Children's needs stir action by conferences
7/3/2001 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn. NOTE: This is a sidebar to UMNS story #305.
By United Methodist News Service United Methodists spent considerable time addressing issues related to children during their annual gatherings this year.
The Council of Bishops' Initiative on Children and Poverty and the "Hope for the Children of Africa" appeal drew strong support throughout the denomination, as they have in previous annual conference sessions. For example, the Alabama-West Florida Annual (regional) Conference reaffirmed its commitment to the initiative, and the Greater New Jersey Conference raised $34,156 in offerings and pledges for the "Hope for the Children of Africa" appeal, one of many conferences collecting money for the effort. The Alaska Missionary Conference learned from Bishop Ed Paup that it had the highest per-capita giving to the appeal of any in the denomination.
Holston members contributed $27,276 in a "Change for Children" offering for children's ministries throughout the conference. Wisconsin collected an offering for a new ministry, Children of Incarcerated Parents, as part of the Initiative on Children and Poverty.
South Indiana collected hundreds of school kits and refugee kits for Operation Classroom. North Indiana gathered more than 3,500 pairs of new shoes for the Initiative on Children and Poverty. Rocky Mountain members collected 1,200 backpacks filled with school supplies for children around the conference.
Tennessee members will emphasize children's needs on the second Sunday of October, which they designated "Children's Sabbath."
Children and youth led worship services in Mississippi. Likewise, youth led a worship service in Nebraska, participated as voting members and raised more than $2,700 for a Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build. Peninsula-Delaware young people distributed 500 youth Bibles outside their conference event site in Ocean City, Md., as part of a larger conference outreach that resulted in 40,000 tracts and Bibles being given away.
Red Bird Missionary Conference received the National Youth Service Fund award for per-capita giving for the ninth year from Angela Gay Kinkead, executive director of the United Methodist Youth Organization. Troy youth raised $4,500 for the Youth Service Fund, Wisconsin offerings topped $5,000, and Virginia received nearly $6,000. In addition to supporting the Youth Service Fund, Virginia received an offering for its conference children's initiative.
Germany North, meeting in early May before the U.S. conferences, emphasized the importance of the 20-something generation, noting that this age group has vanished from many congregations.
New England assigned its youth ministry management to a full-time conference director of youth ministries, and Little Rock established a conference council on young adult ministries. Kansas East mandated that each local church implement a policy by next June for protecting children and youth.
North Indiana members learned that nine young people had announced their call to ministry.
Addressing the problem of tobacco advertising aimed at youngsters, Alabama-West Florida and Northern Illinois approved boycotts of Philip Morris Co. products. Those actions will include a boycott of items produced by Kraft Foods Inc., a unit of the tobacco giant. West Virginia members voted support for increasing tobacco taxes to discourage the use of tobacco by children.
At least three conferences - Alabama-West Florida, Mississippi and West Virginia -- passed resolutions supporting the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts have been controversial recently because of the organization's policy barring homosexuals from serving in leadership positions.
Minnesota's bishop and steward of appointed leadership will convene a roundtable of Boy Scout leaders, clergy and lay members to share perspectives on the issue. However, members in West Michigan held a lengthy debate and narrowly defeated resolutions supporting dialogue between churches and their Boy Scout troops on perceived conflicts between the denomination's Social Principles and the Scouts' policies regarding homosexuality.
Wisconsin members affirmed the ministry of scouting programs but declined to endorse the Boy Scouts of America. West Ohio tabled a discussion on whether to affirm the Scouts' policies.
Several conferences emphasized camping ministries. Iowa collected $5,225 in a special offering for its campaign for camps and capital funds. Pacific Northwest members moved from one full-time conference-level staff position for camping and youth/young adult ministries to a full-time position for each of those areas. The Alaska Missionary Conference adopted outdoor ministries as its mission priority for the year.
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