wfn.org | Plans Black College Support

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (2962 notes).

Note 2958 by UMNS on May 14, 1996 at 16:05 Eastern (4166 characters).

SEARCH: black, college, fund, consultation, church-related.

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CONTACT: Linda Green                           244(10-31-71){2958}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470              May 14, 1996
 

Black College Fund consultation provides exposure to 
lifeline of black church-related institutions     

     NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- Fifty United Methodists met here,
May 10-12, to develop ways to provide the church with greater
exposure to the Black College Fund, lifeline for the survival of
the denomination's 11 historically black church-related
educational institutions.
     The Black College Fund was created by the United Methodist
Church's 1972 General Conference to raise financial support for
the programs and ministries of nine black colleges and two
universities. The director of the fund is Ada J. Jackson.
      The Black College Fund consultation, at Scarritt-Bennett
Center, here, brought together participants from the five United
Methodist jurisdictions across the United States who will serve as
resource people to tell the fund's story. 
     It enabled fund advocates to network with others who favor
the fund and its work and to generate ideas to inform and orient
United Methodists about how the Black College Fund helps 15,000
students have the advantages of higher education.
     The participants explored ways to increase the apportionment
giving by their annual conferences and the local churches within
their jurisdictions.
      The Rev. Ken Yamada, associate general secretary for the
Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Division of Higher
Education, told the assembly that the United Methodist Church's
commitment to the education of African-Americans can be traced to
"integral" beliefs of John Wesley, founder of Methodism. 
      "The 11 black institutions and the Black College Fund are
the key to the realization of hopes, dreams and aspirations of
African-American young people and enables them to be responsible
citizens and leaders in the world community," he said. 
     Since the creation of the fund, the church has provided
support annually to the historically black colleges and
universities that has made "a significant difference in the lives
of these institutions," he said.  Yamada also emphasized that some
of the institutions might not have survived without the fund.
     The 1996 General Conference increased the fund's allocations
to help stop the decline in giving that occured during the past 10
years. However, a gap of $3,026,000 remains between what was
requested by fund officials and what was approved by the
conference, Yamada said.
     In order for this gap to be eliminated, according to Yamada,
the Black College Fund has to receive at least 80 percent of its
money from the annual conferences annually for the next four
years.
     The Rev. James Noseworthy, director of annual conference
relations for the board, said the heightened commitment of just a
few churches in every annual conference would make a significant
difference in the ability of the Black College Fund institutions
to perform their ministries. 
     He said the challenge for consultation participants would be
interpreting how a small portion of local church dollars
"translates into a program that changes people's lives."
     The 11 historically black institutions related to the United
Methodist Church are: Bennett College, Greenboro, N.C.; Bethune
Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Claflin College, Orangeburg,
S.C.; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga.; Dillard University,
New Orleans, La.; Huston-Tillotson College, Austin, Texas; Paine
College, Augusta, Ga.; Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark.;
Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss.; Wiley College, Marshall,
Texas; Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn. 
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