wfn.org | Men's congress will mark new direction for ministry

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

March 13, 2001   News media contact: Tim Tanton·(615)742-5470·Nashville,
Tenn.  10-71BP{128}

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. Joseph Harris is available. 

A UMNS Report
By Tim Tanton*

This summer's United Methodist Men's Congress will be the biggest event of
the quadrennium for men in the church, and it will mark a new direction for
the agency that ministers to them, the top staff executive says.

"For me, this is the most important congress that we have ever had or
perhaps will ever have," said the Rev. Joseph Harris, top staff executive of
the Commission on United Methodist Men. "It starts us out in a new century
and a new quadrennium in an exciting and dynamically different direction
that I think could affect the whole church."

A record turnout of more than 6,000 men from throughout the denomination is
expected at the Eighth International UMMen Congress. The event, themed
"2001: A UMMen Odyssey," will be July 13-15 at Purdue University in West
Lafayette, Ind.
 
United Methodist Men's new direction will emphasize spiritual growth in
addition to service work, said Harris, during an interview at the
commission's Nashville, Tenn., offices. The primary focus will be on helping
men live as accountable disciples and reaching younger men, he said.

"Our service orientation will come out of our discipling, as opposed to just
being an aspect of what United Methodist Men do," Harris said. Too many men
interpret their spirituality as being part of their service, but service
should come from spirituality, he said.

Too often, men don't participate in spiritual growth activities, he noted.
"We're wanting to reverse that trend."

United Methodist Men also wants to extend its impact beyond the local
chapter level. "We're wanting to emphasize more ministry to men -
particularly young men -- as opposed to membership in a unit," Harris said.
"We have a ministry to every man in the United Methodist Church, not just
the men who show up in our unit meetings. And every man should want and
should desire to be an accountable disciple of Jesus Christ."

This and future congresses will be designed to launch United Methodist Men
into each quadrennium, Harris said. The events, which began in 1953, are
held every four years. Along with the commission, sponsors include the
National Association of Conference Presidents, the United Methodist Men
Foundation and the National Association of United Methodist Scouters.

More than 2,000 people have registered early for the congress, compared with
about 600 at this same point before the 1997 event. "We anticipate a
first-ever sellout," Harris said. The last congress drew about 3,500 people.
 
One reason for the enthusiasm and high registration number is the event's
unprecedented lineup of well-known speakers and workshop leaders, Harris
said.

The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Tony Campolo, well-known evangelist and
professor of sociology at Eastern College in St. Davids, Pa. He and Bill
McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers, will speak during the first general
assembly July 13. Other major speakers will include Bishop Woodie White,
leader of the denomination's Indiana Area; the Rev. Jonathan Jonas, pastor
of Sulphur Springs United Methodist Church in Jonesborough, Tenn.; the Rev.
Jessica Moffatt, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bixby, Okla.;
the Rev. Kenneth Wyatt, artist, evangelist and motivational speaker from
Tulia, Texas; the Rev. Maxie Dunnam, president of Asbury Theological
Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.; and U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne (R-Neb.), former
Nebraska Cornhuskers coach.

That's just a sampling of the leadership that will be offered at the
congress. Other speakers - many of them well known in the church -- will
lead 50 workshops addressing a wide range of topics. The workshops are
designed on the basis of what men have said they wanted, and the number of
sessions is more than double what any previous congress has offered, Harris
said. 

The congress will give men something they can't get anywhere else, he said.
First, it will be a spiritually and life-changing event. Second, it will
give them information and resources they can take home to their local
churches and implement.

The congress is designed around journey themes. "We've set four themes or
four roads that the men who come to the Congress can go on," Harris said.
Those will focus on men and Christ, men and clergy, men and family, and men
and youth. Workshops are geared to each journey theme. 

Attracting young people is an important goal of the congress. The average
member of United Methodist Men currently is approaching 60 years of age,
Harris said. Younger men are needed not just for the organization but for
the church.

"The youth will have their own track," Harris said. Kadasha, a young praise
band from Lake Junaluska, N.C., will perform specifically for the youth.

On the congress' final day, a ceremony of blessing will be held for the
youth, along with a similar ceremony for the clergy members, he said.

While spirituality will be the primary emphasis, the men will have
opportunities for hands-on mission work. "There'll be a major mission
emphasis at this congress with our Meals for Millions program," Harris said.
Men will glean fresh produce from a field and deliver it to hungry people in
the Lafayette area, he said. They also will help bag potatoes for local food
banks and hunger relief agencies. The Meals for Millions program is offered
in cooperation with the Society of St. Andrew and the United Methodist
Committee on Relief.

The congress will feature several firsts, including pre-conference events on
July 12. Those will include golf, billiards and bowling tournaments, and
opportunities for swimming or working out in a gym. Other activities will
include training sessions for annual conference, district and local chapter
presidents of United Methodist Men.  

Also for the first time, a memorial service will be held to remember members
of United Methodist Men who have died since the 1997 congress. Their names
will be placed in a memorial book and given to each participant.

Other highlights will include diverse musical offerings, with men's choirs
and soloists from around the denomination performing throughout the event,
and a ministry fair featuring more than 100 exhibitors.

Participants will receive a special congress edition of Upper Room
Devotionals. Everyone who registers also will receive United Methodist Men's
custom editions of the Faith-Sharing New Testament, which can be taken home
for distribution to men joining local churches.

"We've got lots of folks praying for this event," Harris said. Every
registrant is being prayed for by name by the covenant prayer groups of the
Upper Room prayer line, he said.

United Methodist Men is seeking sponsors who can help defray some of the
costs of the event. That would enable the commission to offer more
scholarship money to help people attend, Harris said. Church and secular
sponsors can advertise in the event magazine, on the Web site or at the
congress. 

Information on registration, costs and other details about the congress is
available by contacting the commission's Martha Davis, (615) 340-7137 or
mdavis@gcumm.org, or writing to her at P.O. Box 340006, Nashville, TN
37203-4203. Brochures and registration material also can be downloaded from
the United Methodist Men's Web site at www.gcumm.org.
# # #
*Tanton is news editor for United Methodist News Service.

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United Methodist News Service
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