WUMC Trustee Update
Tom Wishman

With the new school year beginning, look for new beginnings at the church. The Paper Recycle Receptacle will no longer be available in the parking lot. It is being removed due to the damage incurred to the parking lot and the decreased value of recyclable paper. We will still be recycling at church and encourage all members to recycle at home and do what you can to help to protect our environment.

It’s Official - Upper New York Annual Conference

At 10:59 a.m. on June 19, the Rev. Dr. Marcus Matthews, Resident Bishop of the Upper New York Area of the United Methodist Church, called to order the first session of the Upper New York Uniting Conference at the OnCenter in Syracuse. Several motions later, the nearly 2,000 United Methodists in attendance voted to approve the creation of the new conference and officially name it Upper New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

In his “Dear Friends” letter to the Upper New York Area, Bishop Matthews called on United Methodists to remain dedicated to “faithful living,” which was the theme of the Uniting Conference. Bishop Matthews encouraged us not to assume that the Uniting Session is relegated to official minutes, reports, and memories of the passing of the Plan of Union.

“The whole truth is that in our Holy Conferencing we were able to construct, affirm and resource our vision to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places. I pray that the results of our time of holy conferencing will be a dedication to faithful living into our theme ‘In the Name of Love: Together We Create.’”

Bishop Matthews urged all to make plans for the adjourned session of the Upper New York Annual Conference, which will be held September 11 at the Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY.

The State of the Church Report is an annual look at where the UMC stands statistically in membership, giving, and church growth. You can access this report online at www.umc.org/sotc2010.

 

 

 

“Geography of the Soul” Seminar in Tucson – October 22-25

The General Board of Discipleship affiliate organization, the Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors and Retreat Leaders (FUMSDRL) is hosting a seminar on "Geography of the Soul: Barrenness and Beauty - A seminar for Personal Formation and Leadership Development." This national training seminar is being held from October 22-25 at Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, Arizona. The seminar will provide a foundational understanding from various faith cultural perspectives and explain how to expand ministry into diverse cultures. The keynote speaker each day is Sister Dawn Annette Mills, a Benedictine Sister of Perpetual Adoration from Clyde, MO. She is a word weaver and a storyteller committed to promoting a lively and prayerful relationship with the Holy. For more information on FUMSDRL and this seminar, please visit www.fumsdrl.org.

 

Judicial Council to Reconsider Gay Membership Issue

When The United Methodist Judicial Council meets October 27-30 in New Orleans, seven of the 31 docket items revolve around membership issues, including the right of pastors to decide who is worthy of membership. The Northern Illinois Annual Conference is asking Judicial Council to reconsider Decision 1032, and is requesting declaratory decisions on four other matters related to membership and sexual orientation. The Minnesota and Arkansas conferences also are requesting that Judicial Council reconsider Decision 1032.

In 2005, reaction was immediate. Several days after Decision 1032 was announced, the United Methodist Council of Bishops declared that sexual preference was not an obstacle to church membership. “While pastors have the responsibility to discern readiness for membership, homosexuality is not a barrier,” the bishops said in their pastoral letter to the people of The United Methodist Church.

The new court voting in October about reconsideration of Decision 1032 still includes three members - Jon R. Gray, Beth Capen and the Rev. Susan T. Henry-Crowe - who dissented from the majority opinion in 2005. Gray wrote in his dissent, “The majority’s decision now condones the denial of the fellowship of the church to persons in need of its ministry and guidance who are homosexual. The decision eviscerates our statement that God’s grace is available to all and reduces it to an empty platitude.”