wfn.org | Methodist Bodies Organize

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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 (3335 notes).

Note 3331 by UMNS on Dec. 12, 1996 at 10:33 Eastern (5053 characters).

SEARCH: Pan-Methodist, cooperation, commission, collective,
ecumenical, social action, merger
 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                          619(10-31-71B){3331}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470              Dec. 9, 1996

Methodist bodies organize 
for next quadrennium

     ATLANTA (UMNS) -- The 24-member Commission on Pan-Methodist
Cooperation comprised of representatives from the three
historically black Methodist denominations and the United
Methodist Church returned to the city of its inception Dec. 5-6 to
organize for the next four years.
     Representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal (AME),
African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ), Christian Methodist
Episcopal (CME) and the United Methodist churches make up the
commission.
     It was established here in 1985 to bring together the four
denominations that have common heritage, concerns and ministries.
The group also was established to "discern collegiality and
collectiveness" on issues that make a difference in the lives of
the members of the four Methodist denominations, said outgoing
president United Methodist Bishop Felton E. May, Washington, D.C.
     The members met at Interdenominational Theological Center
(ITC) here because the center is one of the best examples of the
cooperative spirit that the Commission on Pan-Methodist
Cooperation is trying to establish, said Mary Love, the
commission's administrative secretary and a member of the AMEZ
church. Housed at the center are seminaries of the CME, AME,
United Methodist churches and others.
     Elected for the 1997-2000 quadrennium were: president, AME
Bishop McKinley Young, Atlanta; vice president, AMEZ Bishop
Clarence Carr, Greendale, Mo.; secretary, CME Bishop O. Richard
Bass, Birmingham, Ala.; and treasurer, United Methodist Bishop
Charlene Kammerer, Charlotte, N.C. 
     A Commission on Union, to be organized later will explore the
possibility of reuniting the four Methodist bodies that split
primarily over race. 
     Sharing the Pan-Methodist vision, retired United Methodist
Bishop F. Herbert Skeete, Riverdale, N.Y., said, "union may not be
possible in our lifetime but the longest journey must begin with
one step." He said the "potential" in the four denominations will
one day break forth in a new power and witness across the country.
     "The sons and daughters of John Wesley will see the mission
beyond the traditional labels ... and will again rededicate
ourselves to spread scriptural holiness across the globe in new
forms and with new power," he said.
     Commission members agreed that the United Methodist Church's
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) could be an avenue
for cooperative response to human need. They will carry the UMCOR
concept to their denominational meetings in the hope that a joint
meeting between UMCOR officials and the denominations will occur. 
     Addressing systemic social problems prevalent in society, the
commission issued responses to three "mean-spirited" issues that
have gained national attention in recent weeks.
     The representatives adopted a statement that gave voice to
concerns surrounding the Texaco Oil Company. 
     The statement written in part by United Methodist Byrd Bonner
of San Antonio, Texas, reads: "The Commission on Pan-Methodist
Cooperation voices its grave concerns for the policies, actions
and statements of employees of Texaco Oil Refinery and we urge
members of our Pan-Methodist denominations, ... to support the
boycott of Texaco products pending satisfactory redress of
statements and actions that are derogatory and demeaning to
persons based upon their race or faith."
     Another issue the commissioners addressed was California's
Proposition 209, passed in the November elections against
affirmative action with implications for college enrollment,
hiring and promotion of women, African-Americans, Asians,
Hispanics and other minorities.
     A general resolution introduced by Carr, calls for a
"moratorium" on all national and regional conferences within the
state of California. The boycott will be aimed at the localities
that seek to implement 209 hastily "as an official policy of their
jurisdiction," the resolution reads. 
     United Methodist Bishop William Grove, Charleston, W.Va., the
denomination's ecumenical officer, said he was pleased at the
group's "response to the racist and mean-spirited provision" of
California's Proposition 209. 
     The commission also joined in signing an open letter to
President Bill Clinton from the National Council of Churches. It
urged the president to grant amnesty to 15 Puerto Rican men and
women incarcerated because of their efforts to advance the cause
of Puerto Rican independence. The statement and list of signers
will be published in the Washington Post within the next two or
three weeks.
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