wfn.org | Discipleship and Scouting

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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 (3184 notes).

Note 3184 by UMNS on Sept. 23, 1996 at 16:11 Eastern (5000 characters).

SEARCH: scouting, discipleship, unit, commission, ministries,
general
 Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency
of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn.,
New York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                             470(10-71B){3184}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470            Sept. 23, 1996

Two churchwide agencies 
vie for Scouting ministries

     NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- Which churchwide agency should be
responsible for scouting ministries in the denomination has
emerged as an issue following the organizational meetings of the
Board of Discipleship and a new Commission on United Methodist Men
(UMM).
     Until action by the 1996 General Conference, UMM was a unit
of the Nashville-based Board of Discipleship.  When the 23-member
men's commission met Sept 13-15, it affirmed Scouting as an
integral of the mission of the new agency.
     A transitional team is being created between both agencies to
deal with issues related to the separation.  UMM will become
independent Jan. 1, 1997 and will be accountable to the General
Council on Ministries.
     At their organizational meeting here Sept. 18-21, members of
the Board of Discipleship asked its members on the transitional
team to work toward keeping the office of Scouting ministries in
the agency.
     An "Office of Civic Youth Serving Agencies/Scouting" within
the Board of Discipleship has been funded through a $1 million
endowment raised by a United Methodist Men's Foundation, according
to a memorandum circulated among members. The Rev. Byron L. White
is head of this office in the board's Men's Division.  Staff
executive for the division is Foye Webb.
     The 1996 General Conference, in its action creating the UMM
Commission, did not specify where the Scouting office should be
located.
     In the memorandum to the 58-member board, staff members of
the Discipleship Ministries Unit, asserted that Scouting should
remain as an emphasis of the board.  The Office of Civic Youth
Serving Agencies/Scouting currently relates to volunteer leaders
who work with children and youth in the church.
     Supporting retention of Scouting as part of the board's
program, Webb said it is not just a ministry of UMM, but a larger
ministry of the church involving people of all ages.
     Agreeing was Jim Lane, a past conference president of UMM,
who said "Scouting is one of the best tools for engaging in
ministry and mission with young girls and boys."
     "Scouting encompasses ... men, women, youth, older adults and
people of all ages." he said.  "The best place for Scouting to
happen is under the umbrella of the General Board of
Discipleship."
     In other actions, the board elected officers and chairpersons
for various committees, revised by-laws, adopted quadrennial
themes and heard about a proposed high tech training and learning
center being built within the agency's building. 
     Officers elected were: president, Bishop Mary Ann Swenson,
Denver, Colo.; vice president, Bishop Kenneth Carder, Nashville,
Tenn.; secretary, Melvin (Mel) Bowdan, Jr., Nicholasville, Ky.;
and treasurer, Isaac (Ike) Brown, Nashville, Tenn.
     The Moorman Training/Learning Center is to be located on the
ground floor of the Denman Building, the facility that houses most
of the offices of the General Board of Discipleship. The center is
to be completed in the spring of 1997. It will be used as a
leadership training and learning center to assist staff of the
board and other churchwide agencies.  
     Board members also adopted a proposal from the Curriculum
Resource Committee to publish By Water and the Spirit: Making
Connections for Identity and Ministry.
     Authored by the Rev. Gayle Felton, this book is a study guide
to assist people in making connections between By Water and the
Spirit  and the fundamental issues of identity and ministry in
daily life. This study document, approved by the 1996 General
Conference, describes the United Methodist understanding of
baptism. The projected publication date is Jan. 1, 1997.
     Board members also adopted quadrennial themes focusing on the
Christian Home, Laity Sunday and Christian Education. 
                               # # #    
NOTE TO EDITORS: UMNS sent a story dated July 30, giving you the
names of people from your annual conference elected to serve on
churchwide agencies. However, that list did not include additional
members elected, here, to assure representation by gender, race,
age, geography, church size and expertise.
Additional members:
Allyson Valeria Earvin, North Georgia Annual Conference
Martha B. Etter, Southwest Texas Annual Conference
Willie Formam, California-Pacific Annual Conference
Jinny Gordon, Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference 
Jorge A. Lockwood, New York Annual Conference
Marva Mitchell, Louisiana Annual Conference
Celena Pena, Rio Grande Annual Conference
Larry Powell, Desert Southwest Annual Conference

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