Email from Methodist Church re Bush library. Asking for help.

[flamin lib]

I am Andrew J. Weaver, the person who organized and maintains the petition at www.protectSMU.org. I am an ordained United Methodist minister and research psychologist living in New York City. There are over 11,200 petition signers representing every state, including 28 United Methodist bishops, several hundred graduates of SMU and thousands of clergy, church members, and people of conscience. Many thanks for your support!

Below is a press release about the current situation regarding the Bush proposal to build a library and partisan think tank at Southern Methodist University. We need your help to get this story to everyone you know. We need you to contact the UMC bishops, especially those in the South Central Jurisdiction (see below: nationwide toll free numbers). State your concern in a courteous but firm manner that elected delegates have a right to vote under church law.

PRESS RELEASE

George W. Bush Foundation tries to bypass church law to build presidential library at Southern Methodist University

January 30, 2008
For immediate release

In a conference call held on January 9, 2008, the eleven active United Methodist bishops in the South Central Jurisdiction were asked to issue an interpretation of United Methodist church law that would circumvent a vote by lay and clergy delegates and permit the immediate establishment of a partisan Bush institute at Southern Methodist University (SMU) along with the planned Bush presidential library. The request to the bishops came from the George W. Bush Foundation.

The controversial institute, dedicated to promoting the domestic and international views of George W. Bush, would not be under the supervision of SMU and would hire without regard to university policy. No other university with a presidential library has permitted such an institute on its campus.

Bishop Kenneth W. Hicks of Little Rock, Arkansas, said, “My reason, conscience, and experience tell me that the bishops do not have authority to circumvent the right of the 290 delegates to the Jurisdictional Conference to vote on a 99-year proposal for land use of this nature. I encourage my fellow bishops to honor the voting rights of the Jurisdictional delegates.”

The South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church owns SMU and has the final say about the use of university property. In addition to the Bush presidential library, the Bush Foundation is seeking to establish at the university a controversial partisan institute devoted to “promoting the views of George W. Bush on international and domestic matters,” as stated by Marvin Bush, the president’s brother. The Foundation acknowledges that the institute would not be under the supervision of the university and that hiring would be without regard to university policy.

In the conference call, the eleven active bishops were asked to interpret church law to declare that the decision of the Mission Council, a 21-member interim body which approved the use of SMU land for the institute after heavy lobbying in March, 2007, is final. This would permit the Bush Foundation to avoid submitting the matter to the 290 Jurisdictional Conference delegates meeting in Dallas in July, 2008, where the outcome of such a vote is in doubt.

The delegates represent 1.83 million United Methodists living in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Louisiana. If a majority vote against leasing university property for a partisan Bush institute, it cannot be built at SMU. The Foundation hopes to rely on the bishops’ interpretation in order to break ground for the institute before the delegates meet this summer.

However, Reverend David Severe, Director of Mission and Administration for the South Central Jurisdiction, wrote to an SMU professor on October 6, 2007, that “All actions taken by the Mission Council interim the Jurisdictional Conference must be ratified by the next Jurisdictional Conference session.”

He cited church law from the 2004 Jurisdictional Journal: “The Council shall be subject to the following and specific limitations of authority: All actions taken by The Council shall be valid and in full effect within the South Central Jurisdiction until the next regular session of the (Jurisdictional) Conference.... The chairperson of the Council shall submit to each regular quadrennial meeting of the Conference a written report of all actions taken by the Council during the quadrennium.”

“To not protect their right to vote on the use of land by the George W. Bush Foundation is a violation of the democratic and open processes of our church,” said Bishop Hicks. “I am worried that the disenfranchisement of Jurisdictional Conference delegates will undermine our ministry together as a church.”

“I can understand why the George W. Bush Foundation does not want the Jurisdictional Conference to vote on this issue," said Andrew Weaver, a United Methodist pastor and graduate of SMU. "In recent months, colleagues and I have spoken to dozens of delegates who are increasingly questioning the wisdom of placing a partisan think tank on the grounds of a United Methodist institution. The George W. Bush Foundation wants to prevent the vote because it fears the outcome. It appears that the Bush Foundation has no respect for the laws and procedures of the president's own denomination."

"The placement of a partisan institute to promote the policies of George W. Bush at Southern Methodist University would be a tragedy," said retired Bishop C. Joseph Sprague of London, Ohio. "The policies of the Bush administration are in direct conflict with the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church on issues of war and peace, civil liberties and human rights, care for the environment, and health care. Our United Methodist identity and its moral authority would be seriously compromised were it to be identified with the policies of George W. Bush in this way."

Schubert M. Ogden, University Distinguished Professor of Theology Emeritus at Southern Methodist University, observes: “While the wisdom of establishing a library and a museum is debatable, establishing a partisan think-tank will unquestionably damage the integrity and the reputation of SMU. The partisan mission of the proposed institute is profoundly incompatible with SMU's own mission as a university and could be made a part of it only by damaging it and soiling its good-standing in the academic community. In any case, The United Methodist Church has the right to an open, honest debate on the issue, and the elected delegates to the South Central Jurisdiction should in no way be deprived of their legal right to vote.”

George Henson, who teaches Spanish at SMU, stated, "It does not surprise me that the Bush Foundation is attempting to circumvent United Methodist law in order to place the Bush library and institute at SMU. A highly partisan think tank like the one planned for SMU, which exists completely outside the purview of normal academic controls and practices, is bad enough. The fact that United Methodist bishops are being asked to collaborate with Bush's representatives to circumvent the approval process is disgraceful. I am worried about the message this sends to our students."

THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER AND HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Below is a list of all the duly elected members of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, representing the 1.83 million United Methodists in the region. These representatives will meet in Dallas, July 15-19. They can say NO to Bush and refuse to allow him to use the land at SMU, if they are allowed to vote. About 35 percent of the delegates are progressives who will likely vote against the partisan Bush institute. We need to inform and recruit 16 percent of the moderate delegates to block the project.

Link:
http://scj.umportal.org/myFolder/contentManagerImages/52/SCJ_Delegates_2008.pdf


Call your Annual Conference office and ask for the names and addresses of the delegates from your Conference to the Jurisdictional Conference. This will include both General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference delegates. If these United Methodist Christians truly understand what Bush is requiring, they will vote against the project.

Write these delegates (or call them) and ask that they not ratify the report for the Jurisdictional Mission Council which includes the Mission Council's approval of SMU leasing part of its property (owned by the South Central Jurisdiction) for the building of the George W. Bush library and partisan institute. The 2004 South Central Jurisdictional Journal says (p. 101): "The Council shall be subject to the following and specific limitations of authority: All actions taken by The Council shall be valid and in full effect within the South Central Jurisdiction until the next regular session of The (Jurisdictional) Conference.....The chairperson of The Council shall submit to each regular quadrennial meeting of the Conference a written report of all actions taken by The Council during the quadrennium."

This specifies that decisions may not extend beyond the next regular session of the Jurisdictional Conference unless approved by the action of The Jurisdictional Conference, “not the bishops”.

Read the research articles below to give you more information regarding the history and inside workings which led to this unfortunate decision. Also forward this article to your Jurisdictional Conference delegates.

Links to information on the SMU Bush project:

http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2008/01/17/Opinion/The-fantastic.Failure.Institute.Will.Undermine.Smu-3155803.shtml.

http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2007/09/25/Opinion/Slavery.Torture.And.Methodist.Dna-2989642.shtml.

http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2007/02/27/Opinion/Trustees.Should.Follow.Lead.Of.First.Lady-2745030.shtml.

http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=196.

http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=171

4. We need your help to build a legal and educational campaign fund. Given the most recent actions by the George W. Bush Foundation, we need to secure funding for lawyers to help us, as well as to educate the church about this issue. Contributions can be sent to Rev. Robert Weathers, 2420 Willington Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76110. Rev. Weathers is a highly regarded member of the Central Texas Conference and a former District Superintendent. Please made checks out to “Protect SMU Fund.”


5. Continue to encourage your friends and colleagues to sign the petition. Each person is important. We need to tell officials of the UMC at every level that we find this association with George W. Bush unacceptable.

With best regards,
Rev. Andrew J. Weaver, Ph.D.

South Central Jurisdiction Bishops

DALLAS EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Alfred L. Norris
P.O. Box 866128
Plano, TX 75086-6128
Nationwide Toll Free Number: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
NORTH TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FORT WORTH EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Ben R. Chamness
464 Bailey Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76107-2153
Nationwide Toll Free Number: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
CENTRAL TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

HOUSTON EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie
5215 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77002-9792
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

KANSAS EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Scott J. Jones
9440 East Boston, Suite 160
Wichita, KS 67207-3603
Nationwide Toll Free Number: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
KANSAS EAST ANNUAL CONFERENCE
KANSAS WEST ANNUAL CONFERENCE

LOUISIANA EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop William W. Hutchinson
527 North Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5700
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone] ext 212
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

MISSOURI EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Robert C. Schnase
3601 Amron Court
Columbia, MO 65202
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
MISSOURI ANNUAL CONFERENCE

NEBRASKA EPISCOPAL AREA—THIS IS THE BISHOP WHO ABSTAINED—THANK HER
Bishop Ann Brookshire Sherer
2641 North 49th Street
Lincoln, NE 68504-2899
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
NEBRASKA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST TEXAS-NEW MEXICO EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop D. Max Whitfield
11816 Lomas Boulevard, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112-5614
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
NEW MEXICO ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr.
PO Box 60467
Oklahoma City, OK 73146-0467
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
OKLAHOMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MISSIONARY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SAN ANTONIO EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Joel N. Martinez
PO Box 781688
San Antonio, TX 78278-1688
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
RIO GRANDE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SOUTHWEST TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ARKANSAS EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Charles N. Crutchfield
2 Trudie Kibbe Reed Dr
Little Rock, AR 72202-3770
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: [phone]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
ARKANSAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

[Dawggie]

1. Thanks for posting this.

I received the same email and responded. I hope a lot of other DUers do as well. :toast:

[Echo In Light]

2. Shocking that these types would want to circumvent votes

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. What? Bush not following the laws of the church?

why should that surprise anyone?

[AndyA]

4. I think the Bush Library should be built in Dubai.

He has more friends over there than he does here, and they owe him.

Big time.

[rucky]

5. Done!

and I'm an SMU Alumnus. Hopefully that carries some weight - especially next time they come asking me for money.