Losing in Two Ways!

United Methodist Church membership declined by approximately 74,791 members as of Dec 31, 2007 – United Methodist Church membership was approximately 7,856,752 as of Jan 1, 2008. --- sources include Annual Conference Reports, Newscope, United Methodist News Service and General Council on Finance and Administration

So, what else is new? Annual Conference reports for the United Methodist Church reveal another year of declining membership which brings total U. S. membership below the 8 million level. The pattern has been an annual loss of tens of thousands of members for quite some time. A very few conferences posted some gains, but for most it was the use of that minus sign again. My own conference, W. Pennsylvania, lost 1,738 members during 2007. And this in spite of all the hype and money invested in the kite flying “Believe Again” campaign which has been underway for a while!

It’s almost like an annual “ritual” -- there is the loss of tens of thousands as reported each year, but there is another loss to which no reference is ever made in the United Methodist Church.

That is an unknown number of persons who would have become members of the UMC but they never had a chance – you see, they were the victims of intentional assault and murder before they were born!

A new milestone is about to be reached in “the land of the free and the home of the brave” – soon there will be 50 million unborn victims who will have been mutilated and murdered in their mothers’ wombs since the infamous decision by very blind and very foolish Supreme Court members back in 1973. The terms “blind” and ”foolish” are very applicable because they did not realize the extent of the harvest yet to be reaped by opening such a Pandora’s Box as this.

Anyone out there want to broadcast your ignorance and deny that at least some of those 50 million victims would have become members in United Methodist churches scattered throughout the 50 states of this republic?

The oldest of these would be in their mid-30’s with families and settled well into their careers! Who can fathom what would have been the extent of their contributions made within the fellowship of the church?

You are aware, are you not, that not much discussion or serious concern is raised about this group which could have made some measure of difference in the life of the United Methodist Church?

Yes, I’m fully aware of the fact that the UMC has an “official” statement on the subject of abortion in its Social Principles. That statement, when all the attempts at pious language are honestly analyzed, brings you to an intersection with a flashing green light which says that any woman can get an abortion with sanction from the United Methodist Church – it’s quite simple – all she has to do is say, “This pregnancy is going to bring a lot of undue stress, financial hardship and extensive psychological damage to me!”

That’s it – a free ticket with the UMC stamp of approval to execute an unborn child whom God is forming in the womb for a high and holy purpose.

Will anything be done to try to reverse the losses? Highly unlikely, although there may be some “campaigns” launched to try to lessen those negative yearly numbers reported by the annual conferences, but very, very few if any will mention that just maybe something ought to be done about ending the United States’ version of “Holocaust” – and our number is nearly 3 times the number of victims under the Nazi version in WW II. Just a little something to think about when it comes to the United Methodist Church and its adventure with numbers!

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." --- Jeremiah 1:4, 5