GAF: Church addresses abuses in Philippines - July 2010

United Methodists continue to express concern about human rights abuses in the Philippines.

During their April 18-23 meeting in Manila, members of the United Methodist Connectional Table issued a resolution condemning “past, recent, and ongoing extrajudicial killings” and implications of abuses by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army.

The Connectional Table, a 60-member international body that includes representatives from the 200,000 members of United Methodist churches in the Philippines, named a six-person delegation to visit a White House official for Asia, a U.S. State Department official and a representative of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to express concern over violations of human rights in the Philippines.

They will ask the officials to ensure that no U.S. policy supports the Philippine “policy that exacerbates the violations of human rights including the killing of church people and human rights activists.” The text of the Connectional Table statement is available here.

Prior to their meeting, members of the Connectional Table and the Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church worshipped in seven different United Methodist churches on April 18.

On Monday, the group visited four different mission sites in the Manila area. Some members visited Smokey Mountain United Methodist Church, one of the five poorest places in the world.

The name is derived from a mountain of rotting garbage that often ignites underground and emits toxic clouds of smoke. Some 1,000 people make their living by scavenging through garbage looking for items that can be recycled for money. The average return on a day of ripping through bags of trash is the equivalent of about $2.

The site visits were examples of Four Areas of Focus ministry taking place in the Philippines.

Six members of the Connectional Table serve on the Study Committee on the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church, a 20-member international team, chaired by Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones.

The study committee met at the same time in the same location, and the two groups spent an entire day together. Jones said his group will collaborate with other study groups, and it will sponsor additional listening posts following their meeting with Filipino laity, clergy and bishops.

The committee is also monitoring the voting on the 23 constitutional amendments related to the worldwide church put before the denomination by the 2008 General Conference. The Council of Bishops will announce the results of annual conference balloting in May.

The Connectional Table received a report on the work of the Call to Action Committee, which is engaged in comprehensive studies to determine ways in which the denomination can increase the number and vitality of local churches.

---Richard Peck is a retired clergy member of New York Annual Conference.

Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the General Administration Fund apportionment at 100% which allows the United Methodist Connectional Table to continue to oversee issues such as this.