wfn.org | Northeastern delegates to elect one bishop

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

June 21, 2000 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21NE-71B{290}

By United Methodist News Service

One new bishop will be elected when United Methodist delegates from the
Northeast meet July 11-14 in Somerset, N.J.

The election will fill the vacancy left by Bishop George W. Bashore of the
Pittsburgh Area, who is retiring, but the new bishop will not necessarily be
assigned to that area.

The 324 delegates, representing both clergy and lay people, will meet at the
Doubletree Hotel and Convention Center. Registration begins on July 11, with
interviews of episcopal candidates conducted on July 12. The Northeastern
Jurisdictional Conference will open July 12 and conclude with a consecration
service on the morning of July 14.

Besides the election of a bishop, delegates will elect other jurisdictional
officers, receive reports from various groups and committees, listen to
speakers on the conference theme, vote on a proposal to merge the Northern
and Southern New Jersey conferences into one conference and assign bishops
to episcopal areas.

A United Methodist bishop in the United States is elected for life and
normally serves no more than eight years in a particular episcopal area. The
Northeastern bishops who have completed two four-year terms in the same area
are Bishop Hae-Jong Kim, based in Rochester, N.Y., and Bishop S. Clifton
Ives of Charleston, W.Va.

The jurisdiction has 14 annual (regional) conferences and 10 episcopal
areas. The episcopal areas, presiding bishops and conferences are: Albany
Area, Bishop Susan Morrison, Troy and Wyoming conferences; Boston Area,
Bishop Susan Hassinger, New England Conference; Harrisburg Area, Bishop Neil
Irons, Central Pennsylvania Conference; New Jersey Area, Bishop Alfred
Johnson, Northern New Jersey and Southern New Jersey conferences; New York
Area, Bishop Ernest Lyght, New York Conference; New York West Area, Bishop
Kim, North Central New York and Western New York conferences; Philadelphia
Area, Bishop Peter Weaver; Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsula-Delaware
conferences; Pittsburgh Area, Bishop Bashore, Western Pennsylvania
Conference; Washington Area, Bishop Felton May, Baltimore-Washington
Conference; and West Virginia Area, Bishop Ives, West Virginia Conference.
  
Four other U.S. jurisdictional conferences will be held concurrently with
the Northeastern event, resulting in the election of a total of 13 new
bishops. United Methodist News Service will provide detailed information on
the candidates, balloting, elections and assignments at a special Web site:
http://umns.umc.org/elections.

In the Northeast, candidates who have received endorsements for the
episcopacy from official church groups are:

·	Thomas J. Bickerton, 41, white, superintendent of the Northern
District of the West Virginia Conference, endorsed by that annual
conference.
·	Sudarshana "Suda" Devadhar, 49, Asian American (Indian),
superintendent of the Ontario District of the North Central New York
Conference, endorsed by that annual conference.
·	Galen Goodwin, 56, white, superintendent of the Delaware District of
the Northern New Jersey Annual Conference, endorsed by both the Northern and
Southern New Jersey conferences.
·	Marcus Matthews, 54, African American, superintendent of the
Washington West District of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, endorsed by
that conference.
·	Eugene Matthews, 61, African American, pastor of Asbury United
Methodist Church in Washington, endorsed by Black Methodists for Church
Renewal of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
·	Thom White Wolf Fassett, 58, Native American, general secretary of
the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington, endorsed by
the Native American International Caucus, Oklahoma Indian Missionary
Conference and Troy Conference.
·	Violet Fisher, 60, African American, superintendent of the Bethune
District of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, endorsed by the Eastern
Pennsylvania conference and Black Clergywomen of the United Methodist
Church.
·	Jeffrey E. Greenway, 40, white, superintendent of the Pittsburgh
East District of the Western Pennsylvania Conference, endorsed by that
conference.
·	Lewis A. Parks, 53, white, associate dean for church leadership
development at Wesley Theological Society in Washington, endorsed by the
Central Pennsylvania Conference.
·	Vicki L. Woods, 53, white, superintendent of Northern Maine District
of the New England Conference, endorsed by that annual conference.

Each candidate's race is noted because of the emphasis that the denomination
places on diversity in its leadership. The United Methodist Book of
Discipline (Para. 407.2a) states that jurisdictions "shall give due
consideration to the inclusiveness of The United Methodist Church with
respect to sex, race and national origin."

# # #

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org