News In Brief – October 23, 2009

Brief items for use in local church newsletters
Prepared by United Methodist News Service

Be not afraid. Jesus is more powerful than germs. That’s the advice from The United Methodist Church’s agency charged with providing leadership and resources to local churches in the face of concern over the H1N1 flu virus. “Do celebrate worship and the sacraments fully, and be not afraid,” said Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources for the Board of Discipleship. Churches across the United States are in some cases arming themselves with bottles of sanitizers, doing hand waves instead of handshakes and celebrating Holy Communion with a little more caution than usual, but they aren’t shutting their doors.

Beauty is in the eyes – and minds – of the beholder. That is the philosophy Kathy Patrick has followed in building a literacy ministry from the foundation of a combination hair salon and bookstore in Jefferson, Texas. The proprietor of Beauty and the Book also heads the Pulpwood Queens book club, which she says has grown to more than 200 chapters. “It’s combining my two passions, hair and books,” she says. “And it’s ended up, I think, this is what God wanted me to do.”

When the Rev. Bart and Claudia Fletcher married in June 1996, it didn’t take them long to start a family. The day after their honeymoon, the couple submitted an application to become foster parents. By October, they had their first boy and, three months later, the second came along. Now, 13 years, six foster children, and 12 adopted children later, Fletcher, pastor of Belgrade Avenue United Methodist Church in North Mankato, Minn., and his wife have published a book promoting adoption. Their book is both a guide and a memoir.

Two Philadelphia pastors hope that a “reversal of history” between their congregations will set an example for present-day Americans. Instead of storming out of historic St. George’s United Methodist Church – as their founder, Richard Allen, did some 200 years ago – the African-American members of Mother Bethel AME Church will return there Oct. 25 to embrace members of the denomination that had segregated them in the balcony.

The United Methodist Church’s highest court will consider whether regional church groups have any latitude on payment to general church funds, what language is acceptable for statements on sexuality and whether clergy can fill local church positions reserved for laity when it meets Oct. 28-31 in Durham, N.C. Those are among the issues raised from decisions made by United Methodist bishops during the 2009 annual conference season – issues that compose the 21-item docket before the denomination’s nine-member Judicial Council.

Spouses’ schools offered in the Democratic Republic of Congo should be a role model for U.S. congregations, Bishop James Swanson of the Holston Annual (regional) Conference told United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry directors. The schools, offering theological education to pastors’ spouses, were discussed during the board’s Oct. 8-10 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Bishop David Yemba, resident bishop of the Central Congo Area, said church members in his area seemed to think the pastor’s spouse had as much theological education as the pastor. “Spouses are called on to lead Bible studies and do all kind of things. Because of that, we created a school for spouses,” Yemba said. They learn basic Bible study, how to lead a meeting and other skills.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., has established the Bishop Edsel A. Ammons Award for Leadership in Racial Justice and Understanding. The award will be presented each spring to an individual who has distinguished herself or himself as a leader of racial justice and understanding. Seminary President Philip A. Amerson said Ammons “stands among the most distinguished alumni of Garrett-Evangelical. … Throughout his remarkable career as pastor, urban missioner, professor, denominational leader and ecumenical champion, (he) has acted with tireless energy and distinction in seeking to do that which is (from Philippians 4:8) ‘true, honorable, just, pure, commendable and pleasing to God.’”

Thousands of United Methodists advocated for children, the elderly, the homeless and other disadvantage persons during Pennsylvania’s 101-day state budget crisis. By the time Gov. Edward Rendell signed the budget Oct. 9, at least 2,000 United Methodists had signed letters and petitions to the governor and the state’s 253 legislators. The appeals for a fair, moral budget were the result of a statewide call to action and prayer by Pennsylvania’s four United Methodist bishops and the church’s advocacy unit, A United Methodist Witness in Pennsylvania.

A digital archive of Russian Methodist history is being created through a joint project of the Boston University School of Theology and the Russia United Methodist Theological Seminary in Moscow. The project was announced during a recent international academic conference sponsored by the Russian seminary, The United Methodist Church in Eurasia, and the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The first item for the archive is a photo album in the form of an annual missions report by the Russian Methodist Pastor Konstantin Egoroff, who was ordained by Bishop Ainsworth of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for mission work in Kharbin in 1926.

The United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits will hold a public forum at 11:45 a.m. Nov. 13 at the Sheraton Denver West, 360 Union Blvd., in Lakewood, Colo. The forum is designed to allow the board of directors to hear concerns of constituents from across the church. Those wishing to make a short presentation can place their names and topics on the agenda by calling Colette Nies by Nov. 6 at (800) 269-2244, Ext. 4296, or sending an e-mail to cnies@gbophb.org.

The deadline to apply for a 2010 Ethnic Young Adult Summer Internship is Dec. 15. The program is for people ages 18-22 who have an interest in exploring issues of public policy, social justice advocacy and social change. Interns will work in social justice placements in the U.S. capital from May 30 to July 31. Further information is available by contacting the Rev. Neal Christie, United Methodist Board of Church and Society, 100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002; phone: (202) 488-5611; e-mail: nchristie@umc-gbcs.org.

A United Methodist agency is asking church members to send postcards to Congress, urging lawmakers to enact immigration reform. The postcards are free and carry two messages: “This holiday season you can keep families together by supporting comprehensive immigration reform” and words from Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Bill Mefford, executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, said the agency wants participants to send postcards to each of their two U.S. senators and their representative in Congress. More information is available by contacting Mefford, bmefford@umc-gbcs.org or (202) 488-5657.

Participants at a workshop sponsored by the African American Heritage Center were told more than 8,000 photos of African-American life in the church’s history are now in The United Methodist Church’s archives. The workshop, “The Journey: History as a Bridge to the Future,” was designed to celebrate and inspire African-American members of the Southeastern Jurisdiction to preserve their local church history. Gammon Theological Seminary and the United Methodist Board of Church and Society were partners in the workshop held Oct. 2-4 on the seminary’s campus in Atlanta.

Hundreds of churches across the state of Massachusetts will hold climate action events Oct. 24-25 and ring their steeple bell 350 times to draw attention to the number 350 – the maximum number of “parts per million” of carbon in which the earth can sustain life. “Prayer is a carbon-neutral energy source and we plan to use it in abundance ahead of the critical gathering in climate in Copenhagen and Congress’s deliberation of the climate change legislation,” said the Rev. Jack Johnson, a United Methodist pastor and executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. More information is available at www.masscouncilofchurches.org.

The leaders of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia are urging the international community to lift economic sanctions against North Korea. The Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist from Kenya and the WCC’s top executive, led a delegation to North Korea Oct. 17-20, accompanied by Prawate Khid-arn, leader of the Christian Conference of Asia. U.N. sanctions against North Korea were intensified in June after it conducted an underground nuclear test in violation of international treaties. The two church leaders stated their positions to Ecumenical News International after attending a church-backed meeting in Hong Kong on Oct. 21 on the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea.

“God, Earth, and Us: Faithful Responses to Environmental Challenges” is an online course focusing on the relationship between humans and the rest of creation. The Oct. 26-Nov. 6 workshop will be led by the Rev. Jenny Phillips, a United Methodist clergywoman who has become recognized for helping people of faith re-read biblical texts in ways that offer insights for contemporary issues. She is a 2007 National Council of Churches Eco-Justice fellow and one of 135 faith leaders trained by Al Gore to teach about climate change. She is executive director of Creation Change. Registration cost is $50. Details are available at Be a Disciple Workshops.