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General
Conference continues funding for Native American Ministries
May. 3,
2004 News media contact: General Conference Newsroom * (412)
3256080* {GC04054}
NOTE: News media
contact: after May 10: (615) 742-5470.
By Linda Green*
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) --
General Conference delegates agreed to continue support for
ministries by and with the 19,000 United Methodists who identify
themselves as Native Americans and the 225 Native churches,
fellowships and ministries across the country.
The quadrennial
assembly continued the Native American Comprehensive Plan (NACP),
first launched by the 1992 General Conference. A $1.1 million
quadrennial fund will support efforts to:
·
strengthen existing Native congregations, ministries and fellowships
and develop new ones;
· provide leadership
development training for Native leaders;
· strengthen contributions
of Native leaders, congregations and fellowships to the denomination
Key to each of the
areas, according to the plan, is the contributions that Native
American cultures and spiritual expression bring to the mission of
the whole church. Native American spirituality is an important
component that is woven throughout the plan.
A new emphasis of the
plan in 2005-2008 is efforts to increase the involvement of youth
and young adults in church life.
"I believe that this
young adult component of the NACP is crucial to the survival of
Native ministries," said Glen (Chebon) Kernell, Jr., a young adult
representative to the plan's coordinating group.
"In the past, NACP
has provided the opportunity for Native young people to experience
the United Methodist Church, which has in turn allowed for the
further development of their spirituality as young Native United
Methodists. This opportunity, historically, is one that has not
been offered often to Native people."
According to Ann
Saunkeah, executive director of the plan for the past four years,
task force members have provided resources for Native ministries,
fellowship and ministries of presence across the church. She
anticipates that culturally relevant resources will be developed for
use by the whole church as well as Native American congregations,
ministries and fellowships. Plan implementers will also collaborate
with churchwide boards and agencies to insure that Native ministries
continue in the future.
The Board of Global Ministries,
which sponsored the petition to continue the Native American
Comprehensive Plan, originally requested $1.3 million for it. The
legislative committee reduced the amount to correspond with the
amount included in the general fund budget proposed by the
denomination's fiscal agency. The plenary session approved the plan
and the funding by an 840 to 42 vote. The final budget for all
ministries will be voted on May 7, the final day of conference.
The plan's
coordinating group is made up of Native American representatives
from the five jurisdictions, the Alaska Missionary Conference,
Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, the Native American
International Caucus and the National United Methodist Native
American Center. It also includes a Native American youth and a
Native American young adult.
Green is a
staff writer for United Methodist News Service news writer.
********************
United
Methodist News Service
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at:
http://umns.umc.org
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