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Follow General Conference from the Oregon-Idaho perspective. Read what our delegation is up to and thier thoughts about the conference.
Camp and Retreat Ministries has announced the 2012 camping season! Plan now for your summer fun, challenge, or inspiration. check it out at GoCamping.org
Bishop Hoshibata has shared the new plan of assignment for churches to four district beginning in July 2012.
The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has set its 2012 legislative priorities for the 112th U.S. Congress. The seven priorities include several holdovers from 2011.
By a vote of 889 to 20, General Conference made United Methodist Women an autonomous organization within the United Methodist Church May 1 during its quadrennial meeting Tampa, Fla. The historic vote separates the national policymaking body of women organized for mission within the denomination from the church’s mission agency for the first time in more than 70 years.
“This is great result for United Methodist Women and for the church and positions us for the next 143 years of mission,” said Harriett Jane Olson, chief executive of the national United Methodist Women organization.
General Conference also approved a series of recommendations from United Methodist Women that will structurally strengthen ties between local United Methodist Women members, their national structure and the ministries they support around the world. The actions will provide more flexibility to local, district, conference and jurisdictional United Methodist Women as they organized for mission in their respective communities.
In a separate vote, oversight of the denomination’s deaconess and home missioner programs was placed with the new national United Methodist Women organization.
“This restores the break that was made in 1964 and the relationship the office of deaconess has had with women organized for mission since it was created in 1888,” said Barbara Campbell, a deaconess and retired staff of the former Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries.
United Methodist Women members at the event were elated.
“This is good for everyone,” said Elsie Olson, spiritual growth mission coordinator for Florida Conference United Methodist Women. “The timing is right. The General Board of Global Ministries agrees. Everyone supports it!”
Carol Toney, reserve delegate from North Alabama Conference agreed. “This is what we wanted!” said Ms. Toney, president of her conference’s Northeast District United Methodist Women. “I’m excited about the opportunity this gives us to be more in service to our sisters and brothers around the world. This gives us the autonomy to put our faith, hope and love in to action!”
The national United Methodist Women organization will be governed by a 25-member board of directors with 20 elected by United Methodist Women members through jurisdictional channels and five through a nominations process to ensure diversity of age, race, language, physical ability and working status. The board will be responsible for managing the organization’s program policies, finances — including investments, budget, property, financial policies — and its chief executive staff person.
A 70- to 80-member Program Advisory Group will advise the board on matters related to program. Each annual conference will have representation in United Methodist Women’s national organization, thereby strengthening the connections between local women and their national policymaking body.
The Program Advisory Group will include:
*Yvette Moore is editor of response, the magazine of United Methodist Women.
United Methodists from five continents addressed a wide range of challenging issues, including church structure and human sexuality, and engaged in an Act of Repentance toward indigenous people during their 10-day legislative gathering.
Meeting in the Tampa Convention Center, steps away from the waters of Tampa Bay, the 988 delegates recalled through worship, song and sermon the healing and transforming ministry of Jesus beside the Sea of Galilee.
As storms on the Sea of Galilee alarmed the disciples, so too, conflicting stands on structure and social justice issues troubled the delegates and some 4,000 visitors and staff. Perhaps the most surprising lightning strike occurred at 4:30 p.m. on May 4, the final day of the assembly, when the delegates received word from the church’s supreme court that a major piece of legislation regarding restructuring violated the denomination’s Constitution.
Afterward, Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster of the Charlotte (N.C.) Area, outgoing Council of Bishops president, sought to comfort a frustrated assembly at the start of the evening session. “God always provides a way,” he said.
In addition to restructuring and the Act of Repentance, General Conference addressed a wide range of topics during its April 24-May 4 gathering. The delegates:
The delegates, from more than 60 nations, processed some 1,200 petitions during the assembly. General Conference meets every four years and is the only body that speaks for the 13 million-member denomination.
Structure ruled unconstitutional
Church restructuring received more attention from delegates than any other issue. Plans for a new structure that had been evolving over the last year and finally hammered out after a weeklong struggle took a major hit when The Rev. L. Fitzgerald “Gere” Reist, secretary of the conference, announced that the Judicial Council had ruled the newly established structure unconstitutional.
Delegates and visitors reacted in stunned silence and scattered applause. After a 10-minute recess, delegates returned to their chairs.
“We need time to consider what just happened,” said Bishop Jeremiah L. Park of the New York Area, who was presiding over the session. The body adjourned until 7:30 p.m.
The Judicial Council found several problems with the new structure. The nine-member “Supreme Court” of the denomination said that the plan called for the creation of a 45-member General Council on Strategy and Oversight that would have “authority for consolidation of administrative services to the extent practicable. …”
“The Constitution authorizes Council of Bishops to bear the responsibility for general oversight,” the court said.
Judicial Council members said they did not review the “tortured process” by which the plan had been approved “outside established legislative processes.” They did review the plan itself.
“We have reviewed the plan to determine whether any part, portion, or all of Plan UMC can be saved and conclude that it cannot. The broad delegation of legislative authority and the commingling of the role of oversight so inextricably permeate the plan as to render it constitutionally unsalvageable.”
Reshuffled agenda
During the dinner hour, delegates and agencies huddled to consider next steps. Members of the General Council on Finance and Administration, which had earlier agreed to withdraw $3 million from the Episcopal Fund and give it to the World Service Fund, reconsidered their action. Instead, they agreed to give general agencies $1.5 million to help compensate them for losses when $12 million was removed from their budgets to create a line item for theological education outside the United States and the recruitment and training of young clergy in the United States.
The rest of the evening was spent trying to make certain the budget remains intact and proposed agency reductions are carried out. The agencies proposed to reduce their boards by 266 directors, or about half. Those reductions will move forward because they were not part of the restructuring plan.
Human sexuality
One of the most troubling actions occurred May 3 when some 100 people entered the plenary area following the defeat of an effort to add a statement to the Social Principles that urged unity and co-existence in spite of opposing views on homosexuality.
The assembly retained the current stance saying the denomination considers all persons are “individuals of sacred worth [however, the church] does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Indiana Bishop Michael Coyner, presiding officer, adjourned the May 3 morning session after only 20 minutes as the singing of protesters made it difficult to conduct business.
When the assembly gathered after a longer-than-planned lunch break, Kansas Bishop Scott Jones, was the presiding officer for the afternoon session.
Some 100 people seeking changes in denominational policies related to homosexuals gathered around a communion table at the center of the assembly hall.
“I feel your pain,” said Germany Area Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, president of the Council of Bishops, in an opening prayer. The Rev. Frank Wulf, a supporter of changing the policies and clergy person from the California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference, offered a second prayer, asking God for a way for the “broken community [to find] a voice that promotes healing and hope.” After the prayers, the demonstrators left peacefully.
Since only the morning session had been set aside to discuss issues related to human sexuality, the conference did not address petitions calling for changes in the present policy of denying clergy the right to conduct services of union for persons of the same gender or policies prohibiting the ordination and appointment of self-professed practicing homosexuals.
An earlier “holy conversation” on issues related to human sexuality also was cut short because of an extended discussion on the rules.
Difficulties with homosexuality did not originate in Tampa, and the journey through these difficult waters will not end here. Advocates for change proclaimed they will not leave the church; they will live out their calling within the denomination.
Finance
The Judicial Council decision does not significantly affect budgets approved by the assembly.
General Conference approved a quadrennial budget of $603.1 million for seven general church funds during 2013 to 2016; that total is 6.03 percent less than the amount apportioned in the 2009 to 2012.
That sounds like a whopping amount, but local churches should not count on huge savings, since only 2 cents out of every dollar in a collection plate goes to support general church ministries.
Delegates approved two new line items in the World Service Fund. They created a $5 million fund for theological education in central conferences – church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines -- and $7 million to recruit and train young clergy in the United States.
That action, combined with earlier recommendations to reduce agency budgets by 6 percent, means general agencies will receive nearly 10 percent less money in 2013-16 than they received in 2009-2012. That action will be softened by a grant of $1.5 million from the General Council on Finance and Administration to the World Service Fund. That grant is partly the result of the finance agency decision to reduce the Episcopal Fund by $3 million. Agency members also granted $1 million to help offset deficits experienced by the Commission on General Conference and returned $500,000 to the General Administration Fund.
While agencies may experience some savings in a reduced number of agency board members, those savings will be less than the 10 percent reduction in funds and the rate of inflation over the next four years.
Since all local churches do not pay the full apportionments, the amount received by all funds is less than the amount budgeted.
Act of Repentance
On Friday, April 27 before legislation reached the plenary floor, delegates participated in “An Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples,” recognizing and repenting of actions taken against Native peoples of all nations. In a moving ceremony in the plenary hall, they confessed that the church has “participated in the violation, the exploitation, and even the killing of indigenous people.”
At the close of the service of repentance, delegates picked up symbolic stones from the “river of life” scattered in the worship area. They were asked to take them back to their communities “as a covenant to continue to listen and to walk the journey of healing with one another.”
End to guaranteed appointments
Many delegates were surprised when the conference placed a proposal that would effectively end guaranteed appointment for clergy on the consent calendar, a device used to expedite legislation when there are fewer than 10 members of a legislative committee opposed to a proposal.
After a few delegates discovered what they had passed, an attempt to reconsider the issue was rejected by a margin of 564 to 373. On May 4, the final day of the meeting, the conference agreed to ask the Judicial Council for a ruling on whether the measure violates the Constitution. That ruling will come at a later meeting of the Judicial Council.
Delegates were far more cautious on other issues. Less than the required two-thirds of the delegates voted to seek a constitutional amendment that would allow for a bishop to serve as president of the Council of Bishops without responsibility for overseeing a geographic area. They also didn’t approve a proposed amendment to allow budgets to be adjusted between sessions of General Conference.
Somewhat like the advance billing for a high wire act that turns out to be a foot off the ground, so too, this General Conference was billed as the assembly that would make the most sweeping changes since the 1968 formation of the denomination.
By the time exhausted delegates shuffled their way out of the assembly hall shortly before 11 p.m., the denomination looked very much like it had before the delegates arrived.
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of Germany, the new president of the Council of Bishops, sent the delegates forth on an encouraging note during the conference’s closing worship.
“At the end of all our business ‒ unfinished though (it is), as we are ready to go, let us pause for a moment,” she said. “Let us listen as the risen Christ says to us, ‘Fear not! I am with you. And, therefore, follow me.’”
In his sermon to the General Conference on Thursday, April 26, Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata asked the question, “Can this love heal our United Methodist Church?” The sermon, based on Mark 3:7-12 explored the healing love of Christ. The exploration looked at how, while Christ was known for his physical healing, it is the ability of Christ’s love to heal a person’s soul that can have a profound impact on individuals and the church as a whole.
Hoshibata’s sermon pointed out a parallel for The United Methodist Church’s founder, John Wesley. Wesley was deeply concerned with physical health; even to the point of writing the text Primitive Physick, or An Easy and Natural Method of Curing Most Diseases in 1747. But Hoshibata identifies that Wesley cared deeply about the health of a person’s soul and encouraged the question “How is it with your soul?” at his class meetings.
For Hoshibata, this healing of soul, by Christ’s love, can affect our denomination. He identifies that amidst the challenges and conflicts in the church, Christ’s healing love is available as a privilege to all.
Hoshibata shared that for him a key point of the sermon was that, “WE need to determine to be part of God’s healing love.” In the sermon text he makes this point saying, “We may say that we are people of deep faith, but if we do not live out that faith by reaching out to everyone in Christ’s love, then we are, in the words of I Corinthians, nothing but a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Hoshibata concluded the sermon by challenging the delegates and visitors to, “Imagine a church for all God’s children, intentionally opening its heart, mind, and doors to everyone – everyone! Where disciples of Jesus Christ proclaim and practice acceptance of all – of all others – without regard for who they are, what they look like, or whom they love. That’s a church… That’s a church… That’s a church that is healed of mistrust and fear.”
After expanding on a vision of a church that reaches out to communities, the hungry, the homeless, and the marginalized, he concluded that the church he sees is a church, “that knows that love heals.”
As the service concluded, other Bishops joined Hoshibata at the front of the room and invited individuals to come forward and have individual prayer for healing and anointing with a healing balm. The balm, provided on all delegate tables was a gift from the organization, Just Peace.
This was Hoshibata’s first opportunity to address the entire General Conference since his election to the Western Jurisdiction in 2004. Since election he has served the Portland Episcopal area and the Oregon-Idaho conference.
Discussion, debate, questions, and explanations filled the days as the 2012 Legislative Assembly meet April 13 and 14. The fact that it was Friday the 13th brought no bad luck to the group that is charged with giving a first review to petitions to the Annual Conference.
Prior to 2009 the Annual Conference used a different legislative process. For many years the first look at legislation came when randomly assigned groups at the Annual Conference Session gathered to review one to three pieces of legislation. The results from these groups were then forwarded on to the full conference with recommendations and possible changes. If a vote in the legislative committee was by 90% or more, the item was placed on a consent calendar for consideration without debate. This had the advantage of involving more members of the Annual Conference, but committees were often looking at items they had not researched and worked under a time restriction that limited discussion or called for meetings that ran late into the night. The full Annual Conference then had limited time to review the recommendations and amendments before a final vote.
In 2009 a new process began. In an effort to reduce costs of the annual session, provide new opportunities at Annual Conference, and explore a new way to consider information, the “Legislative Assembly” was created. The Legislative Assembly is a 32 member sub-committee of Annual Conference members. Like the previous legislative committees, it is a representative cross-section of the Annual Conference with clergy, laity, geographic, age, and ethnic representation. It includes key leaders from the Ministry Leadership Team, Trustees, Districts, Board of Ordained Ministry, and other areas of the conference. By having this group meet several weeks prior to the June Annual Conference Session, the session can meet for a shorter time and include training events such as Adam Hamilton’s Leadership Institute and Mark Millers Worship program. It is hoped that shorter meetings, which begin on Thursday, are more accessible to lay members of Annual Conference with work commitments.
This year the Legislative Assembly dealt with key areas of social concern, conference organizational structure, and rules on conference equity, process, and health and disability benefits. In the two days of meeting the assembly members gave careful attention to their work, seeking to improve language and find clarity of purpose in the legislation. Of the 20 items submitted, the assembly supported 19 and recommended against 1. While reviewing one standing resolution the assembly sought out more information by connecting to the author via Skype, and rewriting the petition into two items. Spokes-people for other petitions came to the assembly and answered questions from assembly members.
A large discussion was held regarding the many rule changes needed to implement the new structure for the Oregon-Idaho Conference. Assistant to the Bishop, Kim Fields found himself in the “hot seat” as assembly members asked questions to clarify that the rules did indeed support the vision of The United Methodist Church to “Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” while still providing representation and support for local churches. Fields and other Ministry Leadership Team members answered questions, and provided a preview of the presentation that is being developed for June. The assembly passed the revised petition unanimously, but agreed that because of its significant impact on the Conference, it should not be passed via the consent calendar. Members agreed that they will see that it is lifted so it can be fully reviewed at the June session.
Listed below are the voting results of the Legislative Assembly. Any item scheduled for the consent calendar (CC) can be “lifted” so that it will be debated by the whole Annual Conference membership. That opportunity will happen at the conference session in June. By conference rule (2.024) 40 or more votes are required to lift an item from the consent calendar.
Petition versions showing the revisions made by the Legislative Assembly are being updated and prepared by the legislative coordinators. They will be posted to the conference website for viewing and download.
SR = Standing Resolution, AR=Action Request, CC=Consent Calendar
Click here to see the legislation
| Petition | CC | Title | For | Agnst | Abstain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR5 | Y | Close the School of the Americas | 27 | 2 | 1 |
| SR7 | Y | United Nations Support | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| SR9 | Y | National Fair Trade | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| SR11 | N | Embracing the Immigrant | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| SR13A | Y | Middle East Conflicts | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| SR13B | N | We Support World Actions For Justice & Dignity | 30 | 2 | 0 |
| SR15 | Y | Support Abolition of Human Trafficking | 31 | 1 | 0 |
| SR17 | N | Engaging The Occupy Movement | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| SR19 | Y | Preemptive Nuclear Strike-Opp | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| SR21 | N | Endorse ID Interfaith Roundtable & OR Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| AR 5 | Y | Sexual Ethics Policy-clergy-implementation | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| AR7 | N | Fair & Equitable Compensation for Pulpit Supply | 27 | 4 | 1 |
| AR9 | Y | Imago Dei & Gender Identity | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| AR11 | Y | Rational For Vote of Leg. Assembly | 1 | 30 | 1 |
| AR13 | N | Revise Rule 10.024 – Reflect type of Appointment | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| AR15 | Y | Revise Rule 8.030 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| AR17 | Y | Rules Related to Conf. Structure | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| AR19 | Y | Change in Retiree Health Ins. | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| AR23 | Y | Revise Rule 5.300 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| AR25 | Y | Safe Sanctuaries Policy Revision | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| AR27 | N | Change Comprehensive Protection Plan | 26 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 Legislative Assembly Members | |||
| First | Last | Representing | |
| Anna | Allen | Young Adult (Oregon Trail District) | |
| Clay | Andrew | Western District Clergy | |
| Joshua | Bynum | Young Adult (Snake River District) | |
| Marcie | Collins | Oregon Trail District Clergy | |
| Gwen | Drake | Ministry Leadership Team | |
| Norm | Dyer | Metro District Lay Leader | |
| Mary | Foote | Western District Lay Leader | |
| John | Go | Oregon Trail District Clergy | |
| Lowell | Greathouse | Ministry Leadership Team | |
| Mary Frances | Gunn | Legislative Co-Coordinator | |
| Josh | Hauser | Youth (Metro District) | |
| Mike | Holloman | Snake River District Clergy | |
| Gay | Jeffery | Snake River District Clergy | |
| Susan | Jensen | Board of Lay Ministry | |
| Jeanne | Knepper | Metro District Clergy | |
| Warren | Light | Southern District Clergy | |
| Karla | Long | Snake River District Laity | |
| Celia | Lorts | Oregon Trail District Laity | |
| Jack | Lorts | Oregon Trail District Laity | |
| Ruth | Marsh | Southern District Clergy | |
| Steve | Mitchell | Legislative Co-Coordinator | |
| Bill | Mullette-Bauer | Ministry Leadership Team | |
| Kwang Seog | Oh | Ethnic Representative | |
| Lisa | Radford | Oregon Trail District Lay Leader | |
| Claudia | Roberts | Metro District Laity (Peace w/ Justice Coord.) | |
| Cesie Delve | Schuereman | Conference Lay Leader | |
| Brian | Shimer | Metro District Clergy | |
| Carole | Sullivan | Snake River District Lay Leader | |
| Jim | Walker | Conference Trustees | |
| Dan | Wilson-Fey | Western District Clergy | |
| Noah | Wilson-Fey | Youth (Western District) | |
| Ted | Wimer | Council on Finance and Administration | |
| Supporting Staff - Non Voting | |||
| Bishop | Hoshibata | Presiding Bishop | |
| Laura Jaquith | Bartlett | Conference Secretary | |
| Kim | Fields | Assistant to the Bishop | |
| Greg | Nelson | Director of Communication | |
| Turella | Woods | Annual Conference Manager | |
3:00 P.M. ET March 22, 2012
The Rev. Edward W. Paup, a former bishop of The United Methodist Church and top executive of the denomination’s mission agency, died March 21 after a long battle with a brain tumor.
“We know that through God, Ed was formed, called, ordained and commissioned — and now has been called to rest. As resurrection people, we hold fast to Jesus’ promise that there will be for each of us an eternal home,” said West Ohio Bishop Bruce Ough, president of The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Paup will be cremated, and no services are planned at this time, according to the family.
He served as bishop of the Portland (Ore.) Area from 1996 to 2004 and bishop of the Seattle Area until 2008, when he resigned from the episcopacy to become the top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
He served only a year as the mission agency’s general secretary before resigning from the position on Sept. 1, 2009, because of health concerns. At that time, Ough said Paup had been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Born on Dec. 21, 1945, in Oil City, Pa., Paup graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., in 1967 and was ordained a deacon in the United Methodist Western Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference in 1968. He transferred to the Rocky Mountain Conference a year later, where he was ordained an elder in 1970, the year in which he also earned a master of divinity degree from United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
He served as a pastor in Colorado in 1970-89; was superintendent of the Utah/Western District in 1989-93 and was assistant to the bishop in 1993-96 before his own election as bishop in 1996. He was a general and jurisdictional conference delegate in 1988, 1992 and 1996.
Paup served on the General Council on Ministries in 1996-2004 and was its president in 2000-2004. He was a member of the World Methodist Council Executive Committee in 1996-2001 and served on the United Methodist Commission on Communication in 1992-96. Prior to being elected to lead the Board of Global Ministries, Paup became a board director in 2004 and was president of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
From 1996 to 2004, he was a board member at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska; Willamette University in Salem, Ore., and the Northwest House of Theological Studies in Salem. He also served on the board of trustees of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.
Paup is survived by his wife, Carol; three daughters and five grandchildren.
“We keep his wife, family, and all who love and grieve over him in our hearts,” Ough said. “May God grant them strength and assurance of God's promise and presence. We remember the words of Psalm 126, ‘May those who go out weeping come home with shouts of joy.’”
The Idaho Foodbank reports that they provide 119,000 emergency food each month and of that 66,628 are Idaho children.
In 16 congregations in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon, United Methodists are in the midst of a month-long March on Hunger to change that fact.
From Jordan Valley, Oregon, to the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, Idaho, church members are stepping out to make a difference in their communities. They are challenging others to join them in their efforts to collect food and money for local food pantries and the Idaho Food Bank and to raise awareness of the issue of hunger in the region.
Church members are encouraged to:
March on Hunger, which is supported by Rethink Church, will culminate in a one-mile march from the Cathedral of the Rockies to a rally at the Capitol on Saturday, March 31, beginning at 10 a.m.
Session #1: September 17, 2011
Session #2: October 15, 2011
Session #3: November 19, 2011
Session #4: December 17, 2011
Session #5: January 21, 2012
Session#6: February 18, 2012
Session #7: March 17, 2012
Session #8: April 21, 2012
Session #9: May 19, 2012
Session #10: June 16, 2012
Session #1: September 17, 2011
Session #2: October 15, 2011
Session #3: November 19, 2011
Session #4: December 17, 2011
Session #5: January 21, 2012
Session#6: February 18, 2012
Session #7: March 17, 2012
Session #8: April 21, 2012
Session #9: May 19, 2012
Session #10: June 16, 2012
Session #1: September 17, 2011
Session #2: October 15, 2011
Session #3: November 19, 2011
Session #4: December 17, 2011
Session #5: January 21, 2012
Session#6: February 18, 2012
Session #7: March 17, 2012
Session #8: April 21, 2012
Session #9: May 19, 2012
Session #10: June 16, 2012
This is session six of a leadership development event. See the link below for more information or contact Rev. Kate Conolly as indicated below.
Sacred Writing:
Gandhi: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”
What is one blessing you have experienced this week?
Benediction:
May we go gently into this week,
Enjoying the sweetness found in the presence of children,
Remembering the legacies left behind by those who have touched our lives over the years,
And may we embody the beauty found in God’s love. Amen.
This is my post mortem for General Conference 2012. I had to take a week to let everything settle in my soul. Kind of like a mourning period, I guess. There are many thoughts swirling in my head and heart. I may write several blog entries. But for now, here’s my thinking:
So I walked back and forth around the floor of General Conference. I walked outside the bar. I nodded to some who looked at me. I wanted to silently convey: You are not alone; God loves you, even if the Church does not, God loves you; you are not alone! Some people smiled, others just looked at me. Some nodded acknowledgment of my presence; while I felt the stares of many who were in the stands. I wonder what went through their minds!
nce again, the conservatives who control the votes of the General Conference were enabled in their efforts to block any kind of conversation and fair voting that might possibly create a “crack” in the wall of homophobia that grips our denomination. Political maneuvering that was clearly unethical was observed by others and (hopefully) reported. Those who were “sent to hold the line” in their resolve to declare homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching” demonstrated their inability to incorporate the value of “reason” in their thinking and voting. How else can you possibly explain the General Conference’s stubborn insistence to reject all wording that declares that we are unable to reach consensus on the issue of homosexuality! In the US church, this stubborn insistence is based on fear of change, fear of reality, fear of reason. Words of Blessing:
As we go about our daily activities this week,
Let us realize that in the meeting of others the human face is an icon of intimacy,
That our eyes are windows into the soul,
That our hearts are repositories for the gift of love.
May we be open and aware of God’s workings within and around us. Amen.
Reflection:
Roses bask in sunlight,
Watching furrowed brows pass by,
As bees search for honey
Something to Ponder:
If you aren’t able to notice any blessings around you today, how might you become a blessing yourself?
Personal reflection as a new day begins:
Sacred Writing:
John Muir: “I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did in contact with the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I do so no more, because I have discovered that I also live in ‘creation’s dawn.’ The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
“There is a love of wild nature in everybody, an ancient mother-love ever showing itself whether recognized or no, and however covered by cares and duties.” (The Wilderness World of John Muir, p. 311)
What is one blessing you have experienced this week?
Benediction:
Gentle Spirit of God…
Remind us of the essential things in the week ahead,
That we might remember the sacred gift of life,
That we might allow a generous spirit to well up within us,
That we might remain open to your way as we encounter others in the days before us. Amen.
“What is this all about?” asked the two young women standing by the prayer fence at the Common Witness tabernacle. They were schoolteachers at a conference, one from Georgia and one from Alabama.
I explained that I was at the United Methodist General Conference and that these flags represented prayers from all over the country. We read the words on a few of them and I described the work of many of us who seek full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in our church. I mentioned that we have church policies that discriminate against GBLT people.
They nodded their heads. One said, “That’s why I don’t go to church anymore.” Then she smiled. “My parents still attend our United Methodist church. They are in a class studying gay and lesbian inclusion. But most of their church is against it.”
“I don’t attend church either,” said her friend. “So many in the church I grew up in are harsh and hateful to people. I’d never step in the door again.”
I asked, “Is that a United Methodist Church, too?” She nodded. And I pondered this truth: young people are staying away from judgmental churches. Even in the South.
Delegates form the Southeast Jurisdiction had claimed numerous times during General Conference that their local churches were thriving and full of young people. They used this as one of their arguments about retaining restrictive language on human sexuality, particularly the “incompatibility clause.”
I know that church going is still culturally poplar in the south AND these two young women confirm that not all southern young people agree with those who call for retaining language that discriminates against gay and lesbian people. I am saddened that UMC spokespersons are making categorical statements that are not true. AND I have hope that these two young women know now to look for a home church that is a United Methodist Reconciling Congregation. Or they might discover More Light Presbyterians, Open and Affirming UCCs, Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, and other LGBT-affirming congregations.
Words of Blessing:
This week may the rains of spring be welcomed, so they can do their part to nurture and nourish life.
May the rays of the sun renew us, warm us, and remind us of the complexity needed in the universe to sustain life on this planet.
And may we be open to all that makes life possible. Amen.
Reflection:
Plum tasting:
The surprise of bitter skin,
As sweet juice runs down the chin.
Something to Ponder
What surprise of nature delights you the most?
Personal reflection as a new day begins:
It is a quarter time position of approximately 12 hours per week.
The salary is $1,000 per month and the job begins on July 1, 2012.
Duties will include overseeing the Wesley House Campus Ministry Program,
developing relationships between campus ministry and local churches,
and being available for student needs.
Applications will be accepted until May 25, 2012.
Organist and/or Pianist Job Description
Wilsonville UMC is looking to replace a broken sanctuary sound system. If any church is upgrading theirs, but has a "perfectly good" used one you would like to dispose of, we would be interested! Please contact the church office at: 503-682-0987. Or, if you know of any place that offers significant discounts for non-profits or churches, please share that information also! Thank you! -- Rev. Lois Wagner
The First United Methodist Church of Roseburg is searching for an experienced keyboardist to accompany its 10:00 AM Sunday worship service and Wednesday evening choir rehearsal. (Sanctuary choir recesses for the summer). Sanctuary keyboard instruments include a Baldwin grand piano, a Kurzweill PC-88 digital keyboard and a MP Møller pipe organ with two manuals and six ranks.
Children’s Ministry Assistant (available starting September 18th)
Trinity United Methodist Church, 440 Maxwell Road, Eugene, OR 97404
Job Description:
Lead a children’s ministry program for pre-school through 8th grade children. Children’s ministry program will consist of music, drama and visual arts/crafts with Christian themes. Two age groups will be created, one younger and one for the older children. Position will a) assist the pastor with Christian worship before the church service each Sunday and b) lead a children’s music/drama/crafts/story session during worship.
Hours and pay: Weekly on Sunday morning starting September 18th. Pay is $40/Sunday.
If interested contact the Trinity church office and ask to talk to Pastor Roberta Egli at 541-688-3269
Susan Nelson, retired pastor, died April 25, 2012. She is survived by son, Brian Caille, and daughter, Sara Siemens, and three grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, Kevan Caille
Reverend Nelson served Pocatello, Wilder, Jordan Valley, Roseburg, Jerome, Fort Klamath, Chiloquin and Williamson River in the Oregon-Idaho Conference, before retiring in 1998.
A memorial service will be held at a later date in California.
Friends may contact Brian Caille at 1299 NE Orenco Station Parkway A313, Hillsboro, OR 97124.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
Evangeline Boner, widow of retired pastor George Boner, died April 7, 2012. She is survived by sons, Dennis and George, and six grandchildren.
Reverend and Mrs. Boner served Harrington in the Pacific Northwest Conference, Salem Clear Lake, Canby-Carus and Canby in the Oregon-Idaho Conference, before retiring in 1980.
A memorial service will be held Friday, April 20, 2012, at 1:00 pm, at Floral Hills Cemetery, 409 Filbert Rd., Lynwood, WA 98036-4934, (425) 672-1800.
Friends may contact Dennis Boner at 21741 S. Parkview Lane, Estacada, OR 97023.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
April 9, 2012
Camilla Adams, wife of pastor, Robert Adams, died April 5, 2012. She is survived by her husband Bob; two daughters, Diana & Joni; four stepdaughters, Rebecca, Heather, Melinda and Katharine; one stepson, Douglass, and sixteen grandchildren.
Reverend Adams has been serving at Fort Klamath United Methodist Church in the Oregon-Idaho Conference, for the past 13 years.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday April 10, 2012, 11:00 am, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 801 Jefferson St., Klamath Falls, OR 97601-2929, (541)884-3585.
Friends may contact Bob Adams, PO Box 405, Sprague River, OR 97630.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
Charles Johnson, retired pastor, died March 15, 2012. He is survived by his wife Nancy; children, Bryce, Brenna, Leslie and Wendy and one grandchild.
Reverend Johnson served Gardiner, Pine Grove and Nehalem/Wheeler in the Oregon-Idaho Conference, before locating in 1963.
A memorial service will be held June 2, 2012 at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Washington County, 22785 NW Birch St., Hillsboro, OR 97124, 503-648-1720.
Friends may contact Nancy Johnson, 16905 SW Kattegat, Beaverton, OR 97006.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
Ruth Burdette, widow of retired pastor Laurance Burdette, died January 19, 2012. Ruth is survived by her son, David Lutes and two grandchildren; Scott and Alina.
Reverend Laurance and Ruth Burdette served Echo, Mt. Tabor, The Dalles and Prineville in the Oregon Conference until 1955 before going to the Pacific Northwest Conference where he retired in 1974.
A private memorial service will be held Sunday, January 22, in Salinas, California.
Friends may contact David Lutes – at 1650 Stony Brook Drive, Salinas, CA 93906-4845.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
Austin Richardson, retired pastor, died January 2, 2012. He is survived by his wife Yowko Ichioka; children, Mary, Susan, John, Sara, Gillian, Anne and Thomas Richardson and Katherine Bruna; and five grandchildren.
Reverend Austin served St. Charles Stockton in the Minnesota Conference; Hathaway in the East Ohio Conference; Yakima Wesley in the Pacific Northwest Conference; Coos Bay, Portland: Centenary- Wilbur, Eugene: Asbury, Salem: Jason Lee and Portland: Laurelwood in the Oregon-Idaho Conference before retiring in 1988.
A private memorial service will be held Saturday January 7, 2012.
Friends may contact Yowko Richardson, 18400 S. Red Fir Dr., Beavercreek, OR 97704.
Robert T. Hoshibata, Bishop
William Mullette-Bauer, Director of Stewardship and Finance
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