RECONCILING UNITED METHODISTS AND FRIENDS

MEETING NOTES

April 3, 2000

Meeting at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church

Durham, North Carolina

Lois Wright facilitated the meeting.  There were approximately 20 people present.

GENERAL CONFERENCE MATTERS

Sam Isley reported on the work of the last business meeting, at which time a letter was sent to each of the General Conference delegates from the Southeastern Jurisdiction.  The approximately 14 people present at that meeting (at Aldersgate UMC in Chapel Hill) folded the letter, applied labels and stamps to the envelopes, then stuffed and sealed them.  A copy of the letter can be downloaded from our web site. 

WEB SITE AND RELATED MATTERS

Matt Connor reported that an ad for the April 15 workshop at the Methodist Building in Raleigh would appear in the Durham Herald-Sun.  He passed around a copy of the ad that had already come out in the NC Christian Advocate.  Everyone was urged to invite people to attend the workshop – personally and by e-mail.

Matt also reported on our new web site (http://rumnc.tripod.com).  He has done research that has resulted in a free site that he is now managing.  This new web site has a link to the old site where the address of the new site is given.  The old site will expire and be taken off Vickie Pruett’s account. 

 The possibility of more people having the password to the wed site was discussed.   Matt will do most of the up dating, but this arrangement would allow anyone with the password to up-date the site as needed.

 As part of our web site, we will be adding our stories.  The ones in our booklet will be put on the web site and all are encouraged to send their stories to Matt for posting.  The more witnesses the better. 

 The web site will list support/fellowship meetings, business meetings, and worship with directions to each site.  It will be linked to National RCP, have fliers to be downloaded, as well as the latest business meeting notes, and links to others pertinent sites.  Matt will also take over management of our e-group.

 It was decided that, since the majority of our active, attending members have e-mail, the snail-mail will be limited to once a quarter to cut down on cost.  (There are approximately 95 different addresses on the snail-mail list and each one requires address label, paper, envelope, and $.33 stamp.)  This quarterly mailing might take the form of a newsletter if we have a volunteer to do the newsletter.

WORSHIP AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Worship will be Friday night during the dinner hour in the area adjacent to the dinning room.  This is the area that was used last year and that experience showed us that we need a sound system to counter the noise from the dinning room.  Buddy Dean will look into providing a portable system.

Nancy Ruth Best will ask Brian and Dianne Wingo to coordinate the service and recruit a preacher.  Lois Wright volunteered to type the worship bulletin. 

It was agreed that we would provide each delegate with a notice of our worship service and information about our up-coming meetings and events.  The suggestion was that this notice be placed on every seat in the auditorium near the beginning of AC.

RESOURCES ON THE NET

Gayle Felton shared the fact that Northaven UMC in Dallas has a book available on their web site (free download) or by mail order ($3.00) that addresses the issue of homosexuality and the UMC’s stance.  One of the contributors to the book is Bishop Wilke, author, with his wife, of the Disciple Study Series.  In Disciple II Wilke supports the idea that homosexuality is sin, but, in this book, he states he has changed his mind and tells why.

 

                                                                                  Helen B. King