United Methodist Men plan centennial celebration
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Men from across the United States pick peas for a food pantry in
Lafayette, Ind., during a gleaning project sponsored by United Methodist
Men and the Society of St. Andrew. A UMNS file photo by Tim Tanton.
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By J. Richard Peck*
March 29, 2007 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
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Boy Scouts attend the 2005 National Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Va.
United Methodist Men support Boy Scouts in more than 8,000 United
Methodist churches. A UMNS file photo by Rich Peck.
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United Methodist men across the United States are planning yearlong
celebrations during 2008 in honor of the 100th anniversary of men’s
ministry in the church.
Men’s ministry has been a part of the Methodist heritage since
Charles and John Wesley established holy clubs in 1729 at Oxford
University. The 1908 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, meeting in Baltimore, authorized the creation of Methodist
Brotherhoods, making men’s ministry a part of the denominational
structure.
Meeting in early March, annual conference presidents of the United
Methodist Men’s organization approved plans to focus on a different
aspect of men’s ministry each month. The 2008 celebrations will
emphasize:
- January – Men’s ministry with various ethnic groups.
- February – Scouting and youth-serving agencies. In 2006, there were
373,242 Boy Scouts meeting in more than 8,000 United Methodist churches.
- March – Women’s contributions to men’s ministries.
- April – United Methodist Men’s relationships with other churchwide agencies.
- May – Publication and free distribution of the World War II book Strength for Service. The commission has printed 250,000 copies, and 230,000 have been delivered free to U.S. troops.
- June – John Wesley’s birthday, the Holy Club and John Wesley Fellows.
- July – Mission projects, including hunger-relief efforts with the
Society of St. Andrew. Through the society, volunteers glean food for
America’s hungry, and United Methodist Men provide financial support to
the Meals for Millions program.
- August – Local units of United Methodist Men.
- September – The Upper Room Prayer Line. The prayer line received
382,795 calls in 2006, and United Methodist Men provides a $25,000
annual gift to the ministry, which is housed at the United Methodist
Board of Discipleship.
- October – Expressing appreciation to pastors and bishops.
- November – Evangelism and spiritual life, including mentoring through Big Brothers/Big Sisters and giving Faith-Sharing New Testaments and Philmont Bibles.
- December – Looking to the next 100 years with men’s ministry
specialists with funding through Legacy Builders, a program that
challenges men to step up in their financial support of United Methodist
Men’s missions and ministries.
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The Rev. David Adams
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The Rev. David Adams, top staff executive of the churchwide Commission
on United Methodist Men, called on conference presidents to focus on
image and promotion; structure or connection with others; and funding
for the commission. The commission raises three-quarters of its own
budget.
In other business at their March 1-4 meeting, the conference presidents:
- Planned for the 10th national gathering to be held in 2009 at
Belmont University in Nashville and learned of plans for four 2007
regional gatherings of United Methodist Men in Pennsylvania, Missouri,
Washington and North Carolina.
- Learned that men in the Southeastern Jurisdiction will induct former President Jimmy Carter into the John Wesley Society.
- Noted that nine annual conferences are participating in Amachi, a
program linking United Methodist men with children of incarcerated
parents.
- Received a preliminary report of a study of United Methodist Men.
*Peck is the communications coordinator for the Commission on United Methodist Men.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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