Arkansas Has 200000 of Them. a 200K Reasons Initiative Update

Eco-Friendly March 6, 2015 Volume 162 Issue 03 Recycled Paper | Soy Ink IN THIS ISSUE Want a reason to fight childhood hunger? Bishop names Coburn DS for Arkansas has 200,000 of them. Northwest Grief center offers common ground for healing Stephen Coburn 5 Bishop Gary E. Mueller has appointed the Rev. Stephen Coburn superintendent of the Northwest District, effective July 1, 2015. Coburn currently serves as senior pastor of First UMC Springdale, and as chair of the Arkansas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. “Stephen has led the congregation at Springdale to grow in discipleship and outreach A 200K Reasons initiative update ministries, including the development of the multicultural BY MARTHA TAYLOR 2014 Arkansas Annual Conference are hungry or suffer from food Agape Campus,” Mueller said. “I Grant enables Special Contributor called for all United Methodist insufficiency. believe his presence on the Cabinet churches to focus on fighting Led by the initiative’s task force will help us pursue our stated camp improvements This month’s Veritas youth childhood hunger in Arkansas for facilitator, the Rev. J. J. Whitney, and trajectory of creating vital gathering in Hot Springs will be first the next three years. Following assisted by Deaconess Colleen congregations that make disciples of event where the 200,000 Reasons several task force gatherings, the Caldwell, 200K Reasons initiative Jesus Christ, who make disciples 7 Childhood Hunger Initiative will initiative was named 200,000 task force is finalizing a mission equipped to transform lives, have a public presence. Reasons, a reference to the estimated statement and goals for the coming communities and the world.” A resolution approved by the number of children in Arkansas who [See 200K REASONS, page 8] A native of Monticello, Coburn graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, and earned his Master of Apportionment payout influenced Divinity degree at Iliff School of Holding steady by change in pension billing Theology in Denver, Colo. In addition to his tenure at First UMC BY AMY FORBUS disappointing,” said Todd Burris, director of Springdale, he has served in Cabot, Editor administrative services and treasurer for the Arkansas Fort Smith, Texarkana, Lonoke, Conference. “The pension and benefit apportioned item Maumelle, Bradley and Little Rock. The totals are tabulated: In 2014, United Methodist has typically been paid at a much higher percentage than He and his wife, Dara, have three congregations in Arkansas contributed $11,275,741 other budgeted items, so as we move those funds out of children and four grandchildren. toward the Conference budget through apportioned the Conference budget and directly bill them to the local “The excitement for me is Ark. chaplain giving. This number represents a payout of 88 percent—a church, the overall payout percentage drops.” two-fold,” Coburn said. “I’m excited trains troops on reduction of slightly more than one percent from 2013. In actuality, apportionment payout is probably about the opportunity to serve the Apportionments support ministries beyond the local holding steady, Burris says, but the change in how the Northwest District, and I’m excited suicide prevention church, such as camping and retreat centers, campus Conference bills clergy pensions results in a decline. about the future of our Conference ministries, staffing, resourcing congregations to pursue The transition to billing local churches for the and the larger church. I’m honored the Arkansas Conference trajectory of congregational pension of the clergy serving there began in 2013, to be asked to do this, and I look 9 vitality and more. following 2012 Annual Conference approval. Churches forward to working with all the This decrease continues a trend that began with the paid 25 percent of their clergy’s 2013 pension total pastors and laity in our district. I shift to billing clergy pensions directly to local churches. through direct billing. Last year, churches paid 50 percent believe in the trajectory that has “While this is not unexpected, it is still a little [See APPORTIONMENTS, page 9] [See NEW DS, page 4] 2 March 6, 2015 EDITOR’S CORNER Choosing downtown BY AMY FORBUS BY TAYLOR HUBBARD Special Contributor “Downtown” is a complicated word. While the spelling and Giving up people definition are simple and well- known, the word “downtown” is complicated because of what it has Less than a week after Ash Wednesday, author Rachel Held Evans took to come to represent for many people: Facebook to share some thoughts on how we treat each other in American urban areas with higher crime, popular culture. visible poverty and racial divides; “It’s not exactly a Lenten practice,” she wrote, “but during this season of business epicenters that the working reflection and repentance, I’ve been observing the ways in which our culture class commutes into and out of daily. dehumanizes, commodifies, and consumes people, and confronting my own So when my husband and I complicity in that. It’s been eye-opening. And convicting…. it’s clear to me that shared with our family that we we struggle with something of a shared addiction here in which our fellow would be purchasing our next house human beings are flattened out and used as projection screens for our fears, in downtown Little Rock, we were Step 5 of the Bishop’s Mission Plan: Look Like the Neighborhood anger, hopes, amusement, dysfunction, insecurities, expectations, and pride.” prepared for a little skepticism, It was the morning after the Oscars, and as she placed her thoughts misinformation and all-around Christian identity. “Christ Follower” teens said hello and waved or against the fresh backdrop of judgments on physical appearance that had wariness of our departure from the is as deeply ingrained in our DNA as nodded, and one said how much he rained down upon celebrities via Twitter and Facebook the night before, she suburbs. our hair or eye color, so it makes liked my dog. got my attention. Our decision to move seemed sense for us to be in an area where The encounter was brief but I was reminded of something simple my dad used to say when he dropped like a natural progression. We spend we can share Christ’s love and convicting. I had come close to me off at school in the mornings: “Be nice.” As a child, I wondered why he told a huge chunk of our time downtown understanding in hopes of building letting fear override an opportunity me that so often, even as I struggled to follow the instruction and sometimes since my husband works at First stronger communities. to be in community. I now walk this rejected it outright. As an adult, I realize that showing kindness to others can United Methodist Church. We We are not here to convert, not route with our dog often. We’ve built be far more challenging than I ever understood as a kid. frequent the restaurants and shops here to build membership numbers understanding, and we interact Regardless of one’s age, harsh opinion tends to spew forth easily, here. Above all, we are drawn to the or to confuse the business of the regularly. especially when separated from others by a TV or computer screen. history of an area church with the love of Christ. No; My steadfast belief that we Acknowledging this distance, Evans issued an invitation to refrain from that played such a we are here to consciously be. To be moved downtown for a purpose treating human beings like products that exist primarily for us to evaluate and vital role in the aware of what is going on around us. helps me work through the tough discard on a whim. historic civil To be mindful that we may be an spots. These experiences push and “What would it mean to ‘give up people’ for Lent—not in the sense of rights movement. example of a strong, loving family challenge us. They also affirm that fasting from relationships, but in the sense of fasting from our dehumanizing As we looked unit. To be in a position to love our we are on the right path to building consumption of others?” she asked. “I don’t know the answer to that question for a place to call neighbors unconditionally and build the Kingdom here. exactly, but simply asking it has given me a lot to think about and has already home, we focused relationships that bridge racial and I once heard a mentor of mine changed my behavior. It’s a strange fast, but an instructive one.” Taylor on the south side socioeconomic divides. To fully say he wanted to “take that territory Strange but instructive, she called it. But the more I think about it, the less Hubbard of I-630. We witness and participate in the for Jesus before the devil had a strange it seems. We encounter frequent opportunities to belittle other drove around realities of living “downtown.” chance to strengthen his grip.” At the children of God, and whether we blame their fashion sense, their beliefs or pointing out houses we loved, houses Immersion. time, I was taken aback by his their life choices, we should know better than to do it. The fault lies at least as we would love to restore, houses that We are painfully aware of cultural brashness, but now, I get it. The much within our own hearts as it does in anything anyone else has worn, could be “the one.” We began to differences in our neighborhood that enemy can be seen in families broken spoken or done. learn about the community and we may not understand. We believe by drugs, crime and violence, and the Perhaps by taking time for an extra look inward at our own insecurities familiarize ourselves with the that living here helps us take steps systems that perpetuate such things.

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