Leader’s Guide to the October 31, 2008 edition of THE REVIEW
A special edition on United Methodist response to the Refugee/Immigration Crisis
By Elizabeth Shadbolt, Refugee and Immigrant Ministries Coordinator, Mercy, Mission, and Justice Ministries of the Tennessee Annual Conference

Who is a Refugee?
A refugee is a person who, “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” (Defined at the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees)

Who is an Immigrant?
In contrast to a refugee, an immigrant makes the decision to come to the U.S. themselves. The word "immigrant" refers to someone who is making a permanent move, not someone visiting for a short time or coming to attend school. While our government provides several paths for immigration, the quotas are very small and the wait for status is very long. Those who come without going through these processes are considered "undocumented immigrants." While there are people in the world who suffer persecutions like refugees, many have not been given that designation by the UN and some immigrate on their own. Also, economic conditions (which are not part of the definition of a refugee) force many to search for ways to support their families, regardless of international boundaries.

LEARN
+As you read this month’s Review, take time to identify information that is new or surprising to you. Take time to read the entire text of the Immigration Petition brought before General Conference in 2008. In what ways does our church’s stance on welcoming the newcomer conflict with the rhetoric of our culture? List Biblical references used to support the petition. Part of the petition is included in the printed and web versions of THE REVIEW. Most of the remainder of the petition is attached with this leader’s guide.

+Visit the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website to learn more about immigration to the US: http://www.uscis.gov/. Is the site easy to use? Can you find answers to your questions?

+Visit church-based sites to see how our denomination is responding to the needs of immigrants and refugees: UMCOR http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/immigration/; Church World Service http://www.churchworldservice.org/; Justice for Our Neighbors http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/refugees/justiceforourneighbors.cfm

+Read “Commentary: Stop the cruelty of immigration raids” to learn how raids are affecting our communities. Article is attached to end of this guide.

+Listen to Issue One - an audio/radio program from United Methodist Audio News / The United Methodist News Service, “White Privilege in America.” How does the idea of white privilege affect the way we view immigrants and refugees? This audio program will not be available until after the first of the year but watch for its release -- it will provide great material for discussion.

+Discuss the content of the article “Top 5 immigration Myths of this campaign season” – research done by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. What we hear over the air and read in publications is not always fact – even when it is treated as fact. This article is attached to the end of this leader’s guide.


THINK
+Using the article “Why the Church Cares about Immigrants,” follow the stories of the itinerant characters Rev. Childers identifies – Abraham, Ruth, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the disciples, Paul, Silas, Barnabas, and others you identify. Read their stories and comment on whether they find welcome or rejection outside their homelands. How do they respond? Identify scriptural calls to welcome the stranger.

+Share with your group stories of immigration. Allow each member to share what they know about their own family’s story of coming to this country.

+Read together Miguel Carpizo’s story, “Breaking the walls of illegality.” Discuss his thoughts on building bridges between cultures and people. Share ways you see your church breaking walls and building bridges, especially with those in your local community. Many of us don’t live in the neighborhoods where our churches are located. Find ways to meet those living near your church and brainstorm ways to build community, the way Miguel has. For more inspiration, read “the Golden Triangle Fellowship and Belmont UMC” to see a successful model.

ACT
+Implement an idea for community building in your congregation. If there are newcomers in your area, find ways to welcome them to your church community.
+Volunteer with Justice for Our Neighbors. Call 832-1945 and leave your contact information. There is a clinic once per month and volunteers are always needed.
+Volunteer with a local ESL class and meet your English-learning neighbors. Article about Tennessee Conference Churches with ESL classes is attached to this leader’s guide.
+Volunteer with Catholic Charities (760-2790) or World Relief (833-7735) refugee resettlement agencies. Even if you can’t sponsor a family, they always need drivers, tutors, and friends.
+Keep up with immigration news in the paper and on TV. Take note of inflammatory rhetoric and check the facts with a trusted source. Let the media know when you feel that immigrants are portrayed in a negative light.
+Contact your congressional representatives on immigration legislation and issues. Let them know that people of faith care about their immigrant neighbors. Article “Putting Faith into Action in Washington” is attached to this leader’s guide
+Initiate a bible study or other small group conversation on immigration in your church. There are many resources available, including printed material and speakers.

Additional Resources for discussion
1. Area congregations host English Language learners
2. Putting Faith into Action in Washington
3. Commentary: Stop the cruelty of immigration raids
4. Remaining sections of the Immigration Petition brought before the 2009 General Conference of the United Methodist Church – part of the original document can be found in the October 31, 2008 issue of THE REVIEW. Call for action by the United Methodist Church.
5. Top 5 immigration Myths of this campaign season – research done by the American Immigration Lawyers Association.


Area Congregations Host English Language Learners
One of the most direct ways in which local congregations welcome newcomers to our country is by hosting English as a Second Language, or ESL, classes. Throughout our conferences, many churches are active in this ministry. In opening doors, literally, and inviting immigrants into our places of worship, we open other doors both with increased job opportunities and connectional relationships.

If your congregation has caught the “mission-trip bug,” volunteering with ESL presents a wonderful opportunity. Many classes host students from many countries and at multiple skill levels. Some students are interested in language exchange and can help missioners with their target language and with important vocabulary. If your youth are hoping to head to Guatemala, for instance, volunteer hours with ESL students. Intercultural skills take time and practice to attain. And, since many ESL teachers are dealing with students at varying skill levels, a volunteer who can do one-on-one work is invaluable.

Below is a partial listing of area UM churches which offer ESL classes. If you need more information on classes being held in your area, please contact Elizabeth Shadbolt lizshadbolt@bellsouth.net or phone, 615/834-1331.

Belmont UMC (at the corner of Acklen & 21st Ave in Hillsboro Village) has an active ESL program. For more information, please contact either Mary Jane Duke 377-3138 or Mary Kaye Jordan 833-0685 who are both ESL teachers and Belmont members.

Brentwood United Methodist started an ESL program on June 16th that launched a new Hispanic Ministry. Rev. Mack Strange is the staff person heading these efforts. For more information you may contact Ann Meece at 615-324-8207 or ameece@bumc.net

Cannon UMC, Shelbyville, offers weekly ESL classes as part of their Hispanic Ministry. Pastor Enrique Hernandez is the contact person at 931-389-9213

Crievewood United Methodist hosts classes for refugees through Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Adult Education Department. To enroll, please contact Karlene Polk at Karlene_polk@yahoo.com. For more information on Crievewood’s outreach ESL program, please contact Linda R. Whited 615-749-6414 (day)

Donelson Heights United Methodist is a Pencil Partners with three schools their area and discerned that an ESL class would help local families. Class is offered one night a week (Tuesdays) to parents and child care is provided. Currently, the class is only for parents of McGavock Elementary students but there are hopes for expanding it. Dr. Kay Gray is the contact person at 883-6103.

Hillcrest United Methodist in South Nashville has active programs for refugees and Hispanic immigrants. Contact Barbara Garcia, Associate Pastor, for details at 832-0157. Hillcrest also hosts and provides transportation to ESL classes for refugees who must register through their resettlement agency and Metro Nashville Public with Karlene Polk (Karlene_Polk@yahoo.com)

Lawrenceburg First UMC, Pulaski District, does not have an ESL program but it offers free babysitters for parents who are taking the ESL class at a local college. Beverly Duke is the contact 931-762-3696.

Murfreesboro First United Methodist proudly celebrated the completion of their ESL course by 40 students last spring. Classes there continue in both English and Spanish. Contact Carlos Uroza at 893-1322 or curoza@1stmethmboro.com.

Murfreesboro St. Mark, UMC offers weekly Spanish classes as part of their Hispanic Ministry. Rev. Martha Hicks Touchton is the contact person.

West Nashville UMC holds ESL Classes at Cockrill Elementary through their Community Ministries program. Call Sherry Woolsey at 297-3216 for more information.

Winchester UMC offers weekly Spanish classes as part of their Hispanic Ministry. Pastor Enrique Hernandez is the contact person, 931-389-9213


Putting Faith into Action in Washington
As people of faith, it is important that we let our elected officials know our feelings on issues affecting our refugee and immigrant neighbors. While it can be daunting to call a representatives office, it is very important that Christian voices are speaking out! Each congressional and senate office keeps track of how constituents feel and they only know if we call. It takes only a moment to call the local office, tell them that you are a person of faith, and that you support comprehensive immigration reform. The General Board of Church and Society has issued a statement explaining their stance on immigration reform:

“A comprehensive approach to immigration reform seeks to understand why immigrants have come to the United States and recognizes the tremendous contributions they have given and will continue to give. Enforcement-only approaches to immigration reform are limited in their scope and take into account only the “breaking of the law” through illegally crossing the border. The enforcement-only approach does not seek to understand the context of why so many have crossed the U.S. northern and southern borders illegally. The General Board of Church and Society does not advocate for “open borders” or for “amnesty,” but rather, for a comprehensive approach that protects the rights of workers, reunifies families separated by long waits in the current immigration process, and for an earned pathway to citizenship for those who wish to remain in this country.”

Below are a few bills being considered (as of October 1) that are of specific interest to our conference. When you contact your representative, let them know that you encourage their support of these bills on your behalf.

S.3594 The Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Raids and Detention Act
Introduced by Senator Menendez (D-NJ), this bill would establish and oversee minimum standards of treatment for immigrants during raids and detention, including access to due process and medical treatment and protections for children and families. It would also establish “alternatives to detention” programs, such as parole and community-based supervision and monitoring and require DHS to contract with available NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to screen eligible participants and provide services and information. The bill calls for vulnerable populations to be considered for release following immigration raids, as well as mandate the DHS report on and investigate complaints related to the harmful impact of such enforcement practices on U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and immigrant communities.

H.R. 213 Child Citizen Protection Act
Introduced by Rep. Serrano (D-NY), this bill grants discretion to a judge as to whether or not the undocumented parents of a U.S. citizen child should or should not be deported, which would help many families being torn apart by recent raids and deportations.

S. 3514 Reunitining Families Act
Introduced by Senator Menendez (D-NJ), this bill would allow more spouses, parents, and children of Legal Permanent Residents (“green card” holders) to enter; recapture unused visas; improve country limits; and improve family unity overall.

H.R. 6496, S. 3541 Iraqi Refugee and IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement, and Security Act
Introduced by Rep. Hastings (D-FL) and Senator Clinton (D-NY), this bill urges the US to take leadership and develop a comprehensive plan to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. If passed, it would fund UNHCR at 50% of its asking for operations in and around Iraq. The bill would also fund NGOs operating in the region and mandate that 20,000 Iraqi refugees be resettled in the U.S. between 2009 and 2011 above and beyond the annual target for refugee admissions.

Among the bills actively opposed by organizations such as Church World Service is the S.A.V.E. act. Please let your representatives know that you also oppose this bill:

H.R. 4088 Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act (SAVE)
Introduced by Rep. Schuler (D-NC) and Rep Bilbray (R-CA), it would militarize and build a fence across the southern border of the US, mandate that local law enforcement officials enforce federal immigration law, force 7 million employers to utilize a flawed workplace verification system (E-Verify), and calls for increased deportations and detention space.

Senators

Lamar Alexander, Nashville Office, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite 120, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone (615) 736-5129, Fax (615) 269-4803.
Bob Corker, Nashville Office, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite 610, Nashville, TN 37203. Phone (615) 279-8125, Fax (615) 279-9488.

Congressional Representatives

Our conference contains five different congressional districts. For a map of congressional districts, please go to http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/congress.html#tn

Lincoln Davis, 4th (parts of Columbia, Cookeville, and Murfreesboro districts) Columbia Office, 1804 Carmack Blvd. Suite A, Columbia, TN 38401. Phone: 931.490.8699, Fax: 931.490.8675.McMinnville Office, 477 North Chancery St. Suite A-1, McMinnville, TN 37110. Phone: 931.473.7251, Fax: 931.473.7259
Jamestown Office, 629 North Main Street , Jamestown, TN 38556. Phone: 931.879.2361, Fax: 931.879.2389

Jim Cooper, 5th (Nashville and part of Clarksville and Cumberland districts), 605 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219. Phone: 615-736-5295, Fax: 615-736-7479

Bart Gordon, 6th (parts of Columbia, Cookeville, Cumberland, and Murfreesboro districts)
Murfreesboro Office, 305 West Main Street , Murfreesboro, TN 37130 . Phone: (615) 896-1986
Cookeville District Office, 15 South Jefferson Street , Cookeville, TN 38501. Phone: (931) 528-5907
Gallatin District Office, 100 Public Square, Room B-100 , Gallatin, TN 37066. Phone: (615) 451-5174

Marsha Blackburn, 7th (parts of Clarksville, Columbia, and Pulaski districts)
Franklin Office, City Hall Mall, 109 3rd Avenue South, Suite 117 , Franklin, TN 37064. Phone: 615-591-5161, Fax: 615-599-2916.
Clarksville Office, 1850 Memorial Dr., Clarksville, TN 37043. Phone: 931-503-0391, Fax: 931-503-0393.

John Tanner, 8th (parts of Clarksville district)
Jackson Office, Room B-7, Federal Building, Jackson, TN 38301. Phone: (731) 423-4848, Fax: (731) 427-1537.


Commentary: Stop the cruelty of immigration raids

By United Methodist News Service*
A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Eliezér Valentín Castañon*

Children demonstrate for comprehensive U.S. immigration reform during a 2006 rally in Washington. A UMNS file photo by Rick Reinhard.

When news about the recent immigration enforcement raid in Greenville, South Carolina, came across my desk, I knew The United Methodist Church could not remain silent. Not only were innocent, hard-working people detained in this raid, but a number are members of one of our United Methodist missions in Greenville.

We join our voices with the thousands of people and organizations who have expressed dismay and disbelief that these cruel raids-wreaking havoc and terror also in Iowa, Mississippi and other states-would be perpetrated on hapless workers and their families, both documented and undocumented, who merely seek to earn a decent living.

Eliezér Valentín Castañon

Certainly the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency are within their purview. However, the attacks on this defenseless population are attacks on members of our communities who are contributing to society in ways many American don't appreciate. It is reprehensible and immoral.

Both the immigrant families and the communities where they work and reside will suffer severe consequences in the long term from these raids, demonstrating a loss of our values and sensibility. When our government's actions make innocent children parentless and homeless, when relatives young and old suddenly must wrestle with fear, confusion and despair, we cannot be silent and apathetic.

If our family and community values are to hold true, our government must stop these raids that are only creating desperation across the United States. We must speak out and organize against these senseless, abusive, oppressive acts.

It is time for the United States to live up to its creed, embodying the self-evident truth that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain "inalienable rights," among them "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Undocumented immigrants are human beings, too. They feel pain and suffer like the rest of us. It is time for us to affirm their humanity and dignity in the way we treat them.

At the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the only body that speaks in behalf of the entire denomination, our church condemned these raids and affirmed "the worth, dignity and inherent value and rights of every person regardless of their nationality or legal status." Our church called for the U.S. government "to immediately cease all arrests, detainment and deportations of undocumented immigrants, including children, solely based upon their immigration status until a fair and comprehensive immigration reform bill is passed." (Petition #80637: Welcoming the Migrant to the U.S.) (http://calms.umc.org/2008/Text.aspx?mode=Majority&Number=732)

We must pray and insist that this madness stops before we inflict more tragic harm to our brothers and sisters who, like us all, are made in the image of a loving God.

*Castañon is associate general secretary, United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

Remaining sections of the Immigration Petition brought before the 2009 General Conference of the United Methodist Church
The introduction of the Petition and the New Testament Biblical and Theological Context are included in the October 31, 2009 REVIEW. That material plus the remainder of the Immigration Petition offers rich opportunities for discussion.

The fear and anguish so many migrants in the United States live under are due to federal raids, indefinite detention, and deportations which tear apart families and create an atmosphere of panic. Millions of immigrants are denied legal entry to the U.S. due to quotas and race and class barriers, even as employers seek their labor. U.S. policies, as well as economic and political conditions in their home countries, often force migrants to leave their homes. With the legal avenues closed, immigrants who come in order to support their families must live in the shadows and in intense exploitation and fear. In the face of these unjust laws and the systematic deportation of migrants instituted by the Department of Homeland Security, God’s people must stand in solidarity with the migrants in our midst.

In Scripture, sojourners are also identified as heralds or messengers bringing good news. This is seen in many stories of the Bible, including:

 Abraham who welcomed three visitors and then was promised a child even though Sarah was past the age of bearing children (Genesis 18:-11),

 Rahab who hid the spies from Israel and whose family was ultimately spared (Joshua 2:1-16),

 the widow at Zarephath who gave Elijah her last meal and received food and ultimately healing for her dying son (1 Kings 17:7-24), and

 Zaccheus who, upon welcoming Jesus into his home, promised to share half his possessions with the poor and repay those he stole from four times the amount owed. As Jesus entered Zaccheus’ home he proclaimed that salvation had come to his house (Luke 19:1-10).

All of these stories give evidence to the words of the writer of Hebrews who advises the listeners to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (13:2).

God’s people are called to welcome the sojourner not only because of God’s commands to do so, but because God’s people need to hear the good news of the gospel incarnated in their stories and in their lives. Welcoming the sojourner is so vital to the expression of Christian faith that to engage in this form of hospitality is to participate in our own salvation.

The Current Context
Immigration to the United States has changed in the last twenty years largely because the world has changed. Globalization has lessened the geographical distance between the poor and affluent, but yet, it has also greatly exacerbated the chasm between those with access to resources and those denied that same access. Vast inequities between the global north and south are a continuing source of conflict and a draw of resources and people from the south to north. Globalization has localized issues which used to be hidden or detached by geographical boundaries, but has not created forms of accountability or mediated the necessity of cross-cultural reconciliation between those victimized by international economic policies and those who benefit from them. Global media enable the poor of the global south to see the lifestyles of the affluent in the global north, while rarely seeing the intense poverty that also exists there. This creates both tensions and a draw to attain that same lifestyle.

Although unregulated trade and investment have economically benefited some, many more have been sentenced to a lifetime of poverty and marginalization. In poorer countries natural resources have been removed by transnational corporations which have no stake in the continuing welfare of the local people, the enhancement of their cultural traditions, or their ecological environment. The lack of these resources often leads to a drastic reduction in jobs, wages, and labor protections. Public social benefits are eliminated and the nation sinks deeper into debt as it turns to such institutions as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. As the affluent North continues to expand its wealth, this expansion occurs at the expense of the impoverished South. Every region in the world is affected in some way by the global economic divide. Yet, while money and products easily flow across borders, the movement of people who have been forced to migrate because of intolerable economic conditions is increasingly restricted.

When those, whose livelihoods have been eradicated in favor of corporate globalization, attempt to sojourn to North America to work and provide for their families, they receive a mixed message that is confusing and ultimately oppressive. Immigrants have moved into areas of the United States where there are economic opportunities that U.S. citizens have largely ignored. Employers often prefer undocumented workers in order to increase profit margins. Until all jobs provide a livable wage employers will be able to pit U.S. citizens against undocumented workers in a downward spiral that undermines the labor rights for all.

Because the U.S. immigration system has not kept up with the changing pace of immigration and the U.S. economy, the population of undocumented immigrants has grown dramatically. Yet, the growing population of undocumented immigrants has not yet been harmful to most U.S. workers because they are not competing for the same jobs. While the United States labor force is growing older and more educated, the need for unskilled workers remains strong. The Migration Policy Institute reports that the economic necessities for repairing the immigration system are clear as they predict by 2030, immigrant workers will comprise between one-third and one-half of the U.S. labor force. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Aging in 2003, then-Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Alan Greenspan, called for increased immigrationof migrants to sustain an aging labor force and a continued economic vacuum among low-skilled workers.

Although the economic necessity of migrant workers is clear, any immigration or economic system which calls for a perpetual class of second class workers cannot be supported by people of faith. ImmUndocumented immigrants are exploited for their labor and economic contribution to the United States. They are denied their rights to collectively bargain for livable wages and safe working conditions, and they are shut out of access to the social services of which they support through their difficult labor. Any reform of the immigration system must also allow for the full protections of all workers which includes the opportunity to gain legal status for all migrants.

Even though migrants have proven a tremendous benefit to the United States’ economy, migrants have been systematically excluded from receiving any benefits.imaccess to health care promotes an increase in the demand on emergency rooms to provide that daily care or it forces migrants who are fearful to seek medical care to live in continued pain and suffering. The United States benefits from migrant labor, but migrants have been forced to live in the shadows, unable to fully contribute or receive appropriate care.

Immigration: A Human Rights Issue
Since 9/11 the debate surrounding immigration has unfortunately been framed as an issue of national security. All of this emphasis on border security has not stemmed the flow of undocumented migration even though the United States has poured millions of dollars into militarizing the border.

The use of local law enforcement as immigration agents should be stopped as well. When local law enforcement officials engage in immigration enforcement, immigrants are often unwilling to report crimes and are forced to live in situations where they are exploited, abused, and victimized.

All nations have the right to secure their borders, but the primary concern for Christians should be the welfare of immigrants. Between 1995 and 2004 more than 2,640 migrants have died crossing the border between the United States and Mexico, and since 2004 more than one migrant has died per day.

IMRaids of workplaces, homes and other social places have often violated the civil liberties of migrants. Migrants should be given due process and access to adequate legal representation. Due to these raids and the ensuing indefinite detentions and deportations that follow them, families have been ripped apart and the immigrant community has been forced to live in a constant state of fear.

To refuse to welcome migrants to this country and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored, and the immigrant community in the United States is demonized by members of Congress and the media, is complicity to sin.

A Call to Action
The United Methodist Church affirms the worth, dignity and inherent value and rights of every person regardless of their nationality or legal status. United Methodist churches throughout the United States are urged to build bridges with immigrants in their local communities, to learn from them, celebrate their presence in the United States and recognize and appreciate the contributions in all areas of life that immigrants bring. We call upon all United Methodist churches to engage in the following:

 Advocate for legislation that will uphold the civil and human rights of all migrants in the United States and provide an opportunity to attain legal status for all undocumented migrants for those currently in the United States as well as for those arriving in the future.

 Begin English as a Second Language classes as a part of ministry to migrant communities and advocate for federal and state support of expanded ESL classes.

 Denounce and oppose the rise of xenophobic, racist, and violent reactions against migrants in the United States, and to support all efforts to build relationships between people, instead of building walls, between diverse ethnicities and cultures.

 Oppose the building of a wall between the United States and Mexico, which the communities of both sides of the border are in opposition to.

 Call the United States government to immediately cease all arrests, detainment, and deportations of undocumented immigrants, including children, solely based upon their immigration status until a fair and comprehensive immigration reform is passed.

 Provide wherever possible pastoral care and crisis intervention to refugees and newly arrived migrants, identifying and responding compassionately to their spiritual, material, and legal needs.

 Work with civic and legal organizations to support migrant communities affected by harsh immigration laws and over-reaching national security measures.

 Support those churches that prayerfully choose to offer sanctuary to undocumented immigrants facing deportation.

 Continue the work of the Immigration Task Force composed of staff from the general boards and agencies, representatives of the Council of Bishops, and members of caucuses and national plans that was created by the resolution, Opposition to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Resolution Act(2004 Book of Resolutions, #118).

Further, The United Methodist Church is urged to advocate for the comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system. Any legislation to reform the U.S. immigration system must affirm the worth, dignity and inherent value and rights of migrants, and must also include:

 An opportunity for legal status for all undocumented migrants. Any pathway created for undocumented migrants should have minimal obstacles and those requirements should not be designed to preclude migrants from eligibility for legalization.

 Clearing the backlogs and reunifying families separated by migration or detainment.

 An increase in the number of visas for short-term workers to come into the United States to work in a safe, legal, and orderly way. Opportunities for legalization should be available for those who wish to remain permanently.

 The protections of all workers who come to stay for a certain period of time as well as for those who stay permanently. The right to bargain for higher wages, to protest against poor working conditions, and to preserve their human rights should be maintained by all workers, documented and undocumented alike.

 Elimination of privately-operated detention centers, which are not regulated by the federal or state governments.

 Elimination of indefinite detention, incarceration of children, and the expanding prison population, which also benefits privately-owned detention centers and prisons.

 Preservation of due process and access to courts and to adequate legal representation for all migrants regardless of legal status.


Top 5 Immigration Myths of this campaign season
Ending the Immigration Spin - Just the Facts. Material from the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Immigration has already figured prominently in the Presidential primary campaigns and the issue is unlikely to fade from the limelight any time soon. Debates over immigration policy have always generated strong emotional reactions, but the intensity surrounding the current national debate has reached new levels. The rhetoric by some of the Presidential candidates and their supporters has moved from hyperbole to unbridled misrepresentation.

The American public is justifiably angry about undocumented immigration and the Federal government’s failure to gain control over our borders. But if we ever hope to adopt a practical policy solution that restores the rule of law and advances the interests of our nation, we must untangle fact from fiction. Perpetuating myths and exploiting fears to drive policy are two sure-fire ways to make a bad situation worse.

As the campaign season rolls onward and the intensity of the debate escalates, five
recurring myths must be dispelled to clear the way for honest dialogue.

MYTH #1: Enforcement-only policies are a practical solution to the problem of
undocumented immigration.
FACTS: Policies geared only towards “sealing the border” or deporting the
undocumented without reforming the immigration system and providing a path to legal
status for undocumented immigrants already in the country would cost the nation hundreds
of billions of dollars and have a devastating impact on vast swaths of the U.S. economy.

􀂾 A 2005 study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) estimates that it would cost between $206 billion and $230 billion over five years to deport all undocumented
immigrants from the United States. Moreover, in a 2006 study, CAP calculates that
removing all undocumented immigrants from the U.S. labor force would result in a
shortfall of nearly 2.5 million less-skilled workers.

􀂾 As a 2006 report from the Pew Hispanic Center notes, there were 14.6 million people in families headed by undocumented immigrants as of March 2005, including 3.1 million U.S.-citizen children and 1.8 million undocumented children, as well as adult family
members who are legally present in the United States. Attempting to deport all undocumented immigrants would therefore disrupt entire families and communities and decimate industries that depend heavily on immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented.

􀂾 The Pew report also estimates that the 7.2 million workers among the 11.5 undocumented immigrants in the United States as of March 2005—while accounting for 4.9 percent of the labor force as a whole—comprised 24 percent of all workers in farming, fishing, and forestry; 17 percent in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; 14 percent in construction; 12 percent in food preparation and serving; and 9 percent in production occupations. Mass deportations therefore would have a devastating effect on numerous industries, particularly given the small and shrinking number of younger native-born workers available to fill these kinds of less-skilled jobs.

MYTH #2: Immigrant workers suppress the wages of American workers.
FACTS: The overwhelming majority of economists agree that immigrants increase the
economic productivity and thus the wages of natives.

􀂾 A 2006 study by University of California, Davis, economist Giovanni Peri found that because immigrant workers generally “complement”—rather than substitute for—native
workers in terms of their education and skills, immigration tends to increase the
productivity, and therefore the wages, of natives.

􀂾 As a result of this “complementarity,” the White House Council of Economic Advisers concluded in a 2007 report that roughly 90 percent of native-born workers experience wage gains from immigration, which total between $30 billion and $80 billion per year.

MYTH #3: The nation spends billions of dollars on welfare for undocumented
immigrants.
FACTS: To the contrary, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive any “welfare” benefits and even legal immigrants are severely restricted in the benefits they can receive.

􀂾 As the Congressional Research Service points out in a 2007 report, undocumented immigrants, who comprise nearly one-third of all immigrants in the country, are not eligible to receive public “welfare” benefits—ever. Legal permanent residents (LPRs) must pay into the Social Security and Medicare systems for approximately 10 years before they are eligible to receive benefits when they retire. In most cases, LPRs can not receive SSI, which is available only to U.S. citizens, and are not eligible for meanstested public benefits until 5 years after receiving their green cards.

􀂾 A 2007 analysis of welfare data by researchers at the Urban Institute reveals that less than 1 percent of households headed by undocumented immigrants receive cash assistance for needy families, compared to 5 percent of households headed by nativeborn U.S. citizens.

A 2007 analysis of U.S. Census data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities makes clear that it is the U.S.-born, U.S.-citizen children of undocumented immigrants who are eligible for programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The analysis found that, between 1995 and 2005, the share of low-income, noncitizen immigrant children (either undocumented or legally present) who received Medicaid or SCHIP dropped from 36 percent to 30 percent. In comparison, there were increases in the Medicaid or SCHIP participation of low-income citizen children, whether they lived in immigrant-headed households or households headed by native-born citizens (rising from 45-47 percent in 1995 to 53-54 percent in 2005)

MYTH #4: Undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than
native-born citizens.
FACTS: This is a frequently repeated claim, but the exact opposite is true: both
undocumented and legal immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than U.S.
citizens.

􀂾 According to a 2007 study by University of California, Irvine, sociologist Rubén G. Rumbaut, among men age 18-39 (who comprise the vast majority of the U.S. prison population), the incarceration rate for the native-born (3.5 percent) was five times higher than the rate for immigrants (0.7 percent) in 2000.

􀂾 The study also found that incarceration rates were lower for immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala—who account for the majority of undocumented immigrants.In 2000, only 0.7 percent of foreign-born Mexican men and 0.5 percent of foreign-born Salvadoran and Guatemalan men were in prison.

􀂾 A 2005 study by economists Kristin F. Butcher and Anne Morrison Piehl, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, concluded that lower incarceration rates among
immigrants are not the result of deportation or the threat of deportation. Rather,
immigrants are a “self-selected” group with “low criminal propensities.”

MYTH #5: Immigrants don’t “assimilate” into U.S. society.
FACTS: Immigrants learn English and climb the socioeconomic ladder over time, and
their children and grandchildren make even greater strides.

􀂾 A comprehensive 2007 study released by the Russell Sage Foundation found that:

• Among Latino immigrants who arrived in California between 1960 and 1970, the poverty rate declined from 23.9 percent in 1970 to 16.8 percent in 1980 and 12.6 percent in 1990.

• Latino immigrants in California exhibit exceptionally large gains in homeownership—a key indicator of entry into the middle class. Homeownership rose from 16.4 percent of Latino immigrant householders in California who arrived in the U.S. in the last 10 years to 64.6 percent among those who have lived here for 30 years or more.

• Latino immigrants who arrived in the 1970s in California had a 16.3 percent homeownership rate in 1980, which rose to 33.6 percent in 1990, and then climbed to 51.9 percent in 2000.

􀂾 A 2007 study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that among “adult first generation Latinos, just 23% say they can carry on a conversation in English very well. That share rises sharply, to 88%, among the second generation of adults, and to 94% among the third and higher generations.”

􀂾 According to a 2003 study from the RAND Corporation, “2nd and 3rd-generation Hispanic men have made great strides in closing their economic gaps with native whites. The reason is simple: each successive generation has been able to close the schooling gap with native whites which then has been translated into generational progress in incomes.

AILA National Office, 918 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 2004
Phone (202) 216-2400, Fax (202) 783-7853; Web: http://www.aila.org/

"Families and Food Security"--Family Re-Union 2008 @ the Nashville Public Library, Wednesday, October 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Save the Date! Please join us for Family Re-Union Fourteen: Families and Food Security as community residents, business leaders and policymakers seek solutions to the growing challenges of providing access to healthy, affordable food to all Middle Tennesseans.

LISTEN

* To Keynote Speaker Makani Themba-Nixon, Director of the Praxis Project in Washington, DC, an expert on race, media, policy advocacy and public health, speak on the issues of health equity and justice, and
* To Rochelle Davis, Founding Director of the Healthy Schools Campaign in Chicago, speak about the ways in which Middle Tennesseans can promote healthier school food environments.

LEARN

* How you can use media and policy advocacy efforts to bolster support for food security and food access in Middle Tennessee, and
* How you can engage in local, state and national-level advocacy to improve Middle Tennessee's school food environments.

LEAD

* By engaging in breakout sessions that will create action plans for policy changes that promote increased healthy food access in the communities, neighborhoods and schools of Middle Tennessee.

To find out additional information or to register click on the following addess: http://www.familyreunion.org/FR_14/2008Conference.html

A UMNS Commentary by J. Richard Peck*: John Wesley's advice on the economy

J. Richard Peck

The year was 1772 as John Wesley addressed a letter to the editor of Lloyd's Evening Post regarding the causes of and cures for high unemployment, food shortages and dismal economic conditions.

More than two centuries later, the United States is struggling with a meltdown on Wall Street, skyrocketing gas prices and inadequate health care. But our diminished economy would scarcely rival that of England in 1772.

Wesley, who was 69 at the time, starts by asking why. "Why are thousands of people starving--perishing for want, in every part of England?”

The founder of the Methodist movement then describes the London situation: "I have known those who could only afford to eat a little coarse food every other day. I have known one picking up stinking sprats from a dunghill, and carrying them home for herself and her children. I have known another gathering the bones, which the dogs had left in the streets, and making broth of them, to prolong a wretched life."

Examining the causes
Wesley blamed several English practices for the impoverished state of the nation:

1. The wasteful use of grain to produce alcohol. "Have we not reason to believe that half of the wheat produced in the kingdom is every year consumed, not by so harmless a way as throwing it into the sea, but by converting it into deadly poison-poison that naturally destroys, not only the strength and life, but also the morals of our countrymen."

2. Wealthy people who need horses for sport, pleasure and export. "Most of the considerable farmers, particularly in the northern counties, who used to breed large numbers of sheep or horned cattle, and frequently both, no longer trouble themselves with either sheep, or cows, or oxen; as they can turn their land to far better account, by breeding horses alone. Such is the demand, not only for coach and chaise horses, which are bought and destroyed in incredible numbers; but much more for bred horses, which are yearly exported by hundreds, yea thousands, to France."

3. Unproductive large farms had replaced small family farms, causing a shortage of poultry, pork and eggs. "Every one of these little farmers kept a few swine, with some quantity of poultry; and, having little money, was glad to send his bacon, or pork, or fowls and eggs, to market continually. Hence, the markets were plentifully served, and plenty created cheapness; but, at present, the great, the gentlemen farmers, are above attending to these little things. They breed no poultry or swine, unless for their own use; consequently they send none to market."

4. High taxes. "Enormous taxes are laid on almost everything that can be named. Not only abundant taxes are raised from earth, and fire, and water; but, in England, the ingenious statesmen have found a way to tax light. Only one element--air-- remains, and surely some man of honor will contrive to tax this also. For how long shall the saucy air blow in the face of a gentleman, nay, a lord, without paying for it?"

5. The national debt. "Taxes are high because of the national debt. I have heard that the national expense, in the time of peace, was, sixty years ago, three million a year. Now the bare interest of the public debt amounts to above four million. To raise which, with the other expenses of government, those taxes are absolutely necessary."

Identifying cures
John Wesley believed that most of the economic problems of the day were caused by a growing disparity between the rich and the poor.

Wesley felt the cure was to repress "luxury, either by example, by laws, or both." He asked legislators to establish laws that would prohibit the distillation of alcohol. While he lamented high taxes upon the poor and middle class, he called for additional taxes on luxury items such as horses and carriages. He suggested people be taxed on what they purchased rather than upon what they earned.

He also expressed concern about future generations and called for a reduction of the national debt.

In short, Wesley called for higher taxes upon the wealthy and laws that would prohibit the wasting of natural products.

While Wesley did not tell the readers of Lloyd's Evening Post about his personal actions, he organized groups of Methodists to visit the London workhouses where poor people were housed and employed. The groups also provided worship services for the inmates, most of whom were children and elderly persons.

Lessons learned
Contemporary application of Wesley's advice would suggest that the U.S. Congress should reduce taxes on the poor and middle class, add taxes to luxury items, eliminate taxes upon necessities, introduce laws that govern the use of natural resources, and take steps to reduce the $10 trillion national debt-a debt that has increased by 71.9 percent over the last eight years.

A record 28 million Americans are now receiving food stamps.

While he did not write about his personal actions, John Wesley's life serves as an example to United Methodists about our personal obligation to care for poor and vulnerable persons through a variety of means.

Using his own life as an example, Wesley also would suggest less reliance upon pharmaceuticals. While he experimented with alternative health practices, he rose each morning at 4 o'clock and relied heavily on an active life style. He lived to age 88.

*Peck is a retired clergy member of the New York Annual Conference and the communications director of the Commission on United Methodist Men.

January Event Offers Help in Discerning God’s Will for Your Life, January 22-25, 2009, Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center, Norcross, Georgia

Are you feeling God’s call to ministry but are overwhelmed by all the possibilities? Explore the possibilities: deaconess, Home Missioner, deacon, elder, including local church pastor, chaplain, or pastoral counselor. Through conversation, study, reflection, prayer you can begin to discern the direction of God’s guidance at a January 2009 gathering.

The Jan. 22-25 event is open to anyone 18 years old or older. The event, at Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center in Norcross, Ga., was organized by the General Boards of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry.

The Office of Deaconesses and Home Missioners from Global Ministries is working with those parts of the higher education and ministry agency concerned with ordained ministry—elders and deacons—including chaplains and pastoral counselors. Deaconesses (women) and home missioners (men) are lay persons engaged in servant ministries.

Space is limited for the event and the deadline for application is Dec. 1, 2008. Participants cover their own travel costs but lodging and means are covered by the sponsoring agencies with the stipulation of a $50 deposit upon acceptance. The sum is applied toward meeting costs. Scholarships are available from both sponsors.

The agenda will include Bible study, worship, conversation, reflection, workshops and information on the varied options for answering God’s call to ministry in The United Methodist Church.

Those interested in the deaconesses or home missioner relationship can apply online at www.deaconesses.org. Those interested in categories related to Higher Education and Ministry will find registration information online at Higher Education and Ministry. Online registration is available at this link http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,P1,5BC4F1BF-21EC-474B-82FB-A330E752F64A

The following information will be helpful to those who want to explore an interest in church-related vocations:

. Deaconesses, who are laywomen, and Home Missioners, who are laymen, are called by God to a full-time vocation in service with those who are marginalized and in need in the world today. This community of laity has responded to the call of God in their lives and has been commissioned by The United Methodist Church to full-time ministries of love, justice, and service. The Office of Deaconess was established in 1888 by the Methodist Episcopal Church and provides laywomen the opportunity to serve in a life-time lay relationship in servant ministry. The Office of Home Missioner was established at the 2004 General Conference providing laymen with an opportunity to serve in a life-time relationship to the church. This is the first opportunity for laymen to be in an official life-time relationship in ministry since the termination of Diaconal Minister by the 1996 General Conference.
. Deacon - Deacons are persons called by God, authorized by the church, and ordained by a bishop to a lifetime ministry of Word and Service to both the community and the congregation in a ministry that connects the two. Deacons exemplify Christian discipleship and create opportunities for others to enter into discipleship. In the world, the deacon seeks to express a ministry of compassion and justice, assisting laypersons as they claim their own ministry. In the congregation, the ministry of the deacon is to teach and to form disciples, and to lead worship together with other ordained and laypersons.

. Elder - Elders are ordained to a lifetime ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service. By the authority given in their ordination, they are authorized to preach and teach the Word of God, to provide pastoral care and counsel, to administer the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and to order the life of the church for service in mission and ministry.
. Chaplain and Pastoral Counselor - Chaplains and pastoral counselors are elders or deacons who engage in ministries of pastoral care in specialized settings. Endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors are appointed to prisons, hospitals, the armed forces, and counseling centers where they serve people in difficult places outside the local church. In more than 16 different civilian settings and in all areas of the military, chaplains and pastoral counselors care for those who are hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Vanderbilt Law Social Justice Program Lecture Series Presents: Jennifer J. Rosenbaum, New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, Monday, October 20, 2008, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Vanderbilt Law School, Hyatt Room

On Monday, October 20, 2008, at 4:30 p.m., the Vanderbilt Law Social Justice Program will present a lecture by Jennifer J. Rosenbaum, counsel to the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, entitled "Bonded Labor For A New Millennium: Guestworkers and Indentured Servitude in Post-Katrina American Politics."

After Hurricane Katrina, American businesses brought thousands of international workers to the Gulf Coast on temporary guestworker visas to alleviate what employers claimed was a labor shortage caused by the displacement of local populations. Promised fair wages, housing, and, in some cases, permanent U.S. residency, these workers sold their homes and possessions and often took on crushing debt in their home countries to pay recruiting fees of up to $20,000.00. They arrived in theUnited States to face unfair and unsafe working conditions, denial of earned wages, confiscated passports, forced residence in inhumane labor camps, and the threat of deportation were they to leave their jobs or report the conditions they endured. Despite their collective disadvantage, these workers came together across industry and nationality to form the Alliance of Guestworkers for Dignity. Working together through organizing, impact litigation, and political protest, they have successfully mounted challenges against their particular employers, the exploitation of guestworkers generally, and Congressional expansion of the guestworker program.

Rosenbaum will discuss her work supporting the Alliance's guestworkers, including representing a group of more than 100 men trafficked from Mumbai, India to Pascagoula, Mississippi to work in shipyards on the false promise of permanent U.S. residency. In protest of the working conditions they faced in the United States and to raise awareness of other guestworker program abuses, these men recently marched from New Orleans to Washington, D.C., where they held an almost month-long hunger strike, bringing national attention to their cause. Rosenbaum will also consider the experience of the post-Katrina Gulf Coast and what its lessons suggest for the next phase of the national immigration debate.

Those of you who know JJ from her time in Nashville know that this will be a thoughtful and inspiring talk. I hope you will be able to attend.
Alistair E. Newbern
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
Vanderbilt University Law School
131 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 322-4964 (office)
(615) 343-6562 (fax)
alistair.e.newbern@vanderbilt.edu

Speaker Biography:
Jennifer J. Rosenbaum serves as counsel to the New Orleans Workers' Center For Racial Justice, where she provides legal support to workers organizing across race and industry in post-Katrina New Orleans and litigates the impact employment and civil rights claims that are central to the workers' grassroots campaigns.

Ms. Rosenbaum previously served as a staff attorney at the Immigrant Justice Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center and as a Skadden Fellow at Southern Migrant Legal Services, a project of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. Ms. Rosenbaum is the 2007 recipient of Harvard Law School's Gary Bellow Public ServiceAward and the 2005 recipient of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services' Riney Green Award. Ms. Rosenbaum clerked for the Honorable Thomas A.Wiseman '54, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Tennessee.

Palmer urges U.S. candidates to stop divisive rhetoric

Bishop Gregory V. Palmer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (UMNS)-The president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops has called for an end to "divisive and demeaning rhetoric" in the U.S. presidential race and urged the candidates instead to "honor the principles of fairness and accuracy" in their debates, advertisements and speeches.

"Public discourse, especially in this season of presidential elections, has often deteriorated into acrimonious, disrespectful and divisive rhetoric," Bishop Gregory V. Palmer wrote in an Oct. 14 pastoral letter to the candidates and the church.

"Such speech, in the interest of short-term political gain, will make it more difficult for the nation to unite to work together on the great challenges that face the United States and the world today."

Palmer urged the candidates and campaigns "to focus on the critical challenges that threaten the future of our nation and the world: poverty, war, racism, inequality of opportunity, the current financial crises, and terrorism in all its forms."

The letter was sent one day before Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama were scheduled to hold their third and final debate of the campaign on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. The letter also was being e-mailed to the two U.S. senators' presidential campaigns, according to a spokeswoman for the Council of Bishops.

"I believe that people of faith are called to speak out on these vital issues and to make sure that campaigns focus on what is vitally important to the American people and the world," Palmer said in an accompanying news release. "The people need to challenge the candidates to stop the insults. They don't improve our electoral process."

Palmer urged United Methodists and people of all faiths to pray daily for all candidates, voters and U.S. leaders and to urge local religious leaders and groups to circulate similar calls in their communities.

"It is my fervent prayer that whoever is elected the next President of the United States will receive respect and loyalty from all and will, through positive words and deeds that transcend party and perspective, help lead our nation and world into a more hopeful future," Palmer wrote in his letter.

The Council of Bishops is the top clergy body in the The United Methodist Church, which has more than 7.9 million members in the United States. Palmer, who oversees the church's Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference, began his one-year term as president in May.

*This story was based on a news release from the Council of Bishops.

The full text of Palmer's letter follows:

Oct. 14, 2008
An open letter to U.S. presidential candidates and the church

Public discourse, especially in this season of presidential elections, has often deteriorated into acrimonious, disrespectful and divisive rhetoric. Such speech, in the interest of short-term political gain, will make it more difficult for the nation to unite to work together on the great challenges that face the United States and the world today.

As bishops, we can call on people of faith to raise their voices to challenge all political parties and leaders to embrace a public discourse that is free of divisive and demeaning rhetoric. Respectful, principled, and vigorous debate on the issues which demand attention is the only way to move into a future that offers hope and solutions to our common problems.

Let us urge all the presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates and campaigns to focus on the critical challenges that threaten the future of our nation and the world: poverty, war, racism, inequality of opportunity, the current financial crises, and terrorism in all its forms.

It is my fervent prayer that whoever is elected the next President of the United States will receive respect and loyalty from all and will, through positive words and deeds that transcend party and perspective, help lead our nation and world into a more hopeful future.

Finally, I urge you to invite United Methodists and all people of faith to:
.Daily intercessory prayer for all candidates, voters and leaders in the U.S. "

.Urge local religious leaders and groups to develop and circulate similar calls similar to this in their communities,
.Circulate this message as widely as possible to local, state and national leaders and candidates in the U.S.,

.Urge the presidential and vice presidential candidates and their campaigns to commit themselves to conduct their debates, their advertisements and all their public speech in ways that honor the principles of fairness and accuracy.
Bishop Gregory V. Palmer President, United Methodist Council of Bishops

Women’s Division backs U.S. sex ed legislation

By Linda Bloom*

United Methodist Women's Division President Inelda González speaks at the organization's October meeting in Stamford, Conn., where members endorsed comprehensive sex education legislation in the U.S. Congress. UMNS photos by Cassandra Heller

United Methodist Women are supporting proposed U.S. legislation to fund comprehensive sex education at the state level.

Directors of the Women’s Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, endorsed REAL (the Responsible Education About Life Act) during the division’s Oct. 10-13 annual meeting.

The Women’s Division is the administrative arm of United Methodist Women. Inelda González of Harlingen, Texas, is the division president for the next four years.

"As people of faith, we believe it is a moral imperative to provide children and teens with all the information they need to make responsible and informed decisions about their health," said the adopted resolution on "Reproductive Freedom for All Women."

UMW members are urged to contact their congressional representatives and circulate petitions to voice support for the act, which is contained in Senate bill 972 and House bill 1653.

The legislation would provide $204 million in state funding for programs presenting "honest, medically accurate, complete, age-appropriate sex education," according to the Women’s Division resolution.

The Women’s Division resolution also calls for "access and availability of affordable birth control (including emergency contraception) and comprehensive family planning for every woman in consultation with her doctor, without interference from pharmacists or medical personnel."

The question was raised whether to include emergency contraception, popularly known as the "morning-after pill," but directors declined to discuss the issue and voted overwhelmingly for the resolution as written.

The RENEW Network, an evangelical renewal group focused on women in The United Methodist Church, is criticizing the division’s support for the REAL Act. In a statement issued Oct. 14, RENEW President Faye Short cited studies in favor of programs for sexual abstinence and expressed disappointment about the support of legislation "that emphasizes comprehensive sex education with little or no emphasis upon abstinence."

Julie Taylor, a Women’s Division executive, told United Methodist News Service that while federal money already had been allocated to state abstinence-only programs over the past eight years, the comprehensive nature of the REAL Act is "part of a step toward prevention" of unwanted pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Liza Kittle of RENEW condemned such sexual education programs for giving little attention to messages of abstinence and focusing more on "topics parents find offensive," ranging from masturbation to the use of condoms.

Taylor particularly noted the importance of education about condoms as protection against HIV infection and said that not talking about condoms in school could be akin "to signing a death warrant" for some teens.

Kittle, who attended the Women’s Division meeting, criticized the division for the lack of open discussion before the vote and for using a denominational focus on global health "to increase their activism with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

"The denomination’s membership in the coalition has aroused controversy, particularly in relation to the coalition’s pro-choice position on abortion. But continued membership of both the Women’s Division and United Methodist Board of Church and Society was reaffirmed last spring by the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body.

Taylor noted that the coalition represents a variety of viewpoints on reproductive issues and added that participation "gives us an opportunity to voice what our church’s stance is. Like all our coalitions, we don’t embrace everything the organization might do.

"Comprehensive sexuality education is a key concern for coalition members. "What we all agree is that it would be better not to have to get to that point (abortion)," she said.

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

Guilt Free Chocolate for Halloween

Boston, MA – Equal Exchange, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of the United Methodist Church have partnered to raise awareness about Fair Trade this Halloween.

Fairly traded products provide small-scale farmers a fair living wage and an opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty. The three organizations have created an educational resource to increase awareness of the UMCOR Coffee Project and the need to advocate with our wallets and voices for better working conditions and prices for cocoa farmers throughout the world.

Now, mini chocolates and trick-o-treat bags can be purchased at www.equalexchange.coop from the Equal Exchange Interfaith Store. Susan Burton, Director of the UM Seminar Program at the General Board of Church and Society, recalls, “After my 3 year old and I went trick-or-treating, I sorted her candy. I found a post card in her bag encouraging me to buy fair trade chocolate. I realized that was another way that I could put my faith into action and I wanted to make this opportunity available to United Methodists.” GBCS joined the partnership between UMCOR and Equal Exchange to encourage people of all ages to buy Fair Trade.

The continuing practice of forced child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa - where 70% of the world’s chocolate is sourced- has been a well documented problem. As an alternative, Fair Trade Certified cocoa is monitored – from the farmers to the store shelf – by independent, non-profit, certifying organizations. FLO International and TransFair USA guarantee that: No child labor or forced labor was used in the production of cocoa; the cocoa was bought directly from a democratically controlled cooperative of small scale farmers; and, the farmers are paid enough money to support their families with food, education and other essentials.

Global Poverty is one of the 4 focus areas of the United Methodist Church. This initiative offers United Methodists an opportunity to increase awareness of systems contributing to global poverty in their churches and beyond by handing out fair trade chocolate and a post card with additional information and resources to support fair trade products. Many local United Methodist Churches already serve Equal Exchange’s Fair Trade products because they recognize their ability to participate in ending the exploitation of child slave laborers on cocoa farms.

Support cocoa farmers, their families and children by purchasing fair trade chocolate for your church, family and friends through UMCOR’s 100-Ton Challenge (www.umcorcoffee.org) currently underway. This 12-month campaign that began on World Fair Trade Sunday on May 10, 2007, encourages United Methodists to support purchase of fair trade products from Equal Exchange through the UMCOR Coffee Project partnership. We hope that United Methodists will seize this opportunity and order chocolate and bags today and put their faith into action.

UMNS Commentary by The Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell Jr.: Urging respectfulness in an election year

Timeout!

It's a word I learned from my wife, a public school teacher for many years, used often with young children to bring order out of classroom chaos.

In the political chaos of presidential election years in the United States, particularly this year, all of us who love this nation might do well to cry, "TIMEOUT."

The Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell, Jr.

Regardless of our presidential choice, we seem too often to set aside reason, respect, rationality and responsibility. I wish all of us could remember Aretha Franklin's classic song "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"-and then put that verb into practice as we speak and write and campaign for our presidential choice.

Unfortunately, we have mastered the "two Ds." We seem to have developed the need to deify our candidate of choice, and to demonize the opposition. We are equal-opportunity practitioners as we do this-Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals and all those in between or beyond.

The demonizing of both liberals and conservatives has forced me to my dictionary. The first definition of liberal as an adjective is "not restricted, giving freely, generous." The first definition of conservative as an adjective is "conserving, tending to preserve established traditions or institutions." I would say of myself that, sometimes I am a conservative liberal and sometimes I am a liberal conservative. Yet, the same emotions at work when people denounced "the Communists" seem to exist today as some denounce liberals and conservatives. What happened to the "One America" that is a magnificent blend of the best of all traditions?"

Regardless of one's faith or no-faith tradition, there is wisdom in the sacred texts of religion. The New Testament book of James says: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak" (1:19) and "How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire." (3:5).

We condemn others for their inability to manage their anger. Yet, many who deplore physical violence in our society seem to have no qualms about engaging in verbal violence. In my lifetime, I have witnessed how verbal violence is often the prelude to physical violence. We who know that must demonstrate the ability to listen and develop the capacity to be careful, thoughtful and respectful in how we speak and write.

Four years ago, I became a grandfather for the first time. Now, as I speak and write, I am disciplined by the possibility that one day my grown granddaughter will hear about something I have said or read something I have written. If I am gone by then, I do not want her to ask her parents, "Why was Papa Cane so mean in what he said and what he wrote?"

As we look forward to Election Day on Nov. 4, we are called to be better than we have been by respecting ourselves, others and this nation we love.

* Caldwell of Asbury Park, N.J., is a retired clergy member of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference.

New commission aligns with areas of focus

Members of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race meet Sept. 25-28 in Linthicum Heights, Md. UMNS photos by John Coleman.

By John Coleman*

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md. (UMNS)--The agency charged with helping The United Methodist Church be more racially inclusive will increase its monitoring, advocacy and education efforts, while at the same time integrating that work into the churchwide focus on developing new congregations, new leaders, and new ministries to fight poverty and disease.

The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, meeting Sept. 25-28 to organize its new board of directors for 2009-2012, adjusted its year-old strategic plan to encompass the new emphases adopted by the denomination's legislative assembly in May.

The commission's strategic goals call for engaging more white partners in the fight against racism, facilitating the growth of multicultural leadership in the church, expanding its purview to address racism and ethnocentrism on a global scale, and promoting core values of justice and compassion around denominational concerns with racial/ethnic implications. Those concerns have included the need for more humane policies and practices in the treatment of undocumented immigrants and the elimination of sport mascots offensive to Native Americans.

Now the agency will also encourage more inclusiveness in the church's efforts to attract new and younger members through new faith communities, to develop new clergy and lay leadership, and to overcome poverty and fatal diseases through collaborative ministries. Part of that inclusiveness, for example, could mean more focus on addressing racial/ethnic disparities among people who suffer most from poverty, preventable diseases and inadequate health care.

Erin Hawkins, top executive, and the Rev. Bob Bushong of Florida discuss the agency’s agenda

"The destination for our journey and our mission is to reach the heart of the gospel and become the heart of the church," said top executive Erin Hawkins. Her keynote speech evoked the agency's 40th anniversary theme, "Journey to Inclusiveness."

"We are on a continuing quest to reach out and be a voice of advocacy and support for those who are still excluded and marginalized because of race and ethnicity," she said.

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

A UMNS Commentary by Jim Winkler*: The Bible vs. the gravy train of greed

There have been more limousines than usual on Capitol Hill over the past couple of weeks. No one wants to be left out of the big bailout for banks and financial institutions. A gravy train this long doesn't roll down the tracks very often, and everyone wants their share of the $700-plus billion that is expected to be doled out of the U.S. treasury in coming years.

Jim Winkler

As I travel across the United States, I always read local newspapers. This summer, as I traveled to the Minnesota and Kansas West annual conferences, the newspapers of America were filled with page after page of mortgage foreclosure notices. I fear we are in for difficult times.

Much of the focus so far has been on mortgage repayment problems. Next, though, problems are likely to emerge in car loans, credit-card debt and small-business loans.

The White House-organized initiative for homeowners facing foreclosure, Hope Now, routes callers to call centers in Phoenix and Spokane, Wash. Four percent of callers actually speak to housing counselors who negotiate with lenders to reduce a borrower's mortgage. Other callers receive advice on how to manage debt better. Hope Now is dominated by mortgage industry representatives unwilling to restructure loans for homeowners.

The U.S. secretary of the treasury and the chair of the Federal Reserve Board belatedly requested an immediate meeting with congressional leaders on Thursday night, Sept. 18, to describe the huge financial crisis facing the United States and the world. They proposed to spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out Wall Street and financial institutions that have been feeding greedily off the American people for years.

In return, Congress wanted to restrict executive salaries and to prevent homeowners being thrown out of their homes. The secretary of the treasury, Henry Paulson, was reportedly cool to those ideas.

Thrown to the wolves
The rescue of the rich is taking place right now. The rest of us are being thrown to the wolves.
And you can forget about the poor people outside the United States. The highest number of Americans ever - 28 million - are receiving food stamps.

Rock star activist Bono said, "It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street, and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

The wealthy have already benefited dramatically, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, in tax cuts voted for them by other rich people. The Bush administration and Congress are filled with millionaires who profit personally from tax cuts.

St. Luke reminds us, "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."

Thankfully, several years ago the scheme to derail the Social Security program and place the funds of taxpayers in the hands of Wall Street investment firms was defeated. Imagine the plight today if the retirement accounts of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens were in similar peril.

Untrammeled greed
Hundreds of billions of dollars have already been wasted on a war of aggression against the people of Iraq. The Taliban has regrouped in Afghanistan because the people of that country do not want a foreign military occupation of their land, and the current field commander is asking for more troops.

The scriptures repeatedly warn against the consequences of untrammeled greed and of nations determined to conquer and dominate other nations and peoples.

The psalmist in Psalm 72 promises that God "delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. God has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence God redeems their life; and precious is their blood in God's sight."

I pray we may summon the strength and will to help God and to restore wholeness and balance in our society.

*Winkler is top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington D.C.

Rising fuel prices force choice between gas, church

The rising cost of fuel is affecting discretionary travel of all kinds, including church attendance and participation in charitable activities. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose.

A UMNS Report By Linda Green*

Attendance is down, giving is down and the budget is low at both First United Methodist and Greens Creek United Methodist churches in Dublin, Texas.

"People have slacked off of coming to church and attending meetings due to high gas prices," says the Rev. Cathy Mordecai, the pastor of both congregations. The food pantry has given more assistance than before and members of the church and community are calling on the church to help pay household expenses. "We are struggling. People are having a time making ends meet," she says.

The two Texas churches are not the only ones affected by high gas prices. Many people across the country are choosing between putting gas in the car to attend church or putting food on the table.

"This is not good news for many of the ways we have currently come to understand and construct our lives and ministries as congregations, and particularly as worshiping communities," says the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of music resources at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. "It is a serious challenge and one we must begin seriously to engage."

United Methodists must remember that since the church is the body of Christ, "gathering in real time and at the same places, including for worship, is non-negotiable," he says.

Making trade-offs
Rising gas prices are prompting church members to make trade-offs, such as continuing to travel to church but reducing financial contributions, or attending church less often but continuing their current rate of contributions.

The trade-off also includes missing meetings, missing choir rehearsals, dropping out of choir, attending worship less frequently or finding a new church to attend that is closer to home, said Dean McIntyre, the agency's director of music resources.

The church is the body of Christ "wherever we are, wherever we go, wherever God sends us," Burton-Edwards says. This means that the members are not "only" the body of Christ when a large percentage of a congregation gathers for worship on Sunday morning.

"We are the body of Christ individually, in one-on-one conversations, in small groups, in larger groups, and in worshiping communities that gather as many of us at the same time at the same place as possible," he says.

While various types of digital media can help people communicate with one another, "we can't be together only in those ways and be fully the body of Christ we are called and made by God to be," he adds.

The impact of escalating costs is critical to people who have to drive long distances to attend worship, church meetings and other church-related activities.

Seminary students who are in the middle of performing fieldwork requirements at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology in Atlanta "are doing what needs to be done by being creative and cooperative," says Alice Rogers, Emory's director of contextual education and the teaching parish program. She had expected to hear complaints from the students about having to drive to their assignments, group meeting and classes, but the students have used ingenuity to get things done, she says.

In a personal reflection, McIntyre says he lives 15 miles from the church he attends, and during the week, he averages three roundtrips for worship, meetings and choir practice. The 90 miles per week equals $18.14 in gas. The cost would be much higher if a person drives an SUV, uses a higher grade of gas or makes more trips to the church during the week, he says.

His monthly gas cost for going to and from the church is approximately $75. Before the end of the summer, some people were paying $90 and above for gas that reached $5 per gallon, and in the early days of fall, gas shortages and higher prices took a toll on budgets.

"For some members of your church, $75 or $90 a month (or more) to go to church is a sizable amount of money, perhaps even enough to keep them from attending," McIntyre says.

Suggestions for coping
Speaking from the church musician's perspective, McIntyre offers choral and music directors suggestions to help ease the gasoline burdens for choir members.

He advises scheduling choir rehearsals on the same evenings, putting together as many rehearsals in one evening as possible and arranging a family style, catered meal. "Not a potluck," he says.

Another possibility is to arrange rehearsals before and after Sunday worship services, or have an extended worship service every other week. He suggests giving choirs a vacation and use soloists, instrumentalists and ensembles or others for worship services. Other considerations include carpooling for choir members who live in the same areas and asking parents to take a week carpooling children from school, to rehearsal and home, he says.

Churches are going to lose members unless they are "proactive about creating ways to strengthen their connections," Burton-Edwards says. He also notes that the discretionary funds people had to give to church, charities and non-profit organizations are decreasing. To compensate, churches will decrease expenses in areas not critical to mission and increase their mission areas.

Churches that financially depend on members who live far beyond the boundaries of the church's location will be seriously challenged, Burton-Edwards says. He advises churches to establish an electronic withdrawal system so people do not have to be in church to give. Or to "consider the possibility of returning to the ancient Christian and earlier Methodist model of collecting an offering in worship specifically for the poor each week, and in connection with Holy Communion, rather than or in addition to a weekly offering for the local and missional expenses of the congregation."

While rising gas prices are challenging daily lives, Burton-Edwards says, United Methodists should "respond with creativity, courage, and joy in the face of the opportunities for witness and service God will open before us in changed circumstances, and not cling fearfully and defensively to all of the ways we have known in our lifetimes until now."

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