Her prayer. Bishop Charlene.
Posted on 02/21/2006 9:07:22 AM PST by mbarker12474
O Great Spirit, whose breath gives life to the world, And whose voice is heard in the soft breeze: We need your strength and wisdom. Cause us to walk in beauty. Give us eyes ever to behold the red and purple sunset. Make us wise so that we may understand what you have taught us. Help us learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Make us always ready to come to you with clean hands and steady eyes, So when life fades, like the fading sunset, our spirits may come to you without shame. Amen. ((United Methodist Hymnal, #329
Desiring to see through Native Eyes,
Charlene Kammerer
(Excerpt) Read more at groups.yahoo.com ...
Here's the rest:
From: "Carole Vaughn" Date: Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:47 pm Subject: 2012 United Methodist General Conference Moved to Tampa; Richmond Removed Because of Sports Team's Indian Name CaroleVaughn@... Send Email
Friends, I wanted to make you aware of the release sent out from United Methodist Communications this afternoon and to share an advance copy of the "Grace Notes" written by Bishop Kammerer which will appear in the next issue of the Virginia Advocate.
United Methodist Communications Stephen Drachler, Executive Director of Public Information 810 12th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 742-5411 office (615) 456-4710 cell E-mail: sdrachler@umcom.org Contact: Stephen Drachler (615) 742-5411 office (615) 456-4710 cell Feb. 16, 2006
2012 United Methodist General Conference Moved to Tampa; Richmond Removed Because of Sports Team's Indian Name
NASHVILLE - Citing a church policy regarding meeting in cities that are home to professional sports teams with Native American names, The United Methodist Commission on the General Conference has retracted its selection of Richmond as the site of the 2012 General Conference and named Tampa as the new meeting site.
The 2012 General Conference will be held April 25 to May 4 in the 600,000 square foot Tampa Convention Center.
At the time of the initial selection, commission members were unaware that Richmond is home to the Richmond Braves, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Atlanta Braves.
The General Conference is The United Methodist Church's top legislative body. Every four years, nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world gather to set church law and vote on hundreds of issues related to church life. The 2004 General Conference took place in Pittsburgh.
A resolution passed by the 2004 General Conference called for United Methodist agencies and organizations to avoid holding meetings and events in cities that sponsor sport teams using Native America names and symbols. "The United Methodist Church rejects the use of Native American names and symbols for sport teams, and considers the practice a blatant expression of racism," stated the resolution.
"We reviewed many issues when considering the finalists, but the name of the minor league sports team never came up in our discussions," said Gail Murphy-Geiss of Centennial, Colo., chair of the Commission on the General Conference. "We had earlier eliminated Atlanta from consideration because it was home to the major league baseball team, the Braves.
"When the minor league Braves issue was quickly brought to our attention after the original announcement, we believed we were obligated to revisit the issue.
"We are sad for the great United Methodists in Virginia who were excited about hosting the General Conference, but are pleased to take a strong stance against teams with offensive names. However well intended, sports teams named after Native Americans demeans the heritage of native peoples. They perpetuate unhealthy and unfair stereotypes.”
Murphy-Geiss said the commission is working with the Rev. Alan Morrison, the business manager of the General Conference, to develop detailed written procedures and policies to help the commission consider future sites of the General Conference, including reviews of cities' major and minor professional sports team names.
Tampa was a finalist in the original search process for the 2012 General Conference. When the commission reopened its search, negotiations resulted in Tampa offering the strongest proposal, Murphy-Geiss said.
The ten-day gathering is expected to attract about 1,000 delegates and 4,000 others to the Tampa area and will generate approximately $20 million in anticipated direct spending.
Tampa is a part of the Florida Annual Conference, which is second in size only to Virginia. There are 728 local churches with more than 332,000 members in the conference.
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March ADVOCATE article for 2006
Dear Friends,
As Virginians prepare to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown, we are confronted with the contributions and legacy of the First Native peoples to populate this goodly land. For Virginia United Methodists, we have much to learn and to remember as we mark this passage. Recently, the Commission on General Conference announced publicly that the Richmond Area would host General Conference of 2012. I was asked to submit a statement of welcome from the host area, which I gladly did. However, in short order, a concerned United Methodist within our Connection raised the question with the Commission about the presence of the Richmond Braves team in our city. Consequently, after more deliberation, the Commission has decided that Richmond is not eligible to host a General Conference because to do so would violate one of Resolutions adopted by the 2004 General Conference.
I invite you to take time during this year to study the section on Native Americans in the Book of Resolutions, adopted every quadrennium by the delegates of General Conference. From 1980 on, you will find resolutions that have addressed a wide array of issues, including but not limited to COMITY AGREEMENTS, DEMEANING NAMES, CARING FOR CREATION, HEALTH CARE, HISTORY AND CULTURE, SACRED SITES, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT, NATIVE AMERICAN SUNDAY OFFERING,TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, TRIBAL SOVREIGNTY, STUDY OF LAND, SPIRITUALITY, ETC.
Each resolution addresses a part of our shared history, culture, and witness as United Methodists. Our congregations would do well to study, reflect, and be in conversation about all these issues, with Native American friends joining us.
The 2004 resolution titled RESPECTING THE NATIVE AMERICAN LEGACY AND TRADITION clearly states: “that the General Conference calls upon all the general agencies, annual conferences, and United Methodist Church-related organizations and institutions, upon selecting locations for their meetings and events in cities that sponsor sport teams using Native American names and symbols, to hold meetings and events in cities that do not sponsor sports teams using Native American names and symbols, and make public the position of The United Methodist Church regarding sport teams using Native American names and symbols.” A careful reading of the entire resolution would furnish the rationale behind this statement.
I also invite you this year to visit the new National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Leigh and I spent Valentine’s Day last year at the Museum and would highly recommend this experience. The building itself stands out on the Mall because it reflects the land, geography, materials, and spirituality of Native Americans. The Café has a wide sampling of traditional Native foods from different regions of our country. The guides and staff are welcoming and available to assist you in getting the most out of this experience. For me, it was not just a museum visit. It was a deep encounter with Native peoples, histories, cultures, religions and heritage. It was a spiritual experience for me and I know it could be for you as well.
O Great Spirit, whose breath gives life to the world, And whose voice is heard in the soft breeze: We need your strength and wisdom. Cause us to walk in beauty. Give us eyes ever to behold the red and purple sunset. Make us wise so that we may understand what you have taught us. Help us learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Make us always ready to come to you with clean hands and steady eyes, So when life fades, like the fading sunset, our spirits may come to you without shame. Amen. ((United Methodist Hymnal, #329
Desiring to see through Native Eyes,
Charlene Kammerer
Grace and peace, Carole Vaughn Director of Communications Virginia Conference United Methodist Church 10330 Staples Mill Road, P.O. Box 1719 Glen Allen, VA 23060 800-768-6040, Ext. 111; 804-521-1111 Fax: 804-521-1173 E-mail: CaroleVaughn@vaumc.org Website: vaumc.org
The United Methodist Church has its Indian Mission, which is probably the last remaining conservative division of the UMC. His prayer to the "Great Spirit" shouldn't rankle, because no matter what name we use, we are still praying to God. As for the Indian Mission churches, they are very standard Christian. The only difference you might find in attending one is that you might hear the path to Jesus and Salvation taught in a different language. From my own experience, "Amazing Grace" is as beautiful in Choctaw as it is in English.
Her prayer. Bishop Charlene.
It "rankles" me.
Seems destined to fade from memory pretty rapidly. It seems sort of blah.
Desiring to see through Native Eyes
If wishes were fishes.
What a bunch of hooey. Native American religions were so affected by Christianity that they are nothing like the original.
Kammerer is a heretic for more than just this.
She's also deceitfully cruel and abusive of her position.
"I also invite you this year to visit the new National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C."
xzins, if the Methodists are really, really serious about being "au currant" about this Native American" spirit stuff, I can set you all up with a great convention site at either the Mashantucket Pequot Foxwood Casino or the Mohegan Casino or both since they are only a couple of miles apart. You can make your offerings through their unique "offering" machines and if the "great spirit" accepts your propitiation you get an instant return on your sacrifice. They have "spirits" dispensing oasis all around the lodges. They have modern worship services in
their arenas and "sweat lodges" for the more private spiritual disciplines or from the looks of the Bishop, just losing weight. Now I ask you, what more could you want for an exciting, authentic Native American friendly conference?
Can we get there by chartered bus?
You can if you are over 65 and have blue hair or a hearing aid and small bladder.
lol. "Offering machines."
Interestingly, the one vice which Methodists are death on is gambling.
Also, interestingly, gambling is one vice which is NOT spoken against in the bible.
"Interestingly, the one vice which Methodists are death on is gambling."
If you don't have eternal security, salvation is always a gamble.
> ...the one vice which Methodists are death on is gambling......
Wish this was true. I haven't seen squat on gambling from the UMC in recent years. A half-hearted statement or two in passing.
This is not on the agenda of the secular left, so it is not on the agenda of Methodists.
Surpised the "Great Spirit" isn't a "SHE"!!
Actually, they're firmly in opposition to lotteries, casinos, etc. They're pretty consistent about it, too.
And, it's something that, in my mind, isn't mentioned in the bible at all in any negative sense.
Non-support of family is mentioned...but never gambling.
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