e-Review archive
Global Connection
October 2004
 

United Methodists run on both sides of presidential race

Oct. 7, 2004     News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {04463} United Methodist News Service President Bush is proud of his United Methodist faith and speaks of it often. But he is not the only United Methodist candidate in this presidential election. Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Sen. John Edwards also are United Methodists, putting the denomination in a unique position at a time when Protestantism is declining and outcry is mounting over the political weight of the religious right. full story

Candidates don't always espouse church beliefs

Oct. 7, 2004     News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {04464} United Methodist News Service The United Methodist Church has both Republican and Democratic candidates in this presidential election, but their beliefs don't always match the denomination's. The campaigns of both President Bush and Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John Kerry deviate from United Methodist beliefs on a variety of issues. full story

Christians organize to vote their faith, but political loyalties differ

Oct. 7, 2004     News media contact:   Matt  Carlisle * (615) 742-5470*  Nashville {04465} United Methodist News Service An 11th commandment has taken root among American Christians this election year: Thou Shalt Take Thy Faith Into the Voting Booth and Make a Difference. A close presidential race in a worried world has turned faith into a decisive political factor in 2004. full story

Congregations reach beyond church for new disciples

Oct. 12, 2004    News media contact:   Matt  Carlisle * (615) 742-5470*  Nashville {04471} United Methodist News Service There's nothing "churchy" about The Garden in Indianapolis. The satellite congregation of St. Luke's United Methodist Church uses a vacant dinner theater for a sanctuary. People mill around during worship or sit at small tables enjoying bagels and coffee. Instead of singing hymns or even contemporary praise songs, the genre is secular pop music of artists such as Billy Joel, Eric Clapton or Sarah McLachlan. Clips from movies and TV shows complement the message. And a watering can at the door is the closest thing to an offering plate. By lowering the threshold between the sacred and secular, this alternative worship experience appears to be winning souls among the "unchurched," survivors of bad church experiences and those who find traditional organized religion boring and irrelevant. full story

Habitat founder to receive World Methodist Peace Award

Oct. 14, 2004    News media contact:   Kathy  Gilbert * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {04478} United Methodist News Service Millard Fuller, president and founder of Habitat for Humanity International, will receive the 2004 World Methodist Peace Award. The award, given annually since 1977 by the World Methodist Council, will be presented to Fuller Dec. 8, at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta. "In bringing together persons regardless of their religious preference or background to work side-by-side to eliminate poverty housing, Habitat for Humanity International promotes peace, reconciliation and justice," said the Rev. George Freeman, top executive of the World Methodist Council. His Eminence Sunday Mbang, chairperson of the World Methodist Council and Prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, will present the award. Habitat for Humanity began 27 years ago when Fuller, a successful attorney in Americus, Ga., and his wife Linda, left their millionaire lifestyle and rededicated their lives to serving God. full story

United Methodists should invest more in people, Day says

Oct. 20, 2004    News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New York {04488} United Methodist News Service   STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) - United Methodists spend too much time, energy and money maintaining their institutions. Instead, the denomination should be investing more heavily in people and their communities, according to the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Day pledged to move the denomination's mission agency away from "institutional maintenance only" and talked about the need to "pursue love" when he addressed board directors Oct. 18 during their annual meeting. "God has led me to the firm conviction that our entire United Methodist Church needs to look beyond itself, to get a better focus on the urgent spiritual and physical needs of the world's people," Day said. That understanding came after spending months conversing with church members and leaders, he said. The board's mission goals for the next four years are to make disciples of Jesus Christ, develop and strengthen congregations, alleviate human suffering, and promote justice, freedom and peace. The energy to accomplish such goals, he added, comes from Christian love. full story

Tips help parents talk to teens about sex

Oct. 28, 2004    News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*  Nashville {04505} United Methodist News Service Sex talk at church? United Methodist leaders believe church is one of the best places for teens to learn about sexuality. "The church offers a unique opportunity to give quality guidance and education in this area," the United Methodist Book of Discipline says. Congregations increasingly are offering programs to help families open up when they are too squeamish to take on this tough topic themselves. But parents have responsibilities, too. "Parents still are the best people to give their kids the tools to deal with decision making," says Tim Farley of Laguna Hills, Calif., a United Methodist and a sex education instructor for 15 years. "I think kids ultimately want their parents to care about what they're doing." Parents must talk to their children about sex, Farley says. Some 900,000 American teens from the ages of 15 to 19 get pregnant every year. full story