United Methodists continue relationship with Puerto Rican Methodists May 3, 2004 By Linda Bloom*  | Bishop Joel Martinez |
PITTSBURGH
(UMNS) — The special relationship between the United Methodist Church
and the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico will continue, delegates of the
United Methodist General Conference have decided.Despite
questions about the Puerto Rican church receiving benefits not usually
accorded to an autonomous Methodist denomination, more than
three-quarters of the delegates voted May 3 to approve the concordat
between the two bodies. In
comments before the vote, Bishop Joel Martinez pointed out that the
United Methodist connection to Puerto Rico dates back 104 years. Half of
the Puerto Rican population lives in the United States, where more than
200 Puerto Rican pastors are serving in some sort of ministry. The
concordat represents a commitment that “is vital for our future in
reaching the growing Hispanic/Latino population in the United States,”
he said. The
Rev. Randolph Nugent, a New York delegate and retired chief executive
of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, noted the need to
continue a close working relationship with the Puerto Rican church and
said that relationship has been endorsed by previous General
Conferences. In
1972, the then-Puerto Rico Annual (regional) Conference successfully
petitioned the General Conference to become an affiliated autonomous
body, and a transition process was approved. Twenty years later, a set
of guidelines was established to further develop the transitional
relationship through the year 2000. That year, General Conference
extended the interim agreement through 2004. The
concordat agreement approved May 3 renews the special provisions
drafted in 1992 and covers such items as mutual recognition of ordained
ministries, voting rights at each other’s General Conference,
interaction with United Methodist agencies and the Council of Bishops,
and partnership in mission programs. *Bloom is the director of the New York office of United Methodist News Service. News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7.
After May 10: (615) 742-5470.
| 
Korean News
