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Jurisdictional Conference Update (#14)
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United Methodist News Reports - Elections and Assignments
NEW
United
Methodist jurisdictional conferences elect 21 bishops
Every four years during July, a new cadre of bishops joins the
Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.
This year, 1,600 United Methodists elected 21
new bishops in five geographic conferences across the
United States July 12-17. The new bishops will join 29 others in the
United States.
[More]
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New
Press Reports
AS Notorious UMC Bishop Retires, Liberal Successor
Enters
Agape Press -
Tupelo,MS,USA
... Sprague will be replaced by South
Korean-born Bishop Hee Soo Jung,
49, a pastor and church administrator from
Appleton, Wisconsin. ...
<http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/222004d.asp>
By
Jim Brown July 22, 2004
<snip>
Sprague says he is retiring from what is known as "effective" or
"active" leadership over any UMC jurisdiction, so he will not be
serving as president or resident in the life of a United Methodist
annual conference. "I'm not retiring from ministry," he says, "which
means I'll still be preaching and teaching and probably stirring
some pots."
<snip>
Sprague will be replaced by South Korean-born Bishop Hee Soo Jung,
49, a pastor and church administrator from Appleton, Wisconsin. Jung
is described as more theologically moderate than Sprague but quite
liberal, with a reputation for being deeply committed to social
activism.
<snip>
Tooley says it appears that Jung is not supportive of the UMC's
current stance on homosexuality, although the bishop-elect says he
will uphold the Book of Discipline.
Read More
Bishop Elections Reveal Some UMC Segments Shifting Right
By Jim Brown
July 21, 2004 Agape
Press
A conservative United
Methodist activist says although the denomination's election of
bishops this year reflects the "increased polarization" of the
United Methodist Church, there is some good news to report....
<http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/212004d.asp>
The
United Methodist conservative and renewal advocate says the
denomination has shifted to the right theologically in the southern
regions, while the northern and western parts of the church are
increasingly slipping to the left.
Read More
NEW bishop is assigned to Missouri from Texas
The
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch - St. Louis,MO,USA
... In the United Methodist tradition,
bishops are elected ... at the South
Central jurisdiction's annual meeting in ...
a bishop and assigned to
the
Missouri conference. ...
<http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+%2F+County/AA644F83DEEF513886256ED80013E93A?OpenDocument&Headline=New+bishop+is+assigned+to+Missouri+from+Texas>
FIRST female to lead Va. United Methodists
Hampton Roads Daily Press - Newport,VA,USA
... the first woman bishop in the
Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
Virginia is one of nine states in the conference. A woman as United
Methodist
bishop is a ...
<http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-47121sy0jul20,0,5315112.story?coll=dp-news-local-final>
NEW bishop chosen to lead Virginia United Methodists
Winston
Salem Journal - Winston-Salem,NC,USA
... next leader of the Virginia Conference of
the
United Methodist Church.
Kammerer, 56, was introduced to Southeastern
Jurisdictional Conference
delegates over ...
<http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776782886&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099>
STATE School
Superintendent Mike Ward Resigns
NBC
17.com - Raleigh,NC,USA
Ward says he's leaving the post at the end of
August to follow his wife
to her new job as a Methodist bishop in
Mississippi. Ward ...
<http://www.nbc17.com/news/3547991/detail.html>
METHODIST bishop to serve in N. Carolina
Louisville Courier Journal - Louisville,KY,USA
... United
Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky., will lead the North Carolina
Conference of the United
Methodist Church. Gwinn, 60, elected as a bishop
last week ...
<http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/07/19ky/B6-gwinn07190-2209.html>
METHODISTS pick bishop
Raleigh News - Raleigh,NC,USA
... The Rev. Alfred Gwinn, 60, pastor of
First United Methodist Church
in
Lexington, will replace retiring bishop Marion Edwards on Sept. 1.
...
<http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1439336p-7563269c.html
FAMILIAR bishop to lead in Western NC
Charlotte Observer (subscription) -
Charlotte,NC,USA
The Rev. J. Lawrence McCleskey was appointed
bishop of the Western North
Carolina Conference of The United Methodist
Church, effective Sept. ...
<http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/9187886.htm>
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Reporter Interactive
The
United Methodist Reporter is recognized as a source of international
religion news and a national forum for United Methodist opinion
about faith issues.
|
07/20/04
Jurisdictional
Conference Updates |
|
|
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predecessors.
Additional Retirement Brings Total New U.S. Bishops to Twenty-One
In the week leading up to the
five jurisdictional conferences, Bishop Alfred
Johnson (New
Jersey Area) entered his request for retirement. The Northeastern
Jurisdiction approved his
request (along with the previous early retirement
request of Bishop Susan W.
Hassinger, Boston Area, who would have been
required to retire in 2012),
bringing the total number of retiring bishops
in the United States to 21, six
in the Northeastern Jurisdiction. Johnson
cited an outstanding allegation
against him as part of the reason for his
early retirement. While he said
that he was not trying to get around the
complaint process, "I do,
however, believe that it is in my best interest
and that of the church to move
forward. It will also allow me to more effectively
continue the process of the
complaint without the pressure of an imminent
reassignment and to hopefully
move on with my life anew."
Of the 21 bishops elected,
three are African American men, four are men
of Asian heritage, one is a
Hispanic woman, and five are White women. With
six bishops to elect, the
Northeast Jurisdiction set about its task quickly.
Marcus Matthews,
Baltimore-Washington Conference, was elected on the first
ballot, and Sudarshana
Devadhar, North
Central New York Conference and
a native of
India, was elected on the second ballot. The Northeast was
the first jurisdiction to
finish its balloting, with the election of Thomas
J. Bickerton,
West
Virginia Conference, on the 29th ballot taken at 1:06
a.m.
on July 16. All new bishops, including brief biographies, are listed
below.
The Southeastern Jurisdiction
also got off to a quick start, electing Hope
Morgan Ward,
North Carolina Conference, on the second ballot. On the third
ballot, the conference
delegates elected two new bishops: William Willimon,
South Carolina Conference, and James Swanson, South Georgia
Conference.
However, after electing on the
11th ballot Richard J. Wills Jr.,
Florida
Conference, as the fifth new
bishop, the conference had some difficulty
settling on the final spot. On
the 12th ballot, Thomas "Andy" Langford
III,
Western North Carolina Conference, led the vote totals with 218 of
the 539 eligible ballots. He
remained in the lead through the 18th ballot
but did not receive at any time
more than 277 of the 333 votes needed to
be elected. After the 21st
ballot, Langford withdrew. Two ballots later,
Jerry H. Mayo, Tennessee
Conference, rose to the lead but could not receive
as many as Langford had before
he withdrew as well. Throughout the balloting,
Arnetta Beverley, Western North Carolina Conference, received no
less than
120 votes. By the 34th ballot
at
10:46 p.m. on July 16, enough votes shifted
in order to elect Mary Virginia
Taylor,
Holston Conference.
The Southeast did not have the
most ballots this year. The North Central
Jurisdiction, needing to elect
only three bishops as opposed to the Southeast's
six, took 36 ballots to settle
on its full number. While Sally Dyck,
East
Ohio
Conference, never received less than the 106 votes she received on
the second ballot, for 20
ballots her main competition was Timothy Bias,
Illinois Great Rivers. In the
final minutes of July 16, not much before
midnight, Bias withdrew, and Dyck was elected on the next ballot.
The Western Jurisdiction
elected the first Hispanic clergywoman to the
episcopacy, Minerva Carcano,
Oregon-Idaho Conference. She was elected on
the 26th ballot following the
withdrawal of Rachel Lieder Simeon,
Alaska
Missionary Conference. The
jurisdiction also elected a man born in
Japan,
Robert Hoshibata,
Pacific-Northwest Conference, on the 12th ballot after
running nearly even in vote
totals with Grant J. Hagiya, California-Pacific
Conference. The bishops of the
Western Jurisdiction decided to move the
Alaska Missionary Conference from the Portland Area to the Seattle
Area.
Bishop Edward W. Paup will also
move from the
Portland Area to the Seattle
Area.
+++++++++++++++
North Central
Jurisdiction-Davenport, Iowa
Bishops Retiring: Sharon
Zimmerman Rader (Wisconsin Area), C. Joseph Sprague
(Chicago
Area), and Woodie W. White (Indiana Area)
Hee-Soo Jung, 49,
superintendent of the Nicolet District, Wisconsin Conference,
was elected on the third
ballot. Jung received a Bachelor of Theology degree
from Methodist Theological
Seminary, Seoul, Korea, in 1979, and a Master
of Arts degree from Dongguk
University, Seoul, in 1982. In 1994, he received
a Doctor of Philosophy degree
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He has served at churches in
Korea, Texas, California, and Wisconsin. He
was also assistant professor
and chairperson of the department of religion
and philosophy at
Kangnam University, Seoul (1994-97). Jung served on the
General Commission on Christian
Unity and Interreligious Concerns (2000-04).
He married Im-Hyon Jung in
1982, and they have two children.
Deborah L. Kiesey, 53,
superintendent of the Waterloo District, Iowa Conference,
was elected on the seventh
ballot with 152 votes on the 248 valid ballots.
There were 79 invalid ballots.
Kiesey received a Master of Divinity degree
from
Boston University School of Theology. She has served on the pastoral
staff of
Richland and Ollie UMCs (1976-80), Washington UMC (1982-88), First
UMC in
Mt. Pleasant (1988-97), and First UMC in Iowa City (1997-2001).
Kiesey has served on the
General Commission on Status and Role of Women
(1992-2000). She is a director
of
Morningside College and has been a trustee
of
Iowa
Wesleyan College. She married Brad Kiesey in 1975, and they have
two children: Joel, 25, and
Aaron, 23.
Sally Dyck, 50, pastor of
Garfield Memorial UMC, Pepper Pike, Ohio, was
elected on the 36th ballot
after Timothy Bias, Illinois Great Rivers Conference,
withdrew, having come within
three votes of Dyck's lead on the 22nd ballot.
Dyck received a Master of
Divinity degree from Boston University School
of Theology in 1978 and a
Doctor of Ministry degree in black church studies
from United Theological
Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, in 1989. She served as
superintendent of the Wooster
District (1997-2003). She was also pastor
of Faith UMC,
Cleveland (1979-84), and Church of the Redeemer, Cleveland
Heights
(1984-97). Dyck is a director of the General Board of Global
Ministries.
She married Kenneth P. Ehrman
in 1976.
Assignments: Sharon Brown
Christopher (Illinois Area, second term), Michael
J. Coyner (Indiana Area), Sally
Dyck (Minnesota Area), John L. Hopkins
(Ohio East Area), Hee-Soo Jung
(Chicago Area), Jonathan Keaton (Michigan
Area), Deborah Kiesey (Dakotas
Area), Linda Lee (Wisconsin Area, leaving
Michigan Area after one term),
Bruce R. Ough (Ohio West Area, second term),
and Gregory V. Palmer (Iowa
Area, second term)
+++++++++++++++
Northeastern
Jurisdiction-Syracuse, N.Y.
Bishops Retiring: Susan W.
Hassinger (Boston
Area), Neil L. Irons (Harrisburg
Area),
S. Clifton Ives (West Virginia Area), Alfred Johnson (New Jersey
Area), Hae-Jong Kim (Pittsburgh
Area), and Felton Edwin May (Washington
Area)
Marcus Matthews, 58,
superintendent of the Washington West District, Baltimore-Washington
Conference, was elected on the
first ballot with 176 votes of the 275 eligible
ballots. He received a Master
of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological
Seminary in 1974 and a Doctor
of Ministry degree from
New
York Theological
Seminary in 1981. Matthews has
also served as council director (1991-99)
and superintendent of the
Baltimore East District (1986-91). In the 1970s
and 1980s, Matthews served on
the pastoral staff of four churches in Baltimore
and
Washington, D.C. Since 1974, he has been married to Barbara Walker
Matthews, and they have two
children: Jaime S. Matthews and Marci M. Michael.
Sudarshana Devadhar, 53,
superintendent of the Ontario District, North
Central New York Conference (1996-present), was elected on the
second ballot.
Devadhar received a Bachelor of
Divinity degree from United Theological
College, Bangalore, India, in
1975; a Master of Theology degree from Perkins
School of Theology, Southern
Methodist University, in 1980; a Master of
Philosophy degree from Drew
University in 1984; and a Doctor of Philosophy
degree from Drew in 1987.
Devadhar served as a deacon in the
Church of
South India (1975-76) and as a lecturer at Karnataka Theological
College,
Mangalore (1976-78). In the
1980s and 1990s, he served as pastor of several
churches in
New
York. He was a director of the General Commission on Christian
Unity and Interreligious
Concerns (1996-2004). His wife is Premalatha,
and they have one daughter,
Trina.
Jeremiah Park, 52,
superintendent of the Palisades District, Greater New
Jersey Conference, was elected
on the sixth ballot. In 1973, he received
a Bachelor of Divinity degree
from Methodist Theological Seminary, Seoul,
Korea; in 1979, a Master of
Divinity degree from Theological School, Drew
University; and in 1990, a
Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew. Since 1988,
he has served in various
jurisdiction and conference staff positions, including
council director,
Northern New Jersey Conference (1996-98), and superintendent
of the Hudson District,
Northern New Jersey (1998-2000). In the 1970s and
1980s, Park pastored churches
in
New
York and New Jersey. He has been married
to Lisa H. Park since 1974, and
they have two children.
John Schol, 48, pastor of
West
Chester UMC in Pennsylvania (1997-present)
was elected on the 15th ballot.
He received a Master of Divinity degree
from
Boston University School of Theology in 1981 and a Doctor of
Ministry
degree in 1995. Schol is an
adjunct faculty member at
Springfield College
and United Theological Seminary
(1999-present). He was urban ministry executive
secretary and Communities of
Shalom director for the General Board of Global
Ministries (1993-97), executive
director and pastor of the Frankford Group
Ministry,
Philadelphia (1981-93), and pastor of Center UMC, Saugus, Mass.
(1979-81). Schol has been
married to Beverly Anne for 26 years, and they
have three children:
Mark, 23; Kristin, 20; and Rebecca, 20.
Jane Allen Middleton, 63,
superintendent of the
Connecticut/New York District,
New
York Conference, was elected on the 24th ballot. She received a
Master
of Divinity degree from
Yale
Divinity School in 1978. She has served as
conference spiritual life
director (1987-91) and on the pastoral staff
of three churches in
Connecticut: New Canaan UMC (1991-99), Naugatuck UMC
(1979-87), and
Simsbury UMC (1977-79). In the last quadrennium, she has
served on the General Council
on Ministries. Her annual conference involvement
includes having chaired the
board of ordained ministry and the council
on ministries. She is married
to Jack D. Middleton, and they have two children,
Mari and Laura, and three
grandchildren, Anthony, Alexis, and Ethan.
Thomas J. Bickerton, 46,
superintendent of the Northern District,
West
Virginia
Conference (1998-present), was elected on the 29th ballot following
the withdrawal of Vicki L.
Woods,
New
England Conference. Bickerton received
a Master of Divinity degree
from
Duke
University Divinity School in 1983
and a Doctor of Ministry degree
from United Theological Seminary in 1994.
He has served at the six-point
circuit Adrian UMC (1979-80), Perry Memorial
UMC, Shady Spring, W.V.
(1983-89), and Forrest Burdette Memorial UMC, Hurricane
(1989-98). Since 1976,
Bickerton has served on three general agencies.
He is married to Sally S.
Bickerton, and they have four children:
Elizabeth,
T.J., Ian, and Nicholas.
Assignments: Susan Morrison (Albany
Area, third term), Peter Weaver (Boston
Area), Jane Allen Middleton (Harrisburg
Area), Sudarshana Devadhar (New
Jersey
Area), Jeremiah J. Park (New York Area), Violet Fisher (New York
West Area, second term), Marcus
Matthews (Philadelphia
Area), Thomas J.
Bickerton (Pittsburgh
Area), John Schol (Washington Area), and Ernest Lyght
(West
Virginia Area)
+++++++++++++++
South Central
Jurisdiction-Corpus Christi,
Texas
Bishops Retiring: Bruce Blake (Oklahoma
Area), Albert F. Mutti (Kansas
Area), Alfred L. Norris (Houston
Area), and William Oden (Dallas Area)
Robert Hayes, 56, treasurer of
the Texas Conference, was elected on the
third ballot. He received a
Master of Theology degree from
Perkins School
of Theology, Southern
Methodist University, in 1972 and a Doctor of Ministry
degree from
Drew
University in 1997. Before becoming treasurer, Hayes served
as superintendent of the
Houston Southwest District (1994-2001) and as
pastor of McCabe UMC,
Longview (1972-75), Blueridge UMC, Houston (1975-86),
and
Riverside UMC, Houston (1986-94). In 2000, Hayes chaired the Faith
and Order Legislative Committee
at General Conference. He is married to
Delilah "Dee" Bernard, and they
have three children: Joya Randle-Hayes,
Robert E. Hayes III, and Ryan
Ethan Hayes.
Robert C. Schnase, 46, senior
pastor of First UMC, McAllen,
Texas (1989-present;
associate, 1981-82), was
elected on the seventh ballot. He received a Master
of Theology degree from
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist
University. Schnase has also served as pastor of Wesley UMC,
Harlingen
(1984-89), and the Farnham and
Alton Circuit in the British Methodist Church
(1982-83). He is the chair of
the Order of Elders for the
Southwest Texas
Conference (1997-present) and
has served on the General Board of Higher
Education and Ministry for the
past quadrennium. Schnase has been married
to Esther Washington Schnase
since 1980, and they have two children: Karl,
16, and Paul, 12.
Scott Jones, 50, director of
the Center for Advanced Study and Practice
of Evangelism at Perkins School
of Theology, Southern Methodist University,
was elected on the tenth
ballot. He received a Master of Theology degree
from Perkins in 1981 and a
Doctor of Philosophy degree in religious studies
from SMU in 1992. He has also
served as pastor of churches in Prosper,
Howe, and Commerce,
Texas. Jones serves on the board of directors of the
SMU Wesley Foundation
(1997-present) and was a member of the executive
committee of the World
Methodist Council (2001-04).
Charles N. Crutchfield, 60,
pastor of Central UMC, Albuquerque, N.M., was
elected on the 13th ballot. He
received a Master of Divinity degree from
Duke
Divinity School, Duke University, in 1968. Crutchfield has also
served
as superintendent of the El
Paso
District, New Mexico Conference (1994-97),
and as pastor of six churches
in
New
Mexico and Texas. He was a delegate
to the World Methodist Council
and was president of the board of trustees
for the Lydia Patterson
Institute in
El
Paso, Texas. He has served as chair
of the conference committees on
evangelism and higher education and campus
ministry. Crutchfield married
Karen Sue Jenkins in 1968, and they had two
children: Scott Lee (deceased)
and Melissa Anne,
Washington, D.C.
Assignments: Charles N.
Crutchfield (Arkansas Area), Janice Riggle Huie
(Houston Area), Ben R. Chamness
(Fort Worth Area, second term), Scott Jones
(Kansas Area), William W.
Hutchinson (Louisiana Area, second term), Robert
C. Schnase (Missouri Area), Ann
B. Sherer (Nebraska Area), Rhymes H. Moncure
Jr. (Dallas Area), D. Max
Whitfield (Northwest Texas-New Mexico Area, second
term), Robert E. Hayes Jr.
(Oklahoma Area), and Joel N. Martinez (San Antonio
Area, second term)
+++++++++++++++
Southeastern Jurisdiction-Lake
Junaluska, N.C.
Bishops Retiring: Kenneth L.
Carder (Memphis
Area), Marion M. Edwards (Raleigh
Area), Joe E. Pennel Jr. (Richmond
Area), Ray Chamberlain (Holston Area),
Robert E. Fannin (Birmingham
Area), and William W. Morris (Nashville Area)
Hope Morgan Ward,
superintendent of the Raleigh District,
North Carolina
Conference (2002-present), was
elected on the second ballot. Ward received
her Master of Divinity degree
from Duke Divinity School, Duke University,
in 1978. She has formerly
served as director of connectional ministries
(1997-2001), pastor of
Soapstone UMC (1986-97), pastor of Broadway UMC
(1983-1986), minister of
education at White Plains UMC (1979-83), teaching
parent and chaplain at the
Methodist Home for Children (1977-79), and director
of Christian education and
mission at Fairmont UMC (1973-78). She is married
to Mike Ward, and they have two
children, Jason and Brooke. Ward is the
second woman ever to be elected
by the jurisdiction.
William H. Willimon, 58, dean
of the Duke University Chapel and a member
of the South Carolina
Conference, was elected on the fourth ballot with
350 of the 552 eligible
ballots. Willimon received a Master of Divinity
degree from
Yale
Divinity School in 1971 and a Doctor of Sacred Theology
degree from
Emory University in 1973. According to his published candidate
bio, Willimon has written 50
books and serves on the editorial boards of
several Christian publications,
including The Christian Century, The Door,
Preaching, and Leadership. In
the 1970s and 1980s, he served as pastor
of churches in
Georgia and South Carolina. He married Patricia Parker in
1969, and they have two
children, Harriet and William.
James Swanson, 54,
superintendent of the Savannah District, South Georgia
Conference, was elected on the
fourth ballot with 349 votes on the 552
eligible ballots. Swanson
received a Master of Divinity degree from C.
H. Mason Seminary at the
Interdenominational Theological Center,
Atlanta,
in 1980. Raised in the African
Methodist Episcopal Church and ordained
in the
Church of God, Swanson became pastor of the Statesboro Circuit in
the
South Georgia Conference of the UMC in 1981. He also served as
pastor
of St. Mary's Road UMC,
Columbus (1988-2001). He was the first African
American chair of the
conference council on ministries. He is married to
Delphine Ramsey Swanson, and
they have six children.
Alfred W. Gwinn Jr., 60, lead
pastor of Lexington First UMC in Kentucky,
was elected on the seventh
ballot with 341 votes on the 551 eligible ballots.
Gwinn is a graduate of Asbury
Theological Seminary. Gwinn has also served
as pastor of
Lexington Centenary UMC, as associate council director for
the conference, and as
superintendent of the Lexington District. He is
chair of the conference board
of ordained ministry (1996-present) and a
member of the General Council
on Ministries and Southeast Jurisdiction
Administrative Council. He has
been married to Joyce for 40 years, and
they have two married daughters
and four grandchildren: Wes, Tyler, Luke,
and Ally.
Richard Wills, 61, senior
pastor of Christ Church in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla.
(1986-present), was elected on
the 11th ballot. He received a Master of
Divinity degree from
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in 1967.
Wills has also served as
associate council director in the Florida Conference
(1975-78) and at Crystal Lake
UMC, Lakeland (1967-71), Mandarin UMC, Jacksonville
(1971-75), and Englewood UMC,
Englewood, (1978-86). He is chair of the
conference Order of Elders
(2000-present) and a member of the conference
board of ordained ministry
(1980-88, 2002-present; chair, 1984-88). He
married Eileen Willis Wills in
1965, and they have four children (Richard
III, Suzanne, Johanna, and
Rebekah), who all live in
Florida.
Mary Virginia "Dindy" Taylor,
54, superintendent of the Cleveland District,
Holston Conference, was elected on the 34th ballot. Taylor received
a Master
of Divinity degree from Candler
School of Theology, Emory University, in
1975. She has served as pastor
of six churches in eastern
Tennessee along
with a period as chaplain of
Tennessee Wesleyan College, Athens (1975-76).
Taylor now serves as a trustee of the college (1999-present). She
has been
a member of the General Council
on Ministries (1985-92) and the General
Board of Church and Society
(1993-2000). She married James Russell Taylor
in 1973, and they have two
children, Mandy Taylor Young and Mary Tiffany
Taylor.
Assignments: G. Lindsey Davis (North
Georgia Area, third term), Larry M.
Goodpaster (Alabama-West
Florida Area, second term), Alfred Gwinn (Raleigh
Area), Charlene Kammerer
(Richmond Area), James R. King Jr. (Louisville
Area, second term), J. Lawrence
McCleskey (Charlotte Area), James Swanson
(Holston Area), Mary Virginia
Taylor (Columbia Area), Hope Morgan Ward
(Mississippi Area), B. Michael
Watson (South Georgia Area, second term),
William H. Willimon (Birmingham
Area), Richard J. Wills Jr. (Nashville
Area), and Timothy Whitaker
(Florida Area, second term)
+++++++++++++++
Western Jurisdiction-San Jose,
Calif.
Bishops Retiring: William W.
Dew Jr. (Phoenix
Area) and Elias Galvan (Seattle
Area)
Robert Hoshibata, 52,
superintendent of the Seattle District,
Pacific Northwest
Conference (1998-present), and
co-superintendent of the Tacoma District
(January 2004-present) was
elected on the 12th ballot. Hoshibata received
his Doctor of Ministry degree
from Claremont School of Theology in 1977
and was senior pastor of North
Gardena UMC, Gardena, Calif., and Blaine
Memorial UMC, Seattle, Wash.,
before entering the superintendency. He was
vice president of the General
Council of Ministries (1996-2000) and has
served on the General Board of
Global Ministries (1980-84). Hoshibata married
Greta in 1974, and they have
three children.
Minerva G. Carcano, 50,
superintendent of the Metropolitan District, Oregon-Idaho
Conference (2001-present), was
elected on the 26th ballot. Carcano received
a Master of Theology from
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist
University, in 1979. Before
transferring to the Oregon-Idaho Conference,
she served as pastor of several
churches and as superintendent of the Western
District,
Rio
Grande Conference. She is also a former staff and adjunct
faculty member of
Perkins School of Theology. Carcano has served on the
general boards of church and
society and global ministries as well as the
former General Board of
Education and the UM Publishing House.
Assignments: Warner Brown (Denver
Area, second term), Minerva Carcano (Phoenix
Area), Robert Hoshibata (Portland
Area), Edward W. Paup (Seattle Area),
Beverly Shamana (San
Francisco Area, second term), and Mary Ann Swenson
(Los
Angeles Area, second term)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****
Additional Links
See
a Miracle, Be a Miracle, July 13, 2003 Cabinet Address by Sally Dyck,(Bishop
Sally Dyck -- Minnesota Area, Minnesota Conference)
*********************
NEW!!!!
COMMENTARY BY REV. JAMES GIBSON, III
Marshallville United Methodist Church
Wesleyan Voice for South Georgia
Embrace the Spirit or Cling to the Illusion?
You may have noticed I have made absolutely no mention of the
United Methodist Jurisdictional Conferences which took place last
week. This was intentional on my part. I felt there were more
important things to dwell on than the election of a few more
bishops. Now that these conclaves have ended, however, I can't help
but be amused with the all too predictable spin, especially here in
my native Southeastern Jurisdiction.
The illusion coming out of General Conference was that the tide had
turned decisively against the pro-homosexual revisionists. That bit
of wishful thinking is based on what has been written down on paper
in The
Book of Discipline. It ignores, however, the everyday
practical reality of the entire Western Jurisdiction being in open
rebellion against the church, aided and abetted by sympathizers who
have embedded themselves in leadership positions throughout the
denomination, including, and perhaps especially, in the
"conservative" Southeast.
With the conclusion of the Jurisdictional Conferences, that illusion
has been propounded, perhaps most definitively in the Southeast. We
are told that the results of the episcopal elections reflect a
decisive move toward the "center," whatever that means. The
revisionists have been turned back and Methodism is well on its way
to a more orthodox future, the die-hard institutionalists tell us.
The problem is, we heard that same song four years ago; eight years
ago; twelve years ago. It has long since ceased to inspire hope
among the faithful. It has become nothing more than the party line.
Methodism
does
have a future, and that future is very bright. But that future will
not come about as the result of a moribund institutional United
Methodist Church somehow rescuing itself from the clutches of
apostasy. Rather, it will emerge from the rubble of a bureaucracy
and infrastructure which are teetering on the brink and will shortly
collapse under their own weight. The essence of Methodism--the
message of Scriptural Christianity and holiness of heart and
life--will be the seed of the next great revival and the
inauguration of an era of a more robust and vibrant expression of
Christianity. This move of God's Holy Spirit is already taking shape
around us. It presents us with a very crucial choice.
Will we embrace this Spirit-led
move or will we continue to cling to an institutional illusion?
*********************
North Georgia Coverage of SEJ2004
*********************
East Ohio NCJ Coverage
*********************
Southeastern Jurisdiction Coverage (blog and video)
SEJ2004 Web Site Received Record Number of Visitors
*********************
Episcopal Elections
For complete
and most recent ballot information from each of the five
Jurisdictional Conferences, click on the name of the jurisdiction
below.
Western
|
North Central
|
South Central
|
Northeastern
|
Southeastern
*********************
UMC Resources on Jurisdictional Conferences
Episcopal Elections:
July 14-17
Map of Episcopal Areas
Follow the Episcopal Elections
- The Episcopal elections occur
in five geographic
