News Archive

The View from Fort Worth

by Don Perry

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The first part of this morning featured the Council of Bishops. As part of their program, those of us from the Wyoming Conference got a preview of one of the speakers we will hear when we come together for our annual conference session May 29-31. Bishop Minerva Carcaño, who will serve as Bible study leader, preached a message based on Mark 5:1-20 titled "A Hope Beyond Ourselves. We have much to look forward to.

While viewing the many displays set up featuring the work of many of the denominations general agencies, I ran into a couple of familiar faces. The first provided a pleasant reunion with Royya James. Royya spent a year as part of our conference commuications team a few years back, as the Judith L. Weidman Racial Ethnic Minority Fellow. Royya now works at United Methodist Communications.

A few moments later, I spotted Rev. Gary Doupe looking over one of the displays. Gary is in Fort Worth serving as a monitor for a social justice organization. He is spending time tracking the actions of legislative committees working on items involving the General Board of Church and Society.

You can see photos of Royya and Gary by clicking here.

Monday, April 28, 2008

The first big news this morning is that Rev. William Lawrence has been elected to the Judicial Council. Bill is Dean and Professor of American Church History at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology.of American Church History at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. He began his full-time ministry in the Wyoming Conference with an appointment to Avoca and Moosic. He later served churches in West Pittston and Owego, before being appointed Wilkes-Barre District Superintendent. Bill will serve as the Memorial Communion Service Preacher, May 29 at our annual conference session.

Another pastor from the Wyoming Conference has been sighted in Fort Worth. Rev. Jean-Pierre Duncan is working with the Communities of Shalom. The group is conducting focus group discussions, sharing an evaluation and futuring report in preparation for recommendations to be presented at the National Shalom Committee in July.

Some legislative committees are working overtime. I met Ray Hamill in the hall at lunchtime rushing to a meeting of the Judicial Administration Legislative Committee. The group has so much to consider that they have to meet and eat.

Look for photos of J-P and Ray by clicking here.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

General Conference today approved a petition included in the report of the Inter-Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy to reduce the number of the number of Episcopal areas for the Northeastern Jurisdiction to 9, no later than September 1, 2012. Ray Hamill and Dave Masland serve on that committee. It was Ray who proposed the legislation. Delegates were nearly unanimous in accepting the report and approving the legislation.

Blenda Smith spent much of the day dressed in clothing given to her by a family from Liberia she has sponsored for life in the United States. They gave her the outfit after learning that she would be attending a dinner this evening with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia. President Sirleaf, a United Methodist, address the conference this afternoon.

Another piece of legislation approved today will be likely to affect the our conference's Pennsylvania churches and those of the Central Pennsylvania Conference as they work to become one. A measure was passed increasing by two years the mandatory retirement age for bishops. This means Bishop Jane Middleton will be able to continue to serve through another quadrennium.

You can find new photos added today, by clicking here.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Blenda Smith found her way to a microphone in the afternoon plenary session today. She asked the conference to suspend its rules to allow the General Commision on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC) to distribute a DVD to the heads of each annual conference delegation. The video on the disc had been shown during an earlier presentation and addresses the issue of white priviege. Blenda and Rev. Olu Harding serve as members of the GCCUIC board. The video cites the Wyoming Conference as its source of inspiration.

One of those involved in the distribution of those discs was Sarah Reid. Sarah was serving as a page on the plenary floor at the time Blenda received permission to pass them out.

The issue became more visible due to an incident involving a member of the North Central New York Conference delegation at a Fort Worth restaraunt. Rev. Darryl Barrow, NCNY Spiritual Leadership Director, a person of color and originally a member of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean. Meals were brought to the table one by one -- even those who were a half hour late to dinner were served, but Barrow's meal still had not been served. You can read the full story by clicking here. Following supper, the conference viewed a three minute about the incident.

You can find new photos added today, by clicking here.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

The business of the General Conference began as usual this morning, worship and then movement into dealing with some of the many legislative items that must be cared for today and tomorrow. Just be for 10:30, Sandra Brands, Troy Conference Director of Communications came to me to say we needed to grab our video and still cameras and get out to the balcony surrounding the plenary floor. She had just received word that there was to be a protest by people unhappy that little or no change has been made to language in the Book of Disciple regarding gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered people.

Bishop J Lawrence McCleskey, Western North Carolina Annual Conference, called a 15 minute recess to allow a witness to come to the floor of the conference. Quietly and then with song, a large group of people, many dressed in black entered the arena and lined the aisles. The altar, in the center of the room was covered in black and delegates were invited to come and add black pieces of cloth to the table. As many did, speakers shared the pain they felt due to the votes that have been taken and the affect it has on them, members of their families, friends and other of God's children.

At the end of the 15 minutes, the witnesses filed out while singing. 12 bishops and 12 of the witnesses circled the altar as the others left. Bishop McCleskey then called an additional ten minute recess before business resumed with discussion of a group of petitions dealing with changing renaming central conferences as regional conferences.

Following the morning session, members of the Wyoming Conference and Central Pennsylvania Conference Delegations hiked to a Mexican restaraunt to spend time in conversation. The purpose of the gathering was simply for the two groups to get to know one another. Conversation around the table was lively. Some old relationships were renewed and new ones begun. The mood was one of hope for the future and joy at making new friendships.

During the supper break, members of the Wyoming Conference joined with delegates and guests of the North Central New York, Troy and Western New York Conferences. Bishop Susasn Hassinger missed the gathering because was unexpectedly called away from General Conference to attend to her brother at a time of illness. Bishop Violet Fisher was on hand to take part in the mixer. After the meal, those in attendence joined in ice breaker activities. A lot of laughs were heard coming from the room.

You can find new photos added today, by clicking here.