wfn.org | Year-end wrap-up: Y2K anything but normal for United Methodists

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Dec. 12, 2000 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.   10-21-28-30-71BP{564}

NOTE:  Photos to accompany this story may be found on the UMNS General
Conference Web site: http://umns.umc.org/gc2000news/photogallery.html.

By United Methodist News Service

For most United Methodist churches, the year 2000 was not so different from
1999, despite overhyped fears of the Y2K bug and the apocalypse.  

People were nurtured through worship and education. Babies were baptized.
Couples were married. God's good news was proclaimed. Worldwide mission and
relief efforts were supported. All of this was done despite the usual
challenges of tight finances and changing demographics.

For the larger "connection," however, 2000 was anything but normal.  

It was a year of conferences, where United Methodists wrestled with major
issues facing the church and also elected 13 new bishops. It was a year of
politics, in which two United Methodist Republicans appeared to have been
elected president and vice president of the United States, and a
denominational agency became involved in the Elian Gonzalez controversy.

It was a year of advocacy, in which United Methodists lobbied for causes
ranging from stopping the U.S. Navy's bombing of Vieques, Puerto Rico, to
ending the use of sports logos that demean Native Americans. It was a year
of repentance, as the church apologized for racism.

And it was a year of high emotions that hit their peak in May, in a city
called Cleveland.

Conferences

The 2000 General Conference, held for 11 days in downtown Cleveland, brought
dramatically to the surface the division, distrust and anger that have been
brewing across the denomination for decades, primarily over the issue of
homosexuality.  

Homosexuality has been a major issue for every General Conference since
1972. Tension increased dramatically when some clergy members across the
church defied action taken by the 1996 conference saying "ceremonies that
celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and
shall not be conducted in our churches." 

The General Conference is the only body that can speak officially for the
denomination. At each General Conference, caucuses and coalitions have
worked to retain, change or remove statements about homosexuality. One of
the most controversial statements in the Book of Discipline condemns the
practice of homosexuality as "incompatible with Christian teaching."  

On the day that General Conference delegates were to act on proposals
regarding homosexuality, 185 people were arrested in front of the convention
center during a demonstration led by Soulforce, a coalition of people from a
variety of faith backgrounds advocating the full inclusion of gays, lesbians
and transgender people in mainline churches. The next day, after delegates
had overwhelmingly voted to retain language in the Book of Discipline
regarding homosexuality, protesters took the stage in the assembly hall.
Thirty people, including two bishops, were arrested, a first for a General
Conference session.

In one of their most memorable achievements, the General Conference
delegates performed an act of repentance for reconciliation that addressed
the sin of racism within the denomination. The delegates acknowledged the
racial indignities in the former Methodist Episcopal Church that prompted
black members to leave and form their own denominations. They also repented
for the sin of racism that created and maintained a segregated "Central
Jurisdiction" within the Methodist Church from 1939 to 1968. Later,
delegates approved a constitutional amendment against racism and mandated
that the governing board of each churchwide agency include at least one
member from the three historically black Methodist denominations. 

Bishop William Boyd Grove, speaking as the Council of Bishops' ecumenical
officer, compared the lingering racism to a "malignancy in the bone marrow
of the church," and said: "It's high time to say we're sorry, and only the
General Conference can do it."

General Conference also celebrated the bicentennial of the former
Evangelical United Brethren Church and its predecessors, the United Brethren
in Christ and the Evangelical Association. The EUB and Methodist churches
united in 1968, forming the United Methodist Church.

In other major actions, the delegates approved about $18 million over the
next four years for a national TV advertising campaign known as "Igniting
Ministry" and adopted guidelines for Mormons seeking to join the United
Methodist Church. In two controversial actions, General Conference condemned
"partial birth abortions" and called for governments to outlaw the
"ownership by the general public of handguns, assault weapons, automatic
weapon conversion kits, and weapons that cannot be detected by traditionally
used metal-detection devices." 

As the dust settled after General Conference, U.S. lay and clergy delegates
met in May and June for their 65 annual (regional) conferences to ordain
clergy, approve budgets and programs, and deal with issues of common
interest and concern. Gambling and capital punishment were two of the
biggest issues addressed by the annual conferences; the denomination opposes
both.

Then in July, U.S. delegates gathered in five jurisdictional meetings to
elect and assign bishops.  Of 13 new bishops elected, seven are African
American. Three of them are women, the first since Bishop Leontine Kelly
became the first African-American female bishop in 1984.

More tension

Even before General Conference, homosexuality was one of the year's big
issues. In Sacramento, Calif., an annual conference investigative committee
said it found no grounds to certify charges against almost 70 clergy members
for their role in a same-sex union held in January 1999. The dismissal of
charges brought an outcry from opponents, who had called for a church trial.
The issue brought out the tension between evangelical pastors and leaders of
the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Several evangelical pastors later
left the denomination, citing problems with a leadership that they felt was
too liberal and out of step with the rest of United Methodism.

Three unofficial church groups formed the Coalition for United Methodist
Accountability and vowed to take action against pastors and bishops who, in
the group's judgment, violate the church's Book of Discipline. The first
target was Bishop Melvin Talbert, then head of the Cal-Nevada Conference,
for his handling of the case involving the clergy members. The complaint
against Talbert was investigated and dismissed by the Western Jurisdiction
College of Bishops.

During the summer, members of the New England Conference adopted an
unofficial declaration supporting full inclusion of homosexuals in the life
of the church. Shortly afterward, the Western Jurisdiction Conference
adopted a statement describing its members' pain from the recent General
Conference and declaring that it would also push for full inclusion of
sexual minorities.

Politics

United Methodists were all over the political stage during 2000. The
Republican ticket of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney was totally Methodist,
and members of the denomination from both sides of the political aisle were
elected to Congress. The best-known of the United Methodist arrivals on
Capitol Hill was first lady Hillary Clinton, who was elected a senator from
New York.

Controversy

True to the spirit of Methodism founder John Wesley, United Methodists
didn't shy away from the pressing issues of the day, no matter how
controversial. 

Staff with the Board of Church and Society in Washington stepped into a
firestorm and worked to reunite 6-year-old Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez with
his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez. 

Meanwhile, as they had in 1999, two church agencies lined up on opposing
sides of a court battle over whether gays should be allowed to serve as Boy
Scout leaders. The Board of Church and Society supported the involvement of
gays in troop leadership, while the Commission on United Methodist Men
supported the Boy Scouts of America's right to set its own policies
regarding leaders. The United Methodist Church itself has no position on the
specific issue. The Supreme Court ruled in June that the organization could
bar homosexuals from Scout leadership.

In Puerto Rico, where 100 years of Methodism were celebrated, church members
protested the U.S. Navy's use of the island of Vieques as a practice bombing
range. Many people, including the Puerto Rican bishop, were arrested in
demonstrations.

In the nation's capital, United Methodists joined in the Million Mom March
against gun-related violence, demonstrated in favor of the Jubilee 2000 debt
forgiveness effort on behalf of impoverished nations, supported farmers in
the "Rally for Rural America", and rallied in support of human rights in
Myanmar (formerly Burma). The Rev. Jim Lawson, civil rights pioneer and
United Methodist, was arrested in front of the White House for protesting
sanctions against Iraq.

Church members also demonstrated in favor of closing down the School of the
Americas in Georgia, and United Methodist clergyman Charles Butler was
arrested during a protest and remains incarcerated.

United Methodists were outspoken in calling for the elimination of sports
logos that are considered demeaning to Native Americans, such as the
Cleveland Indians baseball team's Chief Wahoo. 

At the local level, a Portland church drew national attention when a city
official tried to shut down its feeding program for the homeless. Neighbors
of Sunnyside United Methodist Church had complained about the presence and
behavior of people served by the program. The official was overruled by the
city council, and the neighbors and church staff worked out a resolution.

Global work

The connection provided relief around the world, helping people rebuild
homes in Kosovo, care for orphans in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
overcome illiteracy in Honduras, and recover from volcanic eruptions in the
Philippines, fires in Montana and floods in Mozambique. The Board of Global
Ministries committed $1 million to land-mine removal efforts in Mozambique
and hopes to expand that to Angola. The church also focused on fighting the
scourge of AIDS, which is devastating Africa and has infected 26 percent of
Zimbabwe's population.

As negotiations broke down between Israelis and Palestinians, leading to
violence that claimed more than 300 lives, several Methodist and United
Methodist groups issued calls for peace. They urged both Israelis and
Palestinians to back away from violence. In final weeks of the year an
ecumenical delegation, including Council of Bishops President Bill Oden,
visited Israel. 

In Tallinn, Estonia, six years of work culminated in the dedication of the
Baltic Mission Center. The center, supported by Methodists worldwide, houses
a church, seminary and other ministries.

United Methodists also worked toward helping North Korea. Church bishops
participated in a briefing on North Korea and met with members of Congress
on providing aid and improving relations with that country. United Methodist
women participated in an interfaith trip to the isolated country to make
contact with North Korean women.

In terms of worship resources, the church's Board of Discipleship and United
Methodist Publishing House collaborated on a Korean-English hymnal, due out
in 2001, and a supplement to the United Methodist Hymnal titled The Faith We
Sing, which is being published in nine editions between December and
February 2001.

A total of 2,454 United Methodist churches generated nearly $500,000 of the
national total of $3.1 million to help the needy through the annual "Souper
Bowl of Caring" campaign Jan. 30. 

Leadership changes

In addition to the election of 13 bishops, the United Methodist Church saw
leadership changes at four of its 14 agencies. New general secretaries were
named for United Methodist Communications, the Board of Discipleship, the
Board of Church and Society, and the General Council on Ministries. A search
is under way for a new top staff executive at the Board of Higher Education
and Ministry. Exceptions were made to the 12-year term limit for general
secretaries at the Board of Global Ministries and the Commission on the
Status and Role of Women.

Oden, bishop of the Dallas Area, became president of the Council of Bishops
for a one-year term.

In academia, the Rev. David Maldonado became the first Hispanic person to
take the helm of one of the 13 United Methodist-related theological schools.
He was named president of Iliff School of Theology in Denver, succeeding the
Rev. Donald E. Messer. He is believed to be the first Hispanic to lead any
of the 237 mainline denominational schools in North America.

On campus

United Methodist-related Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, had its
largest graduating class ever - 265 -- and enrollment hit 871. The school
also pushed ahead in building a new library and establishing a faculty
(school) of medical science.

In Durham, N.C., United Methodist-related Duke University announced a policy
change allowing its chapel to hold same-sex union services for people
related to campus groups, as long as their faith tradition allowed such
ceremonies.

The numbers

Membership continued to decline in the United Methodist Church, but at a
slower rate than in previous years.  Late in the year, the General Council
on Finance and Administration (GCFA) reported that U.S. lay membership for
1999 stood at 8.33 million, a decline of 33,841 (0.4 percent) over the
previous year.  This figure, which does not include military personnel, is
the smallest loss since 1968, the year when the Methodist and Evangelical
United Brethren churches united. Membership worldwide is nearly 9.8 million.

At the same time, United Methodists contributed about a half-million dollars
more to churchwide mission and ministry during the first six months of 2000
than they did in the comparable period of 1999. Figures released by the GCFA
showed that U.S. giving to the denomination's eight apportioned funds in
January through June rose 3 percent over the previous year. 

One case of giving that made headlines around the country occurred in small
St. Marys, Ga., where prominent businessman Warren Bailey left a $60 million
bequest to his local United Methodist church. Bailey died in July.

In a move that will save agencies and local churches money, United Methodist
Communications entered into an agreement with Microsoft Corp. whereby the
agency will make computer equipment and software available in the
denomination at reduced prices.

Ecumenical relations

Always a strong supporter of ecumenism, the United Methodist Church played a
key role in bailing out the financially ailing National Council of Churches.
Denominational leaders worked out a plan for advancing $400,000 to the NCC,
and the church's ecumenical relations commission will seek another $200,000
from other United Methodist agencies.

Elsewhere on the ecumenical front, the Most Rev. George Carey, became the
first Archbishop of Canterbury to address the United Methodist Church when
he spoke at General Conference.

For the World Methodist Council, 2000 was a busy year. The organization
presented Nelson Mandela, who was educated in Methodist schools, with the
World Methodist Peace Award. The council also announced plans for expanding
its headquarters in Lake Junaluska, N.C. 

Obituaries

It is rare that an active bishop dies while under assignment, but on Dec. 7,
the church lost Bishop Cornelius Henderson, leader of the denomination's
Florida Area. He died at age 66, in an Atlanta hospice, after fighting
cancer for two years. Two retired bishops also died during the year: Edward
G. Carroll Sr., 89, Jan. 1 in Gainesville, Fla.; and Edwin C. Boulton, 72,
May 15 in Akron, Ohio.

Other deaths included Mildred Hutchinson, 105, activist and member of the
Board of Church and Society, who helped craft the Social Principles, Jan. 14
in Los Angeles; Clifford B. Aguilar, 82, layman who helped found the
church's Hispanic caucus, Feb. 8 in Long Beach, Calif.; Thomas W. Landry,
75, active layman and legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Feb. 12 in
Dallas; the Rev. Thomas A. Langford, 70, theologian and former provost and
dean at Duke University, Feb. 13 in Durham, N.C.; the Rev. Hidetoshi Tanaka,
66, former associate general secretary of the United Methodist Commission on
Religion and Race, April 28 in Gaithersburg, Md.

Also: Mary Ruth Coffman, 73, long-time staff member of the Upper Room and
editor of Alive Now! magazine, July 8 in Nashville, Tenn.; the Rev. John W.
Deschner, 76, professor emeritus of Christian doctrine at Perkins School of
Theology, Southern Methodist University, July 28 in Dallas; Tom Matheny, 67,
longtime president of the United Methodist Judicial Council, Aug. 31 in
Baton Rouge, La.; the Rev. Lee Foy Tuttle, 95, retired staff executive of
the World Methodist Council, Sept. 10 in Winston-Salem, N.C.; the Rev. John
H. Ness Jr., 80, the first executive for the United Methodist Commission on
Archives and History, Sept. 18 in Baltimore; Martha Man, 69, former director
of United Methodist News Service, Oct. 19 in Albuquerque, N.M.

In addition, the church lost two leaders during the last days of 1999: John
Sagan, 78, a former automobile executive and strong supporter of United
Methodist higher education, including Africa University, Dec. 23 in
Dearborn, Mich.; and the Rev. Ewing T. Wayland, 82, former general secretary
of the General Council on Finance and Administration, Dec. 24 in Wheaton,
Ill.
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United Methodist News Service
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