration continued started about mid-morning and ended after consultations with bishops following the lunch break.
“We know bishops are in a difficult position because after the vote on sexuality there are always people who are hurting, and they feel like they need to make a statement that gives hope to people that they represent,” said the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president of Good News. “But they have rather consistently allowed the business of the General Conference to be overtaken by those concerns.”
Kenaston said the commission does not expect its meeting with advocates to prevent future demonstrations. But she said the meeting did offer the chance “for us to hear as a commission why that might happen.”
Points of consensus and concern
“The consensus was that we all know General Conference is an emotional and hurtful process,” Renfroe said.
“I think there is consensus that we all want to find a way to minimize the hurt and to allow everyone be heard and at the same time … to allow people to vote their conscience and keep to their principles. We happen to see some important issues in different ways,” he said.
Representatives from Love Prevails, Reconciling Ministries Network and the Methodist Federation for Social Action, said in a statement that they asked the commission “take concrete, affirmative steps to prevent the harm suffered by LGBTQ people at past General Conferences from recurring in 2016.”
“Whatever the church’s theological differences, there can be no place for spiritual violence in the church of Jesus Christ,” the group’s statement said.
Finding a workable alternative to how previous General Conferences handled the issue won’t be easy.
But living together in disagreement can sometimes be part of God’s call, said commission member Jorge Lockward, who led the group’s morning devotion on April 20.
“We know the Spirit shows up when we are together, even when we are uncomfortably together,” he said. “The kind of life God requires only happens in community and sometimes that is in difficult community.”
Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
United Methodist Church donates $9.6 million to Global Fund
By Heather Hahn
PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)
Every four years, The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly debates the denomination’s stance on homosexuality – a debate that includes rancor, protests and a lot of pain.
“It’s like the church is a set of conjoined twins, and we’re in a fist fight,” said the Rev. Frank Beard, vice chair of the Commission on General Conference. “No one wins, and we’re just beating ourselves up.”
The Commission on General Conference, which plans the quadrennial legislative gathering, went behind closed doors with representatives from advocacy groups to try to find a new way to handle this emotional dispute that affects people’s faith and their lives.
The closed-door meeting on April 20 included representatives from five advocacy groups that have a stake in the debate. The commission is holding its last full meeting before the next General Conference in May 2016 in Portland, Oregon.
The invited groups, listed in alphabetical order, were: The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church, Good News, Love Prevails, the Methodist Federation for Social Action and Reconciling Ministries Network. The commission paid for the representatives’ hotel accommodationsand meals, but the groups were responsible for airfare to the meeting at First United Methodist Church in Portland.
Judi M. Kenaston, the commission’s chair, said the commission knew this was not “an exhaustive list” of United Methodist groups with something to say in the discussion. But the body wanted to engage at least some of the more outspoken groups.
Altogether, nine representatives met with commission members in theologically diverse small groups as well as together in joint sessions.
The stakes are high.
Three groups advocate changing what they see as the denomination’s discriminatory policies. Two groups advocate maintaining what they see as the church’s historic definition of marriage and essential doctrine. All the groups cite the Bible in support of their point of view.
“We did not make any plans for what we were going to do,” Kenaston said. “One of the things I thought was positive is that every group there made a commitment to continue in conversation. It was difficult conversation, but it’s a start.”
WHAT DOES THE CHURCH SAY
The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s law book, prohibits United Methodist churches from hosting and clergy from performing “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions.”
Officiating at same-sex unions is a chargeable offense under the Discipline. Clergy convicted in a church court can face a loss of clergy credentials or lesser penalties. The book also allows for complaints against clergy who officiate at same-gender unions to be resolved without a trial. That has been the case with some recent high-profile complaints, including one against retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert.
The Book of Discipline states that marriage is between a man and a woman. It also affirms that all people are of sacred worth, that all are in need of the church’s ministry, and that God’s grace is available to all. The church implores congregations and families not to reject gay and lesbian members and friends.
Read full coverage of sexuality and the church.
Why a closed meeting?
The Book of Discipline — the denomination’s law book — urges open church meetings “in the spirit of openness and accountability.” Paragraph 722makes some exceptions, including for “negotiations, when general knowledge could be harmful to the negotiation process.” That negotiation passage was the reason cited for closing the afternoon session.
“Our hope in having this negotiation is to come to some sort of consensus as a commission that will help to guide and plan for General Conference,” the Rev. Lynn Hill told the commission before the afternoon session he helped organize.
To close a meeting requires a vote of at least three-fourths of the church body. More than three-fourths of the commission voted for the closed session. Before the vote, United Methodist News Service objected to commission leaders, contending the session was not a negotiation and should be public.
Trying to avoid a repeat of 2012
The Book of Discipline since 1972 has proclaimed that all people are of sacred worth but that the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Sharp debate about that position has surfaced at each subsequent General Conference.
Advocates of various theological perspectives all expressed frustration with how the debate unfolded at the 2012 General Conference.
That gathering included time for what were intended to be holy conversations to help delegates discuss the church's position on homosexuality. The time failed to have the hoped-for effect, with many LGBTQ individuals and their allies reporting incidents of bullying. The initials stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer.
Dorothee Benz said she and others told commission members that LGBTQ individuals were called “pedophiles, prostitutes, murderers.” Some couples had their relationships compared to bestiality. In many cases, presiding officers in these conversations did not intervene.
Benz is the national representative from Methodists in New Directions, an advocacy group in New York. She came at the invitation of Love Prevails and was among the advocates who called for an end of what they see as discriminatory practices. She also will be a New York Conference delegate at the 2016 General Conference.
The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, vice president and general manager of Good News, agreed that the intended “holy conversations” were “not well-executed or well-planned.”
“Throughout the conference, there also seemed an attempt to delay and so you ended up at the end of General Conference with a whole backlog of petitions,” he said.
His group advocates for keeping the Book of Discipline’s current stance. The group also wants to strengthen penalties against clergy it sees as breaking covenant by violating the denomination’s ban on “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy or blessing same-gender unions.
“The commission can’t change the vote,” Benz said, “but they define the process.”
Handling demonstrations
Another concern is how General Conference organizers handle protests that frequently occur around the issue.
After the 2012 General Conference rejected efforts to change the church’s language regarding homosexuality, dozens of protestors poured onto the plenary floor, singing “What Does the Lord Require of You?” The demonstration continued started about mid-morning and ended after consultations with bishops following the lunch break.
“We know bishops are in a difficult position because after the vote on sexuality there are always people who are hurting, and they feel like they need to make a statement that gives hope to people that they represent,” said the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president of Good News. “But they have rather consistently allowed the business of the General Conference to be overtaken by those concerns.”
Kenaston said the commission does not expect its meeting with advocates to prevent future demonstrations. But she said the meeting did offer the chance “for us to hear as a commission why that might happen.”
Points of consensus and concern
“The consensus was that we all know General Conference is an emotional and hurtful process,” Renfroe said.
“I think there is consensus that we all want to find a way to minimize the hurt and to allow everyone be heard and at the same time … to allow people to vote their conscience and keep to their principles. We happen to see some important issues in different ways,” he said.
Representatives from Love Prevails, Reconciling Ministries Network and the Methodist Federation for Social Action, said in a statement that they asked the commission “take concrete, affirmative steps to prevent the harm suffered by LGBTQ people at past General Conferences from recurring in 2016.”
“Whatever the church’s theological differences, there can be no place for spiritual violence in the church of Jesus Christ,” the group’s statement said.
Finding a workable alternative to how previous General Conferences handled the issue won’t be easy.
But living together in disagreement can sometimes be part of God’s call, said commission member Jorge Lockward, who led the group’s morning devotion on April 20.
“We know the Spirit shows up when we are together, even when we are uncomfortably together,” he said. “The kind of life God requires only happens in community and sometimes that is in difficult community.”
Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
United Methodist Church donates $9.6 million to Global Fund
WASHINGTON (UMNS) —
Photo by Jay Mallin, UMNS
Bishop Thomas Bickerton (center) and the Rev. Gary Henderson (right) present Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of the Global Fund, with a gift for $9.6 million from Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of the people of The United Methodist Church.
United Methodist Church contributes $9.6 million to Global Fund
By Crystal Caviness
WASHINGTON (UMNS)
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton has presented a check for $9.6 million from the people of The UnitedMethodist Church to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The gift to the Geneva-based organization is the single largest contribution ever made by a faith-based group, fund officials said.
Bickerton presented the check from the denomination’s Imagine No Malaria initiative to Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of the Geneva-based Global Fund, in a ceremony at the Capitol Visitors Center that was attended by lawmakers, United Methodists and members of secular and global groups. The presentation was one of a number of global events held to mark World Malaria Day, April 25.
“As I stand here, representing Imagine No Malaria and the people of The United Methodist Church, I recognize that we are partners with a wide variety of secular and global organizations — many who are in the room with us today — whose goal, like our own, is to eliminate malaria deaths and move people to a healthier possibility for their lives,” said Bickerton, who chairs the United Methodist Global Health Initiative and leads the denomination's Pittsburgh Area.
“There is not one organization that will get rid of malaria. We will do this together. This is a cause worth fighting for,” he said.
The contribution makes The United Methodist Church one of the most significant non-government contributors to the Global Fund. The money will be used to purchase and distribute insecticide-treated bed nets and other tools to control malaria in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Dybul and Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer of the President's Malaria Initiative recognized the people of The United Methodist Church for their commitment to the fight against malaria.
"We thank The United Methodist Church for their gift, but we really thank them for what they are doing on the ground. That’s how we will eliminate malaria," Dybul said.
Ziemer echoed Dybul’s comments.
“This event is a capstone event for celebrating and renewing our commitment for what we are all about,” Ziemer said, adding that faith-based organizations bring an important level of relationships to the fight against malaria.
“Being faith-based is much more than about the infrastructure of an organization,” Ziemer said. “You represent the hearts, minds and influence of the communities and in changing their behavior. To make sure people in these communities hang up the mosquito net and keep it up takes influence, and that’s what the faith-based community does. The notion of hope and working together is what the faith-based organization is all about.”
Fight must continue
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), who also spoke at the event, pointed out that the fight to prevent malaria deaths must continue.
“As we approach World Malaria Day, we are reminded of the incredible successes we’ve had in recent years, but we’re also reminded of how much work still lies ahead,” said Coons, co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.
“Last year alone, we saw nearly 200 million cases of malaria around the world that led to more than 580,000 deaths. Most of those deaths were children under 5 years old, and 90 percent of them struck in Africa. These are sobering statistics, but we know that this terrible disease is bothpreventable and treatable. That’s why we have to continue investing in our fight against malaria at the federal level and in cooperation with our incredible partners. Together, we can rid the world of this disease,” Coons said.
In 2010, the Global Fund and The United Methodist Church joined forces in the fight against malaria. The core of this partnership is the Imagine No Malaria campaign, which focuses on empowering the people of Africa to improve health infrastructure and achieve a sustainable victory over malaria. The partnership takes advantage of the denomination’s network of hospitals and clinics in Africa and the commitment of United Methodists, along with the scope and resources of the Global Fund, to accomplish more than either could alone.
The April 22 event was organized and hosted by Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a Washington, D.C.,-based advocacy organization dedicated to sustaining and expanding U.S. support for the Global Fund.
The United Methodist Church has pledged up to $28 million to help those at-risk enjoy malaria-free lives, and has raised $18.1 million for the Global Fund to date. Imagine No Malaria is near its goal of raising $75 million for the battle against malaria.
To commemorate World Malaria Day, United Methodists have organized events to raise Imagine No Malaria funds with the theme of #BringChange.
Caviness is a public relations specialist for United Methodist Communications.
News contact: Vicki Brown at newsdesk@uncom.org or 615-742-5400.
Photo by Gary Henderson/UMCom
Dr. Alexis Ngoy Kasole Maloba (left), United Methodist Church health coordinator in Democratic Republic of Congo, and Dr. Philippe Okonda Akasa, health coordinator for East Congo, examine data on malaria at the recent Alliance for Malaria Prevention Conference in Geneva.
Imagine No Malaria proves it is about more than a mosquito
Crystal Caviness
March-April 2015
UPDATE: On Wednesday, April 22, The United Methodist Church presented a check for $9.6 million to the Global Fund to support the fight against malaria. Presenting the largest gift ever to the fund from a faith-based organization were Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chair of the Global Health Initiative for The United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Gary Henderson, executive director from United Methodist Communications.
Dr. Philippe Okonda Akasa, health coordinator for The United Methodist Church in East Congo, spends much of his time battling effects of malaria. Still, one of the most dramatic stories he tells has nothing to do with malaria. And everything to do with Imagine No Malaria.
Okonda tells of a young mother, a frequent visitor to a rural health clinic in eastern Congo, who spotted construction supplies stacked outside the facility. The woman knew the clinic well; she had given birth there six times. While it was the only such facility available to nearby villages, the clinic failed to meet most health-care standards, even operating without electricity.
The money for the new construction came from Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of The United Methodist Church to raise $75 million toward ending death and suffering from malaria through prevention, treatment, education and communication.
Surveying the pile of construction materials, the woman became excited, joyfully exclaiming at the sight of cement, lumber and solar panels that would provide electricity. There would be no more long nights spent in darkness at that clinic, nights that filled mothers with insecurity and fear and held danger for newborn babies, as she had learned firsthand.
In that very clinic, the mother had awakened to the sounds of her newborn crying. She snuggled her infant daughter closer to comfort her; yet, the crying continued. The first light of dawn revealed the unthinkable. As the newborn lay beside her mother in the darkness, rats had attacked the baby.
"In the darkness, no one saw or discovered the wounds on the child's feet," Okonda explained. "Part of this mother's joy and excitement at seeing the cement and the solar panels was her realization of what electricity will mean for a child born at night at this clinic. These are the real realities of our brothers and sisters in Africa."
The more than $65 million in cash and pledges already raised is providing insecticide-treated bed nets, bolstering the infrastructure of health clinics and doing much more throughout Africa. The fundraising has engaged United Methodists, young and old, who have organized pancake breakfasts, concerts, church fairs, 5K races, bake sales, community carnivals, auctions and other creative efforts.
‘What we provide is hope'
"This campaign found energy because of how it energized people," says Pittsburgh Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, who chairs the United Methodist Global Health Initiative. "Imagine No Malaria has been a chance to save people's lives, and there has been no argument in that."
IMAGINE NO MALARIA BY THE NUMBERS
3.4 billion people (half of the world's population) are at risk.
In 2013, 97 countries – half the countries in the world – had ongoing malaria transmission. People living in the poorest countries are most vulnerable.
In 2013, 90 percent of the world's malaria deaths occurred in Africa, mostly among children ages 5 and younger.
Through The United Methodist Church, $65 million in cash and pledges had been raised as of December 2014 for the fight against malaria and 2 million to 3 million bed nets had been provided.
Imagine No Malaria funds sustainable health systems and strategies, including United Methodist hospitals, clinics and health boards across Africa that work to prevent and treat malaria and other diseases.
The United Methodist Church is the first faith-based partner with the Global Fund, the largest public/private funding source for health programs that fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The United Methodist Church has committed $28 million to the Global Fund's work in an integrated way with the nations of Africa to provide well-coordinated, comprehensive and well-monitored malaria programming. The United Methodist Church expands its reach in this way.
Increased prevention and control measures have led to a reduction in malaria mortality rates. In its 2014 World Report, the World Health Organization reported that malaria deaths decreased by 58 percent in children 5 years old and younger since 2000.
Sources: World Health Organization Fact Sheet, updated December 2014; Imagine No Malaria Technical Review Panel Report, Nov. 6-7, 2014.
Bickerton has led Imagine No Malaria since the campaign's launch in April 2009. He has visited Africa many times to see firsthand how Imagine No Malaria funds are benefiting the continent. He tells the story from one of his early visits, where, in a remote village, a mother brought her sick baby to him and asked for prayer. "I held this baby in my arms," he recalls, "and, the next day, the baby died.
"I go from that story to a similar occasion where I'm holding a plump little healthy baby who has been given life because of our work in Imagine No Malaria. To see the sorrow in the first mother's face and then to see the joy in the other mother's face is indescribable."
Imagine No Malaria is about life and death. How to stay alive. How to prevent death. It starts with a mosquito whose bite kills one child every 60 seconds and ends with giving an entire generation hope for a healthy life.
"It goes from a dollar bill placed in an offering plate at a church in the United States to a small little hut in a village in Africa," says Bickerton. "That dollar bill gives people hope. What we provide is hope."
An instrument to save lives
Arlindo Romao knows all about the importance of prevention. As a boy, he suffered from malaria and diarrhea, and witnessed family members who also struggled with the effects of illness. Eight years ago, as a husband and father of four sons, Romao and his family began using insecticide-treated bed nets. The result is that only one of his sons has gotten malaria – and only once.
"When I learned about the cycle of malaria and mosquitoes, I realized it is possible to fight malaria in a simple way," Romao says. "If all people in a community could become conscious of the role they each have in preventing mosquito bites and stopping their reproduction, we can overcome this problem."
As Imagine No Malaria's health-care coordinator in Mozambique, Romao now travels between villages to provide health information and teach malaria prevention.
"Since working with Imagine No Malaria," he says, "I have learned how to implement malaria prevention programs. It's because of this training and Imagine No Malaria funding that families in Mozambique are being saved from malaria. God has blessed me because I feel that I'm one of those being the instruments in saving people's lives through this program."
Dr. Alexis Ngoy Kasole Maloba, health coordinator in the North Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is among those treating patients in the hardest-hit zones. Wearing an Imagine No Malaria pin on his shirt pocket, the physician recounts staggering statistics.
"In 2013," he says, "there were 67,026 diagnosed cases of malaria in North Katanga." The good news comes in his next sentence: "Only 98 deaths."
The low ratio of deaths compared to the number of cases is a result of area health-care facilities providing free malaria medication and diagnostic kits to families, thanks to Imagine No Malaria.
Kasole also tells of the ripple effects of Imagine No Malaria, of how providing free medication and blood transfusions does more than keep families healthy.
"Because of Imagine No Malaria, revenue in the family goes up because people aren't as sick and can go to work," he says.
Hannah Mafunda trains health-board coordinators throughout Africa to complete grant applications, hire staff and collaborate with other organizations, such as The Global Fund, to maximize resources. Training is key to success, she says. "If you have the heart but lack the skills, it will not come to pass."
Mafunda brings both to the fight against malaria.
As the health-board coordinator for Zimbabwe, she also distributes insecticide-treated bed nets in her country and implements other strategies for treating and preventing malaria.
"There is nothing (as) beautiful as people of God coming together and focusing on one cause and fighting for the life of people," she says.
‘Let's not stop now'
CELEBRATE WORLD MALARIA DAY
World Malaria Day is April 25. On that day, people worldwide join forces to bring awareness to the plight of people living amid the stronghold of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that kills an estimated 600,000 people annually.
Individual annual conferences have plans in place. United Methodists across the Virginia Conference will host lemonade stands in their communities. Throughout the New York Conference, United Methodists will hold fashion shows displaying the latest designer creations using bed nets. The Wisconsin Conference will sponsor walks for Imagine No Malaria, with a goal of 50 sites throughout the state.
United Methodists everywhere can participate by making a first-time pledge, renewing a current pledge or planning a fundraising event to raise awareness and bring change through Imagine No Malaria.
To learn more about events – including what is planned for your conference – visitImagineNoMalaria.org.
Pierre Omadjela directs communications and development for the Central Congo Annual Conference, which includes the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. A lack or shortage of Internet connectivity, computers and technologically savvy people make it difficult for Omadjela to share important information about health care, malaria prevention and other topics with communities, hospitals and health clinics. However, technology is changing that. A grant from United Methodist Communications provided a ruggedized laptop with Frontline SMS and modem, which enables him to do mass text messaging without the Internet.
"Technology is making such a difference," Omadjela says. "I used to receive information about a situation one month after the event took place." With Frontline SMS technology, he can know what happened the same day and act quickly by sending health messages to help prevent illness and educate church members.
"Support of technology in developing countries is just one of the ways we are investing in saving lives from malaria," says the Rev. Larry Hollon, general secretary of United Methodist Communications. "Our goal is to use every available communications resource, from technology to education, to improve quality of life and, as in this instance, to save lives globally."
As Imagine No Malaria heads into the final months of the fund raising campaign and with approximately $10 million left to reach its goal, the tasks are far from finished.
"At this point in the campaign, there is so much satisfaction," Bickerton says. "We have been part of a global fight against malaria. But at this point, there is good reason to say ‘Please don't back off now.' If we downplay this campaign in the near future, we cut off some of the most amazing infrastructures that have been made. These mosquitoes are resilient. The minute you back off, they get stronger.
"We are close to a vaccine. We are close to seeing sustainable reductions in malaria. Let's take it home. Let's do everything we can."
"One of the greatest joys is when I get word that a community has had zero malaria deaths," Bickerton says. "We are there. We are there. Let's not stop now."
Crystal Caviness is a public relations specialist at United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.
Bishop Thomas Bickerton (center) and the Rev. Gary Henderson (right) present Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of the Global Fund, with a gift for $9.6 million from Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of the people of The United Methodist Church.
United Methodist Church contributes $9.6 million to Global Fund
By Crystal Caviness
WASHINGTON (UMNS)
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton has presented a check for $9.6 million from the people of The UnitedMethodist Church to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The gift to the Geneva-based organization is the single largest contribution ever made by a faith-based group, fund officials said.
Bickerton presented the check from the denomination’s Imagine No Malaria initiative to Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of the Geneva-based Global Fund, in a ceremony at the Capitol Visitors Center that was attended by lawmakers, United Methodists and members of secular and global groups. The presentation was one of a number of global events held to mark World Malaria Day, April 25.
“As I stand here, representing Imagine No Malaria and the people of The United Methodist Church, I recognize that we are partners with a wide variety of secular and global organizations — many who are in the room with us today — whose goal, like our own, is to eliminate malaria deaths and move people to a healthier possibility for their lives,” said Bickerton, who chairs the United Methodist Global Health Initiative and leads the denomination's Pittsburgh Area.
“There is not one organization that will get rid of malaria. We will do this together. This is a cause worth fighting for,” he said.
The contribution makes The United Methodist Church one of the most significant non-government contributors to the Global Fund. The money will be used to purchase and distribute insecticide-treated bed nets and other tools to control malaria in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Dybul and Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer of the President's Malaria Initiative recognized the people of The United Methodist Church for their commitment to the fight against malaria.
"We thank The United Methodist Church for their gift, but we really thank them for what they are doing on the ground. That’s how we will eliminate malaria," Dybul said.
Ziemer echoed Dybul’s comments.
“This event is a capstone event for celebrating and renewing our commitment for what we are all about,” Ziemer said, adding that faith-based organizations bring an important level of relationships to the fight against malaria.
“Being faith-based is much more than about the infrastructure of an organization,” Ziemer said. “You represent the hearts, minds and influence of the communities and in changing their behavior. To make sure people in these communities hang up the mosquito net and keep it up takes influence, and that’s what the faith-based community does. The notion of hope and working together is what the faith-based organization is all about.”
Fight must continue
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), who also spoke at the event, pointed out that the fight to prevent malaria deaths must continue.
“As we approach World Malaria Day, we are reminded of the incredible successes we’ve had in recent years, but we’re also reminded of how much work still lies ahead,” said Coons, co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.
“Last year alone, we saw nearly 200 million cases of malaria around the world that led to more than 580,000 deaths. Most of those deaths were children under 5 years old, and 90 percent of them struck in Africa. These are sobering statistics, but we know that this terrible disease is bothpreventable and treatable. That’s why we have to continue investing in our fight against malaria at the federal level and in cooperation with our incredible partners. Together, we can rid the world of this disease,” Coons said.
In 2010, the Global Fund and The United Methodist Church joined forces in the fight against malaria. The core of this partnership is the Imagine No Malaria campaign, which focuses on empowering the people of Africa to improve health infrastructure and achieve a sustainable victory over malaria. The partnership takes advantage of the denomination’s network of hospitals and clinics in Africa and the commitment of United Methodists, along with the scope and resources of the Global Fund, to accomplish more than either could alone.
The April 22 event was organized and hosted by Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a Washington, D.C.,-based advocacy organization dedicated to sustaining and expanding U.S. support for the Global Fund.
The United Methodist Church has pledged up to $28 million to help those at-risk enjoy malaria-free lives, and has raised $18.1 million for the Global Fund to date. Imagine No Malaria is near its goal of raising $75 million for the battle against malaria.
To commemorate World Malaria Day, United Methodists have organized events to raise Imagine No Malaria funds with the theme of #BringChange.
Caviness is a public relations specialist for United Methodist Communications.
News contact: Vicki Brown at newsdesk@uncom.org or 615-742-5400.
Dr. Alexis Ngoy Kasole Maloba (left), United Methodist Church health coordinator in Democratic Republic of Congo, and Dr. Philippe Okonda Akasa, health coordinator for East Congo, examine data on malaria at the recent Alliance for Malaria Prevention Conference in Geneva.
Imagine No Malaria proves it is about more than a mosquito
Crystal Caviness
March-April 2015
UPDATE: On Wednesday, April 22, The United Methodist Church presented a check for $9.6 million to the Global Fund to support the fight against malaria. Presenting the largest gift ever to the fund from a faith-based organization were Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chair of the Global Health Initiative for The United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Gary Henderson, executive director from United Methodist Communications.
Dr. Philippe Okonda Akasa, health coordinator for The United Methodist Church in East Congo, spends much of his time battling effects of malaria. Still, one of the most dramatic stories he tells has nothing to do with malaria. And everything to do with Imagine No Malaria.
Okonda tells of a young mother, a frequent visitor to a rural health clinic in eastern Congo, who spotted construction supplies stacked outside the facility. The woman knew the clinic well; she had given birth there six times. While it was the only such facility available to nearby villages, the clinic failed to meet most health-care standards, even operating without electricity.
The money for the new construction came from Imagine No Malaria, an initiative of The United Methodist Church to raise $75 million toward ending death and suffering from malaria through prevention, treatment, education and communication.
Surveying the pile of construction materials, the woman became excited, joyfully exclaiming at the sight of cement, lumber and solar panels that would provide electricity. There would be no more long nights spent in darkness at that clinic, nights that filled mothers with insecurity and fear and held danger for newborn babies, as she had learned firsthand.
In that very clinic, the mother had awakened to the sounds of her newborn crying. She snuggled her infant daughter closer to comfort her; yet, the crying continued. The first light of dawn revealed the unthinkable. As the newborn lay beside her mother in the darkness, rats had attacked the baby.
"In the darkness, no one saw or discovered the wounds on the child's feet," Okonda explained. "Part of this mother's joy and excitement at seeing the cement and the solar panels was her realization of what electricity will mean for a child born at night at this clinic. These are the real realities of our brothers and sisters in Africa."
The more than $65 million in cash and pledges already raised is providing insecticide-treated bed nets, bolstering the infrastructure of health clinics and doing much more throughout Africa. The fundraising has engaged United Methodists, young and old, who have organized pancake breakfasts, concerts, church fairs, 5K races, bake sales, community carnivals, auctions and other creative efforts.
‘What we provide is hope'
"This campaign found energy because of how it energized people," says Pittsburgh Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, who chairs the United Methodist Global Health Initiative. "Imagine No Malaria has been a chance to save people's lives, and there has been no argument in that."
IMAGINE NO MALARIA BY THE NUMBERS
3.4 billion people (half of the world's population) are at risk.
In 2013, 97 countries – half the countries in the world – had ongoing malaria transmission. People living in the poorest countries are most vulnerable.
In 2013, 90 percent of the world's malaria deaths occurred in Africa, mostly among children ages 5 and younger.
Through The United Methodist Church, $65 million in cash and pledges had been raised as of December 2014 for the fight against malaria and 2 million to 3 million bed nets had been provided.
Imagine No Malaria funds sustainable health systems and strategies, including United Methodist hospitals, clinics and health boards across Africa that work to prevent and treat malaria and other diseases.
The United Methodist Church is the first faith-based partner with the Global Fund, the largest public/private funding source for health programs that fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The United Methodist Church has committed $28 million to the Global Fund's work in an integrated way with the nations of Africa to provide well-coordinated, comprehensive and well-monitored malaria programming. The United Methodist Church expands its reach in this way.
Increased prevention and control measures have led to a reduction in malaria mortality rates. In its 2014 World Report, the World Health Organization reported that malaria deaths decreased by 58 percent in children 5 years old and younger since 2000.
Sources: World Health Organization Fact Sheet, updated December 2014; Imagine No Malaria Technical Review Panel Report, Nov. 6-7, 2014.
Bickerton has led Imagine No Malaria since the campaign's launch in April 2009. He has visited Africa many times to see firsthand how Imagine No Malaria funds are benefiting the continent. He tells the story from one of his early visits, where, in a remote village, a mother brought her sick baby to him and asked for prayer. "I held this baby in my arms," he recalls, "and, the next day, the baby died.
"I go from that story to a similar occasion where I'm holding a plump little healthy baby who has been given life because of our work in Imagine No Malaria. To see the sorrow in the first mother's face and then to see the joy in the other mother's face is indescribable."
Imagine No Malaria is about life and death. How to stay alive. How to prevent death. It starts with a mosquito whose bite kills one child every 60 seconds and ends with giving an entire generation hope for a healthy life.
"It goes from a dollar bill placed in an offering plate at a church in the United States to a small little hut in a village in Africa," says Bickerton. "That dollar bill gives people hope. What we provide is hope."
An instrument to save lives
Arlindo Romao knows all about the importance of prevention. As a boy, he suffered from malaria and diarrhea, and witnessed family members who also struggled with the effects of illness. Eight years ago, as a husband and father of four sons, Romao and his family began using insecticide-treated bed nets. The result is that only one of his sons has gotten malaria – and only once.
"When I learned about the cycle of malaria and mosquitoes, I realized it is possible to fight malaria in a simple way," Romao says. "If all people in a community could become conscious of the role they each have in preventing mosquito bites and stopping their reproduction, we can overcome this problem."
As Imagine No Malaria's health-care coordinator in Mozambique, Romao now travels between villages to provide health information and teach malaria prevention.
"Since working with Imagine No Malaria," he says, "I have learned how to implement malaria prevention programs. It's because of this training and Imagine No Malaria funding that families in Mozambique are being saved from malaria. God has blessed me because I feel that I'm one of those being the instruments in saving people's lives through this program."
Dr. Alexis Ngoy Kasole Maloba, health coordinator in the North Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is among those treating patients in the hardest-hit zones. Wearing an Imagine No Malaria pin on his shirt pocket, the physician recounts staggering statistics.
"In 2013," he says, "there were 67,026 diagnosed cases of malaria in North Katanga." The good news comes in his next sentence: "Only 98 deaths."
The low ratio of deaths compared to the number of cases is a result of area health-care facilities providing free malaria medication and diagnostic kits to families, thanks to Imagine No Malaria.
Kasole also tells of the ripple effects of Imagine No Malaria, of how providing free medication and blood transfusions does more than keep families healthy.
"Because of Imagine No Malaria, revenue in the family goes up because people aren't as sick and can go to work," he says.
Hannah Mafunda trains health-board coordinators throughout Africa to complete grant applications, hire staff and collaborate with other organizations, such as The Global Fund, to maximize resources. Training is key to success, she says. "If you have the heart but lack the skills, it will not come to pass."
Mafunda brings both to the fight against malaria.
As the health-board coordinator for Zimbabwe, she also distributes insecticide-treated bed nets in her country and implements other strategies for treating and preventing malaria.
"There is nothing (as) beautiful as people of God coming together and focusing on one cause and fighting for the life of people," she says.
‘Let's not stop now'
CELEBRATE WORLD MALARIA DAY
World Malaria Day is April 25. On that day, people worldwide join forces to bring awareness to the plight of people living amid the stronghold of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that kills an estimated 600,000 people annually.
Individual annual conferences have plans in place. United Methodists across the Virginia Conference will host lemonade stands in their communities. Throughout the New York Conference, United Methodists will hold fashion shows displaying the latest designer creations using bed nets. The Wisconsin Conference will sponsor walks for Imagine No Malaria, with a goal of 50 sites throughout the state.
United Methodists everywhere can participate by making a first-time pledge, renewing a current pledge or planning a fundraising event to raise awareness and bring change through Imagine No Malaria.
To learn more about events – including what is planned for your conference – visitImagineNoMalaria.org.
Pierre Omadjela directs communications and development for the Central Congo Annual Conference, which includes the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. A lack or shortage of Internet connectivity, computers and technologically savvy people make it difficult for Omadjela to share important information about health care, malaria prevention and other topics with communities, hospitals and health clinics. However, technology is changing that. A grant from United Methodist Communications provided a ruggedized laptop with Frontline SMS and modem, which enables him to do mass text messaging without the Internet.
"Technology is making such a difference," Omadjela says. "I used to receive information about a situation one month after the event took place." With Frontline SMS technology, he can know what happened the same day and act quickly by sending health messages to help prevent illness and educate church members.
"Support of technology in developing countries is just one of the ways we are investing in saving lives from malaria," says the Rev. Larry Hollon, general secretary of United Methodist Communications. "Our goal is to use every available communications resource, from technology to education, to improve quality of life and, as in this instance, to save lives globally."
As Imagine No Malaria heads into the final months of the fund raising campaign and with approximately $10 million left to reach its goal, the tasks are far from finished.
"At this point in the campaign, there is so much satisfaction," Bickerton says. "We have been part of a global fight against malaria. But at this point, there is good reason to say ‘Please don't back off now.' If we downplay this campaign in the near future, we cut off some of the most amazing infrastructures that have been made. These mosquitoes are resilient. The minute you back off, they get stronger.
"We are close to a vaccine. We are close to seeing sustainable reductions in malaria. Let's take it home. Let's do everything we can."
"One of the greatest joys is when I get word that a community has had zero malaria deaths," Bickerton says. "We are there. We are there. Let's not stop now."
Crystal Caviness is a public relations specialist at United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.
Top court: Deleting investigative group 'unconstitutional'COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS) —
Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS
Delegates consider legislation at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. A ruling by the United Methodist Judicial Council has restored language that body deleted from the Book of Discipline on the committee on investigation for clergy.PreviousNext
Top court: Deleting investigative group ‘unconstitutional’
By Linda Bloom
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS)
Eliminating the committee on investigation for clergy members in an annual conference from the denomination’s law book in 2012 was unconstitutional, the top court of The United Methodist Church has ruled.
During its April 15-18 meeting, the Judicial Council also ordered the full restoration — including back pay — of the salary of an African bishop whose income was reduced by the board of the denomination’s finance agency. The General Council on Finance and Administration board ordered the reduction after receiving what it believed to be inadequate responses to an audit inquiry.
In its decision regarding East Africa Area Bishop Daniel Wandabula, which included two different dissenting opinions, the council said the General Council on Finance and Administration had no power to reduce an active bishop’s salary. “A salary is a bishop’s basic financial entitlement, which cannot be curtailed save by judicial or administrative fair process,” the decision said.
Laity concerns
The ruling on the role of the committee on investigation also related to a question raised by the North Georgia Conference after action by the 2012 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, removed references to the clergy committee on investigation, which included peers and lay members.
Two North Georgia Conference representatives, Joe Whittemore and the Rev. Ed Tomlinson, spoke during an April 15 oral hearing on the matter, emphasizing the importance of legislation adopted by the 2004 and 2008 General Conferences that made the laity voting members of such committees.
“Laity are impacted and have significant concerns when charges are brought against clergy,” Whittemore said, noting that lay members want to make sure clergy are not falsely accused or that the process is handled correctly if valid issues are raised. “Laity are stakeholders in seeing that these matters are handled effectively … and with justice.”
Tomlinson called the deletion of Paragraph 2703.2 of the 2008 Book of Discipline, which defined the annual conference committee on investigation, a violation of fair process. “It appears that the absence of an investigative committee before trial is not fair to clergy,” he said.
Because of the changes in 2012, the church counsel — not an investigative committee — makes a determination about whether a case involving a clergy member of a conference should go to trial.
Historically, the North Georgia request pointed out, the investigation process for clergy has required counsel for the church to present fact-finding results to a committee on investigation before taking that step.
The Judicial Council’s decision pointed out that the trial court and committee on investigation “are clearly two distinct bodies, constituted by separate processes and functioning at different times in the complaint through trial process.” To eliminate the committee’s investigative function as a step in the process “is to call into question whether the clergy members have been granted fair process, an unconditional guarantee.”
The court’s ruling restores to the current law book the portions of the 2008 Discipline “that relate to the role of the committee on investigation for clergy members of the annual conference,” effective April 18.
One Judicial Council member, Ruben T. Reyes, filed a concurring opinion in the case, while two other members, the Rev. F. Belton Joyner, Jr. and N. Oswald Tweh, Sr. dissented, saying the action taken by the 2012 General Conference was constitutional. “The question of the wisdom of doing so is a legislative matter and is beyond the purview of the Judicial Council,” the dissent said.
Reducing a bishop’s salary
The request questioning the action “to drastically cut off the episcopal support” for Wandabula came from the committee on episcopacy of the denomination’s Burundi and East Africa conferences.
The General Council on Finance and Administration’s board initially reduced the bishop’s salary in 2012 until it received satisfactory answers to questions about how his episcopal area has used more than $757,000 in church funds. In November 2014, the board set Wandabula’s 2015 pay at an amount equal to his health plan and pension contributions — about $4,288, according to the Judicial Council’s decision.
While acknowledging the finance agency’s desire to protect church funds, the top court’s decisionorders the agency to fully restore the bishop’s salary “from 2013 to 2015 and until the next General Conference.” The court ordered the finance agency to report its “detailed full compliance with this decision no later than May 31, 2015.” However, the decision does not preclude “an amicable settlement by the parties concerned.”
Three council members — Joyner and two alternates participating in the spring session, W. Warren Plowden Jr. and the Rev. Timothy K. Bruster — filed a dissenting opinion that called the action by the finance agency’s board in reducing Wandabula’s salary “in keeping with church law and its fiduciary duty.”
Their dissent also noted the Judicial Council “is not authorized” to determine the accuracy and completeness of either the East Africa financial records or audits conducted by church agencies.
In a separate dissent, the Rev. William B. Lawrence argued the Judicial Council does not have jurisdiction because the request improperly came from two annual conferences.
“Instead, if there might be an issue about whether GCFA has authority to reduce the salary of a bishop, then it should be a matter of concern for the Council of Bishops to discuss within its membership and possibly bring to the Judicial Council,” Lawrence wrote in his dissent. “Indeed, theDiscipline provides for such a remedy.”
Same-sex resolutions
Two bishops’ decisions of law on annual conference resolutions related to same-sex marriage, held over from the council’s October 2014 meeting, were modified by the court.
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar had ruled that a 2014 New England Annual Conference resolution“To Affirm God’s Call to Ministry and Marriage”— urging a change in denominational policy toward same-sex marriage and an openness to all couples wanting to marry — “is thoroughly aspirational in nature” and does not break church mandates.
Judicial Council agreed with his decision after modifying the bishop’s ruling on Item 4, which encourages congregations and clergy to open their “hearts, minds and doors” to all couples, by adding a phrase recognizing that church law forbids homosexual unions to be celebrated in United Methodist churches or conducted by United Methodist ministers.
Bishop Deborah L. Kiesey declared that language in a 2014 Detroit Annual Conference resolutionto support lay members who chose same-sex marriage was aspirational, depending on the type of support. But she ruled “null and void” the call to stop filing complaints against those accused of violating church law or enforcing those laws.
Judicial Council “affirmed in part and modified in part” the ruling by Kiesey, specifically modifying one section of the resolution “to reflect the disciplinary understanding regarding bisexual, transgendered, and persons who do not declare themselves to be ‘self-avowed practicing homosexuals.’”
Other business
Two decisions of law by Bishop Gary E. Mueller of the Arkansas Conference were modified by Judicial Council. The decisions referred to questions about appointment-making and length of service related to membership in the conference cabinet that Mueller had declared inappropriate or moot and hypothetical. The court’s modifications removed additional commentary from the bishop’s rulings.
Because the petition did not come from an authorized body, Judicial Council said it had no jurisdiction related to a request regarding a decision to discontinue a clergy member’s provisional membership in the East Ohio Conference.
Bloom is a United Methodist News Service multimedia reporter based in New York. Follow her athttps://twitter.com/umcscribe or contact her at (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org
Judicial Council Rules on Pay for Bishop Daniel Wandabula
Nashville, TN – The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) received Judicial Council Decision #1298 which addressed decisions made by GCFA regarding the salary of Bishop Daniel Wandabula. The Board of Directors of GCFA elected to set the bishop’s salary at a lower rate beginning in 2013 because of inconsistencies in audits conducted by the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and a lack of financial accountabilities and controls in the East Africa Annual Conference. This ruling – in a 5 to 4 decision – reinstates the bishop’s full pay for 2013, 2014 and 2015. .
Bishop Michael Coyner, president of the Board of Directors for GCFA said “the GCFA Board acted after careful and lengthy consideration of the results of the audits, of this body’s responsibilities, and the impact such an action would have on the Church. GCFA will comply with the Decision of the Judicial Council. Accountability in our United Methodist connection is important to the Board. The Board of Directors of GCFA is still concerned about how we fulfill our fiduciary responsibility to the whole Church as defined in ¶806.13 of The 2012 Book of Discipline when there are questions about the misuse of funds. Acting in love and unity are also important to the Board. Our actions are always based on our responsibility to care for the financial interests of the Church.”
Moses Kumar, General Secretary and Treasurer of GCFA said “the actions of GCFA are based on our responsibilities outlined in several places in the Book of Discipline and on the adoption by the General Conference in 2012 of the Episcopal Fund as outlined in Report 5. GCFA and GBGM have worked diligently to provide measures for accountability and stewardship in the use of Church funds. We thank the staff of GBGM for their work in reviewing audits and providing information to correct the issues. Our actions will always be to ensure the funds contributed by faithful members of The United Methodist Church are accounted for and used for their intended purpose. We will do as we are directed based on this decision.”
The next full meeting of the GCFA board is May 19-20 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Delegates consider legislation at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. A ruling by the United Methodist Judicial Council has restored language that body deleted from the Book of Discipline on the committee on investigation for clergy.PreviousNext
Top court: Deleting investigative group ‘unconstitutional’
By Linda Bloom
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS)
Eliminating the committee on investigation for clergy members in an annual conference from the denomination’s law book in 2012 was unconstitutional, the top court of The United Methodist Church has ruled.
During its April 15-18 meeting, the Judicial Council also ordered the full restoration — including back pay — of the salary of an African bishop whose income was reduced by the board of the denomination’s finance agency. The General Council on Finance and Administration board ordered the reduction after receiving what it believed to be inadequate responses to an audit inquiry.
In its decision regarding East Africa Area Bishop Daniel Wandabula, which included two different dissenting opinions, the council said the General Council on Finance and Administration had no power to reduce an active bishop’s salary. “A salary is a bishop’s basic financial entitlement, which cannot be curtailed save by judicial or administrative fair process,” the decision said.
Laity concerns
The ruling on the role of the committee on investigation also related to a question raised by the North Georgia Conference after action by the 2012 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, removed references to the clergy committee on investigation, which included peers and lay members.
Two North Georgia Conference representatives, Joe Whittemore and the Rev. Ed Tomlinson, spoke during an April 15 oral hearing on the matter, emphasizing the importance of legislation adopted by the 2004 and 2008 General Conferences that made the laity voting members of such committees.
“Laity are impacted and have significant concerns when charges are brought against clergy,” Whittemore said, noting that lay members want to make sure clergy are not falsely accused or that the process is handled correctly if valid issues are raised. “Laity are stakeholders in seeing that these matters are handled effectively … and with justice.”
Tomlinson called the deletion of Paragraph 2703.2 of the 2008 Book of Discipline, which defined the annual conference committee on investigation, a violation of fair process. “It appears that the absence of an investigative committee before trial is not fair to clergy,” he said.
Because of the changes in 2012, the church counsel — not an investigative committee — makes a determination about whether a case involving a clergy member of a conference should go to trial.
Historically, the North Georgia request pointed out, the investigation process for clergy has required counsel for the church to present fact-finding results to a committee on investigation before taking that step.
The Judicial Council’s decision pointed out that the trial court and committee on investigation “are clearly two distinct bodies, constituted by separate processes and functioning at different times in the complaint through trial process.” To eliminate the committee’s investigative function as a step in the process “is to call into question whether the clergy members have been granted fair process, an unconditional guarantee.”
The court’s ruling restores to the current law book the portions of the 2008 Discipline “that relate to the role of the committee on investigation for clergy members of the annual conference,” effective April 18.
One Judicial Council member, Ruben T. Reyes, filed a concurring opinion in the case, while two other members, the Rev. F. Belton Joyner, Jr. and N. Oswald Tweh, Sr. dissented, saying the action taken by the 2012 General Conference was constitutional. “The question of the wisdom of doing so is a legislative matter and is beyond the purview of the Judicial Council,” the dissent said.
Reducing a bishop’s salary
The request questioning the action “to drastically cut off the episcopal support” for Wandabula came from the committee on episcopacy of the denomination’s Burundi and East Africa conferences.
The General Council on Finance and Administration’s board initially reduced the bishop’s salary in 2012 until it received satisfactory answers to questions about how his episcopal area has used more than $757,000 in church funds. In November 2014, the board set Wandabula’s 2015 pay at an amount equal to his health plan and pension contributions — about $4,288, according to the Judicial Council’s decision.
While acknowledging the finance agency’s desire to protect church funds, the top court’s decisionorders the agency to fully restore the bishop’s salary “from 2013 to 2015 and until the next General Conference.” The court ordered the finance agency to report its “detailed full compliance with this decision no later than May 31, 2015.” However, the decision does not preclude “an amicable settlement by the parties concerned.”
Three council members — Joyner and two alternates participating in the spring session, W. Warren Plowden Jr. and the Rev. Timothy K. Bruster — filed a dissenting opinion that called the action by the finance agency’s board in reducing Wandabula’s salary “in keeping with church law and its fiduciary duty.”
Their dissent also noted the Judicial Council “is not authorized” to determine the accuracy and completeness of either the East Africa financial records or audits conducted by church agencies.
In a separate dissent, the Rev. William B. Lawrence argued the Judicial Council does not have jurisdiction because the request improperly came from two annual conferences.
“Instead, if there might be an issue about whether GCFA has authority to reduce the salary of a bishop, then it should be a matter of concern for the Council of Bishops to discuss within its membership and possibly bring to the Judicial Council,” Lawrence wrote in his dissent. “Indeed, theDiscipline provides for such a remedy.”
Same-sex resolutions
Two bishops’ decisions of law on annual conference resolutions related to same-sex marriage, held over from the council’s October 2014 meeting, were modified by the court.
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar had ruled that a 2014 New England Annual Conference resolution“To Affirm God’s Call to Ministry and Marriage”— urging a change in denominational policy toward same-sex marriage and an openness to all couples wanting to marry — “is thoroughly aspirational in nature” and does not break church mandates.
Judicial Council agreed with his decision after modifying the bishop’s ruling on Item 4, which encourages congregations and clergy to open their “hearts, minds and doors” to all couples, by adding a phrase recognizing that church law forbids homosexual unions to be celebrated in United Methodist churches or conducted by United Methodist ministers.
Bishop Deborah L. Kiesey declared that language in a 2014 Detroit Annual Conference resolutionto support lay members who chose same-sex marriage was aspirational, depending on the type of support. But she ruled “null and void” the call to stop filing complaints against those accused of violating church law or enforcing those laws.
Judicial Council “affirmed in part and modified in part” the ruling by Kiesey, specifically modifying one section of the resolution “to reflect the disciplinary understanding regarding bisexual, transgendered, and persons who do not declare themselves to be ‘self-avowed practicing homosexuals.’”
Other business
Two decisions of law by Bishop Gary E. Mueller of the Arkansas Conference were modified by Judicial Council. The decisions referred to questions about appointment-making and length of service related to membership in the conference cabinet that Mueller had declared inappropriate or moot and hypothetical. The court’s modifications removed additional commentary from the bishop’s rulings.
Because the petition did not come from an authorized body, Judicial Council said it had no jurisdiction related to a request regarding a decision to discontinue a clergy member’s provisional membership in the East Ohio Conference.
Bloom is a United Methodist News Service multimedia reporter based in New York. Follow her athttps://twitter.com/umcscribe or contact her at (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org
Judicial Council Rules on Pay for Bishop Daniel Wandabula
Nashville, TN – The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) received Judicial Council Decision #1298 which addressed decisions made by GCFA regarding the salary of Bishop Daniel Wandabula. The Board of Directors of GCFA elected to set the bishop’s salary at a lower rate beginning in 2013 because of inconsistencies in audits conducted by the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and a lack of financial accountabilities and controls in the East Africa Annual Conference. This ruling – in a 5 to 4 decision – reinstates the bishop’s full pay for 2013, 2014 and 2015. .
Bishop Michael Coyner, president of the Board of Directors for GCFA said “the GCFA Board acted after careful and lengthy consideration of the results of the audits, of this body’s responsibilities, and the impact such an action would have on the Church. GCFA will comply with the Decision of the Judicial Council. Accountability in our United Methodist connection is important to the Board. The Board of Directors of GCFA is still concerned about how we fulfill our fiduciary responsibility to the whole Church as defined in ¶806.13 of The 2012 Book of Discipline when there are questions about the misuse of funds. Acting in love and unity are also important to the Board. Our actions are always based on our responsibility to care for the financial interests of the Church.”
Moses Kumar, General Secretary and Treasurer of GCFA said “the actions of GCFA are based on our responsibilities outlined in several places in the Book of Discipline and on the adoption by the General Conference in 2012 of the Episcopal Fund as outlined in Report 5. GCFA and GBGM have worked diligently to provide measures for accountability and stewardship in the use of Church funds. We thank the staff of GBGM for their work in reviewing audits and providing information to correct the issues. Our actions will always be to ensure the funds contributed by faithful members of The United Methodist Church are accounted for and used for their intended purpose. We will do as we are directed based on this decision.”
The next full meeting of the GCFA board is May 19-20 in Nashville, Tennessee.
###
The General Council on Finance and Administration coordinates and administers financial resources, safeguards the legal interests and rights of the Church, and provides administrative resources to enable the fulfillment of the mission of The United Methodist Church.
United Methodists help bring healing water to Kentucky
BEVERLY, Ky. (UMNS) —
Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.
Morning fog rises in the mountains behind a decommissioned coal washing plant near Beverly, Ky. Coal mining brings both much-needed jobsand environmental concerns to this part of Appalachia, served by The United Methodist Church's Red Bird Mission.PreviousNext
United Methodists help bring healing water to Kentucky
By Kathy L. Gilbert
BEVERLY, Ky. (UMNS)
Water rushes and swirls through the Red Bird River and, along the way, crashes into Jack’s Creek. Crystal-clear water gushes through a worn, white pipe fed by Horse Creek Spring on Kentucky Highway 80. Coming and going into the Daniel Boone National Forest, waterfalls dance down the sides of rugged, black rocks.
Spring in eastern Kentucky is beautiful. Tall trees burst with lime-green leaves. Standing under them are the more delicate blooming red bud and white and pink dogwood trees. The lush countryside is deceiving; most of the beautiful clear water flowing freely is contaminated and unsafe even to dip your toes in and certainly not to sip.
It brings to mind the famous line from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”
When the water is bright orange, it is easy to tell it is contaminated. When it looks pure and clear, it is not so easy to identify.
Clean drinking water will be dispensed from this kiosk at the Red Bird Missionary Conference in Beverly, Ky., when the project is completed this summer. Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS
That’s why a rectangular concrete box with a bright-red tin roof has Tracy Nolan, director of community outreach for the United Methodist Red Bird Mission, so excited.
A communal water kiosk will soon open on the campus of Red Bird Mission to provide safe water at “pennies for a gallon” for the 6,000 people living in remote Appalachia.
A recent New York Times article labeled Clay County as the hardest place to live in the United States. That title doesn’t sit well with residents who love their sweet Kentucky homes.
Nolan, who is also a nurse, knows unsafe water is a big part of the problem.
Joining hands
Many hands have had a part in the kiosk.
The kiosk reflects teamwork by The United Methodist Committee on Relief, The United Methodist Red Bird Missionary Conference, the University of Tennessee, Appalachia Community Health & Disaster Readiness, the county’s emergency management team and Manchester Memorial Hospital.
Central to the project are nursing, engineering and architecture students who came together to design and build the kiosk.
Architects, engineers and nurses don’t typically talk to each other, said Lauren Oppizzi, a UT nursing student. “Architecture students are very creative, whereas nurses are more information-oriented,” she said.
But students in all three disciplines took classes together. One of the students came up with the brand for the kiosk, “Clean water, Clean life.”
“Being a nurse for 22 years,” said Stacey Tore, a nurse educator at UT, “what was eye-opening for me is that a lot of times when we come up with ideas, we really can’t implement them. Having that architect, that other perspective, made it something we could complete.”
Linda Banks, also a nurse educator at UT, said it was “quite stunning” to discover people in the United States living without basic needs like clean water.
Lisa Davenport, project director of Appalachia Community Health & Disaster Readiness, said the students built the kiosk during their spring break in March.
“If you had been here during the work, you would not have been able to tell who was the nurse, who was the architect [and] who was the engineer,” she said. “They really came together.”
Megan Hayes, project manager, enjoyed the work.
“I’ve put in IVs, but I never drilled into concrete before,” she said.
Hollers and creeks
Clay County’s terrain is part of the problem.
City water lines go to main roads but not up into the “hollers or up the roads, over creeks and across bridges,” Nolan said.
“These low-income families have no disposable income, let alone find somebody that could come to be contracted to do all that work. They couldn’t afford the extra lines.”
Access to clean water is a social justice issue, Nolan said. Lack of safe water leads to poor oral health, gastrointestinal diseases and sometimes even cancer.
“It is difficult for me to see how resilient this community has had to become, how tough many of their lives are,” said Nolan who has been with Red Bird Mission for 18 years. “But they are not complaining.”
Gaining trust
The first year of the three-year project was spent gaining trust from the residents. Those meetings led to testing water sources at 16 sites, both public and private, said Davenport.
Architecture and engineering students drew sketches of homes and took photos, while nursing students interviewed residents about their health concerns.
“A lot of the homes are in poor condition. On a scale from 1 to 10, many of them are 8-10,” Davenport said. “We have gone into some homes that might have plumbing in some areas, but it is not attached to the kitchen. So they are carrying water from the bathroom to cook with which is unhealthy.”
But reports that say Clay County is “the most difficult place to live in the U.S.” can be offensive, Davenport said.
“This is their land; this is home. Although we have identified great needs, we have to disseminate that so people can understand it, and we can help them come up with solutions in a culturally sensitive way.”
The kiosk includes a shelter, benches and a greenhouse. Plans are to hold farmers markets under the roof in the summer.
“Once that little shed becomes a meeting place, I can just see some of our retirees sitting there every morning having their coffee, whittling, talking about the day’s events, what the weather is going to be and going home with a gallon of water,” said David Watson. He is executive director of Manchester Memorial Hospital and director of Emergency Management Services for Clay County.
Davenport sees the opportunity for residents to get clean, fresh water as part of a healing process.
“Now let the healing begin.”
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Pennsylvania bishops support anti-discrimination law
HARRISBURG, Pa. (UMNS) —
(From left) Bishops Thomas Bickerton, Peggy Johnson and Jeremiah Park.
Pennsylvania bishops support Non-Discrimination Act
A UMNS report
By Kathy L. Gilbert
Pennsylvania’s three bishops — Peggy Johnson, Jeremiah Park and Thomas J. Bickerton — are calling on state lawmakers to extend protection against discrimination to all people, including gay and transgender people.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering updating a 1955 non-discrimination act that currently does not protect lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender individuals from discrimination.
WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES
In its Book of Discipline, The United Methodist Church states that all people are of sacred worth but "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
The book affirms "the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman."
The Book of Discipline also says, "Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due to all persons" and commits the church to supporting "those rights and liberties for all persons regardless of sexual orientation."
Church law bans United Methodist clergy from performing, and churches from hosting, "ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions." It also bans “self-avowed practicing” gay individuals from serving as clergy.
For more detailed information, see
“There are no federal or state laws to protect LGBT people from being fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, or refused services at a business because of who they are. We must act to protect them by updating the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” states a joint letter from the three bishops.
The letter was presented at a press conference at Grace United Methodist Church near the state capitol in Harrisburg. The three bishops were not present. Johnson is episcopal leader in theEastern Pennsylvania Conference; Park represents the Susquehanna Conference; andBickerton the Western Pennsylvania Conference.
The bishops specifically asked United Methodist business owners to show “the same love, respect and hospitality that Jesus offered to all he encountered.”
The letter acknowledges that the denomination is having “painful and complex conversations” about same-sex relationships.
“At the same time, we have been very clear that the LGBT people in our congregations, families, workplaces and communities have sacred worth as children of God and should experience the freedom and dignity of participating in civil society as equals under the law.”
Good News, an unofficial caucus that supports the church's current stance on homosexuality, responded to the bishop’s letter saying they too support the equal and fair treatment of all persons.
“We support the bishops’ attempt to balance the love for neighbor inherent in our Christian faith with the call to holy living that is also inherent within our faith," said the Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, executive with Good News.
"We recognize, as do the bishops, that many sincere Christians struggle with whether, and under what circumstances, their words and actions could constitute an endorsement of a behavior that the Bible regards as sin. Christians of good faith can disagree about where to draw the line in taking part in commercial support for same-sex marriages, for example. The freedom of churches and other religiously based organizations to act in accord with our religious convictions must be protected,” Lambrecht said.
Lambrecht added, "We wish the bishops had clearly stated that our church affirms the teaching ofScripture and Church tradition that marriage is between one man and one woman.
The United Methodist Book of Discipline, the denomination’s lawbook, states:
“We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection. We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups or persons based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has called for laws to protect the civil rights of LGBT people.
Bishops of the five Episcopal dioceses also called on the state legislature to pass the act, saying, “One does not have to profess a particular faith to understand that there is no justifiable reason to fire, evict or deny services to a citizen of our commonwealth based on considerations such as sex, race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. It is simply unfair.”
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Divorced clergy barred from nomination as bishop in Liberia
Divorced clergy barred from nomination as bishop in Liberia
By Julu Swen
GARDNERSVILLE, Liberia (UMNS)
Efforts to overturn a long-standing provision barring divorced clergy nomination for bishop in The United Methodist Church in Liberia were rejected by conference delegates on April 18. United Methodists who wanted the ban lifted picketed with homemade signs and sang, halting one afternoon session of the conference.
During the 182nd Session of the Liberia Conference, delegates voted 433 to 24 to affirm the rule barring divorced clergy persons from the episcopal office. Six delegates abstained from thevoting process.
Those opposed to the bar argued the provision violated the rights of individuals who wanted to run for the episcopal office, since the bar is not in the Book of Discipline.
After petitioners disrupted the afternoon session on April 16, they requested and received a preliminary injunction against Bishop John G. Innis and conference officers, as well as heads of committees and boards of The United Methodist Church in Liberia. The injunction, issued by the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court for Montserrado County after Friday’s annual conference session had ended, barred the bishop and officials from participating in or conducting the conference. However, the order was vacated by the court Saturday morning, so it did not delay proceedings.
Cletus Sieh, one of the opponents of the bar to divorced clergy, told conference delegates that in a connectional church, the denomination in Liberia should not adopt rules or policies that are contrary to the Book of Discipline’s provisions.
“We want you to uphold the only requirement that the Book of Discipline set forth for the nomination and election process which states that the clergy should be an elder in full connection and in good standing,” Sieh said.
The Rev. Paye Cooper Mondolo, superintendent of the Weala district, argued for keeping the provision.
“The decision to bar divorced clergy persons from being nominated for the position of bishop will bring moral credibility to the episcopal office of our church and guide the conduct of those who want to be bishop in the future,” Mondolo argued. He said the rule has been used in the election of previous bishops and must prevail for the good of the church.
Clergy supported ban
In separate sessions earlier in the week, lay delegates voted to overturn the provision while clergy delegates approved upholding it.
On April 14, clergy delegates voted 90-1 to uphold the provision. In a six-page page report, theconference board of ordained ministry outlined five counts dubbed “Reminders of the Conference Major Decisions (1985).” Those included the rule on divorced clergy: “No divorced clergy are allowed to be nominated as a candidate for the office of bishop of our conference.”
Lay delegates voted 116-0 to lift the ban. The delegates called on the conference to uphold ¶¶ 4, 403, and ¶ 604 of the 2012 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.
The number of people who voted in the clergy and lay sessions is not equal to the number who voted in the general session of all delegates.
Ebola recovery
During the meeting, Bishop Innis praised the Liberian government and partners in the denomination for their help during the Ebola crisis. More than 10,000 Liberians contracted the deadly virus andabout 4,500 died from Ebola as of April 18.
Innis thanked Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a United Methodist, for her caring and committed stewardship. He said she “galvanized local resources and international support for the containment and eradication of the Ebola scourge, which unfortunately claimed the lives of over 4,000 of our people, including doctors, nurses and other health workers.”
In his annual episcopal address to the hundreds gathered at the James E. Marshall United Methodist Church for the opening session of the conference on April 15, Innis lamented the loss of lives from Ebola. He called on United Methodists and others to work together for God’s specific purpose concerning humanity.
He indicated that United Methodists in Liberia and the Liberian diaspora are obliged to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. “This is evidenced by the level of care we have given and the quality of work we have done together through churches, schools, health facilities, and other vitalsocial services,” Innis said.
Innis thanked the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committe on Relief, United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, United Methodist Communications, the Liberia Partnership Summit, and the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, for their financial contribution toward the fight against Ebola.
“We praise God for these timely acts of caring and working together, the intervention of UMCom has enhanced our communications ministry tremendously,” Innis said.
Usually held in February, conference was delayed this year because of Ebola.
Swen is editor and publisher of West African Writers, an online publication about United Methodist happenings in West Africa and assists the denomination in Liberia with coverage for United Methodist Communications.
News media contact: Vicki Brown, newsdesk@umcom.org or 615-742-5469.
Glorious worship in Côte d'Ivoire
ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire (UMNS) —
Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS.
Rufine Yéi Sess Bottis (left) and her daughter Fidelia, 15, live in Sipilou, Côte d'Ivoire. They prepared lunch and sang for guests visiting from U.S., Geneva and Abidjan.
Glorious worship in Côte d’Ivoire
By Kathy L. Gilbert
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (UMNS)
View slideshow mobile version
It’s always warm, even before adding the heavy, dark choir and clergy robes, the long-sleeve shirts under wool suit jackets, the long, beautiful dresses with elaborate headgear.
But it doesn’t really get hot until worship starts.
Wait until the music and singing and clapping and dancing and PREACHING starts. Then everybody really works up a sweat.
Every little thing about worship is glorious.
The offering can become an hour-long celebration as each person dances forward to drop whatever they have in the basket or plate or cracked pot. Not just once. Lines start, every person drops their tithes in and then they get back in line and give their offerings. Then they give more for special collections for the church or community.
On this Sunday at Temple Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Man, Côte d’Ivoire, the pastor encourages generous giving, “Through this offering we are bringing our hearts and lives. Please take them so it can be used for your Kingdom.”
What you have here is church. Church in Africa.
And it doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning. Sometimes it happens long into the night on a Wednesday or early in the morning on a Thursday.
Sometimes it happens in a small hut at a mid-day meal seasoned with the sweet sounds of a mother and daughter singing about Jesus.
Worship could start with a brass band circling the community. Inside might be two or three choirs in robes and mortarboards held on by sparkling hair pins. Or it could be three or four young people with a drum fashioned out of a piece of wood and shakers made of rusty biscuit tins.
God is present. God is worshipped.
When they sing, “Come, Come See How I Praise My God,” they really mean it.
Visitors are always greeted with exuberance and kindness.
I was greeted and loved by many Christians in Côte d’Ivoire during a trip to the country from United Methodist Communications in late January.
Thank you for your gracious hospitality:
Temple Bethel United Methodist Church in Abobo-Baoule, outside Abidjan
United Methodist Church in Sassandra
Rufine Yéi Sess Bottis and her daughter, Fidelia, 15, in Spilou.
Temple Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Man
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Students trickling back after Sierra Leone Ebola scare
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UMNS) —
Photo by Phileas Jusu, UMNS.
Students at the Albert Academy wash hands outside before they are allowed into their classroom. The students take hand washing seriously.
Students trickling back after Sierra Leone Ebola scare
By Phileas Jusu
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
Schools in Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone are reporting a low turnout of students returning when schools reopened April 14 after being closed since June 2014 due to the Ebola crisis.
While a few schools reported encouraging numbers during the first week of reopening, the majority recorded poor turnout.
About 70 percent of students at the Albert Academy Junior Secondary School – a United Methodist boys high school in Freetown – were reporting to school by the end of the first week, said Augusta Davies, vice principal.
However, only about 25 percent of students were in school at the same time at the United Methodist Secondary School for Girls in Freetown. The principal, Mariama Sesay, blamed the low turnout on the common habit of students not to take school seriously during first week of reopening. She believes attendance will improve in the next few weeks.
“We don’t have time to waste; learning will start on the first day of school,” Sylvester Meheaux warned a week before schools reopened. Meheaux is chairman of the conference of principals in the Western Area of the country.
Local media reported poor turnout in many other schools across the country.
Ebola cases still reported
United Methodist Bishop John K. Yambasu expressed concern about the re-emergence of Ebola in the capital just as schools are reopening.
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In a recent email to staff, Yambasu said there were reports of quarantines in Aberdeen and Moa Wharf, two areas in Freetown.
“So I want to caution you all, especially those of us who still have school-going children, that we should be all the more vigilant as we send our children to school. Schools have reopened and most of our children are back in school. People are moving around and as always, transport vehicles are packed to capacity, increasing body contact and possible exposure to body fluids of likely infected persons.
“We cannot let Ebola get a foothold again in Western Urban or any area for that matter,” he said.
While new Ebola infection rates are at their lowest ebb countrywide since the outbreak, cases seem to be showing up at several locations at random, making the effort to end Ebola in the country very challenging.
Just when there was hope that Ebola in the populous Freetown metropolis was ending, new cases showed up last week, thereby increasing fears within parents of a risky decision to send their children back to school. Nearly 4,000 people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone since the outbreak began.
Taking precautions
“At devotion today, I spoke to the girls to be cautious about what they do and to minimize touch since Ebola is not over yet. We are encouraging the girls to wash their hands regularly after using the toilets, before and after eating. We are emphasizing hygiene at every level. We are even telling them not to shake hands,” Sesay said.
Sesay said the students will return in morning and afternoon shifts to help prevent overcrowding. Classrooms will average 40 students, she said.
Sesay further explained that teachers will be educating the girls about Ebola every day in the coming weeks so that they are adequately informed at all times. That did not happen in the first week because they were using the first week to settle down while allowing attendance to improve, the principal said.
Before schools reopened, teachers were trained by UNICEF on Ebola prevention, infection and control, and how to run schools in an Ebola outbreak situation.
The UN agency, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, is also supplying schools with infrared thermometers, sanitizing buckets, chlorine, soap and Ebola posters which the World Health Organization made a pre-requisite for schools reopening.
“We are now receiving a lot of material support from the Ministry of Education but it was The United Methodist Church first that trained our teachers and gave us materials we needed for school reopening,” said Fred Coker, principal of the Albert Academy Junior Secondary School.
Adjusting school calendar
Before the Ebola crisis, schools opened in September and closed in July. Students should be returning to school for the third term in April which is the time for promotional exams, Sesay said.
The government has set up a schools reopening committee that will plan and manage what is going to be an extraordinary school year of two terms.
Sesay intends to call a meeting of parents and teachers to share information on the school calendar.
The adjusted school year presents challenges because the rainy season in Sierra Leone peaks in August. Usually students are on vacation and return to school only when the rain is subsiding in September.
This time, they will be going to school in the heavy downpour. This will be a problem for students in the cities where most of them rely on public transport. There will be an even bigger challenge for rural students who must walk from one village to another to attend school.
Also, there are three school terms of three months each in every school year in Sierra Leone. Those have now been compressed into two terms. For the first term, schools will run for 14 weeks beginning April 14 –July 17, 2015; then close for two weeks and reopen on August 3 through November 6 when the academic year ends. That means students have to be put under pressure to do more work in order to be promoted. The adjustments will continue to be made in the subsequent academic years until 2017, when the school system is expected to catch up with their normal calendar.
Further adjustments will have to be made to accommodate the West African School Certificate Exams – for students graduating from secondary school to the university or other tertiary education. The Sierra Leone Ministry of Education alone cannot make adjustments to make provision for WASCE in the adjusted academic year because ministry sources say it is the West African Examinations Council that conducts the exams.
“Ebola has certainly interrupted the school calendar. We are using these two years to reorganize the school year,” said Mohamed S. Turay, director of the inspectorate of schools at the ministry of education.
*Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone. News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Christians and Earth Day: 'You can't love God and ignore the Earth'
CASPER, Wyo. (UMNS) —
Photo by Kay Panovec, United Methodist Communications
Creation is God's beautiful gift to humanity. We are called to care for it.
Christians and Creation: ‘You can’t love God and ignore the Earth’
A UMC.org Feature by Susan Passi-Klaus*
God created humanity in God’s own image…and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take care of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground." Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. Genesis 1:27-31 CEB
The Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter began to understand that, for her, taking care of the world is not just an ecological issue, but a moral and spiritual issue.
The Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter writes and speaks about care for the Earth. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter.
“It reflects the way we treat the life God has given us,” she said. “It’s about what happens to our neighbors, family and the future generation.”
No mincing of words—“You can’t love God and ignore the Earth.”
Sometimes we just have to put something in words people can understand, which is what Simon-Peter (rebekahsimonpeter.com)does in her books Green Church and Seven Steps to Green Your Church. After more than a decade of pastoring churches, the ordainedUnited Methodist elder now shares the “green” gospel with congregations, interfaith groups and community groups throughBridgeWorks, an extension ministry she directs in Wyoming.
“I’ve seen a lot of burning bushes in my time,” Simon-Peter said. “Eight years into pastoring churches I began to see headlines about Global Warming and Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. In 2007, I joined a group being trained by him.”
Our care of Creation "reflects the way we treat the life God has given us" You can't love God and ignore Earth #UMC
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God so loved the world
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16)
DINKIN KALBETH
“The word world is actually kosmon in Greek—the cosmos,” Simon-Peter said. “Jesus’ love is not just for humans, it’s for all creation. That’s why he said to the disciples, ‘Go to all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15).
Simon-Peter describes Jesus as the “midwife” of creation (see Colossians 1:15-20; John 1:1-5). “He loves the Earth as much as he loves us.”
Twenty-five years ago, when she was studying the environment at the University of Vermont, people were still trying to figure out this “green” thing. There was a whole lot of talk about what was going to happen in the future and a general assumption was made, “Someone will do something about this before it’s too late.” A few epiphanies later, Simon-Peter finally “got it”—“The ‘someone’ is me.”
“As the Earth sickens, we sicken as well,” Simon-Peter said. “I felt, and still feel, myself grieving for the earth and for the people and creatures that are dying as well.”
Creation care is not “no big deal”
Although there are skeptics and naysayers, Simon-Peter tells it like many believe it to be.
"The naked truth is that human life is no life at all and is not possible without the life of all beings in creation. Christians must combine our voices with the groaning voice of creation, and rally against rampant and mindless capitalism and its consuming goal for more economic growth at the great cost of ecology."
The Rev. Cliff Bird is the Pacific Islands representative to the Creation Care Ministry Team formed by Global Ministries and works for The Methodist Church in Fiji.
Photo by Caines Janif.
“It’s not the Rapture,” she said. “But in this diverse web of life created by God, fully half of all species on earth may be gone in 50-60 years.
“It’s the largest mass destruction since the age of the dinosaurs,” Simon-Peter said. “We can’t fill the earth to the point we push everything out of existence. Before God blessed us with the command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-31), he gave the birds and fishes the samecommandment (Genesis 1:20-23). We have to balance out our blessedness with their blessedness.”
Scientists insist the doom and gloom stuff isn’t just hogwash. The sixth extinction crisis is already underway. Currently, there are two million species on Earth. Every year 200-2000 of those species become extinct.
Fifty or 60 years from now many of us won’t be here, but our grandkids or their grandkids are at risk for losing the privilege and pleasure of enjoying God’s earthly gifts—the joy of swimming in safe oceans, chasing butterflies, and catching frogs for show and tell? Sadly, future childhoods may be more about forest fires, drought and consequences of an ever-weakening ozone layer. In their future, young students may write term papers about what wasn’t done by previous generations to protect the world they inherited.
Thinking little about a BIG problem
“We are a denomination that preaches what the Bible says, ‘The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those that live it,’” Simon-Peter reminds us, quoting Psalm 24:1. “Creation is the Body of God. We are part and parcel of it. We cannot separate our life with God from our life on earth.”
"I am grieved by the broken state of our planet and I critically consider my part in its destruction. The United Methodist and Franciscan traditions equip me to look at all members of the creation as brothers and sisters in Christ and to expand my understanding of what I consider sacred. I believe that when Christians extend God’s love to the Creation and those affected by its damage, their faith is enriched and resurrection takes on a whole new meaning."
Jessica Stonecypher is Abbess of theWesleyan Order of Saint Francis. Photo courtesy of Jessica Stonecyper.
Many churches say, “But we’re recycling and we’ve stopped using Styrofoam cups during coffee hour.” “That’s not enough,” says Simon-Peter. The church has to think bigger, do more.
It’s not just about appointing a church “Green Team,” nor is it just about floating patches of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Not just about disappearing monkeys, melting icebergs and dying coral reefs. It’s about counting nature’s blessings and honoring The Creator by protecting them.
Simon-Peter suggests churches channel their passion into things that make a true difference—installing solar panels, harnessing wind power, or creating a community garden that can be used to feed the homeless or working poor.
From the pulpit
But it’s up to church leadership to inspire their congregations.
“It’s on the pastor to be courageous and visionary,” Simon-Peter said. “Preachers have to use the power of the pulpit to talk about the relationship with the Creator and the Creation because if it doesn’t come from the church pulpit, it doesn’t become real for the congregation.
“We confuse the political with the Biblical—our focus for so long has been on humanity—which is a good thing, but we have not paid attention to the health of the rest of Creation.”
"Caring for Creation should be a natural response to loving Jesus. I am in awe over the intricacies and systems created that support life. To love my neighbor as myself, I must care and act so my neighbors can have clean water, air and healthy food. I care because God cares for what He’s created."
Heather Bennett works with Blessed Earth Tennessee. Photo courtesy of Heather Bennett.
“Church ministry tends to be comfort-focused. We comfort people in distress. UMCOR does fabulous work with responding to natural disasters—which are actually un-natural disasters. The problem is that we’re not addressing why the disasters are happening with such increasing frequency.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that if America’s more than 300,000 houses of worship cut back on energy use by a mere ten percent, we could save nearly $200 million for missions.
It’s not what we save, it’s what we can do with the money we save.
Connected to the planet
Are your tulips in bloom? Do your rose plants have new leaves? Are there birds at your feeders? What do you see when you go outside for a walk? Are you planning your beach vacation? What’s fresh and for dinner? Can you breathe in the freshness of a new season?
And God said it was good.
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, but the mess is ours.” “God has created a world that is designed to be self-replicating,” Simon-Peter said. “God replicated himself in us and we act on his behalf when we treat Creation with benevolence and creativity."
The Rev. Pat Watkins teaches the theology of caring for creation as a missionary with Global Ministries. Photo courtesy of Pat Watkins.
For further study:
Click here for Bible verses and commentary by the Rev. Pat Watkins. These will serve as a great way to think about and discuss a theology of Creation care.
Watkins is a missionary with Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. He is guiding a new, globally-focused United Methodist Ministry with God’s Renewed Creation, based at Global Ministries and closely related to the Council of Bishops. He is an expert in educating others about how theology relates to caring for Creation.
Watkins said, “The United Methodist Church is an amazing and powerful group of Christians because of our scriptures. We just don’t use that power enough. We need to be the voice of Creation care.” His commentary will help us begin to be that voice.
Use these thoughts with a group of friends, your Sunday School class, youth group, or small group.
*Susan Passi-Klaus is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Joe Iovino, UMC.org Content Manager for United Methodist Communications, 615-312-3733.
Photo by Diane Degnan, United Methodist Communications
The Bible tells us of our connection to all of Creation, and our need to care for this great gift from God.
Bible verses on Creation care: A discussion starter
A UMC.org Resource by Susan Passi-Klaus*
The Rev. Pat Watkins is an expert in educating others about how theology relates to caring for Creation as an important Christian mission. Watkins is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries assigned to the care of God’s Creation. He is based at Global Ministries and relates to the Council of Bishops due to their 2009 document “God’s Renewed Creation.”
The Rev. Pat Watkins is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries assigned to the care of God’s Creation. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Pat Watkins.
“Many of us are stuck at a grade school level of theological competence and Bible understanding,” Watkins explained. “If we looked deeper into the Bible, we’d be surprised. Relationship with God and relationship with the Earth are very prevalent in the Bible, but we focus primarily on our relationship with God and not the Earth.”
“It’s more than recycling and Styrofoam” he continued. “It’s about relationships with God, each other, and God’s Creation. It’s about how we live with each other. It is a covenant.”
Watkins said, “The United Methodist Church is an amazing and powerful group of Christians because of our scriptures. We just don’t use that power enough. We need to be the voice of Creation care.”
Watkins shared some Biblical references that call us to care for God’s Creation.
Genesis 2:7 – “The Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils.”
Adam was created out of dust of the earth. How could there be any more of a relationship with the earth than to be created out of it? It’s as if God scooped up a couple handfuls of earth and formed humanity. When He formed Adam he was not a living being until God breathed life into his nostrils and we became living human beings. The fact that we exist as living, breathing human beings suggests that we have a relationship with the earth because we were created out of it and we have a relationship with God because we breathe the very breath of the one who created all that is.
'Relationship with God and relationship with the Earth are very prevalent in the Bible.' Verses for Creation care. #UMCTWEET THIS
Genesis 3:23 – “the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to farm the fertile land from which he was taken.”
Even the fact that God put Adam and Eve in a garden is an important point. Due to their disobedience, they were kicked out of the garden and the land was cursed making it more difficult for them to coax the earth to provide for them.
Genesis 4:12 – “When you farm the fertile land, it will no longer grow anything for you, and you will become a roving nomad on the earth.”
The story of Cain and Able is also a story of disobedience. When Cain, a farmer, killed his brother, God punished him by removing him from the soil. He became a wanderer across the earth with no connection to any land. When he lost his relationship with the land, he could no longer see the face of God. Relationship with the land and relationship with God were, for Cain, inseparable.
Disobedience of God and violence towards one another results in negative consequences for the earth.
Genesis 9:13 – “I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Few people know that Noah’s father, Lamech, thought that his son might one day be the “righteous” one to remove the curse on the land (Genesis 5:28-29). When Noah’s Ark came to rest and the animals were released, a rainbow appeared. It was a sign not only of God’s covenant with Noah, but also with the animals and the earth itself. Noah’s story is a story of reconciliation of humanity and the earth. God saw what he had done and promised he would never again curse the land.
John 1:3 – “Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being.”
At the beginning of John’s Gospel there is understanding by the writer that Jesus was present at Creation and that everything that ever came into being came into being through Christ.
John 3:16 – “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.”
Many think that the whole Christ event was just about personal salvation, but actually, it was about God’s love for everything God has made. The word world is better translated as cosmos.
The Apostle Paul
Romans 8:19 – “The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters.”
Colossians 1:20 – “he reconciled all things to himself through him—whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross.”
Paul has the understanding that Jesus was the redeemer not just of humanity, but of everything God created.
Learn more about The United Methodist Church and its teachings about the Natural World, and Creation care.
*Susan Passi-Klaus is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Joe Iovino, UMC.org content manager for United Methodist Communications, 615-312-3733.
15 ministries get Peace with Justice grants
WASHINGTON (UMNS) —
$41,400 Peace with Justice grants go to 15 ministries around the globe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 16, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has awarded $41,400 to 15 Peace with Justice ministries around the world. The grants are in conjunction with the denomination’s Peace with Justice Sunday, which witnesses to God's demand for a faithful, just, disarmed and secure world.
Peace with Justice Sunday, May 31, this year, is one of the six United Methodist Special Sundays with offering. Established by the 1988 General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body, Peace with Justice Sunday supports programs that advocate peace and justice at home and around the world.
Half of the Special Sunday offering is retained in annual conferences to fund local Peace with Justice programs. Half is remitted to GBCS to help fund U.S. and global work in social action, public-policy education and advocacy.
Grant awards were determined by GBCS’s Board of Directors during its spring meeting.
Recipients comprise 15 projects: one each in the Northeastern and South Central jurisdictions, two in North Central, three in Southeastern, and three in the Western. Five projects are in Central Conferences, in Africa, Europe and the Philippines.
Grant recipients are as follows:
Central Conferences
Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe, Brussels, Belgium. $2,000
The Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe is fully run by young people. Its goal is to foster understanding and tolerance among young people, especially focused on the different backgrounds that influence European identity.
Peace Today — The UMC in Germany & the Challenges of Peace Ethics, Germany Central Conference. $1,400
The Germany Central Conference’s Commission on Peace, Justice & Care for the Creation will organize a seminar that applies the denomination’s Social Principles to current issues. The seminar is to discern how The United Methodist Church must teach and act to strengthen just peace in a conflicted world. A seminar outcome will be an update of the 2005 study document for United Methodist congregations as to how to work with other denominations to serve as peace builders.
Abuja (Nigeria) United Methodist Church English School. $2,500
The English School is an outreach program of Abuja United Methodist Church with classes offered at the church and in Nasarawa state. Abuja UMC is partnering with the U.S. Embassy and American International School of Abuja who provide co-leaders and volunteer teachers to complement church members.
Displaced Young Mother’s Ministries Fight for Justice, Spottswood United Methodist Mission, Cotabato, Philippines. $2,500
This project enables young mothers of displaced indigenous families to free themselves and their families from the bondage of poverty, exploitation, hunger and helplessness. Through education and skills training in small-business management, young mothers are empowered against exploitative schemes of traders, landlords and money lenders. The women also are technically and financially assisted in establishing their own livelihood through a cottage industry.
Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges, Kidapawan, Philippines. $2,500
Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges is the only United Methodist-owned institution of higher education in Mindanao and Visayas. All students will attend Peace Education & Cultures of Mindanao to further the campaign for peace and environmental justice, and inform the greater public about the situation of the tri-peoples in the area.
North Central Jurisdiction
Justice for Our Neighbors — Southeastern Michigan $2,500
Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) — Southeastern Michigan is a ministry of the Detroit Conference based at Beverly Hills United Methodist Church. JFON provides free or low-cost legal services to persons with immigration issues. The ministry also includes education and advocacy.
Women at the Well United Methodist Church/Right Next Door, Mitchellville, Iowa. $2,500
Women of the Well United Methodist Church is located within the women’s state correctional facility in Mitchellville, Iowa. An important part of the ministry has been establishing relationships with partners who work to support women inside the prison, and assist in the reentry process when they are released. The grant will help support encouragement, networking and training to further expand this ministry.
Northeastern Jurisdiction
Nakba Museum Project of Memory & Hope, University Park, Md., $5,000
This art- and storytelling-based project is a stepping stone toward a museum in Washington, D.C., that shares the ongoing catastrophe of the Palestinians since 1948. Goal is to deepen the conversations on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to develop a “more balanced view” by relating the experiences of people who had homes, but were forced to become refugees.
The museum will be a space that simply tells the human story, with all its paradoxes and pathos, according to Bshara Nassar, founder and executive director who was awarded a scholarship two years ago from the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries that enabled getting a master in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University.
South Central Jurisdiction
Redemptive Work, Austin, Texas, Southwest Texas Conference. $3,000
Housed inside Parker Lane United Methodist Church, Redemptive Work focuses on “traditionally unemployable” people through advocacy and transitional employment that teaches job-search skills and workplace culture. “Traditionally unemployable” is defined as persons who through physical or mental illness, incarceration or period of homelessness have become ineffective at finding full-time, full-benefit employment at a living wage.
Southeastern Jurisdiction
Daybreak in Alabama: How People of Faith Can Change Public Policy, Huntsville. $5,000
“Daybreak in Alabama” is a series of study guides and videos that provide groups of 10-30 people an opportunity to discuss how people of faith can help alleviate suffering, promote racial and religious harmony, and become advocates for Peace with Justice. The guides are a project of the Interfaith Mission Service, a cooperative founded in 1969 owned and operated by 34-member congregations including most mainline Christian congregations, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist and Unity. Trinity United Methodist Church is coordinating congregation for “Daybreak in Alabama.”
South Florida Justice for Our Neighbors, Miami. $2,500
South Florida Justice for Our Neighbors was officially opened July 1, 2014, as a ministry of the South East District, the Florida Conference, and as an official partner of the National Justice for Our Neighbors Network. The grant will support expenses for young-adult missionaries to travel across South Florida to assist church volunteers, and under the supervision of an attorney provide support in preparing immigration applications. The missionaries will also educate long-term residents and recent arrivals as to the needs that exist, and participate in advocacy on behalf of the immigrant communities.
National Farm Worker Ministry Youth & Young Adults Network, Raleigh, N.C. $2,500
National Farm Worker Ministry is a faith-based organization. The Youth & Young Adults Network was created to support a nationwide coalition of young people supporting farm worker-led efforts for self-determination to improve living and working conditions. The network building a self-sustaining national structure by developing organizing and leadership skills for justice activism.
Western Jurisdiction
Fossil Free UMC, Seattle, Wash. $2,500
Fossil Free UMC is a collaborative project between the Pacific Northwest Conference; Caretakers of God’s Creation, a ministry of the General Board of Global Ministries; and GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental organization. In 2014, the Pacific Northwest Conference voted overwhelmingly to study fossil-fuel divestment. In response, the conference is providing staff time for curriculum development and outreach. Caretakers and GreenFaith are providing additional funding for outreach and strategy development beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Mat-Su Valley Congregation Based Community Organizing Project, Wasilla, Alaska. $5,000
The Mat-Su Valley Congregation Based Community Organizing project was created by eight congregations, including three United Methodist, to organize, empower and mobilize local faith communities to address quality of life issues affecting their community. The mission is to work from the faith principles and values of the members, apply them to community issues, and take democratic action to impact existing social structures for the common good of all citizens, particularly the poor and disenfranchised.
United Methodist Kairos Response, Alameda, Calif. $5,000
United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR) is an international, grassroots movement mobilizing response to the call from Palestinian Christians for effective action that will help end the Israeli occupation, and achieve a just, lasting peace for all the people of Israel and Palestine. UMKR addresses root causes of widespread poverty throughout the Palestinian territory and among refugees in neighboring countries, the continued, expanding Israeli occupation, and denial of fundamental rights to Palestinians.
Grant objectives
To qualify for a Peace with Justice grant, applicants must work toward achieving at least one of the following objectives:
Assist United Methodists in understanding and responding to violence and militarism;
Involve United Methodists in efforts to end conflicts and violent aggression around the world;
Promote just national and international policies and actions, governmental and non-governmental, seeking to restore communities and respond to the disproportionate effect of injustices on racial and ethnic persons; and
Support policies that promote systematic economic justice and the self-development of peoples.
For more information, including application procedures, visit Peace with Justice Grantson the GBCS website. You can also contact the Rev. Neal Christie (nchristie@umc-gbcs.org), GBCS assistant general secretary for Education & Leadership Formation, (202) 488-5645.
The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Prime responsibility of the board is to seek implementation of the Social Principles and other policy statements on Christian social concerns of the General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body. The board’s primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education & Leadership Formation, United Nations & International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the denomination. It has offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.
Contact Info
Wayne Rhodes
Director of Communications
General Board of Church & Society
The United Methodist Church
(202) 488-5630 / wrhodes@umc-gbcs.org
Prison ministries helped ex-offender find grace
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (UMNS) —
Photo by Matt Brodie/South Carolina Conference for Interpreter
“When in doubt, love people,” says Erin Wagner (left), an ex-offender whose ministry passion is sharing Christ with prisoners. Here, she stands with Kimberly Campbell, chaplain at the prison where Wagner was once incarcerated and now volunteers.
‘An example of Christ’s love’
By Jessica Brodie
March-April 2015
Growing up, Erin Wagner never felt good enough. The only child of an absent alcoholic father and a co-dependent mother who was more of a peer than a parent, the Columbia, S.C., woman spent her youth navigating a broken home and layers of guilt and abuse.
"It was like Flowers in the Attic," Wagner said, referring to V.C. Andrews' novel about a manipulative mother. "No matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. If I got straight As, it had to be better. She would slap me, say the meanest things. ‘You're just like your father. You'll never do anything.'"
Depressed and alone, Wagner numbed the pain with prescription drugs. But the fog took over; she was arrested five times, from age 14 until she went to prison at 25.
It was in prison that she found her ultimate path to salvation. And today, thanks to a relationship with Christ courtesy of the people Wagner said God put in her path, she has turned her life around. Married with two sons and a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood, S.C., she directs marketing and development for Alston Wilkes Society, helping former offenders and others rebuild their lives. Just as important is her leadership with Kairos Prison Ministry, which shares God's love with prisoners.
Now, Wagner has a passion to carry out her God-given mission.
"I know my purpose: to be an example of what, through others, Christ did for me," Wagner said from her desk at Alston Wilkes, surrounded by pictures of those who have helped her. "To whom much is given, much is expected, and if I ever forget that, I'm in trouble. He wouldn't have blessed me if he didn't expect me to be that for somebody else."
One abuser to another
It took a long time, and much pain, to get where she is now. As a teen, Wagner was so overwhelmed by abuse and despair that she wanted to die.
"I remember thinking as I lay in bed, ‘I'll just kill myself and be done with it.'"
Wagner, who had skipped two grades, graduated at 16 and left home. At first, life was normal. She had a boyfriend and a job. She attended the University of South Carolina, hoping to be a guidance counselor.
But she was 16, reeling from years of dysfunction and did not know how to make positive life choices. Her boyfriend used drugs and became abusive.
When Wagner got pregnant with her son, Tyler, she quit school. After Tyler's birth, life took a dramatic turn. She had given birth early by C-section and had postpartum depression. Doctors prescribed medication – her introduction to pain pills.
Her boyfriend's abuse escalated from shoving to hitting to threatening to kill their newborn. He also began stealing money from her, causing her to bounce a dozen checks and spend a night in jail.
Desperate and terrified, she fled to the one place she had vowed never to return.
"My mother had to be better than this; at least she wouldn't try to kill Tyler," she recalls thinking.
But her mother began using Tyler to manipulate her, leading Wagner to seek refuge in prescription pain pills. A few pills turned into more. As her judgment worsened, she was arrested on minor charges.
"You don't realize when you're past the point of no return," she said.
Finally, she was arrested on fraud charges for ordering pain medications from a clinic where she worked.
‘Saving grace'
This was her fifth arrest, and she found herself in the courtroom of then-Circuit Court Judge J. Michelle Childs, whom Wagner calls her "saving grace."
"Judge Childs said, ‘You're not a bad girl. You're a broken girl.' From that bench, she gave me more wisdom and compassion than my mother ever did. She said, ‘I'm doing this because you need to get better. I'm giving you the next three-and-a-half years' vacation to focus on you, to focus on programsand opportunities. Don't waste one minute of it.'
"And I didn't."
For the first time, she felt someone believed in her.
In prison, Wagner took every opportunity: Bible studies, counseling, Kairos, co-dependency groups,Celebrate Recovery. She learned she had worth.
She seldom saw Tyler. "But when I did, I learned how to spend quality time and be a real mom." They played Monopoly, and Wagner just sat and listened.
In Kairos, she started noticing that instead of spouting Scripture, people would simply sit and talk with her, as she was doing with Tyler.
"They didn't put me down. They lifted me up, tried to hug me. It blew my mind. Why in the world would they come see people who are unworthy? My own mother wouldn't see me."
She let her guard down, began to feel loved.
"Then I started noticing my counselor would slip in little things about faith during conversations," Wagner said. "She'd say, ‘You're here because you matter to somebody. You might think you're unworthy, but you didn't die. You're here for something. What could that be?'"
Wagner looked back at her life and realized someone had always been by her side: Christ.
He was there keeping her safe when her world was crumbling, there in those who helped her: judges, chaplains, Kairos volunteers, fellow offenders, prison officers.
She realized God had put people in her life at the perfect times, right when she had needed them.
New path
After Wagner was released in 2008, she taught youth offenders and continued with Celebrate Recovery at local churches. Tyler went with her. Soon, they found their way to Trinity. On their first visit, she recognized the former prison chaplain, and a man wearing a Kairos shirt stood up to speak. She knew she had found the right church home.
Today, she is active at Trinity and reaches out to former offenders new to church. She is married to Max, and besides Tyler, now 16, they have another son, Bryce, 4.
Her relationship with Kairos deepened. With fellow volunteers, she now spends several weekends a year in prisons, sharing Christ's love with inmates. She also chairs the Camille Graham Chapel Foundation, formed to build a chapel at her former prison. There, she leads planning for the warden, associate warden, chaplain and volunteers – people who once directed her.
In 2010, she received another opportunity: a position created for her at Alston Wilkes to tell her story and the stories of other former offenders and at-risk people. Her task is sharing the group's mission to spread awareness and raise funds.
"I couldn't do this job if I hadn't been through what I had," she said. "It's important for me to be the hands and feet of Christ because, in my mind, showing people what I was shown is my ministry."
Her husband and children embrace her story, telling it often.
"My son Tyler is always telling his football team, ‘Well, my mom was in prison,'" she said, laughing. "We're proud of it. It's made us who we are. There was a time when I didn't know me, and now I have complete confidence that God's always got me, and no matter where he sends me, I'll be all right."
She and Tyler have a strong relationship, and she knows she has broken the cycle – thanks to God and all the people God put in her path.
Jessica Brodie, editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, can be contacted atjbrodie@umcsc.org.
BMCR chairman calls for partnerships to fight racism
ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS) —
Photo by Maidstone Mulenga
The Rev. Cedric D. Bridgeforth stressed the need for Black Methodists for Church Renewal to form partnerships with other groups in The United Methodist Church to fight racism in the church and the nation. He spoke at the annual meeting of the caucus.
BMCR told `it takes two’ to challenge racism and improve communities
By Larry R. Hygh Jr.
ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS)
The chairman of Black Methodists for Church Renewal urged members to work alongside others to challenge and ultimately eliminate covert and overt racism in The United Methodist Church and the nation.
The Rev. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth addressed the 48th annual gathering of the organized black caucus of the denomination, which met April 16-18.
“We now stand upon the shoulders of the giants, `she-roes’ and heroes, and the millions we will never know by sight or sound,” Bridgeforth said. “They sang songs of freedom while enslaved to send messages of liberation and freedom to their descendants who would one day own that land their foremothers and forefathers once tilled.
“And in the wake of all that, we still experience racism, and self-hatred is not afar off.”
The theme of this year’s meeting was “It’s Time to Take Action.” The group kept to its plan to meet in Orlando despite Florida’s high-profile deaths of young black men from gun violence.
In his address, Bridgeforth juxtaposed the word of Matthew 18, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst,” with the chorus of the 1980’s hip hop song, “It Takes Two,” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock.
“If we are to take any meaningful action in our local churches, in our conferences, in our denomination, that has lasting positive impact on policies, politics, and behaviors that plague our people, and our communities, then we must remember: `It takes two to make a thing go right; it takes two to make it out of sight,’” Bridgeforth said.
BMCR is one of The United Methodist Church’s five U.S.-based ethnic caucuses. It represents more than 2,400 predominantly African-American congregations, translating to about 500,000 African-American members across the United States.
Advocacy work
The group’s work includes advocating for the interests and inclusion of black United Methodists in the general church structures; serving as a spiritual agitating conscience for the denomination; and raising prophetic and spiritual leaders.
Deborah Bell, BMCR’s vice chair, said Bridgeforth’s address “set the atmosphere for the theme.” She added that he noted goals accomplished and stressed the relevance of caucus today.
Bridgeforth highlighted several developments since last year’s gathering in St. Louis. One is the Black Papers Project. This catalog of papers and statements expressing BMCR’s positions on various topics and issues was written by African American bishops and other members of the caucus.
“This will permit us at any point to be quoted and engaged in emerging issues of our day,” Bridgeforth said. Topics include voter suppression, full inclusion in the church, mass incarceration, church closures, gender gap, and mental health.
Another development highlighted was the move of BMCR’s office from The United MethodistPublishing House in Nashville, Tennessee, to the campus of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta. Two staff persons were hired: a manager of program and operations and a project manager.
As the denomination gets ready for General Conference 2016 in Portland, the caucus will again be an active participant with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition in pushing for passage of legislation. BMCR will be working in this regard with the other four US-based ethnic caucuses.
Attending the BMCR gathering was the Rev. Joel Hortiales, representing MARCHA or Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa de los Hispano-Americanos.
“During the different conversations and presentations at BMCR, I learned that we are not allowed to forget where we came from, and we need to find passion again and go back to what brought us here, a meaningful relationship with Jesus,” he said.
Hortiales added: “We must have a collective commitment to be a voice for the voiceless.”
Working together
Bridgeforth stressed the need to work with other groups in the denomination on issues of racism.
The ethnic caucuses - BMCR, MARCHA, the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, the Native American International Caucus , and the Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists - had a historic first joint gathering last year. One of the results is a video series called "I Too, Am United Methodist.”
Since its 1967 inception in Detroit, BMCR has consistently been the voice of black United Methodists and an advocate for the growth and development of black churches. When The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968, the caucus effectively lobbied for the creation of the General Commission on Religion and Race and the desegregation of The United Methodist Publishing House.
BMCR also helped the denomination launch numerous other landmark mission initiatives, including the Black College Fund in 1970, the churchwide missional priority on Strengthening and Developing the Ethnic Minority Local Church (1976 to 1988), and Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century in 1996.
The list of ministries created, and continued, with the aid of BMCR include: Africa University, Black College Fund, Gammon Theological Seminary, and the Minority Self-Determination Fund.
The national organization encompasses sub-groups operating as local, conference, jurisdictional, and youth caucuses. These groups function as advocacy, ministry, and leadership developmentorganizations addressing the needs and concerns of the members they represent.
Hygh is director of communications for the 360 churches and 78,000 members of the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
Video series: 'I, too, am United Methodist'ATLANTA (UMNS) — We, Too, Are United Methodist
MEDIA RELEASE
653 Beckwith Street SW, Lower Level, Atlanta, GA 30314
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 16 April 2015
Media Contact: Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr.
(626) 755-6948 or larryh@calnevumc.org
UMC Ethnic Caucuses Release "I Too, Am United Methodist"
Video series reflects on what it means to be United Methodist from five ethnic caucuses
Atlanta, Georgia – The five ethnic caucuses of the United Methodist are releasing a video series called "I Too, Am United Methodist." The series was filmed during last year's historic gathering of the denomination five United States based ethnic caucuses in St. Louis, Missouri.
The caucuses are Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa de los Hispano-Americanos (MARCHA), the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, the Native American International Caucus , and the Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists (PINCUM).
The Rev. Dr. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, Chair of BMCR says, “The idea for the video is patterned after a project by black students at Harvard University. After viewing their video and hearing their stories, it was clear their experience at a predominantly white institution was similar to the stories of non-anglo persons within the United Methodist Church.”
The title for the project is a take off the Langston Hughes poem, “I, Too, Am America.” The series is being produced by a young adult member of BMCR, Brennen Boose.
Monalisa Tu’itahi, Executive Director of PINCUM , says, “This is a great way to express our commitment to the Church and our full inclusion in its workings and its witness.” She added, “This is a good time to release this video as we are beginning our second year of intentional collaboration on issues and programs that will benefit each caucus and our denomination.”
The first video in the series can be viewed and downloaded for free from the site, https://youtu.be/6aZiS3lAN7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aZiS3lAN7M
Watch video
<iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6aZiS3lAN7M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Quick facts about The United Methodist ChurchNASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Looking for a snapshot of The United Methodist Church's numbers around the globe? The data services department of the General Council on Finance and Administration has put together a chart of church membership, attendance, total active churches and total active clergy.
See chart
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Council of Bishops To Meet In Berlin
Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church
100 Maryland Ave. NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2015
Nashville, Tenn.: United Methodist bishops from Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States will gather in Berlin at Hotel Palace Berlin for the Council of Bishops meeting, from May 1-7.
Main topics on the agenda include the development of vital congregations, the implementation of the four Areas of Focus, preparation for the 2016 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, and the role of bishops in helping to maintain the unity and faithfulness of the church in the face of many significant challenges and opportunities.
“The Council of Bishops is meeting in Europe because The United Methodist Church is a global church with approximately 40 percent of United Methodists living outside the United States,” said Bishop Peter D. Weaver, executive secretary of the Council of Bishops. “It is important, as John Wesley emphasized, to be ‘connected’ with each other as we celebrate the diversity of gifts in our church and learn from each other how best to ‘make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’ in this 21st century.”
On Sunday, May 3, the bishops will split into groups and worship with different United Methodist churches in Berlin and nearby congregations. Bishops will have the chance to meet with local United Methodists; afterwards, they will have the opportunity to learn more about unique local history, as well as current challenges in Europe.
“Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall came down,” said Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of the Germany Episcopal Area. “Recently one of our pastors, who grew up in the German Democratic Republic, said at a gathering in Berlin: ‘Whenever I cross the former border, just walking along without any constraints, I am rejoicing in my heart.’ The German nation and the people in Europe have indeed many reasons to rejoice. At the same time, we know of the challenges caused by rapid changes.”
Time for spiritual reflection is a part of the Council’s agenda, including daily worship. Plenary business sessions, held Friday through Thursday, are open to the news media and public. There will also be various committee and sub-group meetings throughout the week.
The Council of Bishops provides leadership and helps set the direction of the 12.5 million-member church and its mission throughout the world. The bishops are the top clergy leaders of The United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
Contact: Diane Degnan
ddegnan@umcom.org
(615) 742-5402 (office)
(615) 483-1765 (cell)
New award recognizes baptisms, professions of faith
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — One Matters Award to Encourage Baptisms and Professions of Faith
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 17, 2015 /Discipleship Ministries/ Annual conferences are being encouraged to renew their focus on discipleship, especially at congregations in the United Methodistconnection where annual baptisms and professions of faith too often are nonexistent, by honoring churches with the new One Matters Discipleship Award.
Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church is urging each conference to use the award to recognize one church that is turning zeros into positive numbers with a renewed focus on discipleship during 2015.
“With the One Matters Discipleship Award, we want to lift up the importance of discipleship and help interpret across the connection what zeros in professions of faith and baptism mean and what moving away from the zeros means,” said Sara Thomas, Deputy General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries and Chief Strategist for Vital Congregations. “Each "1" in those categories represents a transformed life – a life that matters to God, and a life that should matter to us.”
More than 70 percent of the UMC congregations in the United States did not baptize anyone age 13 or older in 2013, and 55 percent did not baptize anyone age 12 and under, according to the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA). In addition, 50 percent of local churches did not have any professions of faith that year.
“Making disciples is much more than statistics; it is about lives changed by God’s grace," Thomas said. “We have an opportunity to help celebrate the fact that one life matters ... and continue to help congregations identify ways to invite people into a relationship with Jesus through the United Methodist Church.”
Jeff Campbell, Director of Annual Relationships at Discipleship Ministries, said conferences are invited to participate in the One Matters Discipleship Award.
“Each conference can nominate a church and share that church’s story of how they are turning things around, making disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world, Campbell said.
The award, which includes $1,000 and a One Matters Discipleship Award plaque, will be presented to thepastor and lay leaders of a congregation which has done significant work to make its zeros from previous years become positive numbers, Campbell said.
”The monetary award is designed to encourage continued growth in the area of discipleship,” he said.
In the Rio Texas Annual Conference, leaders have decided to take the One Matters award to the next level.
Ruben Saenz, Director of Connectional Ministry, said Rio Texas plans to add $6,000 to the $1,000 offered by Discipleship Ministries, purchase six more One Matters plaques and present an award to each district to lift up the importance of making disciples across the conference.
Conference office leaders interested in participating in One Matters should contact Campbell by email atjcampbell@umcdiscipleship.org, or by phone at (615) 340-7260.
Mission agency sharpens focus on global health
NEW YORK (UMNS) — Global Health: “We Have Strong Reason to Hope”
A new unit being shaped by its mission agency will position The United Methodist Church for participation in major international health campaigns through the next few decades.
Establishment of a distinct health unit within the General Board of Global Ministries was a highlight of the report given by the agency’s chief executive to the semi-annual meeting of its board of directors on April 16. Thomas Kemper outlined possibilities for an active United Methodist role in Convergence 2035—the vision of 25 renowned global health experts and economists—leading to a collaboration of a range of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
The strategy for a new international program, tentatively called “Abundant Health: Our Promise to Children,” will take into account intersections with the other denominational areas of focus—particularly Ministry with the Poor—but also Developing Principled Christian Leaders, and Creating New and Renewed Congregations. It will build on the successes of the denomination’s signature health campaign “Imagine No Malaria,” as that program moves toward celebration at the 2016 General Conference.
Kemper also linked the health strategy to Global Ministries’ work through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). “The health unit will continue to relate strongly to UMCOR,” he said. This is especially important “as we respond to health crises caused by natural and human-made disasters and to the health components of long-term humanitarian rehabilitation and community development,” he continued. He also indicated that missionaries in health professions will be involved in the program.
Working with the Council of Bishops, the Connectional Table, and other general agencies, Global Ministries expects to roll out, at the 2016 General Conference, a new program that focuses on child and neo-natal health.
The decision to address child and neo-natal health was determined by responses from more than 5,000 people in 59 countries to a survey that prioritized the four greatest health challenges. These priorities overlapped with the needs presented by the respected Lancet Commission on Investing in Health. A Lancet Commission report, “Global Health 2035: A World Converging within a Generation,” provides the international community and low- and middle-income countries with guidance to achieve dramatic health gains within one generation.
Kemper spoke of the church’s role in global health in the framework of a John Wesley quote, “We have strong reason to hope.” Methodism’s 18th century founder put strong emphasis on the promotion of health as a Christian responsibility.
Through this new program, Kemper believes The United Methodist Church can make a significant contribution to the collaborative efforts of Global Health 2035. While the exact wording is still being developed, Kemper said “Abundant Health: Our Promise to Children” plans to make five promises—with the strategic goal of reaching one million children with lifesaving measures by 2020:
• Promote safe births for all mothers and their children
• Address nutritional challenges and promote breastfeeding
• Advance the prevention and treatment of childhood killer diseases
• Increase availability of lifesaving vaccines, medicines and commodities
• Encourage engagement in health-promoting activities such as exercise
US Health Forum
In addition to the international program, Kemper announced that a joint effort in the United States with the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, will focus on congregational health.
“Healthy Congregations, Healthy Communities” will be introduced at a U.S. Health Summit scheduled for September 9-10, 2015, in Houston. The summit is hosted and sponsored by the Methodist Medical Center and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.
Lifting up these two major initiatives, Kemper said, “I consider our opportunities in health ministry one of our expanding fields of mission. He continued, “Let us ask God to give us the energy and wisdom for this work of healing and wholeness in the world.”
New Operational Plan for Global Ministries
In his report, Kemper also shared updates on the agency’s plan to establish global regional offices. In October 2014 the board of directors voted to open offices in Latin America, Asia, and Africa in addition to moving Global Ministries’ headquarters from New York, NY, to Atlanta, GA.
Kemper said the primary function of the offices will be to connect partners in the region with key staff in its headquarters. “The regions will represent the agency in making links to mission partners,” he said. Noting that each office will reflect the culture of its location, he anticipates that regional offices “will identify and connect local initiatives with the broad range of programs and resources offered by the agency.”
Reporting on the move to Atlanta, which will be completed by October 2016, Kemper said, “We had a glorious celebration of mission and welcome in Atlanta hosted by the North and South Georgia annual conferences and a group of local churches.”
According to Kemper, approximately 80% of the agency’s professional and executive staff has indicated interest in being invited to Atlanta or a regional office. He is thankful for the “abundance of creativity and vision of the staff” and for the staff members engagement in various planning teams.
Quoting John Wesley, Kemper concluded, “We have strong reason to hope that the work God hath begun, God will carry on unto the day of the Lord Jesus…Hallelujah.”Methodist council condemns attacks in South Africa
DURBAN, South Africa (UMNS) — The World Methodist Council has condemned escalating violence against foreign nationals, refugees and asylum seekers in the Republic of South Africa and applauds Methodists who have stood up against these human rights violations.
Statement Against Attacks on Foreigners in South Africa
Peace March in Durban, South Africa on 16 April 2015. Photo Credit: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
In the wake of escalating violence against foreign nationals, refugees and asylum seekers in the Republic of South Africa, World Methodist Council representatives express concern and disappointment at these clear violations of human rights. General Secretary Ivan Abrahams and the Social Justice Committee of the World Methodist Council issued this joint statement today condemning the violence and attacks:
The World Methodist Council condemns these attacks which so clearly undermine human rights and dignity. We applaud the actions of Methodist family members within the Republic of South Africa who have stood up against these human rights violations. We also welcome the recent statements of President Zuma and senior government officials. We further support the marches and events held to bring awareness to take a stance against such atrocities. We pray that they are successful in continuing to promote initiatives toward peaceful coexistence. We implore the South African government to protect the rights of all people as enshrined in its Constitution. We further call on Methodists and Wesleyans within the neighboring countries of South Africa to stand in solidarity with and aid all those affected by these attacks. We are one human race. Let us all continue to pray and speak out against the injustices throughout our world.
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MOBILE, Ala. (UMNS) —
Photo courtesy of Project Community Computers
Whether it is helping bring broadbend access to the community or inviting people to use church-owned computers, providing digital access can be a vital ministry. Summerfield United Methodist Church in Milwaukee is among churches that have adopted it.
Broadband, Rural Ministry and Social Justice
Jeremy Steele
January-February 2015
Seventeen million children in the United States do not have access to computers withbroadband connections, reports Connected Nation. Broadband allows large amounts of data to be transmitted simultaneously at high speed.
Lack of access to broadband creates a problem that is far bigger than not being able to watch funny cat videos on YouTube. It represents a massive gulf in economic and educational opportunity that churches can help bridge — provided they have access. However, that is not always the case as Mark Doyal, director of communications for the Michigan Area, discovered in 2012.
Doyal was surprised to find that as many as 45 percent of the United Methodist churches in Michigan did not have broadband access. He had no idea so many churches were without what has become a basic need.
"Today, broadband is as important as running water and electricity," Doyal says.
To help the churches move into the digital age, he collaborated with Eric Frederick, vice president of community affairs for Connected Nation. The organization is in several states and focuses on resolving the lack of broadband access.
The first step, according to Frederick, is to find out if access is available. "Many people who think they do not have access might be being served by a smaller provider," he says. While Michigan has well over 100 broadband providers, most people only know about three or four because the smaller companies do not have the huge advertising budgets like those of AT&T and Comcast.
Even with the smaller providers, though, many communities still lack service. Frederick and his team help an unserved community learn how to pool demand so they can attract a nearby provider with the promise of a profitable business.
The arrival of broadband access in a community often uncovers a new form of inequality. Those who have lived on the edges of the digital age can be intimidated by all they don't know about computers and the Internet. Others simply cannot afford the service.
Addressing digital inequality can be a new kind of social justice ministry. Though many people think of things like food pantries and literacy programs, a broadband installation can make digital justice ministries like Internet safety courses and free Wi-Fi possible.
It may seem trivial, but simply offering free Wi-Fi can change the lives of children in a community. With more and more schools requiring students to do online research, participate in forums and post blog entries, students without Internet access can fall through the cracks. However, when churches open their doors — and computers — to these children in need, these students receive a hand up in their education.
It all starts with broadband access. If you want to start the process for your church or district, the best place to begin is checking the National Broadband Map, www.broadbandmap.gov, and contacting your state's version of Connected Nation. You can find a full list of those organizations at the State Broadband Initiative Organization List.
The Rev. Jeremy Steele is Next Generation minister at Christ United Methodist Church, Mobile, Ala. He is also an author, blogger and frequent contributor to MyCom, an e-newsletter published by United Methodist Communications.
Global Ministries applauds Obama on Cuba
NEW YORK (UMNS) — United Methodist Mission Agency Welcomes Thaw in U.S.-Cuban Relations by Elliott Wright*
New York, NY, — The mission agency of The United Methodist Church has welcomed the recent steps toward the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States and commended President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro for their personal diplomacy in support of that goal.
Directors of the General Board of Global Ministries, meeting in its semi-annual session in New York on April 16-18, approved a statement that also calls for an end to the 50-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba — an action that can only be taken by Congress.
Their statement applauded President Obama for “notifying Congress of his plans to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism, a major step toward the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries at odds for a half century.”
Unanimously approved by the 32 of 36 directors present, the Cuba-U.S. measure came through the program committee and triggered no discussion when introduced on the floor.
The United Methodist Church has opposed the embargo and advocated for a normalization of relations between the two countries since shortly after the embargo was imposed in 1963. It has partner relations with the Methodist Church of Cuba, which represents a community of 65,000 people. The statement anticipates expanding interaction between Cuban Methodists and United Methodists.
The General Board of Global Ministries has personnel, projects and partners in more than 125 countries. The United Methodist Church has a worldwide membership of some 12 million, with 7.5 million in the United States.
Official movement toward more open and official relations between Cuba and the United States began in late 2014 with indications that travel restrictions might be relaxed and diplomatic relations restored. On April 10, Presidents Obama and Castro met personally at the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama. The U.S. president subsequently notified Congress that he planned to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
“The church always supports efforts to resolve difference by diplomacy and negotiations rather than conflict,” said Thomas Kemper, chief executive of Global Ministries, in an interview following approval of the resolution.
Kemper noted, as does the directors’ action, the value of personal diplomacy by statement and politicians, including German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s good-neighbor gestures toward Eastern Europe in 1969 and U.S. President Richard Nixon’s trip to China in 1974.
“Global Ministries,” said the statement, “works for open borders, religious freedom and friendly interaction among all nations.”
The Global Ministries’ statement pointed to the widespread international religious support for regularizing U.S.-Cuban relations and ending the embargo. It cited the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and the World Council of Churches, in addition to the Methodist Church of Cuba.
Copies of the statement will be sent to President Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden as president of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, and the majority and minority Statement Regarding Cuba-U.S. Relations We, the directors of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, in session on April 18, 2015, welcome the recent measures that point toward possible normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and Cuba, as long advocated by our Church. We commend President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro for their historical face-to-face meeting in Panama City on April 10 during the Summit of the Americas. We applaud President Obama for subsequently notifying Congress of his plans to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism, a major step toward the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries at odds for a half century. We anticipate the relaxation of some of the travel and other regulations, and we hope that the way is being paved for the U.S. Congress to lift the embargo of Cuba imposed in 1963. We join our voice to those of the Methodist Church in Cuba, the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America (CIEMAL), the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical agencies for an end to the embargo that does great economic harm to Cuba’s people. President Obama and President Castro have shown great political courage through their engagement in personal diplomacy in Panama. We hope that this instance will prove as beneficial to world order as that of German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s overture of good will to Eastern Europe in 1969 and President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1974. Our expressions of welcome and hope reflect a 50 year-old sentiment of The United Methodist Church — first stated in 1964 and frequently repeated by our policy-making General Conference. With regard to the U.S. embargo of Cuba, that conference said: “We cannot accept the expression of hostilities by any country, its policies, or its ideologies as excuses for the failure of Christians to press persistently, realistically and creatively toward a growing understanding among the peoples of all countries.” As a global mission agency, with personnel, projects and partners in more than 125 countries, Global Ministries works for open borders, religious freedom and friendly interaction among all nations. We have historical and current links to the vibrant Methodist community in Cuba that have withstood the embargo and many years of Cuban Communism. The Methodist Church of Cuba has more than 42,000 members and a worshiping community of 65,000. It engages in a range of social ministries and, in collaboration with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), has built 200 new houses for persons whose dwellings were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. We long for an even closer relationship. We hold as a goal the promotion of justice, freedom and peace: May it be so for the people of the United States and Cuba and in the relations between their governments. The above statement was approved by the Mission Program Committee for referral to the full board for approval and subsequent press release along with distribution to the following U.S. government officials: President of the United States President of the Senate Speaker of the House Majority and minority leaders of both houses of Congress.
Emory to establish John Lewis Chair
ATLANTA (UMNS) — United Methodist-related Emory University has received a $1.5 million donation to establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice in the university's School of Law. U.S. Rep. Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. In 1965, he was beaten as he led protestors trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Emory to establish John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights, Social Justice
Congressman John Lewis speaks at the 2014 Emory commencement exercises.
School Of Law,Philanthropy, Law,Community And Diversity,Teaching
Emory University School of Law has received a $1.5 million donation to help establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice.
The gift, given anonymously, funds a professorship which will enable Emory Law to conduct a national search for a scholar with an established academic profile of distinction and a demonstrated desire to promote the rule of law through the study of civil rights. The law school has committed to raise an additional $500,000 to fund the chair fully.
"This gift will allow us to perform a nationwide search and name a professor who will further scholarship on the issues of civil rights and social justice," says Robert Schapiro, dean of Emory Law and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. "Through this chair, we are honored to recognize Congressman Lewis's historic achievements in these vital areas."
Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. In 1963, at the age of 23, he was a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. In 1965, he was beaten as he led protesters trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. He has served in Congress as representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District since 1987.
According to Joella Hricik, Emory Law's associate dean for development and alumni relations, the anonymous donor feels that recent anniversaries of civil rights milestones such as the Selma march, the March on Washington and enactment of the Voting and Civil Rights acts make this a fitting time to honor a living icon of the civil rights movement.
According to the donor, "John Lewis exemplifies the values of courage, commitment, dignity, humanity, fairness and equal opportunity that were and are the hallmarks of the movement. Congressman Lewis is an inspiration to us as he continues to speak out against injustice and to fight for equality and civil rights. Atlanta holds an important place in the history of civil rights in the U.S. and John Lewis is a central figure in that history; we hope that a professorship at Emory Law School in his name will in some small way help to continue the good and great work that he has done these last 50 years."
Schapiro adds, "Honoring John Lewis – someone who is so important to the conversation on civil rights – is a wonderful way to inspire the Emory community with ourongoing commitment to social justice and academic excellence. The gift builds on Emory's history as a leader in civil rights and social justice, dating as far back as the 1962 lawsuit that helped integrate private colleges and universities in Georgia."
In a conversation with Emory University President James Wagner, Congressman Lewis said that he is honored to have this professorship in his name and looks forward to the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with the university.
"Congressman John Lewis has exemplified profound understanding of the moral imperative of justice and has demonstrated the courage it often takes for a society to abide by the rule of law. Emory University is deeply honored that the congressman has allowed us to recognize his contributions to American social justice through the naming of this professorship," says Wagner. "The John Lewis Professorship will both honor a great American and remind future Emory-educated attorneys of the responsibility bequeathed to them as servants of the law."
Hricik anticipates raising the necessary funds for the chair within the next six to 12 months. The law school will seek gifts from individual donors, law firms and corporations. Those interested in supporting this effort should contact Hricik at joella.hricik@emory.edu.
Emory awarded Lewis an honorary doctor of laws degree at the university's 2014 commencement exercises, where he also served as keynote speaker.
In remarks at the Emory Law commencement ceremony the same day, Lewis reminded graduates of the role that law has played in the evolution of civil rights in America. "Under the rule of law, we have witnessed what I like to call a nonviolent revolution in America — a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas," he said.
"Our country is a better country and our people are a better people because of the law," he added. "So go out there and do your best to seek justice. And never, ever turn back; never, ever give up; but keep the faith and continue to work for what is right, for what is fair, and for what is just."Newest episode of North Carolina show explores literacy
GARNER, N. C. (UMNS) — The April 26 episode of Every Day Grace TV explores literacy with people involved in the Fayetteville Urban Ministry and Read and Feed. EDGTV is a new television show produced by the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. It airs the last Sunday of each month at 11:30 a.m. EDT, on WNCN Channel 17, an NBC affiliate in Raleigh.
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Learning Spanish as church hospitalityCHICAGO (UMNS) — Nearly 545 students participated in 48 classes held in 42 churches across the Northern Illinois Conference in the last two years to learn some Spanish and explore ¿Quién es mi vecino? (Who is my neighbor?). The classes grew out of Bishop Sally Dyck's 2013 vision of offering 100 Spanish-as-a-second language classes in the conference so United Methodist churches could be more welcoming to Hispanic/Latino neighbors. Anne Marie Gerhardt reports for the Northern Illinois Conference.
Learning Spanish as church hospitality
Categories: Aurora,Chicago Northwestern,Chicago Southern,DeKalb,Elgin,Hispanic Plan,News,Rockford,Spanish
By Anne Marie Gerhardt
Nearly 545 students participated in 48 classes held in 42 churches across the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) in the last two years to learn some Spanish and explore ¿Quién es mi vecino? (Who is my neighbor?).
The core curriculum behind these Spanish-as-a-second language (SSL) classes was a collaborative effort written around the table by three linguists in the NIC, Joyce Carrasco, MTS, Ruth Cassel Hoffman, PhD, and Ngoc-Diep Nguyento, PhD, which has recently been published by Abingdon Press into a teacher and student manual, Who Is My Neighbor?: Learning Spanish as Church Hospitality (¿Quién es mi vecino?).
In 2013 Bishop Sally Dyck cast a vision to offer 100 Spanish-as-a-second language classes in the conference so people in our churches may be more welcoming to our Hispanic/Latino neighbors.
“Not only in Illinois but throughout the United States, there is a large and/or growing population of Spanish-speaking people,” said Bishop Dyck. “While most of these new immigrants are eager to learn English, it’s hospitable to at least attempt Spanish when we connect with them in our communities and in our churches.”
According to the Pew Research Center a record 37.6 million people speak Spanish in their homes. In the U.S., it is the most spoken non-English language, and the number of Spanish speakers has grown rapidly reflecting the arrival of new immigrants from Latin America and a growth in the Hispanic population. This change in cultural make-up increases the need for people to find better ways to communicate with others in their daily lives and especially church life.
Pictured left to right: Bishop Sally Dyck, Ruth Hoffman, Ngoc-Diep Nguyento and Joyce Carrasco who helped create the Spanish as a second language program.
The Who Is My Neighbor? Student Manual is a field-tested resource proposing that English speakers of any church and congregation can learn basic conversational Spanish-speaking skills to communicate and provide a welcoming atmosphere to the local Hispanic population in their neighborhoods and places of worship.
Co-author Ruth Hoffman says the goal is minimal conversation and not fluency. “We are trying to give people the tools to communicate minimally so they can extend a warmer welcome to Spanish speakers and create a more diverse and inclusive congregation and community,” said Hoffman.
learn much like a child – by listening, seeking to comprehend, and then slowly begin to speak Spanish. The adult learning experience enables people to speak somebasic Spanish, sing with greater confidence, and pray together in today’s culturally diverse communities and churches.
Author Ngoc-Diep Nguyen grew up in Viet Nam where she says hospitality is a big part of her country’s values and believes this curriculum extends that welcome to the Hispanic/Latino community.
“When I came here as a young refugee, it was the radical hospitality and love of others that provided me with a second chance in life,” Nguyen said. “I learned from those who helped me along the way that to be radically hospitable, we must be always open to the possibility of entering into a caring relationship with every stranger that we meet. They certainly took me when I was a stranger to them.”
Co-author Joyce Carrasco says each of the lessons includes participatory activities and is set within a context of hospitality. The course ends with a “field trip” or an opportunity for community engagement including Holy Communion in Spanish. The project seeks to break down barriers so we can better understand and know our neighbors. “Embedded in each of the lessons is what we call the cultural insight,” Joyce said. “The premise of the culmination of the course is to visit a multilingual church, participate in a Spanish service or have a potluck and invite an Hispanic church to join you to have that multicultural experience.”
Will Andrews leading one of the first SSL classes at Grace Logan Square UMC in Chicago.
The curriculum emphasizes the importance of the pastor’s support, a local church ambassador to oversee the logistics at the host site, quality, committed teachers and active participants.
“As one who has taught the class, it’s been my joy to walk with the participants through their transformation and how they begin to see and hear their neighbors,” said Rev. Michael Mann, NIC Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy.”
Bishop Dyck, who took the class herself and overcame her “foreign language anxiety”, encourages everyone to consider the course. “Whether you know no Spanish whatsoever or you took Spanish in high school (and it’s been years since you used it), you’ll benefit from Who Is My Neighbor?,” said Bishop Dyck. “All of us live in communities where our neighbors are Spanish speakers. It says a lot about the openness of our hearts, minds and doors when we speak a word to them, even if it is halting and without the right verb conjugation.”
To purchase a copy of the Teacher and Student Manuals visit www.cokesbury.com or stop by the Cokesbury table at annual conference. The NIC Media Resource Center also has several copies to check out. If you are interested in hosting a class or have questions, visit www.umcnic.org/ssl or email atssl@umcnic.org.
Hays to step down as Duke dean in 2016
DURHAM, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Richard Hays will end his tenure as Duke Divinity School dean in June 2016. Hays, who has led the school for five years, said he's eager to return to writing and classroom teaching at Duke as a New Testament professor. The United Methodist seminary has launched three new degree programs under his leadership.
Hays to Step Down as Dean in 2016
Duke Divinity School Dean Richard B. Hays today announced that he will conclude his term as dean at the end of the next academic year, June 30, 2016. He will take a research leave during the 2016-17 academic year and then return to his position as professor of New Testament in the academic year 2017-18.
Hays said his decision was motivated in part by his desire to work on writing projects and by his eagerness to return to the classroom before he retires.
“This decision is shaped by a number of factors beyond my own personal sense that the time is right,” he said. “A transition is also timely because the school has now accomplished many of the tasks that have been the focus of these past five years.”
Hays was installed as the 12th dean of Duke Divinity School on Aug. 31, 2010. During his past 5 years as dean, he has overseen the appointment of 20 new faculty members, making up nearly 40% of the faculty. He has also led the school during the Duke Forward campaign, which has currently raised more than $86 million for the Divinity School. The school has also successfully launched three new degree programs in this period, the D.Min., M.A.C.P., and M.A.C.S., two of which offer instruction in a hybrid model that combines short-term intensive residential classes with extended online work. In addition, the Th.D. program, now nine years old, has become firmly established with an acceptance rate of five percent and a high placement record for graduates.
The Divinity School’s interdisciplinary work has also grown and developed during Hays’s tenure, with the establishment of a new initiative in Theology, Medicine, and Culture, and the continued expansion of work in Duke Initiatives in Theology the Arts, the Center for Reconciliation, and Leadership Education.
“Richard Hays has been a thoughtful and effective dean whose leadership has brought the Divinity School to a new level of success in scholarship, service, and engagement with the rest of the university,” said Duke University Provost Sally Kornbluth. "The Divinity School is a better, stronger place for his leadership.”
Kornbluth and Duke University President Richard Brodhead will appoint a search committee to identify candidates for the next dean of the Divinity School. Randy Maddox, William Kellon Quick Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies, will chair the committee.
Saturday, April 25
World Malaria Day — For United Methodists, World Malaria Day is an opportunity to engage our communities in support of Imagine No Malaria, the denomination's effort to end death and suffering from malaria in Africa. Resources are available from Imagine No Malaria.
Tuesday, April 28
Webinar "Congregations Working Together: Finding the Dream and Living It" — 7 to 8 p.m. EDT. This discussion will focus on how your church might work together with other congregations to strengthen the ministry inside your church and out in the community. Joy Skjegstad, a consultant on nonprofit management and ministry development, will lead. Details.
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You can see more educational opportunities and other upcoming events in the life of the church here.
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BEVERLY, Ky. (UMNS) —
Morning fog rises in the mountains behind a decommissioned coal washing plant near Beverly, Ky. Coal mining brings both much-needed jobsand environmental concerns to this part of Appalachia, served by The United Methodist Church's Red Bird Mission.PreviousNext
By Kathy L. Gilbert
BEVERLY, Ky. (UMNS)
Water rushes and swirls through the Red Bird River and, along the way, crashes into Jack’s Creek. Crystal-clear water gushes through a worn, white pipe fed by Horse Creek Spring on Kentucky Highway 80. Coming and going into the Daniel Boone National Forest, waterfalls dance down the sides of rugged, black rocks.
Spring in eastern Kentucky is beautiful. Tall trees burst with lime-green leaves. Standing under them are the more delicate blooming red bud and white and pink dogwood trees. The lush countryside is deceiving; most of the beautiful clear water flowing freely is contaminated and unsafe even to dip your toes in and certainly not to sip.
It brings to mind the famous line from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”
When the water is bright orange, it is easy to tell it is contaminated. When it looks pure and clear, it is not so easy to identify.
That’s why a rectangular concrete box with a bright-red tin roof has Tracy Nolan, director of community outreach for the United Methodist Red Bird Mission, so excited.
A communal water kiosk will soon open on the campus of Red Bird Mission to provide safe water at “pennies for a gallon” for the 6,000 people living in remote Appalachia.
A recent New York Times article labeled Clay County as the hardest place to live in the United States. That title doesn’t sit well with residents who love their sweet Kentucky homes.
Nolan, who is also a nurse, knows unsafe water is a big part of the problem.
Joining hands
Many hands have had a part in the kiosk.
The kiosk reflects teamwork by The United Methodist Committee on Relief, The United Methodist Red Bird Missionary Conference, the University of Tennessee, Appalachia Community Health & Disaster Readiness, the county’s emergency management team and Manchester Memorial Hospital.
Central to the project are nursing, engineering and architecture students who came together to design and build the kiosk.
Architects, engineers and nurses don’t typically talk to each other, said Lauren Oppizzi, a UT nursing student. “Architecture students are very creative, whereas nurses are more information-oriented,” she said.
But students in all three disciplines took classes together. One of the students came up with the brand for the kiosk, “Clean water, Clean life.”
“Being a nurse for 22 years,” said Stacey Tore, a nurse educator at UT, “what was eye-opening for me is that a lot of times when we come up with ideas, we really can’t implement them. Having that architect, that other perspective, made it something we could complete.”
Linda Banks, also a nurse educator at UT, said it was “quite stunning” to discover people in the United States living without basic needs like clean water.
Lisa Davenport, project director of Appalachia Community Health & Disaster Readiness, said the students built the kiosk during their spring break in March.
“If you had been here during the work, you would not have been able to tell who was the nurse, who was the architect [and] who was the engineer,” she said. “They really came together.”
Megan Hayes, project manager, enjoyed the work.
“I’ve put in IVs, but I never drilled into concrete before,” she said.
Hollers and creeks
Clay County’s terrain is part of the problem.
City water lines go to main roads but not up into the “hollers or up the roads, over creeks and across bridges,” Nolan said.
“These low-income families have no disposable income, let alone find somebody that could come to be contracted to do all that work. They couldn’t afford the extra lines.”
Access to clean water is a social justice issue, Nolan said. Lack of safe water leads to poor oral health, gastrointestinal diseases and sometimes even cancer.
“It is difficult for me to see how resilient this community has had to become, how tough many of their lives are,” said Nolan who has been with Red Bird Mission for 18 years. “But they are not complaining.”
Gaining trust
The first year of the three-year project was spent gaining trust from the residents. Those meetings led to testing water sources at 16 sites, both public and private, said Davenport.
Architecture and engineering students drew sketches of homes and took photos, while nursing students interviewed residents about their health concerns.
“A lot of the homes are in poor condition. On a scale from 1 to 10, many of them are 8-10,” Davenport said. “We have gone into some homes that might have plumbing in some areas, but it is not attached to the kitchen. So they are carrying water from the bathroom to cook with which is unhealthy.”
But reports that say Clay County is “the most difficult place to live in the U.S.” can be offensive, Davenport said.
“This is their land; this is home. Although we have identified great needs, we have to disseminate that so people can understand it, and we can help them come up with solutions in a culturally sensitive way.”
The kiosk includes a shelter, benches and a greenhouse. Plans are to hold farmers markets under the roof in the summer.
“Once that little shed becomes a meeting place, I can just see some of our retirees sitting there every morning having their coffee, whittling, talking about the day’s events, what the weather is going to be and going home with a gallon of water,” said David Watson. He is executive director of Manchester Memorial Hospital and director of Emergency Management Services for Clay County.
Davenport sees the opportunity for residents to get clean, fresh water as part of a healing process.
“Now let the healing begin.”
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Pennsylvania bishops support anti-discrimination law
HARRISBURG, Pa. (UMNS) —
Pennsylvania bishops support Non-Discrimination Act
A UMNS report
By Kathy L. Gilbert
Pennsylvania’s three bishops — Peggy Johnson, Jeremiah Park and Thomas J. Bickerton — are calling on state lawmakers to extend protection against discrimination to all people, including gay and transgender people.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering updating a 1955 non-discrimination act that currently does not protect lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender individuals from discrimination.
WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES
In its Book of Discipline, The United Methodist Church states that all people are of sacred worth but "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
The book affirms "the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman."
The Book of Discipline also says, "Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due to all persons" and commits the church to supporting "those rights and liberties for all persons regardless of sexual orientation."
Church law bans United Methodist clergy from performing, and churches from hosting, "ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions." It also bans “self-avowed practicing” gay individuals from serving as clergy.
For more detailed information, see
“There are no federal or state laws to protect LGBT people from being fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, or refused services at a business because of who they are. We must act to protect them by updating the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” states a joint letter from the three bishops.
The letter was presented at a press conference at Grace United Methodist Church near the state capitol in Harrisburg. The three bishops were not present. Johnson is episcopal leader in theEastern Pennsylvania Conference; Park represents the Susquehanna Conference; andBickerton the Western Pennsylvania Conference.
The bishops specifically asked United Methodist business owners to show “the same love, respect and hospitality that Jesus offered to all he encountered.”
The letter acknowledges that the denomination is having “painful and complex conversations” about same-sex relationships.
“At the same time, we have been very clear that the LGBT people in our congregations, families, workplaces and communities have sacred worth as children of God and should experience the freedom and dignity of participating in civil society as equals under the law.”
Good News, an unofficial caucus that supports the church's current stance on homosexuality, responded to the bishop’s letter saying they too support the equal and fair treatment of all persons.
“We support the bishops’ attempt to balance the love for neighbor inherent in our Christian faith with the call to holy living that is also inherent within our faith," said the Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, executive with Good News.
"We recognize, as do the bishops, that many sincere Christians struggle with whether, and under what circumstances, their words and actions could constitute an endorsement of a behavior that the Bible regards as sin. Christians of good faith can disagree about where to draw the line in taking part in commercial support for same-sex marriages, for example. The freedom of churches and other religiously based organizations to act in accord with our religious convictions must be protected,” Lambrecht said.
Lambrecht added, "We wish the bishops had clearly stated that our church affirms the teaching ofScripture and Church tradition that marriage is between one man and one woman.
The United Methodist Book of Discipline, the denomination’s lawbook, states:
“We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection. We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups or persons based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has called for laws to protect the civil rights of LGBT people.
Bishops of the five Episcopal dioceses also called on the state legislature to pass the act, saying, “One does not have to profess a particular faith to understand that there is no justifiable reason to fire, evict or deny services to a citizen of our commonwealth based on considerations such as sex, race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. It is simply unfair.”
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Divorced clergy barred from nomination as bishop in Liberia
GARDNERSVILLE, Liberia (UMNS) —
By Julu Swen
GARDNERSVILLE, Liberia (UMNS)
Efforts to overturn a long-standing provision barring divorced clergy nomination for bishop in The United Methodist Church in Liberia were rejected by conference delegates on April 18. United Methodists who wanted the ban lifted picketed with homemade signs and sang, halting one afternoon session of the conference.
During the 182nd Session of the Liberia Conference, delegates voted 433 to 24 to affirm the rule barring divorced clergy persons from the episcopal office. Six delegates abstained from thevoting process.
Those opposed to the bar argued the provision violated the rights of individuals who wanted to run for the episcopal office, since the bar is not in the Book of Discipline.
After petitioners disrupted the afternoon session on April 16, they requested and received a preliminary injunction against Bishop John G. Innis and conference officers, as well as heads of committees and boards of The United Methodist Church in Liberia. The injunction, issued by the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court for Montserrado County after Friday’s annual conference session had ended, barred the bishop and officials from participating in or conducting the conference. However, the order was vacated by the court Saturday morning, so it did not delay proceedings.
Cletus Sieh, one of the opponents of the bar to divorced clergy, told conference delegates that in a connectional church, the denomination in Liberia should not adopt rules or policies that are contrary to the Book of Discipline’s provisions.
“We want you to uphold the only requirement that the Book of Discipline set forth for the nomination and election process which states that the clergy should be an elder in full connection and in good standing,” Sieh said.
The Rev. Paye Cooper Mondolo, superintendent of the Weala district, argued for keeping the provision.
“The decision to bar divorced clergy persons from being nominated for the position of bishop will bring moral credibility to the episcopal office of our church and guide the conduct of those who want to be bishop in the future,” Mondolo argued. He said the rule has been used in the election of previous bishops and must prevail for the good of the church.
Clergy supported ban
In separate sessions earlier in the week, lay delegates voted to overturn the provision while clergy delegates approved upholding it.
On April 14, clergy delegates voted 90-1 to uphold the provision. In a six-page page report, theconference board of ordained ministry outlined five counts dubbed “Reminders of the Conference Major Decisions (1985).” Those included the rule on divorced clergy: “No divorced clergy are allowed to be nominated as a candidate for the office of bishop of our conference.”
Lay delegates voted 116-0 to lift the ban. The delegates called on the conference to uphold ¶¶ 4, 403, and ¶ 604 of the 2012 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.
The number of people who voted in the clergy and lay sessions is not equal to the number who voted in the general session of all delegates.
Ebola recovery
During the meeting, Bishop Innis praised the Liberian government and partners in the denomination for their help during the Ebola crisis. More than 10,000 Liberians contracted the deadly virus andabout 4,500 died from Ebola as of April 18.
Innis thanked Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a United Methodist, for her caring and committed stewardship. He said she “galvanized local resources and international support for the containment and eradication of the Ebola scourge, which unfortunately claimed the lives of over 4,000 of our people, including doctors, nurses and other health workers.”
In his annual episcopal address to the hundreds gathered at the James E. Marshall United Methodist Church for the opening session of the conference on April 15, Innis lamented the loss of lives from Ebola. He called on United Methodists and others to work together for God’s specific purpose concerning humanity.
He indicated that United Methodists in Liberia and the Liberian diaspora are obliged to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. “This is evidenced by the level of care we have given and the quality of work we have done together through churches, schools, health facilities, and other vitalsocial services,” Innis said.
Innis thanked the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committe on Relief, United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, United Methodist Communications, the Liberia Partnership Summit, and the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, for their financial contribution toward the fight against Ebola.
“We praise God for these timely acts of caring and working together, the intervention of UMCom has enhanced our communications ministry tremendously,” Innis said.
Usually held in February, conference was delayed this year because of Ebola.
Swen is editor and publisher of West African Writers, an online publication about United Methodist happenings in West Africa and assists the denomination in Liberia with coverage for United Methodist Communications.
News media contact: Vicki Brown, newsdesk@umcom.org or 615-742-5469.
Glorious worship in Côte d'Ivoire
ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire (UMNS) —
Rufine Yéi Sess Bottis (left) and her daughter Fidelia, 15, live in Sipilou, Côte d'Ivoire. They prepared lunch and sang for guests visiting from U.S., Geneva and Abidjan.
Glorious worship in Côte d’Ivoire
By Kathy L. Gilbert
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (UMNS)
View slideshow mobile version
It’s always warm, even before adding the heavy, dark choir and clergy robes, the long-sleeve shirts under wool suit jackets, the long, beautiful dresses with elaborate headgear.
But it doesn’t really get hot until worship starts.
Wait until the music and singing and clapping and dancing and PREACHING starts. Then everybody really works up a sweat.
Every little thing about worship is glorious.
The offering can become an hour-long celebration as each person dances forward to drop whatever they have in the basket or plate or cracked pot. Not just once. Lines start, every person drops their tithes in and then they get back in line and give their offerings. Then they give more for special collections for the church or community.
On this Sunday at Temple Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Man, Côte d’Ivoire, the pastor encourages generous giving, “Through this offering we are bringing our hearts and lives. Please take them so it can be used for your Kingdom.”
What you have here is church. Church in Africa.
And it doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning. Sometimes it happens long into the night on a Wednesday or early in the morning on a Thursday.
Sometimes it happens in a small hut at a mid-day meal seasoned with the sweet sounds of a mother and daughter singing about Jesus.
Worship could start with a brass band circling the community. Inside might be two or three choirs in robes and mortarboards held on by sparkling hair pins. Or it could be three or four young people with a drum fashioned out of a piece of wood and shakers made of rusty biscuit tins.
God is present. God is worshipped.
When they sing, “Come, Come See How I Praise My God,” they really mean it.
Visitors are always greeted with exuberance and kindness.
I was greeted and loved by many Christians in Côte d’Ivoire during a trip to the country from United Methodist Communications in late January.
Thank you for your gracious hospitality:
Temple Bethel United Methodist Church in Abobo-Baoule, outside Abidjan
United Methodist Church in Sassandra
Rufine Yéi Sess Bottis and her daughter, Fidelia, 15, in Spilou.
Temple Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Man
Gilbert is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Students trickling back after Sierra Leone Ebola scare
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UMNS) —
Students at the Albert Academy wash hands outside before they are allowed into their classroom. The students take hand washing seriously.
Students trickling back after Sierra Leone Ebola scare
By Phileas Jusu
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
Schools in Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone are reporting a low turnout of students returning when schools reopened April 14 after being closed since June 2014 due to the Ebola crisis.
While a few schools reported encouraging numbers during the first week of reopening, the majority recorded poor turnout.
About 70 percent of students at the Albert Academy Junior Secondary School – a United Methodist boys high school in Freetown – were reporting to school by the end of the first week, said Augusta Davies, vice principal.
However, only about 25 percent of students were in school at the same time at the United Methodist Secondary School for Girls in Freetown. The principal, Mariama Sesay, blamed the low turnout on the common habit of students not to take school seriously during first week of reopening. She believes attendance will improve in the next few weeks.
“We don’t have time to waste; learning will start on the first day of school,” Sylvester Meheaux warned a week before schools reopened. Meheaux is chairman of the conference of principals in the Western Area of the country.
Local media reported poor turnout in many other schools across the country.
Ebola cases still reported
United Methodist Bishop John K. Yambasu expressed concern about the re-emergence of Ebola in the capital just as schools are reopening.
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In a recent email to staff, Yambasu said there were reports of quarantines in Aberdeen and Moa Wharf, two areas in Freetown.
“So I want to caution you all, especially those of us who still have school-going children, that we should be all the more vigilant as we send our children to school. Schools have reopened and most of our children are back in school. People are moving around and as always, transport vehicles are packed to capacity, increasing body contact and possible exposure to body fluids of likely infected persons.
“We cannot let Ebola get a foothold again in Western Urban or any area for that matter,” he said.
While new Ebola infection rates are at their lowest ebb countrywide since the outbreak, cases seem to be showing up at several locations at random, making the effort to end Ebola in the country very challenging.
Just when there was hope that Ebola in the populous Freetown metropolis was ending, new cases showed up last week, thereby increasing fears within parents of a risky decision to send their children back to school. Nearly 4,000 people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone since the outbreak began.
Taking precautions
“At devotion today, I spoke to the girls to be cautious about what they do and to minimize touch since Ebola is not over yet. We are encouraging the girls to wash their hands regularly after using the toilets, before and after eating. We are emphasizing hygiene at every level. We are even telling them not to shake hands,” Sesay said.
Sesay said the students will return in morning and afternoon shifts to help prevent overcrowding. Classrooms will average 40 students, she said.
Sesay further explained that teachers will be educating the girls about Ebola every day in the coming weeks so that they are adequately informed at all times. That did not happen in the first week because they were using the first week to settle down while allowing attendance to improve, the principal said.
Before schools reopened, teachers were trained by UNICEF on Ebola prevention, infection and control, and how to run schools in an Ebola outbreak situation.
The UN agency, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, is also supplying schools with infrared thermometers, sanitizing buckets, chlorine, soap and Ebola posters which the World Health Organization made a pre-requisite for schools reopening.
“We are now receiving a lot of material support from the Ministry of Education but it was The United Methodist Church first that trained our teachers and gave us materials we needed for school reopening,” said Fred Coker, principal of the Albert Academy Junior Secondary School.
Adjusting school calendar
Before the Ebola crisis, schools opened in September and closed in July. Students should be returning to school for the third term in April which is the time for promotional exams, Sesay said.
The government has set up a schools reopening committee that will plan and manage what is going to be an extraordinary school year of two terms.
Sesay intends to call a meeting of parents and teachers to share information on the school calendar.
The adjusted school year presents challenges because the rainy season in Sierra Leone peaks in August. Usually students are on vacation and return to school only when the rain is subsiding in September.
This time, they will be going to school in the heavy downpour. This will be a problem for students in the cities where most of them rely on public transport. There will be an even bigger challenge for rural students who must walk from one village to another to attend school.
Also, there are three school terms of three months each in every school year in Sierra Leone. Those have now been compressed into two terms. For the first term, schools will run for 14 weeks beginning April 14 –July 17, 2015; then close for two weeks and reopen on August 3 through November 6 when the academic year ends. That means students have to be put under pressure to do more work in order to be promoted. The adjustments will continue to be made in the subsequent academic years until 2017, when the school system is expected to catch up with their normal calendar.
Further adjustments will have to be made to accommodate the West African School Certificate Exams – for students graduating from secondary school to the university or other tertiary education. The Sierra Leone Ministry of Education alone cannot make adjustments to make provision for WASCE in the adjusted academic year because ministry sources say it is the West African Examinations Council that conducts the exams.
“Ebola has certainly interrupted the school calendar. We are using these two years to reorganize the school year,” said Mohamed S. Turay, director of the inspectorate of schools at the ministry of education.
*Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone. News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Christians and Earth Day: 'You can't love God and ignore the Earth'
CASPER, Wyo. (UMNS) —
Creation is God's beautiful gift to humanity. We are called to care for it.
Christians and Creation: ‘You can’t love God and ignore the Earth’
A UMC.org Feature by Susan Passi-Klaus*
God created humanity in God’s own image…and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take care of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground." Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. Genesis 1:27-31 CEB
The Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter began to understand that, for her, taking care of the world is not just an ecological issue, but a moral and spiritual issue.
“It reflects the way we treat the life God has given us,” she said. “It’s about what happens to our neighbors, family and the future generation.”
No mincing of words—“You can’t love God and ignore the Earth.”
Sometimes we just have to put something in words people can understand, which is what Simon-Peter (rebekahsimonpeter.com)does in her books Green Church and Seven Steps to Green Your Church. After more than a decade of pastoring churches, the ordainedUnited Methodist elder now shares the “green” gospel with congregations, interfaith groups and community groups throughBridgeWorks, an extension ministry she directs in Wyoming.
“I’ve seen a lot of burning bushes in my time,” Simon-Peter said. “Eight years into pastoring churches I began to see headlines about Global Warming and Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. In 2007, I joined a group being trained by him.”
Our care of Creation "reflects the way we treat the life God has given us" You can't love God and ignore Earth #UMC
TWEET THISGod so loved the world
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16)
DINKIN KALBETH
"Throughout Creation we see praise to God coming from trees, fields, the heavens, the seas, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, ocean creatures, mountains hills, wild animals, cattle, birds, small creatures, and much more. If these parts of nature bring glory to God, then who are we to carelessly destroy them?"
Dinkin Kalbeth serves The United Methodist Church in Nigeria, West Africa. Video imagecourtesy of United MethodistCommunications. “The word world is actually kosmon in Greek—the cosmos,” Simon-Peter said. “Jesus’ love is not just for humans, it’s for all creation. That’s why he said to the disciples, ‘Go to all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15).
Simon-Peter describes Jesus as the “midwife” of creation (see Colossians 1:15-20; John 1:1-5). “He loves the Earth as much as he loves us.”
Twenty-five years ago, when she was studying the environment at the University of Vermont, people were still trying to figure out this “green” thing. There was a whole lot of talk about what was going to happen in the future and a general assumption was made, “Someone will do something about this before it’s too late.” A few epiphanies later, Simon-Peter finally “got it”—“The ‘someone’ is me.”
“As the Earth sickens, we sicken as well,” Simon-Peter said. “I felt, and still feel, myself grieving for the earth and for the people and creatures that are dying as well.”
Creation care is not “no big deal”
Although there are skeptics and naysayers, Simon-Peter tells it like many believe it to be.
REV. CLIFF BIRD
The Rev. Cliff Bird is the Pacific Islands representative to the Creation Care Ministry Team formed by Global Ministries and works for The Methodist Church in Fiji.
Photo by Caines Janif.
“It’s not the Rapture,” she said. “But in this diverse web of life created by God, fully half of all species on earth may be gone in 50-60 years.
“It’s the largest mass destruction since the age of the dinosaurs,” Simon-Peter said. “We can’t fill the earth to the point we push everything out of existence. Before God blessed us with the command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-31), he gave the birds and fishes the samecommandment (Genesis 1:20-23). We have to balance out our blessedness with their blessedness.”
Scientists insist the doom and gloom stuff isn’t just hogwash. The sixth extinction crisis is already underway. Currently, there are two million species on Earth. Every year 200-2000 of those species become extinct.
Fifty or 60 years from now many of us won’t be here, but our grandkids or their grandkids are at risk for losing the privilege and pleasure of enjoying God’s earthly gifts—the joy of swimming in safe oceans, chasing butterflies, and catching frogs for show and tell? Sadly, future childhoods may be more about forest fires, drought and consequences of an ever-weakening ozone layer. In their future, young students may write term papers about what wasn’t done by previous generations to protect the world they inherited.
Thinking little about a BIG problem
“We are a denomination that preaches what the Bible says, ‘The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those that live it,’” Simon-Peter reminds us, quoting Psalm 24:1. “Creation is the Body of God. We are part and parcel of it. We cannot separate our life with God from our life on earth.”
JESSICA STONECYPHER
"I am grieved by the broken state of our planet and I critically consider my part in its destruction. The United Methodist and Franciscan traditions equip me to look at all members of the creation as brothers and sisters in Christ and to expand my understanding of what I consider sacred. I believe that when Christians extend God’s love to the Creation and those affected by its damage, their faith is enriched and resurrection takes on a whole new meaning."
Jessica Stonecypher is Abbess of theWesleyan Order of Saint Francis. Photo courtesy of Jessica Stonecyper.
Many churches say, “But we’re recycling and we’ve stopped using Styrofoam cups during coffee hour.” “That’s not enough,” says Simon-Peter. The church has to think bigger, do more.
It’s not just about appointing a church “Green Team,” nor is it just about floating patches of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Not just about disappearing monkeys, melting icebergs and dying coral reefs. It’s about counting nature’s blessings and honoring The Creator by protecting them.
Simon-Peter suggests churches channel their passion into things that make a true difference—installing solar panels, harnessing wind power, or creating a community garden that can be used to feed the homeless or working poor.
From the pulpit
But it’s up to church leadership to inspire their congregations.
“It’s on the pastor to be courageous and visionary,” Simon-Peter said. “Preachers have to use the power of the pulpit to talk about the relationship with the Creator and the Creation because if it doesn’t come from the church pulpit, it doesn’t become real for the congregation.
“We confuse the political with the Biblical—our focus for so long has been on humanity—which is a good thing, but we have not paid attention to the health of the rest of Creation.”
HEATHER BENNETT
"Caring for Creation should be a natural response to loving Jesus. I am in awe over the intricacies and systems created that support life. To love my neighbor as myself, I must care and act so my neighbors can have clean water, air and healthy food. I care because God cares for what He’s created."
Heather Bennett works with Blessed Earth Tennessee. Photo courtesy of Heather Bennett.
“Church ministry tends to be comfort-focused. We comfort people in distress. UMCOR does fabulous work with responding to natural disasters—which are actually un-natural disasters. The problem is that we’re not addressing why the disasters are happening with such increasing frequency.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that if America’s more than 300,000 houses of worship cut back on energy use by a mere ten percent, we could save nearly $200 million for missions.
It’s not what we save, it’s what we can do with the money we save.
Connected to the planet
Are your tulips in bloom? Do your rose plants have new leaves? Are there birds at your feeders? What do you see when you go outside for a walk? Are you planning your beach vacation? What’s fresh and for dinner? Can you breathe in the freshness of a new season?
And God said it was good.
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, but the mess is ours.” “God has created a world that is designed to be self-replicating,” Simon-Peter said. “God replicated himself in us and we act on his behalf when we treat Creation with benevolence and creativity."
For further study:
Click here for Bible verses and commentary by the Rev. Pat Watkins. These will serve as a great way to think about and discuss a theology of Creation care.
Watkins is a missionary with Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. He is guiding a new, globally-focused United Methodist Ministry with God’s Renewed Creation, based at Global Ministries and closely related to the Council of Bishops. He is an expert in educating others about how theology relates to caring for Creation.
Watkins said, “The United Methodist Church is an amazing and powerful group of Christians because of our scriptures. We just don’t use that power enough. We need to be the voice of Creation care.” His commentary will help us begin to be that voice.
Use these thoughts with a group of friends, your Sunday School class, youth group, or small group.
*Susan Passi-Klaus is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Joe Iovino, UMC.org Content Manager for United Methodist Communications, 615-312-3733.
The Bible tells us of our connection to all of Creation, and our need to care for this great gift from God.
Bible verses on Creation care: A discussion starter
A UMC.org Resource by Susan Passi-Klaus*
The Rev. Pat Watkins is an expert in educating others about how theology relates to caring for Creation as an important Christian mission. Watkins is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries assigned to the care of God’s Creation. He is based at Global Ministries and relates to the Council of Bishops due to their 2009 document “God’s Renewed Creation.”
“Many of us are stuck at a grade school level of theological competence and Bible understanding,” Watkins explained. “If we looked deeper into the Bible, we’d be surprised. Relationship with God and relationship with the Earth are very prevalent in the Bible, but we focus primarily on our relationship with God and not the Earth.”
“It’s more than recycling and Styrofoam” he continued. “It’s about relationships with God, each other, and God’s Creation. It’s about how we live with each other. It is a covenant.”
Watkins said, “The United Methodist Church is an amazing and powerful group of Christians because of our scriptures. We just don’t use that power enough. We need to be the voice of Creation care.”
Watkins shared some Biblical references that call us to care for God’s Creation.
Genesis 2:7 – “The Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils.”
Adam was created out of dust of the earth. How could there be any more of a relationship with the earth than to be created out of it? It’s as if God scooped up a couple handfuls of earth and formed humanity. When He formed Adam he was not a living being until God breathed life into his nostrils and we became living human beings. The fact that we exist as living, breathing human beings suggests that we have a relationship with the earth because we were created out of it and we have a relationship with God because we breathe the very breath of the one who created all that is.
'Relationship with God and relationship with the Earth are very prevalent in the Bible.' Verses for Creation care. #UMC
TWEET THISGenesis 3:23 – “the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to farm the fertile land from which he was taken.”
Even the fact that God put Adam and Eve in a garden is an important point. Due to their disobedience, they were kicked out of the garden and the land was cursed making it more difficult for them to coax the earth to provide for them.
Genesis 4:12 – “When you farm the fertile land, it will no longer grow anything for you, and you will become a roving nomad on the earth.”
The story of Cain and Able is also a story of disobedience. When Cain, a farmer, killed his brother, God punished him by removing him from the soil. He became a wanderer across the earth with no connection to any land. When he lost his relationship with the land, he could no longer see the face of God. Relationship with the land and relationship with God were, for Cain, inseparable.
Disobedience of God and violence towards one another results in negative consequences for the earth.
Genesis 9:13 – “I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Few people know that Noah’s father, Lamech, thought that his son might one day be the “righteous” one to remove the curse on the land (Genesis 5:28-29). When Noah’s Ark came to rest and the animals were released, a rainbow appeared. It was a sign not only of God’s covenant with Noah, but also with the animals and the earth itself. Noah’s story is a story of reconciliation of humanity and the earth. God saw what he had done and promised he would never again curse the land.
John 1:3 – “Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being.”
At the beginning of John’s Gospel there is understanding by the writer that Jesus was present at Creation and that everything that ever came into being came into being through Christ.
John 3:16 – “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.”
Many think that the whole Christ event was just about personal salvation, but actually, it was about God’s love for everything God has made. The word world is better translated as cosmos.
The Apostle Paul
Romans 8:19 – “The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters.”
Colossians 1:20 – “he reconciled all things to himself through him—whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross.”
Paul has the understanding that Jesus was the redeemer not just of humanity, but of everything God created.
Learn more about The United Methodist Church and its teachings about the Natural World, and Creation care.
*Susan Passi-Klaus is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Joe Iovino, UMC.org content manager for United Methodist Communications, 615-312-3733.
15 ministries get Peace with Justice grants
WASHINGTON (UMNS) —
$41,400 Peace with Justice grants go to 15 ministries around the globe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 16, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has awarded $41,400 to 15 Peace with Justice ministries around the world. The grants are in conjunction with the denomination’s Peace with Justice Sunday, which witnesses to God's demand for a faithful, just, disarmed and secure world.
Peace with Justice Sunday, May 31, this year, is one of the six United Methodist Special Sundays with offering. Established by the 1988 General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body, Peace with Justice Sunday supports programs that advocate peace and justice at home and around the world.
Half of the Special Sunday offering is retained in annual conferences to fund local Peace with Justice programs. Half is remitted to GBCS to help fund U.S. and global work in social action, public-policy education and advocacy.
Grant awards were determined by GBCS’s Board of Directors during its spring meeting.
Recipients comprise 15 projects: one each in the Northeastern and South Central jurisdictions, two in North Central, three in Southeastern, and three in the Western. Five projects are in Central Conferences, in Africa, Europe and the Philippines.
Grant recipients are as follows:
Central Conferences
Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe, Brussels, Belgium. $2,000
The Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe is fully run by young people. Its goal is to foster understanding and tolerance among young people, especially focused on the different backgrounds that influence European identity.
Peace Today — The UMC in Germany & the Challenges of Peace Ethics, Germany Central Conference. $1,400
The Germany Central Conference’s Commission on Peace, Justice & Care for the Creation will organize a seminar that applies the denomination’s Social Principles to current issues. The seminar is to discern how The United Methodist Church must teach and act to strengthen just peace in a conflicted world. A seminar outcome will be an update of the 2005 study document for United Methodist congregations as to how to work with other denominations to serve as peace builders.
Abuja (Nigeria) United Methodist Church English School. $2,500
The English School is an outreach program of Abuja United Methodist Church with classes offered at the church and in Nasarawa state. Abuja UMC is partnering with the U.S. Embassy and American International School of Abuja who provide co-leaders and volunteer teachers to complement church members.
Displaced Young Mother’s Ministries Fight for Justice, Spottswood United Methodist Mission, Cotabato, Philippines. $2,500
This project enables young mothers of displaced indigenous families to free themselves and their families from the bondage of poverty, exploitation, hunger and helplessness. Through education and skills training in small-business management, young mothers are empowered against exploitative schemes of traders, landlords and money lenders. The women also are technically and financially assisted in establishing their own livelihood through a cottage industry.
Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges, Kidapawan, Philippines. $2,500
Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges is the only United Methodist-owned institution of higher education in Mindanao and Visayas. All students will attend Peace Education & Cultures of Mindanao to further the campaign for peace and environmental justice, and inform the greater public about the situation of the tri-peoples in the area.
North Central Jurisdiction
Justice for Our Neighbors — Southeastern Michigan $2,500
Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) — Southeastern Michigan is a ministry of the Detroit Conference based at Beverly Hills United Methodist Church. JFON provides free or low-cost legal services to persons with immigration issues. The ministry also includes education and advocacy.
Women at the Well United Methodist Church/Right Next Door, Mitchellville, Iowa. $2,500
Women of the Well United Methodist Church is located within the women’s state correctional facility in Mitchellville, Iowa. An important part of the ministry has been establishing relationships with partners who work to support women inside the prison, and assist in the reentry process when they are released. The grant will help support encouragement, networking and training to further expand this ministry.
Northeastern Jurisdiction
Nakba Museum Project of Memory & Hope, University Park, Md., $5,000
This art- and storytelling-based project is a stepping stone toward a museum in Washington, D.C., that shares the ongoing catastrophe of the Palestinians since 1948. Goal is to deepen the conversations on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to develop a “more balanced view” by relating the experiences of people who had homes, but were forced to become refugees.
The museum will be a space that simply tells the human story, with all its paradoxes and pathos, according to Bshara Nassar, founder and executive director who was awarded a scholarship two years ago from the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries that enabled getting a master in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University.
South Central Jurisdiction
Redemptive Work, Austin, Texas, Southwest Texas Conference. $3,000
Housed inside Parker Lane United Methodist Church, Redemptive Work focuses on “traditionally unemployable” people through advocacy and transitional employment that teaches job-search skills and workplace culture. “Traditionally unemployable” is defined as persons who through physical or mental illness, incarceration or period of homelessness have become ineffective at finding full-time, full-benefit employment at a living wage.
Southeastern Jurisdiction
Daybreak in Alabama: How People of Faith Can Change Public Policy, Huntsville. $5,000
“Daybreak in Alabama” is a series of study guides and videos that provide groups of 10-30 people an opportunity to discuss how people of faith can help alleviate suffering, promote racial and religious harmony, and become advocates for Peace with Justice. The guides are a project of the Interfaith Mission Service, a cooperative founded in 1969 owned and operated by 34-member congregations including most mainline Christian congregations, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist and Unity. Trinity United Methodist Church is coordinating congregation for “Daybreak in Alabama.”
South Florida Justice for Our Neighbors, Miami. $2,500
South Florida Justice for Our Neighbors was officially opened July 1, 2014, as a ministry of the South East District, the Florida Conference, and as an official partner of the National Justice for Our Neighbors Network. The grant will support expenses for young-adult missionaries to travel across South Florida to assist church volunteers, and under the supervision of an attorney provide support in preparing immigration applications. The missionaries will also educate long-term residents and recent arrivals as to the needs that exist, and participate in advocacy on behalf of the immigrant communities.
National Farm Worker Ministry Youth & Young Adults Network, Raleigh, N.C. $2,500
National Farm Worker Ministry is a faith-based organization. The Youth & Young Adults Network was created to support a nationwide coalition of young people supporting farm worker-led efforts for self-determination to improve living and working conditions. The network building a self-sustaining national structure by developing organizing and leadership skills for justice activism.
Western Jurisdiction
Fossil Free UMC, Seattle, Wash. $2,500
Fossil Free UMC is a collaborative project between the Pacific Northwest Conference; Caretakers of God’s Creation, a ministry of the General Board of Global Ministries; and GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental organization. In 2014, the Pacific Northwest Conference voted overwhelmingly to study fossil-fuel divestment. In response, the conference is providing staff time for curriculum development and outreach. Caretakers and GreenFaith are providing additional funding for outreach and strategy development beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Mat-Su Valley Congregation Based Community Organizing Project, Wasilla, Alaska. $5,000
The Mat-Su Valley Congregation Based Community Organizing project was created by eight congregations, including three United Methodist, to organize, empower and mobilize local faith communities to address quality of life issues affecting their community. The mission is to work from the faith principles and values of the members, apply them to community issues, and take democratic action to impact existing social structures for the common good of all citizens, particularly the poor and disenfranchised.
United Methodist Kairos Response, Alameda, Calif. $5,000
United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR) is an international, grassroots movement mobilizing response to the call from Palestinian Christians for effective action that will help end the Israeli occupation, and achieve a just, lasting peace for all the people of Israel and Palestine. UMKR addresses root causes of widespread poverty throughout the Palestinian territory and among refugees in neighboring countries, the continued, expanding Israeli occupation, and denial of fundamental rights to Palestinians.
Grant objectives
To qualify for a Peace with Justice grant, applicants must work toward achieving at least one of the following objectives:
Assist United Methodists in understanding and responding to violence and militarism;
Involve United Methodists in efforts to end conflicts and violent aggression around the world;
Promote just national and international policies and actions, governmental and non-governmental, seeking to restore communities and respond to the disproportionate effect of injustices on racial and ethnic persons; and
Support policies that promote systematic economic justice and the self-development of peoples.
For more information, including application procedures, visit Peace with Justice Grantson the GBCS website. You can also contact the Rev. Neal Christie (nchristie@umc-gbcs.org), GBCS assistant general secretary for Education & Leadership Formation, (202) 488-5645.
The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Prime responsibility of the board is to seek implementation of the Social Principles and other policy statements on Christian social concerns of the General Conference, the denomination’s highest policy-making body. The board’s primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education & Leadership Formation, United Nations & International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the denomination. It has offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City.
Contact Info
Wayne Rhodes
Director of Communications
General Board of Church & Society
The United Methodist Church
(202) 488-5630 / wrhodes@umc-gbcs.org
Prison ministries helped ex-offender find grace
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (UMNS) —
“When in doubt, love people,” says Erin Wagner (left), an ex-offender whose ministry passion is sharing Christ with prisoners. Here, she stands with Kimberly Campbell, chaplain at the prison where Wagner was once incarcerated and now volunteers.
‘An example of Christ’s love’
By Jessica Brodie
March-April 2015
Growing up, Erin Wagner never felt good enough. The only child of an absent alcoholic father and a co-dependent mother who was more of a peer than a parent, the Columbia, S.C., woman spent her youth navigating a broken home and layers of guilt and abuse.
"It was like Flowers in the Attic," Wagner said, referring to V.C. Andrews' novel about a manipulative mother. "No matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. If I got straight As, it had to be better. She would slap me, say the meanest things. ‘You're just like your father. You'll never do anything.'"
Depressed and alone, Wagner numbed the pain with prescription drugs. But the fog took over; she was arrested five times, from age 14 until she went to prison at 25.
It was in prison that she found her ultimate path to salvation. And today, thanks to a relationship with Christ courtesy of the people Wagner said God put in her path, she has turned her life around. Married with two sons and a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Blythewood, S.C., she directs marketing and development for Alston Wilkes Society, helping former offenders and others rebuild their lives. Just as important is her leadership with Kairos Prison Ministry, which shares God's love with prisoners.
Now, Wagner has a passion to carry out her God-given mission.
"I know my purpose: to be an example of what, through others, Christ did for me," Wagner said from her desk at Alston Wilkes, surrounded by pictures of those who have helped her. "To whom much is given, much is expected, and if I ever forget that, I'm in trouble. He wouldn't have blessed me if he didn't expect me to be that for somebody else."
One abuser to another
It took a long time, and much pain, to get where she is now. As a teen, Wagner was so overwhelmed by abuse and despair that she wanted to die.
"I remember thinking as I lay in bed, ‘I'll just kill myself and be done with it.'"
Wagner, who had skipped two grades, graduated at 16 and left home. At first, life was normal. She had a boyfriend and a job. She attended the University of South Carolina, hoping to be a guidance counselor.
But she was 16, reeling from years of dysfunction and did not know how to make positive life choices. Her boyfriend used drugs and became abusive.
When Wagner got pregnant with her son, Tyler, she quit school. After Tyler's birth, life took a dramatic turn. She had given birth early by C-section and had postpartum depression. Doctors prescribed medication – her introduction to pain pills.
Her boyfriend's abuse escalated from shoving to hitting to threatening to kill their newborn. He also began stealing money from her, causing her to bounce a dozen checks and spend a night in jail.
Desperate and terrified, she fled to the one place she had vowed never to return.
"My mother had to be better than this; at least she wouldn't try to kill Tyler," she recalls thinking.
But her mother began using Tyler to manipulate her, leading Wagner to seek refuge in prescription pain pills. A few pills turned into more. As her judgment worsened, she was arrested on minor charges.
"You don't realize when you're past the point of no return," she said.
Finally, she was arrested on fraud charges for ordering pain medications from a clinic where she worked.
‘Saving grace'
This was her fifth arrest, and she found herself in the courtroom of then-Circuit Court Judge J. Michelle Childs, whom Wagner calls her "saving grace."
"Judge Childs said, ‘You're not a bad girl. You're a broken girl.' From that bench, she gave me more wisdom and compassion than my mother ever did. She said, ‘I'm doing this because you need to get better. I'm giving you the next three-and-a-half years' vacation to focus on you, to focus on programsand opportunities. Don't waste one minute of it.'
"And I didn't."
For the first time, she felt someone believed in her.
In prison, Wagner took every opportunity: Bible studies, counseling, Kairos, co-dependency groups,Celebrate Recovery. She learned she had worth.
She seldom saw Tyler. "But when I did, I learned how to spend quality time and be a real mom." They played Monopoly, and Wagner just sat and listened.
In Kairos, she started noticing that instead of spouting Scripture, people would simply sit and talk with her, as she was doing with Tyler.
"They didn't put me down. They lifted me up, tried to hug me. It blew my mind. Why in the world would they come see people who are unworthy? My own mother wouldn't see me."
She let her guard down, began to feel loved.
"Then I started noticing my counselor would slip in little things about faith during conversations," Wagner said. "She'd say, ‘You're here because you matter to somebody. You might think you're unworthy, but you didn't die. You're here for something. What could that be?'"
Wagner looked back at her life and realized someone had always been by her side: Christ.
He was there keeping her safe when her world was crumbling, there in those who helped her: judges, chaplains, Kairos volunteers, fellow offenders, prison officers.
She realized God had put people in her life at the perfect times, right when she had needed them.
New path
After Wagner was released in 2008, she taught youth offenders and continued with Celebrate Recovery at local churches. Tyler went with her. Soon, they found their way to Trinity. On their first visit, she recognized the former prison chaplain, and a man wearing a Kairos shirt stood up to speak. She knew she had found the right church home.
Today, she is active at Trinity and reaches out to former offenders new to church. She is married to Max, and besides Tyler, now 16, they have another son, Bryce, 4.
Her relationship with Kairos deepened. With fellow volunteers, she now spends several weekends a year in prisons, sharing Christ's love with inmates. She also chairs the Camille Graham Chapel Foundation, formed to build a chapel at her former prison. There, she leads planning for the warden, associate warden, chaplain and volunteers – people who once directed her.
In 2010, she received another opportunity: a position created for her at Alston Wilkes to tell her story and the stories of other former offenders and at-risk people. Her task is sharing the group's mission to spread awareness and raise funds.
"I couldn't do this job if I hadn't been through what I had," she said. "It's important for me to be the hands and feet of Christ because, in my mind, showing people what I was shown is my ministry."
Her husband and children embrace her story, telling it often.
"My son Tyler is always telling his football team, ‘Well, my mom was in prison,'" she said, laughing. "We're proud of it. It's made us who we are. There was a time when I didn't know me, and now I have complete confidence that God's always got me, and no matter where he sends me, I'll be all right."
She and Tyler have a strong relationship, and she knows she has broken the cycle – thanks to God and all the people God put in her path.
Jessica Brodie, editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, can be contacted atjbrodie@umcsc.org.
BMCR chairman calls for partnerships to fight racism
ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS) —
The Rev. Cedric D. Bridgeforth stressed the need for Black Methodists for Church Renewal to form partnerships with other groups in The United Methodist Church to fight racism in the church and the nation. He spoke at the annual meeting of the caucus.
BMCR told `it takes two’ to challenge racism and improve communities
By Larry R. Hygh Jr.
ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS)
The chairman of Black Methodists for Church Renewal urged members to work alongside others to challenge and ultimately eliminate covert and overt racism in The United Methodist Church and the nation.
The Rev. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth addressed the 48th annual gathering of the organized black caucus of the denomination, which met April 16-18.
“We now stand upon the shoulders of the giants, `she-roes’ and heroes, and the millions we will never know by sight or sound,” Bridgeforth said. “They sang songs of freedom while enslaved to send messages of liberation and freedom to their descendants who would one day own that land their foremothers and forefathers once tilled.
“And in the wake of all that, we still experience racism, and self-hatred is not afar off.”
The theme of this year’s meeting was “It’s Time to Take Action.” The group kept to its plan to meet in Orlando despite Florida’s high-profile deaths of young black men from gun violence.
In his address, Bridgeforth juxtaposed the word of Matthew 18, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst,” with the chorus of the 1980’s hip hop song, “It Takes Two,” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock.
“If we are to take any meaningful action in our local churches, in our conferences, in our denomination, that has lasting positive impact on policies, politics, and behaviors that plague our people, and our communities, then we must remember: `It takes two to make a thing go right; it takes two to make it out of sight,’” Bridgeforth said.
BMCR is one of The United Methodist Church’s five U.S.-based ethnic caucuses. It represents more than 2,400 predominantly African-American congregations, translating to about 500,000 African-American members across the United States.
Advocacy work
The group’s work includes advocating for the interests and inclusion of black United Methodists in the general church structures; serving as a spiritual agitating conscience for the denomination; and raising prophetic and spiritual leaders.
Deborah Bell, BMCR’s vice chair, said Bridgeforth’s address “set the atmosphere for the theme.” She added that he noted goals accomplished and stressed the relevance of caucus today.
Bridgeforth highlighted several developments since last year’s gathering in St. Louis. One is the Black Papers Project. This catalog of papers and statements expressing BMCR’s positions on various topics and issues was written by African American bishops and other members of the caucus.
“This will permit us at any point to be quoted and engaged in emerging issues of our day,” Bridgeforth said. Topics include voter suppression, full inclusion in the church, mass incarceration, church closures, gender gap, and mental health.
Another development highlighted was the move of BMCR’s office from The United MethodistPublishing House in Nashville, Tennessee, to the campus of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta. Two staff persons were hired: a manager of program and operations and a project manager.
As the denomination gets ready for General Conference 2016 in Portland, the caucus will again be an active participant with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition in pushing for passage of legislation. BMCR will be working in this regard with the other four US-based ethnic caucuses.
Attending the BMCR gathering was the Rev. Joel Hortiales, representing MARCHA or Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa de los Hispano-Americanos.
“During the different conversations and presentations at BMCR, I learned that we are not allowed to forget where we came from, and we need to find passion again and go back to what brought us here, a meaningful relationship with Jesus,” he said.
Hortiales added: “We must have a collective commitment to be a voice for the voiceless.”
Working together
Bridgeforth stressed the need to work with other groups in the denomination on issues of racism.
The ethnic caucuses - BMCR, MARCHA, the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, the Native American International Caucus , and the Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists - had a historic first joint gathering last year. One of the results is a video series called "I Too, Am United Methodist.”
Since its 1967 inception in Detroit, BMCR has consistently been the voice of black United Methodists and an advocate for the growth and development of black churches. When The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968, the caucus effectively lobbied for the creation of the General Commission on Religion and Race and the desegregation of The United Methodist Publishing House.
BMCR also helped the denomination launch numerous other landmark mission initiatives, including the Black College Fund in 1970, the churchwide missional priority on Strengthening and Developing the Ethnic Minority Local Church (1976 to 1988), and Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century in 1996.
The list of ministries created, and continued, with the aid of BMCR include: Africa University, Black College Fund, Gammon Theological Seminary, and the Minority Self-Determination Fund.
The national organization encompasses sub-groups operating as local, conference, jurisdictional, and youth caucuses. These groups function as advocacy, ministry, and leadership developmentorganizations addressing the needs and concerns of the members they represent.
Hygh is director of communications for the 360 churches and 78,000 members of the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
Video series: 'I, too, am United Methodist'ATLANTA (UMNS) — We, Too, Are United Methodist
653 Beckwith Street SW, Lower Level, Atlanta, GA 30314
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 16 April 2015
Media Contact: Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr.
(626) 755-6948 or larryh@calnevumc.org
UMC Ethnic Caucuses Release "I Too, Am United Methodist"
Video series reflects on what it means to be United Methodist from five ethnic caucuses
Atlanta, Georgia – The five ethnic caucuses of the United Methodist are releasing a video series called "I Too, Am United Methodist." The series was filmed during last year's historic gathering of the denomination five United States based ethnic caucuses in St. Louis, Missouri.
The caucuses are Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa de los Hispano-Americanos (MARCHA), the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, the Native American International Caucus , and the Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists (PINCUM).
The Rev. Dr. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, Chair of BMCR says, “The idea for the video is patterned after a project by black students at Harvard University. After viewing their video and hearing their stories, it was clear their experience at a predominantly white institution was similar to the stories of non-anglo persons within the United Methodist Church.”
The title for the project is a take off the Langston Hughes poem, “I, Too, Am America.” The series is being produced by a young adult member of BMCR, Brennen Boose.
Monalisa Tu’itahi, Executive Director of PINCUM , says, “This is a great way to express our commitment to the Church and our full inclusion in its workings and its witness.” She added, “This is a good time to release this video as we are beginning our second year of intentional collaboration on issues and programs that will benefit each caucus and our denomination.”
The first video in the series can be viewed and downloaded for free from the site, https://youtu.be/6aZiS3lAN7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aZiS3lAN7M
Watch video
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Quick facts about The United Methodist ChurchNASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Looking for a snapshot of The United Methodist Church's numbers around the globe? The data services department of the General Council on Finance and Administration has put together a chart of church membership, attendance, total active churches and total active clergy.
See chart
Every United Methodist clergy member and every congregation in the United States has a record that contains vital information such as demographics and contact information, but also the congregation or person’s history with the Church. Data Services keeps in close contact with all annual conferences and agencies to ensure that the Church’s records are current and intact. Every day our staff update information as churches are started or closed, districts realign, and annual conferences unify together as one, and as pastors start a new appointment , move, or retire (or come out ofretirement ). And each year, congregations submit an annual report of participation and fiscal information (See Statistical Resources), which gives a clear picture of the health and history of the individual church, the church’s conference, and the United Methodist Church as a whole.
QUICK UMC FACTS
| US | Central Conferences | |
| Total church membership | 7,299,753 | 5,525,924 |
| Total active churches | 32,608 | 11,013 |
| Total clergy membership | 49,814 | 14,212 |
| Average Weekly Worship Attendance | 2,908,352 | -- |
| Annual Conferences | 57 | 75 |
| Episcopal Areas | 46 | 20 |
| Jurisdictions | 5 | 7 |
For more information, contact the Data Services Department.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Council of Bishops To Meet In Berlin
Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church
100 Maryland Ave. NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2015
Nashville, Tenn.: United Methodist bishops from Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States will gather in Berlin at Hotel Palace Berlin for the Council of Bishops meeting, from May 1-7.
Main topics on the agenda include the development of vital congregations, the implementation of the four Areas of Focus, preparation for the 2016 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, and the role of bishops in helping to maintain the unity and faithfulness of the church in the face of many significant challenges and opportunities.
“The Council of Bishops is meeting in Europe because The United Methodist Church is a global church with approximately 40 percent of United Methodists living outside the United States,” said Bishop Peter D. Weaver, executive secretary of the Council of Bishops. “It is important, as John Wesley emphasized, to be ‘connected’ with each other as we celebrate the diversity of gifts in our church and learn from each other how best to ‘make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’ in this 21st century.”
On Sunday, May 3, the bishops will split into groups and worship with different United Methodist churches in Berlin and nearby congregations. Bishops will have the chance to meet with local United Methodists; afterwards, they will have the opportunity to learn more about unique local history, as well as current challenges in Europe.
“Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall came down,” said Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of the Germany Episcopal Area. “Recently one of our pastors, who grew up in the German Democratic Republic, said at a gathering in Berlin: ‘Whenever I cross the former border, just walking along without any constraints, I am rejoicing in my heart.’ The German nation and the people in Europe have indeed many reasons to rejoice. At the same time, we know of the challenges caused by rapid changes.”
Time for spiritual reflection is a part of the Council’s agenda, including daily worship. Plenary business sessions, held Friday through Thursday, are open to the news media and public. There will also be various committee and sub-group meetings throughout the week.
###
About the Council of BishopsThe Council of Bishops provides leadership and helps set the direction of the 12.5 million-member church and its mission throughout the world. The bishops are the top clergy leaders of The United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
Contact: Diane Degnan
ddegnan@umcom.org
(615) 742-5402 (office)
(615) 483-1765 (cell)
New award recognizes baptisms, professions of faith
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — One Matters Award to Encourage Baptisms and Professions of Faith
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 17, 2015 /Discipleship Ministries/ Annual conferences are being encouraged to renew their focus on discipleship, especially at congregations in the United Methodistconnection where annual baptisms and professions of faith too often are nonexistent, by honoring churches with the new One Matters Discipleship Award.
Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church is urging each conference to use the award to recognize one church that is turning zeros into positive numbers with a renewed focus on discipleship during 2015.
“With the One Matters Discipleship Award, we want to lift up the importance of discipleship and help interpret across the connection what zeros in professions of faith and baptism mean and what moving away from the zeros means,” said Sara Thomas, Deputy General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries and Chief Strategist for Vital Congregations. “Each "1" in those categories represents a transformed life – a life that matters to God, and a life that should matter to us.”
More than 70 percent of the UMC congregations in the United States did not baptize anyone age 13 or older in 2013, and 55 percent did not baptize anyone age 12 and under, according to the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA). In addition, 50 percent of local churches did not have any professions of faith that year.
“Making disciples is much more than statistics; it is about lives changed by God’s grace," Thomas said. “We have an opportunity to help celebrate the fact that one life matters ... and continue to help congregations identify ways to invite people into a relationship with Jesus through the United Methodist Church.”
Jeff Campbell, Director of Annual Relationships at Discipleship Ministries, said conferences are invited to participate in the One Matters Discipleship Award.
“Each conference can nominate a church and share that church’s story of how they are turning things around, making disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world, Campbell said.
The award, which includes $1,000 and a One Matters Discipleship Award plaque, will be presented to thepastor and lay leaders of a congregation which has done significant work to make its zeros from previous years become positive numbers, Campbell said.
”The monetary award is designed to encourage continued growth in the area of discipleship,” he said.
In the Rio Texas Annual Conference, leaders have decided to take the One Matters award to the next level.
Ruben Saenz, Director of Connectional Ministry, said Rio Texas plans to add $6,000 to the $1,000 offered by Discipleship Ministries, purchase six more One Matters plaques and present an award to each district to lift up the importance of making disciples across the conference.
Conference office leaders interested in participating in One Matters should contact Campbell by email atjcampbell@umcdiscipleship.org, or by phone at (615) 340-7260.
Mission agency sharpens focus on global health
NEW YORK (UMNS) — Global Health: “We Have Strong Reason to Hope”
A new unit being shaped by its mission agency will position The United Methodist Church for participation in major international health campaigns through the next few decades.
Establishment of a distinct health unit within the General Board of Global Ministries was a highlight of the report given by the agency’s chief executive to the semi-annual meeting of its board of directors on April 16. Thomas Kemper outlined possibilities for an active United Methodist role in Convergence 2035—the vision of 25 renowned global health experts and economists—leading to a collaboration of a range of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
The strategy for a new international program, tentatively called “Abundant Health: Our Promise to Children,” will take into account intersections with the other denominational areas of focus—particularly Ministry with the Poor—but also Developing Principled Christian Leaders, and Creating New and Renewed Congregations. It will build on the successes of the denomination’s signature health campaign “Imagine No Malaria,” as that program moves toward celebration at the 2016 General Conference.
Kemper also linked the health strategy to Global Ministries’ work through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). “The health unit will continue to relate strongly to UMCOR,” he said. This is especially important “as we respond to health crises caused by natural and human-made disasters and to the health components of long-term humanitarian rehabilitation and community development,” he continued. He also indicated that missionaries in health professions will be involved in the program.
The decision to address child and neo-natal health was determined by responses from more than 5,000 people in 59 countries to a survey that prioritized the four greatest health challenges. These priorities overlapped with the needs presented by the respected Lancet Commission on Investing in Health. A Lancet Commission report, “Global Health 2035: A World Converging within a Generation,” provides the international community and low- and middle-income countries with guidance to achieve dramatic health gains within one generation.
Kemper spoke of the church’s role in global health in the framework of a John Wesley quote, “We have strong reason to hope.” Methodism’s 18th century founder put strong emphasis on the promotion of health as a Christian responsibility.
Through this new program, Kemper believes The United Methodist Church can make a significant contribution to the collaborative efforts of Global Health 2035. While the exact wording is still being developed, Kemper said “Abundant Health: Our Promise to Children” plans to make five promises—with the strategic goal of reaching one million children with lifesaving measures by 2020:
• Promote safe births for all mothers and their children
• Address nutritional challenges and promote breastfeeding
• Advance the prevention and treatment of childhood killer diseases
• Increase availability of lifesaving vaccines, medicines and commodities
• Encourage engagement in health-promoting activities such as exercise
US Health Forum
In addition to the international program, Kemper announced that a joint effort in the United States with the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, will focus on congregational health.
“Healthy Congregations, Healthy Communities” will be introduced at a U.S. Health Summit scheduled for September 9-10, 2015, in Houston. The summit is hosted and sponsored by the Methodist Medical Center and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.
Lifting up these two major initiatives, Kemper said, “I consider our opportunities in health ministry one of our expanding fields of mission. He continued, “Let us ask God to give us the energy and wisdom for this work of healing and wholeness in the world.”
New Operational Plan for Global Ministries
In his report, Kemper also shared updates on the agency’s plan to establish global regional offices. In October 2014 the board of directors voted to open offices in Latin America, Asia, and Africa in addition to moving Global Ministries’ headquarters from New York, NY, to Atlanta, GA.
Kemper said the primary function of the offices will be to connect partners in the region with key staff in its headquarters. “The regions will represent the agency in making links to mission partners,” he said. Noting that each office will reflect the culture of its location, he anticipates that regional offices “will identify and connect local initiatives with the broad range of programs and resources offered by the agency.”
Reporting on the move to Atlanta, which will be completed by October 2016, Kemper said, “We had a glorious celebration of mission and welcome in Atlanta hosted by the North and South Georgia annual conferences and a group of local churches.”
According to Kemper, approximately 80% of the agency’s professional and executive staff has indicated interest in being invited to Atlanta or a regional office. He is thankful for the “abundance of creativity and vision of the staff” and for the staff members engagement in various planning teams.
Quoting John Wesley, Kemper concluded, “We have strong reason to hope that the work God hath begun, God will carry on unto the day of the Lord Jesus…Hallelujah.”Methodist council condemns attacks in South Africa
DURBAN, South Africa (UMNS) — The World Methodist Council has condemned escalating violence against foreign nationals, refugees and asylum seekers in the Republic of South Africa and applauds Methodists who have stood up against these human rights violations.
Statement Against Attacks on Foreigners in South Africa
In the wake of escalating violence against foreign nationals, refugees and asylum seekers in the Republic of South Africa, World Methodist Council representatives express concern and disappointment at these clear violations of human rights. General Secretary Ivan Abrahams and the Social Justice Committee of the World Methodist Council issued this joint statement today condemning the violence and attacks:
The World Methodist Council condemns these attacks which so clearly undermine human rights and dignity. We applaud the actions of Methodist family members within the Republic of South Africa who have stood up against these human rights violations. We also welcome the recent statements of President Zuma and senior government officials. We further support the marches and events held to bring awareness to take a stance against such atrocities. We pray that they are successful in continuing to promote initiatives toward peaceful coexistence. We implore the South African government to protect the rights of all people as enshrined in its Constitution. We further call on Methodists and Wesleyans within the neighboring countries of South Africa to stand in solidarity with and aid all those affected by these attacks. We are one human race. Let us all continue to pray and speak out against the injustices throughout our world.
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MOBILE, Ala. (UMNS) —
Whether it is helping bring broadbend access to the community or inviting people to use church-owned computers, providing digital access can be a vital ministry. Summerfield United Methodist Church in Milwaukee is among churches that have adopted it.
Broadband, Rural Ministry and Social Justice
Jeremy Steele
January-February 2015
Seventeen million children in the United States do not have access to computers withbroadband connections, reports Connected Nation. Broadband allows large amounts of data to be transmitted simultaneously at high speed.
Lack of access to broadband creates a problem that is far bigger than not being able to watch funny cat videos on YouTube. It represents a massive gulf in economic and educational opportunity that churches can help bridge — provided they have access. However, that is not always the case as Mark Doyal, director of communications for the Michigan Area, discovered in 2012.
Doyal was surprised to find that as many as 45 percent of the United Methodist churches in Michigan did not have broadband access. He had no idea so many churches were without what has become a basic need.
"Today, broadband is as important as running water and electricity," Doyal says.
To help the churches move into the digital age, he collaborated with Eric Frederick, vice president of community affairs for Connected Nation. The organization is in several states and focuses on resolving the lack of broadband access.
The first step, according to Frederick, is to find out if access is available. "Many people who think they do not have access might be being served by a smaller provider," he says. While Michigan has well over 100 broadband providers, most people only know about three or four because the smaller companies do not have the huge advertising budgets like those of AT&T and Comcast.
Even with the smaller providers, though, many communities still lack service. Frederick and his team help an unserved community learn how to pool demand so they can attract a nearby provider with the promise of a profitable business.
The arrival of broadband access in a community often uncovers a new form of inequality. Those who have lived on the edges of the digital age can be intimidated by all they don't know about computers and the Internet. Others simply cannot afford the service.
Addressing digital inequality can be a new kind of social justice ministry. Though many people think of things like food pantries and literacy programs, a broadband installation can make digital justice ministries like Internet safety courses and free Wi-Fi possible.
It may seem trivial, but simply offering free Wi-Fi can change the lives of children in a community. With more and more schools requiring students to do online research, participate in forums and post blog entries, students without Internet access can fall through the cracks. However, when churches open their doors — and computers — to these children in need, these students receive a hand up in their education.
It all starts with broadband access. If you want to start the process for your church or district, the best place to begin is checking the National Broadband Map, www.broadbandmap.gov, and contacting your state's version of Connected Nation. You can find a full list of those organizations at the State Broadband Initiative Organization List.
The Rev. Jeremy Steele is Next Generation minister at Christ United Methodist Church, Mobile, Ala. He is also an author, blogger and frequent contributor to MyCom, an e-newsletter published by United Methodist Communications.
Global Ministries applauds Obama on Cuba
NEW YORK (UMNS) — United Methodist Mission Agency Welcomes Thaw in U.S.-Cuban Relations by Elliott Wright*
New York, NY, — The mission agency of The United Methodist Church has welcomed the recent steps toward the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States and commended President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro for their personal diplomacy in support of that goal.
Directors of the General Board of Global Ministries, meeting in its semi-annual session in New York on April 16-18, approved a statement that also calls for an end to the 50-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba — an action that can only be taken by Congress.
Their statement applauded President Obama for “notifying Congress of his plans to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism, a major step toward the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries at odds for a half century.”
Unanimously approved by the 32 of 36 directors present, the Cuba-U.S. measure came through the program committee and triggered no discussion when introduced on the floor.
The United Methodist Church has opposed the embargo and advocated for a normalization of relations between the two countries since shortly after the embargo was imposed in 1963. It has partner relations with the Methodist Church of Cuba, which represents a community of 65,000 people. The statement anticipates expanding interaction between Cuban Methodists and United Methodists.
The General Board of Global Ministries has personnel, projects and partners in more than 125 countries. The United Methodist Church has a worldwide membership of some 12 million, with 7.5 million in the United States.
Official movement toward more open and official relations between Cuba and the United States began in late 2014 with indications that travel restrictions might be relaxed and diplomatic relations restored. On April 10, Presidents Obama and Castro met personally at the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama. The U.S. president subsequently notified Congress that he planned to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
“The church always supports efforts to resolve difference by diplomacy and negotiations rather than conflict,” said Thomas Kemper, chief executive of Global Ministries, in an interview following approval of the resolution.
Kemper noted, as does the directors’ action, the value of personal diplomacy by statement and politicians, including German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s good-neighbor gestures toward Eastern Europe in 1969 and U.S. President Richard Nixon’s trip to China in 1974.
“Global Ministries,” said the statement, “works for open borders, religious freedom and friendly interaction among all nations.”
The Global Ministries’ statement pointed to the widespread international religious support for regularizing U.S.-Cuban relations and ending the embargo. It cited the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and the World Council of Churches, in addition to the Methodist Church of Cuba.
Copies of the statement will be sent to President Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden as president of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, and the majority and minority Statement Regarding Cuba-U.S. Relations We, the directors of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, in session on April 18, 2015, welcome the recent measures that point toward possible normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and Cuba, as long advocated by our Church. We commend President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro for their historical face-to-face meeting in Panama City on April 10 during the Summit of the Americas. We applaud President Obama for subsequently notifying Congress of his plans to remove Cuba from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism, a major step toward the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries at odds for a half century. We anticipate the relaxation of some of the travel and other regulations, and we hope that the way is being paved for the U.S. Congress to lift the embargo of Cuba imposed in 1963. We join our voice to those of the Methodist Church in Cuba, the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America (CIEMAL), the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical agencies for an end to the embargo that does great economic harm to Cuba’s people. President Obama and President Castro have shown great political courage through their engagement in personal diplomacy in Panama. We hope that this instance will prove as beneficial to world order as that of German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s overture of good will to Eastern Europe in 1969 and President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1974. Our expressions of welcome and hope reflect a 50 year-old sentiment of The United Methodist Church — first stated in 1964 and frequently repeated by our policy-making General Conference. With regard to the U.S. embargo of Cuba, that conference said: “We cannot accept the expression of hostilities by any country, its policies, or its ideologies as excuses for the failure of Christians to press persistently, realistically and creatively toward a growing understanding among the peoples of all countries.” As a global mission agency, with personnel, projects and partners in more than 125 countries, Global Ministries works for open borders, religious freedom and friendly interaction among all nations. We have historical and current links to the vibrant Methodist community in Cuba that have withstood the embargo and many years of Cuban Communism. The Methodist Church of Cuba has more than 42,000 members and a worshiping community of 65,000. It engages in a range of social ministries and, in collaboration with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), has built 200 new houses for persons whose dwellings were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. We long for an even closer relationship. We hold as a goal the promotion of justice, freedom and peace: May it be so for the people of the United States and Cuba and in the relations between their governments. The above statement was approved by the Mission Program Committee for referral to the full board for approval and subsequent press release along with distribution to the following U.S. government officials: President of the United States President of the Senate Speaker of the House Majority and minority leaders of both houses of Congress.
Emory to establish John Lewis Chair
ATLANTA (UMNS) — United Methodist-related Emory University has received a $1.5 million donation to establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice in the university's School of Law. U.S. Rep. Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. In 1965, he was beaten as he led protestors trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Emory to establish John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights, Social Justice
School Of Law,Philanthropy, Law,Community And Diversity,Teaching
Emory University School of Law has received a $1.5 million donation to help establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice.
The gift, given anonymously, funds a professorship which will enable Emory Law to conduct a national search for a scholar with an established academic profile of distinction and a demonstrated desire to promote the rule of law through the study of civil rights. The law school has committed to raise an additional $500,000 to fund the chair fully.
"This gift will allow us to perform a nationwide search and name a professor who will further scholarship on the issues of civil rights and social justice," says Robert Schapiro, dean of Emory Law and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. "Through this chair, we are honored to recognize Congressman Lewis's historic achievements in these vital areas."
Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. In 1963, at the age of 23, he was a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. In 1965, he was beaten as he led protesters trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. He has served in Congress as representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District since 1987.
According to Joella Hricik, Emory Law's associate dean for development and alumni relations, the anonymous donor feels that recent anniversaries of civil rights milestones such as the Selma march, the March on Washington and enactment of the Voting and Civil Rights acts make this a fitting time to honor a living icon of the civil rights movement.
According to the donor, "John Lewis exemplifies the values of courage, commitment, dignity, humanity, fairness and equal opportunity that were and are the hallmarks of the movement. Congressman Lewis is an inspiration to us as he continues to speak out against injustice and to fight for equality and civil rights. Atlanta holds an important place in the history of civil rights in the U.S. and John Lewis is a central figure in that history; we hope that a professorship at Emory Law School in his name will in some small way help to continue the good and great work that he has done these last 50 years."
Schapiro adds, "Honoring John Lewis – someone who is so important to the conversation on civil rights – is a wonderful way to inspire the Emory community with ourongoing commitment to social justice and academic excellence. The gift builds on Emory's history as a leader in civil rights and social justice, dating as far back as the 1962 lawsuit that helped integrate private colleges and universities in Georgia."
In a conversation with Emory University President James Wagner, Congressman Lewis said that he is honored to have this professorship in his name and looks forward to the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with the university.
"Congressman John Lewis has exemplified profound understanding of the moral imperative of justice and has demonstrated the courage it often takes for a society to abide by the rule of law. Emory University is deeply honored that the congressman has allowed us to recognize his contributions to American social justice through the naming of this professorship," says Wagner. "The John Lewis Professorship will both honor a great American and remind future Emory-educated attorneys of the responsibility bequeathed to them as servants of the law."
Hricik anticipates raising the necessary funds for the chair within the next six to 12 months. The law school will seek gifts from individual donors, law firms and corporations. Those interested in supporting this effort should contact Hricik at joella.hricik@emory.edu.
Emory awarded Lewis an honorary doctor of laws degree at the university's 2014 commencement exercises, where he also served as keynote speaker.
In remarks at the Emory Law commencement ceremony the same day, Lewis reminded graduates of the role that law has played in the evolution of civil rights in America. "Under the rule of law, we have witnessed what I like to call a nonviolent revolution in America — a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas," he said.
"Our country is a better country and our people are a better people because of the law," he added. "So go out there and do your best to seek justice. And never, ever turn back; never, ever give up; but keep the faith and continue to work for what is right, for what is fair, and for what is just."Newest episode of North Carolina show explores literacy
GARNER, N. C. (UMNS) — The April 26 episode of Every Day Grace TV explores literacy with people involved in the Fayetteville Urban Ministry and Read and Feed. EDGTV is a new television show produced by the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. It airs the last Sunday of each month at 11:30 a.m. EDT, on WNCN Channel 17, an NBC affiliate in Raleigh.
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Learning Spanish as church hospitalityCHICAGO (UMNS) — Nearly 545 students participated in 48 classes held in 42 churches across the Northern Illinois Conference in the last two years to learn some Spanish and explore ¿Quién es mi vecino? (Who is my neighbor?). The classes grew out of Bishop Sally Dyck's 2013 vision of offering 100 Spanish-as-a-second language classes in the conference so United Methodist churches could be more welcoming to Hispanic/Latino neighbors. Anne Marie Gerhardt reports for the Northern Illinois Conference.
Learning Spanish as church hospitality
Categories: Aurora,Chicago Northwestern,Chicago Southern,DeKalb,Elgin,Hispanic Plan,News,Rockford,Spanish
By Anne Marie Gerhardt
Nearly 545 students participated in 48 classes held in 42 churches across the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) in the last two years to learn some Spanish and explore ¿Quién es mi vecino? (Who is my neighbor?).
In 2013 Bishop Sally Dyck cast a vision to offer 100 Spanish-as-a-second language classes in the conference so people in our churches may be more welcoming to our Hispanic/Latino neighbors.
“Not only in Illinois but throughout the United States, there is a large and/or growing population of Spanish-speaking people,” said Bishop Dyck. “While most of these new immigrants are eager to learn English, it’s hospitable to at least attempt Spanish when we connect with them in our communities and in our churches.”
According to the Pew Research Center a record 37.6 million people speak Spanish in their homes. In the U.S., it is the most spoken non-English language, and the number of Spanish speakers has grown rapidly reflecting the arrival of new immigrants from Latin America and a growth in the Hispanic population. This change in cultural make-up increases the need for people to find better ways to communicate with others in their daily lives and especially church life.
The Who Is My Neighbor? Student Manual is a field-tested resource proposing that English speakers of any church and congregation can learn basic conversational Spanish-speaking skills to communicate and provide a welcoming atmosphere to the local Hispanic population in their neighborhoods and places of worship.
Co-author Ruth Hoffman says the goal is minimal conversation and not fluency. “We are trying to give people the tools to communicate minimally so they can extend a warmer welcome to Spanish speakers and create a more diverse and inclusive congregation and community,” said Hoffman.
Users of Who Is My Neighbor? are invited to discover at least 100 Spanish words many theologically centered such as in the Lord’s Prayer and the story of the Good Samaritan. Instead of learning by conjugating verbs or memorizing long lists of words that can lead to foreign language anxiety, readers will
learn much like a child – by listening, seeking to comprehend, and then slowly begin to speak Spanish. The adult learning experience enables people to speak somebasic Spanish, sing with greater confidence, and pray together in today’s culturally diverse communities and churches.
Author Ngoc-Diep Nguyen grew up in Viet Nam where she says hospitality is a big part of her country’s values and believes this curriculum extends that welcome to the Hispanic/Latino community.
“When I came here as a young refugee, it was the radical hospitality and love of others that provided me with a second chance in life,” Nguyen said. “I learned from those who helped me along the way that to be radically hospitable, we must be always open to the possibility of entering into a caring relationship with every stranger that we meet. They certainly took me when I was a stranger to them.”
Co-author Joyce Carrasco says each of the lessons includes participatory activities and is set within a context of hospitality. The course ends with a “field trip” or an opportunity for community engagement including Holy Communion in Spanish. The project seeks to break down barriers so we can better understand and know our neighbors. “Embedded in each of the lessons is what we call the cultural insight,” Joyce said. “The premise of the culmination of the course is to visit a multilingual church, participate in a Spanish service or have a potluck and invite an Hispanic church to join you to have that multicultural experience.”
The curriculum emphasizes the importance of the pastor’s support, a local church ambassador to oversee the logistics at the host site, quality, committed teachers and active participants.
“As one who has taught the class, it’s been my joy to walk with the participants through their transformation and how they begin to see and hear their neighbors,” said Rev. Michael Mann, NIC Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy.”
Bishop Dyck, who took the class herself and overcame her “foreign language anxiety”, encourages everyone to consider the course. “Whether you know no Spanish whatsoever or you took Spanish in high school (and it’s been years since you used it), you’ll benefit from Who Is My Neighbor?,” said Bishop Dyck. “All of us live in communities where our neighbors are Spanish speakers. It says a lot about the openness of our hearts, minds and doors when we speak a word to them, even if it is halting and without the right verb conjugation.”
To purchase a copy of the Teacher and Student Manuals visit www.cokesbury.com or stop by the Cokesbury table at annual conference. The NIC Media Resource Center also has several copies to check out. If you are interested in hosting a class or have questions, visit www.umcnic.org/ssl or email atssl@umcnic.org.
Hays to step down as Duke dean in 2016
DURHAM, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Richard Hays will end his tenure as Duke Divinity School dean in June 2016. Hays, who has led the school for five years, said he's eager to return to writing and classroom teaching at Duke as a New Testament professor. The United Methodist seminary has launched three new degree programs under his leadership.
Hays to Step Down as Dean in 2016
Duke Divinity School Dean Richard B. Hays today announced that he will conclude his term as dean at the end of the next academic year, June 30, 2016. He will take a research leave during the 2016-17 academic year and then return to his position as professor of New Testament in the academic year 2017-18.
Hays said his decision was motivated in part by his desire to work on writing projects and by his eagerness to return to the classroom before he retires.
“This decision is shaped by a number of factors beyond my own personal sense that the time is right,” he said. “A transition is also timely because the school has now accomplished many of the tasks that have been the focus of these past five years.”
Hays was installed as the 12th dean of Duke Divinity School on Aug. 31, 2010. During his past 5 years as dean, he has overseen the appointment of 20 new faculty members, making up nearly 40% of the faculty. He has also led the school during the Duke Forward campaign, which has currently raised more than $86 million for the Divinity School. The school has also successfully launched three new degree programs in this period, the D.Min., M.A.C.P., and M.A.C.S., two of which offer instruction in a hybrid model that combines short-term intensive residential classes with extended online work. In addition, the Th.D. program, now nine years old, has become firmly established with an acceptance rate of five percent and a high placement record for graduates.
The Divinity School’s interdisciplinary work has also grown and developed during Hays’s tenure, with the establishment of a new initiative in Theology, Medicine, and Culture, and the continued expansion of work in Duke Initiatives in Theology the Arts, the Center for Reconciliation, and Leadership Education.
“Richard Hays has been a thoughtful and effective dean whose leadership has brought the Divinity School to a new level of success in scholarship, service, and engagement with the rest of the university,” said Duke University Provost Sally Kornbluth. "The Divinity School is a better, stronger place for his leadership.”
Kornbluth and Duke University President Richard Brodhead will appoint a search committee to identify candidates for the next dean of the Divinity School. Randy Maddox, William Kellon Quick Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies, will chair the committee.
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email newsdesk@umcom.org and put Digest in the subject line.Saturday, April 25
World Malaria Day — For United Methodists, World Malaria Day is an opportunity to engage our communities in support of Imagine No Malaria, the denomination's effort to end death and suffering from malaria in Africa. Resources are available from Imagine No Malaria.
Tuesday, April 28
Webinar "Congregations Working Together: Finding the Dream and Living It" — 7 to 8 p.m. EDT. This discussion will focus on how your church might work together with other congregations to strengthen the ministry inside your church and out in the community. Joy Skjegstad, a consultant on nonprofit management and ministry development, will lead. Details.
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You can see more educational opportunities and other upcoming events in the life of the church here.
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