Let your GC delegates know!

We were very fortunate to have this legislation entitled Discontinuation pass through the committee with flying colors. It is currently on the consent to adopt calendar 04 for approval.

There may be a movement underfoot to have it removed.

The UMCMA strongly encourages you to let your voting delegates know that this is extremely important legislation for Campus Ministries. Please ask them to continue their support of this petition.

Support Campus

Ministry

Campus Ministry Units seek the same process as a local

church when it faces discontinuation: an opportunity for

due process and to assess opportunities for future ministry.

Our petition on “Discontinuation” might be removed

from consent calendar 04. Please help us retain and

approve this petition.

Pet. #80885

Daily Christian Advocate 1481

Page # Title 1481 Discontinuation

Discipline

Para. #633.4d

Legislative Committee: adopted

Action

Calendar & Page #843 (A04)

(11) Prior to the discontinuance of a Wesley Foundation or campus ministry the board of

higher education and campus ministry shall conduct an assessment of its potential, after

notification and consultation with the Division of Higher Education of GBHEM, a

recommendation to the annual conference for discontinuation shall include future use of

any property of the Wesley Foundation or campus ministry, and a procedure developed

for the disposition of the real and personal, tangible and intangible property in

accordance with ¶1413.3c, ¶2501 and ¶2515.a.

Please consider:

• A sound procedure must be given to determine the long term viability of a campus ministry before

decisions are made to discontinue.

• This proposal is similar to the process for assessment of a local church potential ¶213, to assess the long

term potential and the long term changes of the university campus on which it is located.

• The care that the annual conference has given to the ministry of a congregation is honored and

thoughtful considered before the closure of that local church, ensuring the sale of the property is under

the guidance of the mission of the annual conference. Yet, the same careful, redundant discontinuation

of a local church is not extended to campus ministry.

• Lives changed, ministries extended to a university community and clergy who have served must be

recognized, celebrated and grieved by the annual conference.

• With the growing trend of colleges and universities seeking to purchase land surround the campus,

campus ministry properties are increasing in property values. The values of these properties, and the

investment of the conference and her members, need to be part of the protected assets so that wise

decisions can made about any use, sale or development of said assets.

• This proposal also enables the conference board of higher education and campus ministry to take care

that monies given for the purchase of campus ministry property and construction of Wesley

Foundations benefit future campus ministry efforts on the campus and benefit the overall campus

ministry program of the annual conference.

UNITED METHODIST CAMPUS MINISTRY ASSOCIATION at General Conference 2008, contact

Bill Campbell at 615-995-8105 Paul M. Shultz at 319-321-9833 Lynn Pries at 630-697-1942

If you would like to receive email updates of the work of UMCMA during General Conference and our perspective of how things are going, please send Scott Spencer your email address at rev.ragamuffin@gmail.com

The UMCMA blog will also be updated during GC on a regular basis at http://umcma.blogspot.com

Please keep our United Methodist Church in our prayers as we enter this important time of conferencing. Remember the delegates, the bishops, the staff, the advocates, and all of the hundreds of other persons who will be working behind the scenes.

Rev. Rob Kirby

UMCMA Membership Secretary

www.umcma.org website