wfn.org | Annual conferences offer 'Hope for the Children of Africa'

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

June 28, 2000       News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.     10-21-30-71B{298}

NOTE:  The following story is based on reports filed by individuals in each
annual conference. It is intended to be illustrative of conference actions
and activities, not an exhaustive report.  Individual reports may be found
at http://umns.umc.org/acreports/2000acreports.html .  Reports from central
conferences outside the United States, meeting at various times throughout
the year, will be posted on the Web site as available. This report is
accompanied by sidebars, UMNS stories #299 and #300. 

A UMNS News Feature 
ByTom McAnally*

"Farewell, dear friends, stay safe, dear friends, have peace, have peace.
We'll see you again, we'll see you again, have peace, have peace."

That "Shalom" hymn, sung by more than 1,000 United Methodists at the close
of their East Ohio Annual Conference on June 23, marked the end of a series
of 66 such gatherings across the United States during May and June. The Red
Bird Missionary Conference in Roark, Ky., was the first, beginning May 19.

High on the conferences' agendas was an initiative on children and poverty
being promoted by the Council of Bishops, particularly a part of the
initiative called the "Hope for the Children of Africa" appeal, which
addresses a part of the world where needs are great and where the church is
growing. Most of the conferences reported gifts of money.  Many also
celebrated the work of volunteers and the contribution of material goods. 

For United Methodists, who put great importance on conferencing, the year
2000 is particularly significant. The annual conference sessions in the
United States fall between General and jurisdictional conferences.

General Conference, the church's top legislative body, met in Cleveland May
2-12, attracting nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world. The assembly
is held every four years. Five U.S. jurisdictional conferences will be held
simultaneously July 12-15 to elect a total of 13 new bishops and assign all
bishops to geographic areas for the next four years.

Annual conferences are the arenas where clergy and lay members from local
congregations gather for inspiration and worship, the ordination and
appointment of clergy, planning for mission and ministry, and addressing
critical issues in the church and society. The United Methodist Book of
Discipline describes the annual conference as the "basic" body in the
church. It is there that clergy have their membership and accountability.

Looking forward to the jurisdictional gatherings, clergy and lay members of
many annual conferences nominated favorite sons and daughters for election
to the church's highest office. Some conferences formally adopted
resolutions asking for the return of their bishop for another four years.  

A high point of each annual conference is always the ordination of clergy
and recognition of new retirees. The recruitment of clergy was evident at
some of the conferences.  Virginia Bishop Joe E. Pennel Jr. invited people
to come forward and take his hand if they would consider responding to the
call of ministry. More than two dozen people responded. In a similar move,
35 individuals answered a call for missionary service issued by
Baltimore-Washington Bishop Felton May, and another 21 responded to his
invitation for pastoral ministry.  

In a day when the church is experiencing stress around such volatile issues
as homosexuality and abortion, some annual conferences turned their
attention to helping United Methodists listen to one another and respect
diversity.

The 2,500 members at the West Ohio Conference divided into groups of 10 to
12 people for the third in a series of annual dialogues and Christian
conversation. The session was introduced by the Rev. Don Saliers, a member
of the conference, who teaches at United Methodist-related Candler School of
Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Saliers is the co-author of a book
with Henry Knight III titled The Conversation Matters: Why United Methodists
Should Talk With One Another.

Four "witnesses" were invited to give presentations: a West Ohio pastor who
was born when his mother refused a therapeutic abortion, a woman who chose
an abortion after she was raped, a former pastor who was removed after he
admitted his homosexuality, and a Kentucky man who testified to his
deliverance from homosexuality. Following the presentations, individuals in
small groups spent 90 minutes telling each other their own stories.

Most of the annual conferences spent major portions of time celebrating what
their members had accomplished in mission and outreach throughout the
region, nation and world. The denomination has 8.4 million members in the
United States and an estimated 1.2 million in Africa, Europe and Asia.
  
Nowhere was enthusiasm more evident than around support for the Bishops'
Initiative on Children and Poverty. African bishops addressed several of the
conferences.

Tennessee and Memphis conference members heard Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo of
the Congo give impassioned pleas for understanding and assistance in his
war-torn and poverty-ridden country. In addition to commitments already
made, Tennessee members agreed to support 176 homeless children in the
bishop's home village. The Nashville Area, including the Tennessee and
Memphis conferences, has raised nearly $270,000 for the "hope" initiative,
exceeding its goal by more than $19,000. The contribution is part of the
wider church's commitment to raise $12 million and the goal of building two
home/schools in each of the 11 United Methodist conferences in Africa. 

In Ntambo's North Katanga Conference, Central Texas members have helped
build 40 churches and parsonages. 

North Georgia contributed $364,000 toward a $500,000 goal for a children's
center in Sierra Leone. The project, to be constructed largely by
volunteers, will include an orphanage, clinic and worship facility.  

West Michigan members celebrated the fact that the conference led the
denomination in mission giving during 1999. The conference gave a total of
$2.6 million, an increase of $884,000 over the previous year. West Michigan
has led the church in per-capita giving to the denomination's Advance
program for more than 20 years, contributing $2.6 million in 1999 alone. 

Reports included the work of volunteers and contribution of material goods
as well as money. Conferences collected items ranging from emergency kits to
vans. Arkansas United Methodists collected hundreds of backpacks filled with
nonperishable "kid-friendly" food for needy school children in the state.
Oregon-Idaho had a "parade of boxes" and gave more than 700 backpacks
containing school supplies for area ministries. Wisconsin contributed 101
boxes of over-the-counter medications valued at $20,000 to Sierra Leone.

Western Pennsylvania collected nearly 10,000 emergency kits for UMCOR, part
of a drive aimed at collecting 31,000 this year. Northwest Texas members
brought flood buckets, baby layettes and sewing kits to help fill a "mission
in motion" trailer parked near the conference site. Virginia contributed
30,257 mission kits and $28,521 in financial gifts, representing more than
$430,000 in total value. 

Missouri West reported the collection of $67,000 for water wells in
Mozambique and mobile dental clinics for children in Missouri. Since a
covenant began between Missouri and Mozambique United Methodists, Missouri
members have donated more than $400,000 in the form of bicycles, the Heifer
Project and flood relief.  

Evangelism and church growth were high on many conference agendas. Holston
adopted "By All Means, Win Some" as the theme of its single priority through
2004.

Illinois Great Rivers approved a plan to establish 30 new congregations in
the next decade and to help revitalize existing congregations and new
missional ministries.

Desert Southwest members celebrated the receipt of $4.5 million in lead
gifts for a "Bold for Christ" campaign. The campaign aims to raise $12
million during the next decade for local church revitalization, church
starts and campground improvements. 

Kentucky set a goal of starting seven new congregations in each of the next
four years and named an associate director for new church development.

Little Rock and North Arkansas approved comprehensive spiritual formation
and leadership development processes to equip clergy and lay members for
more effective ministry, strengthen disciple making, provide spiritual
revival and address root causes of declining membership.  

Virginia approved a three-year, $8.5 million "Building in Faith" campaign to
fund the establishment of 22 new congregations in the state during the next
seven years. West Michigan celebrated the birth of a new congregation during
each of the past five years. Baltimore-Washington is working toward
establishing 22 new churches.  

North Georgia affirmed a "20/20 Vision" for the conference with a
three-pronged thrust:  leadership development, establishment of new churches
and involvement in new outreach projects. The plan calls for establishing
200 new faith communities in the next 20 years: 100 fully constituted
churches, 40 "fresh starts" for existing churches and 60 missions for
specific ethnic and language groups. 

North Indiana launched an organization to solicit contributions to help
create new churches and redevelop existing ones. It also approved a new
model of church growth and development, including $320,800 in funding
support. Wisconsin reported contributions of $2.8  million for an ongoing
Fund for Discipleship to benefit congregational development and camping. 

South Indiana approved a strategy for congregational development that
includes hiring a director of development and establishing at least three
new churches a year by June 2005.

Several conferences launched or reported on the progress of capital fund
campaigns.  Baltimore-Washington voted $1.6 million for three conference
camps and $1 million during the next 10 years for improvements to a health
care facility for the aged. Central Texas approved a capital funds campaign
for church growth and development. Iowa approved a seven-year, $9 million
campaign for camps and extended ministries, a children and youth challenge,
and the extension of a program for deployed associate council directors who
live in the districts they serve.

North Central New York capped off a $1 million campaign for two camping and
conference centers.

During their sessions, conference members spoke out on a wide variety of
issues ranging from capital punishment and gambling to school vouchers and
poverty. (See UMNS story #299.)

Organizational matters and mergers occupied time at some of the conference
sessions.  Little Rock and North Arkansas members voted to develop a plan of
union. General and jurisdictional delegates from the two conferences were
asked to develop a process for creating a plan of union in hopes of having a
final vote by January 2003. Missouri East and Missouri West members
continued to discuss union approved in 1999. Their goal is to complete their
merger in 2004.

Northern and Southern New Jersey held their last conferences this year in
anticipation of merger this summer, pending approval by the Northeastern
Jurisdictional Conference in July. If the vote is affirmative, a special
uniting conference is scheduled for Aug. 4-6.

Organizing for more effective ministry and mission was a challenge faced by
some conferences. Northern Illinois set Nov. 18 as the date for a special
session to consider a new model for its organizational structure, which will
be implemented Jan. 1. The plan was submitted to the church's Judicial
Council to ensure that it complies with the Book of Discipline. Desert
Southwest replaced its council on ministries with a covenant council
containing six ministry teams: nurture, outreach, witness,
administrative/fiscal, leadership and faith communities. Each team has
elements that directly relate to churchwide boards and agencies. 

North Carolina members heard reports on Hurricane Floyd relief and
authorized the purchase of a warehouse near Goldsboro to support disaster
recovery work.

A report from North Arkansas said members were "stunned" to learn that the
conference pension board had accumulated $7 million nearly 20 years earlier
than expected in order to pay the unfunded pension liability owed its
retired pastors. North Georgia is calling a special session in the fall to
deal with unfunded liability for health insurance for its retired clergy,
projected at $34 million. 

New York members celebrated the conference's bicentennial.

Igniting Ministry, a national advertising campaign approved by the General
Conference, received support in a variety of ways from several conferences.
South Indiana approved $140,000 to air invitational radio spots,
supplemented with churchyard banners, training videos, and other resources
to augment the Igniting Ministry television spots scheduled for Lent 2001.
The Southwest Texas communications office bought time on three Corpus
Christi television stations to run Igniting Ministry spots during the
conference meeting in that city. The 30-second messages appeared early
morning, noon, early evening, and on late news programs.

Eastern Pennsylvania is asking that a shrine be established in honor of the
late Rev. Charles Albert Tindley in recognition of his contribution to music
of the church. The conference also is asking that Tindley Temple, the
Philadelphia church named for him, be designated a historic site. The
conference's ordination and commissioning service was held at the church. 

Florida honored another widely known African-American churchman, the Rev.
Oswald P. Bronson, president of United Methodist-related Bethune-Cookman
College at Daytona Beach.

South Indiana recognized 25 volunteers who have taken training as early
disaster response workers and learned that churches in the conference had
helped nearly 100 refugees resettle in the area. 

Little Rock funded scholarships for two students from Haiti to attend United
Methodist-related Philander Smith College in Little Rock. Louisiana awarded
a total of 15 scholarships to students at Centenary College in Shreveport
and Dillard University in New Orleans. Several conferences awarded
scholarships to seminary students.  Calilfornia-Pacific members learned that
nearly $25,000 had been donated to a newly-established scholarship in field
education at Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology in honor of their
retiring bishop, Roy I. Sano.

Some conferences addressed issues of racism and are planning services of
repentance at future sessions. The services, patterned after one at General
Conference, will recognize racist acts that prompted many African Americans
to leave the Methodist Episcopal Church and create denominations of their
own. It also calls for repenting for Methodism's racially segregated
jurisdiction, which existed from 1939 to 1968. West Virginia members voted
to make the elimination of racism in church and society its missional
priority for the 2001-2004 quadrennium. 

Nebraska honored 18 pioneer clergywomen who served churches in Nebraska
before 1932.

United Methodists continue to look with expectancy to a time when more than
30 years of membership decline in the United States will stop. Lay
membership dropped by 40,727 in 1998 to 8.36 million. This represented a
decrease of 0.48 percent, one of the smallest in many years.  The addition
of clergy members and military personnel who are not members of a U.S.
congregation brought the total U.S. membership to 8.4 million. 

^From 1999 reports, the membership decline appears to be continuing, maybe at
a slightly slower pace. Official statistical reports for the past y ear will
be released this fall by the church's General Commission on Finance and
Administration in Evanston, Ill. 

Membership dropped by single digits in some conferences and quadruple digits
in others, the worst being a 9,600 decline. 

Nearly a fourth of all conferences (18) reported net gains: North Georgia,
6,523; Texas, 2,624; Southwest Texas, 2,325; Central Texas, 2,281; North
Texas, 2,172; North Carolina, 1,301; Alabama-West Florida, 1,127; Western
North Carolina, 1,086; Missouri West, 689; Mississippi, 680; South Carolina,
513; North Alabama, 343; Tennessee, 221;  Rio Grande, 94; Memphis, 82; Red
Bird, 74; Alaska, 50; Oklahoma Indian Missionary, 31. 

Conferences that have bucked the trend for several years include Western
North Carolina, which reported membership gains for the 10th consecutive
year as 60 percent of its churches showed growth in 1999. North Indiana
received the highest number of new members in seven years. Central Texas
celebrated increases in membership and worship attendance and 100 percent
commitment to the connectional apportionment process of serving the global
church.

At least 21 conferences, some with declining membership, reported increases
in average worship attendance.   

# # #

*McAnally is director of United Methodist News Service, the denomination's
official news agency headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., with offices in New
York and Washington. 

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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