[Oe List ...] U Methodists and Bush Library

Sat May 3 16:54:05 EDT 2008

I'm not sure that the aim was to cut off the Jurisdictional vote,  
since the motion passed by the Gen. Conf. sends it to the  
Jurisdictional Conf.  In one sense, it may be more difficult for the  
Jurisdiction to turn it down, since that's where the Bush machine has  
been at work for at least a couple of years and the SMU Board has a  
number of people closely linked to the Bush family and Laura is an  
alumnus.  With all the other work the SC Jurisdiction will have to do,  
the election of at least 3 Bishops, not the least, the library item  
may be giving short shirift.  Let's hope not.

Here's some info on earlier actions taken that you may be able to plug  
into.  If you know anyone who is a delegate or a Bishop in the South  
Central Jurisdiction (meets in July) feel free to contact them and  
express your opinion.  It might help if non-methodists express their  
opinions as well.  Below are the email addresses of Bishops in the SC  
Jurisdiction.

George Holcombe
14900 Yellowleaf Tr.
Austin, TX 78728
Home: 512/252-2756
Mobile 512/294-5952
geowanda at earthlink.net
>
From: DallasRally.com
Date: 15/02/2008

(please repost!)

If you haven't signed the petition to help keep the Bush Library out  
of SMU...please go here:

www.protectSMU.org

February 11, 2008 - I am the organizer of the petition that you signed  
at www.protectSMU.org. I am also a United Methodist minister and  
research psychologist living in New York City who graduated from  
Perkins School of Theology at SMU.

Our petition continues to grow. There are now over 11,300 signers  
representing every state and several nations, including twenty-nine  
United Methodist bishops, hundreds of graduates of SMU and thousands  
of clergy, church members, and people of conscience. Many thanks for  
your support!
There is every indication that the George W. Bush Foundation is moving  
full steam ahead to establish a partisan think tank at SMU. We believe  
the signing of a 99 year lease is not far away.

Below is a letter five South Central Jurisdiction delegates sent to  
the George W. Bush Foundation on January 31, 2008. We have received no  
response as of today.

+ + + + + + + + + +

Mr. Don Evans
GWB Foundation
Fasken Center
Tower One
500 West Texas, Suite 960
Midland, Texas 79701

We have been informed that the College of Bishops of the South Central  
Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church has rendered a “legal  
interpretation” of the action of the Mission Council.

This interpretation affirms that the Mission Council, a body of the  
South Central Jurisdiction, has the right to approve the lease of the  
property owned by the South Central Jurisdiction for the building of  
the George W. Bush library and think tank institute at SMU.

This letter is written to assert our belief that the College of  
Bishops does not have the authority to make such an interpretation  
according to the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

Division Four, Paragraph 56, Article II, 4. (Page 38) of the  
Constitution of the United Methodist Church states: “The Judicial  
Council shall have authority to hear and determine the legality of any  
action taken therein by any jurisdictional conference board or body”

Since the interpretation of the Mission Council action (a body of the  
jurisdictional conference), may be appealed by one third of the  
members of the Jurisdictional Conference (note Par. 56, Article II,  
4.), this letter is also to inform you of our intention, as delegates  
of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, to offer a motion to  
the Jurisdictional Conference, meeting in July, 2008, that an appeal  
for an interpretation be made to the Judicial Council of The United  
Methodist Church.

We believe that any signed lease between SMU and the George W. Bush  
Library Foundation substantiated by a violation of the legal processes  
of The United Methodist Church, (as defined in its Discipline), prior  
to this Judicial appeal and interpretation, is an ill-advised action  
that breaches the laws, rules, regulations and tradition of our church.

Signed,
SCJ DELEGATES

cc: President of SMU, R. Gerald Turner
Chair of the Trustees at SMU, Carl Sewell

+ + + + + + + + + +

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

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 Annual  
Conference and a former District Superintendent. Please make checks  
out to “Protect SMU Fund.”
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  
from 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 40 percent of  
the delegates are likely to vote against the partisan Bush institute  
as of today. We need to inform and recruit 10 percent plus 1 of the  
remaining 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 addresses and/or  
phone numbers 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: "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" (p. 101).

Read the articles below to give you more information regarding the  
history and inside workings which led to this unfortunate decision.  
Also forward these articles to your Jurisdictional Conference delegates.
Updated links to information on the SMU Bush project:
http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2008/01/31/News/Bush-Library.Opponents.Up.Ante.With.New.Letter-3179148.shtml
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/400936.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/31/122535/135/502/446980
http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2072519&ct=5006365
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/faith-matters/2008/2/4/tempest-in-a-texas-teapot.html
http://cbs11tv.com/education/SMU.bush.library.2.645905.html
http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3112
http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/storage/paper949/news/2008/01/17/Opinion/The-fantastic.Failure.Institute.Will.Undermine.Smu-3155803.shtml
http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=196
http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=171
Continue to encourage your friends and colleagues to sign the  
petition. Each person is important. We need to tell officials of SMU  
and 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: (800) 969-8201
Phone: (214) 522-6741
Fax: (214) 528-4435
Email: bishop at ntcumc.org
NORTH TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FORT WORTH EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Ben R. Chamness
464 Bailey Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76107-2153
Nationwide Toll Free Number: (800) 460-8622
Phone: (817) 877-5222
Fax: (817) 332-4609
Email: bishop at ctcumc.org
CENTRAL TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

HOUSTON EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie
5215 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77002-9792
Phone: (713) 521-9383
Fax: (713) 529-7736
Email: Bishop.Huie at txcumc.org
TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

KANSAS EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Scott J. Jones
9440 East Boston, Suite 160
Wichita, KS 67207-3603
Nationwide Toll Free Number: (800) 745-2350
Phone: (316) 686-0600
Fax: (316) 684-0044
Email: kansasbishop at kswestumc.org
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: (888) 239-5286
Phone: (225) 346-1646 ext 212
Fax: (225) 387-3662
Email: lcumc at bellsouth.net
LOUISIANA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

MISSOURI EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Robert C. Schnase
3601 Amron Court
Columbia, MO 65202
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: (877) 736-1806
Phone: (573) 441-1770
Fax: (573) 441-0765
Email: DCurry at moumethodist.org
MISSOURI ANNUAL CONFERENCE

NEBRASKA EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Ann Brookshire Sherer
2641 North 49th Street
Lincoln, NE 68504-2899
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: (800) 435-6107
Phone: (402) 466-4955
Fax: (402) 466-6793
Email: bishopsherer at umcneb.org
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: (800) 678-8786
Phone: (505) 255-9361
Fax: (505) 255-8738
Email: mbelu at nmconfum.com
NEW MEXICO ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr.
P.O. Box 60467
Oklahoma City, OK 73146-0467
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: (800) 231-4160
Phone: (405) 530-2025
Fax: (405) 350-2040
Email: cberry at okumc.org
OKLAHOMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MISSIONARY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SAN ANTONIO EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Joel N. Martinez
P.O. Box 781688
San Antonio, TX 78278-1688
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: (888) 349 -4191
Phone: (210) 408-4500
Fax: (210) 408-4501
Email: bishop at umcswtx.org
RIO GRANDE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SOUTHWEST TEXAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ARKANSAS EPISCOPAL AREA
Bishop Charles N. Crutchfield
2 Trudie Kibbe Reed Drive
Little Rock, AR 72202-3770
Nationwide Toll Free Phone: (877) 646-1816
Phone: (501) 324-8001
Fax: (501) 324-8021
Email: bishopcnc at arumc.org
ARKANSAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

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