Agency equips pastors for digital age, offering email for life
Sept. 21, 2005
By Ginny Underwood*
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Bishop Thomas Bickerton opens a session of the commission’s meeting.
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Bishop
Thomas Bickerton opens a session of the United Methodist Commission on
Communication’s meeting in Nashville, Tenn. Bickerton is president of
the commission and leader of the denomination’s Pittsburgh Area. The
commission met Sept. 16-18. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-641.
Accompanies UMNS story #523. 9/21/05 |
“NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — United Methodist pastors can count on several
address changes during the course of their ministry. But now, thanks to
the church’s communications agency, one address will remain the same
throughout their careers: their e-mail.
The United Methodist Commission on Communication approved a plan to
provide pastors e-mail addresses for life during the board’s Sept. 16-18
meeting.
“In this technological age that we’re in, it just seems to me that
it’s absolutely critical, as we talk about United Methodist
Communications, to have a convergence of resources together,” said
Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the Commission on Communication
and leader of the denomination’s Pittsburgh Area.
“And for us to be able to converge, the whole idea of having standard
e-mails across the church - is a really powerful tool,” he said. “You
can imagine that gives annual conferences and the general church a
consistency so that we don’t have to spend more people power inputting a
different address every time a pastor moves.”
The new initiative, tentatively scheduled to be available next
spring, was referred to United Methodist Communications by the 2004
General Conference. The plan is for pastors to be able to register for a
permanent e-mail address that would then be forwarded to a personal
e-mail address. When a pastor moves, he or she would forward the e-mail
address to his or her new provider. The service possibly would be
provided through UMCom’s relationship with Kintera, a San Diego-based
provider of technology services to nonprofit organizations.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Being directly in touch with Africa’s people is important, according to Mozambique Bishop Joao Somane Machado.
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Being
directly in touch with the people of Africa is important, according to
Mozambique Bishop Joao Somane Machado. Machado is a member of the United
Methodist Commission on Communication, which will meet in Zimbabwe in
2007. The bishop spoke in favor of the visit during the commission’s
Sept. 16-18 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
Photo #05-642. Accompanies UMNS story #523. 9/21/05 |
Plans are under way to make the service available globally.
UMCom’s global focus surfaced in other ways, too, during the meeting.
The commission voted to hold its first meeting outside of the United
States. In January 2007, the commission will gather on the campus of
Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
“We are a global church, and when we are trying to do something for
all of Africa, like the Central Conference Communications Initiative,
really it will be good when the whole commission goes there and is in
touch with the church of Africa and the people,” said Bishop Joao Somane
Machado, a commission member and leader of the church’s Mozambique
Area.
Through the initiative, mandated by the denomination’s General
Conference, UMCom is working to improve communications systems for
United Methodists in Africa, Europe and Asia.
The commission’s Committee for the Central Conference Communications
Initiative will meet with African communicators and research their needs
as a preliminary step to reporting back to the 2008 General Conference.
During their meeting, commission members discussed the value of a
ministry of presence in Africa versus sending financial donations.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Ken Bauman and other commission members pray during morning devotion.
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Members
of the United Methodist Commission on Communication pray during morning
devotion at their meeting in Nashville, Tenn. From left are Ken Bauman,
the Rev. Tom Klemow and Paul Black. The commission met Sept. 16-18. A
UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-643. Accompanies UMNS story #523.
9/21/05 |
“Any kind of NGO (nongovernmental organization) can send money to help
the people of Africa with AIDS or to help people because of hunger,”
Machado said. “The difference is that we are the church. We are brothers
and sisters. We are one church; we need to share and feel. It is
important, not only for the churches but also for the community in
Africa, for the government in Africa - This can bring radical change in
Africa.”
“It’s very hard to put a price tag on presence,” Bickerton said.
“There’s something about sending our financial resources to be of
assistance, but there’s that emotional connection that needs to be made
eyeball to eyeball with people who need a word of hope, that need a word
of joy and encouragement along the way.”
Commissioners committed to participating in a Volunteers In Mission project when they meet at Africa University.
In other business, the commission heard about plans for its Health
and Wholeness Committee to meet with health practitioners who serve
children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria. The
committee is providing strategic guidance to UMCom regarding how the
church communicates about global health issues.
The commission also affirmed plans to hold a churchwide Digital
Summit in 2007, received an update on the redesign of the denominational
Web site, www.UMC.org, and began preliminary planning on how to employ technology to serve the 2008 General Conference.
*Underwood is director of the Media Group at United Methodist
Communications. United Methodist News Service is a unit of the Media
Group.
News media contact: Ginny Underwood, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video Interviews
Bishop Thomas Bickerton: "Standard e-mail is a really powerful tool."
Bishop Joao Machado: "Presence could bring radical change in Africa."
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Resources
General Commission on Communication
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