tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-119796362023-10-22T05:08:50.310-05:00A working preacher in Washington, D.C., wrestles with Scripture, the (sigh) United Methodist Church and his soul.Dean Snyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1122752617607978192005-07-30T14:27:00.000-05:002005-07-30T14:43:37.613-05:00

Dear Friends:Untied Methodist has moved to a new location. The new address is www.untiedmethodist.com.I hope the new location will be friendlier to the browsers that have had a hard time reading this blog.Please notice that there is a new feed for short items in the right hand column. It is called "50wordsorless" . This can also be accessed directly at www.untiedmethodist.com/50wordsorless.At the

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1122564665844162872005-07-28T09:59:00.000-05:002005-07-29T11:32:51.723-05:00

Good News has issued a press release taking sides in the case of the Virginia pastor who was placed on involuntary leave of absence as the consequence of his refusal to allow an openly gay man to join his church in spite of his district superintendent's instructions to receive him.The Rev. James V. Heidinger II, president of Good News, said the involuntary leave voted by the Virginia Conference's

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1122229175020587732005-07-24T12:48:00.000-05:002005-07-29T11:34:51.956-05:00

On the last day (Sunday, July 17) of our time in Liberia, our hostess and guide Frances Porte invited us to attend worship with her. Her congregation, the First United Methodist Church of Robertsports, was meeting jointly with St. Peter's United Methodist Church, a congregation whose building is located a two-hour drive outside Monrovia. The combined service was held at United Methodist

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1121977260589449312005-07-21T15:08:00.000-05:002005-07-21T15:29:43.910-05:00

By Dean Snyder and Jane MaloneMONROVIA, Liberia - It is quite likely that a United Methodist will become the first woman to be elected president of Liberia, according to interviews with faculty members and students at Liberia's United Methodist University.University faculty members and students identified Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, formerly an official with the United Nations, the World Bank, and

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1121906403454594372005-07-20T19:07:00.000-05:002005-07-29T11:43:32.466-05:00

Steve Swecker, editor of Zion's Herald, has begun a blog at www.faithwriterblog.com/. Swecker is an excellent editor and Zion's Herald is an important magazine. It is good to have him blogging.It has long disappointed me that United Methodism has such a minimalist independent press. The United Methodist Reporter is independent, sort of. Much of its income comes from annual conferences and local

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1121901424988619112005-07-20T17:50:00.000-05:002005-07-23T20:41:40.823-05:00

By Dean Snyder and Jane MaloneGANTA, Liberia -- Sampson Nyanti is on his cell phone trying to get building suppliesdelivered from Monrovia. Workers are rebuilding Ganta Mission’s elementary school, and he doesn’t want the project stalled or workers idle for lack of materials.The workers’ salaries are being paid by a grant from USAID for which Nyanti is very grateful --only four Liberian United

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1121882231064392302005-07-20T12:36:00.000-05:002005-07-20T17:32:45.906-05:00

After returning from Liberia I found a letter in my mailbox from the Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, the president of Lifewatch and editor of its newsletter. He wrote in response to my July 3 post entitled "Lifewatch, Reconciling Ministries, the United Methodist Building, and Lake Junaluska: Why We Worry."In his letter he gives me permission to make it public, so I will do so here, and then make a few

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1121815654159152952005-07-19T17:23:00.000-05:002005-07-19T20:21:09.523-05:00

By Dean Snyder and Jane MaloneBUCHANAN, Liberia – “Give me pen, not gun” reads a hand-written poster on the cafeteria wall of J.F. Yancy School at Camphor Mission near Buchanan, Liberia. The slogan is not hyperbole. Beginning in the early 1990’s, boys as young as 12 and 13 were recruited or forcibly drafted into rebel armies, given guns, and deployed to fight and kill other Liberians for more

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120529781698923012005-07-04T21:15:00.000-05:002005-07-04T21:16:21.726-05:00

Tomorrow I leave for Liberia with a study team that will meet with workers and leaders of the Liberian labor movement. We will hopefully help to build a stronger relationship between the workers of Liberia and the United States.Next Sunday Jane will join me and we will spend a week visiting with our United Methodist brothers and sisters in Liberia.United Methodism, like the United States, has a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120446934093706482005-07-03T21:33:00.000-05:002005-07-04T10:04:23.840-05:00

The Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality, or Lifewatch, is a caucus within the United Methodist Church that wants to change our church's stance on abortion.An unsigned editorial in its June 2005 newsletter entitled "What Motivates Lifewatch?" states:"Why does Lifewatch exist? Why does Lifewatch do what we do? Why does Lifewatch witness within The United Methodist Church today?

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120363889457388272005-07-02T22:11:00.000-05:002005-07-03T06:50:47.770-05:00

I have been involved in two extended discussions about the resolution passed by the California-Nevada Conference defining sexual orientation as a status.One conversation has been happening here at Untied Methodist in the comment section of my post reporting on the passing of the resolution. John Wilks of A Preacher's Journey and I have been having a spirited discussion about whether the

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120233119694978562005-07-01T10:32:00.000-05:002005-07-01T12:31:03.020-05:00

Locusts and Honey discovered a news story in The Guardian, a British newspaper, entitled "Methodist leaders vote to bless gay couples."Then, the British Methodist Conference issued a statement suggesting that the news reports were not necessarily fully accurate. The statement said: "Some of the national and local newspapers which have reported on the Conference debate have interpreted this in a

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120188394337760182005-06-30T21:33:00.000-05:002005-07-01T15:49:13.730-05:00

The California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church passed a resolution June 17 defining sexual orientation as a status. (See here also.)The exact wording of the resolution is: "The California-Nevada Annual Conference hereby defines the word 'status' as including sexual orientation such as heterosexuality, homosexuality, bi-sexuality, and transgendered."The conference also passed

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120129923966361172005-06-30T05:10:00.000-05:002005-06-30T14:46:25.333-05:00

Spirituality has become a commodity for sale on the competitive capitalist free market.I was struck by this reality when I read Jeff Sharlet's profile of Ted Haggard, pastor of a magachurch in Colorado Springs and president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), in the May issue of Harper's Magazine.Let me say quickly that I do not make reference, in this case, to Haggard's philosophy

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1120069277325216492005-06-29T13:15:00.000-05:002005-06-29T21:10:11.790-05:00

Rev. Rachel Lieder Simeon is conference superintendent of the Alaska Missionary Conference, one of the few U.S. United Methodist conferences reporting growth in both membership and attendance in 2004. The Alaska Missionary Conference, which has 28 churches, ended 2004 with 4,045 members, up 1 from 2003. Average attendance during 2004 was 2,609, up 15 from 2003. The Alaska Missionary Conference

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119911154628955272005-06-27T16:52:00.000-05:002005-06-29T12:52:24.236-05:00

Ted Haggard (pictured right), pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Col., talks on the phone to President Bush or his staff every Monday. Haggard is president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).Throughout the years, while not always agreeing with its stances, I have respected the NAE. As a senior in college 37 years ago my senior thesis for the political science department

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119895428515023032005-06-27T12:24:00.000-05:002005-06-27T14:03:22.643-05:00

Dr. Paul Nixon serves as Conference Director of Congregational Development for the Alabama-West Florida Conference. His conference is one of the few United Methodist conferences reporting growth in both membership and attendance in 2004 ... and one of the very few that has been growing for more than two decades.Dr. Nixon's ministry includes planning and coaching new church starts, identifying and

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119653028145398162005-06-24T17:26:00.000-05:002005-06-24T18:22:29.906-05:00

In response to recent posts a friend sent me this note:-----------------------------------Demographic research shows that the primary reason for the decline in membership in mainline churches and the growth of conservative churches has little to do with ideology and much to do with biology. Conservative church members have more children.According to findings published in the American Journal of

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119566972313529382005-06-23T19:36:00.000-05:002005-06-24T09:40:07.386-05:00

Dr. Nancy Burgin Rankin serves as Director of Congregational Development for the Western North Carolina Conference. With half of U.S. conferences having announced their numbers for 2004, her conference is one of the few United Methodist conferences reporting growth in both church membership and average worship attendance.Dr. Rankin served as a pastor and district superintendent prior to becoming

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119476254565496622005-06-22T22:56:00.000-05:002005-06-23T10:06:14.736-05:00

Several years ago Jane and I were in Zimbabwe to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the United Methodist Church there. About 10,000 people gathered nightly under a massive tent at Old Mutare Mission, the birthplace of Methodism in Zimbabwe. Some had walked for days to get there.One evening retired Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa preached. Even though he spoke in Shona and I couldn't

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119293504209202642005-06-20T22:52:00.000-05:002005-06-21T10:16:40.366-05:00

Yesterday I posted last year's membership and attendance numbers from the 37 annual conferences that have provided reports so far to United Methodist News Service (UMNS). UMNS awaits 36 additional reports from the conferences in the United States, so half of the reports are in.You can see the numbers in yesterday's post entitled "No Comment."So, okay, in spite of saying no comment, I will

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119230997753537152005-06-19T20:07:00.000-05:002005-06-21T10:23:25.593-05:00

This information is taken from the United Methodist News Service's 2005 annual conference reports as of today:North Central JurisdictionDakotas Annual ConferenceJune 8-11, Bismarck, N.D.Membership stands at 43,136, down 548 from the previous year. Worship attendance stands at 22,930, down 186.Detroit Annual ConferenceMay 20-22, 2005, Adrian, Mich.Membership stands at 101,917, down 2,751 (3

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1119025219176120052005-06-17T16:30:00.000-05:002005-06-17T17:11:05.883-05:00

Twenty-five years ago when I was a campus minister, one of the students in our group was determined to stop being gay. When everything else failed, he entered an aversion therapy program.He went to a hospital several times a week. There he was hooked up to monitors to measure his vital signs. The therapist would then project erotic pictures onto a screen. When the monitors indicated that he might

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1118869233182491332005-06-15T22:30:00.000-05:002005-06-16T09:21:21.113-05:00

I was tempted to entitle this post "Is the IRD Part of a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy?" but decided that would be too sensationalistic.It is, however, the sort of question one is left asking after reading the new book from Zion's Herald magazine, Hard Ball on Holy Ground: The Religious Right v. the Mainline for the Church's Soul.The IRD -- Institute for Religion and Democracy -- is a conservative

Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11979636.post-1118679014400947802005-06-13T11:02:00.000-05:002005-06-13T11:44:44.670-05:00

Sermon preached June 12 at Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, DCI’d like us to pretend we are Baptists or Plymouth Brethren this morning and actually get out our Bibles and look at the Scripture with our own eyes.First, let’s turn to Mark 10: 28-30:Mark 10:28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05797612433545421407noreply@blogger.com8