Information on 2003 NIC Annual Conference

For Information on 2004 NIC Annual Conference,
 "Called to Celebrate", click here to go to the NICEA web site:
Annual Conference 2004  - "Called to Celebrate"

• NIC Annual Conference Resolutions - Special Session 11-15-2003 Results
• UMC General Conference 2004 Pittsburgh, PA
• NIC VOICE network prepared 19 resolutions for individual members to send to GC 2004
• NIC VOICE - Northern Illinois Conference UMC Conference Lay Leader Letter, September 2003
  • September 10 Clergy Response to Northern Illinois Conference UMC Conference Lay Leader Letter, September 2003

• Northern Illinois Conference Elgin District June Newsletter - Voices of the Laity

• United Methodist Reporter Interactive - Annual Conference Reports

• United Methodist News Service - 2003 Annual Conference Reports

•  NIC Annual Conference Summary - PowerPoint Presentation
  • View the Presentation in your browser
  • Don't Have MS PowerPoint®? Download Free Viewer From Microsoft®

Clergy Response to Northern Illinois Conference UMC Conference Lay Leader Letter

September 10, 2003

Hello Roger,

I do not know if you know me, but I have heard of you.  I am an Elder of the Northern Illinois Conference, recently moved from the new church start in Bolingbrook, Crossroads of Faith UMC, to serve a rural community in western Illinois.  I serve as of August 1, 2003 Walnut United Methodist Church in the DeKalb district.

I read your fax pertaining to sharing the actions of our most recent annual conference session with particular interest in the wording about celebrating the wonderful responses received.

I feel compelled to share with you some other types of responses to the actions of our annual conference.  I came to the new church to find many faithful, longtime United Methodists hurt and angry at some of the actions.

Currently I have on my desk withdrawal statements from 3 families, including the family of the current Staff Parish Relations Committee Chair and the Trustees Chair.  It is not a celebration to arrive at a church to find that several significant members find the actions of our annual conference such that they can no longer in good conscience be a part of such an organization. 

I also found that the church had interrupted its apportioned giving for the same reason.  I have attempted to explain to each of these people, as well as a consistent stream of other faithful lay people that these actions, pertaining to the striking of the language in the Discipline that states that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, and furthermore that this dissenting opinion should be taught from pulpits and in education programs of the church, is not the position of the United Methodist Church as a whole, but rather the majority of the voting representatives to the Northern Illinois Annual Conference.  They have decided, however, that our bishop's theological stands, again dissenting from the Disciplinary language, and the legislation proposed by our annual conference makes it such that they can not continue their membership and affiliation.

So, I hope you can see that we do not all celebrate the responses received from our reports on the actions from our annual conference session.  I only prayerfully hope that the loss of membership and participation will slow and that our General Conference will once again prove to discard our annual conference's dissenting views to the Discipline.

Please feel free to respond if you would like.

In Christ,

Paul Nolden

Northern Illinois Conference UMC Conference Lay Leader Letter, September 2003

(On Letterhead:  Northern Illinois Conference United Methodist Church, Roger L. Curless Conference Lay Leader)

September, 2003

Dear Lay and Clergy Members of the Annual Conference,

Greetings.  I trust you have all had a blessed summer.  By now most of our churches are celebrating with Rally  Sundays and moving heavily into Fall programs.  It is an exciting time in the life of our churches.

The Book of Discipline paragraph 250, #2 states:

"The lay member(s) of the annual conference, along with the pastor, shall serve as an interpreter of the action of the annual conference session.  These persons (lay members and pastors) shall report to the local church council on actions of the annual conference as soon as possible, but not later than three months after the close of the conference."

The Book of Discipline lays out minimal requirements.  Reporting the actions of our annual conference is a marvelous time for pastors and lay members to demonstrate how, as partners in ministry, the work of the annual conference is accomplished.  I believe that the contributors of this piece to our discipline recognized that we are most effective when our pastors and lay leadership partner and that nowhere is our connection more evident than during the time of annual conference.  That is why your report, together, lay members and pastors, to your congregation is so important.

I have heard from some of you about your reporting and celebrate the wonderful responses you have received.  If you have not yet reported, please work tougher to report as soon as possible.

Thanks be to God for our conference and the great things we have and are accomplishing together as partners in ministry.

Your partner in building Christ's church,

Roger L. Curless

Conference Lay Leader

Note:  This is being FAXED to all churches.  Church offices and pastors who receive this FAX can help save our conference $246.00 by faithfully passing this to your Lay Members and Alternate Lay Members to annual conference.

Special Session 11-15-2003

Open to All (Signers)

The Open to All Coalition has written a statement fully endorsed by MFSA, the Asian American Fellowship, and the Women's Caucus.  It was written with Black Methodists for Church Renewal, the Asian American Fellowship, La Junta Hispanoamericano, Methodist Federation for Social Action, the Women's Caucus, representatives for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered communities, young Evangelical pastors, deacons, and lay persons.

The Open to All Coalition has sent a letter to members of Northern Illinois Conference inviting them to sign this document.  The stated purpose is to, "show the entire United Methodist Church that we can come together as one people in Christ."

In the Northern Illinois Conference edition of the United Methodist Reporter, March 14, 2003 Page 1 it was reported that, "A coalition of caucuses in the Northern Illinois Conference has been formed to promote unity and cohesion within the Conference during election of delegates to General Conference ... "The coalition has issued an 'Open to All' statement asking candidates running for General Conference to sign 'to make their values and beliefs clear to the Conference,' according to the Rev. Bob Campbell."

• Open to All Coalition Letter and Statement

• Laity and Clergy Signers

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Northern Illinois Annual Conference Agenda

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Northern Illinois Annual Conference Report

• Letter To The Editor By The NIC Delegation Chair, Vice-Chair And Secretary, July 18

  In the July 18 edition of the Northern Illinois United Methodist Report, Volume 150 Number 10 a Letter to the Editor was published on the first page.  It was from:

  • The Rev. Myron McCoy (delegation chair), President, St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO.
  • Harriet McCabe (delegation vice-chair), Grace UMC, Naperville
  • Roger Curless (delegation secretary), Wesley UMC, Aurora
  The letter is titled:  "Diversity of General/Jurisdictional Conference delegation characterizes Northern Illinois Conference".   In this letter, the writers request that any web sites or publications that published the United Methodist Reporter article "Diverse delegation dedicated to inclusiveness.", June 20, to replace that article with "an affirmation of the diversity that is Northern Illinois."
   
• Conservative UM Leader Laments Liberal Conference Resolutions

  At its annual convention, the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church passed a resolution affirming the ministry of liberal bishop Joe Sprague, who denies the bodily resurrection, virgin birth, and eternal deity of Jesus Christ.
  Full Story

• Northern Illinois Conference 164th Annual Conference

Of the 24 delegates elected to General and Jurisdictional Conference, 20 are part of the “Open to All” coalition having signed a statement that says “there is room for all people within our one denomination” and stating that “all people, without regard to sexual orientation, race, gender, age, economic status, disabilities, or ethnic origin should be able to be in full connection in the church without barriers to ordination, consecration, church membership or any ministry of the church.”
Full Story

• United Methodist News Service Official Northern Illinois Conference Annual Report

The only legislation involving lengthy debate was a resolution – approved 56 percent to 38 percent, with 6 percent abstaining – affirming that homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality are all gifts of God. The resolution says the current statement in the denomination’s Book of Discipline that "homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" is "not reflective of the historic Wesleyan unwillingness to limit prerogatives which belong solely to God, and is not representative of every biblical/theological perspective."

The resolution encourages clergy to proclaim from pulpits that homosexual orientation can be compatible with Christian teaching; encourages lay people to teach it in Sunday school classes; affirms that loving, monogamous, intimate relationships between persons of the same or opposite gender are an expression of God’s love; and affirms that persons of all sexual orientations are equally called to ordained ministry.
Full Story

• Institute for Religion & Democracy Press Release:  Chicago-Area Methodists Advocate Homosexuality, Left-Wing Politics

The Northern Illinois Conference of the 8.3 million United Methodist Church has recently affirmed homosexuality and bisexuality as gifts of God.  At its early June meeting, it also declared support for its bishop, who has publicly denied belief in Jesus Christ’s full deity, bodily resurrection, virgin birth and atonement for the sins of the world.  And it endorsed a slew of predictable, left-leaning political causes.
Full Story

• Local Church Leaders Differ Over Gay Issue

Ottawa Daily Times, July 12, 2003
By JONATHAN BILYK — Staff Writer

Local United Methodist Church leaders have lashed out against a recent measure by the church’s regional governing body officially endorsed same-sex marriages and the ordination of homosexual ministers. More

• Methodists Divided Over Same Sex Unions

Ottawa Daily Times, July 12, 2003
By JONATHAN BILYK — Staff Writer

Battle lines have begun to form within the United Methodist Church over a recent endorsement of same-sex unions by the church’s regional governing body. More

• Methodist teaching and Northern IL Methodist Conference at odds

The Leader-Chicago Bureau Friday, June 20, 2003

The Northern Illinois Conference of Methodists' website was recently updated to proclaim the NIC's position on a recent controversy concerning homosexual behavior:

The Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) is sending a delegation to General Conference, the United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking body, that will be working to make the United Methodist Church open to all people, including homosexuals, and will be resisting a push from conservative groups to make the denomination a “creedal” church. Read More

• Northern IL Methodists: straight and gay sexual behavior okay

The Leader-Chicago Bureau Friday, June 20, 2003

ST. CHARLES -- Last week in St. Charles, the Northern Illinois Methodist Church’s Annual Conference criticized historical church positions and urged ministers and Sunday school classes to proclaim “that homosexual orientation (no less or more than heterosexual orientation) can be compatible with Christian teaching." Read More

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AC Summary & Analysis - PowerPoint Presentation

• NIC Annual Conference Summary - PowerPoint Presentation
  • View the Presentation in your browser
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Reaction to NIC AC

The United Methodist Reporter Letters to the Editor, 07/23/03, posted a letter to the editor by Dan Henry, lay delegate and candidate for General and Jurisdictional Conference, Northern Illinois Conference:  http://www.reporterinteractive.org/news/072303/le072303.htm

The unedited text of Mr. Henry's letter, posted with permission, follows:

Re:  "Longtime delegate, lay leader clash at election" (07/04/03)

 

What a crybaby!

 

My involvement in Methodism dates back more than 50 years.  I served three times as a lay delegate to General Conference, four times as a lay delegate to jurisdictional conferences, and provide current leadership at the general church level in men's ministries, Scouting ministries, and evangelism.  But I, like Mr Jackson, won't be a delegate to the 2004 General Conference.

 

Early this year, our conference lay leader teamed up with the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) to require candidates for delegate to sign a so-called "Open to All" statement, which is essentially a regurgitation of MFSA's agenda.  I refused, as a matter of principle, to sign the statement and the conference lay leader and MFSA orchestrated a campaign against my election to General and Jurisdictional Conference delegations - and succeeded.

 

However, I never once thought of sending letters to church leaders and United Methodist media outlets calling on our conference lay leader to resign, even though I felt that he had violated the integrity of his office and was guilty of abuse of power by his involvement in the "Open to All" campaign.  Progressives seem to be so sure of their cause that they feel they are justified in using whatever means, wherever possible, to assure the defeat and humiliation of anyone who does not agree with them 100%.  And, when there is even the slightest hint of their tactics' being used against their own, they, like Mr. Jackson, run to the media outlets crying "foul".  It is sad that a publication of the stature of The United Methodist Reporter has furthered this strategy.

 

Beyond this, however, both the clash in South Carolina and my own experience show the polarization that occurred in the delegation elections.  We moderates were shoved aside, whatever our qualifications to be delegates, in favor of delegates completely dedicated to one side or the other in the current theological/homosexuality debate.  I just pray that the leaders on both sides of this debate will wake up to what they are doing to our church before The United Methodist Church and its ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ are completely destroyed.

 

In the meantime my advice to Mr Jackson is:  Get over it!  Get on with your life!  I have.

 

Dan Henry

Bolingbrook, Illinois  

 

Bishop (Sprague) Answers Questions About Annual Conference Resolution 700-23 Reflecting the Love of God   (August 1) Resolution 700-23, passed at the June session of Annual Conference, has raised questions from several quarters. To address these concerns, before Renewal Leave begins, with his permission, I am printing questions to me from James Blue, chair of the Northern Illinois Conference Evangelical Association (NICEA), and my responses to them. Read More

 

Letter to editor of UNITED METHODIST REPORTER
After the Northern Illinois Conference passed Resolution 700-23 "Reflecting the Love of God" by a vote of 547 affirmative votes, 306 negative votes, and 44 abstentions, I concluded that a significant number of delegates fall short of their claim to have “open hearts, open minds, open doors.” The resolution affirms that “human sexuality is a good gift of God” and declares that “persons of all sexual orientations are equally called to ordained ministry.” But surely the delegates manifested closed hearts, minds, and doors by limiting the discussion to homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered persons: the most vocal, well-organized, and powerful ‘sexual minorities’ in the church.

If United Methodists want truly to follow the letter and spirit of resolution 700-23, we should also call for the affirmation and –ordination– of persons of all sexual lifestyles/preferences. This would include but not be limited to those who find sexual gratification through necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, algolagnia, polygamy, incest, exhibitionism, coprophagia, troilism, masturbation, fetishism, saliromania, and urophilia. After all, Jesus never spoke explicitly against any of these lifestyles/preferences in the synoptic Gospels, and if we're discounting what is said in the rest of the Bible –as proponents of 700-23 did during debate– we may as well give our blessing to all these other activities. May God forgive us for this resolution.

Rev. Dr. Carol M. Norén
Wesley W. Nelson professor of homiletics, North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago (and self-avowed, practicing celibate)