wfn.org | Meeting will offer chance to propose new 'special Sundays'

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Aug. 13, 2002  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{364}
 
By United Methodist News Service

Six Sundays a year, United Methodist congregations collect churchwide
offerings for specific needs, such as disaster relief, scholarships and
Native American ministries.

This fall, individuals and groups in the church will have an opportunity to
request new "special Sunday" observances through the Consultation on Special
Sundays. The gathering, set for Oct. 2-3 near Chicago's O'Hare Airport, is
cosponsored by the denomination's General Council on Ministries and General
Council on Finance and Administration.

In addition to the six special Sundays with offering, the church has three
special Sundays without offering and four special Sundays with opportunities
for annual conference offerings. 

"This will be the second quadrennium that we have invited all groups or
individuals that are proposing special Sundays to bring them to this
consultation," said Donald Hayashi, staff executive with the General Council
on Ministries in Dayton, Ohio. Before, consultations were held only with the
general agencies.

Representatives of the two agencies along, with others from the United
Methodist Communications and the Council of Bishops, will hear reports on
the currently designated special Sundays and listen to requests for
additional observances. The General Council on Ministries and the General
Council on Finance and Administration, in consultation with the bishops,
will then develop recommendations for special Sunday observances to be
brought to the 2004 General Conference, the denomination's lawmaking
assembly.

The Sundays with churchwide offerings are:

7	Human Relations Day - Recommended for the Sunday before the
observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, this will fall on
Jan. 19 next year. Fifty-seven percent of the offering will go to the
Community Developers Program, administered by the churchwide Board of Global
Ministries; 33 percent will go to the United Methodist Voluntary Services
Program, administered by the Board of Global Ministries; and 10 percent will
go to the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program, also administered by the
Board of Church and Society.

7	One Great Hour of Sharing - Generally observed on the fourth Sunday
in Lent, this will be celebrated April 7. The collection goes to the United
Methodist Committee on Relief.

7	Native American Ministry Sunday - Preferably observed on the third
Sunday of Easter, this will be marked on May 4. Annual conferences may
retain half of the offering receipts to develop and strengthen Native
American ministries in their areas. The remaining money is evenly divided
between providing scholarships for Native Americans attending United
Methodist schools of theology and expanding the number of target cities in
the Native American Urban Initiative.

7	Peace with Justice Sunday - This observance is recommended for the
second Sunday after Pentecost, putting it on June 15. Half of the collection
goes to Peace with Justice ministries in the annual conference and the other
half is for Peace with Justice ministries of the Board of Church and
Society.

7	World Communion Sunday - This observance is generally held on the
first Sunday of October, which falls on the 6th this year. Half of the
collection will go to Crusade Scholarships, administered by the Board of
Global Ministries; 35 percent will go to the Ethnic Scholarship Program,
administered by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry; and 15 percent
will be for the Ethnic In-Service Training Program of the Board of Higher
Education and Ministry.

7	United Methodist Student Day - Observed preferably on the last
Sunday in November, this day will fall on the 24th. The collection supports
United Methodist scholarships and the United Methodist Student Loan Fund,
administered by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The special Sundays without churchwide offerings are: 

7	Heritage Sunday - On this Sunday, United Methodists remember the day
in 1968 when the church was created through the union of the Methodist and
Evangelical United Brethren denominations. Heritage Sunday is held on April
23 or the Sunday following that date. Next year, the observance will be
April 27.

7	Laity Sunday - Generally observed on the third Sunday in October,
Laity Sunday falls on Oct. 20. The church is encouraged to celebrate the
ministry of all lay Christians, as their lives are empowered for ministry by
the Holy Spirit.

7	Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday - A new observance, this is
recommended for the second Sunday in November - Nov. 10 this year. It is
viewed as a time to gather together around the issue of life and
Thanksgiving.

Special Sundays with opportunities for annual conference offerings, set by
the conferences themselves, are:

7	Christian Education Sunday - Attention is focused on Christian
education in the conference, and an offering may be collected to support
that work.

7	Golden Cross Sunday - An offering can be elected for conference
health and welfare ministries on this Sunday.

7	Rural Life Sunday - The church's rural heritage is celebrated, and
members recognize the crises facing rural areas around the world. An
offering can be collected for strengthening the nurture, outreach, or
witness of congregations in towns and rural areas.

7	Disability Awareness Sunday -- The church is called to celebrate the
gifts and graces of people with disabilities, and to support the full
inclusion of such people in the community. An offering may be collected to
improve access for and attitudes toward people with disabilities in local
churches.

Registration information, agenda and advance materials are available by
contacting Hayashi at (937) 227-9400, Ext. 419, or dhayashi@gcom-umc.org.

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United Methodist News Service
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