e-Review archive
Global Connection
May 2005
 

United Methodist bishops meet with president, open door for future

May 3, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — Five United Methodist bishops made a pastoral visit to President George W. Bush on May 3 in a meeting that they said opened the door for future conversations and work with the White House. The bishops had a private, 10-minute meeting with the president and some of his staff, then joined a larger group of religious leaders meeting with Bush at the White House. During their private session, the bishops presented Bush, a fellow United Methodist, with a Bible signed by the Council of Bishops, and they shared a moment of prayer with him. They told the president they are praying for him, that they share his commitment to building a better world, and that they are committed to finding ways to work together on common concerns, said Bishop Peter Weaver, president of the council. full story

Committee ruling may raise doctrinal standards issues

May 3, 2005 United Methodist News Service The recent decision by an appeals committee to reinstate the clergy credentials of a lesbian pastor does not affect the denomination's proscriptions against the practice of homosexuality, church officials say. But it may raise questions about the establishment of United Methodist Church doctrine. The executive committee of the United Methodist Council of Bishops said the ruling does not change church law. "The decision of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Appeals does not in any way reverse the standards in our Book of Discipline.  In fact, the appeal process is an important part of our Book of Discipline," the committee said in a May 1 statement. Irene Elizabeth "Beth" Stroud had appealed a Dec. 2 church trial court's decision finding her guilty of violating church law by being a practicing lesbian and revoked her clergy credentials. A committee on appeals from the denomination's Northeastern Jurisdiction reversed part of the decision on April 29. full story

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference to appeal Stroud decision

May 4, 2005 United Methodist News Service An appeal of the recent decision to reinstate the credentials of a former United Methodist pastor will be filed with the denomination's top court. Bishop Marcus Matthews, who presides over the church's Eastern Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference, announced May 3 that he was authorizing legal counsel "to proceed immediately with filing an appeal with the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church." The appeal will be filed within the allotted 30-day period, by May 29. The Judicial Council's next regularly scheduled meeting is Oct. 26-29 in Houston. full story

Nation of Islam leader preaches Scripture to group of bishops

May 4, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — A group of United Methodist bishops meeting with Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan say they received a strong affirmation of Jesus and set the stage for possible future dialogue. "He preached," said Bishop Violet Fisher, who leads the denomination's New York West Area. Farrakhan started with Genesis and preached all the way to Revelation, she said. "The key to that is our obedience to God and living the word of Jesus Christ," Fisher said, summing up part of the Muslim cleric's remarks to the group. Fisher arranged the May 3 meeting after learning that Farrakhan and other Nation of Islam members were gathering at the same Washington hotel as the United Methodist Council of Bishops. The council is holding its spring meeting May 1-6 at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va. A group of about a dozen bishops, as well as the Rev. Larry Pickens, top staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, met with Farrakhan and other Nation of Islam members in a private room in the hotel. The group was not an official council delegation. full story

United Methodists, Catholics finish sixth round of dialogue

May 5, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON (Catholic News Service) — Catholic and United Methodist scholars, meeting in Washington April 29-May 1, called for greater sharing and collaboration between their churches as they concluded a dialogue on the church and church structures. Their findings will be published in a joint study titled "Through Divine Love: The Church in Each Place and All Places." The 20,000-word document is expected to be made public before the end of May. It explores similarities and differences in the structural ways Catholics and United Methodists express and strengthen their communion with one another and with God. full story

Bishops meet with U.S. lawmakers on AIDS, other issues

May 6, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — United Methodist bishops met with U.S. lawmakers and other government officials on such concerns as AIDS and support for struggling African countries during a visit to Capitol Hill. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society hosted more than a dozen bishops — most of them African — during a May 4 legislative briefing at the United Methodist Building, across the street from the Capitol. After briefings from board staff on legislative priorities such as AIDS orphans, immigration issues and the federal budget, the bishops went to Congress. At the same time, Bishop John Innis of Liberia met with State Department officials to discuss his country's need for help with reconstruction following years of civil war. He stressed the importance of investing in such services as electricity, water and education. For both Innis and Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo of the Democratic Republic of Congo, upcoming elections in their countries are a concern. The bishops expressed the need for U.S. help in ensuring fair, orderly elections. full story

Sojourners leader tells bishops to tap new generation

May 6, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — Young people are ready to change the world-they're just waiting for the altar call, the editor of Sojourners magazine told United Methodist bishops. "If we're church leaders, we better have an altar call ready for a new generation of young people," Jim Wallis told about 35 bishops and bishops' spouses May 4. Wallis is a founder of Sojourners, a nonprofit Christian organization working for social change. The bishops visited the Sojourners offices as part of their May 1-6 spring meeting in Arlington, Va. At the same time, other groups of bishops visited lawmakers on Capitol Hill and heard presentations at United Methodist-related Wesley Theological Seminary. Wallis said he has been traveling around the United States for three months, holding town meetings and signing copies of his book, God's Politics: How the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. The meetings are drawing large and diverse audiences, including evangelicals, mega church pastors, mainline church members, agnostics, young people, gays, Catholics, rabbis and Muslims. "We have a lot of evangelicals coming out who don't feel represented by a handful of television preachers," Wallis said. Many mainline church folks feel their faith has been "disrespected" in the current political debate in the country, as if members of mainline churches are not people of faith, he said. He is hearing from black evangelicals and a lot of Hispanic and Asian Christians, he said. In particular, young people are "coming out in droves," he said. A lot of them say they are spiritual but not religious, he said. full story

United Methodist bishop offers prayer at White House breakfast

May 6, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — People attending the National Prayer Breakfast saw a trio of United Methodists sitting together in the front row: President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush and Bishop Peter Weaver. Weaver, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, gave the closing prayer of the annual interfaith event, held May 5 in the White House's East Room. Two days earlier, Weaver led a delegation of four other bishops to the White House, where they presented a Bible to the president and prayed with him. The two meetings represent steps toward what the Council of Bishops hopes is becoming a closer relationship with the White House. The council, meeting May 1-6 in the Washington area, has been working on building relations with the administration. "I think there is a new openness in the relationship," Weaver said afterward. full story

Reinstatement does not reverse church's standards, bishops say

May 2, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — A decision to reinstate a United Methodist pastor who lost her clergy credentials in December under church law concerning the practice of homosexuality "does not in any way reverse the standards in our Book of Discipline," according to the denomination's Council of Bishops. In a statement issued May 1 as the bishops gathered for their spring meeting in Washington, the council's executive committee said the April 29 decision of the Northeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals was based on legal error, not lack of evidence. "This means that the reasons for the guilty verdict were not questioned, but the case was reversed on two questions of legal process," the statement said. Irene Elizabeth "Beth" Stroud of Philadelphia appealed her case after a trial court of the United Methodist Church's Eastern Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference found her guilty on Dec. 2 of violating church law, which forbids the ordination and appointment of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals." full story

Judicial Council seeks proper documentation on submissions for review

May 3, 2005 United Methodist News Service ARLINGTON, VA — United Methodism's top court is finding it increasingly difficult to make rulings because of problems in the way some items are submitted. At its April 27-29 meeting, the Judicial Council directed its secretary, the Rev. Keith Boyette, not to place items on future dockets that lack the proper documentation or that have missed the submission deadline. Several items on the spring docket could not be acted on because of these kinds of problems. "Any items that are incomplete at the time that the docket must be finalized will not be included for review at the next meeting of the Judicial Council," said James Holsinger, president of the council. full story

United Methodist bishops sharpen focus on making disciples of Christ

May. 9, 2005 United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — The bishops of the United Methodist Church spent their weeklong spring meeting working on their primary focus: Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It couldn't have happened at a more appropriate time, as Christians around the world closed out the Easter season by remembering Christ's great commission to his followers. The bishops adopted the 2005-08 emphasis last fall as their quadrennial focus, one that points directly to the United Methodist Church's primary mission of disciple-making. The emphasis permeated every aspect of the bishops' May 1-6 meeting in Arlington, Va.-the worship services, business sessions and field-trip discussions. Bishop Peter Weaver, council president, said afterward he sees "a growing unity of this council around this mission focus" and enthusiasm among the bishops for embracing it and living it out. "I do believe God is doing a new thing among us," he said. full story

Council approves interim pacts with Episcopalians, Lutherans

May. 9, 2005     United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — The top clergy leaders of the United Methodist Church have approved interim agreements for sharing the Eucharist with two other mainline denominations-the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The approval came May 5, during the United Methodist Council of Bishops' weeklong spring meeting in Arlington, Va. The agreements, if approved later this year by the Lutheran and Episcopalian lawmaking assemblies, would result in those churches and the United Methodist Church sharing worship, particularly communion, studying with one another and being involved in mission together. The United Methodist Church is entering into separate agreements with each of the denominations. full story

Bishops' resolutions address capital punishment, other issues

May. 9, 2005     United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — The United Methodist Council of Bishops has adopted new resolutions on several issues, including capital punishment, Hunger Awareness Day and the sexual enslavement of Asian women by the Japanese military during World War II. full story

'Treat everyone in the Middle East equally, through the eyes of justice,' Muslim-Christian delegation tells U.S.

May 5, 2005 Church World Service Washington — Members of the Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Dialogue have just finished a two-week tour of U.S. cities, hosted by Church World Service, aimed at correcting distorted stereotypes of Christians and Muslims in both the Middle East and here in the U.S. After meeting with Christians in dialogues from Charlotte to Los Angeles, the group of seven Syrian, Egyptian, and Lebanese delegates said one of the realizations they would take back to people in their countries was "seeing firsthand the positive and understanding role of mainline churches in the U.S. in helping perpetuate peace and balanced views of Islam and Christianity." full story

Christians gather in Athens for mission and evangelism conference

May. 11, 2005    United Methodist News Service As the sun rose over the Aegean Sea, some 700 Christians gathered to discern the healing presence of the Holy Spirit. That beginning of the 2005 Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, meeting May 9-16 in Athens, showed "the need for healing throughout the world," according to the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. Convened by the World Council of Churches, the conference brings together representatives from its member churches as well as participants from Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Evangelical churches and bodies. Of the 12 previous ecumenical mission conferences held since 1910, this is the first to take place in a predominantly Orthodox context. full story

United Methodist AIDS committee aims to raise $8 million

May. 12, 2005    United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — During its inaugural meeting, the United Methodist Church Global AIDS Fund Committee set aside $50,000 to fund programs to prevent the transmission of the disease from mothers to infants during birth. The money, allocated from an existing United Methodist Board of Global Ministries account, will be made available to United Methodist hospitals in eight countries. The funds can be used to purchase Nevirapine, a drug that is administered once to the mother at the onset of labor and once to the baby after birth. The treatment significantly reduces the risk that the newborn will contract the AIDS virus, according to Linda Bales, staff executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Created by the 2004 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, the committee is charged with raising and distributing $8 million over the next four years. Set up as the Global HIV/AIDS Program Advance Special #982345, the fund has generated $120,000 since March 1 and has $32,000 on hand. None of the money will come from apportionments. full story

Commentary: Politicians shouldn't manipulate faith

May. 13, 2005     United Methodist News Service The idea of keeping church and state separate did not come from politicians. It came from Anabaptists (ancestors of the Baptists, Mennonites and Amish) who were being persecuted by the secular authorities because they dissented from the official state religion. Their idea was that all should be equal members of a civil state. There should be freedom of conscience. The government should not favor some believers by subsidizing their churches, nor should it imprison and persecute other groups of believers. full story

Higher education agency announces 2005-06 scholarships

May. 16, 2005     United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — University of Kansas junior Blair Thompson plans to become an ordained United Methodist minister and is getting some tangible encouragement from her denomination through the Allan Jerome Burry Scholarship. She is one of 17 United Methodists receiving scholarships in the first round of 2005-06 awards announced by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry on April 21. Other awards will be announced during the next few months. The board administers 60 scholarship programs that provided nearly $4.8 million in awards to 3,540 students last year. The agency also provided $1.2 million in loans to another 500 students. "Since its inception, our denomination has believed in an educated laity and clergy," says Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the board's Office of Loans and Scholarships. "Education has been one of our major values." full story

Scholarship money declines for United Methodist students

May. 16, 2005    United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The decline in congregations giving to special Sunday offerings is wreaking havoc on the number of scholarships the United Methodist Church's higher education agency can give to eligible applicants. Last year, the Office of Loans and Scholarships had to turn away 300 eligible applicants. "We continually have more eligible applicants than we have dollars available," said Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the office, a unit of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Current-Felder told United Methodist News Service that there is a decline in giving to the three special Sunday offerings that enable scholarships to United Methodist students-World Communion Sunday, which provides scholarships for ethnic minority students, United Methodist Student Day, which enables undergraduates to attend United Methodist-related schools, and Native American Ministries Sunday, which provides scholarships for Native Americans pursing master of divinity degrees. full story

Church men launch new effort to reduce hunger in America

May. 17, 2005    United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Presidents of United Methodist Men in U.S. annual conferences are launching an effort to involve 9,600 men in hunger relief and to create 800 local church units for men's ministry. The effort will begin with a gleaning, a potato drop, and a dried and canned food collection at the July 15-17 National Gathering of United Methodist Men at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Every four years, United Methodist men from around the globe gather for a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship and instruction. This year's event is the ninth gathering. full story

United Methodist Women urged to fight torture

May. 18, 2005     United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — In a letter to United Methodist Women, the president and chief executive of the group's administrative arm are urging members to take a stand against torture by any government. The letter, sent May 10 by Kyung Za Yim and Jan Love, says that torture is being allowed by the U.S. government under the guise of national security and the war on terror, as reported by reputable organizations such as the International Red Cross and Human Rights Watch.  These groups cite incidents at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in Afghanistan and at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In other cases, the United States is sending prisoners to countries where torture is often used as part of interrogation — Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan. "We believe President Bush's public statement — that torture is wrong — is commendable. Yet, according to reports from human rights groups, the practice continues," the letter says. "We hope President Bush will uphold the Constitutional principles prohibiting 'cruel and unusual punishment' and ensure that all decision makers, civilian and military — not just those in the lowest ranks — are held accountable." full story

Group intensifies work on pension support for non-U.S. clergy

May. 18, 2005    United Methodist News Service   A United Methodist committee is stepping up efforts to address the plight of retired pastors and spouses in Africa and other parts of the world, where pension plans are minimal or nonexistent. In Liberia, for example, retired pastors receive $55 and surviving spouses $27.50 — in U.S. dollars — every four months. A 50-lb. bag of rice costs between $35 and $40. Across Africa, similar economic conditions prevail. In Angola, labor unions are pressing the government to set US$300 as the minimum monthly wage, based on the cost of food and other necessities. Retired pastors receive $20 a month, and surviving spouses receive $15. "It's painful for our retired pastors," said Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, leader of the United Methodist Church's Western Angola Annual (regional) Conference. "Sometimes they let their pension monies accumulate for two or three months because the cost of transportation takes too much for them to come monthly to collect it." full story

Task force explores future of giving in global church

May. 18, 2005    United Methodist News Service CHICAGO — Young adults want to be part of something that makes a difference in the world, a religion professor told a United Methodist task force on giving. "Young people are looking for an opportunity to serve, to make a difference," said Guy D. Nave Jr., assistant professor of religion at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. "Many want to be actively engaged," he said. "Giving helps to transform the world. As members of a worldwide connectional church, giving offers an opportunity to have an impact that cannot be had by being a part of an autonomous, single church." Nave said he has observed increasing participation in service organizations and commitment to volunteer groups, including the Peace Corps, among his students. He told the group to offer young people the opportunity to serve and to experience self-sacrifice, equating this to the Apostle Paul's invitation to tell people about the cross. "The cross is about self-sacrifice and service," Nave said. full story

United Methodists to join June 6 hunger convocation

May 19, 2005      United Methodist News Service More than 40 top religious leaders will gather June 6 at Washington’s National Cathedral in a show of force against hunger. The first Interfaith Convocation on Hunger, set for 7 p.m., is an event “unprecedented in U.S. religious history,” according to the Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, because of the diversity and level of responsibility of the religious leaders involved. Together, those leaders represent more than 100 million Americans, he added. The event will include readings from sacred texts, music and preaching by Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, South Africa. United Methodist leaders participating in the program are Jim Winkler, chief executive, of the denomination’s Board of Church and Society; the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive, Board of Global Ministries; Jan Love, chief executive, Women’s Division, Board of Global Ministries; the Rev. Robert Edgar, chief executive, National Council of Churches; and the Rev. John McCullough, chief executive, Church World Service. full story

Bennett College financially OK, receives gift from Cosbys, Cole says

May. 19, 2005 United Methodist News Service GREENSBORO, N.C. — Flanked by faculty and student representatives, Bennett College President Johnnetta B. Cole proclaimed the United Methodist-related school to be on "solid" financial ground and announced a new $600,000 gift from Bill and Camille Cosby. full story

Terrorists' attacks proved defining moment for Class of 2005

May. 24, 2005 United Methodist News Service Weeks — sometimes just days — into their college career, the freshman class of 2001 focused on choosing a major, adjusting to roommates, making new friends. Then terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. "We went from worrying about what is my life going to be like for the rest of my life to what is the world going to be like for the rest of my life," says Thomas Martin, a 22-year-old Birmingham (Ala.)-Southern College student who graduated this month. He plans to attend Duke University Divinity School in Durham, N.C., to become a United Methodist minister. Martin and many other 2001 freshmen at the 124 United Methodist-related schools, colleges and universities are heading into the world for jobs or graduate school this year. Many say the defining moment of the attacks early in their college careers made them more political, gave them a more global outlook and created an immediate intimacy with their fellow students and professors that lasted through graduation. full story

Ten Commandments on display: civic need or religious token?

May. 25, 2005     United Methodist News Service In what may be a showdown between First Amendment principles and the United States' spiritual heritage as a Christian nation, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on the constitutionality of government displays of the Ten Commandments. But as the high court considers its first ruling on the issue in a quarter of a century, there is disagreement even within the United Methodist Church about the place of the Ten Commandments in the public square. full story

United Methodists sign letter to president on Darfur

May. 25, 2005   United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — United Methodists are among the signers of an open letter to President Bush on Darfur, asking for specific steps to stop genocide in the Sudan. The letter, signed by representatives of 80 national organizations, was released during a May 24 press briefing by Africa Action. Salih Booker, executive director of Africa Action, noted that President Bush has recognized the issue of genocide but that the need for immediate action remains. full story

Hard tour in Vietnam became chaplain's 'greatest ministry'

May. 27, 2005   United Methodist News Service FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — In 1961, while the United States was going through turbulent times, the Rev. Billy M. Whiteside felt called to serve his country. He signed up for a three-year tour in the Army. Thirty years later, he retired from a ministry that always made him feel needed. "I would not change a single assignment," he says of his years as a United Methodist chaplain. "Serving soldiers and their families is where real ministry takes place." Whiteside is a gruff, no-nonsense military man. He speaks frankly and affectionately about what it means to be a chaplain in the military. full story

Phone cards lift morale, spirit of soldiers

May. 27, 2005    United Methodist News Service   Military men and women have had more than 6 million minutes to speak to someone they love — free of charge — because thousands of United Methodists have donated to a phone card campaign started in 2003. "Chaplains have felt supported, and service members, many who have no church affiliation, know that the United Methodist Church cares about them," said the Rev. Greg Hill, director for the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, sponsor of the campaign. "As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, we also celebrate what the church has done for these young men and women." full story

Winkler, Edgar meet with Palestinian President Abbas

May. 27, 2005    United Methodist News Service Two United Methodists were among the religious leaders who met May 26 with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, after his White House Rose Garden press conference with President Bush in Washington. During that press conference, Bush "warmly praised" Abbas and his commitment to democracy, according to The New York Times, and announced that the United States would direct $50 million to the Palestinian Authority to build housing in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal there. "It was clear he (Abbas) felt his trip here had been quite successful," said James Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. full story

United Methodists to focus on health in body, mind, spirit

May. 31, 2005    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {325} United Methodist News Service   Recognizing the importance of health-in body, mind and spirit-will be a focus of several United Methodist agencies during the next few years. United Methodist Communications will help coordinate that focus by providing a communications strategy, which will include the creation of a Web site and finding ways to link people with volunteer opportunities and models of health-related programs, according to the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive. Denominational representatives met in early May in Washington to start shaping this focus on health and wholeness. full story