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14-Mar-95

95073              NEWS OF OTHER DENOMINATIONS 
 
            furnished by denominational news services 
 
     The Washington, D.C., and Chicago metropolitan areas are finalists for 
the proposed new headquarters of the United Methodist Board of Global 
Ministries. 
     That unanimous decision was made in New York during a Feb. 27-28 
meeting of the 13-member site-selection task force established by the 1992 
United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's legislative body. 
     No longer under consideration are Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. 
     A single site -- to be decided by June 1 -- will be recommended to 
delegates of the 1996 General Conference, which has final authority to move 
the Board of Global Ministries.  The Board is currently based in New York. 
 
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     Citing statistics of verbal and physical assault against gay men and 
lesbians, leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Lutheran 
Youth Organization (LYO) pledged to "accept gay and lesbian youth." 
     The council of synod LYO presidents, meeting Feb. 9-12 in Chicago, 
adopted a recommendation asking the LYO board to take action "by providing 
a place of sanctuary and help with affirmative counseling." 
     The council consists of representatives of youth organizations in 
about 60 of the denomination's synods.  About 115 attended this annual 
meeting. 
 
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     The Episcopal Church, still reeling from the suicide of the bishop of 
Massachusetts, was further shaken last month by revelations that the 
church's former treasurer may have engaged in misuse of funds. 
     In a sobering message to the church's executive council Feb. 13, 
presiding bishop Edmond L.  Browning and his legal adviser, David Beers, 
said that they had evidence that appears to "indicate misuse of church 
funds" by Ellen Cooke, who resigned Jan. 6 as treasurer.  Evidence of the 
potential financial impropriety was discovered only after her resignation, 
Browning said. 
     Council members hastened to assure Episcopalians that the situation 
will not affect the wider mission of the church.  "We are trying to 
communicate to our people that those of us who are fiscally responsible are 
taking the necessary steps to get to the bottom" of the alleged financial 
misuse, said Bishop Don Wimberly, chair of the council's administration and 
finance committee.  "We don't want this to damage the mission of the 
church." 
 
 

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