Jurisdictional News Feature

Bishop Rosemarie Wenner was re-elected bishop of the German Central Conference of The United Methodist Church on Nov. 19.
A UMNS photo by Claus Kellner.

By Üllas Tankler*
Nov. 24, 2008 | DRESDEN, Germany (UMNS)

Wenner is congratulated by
Bishop Gregory Palmer.
A UMNS photo by Klaus Ulrich.

The newly re-elected United Methodist bishop of Germany declared that mission is the vocation of the church as she rallied its leaders to greater efforts in evangelism and starting new churches.

Speaking during the Nov. 19-22 meeting of the Germany Central Conference, Bishop Rosemarie Wenner said that "mission is not one area or field of ministry for the church. Mission is its vocation. The church is mission."

Wenner, 53, was re-elected to lead the church's 65,000 German United Methodists in 500 congregations. She received 90 percent of some 100 votes on the first ballot. The church's German membership has been stable in recent years.

Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, presided over the election. The Germany Central Conference convenes every three years and represents the nation's three annual (regional) United Methodist conferences.

United Methodist bishops in the United States are elected for life, but term election is the general practice elsewhere. Wenner was first elected to a four-year term in 2005; this year, she was tapped for an eight-year term.

With her first election, Wenner became the first female United Methodist bishop outside the United States. She is now one of two. Earlier this year, the Rev. Joaquina Filipe Nhanala was elected in Mozambique.

Wenner attended the United Methodist Reutlingen Theological Seminary in Germany. She was ordained in 1981 and came into prominence within the international denomination after being appointed as a district superintendent in 1996.

"There are many challenges, but God is with us on this journey," she said in accepting re-election.

"There are many challenges, but God is with us on this journey." –Bishop Rosemarie Wenner

Asked at a news conference to identify the church's greatest challenge for the upcoming years, Wenner cited a need to motivate local churches to be more active and innovative in outreach.

She emphasized similar themes in her episcopal address. While encouraging the beginning of new congregations, the bishop acknowledged serious financial challenges facing the church in Germany and elsewhere.

The emphasis, she insisted, should not be on funds but on a spiritual approach. "A church which is becoming poorer can still be a missionary church," she said. "As a missionary church, we will share our gifts and resources with those who have even less than we do."

*Tankler is a staff executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

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

Germans agree on mutual recognition of baptism

German United Methodists elect new bishop

German United Methodists celebrate 100 years of history

Resources

United Methodist Church in Germany

Board of Global Ministries

Episcopal Elections

Council of Bishops

United Methodist Bishop David Kekumba Yemba is now a bishop for life following his Aug. 26 re-election to oversee the church's Central Congo Area.
A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.

By United Methodist News Service
Aug. 27, 2008

United Methodist Bishop David Kekumba Yemba has been re-elected to oversee the church's Central Congo Area after four years of service.

With his re-election, he is now a bishop for life.

Yemba won Aug. 26 on the third ballot by the Congo Central Conference, meeting in Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The election had begun with three candidates, but one was dropped with too few votes. The final ballot gave 119 votes to Yemba and 35 to the Rev. Richard Okoko, a pastor in the church's East Congo Annual Conference.

“It was a great expression of joy to know the people have confidence in what we have been doing and want to continue as far as the Lord is helping,” Yemba said in an Aug. 27 telephone interview with United Methodist News Service.

Yemba said the 2008 United Methodist General Conference held in Fort Worth, Texas, last April set clear priorities for The United Methodist Church to focus on leadership, strengthening congregations, global health and fighting poverty.

“The people are expecting leadership from the church in terms of how The United Methodist Church and our connectional system can help us exchange experiences, ideas and to share resources.”

Yemba is the third United Methodist bishop elected or re-elected in Africa this year. In July, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa was re-elected to lead the denomination's Zimbabwe Area, and the Rev. Joaquina Filipe Nhanala was elected to oversee the Mozambique Area. On Sept. 1, Nhanala will become the first female United Methodist bishop in Africa.

One more United Methodist bishop is expected to be elected in Africa this year. In December, balloting is scheduled to replace retiring Bishop Joseph Humper of Sierra Leone.

The Central Congo Area, where Yemba leads the church, is one of the church's largest episcopal areas, with four annual conferences and two provisional annual conferences. Together, they cover 10 out of 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Yemba said it is a challenge to serve such a large area.

“The Congo has just gotten out of repeated wars and we need people trained to deliver what is needed,” he said. “We need district superintendents, lay people … all pledging to work together with the bishop.”

When he was first elected in 2005, Yemba was a professor and founding dean of the faculty of theology at United Methodist-related Africa University in Zimbabwe. He replaced Bishop Fama Onema, who had served the area for more than 30 years.

Since his election, Yemba has been an outspoken proponent of changing the denomination's structure in an effort to make The United Methodist Church less U.S.-centric and more global.

In an interview last fall with United Methodist Communications, he said the change should come "in terms of services, in terms of meetings, in terms of use of human resources, personnel from different corners of the globe. I think this is a kind of a church we are dreaming of."

Yemba was on the staff of Africa University from 1990 until his election. Prior to that, he was a senior lecturer and associate professor at Zaire Protestant Seminary.

He has a bachelor of divinity degree from the Protestant School of Theology of the Congo Free University at Kisangani and a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Strasbourg, France. He was ordained an elder in the church's Central Congo Annual Conference in 1970.

Yemba and his wife, Henriette, have five children.

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

Audio Clip

Bishop David Kekumba Yemba: "It was a great expression of joy..."

United Methodists in Africa elect first female bishop

Africa University's Yemba becomes Central Congo bishop

Resources

Episcopal elections

Episcopal areas-Africa

Board of Global Ministries

The Rev. Joaquina Nhanala of Mozambique is the first woman elected as a United Methodist bishop in Africa. A UMNS file photograph by Bill Kreamer.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
July 23, 2008

The Rev. Joaquina Filipe Nhanala was elected July 23 as the first female United Methodist bishop in Africa.

Nhanala, 51, the pastor of Matola United Methodist Church in Mozambique, was elected during the July 22-24 meeting of the denomination’s Africa Central Conference at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Effective Sept. 1, she will succeed Bishop João Somane Machado, who is retiring as the leader of the Mozambique area.

Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa

In another election during the conference, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa was re-elected to lead the denomination’s Zimbabwe area. The Africa Central Conference includes the denomination’s Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola episcopal areas, the South Africa Provisional Conference, the Malawi Missionary Conference, and the East Africa Episcopal Area of Uganda, Southern Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi.

Nhiwatiwa was first elected to the episcopacy in 2004 and has served as general secretary of the Africa Central Conference since 2000. He previously was a faculty member of the theology school at Africa University. His re-election means that he is now a bishop for life.

Besides serving a large church in Matola, a suburb of Maputo, Nhanala has coordinated women’s projects for the Mozambique church and led a World Relief HIV/AIDS program designed to mobilize churches for education and advocacy in Mozambique’s three southern provinces. Nhanala and the program were featured in the 2004 Bread for the World video, “Keep the Promise on Hunger and Health.”

Among those celebrating her election were members of the denomination’s Missouri Annual (regional) Conference and its Mozambique Initiative ministry, which connects churches, groups and individuals in Missouri with partner United Methodist congregations and districts in Mozambique to strengthen the church there.

“We in the Missouri Conference have had a long relationship with Rev. Joaquina Nhanala, providing assistance for her to attend the clergywomen’s event in California several years ago, working together in workshops around women’s issues in Mozambique, and as a pastor of a covenant partner church, Matola UMC in Mozambique,” said Carol Kreamer, coordinator for the Mozambique Initiative.

Nhanala is the only female United Methodist pastor in Mozambique holding a master’s degree in theology, she noted.

The new bishop also facilitated the Mozambique Initiative’s consultation with 200 participants in Maputo in 2003. “Bishop Nhanala is capable, bright and dedicated and we look forward to collaborating in mission and ministry together,” Kreamer added.

Catholic and Methodist roots

Nhanala is married to another United Methodist pastor, the Rev. Eugenio Tomas, and they have four adult children.

Although she was baptized and confirmed as a Catholic – her father’s religion – Nhanala also attended her mother’s Methodist church. Drawn to the youth programs, she became active in the Methodist church as a teen-ager. She and her husband, who married in 1976, were both accepted for theological studies at the 1985 Mozambique Annual Conference and received sponsorship from the Women’s Fellowship.

They attended Gbarnga School of Theology in Liberia and Nhanala was ordained a deacon in 1989. When the civil war in Liberia disrupted the couple’s studies, they moved to Ghana, where she completed her diploma in theology at Trinity College. The family then moved to Kenya, where she attended Limuru University and received a bachelor of divinity degree in 1995.

In 1998, she graduated from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology with a master’s degree in Bible studies and theology and also served as a teacher and dean of students there. She speaks five native languages, as well as Portuguese and English.

A growing area

According to the Mozambique Initiative, The United Methodist Church has tripled in size in Mozambique in the last 13 years, with some 150,000 members in more than 170 congregations of the 23 districts. As bishop, Nhanala also will oversee 29 schools, a theological school, agricultural programs, Chicuque Rural Hospital, two clinics, a seminary and four Bible schools.

The denomination’s three central conferences in Africa are comparable to the five U.S. jurisdictional conferences, which met during the week of July 14 to elect eight new U.S. bishops. The Congo Central Conference will meet in August and the West Africa Central Conference will meet in December.

*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.

Wrap-up: United Methodists elect, assign U.S. bishops for 2009-12

Distance learning center launched in Mozambique

New Zimbabwean bishop offers vision for church

Resources

Episcopal elections

Mozambique Initiative

Board of Global Ministries

Retired United Methodist Bishop Marion Edwards kisses newly elected Bishop Paul Leeland during the Service of Consecration July 19 at Lake Junaluska, N.C.
A UMNS photo By Bill Norton.

A Special Report
By United Methodist News Service*
July 21, 2008

United Methodists in the U.S. elected and assigned eight new bishops and re-assigned the rest during jurisdictional meetings held in five regions last week.

Members of Hearts in Step Christian Dance Academy perform during the North Central Jurisdiction’s consecration worship service. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.

It was an often-intense week as delegates worked to fill leadership vacancies created by seven retirements, one resignation and a death. Bishops are the top clergy leaders of the denomination, and the 50 or so U.S. bishops oversee some 7.9 million of the church’s 11.5 million members worldwide.

The United Methodist Southeastern Jurisdiction wasted no time, taking its first ballot on opening day, July 16, and announcing the first elected bishop of the 2008 group—Paul Leeland—the next morning. The Northeastern Jurisdiction, which began meeting two days earlier than the other jurisdictions, also took its first ballot July 16 and finished choosing a bishop the next day.

The process took longer elsewhere. The Western Jurisdiction, which had two bishops to elect, went into the wee hours of the morning July 19 before completing its selections. The South Central Jurisdiction started quickly, electing the first of three bishops on the third ballot before noon on July 17, and then worked until late in the evening July 18 to elect the third. The North Central Jurisdiction experienced slow going, at one point disqualifying a ballot because of a chocolate chip cookie smudge, but it managed to complete its work July 18.

The newly elected bishops expressed feelings of humility and gratitude, and also shared glimpses of their personal visions.

“I claim my baptism this day and the special callings to which God has called me,” said Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky, at the Western conference in Portland, Ore. “… May God lead us faithfully forward in the name of Jesus Christ.”

At the South Central gathering in Dallas, Bishop John Michael Lowry said a bishop needs to be the spiritual leader "casting a vision for God's people and God's kingdom that is really inclusive." Most of the people the church makes decisions about are not in the church, he said.

Also in Dallas, Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe said his philosophy is that "the church is either growing or dying, and if it is standing still, it is dying." In a briefing after his election, he said the connectional system, the diversity of theological thought and differences of opinion are what he views as hopeful about The United Methodist Church. "We are a church that allows people to develop their faith and grow in their faith experience," he said.

Bishop Violet Fisher preaches at a worship service at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference in Harrisburg, Pa.
A UMNS photo by Suzy Keenan.

In addition to choosing and assigning bishops, delegates in the jurisdictions acted on other items:

In the South Central Jurisdiction, delegates approved a regional mission council’s decision to give Southern Methodist University permission to lease land for a President George W. Bush Presidential Center. SMU in Dallas is operated by the South Central Jurisdiction. Leasing land for building the center, which would be part of a Bush presidential library, has generated debate. Some United Methodists support it, while opponents say Bush’s policies on major issues contradict church positions and that the center would be a partisan think tank.
In the Western Jurisdiction, delegates adopted four statements challenging the denomination’s position that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” One resolution celebrated a May 15 ruling by the California Supreme Court clearing the way for gay marriages in that state. Another asks that church leaders look for “creative ways” to “be in full ministry with all who come to us.” The resolutions followed others passed in June by the California-Pacific and California-Nevada annual conferences in support of United Methodist clergy who choose to perform same-sex marriages – an action forbidden by the church’s Book of Discipline. The Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference also voiced support for those clergy.
In the Northeast, church members approved a redrawing of annual conference boundaries, decreasing the number of episcopal areas from 10 to nine by 2010.
North Central delegates gave permission July 18 to the North Indiana and South Indiana annual conferences to unite into one new Indiana Conference. Indiana Bishop Mike Coyner has called both conferences to attend a special session Oct. 4 to finalize details.

The jurisdictional gatherings are held every four years. Bishops for the church in Africa, Europe and Asia are elected at other times in central conference gatherings.

Of the eight new bishops elected, two are women and six are men. One is Asian American, two are African American and five are white.

The bishops’ new assignments take effect Sept. 1.

South Central

The Bush library issue received much discussion and media attention at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. During the deliberation, a delegate raised a question about whether the jurisdiction was going to get fair market value in the transaction. Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr., presiding over the conference session, said he would seek a declaration of law from the Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court, on the matter.

In another matter, South Central delegates accepted a motion on holy conferencing from the SC Black Methodists for Church Renewal, in response to jokes from the floor and the treatment of a woman bishop as she led a session. The motion called the conference “to a time of prayerful discernment to reaffirm our commitment to holy conferencing.”

Bishop-elect W. Earl Bledsoe and his wife, Leslie, are presented to the South Central Jurisdiction. A UMNS photo by Linda Green.

“Today we have witnessed the sexist jokes, the disrespectful addressing of a female presiding officer and responses such as laughter after demeaning comments, which perpetuates a hostile environment that limits inclusive dialogue,” the motion stated. “These type of behaviors and attitudes are not consistent with holy conferencing and are not compatible with Christian teachings. Therefore sexist and/or racist remarks and demeaning language have no place in our conferencing.”

The statements reflected the concerns not only of the SC BMCR but also of the SCJ Black Clergywomen, the SCJ Methodist Association Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans, the SCJ Women’s Leadership Team, and individuals.

Newly elected bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction are:

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, who succeeds Bishop Alfred L. Norris in the North Texas Annual Conference. Norris, who retired in 2004, re-entered active service following the 2006 death of Bishop Rhymes Moncure Jr. A new bishop, Bledsoe was superintendent of the Bryan/West District in the Texas Conference.
Bishop James E. “Jim” Dorff, San Antonio Area (Rio Grande and Southwest Texas conferences). A new bishop, he was area provost of the North Texas Conference. He succeeds Bishop Joel Martinez, who is retiring.
Bishop John Michael Lowry, who succeeds retiring Bishop Ben R. Chamness in the Fort Worth Area (Central Texas Conference). Lowry was executive director of new church development and transformation of the Southwest Texas Conference.

Bishops returning to their geographical assignments are:

Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr., Oklahoma Area (Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary conferences).
Bishop Charles N. Crutchfield, Arkansas Area (Arkansas Conference).
Bishop Scott Jones, Kansas Area (Kansas East and Kansas West conferences).
Bishop William W. Hutchinson, Louisiana Area (Louisiana Conference).
Bishop Robert C. Schnase, Missouri Area (Missouri Conference).
Bishop Ann B. Sherer, Nebraska Area (Nebraska Conference).
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, Houston Area (Texas Conference).
Bishop D. Max Whitfield, Northwest Texas-New Mexico Area (Northwest Texas and New Mexico conferences).

Southeastern

Bishop Paul L. Leeland, the new Southeastern bishop, was assigned to the Alabama-West Florida Area (Alabama-West Florida Conference) for the next four years. He has been serving as assistant to the bishop in the Raleigh (N.C.) Area. Leeland succeeds Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster, who is moving to the Charlotte Area (Western North Carolina) from Alabama-West Florida.

Three other active Southeastern bishops who have served in their current locations for at least four years have received new assignments. They are:

Bishop Lindsey Davis, Louisville Area (Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary conferences). He is moving from North Georgia.
Bishop James R. King Jr., South Georgia Area (South Georgia Conference); moving from the Louisville Area.
Bishop B. Michael Watson, North Georgia Area (North Georgia Conference); moving from South Georgia.

Eight bishops will return to their areas:

Bishop Alfred Wesley Gwinn Jr., Raleigh Area (North Carolina Conference).
Bishop Charlene Payne Kammerer, Richmond Area (Virginia Conference).
Bishop James E. Swanson Sr., Holston Area (Holston Conference).
Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor, Columbia Area (South Carolina Conference).
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Mississippi Area (Mississippi Conference).
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, Florida Area (Florida Conference).
Bishop William Willimon, Birmingham Area (North Alabama).
Bishop Richard Wills Jr., Nashville Area (Memphis and Tennessee conferences).

North Central

Retired Bishop Clifton Ives presents Bishop-elect Julius Trimble with a bishop's crest following his election as bishop.
A UMNS photo by Kathy l. Gilbert.

United Methodists in the North Central Jurisdiction, meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., elected Julius Calvin Trimble as a new bishop. Bishop Trimble was assigned to the denomination’s Iowa Area for the next four years.

Trimble was elected to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, president of the Council of Bishops, will move to the Illinois Area, where Christopher was leading the church’s Illinois Great Rivers Conference. Palmer has been serving the Iowa Area (Iowa Conference).

The North Central College of Bishops requested that Bishop Bruce R. Ough remain in the Ohio West Area (West Ohio Conference), where he has already served two terms.

The seven other active North Central bishops are being reassigned for second terms in their areas:

Bishop Michael J. Coyner, Indiana Area (North and South Indiana conferences).
Bishop Sally Dyck, Minnesota Area (Minnesota Conference).
Bishop John L. Hopkins, Ohio East Area (East Ohio Conference).
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area (Northern Illinois Conference).
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, Michigan Area (Detroit and West Michigan conferences).
Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey, Dakota Area (Dakotas Conference).
Bishop Linda Lee, Wisconsin Area (Wisconsin Conference).

Northeastern

Bishop Peggy Johnson blesses the communion elements during her consecration service at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
A UMNS photo by Suzy Keenan.

Meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., United Methodists in the Northeastern Jurisdiction elected Peggy Johnson bishop. Johnson has been serving as pastor of Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf in Baltimore. She was assigned to the Philadelphia Area, comprising the Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsula-Delaware conferences.

Because of an earlier vote to redraw conference boundaries, two episcopal areas – New York West and Albany (N.Y.) – will be changed in 2010, becoming part of a new Upper New York Area. Bishop Marcus Matthews, who has led the Philadelphia Area, has been assigned to the New York West Area, covering the North Central New York and Western New York conferences.

The jurisdiction’s college of bishops is requesting the United Methodist Council of Bishops appoint retired Bishop Susan Hassinger to the Albany Area, according to Bishop John Schol. She has served there since the early retirement of Bishop Susan Morrison in 2006.

Seven other Northeastern bishops were assigned for second terms to their areas:

Bishop Peter Weaver, Boston Area (New England Conference).
Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Harrisburg Area (Central Pennsylvania Conference).
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New Jersey Area (Greater New Jersey Conference).
Bishop Jeremiah J. Park, New York Area (New York Conference).
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, Pittsburgh Area (Western Pennsylvania Conference).
Bishop John Schol, Washington Area (Baltimore-Washington Conference).
Bishop Ernest Lyght, West Virginia Area (West Virginia Conference).

Western

In Portland, Ore., delegates to the Western Jurisdictional Conference elected Grant Hagiya and Elaine J.W. Stanovsky as bishops.

Newly elected Bishops Grant Hagiya and Elaine J.W. Stanovsky are blessed by the Western Jurisdictional College of Bishops. A UMNS photo by Marta W. Aldrich.

Hagiya was appointed to lead the Seattle-based Pacific Northwest Conference and the Alaska Missionary Conference. A former district superintendent in Los Angeles, he is most recently executive director of Leadership Development and the Center of Leadership Excellence, a joint project of the church’s California-Pacific Annual Conference and the Claremont School of Theology.

Stanovsky is being sent from Seattle, where she has been a district superintendent, to the Denver Area, where she will oversee the Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone conferences.

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., who has served the Denver Area for eight years, is returning to the San Francisco Area (California-Nevada Conference), where he served for 20 years as a pastor, district superintendent and conference council director.

Bishops returning to their current areas for second terms are:

Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Phoenix Area (Desert Southwest Conference).
Bishop Robert Hoshibata, Portland Area (Oregon-Idaho Conference).
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Los Angeles Area (California-Pacific Conference).

*This report was written with information from UMNS staff at the jurisdictional conferences, as well as from Neill Caldwell at the Southeastern gathering and Dan Gangler at the North Central conference.

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

Southeastern United Methodists assign bishops

North Central bishops receive 4-year assignments

Northeastern United Methodists assign bishops

Three South Central areas to welcome new bishops

Three Western U.S. bishops get new assignments

Resources

Episcopal Elections

Southeastern Jurisdiction

North Central Jurisdiction

Northeastern Jurisdiction

South Central Jurisdiction

Western Jurisdiction

By Kathy L. Gilbert*
July 19, 2008 | GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (UMNS)

Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the newest bishop in The United Methodist Church’s North Central Jurisdiction.
A UMNS photo by Kathy
L. Gilbert.

Bishop Julius Calvin Trimble, the new United Methodist bishop in the North Central United States, has been assigned to the denomination’s Iowa Area for the next four years.

Assignments of bishops to all of the North Central Jurisdiction episcopal areas were announced July 19, during the consecration service for Trimble. They will take effect Sept. 1. The consecration service concluded the July 16-19 session of The United Methodist Church’s North Central Jurisdictional Conference.

Trimble was elected to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, president of the Council of Bishops, will move to the Illinois Area, where Christopher was leading the church’s Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference. Palmer has been serving the Iowa Area (Iowa Conference).

The North Central College of Bishops requested that Bishop Bruce R. Ough remain in the Ohio West Area (West Ohio Conference), where he has already served two terms. Bishops typically serve one area for two four-year terms, but they may be appointed for up to 12 years for "missional reasons."

The seven other active North Central bishops have served in their current locations for the past four years and have been assigned to second terms there. They are:

Bishop Michael J. Coyner, Indiana Area (North and South Indiana annual conferences).
Bishop Sally Dyck, Minnesota Area (Minnesota Conference).
Bishop John L. Hopkins, Ohio East Area (East Ohio Conference).
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area (Northern Illinois Conference).
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, Michigan Area (Detroit and West Michigan conferences).
Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey, Dakota Area (Dakotas Conference).
Bishop Linda Lee, Wisconsin Area (Wisconsin Conference).

The North Central Jurisdiction is home to United Methodists in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The North Central is one of five U.S. jurisdictions along with seven central conferences that serve United Methodists around the globe.

The jurisdictional conferences meet every four years, primarily to elect bishops and to assign or reassign bishops to geographic areas.

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

Julius C. Trimble elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church

Resources

North Central Jurisdiction

Episcopal Elections

The Rev. Paul Leeland (center) and his wife, Janet, are congratulated following his election as bishop as Bishop Alfred Gwinn looks on.
UMNS photos by Cathy Farmer.

July 19, 2008 | LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS)

The new United Methodist bishop in the Southeastern United States has been assigned to the denomination’s Alabama-West Florida Area for the next four years.

Bishop Paul L. Leeland will oversee the Alabama-West Florida Annual (regional) Conference, which encompasses southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

The assignments for 13 episcopal areas were announced July 18 during The United Methodist Church’s Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference and will take effect Sept. 1. The conference, which began July 16, concludes July 19 with a consecration service.

Four other active Southeastern bishops who have served in their current locations for at least four years have received new assignments. They are:

Bishop Lindsey Davis, Louisville Area (covering the Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary conferences). He is moving from North Georgia.
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster, Charlotte Area (Western North Carolina Conference); moving from Alabama-West Florida.
Bishop James R. King Jr., South Georgia Area (South Georgia Conference); moving from the Louisville Area.
Bishop B. Michael Watson, North Georgia Area (North Georgia Conference); moving from South Georgia.

The Rev. Paul Leeland reacts as his election to the episcopacy is announced July 17 at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference meeting in Lake Junaluska

Eight bishops in the jurisdiction will return to their areas for the next four years. In most instances, a bishop is assigned to an area for no more than eight years, although she or he may be assigned for 12 for "missional reasons."

Bishop Alfred W. Gwinn Jr., Raleigh Area (North Carolina Conference); second assignment.
Bishop Charlene Payne Kammerer, Richmond Area (Virginia Conference); second assignment.
Bishop James E. Swanson Sr., Holston Area (Holston Conference); second assignment.
Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor, Columbia Area (South Carolina Conference); second assignment.
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Mississippi Area (Mississippi Conference); second assignment.
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, Florida Area (Florida Conference); third assignment.
Bishop William H. Willimon, Birmingham Area (North Alabama Conference); second assignment.
Bishop Richard J. Wills Jr., Nashville Area (Memphis and Tennessee conferences); second assignment.

The Southeastern Jurisdiction is home to United Methodists in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The Southeastern is one of five U.S. jurisdictions along with seven central conferences that serve United Methodists around the globe.

The jurisdictional conferences are held every four years with the primary purpose of electing and assigning bishops.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, 615-742-5470 , or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Paul Leeland elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church

Resources

Southeastern Jurisdicton

Episcopal Elections

Newly elected United Methodist bishops in the South Central U.S. are (from left) John Michael Lowry, W. Earl Bledsoe and James E. “Jim” Dorff. They and other regional bishops received their assignments July 19.
A UMNS photo by Linda Green.

By Linda Green*
July 19, 2008 | DALLAS (UMNS)

United Methodists in three episcopal areas of the South Central Jurisdiction will welcome new bishops Sept. 1.

Assignments for 11 South Central bishops – including three who are newly elected – were announced July 19 during the pre-dawn hours of the final business session of the jurisdiction’s 2008 gathering in Dallas. The bishops will serve an eight-state region, with assignments running through Aug. 31, 2012.

The new bishops were consecrated later in the morning July 19 at First United Methodist Church, Dallas. The service concluded the jurisdictional conference, which began July 16. The conference is held every four years with the primary purpose of electing and assigning bishops.

Assignments for the new bishops serving in the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church:

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, 57, succeeds Bishop Alfred L. Norris in the Dallas Area (North Texas Annual Conference). Norris, who retired in 2004, re-entered active service following the 2006 death of North Texas Conference Bishop Rhymes Moncure Jr. A new bishop, Bledsoe was superintendent of the Bryan/West District in the Texas Conference.
Bishop James E. "Jim" Dorff, 61, is assigned to the San Antonio Area (Rio Grande and Southwest Texas conferences). He was area provost of the North Texas Annual Conference. He succeeds Bishop Joel Martinez, 68, who is retiring after serving the area since 2000.
Bishop John Michael Lowry, 58, succeeds retiring Bishop Ben R. Chamness, 68, in the Fort Worth Area (Central Texas Conference). Chamness has served the area since 2000. Lowry was executive director of new church development and transformation of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference.

Assignments were also announced for the eight other active bishops in the jurisdiction. In most instances the returning bishops are serving a second term in the area.

Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr., 60, remains in the Oklahoma Area (Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary conferences).
Bishop Charles N. Crutchfield, 64, returns as episcopal leader of the Arkansas Area (Arkansas Conference).
Bishop Scott Jones, 54, remains in the Kansas Area (Kansas East and Kansas West conferences).
Bishop William W. Hutchinson, 66, will continue for a third term in the Louisiana Area (Louisiana Conference).
Bishop Robert C. Schnase, 50, remains in the Missouri Area (Missouri Conference).
Bishop Ann B. Sherer, 65, remains in the Nebraska Area (Nebraska Conference).
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, 61, returns to the Houston Area (Texas Conference).
Bishop D. Max Whitfield, 63, continues for a third term in the Northwest Texas-New Mexico Area (Northwest Texas and New Mexico conferences).

Bishops may serve one episcopal area for up to 12 years. The traditional tenure is two four-year terms. However, the third term is allowable for "missional reasons." Bishops in The United Methodist Church are elected for life but must retire from active administration at the jurisdictional conference following their 68th birthday. The 2008 General Conference raised the retirement age for bishops from 66 to 68.

Bishops are charged by the church’s Book of Discipline to "guard the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine and discipline of the church" and "lead all persons entrusted to their oversight in worship, in the celebration of the sacraments, and in their mission of witness and service in the world." They are also charged "to be prophetic voices and courageous leaders in the cause of justice for all people."

News Media Contact: Linda Green, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 , newsdesk@umcom.org.

W. Earl Bledsoe elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church

John Michael Lowry elected ab ihsop of The United Methodsit Church

Dorff election story

Lease of property issue heads to United Methiodst 'supreme court'

Delegates affirm leading land for Bush center

Resources

South Central Jurisdiction

Episcopal Elections

Newly elected United Methodist Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky is greeted by members of the church’s Denver Area, where she will serve the next four years. Episcopacy assignments were announced July 19 during the church’s Western Jurisdictional Conference. A UMNS photo by Marta W. Aldrich.

By Marta W. Aldrich*
July 19, 2008 | PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)

The Rev. Grant Hagiya is congratulated by Marilyn Magee Talbert after being elected bishop July 18. A UMNS photo by
Marta W. Aldrich.

Two United Methodist bishops elected in the Western United States have been assigned to the church’s Denver and Seattle areas, while one of the region’s four other bishops is leaving the Rocky Mountains to return to California.

Under assignments announced July 19, Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky, elected only hours earlier by the United Methodist Western Jurisdictional Conference, is being sent from Seattle, where she has been a district superintendent, to the Denver Area, where she will oversee the Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone annual (regional) conferences.

The Denver Area is the church’s largest geographic conference in the contiguous United States and includes Colorado, Utah and the southeastern two-thirds of Wyoming.

Meeting with members from Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone following the announcement, Stanovsky offered thanks for their "warm welcome" as she was presented a basket filled with hometown maps, caps, books and even salt water taffy.

"I’m sensing a spirit of openness to building new partnerships to strengthen and grow the church," she said later.

Bishop Grant Hagiya, elected to the episcopacy July 18, will head to the Seattle-based Pacific Northwest Conference, which includes Washington, a portion of Idaho and the Alaska Missionary Conference. A former district superintendent in Los Angeles, Hagiya is most recently executive director of Leadership Development and the Center of Leadership Excellence, a joint project of the church’s California-Pacific Annual Conference and the Claremont School of Theology.

"We didn’t talk business," said Hagiya of his brief meeting with his new flock after the announcement. "There was very much a sense of hospitality. Hopefully, it will model the radical hospitality we wish to have for the whole conference."

Coming home

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., after serving the church’s Denver Area for the past eight years, is returning to the San Francisco Area, where he was a member for 20 years as a pastor, district superintendent and conference council director. His new assignment involves overseeing the California-Nevada Conference, which includes northern California and Nevada.

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr. and his wife, Minnie, are greeted by members of the California-Nevada Conference. A UMNS photo by Marta W. Aldrich.

"I’m serving the church so I was prepared to go where sent," Brown said. "But it’s exciting to go somewhere that I have existing relationships."

Bishops remaining in their current assignments are Minerva Carcaño, beginning a second four-year term in the Phoenix Area, which covers the Desert Southwest Conference in Arizona; Robert Hoshibata, beginning a second term in the Portland Area, which oversees the Oregon-Idaho Conference; and Mary Ann Swenson, beginning a third term in the Los Angeles Area and the California-Pacific Conference, which includes southern California, Guam and Hawaii. Swenson also will supervise the jurisdiction’s Korean mission.

All assignments become effective Sept. 1.

Applause erupted among delegates and visitors as the assignments were announced July 19, the closing day of the Western Jurisdictional Conference. The gathering had begun July 16 and included bishops’ elections that went into the early-morning hours of the final day. After the assignments were announced, members of each area surrounded their bishop in a show of support, accompanied by hymns and other songs.

Brown clapped and sang along as his group burst into "San Francisco, here I come/ right back where I started from."

Ripe for growth

The Western Jurisdiction’s six bishops supervise an area that is home to 390,000 United Methodists in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, as well as Guam and other U.S. territories in the Pacific.

Delegates and guests meet in Portland, Ore., for the United Methodist Western Jurisdictional Conference. A UMNS photo
by Linda Sullivan.

The Western United States is considered a region ripe for evangelism and church growth for The United Methodist Church, which has designated starting new churches as one of its four denominational areas of focus, along with renewing existing congregations.

A consecration service for the new and existing bishops was scheduled for later July 19 in Portland. The two vacancies on the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops were created by the retirement of Bishop Beverly Shamana and the resignation of Bishop Edward Paup, who has been elected to lead the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

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

Stanovsky elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church

Hagiya elected a bishop of The United Methodist Church

Bishop rules Cal-Nevada statement on same-sex unions 'void'

NEJ affirms Calif. clergy on same-gender marriages

Resources

Western Jurisdiction

Episcopal Elections

Bishop Beverly Shamana presides June 19 over the California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference in Sacramento, Calif. A UMNS file photo by Paul "Spud" Hilton.

By Marta W. Aldrich*
July 18, 2008 | PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)

Retired United Methodist clergy in northern California and Nevada could face disciplinary charges if they perform same-gender marriage ceremonies in the wake of a California court ruling that allows gay couples to marry, their bishop says.

While the church’s California-Nevada legislative assembly approved a resolution in June commending retired clergy who have offered to perform such ceremonies, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana has issued a ruling declaring the statement “void and of no effect.”

“While the resolution is a commendable gesture to the congregations of the conference in offering the pastoral counsel of a number of retired clergy to persons contemplating same-gender marriage under the laws of California, it steps over a disciplinary line when it commends these clergy to the congregations for the purpose of ‘performing same gender marriages or holy unions,’” Shamana wrote in her ruling of law.

Meanwhile, an organizer of the retired clergy said the bishop’s ruling would not deter the pastors from performing the ceremonies.

“Nothing has changed by the bishop calling the resolution null and void,” said the Rev. Don Fado, a retired United Methodist pastor in Sacramento. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re available, and the conference knows we’re available, and we’ve made our witness and will continue to do so.”

Ruling of law

The ruling of law was requested immediately after the church’s California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference approved the resolution on June 21. The ruling was sent July 2 to the United Methodist Judicial Council, the church’s top court, which will review the matter at its October session. A copy of the ruling was obtained by United Methodist News Service during the church’s Western Jurisdictional Conference, meeting July 16-19 in Portland, where a new bishop was being elected to replace the retiring Shamana.

Sixty-seven retired clergy signed on to offer their services under the original resolution. The list has since grown to 82, according to Fado.

The resolution lists the names of retired clergy wanting to participate and states that the conference “commends its retired clergy for offering continued ministry and will communicate to its congregations the availability of the following retired pastors to perform same gender marriages or holy unions.”

In her ruling, Shamana says the denomination’s Book of Discipline declares that performing same-sex marriage ceremonies is a chargeable offense.

“It is not within the power or prerogative of an annual conference to offer the services of its clergy to perform acts which the General Conference has declared to be chargeable offenses against the law of The United Methodist Church,” Shamana wrote.

The United Methodist Church, while affirming all people as persons “of sacred worth,” considers the practice of homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Its law book prohibits its pastors and churches from conducting ceremonies celebrating homosexual unions. The denominational statements were affirmed in a split vote last spring by General Conference, the church’s top legislative body that meets once every four years.

The Rev. Ronald Greilich, who asked Shamana for the ruling of law, said he was pleased with the bishop’s conclusion.

“The Discipline is very specific that United Methodist clergy are not to do gay and lesbian weddings and they’re not to be held in the churches, and to do so is a chargeable offense,” said Greilich, a retired pastor in Clovis, Calif.

Greilich is writing a brief to submit to the Judicial Council in support of Shamana’s ruling. “This is what our book of rules says, and if we’re going to be United Methodists in covenant with one another, we should do what we promised to do when we were ordained, which is to support The United Methodist Church,” he said.

Making a statement

Fado said many retired clergy in California-Nevada actually have been “doing holy unions for three years”--under the radar. However, he said, they felt compelled to make a statement about their availability in the wake of last spring’s ruling by the California Supreme Court, overturning a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

“It is not within the power or prerogative of an annual conference to offer the services of its clergy to perform acts which the General Conference has declared to be chargeable offenses against the law of The United Methodist Church.”
–Bishop Beverly J. Shamana

The resolution “was a chance to make a witness on where we stand and give courage to pastors in the connection that we’re willing to do it,” Fado said. “… We’re saying this is an act of collegiality to be of support to pastors who feel for any reason they cannot perform the ceremony.”

Fado said retired clergy listed in the resolution are among the leaders in the California-Nevada Conference, which includes northern California and the state of Nevada. They include 15 former district superintendents, 11 who have been delegates to General Conference and 10 who have served as conference staff.

The church’s California-Pacific assembly also passed gay-friendly statements in June in southern California, after the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 16.

Some denominational leaders have subsequently expressed concern that the two conferences are on the verge of breaking a Scripturally based covenant with the rest of the 11.5 million-member denomination, as expressed through the Book of Discipline and actions of General Conference, which is the only body that can speak for the entire United Methodist Church.

They say the church’s position is based on biblical teaching and Christian tradition, which they note is often at odds with popular culture.

Gay rights advocates say gay rights are God-given civil rights that the church should support as a matter of conscience and that the church, in its quest to be more inclusive, should extend to gay couples the same levels of support it provides to heterosexual couples.

At the church’s Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., delegates voted July 17 to support retired California-Nevada clergy who perform the marriage ceremonies. The resolution also asks for lenient disciplinary action against clergy who disobey church law on the issue.

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

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

NEJ affirms Calif. clergy on same-gender marriages

California United Methodists react to same-sex ruling

United Methodists uphold sexuality stance

Demonstrators call church's 'anti-gay' policies sinful

D.C. Foundry church will honor same-sex unions

Resources

What is the denomination's position on homosexuality?

California-Nevada Annual Conference

General Conference 2008

United Methodist Western Jurisdictional Conference guests in Portland, Ore., applaud the passage of a resolution by the Northeastern Jurisdiction in support of California United Methodist clergy who choose to perform same-sex marriages.
A UMNS photo by Cate Monaghan.

By Maidstone Mulenga*
July 18, 2008 | HARRISBURG, Pa. (UMNS)

In sharp contrast to the action taken at the United Methodist General Conference last spring, delegates to the denomination’s Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference voted July 17 to support clergy in California who choose to perform same-gender marriages.

The delegates approved a resolution expressing respect for pastors in the California-Pacific and California-Nevada annual (regional) conferences “who as a matter of Christian conscience, spiritual discernment and prophetic witnessing” opt to participate in the celebration of same-gender marriages that are not approved by the church.

The resolution also asks for lenient disciplinary action against clergy who disobey church law on the issue.

The 2008 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, voted to retain its ban on same-gender marriages and to bar clergy from performing such marriages or consecrating them in the church. Pastors who perform same-gender unions risk losing their clergy credentials. The assembly met April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Division among Northeastern Jurisdiction delegates over the resolution prompted passionate debate from supporters and opponents. Bishop Jane Allen Middleton of the Harrisburg Area, who was presiding over the session, prayed for holy discernment before the delegates voted.

On May 15, the California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-gender marriage, ruling that the state constitution protects that “right to marry.”

The California-Pacific Annual Conference, which met in June, approved measures that support same-gender couples entering into the marriage covenant and encouraged congregations and pastors to “welcome, embrace and provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care for these families.”

The neighboring California-Nevada Annual Conference approved similar measures, including one that lists about 80 retired United Methodist clergy who have offered to conduct same-gender marriage ceremonies on behalf of those clergy who feel they cannot do it themselves.

After the Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference resolution was passed, Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the Los Angeles Area read it to the Western Jurisdiction Conference in Portland, Ore. Delegates and guests greeted it with a standing ovation.

The five U.S. jurisdictional conferences of The United Methodist Church are meeting to elect and assign bishops for the next four years and to handle other business. The Northeastern Jurisdiction is meeting July 13-18.

*Mulenga is a reporter for the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle, the communications committee chairperson for the Western New York Annual Conference, and a delegate to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

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

Working with the deaf

Johnson, 54, said later in a press conference that she “always had an affinity with the disabled community” because she was born with one eye and has an artificial eye.

She had planned for a career in music education, but suffered a personal crisis after losing her singing voice. She was so impressed when she saw a deaf choir perform for the first time that she signed up for the first of many sign-language classes, even though she is not deaf.

After graduating in 1980 from Asbury Theological Seminary – where she met her husband, the Rev. Michael Johnson – she returned to Baltimore. When an opening at Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf came up eight years later, she took the opportunity.

Besides leading the day-to-day operations at Christ Church, with a staff of four, Johnson has coordinated the Baltimore-Washington Conference’s deaf ministry for the past 20 years and has supported a deaf ministry program in Zimbabwe since 2000. She also worked for four years as a deaf ministry consultant for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Johnson founded and directed deaf children’s camps, a deaf-blind camp and young adult deaf camps, led the Global United Methodist Conference of the Deaf in 2005 and taught about deaf culture at Wesley Theological Seminary for 11 years.

Her personal theology of inclusion and empowerment of the disabled also has led to hands-on ministry at state institutions, including the prison, deaf school, mental health facility and developmentally disabled group homes. She directs a traveling sign language choir that has performed more than 400 times around the United Methodist connection during the past 20 years.

Advocating on HIV/AIDS

When the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit the deaf population in the late 1980s, Johnson began advocating for that issue as well, eventually convincing the state of Maryland to set up HIV/AIDS education programs for the deaf. “Our church went out on the road, in tandem with the state of Maryland, to teach deaf people about HIV/AIDS,” she said.

For her efforts, she received the “HIV/AIDS Activist Award” from the Family Service Foundation of Baltimore in 2004 and the “Helping Hand Award” from the Maryland Association of the Deaf in 1991 and 2005. She currently serves on the mental health task force of the Governor’s Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Johnson, the mother of two grown sons, has family roots in the church as deep as her roots in Baltimore. She represents the Evangelical United Brethren side of the merger with the Methodist Church that created The United Methodist Church 40 years ago. Johnson said her maternal great grandfather built the third EUB church in Baltimore, and each of his 10 children helped establish new churches in other parts of what was then Baltimore County.

On her father’s side, her grandfather, born in 1875 in England, was part of the original Salvation Army, working with founder William Booth, a former Methodist minister.

Johnson herself was baptized, confirmed and married in Lansdowne United Methodist Church, a suburban Baltimore congregation. She and her husband were co-pastors at Lansdowne from 1985 to 1993 and he again is its pastor, just starting his eighth year there.

*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.

Audio Interview with Bishop-elect Peggy Johnson

“Our theology sends us out into the streets for acts of ministry to the world.”

“My father’s father…helped people become saved.”

Episcopal elections

Small groups, formed across annual conference lines, will interview episcopal candidates on July 15. The conference’s opening session will occur the morning of July 16, with the boundaries committee report, episcopacy committee report and first episcopal ballot scheduled for the afternoon. Bishop Jane Middleton, leader of the host Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference, will deliver the "State of the Jurisdiction" episcopal address.

Middleton, 67, was facing retirement, but General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, voted last spring to extend the mandatory retirement age by two years. Now, bishops must retire on Aug. 31 following the regular session of the jurisdictional conference if the bishop's 68th birthday is reached on or before July 1 of the year in which the jurisdictional conference is held.

After the General Conference vote, Middleton, who was elected a bishop in 2004, said she was "very grateful to have another four years to serve in this way."

Bishop Violet L. Fisher of Rochester, N.Y., one of three African-American women elected bishop in 2000, will retire on Aug. 31. She has served the New York West Area the past eight years.

Both Fisher and Bishop Susan Morrison––who took early retirement and was replaced by retired Bishop Susan Hassinger in the Albany Area––will be honored at a reception at 8 p.m. on July 16 during the conference.

A new bishop is expected to be elected at some point on July 17. The conference will conclude the morning of July 18 with the assignment of conferences and bishops to episcopal areas and a service of consecration for bishops.

Information about episcopal elections in all five U.S. jurisdictions of The United Methodist Church can be found at www.umc.org/elections2008.

*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.

Jurisdictional conferences will elect, assign bishops

United Methodists consider new Northeast boundaries

United Methodists raise bishops' retirement age

Northeast United Methodist bishops get assignments

Resources

Episcopal Elections

Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference

United Methodist bishops take a group photograph during their October 2004 Council of Bishops meeting at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island, Ga. In July, five jurisdictional conferences are expected to elect nine new U.S. bishops.
A UMNS file photo by Mike DuBose.

A UMNS Report
By J. Richard Peck*
May 14, 2008

With the 2008 United Methodist General Conference now adjourned, denominational attention shifts to July gatherings of jurisdictional conferences at which nine new U.S. bishops are expected to be elected.

Like the worldwide legislative meeting held April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas, jurisdictional conferences meet once every four years. However, while General Conference handles denominational matters across the globe, each jurisdictional gathering covers business related to one of the church's five regional jurisdictions in the United States.

Illinois Area Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher, who is retiring at the end of this term, delivers the Episcopal Address at General Conference.
A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

The primary business of jurisdictional conferences is the election and assignment of bishops. Up to 11 spots for new episcopal leaders could be open due to 10 possible retirements and the resignation of Seattle Area Bishop Edward Paup, who has been elected chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. (See chart.)

However, it appears likely that the Northeastern Jurisdiction will elect only two bishops instead of three. And since General Conference extended the retirement age from 66 to 68, at least one of the three bishops now eligible to continue in office has indicated a desire to do so.

The conferences will meet simultaneously July 16-19 in their respective regions, except for the Northeastern Jurisdiction, which meets July 13-18. The locations are: North Central, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Northeastern, Harrisburg, Pa.; Southeastern, Lake Junaluska, N.C.; South Central, Dallas; and Western, Portland, Ore.

Here is a primer on some of the issues and changes related to this year's jurisdictional meetings:

Fewer U.S. bishops

General Conference approved a plan that will result in one less bishop in four of the five U.S. jurisdictions, beginning in 2012.

Under the new U.S. formula, all but the Southeastern Jurisdiction will have one less bishop. The Southeastern Jurisdiction already has one less than the current formula allows, and it is not requesting an additional episcopal leader.

The new formula will take effect Jan. 1, 2009, however, so it will not affect the number of bishops elected in the United States in July.

A Task Force to Study the Episcopacy, mandated by the 2004 General Conference, proposed the reduction to save money. The proposal was approved 457-401, and delegates also agreed by a vote of 435-394 that the $4.8 million anticipated savings will be used to fund new episcopal areas outside the United States. Those new areas—each to be led by a bishop—will not be created until the 2012 General Conference.

The current formula entitles each jurisdiction with 500,000 church members or fewer to have six bishops. Jurisdictions with more than 500,000 members are entitled to one additional bishop for each 320,000 members. There is a provision for additional bishops if episcopal areas average more than 55,000 square miles.

The task force noted that the current formula results in inequities in the number of churches per bishop (ranging from 256 to 928) and the number of members per bishop (ranging from 58,970 to 225,814).

The new formula provides for one bishop for every 150,000 members, or one bishop for 100,000 members in jurisdictions where episcopal areas average more than 55,000 square miles.

Retirement age and limits

The assembly also voted to raise the retirement age of bishops from 66 to 68. A bishop must retire Aug. 31 following the regular session of the jurisdictional conference if the bishop reaches his or her 68th birthday on or before July 1 of the year in which the jurisdictional conference is held.

Fort Worth Area Bishop Benjamin Chamness is among U.S. bishops retiring this year. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

The change, which took effect when General Conference adjourned, gives Louisiana Area Bishop William Hutchinson, Harrisburg (Pa.) Area Bishop Jane Middleton, and Charlotte (N.C.) Area Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey the option of proceeding with retirement or serving for another four years. Middleton told United Methodist News Service she probably will continue for another term. Hutchinson and McCleskey have not made public announcements.

Before the 2008 General Conference, a bishop was required to move to a new episcopal area after serving two four-year terms unless a two-thirds majority of the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy and a two-thirds majority of the jurisdictional conference approved the bishop remaining in that appointment an additional four years. General Conference deleted the two-thirds vote requirement, so bishops may remain in an episcopal area for a third term without special action.

Assigning bishops

Twice as many U.S. delegates participate in jurisdictional conferences as in General Conference. Equal numbers of lay and clergy members are elected by their respective annual conferences.

Within each jurisdiction, a committee on episcopacy consists of one clergy and one lay person from each annual conference. The committee is responsible for reviewing the work and character of the bishops, and the committee assigns the bishops to their areas. The jurisdictional conference has the authority to affirm or reject the assignments. If the conference rejects the assignments, the committee must make new assignments.

The assignment for bishops elected at the 2008 jurisdictional conferences becomes effective Sept. 1, 2008.

In rare cases, an Inter-jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, elected by General Conference delegates, can transfer bishops across jurisdictional lines if the bishops and the jurisdictions consent.

Electing new bishops

People considered for the episcopacy are generally nominated by an annual conference or endorsed by jurisdictional conference delegates from the various annual conferences. Delegates from those annual conferences are not required to vote for the candidate from their conferences, and balloting is not limited to nominees. In the Northeastern Jurisdiction, a person can be endorsed by a caucus listed in the United Methodist Directory.

Each jurisdiction devises its own means of providing information about the candidates. In the Western Jurisdiction, for example, nominees are invited to give speeches and later answer delegates' questions during "fishbowl" meetings prior to the first ballot. In other jurisdictions, candidates go from one small group to the next answering questions posed by delegates.

2008 Jurisdictional Conference Representation

   North Central Jurisdiction––Grand Rapids, Mich.
         276 delegates.
   Northeastern Jurisdiction––Harrisburg, Pa.
         252 delegates
   Southeastern Jurisdiction––Lake Junaluska, N.C.
         504 delegates
   South Central Jurisdiction––Dallas
         296 delegates
   Western Jurisdiction––Portland, Ore.
         80 delegates

Each jurisdiction can establish the percentage of votes needed for election. The church's Book of Discipline recommends 60 percent.

The number of required ballots varies from year to year. Voting by ballot continues until someone reaches the required number of votes.

In 2004, the Northeastern Jurisdiction elected two bishops on the first two ballots. However, it took 34 ballots for the Southeastern Jurisdiction to elect the Rev. Mary Virginia Taylor as its sixth and final bishop.

The record for lengthy elections was established in 1980 in the Western Jurisdictional Conference. In that year, the Rev. Calvin McConnell attended as chair of a Rocky Mountain Conference campaign to elect the Rev. Jamison Jones to the episcopacy. After 47 ballots, however, McConnell was elected to that office. "I hope no one ever comes near to that many ballots," McConnell said in a recent interview.

The new bishop's consecration service was scheduled for 1 p.m. but, since McConnell was not elected until 5 p.m., the service was held at 9 p.m., long after the other jurisdictional conferences had adjourned. "I had to borrow a white shirt, tie and robe for the service," said the now-retired bishop.

Candidates for bishop do not have to live within the jurisdiction where they are elected. In 1984, the Rev. Leontine T.C. Kelly was serving as pastor of a church in Richmond, Va.––part of the Southeastern Jurisdiction––when she was elected bishop in the Western Jurisdiction.

A consecration service is held at the conclusion of the jurisdictional conferences in which bishops are consecrated (not ordained) to the office, and bishops are assigned to their episcopal areas.

South Central: Bush library

The conferences also handle jurisdictional business.

The South Central Jurisdiction is expected to address a 2007 decision by its Mission Council to lease property on the campus of Southern Methodist University to build the George W. Bush presidential library, museum and policy institute.

The campus of Southern Methodist University has been chosen as the site of the Bush presidential library, museum and policy institute. A UMNS photo courtesy of Southern Methodist University.

The 21-member Mission Council serves as the executive committee of the conference to oversee ministry during the four years between jurisdictional meetings. The extent of the council's power became a central issue when SMU, which is owned by the jurisdiction, asked to give the Bush Foundation a 99-year lease for the project and make the lease renewable up to 249 years. United Methodists opposing the plan, citing the Iraq war and many Bush policies, questioned the appropriateness of linking the Bush presidency with SMU and argued that the school would have no control over the complex.

The opponents said only the jurisdictional conference can give final approval for the lease. However, university officials and 10 bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction disagreed (one abstained). They said jurisdictional rules permit the Mission Council to make decisions between sessions every four years.

Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones, president of the South Central College of Bishops, said the bishops considered convening a special session of the jurisdictional conference. "The proposal was rejected because that is not the normal way we make decisions," Jones said.

The outcome is uncertain. David Severe, jurisdictional secretary, told UMNS that it is not clear whether the decision needs to be ratified or just reported. "It’s a matter of interpretation," he said, "and I’m only the secretary."

A resolution to General Conference called for the denomination to prevent the "leasing, selling or otherwise participating in or supporting the presidential library for George W. Bush at Southern Methodist University." The assembly referred the resolution to the jurisdictional conference.

Northeastern: New boundaries

Jurisdictional conferences are responsible for establishing the boundaries of the annual conferences.

Wyoming Annual Conference delegates vote in 2007 to approve creation of a new annual conference that would replace
two current episcopal areas.
A UMNS file photo by Don Perry.

Meeting in concurrent adjourned sessions, members of North Central New York, Troy, Western New York and Wyoming annual conferences voted in 2007 to ask the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference to create a new episcopal area and a new annual conference from all or portions of these and/or other contiguous conferences. They propose that the Pennsylvania churches of the Wyoming Annual Conference align with the Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference, and that the Vermont churches of the Troy Annual Conference align with the New England Annual Conference.

Conversations already have taken place between Wyoming and Central Pennsylvania conferences regarding the merger of Wyoming churches in Pennsylvania.

Mark Marino, director of connectional ministries for the Wyoming Conference, said Central Pennsylvania Conference has "been very welcoming" to pastors serving in Pennsylvania. "There’s a lot of excitement about ministry in new areas," he said.

"The resolution regarding the eastern boundary of the proposed conference will be contingent on conversations among Troy, New England Conference and the churches of Vermont," said the Rev. Sidney Sadio, chair of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Boundaries Committee and pastor of New Brunswick (N.J.) United Methodist Church. "We won’t put forth a resolution to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference until we know what happens in those annual conferences and the responses of Vermont churches."

If approved by the jurisdiction, the new structure would be implemented in 2010. A special team then would begin to resolve issues of structure, policies, programs and practices. The plan would reduce the number of bishops in the jurisdiction from 10 to nine.

*Peck is a retired clergy member of the New York Annual Conference and former editor of Newscope, Circuit Rider, the International Christian Digest and the Daily Christian Advocate.

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

By J. Richard Peck*
April 30, 2008 | FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)

Delegates to the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church approved a plan that will result in one less bishop in each of four of the five U.S. jurisdictions, beginning in 2012.

In an April 29 legislative session, delegates agreed that savings from those reductions will be used to fund new episcopal areas outside the United States. Those new areas—each to be led by a bishop—will not be created until the 2012 General Conference

The North Central, Northeastern, South Central and Western jurisdictions will each have one less bishop under a new formula for determining the number of bishops. The action will not affect the Southeastern Jurisdiction, as it already has one less bishop than the present formula allows, and it is not requesting an additional Episcopal leader.

The new formula will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2009, so it will not affect the numbers of bishops to be elected in the U.S. in July.

Reduction in the number of bishops says we give in to decline, not staff for growth.” -The Rev. Deborah FisherThe new formula will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2009, so it will not affect the numbers of bishops to be elected in the U.S. in July.

A Task Force to Study the Episcopacy, mandated by the 2004 General Conference, proposed the reduction, but the legislative committee considering the petition voted 44 to 13 not to recommend the new formula to the entire 992-member body. Only eight laypersons served on that 57-member committee.

The Rev. Thomas Eblen, delegate and director of congregational development for the Kentucky Annual (regional) Conference, noted that a task force has been studying the issue for four years, “so let’s listen to them.”

The Rev. Deborah Fisher of Northern Illinois opposed any reduction in the number of bishops. “Our own bishop is leading our conference to growth,” she said. “Reduction in the number of bishops says we give in to decline, not staff for growth.”

The Rev. Robert Long of Oklahoma City did not see any relationship between the number of bishops and church growth. He said he started a new congregation and did not see a bishop until his church reached 3,000 members.

The assembly adopted the proposal from the task force, 457 to 401. The conference then agreed, 435 to 394, that the $4.8 million anticipated savings will be used to fund new episcopal areas outside the United States.

Present and future formulas

At present, each jurisdiction having 500,000 church members or fewer is entitled to six bishops. Jurisdictions with more than 500,000 members are entitled to one additional bishop for each 320,000 members. There is a provision for additional bishops if episcopal areas average more than 55,000 square miles.

The task force noted that the current formula results in great inequities in the number of churches per bishop (256 to 928) and the number of members per bishop (58,970 to 225,814).

The new formula provides for one bishop for every 150,000 members or one bishop for 100,000 members in jurisdictions where episcopal areas average more than 55,000 square miles.

*Peck is a retired United Methodist clergyman and four-time editor of the Daily Christian Advocate now serving as an editor for United Methodist News Service during General Conference

News media contact: Kathy Noble or Tim Tanton, e-mail: newsdesk@umcom.org.

Phone calls can be made to the General Conference Newsroom in Fort Worth, Texas, at (817) 698-4405 until May 3. Afterward, call United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn., at (615) 742-5470.

Bishop Joel Martinez, who is among several bishops retiring this year, is presented a gift by the Rev. Edith Gleaves in appreciation of his service to the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. A UMNS photo by Cassandra Heller.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*
March 17, 2008

Some United Methodist annual (regional) conferences meeting this spring and summer will say goodbye to retiring bishops and become better acquainted with the candidates they have endorsed to succeed them.

The 2008 meetings will be the last for 11 retiring U.S. bishops. In July, their successors will be chosen by jurisdictional conferences, and the new bishops will begin serving effective Sept. 1. In addition, five bishops from the central conferences – regions in Africa, Asia and Europe – will retire this year or next.

Annual conference is the second of three major churchwide events this year in the United States. The 2008 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, convenes once every four years and meets April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. Afterwards, the church's 63 U.S. annual conferences meet individually during the spring and early summer, followed by the conferences for the five U.S. jurisdictions, which also convene once every four years, in July.

The Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church dance team enlivens opening worship for the Eastern Pennsylvania
2007 Annual Conference. A UMNS file
photo courtesy of the Eastern
Pennsylvania Conference. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Bishops hold the top clergy positions in The United Methodist Church and are elected in the United States for life. Bishops in Africa, Europe and Asia are elected for a specific term, and if they are not re-elected, they return to the pastorate and are no longer considered a bishop. Bishops outside the United States who retire while serving their term are considered bishops for life.

Retiring U.S. bishops as of Aug. 31 include one Hispanic man, one African-American man, four white men, two African-American women and three white women.

Church law requires U.S. bishops to retire after jurisdictional conference if turning 66 on or before July 1 of the jurisdictional year. Outside of the United States, different disciplinary requirements dictate the mandatory retirement age for bishops.

A Task Force to Study the Episcopacy is asking the 2008 General Conference to increase the mandatory retirement age by two years to 68.

Four bishops in the central conferences also are retiring this year: Joseph Humper of Sierra Leone; Benjamin Justo and Solito Toquero of the Philippines; and João Somane Machado of Mozambique. The retirement of Bishop Øystein Olsen of the Nordic and Baltic Area of Europe is effective in 2009. Their successors will be chosen at their respective central conference gatherings, which are held at various times throughout the year.

Jurisdictional conferences

The North Central Jurisdiction Conference convenes July 15-19 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Delegates will elect a bishop to succeed retiring Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher.

The Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference meets July 16-18 in Harrisburg, Pa., and will fill three openings left by the retirements of Bishops Violet Fisher, Jane Middleton and Susan Hassinger. Hassinger has served as an interim bishop to fulfill the unexpired term of Bishop Susan Morrison, who retired in 2006 for health reasons. When the delegates meet, they could decide to merge the episcopal areas of New York West and Albany, folding four conferences into one and reducing the number of bishops in the jurisdiction from 10 to nine. The proposed date for the change is 2010.

Wyoming Annual (regional) Conference delegates vote last Oct. 6 to approve creation of a new annual conference
to replace two episcopal areas in the Northeastern Jurisdiction. A UMNS file
photo by Dan Perry. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The South Central Jurisdiction meets July 16-19 in Dallas, where the retirements of four bishops will be on the agenda. Retiring are Bishops Benjamin Chamness, William Hutchinson, Joel Martinez and Alfred Norris. Norris has been serving as interim bishop since 2006 following the death of Bishop Rhymes Moncure.

The Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference convenes July 16-19 in Lake Junaluska, N.C., where delegates will elect a bishop to succeed retiring Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey.

The Western Jurisdiction Conference meets July 16-19 in Portland, Ore., and will fill two openings being left by the retirement of Bishop Beverly Shamana and the voluntary resignation of Bishop Edward Paup. Paup was elected March 11 to lead the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the church's mission agency, effective Sept. 1.

Annual conferences

The annual conference is the "basic unit" of the church, according to the denomination’s Book of Discipline. It may include an entire state, part of a state or even parts of two or more states. In addition, three U.S. missionary conferences rely on the denomination for funding.

During the annual conference gatherings in the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines, one-year appointments of all conference clergy members are announced. New deacons and elders are ordained, candidates for ordination approved, and special projects and ministries recognized. A bishop presides over each annual session.

The first session of 2008 conference gatherings was held in February when the Northwest Philippines Conference convened. The U.S. gatherings begin in May when the Red Bird Missionary Conference convenes May 9-10 in Coalgood, Ky., and will conclude June 22 with the adjournments of the California-Pacific Annual Conference in Redlands, Calif., and the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference in Salem, Ore.

The United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration lists the following annual conference meeting dates and places:

U.S. ANNUAL CONFERENCES

North Central Jurisdiction

Dakotas, June 4-7, Fargo, N.D.
Detroit, May 16-18, Adrian, Mich.
East Ohio, June 16-19, Lakeside, Ohio
Illinois Great Rivers, June 4-7, Peoria, Ill.
Iowa, June 5-8, Ames, Iowa
Minnesota, May 27-30 Saint Cloud, Minn.
North Indiana, May 29-31, West Lafayette, Ind.
Northern Illinois, June 5-7, Saint Charles, Ill.
South Indiana, June 5-7, Bloomington, Ind.
West Michigan, June 15-18, Grand Rapids, Mich.
West Ohio, June 9-12, Lakeside, Ohio
Wisconsin, June 8-11, Madison, Wis.

Northeastern Jurisdiction

Baltimore-Washington, May 22-24, Nation Harbor, Md.
Central Pennsylvania, June 5-7, Grantham, Pa.
Eastern Pennsylvania, May 29-30, Philadelphia
Greater New Jersey, May 29-31, King of Prussia, Pa.
New England, June 13-15, Wenham, Mass.
New York, June 11-14, Hempstead, N.Y.
North Central New York, May 30-June 1, Liverpool, N.Y.
Peninsula-Delaware, June 13-15, Princess Anne, Md.
Troy, June 4-7, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
West Virginia, June 5-8, Buckhannon, W.Va.
Western New York, June 13-15, Buffalo, N.Y.
Western Pennsylvania, June 12-15, Grove City, Pa.
Wyoming, May 28-31, Scranton, Pa.

South Central Jurisdiction

Arkansas, June 8-11, Hot Springs, Ark.
Central Texas, May 31-June 4, Fort Worth, Texas
Kansas East, June 4-7, Baldwin City, Kan.
Kansas West, May 28-30, Salina, Kan.
Louisiana, June 1-4, Shreveport, La.
Missouri, June 6-9, Springfield, Mo.
Nebraska, June 11-14, Lincoln, Neb.
New Mexico, June 3-6, Glorieta, N.M. (In joint session with Northwest Texas)
North Texas, June 8-11, Plano, Texas
Northwest Texas, June 3-6, Glorieta, N.M. (In joint session with New Mexico)
Oklahoma, May 25-29, Tulsa, Okla.
Oklahoma Indian Missionary, June 5-8, Antlers, Okla.
Rio Grande, June 12-14, Corpus Christi, Texas
Southwest Texas, June 4-7, Corpus Christi, Texas
Texas, May 25-28, The Woodlands, Texas

Southeastern Jurisdiction

Alabama-West Florida, June 1-4, Montgomery, Ala.
Florida, May 29-31, Lakeland, Fla.
Holston, June 8-11, Lake Junaluska, N.C. (Called session June 1 for clergy session and ordination at Central United Methodist Church, Knoxville, Tenn.)
Kentucky, June 1-4, Louisville, Ky.
Memphis, June 3-6, Jackson, Tenn.
Mississippi, June 8-10, Jackson, Miss.
North Alabama, June 5-7, Trussville, Ala.
North Carolina, June 11-14, Greenville, N.C.
North Georgia, June 17-20, Athens, Ga.
Red Bird Missionary, May 9-10, Coalgood, Ky.
South Carolina, June 1-4, Florence, S.C.
South Georgia, June 8-11, Columbus, Ga.
Tennessee, June 8-10, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Virginia, June 15-17, Roanoke, Va.
Western North Carolina, June 5-8, Lake Junaluska, N.C.

Western Jurisdiction

Alaska Missionary, May 30-June 1, Anchorage, Alaska
California-Nevada, June 18-21, Sacramento, Calif.
California-Pacific, June 18-22, Redlands, Calif.
Desert Southwest, June 12-15, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Oregon-Idaho, June 18-22, Salem, Ore.
Pacific Northwest, June 17-20, Moscow, Idaho
Rocky Mountain, June 18-21, Denver
Yellowstone, June 11-15, Billings, Mont.

CENTRAL CONFERENCES

(Complete information on some conferences is unavailable.)

Austria Provisional, May 15-18, Salzburg, Austria
Bulgaria Provisional, Sept. 4-7, Sofia, Bulgaria
Central Luzon Philippines, May 23-25, Baguio City, Philippines
Czech & Slovak Republics, May 22-25, Slovak Republic
Estonia, June 12-15, Tallinn, Estonia
Finland-Finnish-speaking Provisional, June 25-29
Finland-Swedish-speaking Provisional, June 14-17, Vasa, Finland
Germany East, Schwarzenberg, Germany
Germany North, Hamburg, Germany
Germany South, Deutschland, Germany
Hungary, April 9-12, Szolnok, Hungary
Liberia, Harper City, Maryland County, Liberia
North Central Philippines, Feb. 21-24, Tumanuini, Isabela, Philippines
Northeast Luzon Philippines, March 27-30, Baguio City, Philippines
Northeast Philippines, April 3-6, Rizal. Santiago City, Isabela, Philippines
Northern Philippines, June 5-8, Buguey, Cagayan, Philippines
Northwest Philippines, Feb. 7-10, Baguio City, Philippines
Norway, June 19-22, Stavanger, Norway
Pangasinan Philippines, May 15-18, Bani, Pangasinan, Philippines
Poland, June 13-15, Kielce, Poland
Serbia-Macedonia Provisional, Oct. 9-12, Strumica, Macedonia
Switzerland-France, June 26-29, Basel, Switzerland
Tarlac Philippines, Feb. 28-March 2, Matatalaib, Tarlac City, Philippines

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

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Annual conferences focus on starting new churches

Conference gatherings collect money for Nets, missions

Resources

2008 Annual Conference Schedule

Find Annual Conferences

Church structure and organization

General Conference 2008

Council of Bishops

What We Believe

Wyoming Annual (regional) Conference delegates vote to approve creation of a new annual conference that replaces two current episcopal areas in the Northeast Jurisdiction. A UMNS photo by Don Perry.

By United Methodist News Service*
Nov. 16, 2007

When delegates to the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church meet next July, they could decide to merge two episcopal areas, folding four conferences into one.

The jurisdictional boundaries committee is expected to consider the proposal – coming from four United Methodist annual (regional) conferences largely based in New York – when it meets in February.

The new episcopal area and its one conference essentially would replace two current episcopal areas – New York West and Albany – and reduce the number of bishops in the jurisdiction from 10 to nine. The proposed date for the change is in 2010.

On Oct. 6, members of the four annual conferences in Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont linked together electronically and overwhelmingly approved the resolution in a historic special session.

Christine Doran leads singing as Bishop Violet Fisher joins in during the North Central New York Annual Conference special session. A UMNS photo by
Sharon Fulmer.

The resolution reads: “The people of the North Central New York, Troy, Western New York and Wyoming, in order to revitalize the mission of The United Methodist Church in the region to make disciples of Jesus Christ, agree to request the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference to create a new Episcopal Area and a new Annual Conference from all or portions of these and/or other contiguous conferences, with the Pennsylvania churches of the Wyoming Annual Conference considering alignment with the Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference and the Vermont churches of the Troy Annual Conference considering alignment with the New England Annual Conference, to be implemented in 2010.”

Both the Wyoming Conference, which includes some churches in Pennsylvania, and the Troy Conference, which has some Vermont congregations, had passed enabling resolutions related the possibility of realigning conference boundaries along state lines.

Through an Internet connection designed specifically for the Oct. 6 special session, all clergy and lay members present at the four locations came face-to-face with their counterparts.

Bishop Violet Fisher presented a message from Liverpool, N.Y., where the North Central New York Conference was in session. Bishop Susan Hassinger was at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., for the Wyoming Conference, then appeared on screens in Liverpool and Jamestown, N.Y., as well as Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt., to present her part of the message for the opening worship service.

Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives, who served in West Virginia, presided in Western New York, and retired Bishop F. Herbert Skeete of New York presided in the Troy Conference.

“Three years ago, our four conferences began a dialogue which revealed a strong commitment and desire to respond effectively to Christ’s claim upon our lives and service,” Fisher said.

“We have been engaged in a spiritually grounded and prayerful process of discernment. We have been listening attentively for God’s will for our lives … for our future.”

Hassinger noted that the denominational boundaries have not always been the same as the current ones.

The four effected conferences vote simultaneously on Oct. 6 to approve the boundary changes. A UMNS photo
by Don Perry.

“We know we have not been all that we might be,” she added. “Often, we focus more on survival and maintenance than on reaching out in 21st-century ways that connect Christ with the people around us. In our local congregations and in our annual conferences and in the general church, we struggle how to provide the mission and service and outreach that Christ asks of us when financially and numerically we are declining.”

According to a formula in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, the number of bishops in a jurisdiction is based primarily on church membership. The recent membership decline in the Northeastern Jurisdiction meant a reduction in bishops was probable.

The Rev. Jan Marsi, who leads the Wyoming Conference’s boundaries task force, also told the special session delegates it is expected that the denomination’s 2008 General Conference will receive recommendations to reduce the number of bishops in each of the five U.S. jurisdictions by one.

Marsi pointed out that since the four conferences were among the jurisdiction’s smallest and the Albany Episcopal area was the last formed, in 1990, “we in these four annual conferences have had reason to feel that changes would likely affect our areas.”

The Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, chairperson of North Central New York Conference’s boundaries task force, said the four conferences believe the new episcopal area with its one conference can fulfill a new missional strategy for the region.

“We look toward the creation of a new annual conference which is strong enough to recruit and deploy leaders creatively, to support the ministries of its local churches and to communicate powerfully beyond our church walls,” he said.

*Information for this story was provided by directors of communications for the four conferences: Sandra Brands, Troy; Sharon Fulmer, North Central New York; Don Perry, Wyoming; and Marilyn Kasperek, Western New York.

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

Northeast to elect five new bishops

Northeast bishops get assignments

Changing demographics affecting church funding

Resources

Troy Conference

Wyoming Conference

North Central New York Conference

Western New York

Southern Methodist University has been named a finalist for the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Photo courtesy of Southern Methodist University.

A UMNS Report by Kathy L. Gilbert*
Jan. 19, 2007

A group of United Methodist clergy and lay people have launched an online petition drive to pressure Southern Methodist University to drop its bid for the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

But others in the denomination do not agree with that position. "What is now political controversy will, in a short time, become historical study," said one United Methodist bishop in response to the petition drive.

Bishop Scott Jones

In a letter, Scott Jones, bishop of the Kansas Area and a former SMU faculty member, said, "The proposed relationship between the Bush library and SMU is an important step forward for the university."

Opponents have said that Bush, a United Methodist, does not uphold United Methodist principles in his policies and that the university should not host his library.

Jones conceded that the president's church membership "has been controversial for some in our church who disagree with his policies," but he lauded the "wide spectrum of political views" within the denomination.

"I am grateful that the UMC includes both Senator Hillary Clinton and President Bush as active, faithful members. At times I disagree with both, and at times I agree with both. But they are my sister and brother in Christ, and I claim them as part of my United Methodist family," the bishop said.

The university was named the finalist for the presidential library Dec. 21, but a final decision about the location will not be made for a few more months. Southern Methodist University is one of 123 educational institutions related to the United Methodist Church. First lady Laura Bush is an SMU graduate.

President
George W. Bush

"Because SMU is owned by The United Methodist Church, the imposition of a George W. Bush library, museum and think tank at SMU will irreparably connect the denomination with this presidency," said the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver, one of the organizers of the "Protect SMU" petition drive and a graduate of SMU's Perkins School of Theology. "Members of the UMC, therefore, should be able to express their opinion on this matter before a final decision is reached."

As of Jan. 19, 10 bishops, including Joe A. Wilson, Hope Morgan Ward and Alfred W. Gwinn Jr., have signed the petition, as well as five clergy and three church members.

Southern Methodist University released a statement saying, "The opportunity for a group of United Methodist ministers to circulate a petition reflects the tradition and values of the church for open dialogue on important issues. Embracing those same values, we at SMU respect their right to express their views.

"As we have indicated, the presence of the Bush Library and Institute at SMU would support education, research and discussion on the important issues of this era - all activities that reflect the United Methodist heritage in higher education. The South Central Jurisdiction of the church organized SMU as a Texas nonprofit organization under the management and control of a board of trustees. Fifty percent of the board's membership is United Methodist, including three bishops and two ordained clergy."

The petition - www.protectSMU.org - is being circulated online with a goal to make the petition available to all members of The United Methodist Church, Weaver said.

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

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

Methodist ministers launch petition to stop Bush library at SMU

Methodist clergy launch anti-library petition (SMU campus newspaper)

SMU faculty forum addresses Bush library concerns

Resources

Southern Methodist University

Protect SMU Petition

Jurisdictional News Feature

German United Methodists re-elect Bishop Wenner

Bishop Yemba re-elected in the Congo

United Methodists in Africa elect first female bishop

Wrap-up: United Methodists elect, assign U.S. bishops for 2009-12

North Central bishops receive 4-year assignments

Create a printer-friendly page

Subscribe to election updates

Get election updates delivered to your desktop or your cell phone.

Subscribe to updates

Social Network

	United Methodist Church
	Hispanic UMC
	Korean UMC

Ask Now

This will not reach a local church, district or conference office. InfoServ* staff will answer your question, or direct it to someone who can provide information and/or resources.

First Name
Last Name
Email
Zip/ Postal Code		Phone (optional)
Country
Question

*InfoServ ( about ) is a ministry of United Methodist Communications located in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 1-800-251-8140

Not receiving a reply?
Your Spam Blocker might not recognize our email address. Add this address to your list of approved senders.

Would you like to ask any questions about this story?ASK US NOW

Catholic and Methodist roots

A growing area

South Central

Southeastern

North Central

Northeastern

Western

Coming home

Ripe for growth

Ruling of law

Making a statement

Working with the deaf

Advocating on HIV/AIDS

Episcopal elections

Fewer U.S. bishops

Retirement age and limits

Assigning bishops

Electing new bishops

South Central: Bush library

Northeastern: New boundaries

Present and future formulas

Jurisdictional conferences

Annual conferences

U.S. ANNUAL CONFERENCES North Central Jurisdiction

Northeastern Jurisdiction

South Central Jurisdiction

Southeastern Jurisdiction

Western Jurisdiction

CENTRAL CONFERENCES

Related Resources

Learn More

Jurisdictional Web sites

Subscribe to election updates

Social Network

Ask Now

U.S. ANNUAL CONFERENCES

North Central Jurisdiction