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Contact:   James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher, Good News (859) 858-4661

Good News Celebrates 35th Anniversary, Honors David Seamands, Affirms Call for Reform of Women’s Division, and Questions Process in PNW Conference

WILMORE, KY --  The Good News board of directors, meeting here January 23-25, celebrated 35 years of ministry, presented to David A. Seamands the Edmund W. Robb, Jr. United Methodist Renewal Award, unanimously affirmed earlier Executive Committee action calling for reform of the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, unanimously affirmed Good News magazine’s editorial staff in its selection of President George W. Bush as its UM Layman of the Year, and raised questions about due process in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference where Bishop Galvan has initiated proceedings against two pastors who are self-avowed, practicing homosexuals, but has not yet suspended them, as mandated by Judicial Council Decision 920. 

     “Good News is 35 years old this year,” said James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher of Good News, to a crowd of board members, staff, spouses, and friends gathered for a 35th Anniversary Banquet on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore. “We began in 1967 as simply a small magazine published out of the basement of a UM Church parsonage, hoping to rally, encourage and somehow represent evangelicals in the Methodist Church. What the founders of Good News didn’t realize back then was just how many evangelicals there were across the church.”

     At the banquet, Good News presented the second annual Edmund W. Robb, Jr. United Methodist Renewal Award to Dr. David A. Seamands, who served with his wife, Helen, from 1946 to 1962 as missionaries in India for the General Board of Global Ministries. In 1962, the Seamands returned to the U.S. and David was appointed as pastor of the Wilmore United Methodist Church where he served for 22 years. Upon his retirement, he taught pastoral care for a number of years on the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary.

     Good News presents the Robb Award annually to a person or persons whose life and ministry have made a significant contribution to renewal within the United Methodist Church. Seamands’ major contributions included his 16 years as a UM missionary in India, 22 years of outstanding ministry in Wilmore where he preached Sunday mornings and evenings to more than 1,000 persons, including many students from Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary. Tapes of his outstanding biblical sermons were sent by the tens of thousands literally around the world, and free to hundreds of UM missionaries overseas. Additional tens of thousands of his tapes dealing with the subject of damaged emotions were circulated before his book Healing for Damaged Emotions (1.1 million sold) was ever published. In all, Seamands’ seven books have sold more than 2 million copies. Seamands was also a delegate to six General Conferences, beginning in 1976. At four of those he presented the minority report for the legislative section dealing with issues of human sexuality. He also was responsible for the founding of the Evangelical Missions Council, which after two years became a program arm of Good News until 1983, when the Mission Society for United Methodists was organized. “David’s ministry is a remarkable chronicle of a dynamic and fruitful ministry, which has touched more lives with the Gospel than we could ever imagine. Those attending the banquet stood to applaud David with warm and deeply appreciative hearts for what he has meant to all of us, to the Kingdom of God, and to the United Methodist Church,” Heidinger said.

        The Good News board commended Bishop Elias Galvan for initiating a review of the ministerial credentials of the Revs. Mark Williams and Rev. Karen Dammann, clergy members of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, who have publicly acknowledged they are self-avowed, practicing homosexuals. The board expressed concern, however, about whether the process outlined in Judicial Council Decision 920 was being followed, noting specifically that the Revs. Williams and Dammann had not yet been placed on suspension as required by the Decision 920. The Digest of Decision 920 states clearly that “While proceedings are conducted to address the issues of character and conference relations according to fair and due process, the bishop, with the recommendation of the executive committee of the board of ordained ministry, shall place the clergy person on suspension under Par. 359.1 (c). The clergy person shall be relieved of all clergy duties, but not from appointment during such suspension.”  A bishop’s refusal to suspend during a review of credentials in such a case would seem to amount to a pocket veto of the clear due process provided by the Judicial Council. This raises important questions for the church about what it means to truly be living in “connection,” board members noted. 

     The Good News board also unanimously affirmed action by its Executive Committee last November calling for reform of the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries. RENEW President, Faye Short, of Alto, Georgia, said she was “greatly encouraged” by the unanimous vote of support. Commenting on Joyce Sohl’s response to the Call for Reform, Good News President, James Heidinger, said, “It is quite revealing that our Call to Reform of the Women’s Division was caricatured by Ms. Sohl in such drastic terms. . .When a church group or agency believes a call for reform and accountability is an attempt to “destroy” it, one has to wonder why they are so defensive and fearful.” 

     In other action, the Good News board unanimously affirmed the Good News magazine editorial staff in its selection of George W. Bush as its UM Layman of the Year. The board also elected as its new chairman, the Rev. Dr. Scott Field, senior minister of Wheatland-Salem United Methodist Church in Naperville, Illinois. For the last two quadrennia, Field has headed Good News’ legislative strategy effort at General Conference. He replaces outgoing chairman, Dr. Philip Granger, who on December 1 became the President and CEO of the Mission Society for United Methodists, in Norcross, Georgia.