{"id":5012,"date":"2013-09-12T10:43:00","date_gmt":"2013-09-12T17:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=5012"},"modified":"2013-09-12T10:43:00","modified_gmt":"2013-09-12T17:43:00","slug":"the-weapons-free-zone-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/the-weapons-free-zone-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weapons-Free Zone Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"<style><!--p.padding {padding-left:.5cm;}--><\/style>\n<p><center><em>Dana Lede and Megan Ernst Kilpatrick at the 2013 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Sessions in Wenatchee, Wash.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><em>After Conference:<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>The WFZ Conversation Continues<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>By Dana Lede<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In discussion at this year\u2019s Pacific Northwest Conference\u2019s Young Adult Retreat, I learned that if I wanted to &#8211; I could bring a gun to church with me. It was a statement made in jest, but one that was absolutely true. Our denomination\u2019s Book of Resolutions states that our churches are weapon-free zones. But in order to uphold that language, we needed legislation at our Annual Conference.<\/p>\n<p>Last June at Conference, I presented legislation that would reverse the \u2018default\u2019 and make our church properties weapon-free zones. Churches would have the ability to \u2018opt-out\u2019 through a vote of the charge conference. During the discussions, many questions were asked that could not be answered due to procedure. For instance: <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWould camps still be allowed to have archery?\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\nCamps are already weapon-free zones due to ACA regulations. <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWhat about parsonages?\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\nParsonages wouldn\u2019t fall under that law because they are private dwellings, even though the church owns them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWhat defines a weapon?\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\nThis question was trickier and in my opinion, the true reason we could not move the legislation forward. Schools are weapon-free zones and include knives and other firearms as banned items. Defining a weapon is difficult because intent is so important. During this year\u2019s AC, I heard joking during a meal saying that bibles are sometimes used as weapons. Would they be banned? <\/p>\n<p>Overall the legislation was sent back to committee, in my opinion because the language was too broad. When making church law, people want more defined language than that of the Book of Resolutions. I hope over the next year we can refine it and bring it back to the floor, because I believe it is very important for our churches.<\/p>\n<p><center><em>Dana Lede is a member of Kent United Methodist Church.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>Churches as Weapons Free Zones<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>Unwelcoming and Crime-Magnets<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>By Sam Forck<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to having our churches becoming Weapons Free Zones, I have mixed feelings on this.<\/p>\n<p>Neither side of me can see a positive outcome of hanging these signs on church buildings. &nbsp;I have not had to \u201cchurch-shop,\u201d in my life;  Bothell UMC has been there for me all my life (thus far). Now if I were to put myself in the shoes of a \u201cchurch-shopper\u201d and if one church I\u2019d try had one up, I think that it would be lessening the luster of a church.  Imagine a nice, well-maintained church with its grass mowed, flowers planted and everything in bloom.  Surely, a \u201cWeapons Free Zone\u201d sign will distract from all the beauty.  Curb appeal is important and for me, a WFZ sign doesn\u2019t look too inviting or welcoming.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen WFZ\u2019s signs at schools and other places. &nbsp;They usually go hand-in-hand with large fences, and other security devices. While the security of its occupants is greatly important, for students like me, it\u2019s one more thing to distract me from learning in the classroom.&nbsp; I don\u2019t want the church that I would call \u201cmine\u201d to be so institutional looking. Churches are sacred places, adding these signs would diminish that, I think.<\/p>\n<p>Another side of me sees these signs as a magnet for criminal activity.&nbsp; For a criminal baddie, a silly sign on a building would not deter that person from engaging in criminal baddie shenanigans.&nbsp; Weapons Free Zone signs may even encourage vandalism by those who are opposed to them.<\/p>\n<p><center><em>What are your thoughts?  E-mail channels@pnwumc.org and share where you stand on the issue of churches as Weapons Free Zones.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Church is a Weapon-Free Zone<\/strong><br \/>\nWhereas, in keeping with the spirit of Isaiah 2:4: \u201cGod will judge between the nations, and settle disputes of mighty nations. Then they will beat their swords into iron plows, and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war\u201d;<\/p>\n<p>Whereas, reflecting the church\u2019s traditional role as a place of safety and sanctuary,<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, every United Methodist church is officially declared a weapon-free zone.<\/p>\n<p>ADOPTED 2000<br \/>\nREADOPTED 2008<br \/>\nResolution #5011,<br \/>\n2008 Book of Resolutions<\/p>\n<p>Resolution #241,<br \/>\n2004 Book of Resolutions<\/p>\n<p>Resolution #227,<br \/>\n2000 Book of Resolutions<\/p>\n<p>See Social Principles, \u00b6 164.<\/p>\n<p>From The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church \u2014 2012. Copyright \u00a9 2012 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/index.php?option=com_content&#038;view=category&#038;layout=blog&#038;id=49&#038;Itemid=66\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Channels 65\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Channels_65_cover.jpg?w=696\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td>\n<p class=\"padding\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/index.php?option=com_content&#038;view=category&#038;layout=blog&#038;id=49&#038;Itemid=66\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Channels 65 is NOW AVAILABLE<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\nThe Weapons Free Zone Conversation, Transforming Ministries II, 100 Years of Filipino-American Methodism in North America, US-2 Young Adult Missionaries, Bishop: Imagine No Malaria, Elders: Safe Sanctuary, On Church Accessibility.  Subscribe now! E-mail <a href=\"mailto:jlove@pnwumc.org?Subject=Sign me up for Channels!\">channels@pnwumc.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dana Lede and Megan Ernst Kilpatrick at the 2013 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Sessions in Wenatchee, Wash. After Conference: The WFZ Conversation Continues By Dana Lede In discussion at this year\u2019s Pacific Northwest Conference\u2019s Young Adult Retreat, I learned that if I wanted to &#8211; I could bring a gun to church with me. It [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":5016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[111,6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-channels","8":"category-conversation"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IDEAS_WFZConversation.jpg?fit=600%2C308&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2l75j-1iQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5012"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5019,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5012\/revisions\/5019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}