Immigration: Exploring Jesus' 'outrageous' hospitality
By Kim Fry*
LOS ANGELES (UMNS) -- "I am not a burden. I am a useful person."
These are the words of Estela Diaz, an immigrant from Mexico who lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and children. She dreams of an education for her children and to make a living for her family.
Her personal testimony was shared as church and community leaders explored "Immigration and the Outrageous Hospitality of Jesus" at an April 21 conference designed to put a face on the issue of immigrant rights.
The event was sponsored by the California-Pacific Conference chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, in partnership with the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights. About 100 people attended the conference at the historic La Plaza United Methodist Church.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, leader of The United Methodist Church's Los Angeles area, greeted participants by calling them "spiritual leaders standing in the gap between the center of the community and the edge of the community."
"You can invite strangers from the edge to the center of the community. You can help fulfill Jesus' vision of abundant life for all people," Swenson said.
Other immigrants offered their personal testimonies through an interpreter.
Jesus, who came from Peru, worked at a gas station, but recently was let go because of lack of documentation about his legal status in the United States. He now lives on the street, but still has hope for a better future.
"There are two doors," Jesus said of homelessness. "One door, you can go in and come back out. The second door, you go in and fall into depression and despair. You don't come back out."
Jesus has chosen the first door. He says his homelessness is temporary, and he sells water and soft drinks on the street to pay for his daily needs. "I am surviving," he said. "When I leave this point of just surviving, I want to come back… and help the (others)."
A biblical mandate
The head of the social action agency of The United Methodist Church offered a keynote address highlighting the biblical basis for hospitality to immigrants.
"Anti-immigration viewpoints are all too prevalent today, even from persons who are immigrants themselves, despite a Bible and faith that demands hospitality," said Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Winkler outlined five elements for comprehensive immigration reform:
.A path to citizenship - an earned legalization program that is workable and achievable;
.Firm, fair enforcement of the law that is consistent with humanitarian values and treats all people with dignity and respect;
.Restoration of due process protections for immigrants removed by the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act;
.Family-based immigration reform that reduces waiting times for family reunification;
.A plan for the future flow of migrants that includes workplace protections and examines the root causes of migration.
"The involvement of the church in these issues is so important. Our moral and ethical voice has weight," Winkler said. "Who speaks for the poor, the persecuted … if not us?"
Getting involved
The event included workshops on ways to get involved in the immigrant rights movement.
For instance, the Border Project is a new outreach to people stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border and was highlighted in a presentation by the Joint Commission for Church Extension.
The Institute of Popular Education of Southern California provides economic development opportunities to unemployed, low-income families, assisting and supporting the creation of socially responsible, democratically driven businesses.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network is a national alliance of community organizations working with day laborers.
Christine Gilbert, of Bellflower (Ca.) United Methodist Church, attended the workshop on the New Sanctuary Movement, which enables churches to help families in danger of being broken up because of deportation.
"Our church has a number of Filipino families," Gilbert said. "They often wait a long time for visas for other family members."
*Fry is communications coordinator for the California Pacific Annual Conference.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Healthy Child Campaign seeks coverage for all children
Health care for every child in the United States is the goal of a Children's Defense Fund campaign being supported by United Methodist Women. A UMNS photo by Allysa Adams. STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) - Every child in the United States, regardless of immigration status or family income, should have access to comprehensive health and mental health care, according to The United Methodist Church's women's organization.
To help achieve that goal, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is joining the "Healthy Child Campaign: Covering All Children in 2007," sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund.
In her address during the division's April 20-23 spring meeting, UMW chief executive Lois Dauway said 9 million U.S. children are without health insurance, even though nearly 90 percent of those children live in households with working parents.
"Many of these children are eligible for coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program but are not enrolled in existing programs in large part because of different eligibility and enrollment barriers that make it difficult to obtain or keep coverage," Dauway said.
"Millions more children are underinsured or at risk of losing coverage if their parents change jobs or more employers drop family coverage."
One such child at risk was Devante Johnson of Houston. He suffered from advanced cancer of the kidneys and depended on Medicaid for treatments that he needed to survive.
Despite his mother's best efforts, Devante's paperwork for renewal for Medicaid was lost in the bureaucracy and he was without coverage for four months in 2006. "During this time, he depended upon clinical trials for care and his tumors continued to grow," Dauway said.
"A state representative intervened to restore coverage, but it was too late. On March 1, 2007, Devante Johnson died from complications of cancer. He was 14 years old."
The goal of the Healthy Child Campaign is to consolidate children's health coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program into a single federal program that guarantees all medically necessary services for children.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the cost is estimated at $26.1 billion a year, which equals 25 days of spending on Medicare in 2007 and 16 days of general military spending this year. Because it would be a federal program, states would incur no additional cost for expanding coverage and enhancing benefits.
Under the program, children age 18 and younger whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level - or $61,950 for a family of four in 2007 - would be covered.
Children with family incomes over the 300 percent level could buy into the program. Pregnant women at or below the 300 percent level would be eligible for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care.
The Women's Division, which administers the church's United Methodist Women's groups, plans to support the Healthy Child Campaign through petitions, an action alert and opportunities for education and awareness.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
To help achieve that goal, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is joining the "Healthy Child Campaign: Covering All Children in 2007," sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund.
In her address during the division's April 20-23 spring meeting, UMW chief executive Lois Dauway said 9 million U.S. children are without health insurance, even though nearly 90 percent of those children live in households with working parents.
"Many of these children are eligible for coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program but are not enrolled in existing programs in large part because of different eligibility and enrollment barriers that make it difficult to obtain or keep coverage," Dauway said.
"Millions more children are underinsured or at risk of losing coverage if their parents change jobs or more employers drop family coverage."
One such child at risk was Devante Johnson of Houston. He suffered from advanced cancer of the kidneys and depended on Medicaid for treatments that he needed to survive.
Despite his mother's best efforts, Devante's paperwork for renewal for Medicaid was lost in the bureaucracy and he was without coverage for four months in 2006. "During this time, he depended upon clinical trials for care and his tumors continued to grow," Dauway said.
"A state representative intervened to restore coverage, but it was too late. On March 1, 2007, Devante Johnson died from complications of cancer. He was 14 years old."
The goal of the Healthy Child Campaign is to consolidate children's health coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program into a single federal program that guarantees all medically necessary services for children.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the cost is estimated at $26.1 billion a year, which equals 25 days of spending on Medicare in 2007 and 16 days of general military spending this year. Because it would be a federal program, states would incur no additional cost for expanding coverage and enhancing benefits.
Under the program, children age 18 and younger whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level - or $61,950 for a family of four in 2007 - would be covered.
Children with family incomes over the 300 percent level could buy into the program. Pregnant women at or below the 300 percent level would be eligible for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care.
The Women's Division, which administers the church's United Methodist Women's groups, plans to support the Healthy Child Campaign through petitions, an action alert and opportunities for education and awareness.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
World's First Hospital-Based Center of Excellence in Faith and Health Debuts in Memphis
$1 Million Founding Gift Gets Project Started
Memphis, Tenn. -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has launched a center to advance health by bringing faith and health together for the improved wellbeing of thousands of patients. The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health was announced today at a news conference at the health system’s flagship hospital, Methodist University Hospital, where the center will be housed.
"The spirit of faith and healing pervades Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. It’s in our DNA," said Gary S. Shorb, president and chief executive officer. "Our goal is to dramatically enhance quality of care and support for our patients and their families. We believe that the coupling of faith and health can not only elevate the level of care we deliver to our patients, but also improve quality of life for our community and beyond."
"In the past two decades a growing body of evidence has emerged that shows that patients who are active participants in a worshipping community have significantly better health outcomes," said Gary R. Gunderson, D.Min., M.Div., senior vice president of health and welfare ministries and an ordained minister. "Other studies indicate that patients in hospitals receiving skilled spiritual care are able to be released more quickly and return less often than those receiving either no spiritual care, or untrained spiritual care."
"The Center of Excellence in Faith and Health reflects solid medical evidence that the link between faith and health is important long term patient outcomes. The center is a tool that will help us understand better so that our practice and implementation of this area of knowledge is as systematic and excellent as we expect to achieve in other more traditional areas of medical science."
The center is an interfaith, collaborative center of research, innovation and training. Working with partners both locally and all over the world, the center has a multi-tiered approach including: identifying and linking local community faith resources; providing support and resources to clergy; enhancing the patient experience within the walls of the hospital; and collaborative research with international experts on faith and health - all with the goal of improving the wellbeing of the patient before, during and after the hospital experience.
While the center encompasses work already under way at MLH, as well as a number of new programs, it also calls for a large new physical space at the front entrance of the hospital. MLH announced today that a $1-million founding gift by local ophthalmologist and philanthropist Dr. Ralph Hamilton and wife Barbara, a longtime Methodist volunteer, will fund the creation of the physical space. The development of the space will require another half million in philanthropy to be raised by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation. Those funds will be matched by Methodist. The system budgets about $3 million each year for faith and health.
"The 21st Century demands that we connect all the partners relevant to the health of our patients. That demands new models of training, new programs, new techniques, all of which will be generated by the Center of Excellence," said Shorb.
"All center activities will focus on the confluence of faith and health, and that work will focus on how we connect the resources inside and outside the walls of the healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "Because the work done here includes local, national and international partners, even before it’s built, the center is considered a global asset."
The physical Center of Excellence in Faith and Health will be housed in 20,000 square feet of renovated space at the hospital’s front entrance and will include:
* Transformation of the intensive care unit waiting room into a state-of-the-art family-centered healing environment with a quiet area, laundry rooms, and showers for family members as as space for local clergy to counsel their members.
* A resource center for family members and congregational visitors to equip them to care for patients needing continuing care after hospitalization.
* Creative meeting space for academic partners to work with each other as well as teach our Associates and local clergy.
* An indoor interfaith chapel to accommodate and embrace all faiths
* A meditation garden with water features, a labyrinth and sacred prayer space, and
* An 24/7 on-call chaplain in adjoining space.
In addition, the center will serve as the hub for Methodist’s many faith and health initiatives outside its walls, including:
* Growth of its dynamic Congregational Health Network, a collaborative partnership between Methodist’s hospitals and Mid-South church congregations,
* Implementation of a religious health asset mapping project to improve the health of the overall Memphis community. Dr. Gunderson was principal investigator of a similar project in Africa, and Memphis was designated by the World Health Organization the only U.S. or European site to replicate this work,
* Continuation of a clergy health focus with the goal of being the premier clergy leadership center in the world and will also foster expanded relationships with seminary partners locally and nationally. For instance, Dr. Gunderson worked with Memphis Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC) to develop a doctorate program in faith and health, and next will come a masters-level program. In May MTS and Wesley Seminary will bring 30 doctoral students to Memphis for joint courses on faith and health. Other important partners the center will continue to work with are the Memphis-based Church Health center, the University of Memphis, Emory University, Duke University, Chicago Theological Seminary and more.
* Strengthening international partnerships by expanding relationships with faith-based health leaders across the U.S. and in Africa, Switzerland, Norway and other countries, Partners will convene at the Center to develop practices related to integrated health, disease management and spiritual care.
"Our intellectual work is shaped by our commitment to understand the ‘leading causes of life,’ not just death," said Dr. Gunderson. One of the first tangible outcomes of the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health is a partnership resulting in the Leading Causes of Life Webinar series. Based on the recent book by that name, authored by Dr. Gunderson and Larry Pray, the Webinars, equips viewers with a language of life - give ways to identify life in ourselves and our communities. The Webinars, being launched on the Methodist Website today, were filmed on the campus of Rhodes College and were part of the prestigious Meeman at Night lecture series. To view, log on free to www.methodisthealth.org and click on the Webcast icon. A recording of the Webinars will remain on the Website for one year as a reference and educational tool.
How It Began
The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system was born out of the faith community in the early 1900s when North Mississippi farmer and United Methodist Church layman John Sherard began rallying support to build a Methodist Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Chartered in 1918, that first hospital has grown into a seven-hospital system with a home health agency, surgery centers, and outpatient clinics serving the Memphis area.
A longtime lynchpin of the Memphis medical community and the third largest hospital in the country**, Methodist made a purposeful decision to be recognized as a leader in faith-based healthcare. In September 2005, Dr. Gunderson, was recruited to fill a spot as senior vice president for Methodist’s Health and Welfare Ministries division. Gunderson brought with him expansive national and international contacts in public health arena, having worked as leader of the Interfaith Health Program started at The Carter Center, and later in that same role for the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. "The more I learned about Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, I found it was a very unusual healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "I can’t think of another place that would have the commitment to mission, coupled with the vision that would allow this kind of thing to happen. Gary (Shorb) and the board of directors understand the correlation between faith and health, reflecting a culture and strategy that’s just quite remarkable."
** Based on admissions; All Methodist’s Memphis hospitals are licensed as one.
Chaplain John A. Wilcher, M.Div., BCC
Director, Clergy and Conference Ministries
Methodist Healthcare
1211 Union Avenue, Suite #746
Memphis, TN 38104-6600
Main Office: (901) 516-0592
Direct Office: (901) 516-0864
FAX: (901) 516-0595
Pager: (901) 418-1381
Cell Phone: (901) 210-6878
Email: wilcherj@methodisthealth.org
Methodist Healthcare Website: www.methodisthealth.org
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center Website: www.lebonheur.org
$1 Million Founding Gift Gets Project Started
Memphis, Tenn. -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has launched a center to advance health by bringing faith and health together for the improved wellbeing of thousands of patients. The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health was announced today at a news conference at the health system’s flagship hospital, Methodist University Hospital, where the center will be housed.
"The spirit of faith and healing pervades Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. It’s in our DNA," said Gary S. Shorb, president and chief executive officer. "Our goal is to dramatically enhance quality of care and support for our patients and their families. We believe that the coupling of faith and health can not only elevate the level of care we deliver to our patients, but also improve quality of life for our community and beyond."
"In the past two decades a growing body of evidence has emerged that shows that patients who are active participants in a worshipping community have significantly better health outcomes," said Gary R. Gunderson, D.Min., M.Div., senior vice president of health and welfare ministries and an ordained minister. "Other studies indicate that patients in hospitals receiving skilled spiritual care are able to be released more quickly and return less often than those receiving either no spiritual care, or untrained spiritual care."
"The Center of Excellence in Faith and Health reflects solid medical evidence that the link between faith and health is important long term patient outcomes. The center is a tool that will help us understand better so that our practice and implementation of this area of knowledge is as systematic and excellent as we expect to achieve in other more traditional areas of medical science."
The center is an interfaith, collaborative center of research, innovation and training. Working with partners both locally and all over the world, the center has a multi-tiered approach including: identifying and linking local community faith resources; providing support and resources to clergy; enhancing the patient experience within the walls of the hospital; and collaborative research with international experts on faith and health - all with the goal of improving the wellbeing of the patient before, during and after the hospital experience.
While the center encompasses work already under way at MLH, as well as a number of new programs, it also calls for a large new physical space at the front entrance of the hospital. MLH announced today that a $1-million founding gift by local ophthalmologist and philanthropist Dr. Ralph Hamilton and wife Barbara, a longtime Methodist volunteer, will fund the creation of the physical space. The development of the space will require another half million in philanthropy to be raised by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation. Those funds will be matched by Methodist. The system budgets about $3 million each year for faith and health.
"The 21st Century demands that we connect all the partners relevant to the health of our patients. That demands new models of training, new programs, new techniques, all of which will be generated by the Center of Excellence," said Shorb.
"All center activities will focus on the confluence of faith and health, and that work will focus on how we connect the resources inside and outside the walls of the healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "Because the work done here includes local, national and international partners, even before it’s built, the center is considered a global asset."
The physical Center of Excellence in Faith and Health will be housed in 20,000 square feet of renovated space at the hospital’s front entrance and will include:
* Transformation of the intensive care unit waiting room into a state-of-the-art family-centered healing environment with a quiet area, laundry rooms, and showers for family members as as space for local clergy to counsel their members.
* A resource center for family members and congregational visitors to equip them to care for patients needing continuing care after hospitalization.
* Creative meeting space for academic partners to work with each other as well as teach our Associates and local clergy.
* An indoor interfaith chapel to accommodate and embrace all faiths
* A meditation garden with water features, a labyrinth and sacred prayer space, and
* An 24/7 on-call chaplain in adjoining space.
In addition, the center will serve as the hub for Methodist’s many faith and health initiatives outside its walls, including:
* Growth of its dynamic Congregational Health Network, a collaborative partnership between Methodist’s hospitals and Mid-South church congregations,
* Implementation of a religious health asset mapping project to improve the health of the overall Memphis community. Dr. Gunderson was principal investigator of a similar project in Africa, and Memphis was designated by the World Health Organization the only U.S. or European site to replicate this work,
* Continuation of a clergy health focus with the goal of being the premier clergy leadership center in the world and will also foster expanded relationships with seminary partners locally and nationally. For instance, Dr. Gunderson worked with Memphis Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC) to develop a doctorate program in faith and health, and next will come a masters-level program. In May MTS and Wesley Seminary will bring 30 doctoral students to Memphis for joint courses on faith and health. Other important partners the center will continue to work with are the Memphis-based Church Health center, the University of Memphis, Emory University, Duke University, Chicago Theological Seminary and more.
* Strengthening international partnerships by expanding relationships with faith-based health leaders across the U.S. and in Africa, Switzerland, Norway and other countries, Partners will convene at the Center to develop practices related to integrated health, disease management and spiritual care.
"Our intellectual work is shaped by our commitment to understand the ‘leading causes of life,’ not just death," said Dr. Gunderson. One of the first tangible outcomes of the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health is a partnership resulting in the Leading Causes of Life Webinar series. Based on the recent book by that name, authored by Dr. Gunderson and Larry Pray, the Webinars, equips viewers with a language of life - give ways to identify life in ourselves and our communities. The Webinars, being launched on the Methodist Website today, were filmed on the campus of Rhodes College and were part of the prestigious Meeman at Night lecture series. To view, log on free to www.methodisthealth.org and click on the Webcast icon. A recording of the Webinars will remain on the Website for one year as a reference and educational tool.
How It Began
The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system was born out of the faith community in the early 1900s when North Mississippi farmer and United Methodist Church layman John Sherard began rallying support to build a Methodist Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Chartered in 1918, that first hospital has grown into a seven-hospital system with a home health agency, surgery centers, and outpatient clinics serving the Memphis area.
A longtime lynchpin of the Memphis medical community and the third largest hospital in the country**, Methodist made a purposeful decision to be recognized as a leader in faith-based healthcare. In September 2005, Dr. Gunderson, was recruited to fill a spot as senior vice president for Methodist’s Health and Welfare Ministries division. Gunderson brought with him expansive national and international contacts in public health arena, having worked as leader of the Interfaith Health Program started at The Carter Center, and later in that same role for the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. "The more I learned about Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, I found it was a very unusual healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "I can’t think of another place that would have the commitment to mission, coupled with the vision that would allow this kind of thing to happen. Gary (Shorb) and the board of directors understand the correlation between faith and health, reflecting a culture and strategy that’s just quite remarkable."
** Based on admissions; All Methodist’s Memphis hospitals are licensed as one.
Chaplain John A. Wilcher, M.Div., BCC
Director, Clergy and Conference Ministries
Methodist Healthcare
1211 Union Avenue, Suite #746
Memphis, TN 38104-6600
Main Office: (901) 516-0592
Direct Office: (901) 516-0864
FAX: (901) 516-0595
Pager: (901) 418-1381
Cell Phone: (901) 210-6878
Email: wilcherj@methodisthealth.org
Methodist Healthcare Website: www.methodisthealth.org
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center Website: www.lebonheur.org
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Advocate helps older senior adults deal with crime
By John Gordon*
By John Gordon*
The Rev. Edna Morgan (right) counsels Oneita Fisher, who is afraid to leave her home due to crime in her neighborhood in Pine Bluff, Ark. UMNS photos by John Gordon.PINE BLUFF, Ark. (UMNS) - Surrounded by suspected drug-dealing activities, Oneita Fisher feels like a prisoner in her own home.
"I'm to the point now where I feel like I just can't take it anymore," says the 69-year-old Pine Bluff resident. "I'm afraid to leave, and I'm afraid to come home if I'm away. There's a lot of vandalism, and I have personally had my car stolen several times."
Fortunately, Fisher has a friend in the Rev. Edna Morgan, a crime victims' advocate for the elderly and the head of Healing Place Ministries, housed at First United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff. The ministry is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Some 23 million crimes are committed every year in the United States, according to the Justice Department, and elderly people are especially vulnerable.
Many older senior adults live in a constant state of fear in crime-infested neighborhoods, Morgan says. "They are afraid to go out and empty their wastebaskets. Some of them are letting their wastebaskets pile up in their homes."
Morgan offers counseling for older crime victims, and she has started a monthly support group for them. She also works closely with police and prosecutors to help make victims aware of help that's available, such as reparations to cover medical bills, funeral expenses and other costs of crime.
"When the elderly come in, they are very, very upset," Morgan says. "In fact, they've usually reached their last straw."
Ripped off by relatives
Morgan works with elderly residents in the Pine Bluff and Little Rock areas who are victims of neighborhood turf wars, burglaries, robberies, insurance fraud, identity theft and consumer fraud. Relatives, she says, are responsible for most of the abuse.
"Their children and their grandchildren steal their identity, taking their charge cards, writing checks on their checking accounts," she says. "We've had several victims who've had $10,000, $20,000 (stolen), and even one who had her house - the deed to her house, the entire house - stolen from her by her children."
A stranger, however, was responsible for robbing Carolyn Ghotra, 57, and her husband at gunpoint. Ghotra says one robber hit her in the eye with a gun while another tied up her husband.
Though they survived the crime, emotional scars remain for the Ghotras, who are part of Morgan's support group. "I think the fear is always going to be there; it's not something that leaves you," she says. "You have flashbacks, you know, keep thinking that they're coming again."
A root cause: drugs
Fisher says she is alarmed by the frequent sounds of gunfire outside her home.
"All of a sudden you hear 10 or 12 bullets going off and they are racing down the street, and it's very near, it's very close to you," she says. "It's very scary because bullets will come inside a house."
Officer Robert Treadwell of the Pine Bluff Police Department says officers and landlords are making progress in pushing drug dealers out of neighborhoods.
"Ninety percent of the problems are drug-related," Treadwell says. "You get a person that's addicted on drugs and, of course, they're unemployed because most jobs require drug testing. They have to spend time trying to figure out how they're going to get these chemicals."
Morgan spends just as much time fighting for the rights of elderly crime victims.
"Our community should wrap their arms around the elderly and care for them," she says. "They made our country, and we owe it to them to love them and to care for them and make their last years their best years."
*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.
A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Reginald Tuck: What we can say in wake of Virginia Tech tragedy
NOTE: This commentary by the pastor of Blacksburg (Va.) United Methodist Church was delivered as a sermon on April 22, the first Sunday after 33 people died in a shooting rampage on the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech University. It is based on 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.
Thousands of candles light the night during an April 17 vigil on the Virginia Tech drillfield for victims of the previous day's campus shooting spree that left 33 people dead. A UMNS photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.
Thousands of candles light the night during an April 17 vigil on the Virginia Tech drillfield for victims of the previous day's campus shooting spree that left 33 people dead. A UMNS photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.At the service for shooting victim Austin Cloyd yesterday, I shared with the congregation that her mother, Renee, was here at the church when we first heard reports that there had been a shooting at Virginia Tech.
Renee and I were discussing the Clayton Estates ministry at about the time that students in Norris Hall, including Austin, were being subjected to terror that we could never have thought possible in this town. Renee has been the coordinator for our Thursday group that ministers to middle and high school students. She was here to make certain that someone had signed up for the dinner and, sure enough, it was the students from The Wesley Foundation, our United Methodist campus ministry, who had taken responsibility this past week. When we were told that there had been a shooting at the campus, we didn't realize that people had been killed. We were concerned, but we could never have imagined the news that would come just hours later.
As all of us listened to the news reports on Monday, it seemed unbelievable and it still seems unbelievable today. As we have learned of the deaths and wounding of so many people, we have found ourselves in a state of great shock and disbelief. We cannot fully comprehend what has happened and we will never understand it. We do understand our heartbreak and pain and frustration, and many of us find ourselves struggling to know how to think, much less speak about our Christian faith.
Paul's words to the Corinthians can help us to understand that our struggle is understandable and more importantly, faithful! Paul wrote, "we have this treasure (that is, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ) in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Christian faith does not take away the pain, but helps us to find a way through the pain without being destroyed. Christian faith does not give us all the answers, but helps us to not be undone by the questions. Christian faith is not about taking away all our problems, but giving us the strength to persevere in the midst of our problems. A savior who was willing to endure the brutality of a crucifixion is indeed one who can speak to the depth of the pain that we have experienced and continue to experience. We can trust that God understands our broken hearts because God's heart was broken on Good Friday and broken again on a Monday that became our Good Friday. As we struggle in all faithfulness with our affliction, perplexity, persecution and having been struck down, our faith assures us that it cannot destroy us because we know the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is to say that because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we can do all things, knowing that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
Christian faith helps us to wrestle honestly with our struggles. I like how Paul's words are not theological clichés designed to give us easy answers, but rather acknowledge the complexities of life in the assurance that they need not destroy our faith; that indeed faith is what persists in the midst of the complexities.
When we experienced the deaths of two law enforcement officers last year, I returned to an article of a lecture that was written soon after the destruction of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. William Stacy Johnson, a professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, gave a lecture titled "Probing the 'Meaning' of September 11, 2001." It has application for April 16, 2007. Johnson observed, "As soon as the dust had settled from the destruction of September 11, people began pouring into houses of worship asking, 'Where was God?' Some of the answers given to this question were themselves highly questionable."
Johnson cited the work of Maurice Blanchot who wrestled with the question of how one is to put into words the 'meaning' of catastrophic events. Johnson related that Blanchot wrote, "If the disaster could be said to have a 'meaning,' that would be the worst thing of all. The worst kind of 'wisdom' would be the kind that domesticates the devastation or seeks to explain it. By explaining events, we seek nothing more than to explain them away. To assign catastrophe a 'meaning' is to do no more than prescribe an anodyne; for in a way, an explanation is a certain kind of escape."
As we experience the catastrophe of April 16, 2007, I want to suggest that attempting to assign a 'meaning' may be the most meaningless thing we can do. It will be much more faithful to live in the ambiguity -- the frustration, the pain -- because that is where God's power can be experienced and given its most meaningful expression. Christian faith encompasses both Easter and Good Friday, and we truncate our faith if we minimize or neglect either one. It creates an uneasy tension, this message of great anguish and great hope, but anything else rings hollow and cannot speak to the complexity of our lives.
As we seek to live into and with this uneasy tension of anguish and hope, I think it is important to consider some fundamental teachings of our faith. Our faith teaches us that what has happened this past week is contrary to God's intentions for human life. The events of this past week frustrate the plans that God has for us, but it does not frustrate God's plan for us to know and experience redemption in our lives.
In that light as we place our trust in God, I want to offer four thoughts for our consideration as we struggle with what we have experienced and as we try to live into the coming days.
First, I want to suggest that it is a time to acknowledge our pain and not assign blame. Blame is a way of avoiding pain, but it proves to be an empty antidote. I heard Dr. Phil say that you cannot make sense of nonsense and no amount of blame is going to make sense of what has happened. Yes, we will need to carefully consider what has happened so that we learn whatever lessons this horrible tragedy has to teach us, but no amount of blame is going to take away our pain. So it seems to me that the first order of business is to acknowledge the pain because it is something that we all share and it can be the foundation on which to move forward. So let us focus more on acknowledging our pain rather than assigning blame.
Second, I want to suggest that it is a time to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness. As people attempt to explain or give meaning, there is the danger that explanations become the basis of more pain and injustice. While it is obvious that the killer must have been suffering with mental illness, it should be equally obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who struggle with mental illness never resort to such expressions of hostility.
We also need to be aware of the pain experienced by people in the Korean community, and I trust that we recognize that such acts transcend ethnicity and unfortunately a potentiality in all of us. We had a service here yesterday morning in which people of all ethnicities gathered to share our pain. We need to embrace one another in the coming days to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness.
Third, I want to suggest that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds. My dear friend Beany Butt who died on Wednesday carried this saying in his wallet: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." When Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust, was here with us in September, she challenged us to always choose kindness. She said if we had to choose between the truth or kindness, to always choose kindness. Her capacity to forgive the killers of her family is credibility enough for me.
As we struggle with people who are quick to judge, assign blame and divide us, even though we may know the truth, let us resolve to be kind and to keep our minds. We have all sorts of people descending upon us, in particular, religious groups. And while it is unlikely that we will change their claims about the truth, let us resolve to not allow them to cause us to act in ways that we will regret.
In a stewardship campaign DVD I was telling Renee Cloyd about on April 16, as her daughter was entering into eternal life, a young girl who is a part of our program at Clayton Estates comments, "we have trouble with each other being around and we try not to say anything at tutoring. But sometimes it just slips out and Renee, one of our loyal tutors, helps us understand that we can't be rude to each other and we have become friends and therefore I think God helps us with that." Let us understand that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds.
Finally, I want to suggest that it is a time to renew our trust in what God can do and believe that God will get us through. This is the hope that we find in Paul's words about his perplexity. It was not his own strength, but God's strength that helped him to not be crushed, to not be driven to despair, to not feel forsaken, to not be destroyed.
Dr. Nikki Giovanni gave voice to this teaching of our faith this past week in Hokie language. Let me translate it into Christian language. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on; we are embracing our mourning. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are the people of Jesus Christ. The church embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and possibilities. We will continue to live into the kingdom of God through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
I received a copy of an e-mail that Bryan Cloyd sent to his class after Austin's death was confirmed. He wrote: "My family's worst fears were confirmed a few hours ago. My daughter was one of the victims in Norris Hall. She would have been 19 years old next Tuesday. My family hurts deeply for the loss of our precious baby. We ask that you pray for us and for the rest of the Virginia Tech community that has suffered so greatly. At this point, I don't know how or where our class will continue. … If we don't meet again, your final assignment from me is perhaps the most important lesson you will learn in life. Go to your mother, father, brothers and sisters and tell them with all your heart how much you love them. And tell them that you know how much they love you, too. Go out of your way to make good memories. At some point, these memories may be all you have left. May God bless you all."
Now I ask you, from where does such strength come?
Renee and I were discussing the Clayton Estates ministry at about the time that students in Norris Hall, including Austin, were being subjected to terror that we could never have thought possible in this town. Renee has been the coordinator for our Thursday group that ministers to middle and high school students. She was here to make certain that someone had signed up for the dinner and, sure enough, it was the students from The Wesley Foundation, our United Methodist campus ministry, who had taken responsibility this past week. When we were told that there had been a shooting at the campus, we didn't realize that people had been killed. We were concerned, but we could never have imagined the news that would come just hours later.
As all of us listened to the news reports on Monday, it seemed unbelievable and it still seems unbelievable today. As we have learned of the deaths and wounding of so many people, we have found ourselves in a state of great shock and disbelief. We cannot fully comprehend what has happened and we will never understand it. We do understand our heartbreak and pain and frustration, and many of us find ourselves struggling to know how to think, much less speak about our Christian faith.
Paul's words to the Corinthians can help us to understand that our struggle is understandable and more importantly, faithful! Paul wrote, "we have this treasure (that is, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ) in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Christian faith does not take away the pain, but helps us to find a way through the pain without being destroyed. Christian faith does not give us all the answers, but helps us to not be undone by the questions. Christian faith is not about taking away all our problems, but giving us the strength to persevere in the midst of our problems. A savior who was willing to endure the brutality of a crucifixion is indeed one who can speak to the depth of the pain that we have experienced and continue to experience. We can trust that God understands our broken hearts because God's heart was broken on Good Friday and broken again on a Monday that became our Good Friday. As we struggle in all faithfulness with our affliction, perplexity, persecution and having been struck down, our faith assures us that it cannot destroy us because we know the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is to say that because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we can do all things, knowing that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
Christian faith helps us to wrestle honestly with our struggles. I like how Paul's words are not theological clichés designed to give us easy answers, but rather acknowledge the complexities of life in the assurance that they need not destroy our faith; that indeed faith is what persists in the midst of the complexities.
When we experienced the deaths of two law enforcement officers last year, I returned to an article of a lecture that was written soon after the destruction of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. William Stacy Johnson, a professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, gave a lecture titled "Probing the 'Meaning' of September 11, 2001." It has application for April 16, 2007. Johnson observed, "As soon as the dust had settled from the destruction of September 11, people began pouring into houses of worship asking, 'Where was God?' Some of the answers given to this question were themselves highly questionable."
Johnson cited the work of Maurice Blanchot who wrestled with the question of how one is to put into words the 'meaning' of catastrophic events. Johnson related that Blanchot wrote, "If the disaster could be said to have a 'meaning,' that would be the worst thing of all. The worst kind of 'wisdom' would be the kind that domesticates the devastation or seeks to explain it. By explaining events, we seek nothing more than to explain them away. To assign catastrophe a 'meaning' is to do no more than prescribe an anodyne; for in a way, an explanation is a certain kind of escape."
As we experience the catastrophe of April 16, 2007, I want to suggest that attempting to assign a 'meaning' may be the most meaningless thing we can do. It will be much more faithful to live in the ambiguity -- the frustration, the pain -- because that is where God's power can be experienced and given its most meaningful expression. Christian faith encompasses both Easter and Good Friday, and we truncate our faith if we minimize or neglect either one. It creates an uneasy tension, this message of great anguish and great hope, but anything else rings hollow and cannot speak to the complexity of our lives.
As we seek to live into and with this uneasy tension of anguish and hope, I think it is important to consider some fundamental teachings of our faith. Our faith teaches us that what has happened this past week is contrary to God's intentions for human life. The events of this past week frustrate the plans that God has for us, but it does not frustrate God's plan for us to know and experience redemption in our lives.
In that light as we place our trust in God, I want to offer four thoughts for our consideration as we struggle with what we have experienced and as we try to live into the coming days.
First, I want to suggest that it is a time to acknowledge our pain and not assign blame. Blame is a way of avoiding pain, but it proves to be an empty antidote. I heard Dr. Phil say that you cannot make sense of nonsense and no amount of blame is going to make sense of what has happened. Yes, we will need to carefully consider what has happened so that we learn whatever lessons this horrible tragedy has to teach us, but no amount of blame is going to take away our pain. So it seems to me that the first order of business is to acknowledge the pain because it is something that we all share and it can be the foundation on which to move forward. So let us focus more on acknowledging our pain rather than assigning blame.
Second, I want to suggest that it is a time to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness. As people attempt to explain or give meaning, there is the danger that explanations become the basis of more pain and injustice. While it is obvious that the killer must have been suffering with mental illness, it should be equally obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who struggle with mental illness never resort to such expressions of hostility.
We also need to be aware of the pain experienced by people in the Korean community, and I trust that we recognize that such acts transcend ethnicity and unfortunately a potentiality in all of us. We had a service here yesterday morning in which people of all ethnicities gathered to share our pain. We need to embrace one another in the coming days to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness.
Third, I want to suggest that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds. My dear friend Beany Butt who died on Wednesday carried this saying in his wallet: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." When Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust, was here with us in September, she challenged us to always choose kindness. She said if we had to choose between the truth or kindness, to always choose kindness. Her capacity to forgive the killers of her family is credibility enough for me.
As we struggle with people who are quick to judge, assign blame and divide us, even though we may know the truth, let us resolve to be kind and to keep our minds. We have all sorts of people descending upon us, in particular, religious groups. And while it is unlikely that we will change their claims about the truth, let us resolve to not allow them to cause us to act in ways that we will regret.
In a stewardship campaign DVD I was telling Renee Cloyd about on April 16, as her daughter was entering into eternal life, a young girl who is a part of our program at Clayton Estates comments, "we have trouble with each other being around and we try not to say anything at tutoring. But sometimes it just slips out and Renee, one of our loyal tutors, helps us understand that we can't be rude to each other and we have become friends and therefore I think God helps us with that." Let us understand that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds.
Finally, I want to suggest that it is a time to renew our trust in what God can do and believe that God will get us through. This is the hope that we find in Paul's words about his perplexity. It was not his own strength, but God's strength that helped him to not be crushed, to not be driven to despair, to not feel forsaken, to not be destroyed.
Dr. Nikki Giovanni gave voice to this teaching of our faith this past week in Hokie language. Let me translate it into Christian language. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on; we are embracing our mourning. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are the people of Jesus Christ. The church embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and possibilities. We will continue to live into the kingdom of God through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
I received a copy of an e-mail that Bryan Cloyd sent to his class after Austin's death was confirmed. He wrote: "My family's worst fears were confirmed a few hours ago. My daughter was one of the victims in Norris Hall. She would have been 19 years old next Tuesday. My family hurts deeply for the loss of our precious baby. We ask that you pray for us and for the rest of the Virginia Tech community that has suffered so greatly. At this point, I don't know how or where our class will continue. … If we don't meet again, your final assignment from me is perhaps the most important lesson you will learn in life. Go to your mother, father, brothers and sisters and tell them with all your heart how much you love them. And tell them that you know how much they love you, too. Go out of your way to make good memories. At some point, these memories may be all you have left. May God bless you all."
Now I ask you, from where does such strength come?
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Korean leaders caution against prejudice after shooting
A UMNS Report By Marta W. Aldrich*
Korean and American Korean Methodist church leaders are calling for "healing, reconciliation and peace" amid concerns that the Virginia Tech shootings by a South Korean native could lead to a backlash against Koreans.
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean-immigrated student," said Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops of the Korean Methodist Church.
In an April 18 letter from Seoul to the World Methodist Council, Shin offered condolences to the bereaved families and the American people while hoping "there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans."
Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 250 leaders of the National Association of Korean American United Methodist Churches were holding their annual meeting April 16-19 in Chicago when the shooting occurred. As word of the shooter's identity spread, the mostly clergy participants began receiving calls from their home churches asking for guidance.
"The whole community was in shock and did not know how to respond, but we prayed for the victims and their family members and the school and the community," said the Rev. Keihwan Ryoo, editor of United Methodists in Service, who was reporting on the gathering on behalf of the Korean-language magazine published by United Methodist Communications.
Several pastors received reports that Korean American students had been bullied in their mostly white schools as the week progressed, Ryoo said.
The caucus held a memorial service for the shooting victims and released a pastoral letter April 18.
"We pray that the violence that has needlessly taken innocent lives does not escalate nor happen again," said the Rev. Hoon Kyoung Lee, chairman of the association. "Furthermore, we are especially concerned that the immigrant community and the children of minorities may become targeted by anti-racial backlash because of this incident.
"We pray that all of our friends and neighbors will support the Korean-American community in striving for healing, reconciliation and peace."
The April 16 massacre in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead, including the lone gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English literature. Born in South Korea, he moved to the United States in 1992 at age 8 and was raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C., where his parents worked at a dry cleaner store.
Authorities said Cho appeared to shoot his victims randomly. In a video made prior to the killings and sent to NBC-TV, he ranted about rich kids and portrayed himself as persecuted.
Lee asked people throughout the church to prayer for the shooting victims and their families, the family and friends of Cho, and the minority and immigrant community in the United States.
"We departed from this meeting with a heavy heart," Ryoo reported. "A lot of churches planned special memorial services over the weekend."
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, of the Northern Illinois Conference, said the church's American Korean community is "weeping and praying" with the rest of the world. He said grief and concern over such events cross all racial and ethnic lines.
"We pray for our young people and those feeling a sense of vulnerability, isolation, insecurity and fear on their campuses, and even in their homes," Jung wrote in a pastoral letter from his Chicago office. "… I encourage each of us to offer the ministries of comfort, healing and love."
*Aldrich is news editor for United Methodist News Service.
A UMNS Report By Marta W. Aldrich*
Korean and American Korean Methodist church leaders are calling for "healing, reconciliation and peace" amid concerns that the Virginia Tech shootings by a South Korean native could lead to a backlash against Koreans.
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean-immigrated student," said Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops of the Korean Methodist Church.
In an April 18 letter from Seoul to the World Methodist Council, Shin offered condolences to the bereaved families and the American people while hoping "there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans."
Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 250 leaders of the National Association of Korean American United Methodist Churches were holding their annual meeting April 16-19 in Chicago when the shooting occurred. As word of the shooter's identity spread, the mostly clergy participants began receiving calls from their home churches asking for guidance.
"The whole community was in shock and did not know how to respond, but we prayed for the victims and their family members and the school and the community," said the Rev. Keihwan Ryoo, editor of United Methodists in Service, who was reporting on the gathering on behalf of the Korean-language magazine published by United Methodist Communications.
Several pastors received reports that Korean American students had been bullied in their mostly white schools as the week progressed, Ryoo said.
The caucus held a memorial service for the shooting victims and released a pastoral letter April 18.
"We pray that the violence that has needlessly taken innocent lives does not escalate nor happen again," said the Rev. Hoon Kyoung Lee, chairman of the association. "Furthermore, we are especially concerned that the immigrant community and the children of minorities may become targeted by anti-racial backlash because of this incident.
"We pray that all of our friends and neighbors will support the Korean-American community in striving for healing, reconciliation and peace."
The April 16 massacre in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead, including the lone gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English literature. Born in South Korea, he moved to the United States in 1992 at age 8 and was raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C., where his parents worked at a dry cleaner store.
Authorities said Cho appeared to shoot his victims randomly. In a video made prior to the killings and sent to NBC-TV, he ranted about rich kids and portrayed himself as persecuted.
Lee asked people throughout the church to prayer for the shooting victims and their families, the family and friends of Cho, and the minority and immigrant community in the United States.
"We departed from this meeting with a heavy heart," Ryoo reported. "A lot of churches planned special memorial services over the weekend."
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, of the Northern Illinois Conference, said the church's American Korean community is "weeping and praying" with the rest of the world. He said grief and concern over such events cross all racial and ethnic lines.
"We pray for our young people and those feeling a sense of vulnerability, isolation, insecurity and fear on their campuses, and even in their homes," Jung wrote in a pastoral letter from his Chicago office. "… I encourage each of us to offer the ministries of comfort, healing and love."
*Aldrich is news editor for United Methodist News Service.
Two United Methodists among Virginia Tech victims
A UMNS Report by Linda Bloom*
A UMNS Report by Linda Bloom*
Austin CloydAustin Cloyd was raised as a child of faith, taught by her family that she was blessed and needed to pass on that blessing to others.
That faith was evident to the Rev. Terry Harter, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Champaign, Ill., and others in the congregation where she was actively involved for six years.
Cloyd was one of the 32 victims of Cho Seung-Hui, a disturbed student who went on a shooting rampage April 16 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., before killing himself. She was a freshman majoring in international studies and would have been 19 years old on April 24.
She was among at least two United Methodists killed in the massacre. Christopher James Bishop, 35, known as "Jamie," was shot while teaching his introductory German class. An instructor in German and German literature, Bishop grew up in First United Methodist Church of Pine Mountain (Ga.).
Cloyd's family - including her parents, C. Bryan and Renee Cloyd, and her brother, Andrew, a high school student -- moved in 2005 from Champaign to Blacksburg, where her father is a Virginia Tech accounting professor and the editor of the Journal of the American Taxation Association.
"I've talked with Bryan and Renee a couple of times in the last few days," Harter told United Methodist News Service in an April 18 interview. "They're extremely upset and distraught."
The Cloyds joined the Champaign congregation in 1999 when Mr. Cloyd joined the faculty at the University of Illinois. Mrs. Cloyd immediately became an active church volunteer and served a few years as director of youth ministries and a year as Harter's administrative assistant.
Harter remembered how Austin Cloyd, a redhead with a big smile, lit up a room. She was humble, but not shy, with a good sense of humor. And she was tall enough for Harter, at 6-foot-1, to look her straight in the eye.
Harter's wife, Martha, served as Austin's mentor for confirmation and spent a lot of time with her, particularly in eighth grade. "She and I really hit it off," she recalled. "We met weekly."
She remembered Austin as a loving, well-rounded girl who liked sports, movies and friends.
Austin was an avid reader and good student with a strong work ethic, and she handled the fact that she was taller than most of the kids in school with grace.
"She wasn't one of those persons who had to be out front, but, boy, if she wasn't there, you'd miss her," Mrs. Harter said.
Austin and her mother joined others from the congregation for an Appalachian Service Project, where they helped build an addition for a house.
"It's amazing how different life is in Appalachia, how important family is, and how the land is cherished," Austin wrote in a brief report about her experience. "The family my group worked with consisted of grandparents who were caring for their five grandchildren, the oldest of which was about to turn 12 years old."
She enjoyed the friendliness of the children and the grandparents and was impressed by their overall hospitality. "At the end of the week, the grandfather thanked us and told us that he was going to make a sign that says 'House that Love Built' and put it up on the addition," she wrote.
"But we figured that there was already so much love within their home, we just helped put more walls around it."
Rev. Harter said the Appalachian Service Project made such a lasting impression that Austin and her mother began a project with a local agency to rehabilitate houses in the Champaign-Urbana area. "We still continue that," he added.
First United Methodist Church hosted a brief prayer service in Austin's memory on the evening of April 17. Despite the late notice, about 125 people attended. Many came from the University of Illinois and some had been classmates from Centennial High, where she had played on the basketball and volleyball teams.
Another candlelight service was held the same night at First United Methodist Church of Pine Mountain to remember Bishop. The Rev. Matthew Mitchell read the same sermon that Bishop had delivered there on "youth Sunday" some 18 years earlier -- just a few months before graduating from high school. "God's prepared a place for each and every one of us," Mitchell said, "and Jamie Bishop is there."
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Commentary on school shootings: For such a time as this
NOTE: This message was delivered to staff members of the Virginia Annual (regional) Conference on April 17 during a worship service one day after a gunman killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University.
A UMNS Commentary By Angie Williams*
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- "For such a time as this" - So, what is this time?
This is a time when we, the leaders of the church, need to discuss the deeper issues that lay the foundation for such atrocities as the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech -- and the implications for our response as the body of Christ.
This is a time when…
.A record number of students were killed in a college campus shooting;
.The number of teens in foster care has increased by more than 200,000 in the last 20 years;
.About 6 million children under age 12 have been diagnosed with depression and are on medication for it;
.Urban youth swarm the streets because Daddy has abandoned them and Mama's strung out on crack;
.Minority youth are trapped by oppressive political and economic systems that have rendered them victims of degradation;
.1 in 12 young people are the victims of violent crime;
.Substance abuse among young adults has increased as much as 10 percent in the last decade;
.Technology and acquaintances on My Space masquerade for true intimacy and significant relationships;
.There is a considerable rise in young people who suffer from emotional disturbances manifested through eating disorders, self-mutilation and violence.
And, this is also a time when, for the most part, the institutional church with its traditional families wants nothing to do with "that" kid who abuses substances; or who dresses inappropriately; or who uses obscene street language and grooves to rap and hip-hop; or who has two mommies or daddies; or who is promiscuous or pregnant; or who is emotionally disturbed and anti-social; or who has darker skin or an accent; or who wears all black or metal or chains or piercings, tattoos or "bling bling"; or who isn't familiar with the most basic of Bible stories.
The church stays away from "those" kids, lest they negatively influence the churched kids.
Neglecting 'those' kids
This is a time, for the most part, when we Christians spend the majority of our time building the church and very little time building God's kingdom on earth. A time when the church has sold out and is more concerned with its own self-preservation than with the needs of the least, the last and the lost. A time when urban centers are surrounded by churches that refuse to reach out to the impoverished, drug-infested, subsidized residents.
This is a time when research has proven the primary impact of a significant adult relationship other than a parent in determining the success and positive adjustment of at-risk young people, and yet very few churches engage the youth of their communities in mentoring programs.
This is a time, for the most part, when the institutional church is completely out of touch with the cultures of today's young people and has absolutely no clue how to reach the marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk populations of young people.
And I only wish I was exaggerating.
Just in the 12 years of career experience that I have had in my young life, I've been there. I have served "that" church - the church that kicked out the kid who was caught selling drugs in youth group; the church that told the emotionally disturbed kid that he couldn't come back to youth group unless a parent accompanied him; the church that outcast an unmarried young adult when she became pregnant; the church that literally closed its doors on a group of youth who wanted to share an alternative style of worship; the church that stared down the youth who was dressed creatively; and the church that refused to let the young visitor sit in a family-designated pew.
'Be the hope'
I realize that many of you were probably expecting more of a message of hope this morning, not words of seemingly negative chastisement. However, in this room sit THE leaders of the United Methodist Church of Virginia. And as leaders, what we need most is not a message of hope but a wakeup call that reminds us of our mission to BE the hope.
Of course, we can't and shouldn't blame the church or anyone or anything else for the actions of the Virginia Tech shooter. I remember hearing a professor speak shortly after the Columbine shootings. Likewise, he did not place the blame on the failures of an institution, the parents, the media, violent video games or any other entity.
However, he did speak of the deep responsibility that should be owned by educators in acknowledging their role as mentors who have at least the possible capability to stop such atrocities through successful intervention and outreach to high-risk students.
He suggested that more often than not, educators simply pretend not to see these students and ignore their cries for help.
This professor's words to educators ring true for the church. We can no longer sit complacent in our pews, but must answer the call for such a time as this.
The greatest tragedy is that we respond in such a time as this in the midst of an isolated incident of crisis while we pretend not to see the crises that constantly surround us on a daily basis. When the upcoming months have gone by and the church feels like it has done its part to comfort families who have lost loved ones and lead them toward a path of the peace and forgiveness of Christ, will we forget that this crisis didn't begin at Virginia Tech and it still hasn't ended?
Or, will we finally realize that, "for such a time as this," the church must finally begin the active pursuit of intimate and significant mentoring relationships with ALL young people within AND BEYOND our church walls, just as God ceaselessly pursues us.
For such a time as this is our call to finally wake up to the cries of marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk young people who desperately need the church to show them a God and a love that is big enough for even them. For such a time as this…
*Williams is director of youth, young adult, and single adult ministries of the Virginia Annual Conference. Her message to the conference staff was based on Isaiah 40:27-31 and Esther 4:6-14.
NOTE: This message was delivered to staff members of the Virginia Annual (regional) Conference on April 17 during a worship service one day after a gunman killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University.
A UMNS Commentary By Angie Williams*
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- "For such a time as this" - So, what is this time?
This is a time when we, the leaders of the church, need to discuss the deeper issues that lay the foundation for such atrocities as the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech -- and the implications for our response as the body of Christ.
This is a time when…
.A record number of students were killed in a college campus shooting;
.The number of teens in foster care has increased by more than 200,000 in the last 20 years;
.About 6 million children under age 12 have been diagnosed with depression and are on medication for it;
.Urban youth swarm the streets because Daddy has abandoned them and Mama's strung out on crack;
.Minority youth are trapped by oppressive political and economic systems that have rendered them victims of degradation;
.1 in 12 young people are the victims of violent crime;
.Substance abuse among young adults has increased as much as 10 percent in the last decade;
.Technology and acquaintances on My Space masquerade for true intimacy and significant relationships;
.There is a considerable rise in young people who suffer from emotional disturbances manifested through eating disorders, self-mutilation and violence.
And, this is also a time when, for the most part, the institutional church with its traditional families wants nothing to do with "that" kid who abuses substances; or who dresses inappropriately; or who uses obscene street language and grooves to rap and hip-hop; or who has two mommies or daddies; or who is promiscuous or pregnant; or who is emotionally disturbed and anti-social; or who has darker skin or an accent; or who wears all black or metal or chains or piercings, tattoos or "bling bling"; or who isn't familiar with the most basic of Bible stories.
The church stays away from "those" kids, lest they negatively influence the churched kids.
Neglecting 'those' kids
This is a time, for the most part, when we Christians spend the majority of our time building the church and very little time building God's kingdom on earth. A time when the church has sold out and is more concerned with its own self-preservation than with the needs of the least, the last and the lost. A time when urban centers are surrounded by churches that refuse to reach out to the impoverished, drug-infested, subsidized residents.
This is a time when research has proven the primary impact of a significant adult relationship other than a parent in determining the success and positive adjustment of at-risk young people, and yet very few churches engage the youth of their communities in mentoring programs.
This is a time, for the most part, when the institutional church is completely out of touch with the cultures of today's young people and has absolutely no clue how to reach the marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk populations of young people.
And I only wish I was exaggerating.
Just in the 12 years of career experience that I have had in my young life, I've been there. I have served "that" church - the church that kicked out the kid who was caught selling drugs in youth group; the church that told the emotionally disturbed kid that he couldn't come back to youth group unless a parent accompanied him; the church that outcast an unmarried young adult when she became pregnant; the church that literally closed its doors on a group of youth who wanted to share an alternative style of worship; the church that stared down the youth who was dressed creatively; and the church that refused to let the young visitor sit in a family-designated pew.
'Be the hope'
I realize that many of you were probably expecting more of a message of hope this morning, not words of seemingly negative chastisement. However, in this room sit THE leaders of the United Methodist Church of Virginia. And as leaders, what we need most is not a message of hope but a wakeup call that reminds us of our mission to BE the hope.
Of course, we can't and shouldn't blame the church or anyone or anything else for the actions of the Virginia Tech shooter. I remember hearing a professor speak shortly after the Columbine shootings. Likewise, he did not place the blame on the failures of an institution, the parents, the media, violent video games or any other entity.
However, he did speak of the deep responsibility that should be owned by educators in acknowledging their role as mentors who have at least the possible capability to stop such atrocities through successful intervention and outreach to high-risk students.
He suggested that more often than not, educators simply pretend not to see these students and ignore their cries for help.
This professor's words to educators ring true for the church. We can no longer sit complacent in our pews, but must answer the call for such a time as this.
The greatest tragedy is that we respond in such a time as this in the midst of an isolated incident of crisis while we pretend not to see the crises that constantly surround us on a daily basis. When the upcoming months have gone by and the church feels like it has done its part to comfort families who have lost loved ones and lead them toward a path of the peace and forgiveness of Christ, will we forget that this crisis didn't begin at Virginia Tech and it still hasn't ended?
Or, will we finally realize that, "for such a time as this," the church must finally begin the active pursuit of intimate and significant mentoring relationships with ALL young people within AND BEYOND our church walls, just as God ceaselessly pursues us.
For such a time as this is our call to finally wake up to the cries of marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk young people who desperately need the church to show them a God and a love that is big enough for even them. For such a time as this…
*Williams is director of youth, young adult, and single adult ministries of the Virginia Annual Conference. Her message to the conference staff was based on Isaiah 40:27-31 and Esther 4:6-14.
Virginia Tech shooting: What the church is saying
By United Methodist News Service*
The deaths of 33 people April 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech University -- in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history -- brought an outpouring of reactions from across the world, including within The United Methodist Church. Here are some thoughts from United Methodists across the connection:
"The God that I worship is crying along with us. This is not what He intends as an abundant life for His children -- to be mowed down in innocence by somebody that just went berserk." --The Rev. Glenn Tyndall, campus minister, Virginia Tech University
"Last night, just before I hung up from talking with my son, I told him that I loved him, and loved him a lot. And I realized that many, many people were not being given that same opportunity because it had been violently taken away from them." --Erik Alsgaard, whose 23-year-old son, a senior at Virginia Tech, was not on campus during the shootings. Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Annual Conference.
"We've been shocked into remembering our purpose as the body of Christ. … We are to be intercessors on behalf of the whole world. The highest calling at this time is to pray."
-- The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief executive, Board of Discipleship, asking all United Methodist congregations to include special prayers on Sunday, April 22, for those touched by the tragedy
"How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country?" --The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor and leader of the National Council of Churches
"It's going to be tough to come back from this, but as long as we have the support of each other …somebody to lean on every day." --Amanda Rader, a senior at Virginia Tech and member of the campus Wesley Foundation
"They are all tired, but energized by the work before them." --Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Virginia Annual Conference, speaking about the United Methodist campus ministry at Virginia Tech
"I hate days like this." -- Billy Reeder, First United Methodist Church, Dardanelle, Ark., after hearing about the shooting and the rising death toll
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety." --Jim Winkler, chief executive, Board of Church and Society
"We're a connectional people. This is Virginia Tech's tragedy. It is our tragedy. It is a time for us to remember to love deeply, and gently, because everybody we meet is carrying a heavy burden. We have the opportunity to be a means of grace." --The Rev. Dale Schultz, St. Philips United Methodist Church, Round Rock, Texas
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean immigrated student. … My thought and prayer go out to the bereaved families and the American people who are going through a very hard time. At the same time, I also think of the Korean community in the U.S. that will be under greater shock and worry, hoping that there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans. --Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops, The Korean Methodist Church
"I thank God we have a campus minister on that (Virginia Tech) campus, someone who knows the students and the community." -- The Rev. Rev. Luther Felder, who oversees campus ministry for the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, referring to the Rev. Glenn Tyndall
"So, it is now about our response. … Pledge to do 10 acts in the name of Christ for every dead. … And then, one year from now, when the news coverage reminds us of what happened, instead of being catapulted back into your pain, you can walk to your wall and celebrate 330 things that you have done to beat Satan down. You win. In the name of Christ." --Debra L. Cicchella, Cleveland, Ohio
"In this joyous season of Easter, we have discovered how Good Friday has intruded on our world again …" -- Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, during a prayer to open a denomination-wide 'town hall' meeting April 17
"The entire United Methodist-related higher education community of schools, colleges, universities and theological schools is shocked and deeply saddened by the wanton killing of human beings at Virginia Technical University." --The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, chief executive, Board of Higher Education and Ministry
"We look to you, Jesus, to help us forgive what seems to be unforgivable." --Deb Spaulding, Faith United Methodist Church, St. Charles, Mo.
This story was compiled from various sources, including 7Villages, an online social network of The United Methodist Church at www.umc.org.
By United Methodist News Service*
The deaths of 33 people April 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech University -- in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history -- brought an outpouring of reactions from across the world, including within The United Methodist Church. Here are some thoughts from United Methodists across the connection:
"The God that I worship is crying along with us. This is not what He intends as an abundant life for His children -- to be mowed down in innocence by somebody that just went berserk." --The Rev. Glenn Tyndall, campus minister, Virginia Tech University
"Last night, just before I hung up from talking with my son, I told him that I loved him, and loved him a lot. And I realized that many, many people were not being given that same opportunity because it had been violently taken away from them." --Erik Alsgaard, whose 23-year-old son, a senior at Virginia Tech, was not on campus during the shootings. Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Annual Conference.
"We've been shocked into remembering our purpose as the body of Christ. … We are to be intercessors on behalf of the whole world. The highest calling at this time is to pray."
-- The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief executive, Board of Discipleship, asking all United Methodist congregations to include special prayers on Sunday, April 22, for those touched by the tragedy
"How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country?" --The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor and leader of the National Council of Churches
"It's going to be tough to come back from this, but as long as we have the support of each other …somebody to lean on every day." --Amanda Rader, a senior at Virginia Tech and member of the campus Wesley Foundation
"They are all tired, but energized by the work before them." --Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Virginia Annual Conference, speaking about the United Methodist campus ministry at Virginia Tech
"I hate days like this." -- Billy Reeder, First United Methodist Church, Dardanelle, Ark., after hearing about the shooting and the rising death toll
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety." --Jim Winkler, chief executive, Board of Church and Society
"We're a connectional people. This is Virginia Tech's tragedy. It is our tragedy. It is a time for us to remember to love deeply, and gently, because everybody we meet is carrying a heavy burden. We have the opportunity to be a means of grace." --The Rev. Dale Schultz, St. Philips United Methodist Church, Round Rock, Texas
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean immigrated student. … My thought and prayer go out to the bereaved families and the American people who are going through a very hard time. At the same time, I also think of the Korean community in the U.S. that will be under greater shock and worry, hoping that there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans. --Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops, The Korean Methodist Church
"I thank God we have a campus minister on that (Virginia Tech) campus, someone who knows the students and the community." -- The Rev. Rev. Luther Felder, who oversees campus ministry for the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, referring to the Rev. Glenn Tyndall
"So, it is now about our response. … Pledge to do 10 acts in the name of Christ for every dead. … And then, one year from now, when the news coverage reminds us of what happened, instead of being catapulted back into your pain, you can walk to your wall and celebrate 330 things that you have done to beat Satan down. You win. In the name of Christ." --Debra L. Cicchella, Cleveland, Ohio
"In this joyous season of Easter, we have discovered how Good Friday has intruded on our world again …" -- Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, during a prayer to open a denomination-wide 'town hall' meeting April 17
"The entire United Methodist-related higher education community of schools, colleges, universities and theological schools is shocked and deeply saddened by the wanton killing of human beings at Virginia Technical University." --The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, chief executive, Board of Higher Education and Ministry
"We look to you, Jesus, to help us forgive what seems to be unforgivable." --Deb Spaulding, Faith United Methodist Church, St. Charles, Mo.
This story was compiled from various sources, including 7Villages, an online social network of The United Methodist Church at www.umc.org.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Imus remarks require broader dialogue on gender, race
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) - The real issue arising from the controversial words of radio host Don Imus is not whether he should have been fired but why there is a need to discuss attitudes about gender and race, say two United Methodist leaders.
In an April 16 statement, M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, lauded the "heroic" stance of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "as they have moved beyond the paralysis of their wounds" after being the target of hurtful words from Imus.
"The firing of Don Imus is not really the critical issue for us to consider with respect to race and gender in this country," the statement said. "The hope is that this won't be another fleeting media flash-in-the-pan, where the flurry ends with one person's indiscretion. Instead, let's invite social, political and religious leaders into a serious conversation about issues of race, gender and media."
The controversy began April 4 when Imus referred to the Rutgers team members as "nappy-headed hos," drawing heavy criticism from a variety of groups.
A member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of the nation's best-known radio personalities, Imus is known for his caustic style. His show was syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations throughout the United States.
On April 11, MSNBC dropped the morning simulcast of his radio program, which it had aired for the past decade. The following day, CBS dropped the radio program as well. Imus has been broadcasting his program for more than 30 years.
The radio host met privately April 12 with team members, their parents and others at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in Princeton. C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers' coach, announced the next day that her players had accepted Imus' apology for his racist and sexist comments and said they hoped the incident would "serve as a catalyst for change" in society.
"The inflammatory comments made by Don Imus are symptomatic of a legacy of double-barreled disrespect hurled at women of color in our society," Burton and Pickens said.
Such disrespect comes from all sides, they pointed out.
"The racist characterization of 'nappy heads' is symptomatic of a historic casting of black women as less aesthetically beautiful, less worthy of respect than white women. Imus' reference to 'hos' is also used too often by some blacks, hip-hop artists and young people of all colors as a euphemism for women.
"This phrase reminds us of our society's ongoing fear of strong women, self-determining women, women who play sports or excel in what has been a 'man's domain.' It also speaks to a mentality of denigration aimed at black women which particularly casts them as sex objects to be used, disrespected and discarded."
While calling for accountability from Imus, his employers and his advertisers, "people of faith who believe that men and women of all colors are created in the image of God and are worthy of respect" can also use the episode as an entry into conversation. Such a conversation should focus on how society and the media view, portray, hear from and talk about black women.
"Opening the dialogue around a God of such diversity is the challenge that we have in our society and the Church," the statement said.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) - The real issue arising from the controversial words of radio host Don Imus is not whether he should have been fired but why there is a need to discuss attitudes about gender and race, say two United Methodist leaders.
In an April 16 statement, M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, lauded the "heroic" stance of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "as they have moved beyond the paralysis of their wounds" after being the target of hurtful words from Imus.
"The firing of Don Imus is not really the critical issue for us to consider with respect to race and gender in this country," the statement said. "The hope is that this won't be another fleeting media flash-in-the-pan, where the flurry ends with one person's indiscretion. Instead, let's invite social, political and religious leaders into a serious conversation about issues of race, gender and media."
The controversy began April 4 when Imus referred to the Rutgers team members as "nappy-headed hos," drawing heavy criticism from a variety of groups.
A member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of the nation's best-known radio personalities, Imus is known for his caustic style. His show was syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations throughout the United States.
On April 11, MSNBC dropped the morning simulcast of his radio program, which it had aired for the past decade. The following day, CBS dropped the radio program as well. Imus has been broadcasting his program for more than 30 years.
The radio host met privately April 12 with team members, their parents and others at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in Princeton. C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers' coach, announced the next day that her players had accepted Imus' apology for his racist and sexist comments and said they hoped the incident would "serve as a catalyst for change" in society.
"The inflammatory comments made by Don Imus are symptomatic of a legacy of double-barreled disrespect hurled at women of color in our society," Burton and Pickens said.
Such disrespect comes from all sides, they pointed out.
"The racist characterization of 'nappy heads' is symptomatic of a historic casting of black women as less aesthetically beautiful, less worthy of respect than white women. Imus' reference to 'hos' is also used too often by some blacks, hip-hop artists and young people of all colors as a euphemism for women.
"This phrase reminds us of our society's ongoing fear of strong women, self-determining women, women who play sports or excel in what has been a 'man's domain.' It also speaks to a mentality of denigration aimed at black women which particularly casts them as sex objects to be used, disrespected and discarded."
While calling for accountability from Imus, his employers and his advertisers, "people of faith who believe that men and women of all colors are created in the image of God and are worthy of respect" can also use the episode as an entry into conversation. Such a conversation should focus on how society and the media view, portray, hear from and talk about black women.
"Opening the dialogue around a God of such diversity is the challenge that we have in our society and the Church," the statement said.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
Virginia Tech tragedy reflects gun violence epidemic
By United Methodist News Service
Virginia Tech's picturesque campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains became the scene of the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history on April 16. A student gunman massacred 32 people before killing himself. A UMNS file photo by Maile Bradfield
As they grieved for victims of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University, United Methodist leaders condemned U.S. gun laws as lax and questioned why Congress allowed a federal ban on the sale of 19 types of semiautomatic weapons to expire in 2004.
The social action agency of The United Methodist Church also renewed the church's call for governments around the world to ban ownership by the general public of handguns, assault weapons, automatic weapon conversion kits and weapons that cannot be detected by traditional metal-detection devices.
"… Had this ban been in place, this shooting might have been prevented since one of the guns used by the assailant was a 9-mm handgun," said Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
"We once again call on the Congress to ban all handguns and assault weapons so that our communities will be safer and so that this endless cycle of violence can be ended," Winkler said in an April 17 statement, one day after the shootings in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead.
A Virginia Tech student identified as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, shot and killed 30 people in a building of classrooms and offices on campus and is believed to be responsible for the earlier killings of two people in a dormitory. Fifteen people were wounded, and the gunman took his own life.
"What is indeed tragic is the fact that this violence is commonplace in U.S. society," Winkler said.
"In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that there were 10,100 deaths by firearms in the United States. This represents an average of four deaths for every 100,000 people in the United States. By contrast, England, Wales, Scotland, and Canada averaged .54 deaths for every 100,000 people.
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety."
Currently, most states do not require gun owners to be licensed or guns to be registered. Most states also allow the purchase of guns at gun shows without background checks and do not update criminal history databases in a timely manner, allowing criminals to obtain firearms.
The United Methodist Church officially supports regulation of the importation, manufacturing, sale and possession of guns and ammunition.
The church's resolution on gun violence in the denomination's 2004 Book of Resolutions points to the significant risk of handgun violence, especially to young people. "Our communities and schools are so exposed to large numbers of privately owned guns that no mere attempts at providing slightly better security can match the awful threat of guns finding their way through our well-intentioned safety systems."
Epidemic of gun violence
The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor who is the leader of the National Council of Churches, said the Virginia Tech massacre reflects an epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
"My pastor's heart breaks for the families of those who died today," Edgar said in a statement released April 16. "I pray for them and for those who witnessed the unspeakable violence that destroyed the peace of a spring day on a scenic campus at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia."
A former U.S. congressman, Edgar said faith leaders have frequently spoken up about the epidemic of gun violence. "Despite repeated calls from faith and community leaders to Congress and presidents, nothing ever seems to get done to stem the tide," he said.
"How many more will have to die before we say enough is enough? How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country? How many more of our pastors, rabbis and imams will have to preside over caskets of innocent victims of gun violence because a nation refused to stop the proliferation of these small weapons of mass destruction?"
Edgar pointed to the National Council of Churches' 1967 policy calling for firearms control and a March 2000 interfaith campaign urging an end to the epidemic of gun violence.
"The escalation of gun violence compels us to call for an end to the manufacture and easy distribution of such instruments of destruction," Edgar said in 2000, reiterating that statement after the Virginia Tech shootings.
Concern around the world
The Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist from Kenya who serves as chief executive of the World Council of Churches, pointed out that disbelief and grief over the sorrowful tragedy in Virginia must translate into action.
"Today and in the days to come, national leaders, state leaders and the gun lobby across the USA must hear more than the latest outburst of anger at violence in America," he said in an April 16 statement. "They must also begin to understand the rising frustration among concerned citizens and governments around the world.
"The World Council of Churches has 347 member churches in over 100 countries. For many of them the news from Virginia today is little different than the news from Darfur yesterday and the news from Iraq tomorrow. They see wanton killings, the indiscriminate use of armed force and the widespread availability of deadly weapons."
Kobia noted that U.S. arms manufacturing and arms sales policies have violent consequences abroad as well as in the United States. He called for firm controls on the small arms trade.
"We are all Virginians in our sympathy, but many people around the world are also Virginians in their vulnerability to the misuse of unregulated guns," he said. "Each day, about 1,000 of them die from gun violence and many more are injured."
The R. Rev. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said the Virginia Tech carnage shows the impact of violence on families and society in general.
"The rampage in Blacksburg offers further indication of too many guns, too freely available in this country and around the world," Day said.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Living Faith, Seeking Justice global gathering November 1-4, 2007, Fort Worth, Texas
We invite you to join hundreds of United Methodists and other Christian advocates for justice at this important global gathering in Fort Worth, Texas. Together we will build alliances, learn and teach practical ways to move our churches and congregations from ministries of mercy to ministries of Justice.Come prepared to enjoy four days of transformational learning, preaching, collaboration and community building. You will come away with resources, techniques and programs to teach and preach the Social Principles, train and equip others to understand and live out justice in their lives, and mobilize others to engage in advocacy and work that transforms the world in the ways of Christ.
If you are working to join justice and mercy as a clergy or layperson, Living Faith, Seeking Justice is a time to nourish and equip you for ministry.
Join hundreds of other Christians from around the world on a journey of justice. You will experience:
.Top speakers and justice leaders;
.Culturally diverse, biblically-grounded preaching and worship;
.Great workshops with proven, exercises and strategies for justice ministries in your local church;
.Straight talk about the issues facing the church and the world;
.Nurture and encourage leadership among lay, clergy, students and seminarians;
.Creative arts & entertainment;
.CEU credits are available!
Featured Guest speakers include:
Shane Claiborne
Rev. Emanuel Cleaver
Rev. Adam Hamilton
Rev. Chebon Kernell
Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey
Dr. Mercy Amba Oduyoye
Dr. Harold Recinosn
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana
Dr. Elizabeth Tapia
Mr. Jim Winkler
Rev. Janet Wolf
Rev. Michael Yoshii
Registrations options.Individual and group rates are available.
Early Bird
$175 (by August 15, 2007)
Regular
$225 (by October 22, 2007)
Group of 2
$300 ($150/person)
Group of 3+
$400 for 3, $125 each additional person
Student
$125 (High School, College or Graduate Students)
Walk-in
$100 Day or $50 Half Day (no meals included)
On-line registration
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/rg/ecreg.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1810531&en=bsIQIZOAIeJVI1NALgJNLZMIJkL3KeMMIhLYI4OIKhITLeMYG
Downloadable PDF of conference brochure
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/atf/cf/%7B325AB72F-313E-4CC3-BB1A-EF0A52968A8D%7D/Living%20Faith%20Seeking%20Justice%20Flyer.pdf
To make a room reservation go to:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/ftwfwhf_gbc/index.jhtml
We invite you to join hundreds of United Methodists and other Christian advocates for justice at this important global gathering in Fort Worth, Texas. Together we will build alliances, learn and teach practical ways to move our churches and congregations from ministries of mercy to ministries of Justice.Come prepared to enjoy four days of transformational learning, preaching, collaboration and community building. You will come away with resources, techniques and programs to teach and preach the Social Principles, train and equip others to understand and live out justice in their lives, and mobilize others to engage in advocacy and work that transforms the world in the ways of Christ.
If you are working to join justice and mercy as a clergy or layperson, Living Faith, Seeking Justice is a time to nourish and equip you for ministry.
Join hundreds of other Christians from around the world on a journey of justice. You will experience:
.Top speakers and justice leaders;
.Culturally diverse, biblically-grounded preaching and worship;
.Great workshops with proven, exercises and strategies for justice ministries in your local church;
.Straight talk about the issues facing the church and the world;
.Nurture and encourage leadership among lay, clergy, students and seminarians;
.Creative arts & entertainment;
.CEU credits are available!
Featured Guest speakers include:
Shane Claiborne
Rev. Emanuel Cleaver
Rev. Adam Hamilton
Rev. Chebon Kernell
Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey
Dr. Mercy Amba Oduyoye
Dr. Harold Recinosn
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana
Dr. Elizabeth Tapia
Mr. Jim Winkler
Rev. Janet Wolf
Rev. Michael Yoshii
Registrations options.Individual and group rates are available.
Early Bird
$175 (by August 15, 2007)
Regular
$225 (by October 22, 2007)
Group of 2
$300 ($150/person)
Group of 3+
$400 for 3, $125 each additional person
Student
$125 (High School, College or Graduate Students)
Walk-in
$100 Day or $50 Half Day (no meals included)
On-line registration
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/rg/ecreg.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1810531&en=bsIQIZOAIeJVI1NALgJNLZMIJkL3KeMMIhLYI4OIKhITLeMYG
Downloadable PDF of conference brochure
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/atf/cf/%7B325AB72F-313E-4CC3-BB1A-EF0A52968A8D%7D/Living%20Faith%20Seeking%20Justice%20Flyer.pdf
To make a room reservation go to:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/ftwfwhf_gbc/index.jhtml
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Santa Cruz United Methodist church goes green
By Jeneane Jones*
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UMNS) - Like a seed planted in fertile ground, plans for a new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz soon will come up green.
The church will be Santa Cruz County's first to go "green" from the ground up and among the first United Methodist churches in the United States designed for environmental friendliness.
The building will include solar panels, windows designed to draw in more light and other eco-friendly features. Construction is expected to begin July 1.
The 189-member congregation is the result of a 2003 merger of three congregations - Live Oak, Grace and Santa Cruz.
The new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz sanctuary is designed for minimal reliance on electricity. Artist's rendering courtesy of William Bagnall Architects.
The Rev. Michael Love said church leaders decided at the start they needed to develop more than just a building on 17th Avenue.
"We wanted the church to be an expression of our core United Methodist values - values rooted in the Wesley tradition and in our Christian faith," Love said. "We take seriously that 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' and so building a facility that reflected stewardship of the earth was important," he said.
Being an eco-friendly church is more than just a nice idea, according to the pastor.
"In general it's a little bit more expensive to do some of the things we are doing," said Love of the $8 million project.
"People think that incorporating environmentally responsible design into their buildings is icing on the cake; it's the last thing they do. In fact, eco-friendly architecture is a huge movement within the construction industry, and many architects are knowledgeable about how to help you and your church cut heating costs."
While the church won't be totally off the grid in terms of electricity, Santa Cruz-based William Bagnall Architects says the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot structure will have many energy-saving features.
"From flooring and wall coverings to the heating and cooling systems, we are looking at a number of ways the new church facility will minimize reliance on electricity," said project architect William Bagnall.
The multi-functional church will feature a flat roof and solar panel tiles made to look like concrete. The sanctuary will be oriented to take advantage of natural sunlight through windows and skylights. Even the parking lot will reflect the green concept.
"We are looking at using paving materials that allow water to soak back into the ground, recharging ground water aquifers, instead of running into storm drains," said Bagnall.
The new building also will be educational. "Small plaques will be featured throughout the buildings to explain what renewable resources were used, and why," he said.
While designs, permits and plans were being completed, Love says the Santa Cruz congregation has been growing its ministries.
"It's been a long road, but the delays in work approvals have been a blessing," he said.
"We've added a middle school ministry; our children's ministry is now at its limit; we have launched a Spanish language Bible studies and worship services as well. These ministries are really important to us because geographically the building site is five miles away from the place where we are currently meeting. We realized we needed a way to remain focused on our neighborhood - letting them know we hadn't left them. We want to be able to cut the ribbon on the new building and have the people excited about coming to join us."
*Jones is director of communications for The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Annual Conference.
By Jeneane Jones*
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UMNS) - Like a seed planted in fertile ground, plans for a new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz soon will come up green.
The church will be Santa Cruz County's first to go "green" from the ground up and among the first United Methodist churches in the United States designed for environmental friendliness.
The building will include solar panels, windows designed to draw in more light and other eco-friendly features. Construction is expected to begin July 1.
The 189-member congregation is the result of a 2003 merger of three congregations - Live Oak, Grace and Santa Cruz.
The new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz sanctuary is designed for minimal reliance on electricity. Artist's rendering courtesy of William Bagnall Architects.The Rev. Michael Love said church leaders decided at the start they needed to develop more than just a building on 17th Avenue.
"We wanted the church to be an expression of our core United Methodist values - values rooted in the Wesley tradition and in our Christian faith," Love said. "We take seriously that 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' and so building a facility that reflected stewardship of the earth was important," he said.
Being an eco-friendly church is more than just a nice idea, according to the pastor.
"In general it's a little bit more expensive to do some of the things we are doing," said Love of the $8 million project.
"People think that incorporating environmentally responsible design into their buildings is icing on the cake; it's the last thing they do. In fact, eco-friendly architecture is a huge movement within the construction industry, and many architects are knowledgeable about how to help you and your church cut heating costs."
While the church won't be totally off the grid in terms of electricity, Santa Cruz-based William Bagnall Architects says the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot structure will have many energy-saving features.
"From flooring and wall coverings to the heating and cooling systems, we are looking at a number of ways the new church facility will minimize reliance on electricity," said project architect William Bagnall.
The multi-functional church will feature a flat roof and solar panel tiles made to look like concrete. The sanctuary will be oriented to take advantage of natural sunlight through windows and skylights. Even the parking lot will reflect the green concept.
"We are looking at using paving materials that allow water to soak back into the ground, recharging ground water aquifers, instead of running into storm drains," said Bagnall.
The new building also will be educational. "Small plaques will be featured throughout the buildings to explain what renewable resources were used, and why," he said.
While designs, permits and plans were being completed, Love says the Santa Cruz congregation has been growing its ministries.
"It's been a long road, but the delays in work approvals have been a blessing," he said.
"We've added a middle school ministry; our children's ministry is now at its limit; we have launched a Spanish language Bible studies and worship services as well. These ministries are really important to us because geographically the building site is five miles away from the place where we are currently meeting. We realized we needed a way to remain focused on our neighborhood - letting them know we hadn't left them. We want to be able to cut the ribbon on the new building and have the people excited about coming to join us."
*Jones is director of communications for The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Annual Conference.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Seashore Mission starts over with partnership
By Lisa Michiels*
The Revs. Sally Bevill and Elijah Mitchell greet worshippers arriving for the March 18 celebration of the new partnership of Beauvoir United Methodist Church and Seashore Mission Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of Mississippi United Methodist Advocate.
BILOXI, Miss. (UMNS) - Just in time for Easter, the Seashore Mission has new life on the Gulf Coast.
Clergy and lay members of the Seashore District gathered March 18 at Beauvoir United Methodist Church to celebrate new beginnings of ministry to displaced people.
Seashore Mission Church, on Howard Avenue in Biloxi, housed the United Methodist district's ministry to the homeless. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed its building and scattered its staff in 2005, the future of the mission's programming was uncertain.
"After the storm, a number of people began conversations about how to recover the ministry. We kept running into road blocks along the way until the conversations led to a partnership with Beauvoir United Methodist Church, giving the ministry of Seashore Mission a place to begin anew," said the Rev. Bill McAlilly, the area's district superintendent.
"To that end we have reappointed the Rev. Elijah Mitchell to Seashore Mission Church and as an associate to Beauvoir United Methodist Church. Beauvoir and Seashore Mission will join as a worshipping community," he said.
The mission church offered those seeking refuge a place to find food, shelter, a 12-step program, a general equivalency degree and discipleship classes for more than 15 years. Through partnerships with area businesses and other agencies, it also provided limited medical, legal and employment services. Prior to Katrina, it met the needs of 75 to 100 people a day.
In the 18 months since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, temporary housing and employment were found for the staff. Mitchell accepted an assignment with Mississippi United Methodist Disaster Response.
'God is the leader'
The original site of Seashore Mission Church presented challenges through the years, so the storm provided the board with an opportunity to seek property that could better serve the ministry's needs.
"Katrina may have destroyed the facility, but it did not destroy the spirit or the love of the ministry to God's precious souls," Mitchell said. "Our partnership with Beauvoir does not mean that we have given up our dream of a building to house and expand the ministry."
The partnership does offer a place of worship and an office space for Mitchell.
The Rev. Sally Bevill and the congregation of Beauvoir welcomed Mitchell and the members of the mission. Beauvoir has a history of community service and just recently was awarded the 2006-07 Community Partnership Award from "Hands On Gulf Coast."
Since Hurricane Katrina, the church has housed the Hands On service organization, and Bevill, the church's pastor, also serves as the conference Hispanic-Latino coordinator.
The shared ministry of Bevill and Mitchell presents an opportunity for expanded services to displaced people.
"We're not sure where it leads, but we are sure that God is the leader," Bevill said. "Katrina has showed us God makes beautiful and wonderful things out of disaster. I know what the past looks like and we can't change it, but we can look forward and make changes. I trust God to show us the way."
*Michiels is a correspondent for the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate, the newspaper of the Mississippi Annual Conference.
By Lisa Michiels*
The Revs. Sally Bevill and Elijah Mitchell greet worshippers arriving for the March 18 celebration of the new partnership of Beauvoir United Methodist Church and Seashore Mission Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of Mississippi United Methodist Advocate.
BILOXI, Miss. (UMNS) - Just in time for Easter, the Seashore Mission has new life on the Gulf Coast.
Clergy and lay members of the Seashore District gathered March 18 at Beauvoir United Methodist Church to celebrate new beginnings of ministry to displaced people.
Seashore Mission Church, on Howard Avenue in Biloxi, housed the United Methodist district's ministry to the homeless. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed its building and scattered its staff in 2005, the future of the mission's programming was uncertain.
"After the storm, a number of people began conversations about how to recover the ministry. We kept running into road blocks along the way until the conversations led to a partnership with Beauvoir United Methodist Church, giving the ministry of Seashore Mission a place to begin anew," said the Rev. Bill McAlilly, the area's district superintendent.
"To that end we have reappointed the Rev. Elijah Mitchell to Seashore Mission Church and as an associate to Beauvoir United Methodist Church. Beauvoir and Seashore Mission will join as a worshipping community," he said.
The mission church offered those seeking refuge a place to find food, shelter, a 12-step program, a general equivalency degree and discipleship classes for more than 15 years. Through partnerships with area businesses and other agencies, it also provided limited medical, legal and employment services. Prior to Katrina, it met the needs of 75 to 100 people a day.
In the 18 months since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, temporary housing and employment were found for the staff. Mitchell accepted an assignment with Mississippi United Methodist Disaster Response.
'God is the leader'
The original site of Seashore Mission Church presented challenges through the years, so the storm provided the board with an opportunity to seek property that could better serve the ministry's needs.
"Katrina may have destroyed the facility, but it did not destroy the spirit or the love of the ministry to God's precious souls," Mitchell said. "Our partnership with Beauvoir does not mean that we have given up our dream of a building to house and expand the ministry."
The partnership does offer a place of worship and an office space for Mitchell.
The Rev. Sally Bevill and the congregation of Beauvoir welcomed Mitchell and the members of the mission. Beauvoir has a history of community service and just recently was awarded the 2006-07 Community Partnership Award from "Hands On Gulf Coast."
Since Hurricane Katrina, the church has housed the Hands On service organization, and Bevill, the church's pastor, also serves as the conference Hispanic-Latino coordinator.
The shared ministry of Bevill and Mitchell presents an opportunity for expanded services to displaced people.
"We're not sure where it leads, but we are sure that God is the leader," Bevill said. "Katrina has showed us God makes beautiful and wonderful things out of disaster. I know what the past looks like and we can't change it, but we can look forward and make changes. I trust God to show us the way."
*Michiels is a correspondent for the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate, the newspaper of the Mississippi Annual Conference.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Black caucus joins Native American mascot fight
By John Coleman*
CLEVELAND (UMNS) - In keeping with its theme of "advocacy for empowerment," the black caucus of The United Methodist Church began its annual meeting advocating on a racism issue affecting another minority group: Native Americans.
The 40-year-old Black Methodists for Church Renewal is standing in solidarity with Native Americans regarding the use of Indian mascots by sport teams.
Officers of the caucus board met March 19 with an official of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland to voice concern about the name of the Cleveland Indians professional baseball team and its mascot, Chief Wahoo.
While team owners did not send a representative to the meeting, the delegation met with Dan Williams, the bureau's assistant director of sales. They discussed Resolution #131 in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions, which "rejects the use of Native American names and symbols for sport teams and considers the practice a blatant expression of racism."
The resolution, called "Respecting the Native American Legacy and Tradition," was passed by the 2004 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body. It calls on United Methodist-related organizations and institutions to avoid sponsoring meetings and events in cities that sponsor such team names and symbols, and to make public the church's concern for this issue.
Trustees of the University of Illinois recently bowed to pressure from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, which in 2005 barred sports teams with nicknames and symbols considered offensive to Native Americans from hosting or competing in its lucrative postseason tournaments. The regulatory body banned Chief Illiniwek, a controversial athletics program mascot, as a "hostile and abusive" image of American Indians.
In a March 21 statement read to the caucus by caucus President Cheryl Walker, the group reportedly was told by Williams that the Cleveland Indians organization is "moving to discontinue" use of the decades-old image of Chief Wahoo, a grinning, red-faced, large-nosed caricature of an Indian with a headband and feather, and to replace it with "a scripted letter I."
According to Walker, Williams said team owners are "in dialogue" about changing the team's name, but no decision or timetable has been determined.
Walker asked caucus members to "continue to pray and advocate for the Indians organization and other teams to change their hearts and remove all symbols and names demeaning to our Native American sisters and brothers."
"We commend black Methodists and people of all races who advocate with us on this painful issue," said Suanne Ware-Diaz of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race in an appeal to the National Black Staff Forum, which met prior to the caucus meeting. "We need you to stand with us in solidarity and give us your support."
Ware-Diaz, a Kiowa American Indian who relates to the church's Native American constituency, teamed with Chris Begay, a Navajo leader of the local Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance, to conduct a workshop during the caucus meeting on the issue of Native American team names and mascots.
"The significance of our being here is to raise our voice on this issue," said the Rev. Joseph Crawford, caucus treasurer, at the close of the workshop, "and I believe it can make a difference."
Crawford said the caucus' new strategic plan would include continuing advocacy on the mascot issue.
*Coleman is director of communications for the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.
By John Coleman*
CLEVELAND (UMNS) - In keeping with its theme of "advocacy for empowerment," the black caucus of The United Methodist Church began its annual meeting advocating on a racism issue affecting another minority group: Native Americans.
The 40-year-old Black Methodists for Church Renewal is standing in solidarity with Native Americans regarding the use of Indian mascots by sport teams.
Officers of the caucus board met March 19 with an official of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland to voice concern about the name of the Cleveland Indians professional baseball team and its mascot, Chief Wahoo.
While team owners did not send a representative to the meeting, the delegation met with Dan Williams, the bureau's assistant director of sales. They discussed Resolution #131 in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions, which "rejects the use of Native American names and symbols for sport teams and considers the practice a blatant expression of racism."
The resolution, called "Respecting the Native American Legacy and Tradition," was passed by the 2004 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body. It calls on United Methodist-related organizations and institutions to avoid sponsoring meetings and events in cities that sponsor such team names and symbols, and to make public the church's concern for this issue.
Trustees of the University of Illinois recently bowed to pressure from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, which in 2005 barred sports teams with nicknames and symbols considered offensive to Native Americans from hosting or competing in its lucrative postseason tournaments. The regulatory body banned Chief Illiniwek, a controversial athletics program mascot, as a "hostile and abusive" image of American Indians.
In a March 21 statement read to the caucus by caucus President Cheryl Walker, the group reportedly was told by Williams that the Cleveland Indians organization is "moving to discontinue" use of the decades-old image of Chief Wahoo, a grinning, red-faced, large-nosed caricature of an Indian with a headband and feather, and to replace it with "a scripted letter I."
According to Walker, Williams said team owners are "in dialogue" about changing the team's name, but no decision or timetable has been determined.
Walker asked caucus members to "continue to pray and advocate for the Indians organization and other teams to change their hearts and remove all symbols and names demeaning to our Native American sisters and brothers."
"We commend black Methodists and people of all races who advocate with us on this painful issue," said Suanne Ware-Diaz of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race in an appeal to the National Black Staff Forum, which met prior to the caucus meeting. "We need you to stand with us in solidarity and give us your support."
Ware-Diaz, a Kiowa American Indian who relates to the church's Native American constituency, teamed with Chris Begay, a Navajo leader of the local Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance, to conduct a workshop during the caucus meeting on the issue of Native American team names and mascots.
"The significance of our being here is to raise our voice on this issue," said the Rev. Joseph Crawford, caucus treasurer, at the close of the workshop, "and I believe it can make a difference."
Crawford said the caucus' new strategic plan would include continuing advocacy on the mascot issue.
*Coleman is director of communications for the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.
Author John Paul Lederach and Civil Rights Leader James Lawson to Speak at Peace Conference, April 11-13
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 5, 2007/GBOD/ -- The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and the JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation will co-sponsor “Imagination and Peacebuilding,” April 11-13, 2007 at The Upper Room in Jackson Hall Auditorium, located at 1908 Grand Ave., Nashville, Tenn.
Among those scheduled to participate are John Paul Lederach and the Rev. James Lawson.
John Paul Lederach
Lederach, (http://kroc.nd.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/lederach.shtml) author, professor and leader in the field of moral imagination, will give the keynote address at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 12 in Jackson Hall Auditorium.
“Imagination is the key missing ingredient in the church and the world in our responses to conflict. This conference is an opportunity for the community to understand the role of the imagination in peacebuilding and to develop practices that unleash our creativity as ministers of
reconciliation," said the Rev. Thomas W. Porter, executive director of JUSTPEACE.
The Rev. James Lawson
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 5, 2007/GBOD/ -- The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and the JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation will co-sponsor “Imagination and Peacebuilding,” April 11-13, 2007 at The Upper Room in Jackson Hall Auditorium, located at 1908 Grand Ave., Nashville, Tenn.
Among those scheduled to participate are John Paul Lederach and the Rev. James Lawson.
John Paul LederachLederach, (http://kroc.nd.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/lederach.shtml) author, professor and leader in the field of moral imagination, will give the keynote address at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 12 in Jackson Hall Auditorium.
“Imagination is the key missing ingredient in the church and the world in our responses to conflict. This conference is an opportunity for the community to understand the role of the imagination in peacebuilding and to develop practices that unleash our creativity as ministers of
reconciliation," said the Rev. Thomas W. Porter, executive director of JUSTPEACE.The Rev. James Lawson
United Methodist pastor and civil rights justice leader, will lead a plenary session on "Moral Imagination and Nonviolence" from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 12. http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/witnesses/james_lawson.html
“These powerful plenary leaders will help us explore with one another not only method and technique, but the art and soul of peacebuilding and conflict transformation, including metaphors and stories that can help us break free of destructive cycles of violence to imagine new possibilities,” says the Rev. Stephen Bryant, associate general secretary of GBOD and world editor of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.
The peacebuilding conference, which explores the role of imagination and the arts when engaging conflict, begins with registration at 4:00 p.m., April 11 and ends at 12 noon April 13.
The registration fee is $185. To register online visit http://justpeaceumc.org or e-mail justpeace@justpeaceumc.org.
JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation is a mission of The United Methodist Church to engage conflict constructively in ways that strive for justice, reconciliation, resource preservation and restoration of community in and through The United Methodist Church and with the Church universal to the world in which we live.
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.
Faith groups explore insurance risk pooling
By Erik J. Alsgaard*
LAKELAND, Fla. (UMNS) - In a state where homeowners and churches have seen property insurance rates skyrocket, the governor and legislature are not the only ones trying to do something about it.
Led by representatives of the United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust (PACT) and the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, among others, several national faith groups have come together in recent months to explore catastrophic property insurance possibilities that would spread the risk and save money.
"The recent abnormal hurricane activity has changed the insurance environment, not only in Florida, but in every state with hurricane exposure," said Mickey Wilson, Florida Conference treasurer.
"The insurance industry is rethinking its prediction models and appetite for offering wind-storm coverage," he said. "This year there were fewer companies offering coverage in Florida and the Gulf states, and those still offering coverage were greatly refining and reducing the types of coverage offered. In short, we are in a seller's market and will be in one for an extended period of time."
Irene Howard, PACT's chief executive officer and former general counsel for the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church, said the interfaith effort is important, especially now.
"More than 10 percent of the local churches in the United Methodist community have coastal exposure," she said. "If we don't find a way to provide property insurance for that part of our connection, we won't be in ministry there in the future. That's not acceptable."
Nineteen United Methodist conferences are participating in PACT.
When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the insurance ministry proved to be a vital resource for the Mississippi Conference. "If it had not been for PACT, there would have been no way to work with the churches to handle their claims," said David Stotts, director of financial administration for the Mississippi Conference, in a 2006 interview with United Methodist News Service.
Spreading risk
Florida's new governor, Charlie Crist, signed a bill Jan. 25 that many expect will lower property insurance costs. The measure, passed by lawmakers in a special session, forces an immediate rate decrease for Florida's largest insurance company, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created by the state. The new law also cancelled a future rate increase.
The bill also seeks to lower rates by making more state backup insurance available to private insurance companies - in effect, having the state and its residents assume that risk.
Spreading risk is not just for homeowners. The Florida Conference in late December hosted a meeting with insurance and faith group representatives, seeking ways people of faith can work together to make insurance affordable.
"What we want to do is bring people together and simply ask the question, 'Is there a way for us to collaborate and spread the risk?'" said Peter Persuitti, a managing director of Arthur J. Gallagher's Religious Practice Group. Arthur J. Gallagher, according to its Web site, is the fourth largest insurance brokerage and risk management services firm in the world.
The idea is simple. When churches from disparate areas share the risk, insurance premiums go down. For example, churches in the Florida Conference do not share risks with churches in Okalahoma or Texas when it comes to tornadoes, or churches in California when it comes to earthquakes, and vice versa. By spreading the risk over more churches and more geography, the likelihood of a catastrophic disaster happening across a widespread area is minimized and premiums go down on a broader base of exposure.
In a 'crisis market'
The collaborative effort is in its early stages, according to Persuitti. Participants include national insurance programs of the Episcopalian and Presbyterian faith traditions, as well as Roman Catholic dioceses and archdioceses and the national United Methodist PACT, including the Florida Conference. If a feasibility study is approved, Persuitti said a next step would include gathering data to draw up a property location map and to run insurance models.
"When insurance is cheap, no one talks about pooling your resources," Persuitti said. "In a crisis market, it's different, and we're in a crisis market now. People are thirsting for alternatives."
Even though pooling resources sounds easy, it's not. During the Lakeland meeting in December, participants looked at such issues as who would pay what premiums, how much risk of potential loss is acceptable, how the structure would be organized to handle governance and administrative functions, and when coverage would become effective. Among the experts supporting this initiative are staff from the Insurance Services Office and its actuarial and catastrophic modeling divisions.
"Coming together around this issue just makes sense," Wilson said. He noted that Florida Conference churches are required to participate in the conference's insurance program, a measure approved by the annual conference itself. "The members of the Florida Conference are unique in their understanding of connectionalism and their commitment to each other."
For Wilson and others, the insurance issue strikes at the core of being a disciple of Jesus Christ: stewardship.
"We need a commitment from United Methodists and others," Howard said, "because it's not about today; it's about good stewardship and making sure we enable ministry in all parts of this connection now and in the future.
"It may take time to accumulate funds for this project, but if we are to protect our ministries long term, we must start now, working in collaboration with other denominations facing similar challenges. This is our common ground. Plus, we just think there's a more efficient way for nonprofits to finance risk."
*Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Conference. This story originally appeared in the conference's e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. Some information for this story came from Associated Press news reports.
By Erik J. Alsgaard*
LAKELAND, Fla. (UMNS) - In a state where homeowners and churches have seen property insurance rates skyrocket, the governor and legislature are not the only ones trying to do something about it.
Led by representatives of the United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust (PACT) and the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, among others, several national faith groups have come together in recent months to explore catastrophic property insurance possibilities that would spread the risk and save money.
"The recent abnormal hurricane activity has changed the insurance environment, not only in Florida, but in every state with hurricane exposure," said Mickey Wilson, Florida Conference treasurer.
"The insurance industry is rethinking its prediction models and appetite for offering wind-storm coverage," he said. "This year there were fewer companies offering coverage in Florida and the Gulf states, and those still offering coverage were greatly refining and reducing the types of coverage offered. In short, we are in a seller's market and will be in one for an extended period of time."
Irene Howard, PACT's chief executive officer and former general counsel for the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church, said the interfaith effort is important, especially now.
"More than 10 percent of the local churches in the United Methodist community have coastal exposure," she said. "If we don't find a way to provide property insurance for that part of our connection, we won't be in ministry there in the future. That's not acceptable."
Nineteen United Methodist conferences are participating in PACT.
When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the insurance ministry proved to be a vital resource for the Mississippi Conference. "If it had not been for PACT, there would have been no way to work with the churches to handle their claims," said David Stotts, director of financial administration for the Mississippi Conference, in a 2006 interview with United Methodist News Service.
Spreading risk
Florida's new governor, Charlie Crist, signed a bill Jan. 25 that many expect will lower property insurance costs. The measure, passed by lawmakers in a special session, forces an immediate rate decrease for Florida's largest insurance company, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created by the state. The new law also cancelled a future rate increase.
The bill also seeks to lower rates by making more state backup insurance available to private insurance companies - in effect, having the state and its residents assume that risk.
Spreading risk is not just for homeowners. The Florida Conference in late December hosted a meeting with insurance and faith group representatives, seeking ways people of faith can work together to make insurance affordable.
"What we want to do is bring people together and simply ask the question, 'Is there a way for us to collaborate and spread the risk?'" said Peter Persuitti, a managing director of Arthur J. Gallagher's Religious Practice Group. Arthur J. Gallagher, according to its Web site, is the fourth largest insurance brokerage and risk management services firm in the world.
The idea is simple. When churches from disparate areas share the risk, insurance premiums go down. For example, churches in the Florida Conference do not share risks with churches in Okalahoma or Texas when it comes to tornadoes, or churches in California when it comes to earthquakes, and vice versa. By spreading the risk over more churches and more geography, the likelihood of a catastrophic disaster happening across a widespread area is minimized and premiums go down on a broader base of exposure.
In a 'crisis market'
The collaborative effort is in its early stages, according to Persuitti. Participants include national insurance programs of the Episcopalian and Presbyterian faith traditions, as well as Roman Catholic dioceses and archdioceses and the national United Methodist PACT, including the Florida Conference. If a feasibility study is approved, Persuitti said a next step would include gathering data to draw up a property location map and to run insurance models.
"When insurance is cheap, no one talks about pooling your resources," Persuitti said. "In a crisis market, it's different, and we're in a crisis market now. People are thirsting for alternatives."
Even though pooling resources sounds easy, it's not. During the Lakeland meeting in December, participants looked at such issues as who would pay what premiums, how much risk of potential loss is acceptable, how the structure would be organized to handle governance and administrative functions, and when coverage would become effective. Among the experts supporting this initiative are staff from the Insurance Services Office and its actuarial and catastrophic modeling divisions.
"Coming together around this issue just makes sense," Wilson said. He noted that Florida Conference churches are required to participate in the conference's insurance program, a measure approved by the annual conference itself. "The members of the Florida Conference are unique in their understanding of connectionalism and their commitment to each other."
For Wilson and others, the insurance issue strikes at the core of being a disciple of Jesus Christ: stewardship.
"We need a commitment from United Methodists and others," Howard said, "because it's not about today; it's about good stewardship and making sure we enable ministry in all parts of this connection now and in the future.
"It may take time to accumulate funds for this project, but if we are to protect our ministries long term, we must start now, working in collaboration with other denominations facing similar challenges. This is our common ground. Plus, we just think there's a more efficient way for nonprofits to finance risk."
*Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Conference. This story originally appeared in the conference's e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. Some information for this story came from Associated Press news reports.
The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network Shows Concern for Mining Practices
Hagerstown, Maryland—“Oh the West Virginia hills, how majestic and how grand,” words of the state song learned by every school child. Mountains are one of the unique features of the state. Yet, as members of The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network learned that in some places the natural beauty of the mountains is being destroyed.
Meeting at Temple UMC in Beckley, West Virginia for its bi-annual meeting UMAMN members were exposed to the vastness of the practice of blasting off whole tops of mountains to expose the rich coal seams beneath. The aerial view of the breadth of mountain top mining was staggering. The destruction is indescribable. From the Stanley homestead on Kayford mountain the up close view of huge “dump trucks” moving loosened earth and dumping it in the “hollow” (valley) seemingly with no regard for the people, streams and rivers below nor the consequences for the future seemed obscene.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feed deep.
Some relief has been provided through a March 23, 2007 ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia who ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing mountaintop removal mining permits that allowed headwater streams to be permanently buried.
The ruling will affect dozens of pending mining permits across Appalachia’s coals fields in West Virginia, Kentucky, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.
Reflecting on conversation with Larry Gibson whose family has refused to sell the mineral rights under their Kayford mountain homestead, one Network member said, “I was struck by the strong sense of family pride in Larry and his extended family. In spite of the fact that this narrow strip of land at the crest of the mountain was not 'prime farm land'—there was the sense that it was 'ours'—and nobody is about to tell the Stanley clan what they should do with it. It remains a tiny island in a sea of destruction. One has to wonder how long the family can hold out—or will even want to hold out after this generation is gone.” Another reflected, “To witness the destruction of God’s creation reminded me that we are to be stewards…we have failed to be good stewards of the mountain tops, the valleys, the rivers and streams and the people affected in West Virginia. May God forgive us for both what we have done and for what we have not done. May God empower us to be prophetic stewards of the mountains of West Virginia.”
Why should UMAMN be concerned about mining practices? Advocacy education for both public policy that affects communities in the Appalachian region as well as concern for developing and strengthening church leaders is one of the foci of the Network. All United Methodist need to know and understand the impact this type of natural resource extraction has not only on the immediate communities but on all of us as it feeds our energy needs. Coal fired power plants are one of the major contributors to mounting carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere creating climate warming across the world and emissions of mercury which concentrates in our waters. Every United Methodist needs to think about how their use of energy feeds the destruction resulting from this supposedly economical method to remove coal from the earth--a method that seems to put profit and production above care for creation and has resulted in fewer and fewer, although good paying jobs, in the coal mining industry.
During its meeting UMAMN also:
. heard a report from the Appalachian Assembly Planning Team. The Assembly will be held September 19-22, 2007 at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC. The featured educational element of the Assembly will be “Asset Mapping and Capacity Building, led by Luther K. Snow. Mr. Snow has over twenty-five years of experience in asset building in communities, congregations and faith-based organizations. The Assembly will also celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the organization’s recognition by General Conference as a coordinating body for United Methodist ministries in Appalachia.
· learned that Phase II of the strategic analysis project will be completed by mid-April. During May a survey will be distributed widely to seeking feedback to information collected during Listening Posts conducted in February and March.
· approved a Resolution on Immigration Reform that will be distributed to federal government and church bodies.
· approved grants from the Appalachia Hunger and Poverty Advance Special fund in the amount of $5,500 to two ministries addressing poverty in the region. Application deadline for the submitting grant applications for the fall is September 1.
· Received a report from Bishop Tom Bickerton, Chair, of an offer made to assist the Network in seeking a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
For additional information contact: N. Sharon Leatherman, Executive Director,
Phone and Fax 301-791-7355
Email: umadc@aol.com
Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/appalachia
Hagerstown, Maryland—“Oh the West Virginia hills, how majestic and how grand,” words of the state song learned by every school child. Mountains are one of the unique features of the state. Yet, as members of The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network learned that in some places the natural beauty of the mountains is being destroyed.
Meeting at Temple UMC in Beckley, West Virginia for its bi-annual meeting UMAMN members were exposed to the vastness of the practice of blasting off whole tops of mountains to expose the rich coal seams beneath. The aerial view of the breadth of mountain top mining was staggering. The destruction is indescribable. From the Stanley homestead on Kayford mountain the up close view of huge “dump trucks” moving loosened earth and dumping it in the “hollow” (valley) seemingly with no regard for the people, streams and rivers below nor the consequences for the future seemed obscene.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feed deep.Some relief has been provided through a March 23, 2007 ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia who ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing mountaintop removal mining permits that allowed headwater streams to be permanently buried.
The ruling will affect dozens of pending mining permits across Appalachia’s coals fields in West Virginia, Kentucky, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.
Reflecting on conversation with Larry Gibson whose family has refused to sell the mineral rights under their Kayford mountain homestead, one Network member said, “I was struck by the strong sense of family pride in Larry and his extended family. In spite of the fact that this narrow strip of land at the crest of the mountain was not 'prime farm land'—there was the sense that it was 'ours'—and nobody is about to tell the Stanley clan what they should do with it. It remains a tiny island in a sea of destruction. One has to wonder how long the family can hold out—or will even want to hold out after this generation is gone.” Another reflected, “To witness the destruction of God’s creation reminded me that we are to be stewards…we have failed to be good stewards of the mountain tops, the valleys, the rivers and streams and the people affected in West Virginia. May God forgive us for both what we have done and for what we have not done. May God empower us to be prophetic stewards of the mountains of West Virginia.”
Why should UMAMN be concerned about mining practices? Advocacy education for both public policy that affects communities in the Appalachian region as well as concern for developing and strengthening church leaders is one of the foci of the Network. All United Methodist need to know and understand the impact this type of natural resource extraction has not only on the immediate communities but on all of us as it feeds our energy needs. Coal fired power plants are one of the major contributors to mounting carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere creating climate warming across the world and emissions of mercury which concentrates in our waters. Every United Methodist needs to think about how their use of energy feeds the destruction resulting from this supposedly economical method to remove coal from the earth--a method that seems to put profit and production above care for creation and has resulted in fewer and fewer, although good paying jobs, in the coal mining industry.
During its meeting UMAMN also:
. heard a report from the Appalachian Assembly Planning Team. The Assembly will be held September 19-22, 2007 at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC. The featured educational element of the Assembly will be “Asset Mapping and Capacity Building, led by Luther K. Snow. Mr. Snow has over twenty-five years of experience in asset building in communities, congregations and faith-based organizations. The Assembly will also celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the organization’s recognition by General Conference as a coordinating body for United Methodist ministries in Appalachia.
· learned that Phase II of the strategic analysis project will be completed by mid-April. During May a survey will be distributed widely to seeking feedback to information collected during Listening Posts conducted in February and March.
· approved a Resolution on Immigration Reform that will be distributed to federal government and church bodies.
· approved grants from the Appalachia Hunger and Poverty Advance Special fund in the amount of $5,500 to two ministries addressing poverty in the region. Application deadline for the submitting grant applications for the fall is September 1.
· Received a report from Bishop Tom Bickerton, Chair, of an offer made to assist the Network in seeking a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
For additional information contact: N. Sharon Leatherman, Executive Director,
Phone and Fax 301-791-7355
Email: umadc@aol.com
Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/appalachia
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