The Christian Methodist Newsletter


Volume 15, Number 5                                                 Winter 2005 - 2006

Current Issues

The New Year

Following are membership results from the annual conferences for 2005 with changes from the preceding year:

 

Annual Conference          Membership  Net Change  JurisdictionAnnual Conference         Membership  Net Change Jurisdiction*        

Alabama - West Florida     146,6002           +800           SEJ                  North Central New York        79,049          -   834                 NEJ

Alaska Missionary                  4,045             + 1                 W-J           North Georgia                          337,635          + 3,971              SEJ

Arkansas                                138,4102           - 729            SCJ                North Indiana                            99,349              - 1,978        NCJ

Austria Provisional                      6861           + 27              Eurasia       North Texas                             159,917             + 903              SCJ

Baltimore - Washington        198,8414       - 5,694                       NEJ           Northern Illinois                      109,481           - 4,674              NCJ

California - Nevada                 87,747        - 1,368                W-J           Northwest Texas                       66,8552            - 885         SCJ

California - Pacific                    88,9052       - 1,7832             W-J           Norwegian                                  13,0871            - 1031     Eurasia

Central Pennsylvania            149,222         - 3,405              NEJ           Oklahoma                                 246,0392               - 2,325       SCJ

Central Texas                          158,5531         +1099             SCJ           Oklahoma Indian

Czech & Slovak Republics      1,5293           + 69               Eurasia           Missionary                               6,253                  + 21         SCJ

Dakotas                                     43,136           - 548               NCJ           Oregon - Idaho                          34,407                 - 840           W-J

Desert Southwest                                    43,979           - 814               W-J           Pacific Northwest                      59,141              - 1,358           W-J

Detroit                                      104,0273          - 942               NCJ           Peninsula - Delaware              93,7072                 - 555           NEJ

East Ohio                                 181,821           - 3,071              NCJ           The Polish Conference              2,5281             + 19         Eurasia

Eastern Pennsylvania            128,3392       - 2,247              NEJ           Red Bird Missionary                1,385                  + 18             SEJ

Florida                                      325,609        - 3,409               SEJ            Rio Grande                                14,848                   - 79           SCJ

Germany North                           7,7741         - 112              Eurasia       Rocky Mountain                      69,1422                          - 466           W-J

Greater New Jersey                104,5262       - 3,311               NEJ          Sierra Leone                            100,1021             + 5,588         Africa

Holston                                    167,7132         - 4082                       SEJ           South Carolina       241,6804                 - 379            SEJ

Illinois Great Rivers               152,1164       - 1,521                NCJ          South Georgia                         139,1274                 - 770            SEJ

Iowa                                         194,3074          - 939            NCJ              South Germany         15,373                   + 36        Eurasia

Kansas East                              75,9014          - 4014               SCJ         South Indiana                         113,3744              - 2,343           NCJ

Kansas West                            86,438         - 1,086                 SCJ         Southwest Texas                    120,0804                 - 191            SCJ

Kentucky                                 152,109          + 222                  SEJ          Tennessee                               116,5934                + 692            SEJ

Liberia                                      168,618 From first time report            Texas                                        210,2012               + 974            SCJ

Louisiana                                 127,059            +213                 SCJ         Troy                                          52,560                - 1,886          NEJ

Memphis                                   88,843          - 1,077               SEJ          Virginia                                   341,773                   - 333            SEJ

Minnesota                                 81,4542         - 4,618               NCJ         West Michigan                                      67,816                             - 606            NCJ

Mississippi                             189,369          - 1,103                SEJ          West Ohio                              237,307               - 6,581            NCJ

Missouri                                  176,022             - 229                SCJ         West Virginia                         105,879                - 1,336            NEJ

Nebraska                                   84,377          - 1,923                SCJ         Western New York                 58,3874                  -175             NEJ

New England                           98,690          - 3,372                NEJ         Western North Carolina       293,211               + 1,140          NEJ

New Mexico                              39,865             - 788                SCJ         Western Pennsylvania         193,7632               - 1,774            NEJ

New York                                 126,746          - 2,950                NEJ         Wisconsin                                93,7542               - 3,669            NCJ

North Alabama                       155,683          - 2,179                SEJ          Wyoming                                59,4902               - 1,035            NEJ

North Carolina                        235,562         + 1,509                SEJ          Yellowstone                            16,2912                 - 679               W-J      .

Change in church membership is a decline of an estimated 80,000 people for the year, an increase from 69,000+ this past year. UM membership is currently just under 8.1 million.  Sources: Annual Conference Reports, Newscope, United Methodist News Service.

Jurisdictions: "NCJ" - North Central Jurisdiction; "NEJ" - Northeastern Jurisdiction; "SCJ" - South Central Jurisdiction;

"SEJ" - Southeastern Jurisdiction; "W-J" - Western Jurisdiction.

Footnotes:

1 Indicates figures that were reported last year, believed to be incorrect but no others are available.

2 Indicates errors in the data received; figures were estimated by Concerned Methodists.

3 2002 figures are shown since more current statistics were not available.

4 Figures received differed from the computations of Concerned Methodists. The statistics shown were those received.

 


96 bishops decry 'unjust and immoral' situation in Iraq

Ninety-six United Methodist bishops have signed a statement repenting “of our complicity in what we believe to be the unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq.” The signers to include Bishop Kenneth Carder and more than half of the denomination’s active and retired bishops, both within the United States and in the Central Conferences outside the United States. The statement confesses “our preoccupation with institutional enhancement and limited agendas while American men and women are sent to Iraq to kill and be killed, while thousands of Iraqi people needlessly suffer and die, while poverty increases and preventable diseases go untreated.” The bishops committed to praying daily for the end of war in Iraq and all wars in general, reclaiming the idea of living “faithfully in the light of God’s new creation” and pledging to peacemaking as an “integral component of our own Christian discipleship.” They also called upon United Methodists to object to “solutions of war that conflict with the gospel message of self-emptying love” and work toward “unity in a world of diversity."

   On Nov. 4, the Council of Bishops adopted a resolution calling on President George Bush to draw up a plan and timeline for withdrawing all U.S. forces from Iraq. Another statement on Iraq had been issued by the council a year and a half earlier. The resolution stated that “the continuing loss of Iraqi civilian lives, especially children, and the increasing death toll among United States and coalition military, grieves the heart of God.” The bishops said the U.S. government’s reasons for war – “the presumption of weapons of mass destruction and alleged connection between al-Qaida and Iraq” - have not been verified, and that the violence in Iraq has created a context for “gross violations of human rights of prisoners of war.”

- United Methodist News Service  #638; Nov. 11, 2005.

*          *          *          *          *          *

The United Methodist Board of Church and Society passed a resolution calling on the United States to withdraw its troops from the country. “As people of faith, we raise our voice in protest against the tragedy of the unjust war in Iraq,” the resolution stated. “We urge the United States government to develop and implement a plan for the withdrawal of…troops. Thousands of lives have been lost and hundreds of billions of dollars wasted in a war the United States initiated and should never have fought....” The timing of the Iraq resolution, at a moment when the Bush administration is hoping a new constitution will start to stabilize that country, did not concern James Winkler, the board's top staff executive.

     But first, members of the board had to work to overcome disagreement on the resolution. Drafted during the first three days of the meeting, the measure was tabled for a vote Oct. 15 when two board members objected to wording they interpreted as critical of U.S. troops and that they thought might give comfort and support to Iraqi insurgents. Pat Curtin, a board member from Conroe, Texas, and a veteran of the Korean War, said he remembered being shunned when he returned from the battlefield. “They haven’t been there, they haven’t had this stuff thrown at them,” he said of some of his board colleagues. Howard Mason, a board member from Seaford, Del., and a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, joined Curtin in pushing for changes to the original draft. “It’s an emotional thing because we were there,” he said, referring to wartime combat. “We’re against war, but we appreciate the G.I.s’ sacrifice.”

- United Methodist News Service; Oct. 19, 2005.

*          *          *          *          *          *

Editorial Note: These statements provide insight into the priorities of some of our bishops and other church employees, not reflective of the entire truth nor of sound research. They also ignore the cowardly attack against our country on 9/11 (worse than Pearl Harbor), the global connectivity of radical Islamic terrorism, and Saddam Hussein’s extreme brutality, WMD genocide, and torture with the death of thousands of his own people. A “timetable for departure” is telling the enemy when you will leave the battle. This is an extremely unwise thing in warfare and a recipe for defeat in the end. 

     These statements undermine the efforts of our combat troops and put our brave soldiers in greater danger by encouraging the enemy.

 

Some interesting information you won’t hear  on the News about Iraq

*Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

*Did you know that the Iraqi government employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

*Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation,  263 schools are now under construction, and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?

*Did you know that Iraq’s higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 institutes or colleges and 4 research centers?

*Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2004 for the reestablished Fulbright program?

*Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have five 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

*Did you know that Iraq’s Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, nine reconnaissance and three US C-130  transport aircraft which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and four Bell jet rangers?

*Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

*Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

*Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

*Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals,  83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

*Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of five have received the first two series of polio vaccinations?

*Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

*Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

*Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

*Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004 and that the Iraqi economy is BOOMING?

*Did you know that two candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a  televised debate recently?

The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq undermines the world’s perception of the United States and puts our soldiers at greater risk, and is reflective of the biased reporting by some in the mainstream media ever since the Korean War. [Note: During the Vietnam War, what was reported in the media was biased and not always what  happened on the ground.] -  Received by e-mail; personal experience.

*          *          *          *          *          *

 The producer of a new documentary on Saddam Hussein says there is no question that the deposed Iraqi dictator possessed weapons of mass destruction. The question, he says, should be: where did the WMDs go? Former real estate broker Brad L. Maaske interviewed dozens of Iraqis in producing his DVD Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein. He says it is absurd that the American Left continues to get away with their claims that the former dictator did not possess WMDs. “There’s interview after interview of people who say they saw truckloads of something going out through Syria and into the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon,” he recalls. “And of course we've tried to track that as best we can. The U.S. military can’t go into Syria; it can’t go into Lebanon. But the question is, where did those weapons go?” Maaske says it does not take much to create a weapon of mass destruction. “There didn’t have to be massive stockpiles of chemicals,” he explains. “A few 55-gallon drums of a nerve gas could kill a million people if properly dispersed, so it’s not that difficult for him to get rid of what he had.” Maaske says U.S. officials discovered that more than one-third of the WMDs turned over by Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi came from Iraq.

-          Chad Groening, AgapePress; November 16, 2005.

***********************************************************************************************

United Methodist bishops affirm  membership open to all

Homosexuality is not a barrier to membership in the UMC the bishops said Nov. 2, two days after the church’s top court supported a pastor’s refusal to allow a gay man to join. “While pastors have the responsibility to discern readiness for membership, homosexuality is not a barrier,” the bishops said in their pastoral letter. In an October 31st ruling the Judicial Council supported the Rev. Ed Johnson of South Hill (Va.) UMC in his decision not to allow a gay man join his congregation. “With the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church, we affirm ‘that God’s grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community,’” the bishops said, quoting from the Social Principles in the Book of Discipline. “‘We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.’ We also affirm our Wesleyan practice that pastors are accountable to the bishop, superintendent and the clergy on matters of ministry and membership,” the bishops said.

     The announcement of the court's ruling caused “considerable conversation within the council,” said Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, who led the seven-bishop writing team that worked on the statement.

     The Book of Discipline affirms homosexuals as people “of sacred worth.” It also holds the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching, and it bars the performance of same-sex unions by the church’s clergy and in the church’s sanctuaries.

 - The United Methodist News Service (UMNS) #619; Nov. 3, 2005.

*              *              *              *              *              *

Editorial Note: On the previous page, the bishops termed the Iraqi war, which in reality is a military action to remove a brutal dictator and an important component in the global war on terror, as “immoral” - yet stated emphatically above that homosexuality is not a barrier to membership in the United Methodist Church. The latter ignores the central question, “Is the practice of homosexuality a sin?” More importantly the Bible has spoken on this.

     Provision in The United Methodist Hymnal for receiving new members “Reception into the United Methodist Church” has the following question on page 46, “Do you truly and earnestly repent of your sins?” with the expected answer of “I do.” How can we expect to be able to receive with integrity new members if we overlook the obvious conflict with this statement and homosexual practice?

     Theirs is a curious reversal of terms - calling the Iraqi war “immoral” yet ignoring the moral question of homosexual practice.

*              *              *              *              *              *

Judicial Council ruled properly in Virginia pastor case

A UMNS Commentary By Brenda A. Menzies*

The UM Judicial Council recently rendered two decisions in the case of the Rev. Ed Johnson of Virginia, a pastor who was disciplined by his bishop for not admitting a self-avowed, practicing homosexual into church membership. In overturning the bishop’s actions, the court upheld existing church law, as determined by many General Conferences. There was nothing new in the decisions. Yet, there has been a flurry of debate and interpretations in the church. What do the decisions say…[or] not say? How do we process the impact of these rulings on the nuances of the homosexual debate in our church?

     The first ruling, Decision No. 1031, related to an administrative complaint against Johnson that led to an erroneous ruling of law by Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer at last summer’s Virginia Annual (regional) Conference. In its decision, the Judicial Council found that Rev. Johnson had been deprived of his fair process rights. Based on the findings, Bishop Kammerer’s rule of law was rightly reversed. 

     The second, Decision No. 1032, pertained to a pastor’s authority to determine who may be received into membership in the local church. This decision by the council represented no change in the church’s historical stance. Research indicates nothing in any Book of Discipline - in 200 years of church history - mitigates against a pastor's authority to allow, delay or refuse someone into membership. “The 2004 Discipline invests discretion in the pastor-in-charge to make the determination of a person’s readiness to affirm the vows of membership (217),” the Judicial Council said. “Paragraphs 214 and

225 are permissive and do not mandate receipt into membership of all persons regardless of their willingness to affirm membership vows.” 

     Again, the Judicial Council rightly ruled.

     We all recognize the need to reach out to our homosexual brothers and sisters in hospitality and ministry, and to be loving and affirming in the faith. That is exactly what Rev. Johnson was doing. A process of ministry was taking place. The individual whom he was counseling was not the one who brought the complaint and was actively participating in the life of the church. Sadly, we now have two individuals whose lives have been impacted by the misapplication of church law and improper disciplinary procedure: Rev. Johnson, who by all accounts has served our church faithfully for 24 years, and a self-avowed, practicing homosexual with whom he was ministering. 

     The historical position and law of the church, set by General Conference, is that the “practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” The question with reference to the Rev. Johnson case is: Was there a prejudicial leaning in favor of the practice of homosexuality placed above administering the law of the church? If so, any pastor seeking merely to uphold traditional church policy and the will of General Conference would be at risk under the leadership of a bishop with differing views. It is with great consternation and grief that I view the current circumstances of the church. We are an inclusive church. All are invited to participate in the means of grace, which can transform and instill in our hearts a desire to live daily lives under the influence of our vows of membership.

     Membership in the church is a covenant, not unlike the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. According to the Discipline, we “covenant together with God and with the members of the local church to keep the vows which are part of the order of confirmation and reception into the church ...” Two of our vows of membership are “to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world, and repent of (our) sin” and to join in “professing the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.” We would not expect our ordained clergy to knowingly receive into membership someone who is in breach of the very church vows that he or she is proclaiming. Our clergy have sacred and sole discretion to make the determination as to readiness for making this covenant; after all, the local pastor is the churches' representative closest to the situation. 

     Thankfully, the checks and balances in the United Methodist Church resulted in the Judicial Council upholding church law as determined by General Conference. It is disappointing that an issue so plainly addressed in our Book of Discipline had to reach our top layer of accountability to be recognized. While the Judicial Council’s decisions are comforting and affirmed the relationship between pastor and laity, the potential exists for a backlash in the relationship between the church’s hierarchy and the pastor. Such a backlash could result in an appointment of Rev. Johnson outside the norm for someone of his tenure.

     It is quite disturbing that, according to the statement of facts in the case, Bishop Kammerer explored exclusionary measures with Rev. Johnson. The “surrender of credentials” and “early retirement” proposed by Bishop Kammerer would have amounted to nothing less than the exclusion of Rev. Johnson and his ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. The irony here is that in our inclusive United Methodist Church, the bishop would entertain the notion of excluding a pastor for faithfully carrying out his ordained duties. 

     Hopefully, the clarity brought to the Virginia Annual Conference by the Judicial Council will enable Bishop Kammerer, the annual conference, the Rev. Ed Johnson and his congregation at South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church to move forward in the unity of proclaiming the grace of Jesus Christ, being true to the Book of Discipline and to the United Methodist Church’s written recognition of the authority of Scripture.  

*Menzies, a laywoman from Franklin, Tenn., is a two-time delegate to General Conference and served on the assembly’s Faith and Order Committee and Church and Society Committee.

- UMNS Commentary; Nashville, Tenn,; Nov. 29, 2005.

***********************************************************************************************

At the beginning of each year, we make our annual request for contributions; we ask that each of you pray and seek the Lord's leading as to how you might support the ministry of Concerned Methodists. We make the most efficient use possible of the money you entrust to our work. Since we have no paid employees and minimize overhead, we are able to translate the maximum amount of donations into our ministry of informing people about what is happening within our United Methodist Church. For those who do choose to provide financial assistance to us, we send our "Monthly Update" that contains even more news than does The Christian Methodist Newsletter on what is happening across our denomination.  Finally, it should also be noted that all donor information is kept strictly confidential:

 

* We do not share information with any outside organizations.

 

* You will not be solicited through regular mailings or "telemarketing" calls.

 

* You will continue to receive newsletters, informational mailings, and notices of issues pertaining to our United

           Methodist Church.

 

We would ask you to make a contribution to the ministry of Concerned Methodists to support publication of The Christian Methodist Newsletter if you have never previously done so. Please consider this request.

*******************************************************************************************

The newly-released book At the Crossroads containing 268 pages of financial data and other resources is available at a cost of $10.00 per copy plus $2.00 for shipping and handling. To order this informative book, send your request with your name, address and payment to:  Concerned Methodists. P. O. Box 2864, Fayetteville, NC 28302

*******************************************************************************************

Concerned Methodists is a "Renewal" organization consisting of men and women literally from "coast to coast" working within the United Methodist Church for revival. We believe that this can be accomplished by greater biblical faithfulness to the denomination's Wesleyan heritage and by drawing from its Judeo-Christian ethic which extends back for over 3500 years.

            We believe that all members of the laity need to be as fully informed as possible. A knowledgeable, aware, assertive membership is as vital to renewal as is an open, responsive, Bible-based clergy. We have found that the laity are often uninformed of what is happening across our United Methodist Church.

***********************************************************************************************

Published by: Concerned Methodists, P.O. Box 2864, Fayetteville, NC 28302. Tel.: 910/488-4379; FAX: 910/488-5090

Website: www.cmpage.org        E-mail: concmths@infionline.net