Agency awards $55,500 in Peace with Justice grants
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- Efforts to teach young people about peace building, aid children living in poverty and promote health care reform are among projects across the globe that will receive grants from the social action agency of The United Methodist Church.
Sixteen Peace with Justice grants totaling almost $55,500 were approved during the April 26-29 spring board meeting of the Board of Church and Society.
The funding comes from a churchwide offering to be collected on Peace with Justice Sunday, which falls on June 3 this year.
An appeal from the Rev. Jonah Wakile Yukwa in Nigeria translated into a $3,000 grant to help the Nigeria conference organize a youth leadership training event focused on peace building.
Ministry to Nigeria's young people has languished due to civil and church conflict, a high rate of illiteracy and lack of resources for the church in the African nation.
"Young people were forced by the prevailing circumstances to take sides in the conflict, thereby working against each other," Yukwa said in his grant application to the board.
"The United Methodist Church in Nigeria has not been able to faithfully respond to this crisis due to the fact that over the five years, the church has been going through a very painful period of conflict that has nearly brought the church to a virtual standstill."
In addition to the "peace building workshop" in Nigeria, other grants for 2007 are:
.Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Berkeley, Calif., $5,000. The alliance was formed in April 2006 to support the demands of the immigrant rights movement and to engage African Americans in a dialogue about the underlying issues of race and economic status that frame U.S. immigration policy. The grant will be used to lead discussion groups in black churches, mosques, community centers, labor unions, nonprofit organizations and youth centers and to sponsor public events on immigration featuring prominent African-American leaders.
.Shalom Center for Justice and Peace, Lansing, Mich., $2,000. "As You Do it for the Least of These: A Conference on Children in Poverty" will address critical issues of children in poverty during a two-day conference in October. Attendees will come from the West Michigan and Detroit Annual (regional) Conferences and other people of faith.
.Faith-based Organizing for Fair Food, Immokalee, Fla., $2,000. The purpose of this project is to pressure fast-food companies to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve tomato pickers' wages and working conditions.
.Seminary Outreach Program in Criminal Justice, Nashville, Tenn., $2,500. This project will extend a course for clergy at Vanderbilt University on "The Theology and Politics of Crime and Punishment in America" to additional seminaries.
."Beyond the Fences" Ministries of Restorative Justice, Lee's Summit, Mo., $5,000. This program will invite, offer and resource congregations in the Missouri Annual (regional) Conference to develop and pursue ministries of restorative justice in the local community and possibly to correctional centers in their areas.
.Harbor House Crisis Shelter, Faith United Methodist Church, Superior, Wis., $5,000. The mission of the shelters is to provide a safe, hospitable place for single women and families and to help them attain housing. Money will be used for case management, educational material and community awareness.
.Human Rights Defenders Workshop for Students and International Youth and Solidarity Mission, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, $3,000. The death toll of human rights workers continues to rise in Indonesia, where an utmost concern continues to be the need to raise awareness, especially among young people, to protect the basic human rights of all people. Funds will be used by the World Student Christian Federation Asia Pacific to train students in the Philippines.
.Youth Active for Peace Initiatives, Manila, Philippines, $3,000. United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines is joining with other religious organizations to promote and advocate for peace. Funds will be used to help Filipino youth become peace advocates and strengthen unity and consolidate collective efforts among Filipino church youth in addressing situations of peace and violence and other peace-related issues.
.Domestic Violence Program, Yaounde, Cameroon, $4,480. In Cameroon, abuse within the family is common. Funds will help The United Methodist Church Cameroon begin a ministry that teaches Christ's value of love, promotes anger management and nurtures relationships between spouses and within families and communities.
.Regional Inter-Faith Association Home Repair Program, Jackson, Tenn., $5,000. Many low-income homeowners, many of whom are senior citizens, cannot afford to make minor or costly repairs to their homes. Funds will be used to help this nonprofit organization use volunteer church work teams to make repairs at no cost to the homeowner.
.Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, Jericho Table, Kansas City, Mo., $2,000. Jericho Table has become the community-wide focal point for negotiating expanded participation of minorities and women in bi-state Kansas City's construction industry. Funds will help overcome barriers blocking full participation by minorities and women in construction.
.Faithful Reform in Health Care, Cleveland, $5,000. The project's goals are to connect research in value-based messaging with theological understandings and scriptural narratives to help move forward health care reform and to create an infrastructure through which faith and secular advocacy groups can work together. Funds will be used to start the initial planning and implementation work, add staff, recruit partners, plan for spring meeting and seek funding.
.Peace Tax Foundation, Washington, $1,000. The foundation's purpose is to inform the public about the concept of conscientious objection and alternative tax payment programs. Funds will be used to produce a video to introduce people to the Peace Tax Fund and to national budget priorities.
.Empowering People to Activate Churches and Communities, Oklahoma City, $2,500. The program builds relationships with people in blighted communities and in declining churches to allow them to climb out of poverty. Funds will help develop a training process to be taught in an inter-active manner with visuals, workbooks and mentoring in small groups.
.Peaceful Resolution of Conflict, West Congo Annual Conference, $5,000. The Democratic Republic of Congo recently held its first democratic elections. Three projects -- justice and reconciliation during post-election period, transformation of conflicts for youth and young adult leaders, and reconciliation between the attackers and the victims -- will help participants understand the judicial system and train church leaders in conflict management.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Bishop brings 'freedom' to death row inmate
by Kathy L. Gilbert*
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Andre Burton, 44, has spent all of his adult life in a small steel cell. He has been on death row since he was 19.
But when United Methodist Bishop Beverly J. Shamana went to visit him in San Quentin State Prison in California, Burton told her she brought freedom.
Shamana, president of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society and episcopal leader of the San Francisco area, shared her experience at the opening plenary of the board's spring meeting, April 26-29.
"He seemed genuinely pleased and thankful, grateful that I was there," she said. "I just kept asking myself over and over again - what do you say to yourself day after day, week after week, when this is your life?"
The United Methodist Church marked 50 years of opposition to capital punishment in 2006, and the Council of Bishops asked each active bishop to visit an inmate on death row. It took a year to gain permission to visit death row, but Shamana fulfilled that goal when she saw Burton in March.
Her role, she said, was to bring him the unconditional love of God, "and to be able say that I come from a church that does not believe you should get capital punishment ... no matter what you did."
Burton was convicted and sentenced to death for fatally shooting Gulshakar Khwaja of Long Beach, Calif., as she ran to help her son, whom police said was shot in the eye by Burton during a 1983 robbery in front of his mother's house. Burton has maintained his innocence and denied that he confessed to police.
In 1997, the California Supreme Court heard his case, including an order challenging the attorney general's office to show cause why his murder conviction and death sentence should not be overturned. The grounds for the order were that he "was denied the right to present a defense at the guilt phase of the trial."
"Andre and his lawyers await the court's decision," she said. "Two of the five justices agreed with his appeal. Andre has not lost hope."
Powerful experience
"I'm still processing what happened," Shamana said of her prison visit.
When she returned to the car, her husband asked her how it went. "I couldn't even speak, I could not speak, I had no words to describe," she recalled. "I could not form a thought that I could say. It was just such a powerful experience at such a deep level."
The bishop said visiting Burton made the United Methodist Social Principles come alive for her. "It made it so much more real to me when you talk about restorative justice because death row prisoners cannot take part in any of the education or seminars or anything that are offered to others," she said.
Shamana realized early in the visit that Burton needed conversation and to connect with another person.
"I didn't feel like a bishop when I was in there," she said. "I don't know how I was supposed to feel or expected to feel. I felt like a person who loves God, who knows Jesus, talking to another person."
Shamana expects to visit Burton again and plans to send him the church's position on capital punishment found in paragraph 164G of the 2004 Book of Discipline.
At the close of their visit, Burton asked Shamana for the church's prayers.
"I bring you his request," she told the board.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Andre Burton, 44, has spent all of his adult life in a small steel cell. He has been on death row since he was 19.
But when United Methodist Bishop Beverly J. Shamana went to visit him in San Quentin State Prison in California, Burton told her she brought freedom.
Shamana, president of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society and episcopal leader of the San Francisco area, shared her experience at the opening plenary of the board's spring meeting, April 26-29.
"He seemed genuinely pleased and thankful, grateful that I was there," she said. "I just kept asking myself over and over again - what do you say to yourself day after day, week after week, when this is your life?"
The United Methodist Church marked 50 years of opposition to capital punishment in 2006, and the Council of Bishops asked each active bishop to visit an inmate on death row. It took a year to gain permission to visit death row, but Shamana fulfilled that goal when she saw Burton in March.
Her role, she said, was to bring him the unconditional love of God, "and to be able say that I come from a church that does not believe you should get capital punishment ... no matter what you did."
Burton was convicted and sentenced to death for fatally shooting Gulshakar Khwaja of Long Beach, Calif., as she ran to help her son, whom police said was shot in the eye by Burton during a 1983 robbery in front of his mother's house. Burton has maintained his innocence and denied that he confessed to police.
In 1997, the California Supreme Court heard his case, including an order challenging the attorney general's office to show cause why his murder conviction and death sentence should not be overturned. The grounds for the order were that he "was denied the right to present a defense at the guilt phase of the trial."
"Andre and his lawyers await the court's decision," she said. "Two of the five justices agreed with his appeal. Andre has not lost hope."
Powerful experience
"I'm still processing what happened," Shamana said of her prison visit.
When she returned to the car, her husband asked her how it went. "I couldn't even speak, I could not speak, I had no words to describe," she recalled. "I could not form a thought that I could say. It was just such a powerful experience at such a deep level."
The bishop said visiting Burton made the United Methodist Social Principles come alive for her. "It made it so much more real to me when you talk about restorative justice because death row prisoners cannot take part in any of the education or seminars or anything that are offered to others," she said.
Shamana realized early in the visit that Burton needed conversation and to connect with another person.
"I didn't feel like a bishop when I was in there," she said. "I don't know how I was supposed to feel or expected to feel. I felt like a person who loves God, who knows Jesus, talking to another person."
Shamana expects to visit Burton again and plans to send him the church's position on capital punishment found in paragraph 164G of the 2004 Book of Discipline.
At the close of their visit, Burton asked Shamana for the church's prayers.
"I bring you his request," she told the board.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
Conference Offers a Forum for Learning and Sharing How to Live OutOur Call to Justice and Peace
Washington, D.C. – Those in our world who are “voiceless” cry out for partners and advocates to work toward peace and justice. The “Living Faith Seeking Justice” conference, sponsored by the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, will gather congregations from around the globe to share their stories of working for peace and justice to accomplish change in the attitudes, structures, and trends that continue to silence those whose voices are ignored.
The conference, which will be held in Forth Worth, Texas, from November 1-4, 2007, will include several ways for attendees to share their work and learn from what others are doing, including general session speakers, workshops, a “Cityscape” space that will highlight art that reflects justice, and site visits to several ministries that illustrate a commitment to justice in what they do and how they do it.
“Violence abounds from the Middle East to the campus of Virginia Tech,” says General Secretary James Winkler. “How do congregations participate in helping to provide an alternative—a vision of a just and peaceful society—and then act together to carry out that vision? That’s what this conference will give people a chance to do. Everyone who gathers in Fort Worth will have an opportunity to hear, learn, and discuss solutions.”
Speakers
Speakers include Methodist ministers, activists, and others who are working to bring justice to their communities, countries, and the world:
· Shane Claiborne, a founding members of The Simple Way, a community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world
· Emmanuel Cleaver, senior pastor of St. James UMC in Kansas City, Missouri and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Kansas City
· Rev. Adam Hamilton, minister at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, who believes that the church must serve as a conscience to the community and state.
· Rev. Chebon Kernell, a pastor and member of the Oklahoma Missionary Conference, which was instrumental in organizing “Rock the Native Vote”
· Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, dean of students at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and a recipient of the Denman Award for evangelism
· Mercy Amba Oduyoye, an African theologian, feminist, and activist who works to ensure that women's voices and concerns are heard in African society
· Dr. Harold Recinos, professor of church and society at the Perkins School of Theology, who has written widely on the call of the church to engage the world
· Dr. Elizabeth Tapia, director of the Drew Center for Christianities in Global Context at Drew University and Theological School and an ordained elder of the Bulacan Philippines Annual Conference
· Rev. Janet Wolf, the director of public policy and community organizing for a national interfaith coalition working to challenge U.S. drug policy, with a focus on restorative justice, harm reduction, and alternatives to incarceration
· Rev. Michael Yoshii, a clergyman and activist who works for justice in Alameda, California
Conference workshops will be grouped into five categories: health and wholeness, gender justice, peace with justice, economic and environmental justice, and civil and human rights. Conference participants can expect the workshops to be experiential and interactive, giving them an opportunity not only to hear what the workshop leader has to say but also to share their own experiences and to hear from others.
For the conference organizers, it is important that every part of the conference be a part of the collective call to faith and justice. For example, the conference bags have been made by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and the meals will be healthy and built around using sustainable, renewable resources.
A “Cityscape” will open space for art that reflects justice and provide room for exhibitors like Ten Thousand Villages. A call to artists invited artists of all type—whether church members, Sunday school classes, community groups, youth groups, church committees, choirs, or people from the community—to submit their artistic expressions, including artwork, poetry, photographs, or short films, that share how the artist(s) or the community have experienced social justice in action.
Find out more about the conference or register at www.umc-gbcs.org/livingfaith.
The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church is the international public policy and social action agency mandated to speak its convictions to the church and to the world.
Washington, D.C. – Those in our world who are “voiceless” cry out for partners and advocates to work toward peace and justice. The “Living Faith Seeking Justice” conference, sponsored by the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, will gather congregations from around the globe to share their stories of working for peace and justice to accomplish change in the attitudes, structures, and trends that continue to silence those whose voices are ignored.
The conference, which will be held in Forth Worth, Texas, from November 1-4, 2007, will include several ways for attendees to share their work and learn from what others are doing, including general session speakers, workshops, a “Cityscape” space that will highlight art that reflects justice, and site visits to several ministries that illustrate a commitment to justice in what they do and how they do it.
“Violence abounds from the Middle East to the campus of Virginia Tech,” says General Secretary James Winkler. “How do congregations participate in helping to provide an alternative—a vision of a just and peaceful society—and then act together to carry out that vision? That’s what this conference will give people a chance to do. Everyone who gathers in Fort Worth will have an opportunity to hear, learn, and discuss solutions.”
Speakers
Speakers include Methodist ministers, activists, and others who are working to bring justice to their communities, countries, and the world:
· Shane Claiborne, a founding members of The Simple Way, a community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world
· Emmanuel Cleaver, senior pastor of St. James UMC in Kansas City, Missouri and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Kansas City
· Rev. Adam Hamilton, minister at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, who believes that the church must serve as a conscience to the community and state.
· Rev. Chebon Kernell, a pastor and member of the Oklahoma Missionary Conference, which was instrumental in organizing “Rock the Native Vote”
· Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, dean of students at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and a recipient of the Denman Award for evangelism
· Mercy Amba Oduyoye, an African theologian, feminist, and activist who works to ensure that women's voices and concerns are heard in African society
· Dr. Harold Recinos, professor of church and society at the Perkins School of Theology, who has written widely on the call of the church to engage the world
· Dr. Elizabeth Tapia, director of the Drew Center for Christianities in Global Context at Drew University and Theological School and an ordained elder of the Bulacan Philippines Annual Conference
· Rev. Janet Wolf, the director of public policy and community organizing for a national interfaith coalition working to challenge U.S. drug policy, with a focus on restorative justice, harm reduction, and alternatives to incarceration
· Rev. Michael Yoshii, a clergyman and activist who works for justice in Alameda, California
Conference workshops will be grouped into five categories: health and wholeness, gender justice, peace with justice, economic and environmental justice, and civil and human rights. Conference participants can expect the workshops to be experiential and interactive, giving them an opportunity not only to hear what the workshop leader has to say but also to share their own experiences and to hear from others.
For the conference organizers, it is important that every part of the conference be a part of the collective call to faith and justice. For example, the conference bags have been made by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and the meals will be healthy and built around using sustainable, renewable resources.
A “Cityscape” will open space for art that reflects justice and provide room for exhibitors like Ten Thousand Villages. A call to artists invited artists of all type—whether church members, Sunday school classes, community groups, youth groups, church committees, choirs, or people from the community—to submit their artistic expressions, including artwork, poetry, photographs, or short films, that share how the artist(s) or the community have experienced social justice in action.
Find out more about the conference or register at www.umc-gbcs.org/livingfaith.
The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church is the international public policy and social action agency mandated to speak its convictions to the church and to the world.
Board focuses on U.S., global justice issues
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - A criminal justice system that focuses on healing instead of incarceration, a plea to stop the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines and a commitment to justice ministries were among the concerns addressed at the spring meeting of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
The board, the church's international public policy and social advocacy agency, is calling for Congress to repeal the mandatory sentencing provisions of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which it said "treats addiction as a crime instead of a public health concern."
The 1986 act established harsh penalties for low-level offenses involving crack cocaine. Defendants are subject to a minimum five-year sentence for possession of five grams of crack cocaine while the same five-year sentence is given for the sale of five hundred grams of powder cocaine.
The statement on the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine came during the board's April 26-29 meeting.
"This sentencing unfairness and the mass use of incarceration of mostly poor and minority people cannot be maintained by faithfulness to scripture," the statement said. "Locking up minor drug offenders for long prison terms is not only ineffective, it is inhumane."
The statement calls for Congress to pass legislation that equalizes cocaine sentencing to 500 grams for both crack and powder cocaine and offers treatment to those with addictions.
The statement refers to an American Civil Liberties Union report that African Americans make up only 15 percent of the drug users but 37 percent of those arrested for drug violations, 59 percent of those convicted and 74 percent of those sentenced to prison for a drug offense. The report also states that although two-thirds of crack cocaine users are whites and Hispanic/Latinos, 80 percent of the crack cocaine defendants are African American.
"We urge all people of faith to cry out until the U.S. criminal justice system reflects the true intentions of biblical justice: to bring healing to the world," the board said.
Human rights in Philippines
The board also released a report and statement on human rights violations in the Philippines and the need for urgent solidarity and action.
"The Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church remains alarmed by the unabated egregious violations of human rights in the Philippines. Such violations continue to take the form of extrajudicial killings and summary executions, abductions and torture, arbitrary political detentions and disappearances."
Recently, Chief Justice Reynato Puno of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the first Filipino United Methodist to hold this position, said in a commencement speech: "The rich and the powerful should not consider the protection of the rights of the poor and the powerless as peripheral problems just because for the moment their own rights are unthreatened."
More than 800 extrajudicial killings have been reported in the Philippines since 2001, during the tenure of President Gloria M. Arroyo. In March, a human rights delegation from the Philippines testified at a U.S. Senate hearing and asked the United States to review military aid and development assistance being sent to the country to make sure the assistance was not being used to violate human rights and further extrajudicial killings.
Bishop Beverly Shamana, president of the board, led a fact-finding mission from the church's San Francisco Area to the Philippines in February.
"The apathy of those who can make a difference is the reason why violations of human rights continue to prosper," Puno said. "The worst enemy of human rights is not its nonbelievers but the fence sitters who will not lift a finger despite their violations."
The Board of Church and Society endorsed and called for action on a report released by the ecumenical and nongovernmental community in the Philippines led by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. The board led in producing and distributing "Let the Stones Cry Out: An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and a Call to Action."
'Living Faith, Seeking Justice'
The board will sponsor a conference, "Living Faith, Seeking Justice," Nov. 1-4 in Fort Worth, Texas.
"We want to hold a different type of event rather than a legislative briefing in order to lift up justice ministries in local churches and annual conferences, with the expectation this can provide support and encouragement to others," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the board, in his opening address.
"This kind of help is needed. I've known churches where the switch from Styrofoam cups to paper cups at coffee hour was denounced as pandering to 'tree-huggers' and the removal of a pew in the sanctuary to accommodate wheelchairs resulted in protests.
"However, we can point to wonderful examples of our churches moving from mercy to justice." Information about the conference can be found at www.umc-gbcs.org/livingfaith.
The board also adopted "A Commitment to Unity in Mission and Ministry," a common proposal by the general agencies of the church emphasizing four areas of witness and mission: leadership development; congregational development and new church starts; ministry with the poor, with particular attention to caring for and protecting children; and global health, especially confronting the diseases of poverty and advocating health care access for all.
Said Winkler: "We must question the growing gap between the rich and poor and advocate for fair trade and government priorities that care for the last, the least and the lost."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - A criminal justice system that focuses on healing instead of incarceration, a plea to stop the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines and a commitment to justice ministries were among the concerns addressed at the spring meeting of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
The board, the church's international public policy and social advocacy agency, is calling for Congress to repeal the mandatory sentencing provisions of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which it said "treats addiction as a crime instead of a public health concern."
The 1986 act established harsh penalties for low-level offenses involving crack cocaine. Defendants are subject to a minimum five-year sentence for possession of five grams of crack cocaine while the same five-year sentence is given for the sale of five hundred grams of powder cocaine.
The statement on the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine came during the board's April 26-29 meeting.
"This sentencing unfairness and the mass use of incarceration of mostly poor and minority people cannot be maintained by faithfulness to scripture," the statement said. "Locking up minor drug offenders for long prison terms is not only ineffective, it is inhumane."
The statement calls for Congress to pass legislation that equalizes cocaine sentencing to 500 grams for both crack and powder cocaine and offers treatment to those with addictions.
The statement refers to an American Civil Liberties Union report that African Americans make up only 15 percent of the drug users but 37 percent of those arrested for drug violations, 59 percent of those convicted and 74 percent of those sentenced to prison for a drug offense. The report also states that although two-thirds of crack cocaine users are whites and Hispanic/Latinos, 80 percent of the crack cocaine defendants are African American.
"We urge all people of faith to cry out until the U.S. criminal justice system reflects the true intentions of biblical justice: to bring healing to the world," the board said.
Human rights in Philippines
The board also released a report and statement on human rights violations in the Philippines and the need for urgent solidarity and action.
"The Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church remains alarmed by the unabated egregious violations of human rights in the Philippines. Such violations continue to take the form of extrajudicial killings and summary executions, abductions and torture, arbitrary political detentions and disappearances."
Recently, Chief Justice Reynato Puno of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the first Filipino United Methodist to hold this position, said in a commencement speech: "The rich and the powerful should not consider the protection of the rights of the poor and the powerless as peripheral problems just because for the moment their own rights are unthreatened."
More than 800 extrajudicial killings have been reported in the Philippines since 2001, during the tenure of President Gloria M. Arroyo. In March, a human rights delegation from the Philippines testified at a U.S. Senate hearing and asked the United States to review military aid and development assistance being sent to the country to make sure the assistance was not being used to violate human rights and further extrajudicial killings.
Bishop Beverly Shamana, president of the board, led a fact-finding mission from the church's San Francisco Area to the Philippines in February.
"The apathy of those who can make a difference is the reason why violations of human rights continue to prosper," Puno said. "The worst enemy of human rights is not its nonbelievers but the fence sitters who will not lift a finger despite their violations."
The Board of Church and Society endorsed and called for action on a report released by the ecumenical and nongovernmental community in the Philippines led by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. The board led in producing and distributing "Let the Stones Cry Out: An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and a Call to Action."
'Living Faith, Seeking Justice'
The board will sponsor a conference, "Living Faith, Seeking Justice," Nov. 1-4 in Fort Worth, Texas.
"We want to hold a different type of event rather than a legislative briefing in order to lift up justice ministries in local churches and annual conferences, with the expectation this can provide support and encouragement to others," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the board, in his opening address.
"This kind of help is needed. I've known churches where the switch from Styrofoam cups to paper cups at coffee hour was denounced as pandering to 'tree-huggers' and the removal of a pew in the sanctuary to accommodate wheelchairs resulted in protests.
"However, we can point to wonderful examples of our churches moving from mercy to justice." Information about the conference can be found at www.umc-gbcs.org/livingfaith.
The board also adopted "A Commitment to Unity in Mission and Ministry," a common proposal by the general agencies of the church emphasizing four areas of witness and mission: leadership development; congregational development and new church starts; ministry with the poor, with particular attention to caring for and protecting children; and global health, especially confronting the diseases of poverty and advocating health care access for all.
Said Winkler: "We must question the growing gap between the rich and poor and advocate for fair trade and government priorities that care for the last, the least and the lost."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Lawsuit filed against Ohio church in teen's death
By United Methodist News Service
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS) -- The family of a teenager who died during a 2006 church youth retreat has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the congregation, alleging foul play in the reported suicide of James McCoy III.
The lawsuit also says racial factors may have led to the death of McCoy, who is black and attended the primarily white Church of the Messiah, a United Methodist congregation in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
The suit was filed April 23 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus, one day after the congregation held a memorial service in McCoy's memory on what would have been his 19th birthday.
McCoy was active in the church youth group and a member of the congregation's praise band.
"Our community loved James deeply," the Rev. Stan Ling wrote in an April 26 letter to the congregation after the lawsuit was filed. "We still grieve and miss him. I invite your prayers for all of those affected by this tragedy, including the family of James McCoy III."
The teen was found on April 22, 2006, hanging from a tree in the woods of Camp Cotubic, a Christian camp that is not affiliated with the United Methodist denomination.
The Logan County coroner ruled the death a suicide, but the lawsuit alleges he died as the result of a choking game that was "willfully or recklessly" forced on him as a birthday prank by four white youths on the retreat. The suit also says the youths later "gave false testimony to police suggesting that James McCoy had been depressed and had suicidal thoughts" and even "created writings as false evidence of such thoughts."
The lawsuit by his mother, Tonya Amoako-Okyere, is against the church, charging that church leaders did not properly supervise the retreat; four unnamed youths who were also on the retreat; and four unnamed Logan County authorities, alleging negligence in their investigation. It seeks a judgment exceeding $25,000.
The eight individuals were not named in the lawsuit pending the release of an FBI report requested by the family into the matter, according to Cliff Arnebeck, the family's attorney. Arnebeck expects the report will be released in the next month.
The U.S. Department of Justice also investigated the family's "hate crime" complaint, concluding there was "insufficient evidence or legal authority" to prosecute, according to the department's March 9 letter to the family.
Bishop Bruce Ough, who leads United Methodists in the West Ohio Conference, said The United Methodist Church joins the Church of the Messiah in praying for all parties affected by the tragedy.
"The conference is supportive of the staff and leadership of Messiah as they seek truth and justice in this matter," Ough said.
While McCoy was active in the congregation, he and his family were not members. He was described by church and family members as socially popular, musically gifted and academically solid. He had been accepted to attend Mount Vernon (Ohio) Nazarene University and planned to become a minister of music.
Arnebeck said McCoy also had been dating a white teen.
"From all I can understand, James greatly enjoyed that church and was much appreciated," Arnebeck said in an interview with United Methodist News Service. "… But given the difficult history of race relations in our country, even if the church is committed in principle to equal treatment of all people and universal love and brotherhood, we have to recognize there are remnants of racial attitudes."
Arnebeck questioned why authorities were quick to accept explanations from other youths that McCoy was depressed and had committed suicide when his life suggested otherwise. "If you talked with any of the many people who loved this young man, he was not despondent. He was happy. He was exuberant as a person," he said.
The church's attorney, James Brudny Jr., declined to speak with United Methodist News Service, issuing a statement that "it would be inappropriate to comment at this time."
In his letter to the congregation, Ling offered assurances and asked for prayers.
"Because a lawsuit has been filed, please understand that we are limited in what we can say and/or do with respect to this situation," he said. "This by no means diminishes our emotions or feelings regarding this matter. We are a community that has stated that we value 'Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors.' I want each person in our congregation to be assured that we will do everything we can to stand for truth and justice."
By United Methodist News Service
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS) -- The family of a teenager who died during a 2006 church youth retreat has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the congregation, alleging foul play in the reported suicide of James McCoy III.
The lawsuit also says racial factors may have led to the death of McCoy, who is black and attended the primarily white Church of the Messiah, a United Methodist congregation in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus.
The suit was filed April 23 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus, one day after the congregation held a memorial service in McCoy's memory on what would have been his 19th birthday.
McCoy was active in the church youth group and a member of the congregation's praise band.
"Our community loved James deeply," the Rev. Stan Ling wrote in an April 26 letter to the congregation after the lawsuit was filed. "We still grieve and miss him. I invite your prayers for all of those affected by this tragedy, including the family of James McCoy III."
The teen was found on April 22, 2006, hanging from a tree in the woods of Camp Cotubic, a Christian camp that is not affiliated with the United Methodist denomination.
The Logan County coroner ruled the death a suicide, but the lawsuit alleges he died as the result of a choking game that was "willfully or recklessly" forced on him as a birthday prank by four white youths on the retreat. The suit also says the youths later "gave false testimony to police suggesting that James McCoy had been depressed and had suicidal thoughts" and even "created writings as false evidence of such thoughts."
The lawsuit by his mother, Tonya Amoako-Okyere, is against the church, charging that church leaders did not properly supervise the retreat; four unnamed youths who were also on the retreat; and four unnamed Logan County authorities, alleging negligence in their investigation. It seeks a judgment exceeding $25,000.
The eight individuals were not named in the lawsuit pending the release of an FBI report requested by the family into the matter, according to Cliff Arnebeck, the family's attorney. Arnebeck expects the report will be released in the next month.
The U.S. Department of Justice also investigated the family's "hate crime" complaint, concluding there was "insufficient evidence or legal authority" to prosecute, according to the department's March 9 letter to the family.
Bishop Bruce Ough, who leads United Methodists in the West Ohio Conference, said The United Methodist Church joins the Church of the Messiah in praying for all parties affected by the tragedy.
"The conference is supportive of the staff and leadership of Messiah as they seek truth and justice in this matter," Ough said.
While McCoy was active in the congregation, he and his family were not members. He was described by church and family members as socially popular, musically gifted and academically solid. He had been accepted to attend Mount Vernon (Ohio) Nazarene University and planned to become a minister of music.
Arnebeck said McCoy also had been dating a white teen.
"From all I can understand, James greatly enjoyed that church and was much appreciated," Arnebeck said in an interview with United Methodist News Service. "… But given the difficult history of race relations in our country, even if the church is committed in principle to equal treatment of all people and universal love and brotherhood, we have to recognize there are remnants of racial attitudes."
Arnebeck questioned why authorities were quick to accept explanations from other youths that McCoy was depressed and had committed suicide when his life suggested otherwise. "If you talked with any of the many people who loved this young man, he was not despondent. He was happy. He was exuberant as a person," he said.
The church's attorney, James Brudny Jr., declined to speak with United Methodist News Service, issuing a statement that "it would be inappropriate to comment at this time."
In his letter to the congregation, Ling offered assurances and asked for prayers.
"Because a lawsuit has been filed, please understand that we are limited in what we can say and/or do with respect to this situation," he said. "This by no means diminishes our emotions or feelings regarding this matter. We are a community that has stated that we value 'Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors.' I want each person in our congregation to be assured that we will do everything we can to stand for truth and justice."
Friday, April 27, 2007
Immigration: Exploring Jesus' 'outrageous' hospitality
By Kim Fry*
LOS ANGELES (UMNS) -- "I am not a burden. I am a useful person."
These are the words of Estela Diaz, an immigrant from Mexico who lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and children. She dreams of an education for her children and to make a living for her family.
Her personal testimony was shared as church and community leaders explored "Immigration and the Outrageous Hospitality of Jesus" at an April 21 conference designed to put a face on the issue of immigrant rights.
The event was sponsored by the California-Pacific Conference chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, in partnership with the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights. About 100 people attended the conference at the historic La Plaza United Methodist Church.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, leader of The United Methodist Church's Los Angeles area, greeted participants by calling them "spiritual leaders standing in the gap between the center of the community and the edge of the community."
"You can invite strangers from the edge to the center of the community. You can help fulfill Jesus' vision of abundant life for all people," Swenson said.
Other immigrants offered their personal testimonies through an interpreter.
Jesus, who came from Peru, worked at a gas station, but recently was let go because of lack of documentation about his legal status in the United States. He now lives on the street, but still has hope for a better future.
"There are two doors," Jesus said of homelessness. "One door, you can go in and come back out. The second door, you go in and fall into depression and despair. You don't come back out."
Jesus has chosen the first door. He says his homelessness is temporary, and he sells water and soft drinks on the street to pay for his daily needs. "I am surviving," he said. "When I leave this point of just surviving, I want to come back… and help the (others)."
A biblical mandate
The head of the social action agency of The United Methodist Church offered a keynote address highlighting the biblical basis for hospitality to immigrants.
"Anti-immigration viewpoints are all too prevalent today, even from persons who are immigrants themselves, despite a Bible and faith that demands hospitality," said Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Winkler outlined five elements for comprehensive immigration reform:
.A path to citizenship - an earned legalization program that is workable and achievable;
.Firm, fair enforcement of the law that is consistent with humanitarian values and treats all people with dignity and respect;
.Restoration of due process protections for immigrants removed by the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act;
.Family-based immigration reform that reduces waiting times for family reunification;
.A plan for the future flow of migrants that includes workplace protections and examines the root causes of migration.
"The involvement of the church in these issues is so important. Our moral and ethical voice has weight," Winkler said. "Who speaks for the poor, the persecuted … if not us?"
Getting involved
The event included workshops on ways to get involved in the immigrant rights movement.
For instance, the Border Project is a new outreach to people stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border and was highlighted in a presentation by the Joint Commission for Church Extension.
The Institute of Popular Education of Southern California provides economic development opportunities to unemployed, low-income families, assisting and supporting the creation of socially responsible, democratically driven businesses.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network is a national alliance of community organizations working with day laborers.
Christine Gilbert, of Bellflower (Ca.) United Methodist Church, attended the workshop on the New Sanctuary Movement, which enables churches to help families in danger of being broken up because of deportation.
"Our church has a number of Filipino families," Gilbert said. "They often wait a long time for visas for other family members."
*Fry is communications coordinator for the California Pacific Annual Conference.
By Kim Fry*
LOS ANGELES (UMNS) -- "I am not a burden. I am a useful person."
These are the words of Estela Diaz, an immigrant from Mexico who lives and works in Los Angeles with her husband and children. She dreams of an education for her children and to make a living for her family.
Her personal testimony was shared as church and community leaders explored "Immigration and the Outrageous Hospitality of Jesus" at an April 21 conference designed to put a face on the issue of immigrant rights.
The event was sponsored by the California-Pacific Conference chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, in partnership with the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights. About 100 people attended the conference at the historic La Plaza United Methodist Church.
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, leader of The United Methodist Church's Los Angeles area, greeted participants by calling them "spiritual leaders standing in the gap between the center of the community and the edge of the community."
"You can invite strangers from the edge to the center of the community. You can help fulfill Jesus' vision of abundant life for all people," Swenson said.
Other immigrants offered their personal testimonies through an interpreter.
Jesus, who came from Peru, worked at a gas station, but recently was let go because of lack of documentation about his legal status in the United States. He now lives on the street, but still has hope for a better future.
"There are two doors," Jesus said of homelessness. "One door, you can go in and come back out. The second door, you go in and fall into depression and despair. You don't come back out."
Jesus has chosen the first door. He says his homelessness is temporary, and he sells water and soft drinks on the street to pay for his daily needs. "I am surviving," he said. "When I leave this point of just surviving, I want to come back… and help the (others)."
A biblical mandate
The head of the social action agency of The United Methodist Church offered a keynote address highlighting the biblical basis for hospitality to immigrants.
"Anti-immigration viewpoints are all too prevalent today, even from persons who are immigrants themselves, despite a Bible and faith that demands hospitality," said Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Winkler outlined five elements for comprehensive immigration reform:
.A path to citizenship - an earned legalization program that is workable and achievable;
.Firm, fair enforcement of the law that is consistent with humanitarian values and treats all people with dignity and respect;
.Restoration of due process protections for immigrants removed by the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act;
.Family-based immigration reform that reduces waiting times for family reunification;
.A plan for the future flow of migrants that includes workplace protections and examines the root causes of migration.
"The involvement of the church in these issues is so important. Our moral and ethical voice has weight," Winkler said. "Who speaks for the poor, the persecuted … if not us?"
Getting involved
The event included workshops on ways to get involved in the immigrant rights movement.
For instance, the Border Project is a new outreach to people stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border and was highlighted in a presentation by the Joint Commission for Church Extension.
The Institute of Popular Education of Southern California provides economic development opportunities to unemployed, low-income families, assisting and supporting the creation of socially responsible, democratically driven businesses.
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network is a national alliance of community organizations working with day laborers.
Christine Gilbert, of Bellflower (Ca.) United Methodist Church, attended the workshop on the New Sanctuary Movement, which enables churches to help families in danger of being broken up because of deportation.
"Our church has a number of Filipino families," Gilbert said. "They often wait a long time for visas for other family members."
*Fry is communications coordinator for the California Pacific Annual Conference.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Healthy Child Campaign seeks coverage for all children
Health care for every child in the United States is the goal of a Children's Defense Fund campaign being supported by United Methodist Women. A UMNS photo by Allysa Adams. STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) - Every child in the United States, regardless of immigration status or family income, should have access to comprehensive health and mental health care, according to The United Methodist Church's women's organization.
To help achieve that goal, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is joining the "Healthy Child Campaign: Covering All Children in 2007," sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund.
In her address during the division's April 20-23 spring meeting, UMW chief executive Lois Dauway said 9 million U.S. children are without health insurance, even though nearly 90 percent of those children live in households with working parents.
"Many of these children are eligible for coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program but are not enrolled in existing programs in large part because of different eligibility and enrollment barriers that make it difficult to obtain or keep coverage," Dauway said.
"Millions more children are underinsured or at risk of losing coverage if their parents change jobs or more employers drop family coverage."
One such child at risk was Devante Johnson of Houston. He suffered from advanced cancer of the kidneys and depended on Medicaid for treatments that he needed to survive.
Despite his mother's best efforts, Devante's paperwork for renewal for Medicaid was lost in the bureaucracy and he was without coverage for four months in 2006. "During this time, he depended upon clinical trials for care and his tumors continued to grow," Dauway said.
"A state representative intervened to restore coverage, but it was too late. On March 1, 2007, Devante Johnson died from complications of cancer. He was 14 years old."
The goal of the Healthy Child Campaign is to consolidate children's health coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program into a single federal program that guarantees all medically necessary services for children.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the cost is estimated at $26.1 billion a year, which equals 25 days of spending on Medicare in 2007 and 16 days of general military spending this year. Because it would be a federal program, states would incur no additional cost for expanding coverage and enhancing benefits.
Under the program, children age 18 and younger whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level - or $61,950 for a family of four in 2007 - would be covered.
Children with family incomes over the 300 percent level could buy into the program. Pregnant women at or below the 300 percent level would be eligible for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care.
The Women's Division, which administers the church's United Methodist Women's groups, plans to support the Healthy Child Campaign through petitions, an action alert and opportunities for education and awareness.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
To help achieve that goal, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is joining the "Healthy Child Campaign: Covering All Children in 2007," sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund.
In her address during the division's April 20-23 spring meeting, UMW chief executive Lois Dauway said 9 million U.S. children are without health insurance, even though nearly 90 percent of those children live in households with working parents.
"Many of these children are eligible for coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program but are not enrolled in existing programs in large part because of different eligibility and enrollment barriers that make it difficult to obtain or keep coverage," Dauway said.
"Millions more children are underinsured or at risk of losing coverage if their parents change jobs or more employers drop family coverage."
One such child at risk was Devante Johnson of Houston. He suffered from advanced cancer of the kidneys and depended on Medicaid for treatments that he needed to survive.
Despite his mother's best efforts, Devante's paperwork for renewal for Medicaid was lost in the bureaucracy and he was without coverage for four months in 2006. "During this time, he depended upon clinical trials for care and his tumors continued to grow," Dauway said.
"A state representative intervened to restore coverage, but it was too late. On March 1, 2007, Devante Johnson died from complications of cancer. He was 14 years old."
The goal of the Healthy Child Campaign is to consolidate children's health coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program into a single federal program that guarantees all medically necessary services for children.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the cost is estimated at $26.1 billion a year, which equals 25 days of spending on Medicare in 2007 and 16 days of general military spending this year. Because it would be a federal program, states would incur no additional cost for expanding coverage and enhancing benefits.
Under the program, children age 18 and younger whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level - or $61,950 for a family of four in 2007 - would be covered.
Children with family incomes over the 300 percent level could buy into the program. Pregnant women at or below the 300 percent level would be eligible for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care.
The Women's Division, which administers the church's United Methodist Women's groups, plans to support the Healthy Child Campaign through petitions, an action alert and opportunities for education and awareness.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
World's First Hospital-Based Center of Excellence in Faith and Health Debuts in Memphis
$1 Million Founding Gift Gets Project Started
Memphis, Tenn. -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has launched a center to advance health by bringing faith and health together for the improved wellbeing of thousands of patients. The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health was announced today at a news conference at the health system’s flagship hospital, Methodist University Hospital, where the center will be housed.
"The spirit of faith and healing pervades Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. It’s in our DNA," said Gary S. Shorb, president and chief executive officer. "Our goal is to dramatically enhance quality of care and support for our patients and their families. We believe that the coupling of faith and health can not only elevate the level of care we deliver to our patients, but also improve quality of life for our community and beyond."
"In the past two decades a growing body of evidence has emerged that shows that patients who are active participants in a worshipping community have significantly better health outcomes," said Gary R. Gunderson, D.Min., M.Div., senior vice president of health and welfare ministries and an ordained minister. "Other studies indicate that patients in hospitals receiving skilled spiritual care are able to be released more quickly and return less often than those receiving either no spiritual care, or untrained spiritual care."
"The Center of Excellence in Faith and Health reflects solid medical evidence that the link between faith and health is important long term patient outcomes. The center is a tool that will help us understand better so that our practice and implementation of this area of knowledge is as systematic and excellent as we expect to achieve in other more traditional areas of medical science."
The center is an interfaith, collaborative center of research, innovation and training. Working with partners both locally and all over the world, the center has a multi-tiered approach including: identifying and linking local community faith resources; providing support and resources to clergy; enhancing the patient experience within the walls of the hospital; and collaborative research with international experts on faith and health - all with the goal of improving the wellbeing of the patient before, during and after the hospital experience.
While the center encompasses work already under way at MLH, as well as a number of new programs, it also calls for a large new physical space at the front entrance of the hospital. MLH announced today that a $1-million founding gift by local ophthalmologist and philanthropist Dr. Ralph Hamilton and wife Barbara, a longtime Methodist volunteer, will fund the creation of the physical space. The development of the space will require another half million in philanthropy to be raised by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation. Those funds will be matched by Methodist. The system budgets about $3 million each year for faith and health.
"The 21st Century demands that we connect all the partners relevant to the health of our patients. That demands new models of training, new programs, new techniques, all of which will be generated by the Center of Excellence," said Shorb.
"All center activities will focus on the confluence of faith and health, and that work will focus on how we connect the resources inside and outside the walls of the healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "Because the work done here includes local, national and international partners, even before it’s built, the center is considered a global asset."
The physical Center of Excellence in Faith and Health will be housed in 20,000 square feet of renovated space at the hospital’s front entrance and will include:
* Transformation of the intensive care unit waiting room into a state-of-the-art family-centered healing environment with a quiet area, laundry rooms, and showers for family members as as space for local clergy to counsel their members.
* A resource center for family members and congregational visitors to equip them to care for patients needing continuing care after hospitalization.
* Creative meeting space for academic partners to work with each other as well as teach our Associates and local clergy.
* An indoor interfaith chapel to accommodate and embrace all faiths
* A meditation garden with water features, a labyrinth and sacred prayer space, and
* An 24/7 on-call chaplain in adjoining space.
In addition, the center will serve as the hub for Methodist’s many faith and health initiatives outside its walls, including:
* Growth of its dynamic Congregational Health Network, a collaborative partnership between Methodist’s hospitals and Mid-South church congregations,
* Implementation of a religious health asset mapping project to improve the health of the overall Memphis community. Dr. Gunderson was principal investigator of a similar project in Africa, and Memphis was designated by the World Health Organization the only U.S. or European site to replicate this work,
* Continuation of a clergy health focus with the goal of being the premier clergy leadership center in the world and will also foster expanded relationships with seminary partners locally and nationally. For instance, Dr. Gunderson worked with Memphis Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC) to develop a doctorate program in faith and health, and next will come a masters-level program. In May MTS and Wesley Seminary will bring 30 doctoral students to Memphis for joint courses on faith and health. Other important partners the center will continue to work with are the Memphis-based Church Health center, the University of Memphis, Emory University, Duke University, Chicago Theological Seminary and more.
* Strengthening international partnerships by expanding relationships with faith-based health leaders across the U.S. and in Africa, Switzerland, Norway and other countries, Partners will convene at the Center to develop practices related to integrated health, disease management and spiritual care.
"Our intellectual work is shaped by our commitment to understand the ‘leading causes of life,’ not just death," said Dr. Gunderson. One of the first tangible outcomes of the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health is a partnership resulting in the Leading Causes of Life Webinar series. Based on the recent book by that name, authored by Dr. Gunderson and Larry Pray, the Webinars, equips viewers with a language of life - give ways to identify life in ourselves and our communities. The Webinars, being launched on the Methodist Website today, were filmed on the campus of Rhodes College and were part of the prestigious Meeman at Night lecture series. To view, log on free to www.methodisthealth.org and click on the Webcast icon. A recording of the Webinars will remain on the Website for one year as a reference and educational tool.
How It Began
The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system was born out of the faith community in the early 1900s when North Mississippi farmer and United Methodist Church layman John Sherard began rallying support to build a Methodist Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Chartered in 1918, that first hospital has grown into a seven-hospital system with a home health agency, surgery centers, and outpatient clinics serving the Memphis area.
A longtime lynchpin of the Memphis medical community and the third largest hospital in the country**, Methodist made a purposeful decision to be recognized as a leader in faith-based healthcare. In September 2005, Dr. Gunderson, was recruited to fill a spot as senior vice president for Methodist’s Health and Welfare Ministries division. Gunderson brought with him expansive national and international contacts in public health arena, having worked as leader of the Interfaith Health Program started at The Carter Center, and later in that same role for the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. "The more I learned about Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, I found it was a very unusual healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "I can’t think of another place that would have the commitment to mission, coupled with the vision that would allow this kind of thing to happen. Gary (Shorb) and the board of directors understand the correlation between faith and health, reflecting a culture and strategy that’s just quite remarkable."
** Based on admissions; All Methodist’s Memphis hospitals are licensed as one.
Chaplain John A. Wilcher, M.Div., BCC
Director, Clergy and Conference Ministries
Methodist Healthcare
1211 Union Avenue, Suite #746
Memphis, TN 38104-6600
Main Office: (901) 516-0592
Direct Office: (901) 516-0864
FAX: (901) 516-0595
Pager: (901) 418-1381
Cell Phone: (901) 210-6878
Email: wilcherj@methodisthealth.org
Methodist Healthcare Website: www.methodisthealth.org
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center Website: www.lebonheur.org
$1 Million Founding Gift Gets Project Started
Memphis, Tenn. -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has launched a center to advance health by bringing faith and health together for the improved wellbeing of thousands of patients. The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Center of Excellence in Faith and Health was announced today at a news conference at the health system’s flagship hospital, Methodist University Hospital, where the center will be housed.
"The spirit of faith and healing pervades Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. It’s in our DNA," said Gary S. Shorb, president and chief executive officer. "Our goal is to dramatically enhance quality of care and support for our patients and their families. We believe that the coupling of faith and health can not only elevate the level of care we deliver to our patients, but also improve quality of life for our community and beyond."
"In the past two decades a growing body of evidence has emerged that shows that patients who are active participants in a worshipping community have significantly better health outcomes," said Gary R. Gunderson, D.Min., M.Div., senior vice president of health and welfare ministries and an ordained minister. "Other studies indicate that patients in hospitals receiving skilled spiritual care are able to be released more quickly and return less often than those receiving either no spiritual care, or untrained spiritual care."
"The Center of Excellence in Faith and Health reflects solid medical evidence that the link between faith and health is important long term patient outcomes. The center is a tool that will help us understand better so that our practice and implementation of this area of knowledge is as systematic and excellent as we expect to achieve in other more traditional areas of medical science."
The center is an interfaith, collaborative center of research, innovation and training. Working with partners both locally and all over the world, the center has a multi-tiered approach including: identifying and linking local community faith resources; providing support and resources to clergy; enhancing the patient experience within the walls of the hospital; and collaborative research with international experts on faith and health - all with the goal of improving the wellbeing of the patient before, during and after the hospital experience.
While the center encompasses work already under way at MLH, as well as a number of new programs, it also calls for a large new physical space at the front entrance of the hospital. MLH announced today that a $1-million founding gift by local ophthalmologist and philanthropist Dr. Ralph Hamilton and wife Barbara, a longtime Methodist volunteer, will fund the creation of the physical space. The development of the space will require another half million in philanthropy to be raised by the Methodist Healthcare Foundation. Those funds will be matched by Methodist. The system budgets about $3 million each year for faith and health.
"The 21st Century demands that we connect all the partners relevant to the health of our patients. That demands new models of training, new programs, new techniques, all of which will be generated by the Center of Excellence," said Shorb.
"All center activities will focus on the confluence of faith and health, and that work will focus on how we connect the resources inside and outside the walls of the healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "Because the work done here includes local, national and international partners, even before it’s built, the center is considered a global asset."
The physical Center of Excellence in Faith and Health will be housed in 20,000 square feet of renovated space at the hospital’s front entrance and will include:
* Transformation of the intensive care unit waiting room into a state-of-the-art family-centered healing environment with a quiet area, laundry rooms, and showers for family members as as space for local clergy to counsel their members.
* A resource center for family members and congregational visitors to equip them to care for patients needing continuing care after hospitalization.
* Creative meeting space for academic partners to work with each other as well as teach our Associates and local clergy.
* An indoor interfaith chapel to accommodate and embrace all faiths
* A meditation garden with water features, a labyrinth and sacred prayer space, and
* An 24/7 on-call chaplain in adjoining space.
In addition, the center will serve as the hub for Methodist’s many faith and health initiatives outside its walls, including:
* Growth of its dynamic Congregational Health Network, a collaborative partnership between Methodist’s hospitals and Mid-South church congregations,
* Implementation of a religious health asset mapping project to improve the health of the overall Memphis community. Dr. Gunderson was principal investigator of a similar project in Africa, and Memphis was designated by the World Health Organization the only U.S. or European site to replicate this work,
* Continuation of a clergy health focus with the goal of being the premier clergy leadership center in the world and will also foster expanded relationships with seminary partners locally and nationally. For instance, Dr. Gunderson worked with Memphis Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC) to develop a doctorate program in faith and health, and next will come a masters-level program. In May MTS and Wesley Seminary will bring 30 doctoral students to Memphis for joint courses on faith and health. Other important partners the center will continue to work with are the Memphis-based Church Health center, the University of Memphis, Emory University, Duke University, Chicago Theological Seminary and more.
* Strengthening international partnerships by expanding relationships with faith-based health leaders across the U.S. and in Africa, Switzerland, Norway and other countries, Partners will convene at the Center to develop practices related to integrated health, disease management and spiritual care.
"Our intellectual work is shaped by our commitment to understand the ‘leading causes of life,’ not just death," said Dr. Gunderson. One of the first tangible outcomes of the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health is a partnership resulting in the Leading Causes of Life Webinar series. Based on the recent book by that name, authored by Dr. Gunderson and Larry Pray, the Webinars, equips viewers with a language of life - give ways to identify life in ourselves and our communities. The Webinars, being launched on the Methodist Website today, were filmed on the campus of Rhodes College and were part of the prestigious Meeman at Night lecture series. To view, log on free to www.methodisthealth.org and click on the Webcast icon. A recording of the Webinars will remain on the Website for one year as a reference and educational tool.
How It Began
The Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system was born out of the faith community in the early 1900s when North Mississippi farmer and United Methodist Church layman John Sherard began rallying support to build a Methodist Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Chartered in 1918, that first hospital has grown into a seven-hospital system with a home health agency, surgery centers, and outpatient clinics serving the Memphis area.
A longtime lynchpin of the Memphis medical community and the third largest hospital in the country**, Methodist made a purposeful decision to be recognized as a leader in faith-based healthcare. In September 2005, Dr. Gunderson, was recruited to fill a spot as senior vice president for Methodist’s Health and Welfare Ministries division. Gunderson brought with him expansive national and international contacts in public health arena, having worked as leader of the Interfaith Health Program started at The Carter Center, and later in that same role for the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. "The more I learned about Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, I found it was a very unusual healthcare system," said Dr. Gunderson. "I can’t think of another place that would have the commitment to mission, coupled with the vision that would allow this kind of thing to happen. Gary (Shorb) and the board of directors understand the correlation between faith and health, reflecting a culture and strategy that’s just quite remarkable."
** Based on admissions; All Methodist’s Memphis hospitals are licensed as one.
Chaplain John A. Wilcher, M.Div., BCC
Director, Clergy and Conference Ministries
Methodist Healthcare
1211 Union Avenue, Suite #746
Memphis, TN 38104-6600
Main Office: (901) 516-0592
Direct Office: (901) 516-0864
FAX: (901) 516-0595
Pager: (901) 418-1381
Cell Phone: (901) 210-6878
Email: wilcherj@methodisthealth.org
Methodist Healthcare Website: www.methodisthealth.org
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center Website: www.lebonheur.org
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Advocate helps older senior adults deal with crime
By John Gordon*
By John Gordon*
The Rev. Edna Morgan (right) counsels Oneita Fisher, who is afraid to leave her home due to crime in her neighborhood in Pine Bluff, Ark. UMNS photos by John Gordon.PINE BLUFF, Ark. (UMNS) - Surrounded by suspected drug-dealing activities, Oneita Fisher feels like a prisoner in her own home.
"I'm to the point now where I feel like I just can't take it anymore," says the 69-year-old Pine Bluff resident. "I'm afraid to leave, and I'm afraid to come home if I'm away. There's a lot of vandalism, and I have personally had my car stolen several times."
Fortunately, Fisher has a friend in the Rev. Edna Morgan, a crime victims' advocate for the elderly and the head of Healing Place Ministries, housed at First United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff. The ministry is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Some 23 million crimes are committed every year in the United States, according to the Justice Department, and elderly people are especially vulnerable.
Many older senior adults live in a constant state of fear in crime-infested neighborhoods, Morgan says. "They are afraid to go out and empty their wastebaskets. Some of them are letting their wastebaskets pile up in their homes."
Morgan offers counseling for older crime victims, and she has started a monthly support group for them. She also works closely with police and prosecutors to help make victims aware of help that's available, such as reparations to cover medical bills, funeral expenses and other costs of crime.
"When the elderly come in, they are very, very upset," Morgan says. "In fact, they've usually reached their last straw."
Ripped off by relatives
Morgan works with elderly residents in the Pine Bluff and Little Rock areas who are victims of neighborhood turf wars, burglaries, robberies, insurance fraud, identity theft and consumer fraud. Relatives, she says, are responsible for most of the abuse.
"Their children and their grandchildren steal their identity, taking their charge cards, writing checks on their checking accounts," she says. "We've had several victims who've had $10,000, $20,000 (stolen), and even one who had her house - the deed to her house, the entire house - stolen from her by her children."
A stranger, however, was responsible for robbing Carolyn Ghotra, 57, and her husband at gunpoint. Ghotra says one robber hit her in the eye with a gun while another tied up her husband.
Though they survived the crime, emotional scars remain for the Ghotras, who are part of Morgan's support group. "I think the fear is always going to be there; it's not something that leaves you," she says. "You have flashbacks, you know, keep thinking that they're coming again."
A root cause: drugs
Fisher says she is alarmed by the frequent sounds of gunfire outside her home.
"All of a sudden you hear 10 or 12 bullets going off and they are racing down the street, and it's very near, it's very close to you," she says. "It's very scary because bullets will come inside a house."
Officer Robert Treadwell of the Pine Bluff Police Department says officers and landlords are making progress in pushing drug dealers out of neighborhoods.
"Ninety percent of the problems are drug-related," Treadwell says. "You get a person that's addicted on drugs and, of course, they're unemployed because most jobs require drug testing. They have to spend time trying to figure out how they're going to get these chemicals."
Morgan spends just as much time fighting for the rights of elderly crime victims.
"Our community should wrap their arms around the elderly and care for them," she says. "They made our country, and we owe it to them to love them and to care for them and make their last years their best years."
*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.
A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Reginald Tuck: What we can say in wake of Virginia Tech tragedy
NOTE: This commentary by the pastor of Blacksburg (Va.) United Methodist Church was delivered as a sermon on April 22, the first Sunday after 33 people died in a shooting rampage on the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech University. It is based on 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.
Thousands of candles light the night during an April 17 vigil on the Virginia Tech drillfield for victims of the previous day's campus shooting spree that left 33 people dead. A UMNS photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.
Thousands of candles light the night during an April 17 vigil on the Virginia Tech drillfield for victims of the previous day's campus shooting spree that left 33 people dead. A UMNS photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.At the service for shooting victim Austin Cloyd yesterday, I shared with the congregation that her mother, Renee, was here at the church when we first heard reports that there had been a shooting at Virginia Tech.
Renee and I were discussing the Clayton Estates ministry at about the time that students in Norris Hall, including Austin, were being subjected to terror that we could never have thought possible in this town. Renee has been the coordinator for our Thursday group that ministers to middle and high school students. She was here to make certain that someone had signed up for the dinner and, sure enough, it was the students from The Wesley Foundation, our United Methodist campus ministry, who had taken responsibility this past week. When we were told that there had been a shooting at the campus, we didn't realize that people had been killed. We were concerned, but we could never have imagined the news that would come just hours later.
As all of us listened to the news reports on Monday, it seemed unbelievable and it still seems unbelievable today. As we have learned of the deaths and wounding of so many people, we have found ourselves in a state of great shock and disbelief. We cannot fully comprehend what has happened and we will never understand it. We do understand our heartbreak and pain and frustration, and many of us find ourselves struggling to know how to think, much less speak about our Christian faith.
Paul's words to the Corinthians can help us to understand that our struggle is understandable and more importantly, faithful! Paul wrote, "we have this treasure (that is, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ) in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Christian faith does not take away the pain, but helps us to find a way through the pain without being destroyed. Christian faith does not give us all the answers, but helps us to not be undone by the questions. Christian faith is not about taking away all our problems, but giving us the strength to persevere in the midst of our problems. A savior who was willing to endure the brutality of a crucifixion is indeed one who can speak to the depth of the pain that we have experienced and continue to experience. We can trust that God understands our broken hearts because God's heart was broken on Good Friday and broken again on a Monday that became our Good Friday. As we struggle in all faithfulness with our affliction, perplexity, persecution and having been struck down, our faith assures us that it cannot destroy us because we know the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is to say that because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we can do all things, knowing that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
Christian faith helps us to wrestle honestly with our struggles. I like how Paul's words are not theological clichés designed to give us easy answers, but rather acknowledge the complexities of life in the assurance that they need not destroy our faith; that indeed faith is what persists in the midst of the complexities.
When we experienced the deaths of two law enforcement officers last year, I returned to an article of a lecture that was written soon after the destruction of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. William Stacy Johnson, a professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, gave a lecture titled "Probing the 'Meaning' of September 11, 2001." It has application for April 16, 2007. Johnson observed, "As soon as the dust had settled from the destruction of September 11, people began pouring into houses of worship asking, 'Where was God?' Some of the answers given to this question were themselves highly questionable."
Johnson cited the work of Maurice Blanchot who wrestled with the question of how one is to put into words the 'meaning' of catastrophic events. Johnson related that Blanchot wrote, "If the disaster could be said to have a 'meaning,' that would be the worst thing of all. The worst kind of 'wisdom' would be the kind that domesticates the devastation or seeks to explain it. By explaining events, we seek nothing more than to explain them away. To assign catastrophe a 'meaning' is to do no more than prescribe an anodyne; for in a way, an explanation is a certain kind of escape."
As we experience the catastrophe of April 16, 2007, I want to suggest that attempting to assign a 'meaning' may be the most meaningless thing we can do. It will be much more faithful to live in the ambiguity -- the frustration, the pain -- because that is where God's power can be experienced and given its most meaningful expression. Christian faith encompasses both Easter and Good Friday, and we truncate our faith if we minimize or neglect either one. It creates an uneasy tension, this message of great anguish and great hope, but anything else rings hollow and cannot speak to the complexity of our lives.
As we seek to live into and with this uneasy tension of anguish and hope, I think it is important to consider some fundamental teachings of our faith. Our faith teaches us that what has happened this past week is contrary to God's intentions for human life. The events of this past week frustrate the plans that God has for us, but it does not frustrate God's plan for us to know and experience redemption in our lives.
In that light as we place our trust in God, I want to offer four thoughts for our consideration as we struggle with what we have experienced and as we try to live into the coming days.
First, I want to suggest that it is a time to acknowledge our pain and not assign blame. Blame is a way of avoiding pain, but it proves to be an empty antidote. I heard Dr. Phil say that you cannot make sense of nonsense and no amount of blame is going to make sense of what has happened. Yes, we will need to carefully consider what has happened so that we learn whatever lessons this horrible tragedy has to teach us, but no amount of blame is going to take away our pain. So it seems to me that the first order of business is to acknowledge the pain because it is something that we all share and it can be the foundation on which to move forward. So let us focus more on acknowledging our pain rather than assigning blame.
Second, I want to suggest that it is a time to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness. As people attempt to explain or give meaning, there is the danger that explanations become the basis of more pain and injustice. While it is obvious that the killer must have been suffering with mental illness, it should be equally obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who struggle with mental illness never resort to such expressions of hostility.
We also need to be aware of the pain experienced by people in the Korean community, and I trust that we recognize that such acts transcend ethnicity and unfortunately a potentiality in all of us. We had a service here yesterday morning in which people of all ethnicities gathered to share our pain. We need to embrace one another in the coming days to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness.
Third, I want to suggest that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds. My dear friend Beany Butt who died on Wednesday carried this saying in his wallet: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." When Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust, was here with us in September, she challenged us to always choose kindness. She said if we had to choose between the truth or kindness, to always choose kindness. Her capacity to forgive the killers of her family is credibility enough for me.
As we struggle with people who are quick to judge, assign blame and divide us, even though we may know the truth, let us resolve to be kind and to keep our minds. We have all sorts of people descending upon us, in particular, religious groups. And while it is unlikely that we will change their claims about the truth, let us resolve to not allow them to cause us to act in ways that we will regret.
In a stewardship campaign DVD I was telling Renee Cloyd about on April 16, as her daughter was entering into eternal life, a young girl who is a part of our program at Clayton Estates comments, "we have trouble with each other being around and we try not to say anything at tutoring. But sometimes it just slips out and Renee, one of our loyal tutors, helps us understand that we can't be rude to each other and we have become friends and therefore I think God helps us with that." Let us understand that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds.
Finally, I want to suggest that it is a time to renew our trust in what God can do and believe that God will get us through. This is the hope that we find in Paul's words about his perplexity. It was not his own strength, but God's strength that helped him to not be crushed, to not be driven to despair, to not feel forsaken, to not be destroyed.
Dr. Nikki Giovanni gave voice to this teaching of our faith this past week in Hokie language. Let me translate it into Christian language. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on; we are embracing our mourning. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are the people of Jesus Christ. The church embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and possibilities. We will continue to live into the kingdom of God through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
I received a copy of an e-mail that Bryan Cloyd sent to his class after Austin's death was confirmed. He wrote: "My family's worst fears were confirmed a few hours ago. My daughter was one of the victims in Norris Hall. She would have been 19 years old next Tuesday. My family hurts deeply for the loss of our precious baby. We ask that you pray for us and for the rest of the Virginia Tech community that has suffered so greatly. At this point, I don't know how or where our class will continue. … If we don't meet again, your final assignment from me is perhaps the most important lesson you will learn in life. Go to your mother, father, brothers and sisters and tell them with all your heart how much you love them. And tell them that you know how much they love you, too. Go out of your way to make good memories. At some point, these memories may be all you have left. May God bless you all."
Now I ask you, from where does such strength come?
Renee and I were discussing the Clayton Estates ministry at about the time that students in Norris Hall, including Austin, were being subjected to terror that we could never have thought possible in this town. Renee has been the coordinator for our Thursday group that ministers to middle and high school students. She was here to make certain that someone had signed up for the dinner and, sure enough, it was the students from The Wesley Foundation, our United Methodist campus ministry, who had taken responsibility this past week. When we were told that there had been a shooting at the campus, we didn't realize that people had been killed. We were concerned, but we could never have imagined the news that would come just hours later.
As all of us listened to the news reports on Monday, it seemed unbelievable and it still seems unbelievable today. As we have learned of the deaths and wounding of so many people, we have found ourselves in a state of great shock and disbelief. We cannot fully comprehend what has happened and we will never understand it. We do understand our heartbreak and pain and frustration, and many of us find ourselves struggling to know how to think, much less speak about our Christian faith.
Paul's words to the Corinthians can help us to understand that our struggle is understandable and more importantly, faithful! Paul wrote, "we have this treasure (that is, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ) in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Christian faith does not take away the pain, but helps us to find a way through the pain without being destroyed. Christian faith does not give us all the answers, but helps us to not be undone by the questions. Christian faith is not about taking away all our problems, but giving us the strength to persevere in the midst of our problems. A savior who was willing to endure the brutality of a crucifixion is indeed one who can speak to the depth of the pain that we have experienced and continue to experience. We can trust that God understands our broken hearts because God's heart was broken on Good Friday and broken again on a Monday that became our Good Friday. As we struggle in all faithfulness with our affliction, perplexity, persecution and having been struck down, our faith assures us that it cannot destroy us because we know the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is to say that because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we can do all things, knowing that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
Christian faith helps us to wrestle honestly with our struggles. I like how Paul's words are not theological clichés designed to give us easy answers, but rather acknowledge the complexities of life in the assurance that they need not destroy our faith; that indeed faith is what persists in the midst of the complexities.
When we experienced the deaths of two law enforcement officers last year, I returned to an article of a lecture that was written soon after the destruction of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. William Stacy Johnson, a professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, gave a lecture titled "Probing the 'Meaning' of September 11, 2001." It has application for April 16, 2007. Johnson observed, "As soon as the dust had settled from the destruction of September 11, people began pouring into houses of worship asking, 'Where was God?' Some of the answers given to this question were themselves highly questionable."
Johnson cited the work of Maurice Blanchot who wrestled with the question of how one is to put into words the 'meaning' of catastrophic events. Johnson related that Blanchot wrote, "If the disaster could be said to have a 'meaning,' that would be the worst thing of all. The worst kind of 'wisdom' would be the kind that domesticates the devastation or seeks to explain it. By explaining events, we seek nothing more than to explain them away. To assign catastrophe a 'meaning' is to do no more than prescribe an anodyne; for in a way, an explanation is a certain kind of escape."
As we experience the catastrophe of April 16, 2007, I want to suggest that attempting to assign a 'meaning' may be the most meaningless thing we can do. It will be much more faithful to live in the ambiguity -- the frustration, the pain -- because that is where God's power can be experienced and given its most meaningful expression. Christian faith encompasses both Easter and Good Friday, and we truncate our faith if we minimize or neglect either one. It creates an uneasy tension, this message of great anguish and great hope, but anything else rings hollow and cannot speak to the complexity of our lives.
As we seek to live into and with this uneasy tension of anguish and hope, I think it is important to consider some fundamental teachings of our faith. Our faith teaches us that what has happened this past week is contrary to God's intentions for human life. The events of this past week frustrate the plans that God has for us, but it does not frustrate God's plan for us to know and experience redemption in our lives.
In that light as we place our trust in God, I want to offer four thoughts for our consideration as we struggle with what we have experienced and as we try to live into the coming days.
First, I want to suggest that it is a time to acknowledge our pain and not assign blame. Blame is a way of avoiding pain, but it proves to be an empty antidote. I heard Dr. Phil say that you cannot make sense of nonsense and no amount of blame is going to make sense of what has happened. Yes, we will need to carefully consider what has happened so that we learn whatever lessons this horrible tragedy has to teach us, but no amount of blame is going to take away our pain. So it seems to me that the first order of business is to acknowledge the pain because it is something that we all share and it can be the foundation on which to move forward. So let us focus more on acknowledging our pain rather than assigning blame.
Second, I want to suggest that it is a time to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness. As people attempt to explain or give meaning, there is the danger that explanations become the basis of more pain and injustice. While it is obvious that the killer must have been suffering with mental illness, it should be equally obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who struggle with mental illness never resort to such expressions of hostility.
We also need to be aware of the pain experienced by people in the Korean community, and I trust that we recognize that such acts transcend ethnicity and unfortunately a potentiality in all of us. We had a service here yesterday morning in which people of all ethnicities gathered to share our pain. We need to embrace one another in the coming days to affirm our larger oneness and not be divided by dumbness.
Third, I want to suggest that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds. My dear friend Beany Butt who died on Wednesday carried this saying in his wallet: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." When Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust, was here with us in September, she challenged us to always choose kindness. She said if we had to choose between the truth or kindness, to always choose kindness. Her capacity to forgive the killers of her family is credibility enough for me.
As we struggle with people who are quick to judge, assign blame and divide us, even though we may know the truth, let us resolve to be kind and to keep our minds. We have all sorts of people descending upon us, in particular, religious groups. And while it is unlikely that we will change their claims about the truth, let us resolve to not allow them to cause us to act in ways that we will regret.
In a stewardship campaign DVD I was telling Renee Cloyd about on April 16, as her daughter was entering into eternal life, a young girl who is a part of our program at Clayton Estates comments, "we have trouble with each other being around and we try not to say anything at tutoring. But sometimes it just slips out and Renee, one of our loyal tutors, helps us understand that we can't be rude to each other and we have become friends and therefore I think God helps us with that." Let us understand that it is a time to be kind and to keep our minds.
Finally, I want to suggest that it is a time to renew our trust in what God can do and believe that God will get us through. This is the hope that we find in Paul's words about his perplexity. It was not his own strength, but God's strength that helped him to not be crushed, to not be driven to despair, to not feel forsaken, to not be destroyed.
Dr. Nikki Giovanni gave voice to this teaching of our faith this past week in Hokie language. Let me translate it into Christian language. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on; we are embracing our mourning. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are the people of Jesus Christ. The church embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and possibilities. We will continue to live into the kingdom of God through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the people of Jesus Christ. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are the people of Jesus Christ.
I received a copy of an e-mail that Bryan Cloyd sent to his class after Austin's death was confirmed. He wrote: "My family's worst fears were confirmed a few hours ago. My daughter was one of the victims in Norris Hall. She would have been 19 years old next Tuesday. My family hurts deeply for the loss of our precious baby. We ask that you pray for us and for the rest of the Virginia Tech community that has suffered so greatly. At this point, I don't know how or where our class will continue. … If we don't meet again, your final assignment from me is perhaps the most important lesson you will learn in life. Go to your mother, father, brothers and sisters and tell them with all your heart how much you love them. And tell them that you know how much they love you, too. Go out of your way to make good memories. At some point, these memories may be all you have left. May God bless you all."
Now I ask you, from where does such strength come?
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Korean leaders caution against prejudice after shooting
A UMNS Report By Marta W. Aldrich*
Korean and American Korean Methodist church leaders are calling for "healing, reconciliation and peace" amid concerns that the Virginia Tech shootings by a South Korean native could lead to a backlash against Koreans.
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean-immigrated student," said Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops of the Korean Methodist Church.
In an April 18 letter from Seoul to the World Methodist Council, Shin offered condolences to the bereaved families and the American people while hoping "there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans."
Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 250 leaders of the National Association of Korean American United Methodist Churches were holding their annual meeting April 16-19 in Chicago when the shooting occurred. As word of the shooter's identity spread, the mostly clergy participants began receiving calls from their home churches asking for guidance.
"The whole community was in shock and did not know how to respond, but we prayed for the victims and their family members and the school and the community," said the Rev. Keihwan Ryoo, editor of United Methodists in Service, who was reporting on the gathering on behalf of the Korean-language magazine published by United Methodist Communications.
Several pastors received reports that Korean American students had been bullied in their mostly white schools as the week progressed, Ryoo said.
The caucus held a memorial service for the shooting victims and released a pastoral letter April 18.
"We pray that the violence that has needlessly taken innocent lives does not escalate nor happen again," said the Rev. Hoon Kyoung Lee, chairman of the association. "Furthermore, we are especially concerned that the immigrant community and the children of minorities may become targeted by anti-racial backlash because of this incident.
"We pray that all of our friends and neighbors will support the Korean-American community in striving for healing, reconciliation and peace."
The April 16 massacre in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead, including the lone gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English literature. Born in South Korea, he moved to the United States in 1992 at age 8 and was raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C., where his parents worked at a dry cleaner store.
Authorities said Cho appeared to shoot his victims randomly. In a video made prior to the killings and sent to NBC-TV, he ranted about rich kids and portrayed himself as persecuted.
Lee asked people throughout the church to prayer for the shooting victims and their families, the family and friends of Cho, and the minority and immigrant community in the United States.
"We departed from this meeting with a heavy heart," Ryoo reported. "A lot of churches planned special memorial services over the weekend."
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, of the Northern Illinois Conference, said the church's American Korean community is "weeping and praying" with the rest of the world. He said grief and concern over such events cross all racial and ethnic lines.
"We pray for our young people and those feeling a sense of vulnerability, isolation, insecurity and fear on their campuses, and even in their homes," Jung wrote in a pastoral letter from his Chicago office. "… I encourage each of us to offer the ministries of comfort, healing and love."
*Aldrich is news editor for United Methodist News Service.
A UMNS Report By Marta W. Aldrich*
Korean and American Korean Methodist church leaders are calling for "healing, reconciliation and peace" amid concerns that the Virginia Tech shootings by a South Korean native could lead to a backlash against Koreans.
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean-immigrated student," said Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops of the Korean Methodist Church.
In an April 18 letter from Seoul to the World Methodist Council, Shin offered condolences to the bereaved families and the American people while hoping "there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans."
Meanwhile, in the United States, more than 250 leaders of the National Association of Korean American United Methodist Churches were holding their annual meeting April 16-19 in Chicago when the shooting occurred. As word of the shooter's identity spread, the mostly clergy participants began receiving calls from their home churches asking for guidance.
"The whole community was in shock and did not know how to respond, but we prayed for the victims and their family members and the school and the community," said the Rev. Keihwan Ryoo, editor of United Methodists in Service, who was reporting on the gathering on behalf of the Korean-language magazine published by United Methodist Communications.
Several pastors received reports that Korean American students had been bullied in their mostly white schools as the week progressed, Ryoo said.
The caucus held a memorial service for the shooting victims and released a pastoral letter April 18.
"We pray that the violence that has needlessly taken innocent lives does not escalate nor happen again," said the Rev. Hoon Kyoung Lee, chairman of the association. "Furthermore, we are especially concerned that the immigrant community and the children of minorities may become targeted by anti-racial backlash because of this incident.
"We pray that all of our friends and neighbors will support the Korean-American community in striving for healing, reconciliation and peace."
The April 16 massacre in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead, including the lone gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English literature. Born in South Korea, he moved to the United States in 1992 at age 8 and was raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C., where his parents worked at a dry cleaner store.
Authorities said Cho appeared to shoot his victims randomly. In a video made prior to the killings and sent to NBC-TV, he ranted about rich kids and portrayed himself as persecuted.
Lee asked people throughout the church to prayer for the shooting victims and their families, the family and friends of Cho, and the minority and immigrant community in the United States.
"We departed from this meeting with a heavy heart," Ryoo reported. "A lot of churches planned special memorial services over the weekend."
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, of the Northern Illinois Conference, said the church's American Korean community is "weeping and praying" with the rest of the world. He said grief and concern over such events cross all racial and ethnic lines.
"We pray for our young people and those feeling a sense of vulnerability, isolation, insecurity and fear on their campuses, and even in their homes," Jung wrote in a pastoral letter from his Chicago office. "… I encourage each of us to offer the ministries of comfort, healing and love."
*Aldrich is news editor for United Methodist News Service.
Two United Methodists among Virginia Tech victims
A UMNS Report by Linda Bloom*
A UMNS Report by Linda Bloom*
Austin CloydAustin Cloyd was raised as a child of faith, taught by her family that she was blessed and needed to pass on that blessing to others.
That faith was evident to the Rev. Terry Harter, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Champaign, Ill., and others in the congregation where she was actively involved for six years.
Cloyd was one of the 32 victims of Cho Seung-Hui, a disturbed student who went on a shooting rampage April 16 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., before killing himself. She was a freshman majoring in international studies and would have been 19 years old on April 24.
She was among at least two United Methodists killed in the massacre. Christopher James Bishop, 35, known as "Jamie," was shot while teaching his introductory German class. An instructor in German and German literature, Bishop grew up in First United Methodist Church of Pine Mountain (Ga.).
Cloyd's family - including her parents, C. Bryan and Renee Cloyd, and her brother, Andrew, a high school student -- moved in 2005 from Champaign to Blacksburg, where her father is a Virginia Tech accounting professor and the editor of the Journal of the American Taxation Association.
"I've talked with Bryan and Renee a couple of times in the last few days," Harter told United Methodist News Service in an April 18 interview. "They're extremely upset and distraught."
The Cloyds joined the Champaign congregation in 1999 when Mr. Cloyd joined the faculty at the University of Illinois. Mrs. Cloyd immediately became an active church volunteer and served a few years as director of youth ministries and a year as Harter's administrative assistant.
Harter remembered how Austin Cloyd, a redhead with a big smile, lit up a room. She was humble, but not shy, with a good sense of humor. And she was tall enough for Harter, at 6-foot-1, to look her straight in the eye.
Harter's wife, Martha, served as Austin's mentor for confirmation and spent a lot of time with her, particularly in eighth grade. "She and I really hit it off," she recalled. "We met weekly."
She remembered Austin as a loving, well-rounded girl who liked sports, movies and friends.
Austin was an avid reader and good student with a strong work ethic, and she handled the fact that she was taller than most of the kids in school with grace.
"She wasn't one of those persons who had to be out front, but, boy, if she wasn't there, you'd miss her," Mrs. Harter said.
Austin and her mother joined others from the congregation for an Appalachian Service Project, where they helped build an addition for a house.
"It's amazing how different life is in Appalachia, how important family is, and how the land is cherished," Austin wrote in a brief report about her experience. "The family my group worked with consisted of grandparents who were caring for their five grandchildren, the oldest of which was about to turn 12 years old."
She enjoyed the friendliness of the children and the grandparents and was impressed by their overall hospitality. "At the end of the week, the grandfather thanked us and told us that he was going to make a sign that says 'House that Love Built' and put it up on the addition," she wrote.
"But we figured that there was already so much love within their home, we just helped put more walls around it."
Rev. Harter said the Appalachian Service Project made such a lasting impression that Austin and her mother began a project with a local agency to rehabilitate houses in the Champaign-Urbana area. "We still continue that," he added.
First United Methodist Church hosted a brief prayer service in Austin's memory on the evening of April 17. Despite the late notice, about 125 people attended. Many came from the University of Illinois and some had been classmates from Centennial High, where she had played on the basketball and volleyball teams.
Another candlelight service was held the same night at First United Methodist Church of Pine Mountain to remember Bishop. The Rev. Matthew Mitchell read the same sermon that Bishop had delivered there on "youth Sunday" some 18 years earlier -- just a few months before graduating from high school. "God's prepared a place for each and every one of us," Mitchell said, "and Jamie Bishop is there."
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Commentary on school shootings: For such a time as this
NOTE: This message was delivered to staff members of the Virginia Annual (regional) Conference on April 17 during a worship service one day after a gunman killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University.
A UMNS Commentary By Angie Williams*
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- "For such a time as this" - So, what is this time?
This is a time when we, the leaders of the church, need to discuss the deeper issues that lay the foundation for such atrocities as the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech -- and the implications for our response as the body of Christ.
This is a time when…
.A record number of students were killed in a college campus shooting;
.The number of teens in foster care has increased by more than 200,000 in the last 20 years;
.About 6 million children under age 12 have been diagnosed with depression and are on medication for it;
.Urban youth swarm the streets because Daddy has abandoned them and Mama's strung out on crack;
.Minority youth are trapped by oppressive political and economic systems that have rendered them victims of degradation;
.1 in 12 young people are the victims of violent crime;
.Substance abuse among young adults has increased as much as 10 percent in the last decade;
.Technology and acquaintances on My Space masquerade for true intimacy and significant relationships;
.There is a considerable rise in young people who suffer from emotional disturbances manifested through eating disorders, self-mutilation and violence.
And, this is also a time when, for the most part, the institutional church with its traditional families wants nothing to do with "that" kid who abuses substances; or who dresses inappropriately; or who uses obscene street language and grooves to rap and hip-hop; or who has two mommies or daddies; or who is promiscuous or pregnant; or who is emotionally disturbed and anti-social; or who has darker skin or an accent; or who wears all black or metal or chains or piercings, tattoos or "bling bling"; or who isn't familiar with the most basic of Bible stories.
The church stays away from "those" kids, lest they negatively influence the churched kids.
Neglecting 'those' kids
This is a time, for the most part, when we Christians spend the majority of our time building the church and very little time building God's kingdom on earth. A time when the church has sold out and is more concerned with its own self-preservation than with the needs of the least, the last and the lost. A time when urban centers are surrounded by churches that refuse to reach out to the impoverished, drug-infested, subsidized residents.
This is a time when research has proven the primary impact of a significant adult relationship other than a parent in determining the success and positive adjustment of at-risk young people, and yet very few churches engage the youth of their communities in mentoring programs.
This is a time, for the most part, when the institutional church is completely out of touch with the cultures of today's young people and has absolutely no clue how to reach the marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk populations of young people.
And I only wish I was exaggerating.
Just in the 12 years of career experience that I have had in my young life, I've been there. I have served "that" church - the church that kicked out the kid who was caught selling drugs in youth group; the church that told the emotionally disturbed kid that he couldn't come back to youth group unless a parent accompanied him; the church that outcast an unmarried young adult when she became pregnant; the church that literally closed its doors on a group of youth who wanted to share an alternative style of worship; the church that stared down the youth who was dressed creatively; and the church that refused to let the young visitor sit in a family-designated pew.
'Be the hope'
I realize that many of you were probably expecting more of a message of hope this morning, not words of seemingly negative chastisement. However, in this room sit THE leaders of the United Methodist Church of Virginia. And as leaders, what we need most is not a message of hope but a wakeup call that reminds us of our mission to BE the hope.
Of course, we can't and shouldn't blame the church or anyone or anything else for the actions of the Virginia Tech shooter. I remember hearing a professor speak shortly after the Columbine shootings. Likewise, he did not place the blame on the failures of an institution, the parents, the media, violent video games or any other entity.
However, he did speak of the deep responsibility that should be owned by educators in acknowledging their role as mentors who have at least the possible capability to stop such atrocities through successful intervention and outreach to high-risk students.
He suggested that more often than not, educators simply pretend not to see these students and ignore their cries for help.
This professor's words to educators ring true for the church. We can no longer sit complacent in our pews, but must answer the call for such a time as this.
The greatest tragedy is that we respond in such a time as this in the midst of an isolated incident of crisis while we pretend not to see the crises that constantly surround us on a daily basis. When the upcoming months have gone by and the church feels like it has done its part to comfort families who have lost loved ones and lead them toward a path of the peace and forgiveness of Christ, will we forget that this crisis didn't begin at Virginia Tech and it still hasn't ended?
Or, will we finally realize that, "for such a time as this," the church must finally begin the active pursuit of intimate and significant mentoring relationships with ALL young people within AND BEYOND our church walls, just as God ceaselessly pursues us.
For such a time as this is our call to finally wake up to the cries of marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk young people who desperately need the church to show them a God and a love that is big enough for even them. For such a time as this…
*Williams is director of youth, young adult, and single adult ministries of the Virginia Annual Conference. Her message to the conference staff was based on Isaiah 40:27-31 and Esther 4:6-14.
NOTE: This message was delivered to staff members of the Virginia Annual (regional) Conference on April 17 during a worship service one day after a gunman killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University.
A UMNS Commentary By Angie Williams*
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- "For such a time as this" - So, what is this time?
This is a time when we, the leaders of the church, need to discuss the deeper issues that lay the foundation for such atrocities as the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech -- and the implications for our response as the body of Christ.
This is a time when…
.A record number of students were killed in a college campus shooting;
.The number of teens in foster care has increased by more than 200,000 in the last 20 years;
.About 6 million children under age 12 have been diagnosed with depression and are on medication for it;
.Urban youth swarm the streets because Daddy has abandoned them and Mama's strung out on crack;
.Minority youth are trapped by oppressive political and economic systems that have rendered them victims of degradation;
.1 in 12 young people are the victims of violent crime;
.Substance abuse among young adults has increased as much as 10 percent in the last decade;
.Technology and acquaintances on My Space masquerade for true intimacy and significant relationships;
.There is a considerable rise in young people who suffer from emotional disturbances manifested through eating disorders, self-mutilation and violence.
And, this is also a time when, for the most part, the institutional church with its traditional families wants nothing to do with "that" kid who abuses substances; or who dresses inappropriately; or who uses obscene street language and grooves to rap and hip-hop; or who has two mommies or daddies; or who is promiscuous or pregnant; or who is emotionally disturbed and anti-social; or who has darker skin or an accent; or who wears all black or metal or chains or piercings, tattoos or "bling bling"; or who isn't familiar with the most basic of Bible stories.
The church stays away from "those" kids, lest they negatively influence the churched kids.
Neglecting 'those' kids
This is a time, for the most part, when we Christians spend the majority of our time building the church and very little time building God's kingdom on earth. A time when the church has sold out and is more concerned with its own self-preservation than with the needs of the least, the last and the lost. A time when urban centers are surrounded by churches that refuse to reach out to the impoverished, drug-infested, subsidized residents.
This is a time when research has proven the primary impact of a significant adult relationship other than a parent in determining the success and positive adjustment of at-risk young people, and yet very few churches engage the youth of their communities in mentoring programs.
This is a time, for the most part, when the institutional church is completely out of touch with the cultures of today's young people and has absolutely no clue how to reach the marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk populations of young people.
And I only wish I was exaggerating.
Just in the 12 years of career experience that I have had in my young life, I've been there. I have served "that" church - the church that kicked out the kid who was caught selling drugs in youth group; the church that told the emotionally disturbed kid that he couldn't come back to youth group unless a parent accompanied him; the church that outcast an unmarried young adult when she became pregnant; the church that literally closed its doors on a group of youth who wanted to share an alternative style of worship; the church that stared down the youth who was dressed creatively; and the church that refused to let the young visitor sit in a family-designated pew.
'Be the hope'
I realize that many of you were probably expecting more of a message of hope this morning, not words of seemingly negative chastisement. However, in this room sit THE leaders of the United Methodist Church of Virginia. And as leaders, what we need most is not a message of hope but a wakeup call that reminds us of our mission to BE the hope.
Of course, we can't and shouldn't blame the church or anyone or anything else for the actions of the Virginia Tech shooter. I remember hearing a professor speak shortly after the Columbine shootings. Likewise, he did not place the blame on the failures of an institution, the parents, the media, violent video games or any other entity.
However, he did speak of the deep responsibility that should be owned by educators in acknowledging their role as mentors who have at least the possible capability to stop such atrocities through successful intervention and outreach to high-risk students.
He suggested that more often than not, educators simply pretend not to see these students and ignore their cries for help.
This professor's words to educators ring true for the church. We can no longer sit complacent in our pews, but must answer the call for such a time as this.
The greatest tragedy is that we respond in such a time as this in the midst of an isolated incident of crisis while we pretend not to see the crises that constantly surround us on a daily basis. When the upcoming months have gone by and the church feels like it has done its part to comfort families who have lost loved ones and lead them toward a path of the peace and forgiveness of Christ, will we forget that this crisis didn't begin at Virginia Tech and it still hasn't ended?
Or, will we finally realize that, "for such a time as this," the church must finally begin the active pursuit of intimate and significant mentoring relationships with ALL young people within AND BEYOND our church walls, just as God ceaselessly pursues us.
For such a time as this is our call to finally wake up to the cries of marginalized, disenfranchised, at-risk young people who desperately need the church to show them a God and a love that is big enough for even them. For such a time as this…
*Williams is director of youth, young adult, and single adult ministries of the Virginia Annual Conference. Her message to the conference staff was based on Isaiah 40:27-31 and Esther 4:6-14.
Virginia Tech shooting: What the church is saying
By United Methodist News Service*
The deaths of 33 people April 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech University -- in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history -- brought an outpouring of reactions from across the world, including within The United Methodist Church. Here are some thoughts from United Methodists across the connection:
"The God that I worship is crying along with us. This is not what He intends as an abundant life for His children -- to be mowed down in innocence by somebody that just went berserk." --The Rev. Glenn Tyndall, campus minister, Virginia Tech University
"Last night, just before I hung up from talking with my son, I told him that I loved him, and loved him a lot. And I realized that many, many people were not being given that same opportunity because it had been violently taken away from them." --Erik Alsgaard, whose 23-year-old son, a senior at Virginia Tech, was not on campus during the shootings. Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Annual Conference.
"We've been shocked into remembering our purpose as the body of Christ. … We are to be intercessors on behalf of the whole world. The highest calling at this time is to pray."
-- The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief executive, Board of Discipleship, asking all United Methodist congregations to include special prayers on Sunday, April 22, for those touched by the tragedy
"How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country?" --The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor and leader of the National Council of Churches
"It's going to be tough to come back from this, but as long as we have the support of each other …somebody to lean on every day." --Amanda Rader, a senior at Virginia Tech and member of the campus Wesley Foundation
"They are all tired, but energized by the work before them." --Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Virginia Annual Conference, speaking about the United Methodist campus ministry at Virginia Tech
"I hate days like this." -- Billy Reeder, First United Methodist Church, Dardanelle, Ark., after hearing about the shooting and the rising death toll
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety." --Jim Winkler, chief executive, Board of Church and Society
"We're a connectional people. This is Virginia Tech's tragedy. It is our tragedy. It is a time for us to remember to love deeply, and gently, because everybody we meet is carrying a heavy burden. We have the opportunity to be a means of grace." --The Rev. Dale Schultz, St. Philips United Methodist Church, Round Rock, Texas
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean immigrated student. … My thought and prayer go out to the bereaved families and the American people who are going through a very hard time. At the same time, I also think of the Korean community in the U.S. that will be under greater shock and worry, hoping that there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans. --Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops, The Korean Methodist Church
"I thank God we have a campus minister on that (Virginia Tech) campus, someone who knows the students and the community." -- The Rev. Rev. Luther Felder, who oversees campus ministry for the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, referring to the Rev. Glenn Tyndall
"So, it is now about our response. … Pledge to do 10 acts in the name of Christ for every dead. … And then, one year from now, when the news coverage reminds us of what happened, instead of being catapulted back into your pain, you can walk to your wall and celebrate 330 things that you have done to beat Satan down. You win. In the name of Christ." --Debra L. Cicchella, Cleveland, Ohio
"In this joyous season of Easter, we have discovered how Good Friday has intruded on our world again …" -- Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, during a prayer to open a denomination-wide 'town hall' meeting April 17
"The entire United Methodist-related higher education community of schools, colleges, universities and theological schools is shocked and deeply saddened by the wanton killing of human beings at Virginia Technical University." --The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, chief executive, Board of Higher Education and Ministry
"We look to you, Jesus, to help us forgive what seems to be unforgivable." --Deb Spaulding, Faith United Methodist Church, St. Charles, Mo.
This story was compiled from various sources, including 7Villages, an online social network of The United Methodist Church at www.umc.org.
By United Methodist News Service*
The deaths of 33 people April 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech University -- in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history -- brought an outpouring of reactions from across the world, including within The United Methodist Church. Here are some thoughts from United Methodists across the connection:
"The God that I worship is crying along with us. This is not what He intends as an abundant life for His children -- to be mowed down in innocence by somebody that just went berserk." --The Rev. Glenn Tyndall, campus minister, Virginia Tech University
"Last night, just before I hung up from talking with my son, I told him that I loved him, and loved him a lot. And I realized that many, many people were not being given that same opportunity because it had been violently taken away from them." --Erik Alsgaard, whose 23-year-old son, a senior at Virginia Tech, was not on campus during the shootings. Alsgaard is director of communications for the Florida Annual Conference.
"We've been shocked into remembering our purpose as the body of Christ. … We are to be intercessors on behalf of the whole world. The highest calling at this time is to pray."
-- The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief executive, Board of Discipleship, asking all United Methodist congregations to include special prayers on Sunday, April 22, for those touched by the tragedy
"How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country?" --The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor and leader of the National Council of Churches
"It's going to be tough to come back from this, but as long as we have the support of each other …somebody to lean on every day." --Amanda Rader, a senior at Virginia Tech and member of the campus Wesley Foundation
"They are all tired, but energized by the work before them." --Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Virginia Annual Conference, speaking about the United Methodist campus ministry at Virginia Tech
"I hate days like this." -- Billy Reeder, First United Methodist Church, Dardanelle, Ark., after hearing about the shooting and the rising death toll
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety." --Jim Winkler, chief executive, Board of Church and Society
"We're a connectional people. This is Virginia Tech's tragedy. It is our tragedy. It is a time for us to remember to love deeply, and gently, because everybody we meet is carrying a heavy burden. We have the opportunity to be a means of grace." --The Rev. Dale Schultz, St. Philips United Methodist Church, Round Rock, Texas
"I was really shocked to hear that this senseless crime was committed by a Korean immigrated student. … My thought and prayer go out to the bereaved families and the American people who are going through a very hard time. At the same time, I also think of the Korean community in the U.S. that will be under greater shock and worry, hoping that there will be no undesirable negative feeling and attitude toward Koreans. --Bishop Kyung-Ha Shin, president of the Council of Bishops, The Korean Methodist Church
"I thank God we have a campus minister on that (Virginia Tech) campus, someone who knows the students and the community." -- The Rev. Rev. Luther Felder, who oversees campus ministry for the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, referring to the Rev. Glenn Tyndall
"So, it is now about our response. … Pledge to do 10 acts in the name of Christ for every dead. … And then, one year from now, when the news coverage reminds us of what happened, instead of being catapulted back into your pain, you can walk to your wall and celebrate 330 things that you have done to beat Satan down. You win. In the name of Christ." --Debra L. Cicchella, Cleveland, Ohio
"In this joyous season of Easter, we have discovered how Good Friday has intruded on our world again …" -- Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, during a prayer to open a denomination-wide 'town hall' meeting April 17
"The entire United Methodist-related higher education community of schools, colleges, universities and theological schools is shocked and deeply saddened by the wanton killing of human beings at Virginia Technical University." --The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, chief executive, Board of Higher Education and Ministry
"We look to you, Jesus, to help us forgive what seems to be unforgivable." --Deb Spaulding, Faith United Methodist Church, St. Charles, Mo.
This story was compiled from various sources, including 7Villages, an online social network of The United Methodist Church at www.umc.org.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Imus remarks require broader dialogue on gender, race
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) - The real issue arising from the controversial words of radio host Don Imus is not whether he should have been fired but why there is a need to discuss attitudes about gender and race, say two United Methodist leaders.
In an April 16 statement, M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, lauded the "heroic" stance of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "as they have moved beyond the paralysis of their wounds" after being the target of hurtful words from Imus.
"The firing of Don Imus is not really the critical issue for us to consider with respect to race and gender in this country," the statement said. "The hope is that this won't be another fleeting media flash-in-the-pan, where the flurry ends with one person's indiscretion. Instead, let's invite social, political and religious leaders into a serious conversation about issues of race, gender and media."
The controversy began April 4 when Imus referred to the Rutgers team members as "nappy-headed hos," drawing heavy criticism from a variety of groups.
A member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of the nation's best-known radio personalities, Imus is known for his caustic style. His show was syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations throughout the United States.
On April 11, MSNBC dropped the morning simulcast of his radio program, which it had aired for the past decade. The following day, CBS dropped the radio program as well. Imus has been broadcasting his program for more than 30 years.
The radio host met privately April 12 with team members, their parents and others at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in Princeton. C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers' coach, announced the next day that her players had accepted Imus' apology for his racist and sexist comments and said they hoped the incident would "serve as a catalyst for change" in society.
"The inflammatory comments made by Don Imus are symptomatic of a legacy of double-barreled disrespect hurled at women of color in our society," Burton and Pickens said.
Such disrespect comes from all sides, they pointed out.
"The racist characterization of 'nappy heads' is symptomatic of a historic casting of black women as less aesthetically beautiful, less worthy of respect than white women. Imus' reference to 'hos' is also used too often by some blacks, hip-hop artists and young people of all colors as a euphemism for women.
"This phrase reminds us of our society's ongoing fear of strong women, self-determining women, women who play sports or excel in what has been a 'man's domain.' It also speaks to a mentality of denigration aimed at black women which particularly casts them as sex objects to be used, disrespected and discarded."
While calling for accountability from Imus, his employers and his advertisers, "people of faith who believe that men and women of all colors are created in the image of God and are worthy of respect" can also use the episode as an entry into conversation. Such a conversation should focus on how society and the media view, portray, hear from and talk about black women.
"Opening the dialogue around a God of such diversity is the challenge that we have in our society and the Church," the statement said.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
By Linda Bloom*
NEW YORK (UMNS) - The real issue arising from the controversial words of radio host Don Imus is not whether he should have been fired but why there is a need to discuss attitudes about gender and race, say two United Methodist leaders.
In an April 16 statement, M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the Rev. Larry Pickens, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, lauded the "heroic" stance of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "as they have moved beyond the paralysis of their wounds" after being the target of hurtful words from Imus.
"The firing of Don Imus is not really the critical issue for us to consider with respect to race and gender in this country," the statement said. "The hope is that this won't be another fleeting media flash-in-the-pan, where the flurry ends with one person's indiscretion. Instead, let's invite social, political and religious leaders into a serious conversation about issues of race, gender and media."
The controversy began April 4 when Imus referred to the Rutgers team members as "nappy-headed hos," drawing heavy criticism from a variety of groups.
A member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of the nation's best-known radio personalities, Imus is known for his caustic style. His show was syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations throughout the United States.
On April 11, MSNBC dropped the morning simulcast of his radio program, which it had aired for the past decade. The following day, CBS dropped the radio program as well. Imus has been broadcasting his program for more than 30 years.
The radio host met privately April 12 with team members, their parents and others at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion in Princeton. C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers' coach, announced the next day that her players had accepted Imus' apology for his racist and sexist comments and said they hoped the incident would "serve as a catalyst for change" in society.
"The inflammatory comments made by Don Imus are symptomatic of a legacy of double-barreled disrespect hurled at women of color in our society," Burton and Pickens said.
Such disrespect comes from all sides, they pointed out.
"The racist characterization of 'nappy heads' is symptomatic of a historic casting of black women as less aesthetically beautiful, less worthy of respect than white women. Imus' reference to 'hos' is also used too often by some blacks, hip-hop artists and young people of all colors as a euphemism for women.
"This phrase reminds us of our society's ongoing fear of strong women, self-determining women, women who play sports or excel in what has been a 'man's domain.' It also speaks to a mentality of denigration aimed at black women which particularly casts them as sex objects to be used, disrespected and discarded."
While calling for accountability from Imus, his employers and his advertisers, "people of faith who believe that men and women of all colors are created in the image of God and are worthy of respect" can also use the episode as an entry into conversation. Such a conversation should focus on how society and the media view, portray, hear from and talk about black women.
"Opening the dialogue around a God of such diversity is the challenge that we have in our society and the Church," the statement said.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
Virginia Tech tragedy reflects gun violence epidemic
By United Methodist News Service
Virginia Tech's picturesque campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains became the scene of the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history on April 16. A student gunman massacred 32 people before killing himself. A UMNS file photo by Maile Bradfield
As they grieved for victims of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University, United Methodist leaders condemned U.S. gun laws as lax and questioned why Congress allowed a federal ban on the sale of 19 types of semiautomatic weapons to expire in 2004.
The social action agency of The United Methodist Church also renewed the church's call for governments around the world to ban ownership by the general public of handguns, assault weapons, automatic weapon conversion kits and weapons that cannot be detected by traditional metal-detection devices.
"… Had this ban been in place, this shooting might have been prevented since one of the guns used by the assailant was a 9-mm handgun," said Jim Winkler, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
"We once again call on the Congress to ban all handguns and assault weapons so that our communities will be safer and so that this endless cycle of violence can be ended," Winkler said in an April 17 statement, one day after the shootings in Blacksburg, Va., left 33 people dead.
A Virginia Tech student identified as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, shot and killed 30 people in a building of classrooms and offices on campus and is believed to be responsible for the earlier killings of two people in a dormitory. Fifteen people were wounded, and the gunman took his own life.
"What is indeed tragic is the fact that this violence is commonplace in U.S. society," Winkler said.
"In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that there were 10,100 deaths by firearms in the United States. This represents an average of four deaths for every 100,000 people in the United States. By contrast, England, Wales, Scotland, and Canada averaged .54 deaths for every 100,000 people.
"The presence of guns in U.S. society has not led to greater security but in fact has undermined the general sense of safety."
Currently, most states do not require gun owners to be licensed or guns to be registered. Most states also allow the purchase of guns at gun shows without background checks and do not update criminal history databases in a timely manner, allowing criminals to obtain firearms.
The United Methodist Church officially supports regulation of the importation, manufacturing, sale and possession of guns and ammunition.
The church's resolution on gun violence in the denomination's 2004 Book of Resolutions points to the significant risk of handgun violence, especially to young people. "Our communities and schools are so exposed to large numbers of privately owned guns that no mere attempts at providing slightly better security can match the awful threat of guns finding their way through our well-intentioned safety systems."
Epidemic of gun violence
The Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist pastor who is the leader of the National Council of Churches, said the Virginia Tech massacre reflects an epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
"My pastor's heart breaks for the families of those who died today," Edgar said in a statement released April 16. "I pray for them and for those who witnessed the unspeakable violence that destroyed the peace of a spring day on a scenic campus at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia."
A former U.S. congressman, Edgar said faith leaders have frequently spoken up about the epidemic of gun violence. "Despite repeated calls from faith and community leaders to Congress and presidents, nothing ever seems to get done to stem the tide," he said.
"How many more will have to die before we say enough is enough? How many more senseless deaths will have to be counted before we enact meaningful firearms control in this country? How many more of our pastors, rabbis and imams will have to preside over caskets of innocent victims of gun violence because a nation refused to stop the proliferation of these small weapons of mass destruction?"
Edgar pointed to the National Council of Churches' 1967 policy calling for firearms control and a March 2000 interfaith campaign urging an end to the epidemic of gun violence.
"The escalation of gun violence compels us to call for an end to the manufacture and easy distribution of such instruments of destruction," Edgar said in 2000, reiterating that statement after the Virginia Tech shootings.
Concern around the world
The Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist from Kenya who serves as chief executive of the World Council of Churches, pointed out that disbelief and grief over the sorrowful tragedy in Virginia must translate into action.
"Today and in the days to come, national leaders, state leaders and the gun lobby across the USA must hear more than the latest outburst of anger at violence in America," he said in an April 16 statement. "They must also begin to understand the rising frustration among concerned citizens and governments around the world.
"The World Council of Churches has 347 member churches in over 100 countries. For many of them the news from Virginia today is little different than the news from Darfur yesterday and the news from Iraq tomorrow. They see wanton killings, the indiscriminate use of armed force and the widespread availability of deadly weapons."
Kobia noted that U.S. arms manufacturing and arms sales policies have violent consequences abroad as well as in the United States. He called for firm controls on the small arms trade.
"We are all Virginians in our sympathy, but many people around the world are also Virginians in their vulnerability to the misuse of unregulated guns," he said. "Each day, about 1,000 of them die from gun violence and many more are injured."
The R. Rev. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said the Virginia Tech carnage shows the impact of violence on families and society in general.
"The rampage in Blacksburg offers further indication of too many guns, too freely available in this country and around the world," Day said.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Living Faith, Seeking Justice global gathering November 1-4, 2007, Fort Worth, Texas
We invite you to join hundreds of United Methodists and other Christian advocates for justice at this important global gathering in Fort Worth, Texas. Together we will build alliances, learn and teach practical ways to move our churches and congregations from ministries of mercy to ministries of Justice.Come prepared to enjoy four days of transformational learning, preaching, collaboration and community building. You will come away with resources, techniques and programs to teach and preach the Social Principles, train and equip others to understand and live out justice in their lives, and mobilize others to engage in advocacy and work that transforms the world in the ways of Christ.
If you are working to join justice and mercy as a clergy or layperson, Living Faith, Seeking Justice is a time to nourish and equip you for ministry.
Join hundreds of other Christians from around the world on a journey of justice. You will experience:
.Top speakers and justice leaders;
.Culturally diverse, biblically-grounded preaching and worship;
.Great workshops with proven, exercises and strategies for justice ministries in your local church;
.Straight talk about the issues facing the church and the world;
.Nurture and encourage leadership among lay, clergy, students and seminarians;
.Creative arts & entertainment;
.CEU credits are available!
Featured Guest speakers include:
Shane Claiborne
Rev. Emanuel Cleaver
Rev. Adam Hamilton
Rev. Chebon Kernell
Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey
Dr. Mercy Amba Oduyoye
Dr. Harold Recinosn
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana
Dr. Elizabeth Tapia
Mr. Jim Winkler
Rev. Janet Wolf
Rev. Michael Yoshii
Registrations options.Individual and group rates are available.
Early Bird
$175 (by August 15, 2007)
Regular
$225 (by October 22, 2007)
Group of 2
$300 ($150/person)
Group of 3+
$400 for 3, $125 each additional person
Student
$125 (High School, College or Graduate Students)
Walk-in
$100 Day or $50 Half Day (no meals included)
On-line registration
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/rg/ecreg.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1810531&en=bsIQIZOAIeJVI1NALgJNLZMIJkL3KeMMIhLYI4OIKhITLeMYG
Downloadable PDF of conference brochure
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/atf/cf/%7B325AB72F-313E-4CC3-BB1A-EF0A52968A8D%7D/Living%20Faith%20Seeking%20Justice%20Flyer.pdf
To make a room reservation go to:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/ftwfwhf_gbc/index.jhtml
We invite you to join hundreds of United Methodists and other Christian advocates for justice at this important global gathering in Fort Worth, Texas. Together we will build alliances, learn and teach practical ways to move our churches and congregations from ministries of mercy to ministries of Justice.Come prepared to enjoy four days of transformational learning, preaching, collaboration and community building. You will come away with resources, techniques and programs to teach and preach the Social Principles, train and equip others to understand and live out justice in their lives, and mobilize others to engage in advocacy and work that transforms the world in the ways of Christ.
If you are working to join justice and mercy as a clergy or layperson, Living Faith, Seeking Justice is a time to nourish and equip you for ministry.
Join hundreds of other Christians from around the world on a journey of justice. You will experience:
.Top speakers and justice leaders;
.Culturally diverse, biblically-grounded preaching and worship;
.Great workshops with proven, exercises and strategies for justice ministries in your local church;
.Straight talk about the issues facing the church and the world;
.Nurture and encourage leadership among lay, clergy, students and seminarians;
.Creative arts & entertainment;
.CEU credits are available!
Featured Guest speakers include:
Shane Claiborne
Rev. Emanuel Cleaver
Rev. Adam Hamilton
Rev. Chebon Kernell
Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey
Dr. Mercy Amba Oduyoye
Dr. Harold Recinosn
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana
Dr. Elizabeth Tapia
Mr. Jim Winkler
Rev. Janet Wolf
Rev. Michael Yoshii
Registrations options.Individual and group rates are available.
Early Bird
$175 (by August 15, 2007)
Regular
$225 (by October 22, 2007)
Group of 2
$300 ($150/person)
Group of 3+
$400 for 3, $125 each additional person
Student
$125 (High School, College or Graduate Students)
Walk-in
$100 Day or $50 Half Day (no meals included)
On-line registration
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/rg/ecreg.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1810531&en=bsIQIZOAIeJVI1NALgJNLZMIJkL3KeMMIhLYI4OIKhITLeMYG
Downloadable PDF of conference brochure
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/atf/cf/%7B325AB72F-313E-4CC3-BB1A-EF0A52968A8D%7D/Living%20Faith%20Seeking%20Justice%20Flyer.pdf
To make a room reservation go to:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/ftwfwhf_gbc/index.jhtml
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Santa Cruz United Methodist church goes green
By Jeneane Jones*
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UMNS) - Like a seed planted in fertile ground, plans for a new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz soon will come up green.
The church will be Santa Cruz County's first to go "green" from the ground up and among the first United Methodist churches in the United States designed for environmental friendliness.
The building will include solar panels, windows designed to draw in more light and other eco-friendly features. Construction is expected to begin July 1.
The 189-member congregation is the result of a 2003 merger of three congregations - Live Oak, Grace and Santa Cruz.
The new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz sanctuary is designed for minimal reliance on electricity. Artist's rendering courtesy of William Bagnall Architects.
The Rev. Michael Love said church leaders decided at the start they needed to develop more than just a building on 17th Avenue.
"We wanted the church to be an expression of our core United Methodist values - values rooted in the Wesley tradition and in our Christian faith," Love said. "We take seriously that 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' and so building a facility that reflected stewardship of the earth was important," he said.
Being an eco-friendly church is more than just a nice idea, according to the pastor.
"In general it's a little bit more expensive to do some of the things we are doing," said Love of the $8 million project.
"People think that incorporating environmentally responsible design into their buildings is icing on the cake; it's the last thing they do. In fact, eco-friendly architecture is a huge movement within the construction industry, and many architects are knowledgeable about how to help you and your church cut heating costs."
While the church won't be totally off the grid in terms of electricity, Santa Cruz-based William Bagnall Architects says the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot structure will have many energy-saving features.
"From flooring and wall coverings to the heating and cooling systems, we are looking at a number of ways the new church facility will minimize reliance on electricity," said project architect William Bagnall.
The multi-functional church will feature a flat roof and solar panel tiles made to look like concrete. The sanctuary will be oriented to take advantage of natural sunlight through windows and skylights. Even the parking lot will reflect the green concept.
"We are looking at using paving materials that allow water to soak back into the ground, recharging ground water aquifers, instead of running into storm drains," said Bagnall.
The new building also will be educational. "Small plaques will be featured throughout the buildings to explain what renewable resources were used, and why," he said.
While designs, permits and plans were being completed, Love says the Santa Cruz congregation has been growing its ministries.
"It's been a long road, but the delays in work approvals have been a blessing," he said.
"We've added a middle school ministry; our children's ministry is now at its limit; we have launched a Spanish language Bible studies and worship services as well. These ministries are really important to us because geographically the building site is five miles away from the place where we are currently meeting. We realized we needed a way to remain focused on our neighborhood - letting them know we hadn't left them. We want to be able to cut the ribbon on the new building and have the people excited about coming to join us."
*Jones is director of communications for The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Annual Conference.
By Jeneane Jones*
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UMNS) - Like a seed planted in fertile ground, plans for a new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz soon will come up green.
The church will be Santa Cruz County's first to go "green" from the ground up and among the first United Methodist churches in the United States designed for environmental friendliness.
The building will include solar panels, windows designed to draw in more light and other eco-friendly features. Construction is expected to begin July 1.
The 189-member congregation is the result of a 2003 merger of three congregations - Live Oak, Grace and Santa Cruz.
The new United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz sanctuary is designed for minimal reliance on electricity. Artist's rendering courtesy of William Bagnall Architects.The Rev. Michael Love said church leaders decided at the start they needed to develop more than just a building on 17th Avenue.
"We wanted the church to be an expression of our core United Methodist values - values rooted in the Wesley tradition and in our Christian faith," Love said. "We take seriously that 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof' and so building a facility that reflected stewardship of the earth was important," he said.
Being an eco-friendly church is more than just a nice idea, according to the pastor.
"In general it's a little bit more expensive to do some of the things we are doing," said Love of the $8 million project.
"People think that incorporating environmentally responsible design into their buildings is icing on the cake; it's the last thing they do. In fact, eco-friendly architecture is a huge movement within the construction industry, and many architects are knowledgeable about how to help you and your church cut heating costs."
While the church won't be totally off the grid in terms of electricity, Santa Cruz-based William Bagnall Architects says the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot structure will have many energy-saving features.
"From flooring and wall coverings to the heating and cooling systems, we are looking at a number of ways the new church facility will minimize reliance on electricity," said project architect William Bagnall.
The multi-functional church will feature a flat roof and solar panel tiles made to look like concrete. The sanctuary will be oriented to take advantage of natural sunlight through windows and skylights. Even the parking lot will reflect the green concept.
"We are looking at using paving materials that allow water to soak back into the ground, recharging ground water aquifers, instead of running into storm drains," said Bagnall.
The new building also will be educational. "Small plaques will be featured throughout the buildings to explain what renewable resources were used, and why," he said.
While designs, permits and plans were being completed, Love says the Santa Cruz congregation has been growing its ministries.
"It's been a long road, but the delays in work approvals have been a blessing," he said.
"We've added a middle school ministry; our children's ministry is now at its limit; we have launched a Spanish language Bible studies and worship services as well. These ministries are really important to us because geographically the building site is five miles away from the place where we are currently meeting. We realized we needed a way to remain focused on our neighborhood - letting them know we hadn't left them. We want to be able to cut the ribbon on the new building and have the people excited about coming to join us."
*Jones is director of communications for The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Annual Conference.
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