wfn.org | North Central delegates to elect new United Methodist bishops

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

June 22, 2000 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn. 10-21NCJ-71B{293}

By United Methodist News Service 

Three new United Methodist bishops will be elected by delegates at the
church's nine-state North Central Jurisdictional Conference in Middleton,
Wis., a suburb of Madison, July 12-15.  

The elections will replace bishops who are retiring: Charles W. Jordan of
the Iowa Area, with offices in Des Moines; Donald A. Ott of the Michigan
Area, with offices in Southfield, near Detroit;  and Judith Craig of the
Ohio West Area, with offices in Worthington, near Columbus.

In addition to electing new bishops, the 364 delegates will assign all 10
bishops in the jurisdiction to areas of service for the next four years. 

United Methodist bishops are elected for life but are assigned to areas of
service for four years. Normally, a bishop serves in one area for no more
than two four-year terms but may serve a third term under special
circumstances. Any bishop may be assigned to any area in the jurisdiction,
but it is unlikely that a bishop who has served in one area only four years
will be moved.  

North Central bishops completing eight years in one area are Sharon Z.
Rader, Wisconsin, and Woodie W. White, Indiana. Other continuing bishops
completing four years in their current areas are C. Joseph Sprague, Chicago
Area; Michael J. Coyner, Dakotas Area; Sharon Brown Christopher, Illinois
Area; John L. Hopkins, Minnesota Area; and Jonathan D. Keaton, Ohio East
Area.

The conference will be held at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton
beginning with a service of Holy Communion at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, and
adjourning at noon Saturday, July 15, following a service of consecration
for the new bishops.  
The North Central gathering is one of five that will be held simultaneously
in the United States to elect a total of 13 bishops.  The conferences are
held every four years. 
According to the church's Book of Discipline, the first responsibility of a
bishop is to "lead and oversee the spiritual and temporal affairs" of the
church and to lead the denomination in its "mission of witness and service
in the world."   
Any ordained elder in full connection is eligible for election as bishop.
While candidates may be endorsed by various groups and nominated by their
respective annual (regional) conferences, such commendations are not
necessary for election. 

North Central delegates will begin balloting late in the afternoon on the
first day of the conference by writing the names of three clergy members on
blank ballots. The conference may set its own percentage of votes necessary
for election but is expected to follow a recommendation in the Book of
Discipline calling for at least 60 percent.  

When three bishops have been elected, a committee of delegates will
recommend assignments for consideration by the full body.  The consecration
service for new bishops is scheduled for 10 a.m., July 15, at Asbury United
Methodist Church.

The North Central Jurisdiction was the first in the denomination to elect a
female bishop.  Marjorie Swank Matthews was elected in 1980 and served four
years in the Wisconsin Area before retiring.  She died June 30, 1986.
Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly, elected in the Western Jurisdiction, is retired.

Of the nine female bishops in active service in the denomination, three are
in the North Central region.

United Methodist News Service will provide ongoing coverage of the election
and assignment of bishops at all five jurisdictional conferences on its Web
site at http://umns.umc.org/elections.  A link from the page will go to an
Internet site developed by Wisconsin United Methodist Communications, which
will allow individuals to see and hear parts of the conference through live
audio/video. Anyone with an Internet connection and Windows Media Player (a
free download that works with any Web browser) will be able to watch the
conference as it is happening.
Live audio/video broadcast through the Internet at www.wisconsinumc.org will
offer via the Internet the same view of the plenary and worship sessions
that will be projected onto the large screens on the floor of the
conference. The streaming media files of each session will also be archived
on the server for later viewing.

Some of the annual (regional) conferences, meeting in May and June,
nominated people for bishop. Nominated in the North Central Jurisdiction
were:

Detroit:  Brent McCumons, 50, pastor of First United Methodist Church in
Midland, Mich.

Iowa: Bruce Ough, 49, pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cedar
Rapids.

Minnesota: Duane Sarazin, 53, superintendent of the Metro East District.

North Indiana:  Phillip Granger, 57, pastor of College Avenue United
Methodist Church in Muncie; Thomas Rough, 62, superintendent of the Calumet
District; and Katharine Lehman, 51, superintendent of the Lafayette
District.

Northern Illinois: Myron McCoy, 44, pastor of St. Mark United Methodist
Church in Chicago.

South Indiana: Greg McGarvey, 50, pastor of Old Bethel United Methodist
Church in Indianapolis.

West Michigan: Linda Lee, 50, superintendent of the Detroit East District.

West Ohio: Philip Brooks, 52, superintendent of the Lima District.

Illinois Great River: Terry L. Clark, 54, superintendent of the Spoon River
District.

Wisconsin: Richard Jones, 61, pastor of Whitefish Bay United Methodist
Church. 

East Ohio: Greg Palmer, 45, pastor of Berea United Methodist Church.

North Central clergy endorsed by other groups include Duk Kyu Kwon, 48,
superintendent of the Elgin District of the Northern Illinois Conference;
and Jaime Nolla, 48, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church, Racine, Wis.

# # #

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org