wfn.org | Communicators oppose postal rate hikes, elect officers

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

May 12, 2000	News media contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615)
742-5470*Nashville, Tenn. 10-71B{233}

CLEVELAND (UMNS) - United Methodist communicators say they will oppose
attempts to increase postal rates for non-profit publications, including
those published by churches and church-related organizations.

Members of the United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) voted
unanimously May 9 to join forces with the Associated Church Press and others
in a non-profit mailers' coalition to write to members of Congress and the
Postal Rates Commission opposing rate increases. The communicators will
contact federal representatives within the next three weeks to oppose House
Resolution 22, which would shift a burden for periodical mail rates to the
non-profit sector.

In other business, United Methodist communicators elected Lynne B. DeMichele
of Indianapolis as UMAC president for 2000-2001. Director of communications
for the denomination's Indiana Area and editor of the Hoosier United
Methodist newspaper, DeMichele succeeds the Rev. Alvin Horton of Richmond,
Va., editor of the Virginia Advocate, the publication of the Virginia Annual
Conference.

Elected to serve with DeMichele were:
·	Vice President Dawn Hand of Charlotte, N.C., director of
communications for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference;
·	Secretary Cynthia B. Astle of Dallas, editor of the United Methodist
Reporter;
·	Treasurer Edwin Moultrie of New York City, United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries; and
·	Membership Secretary Wally Athey, director of communications for the
Desert Southwest Annual Conference.

Named co-chairs of UMAC's annual communications contest were:
·	Charlene Bailey of Kansas City, Kan., director of communications for
the Kansas East Annual Conference and editor of Heartland Connection, the
conference magazine;
·	Larry Hygh Jr. of Jackson, Miss., director of communications for the
Mississippi Annual Conference; and
·	Dana Jones of New York City, editor of Response magazine, Women's
Division of the Board of Global Ministries.

UMAC's annual meeting will be held Jan. 11-13, 2001, in San Diego, Calif.

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United Methodist News Service
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