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General Conference 2004
Rocky Mountain Conference News and Resources
Day 1
Bishops
express hope for ‘holy conferencing’
April 26, 2004
A UMNS Report By Neill Caldwell*
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) — On the eve of the United Methodist Church’s
2004 General Conference, the denomination’s Council of Bishops
has issued a pastoral letter expressing hope for an atmosphere
of love and prayerful Christian conferencing.
The bishops pointed to issues surrounding this General Conference
that are creating a “sense of anxiety.” Those issues
include visa problems encountered by some international delegates,
financial and stewardship challenges, concerns about war and terrorism,
continued threats of racism and poverty, and issues related to
homosexuality.
“Fear and anxiety are not the only forces at work in the
world,” the council said in its April 26 letter. “When
Jesus Christ is present, we have nothing to fear. We are convinced
more than ever that Jesus Christ is with us here, leading us to
serve in all that we do.”
Quoting Philippians 1:9, the bishops said their prayer for the
General Conference delegates is “that your love will overflow
more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine
what is best.”
During its meeting preceding General Conference, the Council of
Bishops had long hours of discussion about the tensions that are
surrounding this gathering of United Methodists.
“
We’ve had, in this council meeting, quite extensive conversation
on the present situation of the church and how we should lead,” said
Bishop Ruediger R. Minor, president of the council and leader of
the church’s Eurasia Area. “While we’re not encroaching
on the rights of the General Conference, which is the governing
body of the church, we do want to help General Conference find
a spirit of Christian conferencing by listening to each other and
putting things in the right dimension.”
The 2004 General Conference begins April 27 and continues through
May 7 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
The letter calls each General Conference a “pivotal moment” in
the life of the church. General Conference is held every four years
and is the gathering that determines changes to the denomination’s
governing Book of Discipline.
Many of the petitions before this General Conference deal with
sexuality, and a recent survey of delegates said that homosexuality
would be a chief topic of discussion. The tension surrounding the
issue has escalated with the March 20 acquittal of the Rev. Karen
Dammann in a clergy trial in the Pacific Northwest Annual (regional)
Conference. Dammann was acquitted of a charge of practices “incompatible
with Christian teaching” — a violation of the Book
of Discipline — stemming from her disclosure in 2001 that
she was living in a homosexual partnership.
The bishops are responding to a growing concern that decisions
made at this General Conference could split the United Methodist
Church.
“That’s certainly one of the fears that people have,” said
Arkansas Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, part of the writing team that
worked on the council’s letter. “That’s why we
spoke to the unity issue very strongly.”
Addressing church unity, the letter reads: “As a Council
of Bishops, we consider ourselves to be family. That means we love
each other, we listen to each other, and sometimes we vigorously
disagree with each other. However, we do not question the integrity
of our colleagues and their commitment to fulfill the responsibilities
entrusted to them. We have learned that honest struggle is a part
of love. Our love for Christ, the church and one another transcends
our differences.
“On some issues, including human sexuality, we are not of
one opinion. At the same time, we are united in our commitment
to Jesus Christ. We are united in our commitment to practice and
advocate unity. We are united in our commitment to uphold the Book
of Discipline. … Schism is not a part of God’s plan
for the church.”
Huie said the bishops spent a good deal of time praying over these
concerns.
“We spent three or four hours in covenant groups gathered
in prayerful discernment about the church and what is heavy on
people’s hearts,” she said. “We spent a good
deal of time in prayer.
“We’re aware of the concerns and the fears,” Huie
added. “We, as the Council of Bishops, wanted to say a word
to General Conference from all of us, that we approach these two
weeks with confidence and hope.”
The bishops said they hope the letter will have an impact on the
tone of General Conference.
“It’s an invitation to holy conferencing, with a sense
of hope that General Conference will conduct itself in that manner,” Huie
said. “We’re prayerful and hopeful, and looking forward
to this General Conference.”
*Neill Caldwell is a correspondent for the United Methodist News
Service
News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference,
April 27-May 7.
After May 10: (615) 742-5470.
********************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at
: http://umns.umc.org
General Conference links:
*Please note: people have been experiencing access problems with
the GC site and related pages, due
to the high volume of traffic they are receiving. Don't
be afraid to try again later!* You can also try the General Board
of Global Ministries General Conference 2004 site.
General Conference 2004 Web site
General Board of Global
Ministries GC2004 site.
Please keep the Rocky Mountain Conference Delegates in
prayer: Janet Forbes, Youngsook Kang, Olon Lindemood,
Chuck Schuster, Aaron Gray, Judy Hill, Brad Laurvick, Dan O'Neill,
Liwliwa Robledo, and Peggy Sewell.
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