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UMNS# 05156-United Methodists rally for Korean-American church


From "NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>
Date Tue, 15 Mar 2005 17:05:39 -0600

United Methodists rally for Korean-American church

Mar. 15, 2005 News media contact: Tim Tanton * (615) 7425470*
Nashville {05156}

NOTE: Photographs are available in the Photo Gallery at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Linda S. Rhodes*

CHICAGO (UMNS)-More than 400 United Methodists gathered in a snowy,
muddy field on March 13 to worship and rally in support of a
Korean-American congregation that has been trying for more than five
years to build a church in the Long Grove suburb.

The demonstrators, meeting on the proposed church site, came from United
Methodist congregations across the Northern Illinois Annual (regional)
Conference. Many wore bright blue T-shirts declaring, "I believe when
you truly embrace diversity, you embrace God." Some wore yellow buttons
that said, "Bring Vision to Long Grove."

The rally was held in support of Vision United Methodist Church, which
filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Village of Long Grove. The suit
charges the village violated the church's First and 14th Amendment
rights and the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act of 2000
by preventing construction of its proposed building. The lawsuit is
being heard by U.S. Judge Charles Norgle of the Northern District of
Illinois.

Vision Church has been joined in the lawsuit by the denomination's
Northern Illinois Conference and the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious
liberties group. John Mauk, attorney for Vision Church, said both the
church and the village have requested a summary judgment, and a ruling
could come as soon as August.

"We gather today to support our brothers and sisters of Vision United
Methodist Church in their struggle to build a new church home," said the
Rev. Arlene Christopherson, superintendent of the conference's Elgin
District, which includes Long Grove. "We gather today because we believe
in the promises of the United States Constitution that guarantee freedom
of religion. We gather today because a United Methodist congregation's
federal rights have been violated by the leaders of this community."

The Korean-American congregation does not stand alone, she said. "We
gather today for every synagogue, mosque and church that find themselves
stymied by hostility and zoning ordinances that tell us a religious
community is no longer considered a welcome neighbor."

Christopherson called the violations of Vision Church's freedoms
"blatant" and warned that even while the United States works to ensure
democracy and religious freedoms in other lands, "a subtle shift, a
terrifying shift, is taking place in our communities."

She cited other United Methodist churches in the greater Chicago area
that have had to go to court to get permission to host an overnight
homeless shelter or install a handicapped-accessible driveway. "Faith
communities large and small are reporting acts of infringement on their
religious freedoms across the country, and so we gather to say to
increasingly hostile local governments that the church will continue to
carry out the mission of our faith even in the face of opposition."

In 1999, Vision Church signed a contract to buy 28 acres in
unincorporated Lake County on the condition that the Village of Long
Grove would annex the land and approve the church's plans to construct a
worship facility. The congregation bought the land for $1.1 million in
2000.

After more than a year of negotiations, protests by residents, hearings
and revisions to architectural plans, the Village of Long Grove rejected
the church's request for annexation and approval. The congregation then
applied to Lake County for a building permit. As county officials were
approving the church's development plans, Long Grove began a forced
annexation of the church property.

A lawyer for the village told UMNS in 2003 that the church did not
follow community zoning regulations. Village officials also were
concerned about the church's possible size and impact on local traffic,
according to the Daily Herald newspaper.

At the rally, Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, who leads the Northern Illinois
Conference, promised that conference leadership will continue to support
the church in its fight to build in Long Grove.

"We will stay with you until justice is fulfilled for our people," Jung
said. "Let's fulfill God's dream together. Stay strong. Stay strong in
Christ."

Many participants said they attended the rally because they thought the
church had been wronged.

Lois Huth, 87-year-old member of Wesley United Methodist Church in
Cicero, Ill., walked with a cane up a hill through snow, mud and weeds
to get to the rally. "We've got to have freedom of religion," Huth said.
"I'm here to support that idea."

Fourteen-year-old Christine Crites, of Geneva (Ill.) United Methodist
Church, said she studied U.S. Constitutional rights last year in her
government class. "Since this is obviously a breach of constitutional
rights and is obviously racist," she said, "I decided to come to show my
support for the church."

"There is a justice issue at work here," said the Rev. Joe Snider,
pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Elgin, Ill. "I want to be
supportive of this congregation in the face of injustice."

Members of Vision Church were moved by the show of support by other
United Methodists.

"I'm very excited and very encouraged," said the Rev. Soon Chang Jang,
senior pastor of Vision United Methodist Church. "Before, the
connectional system (of the United Methodist Church) was just an idea.
But today, not only me, but our entire congregation-even the
children-understands that this is the United Methodist Church. We are
one family. We are one in Christ."

# # #

*Rhodes is director of communications for the United Methodist Church's
Northern Illinois Conference.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

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


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