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| 27 September 1999 GBCS Supports Presidential Clemency Granted to 11 Political Prisoners This is a statement of the Rev. Dr. Thom White Wolf Fassett, General Secretary of The General Board of Church and Society, The UnitedMethodist Church. The General Board is directed to "speak its convictions, interpretations, and concerns to the Church and to the world." We congratulate President Bill Clinton for responding to the pleas of the church and humanitarian communities in granting executive clemency to 11 Puerto Rican political prisoners who were incarcerated for 19 years on convictions linking them to violent acts that they neither committed nor participated in. The United Methodist Church has supported the campaign for unconditional release of these prisoners since 1996, when the highest legislativebody of The United Methodist Church, The Genera Conference, called on United Methodists to "advocate for justice and freedom for the Puerto Rican political prisoners." The United Methodist Church has expressed concerns that these prisonersreceived sentences that were excessive and intended to punish politicalactivities and not actual crimes. We are thankful that the President joined the church and other humanitarian leaders including Coretta Scott King, Desmond Tutu, Rafael Sanchez Vilella, Luis A. Ferre, Rafael Hernandez-Colon (former governors of Puerto Rica), former New York Mayor David Dinkins, 12 Members of Congress, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, the United Church of Christ, the Puerto Rico Methodist Church, the National LawyersGuild, the coordinators of the National Conference of Black Lawyers, to declare that the sentences received by these prisoners were excessive and disproportionate. We urge Congress to join us and the President in affirming the Constitutional presumption of innocence of these prisoners. We also call upon certain Members of Congress to support the President and cease partisan campaigns of misinformation which have been so grievously supported by the media and some law enforcement agencies. The pardoning of these political prisoners by the President of the United States is a right and just act. ### Only General Conference speaks for the entire denomination. The General Board of Church and Society is the international public policy and social action agency of The United Methodist Church. General Board of Church and Society the United Methodist Church For more information contact: Eliezer Valentfn-Castan- [email protected] |
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| United Methodist General Board of Church and Society Opposes Boy Scouts Anti-gay Policy |
| 11 October 1999 Since its inception in 1910, over eighty-seven million youth and adultshave joined the Boy Scouts of America. Churches sponsor 62 percent of Boy Scout troops, or 55 percent of all boys in scouting at all age levels. The United Methodist Church sponsors 11,738 units, accounting for 421,579 boys in scouting. While the General Board of Church and Society would like to enthusiastically affirm and encourage this continuing partnership of the church and scouting, we cannot due to the Boy Scouts of America?s discrimination against gays. This discrimination conflicts with our Social Principles. The United Methodist Church, the largest single supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, strongly condemns discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Social Principles states: "We insist that all persons regardless of age, gender, national status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured." (Para. 65G) The Social Principles further states: "Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for homosexual persons." (Para. 66H) The General Board of Church and Society affirms the decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court in the case James Dale v. Boy Scouts of America that ruled the Boy Scouts of America is discriminatory in its exclusion of gays. We further, for the sake of our continuing partnership, call upon the Boy Scouts of America to discontinue this exclusion of gays. This is a statement of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, adopted by the Board October 10, 1999. The general board is directed to "speak its convictions, interpretation, and concerns to the Church and to the World." Only the General Conference speaks for the entire denomination. The General Board of Church and Society is the international public policy and social action agency of The United Methodist Church. For more information contact Erik Alsgaard [email protected] |
| General Board of Church and Society the United Methodist Church CALL THE WHITE HOUSE AND TELL THE PRESIDENT: "Pay Our UN Debt & Save Our Vote!" |
| From October 20-28, thousands of Americans across the country will call the White House to urge the President to support the vital work of the UN and pay the over $1 billion that the U.S. owes the UN in past dues. Please join with us and make your voice heard! Call the White House Now! Tell the President it?s time to pay our share! 1-888-295-2823 or (202) 456-1414 (once connected, press 0) The UN helps keep the peace, promote human rights, and bring developing countries out of poverty? And now the UN needs YOUR HELP! The U.S. owes over $1 billion to the UN. Without payment, we will automatically lose our vote in the UN General Assembly. Keep the United Nations strong ? pay the debt! For information contact, Mark Harrison at (202) 488-5645 or [email protected]. |
| All the proposed Resolutions and changes to the Book of Discipline coming from the General Board of Church and Society are now just a couple of mouse clicks away. Simply go to http://www.umc-gbcs.org and click on the "General Conference 2000" button on the left side of the home page. From there you're given the choice of accessing a summary of all the Resolution and Discipline proposals (with links from each summary to the full text); accessing the complete list and text of Resolution and Discipline proposals; downloading our Quadrennial Report to the General Conference; and checking out the General Conference web site itself. All the Resolution and Discipline proposals have been passed by the Directors of the General Board of Church and Society, and await action at the General Conference in May 2000. We hope you make use of this resource from the General Board of Church and Society as you prepare for General Conference 2000. If you have any questions, please e-mail [email protected] |
| General Conference 2000 is just a Click away! |
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