Event Raises Awareness About Mercury-Containing Vaccines, Drugs

by Barbara Wheeler *

Members and leaders of United Methodist Women gathered with scientists, physicians and parents to discuss the effects of mercury-containing vaccines and drugs at “The Truth is Coming to Light” event sponsored by the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries June 6 and 7 at Simpsonwood Retreat Center in Norcross, Ga.

Fifty-five participants heard from presenters including scientists, physicians, parents and an attorney who advocate for the removal of mercury compounds, including the mercury-preservative Thimerosal, from vaccines and drugs.

The event was a bridge between the faith community and grassroots advocates on this issue. In 2006, directors of the Women’s Division called on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take action to protect children from mercury-containing drugs.

“It’s taken a long time for anyone to listen,” said the Rev. Lisa Sykes, a clergy member of Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church and parent of a mercury-poisoned child. Ms. Sykes worked with the Women’s Division to organize the educational event.

Since 2000, Ms. Sykes has advocated the federal government and government health agencies bring the issue of mercury-containing pharmaceuticals to the forefront. When she was turned away by government officials and agencies, she turned to the church.

“I would like all of those here to find the event to be a commissioning,” Ms. Sykes said. “This is the beginning of a social movement in the church, an urgent one and a historical one.

“Only in the church have people reacted with the proper response: to be horrified. I don’t want any other children to go through what Wesley, my 11-year-old mercury-poisoned son, has gone through.”

Parents of children who are mercury-poisoned often receive diagnoses of autism or other neurological disorders for their children’s symptoms. The effects of these disorders on the lives of children and their families can be overwhelming. The disorder isolates the affected children and their parents become consumed with taking care of their children and working to find treatment, medical care and educational opportunities for their children.

Kelly Kerns, the parent of three mercury-poisoned children – a daughter, 10, and two sons, 8 – attends Monticello United Methodist Church in Shawnee Mission, Kan. In 2005, she worked in Kansas East Conference to pass a resolution entitled: “Protecting Children from Mercury-Containing Drugs.” She attended the event at Simpsonwood to share her experience with other attendees.

“I don’t believe God wants to see children poisoned,” Ms. Kerns said. “When I took this issue to the church, I found peace in my life.”

While working on the resolution, she was afraid people wouldn’t support it, but no one questioned it, Ms. Kerns said. A similar resolution passed in Virginia Conference in 2005.

“Once you take the money and the politics out of this issue, the answer is very clear,” she said.

Women, including members of United Methodist Women, from United Methodist churches across the country, including Georgia, Kansas, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, attended the event.

Women’s Division executive Julie Taylor was a lead person in planning the event.

“The success isn’t in having this education event,” Ms. Taylor said. “The success is in what comes after the event.”

June 8, following the educational event at Simpsonwood, many participants attended a rally at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alongside members of grassroots organizations, Moms Against Mercury and the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs. At a press conference following the rally, speakers called for the removal of mercury compounds from all pharmaceuticals.

Lois M. Dauway, interim deputy general secretary of the Women’s Division, spoke at the press conference.

“Our being here and standing together, advocating together, sends a distinct message,” Ms. Dauway said. “We are here to speak to the powers that help make decision that affect all our health and our children’s health. We are here to stand especially with parents who believe their children have been adversely affected by mercury-containing vaccines or other drugs. We are here because we are called and moved to action.”

Tonya Murphy, president of United Methodist Women in North Georgia Conference, also spoke at the press conference.

“The truth must come to light,” Ms. Murphy said. “The truth is coming to light, and having attended ‘The Truth is Coming to Light’ event really opened my eyes. We must be like the resurrection women at the tomb who made a wonderful discovery and could not contain themselves. Let us cry hard and spare not.”

Members of United Methodist Women from Virginia Conference brought the issue of mercury-containing drugs to the attention of the Women’s Division, the policy-making arm of United Methodist Women, in 2005. In 2006, Ms. Sykes made a presentation at a meeting of the division’s board of directors and directors approved a resolution that advocates:

.Prioritizing mercury-free stocks of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products for pregnant women, newborns and children,
.Providing informed consent for individuals about mercury exposure through their vaccines and drugs, and
.Banning any mercury compound in pharmaceutical products or vaccines prescribed or over-the-counter unless the presence of mercury compound has been proven clinically to have no adverse effects.

United Methodist Women is an organization of approximately 800,000 members within the United Methodist Church in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. United Methodist Women members give more than $20 million a year for program and projects related women, children and youth in the United States and around the world.

*Barbara Wheeler is an executive secretary for communications for the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.

See also:

The Women’s Division website -- www.umwmission.org -- for complete coverage of the rally and press conference, and a story on participants in the educational event.

General Board of Discipleship Publishes Prison Ministry Tool Box

GBOD’s Discipleship Resources imprint has published a new prison ministry tool box to help congregations address the alarming increase in the U. S. prison population.

The “Congregational Tool Box for Prison Ministry” was created in response to a 2004 General Conference action related to providing restorative justice materials for United Methodist churches.

“The tool box encourages people to look at the whole criminal justice system, while providing practical, hands-on suggestions for ministry in the reality of our current prison system,” says Betsey Heavner, the publication’s author and compiler.

The “Congregational Tool Box for Prison Ministry” ($8.00) is available for download at http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=456465.

“By engaging in and expanding our work in prison ministry, we are reclaiming that part of our Methodist heritage inspired by John Wesley’s passion for those in prison,” says GBOD top executive Karen Greenwaldt.

Churches that are serious about beginning restorative justice ministries or in re-tooling prison ministries will find helpful ways to care for those incarcerated and their families,
provide for children, visit in prisons and bring justice and reconciliation in their communities.

The publication, which updates the “Prison Ministry Guide” published in 1996, targets Christian communities and individuals who recognize God’s call to be involved in ministries of justice and mercy.

“The ‘1996 Prison Ministry Guide’ was out of date. Yet we were getting requests for the guide on a weekly basis,” says Heavner.

The “Congregational Toolbox for Prison Ministry” overviews criminal justice issues and presents some possible ways for churches to engage in prison ministry.

Justice Department statistics indicate that one in every 136 U. S. residents was behind bars in the summer of 2005.

Though more prisons are being built, they cannot keep up with the dramatic increase in the number of persons being incarcerated.

“Congregational Tool Box for Prison Ministry” content was compiled by Betsey Heavner and edited by George Donigian. Content reviewers and contributors included prison chaplains and restorative justice practitioners Pat Dunbar, Harmon Wray, Tom Porter, Cynthia Peters, Rich Stoglin, Mark Hicks, Ann Edgefield and Holly Hickson.

The 26-page resource includes the following chapters:

.Introduction to the Problem of a Growing Prison Population
.Raising Congregational Awareness for Ministering with Those in Prison
.Getting Started with Prison Ministry
.Seven Ways to Engage in Criminal Justice Work and Prison Ministry.

The General Board of Discipleship’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, The General Board of Discipleship (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, TN. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.

NCC's mission will continue without him, Edgar says
By Linda Bloom*

The Rev. Bob Edgar leads a communion service for Gold Star mothers outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch in 2005. Edgar is leaving his job as head of the National Council of Churches to become president and chief executive of Common Cause. A UMNS photo courtesy of the NCC.

NEW YORK (UMNS)-The Rev. Bob Edgar wants the National Council of Churches "to own the issue of ending the poverty that kills."

Part of his mission as the council's chief executive during the past seven and a half years has been to mobilize its 35 member communions to take action on all aspects of poverty.

The United Methodist pastor says he likes the word "mobilization" because it allows the council to set achievable goals, market those goals and measure results.

Edgar, 64, is leaving the NCC at the end of the summer, but he expects the campaign against poverty will continue without him. In May, he was named president and chief executive of Common Cause, a Washington-based national advocacy group promoting open, honest and accountable government.

Just before he was elected to lead the NCC in November 1999, Edgar told United Methodist News Service he believed he had four qualities-as a salvager, an optimist, a futurist and coalition-builder-that led to his nomination.

Today, he points to sustaining the council through a debt crisis, a separation from Church World Service, staff reductions and low morale as proof of his role as salvager.

More importantly, Edgar says, "I've salvaged the vision and mission of the council." His catchphrase for that mission is "peace, poverty and planet Earth."

The optimism just came naturally, whether he was serving as pastor of a Philadelphia church where he dealt with gang violence and civil rights (1968-71), chaplain at a university and co-founder of a homeless shelter for women and their families (1971-74), member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1975-87), director of a private "think tank" (1988-90) or president of the Claremont School of Theology (1990-99).

"My gift is being an optimist in all the positions I've taken," he declares.

Changing landscape
As a futurist, Edgar has tried to signal to NCC member communions "that ecumenism is changing, Christianity is changing, denominationalism is changing."

Such changes, however, do not mean that mainstream ecumenism is dead. "I think I've brought a different spirit to the council … that we can do together what we cannot do individually," he explains.

Efforts at coalition-building have included involvement in new groups as diverse as Let Justice Roll, an alliance challenging public officials and political candidates to end poverty; Christian Churches Together, a movement to expand the ecumenical table; and FaithfulAmerica.org, an interfaith electronic advocacy community.

"Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty" was launched in June 2004 by the NCC and the Center for Community Change and is an outgrowth of the council's poverty mobilization campaign. The nonpartisan coalition of more than 90 faith, community, labor and business organizations works to educate and mobilize voters and supports issues such as raising the federal minimum wage, which finally was approved by Congress at the end of May.

Christian Churches Together, which was formally launched last February, aims to expand fellowship, unity and witness among today's diverse U.S. Christian faiths. The fellowship includes evangelical/Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, historic Protestant and racial/cthnic churches.

FaithfulAmerica.org offers community building and resources to help faith communities advance the cause of compassion and justice in public policy and connect with elected leaders and each other.

Disappointments and challenges
One of his disappointments, Edgar says, is that-for various reasons-NCC member communions have continued to reduce their financial contributions by approximately $1 to $1.5 million since 2000. But the ecumenical agency has managed to attract individual donations and other sources of revenue. "The miracle is we have a $7 million budget," he adds.

The next big challenge for the ecumenical community, Edgar believes, will be health care. "The day after the next president (of the United States) is elected, health care needs to be back on the agenda," he says.

In his recent book, Middle Church: Reclaiming the Moral Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right, published last fall by Simon & Schuster, Edgar notes that the "faithful majority must have the courage to confront their government when it makes bad decisions."

That is what he intends to do as the leader of Common Cause. "What I want to do is rekindle the vision of John Gardner (the founder) for a citizens' lobby to speak truth to power," Edgar says.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Advocate: Access for disabilities improves access for all

By Linda Bloom*

Mathew Sapolin, blind since age 5, addresses United Methodist Women during a disabilities and older women seminar hosted by Global Action on Aging at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York. A UMNS photo by Elena Chadova, Global Action on Aging.

NEW YORK (UMNS)-Mathew Sapolin, blind since age 5, is a proponent of universal design.
That means products, buildings and public spaces are created with anyone in mind-allowing "greater access for the greater number of people."

As commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, Sapolin and the two architects in his office look for such universal applications not only when considering ramps, elevators and hand rails, but also lighting, signage and textures.

"The building code is one way in which we can require access," Sapolin told a group of local United Methodist Women during a June 20 seminar on "Older Women and Disabilities" hosted by Global Action on Aging at the Church Center for the United Nations. "When people don't want to make things accessible, they have to come to me to get a waiver. We usually say no."

The use of closed captioning on television is one example of how better access can benefit the larger population. In the 1970s, according to Sapolin, the deaf community fought hard to secure closed captioning over the objections of the communications industry.

When it eventually became a requirement, closed captioning proved useful in other ways, such as providing an outlet for emergency responders and helping immigrants and young children learn to read. "We see tremendous benefits from closed captioning that go way beyond the deaf and hard of hearing," he said.

In the same way, curb cuts on sidewalks can be helpful to mothers with strollers or even women in high heels as much as to persons in wheelchairs or on motorized scooters, Sapolin pointed out. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has allocated $218 million through the year 2010 to place curb cuts on more than 27,000 miles of sidewalks throughout the city.

The development of new federal laws on disability in the 1970s-a response to the difficulties suffered by Vietnam War veterans-led to the creation of local government offices such as the one that Sapolin leads. But it has taken the international community much longer to catch up, according to Susanne Paul, a United Methodist who serves as president of Global Action on Aging.

On March 30, members of the United Nations signed the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which had been adopted in December. "That is an historic event and it took 25 years to pull that off," Paul said.

Negotiations on the convention included input from hundreds of non-governmental organizations and delegates representing the world's 600 to 650 million people with disabilities, 80 percent of whom live in developing countries. The document now must be ratified individually, with the legal language incorporated into the laws of each country, she added.

Jamaica was the first country to ratify the convention. Paul noted that the United States was not one of the countries approving the document. According to The Associated Press, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations has said it was opposed to the convention because it could dilute the strength of U.S. legislation protecting the rights of the disabled. The U.S. mission does support the improvement of international standards for the disabled.

The areas where the disabled often face the most difficulties with access are affordable housing and transportation, according to Sapolin. He suggested that the aging and disability movements join forces on these issues, "letting the world know we are empowered" for action.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Church leaders visit Capitol Hill over Cuba travel

By Lesley Crosson*

WASHINGTON (UMNS)-In an effort to get the U.S. government to ease restrictions on religious travel to Cuba, a delegation of leaders from Christian denominations and ecumenical organizations lobbied key lawmakers June 14 on Capitol Hill.

Jerald McKie, an executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, was among leaders trying to garner support for proposed House and Senate legislation that would end a ban on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens.

Based on encouragement received during their lobbying efforts, Church World Service and its partners intend to meet with other influential members of Congress to build support for the pending legislation.

Bills introduced by Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Jeff Flake R-Ariz., in the House of Representatives and by Sens. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Byron Dorgan D-N.D., in the Senate, would end the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba for all Americans.

The bills continue to collect co-sponsors, and the delegation received encouragement from long-time supporters like Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who restated his "commitment" to an end to the travel restrictions, and Rep. Jeff Flake R-Ariz., who thanked them for the church's work on the issue. "Of all the efforts to bring change, this work by the church is one of the most important," Flake said.

In a series of meetings with lawmakers and legislative aides, the delegation voiced concern that any new legislation be broad enough to allow unlimited religious travel.

The hoped-for legislation is high on the churches' agenda because mainline Christian denominations and their ecumenical agencies say their religious work with Cuban partner churches and agencies has been seriously crippled over the past two years.

"There have always been regulations that we have had to abide by," said delegation leader Martin Shupack, associate director for public policy at Church World Service, "but what has changed is the interpretation of those rules under the current administration."

Church work hampered
Since 2004, the United States has drastically limited travel to Cuba by Cuban Americans wishing to visit family members, scientists, academic researchers, students and, since mid-2005, national and regional religious leaders.

The restricted license limits religious travel to only one trip per quarter and requires applicants-like Church World Service, The United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, Church of the Brethren, Presbyterian Church (USA) and others-to list on the application the names of up to 25 people who will travel under the license. But in some cases, national church bodies have been unable to acquire even these restricted licenses.

During the Capitol Hill meetings, delegation members gave vivid examples of the negative effect on their work and witness in the Latin American country.

McKie described how 15 long-term projects of The United Methodist Church in Cuba have suffered. The last time representatives from the church's mission board were able to visit those projects and their Cuban ecumenical partners was in March of 2006.

"We applied for renewal shortly after returning from that trip, and we still have not received the license," she said. "All we have received is a letter saying that it is 'pending'. This has been going on for more than 15 months now."

The effect of the ongoing delays for The United Methodist Church and other denominations is to deny churches and the people of Cuba needed assistance from their partner churches in the United States and to severely hinder Christian fellowship and nurturance between churches in the two countries.

"The church is on fire for the Lord in Cuba," McKie said. "It is filled with young people lined up and packing house churches and storefront churches. We need to be able to walk with these people and to nurture that spirit as their partners in faith."

Broad-based concern
Like The United Methodist Church, the American Baptist Churches and Global Ministries of the Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ have applied for but not received the restricted licenses. Mary Weaver of the American Baptist Churches told about recently receiving a letter from Baptist churches in Cuba expressing concern about the lack of visits and feeling that they are being forgotten by U.S. Baptists.

In a June 12 letter to members of Congress, leaders of 13 mainline Christian denominations and national or regional bodies underscored their grave concern over the restrictions. They urged lawmakers to support the "Export Freedom to Cuba Act of 2007" (HR-654) introduced by Reps. Rangel and Flake, and the "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2007" (S.721). "We believe (the restrictions) are unfair and inappropriate, restrain religious freedom and reflect undue governmental interference in the exercise of religion," the letter stated.

Other members of the religious delegation were the Rev. Felix Ortiz-Cotto, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ; the Rev. Phil Jones, Church of the Brethren; Alex Baumgarten, The Episcopal Church; Kimberly C. Stietz, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Marilyn J. Seiber, Presbyterian Church (USA); Claire Rodriguez, Latin America Working Group; and Elsa Falkenburger, Washington Office on Latin America.

United Methodist groups oppose immigration bill

By United Methodist News Service*

Thousands of immigrants and supporters rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in March 2006. United Methodist leaders have sent a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing the current immigration bill and calling for genuine reform.A UMNS file photo by Rick Reinhard.

In a letter to the U.S. Senate, seven United Methodist agencies and organizations opposed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 and called for "genuine reform" that would allow immigrant families to "achieve their American dreams."

The June 19 letter says Senate bill 1348 "fails to achieve" any of the goals advocated by the church and other proponents of genuine comprehensive immigration reform. These goals include reunification of families, a fair earned pathway to citizenship and humanitarian border policies that maintain the civil liberties of all people.

The massive compromise immigration bill collapsed in the Senate June 7 but was resurrected within two weeks and is scheduled to come up for a key vote before the end of June.

Referred to as a "grand bargain," the bipartisan agreement-with 108 amendments-had stalled amid controversy, particularly over provisions envisioning eventual citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants now in the United States illegally. The bill, which is supported by the Bush administration, also calls for greater border security and a crackdown on the hiring of illegal workers.

Faith organizations had rallied behind amendments that supported immigrant families. When those amendments failed, the "Senate rejected the importance of family values," the letter states.

"As people of faith the family holds special significance, for it is the family throughout Scripture that God uses to care, train, teach, and preserve the individual."

The letter is signed by the chief executives or other officers of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, Board of Global Ministries, Women's Division of Global Ministries, General Commission on Religion and Race, National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, Methodists Associated to Represent the Cause of Hispanic Americans, and National Federation of Asian American United Methodists.

The letter states the current bill includes "burdensome obstacles" that include unreasonable fees and fines as well as mandatory return trips to home countries before a pathway to citizenship can be granted.

In addition, the United Methodist letter spoke out against the proposed guest-worker program, saying it does not guarantee "an increase in the number of visas for future workers with full labor protections and just wages."

In describing the church as "a denomination with many immigrant members," the letter encouraged Congress to "reject the easy road of punishing immigrants," and instead to provide "reasonable and compassionate leadership so that these new immigrant families can also achieve their American dreams."

"The Senate bill contains harsh enforcement provisions that erode civil-liberty protections and do not provide for real security," according to the letter. "Further militarization of the border and denial of due process to immigrants will not stop illegal immigration or secure our borders. National security will be achieved only as genuine reform is enacted that includes legal avenues for citizenship for all undocumented migrants."

Signers of the letter include Jim Winkler, top executive, United Methodist Board of Church and Society; Bishop Joel N. Martinez, president, and the Rev. R. Randy Day, top executive, Board of Global Ministries; Lois M. Dauway, interim top executive Women's Division, Board of Global Ministries; Eliezer Valentin-Castanon, staff, Commission of Religion and Race; Bishop Minerva Carcaño, chair, and Francisco Cañas, national coordinator, National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry; Bishop Elias Galván, executive director, Methodists Associated to Represent the Cause of Hispanic Americans; the Rev. Mark M. Nakagawa, chair, and Inday Day, executive director, National Federation of Asian American United Methodists.

Church leaders urge G8 to fully fund AIDS pledges

By United Methodist News Service*

Pledges by the world's major economic powers to commit $60 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are commendable, but they must be translated into action, say United Methodist executives.

"The AIDS virus continues to affect millions of people who won't receive services or preventable education in spite of this funding," said Linda Bales, staff executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

"The AIDS pandemic grows steadily worse," said the Rev. R. Randy Day, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. "Pledges need to be translated into action, promises into funds by the G8 nations and all other responsible countries and organizations."

Diseases kill 16,000 daily
The $60 billion total will still be only one-third of what the United Nations says is needed over the next five years to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Together, the diseases kill about 16,000 people each day.

U.N. estimates show that $192 billion is needed to address AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria from 2008 to 2012, and even more would be needed to improve health systems, according to a report from the Global AIDS Alliance. Of this $192 billion, $134 billion is needed for AIDS, $37 billion to fight TB (including extremely drug-resistant TB), and $21 billion to address malaria, a major killer of children and expectant mothers.

Representatives of United Methodist agencies attended the G8 summit June 6-8 in Germany. Members of the summit are Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia.

The $60 billion pledged represents "wonderful promises," Day said. "However, we cannot help but notice how slowly the eight major economic powers are moving in honoring their AIDS commitment, repeated over a number of years."

Day said he was glad the G8 continues to keep the issue of AIDS, particularly in Africa, before the world community. However, he said the G8 Summit of 2005 pledged $50 billion, or $12 billion per year, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and nothing near that has been made available.

The Bush administration has asked for $300 million from Congress for 2008 for the global fund for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This amount, along with $850 million approved by a House of Representatives committee, doesn't come close to the U.S. share based on the 2005 commitment, Day said.

President George W. Bush formally announced he is asking Congress for a $30 billion, five-year extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The request doubles the amount previously pledged and will be spread over five years to assist impoverished countries, mainly in Africa, beginning in 2009.

"According to UNAIDS, currently 8,000 people die of the AIDS virus, while 12,000 acquire the virus every day worldwide," Bales said.

The president's plan will provide treatment to only 2.5 million people, or about 20 percent of the 12 million people expected to need treatment in 2013, Bales said.

Full amount needed
The Global AIDS Alliance, a partner organization with the church's social action agency, said the increase proposed by Bush is a misconception, since current levels of AIDS funding from the United States have been steadily increasing and would already reach $30 billion.

"A plan to really defeat AIDS, TB and malaria is still missing, yet that's what we must keep demanding of these leaders," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. "This is not an issue of 'more money is always needed when it comes to poverty.' Rather, the full amount is needed so that we can actually get ahead of these health crises, which pose a global threat."

For fiscal year 2008, Bush requested $5.4 billion for AIDS, which Congress seems likely to approve, Bales said. If the next phase of the U.S. global AIDS response simply held to this 2008 level over a five-year period, it would cost $27 billion, or nearly what the president proposed, she said.

"Of course, we welcome the president's support for action to address HIV/AIDS," Zeitz said June 8. "The U.S. program has done a lot of good, primarily in care for orphans and AIDS treatment, and today the president reaffirmed its continuation."

Ministries address AIDS
The United Methodist Church has many programs around the world working with people affected by HIV/AIDS.

The 2004 General Conference established the Global AIDS Fund in an effort to raise $8 million by 2008 - an amount roughly equivalent to every U.S. member of the church donating $1. The fund supports education, prevention, care and treatment programs for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Worldwide, more than 39 million people are infected with AIDS, and more than 25 million people have died from it since the disease came to public attention 25 years ago. The people of Africa have been especially impacted, with nearly 30 million people infected.

Day said The United Methodist Church has firsthand experience in dealing with AIDS in Africa and knows how serious the health threat is. "There is no time to lose."

Contributions to the Global HIV/AIDS Program may be sent through a local United Methodist church, annual conference or by mailing a check to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be made to "Advance GCFA" and designated in the memo for Global HIV/AIDS Program, Advance #982345. Call (888) 252-6174 to give by credit card. More details are available at the Advance Web site (http://new.gbgm-umc.org/give/advance/).

A UMNS Commentary by Matt Carlisle*: Are you ready for the revolution?

Matt Carlisle

Throughout the summer of 2005, I traveled with researchers to meet with members and leaders of The United Methodist Church. Our purpose: to gain a deeper understanding of the people of this storied global denomination; learn how you use and don't use the Internet; and, ultimately, pinpoint what you wanted from your denominational Web site, http://www.umc.org/.

I liken our experience to one of those "On the Road" reports by Charles Kuralt, the late broadcast journalist. It was a reminder that every member and every church has their own unique story to tell. I was blessed to be witness to your stories. We took every opportunity to gather useful information, speaking with people on planes and buses who had never been to church in their life-simply to learn what would motivate them to visit a church on Sunday morning. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, we built each component of the new http://www.umc.org/, launched last January.

During my subsequent travels, I began to sense a common thread that ran through each interview. It wasn't articulated the same way by all, but it was clearly the No. 1 request. Share the story of this denomination in new and relevant ways online. Create a Web site that impacts Generation Y (born 1981-1999) and those who are part of the New Silent Generation (born mid-1990s to mid-2000s).

No small task.
I am optimistic by nature, but seasoned enough to know that no single Web site will create the revolution that people were asking us to build. A Web site can create a spark leading people to communities of faith, where nurturing relationships lead to healing and spiritual growth. The grassroots revolution happens when congregations of people step outside the walls of their church buildings and offer hope to those who are ignored by society.

The new UMC.org (http://www.umc.org/) is built. New stories and resources continue to be posted on a daily basis and, as your needs change, its functions will be enhanced. As for creating a Web site that impacts new generations, I will share with you what I've learned-and hopefully spark ideas about how to be in ministry with the Y and New Silent generations.

Here are the facts:

.There are more than 211 million Internet users in the United States, or 69.9 percent of the population. (InternetWorldStats.com, March 2007)
.There are more than 1 billion Internet users worldwide, or 16.9 percent of the world's population. That percentage has increased 208.7 percent since the year 2000. (InternetWorldStats.com, March 2007)
.Forty-five percent of U.S. Internet users "say the Internet helped them make big decisions or negotiate their way through major episodes in their lives." (Pew Internet and Life Project, 2006)
."Nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for faith-related reasons. The 64 percent of Internet users who perform spiritual and religious activities online represent nearly 82 million Americans." (Pew Internet and Life Project, 2004)
."The number of teenagers using the Internet has grown 24 percent in the past four years, and 87 percent of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online." (Pew Internet and Life Project, 2005)
."In focus groups, teens described their new environment. To them, e-mail is increasingly seen as a tool for communicating with 'adults' such as teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM (instant messaging) is used for everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to more serious and private exchanges." (Pew Internet and Life Project, 2005)
."More than half (55 percent) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites" such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com. (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2007)
.Technorati.com (the Google search of blogs) now tracks more than 70 million weblogs and sees about 120,000 new weblogs created worldwide each day. (Technorati.com, April 2007)

Today, the Internet is impacting religion as Johannes Gutenberg did with his invention of movable type printing and the publication of the Gutenberg Bible in the 15th century.

I shared some of the above statistics in a recent workshop with a group of United Methodist pastors, and it became suddenly clear to everyone in the room that pastors will need to be well-versed in the use of new technologies in the coming years.

The advent of the Internet, video/audio streaming and social networking means that a congregation's active and tithing members may not solely live in the local community, but reside two states or a country away. This means that our traditional forms of being in ministry may occur online, through blogs, instant messages and more.

As I explained to that group of pastors, this isn't something that you can stop or curtail. The train has left the station. The question is: How will you and your church equip yourselves to be relevant in the lives of the Y and New Silent generations?

Churches that have embraced new technologies and are successful in using them see these tools as an extension of their ministry. It enhances our traditional definition of being in ministry. A church Web site ought to be considered a virtual meeting space for your congregation. Many congregations spend millions of dollars to start a satellite church or build a new wing. Imagine the impact on the lives of young people by using just 20 percent of that amount to create a dynamic Web site.

All the tools and resources you will ever need to start the revolution are ready and available online. Many of the annual conferences and general agencies have created valuable resources to get you started. Are you equipped?

Are you ready for the revolution?

*Carlisle is the former director of Web Ministry at United Methodist Communications and recently launched Big Heart Design.com, partnering with organizations to develop Web sites and online applications focused on advocacy, benevolence and spirituality.

XOC makes disciples among ex-offenders

By Suzy Keenan*

LANCASTER, Pa. (UMNS) - "I was in prison and you visited me," Jesus said in Matthew 25:36.
But what happens when a prisoner is released back into the community? "Ex-offenders often feel forgotten, neglected or just plain not wanted in our communities, and even in some of our churches," said Amanda Hipple, founder of XOC, which stands for Ex-Offenders Church.

XOC began in 2004 at Ross Street United Methodist Church, where Hipple is a member and where ex-offenders now come together once a week to worship and learn about God and to share and support each other. It is part of the ministry of LUMINA, a project of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in the denomination's Eastern Pennsylvania (regional) Conference.

Hipple, 37, had been involved with prison ministry at Lancaster County Prison for about 10 years before she began XOC. She started by playing volleyball with female inmates and then began visiting them one-on-one in prison. She also became involved with monthly church services for women inmates.

"In talking with these ladies and learning more about their needs, I heard over and over that the reason they don't go to church after they are released is because they don't feel comfortable at a traditional service. Self-esteem issues, guilt and fear of being rejected or judged keeps them from even stepping foot in a church," she said.

At the same time, prisoners and ex-offenders are hungry for spiritual food and in desperate need of hearing on a regular basis the Good News of God's love and grace.

"I feel that God gave me a vision of how to reach these ex-offenders and break the destructive merry-go-round that they are on," Hipple said. "They find God in jail, get out of jail, have no church family to turn to and end up in jail again. This pattern needed to be addressed and dealt with."

XOC was begun to fill this need. It offers a worship experience that is casual in dress and open to everyone, including non-offenders. Services are held on Friday nights, which is a hard night for people with addiction issues.

Support ministry
Jeanetta Zerbe is among those who have benefited. Now 26, she was living at the Water Street Rescue Mission and had just given birth to a son when Hipple visited with her. She was struggling with addiction and an abusive relationship with the baby's father and began attending XOC. "I could not ask for better friends," said Zerbe. "XOC is always there to answer my questions, and help me along the way of my religion."

At XOC, people can hear the Word of God and experience what real Christian fellowship is all about. Its mission is "to provide a nurturing and creative worship experience based on the Word of God, with love and forgiveness for all."

"It's now been three years since XOC began, and it's truly amazing how God is moving and working through all who attend," said Mary Scruton, who accepted Christ as her savior in 2003 after her third arrest - this one related to a robbery to support her drug addiction.

"We experience something new every week through prayer, praise and worship. There are guest speakers, musical groups, field trips, individual testimonies and much more."

XOC volunteers provide van service to four transitional homes in Lancaster, Lititz and Leola. Worship attendance varies from five to 25 each week.

"In this world of so much heartache, so many sad stories, and so many hurting people, we have touched the lives of people who often feel that God's love isn't meant for them, and use them for His kingdom," Hipple said.

Hipple's heart for the prison ministry stems from her own struggles with alcohol addiction and also a heart condition that almost killed her before her 30th birthday. "I never had to go to prison, but I was definitely headed down that road," she recalled. "But when death stares you in the face, you really get real with God."

Her journey of faith convinced her that God was calling her to help those in prison and those transitioning to freedom - many of whom struggle with addiction.

"I've walked a lot of what they've walked. Maybe not exactly - but enough to understand their issues," she said.

XOC provides Life Application Study Bibles to Lancaster County Prison as well as the Life Recovery Bible, which incorporates the 12 steps from Alcoholics Anonymous. Inmates earn the Bibles by memorizing Bible verses, and more than 200 Bibles have been given away at XOC and in prison. The ministry also provides a prisoners devotional book, which the inmates can earn by memorizing more Bible verses.

For more information, contact the Rev. Sally Wisner Ott, Church and Community Worker, LUMINA, 133 Pearl Street, Lancaster, PA 17603; 717-394-8412, or visit www.luminaoutreach.org.

*Keenan is director of communications for The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church.

United Methodist couple struggles as undocumented workers



Darwin and Perla Alvarez live in fear of deportation that would separate them from daughters Nicole and Daniela. UMNS photos by Amanda Bachus.



By Amanda Bachus*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - In many ways, Darwin and Perla Alvarez are a typical hard-working couple struggling to achieve the American dream.

Darwin works on a construction crew hanging vinyl siding, while Perla cares for their 6- and-3-year-old daughters. Active in their local United Methodist Church, Darwin is a lay leader and occasionally steps into the pulpit to deliver the sermon.

But unlike their U.S.-born neighbors, they live in constant fear they will be ripped from their home, sent back to lives of poverty, leaving their children orphans.

Darwin and Perla and millions of other undocumented workers are hoping and praying the U.S. Congress will pass a compassionate comprehensive immigration law that takes family values into consideration.

American dream
Like many others, Darwin came to the United States to find a job and help his impoverished family in Honduras. As the oldest of seven children, he lacked financial resources and couldn't finish school, making his job prospects in Honduras even slimmer.

"Back home, there were practically no jobs available. There's no way to secure a job," he says.

Darwin decided to immigrate but had no money to obtain a visa. After crossing several countries, he reached the United States in 1996 - but not without encountering dangers along the way. He almost lost his life that December as he crossed the Arizona desert as a cold front hit.

"I hadn't had anything to eat or to drink for three days," he recalls. "I was afraid to go to sleep thinking that I wasn't going to wake up. The image of my mother was the first thought that crossed my mind. What would she do if I died?"

He was picked up by immigration patrol and granted a permit to stay for three months. Since that time, he has remained with a temporary visa. "Once those three months had expired, I had to make a decision: go back to Honduras or to stay. I decided to stay," he says.

In 1997, Darwin met Perla at a restaurant where both worked. Soon after, they married and started a family.

Darwin secured a temporary status visa given to Central Americans after Hurricane Mitch struck in 1998, allowing him to apply for Social Security and find work.

He has tried to renew his temporary status protection every year but was denied on his most recent visit. Unless he has a legal case opened up with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, he can't appeal the extension ruling and can't appeal to legalize his immigrant status either.

So he lives in constant fear of what may come.

"I feel I'm living in a limbo," he says. "If I go to Immigration and try to fix my papers, they might deport me."

Despite the uncertainty, he feels more fortunate than other illegal immigrants with no documentation at all.

"At least I have Social Security and I can work. Others live and work in the shadows," he says. Darwin hopes Congress will pass laws that will allow him to fix his undefined immigrant status.

Living with nightmares
Perla had left the state of Veracruz, Mexico, where women struggle to find a decent job and her father wasn't able to support them anymore.

She thinks "all the time" about her illegal status in the Untied States and wishes she could change that but asks, "How am I going to do it? Currently there are no laws that will allow me to do that."

Perla feels like a criminal every time someone stares at her in a public place. She doesn't know what the future holds and has nightmares about immigration officials knocking at her door and taking her away. She's heard of such cases involving other undocumented workers and their families.

"Sometimes I see through the window and think they might come and take me away as if I was a criminal, put me in jail as if I have committed a horrible crime. I can't imagine what would happen to my two little girls. Yet, I have hope and pray to God that the legislators will pass the laws for me and my husband to legalize our papers," she says, crying.

Darwin says he didn't know about God and the church until he came to the United States.

"I didn't know of Jesus' teachings against injustice," he says. "That's when I got motivated and decided to join the church. This motivates me to keep going. Now I have faith and I'm encouraged that my situation will be solved one day.

"I have a lot to give to others. I like to teach Sunday School to youth and to adults. I firmly believe that The United Methodist Church has a call to fight the injustices for people."

He adds, "I put myself in God's hand through Christ's grace."

*Bachus is director of Spanish-language resources at United Methodist Communications.

A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Humberto Casanova: Illegal immigrants are being dehumanized


Immigrants and their supporters rally on the west side of the U.S. Capitol in March 2006 in protest of impending immigration legislation.A UMNS file photo by Rick Reinhard.

The living situation for illegal immigrants in the United States is deteriorating every day in many respects.

Many do not have adequate legal support in our judicial system. Without financial resources and with little understanding of English, they swarm the courts and assent to whatever judgment is imposed on them. The government is not assigning lawyers, and two-thirds of the 350,000 illegal immigration cases in 2006 were conducted "pro se."

A typical case goes like this: An undocumented worker is called before the judge by a case number. An interpreter is instructed to ask the defendant if he or she has a lawyer. The immigrant answers "no" and, therefore, represents himself throughout the proceedings. The judge explains that the government doesn't see any legal basis for him to remain in the United States, and the immigrant is given three months to leave the country voluntarily.

Moreover, immigrants are detained without bond and deported without appeal for minor infractions with a rage and intensity that baffles the mind. The system is not only attacking undocumented immigrants, but thousands of legal permanent residents are also deported for crimes considered misdemeanors under state law that don't impose jail time. One legal resident was returned to Cambodia for urinating in public.

It is urgent for churches to provide legal assistance to immigrants to increase the possibility of a fair hearing and to plan a good defense. Experience shows that a third of cases with legal representation are successful. Especially painful are those cases in which children are separated from one or both parents because of an ineffective defense.

The dehumanization factor
Federal raids are increasingly occurring in factories and fields across the United States. This is another aspect of an environment of terror being created against undocumented immigrants.

One raid on a leather factory in New Bedford, Mass., was conducted with guns, dogs and a small army of federal officers. At the same time, as many as 200 children were left stranded at schools and home, including nursing infants. More than 300 parents were rounded up by federal authorities, and more than 200 were sent to detention centers in Texas and New Mexico. They face deportation without much assistance, and their children are left abandoned to the will of state care or landlords.

The only way not to feel a profound sorrow and compassion for these people is to dehumanize them - to think of them as less than human, as a kind of monster invading the country.

In many states, there is a proliferation of bills aimed at making life for the immigrant a daily nightmare.

The Rev. Humberto Casanova

There have been bills that would terminate business licenses to employers who hire illegal immigrants, cut off funding to charities assisting the undocumented, make it a crime just to be in the state, penalize landlords who rent to undocumented workers, deny medical services and access to state schools and universities, and penalize banks that provide checking accounts and services.

Not all the proposed bills become law, but there are continuing efforts to penalize the immigrants rather than to solve the immigration problem.

As U.S. businesses are in desperate need of immigrant labor, the offer of jobs will continue in spite of accompanying fears and dangers. At the federal level, some propose denying citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal parents, rejecting the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. About 3 million American-born children have at least one parent who is an illegal immigrant.

Growing animosity
Another issue is growing animosity against these immigrants. In Alabama, police infiltrated a Free Militia that had conspired to use their weapons during the May 1 immigration march. In the search, police found grenades, a machine gun, a short-barreled shotgun, silencers, firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition and explosives.

In Gaithersburg, Md., the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department reported an arson in early May against the recently opened day-labor center, Casa de Maryland, which had received many hate calls before the incident.

Deborah M. Lauter, civil rights director of the Anti-Defamation League, said hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan have experienced "a surprising and troubling resurgence by exploiting fears of an immigration explosion; and the debate over immigration has, in turn, helped to fuel an increase in Klan activity, with new groups sprouting in parts of the country that have not seen much activity."

The Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 144 nativist extremist groups active across 39 states in recent months. Most of these organizations have taken form since April 2006.

The hatred is also promoted by media pundits that spread a wave of verbal violence. Lou Dobbs, anchor and managing editor of CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight," recently reported that in the last three years, illegal immigrants have brought 7,000 cases of leprosy to the United States.

However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that the leprosy cases actually occurred over the last 30 years. The department never stated whether immigration was the source.

In his column, political analyst Pat Buchanan writes that the massacre of 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech was somehow related to immigration. "Almost no attention has been paid to the fact that Cho Seung-Hui was not an American at all, but an immigrant, an alien," he says. "Had this deranged young man who secretly hated us never come here, 32 people (murdered) would be heading home from Blacksburg for summer vacation."

Buchanan's anti-immigrant tirade becomes more sickening when he argues that "the 1993 bombers of the World Trade Center and the killers of 9/11 were all immigrants or illegals." The purpose of these words is to portray the undocumented immigrant as monsters.

Such propaganda blinds the American people from seeing the image of God in undocumented immigrants.

We must learn to look at the world through the lens of the Father of all children. The Bible says God "defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10:18). Scripture says God loves all those who are in a vulnerable and helpless condition. So he commands the church to love the alien (Deuteronomy 10:19), to provide for them (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 14:29), to treat them as native-born (Leviticus 19:34), and to judge them without bias and discrimination (Deuteronomy 1:16; 24:17; 27:19). The Lord prohibits oppressing or mistreating the immigrant (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:33).
We should compare God's teachings with our own feelings and attitudes and reflect for a moment on where we stand on this issue.

*Casanova is associate editor of Spanish resources for United Methodist Communications.

U.S. Senate tackles immigration reform compromise

A UMNS Report By Kathy L. Gilbert*

Members of First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville, Md., demonstrate on the National Mall in Washington during an April 2006 rally for immigrant rights. The U.S. Senate began on June 4 debating a compromise immigration reform bill that could affect 12 million undocumented workers. A UMNS file photo by Jay Mallin.

A comprehensive immigration reform bill in the U.S. Congress has sparked 108 amendments with a variety of outcomes that could dramatically affect the fate of at least 12 million undocumented workers in the United States.

The Senate resumed debate on the bill June 4 and was expected to vote on the matter by June 12. The debate will focus on a bipartisan compromise agreement labeled a "grand bargain" during a May 17 announcement by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

The proposal (S. 1348) would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, tighten border security and mandate that employers verify they are hiring legal workers. Conservative opponents say the compromise would reward between 12-20 million illegal aliens with amnesty and encourage legal immigration. Supporters say the bill, while not perfect, is a good starting point toward fixing an immigration policy that has long been broken.

The United Methodist Board of Church and Society is among faith-based groups supporting the agreement as a starting framework - with some reservations about parts of the bill that apply to families.

The denomination's social advocacy agency is urging United Methodists to support three family-based amendments in particular: the Mendendez-Hagel amendment delaying the family backlog cutoff date; the Clinton-Hagel amendment to designate minor children and spouses as immediate relatives of lawful permanent residents; and the Dodd-Hatch amendment, regarding foreign-born parents of U.S. citizens.

Describing family unity as "a significant issue of faith," the United Methodist agency has lobbied for an immigration system that preserves and encourages the family life of those affected, according to Bill Mefford, an executive with the Board of Church and Society.

"In Scripture, it is the family that is created by God to provide the economic and practical necessities, the religious instruction, the emotional stability and care, and the primary means of socialization for the individual," Mefford wrote in an e-mail action alert about the bill. "Policies which devalue families ultimately devalue individuals and entire societies."

Menendez-Hagel amendment
As it stands, the compromise would clear the backlog under the existing family and employer-based system, but only for those who submitted their applications before May 1, 2004.

"As a result, an estimated 833,000 people who have played by the rules and applied after that date will not be cleared as part of the family backlog and will lose their chance to immigrate under current rules," Mefford said.

The Menendez-Hagel amendment would extend the application cutoff date to Jan. 1, 2007 - the same cutoff date set to legalize undocumented immigrants.

"It would also add 110,000 green cards a year to ensure that we don't start creating a new backlog or cause the eight-year deadline for clearing the family backlog to slip by a few years," Mefford said.

Clinton-Hagel amendment
Current immigration law limits the number of green cards available to spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents to 87,900 per year. For these spouses and minor children, quota backlogs are approximately four years and nine months long.

Critics say thousands of legal immigrant families have been devastated by "inequitable" policies that affect minor children and spouses dependent on the status of their U.S. sponsor.

The Clinton-Hagel amendment would re-categorize these spouses and children as "immediate relatives," thereby lifting the cap on the number of visas available to close family members and allowing permanent U.S. residents to reunite with their loved ones in a timely fashion.

Dodd-Hatch amendment
The bill would set an annual cap for green cards for parents of U.S. citizens at 40,000 (less than half the current annual average number of green cards issued to these parents). It also would create a new parent visitor visa program that only allows parents to visit for 100 days per year and collective penalties that critics say are harsh.

The Dodd-Hatch amendment would increase the annual cap of green cards to 90,000, extend the duration of the parent visitor visa to 365 days to help families remain together for a longer period; and make penalties levied on individuals who overstay their S-visa applicable to that individual and not collectively applied to their fellow citizens.

"This amendment is essential to making sure that our permanent legal immigration system is fair to U.S. citizens and their parents, and facilitates family reunification," Mefford said.

Divisive issue
Discussion on the compromise has been wide-ranging, with many groups at opposite ends of the spectrum.

In a telephone conference call May 30, members of the Board of Church and Society joined representatives of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Church World Service, Religious Action Center of Reformed Judaism, Jewish Council of Public Affairs and Mennonite Central Committee, urging callers to make their voices heard on the immigration proposal.

"With all the pending amendments, what we need to watch out for are things that change the compromise or chip away at it," said Krista Zimmerman, Mennonite Central Committee.

NumbersUSA Action, a nonprofit public policy organization led by United Methodist Roy Beck, called the bill an effort "to use federal immigration policies to force mass U.S. population growth and to depress wages of vulnerable workers."

On its Web site, the organization urges a "no" vote on the Clinton-Hagel amendment. "This amendment runs counter to the claims of the measure's proponents by actually exacerbating the scourge of 'chain migration.' By itself, in fact, the 'grand compromise' would not end chain migration, as its backers have suggested, but make it worse, and making the problem worse still through adoption of this amendment is no solution," according to the Web site.

The group also opposes the Mendendez-Hagel amendment.

"The compromise bill already includes an increase of almost 600,000 green cards to reduce the so-called 'family unification' backlog, something NumbersUSA strongly opposes," the group says. "This amendment, offered by Sen. Menendez (who was one of the chief negotiators in bringing to the floor the 'grand compromise' before breaking away to seek an even more egregious open borders position), would only worsen the problem caused by 'chain migration.'"

United Methodist involvement
The United Methodist Book of Resolutions (http://archives.umc.org/interior_print.asp?ptid=4&mid=6808) calls for the Board of Church and Society "to work for public policy that is hospitable to visitors to the United States in every step of entry and visit to the U.S. from visa application to the time while they are enroute to and are accepted entry into the United States."

The resolution also states that the United Methodist position "has been clear on the issue of immigration including those who, while working in the U.S. and making their contribution, do not have the needed documents for residence.

"The 2000 General Conference adopted a resolution which specifically charged The United Methodist Church to declare the 'Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Resolution Act' evil and unjust and to call the United States government to accountability and insist upon changes and possible abolition of the 1996 Immigration law, the continued existence of a unified Immigration and Naturalization Service, rather than a division into administrative and enforcement prosecutorial branches, and the development of an amnesty program for undocumented persons."

Family immigration has been the cornerstone for the U.S. immigration system for the past 40 years, according to Mefford.

"Family unity is a significant issue of faith and is vital to society," he said. "The legislation before the Senate will eliminate the family preference system and replace it with an untested merit-based system which devalues families and emphasizes high-skilled workers."

"It is crucial for Senate offices to hear from you as people of faith that family is not only an effective means of economic growth for the United States, but also is a significant means of social assimilation as well as spiritual and emotional stability," Mefford said.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Clayton Childers*: Should U.S. flags fly in sanctuaries?

As a staff member at the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, I am frequently asked questions that require me to go where "angels fear to tread." Questions about displaying national flags in the church's sanctuary take us into that treacherous terrain.

Many United Methodist churches maintain a tradition of placing the United States flag in the sanctuary, by the altar, within the chancel, or at another prominent location on the church grounds. I heard of one case in which the U.S. flag actually covered the altar itself. So we must ask: Is this an appropriate use of the national flag from both a Christian and United Methodist perspective?

It is an emotional issue. There are probably four objects that people commonly worship as much, or perhaps more, than God: 1) their mothers; 2) their children; 3) the Bible; and 4) the flag. Without getting into my favorable feelings toward the first three, I will say that, as an American, I do have a special fondness for our national flag.

Rev. Clayton Childers

The flag represents the United States at her best - all the high and noble values that we profess and attempt to uphold as a people: human rights and liberty for all, the rule of law without fear or favor, democracy, equality, religious freedom, freedom to assemble, free speech, a free press, the right of privacy and other rights of individuals, and commitment to the common good. These are values I believe in, and I am proud to be a citizen of a country that proclaims its loyalty to these high principles.

On the other hand, I do not believe in blind loyalty. I cannot affirm the idea of "my country, right or wrong." There are times when the United States has been very wrong in its actions, even outrageously wrong. Until we can own the hard truth of our failures - dare we say "sins" - we can never experience the full and abundant life God would have for us as a people and as one member in the world community of nations.

Denominational discussion
There is no United Methodist policy concerning the use of flags, including national flags, in the sanctuary. However, the Rev. Dan Benedict, retired director of worship resources for the Board of Discipleship, says the use of flags in worship has been discouraged over the years.

"There is no place in our hymnal or Book of Worship, which contain our United Methodist ritual, where there is even a suggestion of bearing the flag in procession, saluting or pledging allegiance to the flag or that the American flag should be in worship," according to Benedict.
Hoyt Hickman, in his 1993 article "Should We Have Flags in the Church? The Christian Flag and the American Flag,"(http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=2832&loc_id=9,10,41) raises an important question about an inherent conflict about the appropriate placement of the national flag and the Christian flag in a worship setting.

Hickman notes that the flag code of the United States (http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/04C1.txt) directs that, "when displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience."

These guidelines imply that while the U.S. flag must be placed in the "superior position," the flag of the Christian church should be placed in the lesser position. When gathered in a worship setting, how can we ask that the symbol of our church and faith take the lesser position?

Though not dealing with this question specifically, The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church (http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1823) do affirm that the church "for years has supported the separation of church and state" and that "our allegiance to God takes precedence over our allegiance to any state." They further summon the church to faithful, prophetic public witness stating: "The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust." (Paragraph 164.V)

From these sources, we can conclude the following:
.There is no absolute policy established in the Book of Discipline addressing this issue;
.The practice of flying national flags in the sanctuary is widespread and its validity has been contentiously debated for a number of years;
.The church is not of one mind on the question;
.This is an emotional issue for many people;
.For many Christians, it is a legitimate question of principle and faith that conflicts with the first of the Ten Commandments;
.The Social Principles call us to faithful, prophetic witness and to affirm our ultimate allegiance in God over state.

'Jesus is Lord'
I believe it is inappropriate and unwise to display the U.S. flag in United Methodist services of worship. We must remember that the church's confession "Jesus is Lord" was actually a political statement and a direct challenge to both the empire and the emperor. Many Christians paid for their singular loyalty to Christ with their lives.

We must recall the life and ministry of Jesus in which he called for the liberation of the oppressed and critically challenged the "principalities and powers" of his day.

We must recall the witness of the early church. The first Christians did not fly flags of the Roman Empire in their places of worship; in fact, they suffered great persecution for refusing to pledge their supreme allegiance to the state and profess "Caesar is Lord."

The flag's presence in the church is too easily confused as an object of worship. In a worship setting, nothing should come before the center of our faith in whose presence we have gathered to worship, the Triune God.

The United Methodist Church is a global church in a shrinking world. In fact, one in five United Methodists live in nations other than the United States. The presence of the U.S. flag in worship therefore can send a message that limits our global vision and sense of oneness.

The presence of a national flag in worship can imply endorsement of national policies that often run counter to the teachings of Jesus Christ and our Christian faith.

If a national flag is used in worship, I believe it should be used in tandem with the Christian flag and that the Christian flag, not the national flag, should be placed on the right hand of the speaker in the place of highest honor. The congregation should understand that this is done to demonstrate that our ultimate loyalty and allegiance must be to God alone.

I agree entirely with Hickman's conclusion that "as American Christians, we honor the cross and we honor the flag; but we keep them separate. An American flag used in the worship of the universal church is no more appropriate than hanging a cross in a civil courtroom used by Americans of all religions."

Ultimate loyalty
In many of our United Methodist churches, the flag stands like a sentry in a corner of the sanctuary or within the church's chancel, silently blessing the proceedings and being blessed in the process. It stands, seldom acknowledged but ever present.

There are rules of etiquette for proper display, written with the U.S. flag in mind. If there is a processional, the U.S. flag is first in line. If there is a place of highest honor, it belongs to the U.S. flag. If there are pledges of allegiance, the U.S. flag is always first with all other pledges an afterthought.

The unspoken message is that our ultimate loyalty belongs not to God and country but to country and God. Do we hear what we are saying? Does the flag stand in judgment of the church or is the flag, too, like the rest of creation, always under the judgment of God.

Symbols matter. And the placements of symbols carry an unspoken message.

The U.S. flag's special position of constant preeminence says one thing; the Gospel of Christ says something else.

*Childers is a clergy member of the South Carolina Conference and Director of Annual Conference Relations for the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Richard Stewart*: Flag display is response to God's blessings


Is it appropriate to display the United States flag in United Methodist churches during worship services?

As a life-long United Methodist, and as a former active-duty chaplain in the U.S. Army, I have no question as to its appropriateness. And, as a U.S. citizen, I find it hard to imagine why some people would not want to display the flag at their place of worship. In fact, I would be very concerned if the flag was banned from those times in which we come together corporately to worship God.

Since my childhood, throughout my years of wearing the military uniform of our country and in the years since, the U.S. flag has stood as the symbol of all that is good about this nation. I, along with countless others - both citizens and non-citizens - wore the uniform and served under the flag of this country, ready to give our lives for all it symbolizes. For those soldiers who fought our battles long ago and continue to fight them at this very moment, for those who died and continue to die in behalf of our nation, placing the flag in our sanctuaries demonstrates that the God who was with soldiers in those scary places is certainly with them now.

Such a display in no way expresses the notion that God is with us to the exclusion of our brothers and sisters from other lands and other beliefs. I believe that God is with those against whom we fight, and that they, too, are God's children, regardless of their faith or even when they are of no faith at all. Such is an understanding that I learned by growing up in the United States - the country that the flag serves and inspires. We need look no further than the Marshall Plan after World War II to see the generosity of those who serve under that flag, and who serve in the defense of that flag.

Rev. Richard Stewart

The flag rallies the hopes of Americans, whether at sporting events, parades or military funerals. Title 4, Section 7(k) of the U.S. Code specifies how the flag is to be displayed, even in churches.

While others may express contempt and see that specification as the state intruding upon the church, my joy is that the code does not deny the display of the flag in churches. Such restriction and denial might be possible, if those in power were so inclined. Instead, the code prescribes what we as United Methodists are well adept at doing: performing properly and with good manners, including displaying the flag.

It is not my impression that displaying the U.S. flag during worship means that United Methodists are asking God to favor its citizens over others of God's people. I see the display as a response to God's blessing upon this land - not as a ploy to curry God's favor, nor to dissuade God from blessing his other children in other nations.

We do not display the flag to attempt to manipulate God. Rather, by displaying it during United Methodist worship services, we bring the totality of our existence to God - spiritual, emotional and secular. Because God is God, and because God is good, I believe with all my heart that God accepts and acts upon what we have long declared and implored: "God Bless America."

*Stewart is a retired United Methodist pastor and a former staff member of the section of chaplains and related ministries of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. He is a clinical pastoral education supervisor and former president of the Association of Professional Chaplains.