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Pan Methodist Commission


	► ► ► ►	Mission Members Meetings Activities

Since the mid-1970s bishops and other representatives of four Methodist denominations have engaged in dialogue on common interests. They are the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, and United Methodist Church (UMC).

This Pan-Methodist dialogue has taken the form of a quadrennial Consultation of Methodist Bishops, a Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation formed in 1988, and a Commission on Union established in 1992. The latter two bodies merged in November 2000 to form the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union. It consists of 36 members, nine from each of the four participating denominations.

To be completed.

The Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union consists of nine representatives from each of the four participating denominations, a total of 36. The officers for 2002-2003 are:

Chair:
Vice-Chair:

Bishop Frederick "Fritz" Mutti, UMC
Bishop Clarence Carr, AMEZ (chair, 2000-2001)
Bishop Charles Helton, CME (chair, 2001-2002)
Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, AME (chair designate, 2003-2004)

Staff assistance is provided by Dr. Mary A.Love (AMEZ) and Ms. Jeri Scott (UMC).

Membership consists of the following persons:

African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop McKinley Young, Dallas, TX
Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Birmingham, AL
Bishop Preston Williams, Fairburn, GA
Mrs. Anna Milner, Atlanta, GA
Rev. Floyd Alexander, Cleveland, OH
Mr. Addison Young, Atlanta, GA
Rev. Taylor T. Thompson, West Chester, OH
Ms. Thelma Milner, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Robert E. Keessee,Nashville, TN

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Bishop Richard Thompson, Montgomery, AL
Bishop Clarence Carr, St. Louis, MO
Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett, Tinley Park, IL
Dr. F. George Shipman, Durham, NC
Dr. Betty V. Stith, New Rochelle, NY
Dr. Donnell Williams, Northport, AL
Rev. Dr. Gloria Moore, Knoxville, TN
Rev. George Maize, IV, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Raymond Richmond, Jackson, MS
Rev. W.R. Johnson (proxy), Charlotte, NC

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Ron Cunningham, Memphis, TN
Bishop Charles Helton, Charlotte, NC
Bishop Marshall Gilmore, Dallas, TX
Dr. Luther Smith, Jr., Atlanta, GA
Mr. Matthew Davis, Memphis, TN
Ms. Cyreeta C. Collins, Jamaica, NY
Dr. Darryl Coleman, Jackson, TN
Rev. Sylvester Williams, Chicago, IL
Attorney Juanita Bryant, Cleveland Heights, OH

United Methodist Church
Bishop Melvin Talbert, Brentwood, TN
Bishop Woodie White, Indianapolis, IN
Bishop Albert Fredrik "Fritz" Mutti, Topeka, KS
Attorney Byrd Bonner, San Antonio, TX
Rev. Tyrone Gordon, Dallas, TX
Dr. Trudi Kibbe Reed, Little Rock, AR
Rev. Jim McDonald, Charlottesville, VA
Ms. Harriet McCabe, Naperville, IL
Mr. Adam Webb, Ames, IA

The Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union meets twice a year. Since its first meeting in the fall of 2000, the United Methodist News Service has provided a chronicle of its sessions, as follows:

November 29-December 2, 2000,Charlotte, North Carolina
Pan-Methodist Commission journeys toward a new place

March 28-31, 2001, Nashville, Tennessee
Pan-Methodist group struggles with implications of union

November 28-December 1, 2001, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pan-Methodist group visits historic Philadelphia churches

April 10-12, 2002, Kansas City, Missouri
Pan-Methodists call for cease-fire in Holy Land

November 19-21, 2002, Los Angeles, California
Pan-Methodist group moves toward spiritual unity

March 10-11, 2003 Atlanta, Georgia
Pan-Methodist Commission approves steps for cooperation

The next meeting of the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union is scheduled for November 20-22, 2003 in Dallas, Texas. At this session the Commission will complete work on its vision and mission statement.

At its March 2003 meeting the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union adopt the following action items for cooperation:

Explore ways to corporately share resources to reduce cost. These could include a wide range of options, such as joint purchasing, shared travel and the opening up of the denominations' guesthouses.
Encourage every pan-Methodist bishop and all program planners to invite pan-Methodist participation in services of ordination and other special denominational activities.
Pay attention to the survival issues that each denomination is experiencing and work on these together. These could include small-church concerns and justice issues, such as the Iraq crisis.
Communicate with each denomination about its best programs and resources, such as Disciple Bible Study and One Church-One School, and encourage their use across pan-Methodist lines.
Work together in developing strategies for starting new churches, reaching youth and responding to mutual concerns.
Draw upon the Churches Uniting in Christ recommendations for new relationships.
Issue a periodic "Call to All Methodists" and use it to introduce the denominations to one another and share histories.
Create a pan-Methodist ministry packet, including ideas for and examples of cooperative or shared ministry.
Encourage the creation of local pan-Methodist fellowships.
Develop college, university and seminary partnerships, linking schools and campus ministries across Methodist lines.