By James V. Heidinger II,
President and Publisher
GOOD NEWS PERSPECTIVE – No. 13, Febuary 14, 2008
Welcome to this issue of Perspective, Good News’ e-mail newsletter sent out every two weeks or so to United Methodists across the nation. We hope you are finding it helpful and informative. If so, feel free to forward it to family, friends, or persons in your local church who might be interested in receiving it. The e-mail is free. To subscribe, send your e-mail address to: perspective@goodnewsmag.org. E-mail addresses will not be sold or shared.
GOOD NEWS BOARD ISSUES CALL TO PRAYER FOR UNITED METHODIST RENEWAL – Knowing the critical importance of the issues that will come before the 2008 General Conference, the Good News board at its January meeting took action affirming a National Call to Prayer for United Methodist Renewal.
We are urging United Methodists to use the Lenten Season and on through General Conference to renew their commitment to personal prayer each morning, and to begin corporate noon-time prayer weekly, in fervent intercession for renewal and revival within the United Methodist Church.
Amazing things happen when God’s people begin to pray earnestly. The noon prayer meeting movement, begun by Jeremiah Lanphier in New York City in 1857, started out with just six persons. Within a few months, there were twenty meetings in the city, and then the movement spread to Chicago and other cities in America, then to the British Isles and around the world. Estimates are that up to one million persons were converted in America and another million in Great Britain and Ireland. It all began with six persons praying at noontime in New York City. It could happen again.
The Good News board also honored long-time board member, the Rev. Dr. Riley Case, by presenting him with the 7th Annual Edmund W. Robb, Jr. United Methodist Renewal Award. Riley is a retired clergy member of the North Indiana Conference, a former district superintendent, and delegate to numerous general conferences.
For the full news release from the Good News board meeting in January, go to: Good News press release 2/11/08
BUSH LIBRARY CONTROVERSY CONTINUES – United Methodists who oppose having a George W. Bush Presidential Library and policy institute at Southern Methodist University are making their final push to prevent that from happening.
And judging from the lack of clarity over who has final authority to approve the proposed library complex, it may come down to how United Methodist Church law is interpreted.
The Bush Foundation, which is in charge of construction and fundraising for the library, had asked for clarification in January on a decision by the South Central Jurisdiction’s mission council to allow SMU land to be leased to the foundation. The jurisdiction owns the land at SMU that would be used for the library, museum, and policy institute.
The Jurisdiction’s 11 active bishops voted 10-0 (with one abstention) to send a letter to the foundation saying the mission council’s approval was all that was needed.
But opponents of the Bush library say that letter bypasses church procedure and that Jurisdictional Conference delegates must approve the land use, not the mission council or bishops. They are concerned that if construction begins before the delegates meet in July, the issue will be moot.
Critics say they are against SMU hosting the presidential library because some of the Bush administration’s policies allegedly conflict with church teaching.
On the other hand, proponents say the library would be an invaluable asset to the university because it would provide opportunity for scholarly, historical research, and would also help boost the local economy.
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are long-time United Methodists. The first lady earned her bachelor's degree in education at SMU and she is also on the institution’s board of trustees.
Mary Brooke Casad, chair of the North Texas Conference delegation, said the mission council’s decision should stand.
Bishop Scott Jones (Kansas Area), president of the jurisdiction’s College of Bishops and an SMU trustee who supports the library, said that SUM has acted in accordance with church procedures during the negotiation phase.
For the full story by Robin Russell, Managing Editor of UMPortal.org, go to: http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3112
PRE-GENERAL CONFERENCE BRIEFING GIVES GLIMPSE OF WHAT’S COMING IN FORT WORTH -- Some 300 delegation heads, church journalists, caucus representatives, and church leaders gathered January 24-26 in Fort Worth for an briefing on what can be expected when the 2008 General Conference convenes in Fort Worth on April 23.
What delegates can expect is wider international representation, a denominational budget built around four new areas of focus, and carefully planned opening sessions aimed at fostering unity through common ministry instead of gridlock over divisive social issues.
Weary of decades of the church’s top legislative meeting being consumed by debate over homosexuality and other hot-button issues, the Council of Bishops and other denominational leaders have shaped a new churchwide agenda with the overarching purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Church leaders believe this new focus will help United Methodists unite to address the world’s core needs, reclaim the church’s Wesleyan heritage, start a movement and, as a bonus, reverse decades of declining membership trends.
The new agenda includes four areas of focus: developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; creating “new places for new generations” by starting new churches and renewing existing ones; engaging in ministry with the poor; and fighting the killer diseases of poverty such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. These are areas of focus, it should be noted, for which the Good News board has expressed public support.
Delegates at the briefing said it’s time for Jesus Christ to “do a new thing with our church.” Most evangelicals would heartily welcome that for the church.
One delegate, expressing frustration at how much time General Conferences spend on “discordant social issues” which are “so predictable in their outcomes,” said, “Friends, we’re going to have to lay down our arms on these other issues if we want to deal with the (new) ones.” Perhaps it needs to be said that if Soulforce and friends interrupt proceedings on the floor of General Conference with a protest once again, such a 30-minute intrusion shuts down the work of the delegates and costs the General Conference 500 person-hours of work
Many evangelicals believe that issues pertaining to human sexuality have been dealt with fairly and compassionately at the last seven General Conferences and that our standards have served the church well. We would welcome a General Conference focused on reclaiming the church’s Wesleyan heritage and starting 600 new churches in the next four years.
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