May 15, 2003

Good News, an unofficial evangelical caucus in the United Methodist Church, is planning a family-friendly event for July 24-26 in Columbus, Ohio.

The "National Summer Celebration" at the Adams Mark Hotel in downtown Columbus was announced by the executive committee of the organization's board of directors. Speakers will include George G. Hunter III, the Rev. Joy Moore, the Rev. Robert Gagnon, George Mitrovich, the Rev. Dick McClain and the Rev. Scott Field.

Workshops also will be offered under the general themes of church/congregational health, spiritual health and connectional health. More information is available at www.goodnewsmag.org, the group's Web site.

In other business during the May 8-9 meeting of the Good News executive committee, directors expressed concern about what they consider to be a series of attacks on their organization and other evangelical renewal groups by the denomination's "old-guard liberal establishment."

As examples, they cited the recent publication of a book, United Methodism at Risk: A Wake-up Call; a paid advertisement in the April 2 edition of UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference; and the April issue of Response, the magazine for United Methodist Women, which focused on "Religion's Role in the Backlash Against Women."

United Methodist News Service