Seashore Mission starts over with partnership
By Lisa Michiels*

The Revs. Sally Bevill and Elijah Mitchell greet worshippers arriving for the March 18 celebration of the new partnership of Beauvoir United Methodist Church and Seashore Mission Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of Mississippi United Methodist Advocate.

BILOXI, Miss. (UMNS) - Just in time for Easter, the Seashore Mission has new life on the Gulf Coast.

Clergy and lay members of the Seashore District gathered March 18 at Beauvoir United Methodist Church to celebrate new beginnings of ministry to displaced people.

Seashore Mission Church, on Howard Avenue in Biloxi, housed the United Methodist district's ministry to the homeless. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed its building and scattered its staff in 2005, the future of the mission's programming was uncertain.

"After the storm, a number of people began conversations about how to recover the ministry. We kept running into road blocks along the way until the conversations led to a partnership with Beauvoir United Methodist Church, giving the ministry of Seashore Mission a place to begin anew," said the Rev. Bill McAlilly, the area's district superintendent.

"To that end we have reappointed the Rev. Elijah Mitchell to Seashore Mission Church and as an associate to Beauvoir United Methodist Church. Beauvoir and Seashore Mission will join as a worshipping community," he said.

The mission church offered those seeking refuge a place to find food, shelter, a 12-step program, a general equivalency degree and discipleship classes for more than 15 years. Through partnerships with area businesses and other agencies, it also provided limited medical, legal and employment services. Prior to Katrina, it met the needs of 75 to 100 people a day.

In the 18 months since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, temporary housing and employment were found for the staff. Mitchell accepted an assignment with Mississippi United Methodist Disaster Response.

'God is the leader'
The original site of Seashore Mission Church presented challenges through the years, so the storm provided the board with an opportunity to seek property that could better serve the ministry's needs.

"Katrina may have destroyed the facility, but it did not destroy the spirit or the love of the ministry to God's precious souls," Mitchell said. "Our partnership with Beauvoir does not mean that we have given up our dream of a building to house and expand the ministry."

The partnership does offer a place of worship and an office space for Mitchell.

The Rev. Sally Bevill and the congregation of Beauvoir welcomed Mitchell and the members of the mission. Beauvoir has a history of community service and just recently was awarded the 2006-07 Community Partnership Award from "Hands On Gulf Coast."

Since Hurricane Katrina, the church has housed the Hands On service organization, and Bevill, the church's pastor, also serves as the conference Hispanic-Latino coordinator.

The shared ministry of Bevill and Mitchell presents an opportunity for expanded services to displaced people.

"We're not sure where it leads, but we are sure that God is the leader," Bevill said. "Katrina has showed us God makes beautiful and wonderful things out of disaster. I know what the past looks like and we can't change it, but we can look forward and make changes. I trust God to show us the way."

*Michiels is a correspondent for the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate, the newspaper of the Mississippi Annual Conference.

Black caucus joins Native American mascot fight

By John Coleman*

CLEVELAND (UMNS) - In keeping with its theme of "advocacy for empowerment," the black caucus of The United Methodist Church began its annual meeting advocating on a racism issue affecting another minority group: Native Americans.

The 40-year-old Black Methodists for Church Renewal is standing in solidarity with Native Americans regarding the use of Indian mascots by sport teams.

Officers of the caucus board met March 19 with an official of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland to voice concern about the name of the Cleveland Indians professional baseball team and its mascot, Chief Wahoo.

While team owners did not send a representative to the meeting, the delegation met with Dan Williams, the bureau's assistant director of sales. They discussed Resolution #131 in the United Methodist Book of Resolutions, which "rejects the use of Native American names and symbols for sport teams and considers the practice a blatant expression of racism."

The resolution, called "Respecting the Native American Legacy and Tradition," was passed by the 2004 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body. It calls on United Methodist-related organizations and institutions to avoid sponsoring meetings and events in cities that sponsor such team names and symbols, and to make public the church's concern for this issue.

Trustees of the University of Illinois recently bowed to pressure from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, which in 2005 barred sports teams with nicknames and symbols considered offensive to Native Americans from hosting or competing in its lucrative postseason tournaments. The regulatory body banned Chief Illiniwek, a controversial athletics program mascot, as a "hostile and abusive" image of American Indians.

In a March 21 statement read to the caucus by caucus President Cheryl Walker, the group reportedly was told by Williams that the Cleveland Indians organization is "moving to discontinue" use of the decades-old image of Chief Wahoo, a grinning, red-faced, large-nosed caricature of an Indian with a headband and feather, and to replace it with "a scripted letter I."

According to Walker, Williams said team owners are "in dialogue" about changing the team's name, but no decision or timetable has been determined.

Walker asked caucus members to "continue to pray and advocate for the Indians organization and other teams to change their hearts and remove all symbols and names demeaning to our Native American sisters and brothers."

"We commend black Methodists and people of all races who advocate with us on this painful issue," said Suanne Ware-Diaz of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race in an appeal to the National Black Staff Forum, which met prior to the caucus meeting. "We need you to stand with us in solidarity and give us your support."

Ware-Diaz, a Kiowa American Indian who relates to the church's Native American constituency, teamed with Chris Begay, a Navajo leader of the local Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance, to conduct a workshop during the caucus meeting on the issue of Native American team names and mascots.

"The significance of our being here is to raise our voice on this issue," said the Rev. Joseph Crawford, caucus treasurer, at the close of the workshop, "and I believe it can make a difference."

Crawford said the caucus' new strategic plan would include continuing advocacy on the mascot issue.

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

Author John Paul Lederach and Civil Rights Leader James Lawson to Speak at Peace Conference, April 11-13

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 5, 2007/GBOD/ -- The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and the JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation will co-sponsor “Imagination and Peacebuilding,” April 11-13, 2007 at The Upper Room in Jackson Hall Auditorium, located at 1908 Grand Ave., Nashville, Tenn.

Among those scheduled to participate are John Paul Lederach and the Rev. James Lawson.

John Paul Lederach

Lederach, (http://kroc.nd.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/lederach.shtml) author, professor and leader in the field of moral imagination, will give the keynote address at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 12 in Jackson Hall Auditorium.


“Imagination is the key missing ingredient in the church and the world in our responses to conflict. This conference is an opportunity for the community to understand the role of the imagination in peacebuilding and to develop practices that unleash our creativity as ministers of reconciliation," said the Rev. Thomas W. Porter, executive director of JUSTPEACE.


The Rev. James Lawson

United Methodist pastor and civil rights justice leader, will lead a plenary session on "Moral Imagination and Nonviolence" from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 12. http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/witnesses/james_lawson.html

“These powerful plenary leaders will help us explore with one another not only method and technique, but the art and soul of peacebuilding and conflict transformation, including metaphors and stories that can help us break free of destructive cycles of violence to imagine new possibilities,” says the Rev. Stephen Bryant, associate general secretary of GBOD and world editor of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.

The peacebuilding conference, which explores the role of imagination and the arts when engaging conflict, begins with registration at 4:00 p.m., April 11 and ends at 12 noon April 13.
The registration fee is $185. To register online visit http://justpeaceumc.org or e-mail justpeace@justpeaceumc.org.

JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation is a mission of The United Methodist Church to engage conflict constructively in ways that strive for justice, reconciliation, resource preservation and restoration of community in and through The United Methodist Church and with the Church universal to the world in which we live.

GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.

Faith groups explore insurance risk pooling

By Erik J. Alsgaard*

LAKELAND, Fla. (UMNS) - In a state where homeowners and churches have seen property insurance rates skyrocket, the governor and legislature are not the only ones trying to do something about it.

Led by representatives of the United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust (PACT) and the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, among others, several national faith groups have come together in recent months to explore catastrophic property insurance possibilities that would spread the risk and save money.

"The recent abnormal hurricane activity has changed the insurance environment, not only in Florida, but in every state with hurricane exposure," said Mickey Wilson, Florida Conference treasurer.

"The insurance industry is rethinking its prediction models and appetite for offering wind-storm coverage," he said. "This year there were fewer companies offering coverage in Florida and the Gulf states, and those still offering coverage were greatly refining and reducing the types of coverage offered. In short, we are in a seller's market and will be in one for an extended period of time."

Irene Howard, PACT's chief executive officer and former general counsel for the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church, said the interfaith effort is important, especially now.

"More than 10 percent of the local churches in the United Methodist community have coastal exposure," she said. "If we don't find a way to provide property insurance for that part of our connection, we won't be in ministry there in the future. That's not acceptable."

Nineteen United Methodist conferences are participating in PACT.

When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the insurance ministry proved to be a vital resource for the Mississippi Conference. "If it had not been for PACT, there would have been no way to work with the churches to handle their claims," said David Stotts, director of financial administration for the Mississippi Conference, in a 2006 interview with United Methodist News Service.

Spreading risk
Florida's new governor, Charlie Crist, signed a bill Jan. 25 that many expect will lower property insurance costs. The measure, passed by lawmakers in a special session, forces an immediate rate decrease for Florida's largest insurance company, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which was created by the state. The new law also cancelled a future rate increase.

The bill also seeks to lower rates by making more state backup insurance available to private insurance companies - in effect, having the state and its residents assume that risk.

Spreading risk is not just for homeowners. The Florida Conference in late December hosted a meeting with insurance and faith group representatives, seeking ways people of faith can work together to make insurance affordable.

"What we want to do is bring people together and simply ask the question, 'Is there a way for us to collaborate and spread the risk?'" said Peter Persuitti, a managing director of Arthur J. Gallagher's Religious Practice Group. Arthur J. Gallagher, according to its Web site, is the fourth largest insurance brokerage and risk management services firm in the world.

The idea is simple. When churches from disparate areas share the risk, insurance premiums go down. For example, churches in the Florida Conference do not share risks with churches in Okalahoma or Texas when it comes to tornadoes, or churches in California when it comes to earthquakes, and vice versa. By spreading the risk over more churches and more geography, the likelihood of a catastrophic disaster happening across a widespread area is minimized and premiums go down on a broader base of exposure.

In a 'crisis market'
The collaborative effort is in its early stages, according to Persuitti. Participants include national insurance programs of the Episcopalian and Presbyterian faith traditions, as well as Roman Catholic dioceses and archdioceses and the national United Methodist PACT, including the Florida Conference. If a feasibility study is approved, Persuitti said a next step would include gathering data to draw up a property location map and to run insurance models.

"When insurance is cheap, no one talks about pooling your resources," Persuitti said. "In a crisis market, it's different, and we're in a crisis market now. People are thirsting for alternatives."

Even though pooling resources sounds easy, it's not. During the Lakeland meeting in December, participants looked at such issues as who would pay what premiums, how much risk of potential loss is acceptable, how the structure would be organized to handle governance and administrative functions, and when coverage would become effective. Among the experts supporting this initiative are staff from the Insurance Services Office and its actuarial and catastrophic modeling divisions.

"Coming together around this issue just makes sense," Wilson said. He noted that Florida Conference churches are required to participate in the conference's insurance program, a measure approved by the annual conference itself. "The members of the Florida Conference are unique in their understanding of connectionalism and their commitment to each other."

For Wilson and others, the insurance issue strikes at the core of being a disciple of Jesus Christ: stewardship.

"We need a commitment from United Methodists and others," Howard said, "because it's not about today; it's about good stewardship and making sure we enable ministry in all parts of this connection now and in the future.

"It may take time to accumulate funds for this project, but if we are to protect our ministries long term, we must start now, working in collaboration with other denominations facing similar challenges. This is our common ground. Plus, we just think there's a more efficient way for nonprofits to finance risk."

*Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Conference. This story originally appeared in the conference's e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. Some information for this story came from Associated Press news reports.

The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network Shows Concern for Mining Practices

Hagerstown, Maryland—“Oh the West Virginia hills, how majestic and how grand,” words of the state song learned by every school child. Mountains are one of the unique features of the state. Yet, as members of The United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network learned that in some places the natural beauty of the mountains is being destroyed.

Meeting at Temple UMC in Beckley, West Virginia for its bi-annual meeting UMAMN members were exposed to the vastness of the practice of blasting off whole tops of mountains to expose the rich coal seams beneath. The aerial view of the breadth of mountain top mining was staggering. The destruction is indescribable. From the Stanley homestead on Kayford mountain the up close view of huge “dump trucks” moving loosened earth and dumping it in the “hollow” (valley) seemingly with no regard for the people, streams and rivers below nor the consequences for the future seemed obscene.

Mountaintop removal mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1000 feet off the tops of mountains in order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feed deep.

Some relief has been provided through a March 23, 2007 ruling by a federal judge in West Virginia who ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the law by issuing mountaintop removal mining permits that allowed headwater streams to be permanently buried.

The ruling will affect dozens of pending mining permits across Appalachia’s coals fields in West Virginia, Kentucky, southern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.

Reflecting on conversation with Larry Gibson whose family has refused to sell the mineral rights under their Kayford mountain homestead, one Network member said, “I was struck by the strong sense of family pride in Larry and his extended family. In spite of the fact that this narrow strip of land at the crest of the mountain was not 'prime farm land'—there was the sense that it was 'ours'—and nobody is about to tell the Stanley clan what they should do with it. It remains a tiny island in a sea of destruction. One has to wonder how long the family can hold out—or will even want to hold out after this generation is gone.” Another reflected, “To witness the destruction of God’s creation reminded me that we are to be stewards…we have failed to be good stewards of the mountain tops, the valleys, the rivers and streams and the people affected in West Virginia. May God forgive us for both what we have done and for what we have not done. May God empower us to be prophetic stewards of the mountains of West Virginia.”

Why should UMAMN be concerned about mining practices? Advocacy education for both public policy that affects communities in the Appalachian region as well as concern for developing and strengthening church leaders is one of the foci of the Network. All United Methodist need to know and understand the impact this type of natural resource extraction has not only on the immediate communities but on all of us as it feeds our energy needs. Coal fired power plants are one of the major contributors to mounting carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere creating climate warming across the world and emissions of mercury which concentrates in our waters. Every United Methodist needs to think about how their use of energy feeds the destruction resulting from this supposedly economical method to remove coal from the earth--a method that seems to put profit and production above care for creation and has resulted in fewer and fewer, although good paying jobs, in the coal mining industry.

During its meeting UMAMN also:
. heard a report from the Appalachian Assembly Planning Team. The Assembly will be held September 19-22, 2007 at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, NC. The featured educational element of the Assembly will be “Asset Mapping and Capacity Building, led by Luther K. Snow. Mr. Snow has over twenty-five years of experience in asset building in communities, congregations and faith-based organizations. The Assembly will also celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the organization’s recognition by General Conference as a coordinating body for United Methodist ministries in Appalachia.

· learned that Phase II of the strategic analysis project will be completed by mid-April. During May a survey will be distributed widely to seeking feedback to information collected during Listening Posts conducted in February and March.

· approved a Resolution on Immigration Reform that will be distributed to federal government and church bodies.

· approved grants from the Appalachia Hunger and Poverty Advance Special fund in the amount of $5,500 to two ministries addressing poverty in the region. Application deadline for the submitting grant applications for the fall is September 1.

· Received a report from Bishop Tom Bickerton, Chair, of an offer made to assist the Network in seeking a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.

For additional information contact: N. Sharon Leatherman, Executive Director,
Phone and Fax 301-791-7355
Email: umadc@aol.com
Website: www.gbgm-umc.org/appalachia

Pastor accepts once-rejected gay man as member
A UMNS Report By Linda Green*

The pastor of a Virginia United Methodist church has granted membership to the gay man whose 2005 denial of membership by the previous pastor prompted controversy across the denomination on the issues of homosexuality and pastoral authority.

During worship services on March 11 at South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church, the Rev. Barry Burkholder accepted the man's transfer of membership from a Baptist church to South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church.

The development follows a series of rulings related to the case, including one on pastoral authority, by the denomination's highest court.

"The Judicial Council's ruling says that the pastor of the church is the person in authority to determine whether an individual is ready to receive the vows of membership," Burkholder told United Methodist News Service.

"And having spoken with this individual and him having professed Christ as his savior, his belief that Jesus Christ died for his sins tells me that he is ready to receive the vows of membership."

The Rev. Edward H. Johnson had refused to receive the man into membership in 2005, saying the man would neither repent nor seek to live a lifestyle that does not include homosexuality.

The man has continued to worship at the South Hill Church and to participate in its music ministry. Meanwhile, Johnson since has been appointed pastor at Dahlgren (Va.) United Methodist Church.

Homosexuality and the church
Like many other Protestant denominations, The United Methodist Church has struggled with the issue of homosexuality for more than 30 years.

In its Book of Discipline, the church declares the practice to be "incompatible with Christian teaching." But while the church has proscriptions against ordination of "practicing" homosexual clergy and clergy conducting same-sex ceremonies in United Methodist churches, it has no specific law about church membership and homosexual practice.

The Virginia case is among several to bring issues related to homosexuality before the denomination's high court.

Johnson was placed on involuntary leave of absence in June 2005 by a vote of fellow clergy of the Virginia Annual Conference after he refused to receive the man into membership. Four months later, the nine-member Judicial Council ruled that United Methodist pastors have authority to decide who becomes a member of a local church and reinstated Johnson.

Specifically, the Judicial Council ruled that "the pastor in charge of a United Methodist church or charge is solely responsible for making the determination of a person's readiness to receive the vows of membership."

Burkholder said he based his decision to receive the man into membership on the council's ruling, the criteria for membership found in Paragraph 214 of the 2004 Book of Discipline and the invitation for membership found in the Service of Word and Table 1 of the United Methodist Hymnal.

"Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. This is my definition" (of membership), he said.

Following the close of the March 11 worship service, the man and two others who transferred membership that day were greeted by most of the church's members, according to Burkholder.

"A vast majority of the congregation came forward and warmly welcomed all three of these people into the life of the church," said the pastor, adding that he was "very gratified at seeing that."

Thoughts from the bishop
Burkholder said he made the decision to accept the man into membership because "that is what I was charged with doing when I was ordained." He said it is important to "understand that there has never been any coercion, there has never been any suggestion on the part of the bishop as to the action that I took here at the local church."

Bishop Charlene Kammerer, in an interview with United Methodist News Service, said she was unaware of the latest development until Burkholder contacted her afterward.

"So what this conveyed to me was that another United Methodist pastor in the Virginia. Conference - through his own getting to know the man and counseling with him spiritually and also with working with other leaders in the church - felt very comfortable inviting him to join," Kammerer said.

The congregation's continuing struggle with the issue and its spiritual discernment "helped the new pastor be clear in issuing the invitation," she said.

Bishop Charlene Kammerer

The congregation and its pastor have taken a "very courageous step," she said. She added that she could not imagine what kind of courage it has taken for the man "to continue to be an active participant as a baptized Christian in this congregation where he had been clearly rejected and set apart."

"I thank God for the ways that I believe that Christ is continuing to work in his life," she said.

Ongoing dialogue
The Judicial Council ruling on the Virginia case was the subject of a denominational consultation last February in Nashville, Tenn., where pastors, bishops, theologians, seminary deans and denominational staff gathered to discuss its implications. The consultation focused on the nature, practice and integrity of the church's leadership.

While the ruling uncovered conflicts in church membership criteria, ecclesiology and the authority given to pastors, church leaders expect the issues will continue to be debated across United Methodism.

"What has happened here in the same congregation is that one pastor made a decision and another pastor made a different decision," Kammerer said.

She singled out the South Hill church as a "local congregation who has struggled mightily to understand the meaning of membership and what really has happened to them and particularly to the man in this journey."

The bishop said there are members of South Hill who disapprove of the man's lifestyle and sexual orientation, but "these same members would not exclude him from membership in The United Methodist Church based on that reality alone."

She said it is her hope and prayer "that no United Methodist pastor would use discretion to bar anyone from membership in The United Methodist Church."

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

Rev. Dr. Jeffery L. Tribble, Sr. to Lecture at Martin Methodist College as Series of Events on Race Relations and the Church Concludes

Rev. Dr. Jeffery L. Tribble, Sr. will be the distinguished speaker at the final lecture in a series of events for Martin Methodist College’s 2006-2007 academic year dealing with race relations and the Church. Dr. Tribble will speak about race relations and the Church from a Pan-Methodist perspective. The title of his presentation is: “Journeying Together in Christ Though Divided by Race.”

The lectures will be presented on Monday April 9, and Tuesday April 10, 7:00 p.m. in the Gallery of Colonial Hall, on the campus of Martin Methodist College. The event is free and open to all.

During the 2006-07 academic year, the Leadership Development Team, a group of students interested in leadership in The United Methodist Church, worshipped at Gordon Memorial UMC, Nashville; retraced the steps of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma and Montgomery, AL; and welcomed Bishop Woodie White, for a campus wide convocation on Religion and Race.


About our guest: Rev. Dr. Jeffery L. Tribble, Sr.

Reverend Dr. Jeffery L. Tribble, Sr. is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Among other academic accomplishments, he has completed the Black Ministers’ Certificate Program at Hartford Seminary, a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Religion and Theology from the Joint Program of Northwestern University and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Dr. Tribble is an ordained elder in the AME Zion Church. He has served the Church in many capacities; he is presently a member of the ministerial and musical staff of Greater Walters AME Zion Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Tribble serves as Assistant Professor of Congregational Leadership and the Director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He is the author of Transformative Pastoral Leadership in the Black Church, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2005 as a part of its series in Black Religion, Womanist Thought, and Social Justice. He is also the author of Joining Jesus: A Class Manual for Initiation into Christian Discipleship and Welcome into the A.M.E. Zion Church, published by the Christian Education Department of the AME Zion Church in 2006.

Dr. Tribble’s ecumenical work includes his current membership on the United Methodist Publishing House Board of Directors as Pan-Methodist representative (2001-2008).

Dr. Tribble is married to the Rev. Cherlyn Washington Tribble. They are the proud parents of one son, Jeffery Tribble, Jr., an undergraduate student at Howard University.

United Methodists target 'clean sweep' on Earth Day

By Greg Peterson*

MARQUETTE, Mich. (UMNS) - For the third straight year, thousands of northern Michigan United Methodists are being asked to protect the planet by participating in a hazardous materials clean sweep on Earth Day.

This year, the target is out-of-date and unwanted pharmaceuticals.

Upper Peninsula United Methodists are part of an environmental army that includes the vast majority of the northern Michigan religious community, university students, several environmental groups and an American Indian tribe. The previous two clean sweeps collected almost 400 tons of hazardous waste for recycling or proper disposal.

Collecting old medicines will not require a lot of heavy lifting, according to the Rev. Grant Lobb, Marquette District superintendent for The United Methodist Church, "but the result will be cleaner rivers, streams, lakes and tap water for all."

For Lobb, the clean sweep is much more personal this year. "I learned recently that I am going to be a grandfather," he explained. "May our efforts help in providing a clean, healthy future for my grandchild's entire generation."

Common concern
The third annual Earth Keeper Clean Sweep on April 21 is sponsored by nine faith communities with 130,000 members - about 40 percent of Upper Peninsula residents - along with the Superior Watershed Partnership, the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC).

"I am so pleased that the United Methodists in Northern Michigan can once again join with other faith communities and concerned citizens of all ages by putting our words into action in the constant fight against pollution," said Lobb.

KBIC Tribal Council President Susan LaFernier is asking all tribe members to join fellow residents in dropping off old or unwanted pharmaceuticals.

"We are all responsible for taking care of the precious environment that has been given to us from our Creator," said LaFernier, a long-time member of the 175-year-old Zeba Indian Mission United Methodist Church.

The proud great-great-granddaughter of a Methodist missionary during the 1800s, LaFernier said the Earth Keeper Initiative has forged a stronger bond between the tribe and religious communities. Besides United Methodists, the other faith communities are Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish and Zen Buddhist.

"The stories about deformed frogs or abnormalities in fish ought to really trouble us," said the Rev. Charlie West, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Marquette and project director of the first clean sweep. "These chemicals just keep building up in our environment. It's nice that the churches are helping keep some of them out of the water."

Targeting medicines
Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership, says this year's clean sweep is targeting medicines because trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are turning up in America's drinking water. Most water treatment plants are not designed to filter out these medications, he said.

When pills or liquid medicines are poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet, they remain diluted in the water supply after treatment and these trace amounts are suspected of causing a range of health problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

"As leftover and waste pharmaceuticals get flushed down drains, research is showing that they are increasingly being detected in our lakes and rivers at levels that could be causing harm to the environment and ecosystem," said Elizabeth LaPlante, senior manager for the EPA Great Lakes National Programs Office in Chicago.

"Specifically, reproductive and development problems in aquatic species, hormonal disruption and antibiotic resistance are some concerns associated with pharmaceuticals in our wastewater," she explained.

The 2007 clean sweep is backed by many pharmacists and numerous law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Michigan Sheriff's Association.

Pharmacists and law enforcement officers will be present on April 21 at all collection sites, which will be open from 9 a.m. to noon local time, to ensure security and proper collection of the pharmaceuticals, according to Lindquist.

For a complete list of participating communities and Earth Keeper collection sites, visit www.superiorwatersheds.org and click on Earth Keepers. For more information, call the Superior Watershed Partnership at (906) 228-6095 or e-mail earthkeeper@charter.net.

*Peterson is a local news reporter and volunteer media adviser for Earth Keeper.

Urban ministry survey cites need for training, support

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - United Methodists are committed to urban ministry but want more training on how to provide that ministry.

They also want more networking opportunities so that those ministering to urban neighborhoods can learn from and support one another.

Such were key findings of a denominational survey conducted during the winter, with 808 local churches and 20 United Methodist bishops responding.

Christ Church in downtown New York City is among many United Methodist churches working to minister to urban areas. A new denominational survey reveals a need for more training to better serve urban congregations and ministries. A UMNS photo by John Goodwin.

Called "Shaping the Future of Urban Ministry," the survey was conducted by the Office of Urban Ministry, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, and the related National Urban Strategy Council, with assistance from the denomination's Board of Discipleship.

The results will be used in a revised and refined urban ministry plan tentatively called "Holy Boldness: Pathways to Transformation" for presentation to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body.

Diane Johnson, staff executive for the Office of Urban Ministry, said many respondents expressed hope for the future of their congregations and dedication to their church neighborhoods. She sees a need "to continue to train around community assessments."

Of the 808 local church respondents, 57 percent were clergy and 43 percent lay. Responses were fairly evenly divided between men (54 percent) and women (46 percent). A separate survey was sent to United Methodist bishops.

The changing face of urban churches
Just over half of the respondents described their church as an "urban congregation in a neighborhood with a changing population." The majority were churches in a city of more than 100,000 people.

"We are very unlike our neighborhood, even though many live within eight to 10 blocks of the church," one respondent explained. "Many post-World War II homes are being sold for the first time in decades. Our average age is over 70 … (and the) average age of the community is 36-37 (years)."

Congregations were described as primarily Euro-American, 46 percent; multicultural, 16 percent; African-American, 14 percent; Asian-American, 2 percent; and Latino/Hispanic, 2 percent. Less than 1 percent were Native American and 19 percent did not specify their congregation's ethnic characteristics.

One church respondent noted attempts to reach out to new populations in the neighborhood, writing that "we have seen an increase in Mandarin-speaking members of the community and are developing a Mandarin-speaking ministry."

Most churches reported having space for worship, social events and community-based activities, with "talented members" and good community relations. At least half said their congregations also have a commitment to justice, spirit of compassion for and with marginalized communities, and a willingness to change ineffective patterns of ministry.

Training needs
Respondents cited the need for training to set up strategic plans, gain a better understanding of urban theology and urban evangelism, and learn how to transition from a homogenous congregation to a heterogeneous, multicultural one.

"We are located on a boundary line between the stable community whose people have built and maintained the church over the past 40-plus years and a very ethnically-culturally-economically mixed community," one respondent wrote. "We are trying to reach people on both sides of the boundary."

Johnson perceives that some churches do not know how to access resources related to urban theology. Others have done strategic planning but "still haven't been able to make progress in their ministry," indicating a need for assistance on how to execute their plans.

The survey results show a desire to network more closely with others in urban ministry.
One church, for example, is "in an ideal location to become a strong multicultural congregation" and is working to achieve that despite financial pressures and no models of intentional multicultural congregations in its conference.

"I believe that in urban centers where United Methodist congregations are in close proximity to each other, a cooperative parish-style ministry would be highly effective," one respondent suggested.

Assets for the future
Space is a tangible asset and respondents expressed a willingness to use their facilities for community-based activities. They also count their faith and Wesleyan heritage as assets.

"While many of our members are young, poor and financially stressed, we do have dedication and desire on our side," one respondent wrote. "We also have some good relationships with local leaders and partnerships that help us to carry out the ministries that we could not afford."

More than half believe their congregations have a promising future, but others say that future depends on leadership or working more cooperatively with other congregations.

"I'm not sure that the congregation I currently serve really wants to last past its current generation," one pastor wrote.

Others were more positive. "We grow because we're real and we're a church that needs people who want to do something meaningful," wrote another. "Our population is messy, our worship is a bit messy and a bit formal and everyone is responsible. We spend very little on looking good."

The 20 bishops who completed the survey also stressed the need for training, along with mentors or coaches for pastors and other church leaders. Assistance in strategic planning would help urban churches be more creative in their ministry, they believe.

Though most urban churches are in decline, the bishops expressed a desire for new urban churches, along with the need for funding to pay for capital improvements.

Support and commitment
Lay and clergy respondents made it clear they need the support of their conferences and the denomination as a whole.

"A commitment must be made by the denomination that urban ministry is important. The congregations do not need more information; they need action," one respondent wrote.

"I know God has not left the city," another respondent declared. "The spirit in our people as they come to trust God is so strong. They need some way to know in a larger way that the church stands with them and for them, as the incarnation of Jesus stand with them."

The denomination's previous urban ministry plan was approved by the 1996 General Conference and reaffirmed in 2000. "It was time for us to continue to add to it," Johnson said. "We're really excited about this plan because it has goals and action steps."

For more information, contact Johnson by e-mail at dhjohnson@gbgm-umc.org.

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

Methodists swap stories of fearless women of faith

By Marta W. Aldrich*

Stories of Methodist women of faith across the generations are exchanged and celebrated during the "Struggle, Faith and Vision" conference at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn. UMNS photos by Maile Bradfield.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - A tiny, working-class woman in a plain brown dress, Mary Nind had a titanic faith and a genuine call to testify after God led her and her five children through the Civil War while her husband fought as a Union soldier.

When her congregational church threatened Nind with expulsion for speaking aloud about her deepening experiences of God's grace, she joined the Methodists of St. Charles, Ill., where a friend told her "there is more liberty for women to exercise their gifts."

That change had "profound implications for the next century of Methodism" - and Nind's subsequent ministry reflects the rich heritage of women's impact on Methodism and social reforms in the United States and the world, according to Dana Robert, a professor at Boston University School of Theology.

Nind's story is one of dozens shared March 9-11 about women in Methodism at a conference called "Struggle, Faith and Vision: Celebrating Women in the United Methodist Tradition," held at Scarritt-Bennett Center, where a new research library is dedicated to the study of organized lay women in mission in the Methodist tradition.

Conscience of Methodism
Conference participants celebrated women throughout generations as the conscience of Methodism and the prophetic voice of the church - whether called to ministry as clergy or lay people and despite the obstacles of poverty and prejudice.

However, they worried The United Methodist Church may lose that conscience if the stories and struggles of outstanding church women are not remembered and passed down to inspire future generations of women.

"We've got to be more intentional about nurturing the next generation," said Robert, who gave the opening address to the conference.

According to Robert, Methodist women in ministry have been effective historically because of their authentic relationship with Jesus Christ - and often in spite of a church organizational structure that did not recognize their right to preach until 1956.

"… The essence of our identity lies not in structures, or ordination status, or the Book of Discipline, or race, or wealth, or nationality, but in the continuity of testimony from the earliest days of Methodism in England, to the United States, and to world Methodism in the 21st Century," she said.

Such testimonies are consistent with the biblical accounts of women who "were the last at the tomb and the first to witness to the resurrection," she said. "Didn't the Samaritan woman, Mary Magdalene, Phoebe, Dorcas, Priscilla and other followers of Christ act as evangelists, teachers and church leaders?"

Stories of faith
In her opening address, Robert described Mary Nind as a lay woman who insisted on giving a testimony that grew out of her struggle as an impoverished single parent during wartime. Nind became the organizer of women's mission societies throughout the western United States, traveling by train, stagecoach and foot and speaking in camp meetings, revivals and churches. In 1877 alone, she traveled 7,000 miles and was home only 15 weeks.

But in 1888, despite receiving the most votes from the Minnesota Annual Conference to attend General Conference, Nind sat out when the church's highest lawmaking body refused to seat women. She continued to travel and speak out on social justice issues including liquor, women's rights and foot-binding.

The story of Dr. Louise Branscomb, a physician in Birmingham, Ala., was also shared. A Methodist lay woman active in the church at the local, national and international levels from the 1950s to the 1980s, Branscomb was outspoken on issues of race, women's rights and laity rights.

"She was tenacious, articulate and fearless," said Norma Taylor Mitchell, professor emerita of history at Troy University. "And it was not easy for her as a woman in both the field of medicine and as a lay person in The United Methodist Church. Louise was really hated by many Methodists in Birmingham. They regarded her as a troublemaker."

Long overdue
The church's last women's history conference, held in 1980 in Cincinnati, was sponsored by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History and was the first to focus on the heritage of women in a major U.S. denomination. Papers and books produced out of the conference became the foundation for Methodist women's history in the church.

"It's been 27 years since the last one, and this is long overdue," said Mitchell, who helped to organize the Cincinnati gathering. "Anybody who goes to church every Sunday knows that women in the Methodist tradition are extremely central to the life of the church at every level. We need to keep alive scholarly exploration of women's history within a religious tradition."

Mitchell said the church historically has invested little time and resources in scholarly research about Methodist women. "We lax back into male domination very quickly if some group isn't intentional in seeing that women have a voice both historically and in the present," she said.

About 100 scholars, church leaders, students and others attended the Nashville event, which was sponsored by Scarritt-Bennett in partnership with Middle Tennessee State University's Department of History.

"This gathering needed to happen because we have a lot of new thought and new names and new faces and we want to expand the base of interest and passion for women's history in the church," said the Rev. H. Sharon Howell, president of Scarritt-Bennett.

New library
The conference opened in conjunction with the dedication of the Virginia Davis Laskey Research Library. Named for a former director of the church's Woman's Division of Christian Service, the library includes the minutes, publications and other historic documents of organized societies of lay women for mission; mission work told through the journals and personal writings of women missionaries; the mission and study publications of the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries; and personal papers from women leaders in the United Methodist tradition.

"I've always said … that the lay women's organizations do the best mission studies of anybody I know," said Howell. "… I think the same has been true of the way in which they have been on the cutting edge of most of the justice issues, not only in the United States but in the world.

"For some reason, we seem to be at a moment in our culture where we have kind of lost some of those courageous voices. The Scarritt-Bennett Center will be one of those places where education and empowerment of women continues and those prophetic voices are nurtured."

Strength in education
Conference participants heralded a Methodist emphasis on education as having profound implications for women in the church, noting that by the late 1800s, Methodists had founded more co-educational academies, schools and colleges than any other denomination in the United States. That impact continues today.

"When I travel in Africa, I can often recognize Methodist women because of their confidence that in Christ they are equal to men, and they attribute their educations to Methodism," said Robert. "Grachel Machel, for example, former first lady of Mozambique and wife of Nelson Mandela, has often said publicly that her Methodist education trained her for leadership that helped Mozambique to move beyond Portuguese colonialism."

The Scarritt-Bennett conference was part of the church's continuing education.

"It's been a real eye-opener," said Lisa Fagerstrom, 47, who attends Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Mass. "It makes me proud to be a Methodist."

Amy Beth Hougland, a student at Duke Divinity School, said hearing the stories of other Methodist women strengthened her own desire to be ordained in The United Methodist Church.

"I don't take for granted the women who paved the way for me to do that," said Hougland, 36.

"These stories connect us through the years and form who we are as women in the Methodist tradition."

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service

Church attorney: Keep politics out of the pulpit

A UMNS Report By Linda Green*

As election season intensifies and politicians line up at the church door to shake hands and stump for their campaigns, an attorney for The United Methodist Church advises churches and clergy against endorsing or opposing candidates for elected office.

Jim Allen, general counsel of the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration

"Churches should take stands on appropriate issues, but it cannot be a substantial part of their ministry," said Jim Allen, general counsel of the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration.

In the United States, candidates from all political parties often are seen in pulpits or at church functions delivering their messages or seeking endorsements.

However, after investigating numerous complaints of inappropriate political activity by nonprofits during the 2004 presidential campaign, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has stepped up efforts to enforce laws that limit churches and charities from involvement in partisan campaigns.

In 2005, the IRS began warning churches and nonprofits that political campaign activism could endanger their tax-exempt status.

The tax agency unveiled its Political Activity Compliance Initiative to expedite investigation of claims of improper campaigning in churches. Thus, the IRS no longer is waiting to probe a church's activities after it files an annual tax return or for the end of a tax year. A three-member committee reviews complaints and votes whether to investigate.

Tax Code enforcement
The restriction for churches engaging in political activism is not based on the First Amendment clause that is the basis for separation of church and state, but rather the result of a 1954 Tax Code provision championed by then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon Johnson as a way to stop political rivals from using nonprofits to campaign against him. The restriction has been amended to ban opposing political candidates as well.

In the early years, the IRS did not seriously enforce the provision but periodically issued guidelines for churches and political activity.

The 2006 IRS guide is designed to clearly define the role that churches, hospitals, universities and other entities can play in political matters. It states the rules are "not intended to restrict free expression on political matters" by organizational leaders who speak for themselves as long as they say that they are not speaking in behalf of their group.

The guide also makes clear that, under 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, violating such prohibitions "may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes" - issues of obvious importance to churches and other charitable organizations.

"The mission of our church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ," said Allen. "We try to maximize the church's resources to fulfill our mission, and one way we do that is by legally minimizing our income tax burden."

What's allowed, what's not
Allen said clergy should avoid political activism from the pulpit. "My first piece of advice would be to not invite candidates to speak in the pulpit, if the church is in the United States," he said.
Any statement interpreted as either endorsing or opposing a candidate is against IRS guidelines, regardless of whether a name is mentioned. For instance, a pastor declaring that "all good Christians should go to the polls and vote for the Christian candidate" would be improper if one candidate is known to be a Christian and the other is not, he said.

The prohibition extends beyond the pulpit into other church-sponsored events. "It does not matter if the activity is in the pulpit, fellowship hall, the vestibule or newsletter," he said. "It also does not matter whether the person doing or permitting the endorsement on behalf of the church is the pastor or a member."

Churches and tax-exempt organizations can hold voter education activities, including public forums and publishing voter education guides, if conducted in a nonpartisan manner. They also may encourage people to register to vote in a nonpartisan manner.

The guide cautions churches and nonprofits about their use of the World Wide Web as well. "If an organization posts something on its Web site that favors or opposes a candidate for public office, the organization will be treated the same as if it distributed printed material, oral statements or broadcasts that favored or opposed a candidate," the guide states.

The same is true for any links listed on a church Web site, even if the church has no control over the content of the linked site. A church is responsible for the consequences of establishing and maintaining that link and may reduce its risk by monitoring the linked content and adjusting the links accordingly.

The church's stance
The United Methodist Church's stance on political activism can be found in its Social Principles and its Book of Resolutions.

The Social Principles speak to human issues in the contemporary world from a political and theological foundation. Its section called "The Political Community" says the church must hold governments responsible for protecting the rights of people to fair and free elections. It also says the church should continually "exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and program that are unjust."

The Book of Resolutions addresses a wide range of social issues and concerns and says churches have the right and duty to speak and act corporately on matters of pubic policy involving basic moral or ethical issues and questions.

In the wake of the divisive 2004 elections, many Christian leaders expressed that the church must guard its autonomy in political matters so as not to distract from its primary mission of proclaiming Jesus Christ to the world, making disciples and serving as an agent of love, peace and forgiveness.

Allen advises churches to understand clearly the IRS guidelines and even to seek legal counsel when faced with issues that could violate those guidelines.

Also, while no United Methodist church has had its tax-exempt status revoked, the pastor and elected local church leadership should respond quickly to any complaint of inappropriate political activism.

Allen acknowledges that it is a difficult tightrope to walk, but an important one - both for the purposes of following U.S. law and staying true to the church's core mission.

"Churches should take stands on appropriate issues, but that should be an insubstantial part of their ministry," he said.

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

Consider contacting your elected state officials and supporting a small increase in per child funding for care of low income children

Many church and other not-for-profit childcare providers provide essential care for low income children at a vital developmental time in their lives. However, the increasing cost of providing quality care and meeting strict regulations is making it difficult for them to continue to do so with current per child funding from the State of Tennessee.

Please read the information below and consider contacting your elected state officials and supporting a small increase in per child funding for care of low income children.

You can find your elected officials with links to their contact information by entering your home address at http://www.umc-gbcs.org/siteapps/advocacy/search.aspx?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=475829

Thanks!

Rev. Jason Brock
Dir. Love and Justice,
Cood. Disaster Response


Sample Letter

Sen. ___________________

Please support low income children and families in Tennessee by lending support to the appropriations amendment proposed by DHS to increase Families First/DHS per child funding of child care certificates (increase to 45th percentile of current market rate per child).

This vital issue to the well being and developmental potential of Tennessee’s children is currently being considered by the Senate Finance, Ways and Means. I have included more complete information on this issue below, provided by a coalition of not-for-profit providers who recently met with Gov. Bredesen and the DHS Commissioner.

Name
Address
Phone number
Email


Infant Care Community Task Force

The Infant Care Community Task Force is a group representing not-for-profit early child care providers, community volunteers, and other community agencies concerned about the need for quality infant and toddler child care slots for low income families.

Here are points we wish you to consider regarding our suggestion to amend the Department of Human Services’ budget to include an increase in State funding for child care certificates.

Key Points:

1. We support an increase in State funding for child care certificates (child care support for Families First recipients through child care block grant and the Department of Human Services.)

+Infant and toddler waiting lists are at an all time high
+Some agencies providing infant and toddler care have already had to severely restrict and/or terminate the availability of services for those agencies to remain financially viable.
+Costs have risen and the value of certificates has declined substantially relative to market charges for care.
+DHS has recommended an increase in State funding - $14.5 million; the Governor is considering supporting an appropriations amendment to include funding to raise certificates for low-income families based. This sum would raise the certificates for child care to 45th percentile of the current market.

2. We support the development of the whole child from 0 – 5 years

+The Governor’s expansion of Pre-K classrooms across the State is an integral part of this development
+Bio-medical research shows that the “hard-wiring” of a child’s brain occurs between 0-3 years of age. During this time the brain develops critical pathways for learning, including language and social development.
+Longitudinal studies support that at-risk children who receive quality child care from the beginning of their lives are more likely to graduate from high school, obtain gainful employment and not enter the justice system as compared to those who do not.

3. We support the economic return to business and society as a whole which quality early child care produces

+New parents who are unable to find affordable quality child care may turn to informal care givers, either family or someone in the neighborhood. This care is often unreliable. This in turn may lead to new parents’ absenteeism from work and eventually needing to leave their jobs. Businesses feel the impact in loss of employee productivity and potential turnover. Meeting child care needs will also help the State meet Workforce Development goals to reduce the numbers on Families First assistance.

Lent Television Campaign Starts Today: New Commercial Focuses on Self-Discovery

NASHVILLE - A new television message entitled “Finding Yourself” recognizes that what people show on the outside is not always what is happening in our hearts.

The commercial is the latest component of The United Methodist Church’s “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.” media campaign, and airs for the first time today.

“Through this commercial, we are encouraging people to find themselves as they show others what’s really going on inside. In doing so, they can find a path to God within a loving community – the people of The United Methodist Church,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications.

The commercial features various people exhibiting one face to the outside world, but wearing a screen that functions as a window to their hearts and shows what they are really feeling.
The national ad campaign will run now through Easter on the following cable networks: BET, CNN, Animal Planet, CNBC, Hallmark, CNN Headline News, HGTV, MSNBC, Oxygen, SciFi, TBS, TVLand, USA, the Food Network, and the Weather Channel. The commercial will air 963 times at a cost of nearly $1.5 million and is expected to reach 55 million adults 25-54 years of age.

Designed to appeal to thoughtful, intentional spiritual “seekers” 25-54 years old, the advertising spot provides the basic theme, illustrated in various ways, for complementary advertising for radio, print, outdoor and other media.

The commercial and all related collateral pieces are available free at www.IgnitingMinistry.org . United Methodist Communications offers $1 million in matching funds annually to local churches, districts and conferences to aid in community advertising efforts.

The “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.” campaign, now in its seventh year, was designed to raise awareness of The United Methodist Church.

Discipleship University to train church leaders

By Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The discipleship agency of The United Methodist Church will open a "Discipleship University" this fall to instruct teams of pastors and lay members on ways to revitalize their local congregations.

A part-time, two-year learning experience, the school will launch in October in the board's Nashville headquarters as part of the agency's efforts to renew existing churches and help leaders of those congregations be more effective in their ministries, said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, the agency's top executive.

"Discipleship University, a groundbreaking new initiative, will directly address the leadership needs of today's changing church," Greenwaldt said in her "state of the board" address.

The initiative was announced during a March 14-17 meeting in Nashville of the governing members of the Board of Discipleship, whose primary purpose is to help annual conferences, districts and local churches to win disciples to Jesus Christ and to help those new Christians grow in their own discipleship.

Greenwaldt said the board continuously searches for "ways to engage the peoples of the world with deep resources of Christian faith and practice. Our work continues to deepen and to change" and "our initiatives focus on the clarion call in the church for effective leaders who will lead vital and vibrant churches."

Bettering the community, growing the church
The Rev. Vance P. Ross, a staff executive who will be dean of the university, told United Methodist New Service he envisions the university as a place for people to "learn how to become a disciple-making congregation for the betterment of their community and growth of their church."

Just as college and university students study and learn in a higher education setting, enrollees in Discipleship University will come to Nashville to study discipleship in an academic setting at the board's headquarters and at nearby Scarritt-Bennett Center.

Ross said formational experiences will help teams of pastors and lay members examine identity, mission, vision, values and implementation.

Helping teams determine their local church identity is an important part, he said, because people often mistake "the church as being the place you go rather than the thing you live" or a "club where people are exclusive members rather than the body of Christ where we are including members."

Ross said leaders of each church must have a sense of who they are in the body of Christ and their distinct vision for ministry in that community.

Curriculum and learning
Pastor and laity teams will commit for two-year periods of accountability to learn, study, practice, worship, pray and build ministry plans.

Agency staff members, with assistance from consultants, will serve as faculty to instruct about:

+Worship as central to the life of the body of Christ
+Evangelism
+Mentoring of young people
+Small groups and Sunday School as the binding agent of faith formation, practice and accountability
+Spiritual leadership development of clergy and laity
+Stewardship of life, call and gifts

"Interwoven through each of these tracks will be the practice of the Wesleyan means of grace and the understanding of the church's basic evangelistic task of reaching out to engage the peoples of the world," Greenwaldt said.

Ross said the common thread running throughout all Discipleship University curricula is "that we are called to make disciples of Jesus to change the world … to help people become change agents in spirit, in home, in community, in their state, nation and the world. We want love to take over."

The board is doing a "new thing to make a new and different church," Ross said. "God's church can change this world … and Discipleship University will be critical and pivotal to that change."

In a presentation to the board's governing members, Carol Krau, an agency staff member and university department chairwoman, defined the university as an "organized system" to help local church teams experience "the use of specific practices for producing followers of Jesus."

The school will combine theory and Wesleyan heritage with an emphasis on practical application in today's context using Exodus 3 - the story of Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush - as the centerpiece.

The burning bush is an opportunity "to see where God is active in the world and where we can pay attention and be a part of God's work in the world," said Krau. Just as the burning bush was on fire but not consumed, this initiative "wants people to be on fire but not be burned out" while making disciples for the transformation of the world.

Bishop D. Max Whitfield, of the Northwest Texas and New Mexico annual conferences, expressed excitement about Discipleship University. "This is something that is vital," he said.

"It has all the elements that are needed. … It has the elements of spiritual formation, peace and justice, the ongoing biblical foundations, the various aspects of disciple-making."

Criteria for enrollment
Classes of up to 150 students will come from churches with an average worship attendance of 100-250 people. Church teams of three to five members, both pastors and lay, will spend three to five days in academy module settings five times in two years in Nashville, and a new semester will begin every six months for team-based learning. During sessions, the students will perform assignments on site and also will engage in practical applications at home. Tuition costs are still being analyzed by the agency.

Many students will be nominated from the annual conferences, from agency solicitation and from the agency's Roman's 12 project, a year-long research endeavor to discover best practices in local congregations to mine ideas, concepts, practices and principles that help form vital churches. Those best practices will be incorporated into the curriculum of Discipleship University.

Ross said the university will help churches learn "what are their possibilities" rather than focusing on their deficiencies.

"There are congregations where people go to church but do not necessarily understand themselves to be the church," he said. The university seeks to "deepen your sense and understanding of what the church is so that it becomes more than a place where you go. It becomes a lifestyle that you live."

For more information, contact Jeanette Pinkston, director of media relations for the Board of Discipleship, by e-mailing jpinkston@gbod.org or by calling (877) 899-2780, ext. 7017.

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

Discipleship Agency to Shift Focus to Grow Leaders and Churches

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 20, 2007 /GBOD/ --An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD will concentrate its work in the areas of leadership development, church growth, ministry with the poor and new church starts, the agency announced during its board of directors meeting in Nashville last week.

In response to the Bishops' Four Program Priorities, GBOD will center its work in the area of leadership development with plans to strengthen successful programs currently in place and by launching new initiatives that will lead to exponential growth in the United Methodist denomination through new churches and impact on church leadership.

“GBOD is in a unique position to address the church’s leadership needs and partner with the Council of Bishops, The General Board of Global Ministries and other strategic partners to develop strategies that lead to the creation of successful new church starts in the U.S.,” said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for GBOD.

In the area of leadership development, the agency presented a ground-breaking new initiative, which will directly address the leadership needs of the church.

Discipleship University will offer church leaders two-year learning experiences patterned after the Upper Room Ministries’ successful Academy for Spiritual Formation.

Based on best practices in local churches and drawing on more than thirty-five years of local church experience, the initiative will provide skills and models that will help reverse the decline in United Methodist church growth and membership.

Present staffing efforts will move and be reworked as Discipleship University, which will consist of a full range of course offerings on the GBOD’s Nashville campus and in local churches, as launched.

Consultation support by GBOD staff and other experts, peer learning groups, Web-based courses, learning communities and regional introduction events are major components of the initiative.

“New church starts will also be a major new initiative that we will collaborate on with our strategic partners, using research-based best practices,” said Greenwaldt.

By collaborating with the Council of Bishops and other United Methodist agencies, 650 new congregations and a pool of 1000 qualified “church planters” are projected by 2012 with the goal being to re-evangelize America.

GBOD will also work with leaders in Central Conferences (countries in Africa, Europe and the Philippines) to develop sustainable church resources that will be created and made available for use in local contexts.

In addition to strengthening and continuing ministry efforts related to new congregational development and church revitalization, GBOD will increase its work in ministry with the poor and global health, primarily through young people’s ministry initiatives.

GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.

Christians arrested in march to end Iraq war

By Melissa Lauber*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Nearly 3,000 Christians united around the cross to protest U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq at an event that included worship, a four-mile candlelit procession to the White House and the arrest of more than 100 people in an act of civil disobedience.

"We are here tonight simply and resolutely to begin to end the war in Iraq," said the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners/Call to Renewal at the worship service March 16 at the National Cathedral. "This is not a protest. It is an act of faith. It will take faith to end this war."
March 19 marks the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Wallis was applauded when he declared the war "morally wrong" and "an offense against God." However, it was the witness of Celeste Zappala, a member of First United Methodist Church in Germantown, Pa., and founding member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, who brought quiet tears to the crowd gathered in the cathedral's Gothic nave.

Zappala's son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, died April 26, 2004, in Iraq, guarding a team that was searching for weapons of mass destruction.

She stood in the pulpit of the National Cathedral where President Bush, a United Methodist, had stood after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and called for a war on terror. Zappala shared how that war has shattered her heart, killed 3,210 American soldiers and wounded more than 25,000 people.

"The National Cathedral is the altar of the nation," she said. "Here, we lay before God the sorrows in the lives of all of us."

A member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, Baker was a husband, father and case worker with retarded adults. He was 30 years old.

His mother recalled how it was raining the night she became "part of the sad fellowship of families that have met their worst fear when they opened their front door."

Zappala said she fell to the floor when told of her son's death. But she also talked about other casualties of the war: of children and old people in Iraq; of people being broken by the horrors that war brings, and of 1,950 children who have lost parents.

"A wail rises from the throats of all who love these people," Zappala said. "We're here tonight at the church, each of us a witness to the war and our own complicity in it." War, she concluded, is our failure to love God, whose commandment is peace.

Discerning God's call
Other speakers at the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq event talked about hope and discovering what the Holy Spirit is saying to churches about war.

"There is a concern that America may lose the war," said the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. "As people of faith, we need to reframe that question. The real danger is that America may lose her soul."

Warnock said it was sinful for the U.S. government to commit resources to the bombing of Iraq and ignore the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims and poverty that casts one of every five American children into poverty. "America's soul is in danger," he said.

Several United Methodists including the Rev. Kathryn Johnson of Methodists for Social Action, a sponsoring organization, and the Rev. Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, lit candles for peace and placed them on the altar.

"This war is nothing short of evil," said Winkler, who expressed dismay that President Bush cannot hear his own people's dissent over U.S. involvement in Iraq. "The right thing to do is to bring our troops home," he said.

Bishop John Schol, of the Washington Episcopal Area, lamented the failure of Christians to be peacemakers.

"The bishops of The United Methodist Church have committed ourselves to pray daily for the end of the war in Iraq, and we have committed ourselves to acts of prophetic witness on behalf of peace," Schol said.

United Methodists "cannot remain silent while American men and women in increasing numbers are being sent to Iraq to kill and be killed, while thousands of Iraqi people needlessly suffer and die, while poverty increases and preventable diseases go untreated," he said.

Candlelight vigil
The candles from the altar were used to light the candles of more than 2,000 people who then marched through the streets of Washington and arrived at the White House shortly before 11 p.m.

Following a candlelight vigil in Lafayette Park, more than 100 people marched across the street and stood on the sidewalk in front of the White House. In an act of civil disobedience, they refused to move at the request of police from the National Park Service and were arrested.

Rain, snow and sleet mixed with freezing temperatures dramatically decreased attendance at both the worship service and the march. Organizers had anticipated more than 700 people would choose to be arrested. However, they insisted the event is the start of a movement of people of faith that will result in U.S. troops being withdrawn from Iraq.

"Wars make for poor chisels for carving out tomorrows," said the Rev. Rick Ufford-Chase, one organizer, quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"War is never the answer," said Wallis. "America says it is a light to the nations and the hope of the world. But that is wrong. Christ is."

*Lauber is editor of the UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Church must use gifts of older adults, leader says

By Jeanette Pinkston*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The world's elderly population has nearly quadrupled in the last 50 years, and The United Methodist Church needs to find a way to use "this incredible resource," said the Rev. Rick Gentzler Jr.

The elderly population increased from 130 million in 1950 to 419 million in 2000, according to a report by Gentzler, director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

He outlined the trends in aging that will impact the global church and society during the United Methodist Committee on Older Adults meeting March 8-12.

Gentzler suggested that The United Methodist Church identify a modern purpose of a longer, healthier old age and seek to answer the questions: "To what use do we put the incredible resource of elderhood, and what are the new models of old age for our coming maturity?"

Two key proposals in the Comprehensive Plan for Older Adult Ministries for the 2009-2012 period include training a cadre of volunteer caregivers to interact with the growing number of older adults, and modeling intentional intergenerational ministry, in which older adults serve as mentors or coaches to young people.

From a global standpoint, the world's population is aging at an accelerated rate due in part to declining fertility rates and improvements in life expectancy.

"Over the next 14 years, the number of people over 50 in the U.S. will grow 74 percent, while people under 50 will increase by only 1 percent," according to research conducted by Edwin J. Pittock, president of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.

Sixty-two percent of The United Methodist Church's members are 50 years old or older, while nearly 50 percent are 60 or older, Gentzler said.

Trends in aging
The plan highlights the following trends that will impact the global church and society.

+More people are living longer. The population of those 65 and over will increase from 35 million in 2000 to 72 million by 2030.

+Current markers of old age are changing, which means that increasing longevity will not only postpone the arrival of old age but will also cause all of the stages of life to shift significantly.

+As people are living longer, there will be a pandemic of chronic disease, which will result in increased need for community-based services.

+Dementia is expected to increase, with Alzheimer's disease potentially affecting 11 million to 16 million people by 2050.

+With fewer children being born and more older adults living longer, the U.S. could experience a crisis in family care giving. Globally a growing number of grandparents are raising grandchildren.

+Increasingly, the growing cost of health care has led to discussions about limiting the health care of older adults through rationing.

+Financial insecurity brought on by challenges to Social Security and Medicare and changes in pensions could lead to a future with massive elder poverty. (Most U.S. seniors are neither wealthy nor living in poverty.)

+Many older adults will continue to work long hours after "the normal" age of retirement because of career interests, a desire to stay productive, fear of unstable Social Security coverage, dwindling retirement investments and the fact that some simply can't afford to retire.

Addressing the needs
Intergenerational equity is paramount to address ageism and the belief that all generations should be given the chance to express concerns about their stage of life with equal weight and power, Gentzler said.

Declining church attendance, in light of the myth that older adults have a mature Christian faith, points to the need to get people involved in care giving and religious education, he said. Only 42 percent of older adults in the United States attend religious services on a regular basis.

In other action, the committee approved grants, prepared for a symposium and worked on legislation for the 2008 United Methodist General Conference.

The Committee on Older Adult Ministries provides a forum for information sharing, cooperative planning, and joint program endeavors in collaboration with participating boards and agencies. It serves as an advocate for older adult concerns and issues and supports ministries by, with and for older adults throughout The United Methodist Church and in the larger society.

*Pinkston is director of media relations for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

COSROW calls for work against racism, sexism

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (UMNS) – A commitment to justice for all and continued efforts to exorcise sexism and racism are needed if The United Methodist Church is to meet new mission goals.

That is the opinion of the 45-member United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW).

During its Feb. 22-24 meeting in Myrtle Beach, the commission affirmed “in spirit” a proposed four-pronged mission emphasis by which the United Methodist Council of Bishops and worldwide Connectional Table would set the future course of the denomination’s work and life.

However, the church’s women’s justice organization reminded denominational leaders that “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” – what the church understands as its “primary task” – must include working to end worldwide racism and sexism, beginning in the hearts of each church member and in the “bones” of each congregation.

Transforming the church and the world
The bishops, the executives of churchwide agencies and the Connectional Table have proposed that all levels of the denomination work together to transform the church and the world by promoting leadership development, starting new congregations, addressing global heath concerns and tackling root causes of poverty.

Members of the women’s commission said those strategies should include:

+Offering ministries with the poor that address systemic political and social concerns and recognize that most of the world’s poor are women and children;

+Making deliberate efforts to include women’s expertise, styles and perspectives in developing effective leadership as laity and clergy;

+Recognizing young women, women of color and poor women as gifted and essential to the growth and effectiveness of the church’s life and work;

+Countering sexism and sexual misconduct in the church through dialogue and training about power dynamics and the rights and responsibilities of leaders;

+Respecting cultural contexts of communities and churches, along with committing to cross-racial and interracial evangelistic and discipleship opportunities;

+Allocating financial and other resources to empower ministries in rural and urban poor communities, as well as middle- and upper-income suburban areas;

+Including women and people of color at all levels of planning, ministry and leadership development; and

+Insuring that Christian education stresses the sacred worth and gifts of all people.

“A congregation that doesn’t invite and welcome people from other races can’t transform the world,” said M. Garlinda Burton, COSROW’s top executive. “A disciple who rejects a pastor just because she’s a woman is not following Christ.

“United Methodist Christians have nothing transforming to offer the world if we continue to cling to sexism and racism,” Burton added.

The Rev. Rosetta Ross, a United Methodist clergywoman and professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, echoed those sentiments. “Getting people to come to church is one thing. But the church must also foster compassionate justice in disciples and ask what it means to be responsive and responsible Christians.”

A look at South Carolina
Commission members heard from a panel of South Carolina clergy and laity that opportunities for African-American women in the state have expanded, and two of them now serve on the annual (regional) conference cabinet.

However, black women still face challenges including a lack of cross-racial pulpit assignments, racist stereotyping and resistance to woman pastors – often by lay women, panel members said.
The United Methodist South Carolina Annual Conference historically has boasted one of the largest black memberships of any region in the United States. At the same time, while the rest of the denomination banned racial segregation in 1968, a few Southern conferences, including South Carolina, remained segregated until the early 1970s.

Today, however, racial and gender inclusiveness in leadership are evident in congregations and other church agencies. Of the 780 pastors serving churches in South Carolina, more than 19 percent (155) are women, according to Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor, president of COSROW. And nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of those women pastors are African American.

“Folks are learning in our churches that women can count money and preach, that women can chair the trustees, women can scrape paint off the walls,” said Geneva Stafford, pastor of two United Methodist churches, Jeremiah and Mount Seal, in Hemingway, S.C.

Laywoman Evelyn Gethers Burwell of North Charleston, S.C., agreed. “Black women are now represented at almost every level of work and life in South Carolina,” said Burwell, a member of New Francis Brown United Methodist Church. “Our unique gifts and approaches to leadership are being recognized, and we are pushing for more and more inclusion of women and people of color.”

Panelists said roadblocks remain for racial-ethnic women with leadership gifts. “Women, especially black women, are penalized if we’re not ‘nice’ enough,” said the Rev. J. Jeannette Cooper Dicks, pastor of Cumberland United Methodist Church in Florence, S.C.

Along with fostering more dialogue and “sister-circles” of support among black clergywomen and laywoman and mentoring younger women into church leadership, the panelists encouraged the women’s commission to push for cross-racial appointments and support for financially or spiritually struggling congregations.

*Information for this story was provided by the Commission on the Status and Role of Women.