wfn.org | May 2, 2000 GC-005

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

Daily wrap-up: General Conference opens with pageantry, worship

CLEVELAND (UMNS) -- In a colorful, festive ceremony with international
accents, the United Methodist Church opened its first General Conference of
the new millennium on May 2 in Cleveland.

Robes of blue, red, gold, black, white and purple added to the splendor of
the opening procession, complete with liturgical dancers, banners and
African drums. An estimated 3,000 people in the Cleveland Convention Center
expressed their enthusiasm with prolonged applause.

The banners and dancers shared the procession with about 100 of the church's
bishops from the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines.  The
opening ceremonies began with the singing of the traditional Wesley hymn
"And Are We Yet Alive?"  The Scripture was read in four languages.

The opening service carried out the General Conference's theme of "We who
are many are one body."

After the sermon by Bishop Robert C. Morgan, of the church's Louisville
(Ky.) Area, the bishops, 992 delegates and visitors received Holy Communion
at 100 stations positioned around the vast convention center.

When the worship was over, the delegates took a brief break before beginning
the business that will occupy them for the next 10 days. In another
tradition of General Conference, the delegates found homemade cookies
awaiting them outside the main arena.

After taking care of legislative formalities, delegates gathered in 10
legislative committees. For the remainder of the week, the committees will
work their way through almost 2,000 petitions filed by more than 12,000
groups and individuals.  Subject matter of the petitions ranges from the
routine to the highly controversial.

The Faith and Order Committee will have the most petitions to consider -
348. The committee actions will be brought to plenary sessions, which are
expected to occupy most of next week.

Officers for the legislative committees were elected late in the day and
then attended special training sessions.

One of the traditional opening events of the quadrennial General Conference
received a new look this year, when Bishop Emerito P. Nacpil of the
Philippines stepped to the podium in the evening to deliver the Episcopal
Address on behalf of the church's Council of Bishops.  Nacpil was the first
bishop from outside the United States to present the address.

"Your bishops believe that the making of people as disciples of the
crucified and risen Lord, and forming them into a community of discipleship,
is the most radically significant event that can happen to humanity and to
the world," Nacpil said.

The church must "continue working for a more righteous global social order,
even if we suffer for it in the struggle," the bishop said.

"Slavery and apartheid have been outlawed, but racism and ethnic cleansing
are still with us - and we must rid the world of these demons.  Colonialism
and totalitarianism are no longer politically viable options for us, but we
still use power to dominate, violate and oppress, instead of to liberate, to
enable and to let be."

On Wednesday, Jim Nibbelink of Cincinnati will deliver the Laity Address.
Nibbelink is lay leader of the West Ohio Annual Conference and a member of
Armstrong Chapel United Methodist Church.

The tradition of the Laity Address began in l980. A competition has been
held every four years since then for a layperson to make the speech.

General Conference, the lawmaking body of the United Methodist Church, meets
every four years. Its current session will end on May 12.
# # #
	-- Robert Lear

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United Methodist News Service
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