www.umc.org l Michigan Area of The United Methodist Church News and Information l Feb 2014

REV. KAY DEMOSSSenior Editor/Writer MIConnect

Some bishops preside over a cathe-dral. Always practical, we United Methodists have bishops who work from an office. Since the merger in 1968, that created the present denomination, the episcopal leaders of the United Methodist Church of the Michigan Area have occupied three locations … in Detroit, in Southfield, and, since 2000, in Okemos. The lease on the Okemos office was due to expire in 2014. Each Annual Conferences entertained a motion

to authorize the Trustees of the Detroit and West Michigan Annual Conferences to locate and purchase property and structure for not just an office, but a Ministry Center. The legislation, with the blessing of both Conference Councils on Finance and Administration, passed with overwhelming support. Before the vote was taken the Rev. Dr. Bill Dobbs, Assistant to Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey, explained that the plan: “does not represent new money but the redirecting of money. We’ve had nothing to show for the last 12 years using space in Okemos.” (almost $1 million)

Over these past six months a non-profit corporation was established whose Board of Directors is com-posed of membership from both the Detroit and West Michigan Annual

New Lease on Life for Area Ministry Center

Instead of giving up something for Lent this year, try taking on a spiritual discipline. Here’s a way to do just that by walking in the footsteps of Jesus, the children of Africa and the leaders in the Michigan Area.

The Imagine No Malaria initiative has put together a daily Lenten Devotional on the theme, “Journey to Life.” Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey notes, “As Christ journeyed to Jerusalem – as he taught his followers

on the journey – as he met one last time in the upper room – as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane – and as he faced a cruel and difficult death, he was also journeying toward Life.”

What was true yesterday, remains true today. “Through our Michigan Imagine No Malaria campaign,” Bishop Deb continues, “we are journeying with people across the

Sign Up Now for a Journey to Life

continued on page 3/Ministry Center

A blessing of the building was celebrated in October 2013 when Bishop Deb, both Conference Cabinets and Staff visited the site of the new Michigan Area Ministry Center near DeWitt. ~MIConnect Photo/Mark Doyal

continued on page 6/Journey to Life

Sign up on www.minomalaria.org for emails that will begin on March 5 and conclude on Easter Sunday. You will not receive the devotionals unless you complete the online registration.

Page 2 MIConnect

Dedication of Ubuntu Retreat Center AheadFive years ago clergy and laity in the Grand Rapids District dreamed of making a difference on the African continent through our United Methodist Africa University (AU). Individuals and local churches in the six districts of the West Michigan Conference contributed more than $504,000 to fund construction and make the center a reality. The two-story facility is located in the center of the campus. The seeds of a shared vision between the district Africa University Task Force and AU university officials have grown into the Ubuntu Retreat Center, a 46-bed gathering place that will serve world leaders, VIM teams, visiting professors, and conference attendees affiliated with the Institute for Peace, Leadership, and Governance.

The Ubuntu Retreat Center will be dedicated on March 19, 2014, when both the Africa University Board and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry will be present on the AU campus. A 38-person delegation from the Michigan Area, led by Ed Edwardson and Rev. Laurie

Haller, will travel to AU for the dedication. The delegation includes Michigan Area Bishop Deborah Kiesey, her husband Brad, and Director of Communications Mark Doyal, who will provide live coverage of the event.

For such as these . . . the Ubuntu Center will accommodate a wide variety of ministries. Those most blessed are the students of Africa University. umns photo

The Conference Cane, created in 1904, is presented to the oldest ordained elder of the Detroit Conference who has at least 35 years of active membership and resides within the bounds of the conference. On January 12, at Goodrich United Methodist Church, the Rev. Donald Crumm became the 29th holder of the Cane. Diana Miller and Rebecca McNitt were on hand representing the Commission on Archives and History. Now 88 years young and living in Grand Blanc, Don served 35 active years (and ten more after retirement in 1992.) Churches he pastored include:

Allen Park (1957); Detroit: Westlawn assoc. (1960); Bay City: Fremont (1963); Southfield (1966); Waterford (1969); Goodrich (1970); Sebewaing (1981); Hope, Edenville (1985); retirement (1992); Brent Creek, Northwest Venice (1992). Goodrich’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremy Africa, led the service of worship with the help of Rev. Crumm’s granddaughter, the Rev. Megan Jo Walther (Erie UMC), who offered a homily. Congratulatory notes may be sent to Rev. Donald Crumm at 12640 Holly Road, #B211, Grand Blanc, MI 48439.

Crumm Honored with Detroit Conference Cane

Page 3 MIConnect

Conferences. They have moved forward with the task to establish a facility to house the Area Episcopal office as well as provide space for mutual administration and ministry. The MI Area Loan Fund has provided a loan to the Board for the purchase of the property and the related costs of remodeling, relocating and furnishing. A building on the north of Lansing proved to be ideal for the Area’s needs and purposes. Property was purchased in the north Lansing area within DeWitt Charter Twp. on August 15th. The property contains a 7,700 sf single story building with a large parking lot on 1.09 acres of land at the North corner of Old US 27 and Northcrest Road. The building had been renovated in mid-2009.

It will provide twice the usable space of the office in Okemos. The Board has approved construction plans and a contractor has been selected. Construction is anticipated to start in mid-February and be complete on or before the end of May, 2014. Relocation from Okemos to DeWitt is hoped for in June of this year. There will continue to be conference offices in Grand Rapids and Flint. The new Area Ministry Center site is within 100 miles of 80% of Michigan’s population.

If all goes as expected, doors will be ready to open on a new era of cooperative ministry. And the goal of “good stewardship of conference dollars,” will be realized.

Ministry Center/from page 1

MARK DOYALDirector of Communications

Is it God’s time for a new thing? That was one of the questions the Conference Leadership Teams from the Detroit Annual Conference and the West Michigan Annual Conference were asked to discern during a shared day-long retreat held Friday, January 31st. At the invitation of Bishop Deborah Kiesey, more than 30 laity and clergy leaders gathered at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, MI for discussion on the opportunities and potential challenges of bringing the conferences together for ministry in Michigan. The event was organized following Bishop Kiesey’s blog, published last month, in which she shared her experience of listening to members from across the state.

“… exciting conversations are already happening around ways to

collaborate across conference lines. Those are not of my doing – they are happening naturally and with an eye to the best stewardship of our resources,” Bishop Deb wrote. “They are happening because in those committees there is a desire to work together and share not just resources, but wisdom and gifts in order to benefit the whole.” She added, “My dilemma is this – I don’t want to move too quickly if we, as the Michigan Area, are not ready, nor do I want to move too slowly. I want us to determine together whether or not this is God’s time – Kairos – for this important decision.” (Read blog on page 4.) Facilitated by Doug Anderson, Director of the Bishop Rueben Job Center for Leadership Development at Dakota Wesleyan University, the group explored a series of questions including, “Is it God’s time for a new thing, what would it mean if we

unified, what might be lost, how can loss be eased and how do we move into the future?” Since 1988, two proposals have been offered and two votes taken that sought to bring together the two annual conferences in the Michigan Area. Participants at the retreat shared their sense of grief and loss

One Conference? Proceed With Care.

Patricia Harpole (WMC) and Melanie Carey (DAC) compare notes at the recent joint meeting of the Conference Leadership Teams. MIconnect Photo/Mark Doyal

continued on page 6/One Conference

Page 4 MIConnect

Honest Conversation About the FutureBISHOP DEBORAH LIEDER KIESEYMichigan Area

As most of you know, I took most of last summer for Renewal Leave. Each bishop is allowed up to three months Renewal time per quadrennium. Considering the great number of changes over the past year, I chose to take 2+ months to renew and recharge. That time away was a true gift. Not only did it allow me to sleep and rest, but it also gave me the unique opportunity to step back from my hectic schedule; to look back at all that has gone on; and to listen to God’s nudging as we look to the future. Since returning, I have shared some of my reflec-tions and discernment with leaders of both an-nual conferences, but I believe now is the time to

share my thoughts with all of you – and to invite your input and wisdom. Here are some of my reflections. One of my goals for my first year in Michigan was to ‘get to know the territory’, and to listen to the people throughout this great state. I have talked with and heard from, literally, hundreds of people across both the Detroit and West Michigan annual conferences. I have heard: • many stories – both celebrative and painful; • many exciting reports of ministries happening both in local churches and across the districts; • heartfelt sharing of hopes and dreams for local congregations, annual conferences, and the denomination;• words of frustration as well as excitement.

But through it all, one question surfaced again and again at nearly every place I found myself . . . “When are our two conferences going to come together?” I understand the history behind that question, and I have studiously avoided taking sides. I have often answered by saying that was not my goal in coming here. However, after hear-ing this question in one form or another, and hearing (again and again) the desire to consider becoming one conference, I need to ask whether or not this is God’s nudging. Friends, the truth of the matter is that exciting conversations are already happening around ways to collaborate across con-ference lines. Those are not of my doing – they are happening naturally and with an eye to the best stewardship of our resources. They are happening because in those committees there is a desire to work together and share not just resources, but wisdom and gifts in order to benefit the whole. My dilemma is this – I don’t want to move too quickly if we, as the Michigan Area, are not ready, nor do I want to move too slowly. I want

us to determine together whether or not this is God’s time – Kairos – for this important decision. So … here is where I am. I believe the time is right for us to have open con-versations around what it would mean to become one conference. I am not talking about a “merger”, where one annual confer-ence ‘takes over’ the other, but I’m talking about creating a “new thing”. What that might look like is certainly not decided. So … today I am opening the door to that conversation, and I would ask all of us to prayerfully consider where God is leading us. Once again, I am here to listen, to discern, and to lead into God’s future – whatever that might be. With you in the work of Christ, Bishop Deb

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Last week’s blog by Bishop Deb prompted several similar Burning Questions which can be summarized by asking, “I read the Bishop’s blog and can’t help asking, ‘Is this the same old issue all over again – same song, 3rd verse?’” One of you even started out by paraphrasing President Ronald Reagan: “Here we go again!” Please allow me to offer

a point of view from my vantage point.

W h e n B i s h o p Deb and I first began to get to

know one another, she told me that “merger” was off the table for her. She knew this was a painful subject for people in the Michigan Area. She didn’t want to open old wounds. I believed her. I do not think she came to Michigan with an agenda, apart from being the best Bishop she could be for the people of our Area. But for Bishop Deb, a large part of being the best Bishop she can be involves listening.

Listening and paying attention to what people are saying to her and in her presence. And I can tell you that everywhere we went during her first year in Michigan, from the first public appearance in the Upper Peninsula to the last meeting before her renewal leave, the question was always the same: “When will

we be one?” And that was the way it was phrased. Not, “When will we merge?” or “When will we stop having two separate conferences?”, but “When will we be one?”

Here, in the interest of full disclosure, I should remind you that I have had a personal involvement and interest in this question since the mid-nineties. So, when I heard the questions beginning to come her way almost from day one, I was not surprised. But even I was not prepared for how often the question was repeated.

And Bishop Deb, from day one, has been careful to say that she came here to work on healing old wounds and making new disciples! And that is what she did time and time again, from Kalamazoo to Detroit to Saginaw to Traverse City. Day after day, Bishop Deb was listening and responding, challenging and inviting us all to continue working collaboratively and thinking creatively about new possibilities. As we enter the second year of her tenure as our resident bishop, she has not changed, either in manner or method. She is still listening and she is still calling us to collaborate for the sake of our shared ministry in the name of the Christ.

When Bishop Deb returned from her time away she began saying that she was wondering if the question might not be a nudging from God’s Spirit. She began to ask the

people in leadership, on both sides of the state, to reflect with her on that possibility. Could she be the bishop called “for just such a time as this?” She listened and prayed her way to a new awareness and a new appreciation for who we are as people on a journey in ministry and disciple-making. She became convinced that she needed to ask the question on a larger scale, to invite more people into the dialogue about what God might be doing to change us and equip us for ministry in new and exciting ways. I do not believe that she has any particular idea about how that ministry will look, except that she is certain that it will be collaborative and connected.

And I can tell you, from my vantage point, it does not feel like “the same song, third or even fourth verse.” It feels like a new thing is beginning to take shape. I am impressed by Bishop’s openness to ideas from a variety of people and her willingness to hear from a great many people before she makes up her mind. As I have watched and listened to her, I have become convinced of three things which give me hope:

1) This Bishop does not have a plan for Michigan’s Area hidden away in a drawer some place just waiting for the right moment to spring it on us. I believe that her assurances are genuine and that she is open to

Page 5 MIConnect

A “New Thing” Begins to TakeShape in MichiganREV. DR. WILLIAM DOBBS, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop

This Month’sBurning

Question

continued on page 7/A New Thing

Page 6 MIConnect

following the most recent vote in 2008. That vote passed with 71% approval in the Detroit Conference and failed by 13 votes in the West Michigan Conference.

Many expressed the need to nurture mutual trust and understanding. Anderson agreed and noted, “We need to acknowledge loss so that healing can begin and new things can be created.” Those attending said the mood in the room was both open and frank, noting the need to proceed with this discussion with care. “We need to ask, from a mission standpoint, why do this?” shared Lansing District Superintendent Kennetha Bigham Tsai. “We need to clearly articulate

how the local church will benefit from creating a single body.” After the merger vote was defeated in 2008, the conferences have sought ways to cooperate in ministry. Over 30 such initiatives were quickly listed by the retreat participants. The list included Camping and Retreat Ministries, Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Wesley Foundations, and Cross Conference Appointments. The listing of shared ministries was viewed as hopeful and many felt it demonstrated a healthy progression in the area ministry relationship, an expression of an organic bubbling up. The day ended with greater insight into the opportunities and concerns of the two conferences. The group

discussed how to continue the conversation including a desire to articulate, in writing, a compelling missional vision for the gain, having open conversations with the churches and other UMC members to find out what the hopes are, developing a language of where God is guiding us, and a need to broaden the conversation to other constituents, both lay and clergy.

One Conference/ from page 3

Journey to Life/from page 1

globe to bring hope of new life.”Daily reflections on the Gospel of Luke will be sent online ... only to those who sign up to receive them. Not only will you receive emails over those 40 days, in addition weekly bonus videos will be available for personal or church viewing.

The Michigan Area of the United Methodist Church has pledged to save over 150,000 lives for the Imagine No Malaria Campaign. Yes! That’s possible. An investment as little as $10 per person can save a life.

The Area has pledged to raise $1.5 million to accomplish this goal. As a denomination, United Methodist have already cut the death rate in half. “We believe it is within our grasp to completely eliminate unnecessary deaths by malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa in the next several years,” Bishop Deb says with confidence. “We are journeying with those in malaria-infested areas to offer a new future.”

MIconnect Photo/Mark Doyal

~United Methodist News Service

Feb 2014 Published Monthly

Welcome to MIConnect, a printable edition of the top news from the online MIConnect Weekly, serving the Detroit and West Michigan Conferences. MIConnect is the official news of the Michigan Area of The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Deborah L. KieseyPublisher Mark DoyalEditor M. Kay DeMoss

Find the “rest of the story” online here:www.detroitconference.org

www.westmichiganconference.orgwww.umc.org

Direct comments and stories to Mark Doyal, mark@miareaumc.org.

Read the Gospel … Be the Gospel.

Page 7 MIConnect

whatever will grow out of the cooperation we are already experiencing. 2) She is anxious to follow God and willing to be used of God to lead us in discovering that which God has prepared us for. She is willing to wait upon God’s timing, but she is not afraid to step out in faith if she senses that the time is now. 3) She genuinely wants to hear from you, the people of the Michigan Area. She reads every response, pro or con, to her blog and every letter we receive in the office. She wants to know what you are thinking. She believes that your opinion has value, that what you think matters to the outcome.I want to assure you that the invitation to share your thoughts, both with Bishop Deb and with each other, was genuine. And I, for one, am looking forward, with more than a little interest, to hearing the conversation and learning what will be the outcome.

I think it’s an exciting time to be a United Methodist in Michigan. New things are happening, new disciples are being invited to follow Jesus Christ in churches all over the state and the world is being transformed into a better and healthier place because United Methodists in Michigan have stepped out in faith and dared to dream of a world without Malaria!

Thanks be to God! Blessings … Bill

REV. KAY DEMOSSSenior Editor/Writer MIConnect

Over the past five years The United Methodist Church has raised over $60 million to help eradicate malaria. Many different activities have brought in dollars and raised awareness around the world: 10K Skeeter Runs ... church banks filled with change ... SWAT Team t-shirt sales ... Don’t Bug Me concerts ... have been ways that people of all ages have contributed to the cause. Every heart touched and every penny earned count. Two young people in northern Michigan used their creative skills to earn $400 for Imagine No Malaria after the West Michigan and Detroit conferences promised to raise $1.5 million in pledges. Their mom, the Rev. Anita Hahn, shares the back story. It all began about year ago now when her daughter, Lisa (age 10) became sick.

“It was nothing too serious,” Anita notes, but the virus lasted until April. “During her illness, Lisa began making bracelets out of embroidery floss.” When Lisa tied one around her mother’s wrist, Anita “let her know that I wasn’t going to take it off until she was healthy.” About the time soccer season started, life and health returned to normal for Lisa. Fifth grade ended and summer vacation began. “One day we found ourselves shopping,” Anita explains, “and Lisa was looking at more embroidery floss. You have to realize, at that point, her arms were covered with bracelets and, as her mother, I knew that she did not need any more floss.” That’s when Anita said to Lisa, “Would you make bracelets to sell? You can give the money to fight Malaria.”

Youth save 40 livesmaking bracelets for INM

A New Thing/from page 5

~Thank you to Anita Hahn, Superintendent of the Grand Traverse District, for sharing this story. And to Lisa who gave her mom and MIConnect permission to pass it on.

continued on page 11/Bracelets

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To Remain Silent is Not an OptionREV. DR. JEROME (JERRY) DEVINEDirector of Connectional MinistriesDetroit Conference As Michiganians gathered to cel-ebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., what made national news was the disturbing statements made by Oakland Coun-try Executive L. Brooks Patterson in a New Yorker article entitled, “Drop Dead, Detroit.” While I am told that Mr. Patterson has a history of hyperbole, his most recent statements are deeply divisive and seriously undermine his recent strides toward regional cooperation. Records show that recently the executive demonstrated solid leader-ship by supporting regional transit, collaboration on Cobo Hall, and the creation of regional tax to support the Detroit Institute of Arts. Mr. Patterson has now taken a step in the wrong direction and is displaying the type of leadership that is disastrous for Southeastern Michigan and the entire state. Most hurtful is his suggestion that Detroit be turned into a reservation for Native Americans. “I made a prediction and it’s come to pass.

“I said, ‘What we’re going to do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn.’”

Mr. Patterson, in one quote, has managed to connect the dots between the violent and oppressive treatment of Native Americans and

the abandonment of state’s cities due to white flight. This type of thinking is destructive and racist. Most alarming for me are the public comments that have appeared in response to online coverage. Many seem to applaud Mr. Patterson’s comments and support his “truth-telling.” Something is deeply wrong. Thankfully prophetic voices are now coming forth. In light of Dr. King’s legacy, the legacy of many unnamed men and women who fought for civil rights, and, most importantly, the demands of the gospel, I feel convicted to act. I believe that Mr. Patterson’s statements, while most likely only a flash in the pan for this media cycle, are symptomatic of larger issues of race and class that face our State and point to the deep need for a spirit-led and grace-filled United Methodist response. Therefore, in response:

1. I will be asking our Conference Committee on Native American Ministries, Commission on Religionand Race and Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships to explore how we might, in the Detroit Conference, engage in acts of repentance for all manner of past violence and neglect of native people inspired by the 2012 General Conference “Act of Repentance Toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous People.” This will be done in full consultation with our West Michigan Conference partners.

2. I am leading a group of Conference leaders, selected by Bishop Kiesey, to participate in the General Commission on Religion and Race Vital Conversations Learning Lab for the North Central Jurisdiction so that we might create a movement of congregations and leaders committed to sharing and living the gospel of grace and reconciliation in multicultural contexts. 3. I encourage every congregation to be in prayer about how they might participate in these efforts and how they might in their local contexts provide witness to Christ’s gospel of love, justice, and peace. I close with these challenging words from Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail:” “More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”

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Florida Bishop Calls Church to Witness for LifeWAYNE RHODESGeneral Bd. Church and Society WASHINGTON —Bishop Ken Carter Jr. told the 26th annual Lifewatch Sanctity of Life Service that the mission of a radically inclusive church must include the unborn in its inclusiveness. The bishop went on to issue a call for United Methodists to seek a coherent social teaching, a consistent ethic of hospitality and a compassionate witness for life.

Carter, the episcopal leader of the Florida Annual Conference, spoke at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. His sermon was in the morning before afternoon rallies in the nation’s capital for and against the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 landmark abortion decision in Roe vs. Wade.

The service is sponsored by the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality, an unofficial caucus of the United Methodist Church. The taskforce’s

goal is to create esteem for human life at its most vulnerable, specifically for the unborn child and for the woman who contemplates abortion.

Carter described The United Methodist Church as having “incoherent social teaching” that stems from “theological chaos.” “We are polarized,” he said, “and here we mirror the culture, as Methodists so often do.” Carter said recovery of a coherent theology of grace and holiness and a rejection of the partisan political captivity of the church could lead to a coherent social teaching. “I do wonder if Methodism could abandon its present partisan political captivity and join the evangelical and catholic consensus in regard to life?” he asked.

The bishop explained that a consistent ethic of hospitality “represents a continuum from conception to death, from the individual to the creation, from interventions in and support of the lives of unborn children and their pregnant mothers, trafficked and enslaved young people, endangered coal miners, incarcerated young men on death row, tortured prisoners of war, the dignity of the aged, and the fragile ecosystems.”

A consistent ethic of life cuts across political proclivities, Carter said, and moves to a deeper level of values and principles. “The gospel is always on the side of life because God is creator of life,” the bishop emphasized.”

“A consistent ethic of hospitality would call us to welcome the unborn as the stranger,” Carter said. But the bishop added a caveat. “We must acknowledge the complexity in calling women to be agents of hospitality in making space for the unborn,” he said, “when they have often been the victims of brutal hostility.” It is important to confess that this context is present more often than is acceptable, he pointed out.

“Violence toward women demands our systematic, communal and individual responses,” Carter stressed.

Bet you’re ready to think summer!!! Well, camp registrations are open and a combined catalog of the West Michigan Conference camps and the Detroit Annual Conference camps will soon be mailed directly to campers and your church office. Look for camp booklets in your church mailbox by the first week of March. In the meantime, online registration is open! Parents, go to umccamps.org or Detroit Conference camps or umcamping.org for West Michigan Camps and sign your child up today.

Camp Registrationis Now Open

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HEATHER HAHN-KATHY GILBERTUMConnections A United Methodist theologian and retired elder in the New York Annual Conference will face a church trial for officiating at the same-sex wedding of his son. The trial of the Rev. Thomas Ogletree is scheduled for March 10 at First United Methodist Church in Stamford, Conn. Ogletree, a retired seminary dean noted for

his work on Christian ethics, presided over the wedding of his son, Thomas Rimbey Ogletree, to Nicholas Haddad onOct. 20, 2012. Ogletree, 80, is a Yale Divinity School professor emeritus, veteran of the civil rights movement and lifelong member of the Methodist tradition. In May, he told United Methodist News Service

that as a professor, he rarely has been asked to perform weddings. When his son asked him to officiate, he said he felt “deeply moved.” He said in a statement released Jan. 17 that “I could not with any integrity as a Christian refuse my son’s request to preside at his wedding.” If found guilty, Ogletree could face a variety of penalties. The Book of Discipline gives a trial court of 13 clergy — the church equivalent of a jury — a range of choices up to revoking Ogletree’s credentials as United Methodist clergy. However, a trial court also can opt for a lesser penalty. Complaint process The Rev. Randall C. Paige, pastor of Christ Church in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., was among the New York Conference clergy who filed a complaint against Ogletree.

“As we who brought the complaint expressed to Bishop McLee , we take no joy in bringing this complaint,” Paige said. ”We do it in obedience to Christ and the laws of our Church. His honor, along with the integrity of the entire United Methodist Church is the motive driving this action.” Ogletree and Paige met face to face in late January 2013 to try to find a just resolution to the dispute and avoid a trial. Paige asked Ogletree to promise never to officiate at such a union again. Ogletree declined. “During this most difficult time in the life of the church, I invite you to be in prayer for the Reverend Dr. Ogletree, the complainants and all who have a vested interest in this matter,” McLee said. “God is still God and that is where our trust and hope lies.” Widening dispute Ogletree’s case comes at a time when the church’s debate regarding human sexuality has intensified and more clergy have been willing to openly defy church law. He was among more than 1,000 active and retired United Methodist clergy across the United States, who in 2011, signed pledges announcing their willingness to defy the denomination’s ban on officiating at same-gender unions. Bishops promised in a letter released Nov. 11, 2011, to uphold church law banning same-gender unions. Since then, the dispute has become more public. Frank Schaefer in the East Pennsylvania Conference was told in December to surrender his credentials after he was found guilty in a church trial of officiating at the 2007 nuptials of his son to another man. The trial and its aftermath made headlines nationwide. Retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert officiated on Oct. 26, 2013, at a same-sex union. The Council of Bishops has called for a complaint to be filed against Talbert. Three other cases, one in Upper New York and two in the Pacific Northwest Conference, have been referred to counsel.

Retired Elder Faces Trial in New York

Rev. Thomas Ogletree, Photo by Gabriel Amadeus Cooney

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UMCOR Shares Yellow Bags of Hope

On December 5-6, 2013, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) returned to Leyte Province to distrib-ute relief goods to survi-vors of Typhoon Yolanda, or Haiyan, as the storm is known outside of our country. Super Typhoon Yolanda hit on November 8, 2013. It devastated the entire region. Thousands of lives were lost, and livelihoods were washed away. UM-COR staff and volunteers first came with a relief convoy to the region about a week after the storm.When they came again in early Decem-ber, they distributed relief goods in several commu-nities, including where we have local United Meth-

odist churches. UMCOR’s emergency food packages were distributed to many survivors in the commu-nities who were in need. I accompanied the UM-COR staff and volunteers on their visits.

The families served by UMCOR expressed grati-tude that our United Methodist Church re-membered them in times of calamity. We saw an in-spiring banner in Ormoc City that read: “Home-less, Roofless, But NOT HOPELESS!” When I visited Method-ist households just be-fore Christmas, I also stopped in to see some of the neighbors who do not belong to the church and who had received UM-

COR food packets. Many of them had saved the bright yellow UMCOR bags that had contained rice, beans, and other food items.

I was so surprised to see the bags hanging on walls in the homes. When I asked the families why they dis-played the bags they said, “It reminds us that UMCOR gave us something different,

something more than we would normally get.” Some of the people also took pictures of the con-tents of the bags and kept the picture to help them remember. That made me happy, because our church, through UMCOR, responded to the survi-vors. “You are a church that remembers,” they said

Bracelets/from page 7

Lisa gave an enthusiastic, “Yes!” The whole family got in on the project. “Her dad invested in the business with more embroidery floss and her brother, Andrew, began working with her to make bracelets.” Anita adds, “The bracelet Lisa made for me last January fell off before Christmas. I have no idea when or where. What I do know is that the

bracelet business raised close to $400, my daughter is healthy and loving 6th grade, and there are 40 more children, just like her who will know life because of the money she and her brother worked to raise.” Every 60 seconds, a child in Africa, under the age of five, dies from malaria. All contributions to Imagine No Malaria support a

comprehensive battle to fight malaria through prevention, education, communications, and treatment. It is estimated that $10 will save one life. The Hahn family is a great example of how creativity and passion pay off. Anita concludes with a word of encouragement: “Together we will make this happen!”

REV. DAVID D. COSMIANODistrict Superintendent, Eastern Visayas District, Philippines

Once the bags were empty of food, persons hung them on the walls of their homes.“It reminds us that UMCOR gave us something...you are a church that remembers,” they said. umns photo

Page 12 MIConnect

“One of the things I like about being United Methodist is the ways we have historically addressed and overcome challenges; focusing on the things that unite us. Call us together, Lord, and renew us. Enlarge our circle so that we can grow in the abundance of your love.” ~ Bill Dye, pastor

“ The devil, of course, is in the details. I have been in favor of this in principle, but the financial realities,pension commitments, health care cost—all those issues would need to be resolved to make this a workable and meaningful merger/union/new creation.”~Jack Harnish, retired pastor, Detroit Conference “I think the two conferences need to become one Area sooner rather than later ... before economic realities force us into something we’d rather not be. I would rather see this happen while we have options/choices/power to do so. Besides, we have more in common than we may realize.” ~Erik Alsgaard, clergy DAC Maybe the time has come to join together. I’d need to see figures and facts. I’d suggest the two get together and draw up an agreement, then everyone would know where we stand if we merge.” ~Bonnie Worley, laity WMC

“A ‘new thing’ has to be simple. The case has to be made that staying where we are now is no longer possible. People need to be shown the clear and convincing benefit that will be produced beyond the administrative cost savings. Bottom line for me ...will coming together better enable us to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (especially in Michigan) practicing peace and justice or will it make us more organized for more of the status quo?”~Greg Buchner, clergy WMC “I voted yes for the merger before and I agree that it makes sense. I remind us that anxiety still exists around the idea of change and how to blend the cultures of two different conferences. This is not a reason to refuse to move forward, just acknowledgement that this will

have stresses and challenges. Praying for wisdom and inspiration!” ~Laura Speiran, clergy DAC

Perhaps a get-together conference would start the ball rolling. But Michigan could not merge two teacher unions. ~Sidney Lee, laity DAC “Same denomination. Same state. Same Bishop. Why do we insist on making our differences so pronounced? We are already work-ing with the Detroit Conference in many ways.” ~Paula Creguer Wright, laity WMC “I have lived in the north of this great state 20+ years (as long as I lived in Detroit). I was part of the vote last time. There has always been a mistrust in politics...southeast counties are the head of the dog and up north is the tail. That has changed. Now may be the time to join the two together. Our state has been hurt all the way around. It’s time for healing.” ~Rap Posnick, laity WMC

“Last year the Conference Town and Country Circuit Rider Retreat (2nd held jointly) was so successful that we had to turn people away because of lack of space. We’re going to continue our joint work. Why not do more things together and move forward naturally,

leading to ONE integrated, God-driven conference?” ~David O. Pratt, clergy DAC “Reorganizing should be reconsidered. But my concern about our spirituality still exists. In my opinion that’s the primary issue. Perhaps confession and repentance could be part of the process this time around. Even if we can’t agree about what to confess and repent, perhaps that disagreement in itself could be something to cry out to the Lord—together.” ~Greg Culver, clergy WMC (See more on West Michigan Conference Facebook Group and the two Conference websites.)

Michigan Responds to Bishop Deb’s Invitation to Dialog