By Elliott Wright*
Nov. 20, 2009

A clergyman who is also a trained musician will be the next spiritual leader of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico.

The Rev. Rafael Moreno Rivas, pastor of the University Methodist Church in Rio Piedras since 2000, was elected bishop Nov. 14 at a special session of the church’s General Conference.

He will take office on Jan. 1, when the term of Bishop Juan A. Vera expires. Bishops in the Puerto Rican Methodist Church serve six-year terms.

Moreno was raised in Santurce. In his biography, he describes himself as a little boy as “tall, skinny, and black.” He grew up in a Methodist home and showed early ability in music. He worked nine years as a music teacher and was ordained as a Methodist deacon in 1978 and as an elder in 1981.

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He also earned a doctorate in religion, culture and social behavior from Boston University in 1998. He noted that despite all his degrees and years in higher education, he remains a “full-time student at the ‘Yahweh School of Daily Living.’”

Moreno expects that his particular style of leadership as bishop will focus on pastoral care, “rooted in personal, authentic life experiences with Jesus Christ, anchored in the Bible as God’s word, interpreted in the Wesleyan tradition.”

*Wright is the information officer of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By United Methodist News Service
Nov. 19, 2009

The United Methodist Council of Bishops has issued a Churchwide Appeal for Philippines Disasters in response to the multiple typhoons that have struck the country.

The appeal, which was announced Nov. 19, will provide humanitarian relief and support for the ministries of The United Methodist Church in the Philippines.

In late September and October, four typhoons—Ketsana, Parma, Lupit and Mirinae—hit the Philippines, leaving more than a thousand dead and an estimated 1.3 million people displaced. Causing drowning, landslides and electrocutions, the storms also had a disastrous impact on farmlands, houses and infrastructure. The country faces a public health emergency and is struggling to fight outbreaks of infection.

“Can you imagine all the small villages near a mountainside being buried and thousands of lives lost?” said Bishop Leo A. Soriano, episcopal leader of the Davao Area. “Our people are so very sad because they have lost their wives and husbands, their children, their loved ones. Their homes are gone. Crops and livestock have disappeared. They have no livelihood.”

In addition, the storms and flooding affected more than 200,000 United Methodists in 1,372 local churches.

By Valerie K. Maravolo*
Nov. 18, 2009 | PHOENIX (UMNS)

A United Methodist church ordered to stop feeding the homeless on Saturday mornings is not giving up.

Members of CrossRoads United Methodist Church on Nov. 15 decided to appeal a ruling earlier in November from retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice Robert Corcoran that the ministry violated city zoning codes.

The church understands community concerns about the homeless ministry, but decided it needed to continue to work for justice, leaders said.

“We must stand together with those of us who are suffering and for other ministries and churches on whom this decision will have a great impact,” said the Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, senior pastor. “We just can’t stop caring for and feeding those who need us most.”

The ministry, which provides a pancake breakfast and an opportunity to worship for more than 100 people each week, will continue as the church appeals the ruling before the city’s Board of Adjustments. A Dec. 14 hearing is set.

A deep faith

City officials began looking into the ministry providing services outside on the church’s property after some area residents complained that it led to homeless people hanging around, bringing crime and trash to the neighborhood.

The city found the ministry to be in violation of its zoning ordinance as the church was operating as a “charity dining hall.” Since the church is located in a residential zone, and charity dining halls can only be located in commercial or industrial zones, the city served the church with a cease-and-desist order.

CrossRoads appealed the order, arguing that they were a church and as such, they were a ministry, not a charity dining hall. The city allowed CrossRoads to continue its program pending the outcome of an Oct. 22 hearing.

While some residents expressed concerns about vandalism, public intoxication and crime related to the ministry, United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño said church members were acting out of a deep faith.

“In the words of Scripture, we are committed to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, visiting and helping those who are sick or in prison,” she said. “We serve out of love for God which inspires within us a love for neighbor.”

Wider implications

On Nov. 9, Corcoran ruled CrossRoad’s ministry was functioning as a charity dining hall and therefore was in violation of city zoning codes.

Escobedo-Frank was saddened by the news.

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“As a people of God, we are asked to follow the way of Jesus. When a zoning ordinance interferes with a core belief of our faith, the implication is wide and deep,” she said.

Religious leaders also are concerned about the wider implications of the decision on ministries to the poor.

“This decision affects all faith communities, and ultimately, it changes the nature of our society. … If we don’t feed them, who will?” asked Escobedo-Frank.

*Maravolo is communications assistant/editor of the Desert Southwest Conference.

News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Nov. 18, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)

Houses of worship in Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio and Texas are holding special prayer services in November and December to press Congress to pass immigration reform that keeps families together.

The personal effort is part of a larger campaign sponsored by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition that organizers hope will deliver 250,000 postcards to members of Congress by Jan. 4.

The Rev. Dean Reed, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Stephenville, Texas, and co-founder of the Welcoming Immigrants Network, and the Rev. Steven Copley, director of Justice for Our Neighbors, Little Rock, Ark., joined other faith leaders in a news conference to announce the “Home for the Holidays” postcard campaign.

Texas is a giant border area that has been welcoming migrants since Anglos came to the area in the late 1820s, said Reed. It’s the tone of the conversation that has changed dramatically in recent years.

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“Everyone agrees that this (immigration reform) is a problem. I guess the disagreement is how to solve it," said Reed.

The cards feature a photo of a young boy and his father with the message: “Dear Member of Congress: As a person of faith, every day I see the unacceptable consequences of our broken immigration system through the separation of families and the escalation of fear in our congregations and communities. This holiday season, you can help keep families together by supporting comprehensive immigration reform.” There is room on the card for a personal message from the sender.

“Immigration reform is a major issue to the faith community, it is a biblical issue,” Copley said. The faith community has an impact on the political process in Arkansas, he said. United Methodist Women in the state passed out 500 of the Home for the Holidays postcards at an event recently, he added.

Some of the worship events planned include an "Evening of Compassion" at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 3. Bishop Mike Lowry, leader of the Central Texas Annual (regional) Conference of the United Methodist Church, will be the featured speaker. A Dec. 1 prayer service is scheduled for Pleasant Mound/Urban Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Reed said.

Other United Methodist events include:

• Monticello, Ark: Nov. 20 prayer service at First United Methodist Church, 6:30-8 p.m.
• Little Rock, Ark: Nov. 30 prayer service at First United Methodist Church from 6-7:30 p.m. 
• Decorah, Iowa: Nov. 22 potluck and town hall meeting with senior staffers for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, state and local officials, and faith and community leaders at Decorah High School. 
• Columbus, Ohio: Nov. 22 event at Broad Street United Methodist Church at 4:30 p.m. with Bishop Bruce Ough. Members from the Ghanaian, Latino and the Somalian communities will talk about the impact U.S. immigration policies have had on them.

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

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. 

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Families take refuge in the sanctuary of The Lord Almighty United Methodist Church in Sta. Lucia Calumpit, Bulacan, Philippines, after multiple typhoons flooded the area. A web-only photo by Ciony Eduarte, UMCOR.

By United Methodist News Service*
Nov. 17, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Just one week after Tropical Storm Ketsana struck Sept. 26, Typhoon Parma hovered over the country for five days. "You can just imagine (how) it added to the floods," he said while visiting United Methodist Communications on Nov. 16.

In all, 25 provinces in the Manila area, Baguio area and part of Davao area were flooded.

Flash floods from the typhoons caused major property damage, according to the bishop. Less substantial homes were washed away and concrete structures were submerged in water for a long period. Part of Manila, the capital city, is still under water.

Some people, he added, have become infected with leptospirosis, a disease caused by bacteria from rat urine that has contaminated the floodwaters.

Soriano happened to be in the United States, attending a meeting in Nashville, when the first typhoon struck. He returned home to find church members organizing for the relief process.

"The district superintendents, the deaconesses, some lay leaders, in cooperation with UMCOR-Philippines, they tried to do some rescue and (provide) relief goods," Soriano said. "Even at this time, they are still doing it."

After the first typhoon struck, the denomination's Manila area, led by Bishop Lito C. Tangonan, organized relief operations and issued a letter appealing for support and donations to church members at home and abroad. United Methodist institutions and local churches distributed relief supplies and assisted with shelter.

Using church members and other local volunteers, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is distributing emergency supplies to more than 11,000 displaced families. Melissa Crutchfield, who coordinates the agency's international disaster response, said UMCOR has just received a $40,000 grant from Muslim Aid for its relief work in the Philippines.

Long-term recovery will mean rebuilding livelihoods as well as homes, Soriano explained. Many flood victims "simply have only the shirt on their back ... so you have to help them rehabilitate and many of them will be relocated because they could not build again where they were before."

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"The meaning of Christmas is Immanuel, God with us," the bishop said. "If we could be together in tragedy, in peace and joy, and in pain, then that could be Immanuel and merry Christmas to all of us."

Donations to support ongoing relief work in the Philippines can be made to Philippines Emergency, UMCOR Advance #240235.

*This story is written by Linda Bloom and based on an interview conducted with Bishop Leo Soriano by Susan Passi-Klaus, a public relations writer with United Methodist Communications.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org. 

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By Vicki Brown*
Nov. 17, 2009 | DALLAS (UMNS)

One of her first appointments was to an inner city church in Cleveland in the midst of a school busing crisis. She lived in a parsonage across the street from an X-rated theater and a parking lot where a motorcycle gang hung out.

But she was not alone, Minnesota Area Bishop Sally Dyck told more than 500 young adults contemplating calls to ministry at EXPLORATION 2009.

“No one ever bothered my property or me,” she said. “It gave me religion, I learned to trust in Jesus like I had never trusted in Jesus before.”

At a time when the number of young elders is not keeping pace with clergy entering retirement age, Dyck and several other church leaders encouraged young adults at the Nov. 13-15 event to trust God in considering their own call to service in the church.

And 170 of the 535 high school seniors and young adults in attendance said yes to that call to ordained ministry. They signed commitment cards indicating they are ready to serve the church as ordained elders and deacons. Another 96 said God was calling them to ministry other than ordination.

New voices needed

The event, sponsored by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, comes as a new study shows the number of "young elders"—clergy under age 35—isn't keeping pace with clergy entering retirement age. The fastest growing segment of United Methodist clergy is over age 55, according to the study by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington.

The number of young elders dropped slightly from 910 in 2008 to 906 in 2009. The percentage of young elders made up 5.25 percent of active elders in 2009, a slight increase from 5.21 percent in 2008. Young deacons now make up 8.42 percent of deacons, although their numbers remain small—77 out of 915 ordained deacons.

Church leaders repeatedly told young adults at EXPLORATION 2009 that their leadership is needed now in The United Methodist Church.

“God is calling us to bring some freshness, some newness, to be innovative. God is calling you to lead us to that,” the Rev. Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas, said in his sermon during opening worship Friday night. “It doesn’t matter how old you are. And when you hear God’s voice speaking to you, you don’t have to be afraid because God’s not going to leave you alone.”

Listening to one another

Participants said that while the preachers and worship were inspiring, the small group sessions and workshops on such topics as “How Do I Know God Is Calling Me?” were the heart of the event.

“It was great to be in a community with people who are in a similar place, being able to discern my call with people in the same place,” said Kenneth Schoon, a senior at the University of Cincinnati.

Many said the call to ministry can be isolating and that hearing testimony of the preachers, elders and deacons—as well as the discussions in small groups—helped them realize they were not alone.

Amy Beckwith of Arlington, Va., said her small group was all recent graduates who are “trying to figure out what to do next.” A recent graduate of Longwood University in Farmville, Va., she said members of her group are going to try to stay in touch with each other after the event as they all continue the discernment process.

“One of the best things about this event was worshipping with a bunch of young adults. That is really hard to find,” Beckwith said.

Some found a call to lay ministry.

Stuart Jones, a student at Elon University in Elon, N.C., said he had considered religious studies with an eye toward seminary. “I’ve also thought about mission work, and I think this event helped me realize I’m not called to ordained ministry.”

Jones, who is a photographer, said he attended the workshop on non-ordained options for ministry. “I had been thinking about using my photography to promote mission programs, and I found out there is actually someone who does that.”

Open doors

Many of the speakers reminded participants that if they accept God’s call, they will not be alone.

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“The bishops of your church are concerned about you and praying for you, and we want to make sure you know there’s a place for you,” said Bishop Earl Bledsoe, episcopal leader of the North Texas Annual (regional) Conference. “Our doors will always be open if you want to talk.”

The Rev. Motoe Yamada, senior pastor of Japanese United Methodist Church in Sacramento, Calif., said in the sermon at closing worship that when she felt God’s call to ministry, her own pastor discouraged her.

“I hope you don’t get discouraged, and I hope you find people to support you,” Yamada said. “People will tell you that they need you in the future, but we need you now. You are already doing ministry.”

*Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Nov. 16, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)

United Methodist leaders are disappointed the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal challenging the National Football League’s use of the mascot and term “Redskins.”

But they have vowed to continue the church’s struggle opposing team names and symbols that demean and offend Native Americans.

“This is a very disappointing development, but we stand with Native Americans, especially Native American children, across the country who are continually confronted by racially offensive sports mascots,” said Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. “We oppose any and all uses of racial sports mascots as contrary to The United Methodist Church’s position condemning racism and recognizing it as a sin."

The court Nov. 16 without comment let stand a federal appeals court decision that the 1992 lawsuit brought by Suzan Shown Harjo and six other Native American activists should have come years sooner since the team registered the trademark in 1967. The activists challenged the trademark as disparaging and offensive.

“I find it very ironic that the crucial concept within this particular legal decision is time,” said the Rev. Anita Phillips, executive director of the United Methodist Native American Comprehensive Plan. “Because too much time has passed, the term ‘redskin’ will be the perpetual name by which millions of Americans will know all indigenous human beings in this country from over 500 nations and tribes.”

The United Methodist Church has denounced the continued use of Native American names as nicknames for sport teams as “racist and dehumanizing,” according to the 2008 Book of Resolutions.

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The General Conference, the top lawmaking body of the denomination, calls all United Methodist Church-related organizations and institutions to be aware of and avoid holding events and meetings in locations that sponsor sports teams using Native American names and symbols.

United Methodist schools are asked to set an example by replacing any nicknames of sports teams that demean and offend Native Americans.

The United Methodist Board of Church and Society supported the petition to have the case reviewed, Winkler said.

“A professional sports team ought to model, rather than be an obstacle to, racial sensitivity,” Winkler said. “We regret that a lengthy legal case was necessary to call this to the attention of the Washington Redskin ownership. In the interest of the common good, we call upon Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, to recognize the pain the harmful name perpetuates upon Native Americans and change the name of the Washington team.”

Phillips said this is not the last word on the mascot issue.

“Many colleges, including several United Methodist schools, have evaluated and renamed their team mascots out of respect for their native brothers and sisters,” Phillips said. “The Supreme Court's decision will not stop the walk toward justice of Native American peoples and those who walk with us. It simply delineates the inadequacy of governmental entities to truly address the change of heart and soul needed to bring about the mighty waters of justice and righteousness.”

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

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Elliott Wright*
Nov. 16, 2009 | FREDERICA, Del. (UMNS)

On a bright November Sunday, 125 United Methodists gathered to thank and praise God at the spot where, 225 years earlier, the course of American Methodism took shape.

The setting was Barratt's Chapel at Frederica, Del., the oldest Methodist Church in the United States originally built as a church. The Nov. 8, 2009, observance marked an occasion on Nov. 14, 1784, that pointed the way toward forming a distinct denomination in a lineage that has became The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Peggy A. Johnson of the Philadelphia area preached at the special service commemorating a meeting between two early leaders, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke, who together laid the organizational foundations and gave U.S. Methodism its strong emphasis on mission. Asbury is considered the "father of American Methodism" and Coke the "father of Methodist missions."

Johnson compared the historic Asbury-Coke meeting to the stones gathered by the Israelites in Joshua 4, as symbols to remind their children of God's providence in bringing them into a promised land. "We need to tell the story of Jesus and those who have been rocks of our faith to the children," she said.

A historic meeting

Phillip Barratt, a farmer, built Barrett's Chapel in 1780 as a meeting place for Methodists scattered across Delaware and that part of Maryland on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. The chapel underwent various changes in its first 70 years, but today remains much as it looked in the 1840s.

A star on the floor represents the traditional spot when, on that November Sunday in 1784, Asbury and Coke greeted one another following the first service of Holy Communion ever celebrated under Methodist auspices in the Americas. This act represented the separation of Methodists in the former British colonies from the Church of England (Anglican).

Coke was coming to the new nation as the representative of Methodist founder John Wesley; Asbury had been in America since 1771, having come as one of the first Methodist missionaries, also sent by Wesley. They were to be joint "general superintendents" appointed by Wesley, but Asbury had the idea that the leadership choices should be voted on by an assembly of the American lay preachers.

That day at Barratt's Chapel they decided to follow Asbury's vision and call a conference of the preachers for Dec. 24 in Baltimore. That Christmas Conference, which lasted into early January, marked the official beginning of the Methodism Episcopal Church, the earliest forerunner to The United Methodist Church. The denomination began and has continued as a mission movement.

On that day 225 years ago, Coke and Asbury also agreed that they would work together to start a college to train clergy and laity. Cokesbury College opened in Abingdon, Md., the next year, but did not survive a disastrous fire a few years later.

The anniversary observance

Barratt's Chapel, even with its balcony, seems small today, rather rustic, with straight, hard benches, and an organ pumped by foot.

The 2009 service commemorating the Coke-Asbury meeting was filled with the strains of familiar hymns accompanied by both the organ, played by Johnson, and a piano. The 20-voice choir of St. Paul United Methodist Church in nearby Milford sang with conviction.

"Jesus, United by Thy Grace," a hymn by Charles Wesley, was a fitting conclusion to the observation.

The anniversary service was organized by the Commission on Archives and History of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference, one of two regional conferences in the Philadelphia Episcopal Area. Barratt's Chapel is today a shrine maintained by the commission. It is a Heritage Landmark of the denomination and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Asbury and Coke

The meeting of Asbury and Coke 225 years ago at Barratt's was a defining moment for Methodism in the context of what was happening in Great Britain and what was then the Confederate States of America.

Methodism began to arrive in Britain's American colonies in the late 1760s; at the time Wesley sent Asbury and the other early missionaries, there were fewer than 500 Methodists in all of the colonies. Meanwhile, in England, Thomas Coke, a clergyman of the Church of England, had become a leader in the network of Methodist "societies."

After the Revolutionary War broke out in 1776, most Anglican clergy, being Loyalists, left the colonists, meaning that access to the sacraments for Anglicans and Methodists was limited. By the end of the war in 1783, the other seven missionaries who came with Asbury also were gone.

Once hostilities were over, Wesley was asked to take steps to provide ordained clergy for the new nation, especially since Church of England bishops showed no inclination to dispatch clergy to the former colonies. In a dramatic move in early 1784, Wesley ordained clergy for England, Scotland, and America in a break with Anglican tradition. The two new presbyters sent to the States were Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vesey.

Wesley also "laid hands" on Coke—although he was already a clergyman of the Church of England—naming him as "general superintendent" in America. This act was later taken to mean that Wesley had consecrated Coke as bishop. Coke was instructed to ordain Asbury, then still a lay preacher, who was to be his co-general superintendent.

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On Nov. 14, 1784, Coke, Asbury, and 11 preachers ate Sunday dinner at the home of Phillip Barratt's widow—the prosperous farmer had died two weeks earlier—about a mile from the chapel. Following the meal, Asbury and Coke retired from the others to discuss the future of their movement in the new country. They agreed to the idea of calling a general conference in Baltimore at Christmas for lay preachers to convene.

The 11 preachers present agreed to the plan and one of them, a youth named Freeborn Garrison, was dispatched to make a huge circuit carrying the news of the forthcoming Christmas Conference. At that event in Baltimore, Coke and others ordained Asbury; both Coke and Asbury were elected as general superintendents, a designation formally changed to "bishop" by the General Conference of 1787.

*Wright is the information officer of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

By United Methodist News Service*
Nov. 13, 2009

Portland, Ore., will be the site for the 2016 General Conference, the top legislative assembly of The United Methodist Church.

The assembly, which gathers every four years, will meet at the Oregon Convention Center. The tentative dates are May 10-20, 2016, according to the Commission on the General Conference.

“I believe the Portland area will afford the General Conference a fine experience in West Coast hospitality,” said Bishop Robert Hoshibata, who leads the church’s Portland Area.

We will do all we can to make it a warm and welcoming place where we can do the work of the church in an atmosphere of grace, as well as sharing the gifts of the Portland area with the wider United Methodist community.”

He added that it would also be a great experience for United Methodists in the area to be able to see and participate in the event.

The site of the General Conference has traditionally rotated among the church’s five geographic U.S. jurisdictions. Portland is in the Western Jurisdiction, which last hosted the assembly in 1996, in Denver.

The 2008 assembly was in Fort Worth, Texas, in the church’s South Central Jurisdiction. Tampa, Fla., in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, will host the 2012 meeting. Tampa was also the site of the Nov. 11-13 meeting of the commission, which plans and directs the General Conference session.

Sixteen potential Western Jurisdiction sites received a request for a proposal to host the assembly. Portland was one of five finalists considered by the site selection team. Other cities were San Jose, Calif., Long Beach, Calif., Los Angeles and Seattle.

Factors considered in the site selection included suitability of facilities, availability of adequate space, proximity of hotel rooms, cost of lodging, meals, airfare, meeting space, and sales and room taxes.

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Randall Miller, chairperson of the Commission on the General Conference, said Portland’s hospitality and its “greenness” added to the city’s appeal. Portland was named the “Greenest City in America” by Popular Science in 2008.

“Portland not only has a commitment to recycling, but also to green energy,” he said. “A lot of the buildings have been designed to take advantage of green energy sources, and the way the city is structured in terms of transportation minimizes the use of cars. In many ways, Portland conforms with the values we have in The United Methodist Church about being wise stewards of God's resources.”

Delegates from the United States, Africa, Europe and Asia will attend the gathering, which is expected to attract up to 6,000 visitors. The economic impact of the event on the Portland area is roughly estimated to be about $7 million, according to the commission.

Portland is a part of the denomination’s Oregon-Idaho Annual (regional) Conference, which has more than 32,000 members and 213 local churches.

*This story is based on a press release from United Methodist Communications.  

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By Linda Bloom*
Nov. 13, 2009

Residents of the Philippines are trying to dry out and rebuild after being battered by multiple flood-inducing typhoons this fall.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has begun distributing emergency supplies to more than 11,000 displaced families and expects to be involved in long-term recovery efforts.

Melissa Crutchfield, who coordinates the agency’s international disaster response, said about $25,000 had been dispatched to the UMCOR Philippines Office for the relief work.

UMCOR also has applied for $40,000 in funding from Muslim Aid, and it is expecting a response soon to a proposal that it submitted to Action by Churches Together International. “That will expand our operations tenfold,” she added.

An additional $10,000 was sent to Global Medic, which “has worked with us on emergency clean water provision in the early days of the emergency, training our volunteers and providing us with some purification packets and filters to distribute with our relief efforts,” Crutchfield said.

In the Philippines, Ciony Eduarte, UMCOR Philippines office manager, and Belmar Bayombong, UMCOR Philippines technical consultant, are coordinating the volunteers who package and distribute the supplies.

Students and faculty from Union Theological Seminary in Manila and Philippine Christine University – including some 9- to 12-year-olds from the university’s elementary department -- have helped organize supplies for distribution. Each relief package provides three days of food assistance and other supplies for a family of five.

Coming in waves

The damaging storms came in waves across the Philippines. On Sept. 26, Tropical Storm Ketsana caused the country’s worst flooding in 40 years, displacing nearly half a million people in the Manila area and the province of Luzon.

On Oct. 3, Typhoon Parma caused additional flooding and landslides in the Cagayan Province, farther north on Luzon, compounding the damage caused by Ketsana and delaying relief efforts in some of the most vulnerable areas. Sixteen people died, and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

Typhoon Lupit weakened and veered away from the Philippines on Oct. 23, but a fourth storm, Typhoon Minirae, also known as Santi, struck Central Luzon on Oct. 31, resulting in fresh damage to some of the affected areas.

“During the typhoon Santi, we also experienced the strong winds and rains, many trees fell, and the entire UTS campus was filled with fallen leaves and branches,” Eduarte reported. “We don’t have electricity and water on that Saturday. We use a small radio for news and updates being run by eight batteries.”
The number of deaths attributed to all of the storms includes some 1,100 killed in landslides and floods or by bacterial infections from contaminated water.

Figures released by the Philippines government on Oct. 14 showed 662,274 families affected by all of the storms in 27 provinces throughout the country’s northern region. Besides the loss of homes and infrastructure, rice fields were flooded and lives disrupted.

How to help

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To identify families needing assistance and monitor the aid, UMCOR has worked with the government’s Department of Social Welfare and Development at each evacuation center and beneficiary community. Other local counterparts and volunteers at each site include school principals, pastors and community organizations.

Churches also have become places of refuge, Eduarte reported. The sanctuary of The Lord Almighty United Methodist Church in Sta. Lucia Calumpit Bulacan provided space for 40 flood-affected families in October.

Donations to support ongoing relief work in the Philippines can be made to Philippines Emergency, UMCOR Advance #240235.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Kathy Gilbert*
Nov. 13, 2009 | LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS)

As President Barack Obama considers new military strategy for Afghanistan, at least 77 United Methodist bishops are praying he will withdraw troops by the end of 2010.

“We believe there is no path to military victory in Afghanistan,” the bishops stated in a letter sent to Obama Nov. 10. The letter was signed by bishops attending the Nov. 1-5 Council of Bishops meeting.

Obama has rejected the Afghanistan options before him and asked for revisions, according to news reports. U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry has voiced dissent against sending more troops, while Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander, is seeking thousands more troops. Several senior administration officials also reportedly favor sending more troops.

“We wanted to get this to Obama before he made his decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan,” said retired Bishop Marshall L. Meadors. Meadors drafted the letter with assistance from retired bishops Kenneth L. Carder, Clifton S. Ives and Donald A. Ott.

“I have struggled with the war in Iraq,” Meadors said. “I held public prayer services when the 3,000th and 4,000th soldier was killed in Iraq.”

The most recent letter also addressed the war in Iraq. “Several years ago, more than 120 bishops issued a ‘Statement of Repentance’ for our failure to speak out early against the war in Iraq,” the letter stated. “We do not want to make that mistake again of remaining silent in the face of another widening war.”

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Meadors said he wants to remember and honor those who have died or been wounded, and to support their families and loved ones.

The bishops pledged to uphold the president with prayers “as you seek a just and peaceful resolution to the tragic war in Afghanistan.”

“I have 10 grandchildren,” Meadors said. “I want to do everything I can to leave them a world without war.”

The 77 bishops who signed the letter are part of the larger Council of Bishops, which includes 69 active and 94 retired bishops from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

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

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.  

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War: Overview

Council of Bishops

By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Nov. 12, 2009 | LAKE JUNALUSKA (UMNS)

For the past 40 years the one “voice” that has spoken for The United Methodist Church has been a 10-day, 1,000-delegate meeting charged with considering mountains of legislation.

Held every four years.

“At times it seems that General Conference is the absent parent of a dysfunctional family,” said Bishop John Hopkins, chair of the Connectional Table.

Between sessions of the General Conference, the policy-making body of the church, there is no mechanism to step in and make quick decisions, stop the “squabbles” and get the church back on track with its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ, he said.

Finding consensus on a solution, however, has also been difficult. In the past five years, church leaders have formed at least three different bodies, the Connectional Table, the Worldwide Nature of the Church study committee and a Call to Action study committee – to promote collaboration and nimble action between General Conferences. The Council of Bishops and Connectional Table this month approved a plan calling for outside consultants also to weigh in on the church’s future.

The challenge of coordinating efforts was evident in the November meeting of the Connectional Table.

During a report on the Worldwide Nature of the Church committee, Bishop Scott Jones, chair, was asked by a member of the Connectional Table, Andy Langford, if his committee would be in convergence with the Call to Action Steering Committee.

"No," Jones said. “I'm not committed to convergence.”

His response was met with some surprise. Jones has since said he thought Langford was asking him whether his committee was “committed to reaching the same proposal as the Call to Action Steering Committee? My answer to that was No.” Jones said, however, that his committee is enthusiastic about working with other groups such as the Call to Action committee, and he has written to them asking how best to consult and collaborate.

‘A lot of ferment’

Committees seem to beget committees. Are they listening to each other?

The 2004 General Conference formed the Connectional Table as a roundtable of leaders who could talk about the vision and ministry of the church, Hopkins said. The group was given responsibility for coordinating the mission, ministries and resources of the United Methodist Church.

The 2008 General Conference created the Worldwide Nature of the Church study committee after the denomination made a step toward reorganizing so it does not appear to be a U.S. church, with satellite locations in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Then in 2009, the Council of Bishops formed the Call to Action committee to make a fresh assessment of the church’s life, to help make the denomination more effective and accountable, particularly in light of the economic climate.

During a report to the Council of Bishops, the Call to Action committee recommended forming a new committee to continue their work. The proposal prompted Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Central Pennsylvania, to ask, “How is this not just another layer on top of everything else?”

Bishop Larry Goodpaster, chair, said the Call to Action committee recognized there was some overlap between all the groups. “We kept saying there are groups working on this, we need to encourage them and urge them to do this with some immediacy. We can’t put this off.”

Bishops Hopkins, Jones, Goodpaster, and Gregory Palmer, president of the Council of Bishops, sat down with United Methodist News Service to talk about the dreams of each group to revive a denomination that is steadily losing membership in the U.S. and turning grayer by the day in the pews.

“There is a lot of ferment going on with all these different groups,” Jones said. “The key is that there is strong commitment of all the leaders for mutual consultation and collaboration.”

“I think we’re in a process of trying to practice collaboration in such a way that it becomes a habit. … And I mean a positive habit,” Palmer said. “Collaboration is really, to put it in Wesleyan terms, a form of conferencing.”

All four bishops agreed there is a renewed sense of urgency about the mission of the church and how to realign resources to accomplish that mission.

Pieces of the puzzle

The 60-member Connectional Table includes representatives from the five ethnic caucuses, 13 general agencies, 21 jurisdictions and seven central (outside of the U.S.) conferences, one youth, one young adult and a member of the Council of Bishops who acts as chair.

“It has the distinct function that’s in the (Book of) Discipline to bring legislation to General Conference about the structures of the church to make them more effective and efficient,” Hopkins said.

“Real-time” conversations go on around that table when different parts of the church need to be in collaboration, he said. The four areas of focus adopted by the 2008 General Conference were developed around that table, he pointed out. The four areas—developing leaders, starting new congregations, eliminating poverty and global health—show the church can rally around good ideas, he said.

“The Connectional Table is not a pure administrative group by any means,” he said. “It’s a table for vetting.”

The 20-member Worldwide Nature of the Church Study Group was formed after a study group submitted 23 petitions to the 2008 General Conference to amend the church’s constitution to allow for a creation of a regional conference for the United States.

“Our mandate from General Conference is to come back to the 2012 General Conference with legislation possibly altering the Book of Discipline so that the United States would be one regional conference out of many within the worldwide United Methodist Church,” Jones said.

Unity of the church is “absolutely important,” he said. “The unity rests in our doctrine, discipline and mission.”

The Call to Action Steering Committee was formed in 2009 by the Council of Bishops to design a plan for reordering the church.

“I think the initiative behind the call to action was done in the context of the economic crisis, but it quickly became apparent to us that it wasn’t the financial crisis that was gonna drive it,” Goodpaster said. “We really focused on the mission of the church and how do we align the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in our current time with the four areas of focus.”

There are at least two more committees appointed by the 2008 General Conference, Hopkins said. The Ministry Study Committee is charged with clarifying the ordering of ministry. The Committee on Faith and Order is reflecting on matters of faith, doctrinal teaching, order and discipline.

Declining numbers

There are currently about 8 million United Methodists in the United States and more than 3 million in Africa, Asia and Europe. In 1968 membership in the U.S. was more than 10 million.

“Far too many of our local churches have become clubs for the benefits of their members,” Jones said. “In broad regions of the church you can presume that half received no profession of faith in a given year. Mr. (John) Wesley is rolling in his grave.”

It’s not just professions of faith that are not happening, Goodpaster said. “In the 1950s we were baptizing over 400,000 people a year. Now it’s less than 150,000.”

“There are many leaders in the church who believe when they’ve held a meeting they’ve done real work,” Jones said. “The fact that the Council of Bishops doesn’t even hold itself accountable for membership and worship attendance trends in the U.S. churches is a sign that we don’t really focus on that much.”

Palmer said when people start separating mission from evangelism, “we’re making a choice that the Gospel doesn’t give us.”

Where’s Jesus?

The institution sometimes becomes the focus instead of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world, Palmer said. “It’s almost like in II Timothy when Paul says, ‘Demas has left me having gone after the things of this world.’ It’s almost like we’ve left Jesus.”

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Numbers don’t tell us everything, he said, but they are not irrelevant.

“The numbers have been telling us something for a long time. We’ve been sort of happy just floating along--the institution was running, money was coming in. Then numbers were going down. Now we have a tipping point. Money’s not coming in anymore.

“Isn’t that interesting? We didn’t pay attention to the numbers of decline, professions of faith, baptisms, people in Sunday school, etc. But we pay attention to the numbers about dollars.”

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Rick Peck, a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Audio

Bishop John Hopkins: “There’s a myth we can get it right at General Conference.”

Bishop Scott Jones: “Mr. Wesley is rolling in his grave.”

Bishop Larry Goodpaster: “We’ve got a real problem at the local church level.”

Bishop Gregory Palmer: “We’re making a choice the Gospel doesn’t give us.”

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By John Coleman*
Nov. 12, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)

Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Wesley Theological Seminary are coming together in search of new approaches to urban ministry in the nation’s capital.

The historic church and seminary dedicated their new shared facility, adjacent to the downtown church, following Sunday morning worship on Oct. 25. Two days later, Wesley Seminary held a full-day symposium on urban ministry as its first major event there.

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The Urban Ministry program has launched two other initiatives from its new home: the Urban Fellows program and the Urban Center for Community Transformation. The first cohort of six Urban Fellows will take courses, attend events like the “Called to the City” symposium and engage in research and hands-on ministry together in church and community settings across the city.

The Urban Center for Community Transformation will provide interactive learning experiences for students, faculty, community leaders and urban activists, as they explore and develop new strategies for transforming Washington’s political, social and economic landscape, according to Smith. He hopes many of the symposium’s two dozen speakers and workshop leaders who are not part of Wesley will become partners of the new center, collaborating on ideas, research and learning opportunities for Wesley students.

Smith also is exploring possibilities of locating similar centers in other cities, such as Baltimore, Wilmington, Del., Pittsburgh and Syracuse, N.Y. These centers would engage local urban ministry students in supervised research, distance learning and short, intensive classroom courses, he explained.

*Coleman is a freelance writer based in the Washington area.

News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.  

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A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. C. Anthony Hunt*
Nov. 11, 2009 | WASHINGTON

A year after the election of Barack Obama as the 44^th president of the United States, these continue to be days of tremendous change and challenge in our society.

From the collapse of the economy that has affected all of us, to the wars being fought in at least two places in the Middle East, to the proliferation of violence that affects many of our urban communities, to the health care crisis that results in more than 40 million Americans living without health care today, issues of race and racism nationally and globally remain at the top of the nation’s agenda.

For many, Obama’s historic election as the first president of African descent renewed (or birthed) a sense of hope across the nation and the world. The election seemed to point – for many – to glimmers of hope that our society had somehow arrived at our ideals of “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one), and the creed shared in our nation’s Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all (persons) are created equal.” Throughout his presidential campaign, Obama offered a framework for what he termed an audacity of hope amid the challenges we face.

Many seemed to sense (and hope) that the election of Obama would usher in an age of post-racism and post-racialism in America – and perhaps across the world. A year later, we discover that racial and racist realities continue to afflict us.

In his book “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama offered words of caution to America in thinking that we may have arrived at becoming “post-racial,” or that we already live in a color-blind society, and that we may be beyond the need for discourse and critical engagement as it regards racism and related forms of oppression and injustice.

He wrote: “To say that we are one people is not to suggest that race no longer matters – that the fight for equality has been won, or that the problems that minorities face in this country today are largely self-inflicted.” We know the statistics: On almost every single socioeconomic indicator, from infant mortality to life expectancy to employment to home ownership, black and Latino Americans in particular lag far behind their white counterparts.

Obama urges dialogue

We also recall that Obama, in a major address entitled “A More Perfect Union” delivered during his presidential campaign, offered an analysis of the prevalence of racial tensions which continue to define the relationship between black and white communities. Obama argued that to simply shelve anger or “wish it away” (the race problem in America) could prove to be completely detrimental. Unambiguously, he pointed to a belief that race factors into the opportunities provided to each American citizen.

To support his belief, he noted that the inferior school systems today are often the ones that were segregated 50 years ago. Obama shared that the history of racism in America is undeniably at the root of the lack of opportunities for African Americans today. In light of this, it is both achievable and necessary for all Americans to unite and battle racial prejudices. In order to move to a more perfect union, people of all races must recognize the historically oppressive and tyrannical nature of racism and its impact on the black experience in America.         

A year after Obama’s historic election, several recent events have served to heighten awareness as to the ongoing problems of race and racism in America. Among these are the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Sonia Sotomayor; the arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates at his home in Cambridge, Mass.; debate surrounding the president’s September speech to students returning to schools across the nation; the heckling by U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson (South Carolina) during a speech by President Obama to the joint session of the U.S. Congress and the ongoing debates surrounding the president’s efforts toward reforming our nation's health care system. During a recent visit to the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., I was informed that there were more than 800 hate-related groups identified in 2008, and that this number is on the rise since Obama’s election as president.

Race matters 

In 1992, philosopher Cornel West published an important book entitled “Race Matters.” The book was written against the backdrop of the Los Angeles riots of April 1992, which followed the acquittal of the police officers charged in the beating of Rodney King, and the ensuing racial tensions in that city. In the book, West pointed to what he referred to as the “nihilism of black America,” where a certain nothingness, meaninglessness, lovelessness and hopelessness seems to have pervaded and permeated much of our society, particularly in the urban context. According to West at that time, race matters in America.

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In his most recent book, “Hope on a Tightrope,” West cautions against a false sense of security in hope yet unborn. He points out that real hope is grounded in a particularly messy struggle and it can be betrayed by naive projections of a better future that ignore the necessity of doing real work. For West, real hope is closely connected to attributes like courage, faith, freedom and wisdom. It comes out of a history of struggle, and points to a future filled with the possibilities of promise and progress. 

A year after the historic election of President Barack Obama, it is evident that there remain significant challenges to the actualization of real hope in America. Further, it is evident that race still matters in America, and that while we may be moving toward such real hope, it is a hope yet unborn in its fullness.

*Hunt, a member of the board of directors of the Commission on Religion and Race, is superintendent of the Baltimore-Harford District in the Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference of the United Methodist Church.

News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Linda Bloom*
Nov. 10, 2009 | NEW YORK (UMNS)

An avid soccer player, 12-year-old Charles Ssali is excited about next year’s World Cup tournament.

But the Ugandan youth came to New York on Nov. 10 to promote another type of goal—the elimination of malaria.

Ssali joined anti-malaria advocates, including United Methodist Bishop Thomas Bickerton, at the ESPN Zone in Times Square for the launch of United Against Malaria, a new initiative to provide universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa by the end of 2010.

By involving soccer players, the initiative is using interest in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a way to raise awareness, increase prevention and build a worldwide commitment to end the disease.

The United Methodist Church is involved in the Nothing But Nets malaria initiative of the United Nations Foundation, which is a founding partner of United Against Malaria. Bickerton is a denominational spokesperson on its malaria prevention efforts.

“This is just the latest in a series of collaborations and partnerships that we’re just happy to be a part of,” he said. “We’re all in this together in the campaign to beat malaria.”

Eighty-five percent of those who die from malaria are African children under the age of 5.

Ssali beat the odds.

“When I was about 4 years, I suffered from malaria,” he told those gathered at the launch. “My mother took me immediately to the health workers and they gave me treatment.”

Now the young soccer star is leading the United Against Malaria team, and asking public and private leaders to pledge their support by signing a campaign soccer ball that will be delivered to African leaders.

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With the help of her family, church and community, Katherine Commale, an elementary school student and member of Hopewell United Methodist Church in Downingtown, Pa., has raised $120,000 for the Nothing But Nets Project.

Teen Elisabeth Clymer came up with the idea of a “swat team” that uses fly swatters to coax donations from the congregation at Messiah United Methodist Church in Springfield, Va., and has raised $15,000 so far.

“Whether it be soccer fans or churchgoers, it’s easy to mobilize yourself for an effort such as this,” Bickerton said.

United Methodists have mobilized by approving a $75 million fundraising goal for Imagine No Malaria, a campaign that will expand grassroots programs like Nothing But Nets and develop more comprehensive efforts to promote prevention and education activities, strengthen health delivery systems and train health care workers to more effectively treat the disease.

The same mobilization can happen through the world of sports. Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer, endorsed the idea of educating the fan base about malaria, noting that people engaged in sports have the opportunity to make a difference. “My belief is if you can, you should,” he said.

For Ssali, the next stop is Brussels, where he will ask European leaders to sign his soccer ball and make a commitment to eliminate malaria.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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By Henri Giles*
Nov. 10, 2009 | ATLANTA (UMNS)

Joyce McClure waits impatiently in the Atlanta airport for her son to return from war.

“This is a blessed day,” says the Rome, Ga., resident, while watching for Army Specialist Demetrius Irvin’s appearance. “It’s wonderful.”

Her shrieks of joy when she spots her boy are reward enough for the men and women who wait with her, the members of the Mount Bethel United Methodist Church’s Veterans Ministry.

On the first Thursday of each month, this group convoys to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport with one mission: To say thank you to the troops who either are passing through or arriving home.

“Unlike previous wars, particularly Korea and Vietnam where the soldiers weren’t welcomed back, we make sure they’re welcomed back and they all appreciate it,” says Bob Babcock, point man for the ministry that works with the USO to take its turn serving as the greeting party.

Babcock was enlisted into this cause when senior pastor Dr. Randy Mickler asked if he would form a ministry to serve veterans.

With veterans and their wives from virtually all branches and some with service dating back to World War II among the Marietta congregation, Babcock found many willing volunteers.

Handshakes and Hugs

On its appointed day, the group from Marietta loads the church van with food and supplies at the crack of dawn and hits the road, making sure to arrive at the airport in time for the steady stream of the 500 or so service men and women who daily pass through the Atlanta airport.

After the handshakes and hugs, Babcock’s group helps the soldiers get oriented, pointing them toward gates and baggage carousels and, of course, to the USO. There, while the soldiers wait, they can enjoy hotdogs, chili, donuts, snacks, beverages and more welcoming faces.

“It’s wonderful to see these fellas here,” says Mount Bethel member Stella Johnson, who helps prepare the food.

“You get to talk to them. They like to talk to you about their families, and where they came from and where they’re going.”

Not all of the travelers are going to find peace, though.

“Some of them are going over for the second and third time, and some of them are ready to retire,” says Johnson.

Those who are bound for duty overseas line up for goody bags handed out by the ministry.

“We appreciate you and thank you from the bottom of our heart because you’ve got the most important job in the world today,” Babcock says. “We’ll see you when you get back. Good luck and God Speed.”

Witnesses to joy

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Such moments can be somber for the ministry members as the men and women in uniform are bound for harm’s way.  

But the Mount Bethel volunteers also are witnesses to joy, like the scene when the joyfully shrieking Joyce McClure finally shares the embrace of reunion with her son.

After lifting McClure from the floor and hugging her, it is obvious that Demetrius Irvin is thankful to be in his mother’s arms rather than in Iraq, where he’s spent the last nine months.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d see this place again,” he says.

“I’ve got a lot of emotions going through me. It’s kind of hard to explain and put in words right now. I'm happy.”

Looking on, Babcock says: “Oftentimes, I end up crying seeing such a happy reunion. … I’ve never had a bad day down here.”

*Giles is a freelance producer based in Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Fran Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Nov. 10, 2009

In a day and age when just having a job is the new raise, it came naturally to the spiritual leaders of The United Methodist Church to take a pay cut.

“It’s as plain as the nose on your face,” said Bishop Peggy Johnson, Philadelphia Area. “It makes perfect sense.”

In less than two months, Johnson and her fellow 49 active U.S. United Methodist bishops will open smaller paychecks and see about $5,000 less in 2010.

Last May, the bishops voted to forgo a raise for 2010 and roll their salaries back to the 2008 level. Their annual pay will drop from $125,658 to $120,942 beginning Jan. 1.

“It is a great opportunity to be in solidarity with a lot of our churches,” she said.

“I say we should keep it the same for five more years. But that’s not very popular,” she added.

Churches rocked by economy

The lingering recession has caused pain throughout the country, with unemployment rising above 10 percent for the first time since 1983. In The United Methodist Church, apportioned funds were down $4.7 million and Special Sunday offerings were down $286,000 in 2008, the General Council on Finance and Administration told the Council of Bishops earlier this month.

United Methodist general agencies receiving apportioned funds have made significant reductions in staff and will not increase salaries in 2010, said Moses Kumar, top executive with GCFA.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble, Iowa Area, said the bishops’ decision to lower their salaries isn’t so much a sacrifice as an opportunity to “practice Christian generosity.”

Bishops and most Americans are wealthy by the world’s standards, he said. “If you can eat two meals a day for five consecutive days and you own more than one pair of shoes-- you’re wealthy.”

Bishop Peter D. Weaver, Boston Area, said he did not go into ministry for a salary. “I went into the ministry to serve Jesus. So whatever is the physical remuneration is very secondary to the spiritual remuneration that we get in following Christ.”

He said the decision to take a lower salary was important and was a “small” way to stand in solidarity with many who are experiencing economic challenges.

Good intentions

The cuts mean the bishops will tighten their belts and adjust their family budgets.

“We (will) re-evaluate our family budgets and think about what we can do and what we can do without. And it will have some impact on all of us. A lot of people are hurting. And we recognize that,” said Bishop Larry Goodpaster, president-elect of the Council of Bishops.

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What will not be cut is giving.

“All of us know that we have a tendency to live at the level of our income,” said Bishop Alfred Gwinn, Raleigh Area. “But this is a wonderful time to rethink why we spend the money that we spend and how we might redirect that to more meaningful causes. So I think it’s an opportunity to grow spiritually in a personal way and an opportunity to lead in a spiritual way.”

The money trimmed from the bishop’s salaries will go into the Episcopal Fund because the 2008 General Conference has already approved the budget for 2009, said Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Los Angeles Area. That was not the intention of the bishops, she said.

The bishops wanted the money used for ministries of the church such as the Central Conference Pension Initiative, a program providing retirement funds for clergy and their spouses in Africa, Asia and Europe. In Africa, most retired clergy live in poverty because they do not receive any pension funds even after serving for more than 40 years in the church.

At the November council meeting, the bishops voted to ask GCFA to explore ways their salary cuts can be directly deposited in ministries such as the Central Conference Pension Initiative or the Global Health Fund.

Giving back

Swenson said the financial realities started hitting about a year ago. Before the council could gather to make recommendations, Swenson decided to give her 2009 raise back to the annual (regional) conference.

“The first thing I did in 2009 was calculate how much my pay increase would be over 2008 and wrote a check to the annual conference for that amount in January. It was my personal giving.”

Johnson, who was elected a bishop in 2008, said she always gives away the extra money she receives.

“I was making a little better than minimum salary before I became a bishop,” Johnson said. “So I received a fantastic raise the minute I was elected. I’m just not used to having money anyway. So I don’t miss it all.”

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

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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Bishop Peggy Johnson: "Whatever I have that I don't need I give away anyway."

Bishop Julius Trimble: “One of our roles is to practice Christian generosity.”

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