Click here for helpful General Conference information, including a "Primer" for Conference and a list of Georgia's delegates.  This page also includes desires from Georgia's Bishops for this year's General Conference.

LATEST ADDITIONS: Daily Updates from General Conference
April 26:         UM Bishops offer pastoral letter on eve of Conference
April 28:         Veteran delegate/observer Sheets recalls 36 years of conferencing
                        Opening service is mosaic of color, cultures
April 29:         Day Miller tireless in effort to represent the diversity of UMC through worship
                        Episcopal, laity addresses focus on call to newness in church
May 3:             Plan's goal is vital town and country congregations
                        Service honors African Americans who stayed in UMC
May 4:             Prayer room offers peaceful interlude among conference busyness
May 5:             Delegates affirm church’s positions on homosexuality
May 7:                     Delegates pledge unity amid unfounded schism rumor (please scroll to view story)

Previous Stories:
April 16:
Leading Lady: Day Miller takes stage as General Conference music director
United Methodism’s global face reflected at General Conference
April 2, 2004:
UMC media campaign builds church awareness among public
Ethnic emphases ask General Conference for continuation
Leadership, visibility of youth are crucial to United Methodists
March 19. 2004:
Delegates to vote on resolutions, studies at General Conference
March 5, 2004:
No doubt homosexuality will dominate at General Conference
UMs urged to bathe upcoming General Conference in prayer
February 20, 2004:
New pension plan for clergy up for approval at General Conference
Budget shaping up to be major General Conference decision
February 6, 2004:
General Conference delegates to vote on various structure proposals
January 23, 2004:
Church's top law-making body convenes in April in Pittsburgh
Proposals would increase lay participation in judicial process
January 2, 2004:
SHOULD bishops chair legislative committees?

May 7:

Delegates pledge unity amid unfounded schism rumor
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

The United Methodist General Conference proclaimed its unity May 7 in face of a “leaked,” unsigned resolution proposing an “amicable separation” in the church in the face of irreconcilable differences between extremes on the right and left. Stories of a possible schism in the church had been disseminated the day before by media covering the conference, including the New York Times, Associated Press and CNN.  Yet such a proposal never became before the delegates, and, if it had, probably would have garnered little support.

Yet talk surrounding the possibility of a split so consumed the conference – at least around the fringes although not on the floor -- that a presentation was made addressing the matter, along with a resolution on church unity.  The statement was overwhelming affirmed by 96 percent of the delegates after they sang prayerfully, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”  The resolution reads:  “As United Methodists we remain in covenant with one another, even in the midst of disagreement, and reaffirm our commitment to work together for our common mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the world.” North Georgia Bishop Lindsey Davis summed up the attitude of Georgians and most United Methodists when he said, “Nobody has an appetite for schism.”


Still, he recognizes a “huge chasm” exists between the extremes in the church, particularly over the issue of homosexuality.  “We’ve been going at this 32 years, and many people are frustrated that we don’t seem to be able to bridge that gulf,” he said,  “We tend to be able to do it on the local church level better than the annual conference or General Conference level.” Although no one questions there are divisions in the church, schism is not in the picture, Georgians and others say. “This service was an indication of the deep desire for unity in the United Methodist Church,” said South Georgia Bishop Mike Watson.  “This time at General Conference has truly been holy conferencing – an honest recognition of our differences and our sincere hope to be a Spirit-led church.”


Joe Whittemore, head of the North Georgia lay delegation, concurred, stating, “I think the discussion really does help  … begin the process of finding ways we really can be together as a church.” The Rev. James Swanson, leader of the South Georgia clergy delegation, said his “sincere and honest prayer is that we remain together, and I’m going to do everything to help this happen.”  Still, he said, true unity means living together with integrity, and bringing that about will require hard work and dialogue among those who hold deep differences. The Rev. Jonathan Holston, leader of the North Georgia clergy delegation, and Dr. Charlene Black, leader of the South Georgia lay delegation, also expressed their belief a split was not imminent. “We have overwhelmingly confirmed our commitment to be together as United Methodists,” Black said.  “That will help us work together to be about our major mission to make disciples.”

 

“We may not all think alike, but we all serve one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ.  This is our strength and why we are here.  We have more to celebrate together [than separates us],” Holston said. Some expressed frustration that the extremes on either end of the theological spectrum always seem to garner the most attention, whereas many United Methodists, maybe even most, are more centrist in their outlook.  “What about the rest of us, the middle who wants to stay together as a family and learn how to live together?” asked the Rev. Alice Rogers, a North Georgia delegate. That sentiment was also expressed on the floor by the Rev. Bill McAlilly from Mississippi.   “There’s another group in our denomination – faithful United Methodists not identified with any caucus.  … More often than not we are silent, and perhaps that is our sin as [we let] other voices speak.” 

 

During the presentation on the floor prior to the vote on the unity resolution, the Rev. Bruce Robbins, head of the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, and the Rev. Bill Hinson, a native South Georgian and president of the Confessing Movement, sought to put into perspective the actions of the day when talk of schism seemed to take on a life of its own. Apparently it started when the “amicable separation” resolution was “leaked” to delegates and members of the press, although it did not originate as an official action on the part of any group.  The resolution had originally surfaced at a meeting between “liberal” and “conservative” caucuses.  The caucuses involved in the talks were Good News and the Confessing Movement on the conservative side and the Methodist Federation for Social Action and Affirmation on the liberal side.  The dialogue was initiated at the conference by two members of the same legislative committee who themselves had differing viewpoints and wanted to bring a broader group together to try to bring about some resolution.

 

They approached staff members of the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and Just Peace, an organization that seeks to mediate conflicts in church settings, to bring the caucuses together.  Apparently the talks bogged down over irreconcilable differences. The leaked resolution was widely attributed to Hinson, retired pastor of Houston First UMC, although he says he neither wrote nor gave it out.  However, he did make remarks at a breakfast May 6 that broached the subject of separation, stating: “I believe the time has come when we must begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict.  Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy.”

 

Following the show of unity on the conference floor May 7, the closing day of General Conference, Hinson told the Advocate he would continue participating in dialogues with others of differing viewpoints but that an “amicable separation” might still be on the map.  At this point, he said, he feels “bereft of hope” although hope is an integral part of the gospel he preaches. “I’m weary of hurting people,” he said.  “When we ‘win’ a vote, I don’t feel like a winner.  I see people weeping and holding signs. …. Why not free them to build a great church according to their vision?”

 

Throughout the conference, in vote after vote, delegates voted to maintain the church positions on homosexuality.The church’s position is that the “practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings” although homosexuals are identified as people of sacred worth.  The church bans gays and lesbians from serving in the ordained ministry and prohibits pastors from officiating at same-sex ceremonies.

 

 - To TOP of Page -

May 5:

Delegates affirm church’s positions on homosexuality
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

PITTSBURGH – In an orderly and mannerly fashion, delegates to the United Methodist General Conference voted to maintain the church’s current positions on homosexuality. The delegates also twice voted down language that while keeping the proscriptions intact would have acknowledged that United Methodists differ in their beliefs on the issue. While the current language remains the same – and in fact has been made a little stronger – Georgia delegates who attended General Conference four years ago in Cleveland said there was a better spirit at this year’s conference among those who want to keep the language intact and those who would like to see language more accepting of gays and lesbians.

The Rev. Wiley Stephens, a North Georgia delegate, said he both agreed with and expected the outcome on the votes, but “I found it more gracious than Cleveland on both sides.  The gay and lesbian supporters were much less aggressive and abrasive, and the people strongly in favor of maintaining [the current language] were more compassionate in their arguments.” During the debate supporters of gays and lesbians’ full inclusion in the church stood around the room in silent witness.  Earlier, before the day’s business had begun, they had marched to the convention center to kneel or stand in prayer.

Delegates spent most of the day May 4 dealing with numerous petitions on homosexual-related matters.  They referred to passages in the Social Principles and the Book of Discipline which define homosexuality as incompatible with Christian teaching, prohibit self-avowed, practicing homosexuals from serving as ordained clergy, bar clergy from presiding over same-sex unions, and prohibit the use of church money to promote the practice of homosexuality. At the end of the day, the Rev. Alice Rogers, a North Georgia delegate, said her impressions of the extensive time spent on the issue and the accompanying civil debate reaffirmed “this United Methodist family desperately wants to maintain its connection and continue to live together.”

Social Principles wording
The first debate came early in the day when the church and society legislative committee recommended that a statement be added to paragraph 161.G in the Social Principles that would have kept the UMC’s current language that the “practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” but added the sentence, “We recognize that Christians disagree on the compatibility of homosexual practice with Christian teaching.” Instead of approving this language, delegates accepted a minority report from the committee that not only keeps the current language but also makes it a little more definitive by making a dependent clause a declarative sentence. The passage now reads:  “The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching."   Delegates also added a clause that United Methodists "will seek to live together in Christian community."

Both sides weigh in
Passionate debate surrounding the issue focused on the church’s need to take a clear stand before the world and others who said acknowledging disagreement among United Methodists is simply being truthful.  The vote was 579 to 376.
“I voted with the minority because I believe Christians can and do disagree on this matter,” said the Rev. Tim Bagwell, a South Georgia delegate. The Rev. Dee Shelnutt, a North Georgia delegate, observed that the closeness of the vote “is a step in the right direction for us to talk more about it.  That was my goal.”

Disagreement exists not only at the General Conference level but also within the local churches, pointed out the Rev. Creede Hinshaw, a delegate from South Georgia.    “Both understand the Bible differently and both sides love Jesus.  We’ve had trouble discussing homosexuality in the church, and I’m sorry that we were unwilling to admit we disagree.  As a pastor of a local church, I have people on both sides of the issue.”

Others among the North and South Georgia delegations were deeply committed to continuing the church’s present positions that have been refined and clarified over a 32-year period since the matter was first debated at the 1972 General Conference. “We’re maintaining our stance and letting people know where we are,” said Judge Taylor Phillips, an eight-time lay delegate from South Georgia.  “What’s wrong with leading an ethical life and spelling out what ethical is?”  The most adamantly expressed opposition to adding the “Christians degree” sentence came from African delegates, several of whom spoke on the floor.

The bigger issue for Bagwell now that the decision has been made is that “we must move on with the mission of the church to make disciples of Jesus.  Our Discipline asserts that every person is of ‘sacred worth.’ Jesus died for all.  Let’s tell the story.”

Ordination prohibition remains
Following the debate over the statement in the Social Principles, delegates took up paragraph 304.3 in the Book of Discipline which prevents gays and lesbians from being ordained or serving churches.  Again delegates voted down a sentence  that would have acknowledged that faithful Christians hold differing positions on the matter.  As with the Social Principles, delegates also reworked the present language to make it more declarative.  This passage now states:  "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church."

The revision of the language likely relates to the trial of the Rev. Karen Dammann in Seattle, who was acquitted of the charge of practices incompatible with Christian teaching although she is a self-avowed lesbian.  Members of the trial court gave as their reason for the acquittal their assessment that the wording in the Discipline isn’t definitive enough.

Offering a larger perspective on the ordination matter, the Rev. David Jones, chair of the North Georgia Board of Ordained ministry and a General Conference delegate, pointed out that the proscription on homosexuality is just  “one of the many behaviors or actions outlined by the General Conference that are prohibited [for clergy].   The continuation of our connection, our covenant, depends on our adhering to that.”

In another action, delegates defeated, a recommendation that would have given each annual conference or central conference the responsibility of determining how it will approach homosexuality as it relates to a person's fitness for ministry. Speaking against the minority report, Stephens, former chair of the North Georgia Board of Ordained Ministry, said it "strikes at our unity as a denomination" since each conference would be able to set its own standards.

Civil rights debated
In still another action, delegates turned back attempts to expand language related to the civil rights of gays and lesbians in paragraph 162.H in the Social Principles. The current language supports "certain basic human rights and civil liberties" for homosexuals along with efforts to stop violence and other forms of coercion against gays and lesbians. One of the proposals,  "Affirming Civil Liberties for All Persons," would have added a new sentence to the paragraph to read: "We support the right of same-gender couples to receive the same protections and benefits provided by state and national governments that come through civil marriages between men and women."

In another series of votes, delegates maintained the prohibition on clergy presiding over same-sex unions or those ceremonies taking place in United Methodist churches (paragraph 332.6). Wanting to ensure that no annual conference group gives church money to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, the delegates gave conference treasurers and councils on finance the authority to stop such transactions. The only exceptions to the rule are for ministries addressing HIV/AIDS or educational events where the church's official position on homosexuality is evident.  The general church already prohibits the use of church money to promote the acceptance of homosexuality.

Judicial Council rulings
In addition to all the legislation on the floor, the Judicial Council, the church’s highest court, issued two rulings in six days to the Dammann trial.  On April 29, in response to a request by delegates, the council ruled that the practice of homosexuality is a chargeable offence for clergy.  By a 6-3 margin, the court ruled that the statement,” the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching “(paragraph 304.3 in the Book of Discipline), is indeed a declaration of the General Conference.

After that ruling, delegates asked for an additional ruling on how the April 29 decision relates specifically to the Dammann case.  In response, the council said in a 5-4 decision May 4 that it had no authority to review the outcome of the Dammann trial, since the Discipline states, “The church shall no right of appeal from the findings of the trial court.”

The latest ruling also iterated a bishop may not appoint a clergyperson who has been found by a trial court to be a self-avowed practicing homosexual.   This ruling does not pertain to the Dammann trial but should only be applied "prospectively," not retroactively, the council said.

For the full statement by the council, including concurring and dissenting opinions, visit www.umc.org.

- To TOP of Page -

May 4:

Prayer room offers peaceful interlude among conference busyness
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

PITTSBURGH -- During long days, complicated parliamentary maneuvering and tension that sometimes arises when individuals differ strongly on issues, delegates found an oasis of peace in the prayer room at General Conference.
“The prayer room is wonderful,” said Dr. Charlene Black, leader of the South Georgia laity delegation, at the mid-point of General Conference.  “They’ve brought such inspiring symbols and created beautiful places for you to pray, with music and other aids to help you focus.”

Organized and set up by the host conference, Western Pennsylvania, the prayer ministry involves hundreds of volunteers not only overseeing the prayer room at General Conference but also praying in their homes and offices as they receive daily prayer requests via e-mail. The elaborately decorated prayer room offers several opportunities:  seven stations for individual prayer, an opportunity for one-on-one prayer with designated ‘prayer delegates’ in a tent in the center of the room, and musical concerts/guided prayer at three times each day. “I was overwhelmed,” said Lyn Powell, a lay delegate from North Georgia, “not only by the beauty of the room decorated in a highly spiritual way but also sobered by the number of people on their knees, some on their faces, in communion with the Holy Spirit -- calling on the Holy Spirit to infuse the souls of all the delegates and to listen for God’s word and guidance. “I just felt the presence of God in the room,” she said.

Black, through the South Georgia Conference board of laity, also helped connect the South Georgia delegates with individuals and churches back home through covenant relationships.   Each delegate was linked with a specific local church, which pledged to pray for that person daily and provide 12 notes of encouragements. The letters were sent to Black before the conference, where she passed them out each day.  “I’m a post office up here each morning,” she said.  “I deliver the mail to delegates.” After receiving his letter one day, Bill Hatcher, also a lay delegate said, “It’s indeed heartwarming and incredibly helpful to know our brothers and sisters at home are holding us up in prayer.”  His letter that day from Liberty UMC in Macon iterated that he was being prayed for, thanked him for his leadership in the conference, and quoted a passage of encouragement from Colossians.

One of the serendipities of the prayer covenants, Black said, is that both small- and large-membership churches can participate and feel a part of General Conference. Jaye Beatty and John Seth of Western Pennsylvania coordinated the prayer room at conference, assisted by a committee of 25. Roseann Smith from Irwin, Pa., one of the volunteers, said the room, open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., is being increasingly used as the conference progresses.  “It gives delegates comfort knowing we’re here for them,” she said. The local group is being assisted by volunteers from across the country and as far away as Singapore.

Both the prayer ministry at General Conference and the covenants between delegates and churches in South Georgia are focused on God’s guidance and will being done  and not on specific issues. “There is no agenda at all,” Smith said of the General Conference prayer ministry.  “Our theme is we would be onsite praying for insight.  We have no political agenda.  We have a prayer agenda.”

“If someone comes in with a concern, it doesn’t matter if it is a delegate, a bishop, or a visitor; if someone comes and wants prayer, we will pray with them,” said Beatty.  “We have invited everyone, even the staff that works here, to come and enjoy this area of rest and refreshment.

Donna Zeigler, a member of Harmony-Zelienople Church in the Western Pennsylvania Conference, designed the seven prayer stations, each with an opportunity for multi-sensory experiences, and the prayer tent.    She creates living altars for her church. The designs are elaborate recreations of themes from Psalm verses.  At one station, addressing brokenness from Psalm 147:3, participants write on broken pieces of pottery the things that have broken their heart or God’s heart.  They smash the shards with a hammer and place the pieces in a vase, symbolizing Jesus taking broken vessels and making them beautiful. Other stations address repentance, forgiveness, Holy Communion, guidance, refreshment/renewal and unity.  The room also includes a prayer wall, modeled after the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, where prayer requests may be written on slips of paper and posted on the wall.

- To TOP of Page -

May 3:

Plan's goal is vital town and country congregations    
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org
 
PITTSBURGH -- Town and country congregations received a boost at General Conference with the approval of 
an action plan and accompanying funding to strengthen churches in rural areas and small towns. The plan, with a 
budget of $425,000, was developed over the past four years after the 2000 conference approved "
Born Again in Every Place," a  foundation document emphasizing the importance of town and country churches and 
their need to be both affirmed and assisted to become the best churches they can be.
"I believe in the renewal of the church in every place," said the Rev. Ed Kail of Gilmore City, Iowa, president 
of the United Methodist Rural Fellowship and a General Conference delegate.   "I believe in the renewal that 
this (plan) would have throughout Methodism."
According to the document, more than half -- 20,203 of 35,670 -- of United Methodist congregations are rural, 
which means they are found in areas with less than 200 people per square mile. Between 1982 and 2001, however, 
membership losses in rural congregations accounted for half of the denomination's total loss of slightly more than 
1 million members. The twin objectives of the "National Comprehensive Plan for Town and Country Ministry" are vital 
ministries in rural and small town churches and effective leadership, both clergy and lay.
First among the plan's strategies are the dissemination and study throughout the denomination of "Born Again in Every Place" 
and the formation of a "general church team on town and country ministries" to promote collaboration among 
church agencies. Administrative assistance will come from the town and country office of the General Board of Global 
Ministries. The plan recommends the development of educational opportunities for both clergy and lay leadership because 
licensed local pastors and lay ministers, rather than ordained elders, are increasingly leading town, country and rural congregations. 
Another key part of the plan is the establishment of a database of "models and best practices" in town and country work.  
For example, Kail is pastor of four small blended congregations in Humboldt County, Iowa, which together have 
1,500 members.  The churches have one administrative unit but three worship centers and five congregations that meet 
weekly. "Ours is a fairly unique situation," Kail said in an interview, but such examples of vital ministry are "
all over the place."  In the next county, he pointed out, United Methodists participate in an ecumenical Sunday school with Baptists
and Lutherans.
 
Within town and country churches - which are listed in four categories according to membership, from less than 
50 in worship to more than 350 - churches fall largely into two difference categories, Kail said.  Some are located 
in areas of declining population and face challenges of leadership, economic viability, increasing costs of clergy 
compensation, and community decline. Other town and country churches are located near metropolitan areas where 
the population is increasing and face a similar problem in the need for effective leadership but different challenges 
as well - the need to be open to people moving into the community and the willingness to reach out to an 
expanding mission field.
 
The Rev. John Simmons, superintendent of the Athens-Elberton District in North Georgia which has a number of 
town and country churches, termed the legislation an "affirmation so these churches know they're not forgotten 
by the denomination." Town and country churches, he insisted, already have "the resources and the Spirit to become 
the church God wants them to become ... [yet] somehow they don't believe that.  They need to set some goals, work 
with each other, trust the Spirit, and look for what God wants them to be doing."
The Rev. James Cason, superintendent of the Statesboro District in South Georgia which also has a large number of 
town and country churches, believes the legislation "says [to such churches] 'we care that you're a vital part of 
the connection.'" He expressed the concern that the funding be used to strengthen churches and promote 
enthusiasm at the local level "and not become tied up in bureaucracy."
 
Those advocating for town and country churches are also following other legislation, including the establishment of 
a category of pastoral leadership called certified lay minister, which would establish criteria for recruiting, training 
and supervising lay people for pastoral ministry.  That legislation was approved in committee but had not been voted 
by May 3. Other legislation would expand the rights and increase participation of licensed local pastors in their 
annual conferences.  The various proposals along this long have met with "mixed results," Kail said.

Service honors African Americans who stayed in UMC
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

PITTSBURGH -- In an effort to get its house in order, United Methodists at General Conference honored African Americans who stayed in the church despite times of blatant racism and segregation.
“We come to say out loud that our denomination has always been blessed by the presence of faithful, strong African-American members,” said Bishop Charlene Kammerer of the Western North Carolina Conference who preached the sermon.  “For those faithful and courageous black Methodists who stayed in an inhospitable, racist, abusive church, we say ‘thanks be to God for you!’”

The service, “Celebrating Those Who Remained and Led the Way,” took place April 30 and in many ways was a follow-up to the service of repentance for the sin of racism held at the 2000 General Conference.  That service generated some criticism by African-American United Methodists because it focused primarily on those who left the mother Methodist Church to form three historically black denominations -- African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and Christian Methodist Episcopal. The Gospel Choir from UM-related Paine College in Augusta impressed the delegates and other attendees with soul-stirring musical selections.  North Georgia clergywoman, the Rev. Renita Thomas, an associate in the church development office, led the prayers of thanksgiving and intercession and also served on the liturgical team that planned the order of worship. Following the service, Bishop James S. Thomas of Atlanta, one of those remarkable African American leaders who stayed in the church, was honored by the General Commission on Archives and History.

Thomas served in the church during its segregated days and later was one of the chief architects who helped craft an inclusive church structure.   He was present at the 1939 conference which established the segregated Central Jurisdiction where all black churches were lodged and again in 1964 when the General Conference after contentious debate voted to disband the jurisdiction. Shortly thereafter he was elected bishop and assigned to the primarily white Iowa Conference, serving there 12 years and then 12 years in the East Ohio Conference before retiring in 1988.  The commission honored Thomas not only for his long service in the church but also for his book, Methodism’s Racial Dilemma.

Today there are 423,456 African American U.S. members in the United Methodist Church, including 14 bishops. The service was planned by Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR) and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC).

“I would not be here if they hadn’t stayed,” the Rev. Vincent Harris, president of BMCR and a third-generation United Methodist, said following the service at a press conference.  “I believe that by staying, we not only make the church better, but also we build a foundation for our future." Also at the press conference, Ruth Daughterty, a GCCUIC consultant, pointed out that the service was just “one more step to be taken on a long, long journey.”  The denomination’s churches remain segregated, she noted, “and if we can’t repent and take the next step … how can we expect society to turn around?”

At the service's conclusion, delegates approved a motion directing GCCUIC to lead the church in continuing acts of repentance and reconciliation and to collect data on African Americans in the United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies. The Rev. James Swanson, leader of the South Georgia delegation who was present in 2000, said the service at this conference “was something we needed to do.  Many of us  … who have been faithful for a long time were somewhat hurt by the emphasis on those who left.  We deeply appreciate the fact General Conference made an effort to address our concerns.” The Rev. Walter Kimbrough, senior pastor of Cascade UMC in Atlanta, elected not to attend this year’s service, just as he didn’t participate in 2000.  “The service does not speak to me,” he said. “It’s not what’s important.  It’s the lifestyle that must be consistent.  We don’t need to say we’re Christian.  We need to show that.”  Within the church, he said, racism remains as people congregate in groupings – blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos. “What it says to me is we’re not comfortable [with each other]."

Reconciliation can’t be legislated, he said, but instead grows out of spontaneity and one-on-one relationships.  Cascade has been intentional about forming such relationship with other churches, he said, naming Glenn Memorial UMC in Atlanta, Gainesville First and Mt. Pisgah UMC in Alpharetta.  Cascade and Glenn have just completed building together their 11th Habitat for Humanity house, he noted. “I’m convinced that’s the way it ought to flow,” he said.

Later in the day, another Georgian, nationally known civil rights leader and United Methodist pastor, the Rev. Joseph Lowery of Atlanta, was the speaker at a dinner sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Because of recent problems with vertigo, the 82-year-old Lowery remained seated as he quoted Micah 4:3 about beating swords into plowshares and spoke of the importance of rivers in African-American culture, about how being "down by the riverside" can provide both freedom and escape. "The church is called today, I think, to take the nation down by the riverside," he said. His voice grew stronger and more insistent as he pointed to the inequities between rich and poor, categorizing minimum wage and lack of health care coverage as "weapons of mass destruction." He suggested beating missiles into "morsels of bread" and tanks into tractors. Lowery said he considers same-sex marriage to be more of a state than church issue but believes "people of faith can differ on this issue and respect each other."

"I'm not an absolutist, but I know this much - I'm going to be on the side of inclusiveness, not exclusiveness," he said. After years of struggle as an African-American, he explained that he could not refuse "to grant to anyone the rights that I enjoy."

United Methodist News Service contributed to this article.

- To TOP of Page -

April 29:

Day Miller tireless in effort to represent the diversity of UMC through worship

No one is putting in longer days at General Conference than Barbara Day Miller of Atlanta, the conference's director of music, but her upbeat attitude remains intact, and she never seems to run out of energy. While that's her innate personality, the glow she brings to her work comes a deep sense of calling  and the knowledge she's being lifted up in prayer by countless United Methodists.
"I can wake up in the morning and know people are praying for me," she said.  "I know that in a tangible way." Looking out over the delegates and visitors from her position on stage, she says she feels "very hopeful.  I just look out and see all these people singing ... [and] feel God's spirit in this place in a special way."

Her goal at General Conference is to feature all the different voices, cultures and languages that make up the United Methodist Church. "We really have been intentional," Day Miller said.  "We auditioned groups, but we also went out and sought groups. ... We need to look like the world.  That has been our mantra." That was also  the case with the selection of the Candler Singers, a group of eight seminary students she brought with her to assist with the music.  While they auditioned to be part of the group, it was important to her that they "look like the church" as well. Assistant dean of worship at Candler, Day Miller feels her work at the seminary has uniquely prepared her to direct music at General Conference, the church's once-ever-four years legislative meeting that brings together delegates from across the U.S. and around the world. Worship services at the seminary, she said, intentionally honor different cultures and denominations as well as  different "languages of worship," such as traditional, contemporary and gospel.

Day Miller has been a member of the Candler faculty for seven years, and before that was on staff with a number of churches in North Georgia, including Northbrook in Roswell, East Point, Dahlonega First, Sandy Springs and St. James in Atlanta.  She is also known in North Georgia as the founding director of Cantemos, the conference youth choir.  Cantemos sang at the conference May 1 as part of a mass youth choir.In addition to the Candler students, Day Miller brought with her several North Georgians to assist with music and worship, including Kappitola Williams, a member of Fort Street UMC, and the Rev. Bob Winstead, pastor of Ebenezer UMC in Conyers, who both have worked with her in
Cantemos. Other North Georgians include Gary Arnold, director of music/organist at St. Mark UMC in Atlanta, and Chuck Chewning, a member of All Saints Epsiocpal Chruch in Atlatna who is in charge of visual arts. About 65 choirs are singing at the conference, which involves an enormous amount of coordination.  Some are mass choirs, such as a seminary choir that involved singers from 10 seminaries, including Gammon and Candler, and a mass children's choir.  Others are specialized choirs, such as handbell choirs, a boys quartet from Hilliard, Ohio, a Russian women's choir from Moscow, and  Korean Choir from Flushing, New York.  In addition to singing at morning worship, they also are giving concerts in the food court and concourse. The mass choir from St. James UMC in Alpharetta, directed by Anita Pennie, and the St. James dance ministry, directed by Angela Price, were hits with the delegates, as was the choir from UM-related Paine College in  Augusta, directed by Dr. Henry Johnson, who sang at a morning worship service and performed at the higher education banquet. One of the most amazing things about her General Conference experience, Day Miller said, is the willingness of people  to give of their time.  She's been working with two pastors, the Rev. Davbid Janz and the Rev. Steve Morse, from the host conference, Western Pennsylvania, for two years.  In turn they have built a local core for music and worship that has ultimately involved dozens of people.
The first week of the conference was exam week for the Candler Singers, Day Miller pointed out.   Yet they juggled school work amid performances, writing papers and send back "take home" exams. Singing and speaking at times in other languages has been meaningful to both English-speaking and non-English speaking delegates, Day Miller
said.  "It just gives us a better picture that not everybody looks like us or talks like us, but we are all one in Christ.
In singing together, "even for a minute," she said,  "we get a glimpse of the kingdom of God.  Singing is one of the times we might just get the tiniest perception of what the it would be like."

Episcopal, laity addresses focus on call to newness in church
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

PITTSBURGH - Helping bring about God's new creation, a new way of working together in the church, unity in the spirit - those are some of the themes of the official episcopal and laity addresses presented at General Conference. On behalf of the denomination's bishops, Kenneth Carder, episcopal leader of the Mississippi Area, called on United Methodists to work toward a new creation where not only every individual is transformed but also "human social relationships, institutions and cultures."

"God in Christ has called the church to be a visible sign, foretaste and instrument of the new creation," he said April 27 on the opening day of General Conference.  "The promise of a new creation provides the foundation and vision for the church's mission in this new millennium." Although one bishop is chosen to give the Episcopal Address, it reflects the collective thoughts of the Council of Bishops and was developed over a two-year period.  The next day, Gloria Holt, lay leader the North Alabama Annual Conference and president of the Association of Annual Conference Lay Leaders, presented the Laity Address on behalf of the denomination's lay members.  She called on United Methodists to be unified in the Spirit and for clergy and laity to be equal partners in fulfilling the church's mission of making disciples.

Using as a scripture basis a passage from Ephesians which calls for "one body and one Spirit," she asked, "What part of 'one' don't we understand? Often," she said, "we exert more effort to create divisiveness rather than oneness in the church as well as in the world.  What is our problem? ... It seems to me that until we are willing to let go of 'me,
myself and I' and make a concerted effort to become 'we, ourselves and us,' we will continue to be involved in power struggles, selfish decision-making and un-Christian actions toward each other." Among other things, an equal working partnership is needed between clergy and laity, she said - "not senior partners and silent partners, but equal partners. ... If we could get the 'one' thing down, then we could be 'all in ministry' and we could get on with working together to fulfill the mission of the church."

She called on United Methodists to be willing to change in order to reach people today, giving as an example her own personal experience of being one of seven families who helped plant a new church with untraditional ways of doing things.   She said she was apprehensive at first about having a "worship center" instead of a "sanctuary" and the
"come-as-you-are casual dress" until she remembered that John Wesley focused the Methodist movement on people who had been neglected by the church and society. In eight years the congregation has grown from a handful of members to over 2,000 in worship - some 3,200 attended on Easter Sunday.

"Don't tell me we have to do things the way we've always done them or people will leave the church," Holt said.  "What about the people who never came because of that very reason:  because we're not willing to make changes?   Our God is a God of change," she said.  "God expects us to have an innovative and ever-changing ministry based on God's unchanging word."

In the Episcopal Address, Carder described in some detail what God's new creation would look like --all creation reconciled and healed, every individual realizing his/her worth as a beloved child of God, justice permeating all relationships, institutions and polices, and transcendent hope instead of cynicism, insecurity and despair. United Methodists must repent, he said, of their failure in helping bring about God's new creation.  Those failings include a lost memory of God's mighty acts in history and supremely in Jesus Christ, numbness in the face of the world's suffering, estrangement from one another and failure to trust the power of love. The church has extraordinary opportunities to help bring about God's new creation, Carder said, noting that for the first time in human history the means are available to eliminate poverty, hunger, starvation and most childhood diseases from the world. 

In an effort to reconnect the United Methodist Church with its Wesleyan roots and foundational teachings and practices, bishops of the church are inviting United Methodists to engage in a "quadrennium of Methodist conferencing around the world," Carder said.   During the next four years those conversations will focus on God's new creation and the church's mission, sound doctrine and the distinctive emphases of Methodism, personal and social holiness, and disciplines in the Methodist tradition. During a press conference after his address, Carder emphasized the importance of respecting the inherent worth and dignity of every person. "It is indisputable in the Gospel," he said. When asked about some of issues before General Conference, including homosexuality, he said, such issues are not going to be resolved by legislation, but by respect, dialogue and compassion. "How we deal with the issues is as significant as the conclusions we reach," he said.  "The prophetic word for the church today is civility."

- To TOP of Page -

April 28:

Veteran delegate/observer Sheets recalls 36 years of conferencing
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org

No one in Georgia - and probably few across the United Methodist Church as a whole -- have as long a history with General Conference as the Rev. Herchel Sheets. Now retired, he attended his first General Conference as an observer in 1968 in Dallas at the age of 40 and witnessed the historic union when the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church became the United Methodist Church.  Thrilled to be there, he recalled, "I had people sitting around me autograph my book."

In 1972 the conference met in Atlanta (one he remembers with some chagrin), and in 1976 he was elected as a reserve delegate to the conference held in Portland.  In the conferences since, leading up to his retirement in 2000, he was a member of the clergy delegation, leading the delegation in 1988 and 1992. In 2000, as he was retiring from the active ministry, he was pressed into service at the urging of the North Georgia delegation:  go with us as a consultant, they said, and help us keep track of the important issues.  He did, and he's back in the same role again, although this time he's also part of the delegation, as the fourth reserve delegate.  Reserve delegates vote when a member of the official delegation is not on the floor.

So much legislation comes before the conference, it's virtually impossible for an individual to have a handle on everything.  Yet, delegates ultimately vote on every proposal (called petitions) before the conference.  That's about 1,600 petitions this time. Since every petition is first reviewed and debated by a legislative committee, Sheets has asked the North Georgia members of the 11 committees to list the most important issues in their committees, with
accompanying identifying information (related paragraph in the Book of Discipline and assigned petition number), and a synopsis of the proposed legislation.  Sheets then compiles all the information late at night(finishing sometimes at "10 minutes until 1 a.m.) for distribution the next morning to the North Georgia delegates.  This way everybody is able to keep abreast of the most significant issues.

In preparation for the conference, Sheets met with the delegation ahead of time, discussing not only the issues but also how they should prepare themselves mentally and spiritually.  Studying is important, he said, as well as one's attitude -- remembering that all the delegates have a similar Christian commitment and should show respect to one another.  Sometimes North Georgia delegates ask for his advice on specific pieces of legislation.  He recalled four years ago that the Rev. Mac Brantley came to him about a petition dealing with the procedure in clergy trials.  "I made a half-dozen suggestions, and he went back and got every one of them passed," Sheets said with a laugh.

He said one of most simple yet profound changes over the years has been the way delegates vote.  In the first conferences he attended, delegates held up cards for everyone to see.  Now the voting is done electronically, calculated almost instantaneously and is private as well. Sheets also recalled that at the early conferences he attended worship services were scheduled each afternoon in local churches with delegates preaching.  "Gladys and I rode 75 miles to a church in Maryland," he remembered.  Although this put one more responsibility on delegates' already long days, "it did influence the community a little more," he said.

About that Atlanta conference: controversy erupted when an African-American pastor was told by a local church he couldn't preach at an afternoon service.  The bishop at the time, the late John Owen Smith, stepped in to reverse the church's decision, and when the time for the service came, so many people had gathered, the site of the service was changed to the Atlanta Civic Center where the plenary sessions were being held. That was also the conference, he remembered, that dealt with the homosexuality issue for the first time - and it's been a hot topic ever since. 

Looking back, he notes every conference has had its controversial issues, such as the decision by the 1980 conference to send a delegation to then President Jimmy Carter asking him to pursue diplomatic means in freeing the hostages in Iran.  Although Carter received the delegation, headed by the late Georgia Bishop William R. Cannon, the decision had
already been made to mount a rescue trip that failed.

Other decisions by General Conferences, however, have propelled forward the church's mission and ministry - such as the decision to establish Africa University and the passage of both a new hymnal and worship book for the church.

The overarching impression Sheets has of the General Conference is that while they all have had their controversy, along with spoken fears about the church's future, the United Methodist Church has "come out [of them] pretty sound.
"The church seems somehow to survive every General Conference," he said.

It's an assessment he believes will prove true this time.
 

Opening service is mosaic of color, cultures
By Alice M. Smith
Wesleyan Christian Advocate
alice@wcadvocate.org


PITTSBURGH -- Colorful pageantry and worship that engaged all the senses opened the 2004 General Conference of the United Methodist Church April 27. Drummers, dancers, streamers, worship leaders from different cultures,
and words and hymns in  four different languages punctuated the two-hour service.  North Georgians figured prominently in the service, chief among them, the Rev. Barbara Day Miller, director of music for the
conference. Also, Kappitola Williams, a member of Fort Street UMC in Atlanta, and her dance company, Kapp N Kompany, performed, and the Rev. Bob Winstead, pastor of Ebenezer UMC in Conyers, coordinated the drumming for the service, which was performed by Elie Kihonia, Yong-Rae Lee and Native American Drummers from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

The dancers moved among the bishops in brightly colored stoles and vestments as they processed in to the hymn, "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing."  Williams, a member of Fort Street UMC in Atlanta, led the way, carrying aloft an incense pot, its fragrance wafting over the delegates. Worship embodied the theme of the conference, "Water Washed Spirit Born," and water played an integral role in the service.  In the opening prayer, Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of the Arkansas Area and Bishop Peter Dabale of Nigeria scooped water from a large basin and let it fall.  During the sacrament of Holy Communion, delegates and guests were invited to dip their hands in bowls of water symbolizing the waters of baptismal renewal before partaking of the sacramnent.

The preacher for the service, Bishop Ruediger R. Minor, president of the Council of Bishops and and leader of the Eurasia Area headquartered in Moscow, invoked the words of the prophet Ezekiel and urged delegates to make honoring God their first priority so that God will have a chance "to put [God's} great and holy name on display...Will God's priorities be our priorities?" he asked.  "Will our first purpose be to honor God or to run the church's machinery or even to get majorities for our proposals and projects?" Just as the prophet Ezekiel prophesied a new community for the Israelites then living in exile in Babylon, God is building a new community today, Minor said.  "It leads to new rules.  The way we deal with each other is a visible witness before our world, a sign of the new world."

"Let us lay aside our preconceived agendas," he urged, "and listen afresh to the words and hearts of our sisters and brothers, even of those with whom we do not agree easily." Recalling St. Augustine's observation that "the Christ in us
recognizes the Christ in our sisters and brothers," the bishop warned, "If we cannot see Christ in others, it might be our own fault that we have silenced the Christ is us...Let us go beyond the few and the many issues that we so easily
single out, and let us acknowledge God's good will for God's whole world ..
that all may believe and be healed."

- To TOP of Page -

April 26:

UM Bishops offer pastoral letter on eve of Conference
PITTSBURGH -- On the eve of General Conference, United Methodist bishops offered some counsel to United Methodists:  it's okay to differ on the issues, but let's do it without questioning one another's integrity
and common commitment to Jesus Christ. The same divisions that exist with the church at large, the bishops
said in a pastoral letter, exist within the Council of Bishops.  But because the bishops consider themselves a family, "we love each other, we listen to each other, and sometimes, we vigorously disagree with each other.  However, we do not question the integrity of our colleagues and their commitment to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them. "Our love for Christ, the church and one another," the bishops said, "transcends our differences."

Following their example, the bishops urged the delegates, and United Methodists everywhere, to be in prayer about the conference and to show the same kind of love and respect when dealing with dealing with disagreements.  "When Jesus Christ is present," the bishops said, "we have nothing to fear." The pastoral letter listed a number of anxieties within the church, including continuing racism and poverty, concerns about war and terrorism, the inability of some international delegates to obtain travel issues, financial challenges to the church, and issues related to homosexuality.

The conference convenes just a month after the Rev. Karen Dammann, an avowed lesbian, was acquitted in a church trial in Seattle of "practices incompatible with Christian teaching," igniting a firestorm in the church.  Some hailed the verdict as a new day, but many accused the jury of blatantly disregarding the Book of Discipline which forbids "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from serving as clergy in the church. In their letter the bishops devoted a paragraph to the homosexuality issue, acknowledging they, like United Methodists at large, are not of
"one opinion."  At the same time, they said, they are united in their commitment to uphold the Book of Discipline. What's more, the letter continues, "We are united in our commitment to practice and advocate unity. We are united in our conviction that the crititical issues will not be ultimately resolved with legislation.  We will find the answers in Christ-like love, expressed in dialogue, mutual respect and a humble search for the mind of God.
"Schism," they said, "is not part of  God's plan for the church."

During its meeting preceding General Conference, the bishops spent long hours discussing the tension in the church. "We've had, in this council meeting, quite extensive conversation on the present situation of the church and how we should lead," said Bishop Ruediger  R. Minor, president of the council and leader of the church's Eurasia Area.  "While we're not encroaching on the rights of the General Conference, which is the governing body of the church, we do want to help General Conference find a spirit of Christian conferencing by listening to each other and putting things in the right dimension."

- To TOP of Page -

 

Leading Lady: Day Miller takes stage as General Conference music director
By Kathy L. Gilbert
UMNS

The opening worship service of the 2004 General Conference will literally start with a bang. Four different drum groups will begin the General Conference-a start that will be “really symbolic of the ways in which we will gather the whole world around us,” says the Rev. Barbara Day Miller, a faculty member at Candler School of Theology and music director for General Conference.  She sees the opening as one of the “wow” moments of General Conference. “This is going to be a highly visual worship experience,” she says. Bishops are being invited to dress in their country’s traditional attire, and dancers will be dressed “in the costumes of the world,” she says.

Red streamers, symbolizing the sign of the spirit, and banners will be carried in as the drummers beat out the welcome. General Conference, which convenes every four years, is the top policy-making body of the United Methodist Church.  “I just really think when all this comes together in this great ‘alleluia,’ that people really will be aware that they are a part of something great in the whole world and that it’s all gathered for this moment,” Day Miller says.

Planning General Conference worship has been Barbara Day Miller’s passion since being named music director in 2002.
 

Planning the General Conference worship services has been Day Miller’s passion since being named music director in spring 2002. She has listened to more than 120 audition tapes from groups around the world and has selected about 60 groups to perform during the two-week conference. One of her concerns was finding a way to represent the whole church, she says. Her prayer is that General Conference will be a time “where we make space for everybody’s song.”

“And I use that to also mean to make space for each other, individually and culturally, to be able to see when we all gather, the real diversity of the people called United Methodists,” she said.

She is responsible for coordinating music for the 10 worship services, the daily communion services and various other events. “It was very important that there be a real range of different styles of groups, different styles of music, different languages of singing, different configurations,” she says. Whether that has meant incorporating a brass group, jazz ensemble or liturgical dance group, she wants to ensure that the worship reflects a “full range of expression,” she said.

Ticking off some of the planned performances, she notes a mass youth choir; a mass children’s choir beginning with first graders; at least two different dance days; a brass ensemble; a full orchestra; a jazz group; contemporary praise bands; and a gospel choir. “There’s a choir of women coming from Russia, and ... many more,” she says.

Day Miller, who is assistant dean of worship and lecturer in liturgical practices at Candler, will also be bringing a group of 10 students from Candler to serve as the resident singing group during the two-week conference. “I think my work here at Candler has a lot to do with preparing me because we are a really diverse seminary and truly ecumenical as well as truly Methodist,” she says.

Day Miller has been involved in other large worship events, such as the United Methodist Clergywomen Gathering in San Diego a couple of years ago, which meant planning multiple services a day. She also coordinated worship services for “Exploration,” the international youth gathering, and she has planned the annual conference in North Georgia. So far it has taken “eight notebooks and wonderful volunteers who are fearless” to organize General Conference worship, she says.  “It takes a high level of organization and also a sense of humor,” she says. “We really are gathering with a sense of joy. We know we will be blessed in our efforts.”

One of the blessings, she says, has been talking to so many talented United Methodists across the connection who are eager to be at General Conference. “These people are essentially involved in a sacrificial kind of giving in order to come,” she says. “I mean, there is no money to bring choirs in. All these people are earning their o