Antioch Community Church — A United Methodist Congregation issued the following announcement on Dec. 2.
More than 9,000 United Methodist churches with a history of sponsoring Scouting troops have a say in the Boy Scouts of America’s sex abuse-related bankruptcy proceedings.
With a deadline looming, United Methodist leaders earlier this week began advising those churches to vote “no” on a proposed BSA bankruptcy reorganization plan. A press release reiterating that recommendation went out on Dec. 2.
The plan seeks to halt a deluge of lawsuits against BSA by creating a fund for those who, as Scouts, experienced sexual abuse from troop leaders or others. Under the plan’s latest version, nearly $1.9 billion has been committed to the fund.
A next step in the complicated litigation is an approval vote for the plan.
Abuse survivors are one class of voters. Others are local Boy Scout Councils, insurers and sponsoring or “chartering” organizations such as churches that provided space for Scout troops or Cub packs, took responsibility for their leadership and could be sued by survivors.
A United Methodist Ad Hoc Committee — consisting of eight annual conference chancellors, two bishops, two lawyers from the General Council on Finance and Administration and two staff members from United Methodist Men — has been part of the bankruptcy negotiations.
Members of the committee have sought a plan that deals compassionately with abuse survivors financially and otherwise, but also protects United Methodist churches from abuse-related lawsuits.
The United Methodist committee was part of mediation talks that continued through the Thanksgiving weekend. But votes on approval for the plan have to be in by Dec. 14, in anticipation of a January bankruptcy court hearing.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Antioch Community Church — A United Methodist Congregation
