Methodist cash for HART denied

Press, 4 November 1981, Page 6

Methodist cash for HART denied

The- Methodist Church gave no money to HART, in spite of its conference rejecting a call to end financial support for the organisation said the conference news media officer, the Rev. M. W. Greer.

. The decision made at the Church conference in Christchurch on Monday evening to reject the finan-cial-support motion by a Hamilton delegate was a matter of formal procedure, he said. However, the vote had been wrongly interpreted in a radio bulletin yesterday to imply that the Church was continuing financial support. “It has no basis in fact,” Mr Greer said. "We have been setting calls from all over New Zealand about it.” Individual members might support HART actively but the Church had n'-'t given any financial support since a $5O contribution in 1975. The Church sponsored HART through the National Council of Churches but used the organisation only to provide information on apartheid issues.

Rising costs Methodist parishioners will be'asked, to give about 150,000 more to support their Church in the 1982-83 financial year. Rising costs led the conference yesterday to vote up to a 10 per cent increase in its national budget for the year beginning July 1. 1982. The fund includes, national administration support for overseas missions, and work with Maoris. The joint convener of the conference finance and stewardship committee, the Rev. J. S. Hosking, said that "giving of the people” and fundraising would provide the extra . contribution from churches. The increase was lower than usuaL because the Church had been faced in the last two years with “abnormal" increases to cover high inflation and increased . stipends. The Connexional budget would probably ■ rise from $750,000 to $BOO,OOO, but the exact figures would not be decided until next May.

Nuclear free Methodists have been asked to declw? their homes nuclear-free zones. The conference decided to urge the declaration of church properties vaid the homes of “Methodist people” as a symbolic gesture against growing world militarism. Springbok tour The Springbok tour dominated last evening's session of the Methodist conference. The conference supported a call for independent assessors on any police tribunal dealing with actions resulting in death or personal injury. The conference intends to ask the Government to consider this proposal. Delegates also reaffirmed their opposition to apartheid and sports contacts with South Africa, while calling on all political parties to follow the Gleneagles Agreement.