James Swanson elected bishop of the United Methodist Church
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) -- The Rev. James Swanson Sr., of Savannah, Ga., has been elected a bishop by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Swanson, superintendent of the Savannah District in the South Georgia Annual (regional) Conference, was elected July14 on the fourth ballot. He will fill one of the vacancies created in the jurisdictional College of Bishops by the retirements of six bishops.
Endorsed by the South Georgia Conference, Swanson received 349 of 556 votes cast.
“My dream is to see the United Methodist Church turn this declining membership around,” Swanson said soon after his election. “I really feel we have a message that the world needs to hear. We believe in personal salvation. We are so committed to social justice.”
The church has a mission to make a difference in the world, he said, adding, “I want to see the church having fun doing that, that’s my dream.”
Mary Virginia Taylor elected bishop of the United Methodist Church
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Mary Virginia “Dindy” Taylor, Cleveland, Tenn., has been elected a bishop by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Taylor, superintendent of the Cleveland District in the Holston Conference, was elected July 16. She will fill one of the vacancies created in the Southeastern Jurisdiction’s College of Bishops by the retirements of six bishops.
Endorsed by the Holston Conference delegation, Taylor was elected on the 34th ballot, receiving 354 of 549 votes cast.
She becomes the second woman elected during this conference. This is the first time the Southeastern Jurisdiction has elected two women.
“I have been the ‘first’ woman in every position I have ever been in, I have never followed a woman into an office,” she said.
As the last bishop elected at this jurisdictional conference, Taylor said she felt “a keen sense of God’s presence throughout this process.”
“My dream is that the church will be a vibrant, active community of faith working together. When I picture that church it has all colors, all ages — all sorts of folks working together in the name of Christ, reaching out around the world. We need to be connected, we need to be joyous, giving of our energy and resources.”
Southeast United Methodist bishops get assignments
By Kathy Gilbert
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) –The six United Methodist bishops elected during the Southeastern Jurisdiction’s 2004 conference and seven continuing bishops now know where they will serve for the next four years.
Their assignments were announced July 17 and will take effect Sept. 1.
The assignment of Bishop G. Lindsey Davis to the North Georgia Conference was extended for a third term. Davis is undergoing medical treatment for cancer. Four bishops—Larry M. Goodpaster, Timothy Whitaker, James R. King Jr. and Michael Watson-- will continue in their current assignments for a second term.
Six pastors just elected as bishops were given their first assignments.
The assignments are:
Bishop G. Lindsey Davis--North Georgia Area, which includes North Georgia Conference.
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster--Alabama-West Florida Area, which includes the Alabama and West Florida conferences.
Bishop Alfred Gwinn--Raleigh Area, which includes the North Carolina Conference.
Bishop Charlene Kammerer--Richmond Area, which includes the Virginia Conference.
Bishop James R. King Jr.—Louisville Area, which includes Kentucky and Red Bird Missionary conferences.
Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey--Charlotte Area, which includes the Western North Carolina Conference.
Bishop James Swanson--Holston Area, which includes the Holston Conference.
Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor--Columbia Area, which includes the South Carolina Conference.
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward--Mississippi Area, which includes the Mississippi Conference.
Bishop B. Michael Watson-- South Georgia Area, which includes the South Georgia Conference.
Bishop William H. Willimon--Birmingham Area, which includes the North Alabama Conference.
Bishop Richard J. Wills Jr.--Nashville Area, which includes the Memphis and Tennessee conferences.
Bishop Timothy Whitaker--Florida Area, which includes the Florida Conference.
The six retiring bishops are Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain Jr., Bishop Marion M. Edwards, Bishop Robert E. Fannin, Bishop William Morris and Bishop Joe E. Pennel Jr.
The denomination’s Southeastern Jurisdiction includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
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