Online Archives

General Conference 2008

Members of the Baltifmore-Washington Conference were an integral part of the General Conference, the quadrennial meeting of the worldwide United Methodist Church, held April 23 through May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. The 16-member delegation, made up of eight lay and eight clergy members, was among the most diverse in the denomination. Many others from the Baltimore-Washington Conference also participated, witnessing for inclusiveness, advocating for social justice and urban and town and country ministries, singing in worship and working behind the scenes to "Build a Future of Hope."

These are a few of their stories.

Providing legislative leadership

Much of the work of General Conference is done in legislative committees. This year, in 13 legislative committees, which correspond to areas of the Book of Discipline, delegates considered 1,544 petitions.

The conference as a whole, accepted the recommendations of these committees 98.6 percent of the time.

The Rev. Laura Easto of Westminster UMC served as chair of the Judicial Administration Committee, which dealt with petitions relating to judiciary concerns and investigations, trials and appeals within the church.

Litany allows new expression of Social Creed

A hundred years ago in Baltimore, the Methodist Church adopted a social creed. At General Conference, delegates adopted a companion litany to this creed, which they hope will be used frequently by United Methodists in worship to proclaim their beliefs to the world.

Tradition creeds are vertical, illuminating one's relationship to the divine. But the United Methodist creed is horizontal, demonstrating how people are living out their faith in the world, said Bishop Jane Middleton.

Kathryn Johnson, of Dumbarton UMC in Washington and chairperson of the Methodists for Social Action, introduced the creed's history to the conference, explaining it stemmed from the work of five clergymen in the back room of a Western Union Telegraph Office, who joined three steams of ministry with the poor, temperance and issues of war and peace into a creed to guide church.

The litany will serve, she said, as a plumb line in discussing God's yearning of us and provide an accessible way to state what we truly believe.

A number of musical compositions are being created to allow the litany to be sung in different settings.

Remembering segregation

A pioneer in the Civil Right movement, W. Astor Kirk, of Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., participated

April 27 in a recognition of the anniversary of the dissolution of the former Central Jurisdiction.

The Central Jurisdiction was formed in 1939 as a segregated place for black Methodists in the merger of the Methodist Protestant Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It was dissolved in 1968.

"For Methodist blacks, the creation of the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction was a humiliating disappointment," Kirk told General Conference delegates. He was a

member of the Committee of Five, which sought the dissolution of the Central Jurisdiction.

However, Kirk said, "many resourceful men and women used the organization as an instrument for empowering Methodist blacks."

Bishop Forrest C. Stith, retired, and chair of the African-American Methodist Heritage Center, also spoke. "We especially grieve that in 1939 hundreds of thousands of African Americans were marginalized. ... We are thankful for thousands of African Americans who chose to stay in the church."

The history of some of these

people will be preserved in the African-American Methodist Heritage Center, to which conference delegates voted to give $100,000 per year during the next quadrennium. The center gathers stories, artifacts and other historical items of African-American Methodists from the mid-18th century to the present.

Closing the celebration of the dissolution of the Central Jurisdiction, Bishop Stith prayed, "Now we remember, reflect and rededicate our lives as we praise you, oh God, for it was 40 years ago that our Methodist Church crossed the difficult divide in a series of decisions that eliminated the Central Jurisdiction. Now we boldly move toward the kingdom promised by Jesus Christ, even here on earth."

Deaf choir performs

"They are a gift to the church," the Rev. Peggy Johnson declared as members of Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf choir performed in worship at General Conference May 1. "The body of Christ is not complete without them."

Lasandra Saunders, director of the choir, agreed. "We are a gift," she said. "It's important for the entire church to recognize deaf people, deaf culture and deaf worship. God loves all people."

The nine members of the choir from Baltimore signed the words of hymns in American Sign Language as a large drum beat out a rhythm and Carol Stevens, of the Deaf Shalom Zone, voiced their words to the 1,000 delegates. They also performed at a concert during the lunch hour.

"We want to thank the conference for their help and support," Saunders said. "Our church loves and depends on the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

The music of the deaf church is not about the ears, said the emcee who introduced them at the concert. "It's about the heart."

Altar shrouded in face of divisions

On the day following heavily debated legislation that retains the denomination's current stance on homosexuality, some members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference delegation participated in a witness on the floor of General Conference seeking inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the church.

Those participating in the witness, including Mittie Quinn of Dumbarton UMC, Jen Ihlo of Dumbarton UMC, Ralph Williams of Foundry UMC, and Kathryn Johnson, who leads the national Methodist Federation for Social Action caucus, filed into the auditorium dressed in black. They sang to the delegates and shrouded the altar table in black fabric.

They mourned that the church had chosen "legislation over people."

"I joined this witness to declare my opposition to this injustice and oppression within the church that is fueled by both bigotry and ignorance," Williams said.

Many of the delegates stood in solidarity with the protesters and responded to an invitation to participate by draping their own strips of black fabric on the altar table.

Twelve of the bishops acted in a pastoral capacity and stepped down from the stage to be with their delegations. Bishop John R. Schol was one of the bishops to provide pastoral support to the delegation.

"I was pleased to hear Bishop Melvin Talbert declare that the decision of this General Conference to marginalize LGBT people is as wrong as the previous decision to segregate black members in a Central Jurisdiction," Williams said.

The legislation these delegates were hopeful might pass, would have removed the statement that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching," from the Discipline and replace it with the words: "Faithful, thoughtful people who have grappled with this issue deeply disagree with one another; yet all seek a faithful witness."

This petition was not adopted. Fifty-seven percent of the delegates voted to retain the church's current stance on homosexuality.

Some members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference delegation upheld the Discipline's current stance. Among them was the Rev. Mark Derby of Grace UMC in Gaithersburg, who explained that each of us is created in the image of God. Homosexuality, like any sin, draw us away from the potential God created, he said. "God never want us to be less than God created us to be."

In a sermon on the morning of May 1, Bishop Hee Soo Jung addressed the division in the church around the issue of homosexuality.

This church, "which began as a small fire in John Wesley's heart," is torn between those who want the church to be more open and extend biblical hospitality and those who want the church to be more pure and embrace biblical holiness, said Bishop Soo Jung.

"Both are biblical values and both are right," the bishop said. "We are invited to live in the tension of holding both values."

It is difficult, he added, cautioning, "this is not about being theologically correct. It's about following Jesus. At the heart of it all, will you follow Jesus?

Pastor speaks for urban ministry

Many Baltimore-Washington Conference clergy and lay people are volunteering their time to serve at General conference. The Rev. Michael Armstrong is working as a page. The Rev. Sandra Demby is writing for The Urban Times, a newsletter of the denomination's National Urban Strategy Council.

In the May 1 issue, Demby writes: "I am excited to hear the moving, inspiring preaching from our bishops. I was especially excited to hear Bishop Joao Somane Machado of Mozambique say, ‘To transform the world, we must be transformed ourselves.'

"This statement resonated with me because I clearly believe that if a change or transformation is to occur in my life, it has to start with me. If the church is to be transformed it must start with those who sit in the pews Sunday after Sunday."

Conferences renew covenant

With his country in the midst of political and economic turmoil, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa, episcopal leader of the Zimbabwe Area, said that the role of United Methodists in Zimbabwe is to continue to encourage a spirit of peace.

"We need to develop and equip spiritual leaders to promote peace," Bishop Nhiwatiwa said. "But we can not do that alone. We need resources from our brothers and sisters around the world."

Since 1997, the Baltimore-Washington Conference has been a resource that Bishop Nhiwatiwa has been able to depend on. At the 2008 General Conference, the Baltimore-Washington Conference and the Zimbabwe Conference signed a new covenant that extends its working relationship through 2012.

The covenant states that it will focus on issues such as theological training, community and economic development, young adult ministries, preaching biblical studies and leadership in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.

"This is an important relationship that strengthens both conferences," said Bishop John R. Schol. "We value our relationship with the Zimbabwe Conference and this covenant illustrates our commitment to helping our brothers and sisters to grow in Christ in a very challenging part of the world."

Last summer, the Baltimore-Washington Conference, led by Bishop Schol, sent a 13-member Baltimore-Washington Conference team of clergy and laity to Zimbabwe to teach about 300 pastors church leadership and community development strategies and skills. The team also distributed more than 7,000 mosquito insecticide nets, as part of the Nothing But Nets campaign.

Worship enriched with spirited songs

General Conference opened each morning with worship. On April 25, the choir of Christ UMC in Baltimore, under the direction of Glenn Roscoe, provided the music.

"It's an honor to be here," said the Rev. LaReesa Smith. Twenty-two members of the 56-member choir were able to attend. The church has a vital music ministry that includes an 18-piece orchestra.

"We just try to praise the Lord," said Roscoe, who added the choir's hope echoes the theme of one of its favorite songs, "Make us One."

"That's our prayer," he said.

Eileen Guenther, of Wesley Seminary, who led the music at the 2004 General Conference, conducted a combined seminary choir at worship April 26.

The music this year is being co-led by Marcia McFee and Mark Miller. Miller, of Plainfield, N.J., will also lead worship at the upcoming session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in May.

Celebrating Shalom

Bishop John Schol applauded the United Methodist Communities of Shalom initiative for the work it has done over the past four quadrennium to provide training in how congregations and communities can work together in seeking health, wholeness and well-being.

At a celebration April 25, Bishop Schol recounted the beginnings of the Shalom ministry, which was born at General Conference in 1992 as a response to rioting in Los Angeles sparked by the police beating of motorist Rodney King.

The initiative has a new organizational look. Shalom is now a partnership ministry between the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist-related Drew University Theological School, Madison, N.J.

"This is one of the most exciting partnerships in the church right now," said Bishop Schol, who chairs the National Shalom Committee and was one of the first people to work with Communities of Shalom when it began.

"Out of deep tragedy and deep pain, something very lasting began," Bishop Schol said. "We are indebted and grateful to the people of Los Angeles because of what has happened."

More than 5,000 people have been trained with the Communities of Shalom model in the United States and around the world.

"Shalom happens because of people in the community," the bishop said. "Shalom happens because of the trainers who work with community members. Shalom is more than on the loose. It's something that lives deep within the bones of The United Methodist Church."

Several Baltimore area churches are beginning Shalom training next month.

Seeking retirement with dignity

The Rev. Joan Carter-Rimbach of First UMC in Hyattsville rose to the microphone on the floor of General Conference April 27 to deliver a plea that the clergy in the United States personally assist pastors in the Central Conferences so that all might have retirement with dignity.

The day before, General Conference delegates heard in a report on clergy pensions that for many pastors in Africa, the Philippines and Eastern Europe, retirement often becomes "a transition into homelessness."

Bishop Benjamin Chamness, of the Fort Worth Area, reported that a denominational initiative has raised $7.8 million but needs $20 million to fully fund pensions for retired pastors in areas outside of the United States.

Carter-Rimbach requested that the 28,000 clergy people in the in the United States consider giving $1,000 from their own pensions to assist their Central Conference counterparts.

She acknowledged that such gesture may be "just a drop in the bucket," but it is also, she said, "a sign of hope. ..."We are one of them and they are one of us. We want tot do more than affirm. We want to act."

General Board of Pension officials reported that such a measure would not be allowed by the Internal Revenue Service.

Town and country churches sow seeds of hope

Town and Country churches in rural communities across the country are a vital and essential part of The United Methodist Church. "Their ministry provides life-changing hope," Sharon Leatherman told the delegates of General Conference during the Town and Country Churches report April 26.

As part of the report, the committee handed out packets of zinnia seeds, encouraging the delegates to plant seeds of hope extravagantly around their communities. Ideas for how to do this are on the Web site www.townandcountryumc.org.

As director of the Appalachian Ministry Network, headquartered in Hagerstown, Leatherman works in ministry in a region that covers 23 annual conferences. Many people in this region live in abject poverty, she said.

"Too many people don't realize that we've benefited at the expense of these folks in Appalachia. We've taken their resources and left communities devastated," Leatherman said.

She encourages members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference to begin to pay attention to mining issues and the gravel extraction along Route 68, which is largely unregulated and has the potential to play havoc with the environment.

Being the Gospel

The theme of the 2008 General Conference was "a hope for the future." On April 28, that hope walked onto the stage and danced.

The children of the Hope for Africa Children's Choir are defining what can happen when the church acts and inspiring United Methodists throughout the world to mission and ministry.

These children are from Uganda. Twenty years of civil war has left their nation devastated and created 2 million orphans. But United Methodists in Uganda, with the assistance of people from the South Georgia Annual Conference, plucked 23 children from refugee camps, fed and clothed them and taught them English. The singing just came naturally.

The children were formed into a choir. These children come from the Humble United Methodist School in Mukono, Uganda, which takes in more than 200 children.

Their performance brought tears to some delegates and delight to all. "These children are the manifestation of the work of the United Methodist Church," said Bishop Mike Watson, of the South Georgia Conference.

Watching the church transcend the boundaries of its traditional liberal-conservative debate and make a tangible difference in the lives of children warmed the heart of the Rev. Tony Hunt, superintendent of the Baltimore-Harford District.

When the church chooses not to speak, it is speaking; and when the church chooses not to act, it is acting, said Hunt.

It is Hunt's prayer that, after listening to each other, the church will "speak with a prophetic voice and act to address the real hurts and hopes of the world today."

For him, church is not just talking about Gospel. It's about being the Gospel, for children in Uganda, people on the streets of Baltimore, and each of God's children throughout the world.

Bishops and boots witness to peace

The United States spends $720 million a day on the war in Iraq, enough to fund the entire budget of The United Methodist church for four years and still have a surplus of $80 million.

This spending figure comes from a Nobel-award winning economist. But it is not the money that has United Methodists concerned.

"There are incalculable human costs at stake," said Bishop John R. Schol And these costs, said the Rev. Darryl Fairchild, "are robbing us of our souls."

Bishop Schol spoke at a rally outside of the convention center where the General Conference of The United Methodist Church met.

He was joined by Bishops Charlene Kammerer, Warner Brown, Nkulu Ntambo and General Secretary Jim Winkler of the Board of Church and Society. They gathered by a plot of grass filled with combat boots of soldiers from Texas who died in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The worn boots were tagged with the names of the dead soldiers who had worn them. "Now that's reality," said one passer-by. "That's the reality of war."

Bishop Schol picked up the boots of a soldier, Sgt. Reyes Ramirez, 23.

"Today we stand on hollowed ground," he said. "These are sacred boots, which elevates this parcel of land to holy space. They represent in a real way, the men, women and children who have died in the killing fields of Iraq. ... The people who wore these shoes were real. They were sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers."

The bishops of The United Methodist Church "speak with one voice on this unjust war," Bishop Schol said, and they call on U.S. leaders "to begin immediately a safe and full withdrawal of all military personnel form Iraq, with no additional troops deployed."

The delegates at General Conference adopted a new statement on the war, which will serve as the denomination's stance in the Book of Resolutions.

Winkler read the statement to those gathered. It calls for an end to the violence through the implementation of an immediate and safe withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq and promotes the rebuilding of Iraq in a way that brings hope to the people of that nation.

Transgender clergy add 'a new angle'

The Rev. Drew Phoenix, pastor of St. John's UMC in Baltimore, spoke to General Conference delegates at a press conference April 24 about the need for the denomination to accept all people into the church.

The General Conference has debated the issue of homosexuality for three decades. Phoenix spoke out for the inclusion of transgender people in the denomination, adding "a new angle to that debate," reported the United Methodist News Service.

At the 2008 session of General Conference, all legislation that dealt with transgender clergy was defeated.

Phoenix, who changed his gender from female to male two years ago, said he believes transgenderism is compatible with Christian teaching because "it was in the context of my faith in Christ, led by the Spirit, that I made the transition (of gender)." What's more, he added, St. John's is thriving in its ministry of disciple-making and mission.

"Seeing me become more transparent, honest and authentic in the transition gives them permission to be honest in a way that they couldn't have before," Phoenix said of his congregation. "We want to be known as the children God created us to be. That's been my experience with my church, across the board."

United Methodists could eradicate malaria

Mike McCurry of St. Paul's UMC in Kensington is an enthusiastic supporter of the Nothing But Nets Campaign to prevent malaria and the denomination's new focus on global health. On May 1, he helped to host Bill Gates Sr., co-director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates addressed the General Conference, speaking about the foundation's $5 million contribution to The United Methodist Church to help fight malaria in Africa.

There is a major difference among the 1,000 delegates at the convention, Gates told them. Those from North America have probably never seen malaria. Those from Africa see malaria everyday. They see children struggling with the disease that "turns a mosquito bite into a death sentence."

But through the Nothing But Nets campaign, which provides insecticide-treated nets to children in Africa for only $10 a net, The United Methodist Church has the power to wipe out malaria and "turn tragedy into triumph," said Gates.

He applauded John Wesley, and the people of the church Wesley founded, on their belief that the world is their parish.

"Pennies add up and can buy nets and antiviral drugs, but the real power of The United Methodist Church, is that it teaches children, from Nebraska to Zambia, that they belong to the same father," Gates said. "That is your gift and it will end malaria."

Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa offered thanks to Gates on behalf of the church.

The bishop, whose daughter died earlier this year of malaria, shared how he had personally distributed nets with Bishop John Schol and a team from the Baltimore-Washington Conference last spring.

The bishop also thanked the people of The United Methodist Church. Our heading hand, he said, has already reached in all corners of Africa. "We feel that compassionate hand."

During the course of the 10-day conference, the delegates bid on a basketball signed by all the bishops and raised $428,030 for Nothing But Nets. Gates agreed to match that amount. This spontaneous, spirit-led fund raising will be saving the lives of nearly 50,000 children in Africa, said Bishop Thomas Bickerton. "Those are the winners."

 

Ginkgo leaves were prevalent in the worship at General Conference. They are symbols of the unity of opposites, miraculous power and hope.

Stories and photos by Melissa Lauber and The United Methodist News Service.