wfn.org | Commission renews Central Jurisdiction recovery project

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

April 15, 2003	 News media contact: Joretta Purdue7(202) 546-87227Washington
    10-31-71B{228}

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - The United Methodist agency charged with monitoring
racial and ethnic relations within the church has issued a call for materials
related to the denomination's Central Jurisdiction.

The Central Jurisdiction was a segregated unit of the former Methodist
Church, instituted in 1939 during a merger of three Methodist denominations.
It was abolished in 1968, when the Methodists merged with the Evangelical
United Brethren to create the United Methodist Church. The African-American
bishops, members and churches became part of the mainstream church.

The Central Jurisdiction Review Committee, part of the United Methodist
Commission on Religion and Race, was formed to evaluate progress in
integrating African-American personnel and churches into the five U.S.
geographic jurisdictions. In the first phase of the Central Jurisdiction
Recovery Project, tapes of the committee's hearings were transcribed and
compiled.

Now, the project is seeking to preserve additional materials related to the
Central Jurisdiction and its merger with the geographic jurisdictions.

"As I look around the church, I see the legacy of this important historical
period being lost," said the Rev. Chester Jones, chief executive of the
Commission on Religion and Race, with headquarters in Washington. "Key
(leaders) during this era are aging and dying. It is now incumbent upon us to
collect this history or lose it forever."

Jones has called for pictures, journals, oral histories and artifacts related
to the Central Jurisdiction and its transition process. The commission is
collecting the items and will place them with the church Commission on
Archives and History in Madison, N.J.

"The commitment to being an inclusive church is not an easy one," Jones said
of the importance of preserving the materials. "We have struggled and
continue to struggle. The history of the Central Jurisdiction is not only a
testament to that struggle, but to our ability to overcome the sin of racism
together.

Donors may contact the commission at gcorr@erols.com or (202) 547-2271.
# # #

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