National & World News
June 13, 2003
Church groups call for intervention in Liberia
By United Methodist News Service
Officials with the World Council of Churches and Church World Service are calling for international help in Liberia, where fighting between government and rebel forces is raging and the nation’s top leader has been indicted for war crimes.
In a June 13 letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the top staff executive of the World Council of Churches urged support for peace initiatives in Liberia.
The council is concerned about reports of escalating fighting between government forces and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, wrote the Rev. Konrad Raiser. "Thousands of people, including internally displaced persons and refugees from neighboring countries, have once again been uprooted and are on the move in search of security." Aid efforts have been hampered, food, water and shelter are hard to find, and "looting and plunder have added to the miseries" of the civilian population, he wrote.
Rebel groups are fighting government forces in different parts of the country, already battered by more than a decade of war. Meanwhile, an indictment against President Charles Taylor was unsealed June 4, accusing him of war crimes against thousands of people during the country’s previous civil war, when he led a rebel faction. A U.N.-backed Special Court in Sierra Leone handed down the indictment.
Raiser noted that the developments coincided with the June 4 opening of the Liberian Peace Conference in Ghana, under the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States and the U.N. International Contact Group on Liberia. "We hope that the peace process, presently stalled, will be revived with the active participation of all parties concerned, so that a genuine search for a just and durable peace can begin by putting into effect an immediate cease-fire and an end to hostilities," Raiser said.
He asked that the United Nations encourage the parties in the conflict to agree on the presence of peacekeepers. "Given the gravity of this near-anarchy situation that has developed, it is difficult to foresee a cease-fire holding out without the backing of a credible peace-keeping force," he wrote.
A week earlier, Church World Service, a humanitarian relief agency, urged the United States to respond immediately to the crisis in Liberia. It also called for the deployment of an African "stabilization force" in the country. Church World Service is providing aid and attempting to rally U.S. churches and government leaders to help Liberia.
The United Methodist Church is an active supporter of both the World Council of Churches and Church World Service.
The Rev. John McCullough, executive director of Church World Service and a United Methodist, expressed concern for the status of the peace talks, now threatened by recent developments.
"We also fear that in the chaos in Monrovia, where tens of thousands of Liberians have taken refuge from the fighting that has engulfed their country, humanitarian conditions will deteriorate and delivery of humanitarian aid will be jeopardized, further deepening the misery of people who already have suffered too long," he said.
Bishop John Innis, who leads the United Methodist Church in Liberia, has provided food and blankets to displaced people flooding into Monrovia, the nation’s capital.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief is responding to the crisis. Donations to UMCOR can be designated for Liberia Emergency, Advance #150300-7, and dropped in church offering plates or sent to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583.
Information for this report was provided by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Church World Service and the World Council of Churches.
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June 20, 2003
Africa University perseveres in tough economic time
By Duane A. Ewers*
NEW YORK (UMNS) – Economic pressures continue to challenge Africa University, but the United Methodist-related school is forging ahead in its mission of educating new leaders for Africa.
"In May, 179 students from 14 countries were graduated from Africa University," said Vice Chancellor Rukudzo Murapa. "They join with many other AU graduates who are a proud new cadre of young men and women making a difference on the African continent."
Murapa gave an update on the school in a report to the Africa University Executive Committee, which met June 8-9 in New York. The committee discussed the school’s situation and approved increasing student fees in an effort to raise sorely needed funds.
New buildings continue to be constructed to care for the expanding programs and student body on the campus, located in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Those include the second phase of the Jokomo/Yamada Library and the Institute of Peace, Leadership, and Governance Building, both with funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development, and the new building for the Faculty of Health Sciences, with financial support from USAID and the United Methodist Church. The new Faculty of Health Sciences became operational in the spring.
Thanks to USAID and the United Methodist Church, all of the buildings are debt free. USAID has contributed $8.38 million to Africa University in the 10-plus years since the school opened.
Murapa underscored that "the pace at which we are able to realize these achievements is significantly influenced by the economic constraints currently experienced in Zimbabwe."
"In the current climate, we are being challenged to come up with innovative ways of coping with the ever-rising prices and cost of basic commodities, including maize meal, cooking oil, bread, as well as fuel and medical supplies," he said. "The cost of labor has also risen astronomically." It is also important to note that despite the many shortages, no student is going hungry, he added.
"I am impressed with how well Africa University has managed its budget in view of all of the challenges it has faced in terms of inflation (275 percent) and scarcities of all kinds," said Aubrey Lucas, elected treasurer of the Africa University board. "With good cash management, the university has been able to end each of the last three years with a balanced budget."
This year’s budget is $5.1 million, which includes USAID support for buildings.
The pressure on the day-to-day budget cannot be overstated, officials said. "The salary position at Africa University has eroded compared to other universities in Zimbabwe, resulting in the loss of some professors and causing economic stress for others," Murapa reported.
Student fees account for about 25 percent of the budget. To help meet the budget crunch, the executive committee decided to increase student fees (tuition, room-and-board, health, and registration) from U.S.$3,950 to U.S.$5,200. Before May’s graduations, the school had 1,123 students enrolled.
The other most important source of income is from the United Methodist Church’s Africa University Fund apportionment. The fact that apportionment giving for the fund is down 7 percent from a year ago is causing stress on the budget.
"Given the political unrest and the economic stress in Zimbabwe, Africa University is needed now more than when it was founded," Lucas said. "Africa University is strengthening human resources to address these critical issues."
"It is clear that 10 years after its founding, Africa University continues to be one of the denomination’s most creative and faith-filled responses to the multifaceted challenges that confront the African continent," said Jerome King Del Pino, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tenn.
"In the midst of serious economic deterioration and sociopolitical uncertainty, the students, faculty and staff remain vigilant in pursuing the core mission of the university: to provide the highest quality educational experience that will make a critical difference in the present and future development of the continent," Del Pino said. "This is not an inconsequential enterprise, and because it is not, I am confident that United Methodists across the world will want to continue support with appropriate funding."
*Ewers is executive director of the Office of Interpretation at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville, Tenn.
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June 19, 2003
Agency invites church members to online dialogue July 8
By United Methodist News Service
United Methodists are being encouraged to participate in an online conversation July 8 about the future of the denomination and what it means to be a global church.
The "Forum on the Future" webcast will be at 8 p.m. Eastern time at www.gcom-umc.org/future. Denominational leaders and scholars, meeting in Detroit, will be in dialogue with one another and listeners around the world. The United Methodist General Council on Ministries and the denomination’s Inter-Agency Research Task Force are sponsoring the two-hour event.
The webcast follows an initial "Forum on the Future" dialogue Feb. 26, which originated in Nashville, Tenn. Both share the same theme, "What in the World Are We Talking About? Strengthening our Global Connection and Ecumenical Relationships." The first dialogue focused on this question from a U.S. perspective, and the upcoming webcast will focus on it from the perspective of the church’s central conferences – regional units outside the United States.
"The first Forum addressed a wide range of issues about the church and its changing world, and we expect the second one will as well," said Craig This, director of the Council on Ministries’ office of research and planning in Dayton, Ohio. "The first one showed us how diverse the U.S. culture is. The second one will show us how diverse the world culture is as we hear from individuals from Africa, Asia, and Europe."
The panelists will include United Methodists from the central conferences – Emma Cantor, the Philippines; Solomon Chiripasi, Zimbabwe; Øyvind Helliesen, Norway; and Roland Siegrist, Austria – all of whom serve on the Council of Ministries. They will join Bishop Alfred Johnson, leader of the New Jersey Area and chairperson of the Advance for Christ and His Church, and two panelists from the first webcast – the Rev. Bruce Robbins, top staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, and Jay Williams, a member of the Council on Ministries.
The Forum on the Future will also include Betty Jane and Martin Bailey, co-authors of Who are the Christians in the Middle East? for part of the conversation.
The conversation will focus on the United Methodist Church’s relationships with surrounding cultures, particularly those outside the United States.
Small groups and individuals are encouraged to participate in the Forum on the Future, and a bulletin board has been created to generate conversation before the webcast. People can log on to the bulletin board and talk about topics related to the global nature of the church or begin submitting questions for the panelists.
"We had roughly 500 computers logged on to the last Forum on the Future," This said, "but there is no way to know how many of these were single users or groups. Our hope is by having these groups register we can get a better feel for our audience, and see how well this format works to bring people together to discuss the future of the church."
More details are available by contacting This at research@gcom-umc.org.
This report was adapted from a General Council on Ministries release.
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June 17, 2003
Minnesota Annual Conference calls gun law unconstitutional
By Victoria Rebeck*
MINNEAPOLIS (UMNS)--Religious groups, including the United Methodist Minnesota Annual Conference, are challenging a recent law passed by the state of Minnesota that will allow licensed residents to carry concealed firearms wherever they wish—including church and school parking lots.
The law even allows people to carry guns into a house of worship without penalty if the house of worship does not follow an elaborate notification system.
Edina (Minn.) Community Lutheran Church was the first church to challenge the law on constitutional grounds. The church says the new Minnesota Citizens’ Personal Protection Act -- commonly called the "conceal and carry law"-- tramples on their freedom of religious expression.
The Rev. Kent Johnson, pastor of Excelsior (Minn.) United Methodist Church, agreed. He asked the Minnesota Annual Conference--in session when the law went into effect May 28—to support the Edina church’s complaint. After passionate debate expressing opposing positions, conference members voted to join other religious groups in the Edina church’s lawsuit against the state.
"I am pretty certain we in the United Methodist Church are (on) different sides on this issue of concealed guns," Johnson said. "I also believe that whenever we have a chance to test the separation of church and state we should. I thought this was a good opportunity."
Minnesota Annual Conference’s resolution cited four areas of concern: (1) restriction on churches’ ability to prohibit firearms from its parking lots; (2) restriction on churches’ freedom to prohibit tenants from allowing firearms in their leased space; (3) burdensome sign regulations; and (4) a burdensome "personal notification" requirement. The Edina Community Lutheran suit also advocates the right of religious organizations to prohibit employees from carrying firearms on official business.
"The issue is not just the right of sanctuaries to be gun-free, but also the offensiveness of forcing them to use state-mandated language," said Marian Saksena of Fredrikson and Byron, co-counsel for the plaintiffs and a member of Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.
Saksena said the religious groups are challenging the law’s compatibility with the Minnesota state constitution because Minnesota’s protection of religious expression is more extensive than that of the U.S. Constitution.
Joining Edina Community Lutheran so far are the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic bishops in Minnesota, the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, a number of synagogues, a Zen Buddhist center, and the Temple of ECK (Eckankar), in Chanhassen, Minn.
Not wanting their religious expression curtailed while waiting for the suit to be heard, the plaintiffs took the unusual step of asking the court for a temporary restraining order.
"The situation is urgent," said the Rev. Jim Perry, Minnesota Annual Conference’s director of ministries, "because vacation Bible schools will start soon. Many vacation Bible schools take place outdoors on church parking lots, and churches need to know they can keep their parking lots gun-free."
Judge Marilyn Brown Rosenbaum granted a temporary restraining order on June 6—but for only two of the groups’ five concerns. First, the order relieves the plaintiffs of the law’s detailed signage regulations. The law requires that signs state, "(Operator) Bans Guns in These Premises," use Arial type font in characters 1.5 inches high, print in black ink on a bright contrasting background, print on paper no smaller than 11 inch by 17 inch, and be posted at a specified height and specified distance from doors.
These requirements are in general burdensome, Saksena said. "Most signs I’ve seen around town don’t seem to comply," she said. "Not everyone has access to Arial type font, or has a printer that can handle 11 inch by 17 inch paper. If your church’s name is somewhat long, you will have to use paper even larger than the minimum required."
Furthermore, some of the plaintiffs wanted to use theological language on their sign. Edina Community Lutheran chose "Blessed are the Peacemakers: No Firearms Allowed in this Sanctuary."
Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation, another plaintiff, posts a sign that explains more fully the synagogue’s policy: "Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation has joined with other religious congregations in opposition to Minnesota law regarding the carrying of concealed weapons, including its opposition to the mandated requirement to post signs prohibiting such weapons in and on its premises. Until such time as these matters are finally resolved, this notice is intended to serve whatever legitimate and reasonable provision may be required in this regard by the Minnesota Citizens’ Personal Protection Act of 2003. ‘Seek peace and pursue it. -- Psalm 34:15.’”
Rosenbaum also granted the plaintiffs relief from having to greet each visitor personally with the message that firearms are not allowed in their house of worship. The law is vague here; it requires that "the requester or its agent personally inform the person of the posted request and demand compliance."
"Many times people enter a church because it is a place for sanctuary and healing," said Perry. "The peacefulness of worship juxtaposed with the need to tell people that they can’t carry in firearms and if they have them they must leave and return only after they dispose of them is jarring."
The judge also ruled that for the time being, the congregations do not have the right to prohibit tenants from bringing guns into their buildings. Edina Community Lutheran, like many United Methodist congregations in Minnesota, houses a nursery school. Strand said the law interferes with church’s understanding of the gospel’s imperative of peacemaking, and the church’s concern for the safety of children.
"This is a slippery slope," Saksena said. "Religious liberty could be chipped away by this act. What next might the state require religious groups to post on their doors?
"The state has to allow religious organizations to comply in the least restrictive way," Saksena added. She points to states that allow houses of worship to adopt a policy that prohibits people from carrying a gun onto church property without the expressed permission of church officials.
Since the law went into effect, other groups, in addition to religious ones, have challenged the law on the grounds that it compromises, rather than protects, public safety. For example, the board of directors of Hennepin County, where Minneapolis is located, voted on June 11 to ban weapons from all county buildings, and cited public safety as the reason.
"My hope is that congregations will be able to ban guns from their premises if they desire," Johnson said, "and to do that in any way they like."
Victoria Rebeck is director of communications, Minnesota Annual Conference. This is a special report written for United Methodist News Service.
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June 19, 2003
Consultation seeks peace, humanitarian aid in North Korea
WASHINGTON (UMNS) – Participants in a consultation on the Korean crisis have called for immediate negotiations to find a peaceful solution.
Religious leaders from South Korea and the United States joined with humanitarian workers June 16-18 to seek immediate, international conversation focusing on a nonviolent resolution of the crisis with North Korea – a crisis fueled both by that country’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and by the need of its people for humanitarian aid.
"A clear statement from the White House that North Korea will not be attacked will establish a political climate for progress in negotiations," the group said in the consultation’s message.
The approximately 80 participants included many staff members of United Methodist Church agencies and those of other denominations.
Hosted by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service, a U.S.-based international relief organization related to more than 30 denominations, the event included participation of the Korean National Council of Churches. But the North Korean delegation was prevented from attending when the SARS crisis halted flights to Asian capitals, where the North Koreans had planned to obtain visas to visit the United States.
"We have been concerned that (U.S.) foreign policy has moved from diplomacy to pre-emptive strikes," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, NCC president and a United Methodist, at the conclusion of the consultation.
The people of faith have a vital role to play in concluding a non-aggression pact and speeding humanitarian aid to the people, he asserted, echoing the consultation’s statement.
"The military solution is no solution at all!" declared the Rev. Syngman Rhee, a former NCC president and past head of the Presbyterian Church USA. He said this was the collective opinion of the consultation.
Rhee emphasized the consultation was a significant event in 20 years of cooperation on peace and unification issues between the National Council of Churches of Christ USA and the Korean National Council of Churches.
The Rev. Jong-Hwa Park, an officer of the National Council of Churches in Korea, said that South Koreans have been living in an inter-Korean peace that was fragile but much better than an atmosphere of confrontation and hostility. The Koreans’ peaceful co-existence is being threatened by the nuclear crisis of North Korea and the pre-emptive attack policy of the United States, he said.
His people desire a nuclear-free Korea, he said. He expressed the hope that a three-way negotiation among North and South Korea and the United States could achieve this goal. The people of both countries do not want a repeat of the Korean War, which devastated the peninsula between 1950 and 1953, he attested.
The Rev. Victor Hsu, a senior adviser with Church World Service and organizer of the consultation, described the "ongoing humanitarian crisis" in North Korea he had seen on a trip there in April.
"I can testify to the deteriorating health (and) malnutrition among the North Korean people," Hsu said.
He noted that Church World Service was among the first to respond in 1995, at the beginning of the current Korean crisis. During this period, the organization with the help of the churches has provided $4.3 million in assistance. With each shipment, a CWS delegation went to North Korea to see the distribution of the relief supplies, he noted.
"The contribution of Church World Service has helped reverse the trend in stunted growth and in wasting among children," Hsu said, referring to a nutrition report issued by UNICEF and the World Food Programme in March.
With his input and that from other participants, and citing reports from United Nations officials, the consultation strongly encouraged the international community and churches to provide health and agricultural assistance to the people of North Korea, and particularly asked the U.S. government to be generous in its aid.
Edgar said the consultation was part of an NCC emphasis on peacemaking that began last year and initially dealt with trying to avert a war in Iraq.
"What we’ve discovered over the last nine months is that there are two superpowers: One is the United States and the other is world opinion," he said. "Government needs to do its role, but the people of faith need to stand up and do their role" – to cut across boundaries and work for peace and reconciliation.
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