BURUNDI & EAST AFRICA ANNUAL CONFERENCES the United
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1 I BURUNDI & r EAST AFRICA ANNUAL CONFERENCES r The United Methodist Church (BURUNDI, ETHIOPIA, KENYA, RWANDA, UGANDA & SOUTH SUDAN) Our Ref: .... ......................... ....... January 24''', 2015 Date : .................................. [ Your Ref: ......... .. ...................... [ r DanaJoki r P.O. Box 340029 Nashiville, Tennessee 37203 -0029 [ USA [email protected] leA. 1. ISS \, q <.:nl) [ Dear Dana Joki [ Please find enclosed a copy of the documents for the Judicial Docket No. 0415-7. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. l Grace and pea~ [ fiW.;rlhl Manasseh Toko [ Secretary Committee on Episcopacy [ Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences The United Methodist Church l l l l l Plot 38 Nambi Road, Bank Village - Naguru, l P.O. Box 12554, Kampala (U) Tel : +256-41533978, Fax: +25641533982 [ [ r [ r r Brief r Docket Item: No. 0415-7 Spring 2015 IN RE: A Request from the Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences for a [ Declaratory Decision Regarding the Decision and Action of the General Council on Finance and Administration in Reducing the Bishop's Salary and Episcopal r Allowances in Light of '112609.5, '112610.2 of the Book of Discipline 2012 (BoD) [ L [ Rev. Manasseh Toko Plot 38, Nambi Road Bank Village-Naguru [ P.O. Box 12554 Kampala, Uganda Telephone: +256 772 191 701 [ Email:[email protected] L L l l 1 [ r THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH r IN RE: A Request from the Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences for a [- Declaratory Decision Regarding the Decision and Action of the General Council on Finance and Administration in Reducing the Bishop's Salary and Episcopal r Allowances in Light of~2609.5, ~2610.2 of the BoD 2012 (BoD) r 1. BACKGROUND The East Africa Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church is comprised of two r Annual Conferences namely Burundi Annual Conference which covers the country of Burundi and the East Africa Annual Conference covers five countries Kenya, Ethiopia, r Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda. [ The Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences Committee on Episcopacy performs many important functions as described in ,-r 637.3 in the United Methodist BoD duly elected in the two annual conferences and meeting annually to form resources for supporting the [ work of the Resident Bishop, interpret to the people concerns affecting the church and engage in consultation towards the realization of the mandate of the church. [ This petition follows an UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION reached during the normal course of business of the Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences session held at Humble [ United Methodist School, Mukono Kampala (Uganda) from the 26th - 29th August 2014 during which time the then present and any other subsequent issues affecting the two [ Annual Conferences and the Resident Bishop were deliberated in accordance to ,-r637 1,2,3 and 4. [ "The Resident Bishop Daniel Wandabula's salary and Episcopal support was unfairly and drastically reduced without involving the affected Bishop, by the GCF A from 100% to 10% (2014) and then further down to 0% (2015). An anomalous situation considering that the l Episcopal fund, the primary fund from which the salary together with the Episcopal Support are derived are a result of a consultative effort during the general Conference, a process happening quadrilineally ,-r818 as read in all the subsections thereof with emphasis on l subsections; 1,2,3,4,5,8and 9. This left benefits only amounting to $4,288 covering the Bishop's medical insurance and pension depriving him of his salary to cover the daily family and personal needs, ironically part of the salary retained by GCF A remains L theoretically inaccessible for his basic daily needs. In interpretation GCF A herein failed to acknowledge that the Resident Bishop needs to meet his subsistence as well as commit to L the call by removing this integral and fundamental aspect towards propelling the ministry forward. L The reduction was premised on the alleged audit faults; for which the GBGMlGCF A raised a complaint presently pending before the Africa Central Conference and awaiting a just L 2 1 resolution. '1[806 defmes the fiscal responsibility of the GCF A and subsection 3 of the GCF A the same emphasis the requirement of a standard operation procedure, which aspect I ahs persistently failed to share or educate the episcopacy so that the audit process is done in a fair, transparent and persistent manner. Furthermore, the preceding '1[805.4 specifies'" ... r auditing standards ... ' an essential aspect of the audit process which the committee feels has also remained vague regarding now GCF A has handled the alleged audits. l This request is part of the efforts to adhere to and follow the laid down procedure as spelled out in the BoD of the United Methodist Church. We observe to have been victims of disenfranchisement in the action of GCF A, an the anomaly portrayed with the action from r GCF A that led to the raising of this petition for which we strongly now believe needs [ amends. In light of this, the Committee on Episcopacy feels there are no administrative or judicial actions pending to warrant such an action as what is obtaining and remains resolute and r strongly compelled to this declaration that we thus seek. In the light of our understanding of the BoD, we have now arrived at the final analysis is that our Resident Bishop's status is [ actually effective '1[818 and does not warrant the present action, he is not on suspension, moreover, he is not on suspension as no process and procedure as those prescribed in the BoD have effected such". [ The Burundi and East Africa Committee on Episcopacy considers the GCFA's decision both pre-mature and preemptive as it is neither informed through the BoD processes and [ procedures. In the eyes of the Committee on Episcopacy and those it represents, this and any other action taken in the past, present and future by GCF A is, heavy handed, discriminatory and unjustified. GCFA failed to observe the required procedure set forth in [ the BoD, 2012 there by denying the Bishop a fair hearing in accordance with '1[2701.2(a). [ The delegates of Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences tasked the Burundi and East Africa Committee on Episcopacy to petition the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church for a declaration on the inordinate decision and any subsequent related decisions of [ the GBGMlGCFA that affect our two Annual Conferences and Resident Bishop." Copy of the annual Conference minutes and list ofmembers sanctioning the resolution is (Annexture l HB''). By virtue of the resolution reached herein by the Burundi and East Africa Annual conferences, this petition is sanctioned by the Committee on Episcopacy of the said conferences established following '1[637 -1 whose functions are set out in '1[637-3 of the BoD, 2012 - the Committee on Episcopacy East Africa Episcopal area of the United Methodist church has the mandate to petition the Judicial Council for a Declaratory decision, case and L reference point; Judicial Council decision and resolution No. 397 of 3rd April 1975, the executive committee of the Central Conference petitioned the Judicial Council for a l Declaration decision. In accordance with the BoD and in essence of the procedures governing the exercise of L BoD, the Committee on Episcopacy of any given conference has the mandate to lodge and petition before the Judicial Council. L 3 ! JURISDICTION OF THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL [ ~ 2609.5 empowers the Judicial Council to hear and determine the legality of any action taken by anybody created or authorized by the General Conference or anybody created or r authorized by the jurisdictional or central conference, on a matter affecting an annual or provisional annual conference, upon appeal by two thirds of the members of the annual or [ provisional annual conference present and voting. ~2610. 2, gives mandate to bodies like the Burundi and East Africa Annual Conferences to lodge a petition either directly or through the Episcopal Committee to the Judicial Council r on any decision/s made by anybody/conference that affects the respective Conferences. r 2. THE STATEMENT OF FACTS Provisions of~818.2 categorically state and define the 'Requirements' as per the guidelines l provided for during the General Conference and these are the parameters, the General Council on Finance and Administration breached when it, wrote letters dated 24th November 2014 and 19th December 2014 to our Resident Bishop - Bishop Daniel [ Wandabula, informing him of the decision to cut off the Episcopal financial support of the East Africa Episcopal Area for the year 2015 by reducing his salary to the benefit constituents of $4,288 which is the total for his medical insurance and pension. ~ 543.4 r empowers GCF A to act as a conduit in the delivery and transmission of the Episcopal Funds received in the annual conference, it is clearly stated here that the determination is a [ quadrennium occurrence that is founded and enshrined in the functions of the General Conference and in consultation with such other bodies as the Council of Bishops. This therefore leaves the question of how the concerns of this declaration sought and petition [ submitted was arrived at by GCF A if this premise above on the definition of the funds can be exhausted by way of the said guidelines of the BoD. This unprecedented unilateral action [ has led members in the Episcopal Area to take the initiative towards amending the impasse. Presently the Episcopal area fund allocation is as follows; [ a) Bishop's salary $0% b) Episcopal support fund $0% c) Pension &Insurance $4,288 l Total = $4, 288 The East Africa Episcopal Area office is located in rented premises in Naguru, Kampala L city, Uganda and is supported by the Episcopal fund according to the provisions as read in ~ 818.