Exclusion in United Methodism
from : http://www.rmnetwork.org/Flashnet.as...cord=0&dorder=
Troy Plummer
I actually love roller coasters -- ups, downs, turns, surprising drops, surprising loops. With a bit of inner ear nausea, I'm still processing what it all means. While I'm not clear yet, I would like to share briefly with you some information. Unlike previous General Conferences (GC), where there was a direct downward spiral legislatively on LGBTQ inclusion, this Fort Worth's Future With Hope was mixed.
* GC kept the original basic membership language that was misinterpreted in JC #1032 (49%-51%), but strengthened open transfers of membership and later by a 2/3rds vote replaced a "list" to include with the words "ministry to all" in the UM Constitution section on Inclusivity.
*GC maintained "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" (45%-55%) while it added "loving caregivers" and "same-sex couples with children" to the definition of family.
*GC kept a funding ban on "promoting homosexuality" but stressed that it could not be used to "reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends" and further passed anti-homophobia, anti-heterosexism pieces that mandated providing resources to educate and reduce harm.
*Finally, GC gave us two peaks to celebrate: 1) the election of moderates to the Judicial Council who hopefully can tell the difference between "may" and "shall" in the eligibility section for membership and 2) the refusal to discriminate against transgender persons -- lay or clergy.
What smoothed the ride out on this roller coaster was the consistent spirit presence of the One Family Tree witness from the Parent's lunch, Young Adult drumming and rally, Reconciling Worship at First UMC, Good Friday "die in" and "Were You There?" floor witness, to the Easter hope wedding of Sue Laurie and Julie Bruno. We started with family and ended with family. We can't create One Family Tree by human means alone, but God can with and through us. Remembering our long-haul mission, planning for 2012 in Florida has already begun.
Pastoral Words From Bishop Hoshibata, Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference
I do not need to detail what happened at General Conference on Wednesday, April 30. In the midst of our plenary session, we paused for a recess in order to receive a witness by those who felt disconnected from relationship with The United Methodist Church because of its General Conference legislation around matters governing how we regard and welcome members of the LGBT community. This time of witness had been carefully and respectfully determined through conversations with the Committee on the General Conference, the Council of Bishops, and those who asked to witness to us.
At the recess, an announcement was made by the presiding bishop calling for hospitality to be given to those who desired to give this witness. Members of the General Conference were asked to be in recess in order to receive our guests. With gentle grace, a steady stream of persons who grieved the actions of General Conference in several actions that marginalized our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members and friends entered the convention center and stood in the aisles of the sacred space we had created for our work and worship just a few days earlier. If you could have been hovering high above the convention center floor, our guests would have formed a cross with the communion table in the center.
A statement was read by Bishop Gregory Palmer, President of the Council of Bishops. In that statement, Bishop Palmer spoke for the Council.His statement was, in part:
As we have worked our way through the legislative material, some decisions have been more wrenching than others to all of the members of this body and the whole church, including your bishops. As your bishops, we want you to know that we have been in deep conversation, holy conferencing and sensitive listening to you and to one another. This has led us to reaffirm our covenant to: love, serve and lead all United Methodists; continue to prayerfully remain in robust conversation with one another and to lead the church in doing the same; preach, teach and live the three simple rules (Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God); and to lead the church in "making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
Bishop Palmer continued:
This covenant informs our role as chief shepherds of the church. During this time of witness you will see bishops serving in a variety of ways. All of us will be in prayer-- some in our places and some not. Some bishops will demonstratively live out our pastoral role among the Body of Christ. Some will give expression to the presidential role that the church has asked us to fulfill. But all of us will be laboring with all of you to do no harm, to do good, and to stay in love with God."
As one who has felt called to ministry primarily as a pastor, my decision was to be with our delegation and with others who were participating in the witness on the floor of General Conference. I chose to do this as a statement of my hope that the church belongs to all people; and that Christ loves all persons and calls us to do the same. My desire was to offer a word that the church does love lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, even if our legislative pronouncements do not demonstrate that; and that in my leadership of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and in my role as a bishop of the whole United Methodist Church, this will be my witness.
I am saddened again, that the church cannot come to an honest place of confession to say that we are in deep, distressing disagreement. Why can't we be honest before God and before others? Remember that silly children's story about the vain emperor who was convinced that he was wearing a handsome suit which he could not see? He wore the invisible suit of clothing proudly until a little child announced: The emperor has no clothes! Our church is like the emperor. We do not know that others are seeing us as a homophobic institution wearing the cloak of abject denial of our fears and prejudices while we strut our sometimes empty claims of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." Maybe that children's story isn't as silly as we might first think . . .
While I wish we could have at least passed the legislation that stated that we are a church of faithful Christians who disagree about homosexuality, this was not to be so.
My response to the witness was to be a pastor to the community who had been rejected by our unwillingness to be honest with ourselves and our unwillingness to care lovingly for those who needed to know that our United Methodist Church is a church centered on the love and grace of Jesus Christ. And to ask God to work with me and through me that I might be in ministry to all.
I Sought and I Found
by Carlo Carretto
How much I criticize you, my church and yet how much I love you!
You have made me suffer more than anyone and yet I owe more to you than to anyone.
I should like to see you destroyed and yet I need your presence.
You have given me much scandal and yet you alone have made me understand holiness.
Never in this world have I seen anything more compromised, more false, yet never have I touched anything more pure, more generous or more beautiful.
Countless times I have felt like slamming the door of my soul in your face-and yet, every night, I have prayed that I might die in your sure arms!
No, I cannot be free of you, for I am one with you, even if not completely you.
Then too, where would I go?
To build another church?
But I could not build one without the same defects, for they are my defects. And again, if I were to build another church, it would be my church, not Christ's church.
No. I am old enough. I know better.
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Doubts arise following gift of cell phones
The Rev. James Heidinger, president and publisher of Good News, speaks with the Rev. Jerry Kulah, a Liberian delegate, during an April 25 Renewal and Reform Coalition breakfast briefing at the Fort Worth Hilton Hotel.
A UMNS photo by Mary Jacobs.
By Linda Green*
April 25, 2008 | FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)
Delegates and church officials attending General Conference are wondering if democratic processes have been compromised because a renewal group provided some African and some Filipino delegates with cell phones.
The Renewal and Reform Coalition created myriad conversations among delegates, church leaders and visitors after they learned that the Confessing Movement, Good News/Renew, Transforming Congregations and UMAction provided free cell phones to more than 150 African delegates to use during the General Conference.
Some delegates and officials expressed concern that the coalition is trying to sway the votes of African delegates who are typically more conservative than their U.S. counterparts. They fear the coalition might use the phones to offer suggestions on how to vote on particular issues.
An April 23 letter from the coalition announces the cell phone give-away as a service “that might be helpful to delegates.” That letter also invites the delegates to a “free breakfast” where they can have “fellowship with other like-minded delegates,” and receive “information about the important issues that are coming before the conference.” The letter concludes with a request that they consider voting for a slate of members for Judicial Council.
"It is very important that we elect people who will be fair and who will uphold the Book of Discipline,” said the letter. “The coalition is supporting a great group of persons who are diverse in terms of culture, ethnicity and gender. But all of them are united in the belief that the Bible is God's word and that we must maintain biblical standards for theology and morality."
Bishop Felton May, interim top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, found the cell phone gifts “surprising and puzzling. I would like to have an answer to the rationale. The last paragraph (of the letter) intrigued me in that there was direction given in relationship to the election of Judicial Council."
Rob Renfroe, a member of the Confessing Movement and a coalition member, said the cell phones were provided to give the central conference delegates the same access to communications and material that U.S. delegates have. "We thought the gift of a cell phone would be beneficial."
Crosses the boundaries’
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The provision of cell phones "crosses the boundaries of what is appropriate in this kind of community, and I hope that it would cease," said Bishop Kenneth Carder, a professor at Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C. Everyone, he said, needs to trust the integrity and the autonomy of a democratic process. "This seems to be an undue influence and violates the very essence of what it means to be Christian community."
A joint monitoring team from the Commission on the Status and Role of Women and the Commission on Religion and Race said the giveaway “is inappropriate behavior and it destroys community. We have gathered for Christian conferencing, which requires trust, honesty, openness and respect. Whenever there is an imbalance of power relationships with the expectation of reciprocity, this behavior gives the appearance of paternalism, manipulation, exploitation and of course, racism."
Jim Winkler, top executive at the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, said some renewal groups have journeyed across Africa "providing deliberately distorted and inaccurate information to African United Methodists." He views the distribution of cell phones "in the context of a pattern of manipulation of the African delegates, and that is what really, really troubles me.”
However, Renfroe said it is "demeaning to the African delegates to think that a gift of a cell phone would change their vote." He said the coalition is showing hospitality to many people who have traveled a great distance to attend General Conference. "They are highly educated, aware of the issues and supremely principled in their beliefs, and to think that the gift of a cell phone would change their view is demeaning to them."
‘No strings attached’
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht, chair of the Renewal and Reform Coalition, said his group was “deeply disturbed by the charges that are leveled by the various church leaders.”
“We find the charges to be totally outrageous, and we lament the fact that no one who is making these charges contacted us to share their concerns or to ask for an explanation,” he said. “We find this to be a violation of the covenant of holy conferencing.”
Rose-Marie Jalloh and other delegates from Sierra Leone received cell phones. "There were no strings attached to the cell phone," she said. "We appreciated it because it was a gift for us while we are here. We will use it to call friends in the United States. I do not know if it will work when General Conference is over."
"The African delegates are mature people who make value judgments," said Liberian Bishop John Innis. He wants General Conference delegates to know that the African bishops have not encouraged the cell phone gifts for their delegates. "We want to be very clear about that. The delegates are mature people who have read all of the material sent to them regarding General Conference and read all petitions and will vote their conscience.”
James Harris of the Liberia Annual Conference found the receipt of a cell phone helpful in communicating with his colleagues and committee members. "It is a great help for me." He asserted that there were no conditions related to receiving the phone. "We were told that the phones are to be used for local connections in the United States and to contact my fellow delegates."
"They did not give us conditions. It was free," said Rosen Mwenze, a delegate from North Katanga. "We were given cell phones to use for the time we are here."
But Abraham Sellu, an East African delegate, declined a cell phone because he did not want to be lobbied. "Coming here, you see a lot of people outside giving you papers with agendas up their sleeves." He said he was told during April 23 orientation that there are strings attached to gifts given during General Conference. "Not knowing much about who was giving me this gift, I refused to go for one," he said.
Gifts raise concerns
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The giving of cell phones exclusively to people of color outside the United States raises some concerns about racial paternalism. Early colonialists used the same sorts of tactics -- giving of gifts with intention for self-profit or gain in some sort of way, said Erin Hawkins, top executive of the church's Commission on Religion and Race.
"My hope is that the white leadership of the church would be mindful of the actions in light of the history of exploitation of people of color in this church. I hope they would not willingly engage in any sort of behavior that would undermine the humanity of people of color whether they are in the United States or other countries," she said. “This action of giving cell phones to buy or manipulate people can be interpreted as a return to that sort of racist behavior."
Lambrecht said that was a misconception. “The cell phones were not given exclusively to people of color; they were to be given to any central conference delegate who had a need,” he said. “It just so happens that out of financial necessity and technological situation, most of the recipients were people of color. And we felt like we were doing an act of kindness to people to make them feel welcome” and to enable them to participate on a more equal basis.
The Rev. Alex Vergara, president of the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists, described the gift of cell phones as "vote-buying” and “bribery.”
"We believe everyone has the right to advocate (his or her) position to other people to gain the latter’s favor. But this giving of gifts is nothing but vote-buying, which is a perversion and abuse of a democratic and sacred act,” said Vergara.
“The hospitality that we offer should be the hospitality that is offered to everyone.”However, Lambrecht said the gifts were given with “no expectation on our part. … No questions were asked on our part, and we find no difference between our giving of these gifts and the gifts that are given by general boards and agencies and other groups to the delegates of General Conference.”
– M. Garlinda Burton
He said the implications leveled by the church leaders were “completely untrue,” as well as “hurtful and destructive to the building of community.”
Bishop Gregory Palmer, president-elect of the Council of Bishops, said he was saddened if any group is attempting to influence the votes of delegates in "an unhealthy and manipulative manner. That grieves me for the whole church." He said people have a right to their own opinions and perspectives and they may share how they will cast their vote; however, the sharing should be done in a way that makes it clear the gift is not given in exchange for a vote.
“The hospitality that we offer should be the hospitality that is offered to everyone,” said M. Garlinda Burton, top executive of the Commission on Status and Role of Women.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, e-mail: [email protected].
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Delegates seek General Conference ethics panel
By Linda Green*
April 26, 2008 | FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)
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Delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference have called for the establishment of an ethics committee after hearing concerns about gifts given to central conference delegates.
On April 26, a motion from Ralph R. Oduor, a lay member of the New England Annual (regional) Conference and retired attorney, asked the Commission on General Conference to establish a General Conference ethics committee to address those concerns. The 992 delegates overwhelming approved the motion, asking the current commission to propose to the 2012 General Conference guidelines for such a committee, including its composition, scope and authority.
The Renewal and Reform Coalition, an entity that comprises the Confessing Movement, Good News/Renew, Transforming Congregations and UMAction, provided free cell phones to more than 150 African and Filipino delegates to use during General Conference. Officials with the coalition have said the cell phones were given to the delegates with no strings attached.
Some church leaders and delegates questioned whether democratic processes had been compromised. Church officials and delegates expressed concern that the coalition might use the phones to offer suggestions on how to vote on particular issues. Coalition officials have denied that, stating instead that the phones were given as an act of kindness and to give the central conference delegates equal access to technology.
Oduor said he "was deeply troubled" by the reports concerning the "possibility that gifts were given to certain delegates in what may have been an attempt to improperly influence their voting stance.”
He said there is no place in the current structure for possible violations of the covenant to be fairly revealed. "It is damaging to the body to have suspicions, charges and countercharges flying in all directions without a means to address the possible offense."
Oduor told the General Conference that an ethics committee is an essential "venue where such concerns can be raised and acted upon."
Gail Murphy-Geiss, chairperson of the General Conference Commission, said an ethics committee would be welcome. "An ethics committee would be an appropriate addition to the commission, and although it would not be working on establishing new rules, it would work on establishing a spiritual statement on holy conferencing and fair play," she said.
The commission already has subcommittees and creates them as needed. The ethics committee would be a subcommittee for the upcoming 2009-2012 General Conference Commission, whose members will be elected by the delegates at the 2008 session.
She said the conference "does not have to legislate ourselves up to the gills," but it would be beneficial to have a statement around which people could covenant and build relationships, "as opposed to having statements on what can or can't be done. The statement would be something from the heart and not from the head."
General Conference is the top lawmaking assembly of the 11.5 million-member United Methodist Church. The central conferences are regions of the church in Africa, Asia and Europe.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.