From the General (& Jurisdictional)

The Consecration of Bishops -- Later

2008-07-19T09:53:00.001-08:00

Because of scheduling, I will not be able to attend the consecration of Bishops this afternoon. Therefore, I will be relying on Crystal Hayden and Dave Dapcevich for pictures at a later time.

Thank you for allowing me to serve the Alaska Missionary Conference. It has been my pleasure. It has been my honor. Thank you.

Alaska's New Bishop -- Grant Hagiya

2008-07-19T09:49:00.003-08:00

He comes to us out of the California-Pacific Conference. We will have a time for greeting him in September or October of this year. Your delegation was very happy with the election process and the selection of Grant to serve as our Bishop.

12:56 AM -- New Bishop -- Elaine Stanovsky

2008-07-18T23:44:00.003-08:00

On the 25th Ballot, the Western Jurisdiction elected Elaine Stanovsky, from the Pacific Northwest Conference, as Bishop in the United Methodist Church

New Bishop --- Grant Hagiya -- on the 16th Ballot

2008-07-18T19:18:00.002-08:00

Bishop Hagiya was elected on the 16th ballot, at approximately 8 PM Pacific Time.

Sorry about shortness of posts

2008-07-18T16:01:00.001-08:00

There's been a lot of balloting and not much time to type.

Thanks to Dave Dapcevich for the pictures below. Those are the kind of pictures you get when you have a "real" photographer.

Pics from Dave Dapcevich

2008-07-18T16:00:00.002-08:00

Pics from Dave Dapcevich

2008-07-18T15:58:00.002-08:00

Pics from Dave Dapcevich

2008-07-18T15:56:00.004-08:00

TWELVE Ballots -- No Bishop

2008-07-18T15:53:00.002-08:00

Here is a pic of the candidates

Five Ballots -- No Bishop

2008-07-17T22:12:00.002-08:00

We've had a total of 5 ballots cast and have not elected a Bishop as of yet. It seems that there is some consensus building around Grant Hagiya of Cal-Pac (he would be awesome as a bishop). You can see results from around the United Methodist Church here.

I have to say, all of the top vote-getters would be very good leaders of the United Methodist Church. Wherever the Spirit leads, it appears we will be blessed with two wonderful new bishops.

"Fishbowl" questions

2008-07-17T22:08:00.003-08:00

While some may ask whether calling this a "fishbowl" is the appropriate, but it kind of is... There are 16 episcopal candidates -- some endorsed by conferences and some nominated from the floor or by "caucus groups." Today was a day where they had small question and answer time with a group 3 or 4 candidates. There were set questions that had been given to them in advance plus time for general questions from delegates. Rose was the facilitator of one of the "fishbowl" forums -- and it was like being in fishbowl for the candidates. It's a way to see what their views are on a certain set of questions.

Later on, we met with some of the candidates. It has been us and the Pacific Northwest Conference together.

Lonnie and JoAnne

2008-07-17T22:03:00.005-08:00

Your Alaskans are serving in leadership down here in Portland. Lonnie was chair of the Nominations Committee and gave a report to the conference. JoAnne Hayden chaired the Rules Committee and we have a picture of her giving her report here as well.

Bishop Ed Paup Giving the Episcopal Address

2008-07-17T21:56:00.003-08:00

He had the "sermon time" during our opening worship today. It was a chance to say goodbye to him and have him be recognized by the whole Western Jurisdiction. Besides that, it was a great sermon.

Alaskans in action

2008-07-17T21:44:00.006-08:00

Dennis Holway serving as teller.

Rachel & Rose engaged in "holy conferencing."

Judy Shoup here for the Jurisdictional CF&A.

Dave Dapcevich takin' photos.

Self portrait -- Jim Doepken

Pics of (still Bishop for now) Ed Paup pitching at Dodger Stadium

2008-07-17T19:29:00.004-08:00

He said it was a strike on the outside corner at the knees.

Three Alaskans to Serve on General Agencies

2008-07-17T13:21:00.002-08:00

Our slate of nominations was just approved:

Lonnie Brooks -- General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Georgina Dapcevich -- General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns
Jo Anne Hayden -- General Board of Global Ministries

Alaska had 8.1% of the total nominations from the West.

We celebrate the work of The Alaska United Methodist Conference in the larger United Methodist Church.

From the Western Jurisdiction, over 1/2 of our General Agency Delegates were Racial-Ethnic Persons and over 1/2 were female and over 1/2 of the total were laity. These are all very talented and faithful persons and it was wonderful to be part of a process where so many qualified persons were being considered.

If you have any questions when we get back to Alaska, feel free to direct questions to any members of our delegation or to Lonnie or Jim who were part of the Nominations Committee.

Introduced to Episcopal Candidates Wednesday

2008-07-17T06:46:00.001-08:00

There are some really strong persons. It makes me excited to see that there are some wonderful, faithful, very smart persons who feel called to lead the church through the office of Bishop. Today we start taking real votes.

I'll update more later.

Let the games begin!

2008-07-16T11:59:00.002-08:00

Nominations has finished its work for the time being -- still needs to be approved on the conference floor.

Dave Beckett was able to go for a run. I was able to get into the exercise room for a little workout. Lunches have been had. We're planning to get together with PNW tomorrow AM.

In just a minute the plenary sessions will begin. Great music from the background now.

Here we go.

Rose & JoAnne are here for meetings. Pics below.

2008-07-15T21:22:00.003-08:00

"What I did today" -- Jim Doepken

2008-07-15T20:56:00.004-08:00

I was in meetings......

We'll to be more specific, I was in the Jurisdictional Nominations Committee Meeting. Lonnie was elected chair of the committee. Under his leadership, we tried to take about 250 names and fit them into about 30 allotted spots on general agencies and boards -- no small task. Alaska is only allowed 2-3 names...which gives us very little representation. And, really, it's tough across the jurisdiction. We, frankly, have some very wonderful clergy and laity. Many of them will be able to serve in the larger church. Many more will not because of proportional representation. We continue meeting tomorrow at 8 AM and the full conference begins in the afternoon.

Tonight many of us went to a Methodists for Social Action dinner/worship/planning session. It was a beautiful night and we were able to eat outside. Here's a pic of the house where we were.
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Dave & Jim in their room

2008-07-14T16:32:00.003-08:00

Thanks to Dave, it appears that we have free internet in our room -- something about a Hilton Rewards Card. This is good news. Besides the fact that this cuts down on trivial conversation between the two of us and replaces it with the bottomless pit of internet trivialities, it means that I'll be able to post in the evening. (Some would argue that this means more trivial blogging. But hopefully there will be some good information here as well.)

Arrived in Portland -- for Jurisdictional Conference

2008-07-14T15:26:00.003-08:00

Dave Beckett and I arrived in Portland. Saw Bishop Ed Paup in the hotel. Pre-conference meetings begin tomorrow so most of the Alaska Delegation will be arriving later this evening.

A note about blogging here -- Unlike at General Conference, I will be a full delegate here and don't expect to have as much time to blog. We have wireless internet in several places, including our hotel room (thanks Dave!). But there is no "press room" I'll get to sit in to type all of the time. That being said, I hope to have a few updates each day.

So, sit back. Enjoy the posts. I'll have more to report as the conference goes on.

Peace,

Jim

Sinking in -- Some thoughts

2008-05-03T21:33:00.003-08:00

This is just a brief post of some reflections as I need to be finishing up a sermon....

1) I've been thinking more and more about the various "losses" for the Western Jurisdiction and Alaska. I'm upset about losing a bishop. However I can understand the financial and missional arguments for this move. I'm upset but I understand. I'm having more trouble with the "proportional" representation on the General Boards as their membership goes up. I think that is a huge loss for the unique mission settings and diversity of the West Coast. I think this is going to be more painful for Alaska than losing a bishop in the region. Not sure I've thought this out fully. But I can't help but thinking that this is going to be a more painful loss. Our collective voice just got a whole lot smaller.

2) I was wondering why it is that I came home a day early, not seeing the General Conference to to the end. I think this comes down to my lack of understanding of how Conference works and what the schedule was going to be. I knew it ended on May 2nd and, when Rachel was getting a ticket for me, I said I'd like to leave on the 2nd. I was feeling a little guilty today after a night in my own bed, knowing that the rest of the Alaskan delegation was just heading out today. I'm sure they are looking forward to a good night sleep tonight.

3) As a conference, we owe a lot of gratitude to Dave & Georgie for representing us well. Plus, I want to say a thank you to Lonnie for his leadership when it comes to legislation. I know that, during this past week or so, I learned a lot about the legislative side of General Conference. Much of what I learned comes from him.

Heading out of General Conference

2008-05-01T12:28:00.003-08:00

Friends,

My plane leaves tomorrow AM, early, and I need to return my rental car this afternoon. Therefore, I'll be heading out of General Conference within the half hour. As of right now, 15 minutes of debate is coming to a close about a change to the church constitution on petition 80812 that deals with the global nature of the church and changing the language of "Central Conferences" for those conferences outside the US. The issue has been whether the language should be "shall" or "may" and what's the difference between the two. The larger issue, however, is if, by supporting the conferences outside of the US with clearer language as to what they are called, we're changing and understanding of conferences inside the US.

Look, we are a "people of the Book," the Bible. We believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But our organization stretches across nations and cultures and we are working, together, for global missions. The work that the United Methodist Church does is not just impressive. It is a testimony to the Savior in whom we believe. Our music...our preaching...our outreach...even this week of "holy conferencing"... It is not perfect. No one here will claim that it is. And, I leave praying that God's hand will redeem all that we have done in this place, no matter how imperfect it is (Methodists are "moving on to perfection," right?).

As Wesley gathered with his class leaders in England, overseeing the work of the Methodist movement, he would have had no concept of what it would have been like to try to organize a church of 11.5 million. But, then again, he would have had no idea that his theological descendants would have an Africa University, or Nothing But Nets, or "Central Conferences," or would be spreading like wildfire in Africa. This is a big deal.

And so, because it is a big deal as we go about the global mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ, we pay attention to details...and it's here that the details get ironed out. (Many times they are ironed, folded, put away, pulled out to re-wash without even wearing them, wash, dried, altered, folded again, and finally hung up for good!)

May God bless our United Methodist Church.

I'll be posting more items as I find information on the web. I do hope we'll have reports from the delegates in the May "Aurora Witness" (which will be late). If this attention to detail is your cup of tea, keep checking the General Conference website for information. Not only is their website prettier, it's probably a lot more accurate.

Control of the Judicial Council

2008-05-01T12:09:00.002-08:00

We were about 25 minutes later to dinner than I thought we would be last night because of a rather lengthy ruling from the Judicial Council. I had already dropped off Lonnie, Jo Anne, and Kay at my Aunt's house and had gone back for the others. Dinner break was to be at 5 PM. I figured they would be a little late. I got here at around 5:10 and went inside. Still meeting.... At about 4:25 the judicial council ruling was read. I'm not sure how many pages it was, but when standing in the back, knowing that dinner was waiting, it seemed to go on way to long. (Actually, you could hear a couple of groans each time a page was turned. It had been a long day.)

However, I did kind of follow what was going on with the ruling. Picture, if you will, the US House of Representatives ruling on issues of the Supreme Court, perhaps even listing the various times that one of them had to sit out a ruling. The General Conference had some petitions that would have limited the power of the Judicial Council...or at tried to control it in one way or another. This gets into the whole issue of separation of powers. It was much more interesting when I wasn't in a hurry for dinner.

See the report on the UMC website.

And now a word from Bill Gates....

2008-05-01T11:56:00.004-08:00

No, it's not THAT Bill Gates...but THAT Bill Gates' dad.

He came to speak of the work of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Nothing But Nets and its campaign against malaria.

"This is a humanitarian issue. People are dying. That should be enough."

William Gates, Sr. gave a very nice speech (more than those three sentences) talking about some of the work of the foundation.

Bishop Nhihiwata of Zimbabwe responded. On behalf of all of the countries represented by the Bishops here and the persons who have received nets, Thank You.

Again, the Global Nature of the Church stares me in the face. Mission around the world. These are some of the main things that I will take from this General Conference. What a gift to be able to hear so many good speakers on this issue.

The UM Reporter Official News on Sexual Orientation Discussion

2008-05-01T09:49:00.002-08:00

Here's the link, here.

There you go. Let this serve as the official reporting.

Susie Smalley Speaks as COSROW Monitor

2008-05-01T09:33:00.002-08:00

They are checking up to make sure that diverse viewpoints are expressed, both in committees and on the conference floor. See the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women site for more info.

Thursday AM Worship -- "The Remembering of Hope"

2008-05-01T08:57:00.003-08:00

Prelude -- Christ United Methodist Church for the deaf Sign language drums

Invocation: “Gathering Chant”

Hymn: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

First Reading Psalm 104:1-24 Read dramatically

Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Response “Seasons of Love” -- a Choral piece

Second Reading Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

_____________________
Sermon “Jesus, Remember Me” preached by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung

[Very good and pointed sermon. I hope the full, actual text will be made available online. This is not completely accurate. I'm not that fast a typist.]

When, on the cross, Jesus turned to the one next to him, condemned for a capital offense, he said, “You will be with me in paradise.” He did not ask for his stance on the issues. He didn’t check his morals. He didn’t ask if he had been good. The man asks for Jesus to remember him. And Jesus says you will be with me in paradise.

"Remember" comes from “member," meaning a part of the body, like an arm or an eye or an ear. Therefore, Paul talks of the "members" of the church and and the body of the church.

So the man asks to be "remembered" or “put back together” even as he’s being tormented on the cross. And Jesus says, “You will be with him in paradise” This is the only story we have of Jesus making this promise to an individual in the Bible.

So, who will not be REMEMBERED by Jesus? Will other criminals be excluded? Will those who disagree with us? He forgives not only those who will kill him, but his forgiveness knows no boundaries.

When Jesus remembers us, we are put back together again, whether in this life or the life to come. When we remember those who have died, they are indeed brought back together with us in the living body of Christ. So, when we have communion we join with those who are present and those who have gone on, the saints, and the body is “REMEMBERED.” It is put back together again.

In Fort Worth, we have found ourselves at odds with each other. But remember what Paul says about the body of Christ. We belong together. And we are organically combined. We are members of one another.

We, as UMs, started as a small ray in John Wesley’s heart and extended east and west and north and south and we are now a global church. God expects us to give space for others to be ...that reality is made up of others...by loving others...by appreciating our differences. No one is less faithful or less honorable. We belong to God. How long will we refuse to bring them into this beloved community? How long?

We remember those who have faithfully served our church and, as we name them in our hearts today, the body is brought back together. We remember the tragedy of war and violence and dehumanization. We remember those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan -- our military and those who were caught in the crossfire. Katrina. Afghanistan. College campus violence. We pray for young people who feel vulnerable in their everyday lives.

When I was a young boy, a friend and I were playing along the Yellow Sea. Our country of Korea had been divided. People in the South feared those in the North. And those from the North feared those in the South. There was something interesting on the shore and my friend touched it. What the friend touched was a military mine. And, today, I remember my friend.

I look forward for the healing of the Korean Peninsula. How long, O Lord....
I remember those hit by food shortages while people are hungry in the world while those who are in wealthy countries have more than enough. We remember those struggling with unfair labor practices.

When I was a new Christian, I thought all of my Buddhist and shamanistic past should be rejected. And, as a young Christian, I wouldn't follow the traditional funeral ritual at the death of my father. It was left for the rest of my family to go up the mountain to fulfill the traditional ritual. I had formed my belief on rejecting those things that weren’t specifically Christian and not on adopting the way of Christ. Years later I made the trek up the mountain and repented of my arrogance.

Mark Twain said, "It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that bother me, but the parts that I do understand."

Jesus welcomed everybody. He forgave the sinner. We understand this. Mark Twain is right. It is those parts that really, really bother us.

We have a battle here (in this place) between purity and hospitality. If we focus too much on purity, we make an idol of our beliefs, putting up the wall. If we focus only on hospitality, we forget the balance of the church.

We need to continually to expand our loving living. We stand at a a crossroad again. We need to remember that Christianity is not about being theologically correct but it’s about following Jesus. As Wesley said, "If your heart be my heart, then give me your hand." But we need to follow Christ Jesus together.

Bishop Jung recounted the story of Walk to Emmaus. Jesus walks with them and is a stranger. Then, they remember him in the breaking of the bread. The dismembered body was now remembered. As they shared this blessed bread with the stranger they knew Christ was in their midst. They were remembered...restored...how glorious is.

It is not that we save ourselves by having the right opinions about Christ, but Christ saves us just as we are. It is not that we remember Jesus, but that Jesus remembers us. If Jesus promises to remember one who was a criminal, could not he remember us as well.

God’s love is unconditional, unconditional. It is unlimited. Ask him to remember you. Ask him to remember you. He will.
_______________________

Prayer -- "Jesus remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

Time of Remembering the bishops who have “joined the cloud of witnesses” -- 14 of them died since last General Conference.

Hymn: "A Cloud of Witnesses"

Benediction

Closing Song “Give Thanks for Life”

Western Jurisdiction Meeting --Thurs. May 1

2008-05-01T06:38:00.004-08:00

These times to gather with Jurisdictional members are not all about plotting strategy or licking wounds or celebrating victories. It's also about sharing time with those who are members of the West, with whom we will work on a regional level and with whom we will share ministries and ideas.

We were happy to hear that that the Global Ministries legislative group got through all of their petitions. This committee had serious difficulty getting through its assigned items.

I think it is honest to say that there were many in the West who felt like they were on the "losing side" of the votes on human sexuality. This would not be news to anyone who has been on the Conference Floor. And I need to say here that this is not the only issue that has been on our plates here. We had one of the new Judicial Council nominees join us, for instance. But the human sexuality debate is a visible issue. It seems to me that the church is of two minds here...but actually of more minds than this....and it's very hard to see a "middle" anywhere.

And questions that arise are big. There are questions about how welcoming we can be while weighing that with our understanding of Scripture. And, of course, there's the question of what "welcoming" actually means in full. Who do we welcome? What preconditions do we include? Does welcoming mean church membership or ordination or marriage? Can welcoming mean something short of that?

While these discussions can be painful for the church, and even more painful for those who participate in it directly, it is not bad to discuss theology and Scripture. It is a good exercise to ask which parts of the Bible we will enforce as a precondition to membership or ordination. The words against homosexual practice? The words for tithing? The words against women speaking in the church? How about Proverbs 16:30, "He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity?" Which ones are more relevant considering our prevailing culture? Which parts of Scripture are more relevant than others when looking at the whole Word of God (or is it all equally relevant)? Which parts are metaphorical? How do we interpret Scripture in such a way that we are prophetic witness in the world? This is a good exercise. It is aways good to immerse ourselves in the Word of God and its application for our lives and our church. It's just hard to do it with cameras on you and with passions being worn on sleeves.

I want to remind you that anything that you think you read above as an official policy of the Alaska Conference is not official policy. There is very little that's "official" about this. I'm just letting folks know what's going on. As topics get divisive, I'm reminded of this blog's lack of official-ness again. I hope I have sufficiently tip-toed around, while trying to let the folks in Alaska in on the happenings.

What I'm Missing at Home

2008-04-30T18:43:00.003-08:00

My 10-year old twin daughters are in their first school play tonight. It's a musical. My 12-year old son has a major role. To be fair, I was planning to be at General Conference before I knew the date of the play. And, while I love them very much, flying home just to see the play and then flying back didn't seem like good stewardship of financial resources or personal time.

Let us, then, be mindful of what all 1000 delegates are missing at home. There is a much to be thankful for, being in this place. And much work is getting done, even though not all of it is pleasant. Yet, we all are missing something at home.

(Just a note: The above may not apply quite as much to delegates from the Fort Worth Area. This is their "home" even though, with the schedule, they probably aren't at their physical homes very much.)

Alaskan Delegates Get Out of Town for Dinner

2008-04-30T18:05:00.004-08:00

Tonight most of the Alaskan delegation (Rachel had another commitment) made it out to my Aunt Janie's home in Arlington, Texas. It took a while to get us all there, particularly since there was a 25 minute judicial council ruling read at the end of the plenary. It was a dinner put on by my mom (and dad in absentia) and aunt and included BBQ and sausage along with cole slaw and potato salad. Jenny Beckett Smith joined us as did Georgie's husband, Dave. After a week in downtown Fort Worth it was very nice to see some grass and trees. As we were getting closer to the house, I think it was Kay Shock that said, "Look a neighborhood!" So, we ate our fill, sat out on the porch as Jenny interviewed us for a potential video to show at annual conference, and Kay and Jenny played with the dogs.

While it was a nice break from the convention center, it was short-lived. The afternoon session ended at 5:50 PM and our delegates had to be back by 7:30 PM. Nevertheless, it was a great change of scenery and served as a little decompression time.

I'd like to thank my folks and Aunt Janie for hosting us Alaskans. It was just nice to be together and not be in a meeting or a crowd.

Human Sexuality Decision (petition 80449)

2008-04-30T12:08:00.008-08:00

The church came down on the "conservative" side of the issue again. It rejected petition 80449 and approved a minority report affirming heterosexual relationships.

This is what some members of the media live for -- our disagreements over human sexuality in our social principles. And, I think, it's what some delegates were waiting for too. For many, this is not only a big issue but the biggest issue. Neither "side" wanted to give at all. Very impassioned speeches. It's clear that there is a division and we are not of one mind on this issue. Final vote was 55% for the minority report and 45% against it.

I wrote a lot more (actually a couple of times) but wasn't sure I was saying it well. It is difficult to "sum up" a 2.5 hour debate. Therefore, to avoid saying something poorly, I've chosen to say almost nothing at all. Feel free to search the internet for more colorful interpretations of what went on.

When I find an official UM statement I'll be happy to post it.

You can see the petition HERE.

Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service and WITNESS??

2008-04-30T11:42:00.003-08:00

The membership vows for United Methodists has been changed to say that members are "to faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness."

This sounds nice. In the great debate over witnessing -- I come down on the pro-witnessing side. Now if we could just get our members to witness better than they do...which is almost none at all.

Pics from the Press Room -- Wednesday

2008-04-30T11:22:00.002-08:00

And, no, there isn't any action on the floor that I'm missing. It's still a lunch break and I thought I'd listen to a little Christian Rock as I post some updates for you all.

My Time on the Floor -- Tuesday Night

2008-04-30T10:57:00.002-08:00

If you've been reading this at all, you'll probably remember the excitement with which I wrote about my time on the floor of General Conference a couple of days ago. I felt "powerful." I felt "honored." I felt "giddy."

Last night as I was sitting in the press area of the arena -- again with my shoes off, busily typing away -- I got a text message from Dave, asking if I wanted to replace him on the phone. I was tired. Everyone was tired. My neck is sore. And, from the looks of it, it was going to be a less-than-exciting evening for those of us non-procedural folks. Well, Dave saw me answer the phone and see the message. I gave him a rather non-committal shrug and mouthed the the word "Okay..." I called my family to let them know it would be a late night. I called my aunt, with whom I was staying to say it would be a late night. And I prepared for the "tag" from Dave (Said "tag" is actually an official form that must be filled out an turned in to the conference at the end of the evening. But I think the professional wrestling tag-team approach is appropriate).

Well, it was late, I was tired, I was not giddy. But, you know, it's very interesting and those of us who are voting get to be holy agents of change. Last night the Pacific Islander Study was approved. That was good for a lot of people, including many Alaskans. Also a petition that could have potentially hampered the effectiveness of the General Board of Church and Society was defeated. While there is a lot of detail behind this petition, I think it's another bit of evidence to the liberal/conservative split in our denomination and nation. It appears to me that some folks are opposed to some of the politically "liberal" issues this General Board works on and is looking for a way to put a stop to their activity. I may be entirely, utterly wrong on this, but I don't think I am.

United Methodist Men Celebrate 100 Years at General Conference

2008-04-30T10:53:00.002-08:00

In 1908, The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church formally recognized the Methodist Brotherhood, which has evolved into today's United Methodist Men.

So, what are our men doing in our churches? If we don't have a United Methodist Men's group, what do we have? This is an aspect of ministry that has proven difficult for me as I try to have ministries that reach out to men.

Thank you, United Methodist Men for all of the work you do.

Pacific Islander Comprehensive Plan for Ministry

2008-04-30T10:40:00.002-08:00

There were a couple of Alaskans who made the trek to Fort. Worth to support the Pacific Islander Comprehensive Plan for Minisry -- Taliki Finau and Lupe Saafi. This is an issue dear to Alaskans because, well, we have a strong minority of Pacific Islanders up in Alaska and have a Tongan Fellowship and a Samoan Church.

The initial petition #81194 was defeated on the floor. There were impassioned speeches by those most affected by ministry to and with Pacific Islanders. Yet it seems like we've unofficially tied the hands of the conference as it pertains to items that will affect the budget. There is an overwhelming sentiment that, considering the economic realities of the church, we shouldn't go over the budget initially proposed to us. Therefore, it was defeated.

Last night it was reconsidered, now making it clear that the General Board of Discipleship would work the Pacific Islands Caucus and would pay for the study out of existing funds.

Someone said on the floor that, of all people, Pacific Islanders are exceptionally Wesleyan in heritage. We need to support that.

Congratulations to Lupe and Taliki for helping to make this happen.

Pics from Jenny Beckett Smith

2008-04-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here's her link to a facebook page

New Social Creed Litany Approved Petition 80837

2008-04-30T08:30:00.002-08:00

God in the Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ,
calls us by grace
to be renewed in the image of our Creator,
that we may be one
in divine love for the world.

Today is the day
God cares for the integrity of creation,
wills the healing and wholeness of all life,
weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness.
And so shall we.

Today is the day
God embraces all hues of humanity,
delights in diversity and difference,
favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends.
And so shall we.

Today is the day
God cries with the masses of starving people,
despises growing disparity between rich and poor,
demands justice for workers in the marketplace.
And so shall we.

Today is the day
God deplores violence in our homes and streets,
rebukes the world’s warring madness,
humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly.
And so shall we.

Today is the day
God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace,
celebrates where justice and mercy embrace,
exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb.
And so shall we.

Today is the day
God brings good news to the poor,
proclaims release to the captives,
gives sight to the blind, and
sets the oppressed free.
And so shall we.

Africa University Report

2008-04-30T06:53:00.004-08:00

Over 30 buildings. No debt. 1,300 students. 2,500 graduates. All in a place that some thought would be a money pit. This is truly a success story.

The mission of Africa University is to educate future leaders for Africa in a Christian environment. We agreed, in this conference, to make Malawi a provisional conference and the first two superintendents are graduates of Malawi. And 100% of the students from Malawi are now back in their country, going about the work of God.

Women make up 49% of the student population! Wow.

The choir sings in 23 African languages, including French, Portuguese, and English. They sang a song about the Holy Spirit coming down and Africa will will be saved -- also with verses about America and the Methodist Church being saved.

The Bishop from the Congo introduced three delegates from the Congo that were educated at Africa University. This school is reaching out into the world to transform it.

Had a nice talk from a 2005 graduate who is now an associate pastor in a church in North Katanga among many other jobs.

Wonderful DVD with pictures that helped a lot to get a visual picture of the environment. It is a pleasure to hear the stories of those who were educated in Africa University, who were given the skills or the knowledge they needed in this place. It's also moving to "distance education" which is momentous because they will spread their influence in other areas but it will also be momentous because technology is being used.

In 2004, there were 2 graduates of Africa University at General Conference as delegates. This year, in 2008, there are 12. Plus 15 AU students served as translator this week. It was said that this is a very good "return" on our investment in Africa University.

The choir closed with an awesome version of "We are Marching in the Light of God" as they marched on out of the Assembly.

Wednesday AM Worship -- Bearing Hope

2008-04-30T06:51:00.004-08:00

Began with singing from the Africa University Choir and a choir from California.

There was an Invocation -- "Amen Siakudumisa"

This was followed by a Rap Litany, called "He's My Foundation. It was, well, rap and was fun to participate in. Actually the whole gathering was getting into it...although I might have just been carried away by the fact that I was able to sing with the young adults. They're so hip... The rap actually led right into a traditional singing of "The Church's One Foundation."

Scripture: Romans 5:3-13 (again from NIV because it's easy to get from biblegateway.com.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

A video presentation from "Truth and Wholeness: Understanding Unearned Privilege and God's Promise" -- a DVD produced by GCCUIC and GCORR.

Then our choir sang "Draw the Circle Wide." It had solos (not me) and hand-clapping (I did that) and of course, singing. I got to see my lovely face upon the big screen. The lyrics are by Gordon Light and the music by Mark A. Miller. The lyrics printed in the bulletin are:

Draw the circle, draw the circle wide
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide
No one stands alone, we'll stand side by side
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still
Let this be our song, no one stands alone
Standing side by side
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.

Gospel reading: John 4:1-14

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Bishop Violet Fisher from New York West Preached. I was over in the choir without my computer so I was trying to take some notes for you. The sermon was very dynamic. Vibrant speaker. She had an awesome closing. The following is kind of what she said:
_________________________

Jesus WENT through Samaria. He went to people that were a "half-breed or a mixed-breed." They were multi-cultural. Some called them an inferior race and their diversity was not appreciated.

It was "needed" to go through Samaria. Jesus didn't take the easy way out. He was on an anti-racism campaign so that all could get equal access to God. She noted Isaiah 55:1-3 from the Peterson translation.

"Hey there! All who are thirsty,
come to the water!
Are you penniless?
Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
Buy without money—everything's free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

The transforming love of God transcends all. My Jesus...Your Jesus...takes time to sit with the sister on the way. He looks at all that she has been through and all that she has been and all that she is. He doesn't condemn or ridicule. Jesus did not need the affirmation of his disciples before he acted. He didn't need 3-6 months to go through a new membership class. He modeled gender inclusiveness and diversity inclusiveness. I believe that she started First Unite Methodist Church of Samaria.

Necessity is calling us to this day -- for ending racism (and she noted a lot of other needs)

I'm not angry. I'm just passionate. God is calling the church this day. We need to walk the difficult route, taking the example of Jesus. What does it mean to open our hearts and doors and minds for the transformation of the world? When we gather in 2112, will we have made a differnece? Will you have made a difference?

[The big, but quiet, finish....]

Hush...hush...somebody's calling my name.
Hush...hush...somebody's calling my name.
Oh...my Lord...what shall I do...?

Closed with a song called "I need you to survive"

120 Calendar Items left

2008-04-30T06:45:00.002-08:00

That means about 73% are accomplished already.

Each one gets spoken about individually and many have minority reports

1300 minutes from now until end of conference

That gives 10 minutes per calendar item.

This is going to take a long time.

AM Western Jurisdiction Meeting

2008-04-30T06:23:00.002-08:00

I missed most of our Jurisdiction Meeting this AM because I was at choir practice for worship. It's clear from talking with folks in the Jurisdiction and in our delegation that we suffered some losses yesterday and are trying to figure out what that means and if more could have been done.

The losses (or lack of gain) on the General Boards is a big blow for us. It's that "proportionality" argument and, even with a passionate speech from Lonnie Brooks it didn't work. So, "proportionally" our voice will be getting smaller in the larger church. I wonder if we'll left trying to be the mouse that roared.

The loss of an Episcopal area was hard to swallow. From our own delegation, Rachel and Lonnie had invested much of themselves into interpreting our need for the 6 episcopal areas we have -- we have a large area, we have diverse ethnic make-ups, we have a lot of growing populations. There seemed to be another sense within the Western Jurisdiction people that, our fight to maintain bishops was a harder argument in light of the stories from the delegations from Africa. They are severely short of Bishops. And, without that episcopal leadership, they are growing by leaps and bounds. Then, we turn to the Western Jurisdiction and we're losing members (as are other conferences)...

I want you to know that your delegation was working to keep our the same number of bishops in the West. We, along with some other jurisdictions, wish it had turned out differently. It didn't

I just had a chat with a young adult from the West and said to him, that the way to stop playing defense is grow the church, making disciples for Jesus Christ. It would also help if United Methodists gave more than, on average, 2% of their income to the church. The financial limitations that the General Conference gets shaped by, would be lessened if people just gave more.

So, what can we do to Grow the Alaska Conference? What can we do to increase local church giving? Perhaps the two go hand in hand and we'd have a stronger voice in this body.

There are several issues that are said to be coming today, particularly the first of the "homosexuality" (or, more appropriately LGBT) issues.

There will be more to report later.

Our Jurisdiction just lost a bishop (in 2112) Petition 81432

2008-04-29T17:58:00.004-08:00

After much discussion, a lot of it economics, a lot of it missional, all US jurisdictions lost a bishop (although the SouthEastern Jurisdiction didn't really "lose" one but chose not to add one that they would have been allowed. This is under a new formula for bishops that was adopted.

What was inspiring, I thought, was the sympathy for this decision shown by those in Africa where they are bursting at the seams with less episcopal leadership.

This is big news for us. This is bad news for us. It could mean seeing our Bishop less and having the Bishop who serves Alaska cover a lot more area. We don't know what it will look like for us.

The link is HERE

Bridges of Unity Banquet -- With President Sirleaf

2008-04-29T17:25:00.004-08:00

Had a $50 dinner tonight at a very large banquet. I sat in the very, very, very back with Jo Anne and Kay. There were lots of Liberians present, a couple at our table. It was a chicken dinner, if anyone's interested. The banquet was a fundraiser and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was presented with "the James K. and Eunice Mathews Bridge Builder Award" to honor her for her significant role in building global community and dismantling barriers that separated people.

I'll share one story that the president told. She said that there was a group of children playing outside. The children were getting rowdy. And the president was coming by. The teacher was out with the children and saw a girl that was making noise and getting just as rowdy as the boys. The teacher approached the girl and told her that she, since she was a girl, should not be roughhousing so. The girl stopped and paused. Then she told the teacher, "You better watch it. I might be president one day."

All of my pictures were lousy. The president would have appeared very tiny. Trust me that I got to eat dinner with the president -- the President of Liberia. I've included a picture of the program and my ticket as evidence.

Thank you Lonnie and Georgie for making us aware of this dinner. It was a nice way to have a great dinner and hear an inspiring United Methodist leader.

President of the Republic of Libeia--Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

2008-04-29T16:41:00.003-08:00

The president of Liberia spoke this afternoon. We were warned in advance that you had to be in the Conference room at 3:55 PM. And that after that, there would be no getting in or getting out until after President Sirleaf had exited the stage. The press area was just about full, unlike most other times. Everyone wanted to get a story and get a picture. Soon after settling in, it was clear that the secret service were stationed at all of the entrances/exits.

I took copious notes. In fact, Jenny Beckett Smith was sitting next to me and asked if I had typed out the entire speech. I just about did. This may have been a waste of energy since I'm sure the entire speech will be available online. So, as I probably should have done when the President was speaking...let me hit some of the high points.

She was introduced by Bishop John G. Innis of Liberia who called her "a daughter of the UMC." She was educated by the United Methodist Church in Liberia, attending the College of West Africa, a United Methodist High School. She was educated at Harvard. She was assistant general secretary of the UN. She worked in her country for reform, all the way from the executive branch to the legislature. She became the first elected female president in all of Africa and has great experience in social justice issues.

Bishop Innis told a story about the President traveling in a long motorcade and stopping all the cars when she passed by her bishop, John Innis, whose car she recognized. That's how personable she is.

Some of what President Sirleaf said:
____________________________

This day, poor countries, African countries, are experiencing a widening gap as countries seek out energy resources and as they deal with AIDS, hunger and the cost of food. Not the least is the challenge our world has as it combats violence, particularly against women and children. The challenges are not new but are now urgent.

Any discussion about Liberia and Africa involves not just lack of income "but lack of access."

There are three challenges to be faced:

Poverty--[Get this] The GDP of the poorest 40 countries is less than the world's 7 richest people. Unemployment in Liberia has been upwards of 85%. And 1 Billion of the world's people live in poverty.
Giving Youth a Brighter Future--20 years of war sent away their brightest minds and introduced violence as a way of life.
The Challenge of Democracy--The first lesson we learned after many years of war is that development cannot succeed unless the people are involved. People are its agents and people are its means.

A little history. For more than 175 years, the umc has stood by the Liberian nation and has worked tirelessly to help with education, health, and social services. The church has been a forerunner in the field of education. "I'm a product of that education and I stand before you as the first democratically elected woman president in Africa."

"We thank you for your support. But I would be less than honest if I did not say that we need the church now more than ever before The issues are well beyond our national capacity."

In 1989 there were just 4 democracies in sub-Saharan Africa. Now there are 18...1/3 of the continent.

In Liberia things are going better and we've restored it to a post-conflict success story. Liberia is on the way back. Africa is on the way back. There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.
________________

Afterwards, the Hope for the Children of Africa Children's Choir sang. And President Sirleaf shook hands for about 10 minutes or so.

I looked behind me and the Secret Service guy was gone.

I enjoyed the speech. It was great to see that United Methodism is making a huge difference, not just in the life of an individual, but in a whole nation.

For Alaskans looking for post on Petition 81485

2008-04-29T12:11:00.002-08:00

Scroll down or click HERE. Thanks, Brenda, for helping spread the news.

We did just have petition 80082 pass. This relates to Jurisdictional Conference Delegates. The petition has Brenda's name on it and the name of Skip Strickland from Colorado. Skip has been here in the press room and says he's glad he could help.

I'm still a young adult? Really?

2008-04-29T11:40:00.005-08:00

This is a picture (the only one that looked half-way decent) from the rehearsal for the Youth And Young Adult Choir, the first choir ever formed during the proceedings of General Conference. It was for anyone from "15 to 40 or so." Since I'm not quite "40 or so" I thought I'd show up today. It's going to be a treat. I'll get to participate in a rap song and a very nice choral piece. I'm glad I found my way deep within the Convention Center -- by the loading dock -- to join the choir practice. Fortunately, I was next to another guy who was in approaching the "or so" age range.

Don't forget that you can see a "live stream" of the worship (it's Windows Media Player, for all you mac owners out there) and you can see me try to act "hip". Perhaps I should bring back my mohawk for the performance. (Actually, one of he people in the choir already has one.)

Look at all the cookies! That's just one table!

2008-04-29T10:20:00.002-08:00

Ed & Rachel Smiling for the Camera

2008-04-29T10:19:00.001-08:00

Boots Display -- Cost of War to Texans

2008-04-29T10:12:00.002-08:00

Out in front of the Convention Center, there's a reminder of the human cost to the present war in which the US is engaged. There are boots, representing the lives of fallen women and men of our armed forces. There were also children's shoes representing the lives of children lost in the fighting.

Petition 81485 -- "This is a disaster"

2008-04-29T09:22:00.007-08:00

After seeing Lonnie up on the screen down in the press room, I quickly ran to get a press armband to get on the floor. Fortunately petition 81485 is a big petition and Lonnie was still standing when I got there. This petition is from the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns on which Lonnie serves as a director. Lonnie was looking out for the interests of Missionary Conferences, trying to make sure that we see a share of the increase in representation in the administrative bodies of the church.

I just spoke with Lonnie. I asked him if this was "pretty bad for Alaska." His response: "This is a disaster" for Alaska and the Western Jurisdiction. What this means is that the increase in membership of the General Boards and Agencies (those persons being added) will be entirely proportional. In other words, while membership on boards and agencies will increase, the Western Jurisdiction will lose voice as our Boards and Agencies continue to be dominated by those areas with more members.

Alaska has gotten the short end of the "proportionality" stick. As I keep saying, we operate at General Conference like a "House of Representatives" -- proportional. We have no "Senate" where the "little guys" get equal representation. What this meant today is that it will be harder to have our voice heard. Think what it would be like in Alaska if we didn't have two senators in Washington to speak for us. This ruling moves us closer to that reality on a church-wide level.

We need to see this as a justice issue. The larger conferences will tell us that every person matters...and they happen to have more people. The smaller conferences tell us that every person matters...and so the weak (small) should not be dominated by the strong (big).

This issue also divides us regionally. The SouthEastern Jurisdiction is big. They have lots of United Methodists. And they want more of a voice. It's also related to such issues as authority of pastors, homosexuality, and the social arm of the church (GBCS). Many (not all) persons in the southeast would like a more conservative view on these issues than the present church is offering. Using the "proportionality" argument gets their perspectives -- whatever they may be -- more represented. And, in the process--liberal or conservative, Alaska native or Pacific Islander, sourdough or chechako--our perspective gets less representation. Our Alaskan folks can be exceptionally faithful and creative in ministry. It will be harder to share that with the larger church at this point.

I hope I did justice to an issue that affects us up in Alaska. Ask Lonnie the questions you need to. I'm sure he'll get word to me if I misrepresented anything. For that I apologize. But I believe that the above accurately reflects what this could very well mean for the Alaska Conference. I'm not sure how to get around Lonnie's words, "It's a disaster."

What could be worse is if this is just a foretaste of other issues of "proportionality" that will be addressed from the Conference Floor.

Pics from the press room (Lonnie on screen!)

2008-04-29T09:07:00.003-08:00

"Good Morning, Your Royal Highness"

2008-04-29T07:34:00.005-08:00

Bishop Michael Watson led us this morning in looking at 1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So, turn to your neighbor and greet them in the following way "Good Morning, your royal highness." That is how we are to treat each other, because that is what we are in Christ.

Imagine if that's how we treated each other.....Hmmm.

Quote from Frank Beard -- North Indiana Conference

2008-04-29T07:09:00.003-08:00

This was said as he was ready to give his report.

I feel a little like that nursery rhyme: "Mary had a little lamb. It ne'er became a sheep. It went off to General Conference and died from lack of sleep."

Tuesday Worship -- Tuesday 4/29

2008-04-29T06:57:00.003-08:00

Another Day, another worship. It’s nice leaving our AM meetings and heading into that big conference hall, knowing that we’ll be in for a worshipful treat. As usual, the following is not an exact transcript. I just hope you get a sense of our worship experience and can take heart that we gather together in love in this place. I've been setting up in my little corner of the world to try to keep up with notes.

Theme-- Sustaining Hope

Opening of worship -- “Unidos en Christos” -- From Columbia. Columbian praise music. Perhaps if people weren’t so tired there would be a lot more boppin’ around. They’re fun to listen to. Then we moved to a big choir piece...one you’d hear in a church that had a big choir. There were more in attendance in the choir than I have in my church.

Stand for invocation prayer -- God of love and power we greet you and acknowledge that in your presence is fullness of joy. At the beginning of this day we bask in your love and prayer....as this day continues to unfold, we pray that the deliberations of this General Conference will be redeemed by you. We cannot thank you enough for how you nudge us forward. Guide our feet O God and lead us into the future, a future filled with hope. Bind us tother, Lord, with chords that cannot be broken. Bind us together in love. Amen.

Opening Hymn -- “Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Passing of the peace (almost typed peach)

Litany

Followed by another choral piece

Colossians 2: 6-12

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Song: Alleluia. You are the vine and we are your branches. One in your life and rooted in your heart. Flowing with grace with life you fill us sternghtend thtat nothing can break us apart. Alleluia

Scripture John 15:1-17 (Children’s choir creates vine of branches around the table and the speaker)

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Sermon by Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA (introduced by Bishop William Oden)

Grace to you and peace in the name of our crucified and risen Christ. It is a joy to be here to celebrate full communion with you, to imagine new possibilities for mission and ministry. There has been 30 years of dialogue.

Would you describe your life today as “rooted” or “rootless?” How about your congregation or your denomination? We live in a society that is becoming more and more rootless...including concerning our faith.

Think of famine and war that cause millions to travel....rootless. But to this rootless world we have good news to share. Did you hear Jesus? He’s the true vine.

I had a mother who was an English and Latin teacher. I love to diagram sentences. God is the actor and the action, the doer and the deed, the subject and the predicate. We need to pay attention to God’s grace.

Many of us in our life today, come to the disease of “subjunctivitis.” We turn the indicative voice into subjunctive...from a fact to a possibility. Jesus didn’t say, “I am the Vine and you MAY BE the branches if you subscribe to our tenets” or even “if you invite him to your heart.” We don’t merely invite Christ into our heart, we die and live in him.

The Good News is that you are rooted in Christ and, being rooted in Christ, you will bear fruit that will not spoil.

Pastors are frustrated because they feel pressure to hold onto their “market share” of the church and fail to preach the radical gospel that you have died to Christ and have been justified by Christ, raised by Christ.

What if every morning you got up, put your hand on your head and said “I am baptized. I am chosen. I am a child a God. I am a follower of Christ.”

Those rooted in Christ will bear good fruit.

We believe that together we might more creatively, more evangelically, bear fruit in the world. It’s not an end. It’s a means to be faithful in this world.. It’s too easy to see our decline and succumb to nostalgia. But let us be shaped by the loving memory of God. Nostalgia must be pruned so we can bear fruit. Nostalgia is the freezing of our memory and dwells in an unattainable past that disparages the present. Faith is born out of a memory that engages us today.

No matter how rootless our lives become, we have a home because Christ choose to live in us fully. God has chosen you to dwell in you fruitfully and fully.

[He told a neat story I’ll try to recount] I was with my granddaughter a a library to get on the computer system. When we got there, both computers were occupied and we had to wait. It was clear that one of the users was a Muslim and one was a Jew. The Muslim persons wore traditional Muslim headgear. The Jewish man had on traditional Jewish headgear. I thought, “How will they know I’m a Christian?” But I remembered my baptism and that’s the only “head gear” that we need.

Remember the ROOT COMMAND (computer language here)-- love one another. By giving this word, Jesus brings us to life so that we can live in service to others. Rooted in Christ, you will bear fruit. Rooted in Christ, you will also be pruned. Without being pruned you will not bear fruit.

We white folks must be pruned of our power and privilege. We need to be pruned of hate and racism in ourselves. And we need to say that African American preachers are proclaimers of the prophetic word and not separatists. [WOW. He had made a reference supporting Rev. Wright, Barack Obama’s pastor in Chicago. And it got lots of applause.]

Jesus said his words for you to know them as the unshakeable words that they are. In a rootless society, we have Good News to share....and let’s tell it to the world. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Hope for the Children of Africa Children’s Choir led us in prayers for the world’s children. And a song.

Western Jurisdiction Meeting -- Tues. 4/29

2008-04-29T04:04:00.007-08:00

Here are the things we talked about this morning.

There was much discussion (and some celebration) over the Judicial council report. Angela Brown (WJ) will be here tomorrow night to meet with the Judicial Council. She will be the one representative from the Western Jurisdiction. Reuben Reyes will see if he can fly here from the Philippines. Reuben will be the only representative from the Central Conferences.

While we're trying to avoid the language of victory and defeat, it is hard not to see this vote as a resounding defeat of the sentiment behind Judicial Council #1032. As a Jurisdiction, we need to recognize and tell the story that we were behind persons that the Bishops put forward and we need to thank the Bishops for their list. There was no extreme liberal group trying to go out of its way to find those who would lead the judicial council far to the political and theological left. This was not some radical, liberal takeover from the extreme fringes. It was a support of the work of bishops and their slate. And, perhaps, it was a rejection of the tactics employed by the most conservative aspects of the church. The whole "cell phone" controversy seems to have played out poorly and may have worked against its original intent for those who may have had a theologically conservative agenda as it pertains to the Judicial Council.

There will be a minority report that has been brought forward to condemn the (GBCS). The GBCS is a "hot-button" topic since it deals with issues of justice and peace and legislation which often means conflict between the "haves" and "have nots." The minority report essentially says, if the UMC should lose a particular court case in Washington there will be direction for what to do with the endowment that has been given to the GBCS.

The trust clause comes up in other calendar items that we will be discussing.

Global Ministries is still working and will meet at noon. The representative asked forgiveness for slapping the Pacific Islanders in the face by not finding financial support for their ministry from the Conference floor. That committee felt that this particular group of people were very hurt. But there are still a few more things coming up of importance. There was a lament that in the spirit of Robert's Rules, we didn't "refer" this legislation to the General Board. We Alaskans, with the number of Pacific Islanders in our midst, need to see how we can be supportive.

Account from delegate from Nigeria. They are the largest single delegation here and are a large voting block, but have little representation anywhere. What can PNW do to help out?

What's going to be happening on the floor?

Issue relating to new bishops in Africa. It's going to come down to the "proportionality and fairness" argument.

Minority report some time today on Social Creed, changing word "God" to "Jesus" saying that we don't have enough Jesus in the Social Creed. But, it aligns with our social principles and is alluding Scriptural references.

There will be several items concerning homosexuality that will be coming to us.

Interesting process when there is a report from a committee and a minority report. We spend a whole lot of time "perfecting" the main petition -- which can take a long time -- over an hour on one yesterday. And, then we go to the minority report. It's a long process. As boring as some of these items may appear to some persons, every one is an issue about which someone feels strongly about. And this process is to try to make sure all voices are heard.

It's off to worship.
Process of minority report. Fix majority report. THen go to minority report.

Some Women's Divisions issues left.

"Oy!" "Wow!" "Man!" "Ugh!"

2008-04-28T19:59:00.003-08:00

I am staying at my aunt's house in Arlington which means a drive each night. And each day/night when I come in the door, some kind of expression such as those in the title comes out of my mouth -- no swear words, I promise. It's a long day. And I'm sure I have it "easier" than many of the people around here.

I gotta' hand it to our delegates for the hard work that they are putting in. I can honestly say I have never fully appreciated the work that goes into General Conference. So, for every one from Alaska who has served, all those from other conferences, the bishops, the representatives from the General Agencies, the pages, the Cokesbury folks, the welcome staff, and those who sit in the press room making sure people are informed....THANK YOU.

And I should offer a special word of thanks to Bishop Paup and Rev. Rachel Lieder Simeon. The requirements on their time and energy are great. They are serving our Church with great faithfulness, particularly as they transition into other jobs with the General Board of Global Ministry.

Carbo-loading cookies?

2008-04-28T17:57:00.003-08:00

Every day cookies mysteriously appear in the halls and at the main entrance of the Convention Center. They are lovingly handmade (or lovingly store bought) by churches down here in Texas. I know I don't "need" any cookies but...you know...they're there...and yummy. What's truly amazing is the quantity. It's nice to know we're loved.

Lonnie joins Dave on the Conference Floor

2008-04-28T17:52:00.002-08:00

My goal over the next four days -- get a good picture of Lonnie. I'm not sure if I've got one yet.

Again...really good pics on General Conference Site

2008-04-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Here

Dinner at Daddy Jack's Lobster & Chowder House

2008-04-28T16:46:00.006-08:00

The Pacific Northwest Conference held a dinner tonight at Daddy Jack's Lobster and Chowder House. Nice dinner. I think all of the Alaskan delegation was there. The PNW also invited the delegates from South Congo as their guests. The South Congo delegation sang a song at the start of the meal (or the end of the meal, depending on when you got there). A bit later, the PNW delegation sang a song in honor of the Bishop, Ed Paup.

It was an honor, not just to be there with Ed Paup, but to be with our brothers and sisters (I'm not sure if there were any "sisters") from South Congo. And it was an honor have the Bishop of South Congo speak to us. This is yet another indication that we are a global church (even as I type this, the discussion on the Conference Floor is about the Global nature of our church). I don't know how we organize ourselves and move into this worldwide context with so many regional differences between us. It's exciting.

Now, back to the song that PNW sang. I couldn't really make out any of the lyrics--the acoustics in the restaurant weren't designed for choral presentations. Dave Beckett brought up the notion that we should have a motto or a song. I'm not going to take this time or space to compose a song for us to use. However, my mind has wandered to the various items that we would need to include. Of course, we'd mention Jesus and the Church. And we'd probably put something about "love" in it. But what about mountains or salmon or studded tires? How about mentioning "Spenard" -- just because I think it's a fun word to say? And there are such great words like "chechako" and "sourdough." How about some of place names of Native or Russian origin? Ooh....and "Unalaska" or even including all of the towns where we serve. We could allude to the Northern Lights or the Aurora. And we could have a bear...maybe a talking bear...no...that's probably too far. I don't want to be excessive!

But, of course, we'd mention Jesus. Jesus would probably be a big part of the song. But I'd be curious how to make it a song that accurately reflects the character of the Alaska Conference. We are an interesting lot. We live/serve in an interesting place. And I thank God for that.

Children's Choir pics and Video.

2008-04-28T16:36:00.002-08:00

This is from Jenny Beckett Smith.

The video link is HERE.

Physical training for delegates?

2008-04-28T13:54:00.003-08:00

As I sit here in the press area, to the (stage) left of the floor, I have my shoes off, I can stretch out, and I can stand up and walk around without feeling like I'm in the way. I enjoyed my three-hour stint on the floor. But that was just three hours. It's a long stretch to sit, with 27 inches of table space, no room to stretch out, etc. Even from my time in front of the computer my neck aches. But, I'm not the one who is restricted in my movement as are Georgie and Dave--or any of the Bishops and others up front.

I know we prepare our delegates with preparatory meetings and training and lots and lots of reading material. But, again as I stretch (and make note of the person sleeping five rows away), I was wondering what we do to train our delegates, physically, for this task. Is there some exercise program where we can train them to sit for hours on end with only short breaks? Should we have them practice long walks pulling weights behind them to mimic the rolling briefcases so many of them use -- saving their backs but causing some amount of difficulty as they file out for their breaks? While the seats are cushioned, should we supply them with extra-comfy seats?

Georgie and Dave are doing great. I'm sure the Conference is taking care of their spiritual well-being, with great worship and lots of people praying for them. But, as I look out on the sea of delegates I think they must be tired of sitting. I hope they've trained for this.

Another blog link for you

2008-04-28T13:08:00.001-08:00

This is from someone who is serving as a page at General Conference.

The link here HERE.

Hope For the Children of Africa Children's Choir

2008-04-28T12:28:00.003-08:00

We heard a wonderful children's choir from Uganda. There's a link here. This choir was formed out of children at Humble United Methodist Church in Uganda. It's a ministry of The East Africa Conference. Said a Bishop form Georgia, "This is the physical embodiment of Hope for the Future." These are kids who came from impoverished villages and, for maybe the first time, are getting fully clothes and fully fed. They are leaning their first words in English and are getting an education and it is hoped that they will be the leaders of their country.

Said the presiding Bishop, "Because of God's love in us, they have a future with hope. And because of God's love in them, we have a future with hope."

Some will recall a similarly sounding group that came to First UMC in Anchorage late last year. This was similar. It is hoped that we can continue to follow through with our work in Africa and that this is just one manifestation of the good that will come from it.

Remember, I'm not speaking "for" the Alaska Conference

2008-04-28T11:19:00.002-08:00

I've now had this blog address lifted up in larger groups and I've had people write it down. I'm just trying to give a report "to the folks back home" about what's going on here. It's pretty much my perspective. I don't want anyone to think that these are official conference reports.

But, I know people are looking at it. So, I hope it's doing its job.

I do wish I had more persons writing in, but while they are busy doing other things, I've been busy doing this. I'm sure we'll have full reports when we get back and I can include them in The Aurora Witness, our Conference newsletter.

Have a nice day :)

Pics from the entrances

2008-04-28T11:15:00.001-08:00

Press Conference for "The Advance"

2008-04-28T10:35:00.005-08:00

I just got out of a press conference for The Advance. Those present were Justa (didn't say last name) from Bolivia's Women's Federation, Janet Bio from Kissy Hospital in Sierra Leone, Bishop Larry Goodpastor, and Shawn Bakker, Director of the Advance. The Advance is the arm of the United Methodist Church that reaches out to meet human need.

Janet Bio reported first from the ministry in Sierra Leone in Freetown. She said that they are helping 400 pregnant women a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. When women are registered they undergo lots of tests for things like HIV and malaria, etc. Then a treatment is prescribed. They see many teen pregnancies with girls as young as 12 or 13 and these young girls almost always have significant difficulty with delivery. They teach them about nutrition and hygiene and send workert out to the villages. Almost 10% of all women die during childbirth. (Checked out this on Wikipedia here.)

I asked Justa about how she got involved in the Women's Federation in Peru. She said she found out about it as a child when she was told about the organization by a missionary. She attended Sunday School. And at age 15 she started participating in the organization. She used to life in the lowlands but has now moved to the cold highlands near La Paz. Because of The Advance, women in her community have been able to sell woven garments for a profit and now there are many women who have the hope that their children can receive and education. She, herself, has had none.

I asked a question of, and talked later to, Shawn Bakker. I have been asked by persons in my congregation about the Advance, because it's clear that while "100% of your gift goes to the project you designate" it doesn't get there on its own. There are administrative costs. But they're taken care of out of a different pot, apportioned funds. While I understand how this works, it's not entirely clear how to compare UMCOR and The Advance with other charities, seeing what percentage of their budget goes to administrative funds. The problem is interpretation. The studies that the staff have done show that people generally like the fact that all of their gift goes to persons in need while apportionments cover the rest of it. I hope to be in further dialogue over how to communicate that UMCOR and The Advance are awesome and we stack up well against other charities that people may know more about.

God is good.

Celebrating 60 Years of The Advance

2008-04-28T09:25:00.004-08:00

There was a wonderful presentation about the 60th Anniversary for the Advance for Christ and His Church. The Advance exists to enable people to support mission projects around the world and does so with vision, integrity, and transparency. There were presentations by a persons from Bolivia and Sierra Leone. There was a video that highlighted several of the ministries that The Advance Supports.

You can see the video on the Advance Website.

This is particularly important for Alaska as we are intimately connected to the Advance for Christ. And, as has been announced, our Superintendent Rachel Lieder Simeon will be leaving Alaska to become the Director of UMCOR, related to the Advance through GBGM.

Kay & Georgie Vote (in green in middle)

2008-04-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

Judicial Council Elections

2008-04-28T07:49:00.004-08:00

There were two lay and three clergy positions. Those elected to all five positions would be considered to be moderate in the scheme of things. I don't believe any of the slate of officers put forth by the Good News/Renewal Movement were elected to "first positions" although some were elected as alternates. I think it's cool that Rueben Reyes from the Philippines was a layperson elected. Also I heard a great deal of positive comment about Angela Brown who becomes the one person from Western Jurisdiction.

The laity elected were: Angela Brown and Rueben Reyes
The clergy elected were: Kathi Austin-Mahle, F. Belton Joyner, and William Lawrence

This election turned out they way, I would think, the delegations from the Western Jurisdiction would have liked. The only one of these persons I know personally is William Lawrence because he was at Duke when I was there. I know they all came recommended by the Bishops. I'm assuming that the Bishops did their homework as well. May they serve with integrity, fairness, and a sense of mercy.

There was a question raised from the floor about yellow sheets of paper that had a moderate / progressive slate of nominees. The speaker questioned the legitimacy of the vote if they were handed out in the conference room. It would be my guess that the speaker was not pleased with the way the vote turned out. I don't know this to be true.

One needs to understand that there is some campaigning that occurs here. This is a big group and it's impossible to know all of the episcopal nominees to the Judicial Council. It's impossible to know all of the people nominated to whatever it is they are nominated to. There are some flyers handed out from individuals to let their name be known. Good News/Renewal Movement e-mailed out a list of nominees that they would support and included (apparently) directions on voting with their "cell phone giveaway." And, yes, other delegations and jurisdictions talked about it on their own. So...yellow sheets, e-mails, cell phones, conversations...the delegates were trying to determine the qualities of the nominees and how they would serve God's kingdom if elected. We prayed. It was one person-one vote. I don't think there were any major technical difficulties and, as someone who understands the rules hardly at all, it didn't appear that any rules were broken. I could be very, very wrong about this. But I think people decided they were going to pick from the list the Bishops provided and voted for the folks they thought would do the best job.

People just voted one way more than another.

Monday Worship -- Building Hope

2008-04-28T06:44:00.003-08:00

Theme for the day, “Building Hope” Around the altar they “built” a rough structure to highlight this theme.

The Chicaro Taiko Drummers started us off. What a great and vibrant way to call us to worship. This was after a rock/praise band called “Elevate”. Gotta love the drums. I like to play the drum on just about everything. My wife and children will vouch for that. So, a whole bunch of driving percussion gets me going. BOOM BOOM BOOM BA BOOM.

Prayer.

Then, I guess a it was a call to worship: “In the beginning was God and God begat the rhythm and rhythm begat everything else. Talking of the rhythmic creation as we build God’s reign together. In the sound and silence our souls are uplifted.”

Songs -- “Jesus is a rock in a weary in weary land” followed by “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Holy Holy Holy

Scripture passages (I think read by a Bishop from North Katanga)

Exodus 16:9-12

Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.' " While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud. The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.' "

Luke 11:5-10

Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Bishop Ernest S. Lyght did the sermon (Here’s somewhat of a summary)

Some years ago, it was well past midnight when we had constant knocking at the front door. But before we could do anything the knocking stopped. It was well past midnight and a neighbor’s house was on fire. He had gone to another neighbor and then went to us. He kept knocking until he got an answer and the fire department came. There was severe damage and one person died. It was tragic. It was midnight in their lives.

Our passage is about the importance of human perserverance in prayer, but there is a more human interest here.

It’s midnight, there is a knock at the door, and, at first, the friend will not answer the door. It will take persistence to get an answer at midnight. He’s just looking for 3 loaves of bread for an unannounced visitor who has shown up at his own home. He wants to share some food with this friend who is, no doubt, hungry. And the three loaves of bread would be enough to share with the visitor. So the first man went and knocked on the door at midnight. Surely the other friend would have gotten out of bed and would have given him three loaves loaves of bread. He asked of bread. He asked of bread.

Bishop Lyght told a story of being cared for be the Wiitingtons, a family that cared for him when he went to visit his grandfather. They didn’t have much. And the kids were welcomed to the table even when there wasn’t much there. And there, on the table, there was bread and molasses. It was made with love. It was bread. It was bread.

In the story of the Prodigal Son, the wayward son was out feeding pigs and no one was giving him anything. It was midnight in his life and it was time to get help. So he went home. He had no idea that his loving father would have prepared a banquet for him. “Your midnight is over.” He bathed his prodigal son with his extravagant love.

Looking to Moses and the Israelites as they wander through the desert, the Hebrews complain about the journey and look back to the full bellies they used to have in Egypt. They said that Moses was killing them with hunger. But God provided bread for them for one day, one day only. Each day, bread came for one day only.

I can taste my mother’s bisquits even now. Mom always made fresh bread for each meal. God gave the Israelites fresh bread on a daily basis. For them, God was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He provided them a future with hope at time they failed to see the scope of God’s love and abundance for them.

We, too, fail to see the scope of God’s love and abundance for us in the church. It is midnight in the lives of many persons in this world...in crucial decisions where it is a matter of whether someone is going to live or die. Some people are just about down and and out and they are wondering which way they can turn.

Often, whether we know it or not, they will turn to the church and the UMC must be prepared to respond because someone is knocking at the door. The church is not a building but a people. We dare not PLAY church. But in so many places we are merely PLAYING church. When there is a knock at midnight, the church must be prepared to respond. It’s not a matter of the time of day but the time of crisis for one of God’s children.

The man was looking for three loaves of bread. People come to church for three loaves of bread. Martin Luther King said the church had the Bread of Faith, The Bread of Hope, and the Bread of Love.

Faith...so many people don’t have this in the world. Hope...we boast in our hope in the glory of God and in our suffering because it produces more hope. Hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Love...it seems all God’s children want to be loved. God is love and we are the recipients of God’s extraordinary love. Jesus commands us to love and it is the pinnacle of our God-relationships and our-human relationships.

It is midnight. And people are knocking. We are the church that is bold enough to say “Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Minds.”

So what do we do in this world where so many people are knocking around the world?

Back to the parable...The door is locked. The children are in bed. And I can’t do anything to help this man at my door who is looking for bread. I don't want to wake up.

So...wake up church. Get up church. People are knocking for the bread of faith, the bread of hope, and the bread of love. They want a vibrant faith. They want hope for tomorrow. They want to experience an extravagant love that includes them.

If we do not want to eat stale bread for our meal, why does the church offer “stale bread.” (There were some Amens here) I don’t want to go to a dead church. I want to go to an alive church that is offering fresh bread. How do we keep the bread fresh? Are we living by the General Rules? It will help us keep the bread fresh. “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

We keep the bread fresh through prayer, Christian education, discipleship (and he included a bunch more). We need fresh bread daily. Transformed lives will assist in the transformation of the world. We need to respond to the midnight hour for people and nations.

Story of Africa University---fresh bread of Education. Katrina Appeal -- bread of hope for displaced persons. Nothing but Nets -- bread of heath. The people of the United Methodist Church need to offer the bread of life that comes in three different bread varieties -- faith, hope, and love.

Keep the bread fresh as we engage in our various ministries.

My son is a firefighter. I asked if he had trouble getting up in the middle of the night. He Said, “Dad, when the bell goes off in the middle of the night, the bell is loud, the lights come on. It tells us to Wake up. To Get up.

Brothers and sister, we need to get up, wake up, and keep the bread fresh.

AMEN.

A Couple of Songs

The First:

I’m gonna live so God can use me, anywhere, Lord, anytime.
I’m gonna build so God can use me, anywhere, Lord, anytime.

The Second: "O For A thousand tongues to sing. A rockin’ version.

Mariachi Band from Sunday Night

2008-04-28T06:42:00.002-08:00

I didn't stay for the whole celebration...choosing to go with family, instead.

Western Jurisdiction AM Meeting on Monday 4/28

2008-04-28T06:08:00.004-08:00

Reports from various legislative groups -- May get a little technical with fewer colorful comments from myself...

Church and Society 2 -- Rewrote human sexuality paragraph in beautiful way. Trouble over language of abortion. Both of these Church and Society Groups (1 & 2) have dealt with a lot of “hot button issues” and have tried to do so in a Spirit of love and grace. I’m sure that it’s like “walking on eggshells” at time.

Conferences -- Episcopal area representation (basing bishops on conferences not bishops) passed. But need to be reminded that the Annual Conference is the basic building block.

Discipleship -- Done

Faith and Order -- finished --

Financial Administration -- still have 40 some petitions to work on. Still have the homosexuality petitions to deal with and the loyalty oath for conference treasurers.

General Administration -- still done

Global Ministries -- still working. We were able to defeat a piece of legislation that would have removed the Women’s Division from GBGM. Still have lot of work

Independent Commissions -- done.

Judicial Administration -- The did report voted out a petition that had a long list of conflicts of interests. Still have same-sex-unions as against discipline.

Ministry of Higher Education -- Talk of holy unions, services in local congregations. Did some good work around campus ministries. University Senate --- lot of work on creedal oaths. Voted for 2 years candidacy not 3. This would be great news for those considering a calling to ministry. Still significant legislation on the ordering of ministry that is coming up.

Superintendency -- finished work. The full committee did vote to reject the reduction of Bishops. This was a biggie for Alaskans. Passed well. On the retirement age of bishops, it did pass in the committee to have the retirement age go from 66-68. Working to see if that’s something that can be done now.

Judicial Council Elections -- It's coming.

University Senate -- The question of whether the University Senate only relates to institutions in the US or if it’s global. It’s not defined as being only US, but it has never reached beyond the US. The church has not found a way to move into a worldwide reality and is probably not ready for this. It could be difficult forcing the issue by electing someone from the Central Conferences.

Printing press broke last night so no Daily Christian Advocate this morning.

Here are the membership losses last year by jurisdiction. In other words, we're all losing members

NJ -- lost 36000
NE -- lost 30674
SC -- lost 14850
SE -- 13934 lost
WF -- Lost 3276

Pics from entry to worship yesterday.

2008-04-27T15:04:00.002-08:00

Thought this was neat. It gives delegates and visitors a chance to reflect. There were different tables set up at the entry points to the conference.

Bishop Carcano's Sermon from this AM

2008-04-27T15:00:00.001-08:00

You can see a video link here. It's much better than my summary below.

A few links for you

2008-04-27T14:41:00.002-08:00

General Conference 101: All you ever wanted to know. This is a very good introductory site from the Virginia Conference. I think they are the largest single delegation here. The Southeastern Jurisdiction has 252 delegates here. The Western Jurisdiction only has 40.

The Rocky Mountain Conference has some VIDEO and has some SHORT WRITTEN REPORTS. The Communications folks from Rocky Mountain Conference have been great.

Here's a BLOG from the Pacific Northwest Conference, with whom we share a bishop.

There's a lot more out there for people who can't get enough of this stuff. And much of it is written with fewer typos and in a much more formal style than I'm able to do.

Reflections from the floor of General Conference

2008-04-27T13:26:00.005-08:00

As stated below, I was pretty excited to be on the General Conference floor. I was just about giddy with excitement. You can ask Jo Anne Hayden if you don't believe me. (In fact, she just came by and I told her I said that). Again, I didn't have my laptop out, so this is based on some notes I took during the morning session that went from around 9 AM to 12 Noon or so.

There was a movement to explore how US clergy could have an opportunity to give out of their own pension plans for the Central Conference Pension Initiative. This would seem to make sense. Here we are, in a land of plenty, with pensions that are being taken care of, and we have clergy in other conferences who are retiring with nothing...absolutely nothing. But, according to the policies of the Internal Revenue Service, this can't be done. Persons can't donate out of their own pension fund.

There was a presentation on the 40 Year Anniversary of the Abolition of the Central Jurisdiction, which was a non-geographical jurisdiction in the Methodist Church for African-American churches in the former Methodist Episcopal Church, North. It was born out of hatred in 1939 and was a precondition for the union of The Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist Episcopal Church (South), and the Methodist Protestant Church. All other jurisdictions were to be based on region. The Central Jurisdiction was based on color. Erin Hawkins (General Commission on Religion and Race) said, "Without memory there can be no conscience." We need to remember what our past is like. W. Astor Kirk was part of the "Committee of Five"in 1960-1966 to seek the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction and he spoke out of his experience. It was said that people of color are still seeking full inclusion forty years later.

There was a presentation by the Strengthening the Black Church Initiative, stressing the "transformative" (they had us say that word several times) model of ministry. What was cool about this is that they have used partner congregations to transform congregations. They are "Taking revitalization from the pews to the pavement." That's a cool slogan. It got me thinking about what it would look like if we could "partner" up in Alaska.

There was a proposal, that was approved, to cut our plenary (big gathering) time down and leave at 10:30 AM to go to legislative groups. This was because many of the legislative groups have oodles of work to do on the petitions in their areas. After a much longer discussion than anyone probably meant to have, the motion was reconsidered and overturned. The problem was the conference leadership wasn't sure that they could get translators to the convention center and into those small groups for those who don't speak English. Plus there were other matters that we apparently had to take care of today for matters of voting on them tomorrow. (It's all in "the rules.") The fact that we kept meeting was a great relief to Jo Anne and myself because this was our time to shine, our time to wield the voting device, our time to get a feel for how the United Methodist Church takes care of its business. And, it was fun. So, we got to stay. (Thanks, Dave!)

There was quite a discussion, very passionate, about Petition #80405. The issue, as you might have assumed from much of what is written below, came down to "proportionality." The amended petition that was presented set up The Commission on Central Conference Affairs so that there were three representatives from each Central (out of US) conference. There was an amendment from the floor that would have made it "proportional" and would have had smaller conferences with a smaller voice. The amendment from the floor was defeated and the petition passed as presented to the conference.

Let me again state why these issues of "proportionality" are so important for us Alaskans. We're a small conference. In the grand scheme of United Methodism we're (almost) numerically insignificant. I think we're 0.04% (or something like that) of the of the membership across the denomination and yet we have 0.2% of the vote here on the floor (five times what we'd have if it were proportional). But if it were entirely proportional we'd have no representation at all. And so, we're trying to look out for the smaller conferences and minorities wherever they are. Moreover, it's not just a matter of "we're small so we'll support the smaller conferences, etc. I think most of us would say it's a matter of justice, to make sure that every voice is heard (not just those who speak more loudly). This is an issue that is going to come up time and time again and really depends being in solidarity with those who have less of a voice.

Some (amusing) odds & ends...

I got a phone call from Kay Shock and we found out where to wave to her. Plus I got a text message from Lonnie who was checking to see if Jo Anne and I had copies of the Daily Christian Advocate (which we did). That's the entire listing of petitions and has updates every day at the Cokesbury Store.
A delegate two spots to my left had a cup of coffee spilled at her 27 inches of table space (see picture at this site). This caused quite a little panic because of the amount of paperwork that is in front of every delegate. We're packed in there pretty tight and someone knocked over the the delegate's cup with his coat as he returned to his seat. Fortunately help arrived with paper towels and I don't think anything important to the day was ruined in the process. [Note to our delegates--use water bottles with screw caps.]
One person, in a speech, said, "And this will benefit our unity and health." Both Jo Anne and I thought it sounded like "this will benefit our unity in hell." Now, we knew that wasn't what he said but it was somewhat amusing. Georgie confirmed later that she thought that's what it sounded like as well.
Someone made an amendment from the floor and then rose to change the amendment that he had made previously. Those who are familiar with Roberts Rules of Order will find it funny that he said, "I'd like to make an amendment to my earlier motion...and I think it's a friendly amendment." Ha, ha, ha. This made a whole lot of the people giggle.

A final comment from my time representing the Alaska Conference on the floor of the Conference...As much fun as I had doing it and writing about it here, it was an honor. Thanks, Dave, for allowing me to sit in for you. And thank you, Alaska Conference, for electing me as a reserve delegate. It was, I can tell you, a very good experience.

"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" --

2008-04-27T13:24:00.002-08:00

The quote is from Spiderman. The electronic voting device is from General Conference.

From Jenny Beckett Smith (pictures now included)

2008-04-27T13:21:00.002-08:00

Hey everyone! This is Jenny Smith reporting from General Conference. I've loved reading Jim's stuff. I keep passing him in the halls and he always seems glad to be here! This is my first General Conference and I'm enjoying the atmosphere of diversity and hope. The Young People's Address was incredible. I'm working on a documentary on UMC Young Clergy so I got some great footage from their presentation. (www.umcyoungclergy.com)

I'm blogging a little bit over at www.journeyon4610.blogspot.com but it isn't nearly as entertaining as Jim's.

We talked to a young adult from England this morning who is "waiting for the other shoe to drop." It seems some are walking on egg shells waiting for the hot button issues to come up. Everyone says its coming. But in all the meetings I've been in, people have been very respectful and focused on solutions that work for everyone. It's a wonderful spirit to be in a building with 4,000 people of different opinions on the minor issues but agree on the major issue that we serve an amazing and risk-taking God.

I got to interview a young Texas pastor and three young pastors at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. They had wonderful insights. Now I'm hoping to get an interview with a bishop or two!

The Town and Country churches hosted a free lunch outside in these beautiful water gardens next to the Convention Center. After a couple days of paying $15 per meal, it was fantastic to eat a free meal outside in the warm Texas sunshine.

Sunday Worship -- WARNING -- Prophetic preaching included

2008-04-27T12:12:00.006-08:00

I gotta' tell you the sermon today was fabulous and I'm going to get to it in due time. The preacher was Bishop Minerva G. Carcano of the Phoenix area. And she interpreted the text wonderfully. Please note that I didn't have my computer open on the conference floor so I was trying to jott down the things I thought you might want to know. This is how it went...

Opening Prayer -- not sure what language it was in and didn't see a name for who was doing it.

Opening Song -- "The God of Abraham Praise"

Scripture -- It was a passage from Jeremiah read by Superintendent David Wilson of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. Some Alaskan clergy will remember David when he came up for our Professional Church Worker Retreat.

Song -- "When the Poor Ones" which is found in our hymnal. Beautiful song of social justice.

Scripture -- Mark 5:1-20 (read in Spanish. translation below from NIV)

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

The Sermon (my apologies to Bishop Carcano for not doing this justice)--

How did Jesus end up at the cemetery? Jesus always has a way of ending up at "the edge." He startles us with where he goes and he startled that demoniac that day in our Scripture passage.

Look at what happens in the text...the demoniac, healed by Jesus, praises God. The people gathered together to see what had happened -- there were even "ambulance chasers" in that day, going to the scene of the latest accident [drowned pigs]. And the people were not happy about this. First off, who in their right mind wants change? They had gotten used to picking on that demon-possessed guy. They liked having Legion around. Also, didn't he realize that he had upset the economy of this area? This was now a personal matter that was affecting their pocketbooks. So, if you were to have asked the people if they were happy about what had taken place, they would have responded with a Texas "Heck No!" They didn't praise Jesus. They were upset that someone was helped.

OK, now the Bishop started really moving with this text. I'm sure not everyone present was happy about what was said, but there were a lot of "Amens" from people. She talked about immigrants to our country and shared some personal stories from her conference area down in Arizona. She painted a pretty gruesome picture of what it's like for those folks who move north across the border, having to cross some sixty miles of desert in the process -- thirsty, weak, feet swelling, internal organs eventually failing for some of them.

The United Methodist Church has been criticized for providing water for those who, yes, are crossing into our country, against the laws of our country. But, she said, "The Southern desert of our own country has become our own Gerasene cemetery. I want to be a faithful citizen of the country in which I live. But more, I want to be a faithful citizen of the Kingdom of God."

She said that Jesus is not beholden to immigration policies. There's more involved here than immigration policies. It's about proclaiming the good news to all.

Immigrants, those poor souls trying to join our country are not the only Gerasene demoniacs. They are all around the world. From Hurricane Katrina. There's racism and classism in our own country and many places all around the world. She described being in worship in a church in Mozambique and how they found joy in their church made up of three walls and a tarp.

We need to overcome fear (the same kind of fear expressed by the crowd in our text) and GROW UP. Let us grow up and quit hiding behind fear. "The greater part of our fear may be be that we are complicit in the poverty of the world." (Lots of "amens").

The message closed with lots of images of poverty around the world.

[My take--This was a great sermon. It was great sitting next to a very vocal delegate from Western Kansas who was very comfortable saying "Amen" and "Preach it" and the like. And she wasn't the only one. This was a great prophetic sermon, not only for the United Methodist Church but for the United States as a whole. How can we look upon the "Gerasene demoniacs" of the world and offer healing...offer Christ? What is it that keeps us from doing it? Again, my apologies for not coveying the message as well as I might have.]

There was a benediction to close out the worship.

Gettin' Ready for worship -- Me and Jo Anne on the Conference Floor (Honest!)

2008-04-27T11:57:00.006-08:00

Well...today's the day. Dave Beckett abdicated his throne and has let me serve as king for a day. That's not entirely true. There are a thousand other people on the floor as well and most of them are far more informed and much smarter than I am. I would even hazard to guess that there are some that are almost as fun to be around I am. It did feel like I was getting into the middle of the action and getting out from behind the laptop for a few hours.

Jo Anne was next to me as Georgie watched from the sidelines for the morning.

Here are some pictures at the beginning of the gathering time. A children's choir from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference blessed us with some music. And then, of course I got a couple of pictures of Jo Anne and myself. Now I have evidence that they allowed even me to get on the Conference floor. That's just how big a God we really have. God is great!

4/27 Western Jurisdiction Meeting in the AM

2008-04-27T11:12:00.003-08:00

7 AM in Fort Worth, Texas. All of our sister and brothers in Alaska are sound asleep -- or at least they should be.

Here's what happened at the meeting this morning...

We talked about the Judicial Council nominations and "The University Senate."

We had some discussion from the various legislative committees that are meeting. Here are some points of interest:

Superintendency -- A petition reducing the number of bishops was rejected in committee but will probably go to the floor and be a heated discussion. This could mean a reduction in the number of bishops in the Western Jurisdiction and, therefore, for us.
Global Ministries -- Approved (I think I got that right) a study for ministry to Pacific Islanders. this is great for us as we have such a strong Pacific Islander presence in Alaska and in the Alaska Conference.
General Administration-- A "Good News" proposed amendment that would have made "proportionality" a principle in the United Methodist Church was defeated. Here's what's going on here...areas where the United Methodist Church has the most members would like proportionality. They then get more representation (think House of Representatives in Washington). Areas where there are not as many United Methodists want to preserve their voice and would like to ensure representation (think the Senate in Washington). Most of the United Methodist Church decisions are made at General Conference, which is (mostly) proportional in votes. And, it so happens, that the area of the UMC with the most churches, most members, and most votes is in the Southeast -- which tends to be conservative. And there are theological issues on both sides. Those in favor of proportionality say that every persons counts and should have a voice. Those in favor of assuring representation from smaller conferences say that they are looking out for those who have no voice, or "looking out for the little guy." This is an issue that will see the floor of the conference in many ways.
Financial Administration -- There is a movement to have Jurisdictions take care of the salaries of Bishops. This would mean an extra $1 million for the Western Jurisdiction to pay. Also there has been a big discussion about World Service Funds and dividing it out into individual spending areas for churches. The problem with this is that churches then "pick and choose" which items to support which, I imagine, is an accounting nightmare. There has been a movement to divide it into a little differently, more according to mission.
Faith and Order -- Interestingly they shared a story about one of the members of their committee not being served dinner at Bennigans. The member, as you might have guessed, was an African-American.
Church & Society 2 -- Reported that any attacks on the General Board of Church and Society and their positions or administration were defeated. They also said that they supported the Social Creed again.

The meeting ended at 8 AM so we could all head to worship. I was able to snap a picture of Bishop Paup and Jo Anne Hayden before we left (I did tell them to look like they'd been having some serious discussion or something. I think they look like they're having too good a time.)

I'll be sitting in for Dave Beckett in the AM

2008-04-26T18:28:00.002-08:00

Got a text message from Dave Beckett and I'll be sitting in for him on the conference floor tomorrow, getting to be official and everything. May God grant me wisdom and give me the ability to operate the little electronic voting machine that each delegate has.

So, I don't think I'll be able to post much until later in the day. I'm sure I'll have a lot to report about what the experience is like.

The "handouts" in the AM

2008-04-26T18:19:00.004-08:00

As you head into General Conference in the morning, there are persons ready to hand you newsletters for their various organizations. Today I was handed "Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group," "OUT" (from United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Querr Concerns), and "Daily Social Questions Bulletin" (from Methodist Federation for Social Action). This is, of course, after attending the Good News breakfast for a while. It's quite a contrast.

It's a whole lot of information that's tossed to us...too much to digest...too much to blog about.

But, feel free to check any of it out.

Personal Prayer Time, Anyone?

2008-04-26T18:02:00.002-08:00

The Pension Initiative

2008-04-26T17:50:00.003-08:00

There's a nice article about it HERE. And if you read the article, I hope you stumble a little bit on the first line. It says that when clergy retire in Africa, Europe, and the Philippines, it's often "a transition to homelessness." This is, once again, the global nature of our church making itself known to myself and other persons here. We have millions of United Methodists around the globe who are served by clergy who have given their hearts, their souls, their lives to the preaching, the teaching, and the witness of Christ. And when these clergy retire, they can be in extreme poverty.

This should be troubling to United Methodist clergy here in the US and it should be troubling to our churches. The Pension Initiative is trying to raise $20 million to fund the pensions of all clergy serving outside the US. And they still have over $12 million to go.

This is troubling. And it's troubling for me as I consider my own socio-economic place in the world. I have it good. And, my guess is that most anyone who is reading this probably has it "good," too. Well? What will we do about it? I can't imagine hearing the call of God, serving God through a long career in ministry, and ending up homeless at the end of the journey.

It is clear that the United Methodist Church is responding to this need. But is it enough?

Bishop Paup & Susie Smalley

2008-04-26T17:40:00.004-08:00

Finally saw Bishop Paup today at the luncheon. And, while walking the halls I ran into Susie Smalley (of the Kenai/Soldotna area) who is "The Head Monitor" for the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women.

And, from Latin America and the Caribbean...

2008-04-26T17:34:00.001-08:00

I sat next to Lonnie Brooks today at a luncheon for a report from the committee with “the longest name in the history of United Methodism” (according to Lonnie). The luncheon was “A Future with Hope: Making Connections.” The study committee was “The Committee to Study the Relationship Between the Autonomous Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean and the United Methodist Church.”

I apologize that my pictures I took really didn’t come out very well.

I have said all along that United Methodism is a global church. That is so very evident in the worship, in the meetings, and walking the halls. In Latin American and the Caribbean there are 1.4 million Methodists who are not “United Methodist.” They have a history with the British Methodist Church or other Methodist influences and have been independent for upwards of 40 years or so (varies by church). You can read a little bit about the churches involved HERE.

This was an interesting experience for me. I got there early and found a seat up by the front and was surprised to have Lonnie join me. The presentation was mostly in Spanish and Lonnie directed me to the translation headsets so I could hear in my own language. (While the Spirit was moving, unlike Pentecost I wasn’t able to understand without the headphones.)

Two things of note that I want to report on:

First, Lonnie gave part of the presentation, filling in for Bishop Fritz Mutti of the Commission on Church Unity and Interreligious Concerns. Lonnie had been part of the study and had even gone down to Panama for one of the meetings.

Second, the content from some of the representatives of these Autonomous churches was rather inspiring. I can’t say I understood all of it. And, for the “Stories from the Journey” from Rev. Joana D’arc Meireles of Brazil, I missed everything because the headphone stopped transmitting. But, what I heard was pretty awesome and can express to you what it means to be in relationship with growing Methodist Congregations from around the world.

Mr. Victor Ortiz from Puerto Rico said that, while it took the Israelites 40 years to reach the promised land, it only took the Methodists in his country 20 years. They’ve gone from 60 to 100 congregations. In 1975 only 5 of their churches were self-supporting and now 94 support themselves. They now have 700 missionaries from their own country and are growing at a rate of 6% per year. He said that they are now a church that receives and a church that gives out. He thanked the committee and the people there, saying that their churches now see that we’re in this together and he prays that we continue to strengthen ties in Latin America.

The next speaker, Rev. Otto Wade from the Caribbean, said it had been 40 years since they became autonomous from the British Church and now they are in their 240th year. They’ve seen lots of work teams and Rev Wade said, “Many of your congregations have walked with us...literally.” In particular, he thanked the GBGM and United Methodists for their help after hurricanes. He looked forward to having progress in collaboration in mission from the Bahamas to Grenada.

Bishop Carlos Poma from Bolivia spoke next. He noted that they now have an indigenous president for the first time in their history as a country and that the Methodist Church helped influence this decision. Politically, there are Methodist mayors who are not shy in expressing their love for Christ. Yet there is some conflict over the fact that they have an indigenous government and they pray to act as Jesus would have them act. Yet, in Christ all things are possible.

I’m sorry I missed the speaker from Brazil. My very cool headphones became a lot less cool at this point.

Bishop Juan A. Cardona talked about ministry in Columbia. He said that, even amidst all of the violence, they have felt the solidarity of the Methodist connection. He said that, in his country, the church is very much made up of the marginalized and indigenous peoples. But they are a people of hope. He said that the GBGM has been very supportive but they are still in need of workers. He shared about one group who provided fresh water to a village for the first time.

This was an event to celebrate our larger Methodist connection around the globe and to lay the framework for continued collaboration. Said one of the other speakers, “We are connected organically and labor together in acts of piety, mercy and justice for all persons.”

I have to say it was a good experience having to have much of the presentation translated for me. It made me realize some of the challenges, just language challenges, our sisters and brothers from around the world must deal with as they come to General Conference.

As a bonus, I was able to greet Bishop Ed Paup...and apologize profusely for missing his communion service. (He forgives us.)

Rev. Rachel Lieder Simeon Speaks on Episcopacy Study

2008-04-26T13:13:00.002-08:00

Late this morning our Conference Superintendent, Rev. Rachel Lieder Simeon spoke on the conference floor today for The Task Force to Study the Episcopacy. There were three speakers and Rachel was #2 on the list. Because I was on the floor right down there in front of everybody I wasn't able to take notes on the report at all to give you more of a sense of what was said. What was amazing is the scope of this task force. They were tasked to study "all aspects of the episcopacy." All the while they were on a shoestring budget. The first speaker said, "Do you like our video? Probably not, because we don't have one."

Their report broke down episcopacy issues in the following categories:

Theology of the Episcopacy
The Nature of the Episcopacy
Episcopacy and Renewal of the Connection
Central Conference Episcopacy
Workload
Financial Implications and Formula for Reducing the Number of Bishops in Jurisdictions

Part of the 3rd presentation in this report mentioned that they recommend giving jurisdictions a full quadrennium (until 2012) to have the reduction put into place. This is important for our Western Jurisdiction because it would be quite a shock to our episcopal system to suddenly have one less bishop as 2008 comes to a close.

Rachel did a great job and I'm glad that a couple of the pictures came out to show you. I confess that I told several people on my way down the floor that "I was going up front to see my superintendent."

You can see a summary of the task force's report AT THIS LINK.

Getting onto the conference floor

2008-04-26T11:58:00.012-08:00

There are few "armbands" available in the press room that have allow the press to get down on the conference floor. Not everyone can have one and you can only use it for an hour. I wanted to make sure I was able to get on the floor to get a couple of pictures of Rev. Rachel Lieder Simeon as she was part of the "Task Force to Study the Episcopacy." I'll post more about that above. Here I wanted to show you a picture of me with armband. I must say that I was overcome with a sense of grand importance when I put it on. And it was just really cool to walk on in and sit down on the floor in front of everybody.

You'll notice that I was able to get a picture of Dave and Georgie, both looking very intently at what was going on--good job, delegates! You can get a sense of the worship/meeting space, I think. You can also see some pictures of Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo who was the presiding bishop this morning. Interestingly, the Bishop's gavel has gone missing (probably leading to some fundraiser of some sort) and so Bishop Ntambo was using a stick pony as a gavel. He seemed like a very personable Bishop.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

A few pics from worship this AM

2008-04-26T11:38:00.005-08:00

Funny announcement made

2008-04-26T09:22:00.003-08:00

It went something like this:

The worship furniture used at General Conference is made from trees at Gulfside Assembly in Mississippi. And after worship here it will go back there for continued service in worship for years to come.

The communion table in the center of the room is made from cyprus, a soft wood. We ask that, when writing checks as a offering, you complete the check before coming to place them on the table. If you use the table as a writing surface, you may damage the table. Also, you may find that your name and dollar figure are forever engraved on the table for all to see.

(I thought that was very funny)

Western Jurisdiction AM Meeting on Saturday 4/25

2008-04-26T09:10:00.005-08:00

Just a couple of pics. One of the room and one that has Lonnie, Julie Elmore (going to Nome), Georgie, and Jo Anne.

I arrived a little late to the meeting since I was over at the Good News breakfast. It seems that the biggest concern is a potential loss of representation, of which we have but a little. And there is a potential that the Western Jurisdiction will lose a bishop which could hit Alaska pretty hard. In fact, it seems like it would "have to" hit Alaska hard. There's just not that many of us.

Forgot my cell phone today.

2008-04-26T07:14:00.002-08:00

Could make things a little more interesting as I try to hook up with our Alaska folks every once in a while. On the plus side, it should be fully charged tonight.

And Julie (my wife) if you read this, know I'll call later when I get back to Arlington for the night.

Stopped in at the Good News Breakfast

2008-04-26T06:51:00.003-08:00

I came from North Indiana Conference. A lot of my pastor friends were in the Good News organization although,in my three years of ministry there, I never joined. Good News is one of the "conservative" groups that has an agenda and a mission here at General Conference. And they are very organized.

I actually went to see if I could find some folks I know. And, I'm pretty comfortable talking with conservative Christians about their issues. I can speak their language, I think. And I would hope my more conservative friends would see me this way.

Anyway, I had a pretty lengthy chat with one person about the closing of St. Paul UMC in Fairbanks and hope I was accurate in the perspective many of those in Alaska share with our Bishop and Superintendent -- that this was a church closed, not because it was conservative, but because it was unhealthy. I'm sure some on "the other side" view this as the "party line." But, I was there when we voted to close the church. That's my perspective as well. It was painful to a whole lot of persons. It's still painful now.

Then I saw someone I know pretty well, Riley Case. He was my Superintendent in Marion, Indiana when I was a youth. My mom taught his daughter in Sunday School. He's "big" in Good News. When I chatted with him, he brought up the gift of cell phones that was given to delegates from outside the US -- along with some instructions on how to vote. I talked about that below in another post on the Judicial Council.

Riley noted that there are some people who are upset about this but he said that those who look at it as a "bribe" or "buying their votes" don't understand the issue. Persons who think that seem to saying that those from Africa or other places are too dumb to think for themselves and these opposing views may be expressed in ways that could be construed as "racist." I tried to make the connection of the cell phone gifts (given along with a particular agenda) with the breakfast that Good News provides every morning (along with a particular agenda).

I can see his perspective. I do want to say that I think there's a difference between a breakfast for everyone and a targeted gift with as much value as a cell phone has. I'm assuming there is a difference in the cost. But I have to say that the breakfast is a pretty good spread.

One thing about Good News -- they are very organized and are very clear in the parameters of their group.

Those on the "progressive" side of things, at least according to what I perceive, are less organized and have some "fuzzy boundaries." Maybe it's because the boundaries, themselves, are "more liberal."

I hope to see Riley again. He's someone I know loves God. And while we may have ended up in different places, I enjoy catching up with him.

Worship on Saturday, 4/26

2008-04-26T06:46:00.002-08:00

I hope you enjoy this summary of worship. I know it’s not like being here, but there’s some great stuff here. It's a big read.

A PLAY

We got to see a performance by “The Strangely Warm Players” a youth drama group from Michigan. The gist of the story was a boat whose goal was to save persons while the Captain’s motto was “safety first.” They kept the boat connected to the dock because it as “safe” -- it’s stable, it’s secure. And, they’ve always done it this way. (If your mind says...”Hmmm...that sounds like the church at times,” then I think you’re on the right track.

Once a week we come to the boat and put on our life preservers and read our manual and go through our rituals...always keeping the motto “safety first.”

The problem is that the captain and the crew are not getting anywhere. It’s boring. They’re never sailing. The crew is getting restless. After all, sitting around on the dock was not something that they had signed up for.

Some pirates show up for a hostile takeover. The captain’s crew leaves the captain on the shore, heading out for “A future with hope.”

The message for those watching (at least me) is clear. The church is designed for evangelism and outreach...or rather it should be designed for evangelism and outreach. Instead we sit around, doing our stuff, and waiting for folks to come to us.

There was and introduction, “Wash O God, Your Sons and Daughters” and it was said how the theme for the day is NURTURING HOPE and how it will nurture our lives and our churches and our world with the Spirit of God.

SONG -- Beautiful song song in a round “Water of life, Jess our light, journey from death to new life.” (There’’s a water and baptism theme going on here.)

WORSHIP NOTE--We will remembering our baptism and we will respond with thanks in our whole bodies. Then we learned a bunch of signs to use in prayer as welcome God to come through God’s Holy Spirit. These were acted out later on.

SONG--Seminary Mass Choir representing lots of UM seminaries. Did a great piece based on “Walk Humbly With your God.” It was awesome, clapping. Great solos. Everyone was clapping. As I was typing I was “bopping” along to it. Wow!

SCRIPTURE -- Old Testament reading Isaiah 42:1-9 (Scripture quotes are from the NIV, not for theological preference, but because it's easy to pull quotes pretty quickly.)

1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope."

5 This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 "I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you." (NIV)

SONG -- “Lord, you have come to the lakeshore.” I love this song. It’s one I sang with the wife of a Hispanic pastor when I was at my first appointment in Indiana. I think it’s a very moving song. I’m thrilled with what this sounds like in a worship with so many people.

SCRIPTURE --NEW TESTAMENT LESSON -- John 3:1-15

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[d] 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

SERMON -- Bishop William W. Hutchinson

(This will be a little harder to “live-blog” than yesterday because I had the benefit of a translator yesterday. I’ll try to hit the high points.)

He started with an account of a baptism service of 200 or so people at the largest Methodist Church in Havana. It was a “mass baptism.” The fact that it could be in the courtyard of the church was a novel thing because the government hadn’t wanted displays of religion out of doors. And the participants were awed that onlookers were able to watch what it means to have new life in Christ and that something special was about to take place. A large, above ground pool was there for immersion. And stations were set up for those who chose “pouring” or “sprinkling.”

And the preacher exhorted and preached and the people who were going to be baptized were literally jumping and ecstatic and held up hands in prayer and danced. Bishop Hutchinson said he’s never seen that much enthusiasm and it was a life-changing experience. And someone at the scene commented that this is how the rituals of the church should always be...out in the open air, ecstatic, for all to see and experience, full of the joy of the Holy Spirit.

But even here, we can make our witness boldly and safely in front of one another. It’s safe that way, you know.

Then the bishop moved to Nicodemus who comes to Jesus under the cover of night. Jesus says that he himself is from God and that Nicodemus (and us) must be born from above -- being born again. But, how, asks Nicodemus? This is a new concept. And Jesus tells him that he must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus is saying that we must be “born from above” -- “out of this world.”

God must lift us in life to the living God that sets the hearts to pounding that sets the feet to dancing that sets the hands to lifting upward just like those Cubans in the baptismal story told at the start of the sermon. They had put the proverbial “cart before the horse.” They were filled with the Spirit even before the experience of baptism.

United Methodists often make sure the horse is placed firmly before the cart. We have the ritual. And, maybe later on, we get ushered into an experience of the Holy Spirit. But, there’s more than water. There is the experience of Jesus the Christ. And sometimes we don’t realize it until much later.

The Bishop posed a question to us individually and collectively -- Have we as a church been baptized into form but not into power? Have we been baptized both by above and below? Have we been baptized with Holy Spirit and with water? Have we moved from “the my, my my” state of Baptism to the “YES, INDEED” state of baptism.

Today I’m asking you to move. Today I’m asking you to allow yourself to BE moved. I’m asking you to be moved by the Spirit and renew your baptismal covenant and utter a silent or even an audible (heaven help us) prayer that God would come upon us and renew us and usher us into a birth from above that makes us a renewed child of God. No one is excluded and no one is beyond need.

(He had a wonderful illustration about how everyone is welcome, taking words from a Casino ad he had read. It was awesome, but I couldn’t keep up. I’ve checked online but can’t find it)

He closed with: “Water and the Spirit. Water and the Spirit. Water and the Spirit. Amen.”

BAPTISMAL REMEMBRANCE

Baptismal waters were sprinkled on all in attendance as we sang the chorus:

Rain down. Rain down. Rain down your love on your people. Rain down. Rain down. Rain down your love God of life.

CLOSING FROM THE BISHOP: You know, they’re running a Race for the Cure outside today. And we’re running, really running a race for the cure in here. And may we move from our “my...my...my” faith in the Spirit to a “Yes, indeed” faith in Christ. Amen.

Pics of legislative groups in action

2008-04-25T18:50:00.003-08:00