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Petition and Resolution results at the 2021 Upper New York Annual Conference
June 19, 2021 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Discussion and voting for the petitions and resolutions brought to the 2021 Upper New York (UNY) Annual Conference session began in the afternoon plenary on June 17 and continued through the June 18 morning and afternoon plenaries.
UNYAC2021.1 Because We Care, supported
This petition called for each delegate to take back the message to their home churches ” to engage in a process of study, reflection and confession concerning the historic and systemic deprivation of the rights of the Palestinian people, and the use of the Bible by many to justify and support this oppression.” (Cry for Hope: A Call to Decisive Action, Public Launch: 1st July 2020) and to also recognize that we cannot serve God while and remaining silent about the oppression of the Palestinian people.
This petition also called for each church in UNY to find a way to engage in study and discussion of the Cry for Hope (available at cryforhope.org), oppose the equating of criticism of Israel’s unjust actions with Anti-Semitism, and come and see the reality in the Holy Land or invite people who have been on a justice trip to share with your congregation.
Lastly, this petition also called for any church feeling a need for additional resources to contact Rev. Gary Doupe, retired (gdoupe@stny.rr.com) for further suggested resources.
This petition was supported.
UNYAC2021.2-Administrative Fair Process for Local Pastors, supported
This petition called for the UNY Conference to implore the Board of Ordained Ministry to ensure that the discontinuance and termination of local pastors are articulated and defensible as called for in the Book of Discipline ¶¶320.1 (“The dCOM shall report the circumstances of discontinuance to the BOM, which in turn shall report them to the Bishop.”) and 635.3d (“The [Board of Ordained Ministry] registrar shall file in the Bishop’s office for permanent record, a copy of circumstances involving the discontinuance of provisional membership or termination of the local pastor status”).
This petition was supported.
UNYAC2021.3 - Support New York Senate Bill S.2960/Assembly Bill A.4565, also known as “Residential Policing, supported with amendment
This petition called for the UNY Conference to heartily and emphatically supports, as a matter of faith and conscious, New York Senate Bill S.2960 and Assembly Bill A.4565.
This petition also called for the UNY Conference to call on the leadership of the New York State Senate and Assembly to enact similar legislation to S.2960/A.4565 for other municipalities in the state of New York.
This petition also called for the UNY Conference to call on faithful United Methodists in the State of New York (who support this amendment) to relentlessly petition their State Senators and Assembly Members in support of the passage of anti-racist legislation that will eradicate police brutality, akin to S.2960/A.4565, on a state-wide level.
This petition also called on the UNY Conference to directs the Annual Conference Secretary to mail one of the memoranda (found on pages 42-45 of the Journal Vol. 1) of support for S.2960/A.4565, depending on the status of S.2960/A.4565 at the convening of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference and affixed with the seal of the UNY Annual Conference, to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Majority Leader of the Assembly, Majority Whip of the Assembly, Minority Leader of the Assembly, Minority Whip of the Assembly, President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate, Majority Whip of the State Senate, Minority Leader of the State Senate, Minority Whip of the State Senate, and the Governor of New York State (contact information on page 41 of the Journal Vol. 1)) no later than fifteen (15) days after the adjourning of the 2021 session of the Upper New York Annual Conference.
There was a supported amendment to this petition to delete the last paragraph of the third petition (italicized above) and to add “(who support this petition)” after the words “New York” in the third paragraph of this petition (also italicized above).
This petition was supported with amendment.
This petition called for the UNY Conference to heartily and emphatically support, as a matter of faith and conscious, New York Senate Bill S.4462 and Assembly Bill A.4566.
This petition also called for faithful UNY United Methodists in the State of New York (who support this petition) to relentlessly petition their State Senators and Assembly Members in support of the passage of anti-racist legislation that will eradicate police brutality, akin to S.4462/A.4566.
This petition also called for the UNY Conference to direct the Annual Conference Secretary to mail one of the memoranda of support for S.4462/A.4566 (see page 50 and page 51 of the Journal Vol. 1), depending on the status of S.4002/A.5449 at the convening of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference and affixed with the seal of the Upper New York Annual Conference, to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Majority Leader of the Assembly, Majority Whip of the Assembly, Minority Leader of the Assembly, Minority Whip of the Assembly, President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate, Majority Whip of the State Senate, Minority Leader of the State Senate, Minority Whip of the State Senate, and the Governor of New York State (contact information attached) no later than fifteen 18 (15) days after the adjourning of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference.
There was one amendment that called for adding the words “(who support this petition)” italicized above to this petition. This amendment was supported.
There was a second amendment that called for the removal of the last paragraph italicized above. This amendment was supported.
There was a third amendment to remove the words “spit hoods” from line 26 on page 47 in the UNY Journal Vol. 1. This amendment was supported.
This petition with amendments was supported.
UNYAC2021.5 - Support New York Senate Bill S.4002/Assembly Bill A.5449, also known as "Chemical Irritants Ban,” supported
This petition called for the UNY Conference to heartily and emphatically support, as a matter of faith and conscious, New York Senate Bill S.4002 and Assembly Bill A.5449.
This petition also calls for members of the UNY Conference to relentlessly petition their State Senators and Assembly Members in support of the passage of anti-racist legislation that will eradicate police brutality across New York State, akin to S.4002/A.5449.
This petition also calls for UNY to direct the Annual Conference Secretary to mail one of the memoranda of support for S.4002/A.5449 (see pages 56 and 57 of the Journal, Volume 1), depending on the status of S.4002/A.5449 at the convening of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference and affixed with the seal of the Upper New York Annual Conference, to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Majority Leader of the Assembly, Majority Whip of the Assembly, Minority Leader of the Assembly, Minority Whip of the Assembly, President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate, Majority Whip of the State Senate, Minority Leader of the State Senate, Minority Whip of the State Senate, and the Governor of New York State (contact information attached) no later than fifteen 1 (15) days after the adjourning of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference.
There was an amendment to remove the last paragraph of the petition, italicized above. The amendment was not supported.
This petition was supported.
UNYAC2021.6 - Support New York Senate Bill S.4814/Assembly Bill A.4697, also known as "Daniel’s Law,” supported
This petition called for the UNY Conference to heartily and emphatically support, as a matter of faith and conscious, New York Senate Bill S.4814 and 15 Assembly Bill A.4697, also known as Daniel’s Law.
This petition also called for members of the UNY Conference to relentlessly petition their State Senators and Assembly Members in support of the passage of anti-racist legislation that will eradicate police brutality across New York State, akin to Daniel’s Law.
This petition also called for the UNY Conference to direct the Annual Conference Secretary to mail one of the memoranda of support for Daniel’s Law (see pages 63-65 of the Journal, Volume 1), depending on the status of Daniel’s Law at the convening of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference and affixed with the seal of the UNY Annual Conference, to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, Majority Leader of the Assembly, Majority Whip of the Assembly, Minority Leader of the Assembly, Minority Whip of the Assembly, President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate, Majority Whip of the State Senate, Minority Leader of the State Senate, Minority Whip of the State Senate, and the Governor of New York State (contact information attached) no later than fifteen 1 (15) days after the adjourning of the 2021 session of the UNY Annual Conference.
There was an amendment to remove the last paragraph of the petition italicized above. The amendment was not supported.
The petition was supported.
This petition called for the UNY Conference to authorize the formation of a commission to study and report on the readiness of the UNY Conference for the implementation of the Protocol.
This petition also called for the commission to be composed of the Conference Treasurer, the Dean of Cabinet, the Conference Chancellor, the Director of Connectional Ministries, the Director of Vital Congregations, a representative from the Committee on Finance and Administration, a representative from the Annual Conference Board of Trustees, a representative from the Upper New York delegation to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences, and up to three persons named by Nominations Leadership Development.
This petition also called for the commission to organize itself and name its own officers as it sees fit and that the Conference staff shall resource this commission as the commission determines.
This petition also called for the commission to survey of every local congregation and every New Faith Community in the Upper New York Annual Conference and request the lay leader, in consultation with the pastor, to ascertain the following information: size of your congregation in terms of total membership and average worship attendance, both before and during the pandemic, size of congregation’s annual operating budget, number of professions of faith in the past five years, the way the congregation serves and engages with the community, whether or not the conversation had conversations about the Protocol since it was announced, whether or not you believe that your congregation will remain in the Post Separation United Methodist Church, and whether or not you believe your pastor will remain in the Post Separation United Methodist Church.
This petition also resolved that the commission survey every appointed clergyperson serving in the UNY Conference to ascertain whether they believe they will keep their membership in the Post-Separation United Methodist Church and to answer how many years of active ministry you will have before you retire.
This petition also called for the commission to report the results of this study, along with an analysis of the financial implications of the data with a two quadrennia forecast, to the Conference through the Communications Team of the Conference staff and to the Upper New York delegation to General and Jurisdictional Conference no later than February 1, 2022.
This petition also called for the survey results to be collected and reported in ways that shall reveal 74 individual responses of the congregations surveyed but only the aggregate responses of the clergy surveyed.
There was an amendment to change the italicized paragraph above to:
Be it further resolved that survey results shall be collected in ways that keep specific congregation and clergy names anonymous. Attendance, membership, and financial data shall be collected and reported in generalized ranges so that it is not traceable to any specific congregation.
There was an amendment by substitution submitted by JJ Warren to amend the amendment by substituting it with this paragraph:
Be it further resolved that the commission reports the results of this study in two ways: 1.) a broader, high-level summary shall be shared with the Annual Conference and the public, reporting key data marks in the aggregate in general ranges and keeping the specific information for individual congregations and clergy confidential and 2.) an executive confidential report that is shared only with the Cabinet, the Council of Finance and Administration, the Commission of Equitable Compensation, the Board of Pension and Health Benefits, the Conference Leadership Team, The General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegation, and any other Conference teams or agencies the commission determines should see this executive report: this executive report will reveal the results of individual congregations.
This amendment by substitution was supported. For this amendment, the Warren Amendment, to become the main amendment to the petition, another ballot had to be opened, and this amendment was supported.
There was a second amendment to remove lines 49-53 and to remove lines 58-59 in this link. (or see underlines above) and to renumber lines 54-56 in the link to 1., 2., 3 (or bold-faced text above).
There was a supported-by-majority motion to separate the question into two ballots (one to delete lines 49-53 and renumber lines 54-56 and a second to remove lines 58-59).
The first part of the question was supported.
The second part of the question was supported.
Therefore, the second amendment was fully supported.
There was a third amendment to add the Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (in line 11 on this link and line 40 on the link, which is the second paragraph of this petition above) was supported.
There was a fourth amendment to add the Board of Ordained Ministries to line 11 in this link and to line 40 on the link, which is also the second paragraph of this petition above) was supported.
The petition as amended was supported.
UNYAC2021.8: Transparency and Greater Participation of Annual Conference in Mission Planning, supported with amendments
This petition called for all missional planning documents of the Conference Operational Team and Conference Leadership Team that are ready for implementation or being implemented be immediately made available to all members of The UNY Conference.
This petition also called for the particular strategies articulated by the Conference Operational Team and Conference Leadership Team for the pursuit of our common mission be regularly submitted to the UNY Conference for debate, refinement, and approval by vote.
There was an amendment to change the word “regularly” to “annually” italicized above, and it was supported.
There was a second amendment to remove the words “debate, refinement, and approval by vote.” Italicized above and this amendment was supported.
There was a third amendment that would add to the petition, “Therefore be it resolved that the Conference Operations Team be accountable and nominated for a term of one year through the Conference Nominations Team.”
There was an amendment by substitution to the third amendment that the term of one year be changed to four years. This amendment by substitution was supported.
For this amendment to become the official third amendment to the petition, another ballot had to be opened, and this amendment was supported.
There was a fourth amendment to add the words “to the Annual Conference” after the word “accountable” in the third amendment. This amendment to the amendment was supported.
The petition as amended was supported.
The Rev. Bill Mudge announced that Petition UNY2021.8 completed the petitions and resolutions and on behalf of Suzanne Allen, thanked Bishop Webb for this time.