wfn.org | Commission concerned about support for ethnic ministries

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

March 1, 2000        News media contact: Joretta Purdue ·(202)
546-8722·Washington     10-30-71B{105}

NOTE:  For related coverage, see UMNS stories #099 and 106.

ARLINGTON, Va. (UMNS) - Proposed procedures for financing ethnic ministries
in the United Methodist Church during the next four years are being
challenged by the denomination's Commission on Religion and Race.

Meeting Feb. 23-37, the commission developed a "memorandum of concern"
addressed to the General Council on Finance and Administration. Of
particular concern to the 41-member commission is a procedure that the
finance agency is proposing to the General Conference for funding a variety
of programs benefiting ethnic minority groups and individuals.

The General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, approves
churchwide budgets when it meets every four years. In the past eight years,
conference members have allocated money for each of several ethnic programs
beyond the budget recommendations brought by the finance agency. When the
delegates meet May 2-12 in Cleveland, the finance agency is recommending a
budget that includes $16 million in program funds for "innovative and
emerging ministries" beyond those accounted for in the general agency
budgets. General Conference delegates will determine how the money is used.

Three churchwide initiatives will be among the programs seeking support from
this single fund: Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century, a
National Plan for Hispanic Ministries and a Native American Comprehensive
Plan. Money would also be sought from the fund to implement the
recommendations from an Asian American Language Ministries Study and a
program called Advancing United Methodist Ministries Among Korean Americans,
both developed in the current 1997-2000 period. 

In addition, money is requested to support and implement programs of the
National United Methodist Native American Center in Claremont, Calif., and
to continue support for the autonomous Methodist Church of Puerto Rico.

In their memo to the finance agency, commission members say the proposed
funding for innovative and emerging ministries "places these important
racial ethnic plans in direct competition with each other and with other
established ministry efforts with young people and older adults." This
statement alludes to proposals for continuing a Focus on Young People
initiative and a proposed Older Adult Ministries effort. Commissioners also
expressed concern that competition might occur between proposals for new
ethnic ministry efforts and other new proposals such as the "Igniting
Ministry" campaign, a $20 million television effort to promote the church. 

The commission is urging the finance agency and the Financial Administration
Legislative Committee to seek an alternative plan for funding the
ministries.

Shifting their attention to other General Conference issues, commission
members expressed concern that proposals from the denomination's
Connectional Process Team (CPT) rely on self-monitoring against racism
without a separate body such as the Commission on Religion and Race
established for oversight.  The CPT was created by the 1996 General
Conference to develop a "transformational direction" for the church.

The use of Native American names, emblems and mascots by professional sports
teams continued to draw the ire of commission members. They affirmed an
earlier decision to avoid having future meetings in cities where teams use
such names and symbols but extended the exclusion from cities to
"metropolitan areas." The commission is asking other churchwide agencies to
adopt a similar policy in support of Native Americans who find such symbols
offensive.

The selection of Cleveland as the site for General Conference had sparked
concern about sports mascots at the commission's September 1998 meeting.
Cleveland is home to the Indians baseball team, which uses a character
called Chief Wahoo on its emblem. Following that meeting, the commission's
requests for moving the legislative assembly were denied by the Commission
on the General Conference. 

At its most recent meeting, the commission took several steps related to the
Native American issue. Members agreed to: 
·	Prepare a publication and work with other church groups to educate
and sensitize General Conference delegates and visitors;  
·	Request the Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group to make the
mascot issue an important part of the group's orientation for delegates;
·	Request that the issue be included in the Episcopal Address and
Laity Address to be given by Bishop Emerito P. Nacpil of the Manila Area and
Jim Nibbelink of Milford, Ohio, in the church's West Ohio Conference; and
·	Ask bishops on the commission to seek a meeting with the owner of
the Cleveland Indians during General Conference.

Staff members of the Washington-based agency were asked to offer a major
training session on the issue when the commission meets next in September.
President of the commission is Bishop Clifton S. Ives of Charleston, W.Va. 

In his address as the agency's top staff executive, the Rev. Chester R.
Jones said many racial ethnic groups feel trapped because of racism in the
church and are awaiting rescue. "The General Conference will not save us,"
he said. "However, the General Conference will be a time for reconciliation
where we can covenant to work together in overcoming internalized racism."

The commission approved grants from the Minority Group Self Determination
Fund to 46 projects and programs from the East Coast to Hawaii. The total
value of the grants is $595,928.

In other business, the commission:
·	Approved the monitoring review reports for the New York and
California-Nevada annual (regional) conferences;
·	Heard a presentation on recommendations to the General Conference
from the Task Force on Korean American Ministries;
·	Commended South Carolina Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, the South
Carolina Annual Conference, and the South Carolina Chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People for their efforts to have
the Confederate flag removed from the South Carolina Statehouse; 
·	Honored the Rev. Hidetoshi Tanaka, an associate general secretary of
the agency for 15 years, who has retired because of ill health, and elected
Kathleen Thomas-Sano as his successor.

Members recommended that commissioners elected for the 2001-2004 quadrennium
explore the possibility of opening satellite offices in the church's U.S.
jurisdictions to make staff more accessible and visible. 

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