United Methodists explore divestment proposals

Roger Kallenberg of Jewish Voice for Peace urges passage of a petition recommending United Methodist divestment from Caterpillar Inc., while Rabbi Gary Greenebaum (background) waits to speak against it in behalf of the American Jewish Committee. The discussions took place during the United Methodist Pre-General Conference News Briefing. UMNS photos by Marta W. Aldrich.

By Linda Bloom*

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)-Would divestment from companies connected to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land help bring about change in the Middle East?

Four United Methodist speakers explored that question during a Jan. 25 panel discussion on "Divestment, the Middle East and Sudan" during the Pre-General Conference News Briefing sponsored by United Methodist Communications.

General Conference, which meets every four years, is the denomination's top legislative body. The 2008 assembly will be April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth.

The Rev. Steve Sprecher, a director of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, called divestment "a time-honored policy" within The United Methodist Church.

Sprecher was part of the committee of the Board of Church and Society that led the social action agency to send a petition to General Conference recommending divestment from Caterpillar Inc., the heavy equipment manufacturer based in Peoria, Ill. The petition charges that the company profits from illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and contributes to the occupation by supplying Israeli Defense Forces with heavy equipment.

About $5 million of the denomination's estimated $17 billion pension portfolio is invested in Caterpillar stock.

A different Church and Society petition to General Conference applies to Sudan, asking that those who invest United Methodist funds divest of all equity and debt holdings of companies doing business with the government of Sudan. The petition cites concern about the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Resolution 312
Sprecher pointed to a resolution (#312) passed by the 2004 General Conference opposing Israeli settlements in Palestinian land. "This is the current policy of our church," he said. "So how do we make it more than just words?"

He stressed that the action against Caterpillar is proposed because the company's bulldozers and other equipment are being used to clear Palestinian land, destroy Palestinian homes and olive groves and help erect the "wall of separation," some of which is on Palestinian land.

The Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, noted that divestment is not such a simple solution and could have a negative impact for a denomination that places a high value on Christian-Jewish relations, the horror of the Holocaust and the quest for peace in the Middle East.

The Commission on Christian Unity has its own General Conference resolution that calls upon United Methodists to continue "to advocate for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through negotiation and diplomacy rather than through methods of violence and coercion."

Mills said he likes processes that foster dialogue and is "a big fan of shareholder advocacy."
During General Conference, the denomination can show both Israelis and Palestinians "that United Methodists can stand for peace," he added, while demonstrating to people in the American Jewish community that a relationship with them is considered valuable.

Selective divestment
Susanne Hoder, moderator of the Interfaith Peace Initiative and member of the United Methodist New England Annual (regional) Conference Task Force on Selective Divestment, stressed that divestment related to Israel is aimed only at companies that support the occupation of Palestinian lands.

Panelist Susanne Hoder says divestment related to Israel is aimed only at companies supporting the occupation of Palestinian lands.

The denomination must back up its previous stance on illegal Israeli settlements with action that will help bring about change. "In the past four years, the situation has not gotten better; it's gotten markedly worse," she said.

Hoder considers divestment to be "a legitimate Christian response" to the crisis. "If we are going to make a difference, we need to cut our ties to the occupation," she added.

The New England Conference passed a resolution in 2005 calling for divestment from companies that support the Israeli occupation in significant ways. A June 2007 report from a conference divestment task force identified 20 companies fitting that description.

The denomination's Virginia, California-Nevada and North Central New York conferences also have passed resolutions relating to possible selective divestment.

In a petition to General Conference, the Oregon-Idaho Conference is asking the church to "refrain and divest of companies that harm Palestinians and exacerbate the Sudan crisis."

Advocacy and dialogue
Dave Zellner, chief investment officer with the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits, noted that his agency is recognized as "the leader among denominations" on investor advocacy.

He called for advocacy, rather than divestment, with Caterpillar. "With our partners, we are very effective in making change," he said, citing negotiations with major drug companies to make therapy for diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS available at lower prices. With divestment, "we wouldn't have had a voice at the table and may not have made the progress we have made."

A position paper issued by the pension board on investments in companies doing business with Israel states that the agency "views divestment as a policy of last resort."

The Rev. Timothy Bias, a General Conference delegate and pastor of First United Methodist Church in Peoria, where 70 percent of the membership has employment ties to Caterpillar, questioned Sprecher on whether directors or staff from Church and Society had spoken directly with Caterpillar executives before passing their proposed resolution.

Sprecher acknowledged they had not, although Jim Winkler, Church and Society's chief executive, recently met with Jim Owens, chairman of Caterpillar, who also is a United Methodist.

Bias noted that delegates to General Conference are being urged to engage in "holy conferencing" on divisive issues and questioned why the board did not engage in the same practice of dialogue and listening with representatives from Caterpillar. "It just seems to me that we would serve ourselves much better … if we would have conversations before we pass resolutions," he said.

Several Jewish visitors spoke briefly during the short question and answer period for the panel. Mark Braverman, a member of Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, urged United Methodists to adopt divestment, adding that it was not an anti-Semitic action.

However, Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, U.S. director of the Department for Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee, said such an action does "feel" anti-Semitic. He proposed investment in Israel rather than divestment.

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

Peoria gathers for 40 days of prayer against crime

First United Methodist Church in Peoria, Ill., hosts a prayer service as part of the city's 40 days of prayer. In response to the rising crime rate, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis urged citizens to pray for peace and unity. UMNS photos by Paul Black.

By Paul Black*

PEORIA, Ill. (UMNS)--Mayor Jim Ardis certainly has the community of Peoria talking.
Faced with rising statistics of crime and violence, Ardis called on the community to find their voice through the power of prayer and to engage in 40 days of prayer for their city.

Congregations responded with nightly community-wide prayer services that began on New Year's Eve and continue through Feb. 8.

"This outward testament of our faith will truly be a defining moment in making our city a stronger community united in prayer," said Ardis. "Let this 40 days be the beginning of a new united spirit in Peoria and the surrounding area."

The Rev. Timothy Bias, pastor of the downtown First United Methodist Church and host pastor of the event, quoted from the prophet Jeremiah at the first service. "Israel was dispersed and divided in Jeremiah's time, but the prophet told the people, 'Pray to the Lord for peace and prosperity for the city, because if it prospers, so do you.'"

First United Methodist and Bradley-Epworth United Methodist are among the 35 congregations providing leadership for the services.

"Thank you for challenging us to heal our community," said the Rev. Linda Butler, a pastor of South Side Mission and a member of the local school board. "Look around … so many different kinds of people, all in the family of faith," she told the first gathering.

The prayer services have centered on peace; unity in the family and community; a commitment to God and Christian service; protection and guidance for city leaders and city servants; and empowerment opportunities to decrease the poverty and depression that contribute to violence.

The Rev. Tony Pierce, co-pastor of Heaven's View Christian Fellowship, challenged those gathered on Jan. 11 to be unified as a community.

"Whether it's the Walk for Jesus or National Day of Prayer, we have never been fully integrated," Pierce said. "Why can't we get over it? Two years ago, a predominantly black church and a white suburban church merged to form Heaven's View. The tragedy is that temporary events are not strong enough to overcome the divide in our community. We have to pray as Jesus prayed that we all become one."

Pierce said Christians must live out that oneness expressed by Christ in the Gospel of John.

"You begin in Jerusalem and all Judea with people like you, then you move to Samaria, where people are somewhat like you, and then into the world, where people are different," Pierce said. "We like to say that the ground is level at the cross, but do we live it out?"

The prayer services already have generated dialogue. On Jan. 15, Ardis met with the Rev. Harvey Burnett, director of the Peoria Association of Pastors for Community and Spiritual Renewal, who asked that police, city officials and pastors meet monthly to share information aimed at lowering the crime rate.

Burnett said the 40 days of prayer, along with such ongoing communications, are essential for transforming Peoria.

Ardis agrees. "It's too early to know the impact the prayer services will have on the community; but we are sowing seeds for eternity, not just the short-term."

*Black is director of communications for the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.

Abortion opponents speak out during national rally

An anti-abortion advocate protests Roe v. Wade on the steps of the Supreme Court during the March for Life on Jan. 22 in Washington. UMNS photos by Melissa Lauber.

By United Methodist News Service*

WASHINGTON (UMNS)--On the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, thousands of anti-abortion advocates marched "to witness to a culture and a gospel of life," said the director of an unofficial United Methodist pro-life caucus.

At a Jan. 22 worship service held in The United Methodist Building in the nation's capital the Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, director of the pro-life caucus, said the group is working to reverse the Supreme Court decision by providing theological leadership within the church.

Bishop William H. Willimon, Birmingham episcopal area, praised Lifewatch's efforts in a sermon at the worship service. This marks the 20th year Lifewatch has held a worship service before the annual March for Life.

Using the text of Isaiah 7:14, the bishop said when Israel was facing an overwhelming enemy, King Ahaz called upon his wisest council for help. Isaiah told the king, "The Lord himself will give you sign. A young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

Just like King Ahaz, Christians today "chafe against the non-utility of the peculiar truth of the name Immanuel," said Willimon. Christians need to look beyond what is helpful, or logical, even reasonable, and instead look into the Gospel at the heart of non-utility - the cross.

"We are to live as God is," said the bishop.

Bishop William H. Willimon preaches at the Lifewatch service at The United Methodist Building.

When Willimon was a chaplain at Duke University, a graduate student interviewed women who had had abortions. Their No. 1 reason for doing so, they said, was that they felt they "had no other options."

"Ironically, we call this freedom to choose," the student remarked.

But for Bishop Willimon it pointed out a lack of imagination within the church.

"The role of the church is to stoke, fund and fuel alternatives we could not have come up with if we looked only at the alternatives the world gives us," he said, cautioning United Methodists against a "lack of imagination that leads to accommodation."

An executive with the denomination's Board of Church and Society agrees that the church needs to work on policies that will prevent unplanned pregnancies, "thereby, preventing abortion from the outset."

"What the church doesn't need are episcopal leaders who add shame and guilt to the millions of women caught in circumstances leading to abortion by categorizing abortion as sin," said Linda Bales, an executive with the denomination's social action agency housed in The United Methodist Building.

"If we, as people of faith, are really serious about reducing the number of abortions in this country and around the globe, then we need to be serious about addressing the issues holding women hostage to circumstances resulting in abortion," she said.

Those issues include comprehensive sex education for young people, health services including contraception and education, and leadership opportunities for girls and women to thrive "and not be at the mercy of patriarchal societies," Bales said.

"We have to equip men to treat women non-violently and with respect and dignity, and break the cycle of the marginalization of women."

According to a recent national study, the numbers choosing non-surgical abortion options such as the morning-after pill or RU-486 are growing while abortion rates and the total number of surgical abortions steadily decline.

Stallsworth characterized the United Methodist view on abortion as a procedure which "can be seen as tragically necessary."

The United Methodist Social Principles (in Para. 161J) say: "Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother, for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable pregnancy."

The Social Principles conclude that the church recognizes "tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures."

Lifewatch hopes to reverse Roe v. Wade by first providing theological leadership within the church, which will set an example that political, legal and cultural forces will follow.

"We want to make waves of reform and renewal throughout the church and shake up the world as well," Stallsworth said.

Willimon applauded Lifewatch for their "pointless, useless craziness in the name of Jesus' work."
"We are fools because of Christ," he said.

*Melissa Lauber, editor of the UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Conference contributed to this report

Churches Uniting in Christ seeks reconciliation

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

Members of Churches Uniting in Christ are seeking to bring two of its historically black partner denominations back to the table.

The absence of representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church during the organization's Jan. 11-14 plenary in St. Louis overshadowed the ecumenical event, according to United Methodist representatives. The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, which is also historically black, was present at the meeting.

United Methodist Bishop Albert "Fritz" Mutti, chairperson of the event's planning committee, said the suspension of participation by the two denominations "dominated our discussion."

Churches Uniting in Christ was inaugurated in early 2002 as an outgrowth of and successor to the Consultation on Church Union. For 40 years, members of the consultation had discussed how to unify across denominational lines. At the 2002 event in Memphis, Tenn., the then-nine members formally agreed to maintain their own identities and structures but engage in tangible acts of cooperation.

Besides The United Methodist Church and the three historically black Methodist denominations, member communions include the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal Church, International Council of Community Churches, Moravian Church Northern Province, Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church of Christ. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a "partner in mission and dialogue."

During the group's latest meeting, "the question that was in the room but not on the table was what to do about these who are absent," said Mutti, interim leader of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

The answer agreed upon by about 60 participants in the Churches Uniting in Christ plenary was to seek reconciliation with the two denominations, specifically through a joint effort by the heads of member communions.

Letter sent
A letter was sent on Jan. 16 to the top leaders of the AME and AME Zion churches, with copies sent to the ecumenical officers of both denominations, according to United Methodist Bishop William Oden.

The letter, signed by each head of communion, stressed that "we are incomplete without you," Oden told United Methodist News Service.

Oden, who serves as ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops, said questions of ministry and a lack of progress regarding racism seem to be the two major issues of concern regarding Churches Uniting in Christ for the AME and AME Zion Churches.

Participants at the plenary were very aware the group "has not lived up to its goal of dismantling racism," according to Oden, but believe the AME/AME Zion presence "is essential" to fulfilling that priority.

The first call to action for Churches Uniting in Christ was a pledge to combat racism. On Jan. 21, 2002, participants in the Memphis event marched in support of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream and signed an appeal to its churches on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where King was killed in 1968.

United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, the ecumenical officer at that time, said the appeal was the first public step for the new group. "We didn't want to start with something simple, something easy," Talbert said that day. "By making combating racism our No. 1 priority, we're showing that we're serious about responding to God's call."

Jerry Ruth Williams, a member of the Commission on Christian Unity, remembered the Memphis event as "a great experience." As a participant in the St. Louis plenary, she said she is "totally in agreement" about the need for reconciliation. "I think that it is very important that we get our members back into the family," she said.

The idea is to try to work through the concerns "to listen to them and hear what they have to say and hope that they decide to return," she said.

Top priority is reconciliation
The Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the Commission on Christian Unity, pointed out that although the AME and AME Zion Churches have not officially withdrawn from Churches Uniting in Christ, "the top priority is to seek reconciliation with the CUIC family. There's no moving ahead until we get that reconciliation."

A consultant, Billie Mayo of St. Louis, helped plenary participants focus more closely on priorities around the issue of racism. Rather than just setting goals, "we learned that dealing with racism is dealing with relationships," Mutti explained.

Beyond the racism issue, the overwhelming barrier to moving forward "with any form of unity" is the issue of reconciliation of ministry, Oden said. This issue, especially regarding the role of the episcopacy, was to be resolved by last year but was not.

During the recent plenary, "we looked seriously at whether or not we should continue," he added.

The members of Churches Uniting in Christ agreed to carry on, with the heads of communion vowing to take a more active leadership role.

Members also re-committed themselves to the eight "visible marks" of unity first adopted in 2002. Those marks are: mutual and public recognition of each other as "authentic expressions of the one church of Jesus Christ;" mutual recognition of baptism; mutual recognition of apostolic faith; celebration of the Eucharist together "with intentional regularity;" engagement together in Christ's mission; intentional commitment to promote unity and oppose marginalization and exclusion in church and society; appropriate means for consultation and decision-making; and an ongoing process of theological dialogue.

Worship services during the plenary were designed to honor the "visible mark" of unity regarding celebration of the Eucharist with intentional regularity. The opening service was hosted by the CME Church, with subsequent services following the Reformed, Methodist and Anglican traditions.

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

The absence of representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church during the organization's Jan. 11-14 plenary in St. Louis overshadowed the ecumenical event, according to United Methodist representatives. The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, which is also historically black, was present at the meeting.
United Methodist Bishop Albert "Fritz" Mutti, chairperson of the event's planning committee, said the suspension of participation by the two denominations "dominated our discussion."
Churches Uniting in Christ was inaugurated in early 2002 as an outgrowth of and successor to the Consultation on Church Union. For 40 years, members of the consultation had discussed how to unify across denominational lines. At the 2002 event in Memphis, Tenn., the then-nine members formally agreed to maintain their own identities and structures but engage in tangible acts of cooperation.
Besides The United Methodist Church and the three historically black Methodist denominations, member communions include the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal Church, International Council of Community Churches, Moravian Church Northern Province, Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church of Christ. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a "partner in mission and dialogue."
During the group's latest meeting, "the question that was in the room but not on the table was what to do about these who are absent," said Mutti, interim leader of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.
The answer agreed upon by about 60 participants in the Churches Uniting in Christ plenary was to seek reconciliation with the two denominations, specifically through a joint effort by the heads of member communions.
Letter sent
A letter was sent on Jan. 16 to the top leaders of the AME and AME Zion churches, with copies sent to the ecumenical officers of both denominations, according to United Methodist Bishop William Oden.
The letter, signed by each head of communion, stressed that "we are incomplete without you," Oden told United Methodist News Service.
Oden, who serves as ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops, said questions of ministry and a lack of progress regarding racism seem to be the two major issues of concern regarding Churches Uniting in Christ for the AME and AME Zion Churches.
Participants at the plenary were very aware the group "has not lived up to its goal of dismantling racism," according to Oden, but believe the AME/AME Zion presence "is essential" to fulfilling that priority.
The first call to action for Churches Uniting in Christ was a pledge to combat racism. On Jan. 21, 2002, participants in the Memphis event marched in support of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream and signed an appeal to its churches on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where King was killed in 1968.
United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, the ecumenical officer at that time, said the appeal was the first public step for the new group. "We didn't want to start with something simple, something easy," Talbert said that day. "By making combating racism our No. 1 priority, we're showing that we're serious about responding to God's call."
Jerry Ruth Williams, a member of the Commission on Christian Unity, remembered the Memphis event as "a great experience." As a participant in the St. Louis plenary, she said she is "totally in agreement" about the need for reconciliation. "I think that it is very important that we get our members back into the family," she said.
The idea is to try to work through the concerns "to listen to them and hear what they have to say and hope that they decide to return," she said.
Top priority is reconciliation
The Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the Commission on Christian Unity, pointed out that although the AME and AME Zion Churches have not officially withdrawn from Churches Uniting in Christ, "the top priority is to seek reconciliation with the CUIC family. There's no moving ahead until we get that reconciliation."
A consultant, Billie Mayo of St. Louis, helped plenary participants focus more closely on priorities around the issue of racism. Rather than just setting goals, "we learned that dealing with racism is dealing with relationships," Mutti explained.
Beyond the racism issue, the overwhelming barrier to moving forward "with any form of unity" is the issue of reconciliation of ministry, Oden said. This issue, especially regarding the role of the episcopacy, was to be resolved by last year but was not.
During the recent plenary, "we looked seriously at whether or not we should continue," he added.
The members of Churches Uniting in Christ agreed to carry on, with the heads of communion vowing to take a more active leadership role.
Members also re-committed themselves to the eight "visible marks" of unity first adopted in 2002. Those marks are: mutual and public recognition of each other as "authentic expressions of the one church of Jesus Christ;" mutual recognition of baptism; mutual recognition of apostolic faith; celebration of the Eucharist together "with intentional regularity;" engagement together in Christ's mission; intentional commitment to promote unity and oppose marginalization and exclusion in church and society; appropriate means for consultation and decision-making; and an ongoing process of theological dialogue.
Worship services during the plenary were designed to honor the "visible mark" of unity regarding celebration of the Eucharist with intentional regularity. The opening service was hosted by the CME Church, with subsequent services following the Reformed, Methodist and Anglican traditions.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

UMC opposes cloning humans to produce babies

A California research facility claims to have taken a step toward creation of human babies through cloning skin cells. The United Methodist Church stands in stark opposition to this development and urges extreme caution in applying this technology.

“The United Methodist Church position on this issue is very clear,” said Linda Bales, director of the Louise and Hugh Moore Population Project at the denomination’s General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) in Washington, D.C. “Our opposition to such developments is based on a belief that God is the creator and our identity as humans is much more than our genetic inheritance, our social environment, or the sum of the two.”

The California researcher’s stated intent for the cloning is to create cells that could be used by patients suffering from various diseases. According to news reports, however, the chief executive of the company acknowledged that the cloning of human babies is “unethical and it’s illegal, and we hope no one else does it either.”

“We don’t know the full ramifications of such research and the long-term consequences,” Bales said. “As with any technological discovery, we are compelled to ask the hard questions applying our Christian teachings and principles. This is not easy, but yet, it’s our mandate.”

The 2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions in Paragraph 103 “Human Cloning” includes a definitive statement on cloning for purposes of research: “We call for a ban on therapeutic, medical, research, and commercial procedures which generate waste embryos” and calls “on all nations to ban human cloning and to identify appropriate government agencies to enforce the ban.

“Appropriate social and governmental bodies must monitor and guide research and developments in the field. Concern for profit and commercial advantage should be balanced by consideration for individual rights, the interest of wide constituencies, and the common good of future generations.”

The United Methodist Church “welcomes” the use of genetic technology for meeting fundamental human needs for health, a safe environment and an adequate food supply, according to the Social Principles. Paragraph 162(M), “Genetic Technology” declares, though: “We oppose the cloning of humans.”

The research company, Stemagen in La Jolla, Calif., said it grew mature human embryos from cells taken from the company's chief executive and one of its investors. Five embryos grew in laboratory dishes to enough maturity for transfer to a woman's womb, which has not been achieved before from cloned human cells.

The General Board of Church and Society
100 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-488-5630
FAX 202-488-5619

Florida churches enjoy drop in insurance premiums

By Erik J. Alsgaard*

LAKELAND, Fla. (UMNS)-United Methodist churches in hurricane-prone Florida began 2008 with good news: a 22 percent decrease in the cost of property and casualty insurance premiums.

Compared with 2007, the total cost of premiums is expected to decrease by $4.1 million to about $15 million for the 750 churches in the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, according to Mickey Wilson, conference treasurer, and Mark Thomas, director of the Florida Conference Ministry Protection department.

"The exact percentage will vary from church to church," Thomas said. "It all depends on variables such as if the church purchased a new fleet of vehicles, increased the value of its buildings or built new facilities-things like that."

Florida's Ministry Protection office and committee leaders worked closely with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, the conference's insurance broker, to develop the coverage package. The company solicited more than 35 quotes.

"I am very pleased to see our premiums drop after so many 'up' years," said Roger Bond, chairman of the Ministry Protection committee. "A 22 percent drop is great, and that's been done with a 33 percent increase in property coverage and other positive benefits."

Pooling risk
Across the United States, United Methodist churches obtain insurance coverage individually, through conference packages such as Florida's or increasingly through the 3-year-old United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust, a nonprofit company insuring approximately 5,000 churches in 19 annual conferences.

The trend is toward churches joining together to spread their risks across jurisdictional lines and even ecumenically, according to Irene Howard, PACT's chief executive officer.

"The law of large numbers really does work better with large numbers," said Howard. "The more of us that come together, the more risk we're able to assume and the cheaper insurance becomes.

The Florida conference experienced record-high premiums in the wake of Hurricanes Charley, Jeanne, Frances and Wilma in 2004-05, but now it is enjoying a market correction following several years of moderate weather, according to Thomas.

The conference's mandatory insurance program began in 1995 to help churches obtain coverage after Hurricane Andrew devastated parts of southern Florida in 1992. "The program as it stands now is truly tried and true," Thomas said. "We've gotten all the churches into it and also gone through a series of storms. We've been hit from all angles, and it is really working for the Florida Conference."

The recent decrease in premiums is good news on many fronts. Not only will the overall premium cost go down, the level of coverage will increase.

"For named storms, our coverage will increase from $46 million to $76 million," Wilson said. "For flood coverage, the total goes up from $10 million to $25 million. And the deductible for flood claims decreases from $25,000 to $5,000."

The coverage per incident for sexual misconduct and molestation also increases, from $5 million to $10 million.

With the exception of 15-passenger vans, Thomas said insurance costs for vehicles remain the same-the fifth consecutive year with no increase.

Single carrier
The claims-handling process also will improve in Florida, Wilson said. "In 2008, we will deal with one insurance carrier. In 2007, we had two, and in 2004 and 2005, when we had all those storms, we had four. It made for a real mess in trying to figure out which claim went to which carrier. We've eliminated that. One carrier, one claim, one call."

In 2007, the Florida Conference began a loss prevention and safety program that offers local churches an insurance and safety audit. Thomas and representatives from Arthur J. Gallagher evaluate church buildings and grounds, looking for ways to prevent claims before they happen.

The conference also is working actively to make sure that local churches accurately report the value of buildings and vehicles and the number and salaries of staff members.

In 2008, the total value of insured property will top $2 billion. The estimated payroll-which helps determine workers' compensation insurance costs-is $170 million, up nearly 18 percent from 2007. That includes salaries for all clergy and staff serving in the conference. The number of "employees" (for insurance purposes) is 8,573.

"And for the first time, we sat down face to face with the insurance carriers and explained what we're doing," Wilson said. "They were very interested to learn all the steps we have in place to keep our risks low."

*Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Annual Conference. A similar version of this story appeared in the conference's e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service.

Church-run clinics help families get needed care

By Steven Skelley*

ORLANDO, Fla. (UMNS)-Having seizures but no insurance, Melissa Whaley said seeing a doctor was out of the question-until she learned about Shepherd's Hope Health Center. "There was nobody in the world to help me, but this place helped me," she said. "It was my first time here today, and I met the doctor for the first time, and he shook my hand, and he looked at me as a person, not a paycheck."

Whaley received a free doctor's consultation, free medication and, most importantly, compassionate care. Shepherd's Hope Health Center was organized a decade ago by a local United Methodist church and today includes nine health care centers in the Orlando area run by 2,000 volunteers from 20 churches. Just as the Good Shepherd cared for each of his sheep, the center serves people without access to insurance or medical care.

The Rev. William S. Barnes, senior pastor at Orlando's St. Luke's United Methodist Church, said the ministry is simply "caring people caring for other people."

"We have so many people who are working part-time jobs in the (theme) parks, in the entertainment community, a lot of persons who are involved in the hospitality industry who don't have insurance benefits," he said.

Hope and healing
More than 60,000 people have found hope and healing since Barnes felt called to begin the ministry in 1995. "I was walking on the beach … at Sanibel Island, Fla., minding my own business, and I had an epiphany from God to start a clinic," he said.

Barnes sent out a call for volunteers, and 200 people showed up to help. "The people, the places and pieces" fell together, he said, and the first Shepherd's Hope Health Center opened its doors within six months.

"When we give ourselves to God's power and vision, there is no limit to what we can do, to what a difference we can make," said Barnes.

All positions in the clinics, from the doctors and nurses to the clerical workers, are voluntary.

Most doctors volunteer one shift a month.

Nann Carmine is a schoolteacher who volunteers in the pharmacy. "If we can keep the flow going, we can see 30 patients in an evening with two doctors," she said.

In 2006 alone, Shepherd's Hope volunteers donated services valued at more than $1.8 million.

Barnes believes the medical professionals who volunteer their time and expertise benefit from their service, too. It reminds them why they were called to healing in the first place, he said.

Family setting
Shepherd's Hope does not offer emergency care, but provides the kind of services patients would receive in a family practice setting. Commonly treated illnesses include upper respiratory infections, skin disorders, gynecological concerns and urinary tract infections.

Patients are eligible if they have incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty level, are uninsured and are not eligible for government-assisted health care programs. Once treated, the patients are assisted in finding a permanent source of medical care, whenever possible.

Barnes calls the clinic ministry a "natural outgrowth of who we are here at St. Luke's." The name Luke comes from a physician in the Bible, and the church always has seen itself as a healing ministry for the community, said Barnes.

Patients and their families seem generally "overwhelmed with gratitude," he said. "We're just pleased to hear that there are things like this in existence," said Tonya Scott and her husband, William, who brought in their 1-year-old son, Seth, for a checkup.

"I love that there's people that love us enough to be here for us," said Melissa Whaley, who visited the clinic after hearing about it from friends. "God sent them to us to help us."

*Skelley is a freelance writer based in Beverly Hills, Fla.

Strong calling undergirds ethnic clergywomen

The Rev. Cynthia Belt is pastor of Centennial Caroline Street United Methodist Church in Baltimore. She was one of 300 participants in the United Methodist Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen's Consultation. UMNS photos by Marta W. Aldrich.

A UMNS Report By Marta W. Aldrich

The Rev. Cynthia Belt was in her 30s with an established career and three children before a family tragedy convinced her that her life-long calling into the ordained ministry was an authentic calling from God.

"My nephew was shot (and killed) two days before his 16th birthday in a drug-related incident and, in the process of moving my family through that, I really began to heed God's call on my life," recalls Belt, now 52 and pastor of Centennial Caroline Street United Methodist Church in Baltimore.

She gave up a $70,000-a-year job in construction accounting systems in Washington D.C., and took a student local pastor's job for $14,000. She graduated from United Methodist-related Wesley Theological Seminary, became ordained as a deacon and then elder and, in the course of her new career, discovered her gift for ministry to young people.

Throughout her ministry, Belt's high sense of calling from God has helped to sustain her in challenges as an African-American clergywoman in the predominantly white United Methodist Church, where only about 2 percent of clergy are women with a racial-ethnic background.

Feeling a high sense of calling was a common theme that emerged from a 2004 study on the status of United Methodist racial-ethnic clergywomen in the United States. African-American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Native American and multi-racial clergywomen participated in the study by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and its Division of Ordained Ministry.

The survey also identified common struggles, including loneliness, feeling a lack of support from the denomination, financial challenges and a sense of disconnectedness between the seminary experience and actual ministry. The women cited a lack of opportunities for appointments and visible leadership roles and experiences of racism and sexism within the church.

Belt said her experiences as an ordained elder are consistent with many, though not all, of those themes, and she agrees with the study's findings based on her own conversations with other racial-ethnic clergywomen. She was among almost 300 participants in the United Methodist Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen's Consultation that convened Jan. 3-5 in Los Angeles.

Discouraging the call
"There are still many women who are discouraged from entering the ministry because of their gender or the color of their skin," Belt told the group in a closing forum. "Some never make it to the ordination process because their pastors and people around them discourage them. … There is also still a great gulf in opportunities and compensation as compared with our Caucasian sisters and brothers."

Having spent several years in her first career as a consultant to IBM, Belt said working as a black woman in a white environment "is not new to me," but that the church sometimes thwarts the call to ministry by young women of color--both intentionally and unwittingly. Many annual (regional) conferences have an unwritten quota system for clergy who are women or have a racial-ethnic background, she said.

"Corporations are there waiting to grab up our gifted and talented young racial-ethnic women. When those same women come to the church and say they feel called to preach the Gospel, we make them jump through hoops just to prove they're worthy of ministry. … Often they go the other way. The pay is better, the benefits are better and they get a whole lot more respect."

Belt said her own ordination process was "not as horrific" as many of her counterparts because of two mentors--the Revs. James Manning and William B. McClain--who helped her navigate the process. "If you have a strong mentor, that makes all the difference," she said.

Pay parity is another important issue. "There's a huge disparity in the pay of not just ethnic clergywomen, but clergywomen across the board," said Belt, also an adjunct faculty member at Wesley Theological Seminary. "Most ethnic clergywomen remain throughout our careers at the minimum we can be paid … after 20 years while one of my white counterparts may be making three times as much with perks."

'It can be lonely'
Belt said she has been fortunate not to feel the isolation that many racial-ethnic clergywomen feel because she is one of many African-American pastors in the denomination's Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference.

"If you're someplace like Iowa or even Kansas--where there might be only two ethnic clergywomen in the whole conference and you're in a cross-racial appointment--you either develop a support system with clergywomen from other denominations or you're out there feeling like there's nobody who looks like you. It can be lonely."

Prejudice based on race, gender and age is also very real, she said. "Sometimes you're treated like you're invisible at conference gatherings or meetings," she said. "People will greet everyone around you and look right past you.

"Other people will say things to denigrate you, but I can ignore it. I'm not easily provoked. I'm blessed with a strong support system from my family and clergy sisters, and I understand my calling to ministry."

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

Clergywomen of color build unity to build influence

United Methodist clergywomen sing and celebrate during an opening procession of drums to begin the church's Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen's Consultation. About 300 women from six racial-ethnic groups participated. UMNS photos by Marta W. Aldrich.

By Marta W. Aldrich

LOS ANGELES (UMNS)--Sharing stories of serving God amid the vestiges of racism and gender bias in The United Methodist Church, clergywomen of color convened for the first time in 25 years to worship, network and organize to build their influence within the denomination.

"This day, we finally acknowledge that there will be no systemic changes unless we are united as women of color," said the Rev. HiRho Y. Park, a leader with the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, to open the United Methodist Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen's Consultation.

Almost 300 women attended the Jan. 3-5 event, sponsored by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Registered participants included 125 African-American clergywomen, 54 Asian-American and Pacific Islanders, 30 Hispanics/Latinas, 18 Native Americans and 10 Caucasians.

The clergywomen affirmed each other's call into ordained ministry, discussed ways to recruit and nurture young women of color to answer that same call and spoke out against institutional racism and gender bias in the denomination.

They reviewed a 2004 study that found that United Methodist clergywomen of color in the United States do not feel substantive support from the denomination, struggle with lack of opportunities for appointments and visible leadership roles, and receive salaries lower than their male and female counterparts.

Leaders of churchwide agencies reported to the consultation on their efforts to address such concerns.

The Commission on the Status and Role of Women will spearhead a wider survey with other agencies during the 2008-2012 budget period on the status, salaries and career tracks of United Methodist clergy, specifically to compare racial-ethnic clergywomen's status to those of white women, white men and men of color.

The Board of Higher Education and Ministry offers scholarships for women of color and is working with United Methodist Communications to develop a "Women of Color Scholarship" Web site. The board provides annual funding for racial-ethnic clergywomen's associations and is supporting the formation of the Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen Coalition as a result of the consultation. The Women's Division of the Board of Global Ministries is developing seminars to address ethnic clergywomen and institutional racism.

A unique voice
Clergywomen expressed that part of their calling into ordained ministry is to speak to critical issues--ranging from poverty to immigration to discrimination to family life--with sensitivities based on personal experience as women of color.

Delivering the sermon at the opening worship service, Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the Phoenix Area urged people in the United States to love immigrants as children of God.

"God has found a brand new way to speak to issues of the day, and it is through you and me, women of color," said Carcaño, the only female Hispanic person serving on the church's Council of Bishops. "For some it is too radical a way and too radical a word, but it is God's way and God's word."

The United Methodist Church has approximately 1,050 racial-ethnic clergywomen in the United States among its 45,000 U.S. clergy members, which includes more than 10,000 clergywomen.

Given those statistics, consultation participants said it is easy to feel isolated as a clergywoman of color in the denomination. Many receive cross-racial appointments as associate pastors in churches that are white or predominantly white.

They called for more frequent churchwide racial-ethic meetings and other initiatives to nurture women of color pursuing theological training. The last churchwide gathering was held in 1982.

The 2008 consultation gave birth to an association for Asian American and Pacific Islander clergywomen. The association approved by-laws and elected officers on Jan. 5 as Wisconsin Bishop Linda Lee blessed the group at the event's closing worship service. Associations already exist for other racial-ethnic clergywomen in the denomination.

"I truly believe that God is starting a new thing, and starting the association is great news for Asian American-Pacific Islander clergywomen and the wider community," said the Rev. Motoe Yamada, a Japanese American who was elected vice chair of the group.

Positioning for leadership
Speakers urged the clergywomen to position themselves for appointment and election to denominational leadership roles in the future, from the regional conference level to the church's boards and agencies to the Council of Bishops.

"We are seeing a trend toward excluding people of color from the tables where decisions are being made," said Erin Hawkins, chief executive of the church's Commission on Religion and Race.

There is less diversity, she said, among U.S. delegations heading to the 2008 General Conference, the top United Methodist legislative body which meets this spring in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition, many bishops have no racial-ethnic representation on their cabinets, she said. And the Council of Bishops will lose two of its African-American bishops--Violet Fisher and Beverly Shamana--to retirement in 2008, leaving Carcaño and Lee as the only racial-ethnic women among active bishops.

"I challenge us as a collective group of women of color to work to elect both an Asian woman and a Native American woman to be our next bishops," said the Rev. Colleen Chun, a Korean American serving Trinity United Methodist Church in Pearl City, Hawaii. "I know that will not happen unless we are unified in spirit and in power."

In jurisdictional meetings, some participants explored building coalitions and supporting candidates to the episcopacy across racial-ethnic lines. The goal, they said, is finding leaders who can serve the whole church, including people who are oppressed and marginalized.

"The church needs these voices at the leadership table," said M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women, in an interview with United Methodist News Service following the consultation. "It is a different council because we have women and people of color at the table. The sensitivities are different; the perspectives on evangelism are different. There is no way a white man can speak for and really understand all the struggles, complexities and cultures of people of color."

While the presence of racial-ethnic men on the Council of Bishops is critical, Burton said they do not speak to the total racial-ethnic experience. Women of color elevate the conversation, she said.

"It's one thing to talk about Jesus walking with people on the margins and the oppressed. But someone who has actually lived on the margins can interpret that message and speak it in a way that's very different. We have a unique perspective of the Gospel that is vital to our core understand of what Jesus Christ is all about."

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

"I Wonder," a Lenten devotions program available through the Society of St. Andrew

The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 6th this year. It’s the traditional time when Christians ponder the sacrifice Jesus made on the Cross on our behalf. Daily contemplation and reflection during the 47 days of Lent can bring us to a deeper understanding of just what that sacrifice meant to Jesus as well as to ourselves.

“I Wonder …” is the theme of this year’s Lenten Devotions program from the Society of St. Andrew, a national nonprofit hunger-relief ministry and Advance Special #801600. The devotions program is a collection of personal “wonderings” and insights of ordinary people as they read, think, and pray about the symbols, people, and places that shaped Jesus’ last days on Earth. The daily devotions will also enjoin readers to think about how they might be Christ to others.

The devotions booklet is divided into five sections: the journey begins; symbols of Lent; stories and miracles; significant people; and events of Holy Week. In addition, the devotions program challenges readers to take seriously the scriptural injunctions to care for the poor; and it provides an opportunity for them to feed our hungry neighbors through the Society of St. Andrew’s hunger-relief ministry.

A Good Friday Fast, written by Ken Horne, Executive Director of the Society of St. Andrew, is a separate booklet that complements the Lenten devotions or can be used as a stand alone activity for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

All materials are free and a sample packet can be ordered for review before placing a congregational order. Orders can be placed online at http://www.endhunger.org/lent.htm, by email at church@endhunger.org, or by phone at 800-333-4597.

Upon reviewing the program, orders should be placed by January 23, 2008 to ensure delivery before Ash Wednesday. Every attempt will be made to expedite late orders. Good Friday Fast booklets should be ordered by March 7th. The Society of St. Andrew asks that churches help them remain good stewards of their resources by ordering only as many kits as they will use. The Society of St. Andrew asks that you call their office if you do no receive your materials within two weeks of ordering.

The Society’s Lenten Devotions program continues to grown in popularity each year. Last year donations from participants provided just under four million servings of fresh, nutritious food to families across the nation who don’t get enough to eat. Because the Society of St. Andrew maintains an extremely low administrative and fundraising overhead, nearly 93 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to saving fresh produce from going to waste and providing that food to the hungry.

The Society of St. Andrew’s national non-profit hunger-relief ministry feeds the hungry with excess fresh produce saved through its Potato and Produce Project, Gleaning Network, Harvest of Hope, and Hunger Relief Advocate programs. More information is available at www.endhunger.org.

‘Thunder in the Desert’ is entry point to Discipleship University for black Methodists

Nashville, Tenn. January 3, 2008/GBOD--Some 200 United Methodist black church pastors and laity pressed their way to “Thunder in the Desert: A Symposium for Partnerships in Black Churches” meeting in Nashville January 3-5, 2008.

Sponsored by the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, the gathering was designed to help participating churches plan and implement effective ministry partnerships between laity and clergy leaders.

The symposium is among the agency’s ongoing efforts to address leadership development, one of four areas of focus the denomination has set for the 2009-20012 quadrennium.

The Rev. Vance P. Ross, top executive for GBOD’s Leadership Ministries division, said that “Thunder in the Desert is an entry point to Discipleship University, GBOD’s ground-breaking new initiative offering leaders two-year learning experiences designed to provide skills and models that help reverse the decline in United Methodist Church growth and membership.”

Opening worship included a meditation, “There’s Got to Be a Better Way,” by the Rev. Safiyah Fosua, GBOD’s director of Invitational Preaching, who posed the question “Are you working hard or hardly working?”

Referring to the story of Jesus and his disciples in Luke 5:1-11, she said, “The disciples could say they had been working hard all night long doing what fishermen do,” she said. “Working smart came for them when they said, ‘Nevertheless Lord, we’ll go and try again.”

In closing, Fosua challenged participants to “beat the bushes and the hedges. You’ve been fishing too shallow—re-fishing in the same water again and again. Go out there to the deep parts where no one else is going.”

During the call to worship, the group responded that they can “hear the thunder (the sound of the sky tuning up for rain) even in the desert where they live.

“Lord, we are dry and thirsty in this place. Send your rain, send your rain, send your rain,” they plead.

“God is not through with the United Methodist Church, and the black church in America,” said the Rev. Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas. “The rain of renewal, growth and vitality is on the way. This event gives us tools to prepare for the coming rain.”

The Rev. Geraldine McClellan, district superintendent for the North Central District of the Florida Conference, brought 26 participants representing 11 congregations, most of whom had never attended a denomination-wide, connectional event of African-American pastors and laity.

“The Florida Conference is making intentional efforts to strengthen African-American congregations. The Office of Connectional Ministries provided $2,500 to assist clergy and lay to attend the symposium,” she said. The event, she added, is the kind of resource that will provide needed training.

“African-American United Methodist churches have a unique opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in communities and to people who confront the varied issues of people of the Diaspora,” says the Rev. Lillian Smith, director of Connectional Ministries for the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference, which had five congregational teams in attendance.

“This gathering is designed to help clergy and laity better partner together to better fulfill their mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” said Smith.

Working in groups related to their demographics, ministry teams completed ministry action plans and submitted them during the closing worship service.

The Rev. Frederick G. Outlaw, district superintendent of the Bay Pines District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, led the opening plenary with the topic, “Why the Bible? By Whose Authority?”

“The Bible is the record of the affirmation of faith for a particular people, in a particular place, at a particular time, responding to the call of God on their lives,” said Outlaw.

He shared a poignant story about his father’s death. While a student at Tennessee State University in 1961, Outlaw said he received the word that his father’s body had been found “floating in the river … riddled with bullets.”

He had watched his father, a master brick mason, stand his ground against white masons who refused to pay black workers for their labor. That stand, he believes, was the cause of his father’s death, although it was ruled a suicide.

“There is a God whose grace lifted me up, simply because I stay with the Bible,” he said.

Vietnamese pastor spreads God's word around world

The Rev. Bau Dang, pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in San Diego, is the first Vietnamese-American delegate elected to the denomination’s General Conference. UMNS photos by Kathy L. Gilbert.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) - The Rev. Bau Dang would rather not talk about himself. He shies away from the spotlight.

That is really too bad, since he just made history by becoming the first Vietnamese American elected as a delegate to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's top lawmaking body that meets every four years.

Oh, and another thing: He has just finished translating the New Testament into Vietnamese and published 10,000 copies at his own expense. Vietnam's communist government has issued a permit to the National Religious Publisher of Vietnam to print the translation, and now Christians in his home country are begging him to send them 100,000 more.

"To me, this is a miracle," he says. "Praise be to God!"

Dang's translation is spreading the word of God throughout the country, which he is no longer able to enter. Because of his stand for human rights, he has been placed on a list of people not allowed into Vietnam.

"My philosophy in ministry is if you keep yourself low key and under the water, you can get a lot of things done ... and I don't want to get attention, to be frank with you."

Midlife change
Born in Vietnam, the son of a pastor, Dang served in the South Vietnamese armed forces and moved to the United States as a refugee after the war.

Dang's friends thought he was going through a midlife crisis when he gave up a lucrative job as a manager for Xerox to become a United Methodist associate pastor.

Some of his Vietnamese pastor friends thought he had chosen the wrong denomination because no United Methodist church existed in Vietnam before 1975.

"Some even thought that Methodism was a heresy!" he says, laughing.

Dang and his wife, Binh, both left jobs with Xerox in 1988. Since then, the Xerox operation they worked at has closed, but the church where he started as associate pastor - Wesley United Methodist Church in San Diego - has grown into a thriving ministry with four different languages spoken at six worship services to more than 400 people on Sunday mornings.

As senior pastor, Dang plans services in English, Cambodian, Spanish and Vietnamese, "in whatever style fits each group," he says.

"We have traditional, contemporary, blended, Pentecostal and even free style," he says. "Well, we are United Methodists, aren't we? I take seriously the statement, 'In the essentials, unity; in the nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.'"

One bite at a time
Dang worked on his translation of the New Testament for 10 years. His knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, English and Vietnamese helped him with the task. He also received training from the United Bible Society.

When explaining how he was able to take on such a huge task, he compares himself to a mouse eating an elephant, "just one bite at a time."

"I preach from the Bible every Sunday, and the version that we had was translated by missionaries in 1926 in Vietnam," he says. When they came to the country, they were learning the language and hired a non-Christian to help with the translation.

"We had to live with that Bible for years and years," he says. He felt uncomfortable with many places in the Bible and didn't believe they were clear to the reader.

One example he cites is the passage in John 2, in which Jesus talks to his mother about turning water into wine.

"The way that passage is translated is very offensive to the Vietnamese culture," he says. The translation made Jesus sound like he was speaking harshly to his mother. "Non-Christians say, 'How can I believe in a God who responded to his mother so impolitely?' and it turned them right away."

Dang, who is now working on translating the Old Testament, believes the printing of the new translation has the power to change the people and nation of Vietnam.

"Only the word of God can change people's lives, and if people can read the Bible or the scripture in the language that they understand, they understand the love of God."

In Vietnam, some denominations have been granted permits to operate, but they are still under government control. The United Methodist Church does not have a permit, but some local United Methodist congregations have been allowed to worship, Dang says.

Those congregations meet knowing the members could be arrested at any time.

Walking on water
Dang still finds it hard to believe he was elected as a delegate to the 2008 General Conference, which will meet in Fort Worth, Texas, April 23-May 2.

"I still walk on water because I never dreamed that I would be elected," he says. When the Rev. John Lurvey Jr., his mentor and the former pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church, San Diego, asked him to sign some papers to put his name on the ballot, Dang says, "I laughed. I told him I didn't have a chance and he shouldn't waste his time."

Dang takes his responsibility as a delegate very seriously. "I will vote at the General Conference with my conscience, with my faith in God and with my integrity."

Being a blessing
Asian Americans are still a minority in the denomination, he says.

"We come from different cultures and backgrounds. We think this denomination has opened their hearts and minds and doors to welcome us in, and we are grateful for that."

These first-generation "newcomers" can be a source of blessings for the church, he says.

"I think that the Methodist church is the best church for ethnics and minority people, especially for Asian Americans. So I am very grateful to the denomination in general for their generosity, their acceptance and their inclusiveness, and I think we would be a blessing for the general church in the future."

Reflecting on all he has accomplished over the years, Dang says, "A lot of my friends don't believe that I am just a regular pastor like any other pastor. All I have done was be faithful and dedicated to what God has called me to do."

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

Letter to Martin Luther King notes major shift in U.S. ethos

In remembrance of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Bishop Woodie White pens an annual letter in advance of the civil rights leader's Jan. 15 birthday. This year marks the 40th since King's assassination. A UMNS photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Editor's note: Each year, United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a "birthday" letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about the progress of racial equality in the United States. Now retired and serving as bishop-in-residence at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, White was the first top staff executive of the denomination's racial equality monitoring agency, the Commission on Religion and Race. King's birthday is Jan. 15, and Americans honor his memory on the third Monday of the month.

Dear Martin:

April 4, 1968, is a date seared in our collective memory. For many, it is the demarcation of time itself - before and after King. In some ways, it seems so long ago, yet it is so vivid it seems like yesterday.

As we approach the 40th year since your tragic death, the nation is preparing to remember you. Our alma mater, Boston University School of Theology, The School of the Prophets, is planning special services to honor you, our most prominent prophet.

Martin, the racial landscape of America, has changed radically in the past 40 years! You would be utterly astounded at the change. Your heart would rejoice at the evidence of your leadership and that of others. Many of us are still so engaged in the struggle that we do not always see the results of these labors.

Sadly, I am sure that your heart would also break to see the state of many black communities across the nation. It is as though we never marched, protested, or challenged systemic and personal racism. Some communities, schools, and everyday routines are more segregated today than they were 40 years ago.

In this sense, it is still reminiscent of Charles Dickens' words in his classic work, The Tale Of Two Cities, that these are the best of times and the worst of times. So many people have not been touched by the progress made.

Bishop Woodie White

But Martin, I believe that one remarkable change in the past 40 years has not been fully appreciated: a change in the fundamental race ethos of America.

The Civil Rights Movement, our efforts to challenge the old race ethos of America, was born out of a time when black people were denied the basic rights of citizenship. We were denied the simple guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We were second class. In the minds of millions of Americans, we were believed to be subhuman, and were treated so.

As you so aptly observed then, we were defined by the color of our skin and not the content of our character. This was written into the laws and practiced by government itself.

But Martin, rights are not the products of one's character or extended because they are earned. Rights are guaranteed because of one's existence - the fruits of citizenship of the nation. Yet these rights were denied to us 40 years ago because we were black, even though we were also Americans.

Martin, I must tell you about a phenomenon taking place. As political parties prepare to nominate a candidate for the U.S. presidential election this year, two of the most prominent candidates are a woman and an African American!

This is not the first time this has occurred. But it is the first time such candidacies have had so little racist and sexist overtones. Indeed, some believe these candidates should receive support because of their gender or race!

This is a fundamental shift in the American ethos. That doesn't mean racism and sexism are absent from American life, but now they are antithetical to an American ethos, not a reflection of it. Both are illegal today, not written into the law! In this sense, they are considered un-American.

Because my life has been lived in the world of religion and the church, I know this fundamental shift has taken place in the church as well. No longer do clergy justify racist practice or belief based on religion or theology. No sermons are preached today in their name. For the most part, the position of the church is not couched in racism. That would be considered un-Christian.

No church argues today, for instance, that black people are subhuman or do not have a soul, or that God wills they should be enslaved because of their color. Racist belief and practice, even in the church, must be argued on some basis other than religion or theology.

Both state and church finally have it right! The inalienable rights for all is a core value of the state, and the intrinsic worth of human beings is a core value of the church.

In America today, Martin, a person of color can be the head of a Fortune 500 company, a major educational institution or a health-care system. A black person can oversee state and local government and sit in the highest courts of state and nation. And a black person can live anywhere his or her means will allow.

A black person can even run as a serious contender for the highest office in the land - and many would say the most powerful and influential position in the world!

Yet, these rights and advances do not eliminate the fact that some taxi-cab drivers in major American cities still don't stop to pick up a person of color. And blacks still feel the sting of maltreatment by racist law enforcement officers.

There are still racist employers, supervisors and coworkers who make life difficult and unpredictable for people of color on a daily basis. And Martin, this is true in both state and church.

But these are acts of the heart and mind, not policy and law. Herein is the fundamental change. Of course, the higher positioned such persons are, the more these personal attitudes and acts take on institutional and systemic consequences.

Thus, the battle is not over. Laws must still be enacted to guarantee the rights of all. And laws and policies that have racist consequences, however unintended, must be overturned.

The more challenging task is still before us: to change hearts and attitudes, as well as create a milieu that does not give root to such attitudes in the first place.

Perhaps, the greatest challenge before us in 21st century America, Martin, is to prevent the creation of a permanent underclass that, while not exclusively comprising black Americans, is one in which they are found in too great a number.

So Martin, we remember you on the anniversary of your birth. We thank you for your witness and moral courage. We are still inspired and sustained by your voice and spirit.

Happy birthday!

We shall overcome,
Woodie

Agency funds racial/ethnic youth empowerment ministries

Youth from THE SPOT, a teen-run organization for Asian-American youth in Alameda, Calif., traveled to New Orleans last summer to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. The program is one of 33 projects receiving grants from the Minority Group Self-Determination Fund. UMNS photos by John Coleman

By John Coleman*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - "I was depressed in high school because I felt my life didn't count for anything or to anybody," says Jessica Woo, 19.

All that changed when Woo, who is Buddhist and a fourth-generation Chinese-Japanese American, joined The SPOT, a teen-run organization offering friendship, community involvement and leadership development to mostly Asian-American youth in Alameda, Calif.

The name stands for SimPon Obsessed Teens. ("SimPon" is a word the youth made up, meaning "positive energy created through supportive fellowship.")

This 6-year-old ministry of Buena Vista United Methodist Church, a pan-Asian and historically Japanese-American congregation in Alameda, is also the recipient of a $30,000 two-year grant from the Minority Group Self-Determination Fund. The fund is administered by the United Methodist Church's Commission on Religion and Race.

Woo's friend, Kimberly Wong, a member of Buena Vista, invited her to join The SPOT. That invitation, Woo says, changed her life.

Both credit the organization with giving them, and dozens of other youth, new insights into their lives, cultures and faiths. They appreciate the challenging activities and service projects that stretch their abilities and help them better understand themselves and their world. They also value having a safe place where they can have fun, build trusting relationships and share experiences and emotions in confidence with one another.

Many Asian American and Pacific Islander youth face generational struggles trying to live between two cultures-that of their traditional, immigrant parents and grandparents, and that of the post-modern American society in which they are growing up.

"I found friends at The SPOT who listened and cared about me," Woo says. "There were important things for me to do and creative ways for me to connect with other young people."

Woo attended the "Living Faith, Seeking Justice" conference sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 1-4, and while there shared her experiences with other conference participants. She lamented to the gathering that a former high-school friend had killed himself just a month earlier.

"He sometimes talked about not knowing his place in life and not making a difference, even though he was concerned about peace and justice issues," she recalled. "But I didn't know how depressed he was. I wish I had reached out to him more and gotten him involved in the SPOT."

The SPOT is one of nearly three dozen projects-several involving youth-that were recently approved for Minority Group Self-Determination grants for 2007-2009. All are operated by racial/ethnic United Methodist churches or caucuses or by community organizations. To qualify, they must have racial/ethnic minority leadership and goals of fostering justice, self-determination, inclusion and reconciliation among racial/ethnic groups and communities.
Thirty-three grants, out of 89 applications, were approved for 2007-2009, totaling more than $1 million.

"This grants program has been a significant ministry of our church since 1970," says Bishop Timothy Whitaker of Florida, vice president of the commission's board and chairman of the grants committee. "There are so many promising and outstanding projects out there that are changing, empowering and even saving lives, and many of them are often overlooked by other funding sources.

"As much as we have given to so many over the years," he adds, "we just wish we could give more to support the work being done toward racial justice, reconciliation and self-determination."

Grant recipients

Projects receiving grants for 2007-2009 are:

Quechan Sunrise based at Fort Yuma United Methodist Church, on a Native American reservation next to fast-growing Yuma, Ariz. Organizers want to "elevate the quality of life of the Quechan people" by establishing community gardens, micro-loans for small business development, martial arts training and other family oriented, knowledge-based ministries. (Native American-$40,000)

Kerigma Theater Company, at Oasis United Methodist Church, a new Hispanic/Latino congregation in Pleasantville, N.J., engages local youth and young adults in Christian music, dance and theater as avenues to positive self-expression, self-discipline and community evangelism. (Hispanic/Latino-$40,000)

Fernwood Community and Senior Service Initiative/Grandparents Raising Grandchildren helps a rising number of grandparents on the South Side of Chicago who are raising their grandchildren because of absentee parents due to divorce, unemployment, drug abuse, incarceration or other circumstances. The project is expanding to include access to community resources, training in computers and Internet use, recreational and cultural opportunities, parenting advice, emotional support, and current information about youth lifestyles and challenges. (African-American-$40,000)

Tennessee Korean American Social Service Center, located at Nashville (Tenn.) Korean United Methodist Church, responds to quality of life needs in the Korean-American community, including language translation and English classes, citizenship training, family counseling, legal aid, health education and adult day care services. The project also runs a school for senior adults on Saturdays. (Asian American-$40,000)

Kahuku United Methodist Church Youth Center and Ministry, located in a rural, low-income community in Kahuku, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, will provide tutoring and enrichment classes, recreational activities and Christian counseling for area youth to encourage them to make positive choices for their lives. (Pacific Islander-$40,000)

GEMS, or Girls Embracing Mentors for Success, is an outreach effort of the Young Adults Ministry at Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Fifty at-risk girls, ages 12 to 18, will be matched with mentors recruited from various professions to address four critical areas of the girls' lives: educational enrichment, cultural awareness and the arts, community services and character-building. (African-American-$40,000)

Albany United Methodist Outreach Project at Emmaus United Methodist Church in Albany, N.Y., is an urban ministry that serves a growing population of first- and second-generation immigrants and resettled refugees from almost a dozen countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Many of those immigrants attend the multicultural church, along with white, Hispanic/Latino and African-American families. The project provides resettlement services, anti-poverty initiatives, 12-step addiction recovery groups and other intervention ministries. (Multiracial-$40,000)

Shalom Youth Academy, at First Street-Peck-Wesley United Methodist Church, is in a predominantly black community of New Orleans that is still struggling to recover from 2005's Hurricane Katrina. The church works with local partners to help young people create a more positive future through tutoring, mentoring, service-learning projects, community organizing and leadership development skills. (African-American-$40,000)

Garden of Tolerance, a project of Jordan United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, La., expects to bring black and white youth and their mentors from area United Methodist churches together to overcome the racial biases and stereotypes they have learned. As they cooperate to plant, tend and harvest a community vegetable garden in nearby Liberty, Miss., they will learn to appreciate their similarities and differences more, while experiencing social and spiritual development. (African-American-$40,000)

Asian American Domestic Violence Project provides culturally sensitive, multilingual legal aid and other services to Asian immigrant women in the Washington D.C. area, including Maryland and Northern Virginia, who are victims of domestic abuse. Such women are often poorly served by traditional agencies that fail to address their complex circumstances, such as immigration status, language barriers and pressures from families with traditional expectations. (Asian American-$27,500)

Alaska Native Community Organizing Ministry, in Anchorage, is an ecumenical grassroots effort to reverse the extreme high school drop-out rate and substance abuse problems that afflict the Alaska Native community, along with high levels of poverty and crime. The project plans to advance its training of indigenous leadership in advocacy and community organizing for social change. (Native American/Alaskan Native-$22,000)

Fellsmere Committee of Farmworkers, in the citrus-growing town of Fellsmere, Fla., is teaching mostly Mexican farm workers-many who live there year-round-how to impact local and state policies, resolve community problems and counter racial and economic injustice by knowing their rights. The group, run by farm workers, seeks to build its constituents' leadership skills and civic engagement on important issues. (Hispanic/Latino-$27,500)

From Wedge to Cutting Edge: African Americans & Immigration in the South is an ambitious effort by the Southeast Regional Economic Justice Network, based in Durham, N.C., to forge and strengthen strategic alliances between African Americans and the rapidly growing population of mostly Hispanic/Latino immigrants in this region. Drastic shifts in the economic and cultural landscape pose challenges to an increasingly multiracial South, especially against a backdrop of historical racial injustice and exploitation. This project proposes to build relationships and greater awareness of common issues and cooperative solutions among the diverse groups. (Multiracial-$40,000)

Reducing Racial Healthcare Disparities in West Detroit serves critical health care needs in an underserved area in Detroit, where high morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, correlate to high percentages of poor and uninsured residents. A local, collaborative health services and education center offers free primary care and preventive health and pharmacy assistance programs, with the help of volunteer staff. The center grew out of mini-clinics, health fairs and health classes at nearby Second Grace United Methodist Church. Now its staff wants to increase disease prevention and management efforts, including HIV screening and counseling, pediatrics, vision care and gynecological services. (African-American-$27,500)

Projects being re-funded include:

Iglesia Metodista Unida de Echo Park Ministerio de Liberacion (Echo Park United Methodist Church Ministry of Liberation), in Los Angeles, organizes and equips its Hispanic/Latino neighbors to know and assert their human and civil rights as workers and housing tenants. The largely immigrant, marginalized community is becoming increasingly gentrified and threatened by protesters who oppose the presence of undocumented people. The project operates numerous ministries, including community forums, immigration services, environmental justice advocacy, cultural programs and home Bible study groups to teach the theological foundations of its work. (Hispanic/Latino-$22,500)

St. Paul After-School Education Program, at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Jamaica, N.Y., uses innovative methods in its tutorial and violence prevention programs for elementary-age students who must overcome academic deficiencies and rampant crime and poverty in their working-class community. The mostly volunteer staff collaborates with school officials, faculty and parents in combining strong remedial teaching with instruction in art, music, computers, conflict resolution skills and leadership development. (African-American-$34,000)

The SPOT, at Buena Vista United Methodist Church. (Asian American-$30,000)
Chicago Day Labor Project, a project of Latino Union, organizes journaleros, or day laborers, who seek work daily on street corners in Chicago. The workers often must face theft of their pay by unscrupulous employers, unsafe working conditions, wrongful arrests by police, disruptive raids by immigration agents and other troubles. The project is trying to improve hiring and labor conditions, prevent anti-immigrant actions by police, and develop a workers' center where day laborers can gather to seek jobs and receive other assistance. (Hispanic/Latino-$30,000)

Proyecto Espera (Project Hope), also known as the Southern Arizona Border/Immigrant Strategy in Tucson, Ariz., tries to develop hospitality and leadership among immigrants-documented and undocumented-to enhance their ability to obtain work, education, child care, family assistance and participation in local affairs that affect their lives. The project also strives to prevent or overturn anti-immigrant state legislation and counter the attacks of anti-immigrant advocates on the quality of life of its constituents. (Hispanic/Latino-$37,000)

Small grants to regional projects include:

Southeastern Region Native American Caucus Leadership Development Project, based in Jamestown, N.C., wants to recruit, train and mentor more Native Americans in the Southeast-especially young people-to serve as United Methodist leaders on local, district and churchwide levels, representing the interests and concerns of Native people. (Native American-$2,500)

Transforming Lives by Embracing God's Diversity: Listening, Learning, Celebrating, Empowering convened more than 200 United Methodist leaders from across the Southeast at Lake Junaluska, N.C., Dec. 12-15, to explore ideas and models for overcoming racism and encouraging multicultural ministries. Participants learned and used facilitated dialogue, a proven communication process that engages people with different beliefs, experiences and opinions in safe, respectful, creative dialogue. (Multiracial-$2,500)

Metodistas Asociadas Representando la Causa Hispano/Latino Americana (MARCHA) -Pacific Northwest Conference, Renton, Wash. (Hispanic/Latino-$2,500)

General Conference focus

The Commission on Religion and Race also awarded funds to help racial/ethnic conferences and organizations send members to General Conference in 2008 as observers to learn about the legislative assembly and to advocate on issues of concern to their constituents:
Rio Grande Conference, San Antonio (Hispanic/Latino-$15,000)

Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, Oklahoma City (Native American-$10,000)
Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico (Hispanic/Latino-$20,000)
Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group, Rochester, Minn. (Multiracial-$30,000)
Black Methodists for Church Renewal, Nashville, Tenn. (African American-$80,000)
Metodistas Asociadas Representando la Causa Hispano/Latino Americana, Scottsdale, Ariz. (Hispanic/Latino-$80,000)
Native American International Caucus, Oklahoma City (Native American-$80,000)
National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, Oakland, Calif. (Asian American-$80,000)
Pacific Islander National Caucus of United Methodists, Lancaster, Calif. (Pacific Islander American-$50,000)
Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group, Rochester, Minn. (Multiracial-$7,500)

*Coleman is director of communications for the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

'The Great Debaters' movie spotlights black colleges

Denzel Washington stars in "The Great Debaters," a movie about the success of the 1935 debate team at United Methodist-related Wiley College. A UMNS photo by David Lee, The Weinstein Co.

By Fran Coode Walsh*

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) -- On the 14th floor of the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel, Denzel Washington sits back in an armchair surrounded by lights and cameras and promotes his latest film project, while also putting in a word for historically black colleges.

"The Great Debaters," opening Dec. 25 in U.S. theaters, is a fictionalized account of the remarkably successful 1935 debate team at Wiley College, a small United Methodist-related, historically black school in Marshall, Texas. The film is nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best motion picture drama.

The story focuses on four young debaters and their mentor, Melvin Tolson, who taught at Wiley and coached the champion debate team. Washington directed the film and also stars as Tolson, a poet and author.

Despite his hectic schedule of interviews for the film, Washington looks relaxed and rested as he talks about the significance of black colleges for African Americans in the early 20th century.

"It was the first time they got an opportunity to get a college education," the actor says in an interview with United Methodist News Service.

"I think these professors and the founding fathers of these schools understood that importance. They knew that it gave these young people more options. … We were in the middle of the Depression, so your options were education, or sharecropping or unemployment."

Visionaries for a freed people
The first historically black college west of the Mississippi River, Wiley was founded in 1873 to prepare newly emancipated people for the future.

Oprah Winfrey, whose Harpo Films produced the movie, calls both the church school and Tolson visionaries.

Professor Melvin B. Tolson (center) led the 1935 team to national prominence. A UMNS photo courtesy of Wiley College.

"Here is this little college ... in the rural South in the 1930s, where you had to be there to even begin to understand what it was like to be a person of color, in a land that thought you were invisible and thought that your work really didn't matter," Winfrey says in a videotaped promotional message to media outlets.

"And here was this little college with a professor who understood beyond the place and beyond the time how powerful a mind and minds combined together could be. And he created this debate team, and ... believed that the color of your skin wasn't what was significant, but what was really the content of your mind and your character and your beliefs."

Young actors Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker play Wiley students who, in a fictionalized account, go on to defeat Harvard University's debate team in the film's climax. In reality, the 1935 Wiley team, the first African-American school to debate on a "white" college campus, bested the University of Southern California for an unexpected victory. Filmmakers opted to use Harvard because they felt the school was more symbolic of an educational bastion.

Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker also stars in the movie and plays Tolson's contemporary, scholar James Farmer Sr.

In a separate interview with UMNS, Whitaker, who was actually born near Wiley College, says he hopes the movie helps viewers to appreciate the relevance of historically black colleges.

"Unfortunately when you go to (public schools) ... a lot of the accomplishments of people of color ... aren't really shown," he says.

He also urges young people to consider attending historically black schools. "It's not to isolate ourselves. It's just an opportunity for youth to embrace your heritage and your ancestry and feel your power so that you can be a part of this world in a strong way."

Fresh exposure
Wiley is one of 11 historically black, United Methodist-related institutions of higher education and is financially supported by the denomination's Black College Fund.

Wiley president Haywood L. Strickland says the 930-student school has nearly doubled its enrollment since 2000. The administrator is grateful the movie is bringing attention to the unique contributions of schools such as Wiley.

"They're just as important today as they were 50 years ago," says Strickland. "There's still a need in this country for an alternative education to public education. There's still a need for a small college which offers a nurturing, caring, close relationship with the students. There's still a reason for a professor … to be able to say to that student, 'You can be the very best that you want to be,' and ensure that that student gets that grounding, foundation, to spur that student toward that achievement."

The movie premiered in Marshall on Dec. 13 to a packed and appreciative audience. Before the debut, the cast attended a news conference on the Wiley campus. "It's great for us to come and show you this film because we're doing it for you," Smollett said. "The movie's bigger than all of us."

Washington spoke of his visits to the area over the past few years to do research. "This one is close to my heart," he told reporters. "I'm pleased for these young people and the people that came before us that we celebrate with this film."

Washington mentioned he would meet with Strickland to discuss how he could "help the school and try to get the debate team back on its feet." Four days later, Wiley announced that the star will donate $1 million to the school's recently resurrected debate program.

"We hope this kind of story will develop new friends, new possibilities," says Strickland, "… and that they'll be able to see we are major contributors to our society and indeed to the world; that these colleges--the Wileys of the world--are strong, are good, are viable, are important and ... that they will invest in us because I believe that the returns from that investment are immeasurable."

Strickland hopes Wiley's good fortune also will ripple to benefit other church-related, historically black schools. "These are critical times, not only in our nation but in the world, and it calls for a different kind of leadership and I believe ... that all of the historic black colleges within our church provide the same kind of undergirding and nurturing."

*Walsh is supervising producer of UMTV, a unit of United Methodist Communications based in Nashville, Tenn. John Gordon contributed to this report