e-Review archive
Global Connection
September 2005
 

Mississippi church leaders look to long haul for recovery

Sept. 1, 2005    United Methodist News Service JACKSON, Miss. — United Methodist leaders in Mississippi have started assessing their role in helping the state recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. Bishop Hope Morgan Ward called district superintendents, disaster relief coordinators, conference staff, and others to Jackson Aug. 31 to begin laying the groundwork for what is expected to be years of assistance that will be needed. Katrina slammed into Mississippi and Louisiana on Aug. 29. More than 100 are known dead in Mississippi, and the number is expected to increase. Massive destruction along the Mississippi coast line has left tens of thousands homeless. Damage has reached across the length and breadth of the state. full story

Church relief workers see long recovery for New Orleans

Sept. 1, 2005       United Methodist News Service BATON ROUGE, La. — Church leaders of the Louisiana Annual Conference met Sept. 1 with representatives of key religious and relief organizations to coordinate response efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Louisiana Interchurch Conference discussed with Larry Powell, international catastrophe consultant for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and representatives of Church World Service on how the three organizations can support each other during the long recovery period. "In the current situation, we have one of the greatest opportunities to really be the church," Powell said. He emphasized that UMCOR will bring all of its resources to bear in responding to the catastrophe. Linda Reed Brown, associate director of Church World Service Emergency Response, said, "The initial phase of recovery will be much longer than normal. There is so much that's unusual for the New Orleans area, and in areas along the Gulf Coast." Powell added that the unique situation that exists in New Orleans is going to create a secondary cast of victims. "Although Hurricane Katrina has passed, our problems are not over. The suffering of victims without resources or homes will continue to grow." full story

Historic United Methodist center suffers catastrophic damage

Sept. 1, 2005      United Methodist News Service The United Methodist Church's historic Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss., suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Katrina. Aerial photographs, news accounts and word of mouth reports from the federal disaster agency indicate that little is left of the community of Waveland and Gulfside, located on 60 acres directly facing the Gulf of Mexico on Highway 90. Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi coast Aug. 29. Deaconess Marian Martin, director of Gulfside, and Wilma Dunbar, a missionary assigned there, were safe, but the fate of several employees reluctant to leave Waveland was not known. full story

Texas United Methodists commit $1 million to relief

Sept. 2, 2005      United Methodist News Service The United Methodist Church's Texas Conference has committed to raising $1 million to feed the thousands of people fleeing to the area for shelter following Hurricane Katrina. "We have sent an appeal out to all of our churches asking them to take up a special offering this Sunday (Sept. 4) that would come in here to the conference office for that million dollars to do as Jesus said in Matthew 25 and feed the hungry," said Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of the church's Houston Area. Through online giving alone, United Methodists and others had donated more than $900,000 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief as of the afternoon of Sept. 2. Churches around the country were responding in other ways to help evacuees from the storm-stricken Gulf Coast and recovery efforts in that region. The Texas Conference submitted a separate plea for money specifically to feed evacuees who have been streaming into the state. full story

United Methodists mobilize to help evacuees at Astrodome

Sept. 5, 2005     News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {488} United Methodist News Service HOUSTON — Patricia Groves said she couldn't live with herself if she stayed inside her air-conditioned house during Labor Day weekend while so many people were suffering just across town. A member of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Houston, Groves was one of 1,000 or so United Methodists joining volunteers from other faith-based groups at Reliant Center, the city's massive convention and sports complex, to organize and distribute donated clothing, nonperishable food and hygiene items for hundreds of thousands of Hurricane Katrina's victims. "I cannot sit on my you-know-what and not do anything when these people have absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs," Groves said. "The first night I was here, I saw this 4-and-a-half-year-old running down the ramp at the Astrodome. She opened her arms, and I picked her up. She was wet, her diaper needed changing, she was dirty, but she had a smile on her face because she finally got in some place that was air-conditioned. "Everybody was just so glad to be someplace where they could lay down because they were so exhausted." full story

'Church is resilient,' Louisiana bishop says

Sept. 6, 2005 United Methodist News Service BATON ROUGE, La. — Touring parts of Louisiana Sept. 4, United Methodist Bishop William W. Hutchinson got an up-close look at areas of his state that were hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. The bishop, along with the Rev. Don Cottrill, provost, and the Rev. Freddie Henderson, New Orleans District superintendent, participated in church services at First United Methodist Church in La Place. Twenty-five people attended. The church sustained no significant damage from the storm, though many homes and businesses in the area suffered dramatically. "It is amazing, in the midst of so much destruction, that some of our churches have little or no damage to deal with," said Hutchinson, who leads the denomination's Louisiana Area. "Many churches were not so fortunate. However, the church is resilient. On our visits, I saw signs of great life and praising of God. Although the future is uncertain, believers must take each day as a gift and celebrate it to the fullest." full story

Ubuntu Explorers' leader plans for Uruguay

Sept. 7, 2005     News media contact:   Kelly C. Martini * 212-870-3729*  New York Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church When United Methodist Women's Division vice president Judith Siaba went to Montevideo, Uruguay, she saw a warehouse with a history. Once infiltrated by drugs and dealers, the warehouse had provided shelter for several operations, including housing for 300 homeless people willing to fight to protect their space, and a business for sex workers trying to survive. These conditions existed until one woman from a local Methodist Church gained the confidence of the warehouse residents through regular visits and taught their leaders how to advocate with the government for change. The persistence of the homeless advocates brought them community services — health care, land for building and a new life. Grants from the Women's Division and United Methodist Committee on Relief helped build homes for some of these families. With leftover bricks, the families built a church. More stories and experiences such as these can be expected when a group of United Methodist Women heads to Uruguay in October 2006. full story

United Methodists open storm center in Louisiana

Sept. 7, 2005 United Methodist News Service BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana's United Methodists, in response to the overwhelming communication and response needs resulting from Hurricane Katrina, have established the United Methodist Storm Center. "The center's focus is to connect resources with requests for help. People are offering volunteers services, goods and monetary donations. Through the center, these offers will be matched up with the many requests for assistance that will be generated by survivors of Hurricane Katrina," said Gordon Knuckey, disaster response field consultant for United Methodist Committee on Relief. Knuckey, along with Christy Smith of UMCOR, was in Baton Rouge assisting the church's Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference with the establishment of the Storm Center and the development of an overall response plan to what has been termed the "worst natural disaster in the history of the United States." The center is housed on the second floor of the Conference Area Offices in Baton Rouge and will be staffed 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Friday. full story

United Methodists offer leadership, words of hope

Sept. 7, 2005 United Methodist News Service United Methodist leaders offered words of hope Sept. 7 as the Gulf Coast region continued to struggle back from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The church took out a full-page ad in USA Today, a prominent clergyman appeared on NBC's "Today" show and a United Methodist bishop in the region issued a letter to members urging help for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. UMCOR, meanwhile, had staff throughout the gulf states assessing damage, organizing aid and helping the church's annual (regional) conferences plan their response. "We've got a lot of sorrow, yet everywhere I look, I see church people looking out for the missing and the most vulnerable," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR executive director, during a Labor Day weekend trip to Mississippi. UMCOR was invited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Mississippi office to play an advisory role for federal disaster management planners in that state. The church agency said its experience in managing large numbers of displaced people in developing countries led to the invitation from FEMA. Transitional housing is a top priority for UMCOR as it works with FEMA and ecumenical agencies on a long-term plan. full story

Bishops stress commitment to unity, moving church forward

Sep. 9, 2005      United Methodist News Service LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — Seven United Methodist bishops from across the United States discussed issues surrounding leadership, dialogue, homosexuality and other topics during a forum at a controversial church caucus event. The bishops emphasized their intention to work for unity in the church. During a panel discussion, they were asked how they should deal with divisions in their own ranks. "In this (most recent) class of bishops, we will be bishops of the whole church," said Bishop John Schol of the Washington (D.C.) Area. "We are here (at this event) because we are truly committed to working together…." "(It's important) to be part of a group to move the church forward and commit … to model how we live in community," said Minnesota Bishop Sally Dyck, who led the panel discussion. More than 550 people attended "Hearts On Fire," the 8th National Reconciling Convocation event, held Sept. 2-5 by the Reconciling Ministries Network. The unofficial United Methodist caucus is, according to its own mission statement, "a national grass-roots organization that exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities" in the life of the church. full story

'We will rise,' Louisiana pastor says of flooded church

Sep. 9, 2005 United Methodist News Service The day after Katrina whirled ashore, the Rev. Jerry Hilbun waded two and a half blocks through waist-deep water, avoiding balls of fire ants, snakes and rats, to get to his church, First United Methodist of Slidell, La. The 55-year-old pastor, a Memphis, Tenn., native and graduate of United Methodist-related Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., managed to drive back into Slidell before the barricades went up. He and his wife had weathered the storm with his aunt, Marilyn Hunt, a retired Air Force nurse, in her apartment in Ocean Springs, near Biloxi, Miss. "I went to Ocean Springs to get my aunt and take her to Memphis, but she refused to go," Hilbun said. "So my wife, Eleeva, and I, my aunt and a friend of hers were only four miles from the beach when Katrina came ashore." The apartment complex was battered for 12 hours with 145- to 155-mile-an-hour winds. The eye passed within two miles. After watching huge chunks of plywood, shingles, windows and siding fly by, Hilbun feared the worst for the building that houses his 1,700-member congregation. He was determined to get back into Slidell. After his slog through drowned streets, he found the city-block-wide building still standing — in three feet of water. "There was an eerie silence inside," Hilbun said. "The sun was reflecting from the water onto the ceiling, and you could hear dripping. Hymn books were floating everywhere. The carpet was bubbling up from the floor, the sheet rock coming down. "But we will rebuild," he said. "We will rise from the ashes and continue to serve in ministry in that place." full story

Relief agency calls for supplies; teams help storm-stricken areas

Sept. 9, 2005      United Methodist News Service The United Methodist Church's relief agency says an urgent need remains for hurricane-relief supplies at its distribution center in Louisiana. The Sager Brown Depot no longer needs donations of bottled water, but other items are in short supply, including health kits, school kits, new sets of twin sheets, new pillows, new blankets and new air mattresses. The United Methodist Committee on Relief uses the depot in Baldwin, La., for processing aid supplies to points around the world. The depot has set up a call center and is contacting shelters and other facilities handling hurricane evacuees to inquire about their need for supplies, according to Gwen Redding, executive director. The depot also will dispatch supplies, upon request, to the denomination's annual conferences, she said. Such requests usually come through the conference disaster response coordinator. As of Sept. 8, UMCOR had received just more than $2 million in online and telephone contributions for Hurricane Katrina relief. That figure did not include donations made by mail or through offerings given to local churches. full story

Irish Methodists welcome IRA peace moves

Sept. 12, 2005      United Methodist News Service Methodists are waiting for concrete results from recent statements by the Irish Republican Army, the paramilitary group, regarding the end to its armed campaign in Northern Ireland. "The IRA announcement is a very positive move forward and the most generous response we have had so far," observed the Rev. Jim Rea, former president of the Irish Methodist Church and superintendent minister of the Portadown Circuit. "However, it must be backed with actions that are clearly verifiable, and until this happens, trust will not be cemented." Irish Methodist minister Gary Mason has worked for years in Belfast communities living with a strong paramilitary presence. Mason said he was glad to learn of the IRA's July 28 statement that it had ended its armed struggle, but he echoed Rea's feelings that action is the key to progress. "If the IRA is genuine about peace, they need to show their enemies a major act of decommissioning that can be verifiable or they won't be able to build peace. … That can only be built with trust in place," Mason told the United Methodist News Service. British news media are reporting that the IRA will soon begin decommissioning its weapons. The Sept. 3 Guardian newspaper, quoting sources close to the British and Irish governments, said "decommissioning should be completed within weeks." full story

Commentary: Liberian children offer gift of hope to Louisiana

Sept. 12, 2005                                                  United Methodist News Service I have a gift for the children of Louisiana. It is enormous. I have no doubt it will make a huge difference because it came from the purest hearts and it was entrusted to me in love. This precious gift is tucked inside a wrinkled church bulletin. On the front are these words: "Donation of U.S. $20 from the children of Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church to the children of Louisiana, USA, in solidarity with their plight in the wake of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina." Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church is in Monrovia, Liberia. On Sunday, Sept. 4, a small group of us from United Methodist Communications and the Board of Pension and Health Benefits were visitors there. Sister Frances M. Porte, charge lay leader and our guide while we were in Liberia, asked us all to write a brief bio about ourselves earlier in the week in preparation for our visit. In mine, I mentioned I was a native of Louisiana. When the people of this church saw me, they saw a fellow United Methodist who was learning about loss. They saw a way to make a difference. Reeves is a church where the children far outnumber the adults. These are children who know something about loss. Like the people in New Orleans, they are living without electricity and running water. Their homes have been wrecked not by a storm but by 14 years of war. full story

Mississippi churches pull together in heavily damaged state

Sept. 12, 2005     United Methodist News Service JACKSON, Miss. — As Mississippi begins pulling itself out of the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina, United Methodists have become "the face of grace in action." "The response of the church has been the face of grace in action," said the Rev. Jeff Pruett of Tunica, the Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference coordinator for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. "It has been a reflection of the spirit of care and compassion. "The response with food and water has been overwhelming. We've been able to work with other agencies in communities when they were not able to get those supplies." full story

Church leaders witness United Methodist relief work

Sept. 13, 2005     United Methodist News Service Three United Methodist agency executives were moved as they saw firsthand the effects of Hurricane Katrina on parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. "The churches of Louisiana and Mississippi have carried out remarkable humanitarian service under the most difficult conditions imaginable," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications. "Many volunteers have themselves lost their homes and possessions, yet they are in the front line helping others who have been evacuated from New Orleans and the gulf shore." Hollon, the Rev. Randy Day, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, and the Rev. Paul Dirdak, executive director of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, toured the Gulf Coast area Sept. 7-11. They met with the bishops of Louisiana and Mississippi, visited shelters and viewed the damage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and resulting floods on area churches. full story

Connectional system 'works' in recovery, pastors say

Sept. 13, 2005      United Methodist News Service Electrical wires and telephones lines might have been lost in the hours and days following Hurricane Katrina, but the United Methodist connection was up and working. Two pastors in Laurel, Miss., which saw hundreds of trees fall across homes and power lines, say the connectional system of the United Methodist Church gave them aid and hope when other organizations couldn't. "One thing that was so amazing in trying to find help has been our connectional system," said the Rev. Roy Pearson, of West Laurel United Methodist Church. "The connectional system works," said the Rev. Don Patterson of First United Methodist Church. full story

Hurricane Katrina underscores Children's Sabbath this year

Sept. 14, 2005     United Methodist News Service The Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck the U.S. Gulf Coast has been accompanied by powerful images of the plight of children-images that will be in the minds of many congregations marking Children's Sabbath this fall. The 14th annual National Observance of Children's Sabbaths is sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, a nonprofit, Washington-based organization. Many congregations, including United Methodist churches, set aside a Sunday during the fall to focus on justice for children living in poverty. The third weekend in October — Oct. 14-16 this year — has traditionally been designated for Children's Sabbath, but the date "is totally up to the discretion of the congregation," said the Rev. Sally Jo Snyder, a United Methodist and director of the Children's Defense Fund. The United Methodist Board of Discipleship's Web site notes that, in the church, the event is observed Oct. 7-9. full story

United Methodist cash gifts for Katrina exceed $2.6 million

Sept. 14, 2005     United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — Cash contributions to the United Methodist Committee on Relief for Hurricane Katrina relief and rehabilitation totaled $2.6 million as of Sept. 13. That amount includes gifts made by Internet and telephone donors, and two days of checks received by mail, according to Roland Fernandes, treasurer of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. UMCOR is part of the international mission agency. full story

United Methodist center takes in evacuees with special needs

Sept. 15, 2005     United Methodist News Service PALESTINE, Texas — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, churches across the South have opened their doors as shelters. But one place of refuge in east Texas has taken on a special role helping storm survivors. More than 70 physically and mentally challenged children and adults from Volunteers of America group homes in the New Orleans area have found a safe haven at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center near Palestine. Without help from the federal government or relief agencies, United Methodists are providing food, clothing and shelter, and volunteering their time to help. Sixteen-year-old Brittney McGee is one of those who made the journey. "It was very scary, and I didn't want to leave home, but I had to," says McGee, who is confined to a wheelchair. full story

Arkansas church camps receive Katrina evacuees

Sept. 16, 2005     United Methodist News Service LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Waves of Hurricane Katrina survivors flooded into Arkansas in the wake of the devastating Aug. 29 storm that demolished New Orleans and dozens of coastal communities in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Two weeks after the horrendous storm, Arkansas government officials estimated there were 5,000 displaced people at 26 sites across the state and another 45,000 people in private homes and hotels. Fort Chaffee, a military camp near Fort Smith, was the first stop in Arkansas for many of the evacuees, some of whom were airlifted out of New Orleans on C-130 military transport planes. From there, smaller groups were bused to church and Boy Scout camps across the state. Gov. Mike Huckabee's office has coordinated use of the camps. Seven United Methodist camps were put on alert to receive evacuees. As of Sept. 13, three of the seven — Shoal Creek near Dardanelle, Mount Sequoyah at Fayetteville and Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock — were housing evacuees. The other sites — Camp Tanako near Hot Springs, Mount Eagle near Clinton, Wayland Springs Camp near Imboden and Bear Creek Camp at Marianna — were standing ready for evacuees. full story

Sexual harassment remains problem for church, survey says

Sept. 20, 2005     United Methodist News Service CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sexual harassment remains a problem within the United Methodist Church, and laity need more education about the issue. Those are among the preliminary findings from a sexual harassment survey distributed early this year by the denomination's Commission on the Status and Role of Women. A previous survey in 1990 defined sexual harassment as any sexual-related behavior that is unwelcome or offensive or fails to respect the rights of others. The Rev. Gail Murphy-Geiss, a Colorado clergywoman and past president of COSROW, presented data from the survey responses during the commission's Sept. 15-17 annual meeting in Cambridge. full story

Agency equips pastors for digital age, offering e-mail for life

Sept. 21, 2005     United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — United Methodist pastors can count on several address changes during the course of their ministry. But now, thanks to the church's communications agency, one address will remain the same throughout their careers: their e-mail. The United Methodist Commission on Communication approved a plan to provide pastors e-mail addresses for life during the board's Sept. 16-18 meeting. full story

Child evacuees find temporary home through connection

Sept. 21, 2005      United Methodist News Service BATON ROUGE, La. — Keith Rhodes, executive director of the Methodist Home for Children in New Orleans, had planned to take a relaxing fishing trip on Saturday, Aug. 27. Instead, that morning Rhodes was rapidly arranging the evacuation of 36 residents and 13 staff members of the home to its sister facility in Ruston, La., the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home. Hurricane Katrina was approaching. full story

Methodist children's home in Philadelphia reaches out to survivors

Sept. 21, 2005     United Methodist News Service PHILADELPHIA — Touched by the stories of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, the Methodist Home for Children is reaching out to help its counterparts in Louisiana — as well as an oft-forgotten group of survivors: family pets. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the affected children and our sister organizations that provide for them in this difficult time and in the months ahead," said Angele Marie Parker, president and chief executive officer of Methodist Home for Children in Philadelphia. The Methodist Home for Children in New Orleans evacuated 36 residents and 13 staff members to a related facility, the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home in Ruston. Administrators of both homes expect the evacuees to remain in north Louisiana for possibly six months. full story

Africa University assists Hurricane Katrina survivors

Sept. 21, 2005     United Methodist News Service MUTARE, Zimbabwe — United Methodist-related Africa University is reaching out to assist displaced families in communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The university, based in Mutare, has donated a shipment of bedding, originally designated for ministries in Africa, to ongoing efforts to care and provide for evacuees in Louisiana and Mississippi. "We know how it feels to lose everything," said Vice Chancellor Rukudzo Murapa. "There are students, faculty and staff here who are and have been refugees, so we know firsthand what those affected by Katrina are going through and facing. We feel honored to be able, out of our meager resources, to assist persons who need immediate help." full story

Relief agency executive offers tips for disaster response

Sept. 22, 2005     United Methodist News Service People of faith can respond in many ways to provide healing and support in the face of devastating hurricanes and other disasters, according to a United Methodist relief official. The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, shared five tips for responding to such disasters during an interview with the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive of United Methodist Communications. full story

United Methodists offer resources to help people 'Be the Hope'

Sept. 23, 2005    News media contact:   * ( ) * {531} United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Church is urging members to "Be the Hope" in responding to the needs of people affected by the recent hurricanes. The church is providing a wide range of resources to help individuals, congregations and communities respond to those in need. Resources provided by United Methodist Communications urge church members and the wider community — in the words of the denomination's recent ad after Hurricane Katrina — to "Volunteer. Take action. Be the hope." full story

Women's commission addresses range of vital work for church

Sept. 20, 2005     United Methodist News Service CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Through meetings with faculty and students at Boston University School of Theology, reports on clergywomen of color and on sexual harassment, and discussions on monitoring responsibilities, it was evident to directors of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women that their role remains vital to the church. Or, as COSROW's chief executive, M. Garlinda Burton, said during her address at the Sept. 15-17 annual meeting in Cambridge: "If the intersection of sexism and racism — and their negative impact on the vitality of Christ's holy church — isn't yet on your radar, let's talk about a clergy candidate in the Western Jurisdiction who was told earlier this year that if she can't 'think and act like a white man, there is no room for her in this denomination.' " full story

Study: Clergywomen of color need better support

Sept. 20, 2005     United Methodist News Service CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Despite challenges particular to their race and gender, racial and ethnic minority clergywomen do not have a "substantive support system" within the United Methodist Church. In fact, these clergywomen feel their work is unappreciated by the denomination, according to a study conducted for the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and its Division of Ordained Ministry. The study's authors, Jung Ha Kim and the Rev. Rosetta Ross, presented their data during the Sept. 15-17 annual meeting of the denomination's Commission on the Status and Role of Women in Cambridge. full story

Mississippi church hosts tent city for hurricane relief

Sept. 26, 2005 United Methodist News Service OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, St. Paul United Methodist Church has a tent city on its lawn and "God-Mart" spilling out into the halls and Sunday school rooms. The spacious sanctuary is one big bedroom set up by the Red Cross to shelter the new homeless after Katrina sent a 37-foot wall of water over Highway 90, right in front of St. Paul. full story

Loans, scholarship office assists hurricane-affected students

Sept. 26, 2005 United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the United Methodist Church's loans and scholarships office began combing through records to determine which students receiving financial aid might have had their studies or their jobs interrupted by the storm. "We wanted to take a proactive approach," said Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the Office of Loans and Scholarships at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The staff moved to defer for six months loan payments owed by about 100 borrowers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the three states devastated by the storm, she said. Most creditors were delaying payments for three months for borrowers in the affected areas, but loans and scholarship staff wanted to be as generous as possible. full story

United Methodist agency looks inside, outside on unity issues

Sept. 27, 2005 United Methodist News Service SEATTLE — United Methodists need to move beyond their historical isolation and divisions to become a truly global church. "The United Methodist Church is a communion that is centered, both economically and politically, in the United States," said the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. "This does not reflect the explosive church growth and radical change happening in many of the central conferences (outside the United States)." Pickens presented a draft plan for a "Forum on the Global Nature of the Church" during the commission's Sept. 22-25 annual meeting in Seattle. "The goal of the forum is to create a setting where representatives from Africa, Europe, the Philippines, the United States and Latin America can tell their stories," according to the plan. full story

Louisiana bishop predicts huge financial toll on churches

Sept. 27, 2005     United Methodist News Service BATON ROUGE, La. — The toll from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is going to be significant for the Louisiana Annual Conference, according to Bishop William Hutchinson. "There is not a single church in New Orleans Parish that has not been impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and now some have been hit again by Rita," Hutchinson said at a Sept. 26 meeting of Baton Rouge District pastors. More than 90 pastors are without congregations, and the conference will need to pay their salaries plus a few other basic needs, he said. Destroyed churches cannot take up collections, he noted. full story

Law enforcement leader fights crime with faith, preparation

Sept. 28, 2005     United Methodist News Service In a crime-fighting age darkened by terrorism and cultural rage, Connie Patrick is a tough-minded optimist who oversees the nation's largest law enforcement training program with her faith in God and humanity intact. A veteran of almost three decades in law enforcement, she says Americans must face today's criminal, terrorist and biological threats with prayer, preparation and courage. The worst thing people can do, she says, is live in fear. "Fear and faith are opposites," says Patrick, a United Methodist who says her faith has prepared her for her task as director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, headquartered near Brunswick, Ga. full story

Confessing Movement issues statement on unity

Sept. 28, 2005      United Methodist News Service CINCINNATI — The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church has issued a proclamation welcoming "serious attention to the denomination's unity and the basis of that unity." The proclamation was approved Sept. 24 by the more than 300 participants at the Confessing Movement's national conference. According to the two-page document, "Unity in Christ, That the World May Believe," the proclamation came as a reaction to discussion at the 2004 General Conference - which adopted a unity resolution - and the appointment of the Unity Task Force by the Council of Bishops. full story

Women's Division joins African-American, labor and immigrant groups demanding reform

Sept. 29, 2005     News media contact:   Kelly C. Martini * 212-870-3729*  New York Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church NEW YORK — On September 22, Women's Division racial justice executive, Carol Barton, addressed an alliance of African-American, labor and immigrant groups gathered in New York City, which is demanding reform and justice for workers in the United States.  While she spoke, similar groups across the country demonstrated in support of proposed reforms to be considered by Congress later this year. The nationwide alliance, calling themselves "Break the Chains," is demanding that the government repeal  the Employer Sanctions provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, and challenged proposals for "guestworker" programs that would not guarantee the labor rights and human rights of immigrant workers.  Advocates argue that sanctions against employers who hire undocumented workers has hurt workers more than the employers. full story

U.S. Jewish, Christian leaders to work for Middle East peace

Sept. 29, 2005     United Methodist News Service JERUSALEM (ENI) — A group of Christian and Jewish leaders from the United States has pledged to work together for Middle East peace, despite disagreements over issues such as Israel's West Bank barrier and divestment. The 16 Jewish and Christian leaders made the Sept. 18-23 visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories to calm tension created by disagreements over recent decisions by a number of mainstream Protestant groups in the United States. Two United Methodists were part of that delegation: Vidette Bullock Mixon, director of corporate relations for the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits, and Jim Winkler, chief executive, United Methodist Board of Church and Society. full story