| The Newspaper of The New York Conference of The United Methodist Church | June 2019 |
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| 2019 New York Annual Conference Wrap-Up Pentecost: A Wave of Spirit, Sea of Red |
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 Rev. Karina Feliz breaks bread for communion during the June 9 ordination service. |
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BY JOANNE S. UTLEY It was the day of Pentecost, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was expressed at every turn—from the energetic first steps of young dancers to a sea of red and orange streamers waving to the music as the benediction was offered. The closing worship service of the 220th session of the New York Annual Conference was a time to celebrate how God’s claim on all lives is experienced through baptism, confirmation, ordination and Holy Communion. Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton called upon the Spirit in the opening prayer: “Come upon us gathered here to set apart those who will lead among us by calling and equipping us to fulfill your desire that we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with you.” During the service three were ordained as deacons and six as elders. One was commissioned as a provisional deacon, and 10 as provisional elders. Three associate clergy members were also received. One of the many special moments during the Sunday morning service at Hofstra Arena came in the baptism of two children. The bishop baptized Grayson Allen Goodman Chupungco, son of Angelo and Susan Goodman Chupungco; and Holden James Carrubba, son of Chris and Elizabeth Carrubba. Holden is the grandson of Bishop Bickerton, the son of his daughter, Elizabeth. Rev. Susan Chupungco would be ordained as a full elder later in the service. The bishop asked the gathering for their prayers and love for the boys and their families. “We all need your help,” he said. “You know how hard it is to raise children today . . . these are our children.” And then in turning to the confirmands in the arena, Bickerton spoke of the incredible transformation that can happen through confirmation when young people “find their voice and their wings. “A lot of people wanted you to do this,” he said. “You might even have been forced to . . . but this is the first big adult decision you’ve had to make and you said yes to God! “So please always put aside a big hunk of your heart for God,” he added. In his message, based on Ephesians 1:4–6, Bickerton reminded those gathered of what the Apostle Paul referred to as “immeasurable riches of God’s grace in kindness toward us.” Grace that is offered over and over again without fail, despite the failings of humanity. Grace that leads to a “divine progression” of faith throughout life. “God never gives up, so the story continues,” he said. “The calling God places on our lives has a demand attached to it,” the bishop said. “Live a wife worthy of the calling. How? By being humble, gentle, patient, loving cooperative, and desiring of unity. “A conversion into the likeness of Christ is a lifetime venture and not a one-time event,” the bishop said. “It is a progression of doors being open, concepts being realized, and courage being found to say yes to God’s call upon your life.” He told the class of ordinands and the confirmands that he had never admired a group more than these. “You have said ‘yes’ to joining a church that does not have its together,” he said. “You have said ‘yes’ to a caravan that is wandering in the wilderness struggling to find it’s way. And you have said that you want to be ordained into this mess because somehow, God’s call on your life is real and cannot be avoided. “By faith, you bear witness to a divine progression, an eternal gift of grace that still today invites us to be a part of the story,” Bickerton said. Those ordained as elders in full connection in addition to Chupungco are Carol Bloom, Karina Feliz, Matthew Querns, Jody Spiak, and Elon Sylvester. Rev. Lea Matthews, an openly gay candidate who is in a same-sex marriage, was ordained along with fellow deacons Janet Cox and Arletha (Lisa) Miles-Boyce. Gregory K. Higgins, Kevin J. Mulqueen, and Dora Janeway Odarenko were also received as associate members. All won final approval during the clergy session on Thursday night, June 6. Some clergy and laity throughout the arena continued the tradition of wearing rainbow colored armbands in support of the full inclusion of LGBTQIA persons in the life of the church. A few other clergy members, who support the current wording in the Book of Discipline on human sexuality, carried small signs into the service that read, “STAND: For God’s Word. With God’s Word. On God’s Word.” A handout described the group as a revival effort to give voice to those “who have been voiceless” in the NYAC. In a statement following the ordination service, Bishop Bickerton said of the newly ordained Matthews, “The strong affirmation from the Board of Ordained Ministry and the overwhelming support expressed from the Clergy Session were clear confirmations of the amazing gifts that Lea possesses. Her call is deep and clear, as is her effectiveness. She truly is a gift to the church.” As the service was drawing to a close, the bishop invited the delegates to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional conferences to come forward for a blessing. Those elected were as follows: General Conference laity: Fred Brewington, Jorge Lockward and Gail Douglas-Boykin; clergy: Noel Chin, Denise Smartt Sears, Tim Riss NEJ laity: Tiffany French Goffe, Ann Craig and Karen Prudente; clergy: Alex da Silva Souto, Sungchan Kim and Adrienne Brewington. NEJ reserve laity: Roena Littlejohn, Katie Reimer, and Daisy Tavarez; clergy: Paul Fleck, Chongho James Kim, and Marjorie Nunes. * * * * * Legislative Action A petition called, “Truly Open Doors,” was ratified by the plenary. It called for inclusion for all and resistance to injustice and oppression, as well as congregational self-evaluations regarding inclusion and bias. A second petition that called for eliminating the fixed costs of annual conference from the registration fees was referred back to the Commission on Sessions. The equitable compensation report was initially voted down in plenary, and then it was agreed to keep the 2019 salary schedule and reimbursement amounts in place for 2020. The gathering approved the following:
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Trustees’ Election United Methodist City Society
Churches Closed Remembering the Saints Clergy: Matthew Labriola, Kenneth Baldwin, Walter Schenk, Barbara Knox, Jean C. Arthur, William Siktberg, Donald Collier, Carole Paynter, Barbara Mungin, Richard Thornburg, Randolph Jones, Burton Davison, Susan DeSousa, Charles H. Straut Jr., Richard Hewitt, Floyd George II, Arthur Bloom, Robert A. Johnson, Rosemary A. Smith, Herbert G. Day Jr., Candida R. Gonzalez, William F. Loving, Donald W. Sneller, Paul M. Ewing, Delois Davis, and Louis Rowley. Deaconess: Cherryetta Williams Clergy Spouse: Helen Villazon, Cheryl Pyne, Luana Forde, Beatrice Capen, Raymond Johnson, Mary L. Moody, Jenny Schrock, and Mayra T. Rodgers. Widows/Widowers of Clergy: Ann Snyder, Gayle Weyand, Marguerite Jenkins, Bernice Ford, Elsa Myers, Elizabeth Cady, Felice Lewis, Margaret Beaumont, Margaret Saunders, Geraldine Klein, and Barbara Bauer. Children of clergy: Gregory Y. Halbrook Special remembrance: Former NYAC Bishop C. Dale White Additional information about the 220th gathering of the New York Conference can be found in the Daily Vision Updates published on June 7–9. Those issues may be read or downloaded at www.nyac.com/vision. Bishop Bickerton’s “State of the Church Episcopal Address” may be found on the website by clicking here.
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 LEFT: Bishop Bickerton anoints Rev. Adrienne Brewington after her election to the 2020 NEJ Conference delegation. RIGHT: confirmand William Sears reads a scripture passage. |
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 Clergy from the Long Island East District wave spirit streamers at the close of the ordination service. |
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 Young members of the Spirit Builders dance team move to Hezekiah Walker’s, “I Feel the Spirit,” at the start of worship. |
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 Rev. Wongee Joh, second from left, is congratulated by members of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) after being named the 2020 recipient of the Gwen and C. Dale White Award for her work on social justice issues. |
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| Annual Conference Photos |
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For a full lineup of events, go to: www.nyac.com/conferencecalendar. 7/5–8/30 Conference Center Summer Schedule 7/26–28 Mission “u” Weekend |
and concept of mission. The 2019 studies are: “Practicing Resurrection: The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship,” “What About Our Money? A Faith Response,” and “Women United for Change.” The event will be held at the Hilton Stamford in Connecticut. There is a one-day sampler program available on Saturday. For additional information or to register by July 1, click here. 8/18–23 Family Beach Week 10/11–13 “Hatch-a-Thon” Vision Deadlines for 2019 |
| UMW Pushes for Paid Family, Medical Leave | |
United Methodist Women, the largest U.S.-based denominational network of lay women of faith, launched a nationwide paid family and medical leave campaign as it kicked off its annual Mission u events. The events will occur in more than 50 locations around the country from June through October 2019. The NYAC event is July 26–28. Mission u events are opportunities for fellowship, spiritual growth, education and action. They are created to prepare participants to turn their faith, hope and love into action on behalf of women, children and youth. This year, Mission u participants will study United Methodist Women’s 150-year history, the Gospel of Mark and radical discipleship, and money from a faith perspective. Each year, Mission u selects an action that all participants organize to support. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Campaign is the 2019 Mission u action. Participants will write to their elected officials urging them to pass the bipartisan federal FAMILY Act. |
“Everyone should be able to take time away from work to care for themselves, a sick child or loved one without fearing that their jobs are at risk,” said UMW Living Wage for All Campaign lead staff Carol Barton. “For United Methodist Women, advocating for the economic and social needs of women, youth and children has always been a part of our history, driven by our faith and commitment to justice and full inclusion. Too many times, women and men are unable to take time off to care for a newborn, themselves or loved ones when they are ill. They are forced to choose between a paycheck and their or their loved one’s health. We are organizing to help ensure that parents and caregivers aren’t penalized when they do what they have been called to do: to love and care for themselves, their children and families.” Working in partnership with Family Values @ Work, United Methodist Women is urging its members to organize in their states and at the national level for legislation that provides paid time off for family and medical leave. |
| Exiting Congregations Face Hefty Price Tag | |
BY HEATHER HAHN Neil Sedaka summed it up best: Breaking up is hard to do. For congregations that want to leave The United Methodist Church, a breakup also could get very expensive. Delegates to the special General Conference in February approved two measures that enable churches to exit based on disagreements related to the status of LGBTQ people in the church. The disaffiliation plan in effect suspends the denomination’s centuries-old U.S. trust clause under limited conditions. That means for the first time in its history, the denomination has set procedures for U.S. congregations to withdraw from the denomination and take their buildings with them. Before a departure, those congregations could be on the hook for anywhere from tens of thousands to more than a million dollars. Annual conferences—church regional bodies—have the final word on what their churches owe. As U.S. annual conferences meet this year, some already are reckoning with how to calculate those costs. “This is a new day with the new legislation,” said Wilson Hayman, outgoing president of the United Methodist Church Conference Chancellors Association—comprising conference attorneys. Hayman is the chancellor for the North Carolina Conference. Previously, he said, his conference would close a church and sell its property if a congregation lost too many members to be viable. The new rules change the dynamic, but conferences still need to account for the financial impact of a church’s departure. For an exiting church, the biggest cost will likely come from what their conference determines is a fair share of unfunded clergy pension liability—that is, what conferences will owe retirees. A church’s pension contribution not only supports the church’s current pastor but those who previously served the congregation, said Andrew Hendren, general counsel for Wespath Benefits and Investments. Wespath manages investments for pensions and other retirement-plan assets on behalf of conferences. Conferences are pension plan sponsors and legally responsible for paying benefits. “Every local church in an annual conference has in some way benefited from the promises that these pension programs represent,” he said. The special General Conference made dealing with the future of U.S. clergy pensions their top priority even before passing the Traditional Plan that strengthens bans against same-sex weddings and “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy. They later passed legislation that permits disaffiliation by Dec. 31, 2023, “for reasons of conscience” related to homosexuality. The disaffiliation legislation is now the new Paragraph 2553 in the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book. |
In upholding the legislation, the Judicial Council—the denomination’s top court—spelled out that any disaffiliation must include:
Exiting churches also must satisfy any loans from the conference and pay for transferring the building title or other legal work. They additionally must pay two years of apportionments—the amount conferences apportion to their churches to support regional, national and international ministries. Still, pensions are where the dollars can add up because conferences have substantial obligations for increasingly long-lived clergy in an uncertain stock market. The United Methodist Church Conference Chancellors Association addressed the new legislation in an April 27 resolution. The resolution urges conferences to follow the Golden Rule “in all matters related to disaffiliation and allocation of unfunded pension liabilities” regardless of a departing church’s stance on human sexuality. The resolution also calls on Wespath to provide current information on unfunded liability no later than October 1. That’s something Wespath essentially already does, Hendren said. Each fall, the pension agency provides each U.S. conference with a report on its pension valuation, the basis for long-term contributions, and the market valuation that would be required if church plans were subject to the federal pension law, Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The report also includes an appendix that lists the liabilities of other U.S. conferences. What’s different under the new legislation is the requirement that Wespath determine total funding obligations of each conference “using market factors similar to a commercial annuity provider.” Commercial annuities contract to make regular payments. Wespath has a process for a conference chancellor, treasurer or benefits officer to request, at any time, this valuation for the whole conference. However, Hendren said, the valuation is only good for three months. “After that, we suggest a conference request a new one from us because the assets in the plan may have changed with market fluctuations, and sometimes the plan liabilities may have changed based on interest-rate movements,” he said. In determining what churches owe, Dale Jones—Wespath’s managing director for church relations—urges conferences to consider a congregation’s financial capacity. Generally speaking, the larger a church and more pastors on staff, the larger its pension obligations are likely to be. It will take time to deal with the full ramifications of the new legislation, said Hayman. “Nothing happens quickly in The United Methodist Church.” |
OBITUARY |
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Rev. Louis E. Rowley He was born on January 6, 1936; Rowley grew up in Brooklyn and Port Washington, N.Y. He attended Swarthmore College and Drew University Theological School. While at Drew, Rowley was a student pastor at Sea Cliff Methodist Church. It was during these years that he met his future wife, Mary Lou Davies. After graduating from Drew, he served the First UMC of Astoria from 1960 to 1975. While there the couple married and had three sons. From 1975 to 2004, he was the pastor of First UMC of Mount Vernon. He retired from the New York Conference in 2004. Upon retirement, the couple moved to Drexel Hill, Penn., where he continued volunteer pastoral duties at The Garden Church in Lansdowne, Penn., including Bible studies, preaching and playing the organ. In 2017, the Rowleys moved to the Methodist retirement community of Simpson House in Philadelphia, where he would continue to preach occasionally. His last sermon was preached in January 2019. He played the organ and also led popular hymn sings for his fellow residents. |
Rowley led youth groups at both of his churches, and was a firm believer in community involvement. In Astoria, he was involved in the Martin de Porres Center, antipoverty programs, and was secretary of the United Methodist City Society. In Mount Vernon, Rowley worked with the Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), Salvation Army, Riverdale Methodist Home, Seabury-Wilson Home, Meals on Wheels, Council of Churches (president), the Interfaith Clergy Association, Mount Vernon Hospital (trustee) and the Metropolitan District (UMC) Committee on Church Buildings and Locations. In addition to his wife of 56 years, Rowley is survived by three sons, James (Lisa), John (Melanie) and Peter (Toni); and grandchildren, Alex, Sarah, Matthew, Will, Seth, Tommy and Ella; brothers, Robert (Emily) and David (Abbie), and by numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three grandchildren, Robert, Hannah and Jack. A memorial service will take place at Simpson House Chapel, 2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia on June 29, 2019. Visitation will be from 1-2 p.m., with the service at 2. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Simpson House Benevolent Care Fund, 2101 Belmont Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131. |
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Bishop: Thomas J. Bickerton Editor: Joanne Utley Vision e-mail: vision@nyac.com Web site: www.nyac.com/vision |
New York Conference of The United Methodist Church 20 Soundview Avenue Toll Free: 888-696-6922 |
The New York Annual Conference has announced the selection of Rev. Doris K. Dalton as director of leadership development and intercultural competency. She is a deacon in full connection and has been a member of the conference for five years. Dalton currently serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry and is the chair of the Order of Deacons. She most recently led the Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence as its executive director. She also serves as the chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission.