The Conference year 2007-2008 has been quite a year! It was filled with moments of victory and triumph on the one hand, and moments of great sadness and distress on the other. We have experienced the revival of some of our devastated churches and we have experienced the closure of others. We have known honors for several of our clergy, and have suffered sorrow for others. We’ve experienced yet another General Conference and we are anticipating another Jurisdictional Conference. And here we are in the beginning of our Annual Conference! It is a year for Conferencing!
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And it has been a year for continued recovery efforts from the hurricanes of 2005. As in the previous two Conference years, the majority of our efforts at the administrative level have been focused on storm recovery. Every time we consider a new ministry of any description, the discussion always ends up in the backwaters of Katrina and Rita. It is simply a reality with which we live and will live for some years to come.
So, let me begin there in this address to you. |
HURRICANE RECOVERY
In this past year we have been working steadily under “The Manure Plan”. You recall that plan I am sure. But, just for reminders let me call your attention to Luke’s gospel, chapter 13: 6-9.
“And he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard: and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (RSV)
The Master’s manure plan was actually for one year. And that actual year for us will begin just as soon as I rap the gavel ending this Annual Conference session. We have already spent the three years in which we have come seeking the fruit. We have applied the manure generously. And this next year will be the crucial year for the production of fruit; enough fruit to make all the work to sustain the tree justifiable.
All churches in the Mission Zone are working diligently, applying the manure and praying that their efforts will bring forth the necessary fruit. As one fellowship put it when we had the last mid-year review of their work, “We are a fig tree in blossom.” We are grateful for the blossoming trees and pray they will mature to fruitfulness. We are now entering into the harvest season for all our efforts and we will remain true to the harvest.
Some, in working toward their own fruitfulness have been grafted onto other trees so that the new hybrid tree will be able to produce. In this Conference year we have experienced Brooks United Methodist and Shaw Temple United Methodist merging their strengths to become Brooks/Shaw United Methodist Church. We also have experienced First United Methodist and Grace United Methodist coming together to become First/Grace United Methodist Church.
Sadly, others have made the decision that they can no longer function as a church and have voluntarily closed their doors for ministry. Those are Jefferson United Methodist and Ninde Chapel United Methodist. There are others in the Conference who have had to make the same decision, though for reasons other than hurricane devastation. They are St. Paul United Methodist in New Roads and Melville United Methodist; College Avenue United Methodist in Natchitoches; Washington Chapel United Methodist and Bethel United Methodist, both in the Monroe District;
Now, for the positive news about our hurricane recovery efforts. We have come far enough that we feel we can eliminate the office of Mission Zone Director. Dr. Martha Orphe has done an exceptional work in leading us for these past two years through some very difficult terrain! She has been strong in her vision and in her administration. We are grateful to Martha for her wonderful service! She will be going to the Conference Office as the Executive Director of Multicultural Ministries and Mission Coordinator. We are grateful we will continue to experience her visionary leadership.
The new District Superintendent of the New Orleans District, Dr. Ramonalynn Bethley will assume the responsibilities of the Mission Zone Director. This is a huge step that says we have come a long way!
Our recovery efforts were a focal point at the General Conference earlier this spring. We were accorded some key time on the agenda to thank the connection for all their support and prayers over these three years and to encourage them to continue that support into the future. One of the things we specifically asked that they would do was to take one more Katrina Relief offering on the Sunday nearest the anniversary date of Katrina. To date, these special offerings have netted almost $4 million and Louisiana has received the lion’s share of those offerings. We have been the recipients of $2.5 million to be used for salary support and building restoration!
When the 2008 books are closed for the Louisiana Conference, I fully expect to see that EVERY church in Louisiana contributed to this special offering, including those churches who are the recipients of the generosity!
This past year we have spent some $ 2,022,357 in salary support for our churches in the Mission Zone – which includes those in the New Orleans District and the Lake Charles District that were so heavily damaged and decimated. This is the amount AFTER the churches sent what they could. Churches were able to send some $237,574 back to the Conference to help with their salaries. For the coming year we will need $1,383,377 for salary support alone! And that is with every church but two helping to pay some of their salaries. Fortunately, we have the bulk of this money in hand, or we know where we can get it. The remainder we are trusting will come from the Katrina Relief offering.
This will undoubtedly be the final year we can expect to have that kind of money to spend on such support, and the churches in the Mission Zone know they must produce the monies for their own salaries beginning in the 2009-2010 Conference year. That is why the fruit must be plentiful in this conference year and will clearly mark how successful the Manure Plan has been! It could lead us to great rejoicing, or to some very difficult decisions about the continued existence of some of our churches.
NEW CHURCH STARTS
This past Conference year we have experienced three new church starts! Rev. Trey Harris, Dr. Jack O’Dell and Rev. Leslie Stephens are serving as the founding pastors of these new fellowships, all located in the Baton Rouge District. I had the joy of worshipping with New Song United Methodist Church on their official “Launch Sunday.” It was a great day of celebration with a full house of those who will be members and those who were there for support.
I also shared an evening of worship with the Worship team of The Well United Methodist Church. First United Methodist in Hammond hosted us all for a Holy Week service. This church has located a beautiful piece of property clearly visible from Interstate 12 and just east of Hammond in Tangipahoa parish. They have yet to launch officially.
I have been unable to participate in any of the preview services of Faith Crossing United Methodist Church, now forming in Livingston parish. They also have not yet launched officially.
The future of our Church lies in many factors. But one of the main factors is how many new churches can we start in the immediate future. I encourage all of us to pray for the success of these new ventures for Christ. With the able guidance of Rev. Steve Stephens, Director of Church Extension and Transformation, we will be approaching more new church starts in the near future.
INSTITUTIONAL EXPANSION
In addition to the new church starts, we have experienced great growth in our institutions as well. In February we celebrated the move of The Methodist Home for Children in New Orleans to their new home in Mandeville. The old property in New Orleans will eventually be sold in order to provide funds to pay off all indebtedness and provide operating capital for the Mandeville location. With this move The Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home, which up until now has operated only the home in Ruston, has become the official parent organization to all of our children’s work in Louisiana. This is a great accomplishment!
While the home in Mandeville is getting established, the plans for a third location of The Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home in Sulphur are progressing on schedule. A beautiful piece of property has been secured and plans are now being finalized for the construction of a new facility in the southwest corner of our state. This is going to allow United Methodism to have strong ministry to the children and families all across Louisiana.
While the Children’s Home ministry is expanding, we also are experiencing expansion of the facilities at the Wesley Center in Woodworth. A new pavilion is nearing completion and ground has been broken for a new meeting facility that will be built between the two lodges on the main campus. Major trails are being laid out and surfaced for those who want to hike in the beautiful surroundings. All this has been made possible through private donations. At this time we need about $150,000 more to completely cover the costs of these new additions.
And we have dedicated new facilities at the Outdoor Wilderness Learning Center in Ruston, at North Rampart Community Center in New Orleans and at Dulac Community Center in Dulac. Ground has been broken for a new dormitory in Slidell that will house disaster relief workers and teams.
Yes, United Methodism is alive and well in Louisiana!
DIFFICULT DAYS
Difficulties entered our state in the form of allegations of racial injustice in Jena, Louisiana. We became the focus of national attention when it was alleged that six young men in Jena were the victims of racist politics. Accompanied by other judicatory leaders across our state, by the chairperson of our own Black Methodists for Church Renewal, and the Alexandria District Superintendent, I met on two separate occasions with Rev. Lyndle Bullard, pastor of Nolley Memorial United Methodist Church in Jena and some of the civic and church leaders of the community. Our conversations were helpful and instructional. A major lesson we learned and supported was that the churches in Jena were aligned with each other and were the sensitized heralds of racial justice for the city.
When the major march in Jena occurred in the fall of 2007, the people of The United Methodist Church and other Christian churches met thousands of marchers with radical hospitality. Church buildings were opened for parking, refreshments, bathroom facilities and a place to rest. The peaceful demonstration was helped to remain such because of the hospitality of the Christian community in Jena.
Efforts on the part of the churches and the citizenry continue to bring reconciling conversation and understanding in this small community in central Louisiana.
HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE
One of the most memorable events of the 2007-2008 conference year was the pilgrimage to the Holy Land experienced by almost 200 persons, including nineteen of our Ordinands. As we traveled this beautiful area of our planet and as we walked with reverence and wonder in the areas where our Savior lived, taught, preached and died, each of us had our own personal pilgrimage. To be able to share this with those who have been ordained to “preach the Word, administer the Holy Sacraments, and to serve all God’s people” was indeed sacred and very special.
It is my fervent hope and full intent that such opportunity will continue to be given to the Ordinands of our conference on a regular basis. I know any one of those who made this pilgrimage this year will testify to the life-changing impact this visit had on them. All pilgrims, lay and clergy alike, have been permanently changed. The ordained will become better preachers, more informed teachers, and better pastors as a result. And as these ordained servants of God are strengthened, along with the laity of our conference, the churches will flourish in the words and deeds of the Master
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT (100%) APPORTIONMENT PAYOUT!!!.
And now the drum roll if you please for the final great accomplishment of 2007! The churches of Louisiana, for the first time in recent history, paid your apportionments in full! Not only did you pay the general church apportionments, but all the jurisdictional and annual conference apportionments as well at 100%. That is an incredible accomplishment! Congratulations to you! Why not stand and congratulate yourselves!
Does this mean EVERY church was able or chose to send in 100% of their askings? No. Some were unable or chose not to. But other sister churches dug deeper in their pockets to say, “We can send more than we were asked to send. Please apply our extra giving to those churches that are unable to pay. We don’t necessarily want credit for extra payment. We simply want the Conference to be able to celebrate the 100%!” Now that is sacrificial giving! And God and the church are honored. Bless you, bless you, bless you!
“I love thy church, O God!
Her walls before thee stand
Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend,
To her my cares and toils be given,
till toils and cares shall end.”
We’ve had a look at the immediate past. Now let’s consider the immediate future.
The past few weeks since General Conference have been very emotional ones for Kay and me. We’ve been trying to make one of the most important decisions in our entire lives. The decision was precipitated by the action of the General Conference on Monday evening, April 28. In the waning hours of the plenary session that night, legislation was introduced that would increase the age restriction at which retirement would become mandatory for bishops. In the midst of the consideration of this legislation, an amendment was made that would make it effective immediately. Without discussion and with an overwhelming majority, the legislation passed. And, just like that, our personal future was changed.
Three bishops in the United States and one in the Philippines were immediately affected. Bishop Jane Middleton of Central Pennsylvania, Bishop Lawrence McCleskey of Western North Carolina, Bishop Solito Toquero of the Manila Area, and myself. All four of us were now younger than the required age for retirement! Now this is a way to become younger instantly! We could now voluntarily retire, or we could continue to serve for another four years.
Needless to say, our plans for retirement are at an advanced stage. Our home is built and ready for occupancy. I have been in conversation with two different Foundations about part time work I would do with them. We’ve done everything we know to do to prepare ourselves emotionally, spiritually and financially. And we have pointed toward August 2008 for a long time!
The encouragement began immediately by fellow bishops, delegates to General Conference, and from friends around the connection that we should stay in active service. We met and talked with our delegates from Louisiana, and in particular with Dr. Bob Burgess, chair of the Episcopacy Committee and with Buzzy Anding, Conference Lay Leader.
To shorten this long, involved and roller-coaster story, we feel led to continue to serve for an additional four years and we will do that only if it can be in Louisiana. Much work here is still not accomplished and we feel we can continue to be of help with recovery efforts and the return to a “normal” Conference life.
That being said, the question becomes, “What do I see for the next four years in Louisiana?”
The General Conference heard and adopted four foci as the main areas of collaboration in which the local church, the annual conference, the general boards and agencies, the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops would collaborate. The simple listing of these four is:
- Developing Principled Christian Leaders
- Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones
- Engaging in ministries with the poor
- Improving global health, especially attacking the killer diseases of poverty
In the coming four years I see us giving major attention to these four areas of collaboration.
DEVELOPING PRINCIPLED CHRISTIAN LEADERS:
What the development of leaders might look like will be the responsibility of our Conference Ministry Team that will be given new emphasis beginning with this conference year. I envision we will be concerned about clergy leadership and laity leadership; about youth leaders and older adult leaders; and about spiritual leaders as well as administrative leaders.
I envision we will continue to strengthen our Discerner’s Academy as we identify, recruit and enlist persons who are the brightest and best Louisiana has to offer for the Ordained ministry. It is a distressing fact to know that clergy under the age of 35 have become so scarce. They are even scarce enough to have engendered a new society in the church – the Spotted Owl Society, whose purpose is to help raise up younger clergy leadership. Actually, we in Louisiana are doing fairly well in this category, but we surely can improve.
We also will need to continue to identify, recruit and enlist Local Pastors and those who want to serve as Part Time Local Pastors. We have experienced a shortage of these pastoral leaders the past two years and we need to increase our supply line. Without the Local Pastors our Conference would be very short of clergy.
And we will work even harder to bring to a higher level our leadership training efforts for both clergy and laity. The retreats we have experienced will continue and I hope to see them increase in effectiveness and attendance.
This is where I believe we can revive our Continuing Education Task Force and have them help us know where we need to be focusing and then coordinate all entities that provide Continuing Education in our conference to focus together on the need.
I’m excited about the development of leaders. It is crucial to our growth as an Annual Conference and to the growth of our beloved church.
CREATING NEW PLACES FOR NEW PEOPLE BY STARTING NEW CONGREGATIONS AND RENEWING EXISTING ONES:
The focus of new church development and transformation is something we have begun to concentrate on in Louisiana through the establishment of the office by the same name. While we have been struggling to recover from the hurricanes, Rev. Steve Stephens has been leading this area of focus with strength and vision. However, now is the time for us to intensify this focus.
With the New Orleans area coming out of the devastation they have faced, and having applied our all-out efforts to the reestablishment of what churches we can, it is time to consider with greater intensity where we need to focus on new church development. Our four anchor churches, First Street PW, First Grace, St. Luke’s and Bethany are doing fairly well. Some are recovering more quickly than others. We will continue to focus our energies, resources and evaluations on these specific churches. However, it may be that the redevelopment of the city calls for locations in other spots. We must be at those places when the development is ready to happen!
You have already heard me announce the closure of a number of churches this past year. This is the continuation of a downward trend in the number of churches for us as a conference. However, there are growth areas in Louisiana and we must take advantage of those and plant churches and fellowships there in order to provide places of worship and community in strategic spots.
At the same time, there are those congregations who want to be transformed and are willing to pay the price to be so. Did you hear me say, “Pay the price?” I said that intentionally. A church is not transformed and will not be transformed without paying the price. Many say they want transformation, but most are not willing to do what they need to do in order to get there. We want to focus on those who are willing!
And this is not all focused in the cities of our state. There is a new Rural Church Initiative being designed and waiting for funding right now. It will be the intent of this initiative to give the rural churches of Louisiana strong leadership, consistent leadership, and longer tenured leadership in order to help our rural communities and churches become again the bellwether churches they have been historically before the great move to the cities began some years ago.
ENGAGING IN MINISTRIES WITH THE POOR:
This is an area in which we seem to have the least understanding and equipping knowledge of how to do it. We traditionally have been effective in being in ministry to the poor, but not with the poor.
This will be another challenge for our Conference Ministry Team. I envision that we will have to develop some trusting partners with the poor among us and have them help us know how we can be in ministry with them. Obviously, we have those congregations among us who embrace the poor of our society and who are made up of the poor. We will do our very best to bring them into consultation and planning so that we can make a difference in this area.
I don’t have a “grand scheme” in my head on this one. All I can offer is a place at the table for those of the least economic and social means, and welcome them to be a planner alongside me to address the most crucial issues they face.
IMPROVING GLOBAL HEALTH, ESPECIALLY ATTACKING THE KILLER DISEASES OF POVERTY:
The killer diseases of poverty are primarily malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis. Those with the economic means usually avoid these diseases, or they at least know how to avoid them. Those in poverty do not always have the knowledge or the resources to avoid them.
I see our role here as educational and economical. These diseases are almost fully under control in the United States. This is where our outreach to the people of the world will be made fully tangible. We can assist in world organizations that educate people in these areas and we can provide funding to make the most essential materials available to those who are most affected by these diseases.
We began that journey last year when we as a Conference raised some $129,000 for the Global AIDS Fund. This year we are seeking to do the same for “Nothing but Nets”, an international effort to provide chemically treated mosquito nets to the people who live in mosquito infested areas so that their lives will be protected. It’s almost too simple – but we are told that $10.00 provides a net and that net will save a life. Now how simple and how do-able is that!
Beyond these four foci, or areas of collaboration, there are a few other needs we must address as a Conference in the coming quadrennium. I only want to mention them now and will be laying out specific ways to address them in the coming months.
1. Property and Casualty Insurance
As all of us know, we have been working diligently to find a way to make our churches insurable at a lower premium cost. Many churches are finding their property insurance doubling and tripling as a result of the hurricanes of 2005. Many churches are simply uninsured because they can’t afford the premiums. That is totally unacceptable. One of the things that got us into such deep trouble in the New Orleans area was inadequate or non-existent insurance on church property.
We thought we would be ready at this session of Annual Conference to present a proposal that would help answer this dilemma. It has been presented and discussed in District Meetings, it has been discussed in Pre-Conference meetings, and there will be some discussion here at this session of Annual Conference. However, because of the slowness of response, or the refusal of response on the part of several of our churches to the survey to gather the needed information to put a premium price on property and casualty insurance we do not have the necessary figures to put before you so you can make an informed decision.
Because this whole matter is critical to the insurability of all our churches, we are not going to call for a decision at this session. However, we will call for a special session of the Annual Conference, to be announced later, at which we will consider the matter of property and casualty insurance and insurance as it relates to Safe Sanctuaries, which is as critical a matter, maybe even more so, than the property insurance.
2. Coordination of our Mission Outreach
I have said this many times and want to emphasize it once more. The Louisiana Annual Conference is one of the most generous and mission-minded conferences I know. We do an exceptional amount of mission outreach ministry. And I believe we can strengthen that ministry through some basic coordination of our efforts and our focus.
Do you realize we support mission work in a major way in Russia, Cambodia, Bulgaria, Senegal, Cuba, South Africa, Honduras and Mexico? We have a partner agreement with West Angola, and here we will vote on a proposal to build a dormitory at Africa University in Zimbabwe! There are probably more – but that makes my case! We need the coordination to see just where all we are and how we can strengthen our work.
Dr. Martha Orphe has been appointed to serve in the capacity of Mission Coordinator in addition to her work as Director of Multicultural Ministries. I believe this will be the link that will strengthen our chains of love around the world. She has not begun her work as yet, but will be producing a plan, which I will review and to which I will give my approval that will begin to move us forward even more. As that plan is finalized we will be unrolling it for the Annual Conference to use.
3. Strengthening the Black Church
Let me quote to you my words in a report to the Jurisdictional Episcopacy Committee when I thought I would be retiring. “My deepest level of concern is with the visible decline of the African American churches in Louisiana. Of course, Katrina and Rita had something to do with that, but the African American church throughout our Conference is declining in strength and numbers at an alarming rate. Major attention needs to be given to this area in the immediate future.”
I propose to “ramp up” the Strengthening the Black Church Task Force for the express purpose of evaluating what is happening in this area and working diligently to stop the hemorrhaging. We will expand the Task Force to include the expertise we need to address this major issue and will make every effort to turn this tide.
4. Study of the Funding for the Annual Conference
As we face the future, we cannot continue to do business as usual. We are a very generous people. But even the most generous well can run dry. We need to assess our resources seriously and spend accordingly. Thank God we live in the mindset of abundance – not a mindset of scarcity – and I fully expect we will continue to do so. But financial prudence is incumbent upon us.
I hope to enter into a serious dialogue with our newly constituted Council on Finance and Administration and determine the best way to review all our resources and all our expenditures and how we can best use the generous gifts of God’s people for the greatest good. It may be that we will appoint a “Blue Ribbon Committee” to undertake this task. It may be that the CF&A will want to do that themselves with some invited help. However it is to be done, it will be done! Not to reduce spending! But to channel our generosity to it’s greatest good.
All of this is a huge agenda that lies in front of us. But, with God’s help, we will be able to address it all and even add more. As Mr. Wesley said when he was coming to the end of his life, “Best of all, God is with us!” And so may it ever be that we travel this road together knowing God is with us. And to God belongs the glory!
“Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.
Sure as thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given
The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heaven.”
-Timothy Dwight
Amen and Amen
