Pastor's Column

May 24, 2004

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In this column I will again highlight some of the issues addressed by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church which met April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Without debate, delegates voted to join several other denominations in observing a boycott of Taco Bell which was initiated by the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

The consumer boycott is in protest of Taco Bell’s refusal to address the issue of worker exploitation by its tomato suppliers. The criteria for lifting the boycott include Taco Bell convening “serious three-way talks” with the workers and tomato suppliers. United Methodists will establish a monitoring committee to assess the progress of negotiations.

Delegates were unanimous in passing a resolution of concern for 5 millions displaced persons in the Sudan and what could become genocide in the southern part of that East African nation. They condemned the government sponsored violence and resulting humanitarian crisis which has killed an estimated 2 million people.

In a resolution regarding stem-cell research, the church opposed the creation of embryos “with the intention of destroying them for research purposes.” The resolution also condemns the production of more embryos than needed for reproductive purposes, but supports “those persons who wish to enhance medical research by donating their early embryos remaining after in-vitro fertilization procedures have ended.”

All resolutions which wanted to bring changes to the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Church were defeated. The United Methodist Women remain a highly respected organization within the denomination. The Women’s passion for mission and service remains a cherished part of our denominational life.

Joy and Peace,
Rev. Deborah Fisher