"Where Have All the Young People Gone?"

As I sit in the airport in Porto Alegre, the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches concluding without me today, I’m reflecting on the issue which garnered the most attention during the days I was present: the inclusion of young people. The issue manifests itself in the way the WCC composes itself, but in truth it is an issue for the entire church, all around the world.

We scratch our heads and ask, “Where have all the young people gone?”

Do you ask that question when you look at your church? As I travel from church to church, I am struck by the absence of young people in significant numbers, certainly in a much smaller percentage than their percentage of the general population. People will ask that question, and even occasionally will ask, “What do we need to do to reach the young people?”

Do we really want an answer to that question?

At the 9th WCC Assembly, the issue came around the percentage of young people (those up to age 30) included in the important Central Committee, which guides the World Council during the 7 years between assemblies. The standards set by the WCC itself calls for 25% of the members to be youth. The problem is that those youth must come through the delegations of member churches, and these denominational church groups only have a defined number, so meeting the 25% requires delegations giving those precious seats to young people, and the “over 30” crowd is not so anxious to let go. The youth plastered handmade signs all across the venue, simply indicating “25%” to remind the group of its own goal. Regrettably, the Assembly will adjourn with only 15% representation for for young people.

So what is the answer for local churches, for your local church? Simply, some people -- some of the "older folks" -- will have to let go. There won’t be room for young people unless we make room.

Here’s the good news (thanks for sticking with this posting long enough to get to the good news): the United Methodist delegation made me proud by the way it added its voice to the voices of these young people reminding the assembly of their unfulfilled promise. To have Bishop Ann Sherer and Bishop Sally Dick lead other members of the United Methodist delegation in solidarity with the youth, positioning themselves by each microphone at the start of a plenary so that the issue could be pressed.

So my prayer is that there will be more youth at the 10th Assembly of the WCC, wherever it may be held. If there is less, we’ll know why: the unwillingness of some to let go of their seats, and make room for young people.

However, maybe the more immediate question for us to ask is this: Seven years from now, will there be more young people at your church, or less?

As we get that right, our future will get brighter.

A Hero Worth Having

The irony didn't slip by me unnoticed. In the same week that the NBA All-Star game was being held, I met one of my heroes -- a hero worth having. Here in Porto Alegre, Brazil, at the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, without fanfare or fuss, onto the stage walked Archbishop (Emeritus) Desmond Tutu.

Not a millionaire who can do a reverse slam dunks. Just a giant who stands 5 foot nothing, who helped lead the world to find its heart and say no to Apartheid.

Tutu referred in his address to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and paid tribute to the support given by the WCC, particularly through its Programme to Combat Racism. "This was controversial but was quite critical in saying our cause was just and noble and that those who, as a last resort, had opted for the armed struggle were not terrorists but freedom fighters," he said. "Nelson Mandela was no terrorist."

The WCC was his "mentor", and he owed it a very great deal, he said. "You, the WCC, demonstrated God's concern for unity, for harmony, for togetherness, for friendship, for peace, and you must celebrate that, you must celebrate the success you notched up in defeating apartheid, for you were inspired not by a political ideology but by biblical and theological imperatives."

However, he said, apartheid had continued so long because the church was divided, and God called it to unity, adding, "Jesus was quite serious when he said that God was our father, that we belonged all to one family, because in this family all, not some, are insiders.

"Bush, bin Laden, all belong, gay, lesbian, so-called straight - all belong and are loved, are precious."

Being so far away, I have no idea who won the NBA All-Star Game -- the acrobatics of the likes of Allen Iverson, or the scoring of Kobe Bryant. Those who know won't remember in a decade. The Rolling Stones and U2 were in Brazil this week, but in my book they pale by comparison (though Bono is definitely on the right track, there may be a Nobel Peace Prize on his shelf one day). Being in the presence of Desmond Tutu, hearing him speak, seeing the fire in his eyes as he spoke about justice and inclusion. There is a hero worth having.

Where the World Goes to Church

I arrived this afternoon in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to join a relatively small group of United Methodists participating in the 9th World Council of Churches Assembly, the first held in Latin America. You can find out about the Assembly, as well as view lots of photos and video at the special website: http://www.wcc-assembly.info/

Having just arrived and only attending the afternoon session today, there's not all that much to write. I was a bit in awe that I had the opportunity to be present for the world coming together for church.

This afternoon the agenda for the plenary was a report on how God is at work in Latin America. The report was beautifully done, with music, drama, puppetry, video clips and slides shows. It seemed to me each time the presenters rasied the issues of social injustice, they gave thanks to the church and, more time than not. singled out the Methodists.

United Methodists increase giving to church by more than 50%

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Amid a year of natural disasters, United Methodists reached deep into their pockets and increased their total giving to the church's ministries by more than 50 percent over the previous year.

The denomination has much to celebrate in "the overwhelming generosity of the people of the United Methodist Church, who increased giving by 53.6 percent compared to 2004," said Sandra K. Lackore, top executive of the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration in Nashville. She spoke to United Methodist media by telephone and Web conferencing Feb. 15.

Total giving in 2005 was $244.7 million, which is $85 million more than in 2004, she said. Of that, $80 million was for tsunami and hurricane relief efforts. Total giving in 2004 was $159.3 million.

Individuals, churches and organizations contributed significantly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief for immediate and long-term hurricane recovery efforts, and initiatives are being developed with assistance by local people in both Mississippi and Louisiana, she said. "It is not being driven by UMCOR's design but being driven by local design."
What does the more than 50 percent increase in overall giving mean? According to Lackore, it reflects that within the last two years, the church has given people new and different ways to contribute.

"The connectional covenant is present in the faithfulness of so many local congregations and conferences in meeting their commitment to the apportioned general funds in 2005. These funds drive the financial mission statement of our denomination," Lackore said. "By working together and fully participating in the general apportioned funds, we make possible the mission and ministry of Christ."

Through the end of 2005, she said, 30 percent of the giving was done by online contributions or direct giving - "giving that did not come through annual conference treasuries." That, she said, is "significant in the life of our denomination."

The council is researching donor identities "to discern whether that giving is coming all from United Methodists, whether it is coming from persons interested in what the United Methodist Church is doing, whether it is coming from persons excited by what we are doing, especially in our relief efforts, and could … want to be part of United Methodist congregations," she said.
In the last 10 years, the level of giving to church-related causes has been "steady," she said. "The blip has been online giving." The council is trying to determine what that means for the financial health of the denomination, which is tied to local church and annual conference giving. She defined the health of the denomination as "good" but said membership loss is a continuing concern.

Membership in the United Methodist Church in the United States for 2004 was 8.1 million, a loss of 66,402 people, or 0.82 percent, over 2003, according to GCFA statistics.
Despite the long-running decline in U.S. membership, Lackore told the editors and communicators that gains continue in the 59 annual conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. About 1.9 million additional United Methodists live in those areas, called central conferences, and the fastest growth in membership is occurring in Africa.

Membership losses will be reduced if U.S. annual conferences "open ourselves to really learning from the central conferences … so that we can grow our membership in the jurisdictional conferences," she noted.

Lackore also took note of the generous, second-mile giving by United Methodists during times of crisis and on the ongoing financial needs of churchwide ministries throughout the year.
"We want to note the faithfulness of our denomination to the connectional covenant of apportioned giving," she said.

She paid special tribute to the leadership of 15 annual (regional) conferences that "demonstrated the power of our connection by participating at the 100 percent level of all apportioned funds." That was an increase of three conferences over 2004, and seven additional conferences were recognized for giving 90 percent or more to church-related causes and ministries.

Apportionments are the contributions requested of each of the 63 U.S. annual conferences for the support of denominational ministries and administration. The apportionments are determined by the church's top legislative assembly and managed by GCFA. Each annual conference sets apportionments for its local congregations, and the amount includes support for conference projects, programs and ministries.

The conferences highlighted for having a 100 percent commitment to the church's seven funds were Alaska Missionary, Baltimore-Washington, Central Pennsylvania, Desert Southwest, Detroit, Illinois Great Rivers, New York, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Peninsula-Delaware, Red Bird Missionary, Rio Grande, Texas and Wisconsin.
The seven conferences contributing 90 percent or more for apportioned giving were Arkansas, Holston, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Central Texas, North Texas and Southwest Texas.
The Louisiana and Mississippi annual conference, significantly damaged by Hurricane Katrina, were acknowledged as examples of faithfulness in honoring their financial commitments to the denomination. These two conferences, "in the midst of extreme devastation and hardship," maintained their apportioned giving at or slightly above their 2004 contributions, Lackore said.
Three additional conferences affected by last year's hurricanes - Alabama-West Florida, Florida and Texas - maintained or "slightly" increased their level of giving for all seven of the church's apportioned funds.

Church members gave more generously in 2005 than ever before, Lackore noted. "The people of the United Methodist Church have a great capacity for giving."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Who Will Tell the Story If Not You?

It's been several days since my last posting, but I have several good excuses:

1. I have been in Baltimore at Northeast Jurisdiction meetings since Wed., Feb. 15th.
2. The day before that was Valentines Day, and I gave my attention to my Valentine.
3. The day before that, was, well, the day before Valentines Day...

OK, so they really aren't good excuses. But they are certainly as good as the excuses we give for, say, missing church or not tithing, or not giving more to the church when we know we could.

The United Methodist as a whole is still trying to absorb the reality of the money that was raised in 2005 for the Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the face of declining membership, and a declining support base, we re able to do these incredible feats when confronted with a disaster -- a dramatic, demonstrated need.

A news conference was held this week, featuring Sandra K. Lackore, General Secretary of the General Council on Finance & Administration (the UMC's top bean counter) where she announced that United Methodist total giving had increased over 2004 by more than 50% due mainly to those responses to the diasters (due to problems getting a manageable link, I have reprinted the story as a separate posting).

What continues to be clear to me is that people respond when a story is shared in a way that touches their hearts, and when they believe that what they give will make a difference. The tsunami response taught us that. The hurrican response taught us that. The 9/11 response taught us that.

Here's the question I have to ask: The other giving that we ask folks to do, is it any less important, is it any less needed, is it any less capable of making a difference and touching and transforming lives? Or is the problem that the story has not been told.

Who will tell the story, if not me, if not you?

The Silence in the Storm

I've just come through a wonderful weekend. We were treated to a storm which dumped almost 27" of snow in New York City, and probably around 12-18" where I live in Central New Jersey. While I am not a big fan of snow or winter in general, it gave me the gift of a weekend of being home with my wife and three children.

Let's talk about the beauty of the world just after a snow storm. The highlighting of every branch of every tree, the soft smooth blanket that covers the ground, and the sense of undisturbed beauty when the woods behind my house looks as pristine as it must have 1,000 years ago. (the picture is out across our back deck).

The other wondrous gift that a snow storm brings is the silence that blankets everything like the snow. That perfect moment when everyone is inside, there are no planes in the sky and no cars on the road (no bass pounding from someone elses suped-up sound system). There is stillness there that is unlike anything else. I don't particularly like winter, but that part I love. Some people, though, can't stand the silence.

A friend Laurie, a real lover of the outdoors, email me a newsletter she receives from a group called Eco-Justic Ministries, called "Eco-Justice News" (full text is found at http://www.eco-justice.org/E-060210.asp. I encourage you to read it all, but these sentences touched me:

"We can't know God when we're too busy to think, when we're being bombarded by sound, when we never allow ourselves the quiet time to feel deeply. We need space away from the noise and busyness to experience God."

There I stood, in my yard in the middle of a snow storm, knowing that as the snow fell like God's own sound absorbing insulation, and all I heard was the sound of my breathing and the wind in the branches, I was closer to hearing God's voice whisper to me that I had been in months, maybe years. I know I can pray amidst the noise, I do it on a regular basis. The question is when am I able to hear the answers?

My History and Yours

The nation has said farewell to Coretta Scott King, an amazing woman of courage and strength who did not let her personal tragedy defer the vision that she shared with her martyred husband. That her funeral came as we began the observance of Black History Month seems somehow appropriate for the intentional nature of her amazing life among us. I was shocked when I learned that she was not only the first African American woman who was "laid in state" in the Georgia Capitol building, but the first Afrcican American and the first woman as well! This is 2005, right?

I was amazed when I heard a well-intentioned person state that Black History Month was a time for Black children to get in touch with "their history" and some of the important contributions made by African Americans. Far be it from me, a white male, to be the definitive word on this, but I say, "WRONG!" Black History Month is a time for all of us to understand that who we are and what our country has become is a story that was not played out exclusively by old white men in starched white shirts. Black History Month is so important because my memory is still woefully imcomplete when it considers who were the real shapers of this wonderful country we enjoy. While some of the persons we remember made contributions that earned them a place in the history books because of the positions of priviledge and power they were born into, others earned a right to be remembered because of commitment, intelligence, courage, imagination, compassion, creativity, and perseverance through suffereing from positions of being second class citizens, and often much worse.

So if you are considering whether Black History Month is anything that should attract the attention of you or your church, and your decision is made by looking around and seeing if there is anyone present whose skin is darker than yours, remember that this is about my history and yours as well, and we are the ones who desperately need the education.

(For resources your church on Black History Month, can be found at http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/special_pages/blackhistorymonth.cfm)

Extravagant Generosity, "UM Style"

As promised, I wanted to spend at least one more posting on the column written by Bishop Bruce Ough (pictured) in the January 27th edition of their newspaper, West Ohio News. Let me pick up where I left off in the last posting. He writes:

"The extraordinary disasters of last year have exposed the true colors of the United Methodist Church, I have never been more proud of our denomination and the powerful presence of our connection. United Methodists responded to the devastation created by the tsunami in South Asia with an astonishing offering of over $60 million...To date, United Methodists have shared an astounding $50 million to help rebuild the lives of those in the Gulf States displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."

Here in the Greater New Jersey Conference, the numbers are truly inspiriring. In 2005, our churches gave $2,053,761 to what we call "Second Mile" giving. That's more than twice what was given in 2004 (a not-too-shabby $927,911) and more than the total from 2001, 2002 and 2003 combined! Of that $2 million plus total, $524,700 was for the Tsunami and $737,446.22 was for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So for those who think the United Methodist Church is slowly dying, I'd say the numbers tell a different story!

We are not a dying church, but we are, in many places, a people who have lost touch with who we are, what we have done, how we are in ministry around the world 24/7, and what we might do in the days ahead. We should be excited about this, every individual and every congregation!When we recover our excitement and enthusiasm for the mission and ministry of the United Methodist Church, then our numbers will increase, our giving will jump, and our ability to enter new and vital minitries in the name of Jesus Christ will exceed our wildest expectations!

But...we will need to walk the first mile in order that we might go the second mile. More on that in upcoming posts.

True Colors

I was recently in Dallas at a meeting of the Directors of Connectional Ministry (all the folks who have the job similar to mine). At this time of the year, one of the standard questions that gets asked around tables is how each Conference did in collecting the previous year's apportionments. As would be expected, some did better than Greater New Jersey, some worse.

I was amazed when my counterpart from Louisiana, whose conference had suffered the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, shared that their conference churches had remitted 95.75% of their apportionments. In Greater New Jersey, where Katrina and Rita meant we endured a couple of rainy days at the end of a beautiful summer, our churches remittances were just about 80%. I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed.

Bishop Bruce R. Ough, episcopal leader of the Ohio West Area, had a similar reflection in that conference's newspaper, the West Ohio News (January 27, 2006). He looks at even more detail:

"The Lake Charles District, leveled by Hurricane Rita, paid 100 percent of its apportionments. Bethany United Methodist Church in New Orleans, which was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, paid more than 100 percent of its apportionments.”

Then Bishop Ough points us toward the scripture where Paul makes the following observation about the churches of Macedonia:

“Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: they were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts…They gave offerings of what they could afford, far more than they could afford!” (II Corinthians 8:2-3, The Message).

Bishop Ough suggests that “the extraordinary disasters of this past year have exposed the true colors of the United Methodist Church.” I could not agree with him more. Over the next few postings I’ll continue to share some observations of how our true colors are shining through. Come back often.

AMEN!

God smiled on the people of Pittsburgh today. There is no better explanation for what happened in Detroit.

How Will You Be Remembered?

Maybe it's because we're getting ready to watch the Super Bowl, and because the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the game...

Or maybe because we all wait for that commercial that will knock our socks off, and we think of the ones that have in the past...

For whatever reason, I'm enjoying revisiting the Coca-Cola commercial that ran almost a quarter century ago, featuring Pittsburgh Steeler "Mean Joe" Green, limping back to the lockere room, and growling at the little boy offering his coke. When the commercial ends with a smiling, coke-refreshed Joe tossing his footbal jersey to the adoring child, a moment was created that will be talked about when I'm 80 and they are getting ready to play Super Bowl LXX!

Which makes me think about what people remember as the years past. Sure, I remember the Steelers team of the 70's with Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swan and Mean Joe Green. And there are, no doubt, a relative few sports jumkies who could recite from memory the stats of what Joe Green did on the field, any record he might have held, and could give a description of the best game he ever played. Yet how many millions more remember a moment, even one scripted and stage for a TV commercial, when a child's selfless act of kindness was rewarded with a improbable smile and a sweaty jersey?

What moment in my life is most worthy of remembering? A night when I worked later than anyone else in the office? A decision I made that meant profit for me and a boost to my net worth? A time when I have gone to head-to-head with a competitor (or even a collegue) and come out the winner, and them the loser? Or has there been a time in my life when I have given, not for obligation, and not for credit or recognition, and not for future favor, but selflessly expecting nothing in return?

Moving Into a Super Weekend

Now, when I asked co-worker and life-long Steeler's fan Allan Brooks if I could climb on the "Steelers Nation" bandwagon, he returned this picture of two United Methodists from Western Pennsylvania Conference who give new depth to the "c-word" commitment.

There is the opportunity this weekend, though, to do more than load up on snacks and watch the big game. I will be at First UMC, Newton, NJ on Saturday for the Skylands District Day of Learning, leading a workshop on being a mission church and what it means for United Methodists to be engaged in shared ministry.

In churches all over, youth will be collecting money in pots and kettles to observe "Souper Sunday" where the money is donated to help replenish supplies in area food pantries (http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/hunger/souperbowl.stm).

"From Whence Comes My Help?"

I just read a story about a team of Volunteers-in-Mission who were working on homes in New Orleans. Not so unusual, except this team was made up of volunteers from Methodist churches in Mexico. It's a great story, and you can read at the following link: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor-hotline/20060131.cfm.

It's those stories that no only stir my heart, but challenge me to approciate more fully and consistantly what it means to be a global church. There was the story last fall of one of our United Methodist Communication staff persons who was in Liberia (West Africa) after Katrina hit and mentioned that she was from New Orleans. The church there gave her money to take back to assist in the Katrina recovery. Absolutely amazing...

We're not dead yet.

Birth Narrative

The birth of my blog....David Malloy is the midwife, since I only have experienced about 3 blogs in my rather sheltered exisitance. Actually, Joe Tiedemann shares some responsibility as well, since he directed me to http://www.joetiedemann.com/ and was blown away. So, with a little help from my friends, I will embark on this endeavor, which I imagine will be rather addictive...to my family, if you thought you didn't see much of me before...

So why? Why enter this new world? Well, my Bishop thought it would be a good way to communicate better with the world, and that would be reason enough. Closer to my heart, though, is the temptation that is often before us to see only what's wrong in the church -- what is sick, what's dying. And there are lots of signs of life if you just care to look...