The 1992 General Conference adopted Calendar Item No. 1413, page 466 of the Daily Christian Advocate indicating that the General Council on Ministries will be involved in coordinating an emphasis on reclaiming the cities based on the following action:
Resolved that there be a United Methodist Church special emphasis on "Reclaiming the Cities" by:
Evangelizing the poor and oppressed,
Giving special leadership and more quality time to the cities,
Putting more of our human, financial, and other materials resources in the cities,
Uniting our Methodist families--the African Methodist Episcopal, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion, the Christian Methodist Episcopal, and the United Methodist Church--to make one powerful Methodist voice and presence in our cities,
Leading the way for an ecumenical thrust to save the cities of our nation,
Implementing this special emphasis, as appropriate, by each program board and agency and coordinated by the GCOM.
Implementation
Within the GCOM structure, the Division on Missional Emphases considered this mandate. General Conference had assigned GCOM, along with GCFA and the Council of Bishops, the recommendation to develop a missional priority on crisis which addressed concerns emerging from the Los Angeles uprising. Because of the relatedness of both mandates, the Division handled them as a unit.
The Division embarked on an extensive process of listening and discernment regarding possible missional priorities for the 1997-2000 quadrennium. At its April 1993 meeting, an action plan was devised containing the following goals:
1. Gather data on urban initiatives underway in the four general program boards.
2. Analyze the data.
3. Develop a strategy with action steps.
Throughout the quadrennium, the Division collected information from the four general program boards which is incorporated into the joint GCOM, GCFA and Council of Bishops report entitled "Crisis in the Cities" (Report No. 22). At the spring 1995 meeting, the Division and GCOM voted not to recommend to General Conference a missional priority on reclaiming the cities due to the existence of several critical initiatives already addressing the needs of urban areas in the United States, (e.g., Communities of Shalom, Holy Boldness, Substance Abuse and Related Violence Program).
These initiatives are moving forward on their own; are exploring ways to build ecumenical, inter-faith, and Methodist family partnerships; and are in need of support from the total denomination.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21697-GJ-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference