UMNS Weekly Digest
September 4, 2009
NOTE: This is a digest of news features provided by United Methodist Communications for August 31-September 4. It includes summaries of stories, UMTV video reports and additional briefs from United Methodist News Service. Full versions of the stories with photographs and related features can be found at http://umns.umc.org.
Stories this week:
Plus
UMTV
PEARLINGTON, Miss. (UMNS)—Young Skylar Ritchie talks about Hurricane Katrina as if it blew through town last night, instead of four years ago. "The water came in my room," the 10-year-old says. "My dad, he had to use the boat to get us out. We didn't have a lot of fun for a long time. That's why we look forward to seeing Miss Catherine." Catherine Ritch Guess may be familiar to readers of her books or fans of her music. But in Pearlington, a community almost destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, she is best known as the bringer of joy to a group of children denied many of childhood's joys, like summer camp. {360}
NEW YORK (UMNS)—To help feed its people, Pakistan relies on the fruits and vegetables, particularly tomatoes, grown in the Swat Valley. Recovering small farms and orchards will be one priority as the more than 2 million Swat Valley residents return home after being displaced last spring by fighting between the Taliban and government forces, said Marvin Parvez, director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Program of Church World Service. United Methodists are offering critical support to Church World Service in Pakistan – first with food aid and other assistance to the displaced and their host communities, and now with the returning families who need help meeting basic needs as they resettle. {361}
Gatlinburg church reaches out to forgotten population
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (UMNS)—In this town of pancake restaurants and souvenir shops, it’s easy to miss the occasional rundown old motel. First United Methodist Church’s Tuesday afternoon ministry known as "Bread of Life" serves what members say is the forgotten Gatlinburg population: The people who come expecting work to be plentiful, but often end up hungry and unemployed in a resort city with inflated property values. The church van pulls up to a motel, and while volunteers from the church hand out free groceries, the Rev. Jane Taylor offers smiles and hugs. {362}
Top executive resigns from Board of Global Ministries
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)—A year to the day of taking the helm of The United Methodist Church's mission agency, the top executive is leaving for health reasons. The Rev. Edward W. Paup has resigned, effective immediately, as general secretary of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, Bishop Bruce Ough of West Ohio, board president, announced Sept. 1. Paup, 63, had been on medical leave since Aug. 10. "The results of examinations indicate the presence of a brain tumor that will require close and constant monitoring in the days ahead," Ough said. {363}
Be like Eunice: Welcome people with disabilities
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (UMNS)—In a commentary, Philadelphia Area Bishop Peggy Johnson lifts up the legacy of Eunice Kennedy Shriver's efforts for human rights, and asks churches to consider how they welcome people with intellectual and mental health challenges. Every congregation has people with mental health issues, Johnson notes. "In all things, show the love of Christ to everyone. Seek support from community and health services as needed, and cover all of your ministries with prayer," she writes. {364}
Young people to celebrate unity at Berlin convocation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)—The remnants of the Berlin Wall will serve as a powerful symbol of unity and hope for some 500 youth and young adults expected at the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly next July 21-26. “We chose Berlin intentionally,” said Elizabeth-Ann Rowlison, coordinator of the event for Young People’s Ministries, a division of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. “It speaks to the kind of event we want to have because of Berlin’s history and its present, as a divided city that has united over the last 20 years and has had to overcome a lot of its history.” Further information is available at www.globalyoungpeople.org. {365}
Church’s rooftop garden inspires city youth
SAN FRANCISCO (UMNS)—Look around San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and there’s hardly a tree or plant to be found. It is a concrete jungle of sidewalks, streets and buildings. But high above the sidewalks and streets sits a growing oasis of green. The roof of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church is alive with cabbage, cucumbers, and curious young students, thanks to an organic, edible rooftop garden that sprouted up last year. “Our mission is to help people break the cycles of poverty and empower themselves,” says Janice Mirikitani, with the Glide Foundation. “For many reasons, poor people are left out and marginalized from any healthy living because they can’t afford it.” {366}
Doctor says churches need to promote health, wholeness
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS)—The church’s role in reforming health care begins at home, a family physician told United Methodist leaders. Dr. Scott Morris, founder of the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tenn., said the inability to deal with health and wholeness is one of the fundamental reasons the U.S. health-care system is broken. Churches need to do more than check blood pressure on Sunday and host health fairs, he told nearly 80 new district superintendents and directors of connectional ministries. “We need to explore what it means to have a healing ministry in our congregations and in our lives,” he said. {367}
Faithful console one another as wildfires rage
PASADENA, Calif. (UMNS)—The forest fires ravaging Southern California have destroyed one church worker’s home, forced others to evacuate and still threaten two United Methodist camps. As they wait and pray, United Methodists in the California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference also are responding with compassion, preparing to house evacuees and setting up funds to assist fire victims. The Rev. Yvonne Williams-Boyd, pastor of Altadena United Methodist Church, said several members were given mandatory evacuation orders, but the congregation still had church on Sunday. “It was most inspiring to see how many people came out,” she said, “as they felt that being with God and the congregation was the best way that could get through this most difficult time.” {368}
Faith in God powers Heisman-winning quarterback
NORMAN, Okla. (UMNS)—The story of David and Goliath is Sam Bradford’s favorite from the Bible. Like David, he faces big challenges and super-sized expectations – especially on the football field as the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma. And like David, he is confident that God goes with him into battle. “I think it’s a great story. It’s grown to become a big part of my life,” the Heisman Trophy-winning athlete told an audience at the United Methodist Church of the Servant, where he is a member. {369}
Bishop Martínez becomes interim head of mission agency
NEW YORK (UMNS)—Bishop Joel N. Martínez will serve as interim general secretary of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries while a search is conducted for a new chief executive. The retired bishop was president of Global Ministries' board of directors for two four-year terms, concluding last October. He is stepping into a position left vacant by the resignation for health reasons of the Rev. Edward W. Paup, who held the position for one year. Martínez' appointment, effective immediately, was announced by Bishop Bruce Ough of West Ohio, board president. {370}
World council calls for peace in Darfur
GENEVA (UMNS)—The World Council of Churches condemned mass atrocities against civilians in Darfur, and urged the Sudanese government to protect its citizens and allow free access for humanitarian aid. The council’s Central Committee, in a statement adopted Sept. 1, also encouraged African nations and the international community to continue to support the peace process “through constructive dialogue with all parties involved in the conflict.” The statement concluded by encouraging Christians everywhere to pray “for an end to the hostilities in Darfur and for a lasting peace in Sudan.”
British Methodists express concern for church in Fiji
LONDON (UMNS)—British Methodists have expressed solidarity with Methodists in Fiji following the country’s suspension from the Commonwealth Sept. 1. The Methodist Church in Britain has called on the Fiji government to allow the Methodist Church to exercise its right to freedom of religion and to play its part in developing a just society. Steve Pearce, partnership coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said: “Things are becoming increasingly difficult for the Methodist Church in Fiji, and I think there are real grounds for believing not only that the military government is slowly crippling the church, but that it is doing so intentionally."
Agencies solicit entries for new worship publication
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Board of Discipleship and the United Methodist Publishing House are seeking new, previously unpublished, original worship resources – prayers, litanies, blessings, calls to worship – for a publication that will be available in print and in an expanded online edition. Each entry must be submitted by Sept. 18. Further information is available by contacting Dean McIntyre, director of music resources, United Methodist Board of Discipleship at dmcintyre@gbod.org, or by calling (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7073.
World Council urges stance against violence on women
GENEVA (UMNS)—The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches urged its member churches “to publicly condemn violence against women”
in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to declare that “violence against women is a sin.” The statement, adopted Sept. 2, urges all parties in the Congo’s armed
conflict to commit themselves immediately to ending all acts of sexual violence against women and girls. Sexual violence against women has been increasing since January, especially
in the region of South Kivu, and the council calls on the government “to end impunity for rape and to evolve effective strategies to combat sexual violence,” bringing to justice those responsible.
In the statement, churches are encouraged “to publicly condemn violence against women and to make constructive efforts to overcome such violence by declaring that violence against women is a sin
and by the development of clear sexual harassment policies that also spell out clearly the consequences of such harassment.”
Ecumenical leader urges prayer for Zimbabwe
GENEVA (UMNS)—Zimbabwe needs the prayers and support of the world, said the Rev. Solomon Zwana, new leader of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches. Zwana, speaking Sept. 1 at a World Council of Churches hearing on Zimbabwe, said his group is playing an active role as the nation attempts to heal the wounds of recent turmoil and stabilize an economy that has had 10 years of runaway inflation and high unemployment. “One of the most important things is prayers from the ecumenical family,” Zwana said. “With that accompaniment, we may never give up. We will feel inspired to have the determination to play our part.”
World Council of Churches chooses Busan for 10th Assembly
GENEVA (UMNS)—The World Council of Churches will hold its 10th Assembly in Busan, South Korea, in 2013. The National Council of Churches in Korea had issued the invitation to Busan on behalf of its member churches, including the Korean Methodist Church. An assembly committee will be formed and begin working on planning and implementation.
Church roof garden
SAN FRANCISCO (UMTV)—A community garden seven stories up on a rooftop is giving residents in one busy urban area a chance to cultivate summer treats like tomatoes and cucumbers. The Glide Memorial United Methodist Church’s “graze the roof” program builds community and provides a ready supply of healthy foods. It even gets community children involved in the joy of raising and eating vegetables. UMTV's "Church Roof Garden" can be viewed at http://www.umtv.org/archives/church_roof_garden.htm. This and other UMTV stories are available on YouTube, Tangle and iTunes by typing "UMTV" in the keyword search.
Kids' camp after Katrina
PEARLINGTON, Miss. (UMTV)—Survivors of Hurricane Katrina need more than new walls and windows, says United Methodist author Catherine Ritch Guess. So every year she organizes teams of United Methodist volunteers who give kids on the U.S. Gulf Coast the simple pleasure of summer camp. “Workers… have been rebuilding their homes, but if you don’t rebuild the lives of the children, then why bother to rebuild the homes? I can’t do hammers and nails, but I can help rebuild children’s lives,” she says. See UMTV's "Kids' Camp After Katrina" at http://www.umtv.org/archives/kids_camp_after_katrina.htm.
News In Brief
Thomas Cole, president-emeritus of United Methodist-related Clark Atlanta University, has been named interim president of the Interdenominational Theological Center, effective Sept. 1. The center is home to United Methodist-related Gammon Theological Seminary and five other schools. He follows Michael Battle, who resigned the presidency to become the U.S. ambassador to the African Union. Cole became Clark Atlanta University's first president in 1989 following the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University in 1988.
The African American Methodist Heritage Center, an initiative of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, is sponsoring a workshop Oct. 2-4 at Gammon Theological Seminary. "The Journey: History as a Bridge to the Future" is designed to increase awareness about African-American contributions to the church and to encourage effective discipleship, evangelism and mission. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society and Commission on Archives and History also are sponsors. Further information is available at www.aamhc-umc.org. | 
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