Two Sections

Section A

013000

March 30, 2012

Vol. 158 No. 48

UMC participatesin Act of RepentancePage 5A

Sixty years ofkeeping the beat!Page 8A

Volunteers in Missionvisit Puerto RicoPage 4A

For your convenience, combined coverage of the 2012 General Conference will be available on one webpage. It will “go live” on April 3 on the Iowa Annual Conference website: www.iaumc.org/gc.

Beginning April 20 the page can be accessed directly from the General Conference 2012 “button” on the homepage of the Conference website. News, photos, videos, and audio from General Conference, the United Methodist News Service, and our Iowa Communications Ministry team can be retrieved on the new webpage. A link to the live stream is included at the top of the page, as are icons for both Twitter and Facebook. Blog posts from members of the Iowa delegation can also be accessed.

Dr. Art McClanahan, our Director of Communications, will be at the 2012 General Conference leading the radio news effort for United Methodist Communications as well as posting news, sounds, and images. Communications Ministry team members Kristin Clark and Shundrea Trotty will monitor the news and support the delegation by posting their blog entries. In addition, several members of the delegation will be sharing a “delegate’s eye view” through their own photos and video segments.

The combined coverage page was created by members of the Communications Ministry Team and IT Manager, Roland Minshall, and “built” by Brick River Technologies, the Conference’s web provider.

General Conferencecoverage on one webpage

Registration for Annual Conference 2012While registration for AC 2012 is now closed, you will have the opportunity to register

upon your arrival at Annual Conference in June.

2012 Registration Desk ScheduleSaturday, June 2: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, 3:30 PM–7:30 PMSunday, June 3: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 AM–1:30 PM, 3:00 PM–7:30 PMMonday, June 4: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 AM–2:00 PM, 3:15 PM–7:30 PMTuesday, June 5: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 AM–10:30 AM

In following Bishop Trimble’s desire to be good environmental stewards, the seating chart will not be printed this year. You will nd the seating chart and all information pertaining to Annual Conference 2012 on our conference website (www.iaumc.org/AC2012). Should you not nd your name on that chart, you will need to register when you arrive at Annual Conference. The Registration Desk will be located in the pre-function area in Hy-Vee Hall.

Please direct any questions regarding registration to linda.remster@iaumc.org.

We’re taking this home to start right away.” These are only a few of the positive comments people have shared regarding the winter New

Places for New People district equipping events. But that was just the beginning. Since those gatherings, participants have been acting on their “Re ection Notes” and involved in a weekly email prayer and Bible study from the Book of Acts, with the focus on listening to the call of God and to the needs and opportunities within their community. The intent is to bring all of this to their upcoming “Spring Gathering.”

At each Spring Gathering participants will be invited to tell others their story—what’s working and perhaps where they’re stuck—as well as listen to the story of others as we all work together to de ne resources and models that will potentially work in our own churches and communities. While one size doesn’t t all, with each church and community unique, certain best practices do apply for us all. Your District Superintendent, Field Outreach Minister, and at least one Leadership Development Minister will be present to hear from you what you need in your church and community to help make new places for new people a reality for you. Future equipping experiences will be based on the opportunities and needs you raise.

Each Gathering should last approximately 90 minutes. Individuals or whole teams from churches are welcome. Even if you were not at a winter event, join us.

Southeast: April 15, Muscatine, Wesley—2:00 PM registration, 2:30 PM Gathering Northwest: April 15, Aurelia—3:00 PM Southwest: April 17, Atlantic—6:00 PM registration, 6:30 PM Gathering Central: April 17, Des Moines, Immanuel—6:30 PM North Central: April 18, Ames, Collegiate—7:00 PM; April 19, Clear Lake—7:00 PM

(select which works best for you)

(Gatherings in the South Central, Northeast, and East Central districts took place the last week of March.)

New Places for New People spring district gatherings

“I hope to see great things from it.”

“This wasn’t the ‘same old thing’ that I had expected.”

THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER March 30, 2012

GOOD WORKSDeadline approachesfor UM church awardThe Foundation for Evangel-ism is now accepting nomi-nations for the 2012 Cultureof the Call Church Award.This award, given annually,recognizes one local UnitedMethodist congregation for aculture that encouragesyoung people to respond toGod’s call to full-time Chris-tian service. The Foundationfor Evangelism, which aimsto raise up generations ofleaders with a passion forevangelism, awards thishonor to highlight through-out the denomination theoutstanding work being donein the local church. Informa-tion and nomination formsare available online atwww.foundationforevange-lism.org. The deadline forapplications is April 3, 2012.

Skeeter Run tofight malariaTo fight malaria, members ofGrace Community UnitedMethodist Church in Shreve-port, La., may have to dodgea few mosquitos themselves.The church will hold its first“Skeeter Run” on April 21;the 1k fun walk and 5k funrun will take participantsthrough trails, through thewoods, through meadows, aswell as on city streets. Allproceeds from the event willgo toward benefiting theImagine No Malaria Cam-paign. The event is expectedto become annual. Visitwww.changetheworldla.org.

OWU honored forcommunity serviceOhio Wesleyan University inDelaware, Ohio, is beinghonored for the fourth con-secutive year with inclusionon the national 2012 Presi-dent’s Higher EducationCommunity Service HonorRoll with distinction. The Cor-poration for National andCommunity Service chose theUMC-affiliated school for itsstrong commitment to com-munity service, service-learn-ing and public partnershipsthat produce measurablebenefits for those in need.During the 2010-2011 aca-demic year, students at OhioWesleyan volunteered morethan 44,300 hours.

NEW YORK—The stern warningissued from the pulpit was directedat the tourists—most of whom hadarrived late—a sea of white faceswith guidebooks in hand. They out-numbered the congregation itself: ahandful of elderly black men andwomen wearing suits and dressesand old-fashioned pillbox hats.

“We’re hoping that you will re-main in place during the preachingof the Gospel,” a church member saidover the microphone at this Harlemchurch on a recent Sunday morning.“But if you have to go, go now. Go be-fore the preacher stands to preach.”

No one left then. But halfwaythrough the sermon, a group ofFrench girls made their way towardthe velvet ropes that blocked the exit.An usher shook his head firmly, butthey ignored him and walked out.

The clash between tourists andcongregants plays out every Sundayat Mother African Methodist Episco-pal Zion Church, the oldest blackchurch in New York state. It’s one ofmany Harlem churches that have be-come tourist attractions for visitorsfrom all over the world who want tolisten to soulful gospel music at ablack church service. With a recordnumber of tourists descending uponNew York City last year, the crowds offoreigners are becoming a source ofirritation among faithful churchgo-ers.

Rules of conductTo preserve the sanctity of the

service, pastors struggle to enforcestrict rules of conduct. But the realityis that these visitors are often fillingchurch pews that would otherwise re-main empty—and filling the collec-tion basket with needed dollar bills.

“Our building is in need of repair,”church member Paul Henderson saidafter the service. “We need assis-tance. They’re helping to sustain us.”

The rules are simple enough: Nophotography, no flip-flops, no exitingduring the sermon. They are printedon pamphlets and multilingual signsand announced at the start of everyservice. But they are often ignored.Ushers roamed the pews like securityguards, stopping more than one per-son from filming on digital cameras.

“I understand that you’re visitingand you want to have a memory of it,”said Carlos Smith-Ramsay, whojoined the church several years ago.

Harlem churches see gospel tourist boom B Y M E G H A N BA R R

Associated Press

“But when we ask you to stop andyou continue to do so after the fact,that’s disrespectful.”

Some pastors quietly manage thecrowds by requiring a written confir-mation of guests from tour operators,refusing walk-in visitors. Somechurches provide assigned seatingfor tourists, while others demand alist specifying which countries thetourists are from and whether theyspeak English.

And still more forbid the tourcompanies from advertising whichchurches are on the tour in hopes ofcurbing the number of unwanted vis-itors.

Donations acceptedThe Rev. Gregory Robeson Smith,

Mother AME Zion’s pastor, refuses towork with tour operators. He doesn’teven like to use the word “tourist,”preferring instead to call them partof his “international congregation.”And he won’t turn anyone away.

“I refuse to commercialize thechurch worship experience,” he said.“You don’t pay people to experiencethe Lord, to come and pray. I thinkthat’s unconscionable.”

Yet the tourists’ presence is unde-

PHOTO BY REGINA NORDALM

Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem is one of several popular destinations for tourists who turn up onSunday mornings to hear gospel music.

niable. At Mother AME Zion Church,there were nearly 200 of them, over-whelming the congregation by atleast 5 to 1.

“They want to see what they’veseen on television,” said LarceliaKebe, president of Harlem Your Way!Tours Unlimited. “They want to seewhat they’ve seen in the movies.”

The gospel tour industry has ex-ploded since it was born in the early1980s. On a busy summer Sunday,Harlem Spirituals, one of the oldestand largest tour operators, might run15 full buses, said Erika Elisabeth, acompany vice president.

Ticket prices can cost up to $55.Most churches get a cut of the profit.Others, like Mother AME Zion, makemoney by encouraging visitors todrop a suggested donation into thecollection basket.

Visitors turned awayJust around the corner is the

thriving Abyssinian Baptist Church,arguably the neighborhood’s mostpopular tourist magnet, where visi-tors are often turned away becausethe pews are too full.

Celeste Lejeune, 16, from Paris,didn’t know anything about Mother

AME Zion’s history as a stop on theUnderground Railroad, or that itscongregants once included FrederickDouglass and Harriet Tubman.

“I would like to just hear voices ofpeople who live in Harlem, and seethe atmosphere,” she said. “We don’thave music like this in France.”

That is precisely the sort of out-look that disheartens the congrega-tion, who would like to believe thetourists have come to listen to theword of God, to be transformed bythe power of Scripture.

“Within this site that’s meant tobe sacred, you have, maybe to someof the members, this invasion of thesecular and profane,” said MargaritaSimon Guillory, an assistant profes-sor of religion at the University ofRochester in Rochester, N.Y. “You’regoing to have a certain amount oftension in that space.”

Longtime congregation memberDabney Montgomery, 88, a TuskegeeAirman during World War II and acivil rights activist, believes thetourists walk away richer for the ex-perience.

“In listening to the Gospel, theyget something out that they didn’t ex-pect,” he said. “The word of God.”

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | M A R C H 3 0 , 2 0 1 2

HISTORY OF HYMNS

In many ways, “Ah, Holy Jesus” is a17th-century rendition of the AfricanAmerican spiritual, “Were You ThereWhen They Crucified My Lord?” Thepersistent use of the first-person per-spective places the singer not only atthe foot of the cross, but also as onewho is personally responsible for thedeath of the Savior.

Indeed, Latin hymns provide along history of this kind of perspec-tive that was heightened with thePietist poets in the 17th-century Ger-man tradition and carried over di-rectly into the 18th century by IsaacWatts and Charles Wesley, the latterbeing influenced by the spirituality ofthe Moravians, descendants of the17th-century German Pietists.

Johann Heerman (1585-1647) wasthe only surviving child of five. Hismother vowed that he would betrained for the ministry if God sparedhis life. Overcom-ing personalhealth problemsand victimized bywar, Heerman be-came both a pas-tor and scholar.The Thirty Years’War (1618-1648)took a terrible tollon him as he waspersonally threat-ened in fighting,lost most of his personal property, andwas ravaged by the plague.

Earlier he wrote in Latin, but thenwrote in German as the best way to ex-press faith. Schooled in the classics,Heerman was once thought to havebeen inspired by St. Augustine’s me-dieval Latin writings, often titled Med-itations. As hymnologist Albert Baileynotes, Augustine’s theology “follow[s]the traditional interpretation of theCrucifixion, namely, that by His suffer-ings and death Jesus took upon Him-self the punishment due the sins of theworld.” Following the lead of classicLatin medieval theology, “the penitentsinner personalizes the general fact: itwas for my sins He suffered.”

However, more recent scholarshipindicates that Heerman was influ-enced by the writings of Jean de Fécamp (d. 1078), the Abbot of Fécamp in Normandy.

Robert Bridges (1844-1930) was aremarkable individual skilled as a

B Y C . M I C H A E L H AW NUMR Columnist

B Y K E N N Y D I C K S O NSpecial Contrubitor

“Ah, Holy Jesus”Johann Heerman,trans. Robert BridgesUM Hymnal, No. 289

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thouoffended, that we to judge theehave in hate pretended?

By foes derided, by thine ownrejected, O most afflicted.

3A

Hymn puts crucifixion in personal perspective

DVD REVIEW

Character’s journey can helpChristians respond to autism

Set in New York City during thepainful days following the 9/11 at-tacks, Extremely Loud & IncrediblyClose opens a window to the struggleand pain the tragedy inflicted on acity and nation through the impact ona family of two who used to be a fam-ily of three.

One could say the Schell familydeals with the loss in a special waybecause they are a family with specialneeds, but the truth is each familywho lost loved ones on 9/11, and allfamilies who lose loved ones, dealwith the loss in their own uniqueways.

The film is full of compelling per-formances, especially Thomas Hornwho plays Oskar Schell, a preteen boyon the high-functioning end of theautism spectrum. Oskar adored his fa-ther Thomas (Tom Hanks), a devoteddad whose patience and creativitywere helping Oskar overcome his fearsand social challenges as well as chan-nel his gifts and talents. All thatseemed to end on 9/11 when Thomaswas killed in one of the WTC towers.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Closeis a film that requires extra attentionand patience from viewers, but it paysoff for those with eyes to see, ears tohear, and an open mind to think. Thatso many critics don’t have such eyesor ears is unsettling and telling. Whilethe film has its flaws—it’s too longand in some places too slow—theharshest criticism was directed to-ward Oskar’s character. These reviewsreflect a tremendous societal misun-derstanding of persons on the high-functioning end of the autismspectrum.

As with any developmental disor-der, each person has specific chal-lenges, some of which are veryapparent and others less noticeable.Those who are higher-functioning,where their condition is not as overt,are often judged to be weird, obnox-ious or rudely self-centered, ratherthan persons who perceive and reactto the world in a different way. Theharsh criticisms of Oskar (both thecharacter and the actor’s perform-

ance), highlight societal blindness to-ward the challenges that many withhigh-function autism face.

Thomas Horn’s portrayal is in factspot-on for a child who has As-perger’s syndrome. Oskar refuses toaccept the diagnosis of Asperger’s, de-scribing the testing as “inconclusive”even though he has more thanenough manifestations to warrantsuch a diagnosis. Oskar’s reaction tothe loss of his father in such an illogi-cally unanswerable way is very plau-sible for a child who experiences theworld strictly as black or white andwhere everything must be logical.

His father’s mystery/adventuregames, including the ultimate finalchallenge, reflect a determination tohelp Oskar address his social chal-lenges and channel his obviousstrengths and gifts so that he can suc-ceed in a world that will unfairlyjudge him and exceed the limitationsmuch of society will place upon him.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Closealso has something to say to thechurch, if it has eyes to see and ears tohear. With the explosion of develop-mentally delayed children, youth andsoon—as these children age—anabundance of developmentally chal-lenged adults, churches must use cre-ative ways to teach and engagepersons who interact with the worldin unconventional ways. As Oskar’sfather used unconventional, experien-tial ways to engage his son, sochurches must make the effort to findways to engage persons who experi-ence the world differently.

Such imagination and openness to

new ways of teaching and proclaim-ing the gospel to developmentally de-layed children would also servechurches well in finding effectiveways to reach those who could be de-scribed as developmentally delayed intheir faith life and relationship withGod and for whom traditional ways ofreaching, teaching and worshippingare often not effective. Given declinesin involvement, such “developmentalfaith delay” could be as epidemic asautism and other developmental dis-orders. The church should follow theexample of Oskar’s father in findingways to truly reach those who per-ceive God and faith in different ways.

Theologically, the film reflectsPaul’s teaching in Romans 8 of Godworking for good in all things, eventhe evil that was 9/11, as well as echo-ing the voice of Isaiah, “by his wounds,we are healed.” Many of the film’scharacters receive healing through thesuffering of Thomas Schell, whose lifewas lost, and Oskar, whose suffering,struggles and determination to under-stand that which could not be under-stood led others to healing, wholenessand reconciliation.

Unlike the film’s title, these lessonsand perspectives in life and faith arerarely loud or incredibly obvious, butthey are around us if we, as Oskar,have eyes to see and ears to hear.

The Rev. Dickson, senior pastor atChrist United Methodist Church inFarmers Branch, Texas, has adegree in Film History and Theoryfrom Southern MethodistUniversity. His daughter,Madeleine, 12, has autism.

scholar, translator, musician andphysician. His declining health causedhim to give up his medical career and,as a result, he focused on literatureand hymnody.

Stanza one begins with the rhetor-ical question, “how hast thou of-fended?” The obvious answer is thatChrist did not deserve this derisionand rejection. Then the remainingstanzas focus on the guilty party.Stanza two asks, “Who was the guilty?Who brought this upon thee?” Thistime, the response is not rhetorical; itis declarative: “’Twas I, Lord Jesus, I itwas denied thee: I crucified thee.”

Stanza three invokes the image ofthe Good Shepherd (John 10:11-21)who gives his life for the sheep. Thedevice of paradox heightens the situ-ation: “The slave hath sinned, and theSon hath suffered.”

Stanza four focuses on the purposeof the incarnation which is ultimately“for [our] salvation.” The tone of thefinal stanza moves from the harsh re-ality of acknowledging our complicityin Christ’s suffering to adoration andgratitude for “thy pity and thy loveunswerving, not my deserving.”

J. R. Watson notes, “The hymn thusprovides a commentary which be-comes severely personal, and in theprocess very demanding, as each per-son has to recognize that his or hersins are a copy of the sins of thosewho crucified Christ.”

The melody is inseparable from thistune, first appearing in Johann Crüger’sNeues volkömliches Gesangbuch Aug-burgischer Confession (1640) publishedin Berlin. The melody appears to havebeen adapted from a tune set to Psalm23 in the Genevan Psalter (1543). J. S.Bach (1685-1750) made the melody fa-mous by incorporating it three times inthe St. Matthew Passion and twice inthe St. John Passion.

Dr. Hawn is professor of sacredmusic at Perkins School ofTheology, SMU.

Extremely Loud &Incredibly CloseRated PG-13 for emotional thematicmaterial, some disturbing images, andlanguage

WARNER BROS. PICTURES PHOTO

A father (Tom Hanks) helps his autistic son (Thomas Horn) findcreative ways to develop his gifts in Extremely Loud & IncrediblyClose. The movie was released March 27 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Johann Heerman

4A | Iowa Conference Edition of The United Methodist Reporter March 30, 2012

The Iowa Conference Edition

of the United Methodist Reporter

March 30, 2012

Volume 158 | Number 48

The Iowa Conference edition is a ministry

of the Communications Ministry Team of

the Iowa Annual Conference.

Bishop

Julius Calvin Trimble

dkbrockmeyer@iaumc.org

Editor

Arthur McClanahan

Director of Communicationsamcclanahan@iaumc.org

Communications Ministry Team

Kristin Clark

Communications Managerkristin.clark@iaumc.org

Shundrea Trotty

Communications Assistantshundrea.trotty@iaumc.org

Contributing Writer

Heather Monthei

Communications Advisory Team

Len Eberhart, Chairperson

David Wendel, Co-chairperson

Circulation

Jill Stanton

Pastoral Record/ClergyRolls//Information Reports

jill.stanton@iaumc.org

Production/Publisher

UMR Communications Inc.,

Dallas, Texas

The mission of the Iowa Annual Conference is:Making Disciples of Jesus Christ, Developing Leaders and Transforming the World.

The mission of the Communications Ministry Team is to provide and facilitate an engaging, eff ective and empowering communications ministry by informing,engaging and empowering.

Iowa Conference Center2301 Rittenhouse StreetDes Moines, IA 50321-3101515.283.1991www.iaumc.org

e-mail for news submissions: reporter@iaumc.org

Opinions are those of the writers anddo not necessarily refl ect offi cial United Methodist positions. News, opinionsand editorials in Section B (the UnitedMethodist Reporter) are those of UMRCommunications in Dallas, TX.

The Iowa Conference Edition is published every other week.

The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500)

is published weekly by UMR Communications,

1221 Profi t Drive, Dallas, Texas 75247-3919.

Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas and

additional mailing offi ces. Postmaster: Send

address changes to The United Methodist Report-

er. PO Box 660275, Dallas, Texas 75266-0275.

by Beverly Nolte*How much work can a 24-member team

accomplish? Lots! From January 27 through February 11, 2012, two dozen Iowans participated in the Volunteers in Mission work trip in Comerio, a small community nestled in the central mountains of Puerto Rico and 45 minutes from San Juan. It is home to many homeless people and drug addicts to which the Evangelical Methodist Church ministers.

With paint brushes in hand, scaffolding in place, and drop cloths on the oor, volunteers painted the large Methodist Church interior, including the sanctuary, balcony, staircases, basement, kitchen, bathrooms, and classrooms. Others built a large storage cabinet with shelving. Higher in the mountains, a small chapel was power washed, ceiling holes plastered, then painted inside and out. Near the front door, panels were spray painted to resemble stain glass. Several men worked to power wash and seal the parsonage roof. At a third chapel the metal roof was removed and termite eaten wood torn down. Both of the chapels are used for a variety of church meetings and drug rehab programs.

Using Noah’s Ark as the theme, an after school program was held for the children. Several local women attended the sewing classes where garments were cut and sewn.

Concerning Dr. Kenneth Kuntz’s letter to the editor published in the February 24 edition of the UM Reporter, the Immigration Bible Study writers wish to acknowledge that Dr. Kuntz is quite correct concerning the fourth lesson on Uriah. The authors of the study simply erred in stating that “David sends for Joab,…” All of us proofread the copy and simply missed the error. We agree with Dr. Kuntz’s observation that the irony is lost about having Uriah carry his own death sentence, by letter, to Joab. We appreciate Dr. Kuntz’s correction.

Regarding Dr. Kuntz’s suggestion of the “dubious conjecture” of Bathsheba being compromised by David’s summons because she is married to an immigrant, we quite agree that David’s sense of entitlement (especially given his popularity) was more than enough to compromise Bathsheba’s powerlessness to refuse the king.

But let us look further. Technically Uriah might not have been an immigrant, but we can compare his situation to that of a Native American. In an essay in Voices From the Margin, Robert Allen Warrior argues many early American preachers referred to Native Americans as Canaanites, who, if they would not be converted, were worthy of annihilation.

Warrior’s argument can be readily applied to both the rejection of Native Americans and undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although Uriah was not technically an immigrant, he was treated like one who deserved to be dominated, just like the Native American and now like the undocumented immigrant.

The original sermon was preached by a young immigrant seminarian who identi es completely with Uriah. No matter the circumstances, the immigrant seminarian will never have the standing of a young, white U.S. citizen. As the student preacher stands in the margin of the undocumented immigrant in the United States and takes up the Uriah story from that perspective, he gives the reader a fresh understanding of that ancient narrative.

The Immigration Writing Team,Roger Bettsworth

Mike BiklenDenny CoonBarb Dinnen

School for Ministry set for April 10–12

“The Body of Christ in Community” is the theme of the 2012 Iowa United Methodist School for Ministry, set for April 10–12 at the Downtown Marriott in Des Moines. Dr. Craig L. Nessan, Dr. N. Graham Standish, and Dr. Marian Dolan will explore how we focus and discern the Holy Spirit at work in our community. For more information and to register, please visit https://schoolforministry.publishpath.com/default.aspx.

Do you know a high school student who is discerning God’s call? youTheology is a one-year program sponsored by Saint Paul School of Theology offering Pan-Methodist youth a way to talk about relevant topics in today’s world and discern how their faith and Wesleyan heritage can help shape their lives. Participants conclude the program with a pilgrimage to the

East Coast. Students interested can apply at www.youtheology.org/apply by Wednesday, April 11. A video about youTheology can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/24024725.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Claire Smith, Director of youTheology and Youth Ministry Specialist-in-Residence, at 816.245.4865 or claire.smith@spst.edu.

Volunteers had the opportunity to attend two animated/loud worship services with Bishop Rafael Moreno, Episcopal leader of the Puerto Rico Methodist Church, preaching at one service. A Christian praise group presented an evening program for the work team.

On several sightseeing days the group visited El Yunque Rain Forest, Salinas, Isla Verde and El Luquillo beaches, and the Comerio area. They enjoyed many home cooked Puerto Rican meals.

From fteen Iowa United Methodist churches the twenty-four volunteers joined together, reaching out to the Puerto Rico church members and developing a bond of love and sense of unity. The Comerio Methodist Church to-do list of projects was completed by this hard working, energetic, and good humored team of workers. They labored together like a well-oiled machine. Tired? Yes! Satis ed with work accomplished? Certainly! Ready to go again? You bet!

*Beverly Nolte is the chair of the Iowa Nigeria Partnership

Volunteers in Mission visit Puerto Rico for work trip

Applications being accepted for 2012–2013 youTheology class

March 30, 2012 Iowa Conference Edition of The United Methodist Reporter | 5A

by Phil Carver*The 2012 General Conference of The United Methodist

Church will seek forgiveness from Native American nations and other victimized groups around the globe in Tampa, Florida, at its quadrennial meeting. In the spirit of reconciliation outlined by Paul in the fth chapter of 2 Corinthians, worship on Friday evening, April 27, will be “An Act of Repentance Toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples.”

The Iowa delegation to the General Conference has been reviewing the history of Iowa in preparation for the Act of Repentance. Repentance requires turning from our behaviors that have been hurtful. To do that, we must understand where we have been so we can recognize our need for forgiveness. Our ability to develop relationships with Native American residents of Iowa depends upon it.

Little in the Church’s historical record mentions native peoples. One brief reference, for example, notes “[p]rior to 1833, the Indians roamed in undisputed possession of all territory north of the State of Missouri and west of the Mississippi River. For centuries these beautiful prairies had lain in virgin loveliness untouched by the hand of civilized man.”1

This idyllic description does not take into the account the con icts set in motion by European settlers in the eastern United States who pushed native groups westward into territories of other nations. Intertribal wars erupted in the region of Iowa throughout the eighteen century as a result. In uenced by the expansion of the fur trade, Native Americans exchanged goods with Europeans, and “Iowa tribes ceased making pottery and stone tools as metal pots and tools became more available through white traders.”2 The cultural norms of native communities were changing rapidly forever.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century lands were ceded from Native Americans to the United States government as European settlers began to move west. In 1832, while the Sauk were away on an annual hunting expedition, white families actually moved into the lodges of their village in Illinois. “Had the colonists moved into vacant land and built their own homes,” as negotiated by Black Hawk, “this particular confrontation might not have occurred. But they wanted the cultivated elds and the ready-built homes of the Sauk and Fox people.”3 The Illinois militia subsequently forced the Sauk to leave their village. A band of Sauk under the leadership of Black Hawk resisted but ultimately succumbed to military force and signed a treaty ceding the eastern portion of Iowa from Indian control.

June 1, 1833, was a pivotal moment in Iowa history. That was the day that land west of the Mississippi was opened for settlement. “[A]lmost immediately the white top emigrant wagons lined the roads leading to this land of promise”4 with little awareness of what their actions meant to the people they were displacing. Ironically, although the Indians’ title to the land had expired, “Congress stilled forbade anyone to enter such lands until they were surveyed and offered for sale. The circuit riders’ rst congregations were made up of squatters on land not included in any organized territory.”5 Five more years would pass until the Territory of Iowa was established on June 12, 1838.

More than thirty treaties were signed by the various tribes of Iowa by 1853, when the last indigenous groups were removed permanently from the state. “Although a single treaty is often associated with only one tribe, it often affected more than one tribe.”6

Relationships between Indians and settlers often remained tense. Perhaps the most notorious episode in Iowa history was the so-called Spirit Lake Massacre, a tragic series of events that took place from March 8 to 12 in 1857. During a harsh winter, Wahpekute Santee Sioux were experiencing a food shortage and frustrations with the U.S. government, who had not lived up to promises from a treaty that placed them on a reservation in Minnesota. They returned to their hunting grounds near Spirit Lake and attacked people they considered to be squatters

UMC participates in Act of Repentance to reconcile with indigenous people

1 Stephen Norris Fellows, History of the Upper Iowa Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Laurance Press, 1907), 9.

2 Lance M. Foster, The Indians of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 2009), 27.

3 Homer Holey, First White Frost: Native Americans and United Methodism (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1991), 111.

4 Fellows, 9.5 John A. Nye, Between the Rivers: A History of the United Methodist

Church in Iowa (Des Moines, Iowa: Commission on Archives and History, Iowa Annual Conference, 1986), 7.

6 Foster, 4.7 Lee Sultzman, Sauk and Fox History (http://www.tolatsga.org/

sf.html, 1999).8 Wayne E. Shoemaker, “Re: the American Indian action,” Hawkeye,

September, 1973, 1.9 Shoemaker, 7.

on the land. At least 35 people were killed and four women were taken prisoner. The youngest, 14-year-old Abbie Gardner, was nally released in early summer for a ransom.

The Meskwaki Indian settlement near Tama is the largest community of Native Americans living in Iowa today. Originally from lands now in Wisconsin and Michigan, a long series of wars with the French, which nearly destroyed them in 1730, brought the Meskwaki people to Iowa. They remained in eastern and central Iowa until the 1840s when white settlements displaced them to Kansas. Homesickness and disease prompted them to sell their horses and purchase land near Tama in 1856, with the permission of the Iowa General Assembly. The people of the community “in Iowa have used their own money to purchase land, and their tribal holdings have grown to almost 5,000 acres. The only federally recognized tribe in Iowa, they prefer to be called the Meskwaki Indian settlement, but because of treaties signed jointly with the Sauk, their of cial name is the Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa.”7

Native Americans and the Church made headlines together in 1973. Iowa American Indian Movement (AIM) members camped on the headquarters lawn of the Iowa Annual Conference for six days before and during the June conference session. They were concerned for the life of their spiritual leader, Dennis Banks, who was in hiding but being sought for arrest. After much debate, a resolution responding to these concerns was passed on a vote of 564 to 429 in “an attitude of understanding and Christian love.”8

The resolution pledged the Iowa Annual Conference to “take every possible step within its power and in cooperation with ecumenical and governmental agencies to ensure that Dennis Banks may have his day in court. We call upon any and all law enforcement and judicial of cials who might be related to his arrest and arraignment to take every precaution to assure his constitutional rights, personal safety, and equal treatment before the law. This includes an appeal for the avoidance of excessive bond.”9 Later that summer an ecumenically supported American Indian Center was established with the leadership of the Iowa Conference Task Force on Indian Concerns to further strengthen the Church’s relationship with Native Americans in Iowa.

The Act of Repentance this spring is a delicate matter for the General Conference and the Iowa delegation. At a pre-conference brie ng last January, the Rev. Anita Phillips,

Executive Director of the Native American Comprehensive Plan, softly asked, “What if your greatest hope was also your greatest fear?” She asserted “repentance is possible,” but also cautioned it “be genuine and honest.”

This brief survey of Iowa history is a rst step in being open to transformation through a holy act of repentance. But barriers remain. Boarding schools, established and supported by the Church for Native American children and youth, resulted in the loss of culture, language, and family. Col. John Chivington, a Methodist preacher, was an outspoken critic of Native Peoples and was responsible for brutal slayings throughout the American West, including the Sand Creek massacre in Colorado. These are among the many acts of violence that remain in the memories of Native Americans.

“Because of how Methodists helped to cause such harm,” the Rev. Jan Ziskovsky, an elder in the Iowa Conference, reminds us, “it should also be recognized how arrogant it is to then come along and expect any gratitude for offering help without rst being willing to become students and without acknowledging our participation in the harm that created any need for help in the rst place.”

That remains our challenge. May God bless us in the endeavor to heal, reconcile, and reach out.

*Phil Carver is the Field Outreach Minister for the Southeast District of the Iowa Annual Conference.

UMNS PHOTOS BY GINNY UNDERWOOD

Retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert (left) helps plan for a mandated act of “Healing Relationships with Indigenous Persons” to be held during the 2012 General Conference. At right is the Rev. Anita Phillips, who leads the denomination’s Native American Comprehensive Plan.

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One of the most beloved works ofsacred music, Handel’s “Messiah” isthe result of a series of remarkableand unlikely events, according CalvinR. Stapert, professor emeritus ofmusic at Calvin College and author ofHandel’s Messiah: Comfort for God’sPeople (Wm. B. Eerdmans PublishingCompany).

Dr. Stapert spoke with Faith &Leadership recently about “Messiah,”its history and purpose, and the na-ture of art and entertainment. Hereare excerpts.

Many people today associateHandel’s “Messiah” with Advent andChristmas. Are we mistaken intalking with you about it for Lentand Easter?

There’s no problem with that at all.In fact, during Handel’s lifetime, “Mes-siah” and all his oratorios—“Samson”and “Saul” and “Solomon” and all therest—were always performed duringLent.

It really had nothing to do with thespecific nature of Lent and Holy Week.It was more the idea that it was inap-propriate to have opera and other the-atrical performances during Lent. Anoratorio was not a staged entertain-ment, and it was sacred, so these per-formances always fell during Lent.

To tell you the truth, I don’t knowhow the tradition got started that“Messiah” was performed in Advent,but once it got started, it really stuck.

You open your book with a quotefrom John Newton in 1786 who saidthat “Messiah,” when masterfullyexecuted, can “afford one of thehighest and noblest gratificationsof which we are capable in thepresent life.” You agree?

I do. There’s simply nothing in

music history that comes close. It isunparalleled in having so many per-formances for such a long time at suchregular intervals by so many people,by so many performers, with so manylisteners.

It’s unprecedented.There’s nothing toequal it. There havebeen various theoriesabout why it was“Messiah” and notsomething else. Gener-ally, they come downto little more than thatHandel had a verygood text to work withand he was a very goodcomposer, and you putthose together and youhave something of last-ing value. But you couldsay that about anynumber of works that haven’t caughton this way.

You say “Messiah” is the result of aseries of remarkable and unlikelyevents. Give us a brief history.

The story begins with a genre ofmusic that grew out of the CatholicCounter-Reformation during the 16thcentury in Italy—the oratorio—andit ends with a composer who is Ger-man and Lutheran writing an oratorioin England at a time when Englandhad no tradition of oratorio, exceptwhat Handel had written in the fewyears before “Messiah.”

Handel invented this English off-spring of Italian-Catholic oratorio,and a lot of unlikely things had tohappen along the way.

First, Handel went to Italy for ashort period of time when he was afledgling composer and got ac-quainted with Italian oratorio andthen moved to London, where hewrote Italian opera. That’s what heloved doing. He was a man of the the-ater. He loved the drama of opera. Hehad a flair for it, and he would havedone that the rest of his life.

But the English—I say this tonguein cheek—realized that this was astrange thing they were doing, spend-ing a couple of hours or more listen-ing to something in Italian that theydidn’t understand. So, understandably,Italian opera in England fell by thewayside and Handel needed to find asubstitute, which was his English ver-sion of the Italian oratorio that he gota taste of during his years in Italy. Hesort of had to invent the genre.

It’s called Handel’s “Messiah,” so wetend to forget the librettist, CharlesJennens. A critic at the timedismissed his contribution, saying

it was an easy task, just puttingtogether passages of Scripture, butyou disagree.

Jennens’ contribution is tremen-dous. Despite what that critic said, itwas no easy task to select these pas-

sages from Scripture.The selection is mas-terful. The more I lookat it, the more I thinkit’s absolutely perfect.

First, they aresome of the favoritepassages from Scrip-ture—wonderfulprophecies, glorioushymns from Revela-tion, and some of theexalted language ofPaul and of thePsalms. He foundpassages that, espe-cially if set to music

by a master like Handel, would be im-mediately engaging, but he also putthem together in a sequence that ismasterfully done.

Tell us about the purpose of “Mes-siah.” What were Handel and Jen-nens trying to accomplish?

This was a time when deism wasvery much on the rise. It was a defi-nite threat to the church, and Jennens’collections of texts are meant to con-vince people that Jesus Christ is theMessiah, the long-expected Redeemerof his people.

There are lots of pieces of litera-ture—sermons and commentariesand various tracts and pamphlets andeven poetry from that time—that hadthe same thrust, defending the tradi-tional teaching of the church aboutthe Triune God and the second personof the trinity, the Messiah, the onewho will save his people.

“Messiah” is just one of countlesspieces in that period that have to dowith defending traditional church be-lief over against the deism that wasbecoming so strong. It was very mucha defense of orthodox Christian faith.

How was it received at the time? Handel performed it for the first

time in 1742 in Dublin, much to Jen-nens’ dissatisfaction, because he, ofcourse, wanted it in London. But itwent over very well in Dublin. In fact,it got rave reviews.

The next year, it was performed inLondon. Overall, its reception in Lon-don was at best lukewarm. Many likedit, many didn’t think it was anythingspecial, and some thought it inappro-priate to perform it in the theater.

It’s another one of those thingsthat makes you wonder—if the firstperformance had been in London and

the reception was lukewarm, would ithave taken off the way it did?

It was performed next in Dublinagain and then elsewhere on theBritish Isles and then back in London,and by then some of the negativityabout performing it in a theater hadworn off. [The negativity] vanished in1750 when Handel performed it at theFoundling Hospital, which wasn’t atheater or a church but an in-betweenground that was a worthy place for asacred work.

“Messiah” became a yearly seriesat the Foundling Hospital for a while,and then in other places. And itspread not only over the British Islesbut to the continent and across theocean to America, and before the 19thcentury was over, it had gone allaround the world. And this was whenthe big choral society tradition starts,sometimes with literally casts ofthousands performing Handel’s “Mes-siah.”

In the book you recount anincident where someonecomplimented Handel on the fineentertainment that “Messiah”provided people, and he reportedlysaid, “I should be sorry if I onlyentertained them. I wish to makethem better.” Tell us about Handel’sdesire to, as you put it, both teachand delight.

Handel didn’t say he didn’t want toentertain but that he would be sorry ifthat’s all he did. There was this dualfunction of entertaining and teaching,and of entertaining in order to teachor teaching in order to entertain. Hedidn’t want entertainment to be justsome frivolous amusement diversion.He meant “entertain” more in thesense that we do when we say we en-tertain an idea.

Today, there’s a different flavor tothe idea of entertainment. Then, itmeant something more serious. Itwasn’t that entertainment can’t belighthearted but that there’s a seriouspurpose behind it. It was an age-oldtheory that art served both thesefunctions at the same time.

It’s only later that we have the ideathat the “fine arts” are not entertain-ment and entertainment arts are justfrivolous pastimes. Handel and Jen-nens were very much still of thatolder school in which art both enter-tains and teaches.

You write that Handel was astoryteller. Tell us about that—and if it’s so, what’s the story of“Messiah”?

All his career Handel was writingoperas. Operas tell stories. It’s thesame thing with the oratorios; they

tell stories. Now “Messiah,” of course,is a different kind of story.

He could have told it in terms ofall the historical events in Christ’s life:his birth, suffering, death, resurrec-tion and ascension. He or Jennenscould have put together a librettotelling the story that way, but theydidn’t.

They told it from another angle.Instead of telling it by way of theGospels, it’s told largely throughprophecy and then augmented by wayof the Psalms, which of course canalso be read prophetically, and then abit from Paul and Revelation.

It’s this mainly prophetic mode oftelling that story that makes “Mes-siah” unique. But it is a story. Thestory of “Messiah” is a deliverancestory: the story of the coming of thedeliverer, his act of delivering and hisfinal triumph.

What has been the impact of Handel’s “Messiah”?

First, and most generally, it haspreached the gospel to more peoplethan any other single work exceptingthe Bible. By telling this story of salva-tion year after year in hundreds andthousands of places around the worldfor a couple of centuries and more, ithas brought the gospel to more peoplethan any other single thing.

You can find stories of people forwhom it has had an enormous im-pact. You might even say it’s been theengine to their conversion. On theother hand, you also have people sim-ply being thrilled by the music. Proba-bly its biggest impact has been not somuch in evangelism as it has been instrengthening the faith of those whoalready believe.

This interview is reprinted withpermission of Faith & Leadership(www.faithandleadership.com),where it first appeared.

Q&A: Calvin Stapert: ‘Let us sing of greater things’

George Frideric Handel,Messiah’s composer

COURTESY PHOTOS

Handel’s “Messiah” is the resultof a series of unlikely events,according Calvin R. Stapert,author of Handel’s Messiah:Comfort for God’s People.

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B Y L I N DA B L O O M

United Methodist News Service

When Noriko Lao left her elderlymother’s home in Tokyo after a visitlast March, she was unaware of thedevastating earthquake that wouldstrike her native country just a daylater.

Centered some 230 miles north-east of Tokyo in the Tohoku region, the9.0-magnitude earthquake that oc-curred March 11, 2011, triggered a 23-foot tsunami and led to damage inreactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nu-clear Power Station. Nearly 20,000people died or were missing in thewake of what some call “the triple dis-aster” in Japan.

In the year since, Ms. Lao, a disas-ter response veteran, has returned toJapan numerous times as a volunteerconsultant for the United MethodistCommittee on Relief.

As of February this year, UMCORhad received more than $12 million indonations for Japan relief, of which$2.26 million has been allocated so farto Japanese and international part-ners. The Japanese church also has setup a volunteer center in Ishinomaki,which can now receive small volunteerteams from outside Japan.

Ms. Lao was ideally suited to be-come a liaison between UMCOR andJapanese Christians who had little ex-perience with large-scale disaster re-sponse.

Once a member of UMCOR’s U.S.domestic disaster response team, shenow is the disaster action team coor-dinator for the Mount Baker chapterof the Red Cross in Bellingham, Wash.

Creative responseHowever, her home church in

Japan is the United Church of Christin Japan, also known as the Kyodan,an interdenominational body that isthe biggest partner in the NationalChristian Council of Japan.

A May gathering of regionalChristian partners in Seoul, SouthKorea, resulted in the creation of theJapan Ecumenical Disaster ResponseOffice, known as JEDRO, a consortiumled by the National Council ofChurches of Japan.

In the earthquake region, JEDROsupports Tohoku HELP, which has ex-panded from the initial work of theSendai Christian Alliance Disaster Re-lief Network to an interfaith organiza-tion with active participation byBuddhist groups.

Thomas Kemper, top executive ofthe United Methodist Board of GlobalMinistries, visited Japan last Novem-ber. He said he was impressed by To-hoku HELP’s “creative response” to thecrisis.

The Tohoku center, based at theEmmaus Center in Sendai, has servedas a channel for donations, volunteersand information with an understand-ing of local needs and the ability tosupport churches and denominationscarrying out long-term projects. Thecenter registered 1,727 volunteers be-tween March 15, 2011, and March 4,2012.

One of Ms. Lao’s big tasks has beenshowing Japanese groups the logisti-cal steps needed to obtain disaster re-lief funding.

“In Japan, they have a totally dif-ferent working pattern, based ontrust,” she explained. “I help them towrite their business plan or grant re-quest in a way that will be acceptableto the steering committee of JEDRO sothey can send it on to the interna-tional community.”

Last July, UMCOR provided twogrants totaling $102,470 to the Kyo-dan to support the expansion of theTohoku Disaster Relief Center in Ishi-nomaki through staff salary supportand the purchase of furniture and of-fice and communications equipment.The center offers coordination, sup-port and care for both volunteer work-ers and the local community.

Known for fishing and tourism,Ishinomaki, about 85 miles north ofthe Daiichi nuclear plant, was devas-tated by the earthquake and tsunami.More than 3,000 people died, and over600 remain missing. The Kyodan hastwo churches there.

Residents of Ishinomaki were con-sidered more open to help from out-siders, so Ms. Lao recruited twobilingual Japanese-American UnitedMethodists to coordinate volunteers atthe center during 2012.

Bob Fujimura, a member of Uni-versity Temple United MethodistChurch in Seattle, started in Feb. 15 ascoordinator. In a March 1 blog entry,

Japan’s Christians active in quake relief

he wrote that he was impressed by theamount of debris already removed inIshinomaki. “However, there are stillmany condemned houses that had tobe removed. Many of those housesthat were judged to be saved need ex-tensive repair; these were still un-touched due to the shortage ofcarpenters. Perhaps those carpentersand construction workers of thehouses in the U.S. could come here towork.”

Doors now openThe Rev. Taka Ishii, a retired clergy

member of the United Methodist NewYork Annual Conference who wasborn in Tokyo, will succeed Mr. Fu-jimura on June 1 for a six-month stay.

Mr. Ishii noted that many firstfloors in buildings and homes weredamaged by the tsunami in Ishino-maki. “A lot of volunteers go there toclean,” he said. “The government hasdone a good job of removing all thebig debris. But, if the house can beused, they have to clean their own.

That’s where a lot of work is required.” Heather Wilson, Western Jurisdic-

tion Volunteer-in-Mission coordinator,is handling the placement of U.S.teams in Ishinomaki. Because the useof outside work teams is unusual inJapan, she is trying to be sensitive tocultural differences. “It’s been aprocess of trying to be very respectfulof what the people of Japan and thecenter want,” Ms. Wilson said. “Theyhave asked that we keep our teamsthat go very small, (up) to five people.”

A team from Japanese UnitedMethodist Church in Sacramento,Calif., was in Japan Feb. 26-March 9,and two more teams are scheduled.Ms. Wilson is encouraging interestedvolunteer teams to contact her. “Thosenumbers will grow,” she predicted.“The doors just opened, really, forteams to come in.”

The largest UMCOR allocations,totaling $1.35 million, have gone tothe Asian Rural Institute, which hasreceived no government assistance forits earthquake damage. “The whole

campus has been restructured a bit,”reported Jonathan McCurley, a UnitedMethodist missionary assigned to thetraining ground for internationalgrassroots leaders.

The institute’s damaged two-storymain building was torn down, and aone-story, environmentally friendlyreplacement is projected to be fin-ished by June. Other building plans in-clude a new dining hall and separatechapel. Offices were moved to part of anew farm shop storage area.

Because the institute is close to thesouthern border of the Fukushimaprefecture, where the damaged nu-clear plant lies, radiation remains aconcern. “In our area, the governmentsays it’s not a problem; it’s not danger-ous at all,” Mr. McCurley said. “But alot of people are very concerned that’snot necessarily true.”

While the recovery is slow, Mr. Mc-Curley believes the relief work byJapanese Christians has had an im-pact. In his area, he finds more peoplewilling to go to church and discussquestions about God.

“Spiritually, a lot of people havehad questions,” he said. “People we’vebeen working with have begun bap-tism classes or have been baptized.”

Linda Bloom is a United MethodistNews Service multimedia reporter.

To volunteer in Japan Volunteer teams interested inworking in Japan shouldcontact Heather Wilson, theUnited Methodist Volunteer inMission coordinator for thedenomination’s U.S. WesternJurisdiction. Her email isumvimwj@Hotmail.com and the office phone is 818-333-6730. Informationalso can be found atwww.umvimwj.blogspot.com.

UMNS PHOTOS COURTESY OF JONATHAN MCCURLEY, ARI

LEFT: New construction is evident these days at the Asian Rural Institute in Japan, with help from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.The main building of the institute, which trains rural grassroots leaders from around the world, was damaged during the March 11, 2011earthquake. RIGHT: Workers tear down the main building of the Asian Rural Institute, which has received $1.15 million from UMCOR toreconstruct and repair its buildings.

UMNS PHOTO BY MELISSA HINNEN

Thomas Kemper, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries,greets a boy during a visit to the earthquake-damaged region ofJapan last November. Global Ministries and the United MethodistCommittee on Relief have been part of the international Christianresponse to Japan’s 2011 “triple disaster.”

8A | Iowa Conference Edition of The United Methodist Reporter March 30, 2012

From the BishopJulius Calvin Trimble

The Resurrection of Jesus“Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was cruci ed. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell….”

(Matthew 28:5-7)

I hear many unanswered questions as the day of Easter comes.

What does a transformed world look like?Are we who call ourselves United Methodists organizing ourselves for hospice, aligned only to manage decline, awaiting impending death tsunami?Am I compelled to talk about New Places for New People, when I am most concerned about my place and my people?

Ash Wednesday seems so long ago. It was then we began, in the words of poet Ann Weems, “On our way to Your Way, O Lamb of God.” The cross of Jesus is the answer to so many questions. Cruelty and courage, sin and grace, pain and passion met at Calvary, the intersection of love and suffering. It is the answer to a transformed world, when we study war no more. A world where vitriolic words mean spirited sel sh interest are things of the past. A world where we don’t debate the merits of imagining no more malaria; we celebrate its end along with the scourge of poverty. A world where idol worship of celebrity and power is replaced by a bright light of equality where the “God print” of value and love shines through every human soul. A transformed world where we realize the “Reign of God” is not characterized by winners and losers, insiders and outsiders.

Love wins and God is at work even on the night shift when our souls are restless. Death is not our enemy. We don’t come here to stay. The empty tomb on Easter is testimony that death is not our legacy, because it has not the nal word. Love wins and Easter people are invited (actually, instructed) to go and tell! The NRSV Wesley Study Bible has an excellent commentary note on Resurrection from the gospel of Matthew: “Reconciliation for the sake of the ourishing of all life is what being a disciple of Jesus is all about.”

Our marching orders are to go and tell! “What is needed for the world to believe the message of Jesus? Live it! Telling, in Matthew’s gospel, is about our mission as the church. The mission of the church today, as it was for the early church, is to reconcile us to God. But rst, Jesus tells us we must be reconciled to our sisters and brothers. Reconciliation—healing the rifts created by violence, discrimination and greed—that is the church’s mission” (Wesley Study Bible, page 1205).

Our neighbors are inclusive of new people in new places. They are often different and younger and nearer or farther away than my place of comfort. So I join my church family as Easter people, singing and telling, learning and loving, as we join the movement of reconciliation and rejoicing. Christ is alive!

“Christ is Alive! Let Christians sing.His cross stands empty to the sky.

Let streets and homes with praises ring.His love in death shall never die.”

Be encouraged,Bishop Julius C. Trimble

*by Laura BertelsonCan you imagine volunteering sixty years

as the organist of your church—and rarely missing a Sunday? Alice Myers has been the organist of Booneville United Methodist Church since Harry Truman was president, in the early 1950s.

Alice’s path to the organ bench began with her aunt, Minnie Myers. Aunt Minnie lived next door on the farm where Alice and her sister, Carolyn, grew up with parents Ray and Mabel Myers. Minnie was the pianist at the Booneville church and also taught piano. As a young child, Alice spent much time at her grandparent’s house, listening as her aunt would teach lessons. Captivated, Alice sold a rooster to buy her rst music book. She enjoyed sitting on Aunt Minnie’s lap, reading music notes instead of stories. She even sat on her lap while Aunt Minnie played for church.

When Alice was a teenager she began substituting for her aunt, at rst playing a few hymns at church and eventually playing for the entire service. In those early days she felt quite nervous about playing Sunday mornings; “I couldn’t sleep the night before!” she recalls. By that time the church had an electronic keyboard with some stops but no pedals. It was nicky and frustrating to play. The keyboard struggled to keep up, and at last became inoperable. It was with some relief that a “real” organ, an Allen, was purchased in 1964. Alice took the ve complimentary organ lessons that came with the organ purchase, and after that took organ lessons “off and on” to improve her skills. Soon she enhanced worship with preludes and postludes.

In addition to serving as organist, Alice is the church choir director and a Sunday school teacher. She currently teaches the junior high class but remembers at one point she had a Sunday school class with youth from junior

high all the way through college, all learning together. Alice and sister, Carolyn, rarely miss a Sunday and their dedication is such that years ago when icy weather made travel ill-advised, they walked the two miles from their home in order to get the church warmed up and

the organ ready to play in time for church.Alice taught rst grade for many years in

southern Dallas County schools: Minburn, the Gardiner Building, Washington Township, DeSoto, and Adel—all of which ultimately became part of the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School District. She and Carolyn are also accomplished gardeners, and week after week during the growing season her beautiful ower arrangements grace the altar of the

Booneville church.During her tenure as organist, Alice has

worked with seventeen different pastors. Rev. Linda Stueve, current pastor at Booneville, sums up the blessing of having Alice as organist: “There is something to be said for sixty years seated behind the organ. Amazing faithfulness, yes! Intimacy with our hymnals, absolutely! Understanding the rhythms of the worship year, of course! Guiding the pastor in music choices, she needs it! This and so much more is the blessing of Alice Myers. She is synonymous with the Booneville United Methodist Church.”

*Laura Bertelson is a member of the Booneville United Methodist Church, just west of West Des Moines

Montezuma womento share Easter drama

As well as all the men whose lives were changed by the Easter story, there were also many women whose stories told of their spiritual change. A number of these Biblical women will be portrayed in a drama presentation Tuesday, April 3, 7:00 p.m., at the Montezuma Memorial Hall (205 E. Main St., Montezuma). Entitled “Changed Lives: New Testament Women Share Their Stories,” this Easter drama is appropriate for the entire family and open to the public. While there is no charge for the event, a freewill offering will be received for missions.

Sixty years keeping the beat!

Iowa United Methodist WomenSchool of Christian Mission 2012:

“That All May Have Life”July 15–18, 2012—Marshalltown, IA

Register now at www.iaumc.org/socm

Section B

March 30, 2012

umportal org

MALANGE, Angola—It was under a treein April of 2009 that the people of the Can-gandala United Methodist Church in easternAngola came together for the first time, notas the enemies they had once been during a27-year civil war, but as brothers and sistersgathered in peace, giving thanks to God.

Their beginning was humble, accordingto their pastor, the Rev. Ananias Gomes. Andthey continued to meet under a tree until fi-nally, thanks to the work of their congrega-tion and the support Mr. Gomes receivedfrom the United Methodist churches inMontana, they were able to build a simple,small church that still has a dirt floor and,up until recently, only short stools on whichto sit.

“We believe God has been working infront of us,” Mr. Gomes said. “God will con-tinue to help us.”

For two weeks in February, a missionteam from the Yellowstone Conference of theUnited Methodist Church visited eastern An-gola to better understand the UnitedMethodist churches they have worked withsince 2003, including supporting 54 pastorswith $40 per month for the last three years.

The team’s goal was to meet as many ofthese pastors as possible, document theirstories through interviews and photos andbring the information back to Montana togather more support for the Angola project.

“I think this project helps give us anidentity that even though we are people herein Montana, we can make a difference inpeople’s lives that we’ll never meet andknow,” said Sally McConnell, mission coordi-

nator for the Yellowstone Conference. “It’s awitness that we, as followers of Jesus Christ,are called to be in community withchurches.”

Because Mr. Gomes is retired from theAngolan military and also teaches duringthe week, he was able to put aside the $40per month that the Montana and Wyomingchurches pay him and donate it to help fin-ish off the church in August of 2010.

“The members made the blocks to buildthe church,” Mr. Gomes said. “With the sup-plemental salary [from the Yellowstone Con-ference] I bought the roof.”

Goat liver feastThe mission team visiting this year from

the Yellowstone Conference included the Rev.Mark Calhoun, pastor of First United

� See ‘Struggle’ page 2B

PHOTO BY MARK CALHOUN

Two boys smile before worship services at theUnited Methodist Church in Kimbamba, Angola.

Odd coupleLimbaugh, targetboth in UMC | 8B

On holdUMW looks to GCfor OK to separate | 3B

Wesleyan WisdomParish is the placefor vital ministry | 7B

The independent source for news, features and commentary about the United Methodist Church

From Montana to Angola

Mission team journeys to learn, offer support

Structurestrugglescontinue

Plan B has become Topic A formany of those deeply involved in ef-forts to restructure agencies of theUnited Methodist Church.

With roughly a month to go beforeGeneral Conference, the main restruc-turing proposal, offered by the Call toAction Interim Operations Team andthe Connectional Table, faces mount-ing opposition.

That has resulted in the recentemergence of a less far-reaching alter-native, which backers are calling sim-ply Plan B.

It’s not actually the first substituteput forward for legislation crafted bythe Connectional Table and the In-terim Operations Team (IOT).

But there’s a good bit of buzz

B Y S A M H O D G E SManaging Editor

B Y K R I S T E N C AT E SGreat Falls (Mont.) Tribune

UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY KATHLEEN BARRY

Intense discussion continues about General Conference legislation, including at a recent Connectional Table meeting. Pictured are the Rev.Kim Cape, general secretary of General Board of Higher Education & Ministry; Judy Benson, Oklahoma Conference; Jay Brim, SouthwestTexas Conference, Gil Hanke, general secretary of General Commission on United Methodist Men; and Joe Whittemore, North GeorgiaConference.

� See ‘Mission’ page 4B

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around both Plan B and the personcredited as its main author: six-timeGeneral Conference delegate Joe Whit-temore, of the North Georgia Confer-ence.

“Joe certainly is offering some in-teresting alternatives that are defi-nitely a compromise between wherewe are right now and where IOT/CTwould take us,” said Jay Brim, a Con-nectional Table member and GeneralConference delegate from the South-west Texas Conference.

But Plan B too has found critics,both for its approach and how it wasrolled out, including the anonymity ofsome supporting it.

Mr. Whittemore refuses to bedrawn into discussion of Plan B’sprospects, and insists his group’s solegoal is to help the UMC to renewal.

“I don’t think this is about the po-litical idea of something that willpass,” he said. “We are genuine in ourbelief that what we’re offering will be abetter plan for the church.”

Lean and nimbleEvery four years, the UMC gathers

for General Conference, where about1,000 delegates set the general churchbudget and decide matters of churchlaw and social policy.

The long lead-up to the GeneralConference that will occur in Tampa,Fla., from April 24 to May 4, has seen acomprehensive reform effort bychurch leaders, aimed at arresting thenumerical declines of the UMC in theUnited States, and given the name“Call to Action.”

A Call to Action steering commit-tee drew on two outside studies of thechurch and settled on the principle ofa long focus on bolstering the numberof “vital congregations.”

Various controversial proposals tohelp that happen will be considered atGeneral Conference, including endingguaranteed appointment for clergyand creating a non-residential or “set-aside” president of the Council ofBishops who would help steer reformefforts.

But the proposal that has attracted

the most attention was crafted by theCall to Action Interim OperationsTeam, an eight-member group con-vened by Bishop Gregory Palmer, andincluding business leaders and mega-church pastors. The formal legislationwas introduced bythe ConnectionalTable, which coordi-nates financial re-sources and missionand ministry workfor the denomina-tion.

The IOT/CT planwould merge nine of13 general churchagencies under anew Center for Con-nectional Mission and Ministry. Thecenter would be organized into five of-fices, run by an executive and a 15-member board. There would be anoversight panel of 45 members, whichalso elects the smaller board and ischaired by the president of the Coun-cil of Bishops.

Currently, the agencies have theirown boards, with more than 500members cumulatively. Under theIOT/CT plan, that number wouldcome down to 60.

Advocates see significant cost sav-ings in travel with so many fewerboard members, but the main toutedadvantages are greater efficiency andcoordination.

Such changes “are essential in en-abling the general church to effectivelysupport congregations in their questfor missional vitality,” said the Rev.Don Underwood, leader of the NorthTexas Conference delegation to Gen-eral Conference.

Critical reactionBut criticisms of such a restructur-

ing began last year, soon after thespecifics of the CT/IOT proposal be-came public. Ethnic caucuses ques-tioned how a 15-member board couldreflect the diversity of the UMC, in-cluding its increasingly worldwidecharacter.

On March 9, directors of the Gen-

eral Council on Finance and Adminis-tration issued their own statement,expressing “areas of concern” with theIOT/CT proposal. They pointedly ob-jected to GCFA being brought underthe consolidated structure.

“The current structure provides anindependent, non-political evaluationof the amount of the budget beingproposed and is an important part ofthe due diligence GCFA provides toGeneral Conference,” the board said.“We believe loss of this modeling andreview will produce budgets that aremore subjective in nature and politi-cally-driven.”

The executive committee of theGeneral Board of Discipleship, an-other agency targeted for consolida-tion, weighed in on March 15, arguingthat the IOT/CT plan would weakenlay leadership, move the UMC awayfrom connectionalism toward congre-gationalism and leave GBOD itself—due to the restructuring and proposedbudget cuts—less able to support thevital congregations effort.

“The current proposals . . . wouldgreatly reduce, if not decimate, the ca-pacity of GBOD to be a partner in re-alizing God’s dream for us in theUMC,” said Bishop Charlene Kam-merer in an email interview.

Counter offersThe Methodist Federation for So-

cial Action announced in Novemberthat its petitions to General Confer-ence would include an alternative tothe IOT/CT plan. The MFSA planwould create a coordinating councilwith 43 voting members and 24 non-voting members, balanced for diver-sity. There would be someconsolidation of agencies, under four“ministry centers” overseen by thecouncil.

But the General Commission onthe Status and Role of Women andGeneral Commission on Religion andRace would remain separate, and eachof the ministry centers would have a33-member board.

Plan B emerged earlier this month,with its website describing it as thework of “an unofficial task force of layand clergy delegates and non-dele-gates to General Conference.”

The website repeats and elaborateson others’ criticisms of the IOT/CTplan, warning of an “elite 15-member

board heavily influenced by the Coun-cil of Bishops.”

Both the IOT/CT and MFSA planswould ditch the Connectional Table,but Plan B keeps it, reducing the vot-ing member size from 47 to 33, andreplacing the execu-tive secretary with achief coordinatingofficer experiencedin business manage-ment. The Connec-tional Table wouldhave direct responsi-bility for UnitedMethodist Commu-nications, and wouldbe empowered to evaluate agencyfunctions and performance.

But under Plan B, there would beconsiderably less consolidation thanunder IOT/CT. For example, GCFAwould remain independent. So wouldGBOD, the General Board of GlobalMinistries, the General Board ofHigher Education & Ministry and theGeneral Board of Church & Society.

The General Commission onArchives and History would comeunder GCFA, and the commissions onReligion & Race and the Status & Roleof Women would come under theBoard of Church & Society.

Under the IOT/CT plan, agencyboard seats would come down frommore than 500 to 60. Plan B wouldbring the number to 193.

Plan B backers argue that it offersa more efficient structure that sup-ports the effort to bolster vital congre-gations while preserving diversity ofinput and best practices in manage-ment, including the independentGCFA.

Mr. Brim credits Mr. Whittemorewith giving the plan appeal.

“Joe has done a very good job ofreaching out to the various criticismsthat have been made of IOT/CT,” Mr.Brim said.

Work in progressBut while Mr. Whittemore is

clearly a leader of Plan B—and ex-plained it at a recent GBHEM meet-ing—the website did not initially offernames of those working with him.

The Rev. Brian Milford, leader ofthe Iowa Conference delegation, favorsthe IOT/CT plan, and of Plan B said: “Ido not personally feel it goes farenough in making substantivechanges we need in order for ourChurch to improve effectiveness andhave an impact on changing theworld.”

He added: “I am also concerned bythe decision of the authors of Plan Bto remain anonymous. We needgreater trust across the connectionand that comes with accountabilityand transparency.”

By March 21, the website had been

updated to include 12 names of thosehelping to develop Plan B, includingMr. Whittemore. Earlier, Mr. Whitte-more had identified for the Reportersome of those supporters, including C.Don Ladd, a General Conference dele-gate from the Tennessee Conference,and Lonnie Brooks, a reserve delegatefrom Alaska.

Mr. Ladd praised Plan B effusively,and said it recognizes better than theIOT/CT plan the efforts agencies havemade already to streamline. But hecalled the early absence of names onthe Plan B website an “error in judg-ment.”

“This creates mistrust and takesaway focus from this faithful work.Our earnest hope and prayer was thatUMC Plan B be considered on its mer-its,” he said.

Mr. Brooks asserted, as did Mr.Ladd, that some had unfairly charac-terized Plan B as the “Whittemoreplan.” He added that the plan had sup-port from across the usual UMC ideo-logical/theological divides.

“Joe and I are certainly not on thesame page on many issues that facethe church,” he said.

Need for focusMr. Brim believes there are pockets

of support in the general administra-tion committee (which restructuringlegislation will have to clear beforereaching the full General Conference)for both Plan B and the IOT/CT plan.

“I do not think the IOT/CT plan isdead, as some have termed it,” he said.“I think what we’ve seen is the naturalblowback that comes with any veryaggressive plan for change.”

Indeed, an open letter to GeneralConference delegates, signed by manylarge UM church pastors—amongthem the Rev. Adam Hamilton, amember of the IOT—endorsed theprinciples of the IOT/CT approachand called for bold action. “We im-plore you not to let fear keep us fromthe change we desperately need,” theletter said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Palmer andNeil Alexander, president of theUnited Methodist Publishing Houseand another member of the IOT, is-sued a statement in response to ques-tions about the fate of the IOT/CTplan and emergence of Plan B. Thestatement concludes:

“After all of the ‘yes, but’ talk anddebate of counter proposals, what weneed most is for the UMC to stay in-tently focused for at least a decade oncreating more vital congregations, as-sure genuine and sustained alignmentin that effort from all parts of the Con-nection and provide greater accounta-bility for both lay and ordainedleaders.”

shodges@umr.org

CorrectionDue to an editing error, the“Faith and Facebook” article inthe March 9 Reporter misquotedTony Jones. He was quoted assaying: “If you’re not onFacebook, you’re not on theFacebook.” The quotationshould have read: “If you’re noton Facebook, you’re not on theInternet.”

BishopCharleneKammerer

Jay Brim

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Registration still openfor media at GC 2012Media representatives andchurch communicators mustsubmit an application byApril 13 to receive mediacredentials for the 2012General Conference, April24-May 4 in Tampa, Fla. Applicants may pre-registeronline at http://tinyurl.com/7m57gsl or download anapplication form at http://tinyurl.com/7fl5jv8 and mailit to Office of Public Informa-tion, United Methodist Com-munications, P.O. Box 320,Nashville TN 37202-0320.The credentials will be issuedon site at the Tampa Conven-tion Center. Credentials mustbe requested for each repre-sentative of a media outlet,including photographers.After April 13, applicants willhave to register on site.

New initiatives forHispanic/Latino PlanThe UMC’s National Plan forHispanic/Latino Ministry in-troduced new grants and ap-proved fund initiatives for theWestern Jurisdiction andthree annual conferencesduring a Feb. 16-18 meetingin Phoenix, Ariz. The organi-zation approved funding forministry projects in Oregon-Idaho, Florida and GreaterNew Jersey, as well asmatching grants for a Path 1initiative to train ministryleaders to encourage diver-sity in their congregations.

Methodist schools startAsia Pacific coalition Representatives of Methodist-related colleges and univer-sities from 16 countries inAsia passed a resolution tocreate an association thatwill foster dynamic and holis-tic Christian leadership inAsia and the Pacific. A Junemeeting will focus on thenext steps for the Asia PacificAssociation of Methodist-re-lated Educational Institutionsin collaboration with the In-ternational Association ofMethodist-related Schools,Colleges, and Universities.The Rev. Kim Cape, top ex-ecutive of the General Boardof Higher Education andMinistry, said the action willresult in stronger relation-ships, sharing of resources,and an investment in teach-ing and learning on an un-precedented level in theregion.

UM CONNECTIONS

B Y M A RY JAC O B SStaff Writer

UMW moves ahead, despite uncertainty

DALLAS—A sense of both uncer-tainty and possibility loomed over theMarch 15-19 meeting in Dallas of theboard of the Women’s Division, thepolicy making body of the UnitedMethodist Women.

“We are in a state of anticipation,”said Harriett Olson, deputy generalsecretary of the Women’s Division.“The Women’s Division and the Gen-eral Board of Global Ministries havemade historic decisions this quadren-nium and very soon we will know ifthe General Conference is willing toaffirm them.”

She was referring to the Women’sDivision proposal, approved last April,to separate structurally from the Gen-eral Board of Global Ministries(GBGM). Under a new name, “UnitedMethodist Women, Inc.,” the organiza-tion would become its own entitywithin the United Methodist Church.

GBGM blessed the proposal; now,it’s a matter of waiting to see whetherGeneral Conference, which meets inTampa April 24-May 4, will approve it.

In an interview, Ms. Olson saidshe’s feeling optimistic that GeneralConference will pass the measure.

“We have heard a couple of ques-tions, but not very forcefully,” she said,noting that both the Women’s Divisionand GBGM made the proposal to sep-arate well before the ConnectionalTable made its recent recommenda-tions. She’s hoping Conference dele-gates won’t see the proposedseparation as dependent on the Con-nectional Table’s proposal. And, giventhat both agencies have had severalmonths to hammer out a new organi-zational structure, “our proposal is alittle more definitive than the Connec-

tional Table’s proposal,” she said.At the meeting, Thomas Kemper,

GBGM’s chief executive, told theWomen’s Division board that he’s al-ready seeing good results from theplanned separation of the two agen-cies. “Once you start to separate, youget more intentional about collaborat-ing,” he said. “We can dare to dreambig as separate agencies.”

Since last April, UMW and GBGMhave created five roundtables whichconnect staff from both organizationsto focus on areas where the agencieswould continue to collaborate:poverty, global migration, justice &reconciliation, leadership develop-ment and health.

‘Building in flexibility’A committee has crafted a new set

of bylaws that will be ready for consid-eration at the next meeting of theUMW board, tentatively slated for Oct.18-22 at Scarritt-Bennett Center inNashville. (The next set of boardmembers will be elected this summerat Quadrennial Jurisdiction meetings.)

Ms. Olson acknowledged the pos-sibility that the General Conferencecould move to study the matter andthus postpone the separation.

“That would be a very difficult re-sult,” she said. “We’ve already done somuch work thinking about this.”

However, whatever General Con-ference decides, Ms. Olson said thatUMW is ready to move forward.

“We’ve prepared by building inflexibility and focusing on our strate-gic undertakings,” she said.

Ms. Olson also acknowledged thatthe proposed separation of theWomen’s Division from GBGM comesat a time when many church leadersare broadly calling to consolidatechurch agencies. She noted that

Women’s Division leaders met withstaff from the General Commission onthe Status and Role of Women (COS-ROW), about a year ago, to considerthe possibility that General Confer-ence could fold COSROW’s work intothe Women’s Division.

That’s not a move that Ms. Olsonwould support. “Obviously we support[COSROW’s] work,” she said. “But Idon’t believe the laywomen of thechurch should carry either the cost orthe burden of sexual ethics. I believethat is a responsibility of the church. . .. It’s not just a women’s issue.”

In other business, the board votedto change the name of the School ofChristian Mission—an annual educa-tional event held throughout the con-nection—to Mission u (year)! Whenthe change takes effect in 2013, theevent will become “Mission u 2013!”The “u” represents both the idea of auniversity as well as texting languagefor “you.”

The board also approved themesfor upcoming Mission u programs.

For 2015, the spiritual growth themewill be “Pursuit of Happiness,” and thegeographical and youth and childrenstudies will focus on Latin America. In2016, “The Bible and Human Sexual-ity” will serve as the spiritual growthstudy, and “Climate Justice” will be thefocus of the issue study as well as theyouth and children’s study.

Board meeting attendees also hon-ored Inelda González, outgoing Na-tional President of United MethodistWomen. The meeting ended with hugsand a few tears as board members,who have served together for the pastfour years, said their goodbyes.

A new set of board members willmeet in October, and for now, it’s notclear whether they will meet as UnitedMethodist Women, Inc., or as theWomen’s Division of GBGM. Thus thewords of the closing song, “Hymn ofPromise,” seemed apt: “In our end isour beginning . . . unrevealed until itsseason, something God alone can see.”

mjacobs@umr.org

PHOTO BY CASSANDRA ZAMPINI

Attendees raise their voices in song at the Women’s Division semi-annual board meeting, held March 15-19 in Dallas.

LETTERS

Article on ‘The Vow’ failed to informMy wife and I noticed an article in the March 2

edition of the United Methodist Reporter regardingthe movie The Vow. Based on this, we went to themovie expecting to see an uplifting story emphasiz-ing the importance of faith and commitment in mar-riage. Instead we had to endure watching a typicalHollywood production.

There was not a single reference to religious faithor prayer in the movie. The wedding scene in themovie was a farce making light of this sacred cere-mony. There was some vulgar language which addednothing to the story line. The parents of the injuredwife were portrayed as controlling and selfish.

We bought the book after seeing the movie. Vir-tually every page of the book contains references tothe Christian faith of the real life couple and how it

sustained them through their ordeal. Both sets ofparents were exceedingly supportive for Kim andKrickitt. None of this was illustrated in the movie.

If we had gotten this information from yourpaper, we would never have gone to the movie.

Mike and Elaine RaffertyMembers, University United Methodist Church

Las Cruces, N.M.***

In an interview in the Feb. 17 Reporter, DonHouse placed emphasis upon an economic model forthe denomination. A much better prescription forthe United Methodist Church is the new “A MissionalManifesto for the People Called United Methodist”that emphasizes that “we are a people in need ofGod’s transforming grace.”

It states: “United Methodists assert that God’slove, not our sin, is the most important truth weknow and the starting point for the story of salva-tion. Everything that follows is out of response tothis truth.” Delegates to General Conference couldgain much from reading this Manifesto and putaside the corporate consultant-generated Call to Ac-tion. The manifesto is found on the web at http://missionalmethodist.org/missional_manifesto/.

Howard W. HallmanChair, Methodists United

for Peace with Justice

The Reporter welcomes brief, civil letters, andreserves the right to edit for space and clarity.Send to news@umr.org or The United MethodistReporter, 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, TX, 75247.

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Methodist Church in Polson; the Rev. JeremyScott, pastor of Evangelical United MethodistChurch in Billings; and Kristen Cates, the authorof this story and a member of Christ UnitedMethodist Church in Great Falls.

“It’s a bigger project than I had imagined it,now having experienced it,” Mr. Calhoun said.“Emotionally and spiritually there were a num-ber of experiences that touched me.”

On one Sunday, the team traveled on washed-out dirt roads to the small village of Kimbamba,where Mr. Scott was set to preach that morning.After a two-hour service that included singing,praying and three rounds of offerings, the villageset up a feast that included goat liver for theirguests.

Only an hour from Malange are the second-largest waterfalls in all of Africa, Kalandula Falls,which the team visited in their first week. With nohand railings or warnings, visitors can walk outover boulders to the edge of the 300-foot falls.

“Sometimes when you come to Malange anddon’t come to Kalandula Falls, it means youhaven’t really been to Malange,” said Alcides Mar-tins, local coordinator of the pastoral supportproject. “This is the first place that identifies youhave really come to Malange.”

After hearing the story of Mr. Gomes’ churchand seeing the small stools they had to sit on, theteam purchased 30 plastic chairs. The team lis-tened to and documented many other storiesalong the way.

“It was an engagement of the missional prac-tice of listening,” Mr. Calhoun said.

Refuge in warIn order to understand the stories of the peo-

ple in the United Methodist Church in Angola, itwas important to hear about their history.

After fighting for years to gain independencefrom Portugal in 1975, the country erupted into abloody 27-year civil war. People recall being un-able to get to hospitals, being orphaned aftertheir father was killed and their mother wastaken captive, and children being killed by landmines.

But it was during the war that the UnitedMethodist Church, which had been established inAngola already for 100 years, did some of itsmost important work, Mr. Martins said.

“During the war, people were looking for se-curity,” he said. “They thought that the churchwas protecting them. Some people came to thechurch, and they stayed.”

Mr. Martins, now 28, was just 16 when he methis daughter Yurelma, a young baby left in thebush outside of his family’s home. He took her in,even though his family already was struggling tomake ends meet, and eventually raised her as hisown, formally adopting her five years ago.

After peace was reached in 2002, thechurches’ work hit full stride.

Pastors such as Andre Cassule went out to the

rural villages where much of the war had beenfought and worked with United Nations peace-keepers to convince people to lay down theirweapons.

“After the war, we had much to do,” Mr. Mar-tins said. “We had to adapt to the globalization.Now people want more from the church. Peoplewant their spiritual problems solved and whenthey don’t they run away.”

Call to partnershipMr. Scott said it was when he heard stories

like that—stories of the church working to rec-oncile a nation—that he realized how valuableand necessary it is for churches in Montana andWyoming to provide $40 per month for pastoralsupport.

“They’re engaged in a much more difficultministerial setting than I’ll ever have to face,” hesaid. “That was really humbling for me.”

Ms. McConnell said the Yellowstone Confer-ence’s relationship with East Angola began in2003, after former Bishop Warner Brown visitedEastern Angola and challenged his local churchesto partner with the African churches.

Ms. McConnell was part of a mission teamthat visited Angola in 2005, when the countrywas just starting to pick up the pieces after yearsof devastation that left roads torn up, buildingsbombed out, and church facades pockmarkedwith bullet holes. What now is only a four- tofive-hour car trip from the capital city of Luandato Malange in eastern Angola was once a 16-hourtrek.

“The areas that we saw were still in post-warruin,” Ms. McConnell said. “In Malange, thebuildings were burned out and shot up. [Thechurches] were welcoming back and looking forpeople who were still out in the bush.”

The Yellowstone Conference began collectingmoney for the pastoral support project in 2003,but was finally able to begin disbursing the $40

per month in 2008.Mr. Martins, who has been making sure the

money gets distributed to the pastors in themany rural churches that make up the East An-gola Conference, said this money has been help-ing a lot.

“We have very complicated churches,” Mr.Martins said. “Churches in the countryside aredifferent than those in the city.”

For some pastors in the countryside, that $40is the only income they receive.

The money goes toward paying for school fortheir children and buying food for themselvesand seeds to grow crops.

Building backMr. Martins said the church is reaching a crit-

ical juncture, as more people gain access to edu-cation, and the government continues to expandits presence in a country that is trying to rebuildrapidly.

“Churches need to be prepared for a new dy-namic,” Mr. Martins said. “People are needinghope, strength. The church needs to be moreaware of education and help people grow spiritu-ally.”

East Angolan Conference Bishop JoseQuipungo said the church is doing what it can toretain properly trained pastors, but it is hardwhen they can pay only $40 per month to a per-son who easily qualifies for a government jobwhere they make at least $500.

“You can’t have a church that grows without apastor that has an education,” Bishop Quipungosaid. “We need to train more pastors, especiallyin higher education.”

To that end, the East Angola Conference hasre-instated its school of theology at its missionstation known as Quessua.

Quessua, once the hub of the United MethodistChurch in Angola featuring a hospital clinic andboys’ and girls’ orphanages, was decimated during

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PHOTOS BY JEREMY SCOTT

ABOVE: Local women leave the United Methodist Church inKimbamba, Angola, after a mission team from theYellowstone Conference preached there one Sunday inFebruary. LEFT: The Rev. Mark Calhoun, from theYellowstone Conference, tosses a Frisbee with local boys heand the mission team encountered near the Kwanzaa River.

PHOTO BY KRISTEN CATES

Kalandula Falls, located just an hourfrom Malange, Angola, are the second-largest waterfalls on the continent ofAfrica.

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the civil war. Slowly, it’s being rebuilt.In addition to the theology school where they

are training local pastors to serve their localchurches, there is now a middle school, highschool, boys’ orphanage and a domestic scienceprogram for women.

But Bishop Quipungo and others said it ischallenging to be engaged in transformationwhen they don’t have money to pay theology pro-fessors or even buy sewing machines and fabricfor the domestic sciences program.

“It is very important. The church works wellwhen the pastor has a higher education,” BishopQuipungo said. “A better educated pastor helpsthe local church to sustain itself more.”

Despite the challenges, there is a sense of

peace and hope among the people of Angola.At Cangandala United Methodist Church, Mr.

Gomes said their congregation consists of peoplewho were on opposite sides during the war.

Cangandala is a small community just east ofMalange made up primarily of small-scale farm-ers. After inviting 25 people to meet under thetree in April of 2009, Mr. Gomes said they wentout to the fields and convinced the farmers totake a break on Sundays and come to church.Their membership quickly grew to 67.

“We talked to them and convinced them tocome to church,” Mr. Gomes said. “Spiritually andsocially, we helped. We helped teach people tolove and reconcile.”

Mr. Gomes, who spent 10 years in the military

before becoming an ordained pastor, said thework of the church and the work of the countryare similar.

“You give something to the nation, to thestate, to your community,” he said of his militaryexperience. “But now you put God first.”

‘We are not alone’Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Scott said it was incredi-

ble to witness the hope and hospitality of thepeople in Angola. Whether it was the UnitedMethodist Women’s group making a special visitto see the mission team or an entire village gath-ering their tables and chairs in the church tocook a large feast for their guests, the two saidthere was never a shortage of gratitude.

“They were always so appreciative,” Mr. Cal-houn said. “The word ‘Yellowstone’ just rolled offtheir lips. They are so connected to us. It’s over-whelming.”

Being a United Methodist in Angola carries alot of weight, Mr. Martins said.

“It’s always good to say ‘I’m a Methodist,’” Mr.Martins said. “People are proud to be UnitedMethodists because we are not alone.

“We are not just Methodists in Angola. We areMethodists in the world.”

Ms. Cates is an education reporter for theGreat Falls Tribune. This article appeared firstin that newspaper and is reprinted withpermission. Reach Ms. Cates atkcates@greatfallstribune.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY YELLOWSTONE CONFERENCE

ABOVE: The Rev. Jeremy Scott in the pulpit at KimbambaUMC. LEFT: The Rev. Mark Calhoun, Lorinda Quipungo(Bishop Jose Quipungo’s wife), Kristen Cates, BishopQuipungo and the Rev. Jeremy Scott pose after a churchservice at the Central Malange United Methodist Church.

PHOTO COURTESY YELLOWSTONE CONFERENCE

ABOVE: The Rev. Magonhoes Joao, pastor at Kimbamba UMC. RIGHT: Aman rings a bell made out of old railroad material outside of the UnitedMethodist Church in Kimbamba, a rural village just north of Malange,headquarters for the East Angola Conference of the UMC. PHOTO BY JEREMY SCOTT

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After I read the open letter of Oct. 19, 2011 tothe United Methodist Church from the NativeAmerican International Caucus, memories re-turned from an Act of Repentance for racism thatoccurred in my annual conference almost 10years ago. Even with hugs and tears abounding Iworried that those of us who self-define or arepolitically defined in the U.S. as white would for-get about our racist behaviorsthat still needed to be ad-dressed. I knew from experi-ence as a Euro-Americanwoman, an antiracism trainerand through my commitmentto dismantling white privilege,that the resistance to acknowl-edging the systemic racism thatpervades our society, denomi-nation and local churches re-mains alive and strong.

Following this earlier Act of Repentance, theRev. Staccato Powell, an African Methodist Epis-copal Zion representative, called for a “pragmaticprocess or strategic plan with measurable actionsteps to help the churches in their journey to-gether.” Soon sensing a lack of commitment tocombating racism, the AME Zion Church pulledits participation from Churches Uniting inChrist, an ecumenical group in which the UMC isa member.

Thankfully, Dr. Powell was invited to addressthat group’s plenary meeting in January 2011 totry and rebuild bridges. However, it appears westill have much to learn. Similar concerns have

Real progress takes more than an Act of Repentance

SuzanneDuchesne

B Y S U Z A N N E W E N O NA H D U C H E S N ESpecial Contributor

The Call to Action’s focus on congregationalvitality is not solely about rallying local churchesfor extraordinary efforts, but also calls equallyupon spiritual leaders from ministries in closepartnership with congregations to reorient andrevolutionize side by side with them.

Camp and Retreat Ministries at the GeneralBoard of Discipleship (GBOD) is in the process ofmetamorphic changes in orderto align with congregations tobetter equip people to followChrist deeper into discipleshipand intentionally outward totouch the world through fruit-ful, transformative lives.

Just as local church leadersare sharpening their focus,prayerfully discerning innova-tive actions and learning vitalskills, leaders of Camp and Retreat Ministries aredoing likewise.

The UMC is blessed with one of the strongestnetworks of camp and retreat centers of any de-nomination, and they serve nearly 1 million peo-ple annually. Many of these individuals aremembers and leaders of local churches, alongwith persons who have their first introduction to

the United Methodist Church through a campand retreat experience.

The goal is for this powerful path for faith for-mation and for developing principled Christianleaders to be directly integrated with localchurches and their emerging vitality goals.

Given this laser focus, the UMC’s NationalCamp and Retreat Committee (NCRC) and theCamp and Retreat Ministries staff continue con-certed efforts to train and rally camp and retreatleaders to gear up for this new journey togetherwith local churches by using online classes, webi-nars and training events.

Measuring the impactJust as our local communities of faith will be

tracking their growing effectiveness, Camp andRetreat Ministries will have tools to measure andimprove our support of local churches. A profes-sional camp and retreat ministry consultationfirm is developing specific measurable outcomesfor Camp and Retreat Ministries that are directlyrelated to the vitality markers and measuresbeing used in local churches.

Alignment of resources is another critical as-pect for the Call to Action. Camp and retreat min-istry is appropriately included in manyconference budgets because of its impact and ef-fectiveness, but to create a sustainable future, theministries also must be keenly responsible finan-

cially. Camp and retreat leaders understand thatto do otherwise is untenable and would put adrag on Call to Action efforts.

Staff and key leaders of many centers are tak-ing advanced training in fund development, fi-nancial best practices and other similar effortswhich are being offered through collaborative ed-ucation sponsored by NCRC, GBOD and ecu-menical sources.

Innovative programs related to the Call to Ac-tion priorities are already underway. Some exam-ples include:

Engaged disciples in mission. Footprints isa mission-based experience hosted by CampRockfish in the North Carolina Conference whichgives young people the opportunity for a localmission experience that prepares them for ongo-ing mission involvement.

Gifted and equipped lay and clergy leader-ship. Camps and retreats are very fruitful av-enues for developing Christian spiritual leadersof all ages. They offer sacred spaces and livinglaboratories apart from distractions and routineresponsibilities where participants can be moreattentive to God and go deeper. Camps and re-treats immerse people in faith-based experientiallearning environments where they grow by actu-ally doing.

Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in theUpper New York Conference connects with local

churches in a profound way through Director’sInvitational, a leadership program for senior highyouth. Pastors nominate young people from theircongregation to participate. More than 150 youthhave been commissioned to go back to their localsettings and apply their God-given gifts of lead-ership.

Expanding ministry with children andyouth. Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center inLebanon, Pa., transports camp directly to wherechurches are located. Day camps led collabora-tively by camp staff and church volunteers offergreat opportunities for established congregationsand new church starts to meet and serve familiesfrom the wider community.

“Day camp brought together hosts of peoplewho would not have interacted or even met eachother—inner-city kids, suburban volunteers,camp counselors, church folks within the com-munity, old people, young children, Hispanics,Anglos and more. . . .,” said a member of one con-gregation. “Our partnership with Gretna Glenmade a children’s day camp ministry that wasimpossible with our current resources possible.”

Mr. Witt is director of Camp and RetreatMinistries at GBOD. For other collaborativeideas on how to incorporate camp andretreat experiences into congregationalvitality initiatives, contact him at (541) 317-1615 or kwitt@gbod.org.

Camp & Retreat Ministries respond to ‘Call to Action’B Y K E V I N W I T TSpecial Contributor

Kevin Witt

been expressed about this latest Act of Repen-tance to Native American and Indigenous peopleplanned for the 2012 General Conference.

Some African Americans in the UMC indicatethat these Acts of Repentance have not donemuch to change the racist attitudes and policiesthat continue to plague our denomination. So Iwonder if in our attempts to do all the good wecan we are actually causing harm.

Following the listening sessions, a number ofNative American voicesfrom the United States in-dicated that we are indeedcausing harm. DissonantNative voices feel silenced.

The United MethodistChurch can put thesevoices aside, saying thatnot all Native peoples agreeon this issue. The Churchcan dismiss them becausethe Native voices at the tables of power withinour denomination are for it. But what if we don’tdismiss them? What if we listen instead? I thinkit could change how we address systems of injus-tice in general and especially our racist systemicbehaviors, which still permeate our ecclesialstructure and missions.

As a liturgical scholar, I do not want to mini-mize the power of forgiveness or prayer. But Iwonder if many Methodists, especially those ofus who are defined as white, understand ourcomplicity within the racist systems in our de-nomination and society? Consider for a momenta few examples.

Though neither our ancestors nor we mayhave been personally responsible for relocating

North American indigenous peoples resulting inthousands of deaths, nonetheless Native mortal-ity rates are once again on the rise in comparisonwith the rest of society. We may not have forciblysent children to boarding schools, systemicallydestroying their identities, but it is troubling that25-35 percent of Native children have beenplaced in foster care under suspicious circum-stances.

We may not have denied health care to NativeAmericans, yet they arethree times more likely tosuffer from diabetes. Wemay not have committed aviolent act against an in-digenous woman, but onein three will be raped bynon-native men, accordingto an Amnesty Interna-tional study.

Years ago, we took thetime to negotiate with each individual tribe, toslowly claim their sovereign lands and resourcesfor the United States. But now these people ofmany nations are given the moniker NativeAmerican and lumped together as if they werehomogeneous.

As United Methodists, we are about to makeanother treaty with a few representatives of manypeoples under this moniker. I am concerned thatthere has not been enough education about theissues involved. There has not even been an ac-knowledgment by many about the diversity ofNative peoples in the United States and indige-nous peoples in the world.

Do we realize the consequences of our igno-rance? Do we realize how our belief in Manifest

Destiny has influenced U.S. military and eco-nomic policies around the world? Do we recog-nize how it influences our missionary activities?

This is not just an act of repentance that af-fects how we see history but how UnitedMethodists live into the divine rule of God in thisworld. Plans for further education have been al-luded to but historically we have not done thehard work that comes after an Act of Repentance.It seems that if we are going to truly repent thenour first act must model our subsequent actions.

What if we committed ourselves to the time-consuming work of listening sessions with indi-vidual tribes? Could we do this regardless of theirformal recognition by the U.S. government?Sound like an exhausting and an unwieldy task?How many years and how much time and energydid it take to negotiate, relocate and decimateeach of these sovereign peoples in order to arriveat the present day experience within UnitedMethodism? Do we even know how our denomi-national history is inexorably tied to U.S. historyon this issue?

This is only one view of the plan before us. Iapplaud the effort to bring healing and I believein the power of ritual to change present reality.However, I also join in solidarity with the NativeAmerican International Caucus’ calling for con-tinued dialogue and work with individual tribes.I wish we all would begin to listen to as manyvoices as possible of those Native American andIndigenous peoples who have been affected, forthe healing of the Nations and the UMC.

The Rev. Duchesne is an ordained elder inthe Eastern Pennsylvania Conference andhas a Ph.D. in liturgical studies at DrewUniversity.

‘I am concerned thatthere has not beenenough educationabout the issuesinvolved.’

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | M A R C H 3 0 , 2 0 1 2

FAITH forum 7B

WESLEYAN WISDOM

B Y D O NA L D W. H AY N E SUMR Columnist

Some wise words deserve repeat-ing. Bishop Robert Schnase offeredthis highly accurate observation in arecent interview (Reporter, March 16):“Congregations are the most signifi-cant arena through which the UMCfulfills the purpose of Christ. Godworks through ourcongregations tochange lives, andthrough lives formedby Christ, Godchanges the world.”

Later he saidwith equal accuracy,“For years, UnitedMethodists have ig-nored, denied orblamed others whenconfronted with the reality of our de-cline.” To quote part of his next sen-tence: “This hasn’t helped. Now it’stime for every one of us . . . to take re-sponsibility for a future with hope. Weall have to offer ourselves to beingchanged afresh by the Holy Spirit.”

Thousands of our churches areusing this bishop’s Five Practices ofFruitful Congregations to revitalizetheir churches. I should like to re-spond to the bishop’s accurate obser-vation and warning—thecongregation is the cutting edge of thekingdom.

I currently serve as an interim pas-tor at Kallam Grove Christian Churchin Madison, N.C., a church that is Wes-leyan and Arminian in theology, con-gregational in polity and much likethousands of rural United Methodistchurches in its demographics. Madi-son is 53 miles from my home; so Iam obviously part-time. Most weeks Iam in the parish or the hospital threeweekdays plus Sunday. In a typicalweek, I drive 400 miles for parish-re-lated work. Last December, in my ab-sence, they raised my salary 25percent which I protested to no avail.

Several recent columns in thisspace have received emails fromdispirited laity and discouragedclergy. Two temptations seduce manypastors of small membershipchurches. One is to see this appoint-ment as a stepping stone and thisparish as a cultural backwater com-pared to seminary and suburbia. Thesecond is to acquiesce to the “religiousclub” mentality of churches whosemajor vision is to serve kith and kinand care for the building and ceme-tery.

Since I have immodestly referredto the numerical growth and “re-vi-

sioned” mission at Kallam Grove, Imust speak to others who have losttheir passion for the parish.

Sitting where they sitOur highest priority needs to come

from Ezekiel 3:15. When “appointed”to be pastor to the exiles inMesopotamia, young Ezekiel first “satwhere they sat.” By and by, the visioncame—the valley of dry bones wouldlive again! The sad reality is that ourordination credentials carry littleweight. We must “sit where they sit,”listen to their life stories, pat theirdogs, break bread with them (more inrestaurants than in homes), and prayin their family rooms and barns.

I am well aware that this is anolder paradigm which thousands ofpastors insist does not work in today’ssociety. However, it is the only reasonthe attendance at Kallam Grove hasclimbed from 65 to 135, and the onlyreason we have received 43 new mem-bers in 30 months. One-on-one con-versations are the only reason we hadno dissenting votes in a congrega-tional meeting to spend $23,000 forupgraded sound and audio-visualequipment.

Using the InternetMy next priority is not an old par-

adigm; it is placing the church andweekly sermon on the World WideWeb. I work hard on a new sermonevery week, and our website plus thesocial networks of our people’s Face-book walls can carry the sermon fromour location on a rural side road to the“ends of the earth.” One new membertweaks our website daily. What amaz-ing dividends for the investment ofabout two hours of my time each Sun-day evening! Every pastor in everychurch can do the same.

Radical hospitalityCurrently, we are assimilating the

first two “non-Southern” families intothe congregation in its 138-year his-tory. All the others are either “fromaround here” or have married into themembership. Now we have a familyfrom Maryland and an unmarriedolder adult couple from Boston whobought a “farmette” in North Carolina.I saw the moving van backed up to ahouse that had been on the market fora couple of years, welcomed them tothe community, invited them tochurch, and they never miss. He is 59and will be joining the church by pro-fession of faith and baptism. She isAmerican Baptist and will be transfer-ring. I will marry them on May 6.

One of the women from Maryland

is making a quilt for our youth auc-tion. Her daughter and son-in-lawwere deacons in their non-denomina-tional church in Maryland, which hada band and worshipped in a contem-porary idiom. We don’t, but not oneother pastor visited them after theywere guests at morning worship. Theyare our first family from a differentgeographic region with lots of differ-ent ideas from a very different church.Radical hospitality in any church livesout the “motto” of United Method-ism—open hearts, open minds, opendoors.

Taking care of businessNewspaper editor Ralph McGill

once wrote a wise little book, TheFleas Come with the Dog. True! Eventhe “high calling which is ours” re-quires of us what Bishop Bevel Jonesused to call “administrivia.” Thismeans planning with lay leadership,putting out fires, resolving conflicts,meeting with committees. Over lunchin early March, Rita and Ray and I fi-nalized plans for Palm Sunday’s pro-cession of palm branches, MaundyThursday communion, my annualwashing the feet of the people, Tene-brae, buying paraments, getting alarger baptismal bowl. . . . Rita willtake it from there; I do not need tomicromanage every detail.

Appointed to territoryIn earlier decades when Methodist

growth in the U.S. was phenomenal,Methodist and EUB preachers wereappointed to geographic territories,not to membership rosters and staff.In rural and small-town parishes, anew pastor can quickly connect withthe community at large. Go whereyour people eat and they will intro-duce you around. I like to reach out totable servers and cashiers, banktellers and postal service employees,public library staff and folks at localsports events. They have names andlife journeys, too!

From house to houseDuring house to house visitations

on a recent afternoon, my first stopwas the home of a man and his live-ingirlfriend, both in their late 50s. He isa tough hombre who first introducedhimself with the words, “I believe inGod but not in organized religion.” Hewas confirmed 42 years ago, served acareer in the Army, married threetimes, and was long ago written off asa “hopeless case.” Then three thingshappened in his life: His dad died andI was one of four people who at-tended the funeral, his new neighbors

(the couple from Boston) invited himto church, and his new girlfriend—whom he met as a biker (as in motor-cycle)—is a United Methodist!Result? I am marrying both couples,baptizing Ed, renewing baptism forJay, and receiving Maddy and Robinby membership transfer.

My next stop that afternoon wasto Sara, a 42-year-old who just hadmajor surgery at Duke UniversityMedical Center. Her dad is a retired“IBMer” and they have been a leadingfamily in our congregation since theymoved from the United MethodistChurch 20 years ago. Our conversa-tion that day moved to a request toexplain the Christian year and mystole colors to Sara’s daughters, whothen became acolytes! Result: gainingthe family’s support for buying para-ments for the pulpit and communiontable.

My next visit was to drop by an-other member’s garage/shop and bragon the china closet he is building forour youth auction. Tom is the newchair of our ushers and for the firsttime in our history, we have four ush-ers rather than two, and some ofthem are women! He laughed that sofar, no one has complained. Result:closing the gender gap.

Sam’s farmstead was next. Theprevious Sunday the rest of the familywere at church and Sam was not; so Ijust dropped by to let him know Imissed him. As I traveled down hislong, wooded driveway about 5:00p.m., he was driving his pick-up fromthe barn. One of their sons is recentlyseparated. Sam is a man of few wordsbut as I left, he told me, “Appreciateyou coming by. I’ll be there next Sun-

day.” And the next Sunday, he waspresent!

My next four calls were to olderadults—one for whom hospice hasbeen called in, one a 92-year-oldfarmer who has never joined anychurch but whose family are ourmembers, one a lady who had missedthe last two Sundays which is my clueto check on “why,” and one a Presby-terian who worships with us regularlybecause her church is too far to driveto at age 88. I just needed to let all ofthem know we care, read some Scrip-ture with them and have a prayer.Sometimes I bring Communion.There is much truth in the late BishopNolan Harmon’s wisdom to my ordi-nation class in 1956: “When you crossa threshold, you represent the grace ofGod.” Their families are highly appre-ciative of these drop-by calls.

All over America, new familiesfrom other regions or other nationsare moving into older, establishedneighborhoods. If you live near alarge lake, a golf “mecca,” or areaswhere the economy is shifting to anew clientele, we must connect withthem! There is nothing prohibitiveabout United Methodism. In the spiritand with the missional thrust of thecircuit riders, we must “cross everystream, climb every mountain, getinto every apartment complex, touchevery mobile home park, and followevery lead” as we build or re-buildvital congregations.

Dr. Haynes is a retired member of the Western North CarolinaConference. He’s the author of On the Threshold of Grace:Methodist Fundamentals. Email:dhaynes11@triad.rr.com.

Building (or re-building) a vital congregation

DonaldHaynes

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FAITH focus8B

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Sandra Fluke, a United Methodist and third-year law student atGeorgetown University, testified in February during a hearingbefore the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee onwomen’s health and contraception.

B Y BA R B A R A D U N L A P- B E R GUnited Methodist News Service

B Y K AT H Y L . G I L B E RTUnited Methodist News Service

Longtime UMBishop Duffeydies at 91

United Methodist Bishop Paul An-drews Duffey, 91, died March 18 inGeorgia after a brief illness.

In 1980, the Southeastern Juris-dictional Conference elected Duffeyto the episcopacy. He was assigned tothe Louisville Area and served eightyears. He also was secretary of theCouncil of Bishops from 1984 to1988, and later served as bishop-in-residence at First United MethodistChurch, Montgomery, Ala.

Born in Brownsville, Tenn., Duffeyspent much of his childhood in EastTallassee, Ala. After attending theUniversity of Ala-bama, he finishedhis degree at Birm-ingham-SouthernCollege. While serv-ing a student ap-pointment, Duffeyearned a Master ofDivinity degreefrom the DivinitySchool at VanderbiltUniversity. Beforefinishing his formal education, hejoined the Tennessee Conference,where he was ordained deacon andelder, both times by Bishop Paul B.Kern.

He served the Chapel Hill Circuitin the Tennessee Conference, thenministered in six different appoint-ments in the Alabama-West FloridaConference. In 1976, Duffey wasnamed district superintendent of theMontgomery District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference.

Bishop Duffey and Louise Cal-houn were married in Selma, Ala., onJune 20, 1944. She died in 2010. Theirchildren are Melanie Claire Duffey(Mrs. David N. Hutto Jr.) and Paul A.Duffey Jr.

“His wisdom and Christlike loveabounded in all he did. We seek to liveand lead as he did as we serve ourchurches, conference and Christ,” saidBishop Paul L. Leeland, Alabama-West Florida Conference. “. . . I find itdifficult to sum up his exemplary lifein just a few short sentences. We takecomfort in knowing he was welcomedinto the Kingdom as a good and faith-ful servant and pray for his childrenand extended family during this diffi-cult time.”

Services for Duffey were heldMarch 23 at First UMC, Montgomery.A private burial was held prior to theservices.

Bishop PaulDuffey

UM student reacts to Limbaugh comment

Google “Sandra Fluke” and youwill find hundreds of news stories ei-ther praising or demonizing the youngGeorgetown law student for speakingout about the need for women to haveinsurance coverage for contraceptives.

Behind all that buzz is a lifelongUnited Methodist who said growingup in the church taught her to speakout for others who need help, “even ifthat wasn’t a popular thing to do.”

The Rev. Richard Fluke, Sandra’sfather, is a part-time licensed localpastor who shares the pulpit atTatesville United Methodist Church inEverett, Pa., with two other pastors.Both he and his wife, Betty Kay, areproud of their daughter.

“We were excited that she would beable to share the very compelling sto-ries of her friends who need contra-ception for medical purposes,” theRev. Fluke said.

Public spotlightThe student was thrust into the

public spotlight after her testimony ata Congressional hearing drew sharpcriticism from popular talk-radio per-sonality Rush Limbaugh, who calledher a “slut” and a “prostitute.”

Ms. Fluke spoke to the House ofRepresentatives Committee on Gov-ernment Oversight and Reform onFeb. 23. She said she was asked to tes-tify after a staff member heard herspeaking at a news conference withCatholic Students for Women’s Health.

The students spoke out in supportof the Obama administration rulingon a provision of the 2010 health-carelaw that would require church-affili-ated employers to cover contraceptivesand other preventive services in theirhealth insurance plans.

After the charges of violating reli-gious liberty, President Obama offereda compromise: Religiously-affiliated

universities and hospitals will not beforced to offer contraception coverageto their employees. Insurers will be re-quired, however, to offer complete cov-erage free of charge to any womenwho work at such institutions.

The U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops said the ruling was a violationof religious liberty.

“At Georgetown University, I amsurrounded by women who are im-pacted by the lack of contraceptivecoverage on our student insurance.This is a problem women on campustalk about regularly because it affectsso many of us on a regular basis,” Ms.Fluke said, in an interview withUnited Methodist News Service.

“We have been fighting to changethis policy for decades. When you hearthat your friend has lost an ovary be-cause she couldn’t afford the contra-ception she needed to prevent ovariancysts, or that a student needs contra-ception to correct a hormonal imbal-ance and prevent frequent debilitatingseizures, how can anyone not feelstrongly about a law that would helpthose women?”

Mr. Limbaugh called her statementa request to be “paid to have sex.” Hespoke about her on his talk show Feb.29 and March 1. At one point he said,“If we are going to pay for your con-traceptives, and thus pay for you tohave sex, we want something for it,and I’ll tell you what it is. We want youto post the videos online so we can allwatch.”

Mr. Limbaugh, also a UnitedMethodist who is a member of Cente-nary United Methodist Church inCape Girardeau, Mo., did not respondto questions emailed to him fromUnited Methodist News Service.

‘Shocked and hurt’Ms. Fluke said she was “shocked

and hurt” by Mr. Limbaugh’s com-ments, but she recognized the slurs asan attempt to silence her and otherwomen. “I was also hurt when someconservative Christian leaders down-played how inappropriate it was that Iwas attacked in that way. I thoughtthey would stand firm and say thatthose attacks were not a model forhow persons of faith should conductthemselves when debating public pol-icy.”

Though Mr. Limbaugh did apolo-gize to Ms. Fluke on March 5, she saidhis apology “didn’t change anything.”

In his apology, Mr. Limbaugh saidhis “choice of words was not the best.”According to news reports, several ad-vertisers have pulled their ads fromThe Rush Limbaugh Show because ofhis statements about Ms. Fluke.

“That statement was issued when

he was under pressure from sponsorswho were withdrawing their supportand from radio stations that no longerwanted to air his radio program andprovide him a platform to expressthose views,” said Ms. Fluke.

Ms. Fluke said she has receivedhundreds of letters of support, and aphone call from President Obama.

“I thought it was very kind of himto do,” she said. “I was very honored to

someone says their religious liberty isbeing infringed upon does not make itso. Just because the Catholic hierarchysays that birth control is a sin againstGod does not make it so. . . .

“Contraception benefits society. Itreduces the spread of sexually trans-mitted diseases, reduces the need forabortions, and assists families to planthe number and spacing of their chil-dren.”

‘We have been fighting to change thispolicy for decades. . . . [How] cananyone not feel strongly about a lawthat would help those women?’

—Sandra Fluke

Rush Limbaugh

speak with him and touched by hisconcern for me and my family.”

Church policyThe UMC supports the rights of

men and women to have access to“comprehensive reproductivehealth/family planning informationand services that will serve as ameans to prevent unplanned pregnan-cies, reduce abortions, and prevent thespread of HIV/AIDS” (2008 Book ofDiscipline, Social Principles, 162V).

The church has also spoken out insupport of health-care reform.

“I think it’s very important that thepublic understand that people of faithsupport the Affordable Care Act Con-traception Regulation and other lawsthat help women access comprehen-sive reproductive health care,” Ms.Fluke said.

In a column by Jim Winkler, topexecutive of the denomination’s socialaction agency, he writes, “Just because

Ms. Fluke said the current regula-tion does not require religiously-affili-ated employers to contribute anymoney toward insurance coverage ofcontraception. Religiously-affiliateduniversities do not contribute to stu-dent insurance, and the regulationdoes not apply to houses of worship,she pointed out.

“If an institution chooses to enterthe public sphere, our Constitution re-quires that the institution abide by thesame laws as everyone else, and thatthe employees and students of thoseinstitutions be protected just likeother citizens,” she said.

Ms. Fluke said she encourageswomen to share their concerns aboutreproductive health policies. Sharingconcerns means others will also careabout those policies, she said.

“Building that support is how wecan bring about increased access towomen’s reproductive health care to-gether.”