URGENT APPEAL:  MONDAY, APRIL 28, AT 9:20, ELECTIONS WILL BEGIN FOR THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL.  PLEASE BE IN PRAYER THAT THE DELEGATES WILL CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS AT STAKE AND WILL SEEK GOD’S WILL IN THEIR SELECTIONS.

The Judicial Council is the supreme court of The United Methodist Church.  The ultimate decision for the interpretation of the Discipline is the responsibly of the Judicial Council.  Five positions of the nine member council are up for election tomorrow.  This election will have a tremendous impact on The United Methodist Church.  Please keep this election in your prayers.

Sunday — the Lord’s Day — at General Conference.  Because of the length of General Conference has been shortened (for financial reasons), Sunday has a different feel at Fort Worth in 2008 than at previous General Conferences.  Before, Sunday was designed as a day of rest, a time when most business was suspended so that delegates could visit local churches, relax in order to be re-created, and have opportunity to attend special programs.

This year Sunday is business as usual.  There was an opening worship service (very similar to what happens every morning) and then move directly into sessions.

Legislative committees are still working on petitions.  While almost nothing has been voted by plenary session, a few of the groups have legislation to forward.

The Report of the Study of Ministry Commission did not receive a great deal of affirmation from its legislative group.  The commission’s study authorized four years ago with a $200,000 budget, brought in almost no recommendations to General Conference to deal with the confusion about the understanding of ministry and the process into ministry.  The commission’s recommendation was to refer (instead of approving or rejecting) all petitions dealing with ministry to a continuing committee and another study.  Indeed, there was a petition to have a permanent Ministry Study Commission.

The legislative group voted down the permanent commission, voted down the petition to refer all petitions to the continuing study group, and then dealt with the petitions.  One approved would allow deacons sacramental authority (with guidelines), an authority the study commission was very much against. The legislative group will probably recommend more voting rights for local pastors.  The legislative group did approve a new study group, but one which will be selected not by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry (like the present one that was dominated by bureaucrats) but by the Council of Bishops. 

A number of Church and Society-sponsored resolutions have been approved by legislative group.  However, despite some very vocal criticism of the Institute of Religion and Democracy (IRD) a resolution to censure IRD failed without a single supporting vote. The same was true with a resolution calling on President George W. Bush to repent.  A resolution that would seek to remove national flags (like the American flag) from church sanctuaries failed.

The abortion statement, it appears, will be strengthened, if only slightly.  An addition in the statement on human life speaks of equal respect for the sanctity of the unborn child as well as the mother (the unborn child is called a child and not a fetus).  There was also support for parent notification before a minor daughter could receive an abortion.  The present mention of “choice” will not be overturned.  The resolution asking for withdraw from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights is still being discussed.

Starting with tomorrow’s report there will be a report on some of the more controversial legislation. 

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