e-Review archive
Global Connection
September 2006
 

GEN-X RISING: Boldly go into the future

Sept. 1, 2006 United Methodist Reporter "Its continuing mission ... to boldly go where no one has gone before." The words are Captain Jean-Luc Picard's. The subject is the starship USS Enterprise. I heard those words spoken countless times at the beginning of each episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a show that ran from 1987 to 1994 (from the time I was 11 until I was 18). For a kid struggling with the challenges of adolescence, Capt. Picard's words were a real comfort. No matter how messy or mundane things got down here on Planet Earth, I could always count on the Enterprise and her crew to take me to the stars each week. Up there, everything was a lot more interesting and a lot more consequential. Up there, the fate of the human race was often at stake. Up there, things mattered. Meanwhile, life on terra firma never seemed to measure up. full story

LAYPERSON RESPONDS: The deeper problem behind our 'problems'

Sept. 1, 2006 United Methodist Reporter Since Annual Conference season this year, we have done a lot of collective worrying. We have analyzed discouraging statistics reported from all sides and identified what I call Methodists' Reasons to be Concerned. We are old and getting older. United Methodist laypersons and clergy have more (or less) than their fair share of gray hair. We are numerically diminished and getting smaller. United Methodists in record numbers are decamping for other denominations or simply for life outside the Body. We are broke and getting broker. Our dwindling resources, measured in both human and financial terms, cannot sustain the escalating costs of being in ministry. Other concerns range from our "over-feminization" to our "under-sensitivity," but those three are consistent characters in our drama of denominational anxiety. While we are indisputably older, smaller and broker, these are only symptoms of the legitimate Methodist Reasons to be Concerned. Focusing on how we can be younger, bigger and richer distracts us from our real tasks. full story

United Methodists launch U.S. back-to-school ad campaign

Sept. 5, 2006     News media contact:   Diane  Denton * (615) 742-5406*  Nashville {526}  United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Church is marking the back-to-school season in the United States with a $1.5 million cable television advertising campaign that urges people to focus on God. "The back-to-school season is a significant time to invite people to attend a United Methodist Church — after summer vacations are past and families begin to regroup and plan their fall activities," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "Many churches present new programming initiatives during this time of year to connect families to church ministries." The commercials are designed to appeal to audiences between the ages of 25 to 54. Two different television spots are included in the fall campaign. The first commercial, titled "I Believe," begins "I believe no one who asks for help should be turned away." The commercial emphasizes the church's acceptance and inclusiveness. The second commercial, titled "Prayer," reminds viewers to believe in the power of prayer with the anticipation expressed in childlike faith. Both English- and Spanish-language versions of this commercial are airing. full story

Commentary: Beware treating others like 'nobodies'

Sept. 7, 2006     News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {529} United Methodist News Service Have you ever been treated like a nobody, as if you did not matter? Robert W. Fuller suggests in his book, All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies and the Politics of Dignity, that the word "nobody" as an epithet should be stricken from our vocabulary. Fuller, former president of Oberlin College, believes the movement toward a "dignitarian" society where all people are treated with respect is the latest chapter in the long march toward liberty, justice and dignity for all. It is, as the cover suggests, "democracy's next step." full story

Five years later, United Methodists finish 9/11 recovery work

Sept. 8, 2006     News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {530} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — The Rev. James K. Law knows what it is like to live in the shadow of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The pastor of the Chinese United Methodist Church in Chinatown ministered to rescue workers at Ground Zero, dealt with church members suffering from trauma and temporary displacement from their apartments, and watched the economy of Chinatown fall apart. But he also was impressed by the response of his fellow United Methodists to the tragedy and appreciated the financial assistance that allowed his church to help Chinatown residents. "Our church, the United Methodist Church, came through," Law said. "I'm so proud of it." full story

Church members assist with memorial for 9/11 crash site

Sept. 8, 2006     News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {531} United Methodist News Service Five years have passed since United Airlines Flight 93, a hijacked airliner, crashed in a remote field near Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11. During that time, the field has attracted significant attention as people from across the United States and globe visit the site to show respect. More than 130,000 visited the site in 2006, and visitors have increased 46 percent this summer, according to Donna Glessner, a member of Shanksville (Pa.) United Methodist Church and coordinator of the volunteer ambassadors project at the site. full story

Christians more apprehensive over Islamic-related violence

Sept. 8, 2006 United Methodist Reporter Though stunned after 9-11, many Christians reached out to local Muslims to learn about Islam and to show they didn't associate them with the terrorist attacks. Some visited mosques. Others organized interfaith prayer vigils or hosted lectures on Islam. A year later, when U.S. military efforts geared up to invade Iraq, sentiment began to change, with some Christian leaders outspoken against Islam. And over the last five years, Americans have grown apprehensive watching insurgent attacks and beheadings in Iraq, protests over Danish cartoons mocking Muhammad, bombings in London subways, a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airflights and missiles launched in the Middle East. It's gotten to the point where people are asking, "Why do we have conversations with Muslims -- what's the purpose of that?" says Larry Pickens, top executive of the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, whose e-mail from United Methodists often reflects that sentiment. full story

United Methodists watch downtown recovery after 9/11

Sept. 11, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {535} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — The view from the window of Larry McGaughey's law office changed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Gone are the looming towers, replaced by what looks like a construction site. But McGaughey, who fled his office before the collapse of the World Trade Center that day, is back, along with many others in the neighborhood. full story

United Methodists assisted secondary victims of 9/11 attacks

Sept. 12, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {539} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — Some victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York never made the news. They were the people who worked at small businesses near the World Trade Center or were hired to help with the cleanup downtown. Some were left unemployed when factories in Chinatown closed in the aftermath or were simply unable to find a job after the economic downturn. A number were undocumented immigrants who were ineligible for government assistance. Using donations from church members, the United Methodist Committee on Relief was able to assist these secondary victims as well as some of those directly affected by the 2001 attacks. full story

Response to 9/11 leaves lasting legacy in New York

Sept. 12, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {540} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — The response by New York faith groups to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks left a lasting legacy. That legacy is New York Disaster Interfaith Services, whose mission is to "develop and support faith-based disaster readiness, response and recovery services for New York City." According to the Rev. Charles "Chick" Straut, a United Methodist who serves as the organization's treasurer, NYDIS is "the best part of the story" in the recovery from the 2001 terrorist attacks. full story

United Methodists must be AIDS ambassadors, speaker says

Sept. 12, 2006    News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {542} United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — United Methodists from around the world gathered in the nation's capital to hear that the church must get involved in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. "We need you, and more people like you, to become ambassadors for the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund," said the Rev. Don Messer, a retired theological school president and a member of the fund's board of directors. "We need United Methodists to pray, speak out in their local churches and wherever their ministries take them, and do something in support of HIV/AIDS ministries." "Lighten the Burden," held Sept. 8-9, was the first conference of its kind in more than 20 years. The event was sponsored by the Global AIDS Fund, created by the 2004 United Methodist General Conference, Board of Global Ministries and the Board of Church and Society. full story

Creativity shaped New Jersey 9/11 response by Methodists

Sept. 13, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {544} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — United Methodists in New Jersey used creativity and a willingness to cross boundaries to assist residents in that state affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Rev. Christopher Miller — who served as director of the Healing, Encouragement and Advocacy in Response to Tragedy unit of the denomination's Greater New Jersey Annual (regional) Conference from July 1, 2002, to June 2005 — said flexibility was crucial to the fact that most of their clients experienced financial recovery; some also experienced a spiritual and emotional recovery. Recovery is defined as regaining self-sufficiency. "From my point of view, I thought it was extremely successful," Miller said. "We were definitely catching the people who fell through the cracks. We were supplying resources to people who had very few options for resources, if any." full story

Virginia churches serve 'secondary victims'

Sept. 13, 2006    News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {545} United Methodist News Service ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Andy Powell, David Miller and Frank Baker take brown paper bags full of fresh produce and canned goods out to waiting vans. Marionette Changes keeps a careful eye on the men to make sure the right bags get in the right vans. "We got some fresh produce from the market," she says, obviously pleased with today's offering. "One of our ladies loves asparagus." Changes and the others are members or regular attendees of Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church, a church whose membership consists mostly of the poor and homeless along Washington's Route One Corridor. On this day, the church is delivering food to the elderly and handicapped in the community. full story

Oklahoma City professor sends project on space shuttle

Sept. 14, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {550} United Methodist News Service A professor at a United Methodist-related college is participating in activities aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, which docked with the International Space Station on Sept. 11. Kent Buchanan, a biology professor at Oklahoma City University, sent a "life science experiment" to space to investigate the effect of space flight on microbes-microscopic organisms, particularly bacteria that can cause disease. Buchanan's research is on microbial gene expression and virulence. He is one of four scientists studying organisms on the shuttle. The group received a $1 million grant from NASA for the work about five years ago. Several organisms are being tested; Buchanan's focus through the Candida Project is on a microbe called Candida albicans. full story

California, Nevada churches challenge CBS over 'Survivor'

Sept. 14, 2006    News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {549} United Methodist News Service SAN FRANCISCO — In four cities in California and Nevada, United Methodists turned out Sept. 10 to send a message of disapproval to CBS over its new format for the "Survivor" television series. Aware of the CBS network's decision to start its new "Survivor" season with a plan to segregate contestants by race and pit them against each other, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana put a call out to churches around the conference to protest "Survivor: Cook Island." In San Francisco, Fresno and Sacramento, Calif., and Reno, Nev., United Methodists representing the ethnic diversity of the denomination's California-Nevada Annual  (regional) Conference gathered outside the offices of CBS affiliates KPIX-TV, KOVR, KTVN and KJEO. full story

Commentary: A prescription for racism, our chronic affliction

Sept. 14, 2006    News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {551} United Methodist News Service Recent and ongoing incidents of racial bigotry and stereotypes reported and portrayed in the media, particularly targeting racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants, are poisoning the atmosphere and values of the United States, while injuring the dignity and humanity of all people. It is past time to stop this sinful insanity. But can we? full story

United Methodist-related woman's college votes to accept men

Sept. 15, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {555} United Methodist News Service LYNCHBURG, Va. — After 115 years of being a single-gender institution for women, the board of trustees of Randolph-Macon Women's College has decided to admit men. The board approved a strategic plan Sept. 9 to make the United Methodist-related college coed in the fall of 2007. A name change is also planned. full story

United Methodist, Presbyterian churches train youth leaders

Sept. 19, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {561} United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A United Methodist church and a Presbyterian congregation have formed a two-year training center for college graduates interested in youth ministry. Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church of Nashville have partnered to form the Center for Youth Ministry Training. Nine students are participating in the inaugural semester, which began Aug. 16 and ends Dec. 12. Most of the students are in their first youth ministry position. full story

CBS to air special on Chautauqua Institution

Sept. 19, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {562}  United Methodist News Service United Methodists will be featured in an upcoming CBS-TV special exploring the Chautauqua Institution, an educational center in New York. CBS will air the 30-minute interfaith program at 8 a.m. Eastern time and 5 a.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, Oct. 8. full story

Commentary: God wants younger, more diverse congregations

Sept. 20, 2006    News media contact:   Linda  Green * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {563} United Methodist News Service The word "fruitfulness" keeps surfacing in church conversations these days. Scripture is ripe with references to fields and harvests, vines and branches, stumps and shoots, trees and figs. Indeed, the image of fruitfulness gives us a powerful language for understanding effective ministry. What is the fruitfulness God expects of us and of our churches? Fruitfulness can take many forms. But we must be clear about the fundamental change we seek to make in human life through our ministry. The most important fruits are growing, vibrant congregations that are changing lives through Jesus Christ. full story

Camp in Sierra Leone teaches children to 'live in light'

Sept. 20, 2006    News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {565} United Methodist News Service MOYAMBA, Sierra Leone — Two hundred and ten children from different parts of Sierra Leone and from various religious backgrounds gathered this summer for a weeklong camp at June Hartranft Memorial Primary School for Girls. The Children's Ministry of the United Methodist Sierra Leone Annual Conference organized the July 17-24 camp, which had as its theme, "Live as Children of Light," inspired by Ephesians 5:8. The event was the third organized by the Children's Ministry after Sierra Leone's bitter civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002. full story

Hispanic church leaders voice support for immigrants

Sept. 21, 2006     {566} United Methodist News Service LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — Leaders of the United Methodist Church's Hispanic caucus are seeking ways to care for immigrants, as political debate over U.S. border policy continues to heat up. Members of Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA) devoted their Sept. 14-17 meeting to immigration issues. full story

UMCOR helps Sri Lankan families displaced by violence

Sept. 21, 2006    {567} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — Families displaced by recent violence in Sri Lanka are being assisted by the United Methodist Committee on Relief as they return home. Guy Hovey, UMCOR Sri Lanka's head of mission, reported what started "with a trickle" of returnees to the town of Muttur has expanded significantly. "We're now working in Muttur helping people resettle themselves," he said during a Sept. 18 visit to the agency's headquarters in New York. UMCOR has been designated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as the lead agency for the return and reintegration of displaced people in the Muttur area. full story

Sudan relief continues during uncertain period

Sept. 21, 2006    {568} United Methodist News Service NEW YORK — The United Methodist Committee on Relief work is continuing in Sudan, despite uncertainty over security in the near future. Safety has only become a concern in the past two months in the areas of the south where UMCOR operates, according to Jane Ohuma, head of mission in the region, during a visit to the agency's New York headquarters. The heavy presence of the military, both on the ground and in the air, has curtailed the movement of all nongovernmental organization staff. The agency takes basic safety precautions and relies on national staff for access and information, she said. full story

Cross-racial appointments 'more common' in UMC

Sept. 22, 2006 United Methodist Reporter His first Monday on the job, a new pastor finds a note on his desk to visit an ailing 90-year-old woman at the hospital -- normally a fairly routine task. But the new pastor is an African American, just appointed to a predominantly Anglo church. Arriving at the hospital, he paces nervously outside the woman's door, and finally, reluctantly, knocks on her door and announces, "Your minister is calling." Encounters like this one, described by Austin Frederick Jr. in his 2005 book Quest for Inclusiveness, are becoming more frequent in the life of the United Methodist Church as cross-racial appointments continue to grow. full story

Church leaders urge pulling troops from Iraq

Sept. 22, 2006     United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON — United Methodist Church leaders helped launch a week of protest and civil disobedience against the war in Iraq by signing a declaration of peace urging President Bush to pull U.S. troops out of the country. The Declaration of Peace, signed Sept. 21, is described as a call for nonviolent action to end the war in Iraq. The Washington event was one of 350 that will be staged nationwide to promote the peace initiative. The declaration calls for people to "engage in peaceful protests" if there is not a plan for troop withdrawal established and begun by Sept. 21, days before Congress adjourns for the fall elections. full story

Commentary: Reflections on 100 years of Methodism in Bolivia

Sept. 22, 2006     United Methodist News Service Francis M. Harrington, the Methodist missionary who led the Methodist witness to Bolivia in 1906, reflected on the difficult beginnings: "I have put faith into my work, and I know it will bear good fruit." A hundred years later, on the Aug. 20 anniversary of the initiation of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia, some 6,500 Methodists, representing the 10,000-member denomination, marched through the center of the capital city of La Paz, accompanied by the stirring music of 16 bands, to celebrate and savor the abundant fruits of Gospel witness that Harrington had envisioned. full story

New England pastors reach out to migrant workers

Sept. 25, 2006     United Methodist News Service WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maine — They work up to 12 hours a day, harvesting the delectable main ingredient for blueberry muffins, pancakes and pies. Each year, thousands of migrant workers stream into Washington County to work in the wild blueberry capital of the world. But the migrants — representing a diverse mix of Native American and Latino cultures — face backbreaking work, low wages and sometimes poor living conditions as they bring in the crop. United Methodist pastors from New England are reaching out to help. full story

Youth invited to participate in international event

Sept. 25, 2006     United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Young United Methodists from around the world will have an opportunity to attend the first international convocation sponsored by the division of the church created to make them "world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ." The United Methodist Division on Ministries with Young People will host the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly Dec. 28-Jan. 1, in Johannesburg, South Africa. full story

Personal tragedies drive church members to combat suicide rate

Sept. 25, 2006    United Methodist News Service Nineteen years ago, the Rev. Jean Layell's sister was the mother of six-week-old twins. She asked her sister to come over and babysit because she hadn't slept well the night before. When Layell arrived, she took the babies in her arms and encouraged her younger sister to "go and take a hot shower." Within moments, Layell heard what sounded like an explosion. She remembers looking out the window, trying to figure out what happened. She remembers calling her sister's name and hearing the shower running. She remembers hearing her father scream at some point. She doesn't remember much else about that day. full story

Black college presidents get orientation to Hispanic culture

Sept. 26, 2006     United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The burgeoning Hispanic population has become a target for recruitment efforts by historically-black colleges across the United States. Leaders of black colleges related to the United Methodist Church are discussing whether they should jump on that bandwagon. The presidents of the denomination's historically black colleges focused their Sept. 18-20 meeting here on Hispanic/Latino/Mexican American culture. The group discussed how their schools can recruit large numbers of Hispanic students and still maintain their foundational mission to African Americans. full story

Event will give youth opportunity to explore call to ministry

Sept. 26, 2006      United Methodist News Service Young people will have an opportunity this fall to explore whether they are being called to the ordained ministry. The deadline to register for "EXPLORATION 2006" is Oct. 6. The Nov. 17-19 event in Jacksonville, Fla., will feature well-known speakers and preachers who are committed to developing young clergy for the church. Speakers will include Bishop Minerva Carcaño, episcopal leader of the church's Phoenix Area. full story

Zimbabwe remains good place to live, speakers say

Sept. 27, 2006 United Methodist News Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Though beset with economic problems, Zimbabwe is still "a very pleasant place to live," say United Methodists working with Africa University there. Because of the country's economic condition, officials with the United Methodist-related school are often questioned about operating in the country and about how and why the university continues its mission there. Zimbabwe has been described as a place of desolation and strife, but people who live there disagree with that image. full story

United Methodists put pact with Episcopalians into practice

Sept. 27, 2006     United Methodist News Service COLUMBUS, Ohio — Members of the United Methodist Church's ecumenical commission put a new agreement with the Episcopal Church into practice by participating in a communion service led by a bishop from each denomination. The service opened the Sept. 21-23 annual meeting of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. full story

Professor studies connection between religion, terror

Sept. 29, 2006 United Methodist Reporter In a world where chaos often seems to rule, religious faith gives us a way to make sense of things — a vision of peace in the midst of discord. Right? Yes, says Mark Juergensmeyer, a professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But he also warns that faith can as easily turn us toward war. full story

Increasing church attendance

Sept. 29, 2006     News media contact:   Dean McIntyre * 877-899-2780, ext 7073 *  Nashville {05082} General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church A recent message from a church musician read: “I have been tasked, after my first job evaluation with the Sr. Pastor and SPRC Chair to increase attendance over the next year with the Contemporary Service I lead. What resources do we have available through the GBOD which might help me in this quest?” In thinking over my response, I was struck by the implications of his question. He has received a “task” from the senior pastor and SPRC chair, assigning responsibility for increasing attendance to the musician. They are not satisfied with the attendance at this contemporary worship service and have given the musician who has been on the job for less than a year one more year to turn it around. The musician will rely on “resources” to accomplish this. In other words, what music can he select, what prayers and Scriptures can he incorporate, what words and practices must he put into the worship bulletin that will result in increased attendance? full story

Judicial Council sets oral hearings for two cases

Sept. 29, 2006     United Methodist News Service The highest court of the United Methodist Church will hear oral arguments from people concerned with two cases that will appear on its Oct. 25-28 docket. The Judicial Council will hear oral arguments beginning at 9 a.m., Oct. 26, at the Vernon Manor Hotel in Cincinnati. Only interested parties or their designees have the right to address the council during the oral hearings, but the hearings are open to the public. The first case involves legislation enacted by the 2004 General Conference, and the second will address action by the Kansas East Annual (regional) Conference. full story