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| Volume VII Issue 9 |
27 June 2012
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Greetings!
Summertime - and the livin' is easy? Busy might be the most appropriate word. Since our last eNews, MFSA staffers have been to the Virginia, California-Pacific, Desert Southwest, and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences.
Likewise, many social issues of been in the news: Immigration and Health Care rulings from the Supreme Court, Clean Air policies, the Anniversary of NYC's Stonewall riots, and, my favorite: Nuns on a Bus!
Thank you for helping the Methodist Federation for Social Action share the stories of justice-seekers, and for joining your personal faith with a passion for social holiness.
For the living of these days,
Chett Pritchett
Development and Communications Associate
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 One View of Annual Conference
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Holy Women of God - A Reflection from Mississippi Annual Conference
This blog originally appeared at Washed By The Water, a blog by author Justin W. White. Justin is a provisional Deacon in the Mississippi Conference, on staff at Wells UMC in Jackson, and an MFSA Board member.
The 2012 session of Annual Conference in Mississippi has come and gone. Mostly, it was a time of Holy Conferencing and only one "agenda" driven petition passed. However, there was one thing that greatly offended me. This was the fact that the clergy were separated between genders during the Ordination Service. They sent the women into one room, and the men into another. At first, I thought I had entered into a room straight out of an ordination service when women were not welcome to serve as clergy. It was never explained to us until later why we were separated. The rationale was, with the 40th Anniversary of the General Commission on the Status and Roll of Women, this separation was a witness to the impact that female clergy have had and still have on the United Methodist Church. I did not find out about the rationale until after the Ordination Service, and I still wonder why nothing was said or explained to us. My offense to the whole separation did dissipate a bit once I realized it was a witness to women who have served and still serve the church as clergy. I think GCOSRW is a much-needed General Commission in our church and I affirm all that women have done for the United Methodist Church. When I was talking to my mentor, who is a female clergy person, I was telling her how offended I was and she asked, "Why?" Well, in that moment I couldn't exactly explain it, and I think I responded, "We didn't know why we were separated." But now, the more and more I think about it, I realize I was offended because I was separated from the very people who have affirmed my ministry. Read more of Justin's blog post here.
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| Marches on Washington for HIV/AIDS Funding |
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 22,MFSA will join thousands of AIDS advocates in the heart of Washington, DC prior to the opening of the 2012 International AIDS Conference with the aim of reminding world leaders and policy makers that the AIDS epidemic remains a global threat to public health. Then on Tuesday, July 24 at Noon, thousands more will descend upon the White House to declare "We Can End AIDS!"  Are you close to Washington, DC? MFSA invites you to be part of these witnesses not only with words of the gospel message but with action. (It is our last name, right?)
Do you work in HIV/AIDS ministries? Know others who work in HIV/AIDS advocacy and prevention? Come to Washington to stand with us!
Please contact mfsa@mfsaweb.org if you plan to attend and we will send out more information closer to mobilization dates.
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Update Your Address
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Are you United Methodist clergy and moving this week? Send us your new address! (Both email and snail mail). Are you retired or a lay person and you've moved in the past year? Send us your new address! (Both email and snail mail). We don't give out your information, so it's safe with us! Just shoot an email to mfsa@mfsaweb.org and we'll update our databases!
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Needed: Annual Conference Updates
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Now that Annual Conference season is almost completed, we're looking for reports that can be shared in our next eNews! Did something progressive happen (or not happen) at Annual Conference? Maybe there was legislation about immigration, women's rights, LGBT issues, or worker's rights? Maybe an award was given to recognize a justice giant in your Conference? Was there a dinner to gather justice seekers or a display in a Ministry Fair? Send your brief (100 words would be about perfect) report to us and we'll include it in the July 11 edition of the eNews!
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Progressive Ponderings
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Social Media Corner
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