United Methodists take look at hunger in NCC documentary

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Several United Methodist leaders figure prominently in a powerful TV documentary, "Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts," presented by the National Council of Churches.

The program takes an unflinching look at the persistent problem of hunger in the 21st century and offers solutions. It is available to NBC television network affiliates beginning Sept. 10.

United Methodists contributing their expertise in the program are the Rev. John McCullough, executive director of Church World Service; George McGovern, former senator and Democratic presidential candidate; Ken Horne, chief executive of the Society of St. Andrew; June Kim, executive secretary for world hunger of the United Methodist Committee on Relief; and the Rev. Bob Edgar, the NCC's chief executive.

Most Americans don't often ask where their next meal is coming from. But for millions of Americans and nearly a billion people worldwide, such food insecurity is a daily reality. The documentary approaches hunger from the perspective of faith, declaring that hunger is more than a social issue.

"It is a moral issue that needs immediate resolution," explained Burton Buller, president of Mennonite Media, producer of the program in collaboration with the NCC.

"The program brings to life the moral dimension of this thorny issue and offers up a vision for a new day when hunger is eradicated from the face of the earth," he said.

The one-hour, closed-captioned special, presented by the NCC in partnership with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, will be telecast by NBC affiliates nationwide beginning Sunday, Sept. 10. Interested viewers should call their NBC station and ask when the program will be broadcast locally.

A study guide for the program or more information is available online at www.councilofchurches.org/hunger.

The TV special is being produced as part of the NCC's commitment "to address significant issues of faith and public policy and to pursue concrete solutions to the persistent challenge of poverty in a time of great wealth and capability in our society," Edgar said.

In addition to Mennonite Media, the NCC's partners for this production are the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the World Hunger Program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Society of St. Andrew and Church World Service, with cooperation from Bread for the World and United Methodist Communications.

*Information for this story was provided by the National Council of Churches.

First United Methodist Bishop in Nigeria, Done Peter Dabale, Dies in U.S. Hospital

HOUSTON – The first United Methodist bishop of Nigeria, Done Peter Dabale, died on Saturday, Aug. 26, in The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the denomination’s Council of Bishops, announced today.

Bishop Dabale, 57, was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 14, where he was diagnosed with liver cancer, Huie said. He had flown from Nigeria to Houston for diagnosis and treatment. Once in Houston, his condition deteriorated rapidly and unexpectedly, she said. He died from complications related to the disease.

“Peter Dabale was a pioneer in The United Methodist Church in Nigeria,” Bishop Huie said. “Under his leadership, United Methodist churches worked to help people of all faiths in a country that has been torn by conflict. The church in Nigeria has shown tremendous growth. Before he was elected bishop, there were about 10,000 United Methodists in Nigeria. Now there are more than 400,000 members of the church there.”

Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer of the Iowa Area, who worked closely with Bishop Dabale for a number of years, called the Nigerian bishop “an intensely focused person who led the growth of the church in Nigeria. The church in Nigeria has a fullness of life that reflects his intensity. The people of Nigeria live the gospel, not only through proclaiming the word, but in meeting human needs by operating clinics and schools for all people.”

Bishop Dabale had been scheduled to take early retirement in 2007. He was elected the first United Methodist bishop of Nigeria in 1992 after serving as general superintendent of United Methodists in the West African nation. He was ordained by Bishop Akila Todi.

He was born was born April 26, 1949, in Nyabalang-Yotti, of the Jereng District of Adamawa State, Nigeria, West Africa. He and his wife, Kerike Christiana Dabale, have 11 children: Rebecca, Dearsley, Lulah, Maran, Kaka, Wehnam, Dony, Yoknyam, S. Danjuma, Omega, and Sadique. His daughter, Yoknyam, “Love” Dabale, a student at Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C. was with him when he died.


Coming from a village and a family where young people did not attend school, Bishop Dabale's career was as varied as his education. He worked as a nurse, held administrative and teaching positions in the field of agriculture, and held pastoral, teaching, administrative, and episcopal positions in the church.

Bishop Dabale earned numerous degrees and certifications. His higher education began at the Government Agriculture School in Yola, where he received a Certificate in General Agriculture. He also received a Certificate of Nursing from the Nursing School at Numan, where he was a nurse and ward assistant at Numan General Hospital. In 1980, he traveled to Barneveld College in the Netherlands, where he earned an international diploma in animal husbandry. He earned a diploma in Theology from the Theological College at Bukuru-Jos. In 1987, he received a D.D. in Theology from the Gbarnga School of theology in Liberia.

Bishop Dabale also studied agriculture and theology at the University of Alabama. He was the officer-in-charge at the Experimental Farm Centre Numan. He taught at a government school in Zing, at Banyam Bible College and at the Kakulu Bible Institute, where he also served as principal. All are in Nigeria.

He served as district superintendent of the Muri East District (EUB), and he did pastoral work in Zing and Yonko, Muri East, all in Nigeria.

He is the author of books on organic farming, animal production and agricultural development. He also authored a book on faith and technology.

Bishop Dabale was a delegate to the 1992 General Conference in Louisville, Ken., and was serving as general superintendent of the United Methodist Church, Nigeria, when he was elected to the episcopacy by the West Africa Central Conference on August 14, 1992.

Bishop Dabale was a member of the board of governors of the Theological College of Northern Nigeria, chairperson of the Christian Association Nigeria, in Tarabara State; a member of the Taraba State Peace Committee; a member of the Advisory Committee for War Against Indiscipline and Corruption, Taraba State; and a member of the Northern Nigeria Elders Forum (Christian).

Funeral arrangements are pending in Nigeria. Cards and expressions of care may be sent to the Family of Bishop Dabale c/o the Texas Annual Conference Episcopal Office, 5215 Main Street, Houston, Texas, 77002. The Texas Conference will forward all expressions to Bishop Dabale’s family.

Church continues to provide sanctuary for mother, son

By Linda S. Rhodes*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - Since mid-August, Elvira Arellano and her 7-year-old son, Saul, have found sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church.

Arellano, lay leader of the church, has asked for sanctuary against the threat of being deported from the United States. Members of the small Hispanic congregation, located in a storefront at 2716 W. Division St. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, have rallied around Arellano, granting her sanctuary and allowing her to live in the church while she attempts to stay in this country with her son, who is a U.S. citizen.

"She asked us for sanctuary," said the Rev. Walter Coleman, Adalberto's pastor. "She's a member of our church. We love her. We prayed about it, and we believe God asked us to provide a space where the voice of the marginalized can be heard. We pray that God will continue to protect her."

Bishop Minerva Carcaño will be interviewed Aug. 23 by the Fox News Channel on the church's stand on immigration and Arellano. Portions of the interview will air on "Special Report with Brit Hume" at 6 p.m. Eastern time. Carcaño was interviewed Aug. 16 on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight."

During that interview Carcaño, bishop of the denomination's Phoenix area, spoke in support of Arellano. "The United Methodist Church stands with families like Miss Arellano. It is an issue of justice that she be allowed to stay with her young son."

Becoming an activist
Arellano, a 31-year-old single mother, came to the United States from Mexico in 1997 without documents. When she first tried to enter the country, she was turned back. Three days later, she walked across the border.

She lived in the state of Washington, where she met Saul's father. They split up, and in 2000, Arellano brought her son to Chicago. She got a job at O'Hare International Airport cleaning airplanes.

In December 2002, she was caught in a federal raid on O'Hare looking for undocumented immigrants. She was arrested and put in deportation proceedings. That's when she joined Adalberto United Methodist Church.

Her son had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and other health problems, so she asked U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, both Democrats from Illinois, for help. They managed to obtain approval of a private relief bill on her behalf that gave her an extension to remain in the United States.

She became active in the immigrant rights movement and established La Familia Latina Unida, an outreach of Adalberto that helps families separated or on the verge of being separated by existing U.S. immigration laws. Earlier this year, she went on a hunger strike to demand an immediate moratorium on raids and deportations.

She was ordered to report to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Chicago at 9 a.m. Aug. 15. Instead, she went to church.

"I believe that this order is selective, vindictive, retaliatory and inhumane," Arellano said. "One year ago, I was granted a stay while private bills in my behalf were pending in Congress.

Nothing has changed since that stay was granted. Homeland Security has the legal power and, I believe, the obligation to extend this stay of deportation."

She said she told her attorney to notify Deborah Achim, ICE Chicago Field Office director, of her decision and her location.

"Homeland Security knows where I am," she said.

"I have done this because I do not wish my friends and community to be subjected to raids and harassment," Arellano said. "Nor do I want Homeland Security to use me as an excuse to arrest and deport others like me and to try to destroy their families and the lives of their children."

'High spirits'
Two days after taking refuge in the church, Arellano sounded upbeat.

"I am in very high spirits because I am in the house of the Lord," she said. "The church that from the beginning has opened their doors for me has never closed those doors."

In a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, an immigration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said there were no plans to enter the church and arrest her. The official said Arellano's case carries "no more priority than any of the other 500,000 fugitives nationally."

She will be apprehended "at an appropriate time and place," the official said.

Arellano said that if federal officials come to get her, "they won't be dealing with me. They will be dealing with the wrath of God. This is the house of God."

"We are all willing to help her," said Beti Guevara, Adalberto assistant pastor. "The church has backed her up. We are going to do what Scripture tells us to do - to be with her and to comfort her because she is a child of God."

Guevara said the congregation is "happy that our leaders are also supporting her."

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and the Rev. James Preston, Chicago Northwestern District superintendent, have visited Arellano to offer prayers and support. On Aug. 16, Bishop Carcaño visited the church to pray with Elvira and her son.

Bishop Jung released a statement supporting Arellano's action, saying she was "invoking the centuries-old Christian tradition of sanctuary" and "drawing upon the tradition of civil disobedience."

"While as Christians we may disagree over the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system, we affirm that the Bible directs us to care for the foreigners in our midst (Exodus 23:9) and reminds us that we too are sojourners (Leviticus 25:23)," Jung said.

He also noted that the United Methodist Social Principles state that "governments and laws should be the servants of God and of human beings" and that the church recognizes "the right of individuals to dissent when acting under the constraint of conscience and after having exhausted all legal recourse, to resist or disobey laws that they deem to be unjust or that are discriminately enforced."

The church will "uphold our commitment to families and urge the reunification of families now separated and those under threat of separation by our current broken immigration laws," Jung said.

Prayer services
Congressman Gutierrez visited Arellano and brought her copies of letters he had written on her behalf to President George Bush and John Hostettler, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sent a copy of a letter he wrote to ICE's Achim asking for an extension of Arellano's stay of deportation.

The congregation has been holding prayer services "day and night," Guevara said. Referring to Psalm 23, she added: "We tell Elvira she's walking through the valley. She's not standing in it."

Church offices have been turned into a bedroom where Arellano and her son can sleep.

Members of the congregation are always in the church, watching over the mother and her child.

Church members believe Arellano has been singled out for deportation because of her advocacy for reforming immigration laws.

"We feel she's being punished because of her activism," Guevara said.

"We salute Elvira's courage," Pastor Coleman said. "She could have chosen to just disappear and become one of the invisible 12 million (undocumented immigrants) in this country. Instead she is standing up for her people and her son. She is doing this so her son will know he is a child of God, a dignified person."

"I am not a terrorist," Arellano said. "I am not a criminal. I am not a fugitive. I am a mom. I love my son. My son is a U.S. citizen. My son says, 'Mom, please stay here with me.' So, I will stay here with my son."

*Rhodes is director of communications, Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Gender inequality fuels global AIDS pandemic, speakers say

By Donald E. Messer*

TORONTO (UMNS) - The increasing percentage of women infected with HIV and AIDS was a major concern at the Aug. 13-18 International AIDS Conference here.

"Women carry a disproportionate share of the burden of the HIV and AIDS crisis," declared retired Bishop Fritz Mutti, chairperson of the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. "Unless gender inequality also is addressed, emphasis on the familiar prevention strategy of 'ABC' (abstinence, being faithful, and condoms) will be doomed to failure."

Bishop Mutti's remarks at an ecumenical pre-conference of more than 500 religious leaders were reinforced at the opening session of the six-day conference.

UNAIDS reports women account for almost 46 percent of the estimated 40 million people infected with HIV and AIDS in the world, and the percentage is increasing yearly. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 57 percent of infected people are women. Each day, 1,500 children worldwide become infected with HIV at birth. Last year, 3 million people died of AIDS, and more than 4 million became newly infected with HIV.

Microbicides for women
Bill and Melinda Gates, the richest couple in the world, called upon some 20,000 participants in the conference to "put the power to prevent HIV in the hands of women" by accelerating research on microbicides and other new HIV prevention tools. Microbicides are prevention products such as vaginal creams, gels and capsules that would destroy harmful microbes, including HIV. Still under scientific study, microbicides would aid in prevention, but they are not yet 100 percent effective.

"We need tools that will allow women to protect themselves," said Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corp. "This is true whether the woman is a faithful married mother of small children or a sex worker tying to scrape out a living in a slum. No matter where she lives, who she is, or what she does, a woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life."

Melinda Gates emphasized that every life is of equal importance and "saving lives is the highest ethical act. ... In the fight against AIDS, condoms save lives. If you oppose the distribution of condoms, something is more important to you than saving lives." She noted that less than one in five people at risk of HIV infection has access to condoms, clean needles, education and testing.

"That's a big reason," she said, "why we have more than 4 million new infections every year."

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made stopping AIDS the top priority of its billion-dollar donations. On the eve of the conference, the couple contributed an additional $500,000 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an organization initiated in 2001 at the urging of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Caregivers and marching grandmothers
"Women bear the brunt of almost all the care of orphans and provide the overwhelming majority of home-based care to persons suffering with HIV and AIDS," said Linda Bales, a staff executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Global AIDS has resulted in more than 15 million orphans and vulnerable children, and women are the primary caregivers.

To illustrate the inequities in gender, 100 Africans and 100 Canadians participated in a colorful "Grandmothers March against AIDS."

A panel of women from Africa, Asia, and North America noted that violence is a close companion of the virus. They said young girls and women are vulnerable to the disease because of domestic violence, rape and the absence of control over their own bodies. Panel members also cited the lack of education and inadequate access to female condoms as additional reasons for increasing numbers of women being affected by the disease.

Due to the pervasive male practice of having more than one sexual partner, faithful women often get infected even though they have had only one partner. It was noted, for example, that in some parts of Africa, a woman on her wedding day doubles her chances of getting HIV.

Circumcision of men
Prevention possibilities for men were also highlighted during the 16th session of the biannual conference. Male circumcision may reduce the risk of contracting HIV by up to 60 percent, according to recent scientific studies. Preliminary studies in South Africa were cancelled when it appeared that circumcision was significantly reducing HIV transmission, and it was deemed unethical not to offer the option to all men in the study. Results from Kenya and Uganda are expected in 2007.

In several candid speeches, former President Bill Clinton said that while "persuading boys and older men to get circumcised might be a 'hard-sell,'" every life-saving approach must be employed. The future challenge will be convincing men that circumcision can be safe, effective and not too painful. Decisions as to how much money should be invested in providing access to this treatment have yet to be made.

Both Clinton and Bill Gates stressed their support for President George Bush's efforts against AIDS. They noted that as a result of the administration's pledge of $15 billion over five years, more than 500,000 people in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean are receiving antiretroviral drugs.

No magic solution
Conference speakers said dreams of a vaccine or a cure remain at least 10 years distant. No magic solution exists for HIV prevention. A continuing danger of every prevention mechanism - be it condoms, circumcision, or microbicides - is that some people will increase risky sexual behavior, leading to more, rather than fewer infections. Public health officials, therefore, recommend education programs that emphasize both risk avoidance (abstinence, faithfulness) and risk reduction (condoms and clean needles).

Dr. Cristina Pimeta of Brazil noted that less than 50 percent of the world's youth have access to information about prevention. She highlighted the importance of linking prevention to treatment and care to address the current tendency to see biomedical interventions as quick or magic solutions to HIV and AIDS prevention.

Enhancing women's status
Stephen Lewis, U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, closed the international conference by declaring, "Gender inequality is driving the pandemic, and we will never subdue the gruesome force of AIDS until the rights of women become paramount in the struggle."

He called for the creation of a new U.N. agency for women, "staffed to the teeth," and dedicated to enhancing the role and status of women worldwide.

Bishop Mutti said he hopes United Methodists, especially women, will embrace efforts to raise $8 million through the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund.

He noted that Musa Dube, a United Methodist woman and a New Testament professor from Botswana, will keynote the upcoming United Methodist Global AIDS Conference in Washington Sept. 8-9. In keeping with the conference theme to "Lighten the Burden," Dube will challenge United Methodists to join women and other activists around the globe in working towards an AIDS-free world.

*Messer is the executive director of the Center for the Church and Global AIDS and president emeritus of the Iliff School of Theology, Denver. He is the author of Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis, and co-author with former Senators George McGovern and Bob Dole of Ending Hunger Now: A Challenge to Persons of Faith.

Bishop encourages U.S. churches to partner with East Africa

By J. Richard Peck*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- A decade ago, Hutu extremists killed 80,000 Tutsis, and hundreds of thousands of Tutsis fled Rwanda for neighboring Zaire and Tanzania.
Today, Tutsis and Hutus worship together in United Methodist churches in Rwanda.

"It's the power of Jesus Christ," explained Bishop Daniel Wandabula, who leads the denomination's East Africa Area. "Jesus makes us brand new creatures and we no longer live under law, we live under grace. He takes us beyond tribes and beyond denominations."

The East Africa Area includes churches in Rwanda (three districts), Burundi (seven districts), Kenya (three districts), Sudan (one district) and Uganda (six districts). The bishop and three other leaders from the episcopal area visited Nashville as part of a U.S. tour through Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

The team wanted to encourage United Methodist churches and conferences to become partners with East Africa churches to address health and education issues.

Shortly after his election last May, Wandabula described churches in the five nations as "almost in a state of anarchy" and in need of healing.

"I no longer feel that way," the bishop told United Methodist News Service during an Aug. 19 interview.

He explained that in the 10 months following the July 2005 death of Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, the churches felt they had been left without a leader. The Council of Bishops appointed Bishop João Somane Machado of Mozambique to serve as interim bishop, but a leadership vacuum remained. Wandabula said that since his May election, a great deal of healing has already taken place. It also helped that the Rev. Lazaro Bankurunaza of Burundi was appointed as the administrative assistant to the Ugandan bishop.

Wandabula says he plans additional visits to churches in the five nations and hopes to have another central conference bishop accompany him.

Health concerns
Dr. Eric Ikoona, the conference medical director who accompanied the bishop, said he hopes churches or an annual conference will help his volunteer medical team secure a mobile clinic. Currently, Ikoona and five other medical volunteers rent trucks for weekend visits to various villages.

"We see an average of 1,200 people during the three-day visits," Ikoona said. "During the past year, we have visited four villages in the Sudan and 26 in Uganda."

The life expectancy in Uganda is only 43 years. The country has only one physician for every 18,700 people, and few doctors live in the remote villages visited by the United Methodist team.

Ikoona's team provides vaccinations and treats people for malaria, intestinal parasites, pneumonia, and eye, ear, skin and urinary track infections.

AIDS is always a major contributor to health problems, said Ikoona, who works for the World Health Organization. The Kampala physician said the group also trains at least one person in each village to serve as a medical adviser who provides information about ways to prevent disease.

Partnerships
Leaders of the East Africa Area have developed a 10-year plan that addresses issues related to education, church development, health, waste management, leadership development, agriculture, disaster relief, communications, children and youth, and evangelism.

The training of pastors tops the list, as church membership has increased in all five countries.

Wandabula said new statistics are being processed, but he noted that in Uganda, membership has increased from 5,000 in 1998 to 45,000 today. The Holston Annual (regional) Conference in the United States is helping by paying the salaries of 15 pastors and three support staff in Uganda.

William Bamusute, chairman of the Humble United Methodist School Management Committee, said the elementary school in Uganda cares for 198 children, many of whom are orphaned by AIDS. He expressed gratitude to the South Georgia Annual Conference and Cross Roads United Methodist Church in Virginia for providing $240,000 to construct two buildings for the Humble school. Each building houses five classes.

The African group wants to develop other partnerships with annual conferences and local churches. Discussions are under way in Kentucky, but no specific plans have been developed.

"These partnerships are not one-way streets," the bishop said. Team members noted that despite the fact that their churches are physically poor, they are spiritually rich, and six conference leaders will lead a fall revival for Baptist churches in the Milwaukee area.

Team members also invited U.S. church members to visit their nations. Those who have accepted such invitations learn something about the true meaning of hospitality, as African church members ensure safe travel, housing, meals and comfort for visitors, the East Africans said.

David Muwaya, conference project director, told of a conference effort to provide job training for young people in each of the five countries. He hopes centers will be able to provide training in carpentry, farming, brick making, baking, music, drama, and art and design.

The conference is also working with United Methodist Communications to develop communications centers in each nation. Those centers will include short-wave radios, Internet access, and video production and editing equipment.

Peace agreements, conflicts
Churches in each of the five nations continue to struggle with uneasy peace agreements and continued conflict:

Burundi is still at the negotiating table with rebel groups.

Rwanda battles with remnants of the Intarahamwe rebel group, which operates in the Congo.
Sudan has signed a peace agreement with rebels, but war continues in the Darfur region.
Kenya has been destabilized by attacks by Somali warlords.

Uganda continues a 20-year war with the Lord's Resistance Army.

Formed in 1987, the Lord's Resistance Army said it wants to replace the Uganda government with one that "follows the Ten Commandments." Claiming to be part of the "Holy Spirit Movement," the group, led by Joseph Kony, has abducted 20,000 children to be trained as rebel fighters or used as sex slaves. The U.S. government estimates that up to 12,000 people have been killed by the LRA; many more have died from disease and malnutrition as a result of the conflicts.

Asked about the effect of the LRA's distortion of the Christian faith, Bishop Wandabula said no one is confused by Kony's claims to be a Christian. "He was raised as a Catholic," said the bishop, "but he has no relationship with any church. The government says the movement is weakening, but there is no way to measure the size of a group that operates in the shadows and attacks soft targets."

Leaders of the East Africa Conference also expressed concern about violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where people are still dying of malnutrition and disease. According to reports by the United Nations, 3.5 million people are now hungry, 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence, and 400,000 people have died in Darfur so far.

The bishop called for the international community to take action to alleviate the suffering. A U.S. group, "Save Darfur," is calling for the strengthening of an African Union peacekeeping force and the creation of a U.N. or a NATO peacekeeping force. The African conference has 15 schools in the southern Sudan, and it operates six primary schools with 500 students each.

Cooperating with Kenyan Methodists
The British Methodist Church missionaries founded a church in Kenya in the early 1800s, and the autonomous Methodist Church of Kenya now operates several schools, including Kenya Methodist University. The Rev. Samuel Kobia, a clergy member of the denomination, serves as the top staff executive of the World Council of Churches.

Wandabula holds a diploma from Kenya Methodist University, and he was ordained in the Methodist Church of Kenya. He served as administrative secretary to the Methodist Church in Uganda before being invited in 1994 to assume a position in the United Methodist Church. He later received two master's degrees from United Methodist-related Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.

Since the bishop has close ties with the Methodist Church of Kenya, he said he hopes to improve relations between that denomination and United Methodist churches in Kenya.

"I see a lot of collaboration in the near future," he said.

Signs of hope
While the conference struggles to minister to over 100 million people in five nations, the bishop and five conference staff members find hope in former enemies working together, new opportunities in health care and education, nascent peace agreements, and closer cooperation with the Methodist Church in Kenya. It also hopes that other conferences and churches will become partners in their effort to implement an ambitious ten-year plan to meet the needs of a growing church in troubled nations.

Following the Nashville visit, Bishop Wandabula traveled to Wilmore, Ky., where he is enrolled in a doctor of ministry degree program at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Said the bishop: "I still have a lot to learn."

*Peck is a retired clergy member of New York Annual Conference and communications coordinator for the Commission on United Methodist Men.

Bishops Urge President Bush to Press Philippines President to Curb Violence

WASHINGTON -- The president of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops has urged U.S. President George W. Bush to press Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to take steps to reduce violence throughout the Southeast Asia country.

In her letter to President Bush on behalf of the Council, Bishops’ President Janice Riggle Huie of Houston cited the murder earlier this month of Isiais Sta Rosa, a United Methodist pastor. He was the 21st church worker killed in the Philippines since 2001.

“United Methodists in the Philippines and the United States are deeply troubled by the growing violence of the military under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Huie wrote President Bush, who is a United Methodist. “We ask you to communicate to President Macapagal-Arroyo our deepening concerns, concerns which we expect you in your office share.”

A high-level global delegation of United Methodists visited the Philippines on a fact-finding mission earlier this year and met with the Filipino president and urged her to take action then. Bishop Huie’s letter follows:

August 21, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:

One of our United Methodist local pastors, Isaias Sta. Rosa, was killed in the Philippines on August 3, 2006. Police said a soldier found dead next to the local pastor is believed to be one of the ten masked gunmen who forced their way into the pastor’s home, beat, and killed him. Sta. Rosa’s killing came after three activists were killed within a span of 24 hours in the same region and he is the twenty-first church worker killed since May 2001, nationwide.

A fact-finding delegation from the U.S. visited earlier this spring. During their visit with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the delegation urged her to direct the military to terminate violent activities against civilians. Three of our United Methodist bishops in the Philippines are currently conducting further investigation into Sta. Rosa’s death. In addition, the National Council of Churches in the Philippine is calling for a thorough inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice.

United Methodists in the Philippines and the United States are deeply troubled by the growing violence of the military under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. We ask you to communicate to President Macapagal our deepening concerns, concerns which we expect you in your office share.

Thank you for your assistance,


Janice Riggle Huie
Bishop


cc Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

European clergywomen will have consultation experience

By Linda Green*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - The experience of the United Methodist Church's international consultation for clergywomen will be transferred to Europe Feb. 25-28 to bring women pastors on that continent together for worship, support and affirmation.

Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, the denomination's first woman bishop elected outside the United States, made the announcement Aug. 15 to directors of communications and editors of annual conferences and publications, churchwide agencies and organizations during a media luncheon at the 2006 International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation.

In addition to Wenner, the communicators met with other pioneering woman bishops - Violet Fisher, the first African-American woman bishop elected from the Northeast Jurisdiction, Minerva Carcaño, the first Latina bishop, and Janice R. Huie, president of the Council of Bishops.

The bishops spoke about current issues, the challenges they face as episcopal leaders and on the progress women have made in the denomination since the 1956 General Conference vote that gave women the same clergy rights as men.

Wenner, who leads three annual conferences in Germany, expressed her delight at participating in the Aug. 13-17 clergywomen's consultation and in celebrating the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the denomination.

In Europe, the Methodist church is the minority church, she said. "Being with such a big and huge number of sisters is amazing. I wish all of the clergywomen from Europe would have had a chance to be a part of this very powerful event.

"We want to transfer our experience and invite other European clergywomen to come together in Europe and celebrate," she said. She also wants to transfer the encouragement, empowerment and anointing that the clergywomen at the Chicago consultation received, she said.

The European United Methodist clergywomen's consultation will be held near Frankfurt, and Methodist clergywomen from Great Britain have been invited to attend, she said.

Wenner told the audience she was the "first" in all areas of ministry in her annual conference, and she expressed pride at being a member of a global church at the consultation and in sharing with clergywomen from Sierra Leone, the Philippines, Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Katanza, Angola, Germany, India, South Korea, Liberia, Norway, the Dominican Republic, Ghana and the United States of America.

She said the Methodist Church in Europe is small and has few clergywomen - just 15 percent of the 350 ordained clergy in Germany are women. The women pastors are sometimes on their own in areas where they often feel the same isolation as their counterparts in the United States, she said.

"We want to transfer to them that they are anointed by God to their culture and their situation to share the Gospel," she said.

'Feminization' not a problem
Bishop Huie focused on recent discussions about the book, Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow. The author suggests that men don't attend church because it has been "feminized." The bishop admitted to the media that she had not read the book but she's been hearing worries about "feminization" of the church since 1970.

Arguments about a feminized church have been around a long time, she said. "I was ordained deacon in 1970; by the time 1975 came along, I heard worries about the feminization of the church. I would not say that was a problem in 1975, and I quite frankly don't think it is a problem in 2005."

She noted that since 1956, when women were given full clergy rights, the number of ordained women has increased from 27 to 9,749 today. One in five United Methodist clergy is a woman and 36 percent of seminary students are women.

"It can be saying that we need to work clearly to help men become all they can become," as women have been helped to ascend to their current levels in the church, Huie said.

The fundamental matter is the Wesleyan church has always had a strong female component, she said. Research has shown that women were the majority in the early bands of societies and classes, and women began preaching then to fulfill the leadership needs, she added.

"I don't think the increase in women is pushing men away by any stretch of the imagination," Huie said. "There is room for all of us at God's table. We need to help one another become all that God wants us to be."

She thanked God for the 1,500 women who came to Chicago to celebrate service to God and to the church. "Women are the backbone of the church. Women get it done," she said.

The conversation turned to challenges in their ministries and in the episcopacy.

Bishop Fisher told the media that one of her "biggest" challenges as a bishop is "affirming women in appointments in a system that marginalizes women to small membership and often rural churches." She wants to address that issue by changing the appointment process to a system that empowers women. "I have done this very openly," she said, adding she has made sure that women pastor some of the "key churches" in the annual conference.

Fisher said "it blows my mind" not to have African-American and Hispanic churches when the population in the urban areas of Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y., is basically African American and Hispanic. She said that out of 600 United Methodist churches, only two are African American and two are Hispanic.

For Huie, the challenge revolves around diversity. She is challenged to encourage and support gifted, young and diverse women. The population of the world is younger and very diverse, she said.

"As we look at clergy leaders, we don't match the population. We need more diversity in women and to help them find their call and support them on the way," she said.

Wenner told the media she is challenged to make sure the European church does not say, "Oh, we have a female bishop; we don't have to support women in the church anymore."

The critical issue, Bishop Carcaño said, "is the hundreds of thousands of people who are yearning for a ray of hope. Whether a man or woman gives it to them, what difference does that make?" she asked.

Evangelism needed
While the church engages in its internal and institutional struggles about power, Carcaño said the world is becoming globalized, driven by economics that are shaping the types of communities that we are going to have. "I am not sure I want a community that is a cookie-cutter community where everyone loves Coca-Cola ... and we've lost the diversity of our cultures and our understanding of the spirit of God.

"Where is the church?" she asked.

Responding to questions about her vision for ministry, Fisher said it is time for the denomination to get serious about the ministry of invitation, which is evangelism. "Disciple-making for the transformation of the world starts in the home first," she said.

The church has the tendency to use programs for those already in the church family "and does not seem to have a clear vision as to how we take what we have to our communities," Fisher said. "We have folk (who) are looking for a word of hope, and we feel as if they don't come inside our doors, we cannot accommodate them. Something has got to change, and it is called evangelism."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Bishop Rhymes Moncure dies following surgery

By Robin Russell
Managing Editor, The Reporter

United Methodist Bishop Rhymes H. Moncure Jr., the first African American to become bishop of the Dallas Area, died Aug. 19 at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where he’d been hospitalized since having surgery Aug. 7 for a brain tumor.

Though the surgery was successful and Bishop Moncure had been communicative with his family, he soon suffered serious post-operative complications that made a second surgery necessary. He never regained consciousness.

Bishop Moncure was 61.

During his hospitalization, district services of healing and hope for the bishop and his family had been scheduled throughout the 160,000-member North Texas Conference -- from Dallas to Wichita Falls.

Bishop Moncure had become known as a spiritual and compassionate bishop, a servant leader of the Church, one who is visionary in multi-cultural settings. He demonstrated his commitment to servant leadership by initiating the ritual of washing the feet of new pastors appointed during the Annual Conference in North Texas.

He was assigned to the Dallas Area two years ago at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Corpus Christi, after serving four years in the Nebraska Area. He succeeded retiring Bishop William B. Oden, who had served since 1996.

The native of Oakland, Calif., Bishop Moncure was the son of a Naval Officer and public school teacher. He received the Master of Divinity Degree (M.Div.) from St. Paul School of Theology in homiletics (preaching) with honors, and the Doctor of Ministry Degree (D.Min.) from Carolina University School of Theology with academic honors in the area of biblical studies and church administration.

Bishop Moncure served as a parish pastor for 32 years before having the rare distinction of being elected as a United Methodist bishop on the first ballot in the 2000 South Central Jurisdictional Conference.

His pastoral appointments had included churches ranging in size from 50 to 2,500 members, including urban and suburban congregations and cross-racial settings.

When he was appointed senior pastor in 1991 of Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia, Mo., the historical church was the largest predominantly Anglo congregation served by an African-American clergy in American United Methodism. Under his leadership, the church grew tremendously, developing new ministries and acquiring a Christian Life Center.

After serving churches in Kansas City and St. Louis, he was appointed superintendent of the St. Louis South District. He was appointed bishop of the Nebraska Area in 2000.

Bishop Moncure had also been a director for the General Board of Global Ministries (1988-1996) and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (1996-2000). He was a member of the board of trustees of Southern Methodist University and the United Methodist Publishing House.

Bishop Moncure also had certification as a conflict resolution leader, and had used his training across the church.

The Council of Bishops will select a replacement for Bishop Moncure, most likely on a recommendation from bishops within the South Central Jurisdiction, said Stephen Drachler, executive director of public information for the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Moncure is survived by his wife, Jewell, of Plano; a daughter, Roxanne Moncure, of St. Louis; a son, Jason Moncure of Atlanta; and two grandsons

Commentary: Remembering Gloster Current, an American hero

A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Chester R. Jones*

During the NAACP's 97th annual convention in Washington D.C. this summer, I watched leaders of America's oldest civil rights organization unveil a life-size wax statue of the Rev. Gloster B. Current, a longtime NAACP leader and a United Methodist clergyman.

I was struck by the contrast between his small physical stature and the towering dimensions of his intellect and his commitment and contributions to racial justice and reconciliation in this nation.

After heading the Detroit office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in the 1940s, Current served as the organization's national director of branches and field administration for more than 30 years. He was responsible for overseeing the programs of the 2,200 NAACP branches and youth units in all 50 states.

Retired Bishop Woodie W. White remembers him fondly as a mentor when White served as vice president of the NAACP's New York City Youth Council. Their paths would cross again when Current served on the organizing board of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race in 1968-1972, and White was elected the first general secretary of the new agency.

Current was deputy executive director of the NAACP when he retired in 1978. He then became the pastor of Westchester United Methodist Church in the Bronx, N.Y., for four years and, with his gift and passion for music, he later served as the organist at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Queens, N.Y., until 1995.

Revered as the last of the NAACP's old guard who accomplished so much, Current died July 4, 1997, in New York City at the age of 84. He left behind three adult children from his marriage to retired Bishop Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly: Angella Current-Felder, Gloster B. Current Jr., and John David Current.

Angella is the longtime head of the Office of Loans and Scholarships at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and John David, a former missionary in Africa, is now a local church pastor in the San Francisco area. Indeed, their father left a rich legacy and bloodline of excellent church leadership.

With the unveiling of his statue in July, Gloster Current joins another rich legacy as his likeness is added to those of other great NAACP pioneers housed in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, located in Baltimore near the NAACP's headquarters. Among those figures is the renowned Medgar Evers, who in 1954 was the first field secretary for the NAACP in the state of Mississippi. It was appropriate that statues of both men were unveiled together at this convention, since Current was the last person to be present with Evers before he was tragically assassinated outside his home in Jackson, Miss., in 1963.

Being with Angella and Gloster Jr. for the unveiling of their father's wax figure was an "Emmaus moment" for me. We celebrated together the life and legacy of this quintessential United Methodist leader, this front-line community organizer who devoted his life to the quest for freedom and human dignity.

Gloster Current led with a strong voice crying in the wilderness, as he guided the NAACP and fought for victims of racial discrimination all over this nation. His strength, wisdom and courage are still with us today, and I will always cherish and honor his outstanding contributions to help his people achieve the American Dream.

*Jones is the top staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

Missionary group calls for response to Philippines violence

By United Methodist News Service*

About 60 mostly retired United Methodist missionaries and colleagues who served in the Philippines are urging the heads of the U.S. and Philippine governments to address the ongoing violence against church workers and others in the Asian country.

Church employees and people who work with poor and marginalized Filipinos have been subjected to detentions, beatings and killings since 2001. The statement by the United Methodist Philippine Reunion came as news broke about a United Methodist local pastor being shot to death in the Philippines.

"We call upon the Philippine government to investigate the extrajudicial killings and illegal detentions immediately, seriously, and impartially; to avoid labeling those working for economic justice, particularly among the poor, as 'subversives'; and to expose the linkages between the current abuses and the police or the military," the United Methodists stated.

The letter was addressed to the presidents of the Republic of the Philippines and the United States, as well as to the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and Board of Church and Society. It was written and adopted by the United Methodist Philippine Reunion during its Aug. 4-7 gathering at Lake Junaluska, N.C.

"We call upon the United States government to bring pressure to bear upon authorities in the Philippines to respect civil liberties and human rights and to enforce effective policing and judicial process," the group said. It also called on the U.S. government "to use its influence to prevent the imposition of martial rule or other severe means which would hinder democratic process in addressing abuses."

"We wonder to what extent arms, ammunition, training, and encouragement given in our name and with our tax money are exacerbating this crisis," the group added.

Earlier this month, Isaias Santa Rosa became the 21st victim in the series of killings that began in 2001, according to the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. His body was found Aug. 3 in Malabago, Daraga, Albay, after he was abducted by masked gunmen who broke into his home, according to news reports. Sta. Rosa, in his mid-40s, was a United Methodist local pastor, freelance writer and project consultant for nongovernmental organizations and a member of Legazpi City United Methodist Church.

United Methodist Bishop Leo A. Soriano, who leads the church's Davao Area, condemned the killing and urged civil and military authorities to bring the guilty parties to justice. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines also issued a statement Aug. 7 calling for an end to the killings, an independent investigation and "a thorough inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice to ferret out the truth and to hold accountable those responsible for such wrongdoings."

United Methodist executives with the Board of Global Ministries and the Board of Church and Society have denounced the violence and called for action by the international community.

In its statement, the United Methodist Philippine Reunion also called on the church's general agencies, including those two boards, to make the violence a priority concern and to use their resources in addressing it.

The group expressed appreciation "for the courageous Filipino church leaders who continue to speak prophetically to this tragic crisis at great personal risk. We pledge to them our advocacy and our prayers."

On Aug. 15, Amnesty International said the Philippine government "has failed to protect individuals." The human rights group said the number of political killings in the country increased for a second year, "with at least 51 killings in the first six months of 2006 compared to 66 collated by Amnesty International in the whole of 2005." The killings have occurred "in the context of an intensified counter-insurgency operation," the London-based group said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been quoted in news stories as vowing to end such killings.

Church rallies around woman battling to stay in U.S.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - Elvira Arellano, a lay leader in Adalberto United Methodist Church, has taken refuge in the church that has stood by her in her battle to remain in the United States and to raise her son - who is a U.S. citizen - here.

"Here is an opportunity for a country that says they care about children to care for a child," said United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño, on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" show Aug. 16.

Carcaño, bishop of the denomination's Phoenix Area, was in Chicago for the 2006 International Clergywomen's Consultation. She has been a spokesperson for the United Methodist Council of Bishops in calling for immigration reform.

"The United Methodist Church stands with families like Miss Arellano," she said. "It is an issue of justice that she be allowed to stay with her young son."

Carcaño, along with Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area, and the Rev. James Preston, Chicago Northwestern District superintendent, visited Arellano in the church Aug. 16.

"You could see the burden in her eyes," Carcaño said. "It was a very moving moment to see her surrounded by others in the community. She is acting out of the motives of a mother and her Christian convictions."

Jung released a statement that Arellano was invoking "the centuries-old Christian tradition of sanctuary" and "the tradition of civil disobedience."

"While as Christians we may disagree over the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system, we affirm that the Bible directs us to care for foreigners in our midst (Exodus 23:9) and reminds us that we too are sojourners (Leviticus 25:23)," Jung said.

The church has said the current immigration bill in Congress is "unjust," Carcaño told Dobbs. "We are not talking about partisan politics; this is matter of moral justice."

Arellano sought refuge in her church after federal authorities ordered her to report to the Department of Homeland Security Aug. 15. The Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto, and church members have been active in seeking comprehensive immigration reform.

In an interview with United Methodist News Service in June, Coleman talked about Arellano's three-year struggle to stay in this country.

FBI agents raided her home three years ago at 6 a.m. and arrested her in front of her then-4-year-old son, Coleman said.

Arellano was a cleaning woman at O'Hare International Airport and was arrested during an immigration sweep in 2002. She had been using a fake Social Security number to work in the United States.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged officials to let Arellano remain in Chicago to care for her son, Saul, who had health problems. In an article in the Chicago Tribune, Durbin said the boy's condition has improved.

In a statement released Aug. 15, Durbin said, "It is an unfortunate truth that scores of people are in the same situation as Elvira and her family. We cannot fix the injustices of this system with private bills. Only comprehensive immigration reform can permanently remedy this situation."

In fighting to stay in the country, Coleman said Arellano wanted her son to know "he was a child of God."

"She said she wasn't fighting because she was afraid to go back to Mexico, but she wanted her son to know he was a child of God and not a piece of garbage that could be used, abused and then thrown away," Coleman said.

Arellano is also president of La Familia Latina Unida, an organization calling upon President George Bush to set an immediate moratorium on all raids, deportations and separation of families "until Congress fixes its broken immigration laws."

The church has always stood with the foreigner and provided a place of refuge, Carcaño said during the interview with Dobbs. "This is a young woman who is a leader in her church. We will prayerfully and watchfully stand with her."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Pioneer women pastors share stories, advice for ministry

By Linda Green*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - Three clergywomen pioneers told more than 1,500 women pastors that they were just following God's call when they became part of the first group of Methodist women to receive full clergy rights.

Marion Kline, Grace Huck and Jane Ann Stoneburner Moore are the only surviving women of those first 27 who received full clergy rights in 1956. Another member of the group, the Rev. Grace Weaver, died July 18.

The three pioneers addressed an Aug. 15 celebration of full clergy rights for women in the Methodist tradition, held during the 2006 International Clergywomen's Consultation Aug. 13-17. They shared their stories about how they faced discrimination and acceptance during their clergy lives.

Clergywomen have been part of Methodism since John Wesley licensed Sarah Crosby to preach in 1761. Although women were ordained in the Methodist tradition as early as the late 1800s, it was the May 4, 1956, General Conference vote for full clergy rights that forever changed the face of ordained clergy in the denomination. The effect was that any woman in full connection and good standing would receive an appointment.

Today, 9,749, or one in five clergy, are women, and 16 women are active bishops.

Lessons learned
"In over 65 years of ministry, I've learned a few things," said the Rev. Grace Huck, 90. As she addressed her successors, she provided them with four "Rules for Walking on Water," basing her message on Matthew 14:22-33.

The first rule is to recognize Jesus. That happens when one prays and participates in all means of grace. "This is very important," she said.

Obeying the call is the second rule. Huck urged the clergywomen to recognize Jesus' voice and not be distracted by personal desires or lesser gods.

Next, she told the women they must "get out of the boat." Adhering to this rule is not easy, she said. "It takes courage and faith" because once the call of Jesus is recognized, "then you need to answer. It is frightening, but it is necessary if you are going to walk on water."

Huck, who lives in Spearfish, N.D., told her clergy sisters that keeping their eyes on Jesus is the fourth rule. Acknowledging that Christ is most assuredly already known to the women sitting in the audience, she said, "walking on water is the most difficult."

When attempting to walk on water, she told the women that "dangerous waves" will confront them. One of the most dangerous waves, she said, "is to forget that you were called to be a minister of the gospel and to be caught up in the fact that you are a woman." Never forget that there is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus, she said.

She reflected on the initial negative reaction that one congregation had to having her as a minister in 1945 - a decade before the 1956 vote.

"When the district superintendent told them that he was going to send a woman to that church, one of the men pounded on the back of the pew and said, 'There will no skirts in this pulpit while I am alive,'" she said. But that man soon saw her as simply his pastor and not a woman, and he supported her, she said. She has published her memories in a book called God's Amazing Grace.

Huck urged the clergywomen to not let gender distinctions or waves of discrimination become distractions and "make you sink." If one has been truly called and seeks to witness for Jesus Christ and the love of God, "Jesus will lift you up," she said.

"Keep your eyes on Jesus. You can walk on water, which is the equivalent of doing the impossible, if you keep your eyes on Jesus."

Crossing the river
When Marion Kline began her ministry in Wisconsin, a pastor urged her to take a church of her own. Her response, she said, was, "I can't. Women don't do that." She was soon persuaded to take a rural appointment in a small Wisconsin town. She said it was difficult leaving the large city of Seattle for a "little country town. I knew nothing about the country," she said.

Kline, 94, of Des Moines, Iowa, spoke about her loneliness and not being accepted by some, but "the main church almost forgave me for being a woman because I worked with the youth."

She later transferred to another church, then enrolled at the predecessor of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. Although "I'd been preaching a year and a half, I decided that I better learn how," she explained. She graduated in 1950, was ordained and began working for the Wisconsin Conference Board of Christian Education.

Kline told the story of how in 1955, when it looked like the 1956 vote for full clergy rights would go through, her bishop told her that he would not have a woman as a member of his conference.

"It was easy for me to go to the Detroit Conference. There was an opening just on the other side of the river." She was welcomed by Bishop Marshall Russell Reed, whom she said was proud to be one of the first bishops to admit women. She first retired in 1976 and then again in 1986.

"Back then, I could have never imagined that I would in a room like this, of women ministers, district superintendents and bishops. Just see what God is doing," she said.

'Ordination is passion'
"I am profoundly moved to be here speaking of the event that shaped my life," said the Rev. Jane Ann Stoneburner Moore, 75.

Following the advice of a pastor who urged young Ohio Methodists to become experts in all fields and to use their know-how for the good of the church and society, she graduated from Yale Divinity School and other master and doctoral programs as a scholar of African studies. She served in various ministries in the Methodist church for more than 49 years. She transferred to the United Church of Christ after marrying a United Church of Christ minister.

Referring to the PBS advertisement that tells people to be more passionate, she said, "Ordination is passion." A proponent for equality, she told the clergywomen they must use the empowerment they have received to advance the equality of all people.

A trained sociologist, Moore asked what effect women's ordination has had on the church and what effect clergywomen intend to have in the next 50 years.

"Today in the United States, there are dominating forces against equality, and they infest our institutions. There are forces that plan to break up our mainline Protestant denominations," she said. "There are forces at work to undercut the principles of our democracy. There are forces that plan to reduce the size and the influence of the middle class on which democracy depends."

Mustering power is a "daunting task," she told the clergywomen, but if they deny their power or are afraid to use it, "the world would be worse for it."

She encouraged the clergywomen to use their power and positions to help and empower lesbian couples who want to "commit to an enduring relationship."

"We need strategies to prevent the disasters that come from abuse, poverty, armies and empires," she said. "We need to envision new ways for reconciliation in all realms of life and in all parts of the world" - Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Israel, Kashmir, Darfur, the Korean Peninsula and the United States of America, she said.

During the consultation, the clergywomen celebrated each decade of ordination since the milestone vote in 1956. Said the Rev. Lyssette Perez, a staff member of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries: "I think we have a bold future."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Clergywomen celebrate advances, reflect on call

By Linda Green*

CHICAGO (UMNS) - A drum introit by Korean clergywomen and a rhythmic crescendo of "marching in the light of God" called the 2006 International Clergywomen's Consultation to order.

More than 1,500 United Methodist clergywomen from around the globe arrived in Chicago Aug. 13 dancing to and singing "We Are Marching." The women are here through Aug. 17 to celebrate the advancements made in the 50 years since women were granted the same clergy rights as men in the denomination.

Under the theme "The Spirit of God Is Upon Us: Celebrating Our Courageous Past-Claiming Our Bold Future," the clergywomen are engaging in theological reflection and in opportunities for nurture and empowerment.

In 1956 - the year the General Conference granted clergywomen with the same rights as men - 27 women were accepted on trial for full clergy rights in their annual (regional) conferences.
Today, the denomination's 44,091 clergy members include 9,749 United Methodist clergywomen - about one in five, or 22.1 percent.

The August consultation "is an affirmation of women's leadership in a religious arena that tends to be more male dominated," according to the Rev. HiRho Park, event coordinator and director of continuing formation for ministry at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

In the opening sermon, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of Jackson, Miss., focused on Zora Neal Hurston's "Their Eyes Are Watching God," speaking of horizons where the 1,500 participants came from - the North, the South, the East and the West.

She invited the women to look within themselves "to see, to renew that call again, to hear that voice of God speaking to us again."

Isaiah 61:1-4 speaks of the mantle of praise, and Ward referred to those foremothers who preached in various places before the General Conference vote to grant full rights. "Can't you feel their mantle on your shoulders?" she asked.

"Tonight as we gather, we look back at the horizon behind; all those who have come before us, upon whose shoulders we stand; those who have encouraged us, those who have called us forth; those who have gone before; those who have raced onward. We give thanks for each and every one of them that we name in our hearts, our spirits and our minds. We give thanks for one another on the journey."

Ward told the story of a ministry candidate in the Mississippi Conference who spoke of her call. The candidate, who was "not raised in the church all that much" started attending church services and said she "began to feel God beckoning me forward and it made my heart hurt."

Thinking that she was sick, she went to doctors who could not find anything wrong with her heart. When the candidate told her mother what was happening to her, her mother said "it is just God trying to soften up the hard places."

Clergywomen, Ward pointed out, bear memories and wounds of those hurt places - "those places where we weren't welcome, those places where we were not encouraged."

The consultation "is jubilee week" for all of that, she said.

Turning world 'upside-right'
During a Bible study session, the Rev. Candice Lewis of the Florida Annual Conference, spoke of the ashes that remain after something has burned. After disasters, death, destruction, unmet dreams, ashes remain, she said.

Three things can be done with ashes, she added. They can be worn so that others can see the person's pain; they can be wallowed in, in misery; or they can be worshipped by being placed in an urn and constantly looked at.

But God provides another option, Lewis said. "Give your ashes to God, and God will give you garland and beauty for your ashes."

The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, was among the denominational agency leaders who brought greetings. She pointed out that women have an extraordinary call and referred to Sojourner Truth, who said if the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, "together women ought be able to turn the world upside-right again."

A welcoming banquet
Also providing greetings was the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, top executive of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry. He recalled being in the audience as a little boy when the 1956 vote granting women full rights was taken and he sounded a clarion call for the church today.

The crisis facing the church is not a crisis of story or belief, but is with the delivery system for the story, according to Del Pino.

"As a people, we church folk have failed to see that the quality of Christian life is the primary calling of communication to the world," he said. The problems driving people to self-help groups are covered by Christianity in its proclamation, its teaching and in its life, he added.

He referred to the membership debates occurring in the church today, and he received a standing ovation when he called for "full inclusion of all God's children at the table."

The church, Del Pino said, "has no right, whatsoever, to do anything other than to invite," which is a not a political but theological imperative. If the church focuses on "being a welcome banquet," he declared, the divisiveness that exists today will vanish.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Bishop praises President Bush for role in Mideast cease-fire

By United Methodist News Service

The president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops has written a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, praising him for his leadership in bringing about a cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

"Thank you for your leadership in the United Nations adopting the resolution which has served as the basis for the cease fire in Lebanon and Israel," wrote Bishop Janice Riggle Huie. "We are grateful that you have worked to lay the foundation for further negotiations to bring long-term stability to the region."

In her Aug. 15 letter, Huie urged the president to continue working through the United Nations to "broaden the participation of those who will build a base for a lasting peace."

"You can be assured that the United Methodist Church will mobilize relief and recovery efforts as soon as possible," Huie told Bush, who is also a United Methodist.

Huie is serving a two-year term as president of the bishops' council and leads the denomination's Houston Area.

The cease-fire took effect Aug. 14, after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Aug. 11 calling for an end to the fighting. Lebanese troops, backed by international peacekeepers, will be deployed in southern Lebanon as a buffer force between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israel.

The latest round of violence began July 12, when Hezbollah guerillas attacked Israeli forces, killing eight soldiers and kidnapping two. Israel responded by attacking southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, and the violence escalated with retaliatory rocket attacks on northern Israel. Civilian casualties mounted on both sides of the border, and large numbers of people were forced to flee their homes.

The text of the letter follows:

August 15, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:

Thank you for your leadership in the United Nations adopting the resolution which has served as the basis for the cease fire in Lebanon and Israel. We are grateful that you have worked to lay the foundation for further negotiations to bring long-term stability to the region.

I join others who are urging you to continue working through the United Nations in order to broaden the participation of those who will build the base for a lasting peace.

You can be assured that The United Methodist Church will mobilize relief and recovery efforts as soon as possible. As in numerous other situations over the years, we will work with governmental agencies in the United States, the United Nations, and nations affected by natural disasters and conflicts. We have regularly been partners in these efforts with the Red Cross, other denominations and religious bodies, and the private sector.

Please know that you are in my prayers for God's wisdom and strength as you continue to move with others and join God who promises that
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn of war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

Sincerely,

Janice Riggle Huie, President
United Methodist Council of Bishops

cc: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

United Methodist Church Opens Hearts, Minds, Doors in Lithuania

NASHVILLE - A grant from United Methodist Communications has made it possible to bring the “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.” media campaign to Lithuanian television.

The $15,554 grant—the first Igniting Ministry grant given to a church outside the U.S.—paid for nineteen 30-second commercial spots that aired on LIETUVOS TELEVISIO, the major television station in Lithuania.

The Lithuanian language commercials mark a new expansion of the advertising campaign into languages other than English. Commercials have been produced in Spanish and Korean for Spanish and Korean language audiences in the United States.

The television campaign was conducted in conjunction with an outreach evangelism project in Lithuania to distribute brochures about The United Methodist Church to people across the country.

“My vision is that every Lithuanian deserves how to know God personally and to know something about our great church and where to find it,” said the Rev. Herbert Lange, a missionary and retired minister serving in Lithuania. Lange is a native of Lithuania who later moved to Germany and then to the U.S., where he graduated from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Ken., and was ordained as a pastor in The United Methodist Church.

Lange said that the Igniting Ministry commercials were “very relevant to the life of Lithuania.” While the voices in the commercials had to be redubbed in the Lithuanian language, the images were felt to be appropriate to the culture. The commercials that were used were Advice, which asks viewers to renew forgotten relationships with each other and with God; Rain/Fence, which utilizes simple occurrences in our lives as reasons for people to pause and gain new perspectives; and A Thousand Hands, which reminds us "It takes more than a building to make a church. And it takes more than one hour on Sunday to understand why."

From July 24 to 29, United Methodists from churches all over Lithuania came to Vilnius, the capital city, to distribute brochures. Buses brought people from various cities to gather in the church, which is located above a car repair shop. The volunteers then went out in teams to selected areas and stood on the streets handing out more than 65,000 brochures. The television commercials ran concurrently during this time period.

The brochure distribution campaign was adopted by the Lithuanian Annual Conference as their evangelism outreach project for 2006-2007. They plan to do the same thing in other cities.

The United Methodist Church began its “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." advertising and welcoming campaign in 2001. United Methodist Communications offers $1 million in funding annually to local churches, districts and conferences to help expand a welcoming ministry through an advertising presence in their communities.

Young people's unit sees leadership change, approves grants

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - "I feel like I am in the Lord," William Tolentino told a gathering of youth and young adults from a pulpit in the United Methodist Upper Room.

"Until today, the Upper Room has just been a dream; I have only seen photographs of this place," he said. "Being inside this room feels like I am inside the Lord."

Tolentino and Mighty Rasing, youth from the Philippines, were overjoyed to be at the annual meeting of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship's Division on Ministries with Young People. Since the division was formed in 2004, this is the first time youth from the Philippines have succeeded in getting visas to visit the United States.

Tolentino, president of the United Methodist Young Adult Fellowship, and Rasing, president of the United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines, led the opening worship service for the division, which met Aug. 3-6 in Nashville.

Their presence energized a meeting that was highlighted by discussions about leadership changes, grants for ministry projects and plans for upcoming youth gatherings.

Fifty-nine youth, young adults, and adult workers with young people from around the world serve on the Division on Ministries with Young People. The 2004 General Conference approved the formation of the division to connect young people and those in ministries with young people to each other and the church.

The division models a global community with 17 representatives from 11 countries other than the United States.

At the meeting, the Rev. Lillian Smith, the first top executive for the division, announced she will leave to take the position of Eastern Pennsylvania Conference director of connectional ministries, beginning Sept. 1.

"I was honored to help launch the Division on Ministries with Young People. The foundation has now been laid; it was a joy to see this dream become a reality. I look forward to seeing what God does in the future," Smith said.

The Rev. Dawson Taylor, one of the first co-chairpersons of the division, also announced his resignation. Taylor, a recent graduate of Perkins School of Theology, has taken a position at a church in Dallas.

"Doing the work of this division takes a lot of work, and I began to feel like it was time to go and let someone else lead," he said. Taylor was elected co-chairperson at the division's first meeting in October 2004. Violet Mango, Zimbabwe, serves as the other co-chairperson.

"I leave knowing the people gathered here have the power to change the church and the world," Taylor said. "They have the courage, integrity and passion, and they work tirelessly for young people and the needs of the church."

Theon Johnson III, Canton, Miss., was elected co-chairperson. Johnson also serves on the United Methodist Student Movement's steering committee.

"You are leaders of leaders, and we need all your voices," Johnson said. "Thank you for this honor."

Youth Service Fund grants
During the meeting, division members voted to grant $109,000 to eight international and U.S. projects engaged in ministry with youth and young adults in 2007 from the Youth Service Fund. Money in the fund is raised by youth to support programs for and by youth.

Six international projects and seven U.S. projects were granted $100,000 from the 2007 grants for ministries with young people. Money for these grants comes from the denomination's World Service Fund.

The gathering also granted scholarships to three students for the Richard S. Smith and David W. Self scholarships.

The scholarships are named for former staff executives of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship who were staunch supporters of the former National Youth Ministry Organization.

The scholarships are awarded annually to United Methodists who are beginning their first year of undergraduate study. The Smith awards go to racial-ethnic minority students.

The grants and scholarships must be approved by the Board of Discipleship's executive committee, which meets in October.

Assemblies planned
Division members also heard plans for two upcoming events, the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly, set for Dec. 28-Jan. 1 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Youth '07, set for July 11-15 in Greensboro, N.C.

This is the first convocation and legislative assembly for the division. Future events will be held every four years. The convocation is open to youth, young adults and adult workers with young people for all over the United Methodist global community.

The legislative assembly delegation will comprise five youth (ages 12-18), five young adults (19-30) and two adult workers with young people from each U.S. jurisdiction, and the five central conferences outside the United States. Delegates will bring legislation, petitions and programming to the division or to the 2008 General Conference, the denomination's lawmaking body.

The schedule and speakers have been confirmed for the event, said Kenia Guimaraes, director of central conference relations for the division. The event will be translated into English, French, Portuguese, German and Russian. The Africa University choir will provide the music along with local musicians, she said.

Costs and registration details can be found at www.globalconvo.org. A deadline of Oct. 15 was set for sending legislation to the division for consideration during the legislative assembly.

Members of the design team for Youth '07 said the event will include four nights and five days of music, worship and praise. Information about the event can be found at www.youth2007.org.

Reports were heard from the four "tables of ministry": advocacy, faith formation, leadership and resource development, and communication and networking. The division's three networks - youth, young adult and adult workers with young and young people - also met to discuss future plans.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Gunmen kill United Methodist local pastor in Philippines

By United Methodist News Service

A United Methodist in the Philippines who had served as a local pastor was shot dead by gunmen outside his home.

According to a story in the Aug. 6 edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Isaias Sta. Rosa was found dead in Malabago, Daraga, Albay, on Aug. 3. He was near a creek, alongside another dead man with gunshot wounds who was identified as an army corporal, according to the newspaper.
Police said that soldier was believed to be one of about 10 masked gunmen who forced their way into the pastor's home, and neighbors of Sta. Rosa speculated that the corporal might have been killed by mistake and his body left with the pastor's to make it appear that the slaying was the work of a rebel group, according to the Manila Bulletin Online.

Sta. Rosa's brother's home nearby also had been entered and the case was listed by police as a "robbery with homicide." The brother, Jonathan Rosa, said he had been asked where Isaias was and ordered to knock at the door of his house. He said Isaias was beaten up and taken from the house to the creek.

Sta. Rosa, in his mid-40s, was a freelance writer and project consultant for nongovernmental organizations and a member of Legazpi City United Methodist Church.

United Methodist Bishop Leo A. Soriano, who leads the church's Davao Area, condemned the killing and urged civil and military authorities to bring the guilty parties to justice.

"While we grieve and express sympathy to the bereaved family, we also express outrage over this diabolical act," the bishop said. "Therefore, I urge all United Methodists and all God-fearing people to be vigilant and fight all forms of injustice, and condemn these acts in the strongest possible term."

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines issued a statement Aug. 7, noting that Sta. Rosa was the 21st church worker killed since May 2001.

"Sta. Rosa's killing came after three activists were killed in a span of 24 hours in the regions of Northern and Central Luzon and Sorsogon province," the statement said. "One of those killed, Rei Mon Guran, spokesperson of (the) League of Filipino Students in Aquinas University in Legazpi City, was also an active member of the Christian Youth Fellowship of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

"It is interesting to note that these murders continue even after the announcement by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of a 10-week deadline to investigate the spate of extra-judicial killings among activists and journalists…"Clearly the situation is getting worse every day. The impunity of how these killings are carried out is an affront to God's gift of life."

The statement - signed by Sharon Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes, the council's chief executive - calls for an end to the killings, an independent investigation and "a thorough inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice to ferret out the truth and to hold accountable those responsible for such wrongdoings."

The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said he supported her call for an inquiry by the United Nations, noting that any real investigation by the Philippine government is clearly not being done. "I really think the international community is going to have to weigh in more vigorously than we have," he told United Methodist News Service.

In an Aug. 8 letter of condolence to Soriano, Day called the murder "senseless" and "diabolical."

"The directors and staff of the General Board of Global Ministries join you in standing firm against the unjust policies of the current government in the Philippines," he said. "I fully support your demand that the killers of Mr. Sta. Rosa be brought to justice. I have also joined my voice to that of those calling for a full investigation in the ongoing murders of Christians working for better futures for the rural poor in the Philippines."

The Manila Bulletin Online noted that the first person to die in the series of slayings since 2001 was another United Methodist minister, Marcelino de la Cruz of Central Luzon. He was shot to death May 28, 2001.

Jim Winkler, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, said his agency has been monitoring the situation in the Philippines closely and is in contact with church leaders there.

"We are deeply concerned that the human rights conditions there are spiraling out of control," he said. "There has frequently been evidence of Filipino military involvement in the assassination of pastors and church workers. I urge United Methodists throughout the world to pray for the safety of Filipinos of all faiths.

"Since the United States has great influence in the Philippines, United Methodists here can play a role in ending this violence by contacting their members of Congress and President Bush to ask that all U.S. influence be brought to bear on the government of the Philippines," Winkler added. "The the persecution and murder of Christians must stop."

Study Options for 2006-2007 at Duke Divinity School

With fall just around the corner, don’t miss these great opportunities for study at Duke Divinity School!

Efird, Chilcote and Pendleton Jones to Teach in 2006-2007 Lay Academy
Lay Academy of Religion classes begin on September 6. This year, popular instructor Dr. James “Mickey” Efird will be joined by first-time Lay Academy instructors Dr. Paul Chilcote and Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones. For full information on the series and online registration, visit www.divinity.duke.edu/layacademy

Clergy and Laity Invited to Duke for Independent Study
The Study Leave program invites clergy and laity to spend a week immersed in study, worship and reflection at Duke Divinity School. Participants design their own plan for self-directed study, and are invited to meet with faculty, attend classes, conduct research in the library and attend worship in Goodson Chapel. 10 Study Leave weeks are available in the 2006-2007 academic year. Visit www.divinity.duke.edu/studyleave for more information and to download an application.

Eugene Peterson to Speak at 2006 Convocation & Pastors’ School
The October 9-11 event “Called to Follow. Called to Lead.” will feature noted scholar and author Eugene Peterson as the James A. Gray lecturer. Theologian Craig Dykstra will deliver the Franklin S. Hickman lectures. Laity and clergy are invited to this event. Register online for this event by September 15 and receive a $15 discount on your registration: www.divinity.duke.edu/called

Visit www.divinity.duke.edu/learningforlife for information on these and other upcoming events!

And mark your calendar for these 2007 programs:
"What More Can I Say? Preaching the Holy Days [Again]" preaching conference with Bishop Will Willimon, February 19-20, 2007
Kenneth W. Clark Lectures in New Testament, March 21-22, 2007
Laity Weekend, April 27-28, 2007
Charles Wesley Tercentenary Conference, June 22-24

Commentary: Is it possible to make peace by destroying bridges?

A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Joe Hale*

President George Bush and Secretary of State Condolezza Rice are giving the green light for Israel, and its leaders, to unleash an impressive Israeli war machine to destroy Beirut and other areas across Lebanon.

Many towns have been reduced to rubble and hundreds of Lebanese people have been killed in Beirut and across Lebanon, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Israel has demonized Lebanon to justify its war and the destruction it has wrought. The reality that has been Lebanon is very different.

The Israeli claim that it is not targeting one group, the Hezbollah, does not wash. What has and is happening is a different reality. Innocent people, residential communities, and indeed, a sovereign nation has been crushed—with no mandate beyond the desire of Israel to kill and destroy. What the State of Israel has done is a crime against humanity.

When George Bush first ran for office, I voted for him. I could not then have imagined his design for Iraq. Nor would I have imagined his present uncritical alignment of the United States of America with an Israeli government policy of massive military conquest and indiscriminate destruction of a sovereign country.

Israel’s intention to expand its borders over the years is not new. It takes only a look at the maps over the last 40 years to see—Palestinian land taken, control over water diverted, the building of massive settlements on occupied Palestinian land, and a severely reduced area left for Palestinians in even the original “Palestinian West Bank.” Israeli intentions resemble the old saying of the man who “only wanted to have all the property touching his.”

Hezbollah, in Lebanon, was virtually inactive as a military entity before the 1982 Israeli invasion, while to the Lebanese it was very active as a humanitarian organization. The missiles reaching Haifa in the current conflict were sent in response to crushing Israeli air strikes targeting them, strikes which quickly broadened to destroy Beirut, and much of Lebanon.

The confiscation of Palestinian land in the West Bank over the last 30 years has moved slowly, but deliberately, and is seen in the large number of illegal expansions, encroaching upon year after year across the Palestinian West Bank. The evidence is seen in answers to questions like: “Who builds the walls?” “Who controls the gates?” “Who controls the water?” “Whose basic human rights are protected?” and the questions go on.

The destruction of Lebanon, and the disregard for the rights of its people, has happened—perhaps not intentionally—but with the formal support of our President.

While the war was launched by Israel, the destruction of Lebanon was an action that took me by surprise, although it should not have. It is only the climax to what slowly, over the years, has been done by Israel to the Palestinian people. But rather than piece by piece, Israel has begun a quick war of destruction and total conquest this time, intended to be swiftly accomplished, and hopefully as quickly forgotten. I fear this will not be the case.

On Aug. 3, I spoke by telephone with a respected, world-renowned leader who lives in Israel. He is a citizen of Israel and also a Palestinian Christian. He is known and respected by Israelis and Palestinians alike. He founded a great university with a faculty of both Israelis and Palestinians, and a student body that reflects the population living in Israel.

He is heartbroken, personally knowing many of the people in Lebanon who are greatly suffering today. I believe many across the world are also crying.

I first visited Beirut with my father 52 years ago. He was traveling to an assignment in Thailand with the United States Department of State. From Beirut, we traveled to Damascus for a meeting with one of his colleagues there. The road we traveled that day would be impossible today because most of its bridges are now destroyed.

I am asking this question: “Is it ever possible to make peace by destroying bridges?”

*Hale retired as general secretary of the World Methodist Council in 2001, a position he held for 25 years. In April 2002, as part of a 16-member National Council of Churches “Religious Leaders Delegation to the Middle East,” he met with heads of state in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and religious leaders in Istanbul and Jerusalem and the concern for peace in that area was a long and deeply felt commitment.

Ivory Coast representation tops Judicial Council docket

A UMNS Report By Neill Caldwell

The United Methodist Church’s top court will examine the impact of the new Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Annual (regional) Conference upon the denomination’s representation system during its fall session.

The Judicial Council has 20 items on the docket of cases to be heard during its Oct. 25-28 meeting in Cincinnati.

The Cote d’Ivoire Annual Conference was accepted into full membership of the United Methodist Church at the 2004 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, in Pittsburgh. The legislation approving that addition included a provision that Cote d’Ivoire have just two voting members at the next General Conference, which will be held in 2008 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The General Commission on the General Conference is asking the Judicial Council whether or not that runs contrary to the church’s Constitution and Paragraph 502 of the 2004 Book of Discipline, which sets out a formula for representation according to the number of clergy and lay members of an annual conference.

If the disciplinary determination is used, the Cote d’Ivoire Annual Conference – with more than a million members – would be entitled to as many as 70 delegates, making it the largest delegation at General Conference. And if the General Conference sticks to its ceiling of 1,000 delegates, that would mean that the size of other delegations would have to be reduced.

More than half of the 20 docket items are bishop’s decisions of law, which must automatically be reviewed by United Methodism’s “supreme court” according to the Book of Discipline.

Two of the cases being heard this fall are directly related to the Council’s Decision 1032, which was handed down in the fall of 2005 and upheld on appeal in April of this year. Decision 1032 ruled that the pastor-in-charge of a local church has the power to determine who may be taken into membership of that congregation, which stemmed from a case in South Hill, Va., where the pastor refused to admit an openly homosexual man into church membership.

Kansas Area Bishop Scott J. Jones was asked to rule on the legality of a non-discrimination petition passed by the Kansas East Annual Conference which prohibits the denial of membership solely based on a person being a self-avowed, practicing homosexual.

In the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, Bishop John R. Schol was asked to rule whether or not a resolution adopted by the conference to “prohibit discrimination in receiving members into United Methodist congregations” was contrary to the Book of Discipline. The resolution reads in part that the conference “believes that Judicial Council Decision 1032 is inconsistent with Christian teachings, and contrary to The United Methodist Church Constitution.”

Other issues raised by bishop’s decisions of law range from whether local pastors are eligible to vote on clergy delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences, to whether a bishop can “insist” that a full-time pastor live in a parsonage.

In addition, the Judicial Council will examine:
the General Council on Finance and Administration’s recommendation of a merger of the National United Methodist Native American Center and the Native American Comprehensive Plan during the 2005-2008 Quadrennium;
a review of the sexual misconduct policy of the Minnesota Annual Conference;
a request from the Minnesota Annual Conference related to a person’s ability to review their own supervisory record;
a request from Minnesota Annual Conference on the meaning of the term “Urban Center” in ¶ 2548.7 of the 2004 Book of Discipline;
a request from the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference on “Just Resolution in Judicial Proceedings.”

Briefs for any of the items on the docket must be filed with the Rev. Keith Boyette, Judicial Council secretary, by Aug. 28.

*Neill Caldwell is editor of the Virginia Advocate, the newspaper of the Virginia Annual Conference.