ESPN has a profile of Jerry Sandusky, the key figure in the Penn State scandal, and it notes that he has been a longtime parishioner of St. Paul's UMC, near the campus in State Park, Pa.
The church's pastor - the Rev. Edwin Zeiders - is quoted well down in the story.
The UM Council of Bishops has released a letter which say the bishops will "uphold" the Book of Discipline against clergy of the denomination who officiate at same sex unions.
The Book of Discipline, the church's law book, prohibits clergy from doing that.
More than 1,000 UM clergy have signed statements pledging to officiate at such unions, sparking a counter movement of thousands of clergy and laity who have signed petitions asking the Council of Bishops to pledge to enforce the Book of Discipline against the first group.
The bishops' letter notes deep divisions in the denominations over homosexuality.
The UM Council of Bishops meeting has ended without public comment on the controversy over UM clergy who have pledged to officiate at same-sex unions, despite church law prohibiting that. "We will be releasing a statement," said Bishop Larry Goodpaster, council president, immediately after the meeting. "There's a few more pieces we need to work on, but we’ll be releasing a statement soon." More than 1,000 UM clergy have pledged to officiate at same-sex unions. Thousands of UM clergy and laity have signed statements urging the bishops to enforce the Book of Discipline against that group. The bishops met in executive session Thursday night.
The UMC's "Imagine No Malaria" campaign is getting $3 million from the Gates Foundation, Bishop Tom Bickerton announced at today's Council of Bishops meeting in Lake Junaluska, N.C.
The money will help cover administrative and fund-raising costs in the effort to raise $75 million. So far, $18 million has been raised.
Meanwhile, Bishop Sally Dyck announced an anonymous $600,000 matching gift to the Minnesota Conference's effort to raise funds for Imagine No Malaria.
Bishop Dyck called Imagine No Malaria an "opportunity to solve a problem that isn't about our institutional life."
Bishop Bickerton gave a progress report on the effort to make a vaccine against malaria, and said such efforts as bed nets have helped reduce the death rate. He said one million died in Africa from the disease in 2007, and 800,000 died in 2010.
"The rates are dropping but if we stop our efforts or lessen them to any degree the rates of malaria will rise again," he said.
The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops this afternoon elected new officers. Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of Germany, who had been president designate, was elected president. She'll take over, for a two-year term, during the next General Conference.
"Thank you very much for trusting me," Bishop Wenner said. "I am committed to bring my gifts to that task."
Bishop Warner Brown of the California-Nevada Conference was elected president designate.
"I am humbled by this invitation to serve," Bishop Brown said. "May God help us do the things we need to do to serve the present age."
Bishop Robert Hayes of the Oklahoma Conference was elected secretary.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the Los Angeles Area was elected ecumenical secretary.
Bishop Peter Weaver of the New England Conference was elected executive secretary.
The UMC's Council of Bishops voted overwhelmingly this afternoon to endorse major change in the denomination, including restructuring of general agencies, redistributing of $60 million to back the "vital congregations" effort, and giving annual conferences more freedom to organize.
Within the United States, the denomination has long been in decline in membership and worship attendance, and reform efforts are aimed at reversing that.
Of the vote, Council President Larry Goodpaster said, "It was a sign that we're ready to head off in a new direction."
The vote specifically endorsed a letter summarizing proposed changes, some requiring action by the 2012 General Conference, some not.
One of the handful of dissenters was Bishop Elaine Stanovsky, who failed in an effort to get the council to take straw votes on seven proposals in the letter that will require General Conference action.
She said she was concerned about "not being able to give that nuanced response" to the document, but does favor major change.
"I think the status quo is not working and we really need to change it," she said. "I will not go home and speak against this (letter) in my conference. I'll represent it postively."
The proposals the letter endorses include:
* Giving Annual Conferences freedom to organize their structures for "greater fruitfulness."
* Letting up to $60 million in general church funds be reallocated, mid-quadrennium, for creating and sustaining the "vital congregations" effort.
* Providing for the Council of Bishops to elect a non-residential bishop as president - the so-called "set aside bishop" proposal.
* Creating a Center for Connectional Mission & Ministry under one board of directors to combine the functions of the Connectional Table and nine general agencies
The letter says, "We see a new church. It is a church that is clear about its mission and confident about its future, a church that is always reaching out, inviting, alive, agile, and resilient. We ask all United Methodists to join us as together we work to do the `new thing' God intends for our church and discover the path God is making for our future.
The council will be in session all week at Lake Junaluska, N.C.
The UMC's Council of Bishops is meeting in Lake Junaluska, N.C., and discussion about church reform proposals dominated the first plenary session.
The bishops were asked to write on post-its their hopes, fears and questions about six proposals put forward by the Inter Operations Team, itself created through the Call to Action reform initiative aimed at arresting declines in membership, attendance and baptisms in the denomination within the U.S. and Europe.
The post-its, placed on posters around the meeting room, were not signed.
On the idea of redirecting $60 million to boost the number of vital UMC congregations, one bishops expressed the hope "it would bring new vitality. Another hopes "money will be spent on mission rather than bureaucracy."
Fears expressed: "Nothing will change" ... "This will not bear fruit - too little, too late" ... "Money won't be there."
In the area of reforming the Council of Bishops, hopes include "COB would be more prayerful" ... "Space for active bishops to meet without retired bishops."
Fears in this area include "will become corporate and entrepreneurial at expense of `spirit sense'" ... "Lots of talk and no real change."
Regarding the proposal to create a Center of Connectional Mission and Ministry, run by a 15-member board, one bishop expressed "great hope for focus and convergence" and another foresees "more collaboration - less silo effect." Among the fears expressed: "exclusion of diverse theological voices" ... "centralization can sometimes create other problems."
Seventy-seven United Methodist clergy in Minnesota have released a statement saying they will officiate at same-sex unions, though church law prohibits that.
“Our call as clergy is to offer God’s blessing to all who come to us,” said the Rev. Bruce Robbins, pastor of Hennepin Avenue UMC in Minneapolis.
Nearly all of the 77 signed their names, the others being listed anonymously. The names are included at the end of this post.
The statement’s release earlier this week was timed to coincide with the launching of a faith-based campaign against a proposed state constitutional amendment to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.
Minnesota statutory law already bans same-sex marriage.
“We can offer the blessing of Christian marriage to all prepared couples, including same-sex couples, regardless of civil law,” Dr. Robbins said.
At the Minnesota Annual Conference meeting in May, Dr. Robbins began a movement to have UM clergy pledge in writing to officiate at same-sex unions. It spread to other conferences, and he said that more than 1,000 UM clergy have signed statements to that effect.
But there has been a backlash, with a group of 59 pastors recently calling on the Council of Bishops to issue a statement promising to enforce the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s law book, against clergy who say they’ll officiate at same-sex unions.
The same group of 59 pastors is sponsoring a website (www.faithfulumc.com) where clergy and laity can add their names to the campaign to pressure the bishops. As of Thursday, more than 1,200 clergy and more than 3,200 laity had signed.
Minnesota Episcopal Area Bishop Sally Dyck commented in writing on the 77 Minnesota clergy who promised to officiate at same-sex unions.
“Simply to make the statement as opposed to actually officiating a same-sex union is not a chargeable offense according to the Book of Discipline,” she said. “As I’ve said all along, I will uphold the Discipline. Our church is not of one mind on this. Our communities are not of one mind. There are many ways in which families and churches and communities differ in their understanding about the way to go forward. It is important for us to be mindful of each other and recognize differences and hold each other in grace.”
The Book of Discipline describes the practice of homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching,” prohibits “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from serving as clergy, and says UMC clergy cannot officiate at same-sex weddings or other ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions.
Efforts to change those positions have failed at General Conference, the quadrennial gathering of clergy and lay delegates that governs the church.
Dr. Robbins and others on his side have acknowledged the Book of Discipline ban against officiating at same-sex unions, but emphasize that the Discipline also has strong language against discrimination and in favor of inclusiveness.
The Minnesota clergy’s statement noted that some congregations in the conference are considering using their church buildings “for all prepared couples desiring Christian marriage.”
“At Minneapolis Joyce UMC, we celebrate that our building policy now creates an ‘altar for all’ in our sanctuary,” stated the Rev. John Darlington, one of the signers. “I am excited to know that other congregations are moving toward this policy.”
Here's the press release sent by the Minnesota clergy:
Seventy-seven Minnesota United Methodist clergy sign Equality in Christian Marriage statement
Minneapolis, MN - Seventy-seven United Methodist clergy in ministry in Minnesota released a statement on September 19, 2011, joyfully affirming that they will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage, regardless of gender.
In early June, United Methodist clergy in Minnesota began signing a statement stating that they would marry prepared gay and lesbian couples. As they did so, they reflected on the United Methodist social principle that "implore[s] families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends [and] …to be in ministry for and with all persons." They also considered a rule in the church’s Book of Discipline which bans officiating marriages for gay couples. The 77 signatories are both active and retired clergy who decided to minister to all prepared couples requesting a Christian marriage.
These 77 Minnesota clergy are among the more than 1,000 United Methodist clergy across the United States who have signed similar statements. In addition to the clergy statements, several United Methodist congregations are also in discussion about the use of their church buildings for all prepared couples desiring Christian marriage. "At Minneapolis Joyce UMC, we celebrate that our building policy now creates an 'altar for all' in our sanctuary, stated Rev. John Darlington. "I am excited to know that other congregations are moving toward this policy."
The statement was released on the same day Out Front Minnesota launched a campaign to oppose a proposed, state constitutional amendment to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. “Our call as clergy is to offer God’s blessing to all who come to us,” said Rev. Dr. Bruce Robbins. “We can offer the blessing of Christian marriage to all prepared couples, including same-sex couples, regardless of civil law. And so we shall.”
“As a United Methodist pastor, I provide pre-marital counseling to couples considering Christian marriage in order to better prepare them for the serious and sacred covenant of the marriage ceremony. Careful and intentional preparation for Christian marriage may help couples to improve communication, plan together for their life as a family, and cherish more deeply the blessing of God received through Christian marriage,” said the Rev, Amy Jo Bur, a signer of the statement.
The accompanying statement and list of clergy signatories is open to change at the request of any clergy who has signed or chooses to sign. United Methodist clergy in ministry in Minnesota are welcome to add their names.
Equality for All in Christian Marriage
Minnesota Annual Conference, 2011
We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage. We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.
We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are complicit. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.
Any United Methodist person in Minnesota Conference who conducts Christian marriages is welcomed to sign. Send a note to Bruce Robbins (bruce@hennepinchurch.org) with your email and postal address.
Signatories:
Dennis Alexander
Tom Biatek
Kaye Brandt
Howard Bredesen
Leigh Brown
Elton Brown
Amy Jo Bur
Carl Caskey
Russell Christensen
Richard Collman
Debra Collum
William Cox
Jeff Daniels
John Darlington
Jean Elliott
Marilyn Evans
Gretchen Fogo
Lois (Penny) Fritze-Tietz
Robert (Rob) Gamble
Greg Garman
Duane Gebhard
Linda Gesling
Dwight Haberman
Justin Halbersma
Allen Clark Harris
Rick Ireland
Kent Johnson
Daniel Johnson
Mary Keen
Mary Kitchell
Linda Koelman
Sarah Lawton
Melba Lewis
Darrilyn (Dandy) Lewis
Dave Lieder
Walter Lockhart
Gary Lueck
Elizabeth Macaulay
Suzanne Mades
Brian Manly
David McBride
Janet Morey
Judy Myers
Christie Neuger
Douglas Nicholas
Mary Ellen Nielsen
Larry Nielsen
Mark Nordel
Diane Olson
Roger Parks
Jeanette Pettit
Martha Postlethwaite
Jeanne Audrey Powers
Bruce Robbins
John Roberts
Jim Roe
Jean Rollin
Kevin Schill
Betty Schilling
Grant Speece
Rory Swenson
Tim Tennant-Jayne
Roy Vanderwerf
Nancy Victorin-Vangerud
Deb Walkes
Gary Walpole
Judy Westlee
David Wheeler
Cooper Wiggen
Paul Woolverton
Wilson Yates
Kathleen Zielinski
Anonymous (5)
A British paper is going big with the story of a statue of a bare-breasted woman at a Bristol church where John Wesley worshipped. The story includes speculation that Wesley and other early Methodists may have covered up the breasts, out of prudishness. Click here for the story, which has a photo of the statue in question.
Here's a 9/11 anniversary statement from Bishop Larry Goodpaster, president of the UMC's Council of Bishops:
On behalf of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, I greet you in the name of Jesus the Christ in whom “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven….” (Colossians 1:19-20, NRSV)
On this, the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, I call upon United Methodists and all people of faith to a renewed commitment to ministry of reconciliation, and to being witnesses of God’s love and grace for and in the whole world. As people of faith, we approach this anniversary with the gift of both memory and hope.
None of us who watched in shock and horror as the events unfolded on that fateful day in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC will ever forget the images. We remember the innocent lives that were lost on that day. We remember the first responders who put their lives on the line to provide assistance in the midst of the devastation. We remember the ways in which the world reached out to embrace us in our pain and grief. And we remember the generous outpouring of more than $20 million through the United Methodist Committee on Relief and our “Love in the Midst of Tragedy” special offerings.
Even as we recall all of these events of a decade ago, we are also a people whose faith and hope in Christ Jesus turn our hearts and lives toward the future. We proclaim the Resurrection message that the future belongs to God’s reconciled new creation, and we live toward that time when the dividing walls of hostility will come down and God will wipe away every tear, and death will be no more. In a world of violence and revenge, of suspicion and fear, of mistrust and hatred, we dare to proclaim an alternative vision known throughout Scriptures as God’s Shalom. We believe that God works for good in all things, and that the goodness and mercy of God can overcome even the most tragic events and experiences in this world.
In the days and weeks ahead, communities will be marking this anniversary in a variety of ways, and we urge our churches to lead in planning for and providing services of worship and prayer. Let us build bridges of trust and reconciliation through these services by inviting and encouraging people of all faiths to come together for prayer. Let us work for personal and social holiness by practicing John Wesley’s General Rules for the people called Methodist, especially to do no harm and to do good. Let us seek to restore a sense of hope for the future by praying for and working for the healing of broken relationships. Let us remember that day of pain, suffering, and grief; but let us also seek to bind up the wounds and renew our efforts to work for peace with justice.
Above all else, let us live as faithful followers of the Prince of Peace and, in the words of the author of the Letter to the Colossians: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other….” (Colossians 3:12-13, NRSV) May our memory and our hope unite to move all of us toward peace and inspire us to live with compassion, confidence and courage.
Larry M. Goodpaster
President, Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church
Methodist Dallas Medical Center has been told by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it must correct deficiencies in care or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding. The agency wrote the hospital on Aug. 26, noting problems in a number of areas, including emergency services and meeting physician-on-call requirements.
The hospital has until Sept. 6 to submit an acceptable plan of correction.
The hospital, in a statement, said the major problems involved an emergency services area that's limited in space and seeing increasing use. The hospital announced recently that it's spending $108 million to expand emergency, critical care, and surgery departments with a new six-story trauma and critical care center, including 58 emergency rooms.
Click here for a Dallas Morning News story. (Registration may be required.)
And here's the statement from Methodist Dallas Medical Center, which as part of Methodist Health System is affiliated by covenant with the North Texas Conference of the UMC:
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) conducted a survey at Methodist Dallas Medical Center which concluded Aug. 4 and identified several areas for improvement. Late Friday afternoon, Aug. 26, Methodist Dallas received notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that the TDSHS report was sufficient to warrant notice that continued participation in the Medicare program is contingent on corrective measures to the TDSHS findings.
Methodist Dallas is currently preparing a plan that addresses each issue which will be presented to the TDSHS and CMS by Sept. 6. After the plan is accepted by CMS, a follow-up survey will be conducted to determine that Methodist Dallas is in compliance or is making a good faith effort to bring the Medical Center into compliance.
What were the findings of the TDSHS survey?
What does Methodist Dallas plan to do to address the concerns?
Texas native and former Nebraska bishop Monk Bryan has died at age 97, in Dallas.
United Methodist News Service has a feature obit.
Jim Winkler agreed to a Q&A with UMR about his recent protest arrest at the U.S. Capitol. He joined other religious leaders in demonstrating in the Rotunda, trying to make the point that Congress needs to protect the poor as it decides on federal budget cuts.
In the interview, Winkler addresses how he evaluates whether to participate in an act of civil disobedience, and who pays the legal costs.
Read the full interview here.
Jim Winkler, top executive of the UMC's General Board of Church and Society, was among 11 Christian and Jewish leaders arrested at the U.S. Capitol today for protesting how federal budget cuts would affect the poor.
The Hill newspaper reported that Winkler and the others held hands and sat down in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda area, and were arrested by Capitol Police for demonstrating within a U.S. Capitol Building. They were taken to Capitol Police headquarters for processing, the newspaper said.
The United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill is featured in a Washington Post story on faith and politics during the federal budget crisis. Click here.
Campus Crusade for Christ is changing its name to "Cru." A press release answers the basic questions, and attempts to head off criticism for dropping "Christ."
From the Florida Conference, there's concern about the United Methodist Church and the looming "death tsunami." Click here.
Anne Lamott has a considerable following, owing to such books as "Bird by Bird" (about writing) and "Traveling Mercies" (about Christian faith.)
Click here for an interview she did with Faith & Leadership.
The Frazer UMC youth choir from Montgomery, Alabama, was warned for singing the National Anthem in the U.S. Capitol without getting a permit to do so. Click here for a story.
Wes Magruder, a United Methodist pastor in North Texas, has used his blog to respond to Bishop Mike Lowry on the subject of "metrics" for measuring church performance. Click here.
The husband of Karla Abernethy-Thetford, communications director for the UMC's Northwest-New Mexico Area, died Sunday in a house fire in Canyon, Texas, United Methodist News Service reports. Bart Thetford was 45. Firefighters rescued Ms. Abernethy-Thetford's son, Jared Beatty, 18. She was in Costa Rica on a mission trip with her daughter when she learned of Mr. Thetford's death. The funeral is Wednesday at 10 a.m., at First UMC, Canyon.
The Dakotas Annual Conference reports that Faith United Methodist Church, in Minot, N.D., "is empty and water is moving in."
United Methodist News Service did a story Friday on the situation in Minot. Click here.
The Denver Post reports the death of Alberta Shattuck, daughter of the co-founder of United Methodist-affiliated Iliff School of Theology in Denver. She was 101.
A Wisconsin paper reports that the Rev. Amy DeLong has been found guilty on one count in her United Methodist church trial, and not guilty on the other. Click here for details.
The United Methodist News Service is providing regular updates on the church trial of the Rev. Amy DeLong. For the latest, click here:
The Claremont School of Theology in California has established a new Center for Global Methodism.
“The school is the ideal site for the Center,” said President Jerry Campbell. “We are a United Methodist-related school, the Christian partner within the interreligious Claremont Lincoln University consortium, and located in an area that reflects the multitude of cultures and religions of the world within which Methodism must function. This combination of characteristics creates the ideal laboratory for our faculty and students to study the challenges and seize the opportunities that confront Methodism on a global scale."
The Rev. Karen Dalton, Claremont's associate dean for academic planning and development, added: “The Center will provide opportunities for our students’ personal and pastoral formation in the Wesleyan tradition, plus offer resources and opportunities for the global church, and the entire range of the Methodist family.”
Campbell said the center is looking for $100,000 for projects that focus on furthering global Christianity for the 2011-12 academic year.
The church trial of the Rev. Amy DeLong, a lesbian United Methodist minister, is to begin today. United Methodist News Service has done a context/background piece on homosexuality and the UMC.
The Associated Press has done a story on the increasing number of United Methodist ministers willing to defy the church by officiating at same-sex unions. The story references this week's church trial of the Rev. Amy DeLong, a lesbian UM minister. United Methodist News Service has done a Q&A on the trial.
Bishop Will Willimon of the North Alabama Annual Conference has come out strong against the state's new immigration law, calling it an "embarrassment" and the "meanest in the nation."
He and other UM clergy are sending an open letter to Gov. Robert Bentley, and have scheduled a vigil. Click here for his blog entry and for the letter.
Some 40 United Methodist clergy members from Minnesota have signed a statement saying they'll officiate at same-sex weddings, though the denomination does not allow that.
Here's the statement:
"We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage. We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.
We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are complicity. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer."
The Rev. Bruce Robbins, pastor of the Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, spoke about the statement at the Minnesota Annual Conference session June 1.
Click here for a report by Victoria Rebeck, who handles communications for the Minnesota Annual Conference.
By Sam Hodges
Managing Editor
If a special committee has its way, the United Methodist Church will have a slimmed-down Book of Discipline and a General Conference with a worldwide church focus.
Regional issues would be dealt with by four new Continental Conferences, covering North America, Asia, Europe/Eurasia, and Africa.
The 20-member Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of the Church recently went public with its recommendations, and asked for response to them by individuals and organizations with the UMC.
“The committee seeks to stimulate discussion on how we can better live into being a worldwide denomination,” said Bishop Scott Jones of the Kansas West Conference, committee chairman. “That means looking at a new structure that is equitable, workable and cost-effective.”
Under the committee’s plan, General Conference would still meet every four years, but would stick to matters affecting the entire church. In recent years, General Conference has spent most of its time on U.S.-focused issues, the committee said.
General Conference would still deal with doctrinal and ministerial qualification issues, including those related to homosexuality. Continental Conferences would deal with regional issues either at the site of General Conference, before its opening, or at sites of their choosing, but at their expense.
The committee will make a report to the 2012 General Conference, and hopes the proposals for structural change will be dealt with at the 2016 General Conference.
The committee also proposes streamlining the Book of Disciple to deal just with doctrine and law relevant to the entire denomination. The regional entities could create their own supplements for more local issues, the committee said.
Another proposal of the conference is for a covenant affirming the worldwide nature of the UMC. The committee hopes that document will be adopted by the 2012 General Conference.
To read the draft covenant and other committee proposals, click here. Responses are welcome through June 15, 2011, at response@ worldwideumc.org.
The committee was named by the UMC’s Council of bishops and Connectional Table after the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth.
First United Methodist Church of Tampa is historic, but also much diminished in membership and attendance. Those members who remain want to keep it going, but they're up against denominational leaders who favor a fresh approach to ministry in downtown Tampa.
The Tampa Tribune has a full story about the dispute. Click here.
The Baltimore-Washington Conference of the UMC has narrowly approved a resolution to let UM pastors perform same-sex marriages and ceremonies in jurisdictons where gay marriage rights exist. Click here for a story.
The Rev. Kory Knott of Argyle United Methodist in North Texas shot an amazing video of a developing tornado. His footage made the Dallas Morning News Web site this morning. If you click on the link, hang on through the advertisement, then look to the column at right for the video shot by the pastor. "Argyle pastor films tornado" is the headline.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has removed its celibacy requirement for unmarried clergy. Thus it becomes the latest mainline denomination to decide to allow ordination of gays. The move was approved last year by the denomination's national assembly, but required ratification by a majority of presbyteries. That came Tuesday night with a vote by The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Click here for the AP story.
United Methodist News Service reports that the denomination's Judicial Council has voided a yet-to-be-implemented policy in New York and Connecticut that would have allowed clergy to marry someone of the same sex.
The North Alabama Conference of the UMC reports tornado damage to several of its churches, and one church has become a major shelter for storm victims.
Bishop Will Willimon of that conference is asking for a special offering for victims, and he reports that the United Methodist Committee on Relief has promised to help.
Click here for the conference's latest report.
Nine African-American scholars and clergy from the United Methodist Church have today released a statement in support of the 36 UMC retired bishops who called on an end to the denomination's ban on ordaining "self-avowed practicing homosexuals."
The statement concludes: "We urgently appeal to other racial/ethic caucuses, as well as other caucuses, and individuals representative of the rich diversity of the United Methodist Church to join us in our support to end this discrimination."
The Rev. Pamela Lightsey, associate vice president of student affairs for Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, said more scholars and clergy will be signing. Here's the statement, followed by a list of the signatories, including Dr. Lightsey:
An Endorsement Against Church Bigotry and The Injustice of ¶ 304.3
On January 31, 2011 thirty-six retired bishops of the United Methodist Church released A Statement of Counsel to the Church calling for the removal of ¶ 304.3 from The Book of Discipline (2008). Their statement is particularly directed at this paragraph because it serves as part of current UMC polity that prohibits ordination, certification as candidates, or appointments to serve in ministry of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.”
On February 25, 2011 at its 44th Annual Meeting, Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR) voted to endorse our retired bishops’ statement.
As committed citizens of God’s beloved kingdom, we, the undersigned Black clergy and scholars of the United Methodist Church also endorse the bishops’ statement and applaud the action taken by our colleagues of BMCR. The action is an expression of the original intent of BMCR to be a renewing agent within and beyond the United Methodist Church, not just on matters of race, but on justice issues beyond race. The current critical discussion within our church on matters related to sexual identity is the issue beyond race that BMCR should, and is now addressing in a manner consistent with its historic advocacy for civil rights in the midst of unrestrained horrific discrimination.
As Black people we are uncomfortably familiar with discrimination. We have borne the weight of building up our nation and our United Methodist Church even under the harsh strokes of racism justified by theological convictions and human arrogance. Imperfect humans draped in an august array of Christian doctrines uttering an allegiance to “scriptural authority” and “natural law” are not new scenes on the landscape of Church history. Amazingly we who oppose such bigotry find ourselves in a strange and disturbing place: too many fellow progeny of Black slaves have now joined ranks with those who spew bigotry and, to our dismay, are wielding doctrine and scripture as their tools just as was done during slavery and the Jim Crow era. As before, segments within our church polity are the bulwark of this discriminatory logic.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made this prophetic comment about the church in his 1965 eulogy of civil rights activist, Rev. James Reeb: “He was murdered by the irrelevancy of a church that will stand amid social evil and serve as a taillight rather than a headlight, an echo rather than a voice.” As persons of African descent, we have seen the Church be a taillight regarding colonialism, slavery, segregation, and the rights of women. Since 1972, in its language and legislation the UMC has been a taillight on the rights of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) persons in our denomination and to the world.
Now, forty-six years later, facing the civil rights issue of this epoch, rather than silence, we Black clergy, leaders and scholars with bold voice and through this document say, “No more!” Too many are being murdered. Too many are being bullied. Too many have committed suicide.
Sadly, the season in which the United Methodist Church might have been a headlight for justice in the affirmation of the God-given rights of same gender loving persons has passed. Actions of secular courts and legislatures as they have responded to the equality provisions of our Constitution have affirmed the human and civil rights of same gender loving persons in ways our denomination has not. We trust that the delegates to the 2012 General Conference will rescind language and legislation that denies those rights.
Howard Thurman in “Jesus and the Disinherited,” described God as very present with those who are relegated to places outside the gate. BMCR embraced this belief in their support of the statement by our retired Bishops. We join them because we know that the Jesus who is "the center of our joy," is also the Jesus who has stood with Black Methodists both within society and Methodism, as we challenged those who restrict and restrain us. We will not stand on the sidelines as our church through its legislation denies LGBTQ persons, access to ordination as United Methodist clergy.
We therefore emphatically support the right to ordination of LGBTQ persons. We urgently appeal to other racial/ethic caucuses, as well as other caucuses, and individuals representative of the rich diversity of the United Methodist Church to join us in our support to end this discrimination.
African American Scholars and Clergy of The United Methodist Church
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Rev. Pamela R. Lightsey, PhD Northern Illinois Annual Conference Assoc. VP of Student Affairs Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, Illinois
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Rev. Traci C. West, PhD New York Annual Conference Professor of Ethics and African American Studies Drew Theological School Madison, New Jersey
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Rev. Donald Francis Guest Pastor, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church San Francisco, California |
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Rev. Linda E. Thomas, PhD New York Annual Conference Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Professor of Theology and Anthropology Chicago, Illinois |
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Rev. Cheryl B. Anderson, PhD Evanston, Illinois
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Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell Rocky Mountain Annual Conference Retired Clergy Asbury Park, New Jersey |
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Rev. Phil Lawson California-Nevada Annual Conference Retired Elder San Francisco, California |
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Rev. Theodore L. Lockhart New England Annual Conference Retired Clergy St. Petersburg, Florida
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Rev. Gennifer Benjamin Brooks, PhD New York Annual Conference Associate Professor of Homiletics Styberg Preaching Institute Director Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, Illinois
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Thomas Kemper, general secretary of the United Methodist Church's General Board of Global Ministries, and Cynthia Fierro Harvey, deputy general secretary of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, have written a letter saying that now is not the time to go to Japan as volunteers.
Click here.
Erin Hawkins, top executive at the United Methodist Church's Commission on Religion & Race, has written an essay lamenting her silence on some subjects at the recent Call to Action Leadership Summit. She specifically regrets not raising the need for open, honest discussion about division within the church on sexual orientation issues. Read her piece here.
News reports have soldiers surrounding the home of Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbago, who apparently is attempting to negotiate terms of surrender.
Ivory Coast is a center of Methodism in Africa.
Did you know one in every four women experiences domestic violence in her lifetime?
Nearly 75 percent of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, and 30 percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.
With these statistics, it’s inarguable that there are members in our congregations who are caught in the cycle of abuse and are looking and hoping for the church to act out against such violence.
The United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is providing the resources needed to empower the victims of domestic violence and push the local church into conversation and action. Until March 1, local ABC-TV stations will be airing I Believe You: Faiths' Responses to Intimate Partner Violence, an hour-long documentary on domestic violence and how the faith community is responding.
The documentary was produced with the support of the New York Board of Rabbis, United Methodist Women, Presbyterian Women, the Evangelical Church in America, Odyssey Networks, the National Council of Churches and a consortium of Muslim organizations.
Small groups and Sunday school classes are encouraged to watch the documentary together, and GBSC’s new resource, Building the Movement through Film, explains the benefits of a public screening and provides discussion guidelines and ideas as to how churches can prevent domestic violence.
To find out when the program airs in your area, click here. (If you don't see your state or community listed, please contact your local ABC affiliate to encourage it to air the documentary.)
For more ideas and information about what United Methodists are doing to combat domestic violence, visit the United Methodist Women website.
This weekend’s shooting in Tucson, Ariz. has left the nation in quite a stir, questioning whether divisive politics have gone too far.
Six people, including a nine-year-old girl and Arizona's chief federal judge were killed Saturday and several seriously injured when a gunman targeted U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (pictured left) as she met with constituents outside a busy supermarket.
State officials, and church leaders alike, believe the shooting is a result of the political tensions in Arizona.
Ms. Giffords, who represents the Eighth District, in the southeastern corner of Arizona, has been an outspoken critic of the state’s tough immigration law and has been criticized for her vote in favor of the health care law.
She and Roll received threats over the years regarding the political decisions.
The United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church & Society condemns malicious political discourse and is calling for more responsible gun laws to prevent senseless violence in the future.
“The use of vicious language in political discourse, even metaphorically, only adds to a climate of fear and anger,” wrote Jim Winkler, GBCS general secretary, in a press release. “Such language prevents a coherent dialogue that leads to solutions for the problems that society faces.”
In a recent blog post Desert Southwest Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño referred to the shooting as “senseless” and offered prayers of healing for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and United Methodist, Pam Simon, who serves on Congresswoman Giffords' staff.
Bishop Carcaño wrote:
“For some time now many of us have been concerned about the uncivil tenor of life in this state, and pray that what has happened today is not an expression of a growing intolerance. Today we have certainly seen a blatant lack of respect for human life. Let us pray for healing for our sisters and brothers in Tucson, and for our state. May God be merciful and may we be agents of Christ's grace and love.”
St. Mark's UMC, located roughly 4 miles from the crime scene, held a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
In the latest battle of Christmas culture wars, First Baptist Church of Dallas is calling out businesses that aren't acknowledging Christmas in their store displays or greetings.
The Rev. Robert Jeffress, the church's pastor, announced Tuesday the launch of www.GrinchAlert.com, where people can post on a "naughty" list the names of businesses that refer only to “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas.”
"Too many businesses have bowed down to political correctness," Dr. Jeffress told The Dallas Morning News. "I thought this would be a fun way to call out businesses that are refusing to celebrate Christmas."
The website has brought criticism from area religious leaders, including William Lawrence, dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.
"The appropriate thing for Christians to do at this time of year is to find new and more effective ways to extend the love and peace of the season to others, not to insist that such enterprises as commercial businesses put up Christmas trees," Dr. Lawrence said.
What do you think?
Read Sam Hodges’ story in The Dallas Morning News.
The denomination’s General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) is urging United Methodists to join a national campaign to stop using the word “illegal” in the conversation on immigration reform.
GCORR endorses the “Drop the I-Word” public education campaign, launched by ColorLines.com and the Applied Research Center (ARC), a racial justice think, because it aligns with the denomination’s commitment to racial justice outlined in the Social Principles which states, “We affirm the rights of all immigrants...to freedom from social discrimination and to advocate for justice for all.” ¶162, the Book of Discipline, the United Methodist Church.
The goal is to get 10,000 United Methodists to pledge to ditch the i-word (short for “illegal alien” and “illegal immigrant”) and help their communities better understand and respond to the damaging and racist impact of such terms.
“GCORR is proud to endorse the “Drop the I-Word” campaign because it is a tangible way to engage the United Methodist Church in moving from racism to relationships” said Erin M. Hawkins, GCORR General Secretary. “Immigration has proven to be a divisive issue across the country and even within our churches.
“Proverbs 18:21 says that words can kill or words can give life. Who better than people of faith, to help lead a movement that believes we should communicate in ways that reflect God's love for humanity.”
To take the “Drop the I-Word” pledge and find resources to help your church start a new conversation without using the i-word click here.
It's time we give you a little taste of the behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle of the 13th presidential library groundbreaking.
Managing editor Robin Russell spoke with James Glassman, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, Tuesday, Nov.16 before Mr. Bush and a posse of advisors, architects and companions broke ground for the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU campus.
Hear what Mr. Glassman has to say to UMR readers:
Stay tuned for more original coverage of the groundbreaking! We have more interviews, photos, video clips and a cover story coming your way in the Dec. 3 issue of the United Methodist Reporter.
Hundreds of people waited in a line for hours this morning at a North Dallas bookstore to meet former President George W. Bush and have him sign copies of his newly released memoir Decision Points (Crown Publishing), which hit bookstores today.
Mr. Bush, 64, launched a media blitz this week to promote the book, after nearly two years of silent retirement in North Dallas. The booksigning was held a week before the groundbreaking for the Bush presidential library center at SMU.
The memoir recounts critical moments of Mr. Bush’s presidency, including his ordering the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the administration’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina.
Bush supporters waited outside the Borders bookstore in a long line that snaked around and behind the entire North Dallas shopping plaza. The booksigning also drew a handful of people who were protesting the Bush administration policies.
Linda Foley of Fort Worth criticized Mr. Bush’s acknowledgement in his book of approving waterboarding as an interrogation technique. Ms. Foley said she is affiliated with Code Pink, a grassroots peace movement of women working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“That’s a real slippery slope,” she said. “We know a lot of terrible things happened at Abu Ghraib. I think this book will include a lot of self-aggrandizement.”
Protesters at a busy intersection near the bookstore held posters that read “Torture is illegal!” and “No one is above the law.” Among them were a United Church of Christ minister and members of the Dallas Peace Center, Veterans for Peace and Military Families for Peace.
Drivers passing by often honked long and loud at the protesters, some offering a “single-finger salute,” Ms. Foley said. Mr. Bush has been generally well-received in his Preston Hollow neighborhood and throughout the city since he left the White House.
“I think it’s despicable,” said David Hearn of Fort Worth, watching the protest while standing in line. “Our president served our country nobly for eight years. He had to make tough decisions in tough times.”
Mr. Hearn said he arrived at Borders to get in line at 4:30 a.m. Reading a protest sign that proclaimed “Arrest Bush,” he said, “That’s below low.”
Nicole Marion, 25, a United Methodist from Dallas, emerged from Borders about 9:30 a.m. with hew newly signed copy of Decision Points.
“I think he was a strong president who never wavered in his beliefs,” she said. “We love Bush.”
Hello, November and hello, election season. It’s that wonderful (note the sarcasm) time of year when politicians forfeit integrity, class and a hefty chunk of cash to bash their opponents.
Sure, it’s easy to point fingers and get swept up in the competitive nature of our society, but as Christians, what are we called to do?
“It seems the default formula for successful political ads is the negative attack against the opponent rather than the recounting of positive intentions of the candidate paying for the commercial,” writes Bishop Robert Schnase in a recent blog post.
He then goes on to ask the obvious question as to why today’s political ads have become so vicious and distorted. His answer: those ads work. (What a sick reality!)
“Those of us who receive these ads are willing to avoid the hard work of learning about the tough and complex issues of our time. We are happy to nod or shake our head based on a 30-second contrived presentation rather than delve deeper, to think beyond our own self-interest to the good of the nation and world,” he writes. “We’re willing to be seduced and deceived by oversimplification, to be animated and motivated by animosity and accusation.”
Bishop Schnase’s blog, rooted in Philippians 4:8, calls Christians to step up to the plate and to seek what is honorable, pleasing and commendable—both as politicians and voting citizens.
What's your take on "the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival?"
This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the United Methodist Church's General Board of Church and Society(GBCS) has developed a one-day seminar on domestic violence for local churches and/or annual conferences.
The GBCS names domestic violence as a priority issue of the church and encourages churches to become more proactive in recognizing, preventing and ending the abuse.
Some statistics:
*One in three women will experience some level of violence in their lives-half of them from intimate partners.
*Three in ten women murdered in the U.S. are murdered by their husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends.
*A survey of 6,000 American families found that half of the men who assault their wives also abuse their children.
*Each year an estimated 3,300,000 children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members.
*According to a recent report from UNICEF, nearly 275 million children worldwide witness abuse in their everyday life, which has a negative impact on their psychology.
To learn more about domestic violence--the types of abuse, how to recognize warning signs and to get ideas as to how you can create awareness in your community, click here.
In an era when “news analysis has become a bloodsport,” public intellectuals have a role in helping to nurture rational discourse, says Robert Hunt, director of global theological education for Perkins School of Theology, SMU.
Dr. Hunt, a frequently sought-after speaker on world religions, interfaith dialogue, Islam and mission studies, spoke Thursday to a Dallas chapter of the Religion Communicators Council.
Needless to say, his e-mail inbox has been full of media queries lately about Quran burnings and Islamic Centers near Ground Zero—not to mention a Dallas Baptist pastor’s recent comments from the pulpit that Islam is an evil religion that promotes pedaphilia.
Dr. Hunt gave us a quick outline of how academic experts can and should respond in a time when “the most marginalized voice in public discourse today is facts.”
“Our role is to say over and over: ‘These are the facts. This is reality,’ Dr. Hunt said. “Everybody’s got an opinion and 9/10ths of it is based on nothing.”
Like an amusement park’s hall of mirrors, any facts that might have existed are stripped away endlessly with each posting on social media platforms, he said.
Public intellectuals can help sift through the rubble if they “challenge false and misleading arguments and model rational discourse.”
“The single worst thing that’s happened today,” he said, “is that the accumulation of anecdotes counts as an argument.”
In other words, no matter how many examples of bad behavior someone can find, it doesn’t mean a religion promotes such behavior. And it’s not hard to find the facts about a particular faith’s doctrines, he added.
But scholar-experts should choose credible venues for disseminating their factual information -- the Letter to the Editor section of a newspaper, for example, is full of “cranks” and is not a place for rational discourse.
Pithy sound bytes help, as lengthy comments will be edited – and sometimes out of context. Long, nuanced explanations won’t cut it. Dr. Hunt recalled filming 30 minutes of a television interview that was trimmed into a 90-second segment.
“Until we learn to speak in short, clear, factual statements, we are worthless in the new media.”
More tips from Dr. Hunt:
Speak to reporters on deadline (to which I silently mouthed “Thank you!”) or you're of no use.
Know your “enemy,” so you can respond to the misleading material out there.
Stay current. If you’re blogging on current issues, you need to be posting daily so you don't get bumped off the first page of a Google search.
Don’t pretend to be an expert when you’re not. Be willing to say, “That’s not my field of expertise.”
And don’t be afraid to make use of that hall of mirrors yourself. Be consistent in what you say across interviews, blogs, Facebook posts, etc. “Connect the networks yourselves.”
Wise words indeed, in a time when knowledge is so fragmented, emotions are so easily riled and “discourse” is so uncivil.
