WELCOME!

Associates in Advocacy now has two sites on the internet. Our primary help site is at http://www.aiateam.org/. There AIA seeks to offer aid to troubled pastors, mainly those who face complaints and whose careers are on the line.

Help is also available to their advocates, their caregivers, Cabinets, and others trying to work in that context.

This site will be a blog. On it we will address issues and events that come up.

We have a point of view about ministry, personnel work, and authority. We intend to take the following very seriously:

THE GOLDEN RULE
THE GENERAL RULES
GOING ONTO PERFECTION

Some of our denomination's personnel practices have real merit. Some are deeply flawed. To tell the difference, we go to these criteria to help us know the difference.

We also have a vision of what constitutes healthy leadership and authority. We believe it is in line with Scripture, up-to-date managerial practice, and law.

To our great sadness, some pastors who become part of the hierarchy of the church, particularly the Cabinet, have a vision based on their being in control as "kings of the hill," not accountable to anyone and not responsible to follow the Discipline or our faith and practice. They do not see that THE GOLDEN RULE applies to what they do.

If you are reading this, the chances are you are not that way. We hope what we say and do exemplify our own best vision and will help you fulfill yours. But we cannot just leave arrogance, incompetence, and ignorance to flourish. All of us have the responsibility to minimize those in our system.

We join you in fulfilling our individual vow of expecting to be perfect in love in this life and applying that vow to our corporate life in the United Methodist Church.

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If you have any questions or suggestions, direct them to Rev. Jerry Eckert. His e-mail address is aj_eckert@hotmail.com. His phone number is 941 743 0518. His address is 20487 Albury Drive, Port Charlotte, FL 33952.

Thank you.

(9/26/07)


Thursday, May 1, 2008

Censure of President Bush

Thanks to the kind services of the office of the Petitions Secretary, the censure petition on President Bush was dealt with and did not just disappear . . . though it did in reality once it was referred to the Judicial Administration Committee.

Like the petition re: Dr. Holsinger, the Bush petition was not supported by the sub-committee and then was rejected by the whole legislative committee.

Maybe the petition was treated as a political document, presumed to be put in by partisans who oppose his policies. Those kinds of petitions really have no place in General Conference.

Some feel the petition was prophetic, a proper challenge by conscientious Christians who see the violations of Christian faith and practice in the administration of this President.

You can kind of guess what I think.

How is the GC going to feel if after he leaves office, George Bush is found to have been guilty of war crimes against humanity, torture, and knowingly lying to his country and the world?

And we couldn't even have the guts to ask him to repent and go into counseling or drop out of the church!

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