United Methodist bishops open office in Washington Sept. 27, 2004
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Bishop Peter D. Weaver |
WASHINGTON (UMNS) —
The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops has opened its
international headquarters at the historic United Methodist Building on
Capitol Hill. The
opening marks the first time the council has had a permanent office,
said Bishop Peter D. Weaver, the council’s president, in making the
Sept. 27 announcement. The building, which also houses other United
Methodist and ecumenical agencies, is across the street from the U.S.
Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court. The church has 68 active bishops, including 50 in the United States and 18 in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. “United
Methodist bishops have much to offer to the church and to the world,”
said Weaver, who leads United Methodists in New England. “As a council,
we believe we are better positioned and better equipped to provide
effective leadership and communications by being located in one of the
world’s most important centers of communication.”
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Bishop Roy I. Sano |
Retired Bishop Roy
I. Sano, the council’s executive secretary, is staffing the office. His
appointment is one of several changes in leadership and administration
of the council. Weaver’s term of office as president covers two years,
instead of the traditional one. The president-elect is Bishop Janice
Riggle Huie of Houston. Bishop Ernest S. Lyght of the church’s West
Virginia Area is secretary, while retired Bishop William B. Oden of
Dallas serves as the council’s ecumenical officer. Previously, the
council hired a part-time administrative assistant who served out of the
office of the council’s secretary. Sano
was elected bishop in 1984, leading United Methodists in Denver and Los
Angeles until his retirement in 2000. He is the first Japanese-American
United Methodist bishop. In addition to serving churches in southern
California, he was a college and seminary chaplain and professor. He
earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of California at
Los Angeles, master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary
in New York; master of theology degree from the Graduate Theological
Union in Berkley, Calif., and a doctorate from Claremont (Calif.)
Graduate School. The
Council of Bishops office is in Suite 320, 100 Maryland Ave. NE,
Washington, D.C. 20002. The telephone number is (202) 547-7620. Jo Ann
McClain serves as the office’s administrative assistant.
News media contact: Stephen Drachler, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5411 or sdrachler@umcom.org.
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