NOTE: This is a digest of news features provided by United Methodist Communications for Jan. 27 - Feb. 3. It includes summaries of United Methodist News Service stories and additional briefs from around the United Methodist connection. Full versions of the stories with photographs and related features can be found at http://umns.umc.org.
The Super Bowl and the church
Denver, Seattle United Methodist pastors use Super Bowl to fight hunger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — It may not reach Richard Sherman/Michael Crabtree levels, but some 50 churches in Seattle and Denver are engaging in a little friendly Super Bowl-related competition to help the hungry. Sophia Agtarap of Rethink Church has the story.
I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me."--Matthew 25:40
It may not reach Richard Sherman/Michael Crabtree levels, but two pastors who serve churches in Seattle and Denver are engaging in a little friendly Super Bowl-related competition — and perhaps some trash talk.
After the Seattle Seahawks secured their spot in the Super Bowl, the Rev. Brad Laurvick, at Highlands United Methodist Church in Denver, texted his friend and former seminary classmate, the Rev. Monica Corsaro at Rainier Beacon United Methodist Church in Seattle, saying: “Want to make this interesting?”
Rev. Laurvick's challenge on Facebook
The challenge? Recruit United Methodist churches from Colorado and Washington to gather as much food as they can to stock local food banks and address the needs of the hungry in their neighborhoods. And the #unitedinblue and #unitedinorange food drives were born.
“We thought it was going to be small, but by the end of the day on Monday, we were up to 50 churches,” Laurvick recalled. What has been the most exciting thing for both Laurvick and Corsaro is that this isn’t a top-down effort. It didn’t start over a meeting or a by someone approving the food drives could take place. “Everything about this has been about welcoming and inviting others. When people say they want to help, we say yes,” Laurvick said. Corsaro chimed in saying, “Facebook, Twitter and texting have been the three ways people are hearing about it. As soon as we post announcements on the Facebook event pages we get responses. It’s going at a pace we can’t keep up with.”
Rev. Corsaro's response
Local TV is also playing a role in reaching those who aren’t connected to one another on social media. On January 23, Laurvick did an interview with Denver’s 9 News, which included a Skype conversation with Corsaro.
“I’m getting emails from pastors who aren’t on Facebook and are asking how they can get involved,” Laurvick remarked. “It’s amazing what you’re doing,” people tell him. But he is quick to remind them, “It’s not us. It’s all of you.”
And that’s what wows Corsaro about this challenge. As she puts it: “It’s the power of the people and an energy showing that people do want to be involved in something bigger than themselves.”
Both Laurvick and Corsaro expressed that their call was to the neighborhoods where their churches are located. People in Laurvick’s neighborhood know them as “that church that's always doing things to help people. They know that we’re a church that you go to if you want to make a difference.”
Lake Washington United Methodist Church in Kirkland, Washington
Corsaro wants to feed off of the #12thman energy that Seattle is feeling. She asked, “How can we plug in to this camaraderie and excitement that has taken over the city and make a dent in the needs of our communities? How can we remind ourselves once again that the denomination began as a movement?”
“When Peyton Manning steps on the field,” Laurvick says, “he has an entire city supporting him. I want people in Denver who are food insecure to know that The United Methodist Church is behind them and supporting their needs.”
If there’s a message that Corsaro and Laurvick want people to know about this challenge, it’s this: We are a people not about buildings. We’re the ones who want to be where the people are. It’s in our DNA. But we’ve lost the power of “we.” What the world has been seeing is church trials. We want them to see that we’re the church willing to be present. That’s living out the teachings of Jesus.
Since this challenge began, both groups have estimated spending a total of $4 to promote the food drive, and have gathered over ten thousand food items, including pallets of fresh produce and more than $1,000 in donations. To join this friendly competition and learn more about how to get involved, visit the United In Orange or United In Blue sites support your favorite team.
Here’s to those crazy ideas that are encouraged to flourish with the support of great colleagues and generous hearts.
That's a community of love. That's Church.
Learn more about The United Methodist Church's efforts to address hunger and poverty, by visiting our Bread & Justice website.
-------
Story of healing takes Arkansas teen to Super Bowl
HOPE, Ark. (UMNS) — Nate Carter, a member of First United Methodist Church, almost saw his football dreams disappear like the 70 pounds he lost during the month he spent in the hospital. His story of recovery from a life-threatening illness and return to the gridiron won an NFL essay contest, and he is now heading to the Super Bowl. Amy Forbus of the Arkansas Annual (regional) Conference shares Carter's story and how his church family helped his recovery.
Nate Carter had a tough year in 2012.
The athletic middle-school student saw his seventh-grade football season disappear like the 70 pounds he lost during the month he spent in Arkansas Children’s Hospital. But he’d fought a life-threatening illness, and won.
Doctors had told Bitsy and Anthony Carter that their son might not pull through. A rare disease, Wegener’s granulomatosis (also called granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or GPA), had caused inflammation of Nate’s blood vessels, leading to a number of serious complications. When he was admitted to the hospital, his lungs were nearly filled with blood.
Wegener’s granulomatosis is not curable, but it is treatable and manageable. With expert attention to his medical needs and a lot of prayer—much of it from his fellow church members at First United Methodist Church Hope, where his mother serves as pianist—Nate has experienced a full recovery.
From ICU to QB
It took serious effort, though, for him to reach a point where his doctors gave him the thumbs-up to play football. His dream of returning to the football field served as his primary motivation to rebuild his strength. In 2013, Nate’s work paid off, and he earned the position of starting quarterback on his school’s eighth-grade football team.
The experience also led him to enter an essay into a "Why I Love Football” contest sponsored by the National Football League. Five winners would be chosen to attend Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. In his essay, Nate wrote of his illness, and how his desire to play football aided in his recovery.
When he was chosen as a finalist, the NFL sent a video crew to Hope to capture Nate’s story. The video, now available at www.togetherwemakefootball.com, was voted a winner by NFL fans.
"Football has taught me that with God’s help, you can do anything,” Nate says at the close of the video.
At an early January surprise party, Nate and his parents received tickets to the Super Bowl, and his win was announced on national television Jan. 19.
Supportive church
Nate professed his faith in Christ and was baptized following his participation in First UMC Hope’s 2012 confirmation class, said the Rev. Steve Johnson, the church’s pastor. Nate has served as an acolyte in the past, and now participates in the church’s youth group.
"He and his family give God the glory for his recovery, as well as acknowledging the excellent medical care he received,” Johnson said.
"They’ve been my backbone,” Bitsy Carter said of First UMC Hope. "The church loves him and is completely supportive.”
One Sunday during Nate’s hospitalization, the entire congregation posed for a photo while dressed in custom-made "Team N8 Dawg” t-shirts. They emailed the image to the Carters as a show of their support.
"I opened up that picture and just started crying,” Bitsy Carter said. "To physically see people standing behind you like that, and knowing that they were praying... they’re an amazing church family. My music led me there, but I’m thankful we’re there now because they’ve supported us. He’s their baby.”
For his part, Nate is aware of—and grateful for—the amazing healing he has experienced. While he isn’t entirely comfortable with all the attention, his mom says he’s handled it "with the ultimate grace, giving God credit.”
Flare-ups of Wegener’s granulomatosis can be unpredictable, but for now, Nate’s condition remains under control. Bitsy Carter is grateful that their family can now be part of raising awareness of the disease. Her constant prayer for Nate: "Keep him happy, keep him healthy, keep him normal.”
"I’ve said that over and over, and God has answered our prayers over and over,” she said. "We can’t get enough word out about how good God is.”
To view a video of Nate’s story, along with those of other winners and finalists, visit www.TogetherWeMakeFootball.com; or watch the winning stories in "Football America: Our Stories," an hour-long special on FOX on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2, at noon Central time.
-------
See NFL video of Nate Carter's story
http://www.togetherwemakefootball.com/contest.html?j=83085&e=djones@umcom.org&l=16489_HTML&u=2387462&mid=6206185&jb=0
-------
Does God care who wins the Super Bowl?
DES MOINES, Wash. (UMNS) — Patrick Scriven, director of communications and young people's ministries in the Pacific Northwest Annual (regional) Conference, worries when some fans or players even jokingly pray to God for a win. "Prayer is one of the most public ways by which we communicate our theology," he writes. by Patrick Scriven | Director of Communications & Young People’s Ministry
“Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!”--Psalm 79:6
It is often noted that the Psalms offer an eclectic mixture of theology and an honesty that can be equal parts refreshing and disturbing. Case in point, Psalm 109 details a terrible list of curses that one can only hope tells us more about the psalmist’s angst than it does about the actual character of God. We should be thankful that, more often than not, people don’t take these rhetorical flourishes too seriously; and remain troubled by the times they do.
Where the Psalms offer a glimpse into the prayer life and practical theologies of the psalmist(s), we might say that the true character of our faith community can be discerned from the hymns we sing and the way we pray. We are all capable of using words and concepts which don’t represent God well, especially when we are trying to process a personal crisis or respond compassionately to the grief of others. And most churches still sing a song or two that the pastor cringes their way through praying that someday no soul will ever need to sing Onward Christian Soldiers again.
Our best hope is that the weight of what we say, sing, and do, presents a vision of God that honors the best of what we believe.
The NFL playoffs have made it an exciting time to live in the Seattle area. The fan base, or 12th man, is hungry for a Superbowl trophy and the NFC Championship win over the 49ers will only ramp up the hype. Despite our excitement for the team we root for on Sunday afternoons, what do the weight of out acts of NFL devotion say about the God we worship on Sunday mornings?
Let me confess that I may think too much about what we communicate theologically.
I worry about the cavalier way some fans and players publicly pray to God for a win. I worry about how quickly folks declare God’s will when their team wins or loses. I worry about our church’s pedagogy when the local big box church interviews the Christian players on the team, not so subtly suggesting that their faith is the secret ingredient that will bring home those cherished rings.
We all saw how good this spiritual hype thing worked for Tim Tebow and the Jets. 1
It is only fair to recognize that a lot of those who offer such prayers do so with a certain amount of levity. They don’t really mean it. After all, the NFL is just a game, right?
But life is great at throwing us penalty flags. One moment we’ll be celebrating a fantastic football win and the next we may be dealing with the loss of a child. Does our theological levity makes it easier for people to assume the wrong things about God during those bad times as well?
Are we missing pedagogical moments that matter? Even worse, are we communicating false impressions of God that can actually cause deep harm?
After all, what kind of God would intervene to help a football team win while allowing senseless violence in our children’s schools? Whose God delivers the Hail Mary pass while neglecting to protect innocents from terrible natural disasters? What can we say about the God who says “It is Good” to our team’s game winning field goal but won’t offer the same help to the young couple experiencing another miscarriage? And how far down the slope does one need to slip to accept that the God who stands with the Seahawks always stands with the United States regardless of what we might do?
Prayer isn’t a system to make requests of a benevolent deity. Prayer is one of the most public ways by which we communicate our theology. How we pray defines the character or our communities and it defines our beliefs about God.
There was an moment in the 4th Quarter of the NFC Championship game that presented an interesting moral quandary. Niners linebacker NaVorro Bowman forced a fumble while defending the goal line. His knee is seriously injured as players pile on and the officials rush in and errantly declare a Seahawk possession. The Niners are unable to challenge the play, which is truly unfortunate as replays show Bowman had the ball securely in his hands as he hit the turf. What will the Seahawks do?
On the next play, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson botches an easy handoff to running back Marshawn Lynch who bobbles and inevitably fumbles the ball leading to a Niners recovery. The skeptic in me imagines that they just screwed the play up. Some of my friends suggested it was akin to karma or divine intervention. The believer in me would like to think that it was a faithful and deliberate action by Wilson and/or Lynch to bring a little “justice,” as the announcer would define it, to a terrible situation.
You see, that is how I know and experience God at work in the world. While some believe God reaches down regularly to magically intervene in people’s lives, I see miracles in the actions of faithful people who put conscience in front of convenience, and concern for the welfare of others before their own comfort. We may have seen this in an unforced turnover yesterday. Then again, maybe not.
I must admit, there is something refreshing and raw about the honesty we find in the Psalms. And there is something tempting about calling upon God’s favor for something you are passionate for. But before we do, let’s think for a moment about what our prayers, and actions, communicate about our true character and beliefs about God. After all, it may be the one time that someone is listening.
-------
News around the connection:
Donor gives $1.1 million to Imagine No Malaria
LOS ALTOS, Calif. (UMNS) — Barbara Ferguson, a laywoman from Los Altos United Methodist Church, donated $1.1 million toward the California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference’s efforts in the denomination’s Imagine No Malaria campaign. This is the largest gift from an individual donor to date in The United Methodist Church’s campaign to eradicate malaria in Africa by 2015. by Larry R. Hygh Jr.*
LOS ALTOS, Calif. (UMNS) — Not everyone can give $1.1 million, but everyone can think of a way to “give just a tiny bit more,” says Barbara Ferguson, whose donation is the largest ever given from an individual donor to Imagine No Malaria.
“I think it’s important that we all give back in some small way to make this world a better place for folks to live,” says Ferguson, a laywoman from Los Altos United Methodist Church in California’s Bay Area.
Her donation to The United Methodist Church’s campaign to help eradicate preventable deaths by malaria by 2015, came after she heard a presentation by Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., leader of the California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference, about his trip to Angola.
The conference’s goal is to save 200,000 lives on the continent of Africa by raising $2 million by 2015. “It gives me great joy to announce that we are now more than halfway towards meeting that goal,” Brown said.
“Barbara is a marvelous example of living into our calling to be disciples of Jesus. She faithfully looks for ways she can make a difference in people’s lives,” Brown said. “Barbara is a humble person and seeks no attention for herself. Instead, she encourages all of us to be the disciple we were baptized to be.”
Brown said he is encouraged by the creative ways in which people in the conference are getting involved in Imagine No Malaria. “Even prior to Barbara’s commitment, we have saved more than 8,500 lives on the continent of Africa,” he said.
Humble beginnings
Ferguson and her late husband, Earl Ferguson, who passed away in 2003, both grew up in the farming community of Goldendale, Wash. She said they met at the age of 12, began dating when they were 14 and were married by age 23. Ferguson tells of Earl coming from humble beginnings with his family raising cattle at a ranch near the Columbia River, and he was 8 before the family had electricity in the home.
“He (Earl) always valued education and after high school attended Yakima Valley Community College, University of Washington, and the University of Michigan,” said Ferguson. Earl Ferguson went on to have a successful career in the computer science industry and helped to develop two companies that were awarded four patents. Eventually, one of the companies, Foundry Networks, went public.
Ferguson said that when the first start-up was sold, the couple had $1 million. “We stood in the kitchen and said we must give back.” She added, “We were richly blessed. We grew up in farm families where we didn’t’ have much money. After Earl’s first company sold, we knew we could act on God’s plan for us.”
The Rev. Mark Bollwinkel, senior pastor of Los Altos United Methodist Church, said, “Earl’s genius for mathematics and engineering led him to discover technologies that contributed to the creation of the Internet.” Bollwinkel said the Fergusons dedicated much of their wealth to serving others and the church.
“Following Earl’s unexpected death in 2003, Barbara and her family have continued to resource efforts to make the world a better place,” he said. “They do so with humility and gratitude to God for the opportunity to give.”
Ferguson, a lifelong Methodist, has been a member of Los Altos United Methodist Church since 1985. She was one of the leaders of the church’s Stephen Ministry for 20 years and has worked as a volunteer in the finance office for 17 years.
“The individual person needs to think about what tiny bit more they can do to give back in whatever area they can support,” Ferguson said.
Next wave of giving
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, who leads the Western Pennsylvania Conference and the denomination’s Imagine No Malaria efforts, said, “I am overjoyed by the receipt of this gift. … I pray that it will be multiplied over and over.”
He added, “This gift represents the next wave of giving; the large gift connected to the grassroots giving strength of Imagine No Malaria is a winning formula.”
In February 2013, as a gateway to launch the conference’s Imagine No Malaria efforts, Brown challenged the churches of the California-Nevada Conference to raise $50,000 by the annual conference session in June to rebuild a health clinic in Bom Jesus, Angola. The effort was called “Building a Bridge of Love to Angola” and churches surpassed the goal and raised $61,000.
The clinic, abandoned during the civil war when most people and church members fled the area, is the focal point for the medical and health care ministry of The United Methodist Church in Angola. Repairs to the clinic will include, but are not limited to, roof and ceiling repairs, window and door security improvements, painting and utility repairs. Medical clinic equipment and supplies will then be provided and the clinic placed into medical service. The California-Nevada Conference in partnership with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries will aid in the rebuilding process.
Just a few years ago, statistics showed a child died every 30 seconds of malaria. The United Methodist Church has worked with global partners such as the United Nations Foundation, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Health Organization and others, and the death rate has dropped to one every 60 seconds.
So far, The United Methodist Church as a whole has raised more than $60 million in pledges and gifts to fight the disease. The denomination’s goal is to raise at least $75 million for the effort by 2015.
For almost 200 years, The United Methodist Church has operated hospitals and clinics throughout Africa. These facilities are a vital and trusted part of the health-care delivery system on the continent. The Imagine No Malaria approach is focused on four key areas: prevention, education, communication and treatment.
Learn more about Imagine No Malaria.
*Hygh is director of communications for the denomination’s California-Nevada Annual Conference.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
-------
New group aims to find way to ‘live in a divided church’
ATLANTA (UMNS) — The Wesleyan Covenant Network, a new United Methodist group, is forming with the aim of advancing “the Kingdom of Christ,” despite the denomination’s growing divisions over homosexuality. In practice, group members say, this means committing to mutual accountability, evangelism and upholding the United Methodist doctrine. by Heather Hahn*
A new United Methodist group in the United States is forming with the aim to advance “the Kingdom of Christ,” despite the denomination’s growing divisions over same-sex unions and gay ordination.
Rev Maxie Dunnam 290x217 New group aims to find way to ‘live in a divided church’
The Rev. Maxie Dunnam speaks at Wesleyan Covenant Network meeting Jan. 13-14 in Atlanta. Photos by Steve Beard.
In practice, founders of the new Wesleyan Covenant Network say, they are committed to mutual accountability, evangelism and upholding the United Methodist doctrine, especially the primacy of Scripture in faith and practice.
The group first met Jan. 13-14 in Atlanta and drew 125 United Methodists, mostly clergy, from 15 states. Participants came from three United Methodist jurisdictions in the U.S., including south east, south central and north central areas.
The Rev. Maxie Dunnam, a longtime United Methodist leader, is one of the group’s founders.
“We’re really working on how to live in a divided church and be productive and kingdom-minded,” he told United Methodist News Service. “We’re just exploring ways to encourage and equip and support people in doing that.”
Dunnam is a retired president of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. and retired senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis. He also was one of the founders of the Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church, an evangelical renewal group. Among other things, the Confessing Movement advocates for maintaining the denomination’s definition of marriage as between a man and woman and its ban on “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy.
Dunnam said some of the clergy at the Atlanta gathering discussed whether they were being faithful to the gospel if they remained in a church where pastors and a retired bishop have been officiating in same-sex unions. The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s book of doctrine and law, prohibits clergy from officiating and church sanctuaries from hosting such unions.
“I am not sure leaders of the church know how serious what’s going on is,” Dunnam said. “This is what I’m committed to trying to prevent. I don’t want that kind of hemorrhage.”
‘Not political action or lobby group’
However, the Wesleyan Covenant Network will not be a political action or lobbying group, Dunnam and other group organizers emphasized.
Rev Bryan Collier 290x222 New group aims to find way to ‘live in a divided church’
The Rev. Bryan Collier, lead pastor of The Orchard, a United Methodist congregation in Tupelo, Miss., speaks at the Wesleyan Covenant Network meeting.
“I have about 25 years left until mandatory retirement age,” said the Rev. Bryan Collier, the lead pastor of The Orchard, a multi-campus United Methodist congregation in northern Mississippi, and another group founder. “For 23 years I have been engaged in conversations about renewal and change without much to show for it. I want to spend the next 25 years doing something of eternal significance — focusing on The Kingdom of Christ and letting the effect of that focus ‘trickle down’ to the denomination if it will.”
Group members said they plan in some ways to act in parallel to traditional church structures, such as starting new churches where the denomination is not.
“We are excited about sharing resources among member churches and are dreaming of new ways to be in partnership in the planting of new churches and in the raising up of new leaders with a distinctly Wesleyan approach to life and ministry,” said the Rev. Carolyn Moore, founder and pastor of Mosaic United Methodist Church in Evans, Ga. She is also one of the group’s organizers.
The Rev. Ted Campbell, associate professor of church history at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, said he does not know the group’s founders but thinks “it’s a good idea to forge ahead with an emphasis on mission rather than being stymied by contemporary controversies.”
Different point of view
The Rev. Thomas E. Frank, a historian of Methodism and professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., has a different take. He sees the new group as part of the growing proliferation of interest groups in the denomination promoting differing theological perspectives.
That’s in contrast to much of the 20th century, he said, when there was a long-term trend toward church unity that saw the formation of the Methodist Church in 1939 and The United Methodist Church in 1968.
The Wesleyan Covenant Network’s charter describes homosexuality as “the presenting divisive issue,” but adds that the group sees the division as deeper. “Fundamentally, the issue is the authority of Scripture and the exclusive claims of the Gospel in tensions with the ideological commitments of multiple groups within the life of the church,” the charter said.
“Now The United Methodist Church looks like a story of fragmentation with interests groups, and the groups are all using the name Wesley to leverage their theological point of view,” said Frank, who is also the author of the frequently used textbook Polity, Practice, and the Mission of The United Methodist Church. “My question as a historian is what happened to the mainstream that sought unity and institution building.”
Frank has urged United Methodist bishops, for the sake of church unity, to end church trials related to the denomination’s stance on homosexuality.
“All United Methodists don’t have to agree on sexuality issues,” he told United Methodist News Service. “I don’t understand why it should be a church-dividing issue.”
The Wesleyan Covenant Network’s charter describes homosexuality as “the presenting divisive issue,” but adds that the group sees the division as deeper. “Fundamentally, the issue is the authority of Scripture and the exclusive claims of the Gospel in tensions with the ideological commitments of multiple groups within the life of the church,” the charter said.
Figuring out how to proceed
Ultimately, Dunnam said, it’s up to bishops and the General Conference to deal with the denomination’s divisions. For now, group members are discussing how they will work together.
The Rev. Chappell Temple, a church historian and senior pastor in Lakewood United Methodist Church in Houston, said in Atlanta that early Christian orders could serve as model for the new group. He said the rise of monastic and mendicant orders allowed some breathing room for differences of opinion over various questions within the church without formal separation.
For example, he said, when the excesses of wealth threatened to dilute the Catholic Church’s witness, Franciscans emerged who embraced “Brother Poverty” and dedicated themselves to ministry alongside the poor. But they did so within the Catholic Church.
He sees the same potential the Wesleyan Covenant Network to focus on discipleship and evangelism, while remaining part of the United Methodist fold.
“I don’t know what the future will hold for the network, but I do believe there is real benefit in gathering folks from across the connection (and there were folks from all over among the hundred or so who gathered in Atlanta) for conversations about where we are going as a denomination and how we can be more fruitful,” he told United Methodist News Service. “That at least is my hope for the group, but these things sometimes have a life of their own once they have begun, so I think we’ll have to wait and see how it all develops.”
*Hahn is a multimedia reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
-------
United Methodist expert on sacraments dies
DURHAM, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Gayle C. Felton, 71, a clergy member of the North Carolina Annual (regional) Conference known for her published works on baptism and the sacraments, died Jan. 25. She was the primary author of the 2004 denominational statement on Holy Communion.
Read obituary
Rev. Dr, Gayle C. Felton Ph. D.
Reverend Doctor Gayle C. Felton
March 24, 1942 – January 25, 2014
Reverend Doctor Gayle C. Felton, 71, preacher, teacher and theologian, died at her home in Rougemont on January 25, 2014. Gayle was a native of Pinetops, NC. She graduated with a B.A. in History from North Carolina Wesleyan College where she was the first valedictorian of the newly opened college. Gayle taught high school history and civics in Edgecombe County before answering the call to ministry.
She received her Master of Divinity and Doctorate from Duke University. After teaching religion at Meredith College for two years, she returned to Duke where she taught in the School of Divinity for over a decade, guiding and influencing a generation of pastors and others serving the United Methodist Church. Gayle’s scholarship largely focused on the history of Methodism with special emphasis on the sacraments.
Among her published works are This Gift of Water, By Water and the Spirit, This Holy Mystery, United Methodists and the Sacraments, and The Coming of Jesus. She was also the editor of How United Methodists Study Scripture and the writer of numerous studies and other works used across the United Methodist Church. She was a frequent participant in United Methodist General Conferences and was appointed for many years to the General Board of Discipleship.
Gayle had a deep commitment to social justice, working to integrate the public schools in Edgecombe County and as a pioneer in building the Reconciling Movement, a group advocating for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the United Methodist Church. She was honored to serve as the national board chair of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Gayle also was a role model for women seeking ordination in the United Methodist Church, working tirelessly to remove many of the obstacles she herself had to overcome in becoming an ordained elder.
Gayle is survived by her son, Reverend Alan Felton and wife, Joan, along with her grandchildren John Alan and Virginia Gayle of Apex. Gayle loved the life she shared with Reverend Deborah Morgan and Deborah’s two children, Joanna and Morgan. Gayle is also survived by her brother, J. Phil Carlton of Pinetops and his family; and her former husband, Al Felton of Newport, NC. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Marilyn Lewis Felton and her parents, Lewis and Kittye Snow Carlton.
A service of remembrance will be held on Saturday, February 1st from 12-2pm at Calvary UMC in Durham where Gayle served for many years. A service of death and resurrection will be held at 11am on Friday, January 31st at Apex UMC with Reverend Laurie Hayes Coffman officiating. The family will greet friends immediately before the service. Burial will be in the Pinetops Cemetery on Friday, January 31 at 3:30pm.
Memorials may be made to Calvary UMC, 304 E. Trinity Ave., Durham, NC 27701; or to the Reconciling Ministries Network, 123 W. Madison St., Suite 2150, Chicago, IL 60602.
Arrangements for the Felton family are under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service in Durham. On-line memorials: www.hallwynne.com Select obituaries.
-------
UMCOR returns to help Philippine typhoon survivors
LEYTE PROVINCE, Philippines (UMNS) — The Rev. David D. Cosmiano, district superintendent in the Eastern Visayas District, reports that the United Methodist Committee on Relief returned to Leyte Province Dec. 5-6 to distribute more relief goods to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which is known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda. “You are a church that remembers,” Cosmiano said survivors told him.
UMCOR’s Return to Leyte
January 28, 2014 by Jay Rollins
Rev. David Cosmiano is a United Methodist district superintendent for Eastern Visayas in the Philippines, a region heavily impacted by Typhoon Haiyan last November. Photo credit: Jerome Mercado
By Rev. David D. Cosmiano, District Superintendent, United Methodist Church, Eastern Visayas District, Philippines.
On December 5-6, 2013, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) returned to Leyte Province in the Philippines to distribute relief goods among survivors of Typhoon Yolanda, or Haiyan, as the storm is known outside of our country. UMCOR is an agency of the global United Methodist Church and is in charge of relief operations whenever there is a natural or a human-caused calamity.
Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Eastern, Central, and Western Visayas on November 8, 2013. It devastated the entire region. Thousands of lives were lost, and livelihoods were washed away. UMCOR staff and volunteers first came with a relief convoy to the region about a week after the storm.
When they came again in early December, they distributed relief goods in several communities, including where we have local United Methodist churches. UMCOR’s emergency food packages were distributed to many survivors in the communities who were in need. I accompanied the UMCOR staff and volunteers on this visit to Ormoc City, Isabel, and Tacloban City.
The families served by UMCOR on this relief trip expressed gratitude that our United Methodist Church remembered them in times of calamity. We saw an inspiring banner in Ormoc City that read: “Homeless, Roofless, But NOT HOPELESS!”
When I visited Methodist households just before Christmas, I also stopped in to see some of the neighbors who do not belong to the church and who had received UMCOR food packets. Many of them had saved the bright yellow UMCOR bags that had contained rice, beans, and other food items.
I was so surprised to see the bags hanging on walls in the homes. When I asked the families why they displayed the bags they said, “It reminds us that UMCOR gave us something different, something more than we would normally get.” UMCOR fills the emergency foodpackages according to international humanitarian standards.
Some of the people also took pictures of the contents of the bags and kept the picture to help them remember. That made me happy, because our church, through UMCOR, responded to the survivors. “You are a church that remembers,” they said.
I personally, and on behalf of The United Methodist Church in the Eastern Visayas District, thank UMCOR. Indeed, UMCOR gave us their time and concern, for we too are survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
-------
Churches reap benefits of member shopping habits
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — UMCmarket.org, launched by the General Council on Finance and Administration, in six months raised around $49,000 for local churches and other United Methodist organizations. The online service is designed for United Methodists to shop at hundreds of retailers and have a percentage of their total shopping purchase donated to the local church or other church organizations of their choice.
PRESS RELEASE
General Council on Finance and Administration
The United Methodist Church
Contact: Bobby Lee Smith
615.369.2407
January 27, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Churches Reaping Benefits from Member Shopping Habits
--UMC Market Deemed Successful in First Year
Nashville, TN – The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), in conjunction with
Zebraplace, launched UMCmarket.org in July 2013. UMCmarket.org is an online shopping service
specifically designed for members of The United Methodist Church to shop at hundreds of well-known
and respected retailers and get a percentage of their total shopping purchase donated to the local church
or other Church organizations of their choice.
The year developed well and finished strong for the program. Since July, 2013, 2,570 United Methodist
churches have participated in the program and received donations. Between July 1 and November 30 of
last year, nearly $23,000 was donated back to local churches and other United Methodist organizations.
In December alone, nearly $26,000 was donated back as church members used the online service at
year’s end.
Bobby Lee Smith, Manager of Corporate Partnership and Philanthropic Initiatives at GCFA said “We
are encouraged by the results from 2013. The goal of this initiative is to provide ministry monies for
churches in unconventional ways and where they might not have existed before. We are hearing stories
from church members across the connection that they are providing resources for the church in an
innovative way. We look forward to this program growing. It is encouraging to see comments from
users that tell us ‘This is a very good program. I use it and already [we’ve] received money back’, and
to hear how just regular online shopping can make a difference to the church. We encourage everyone
to search the list of stores at UMCmarket.org and see how they, too, can take advantage of receiving
donations to their United Methodist organization or church. The upcoming Valentine’s Day is an
excellent time to consider shopping online for gifts and travel. By using UMCMarket.org, members of
The United Methodist Church have the opportunity to select items and generate a micro-donation to the
local church or United Methodist organization of their choice.”
UMCMarket.org is under constant review and revision to assure the best shopping experience and to
assure that donations are credited back to churches and organizations regularly. You can follow, like,
send comments and share with your family and friends at UMCmarket.org on Facebook.
# # # # #
The General Council on Finance and Administration coordinates and administers financial resources, safeguards the legal
interests and rights of the Church, and provides administrative resources to enable the fulfillment of the mission of The
United Methodist Church.
www.gcfa.org
https://www.umcmarket.org/home?home=
-------
TV reporters to share in Olympic dream
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UMNS) — United Methodist Neile Jones isn't an athlete, but she has been in her own way vigorously preparing for the Feb. 7-23, 2014, Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The evening news anchor at KNWA-TV in Fayetteville, Ark., will be reporting on the games for Nexstar NBC affiliates and their sister stations, working with more than 100 markets across the United States and the NBC network. by Shari Goodwin*
Neile Jones isn’t an athlete, but she has been in her own way vigorously preparing for the Feb. 7-23, 2014, Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Jones, evening news anchor at KNWA-TV in Fayetteville, Ark., will be reporting on the games for Nexstar NBC affiliates and their sister stations, working with more than 100 markets across the United States and the NBC network.
TV reporters to share in Olympic dream
Neile Jones feels “very blessed and grateful” to be covering the Olympics. Photo courtesy of Neile Jones.
She is a member of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla.
To prepare, Jones studied with a Russian language tutor, researched the athletes and their events and participated in training in different cities. She also has done some 40 back-to-back live shots in Salt Lake City, where she recently attended the unveiling of the official ski team uniforms.
In addition, Jones has been working with a personal trainer. “We’ll be doing our own writing, shooting and editing. I want to be ready to lug equipment around,” she explained. “I also want to show that anyone can get in shape — at any age.”
Jones said she feels “very blessed and grateful” to be part of the Olympic coverage. “As a child wanting to be a journalist, I dreamed of assignments like this,” she said. “Now I just want to go and soak it all in.”
“We were so excited when we heard she’d been selected,” said her mother, Linda Jones. “It’s such an opportunity.
“We’re also concerned for her and will be sending up lots of prayers and good thoughts while she’s away.”
Jones will leave Feb. 1 for Sochi, where one of her Nexstar colleagues will be Tim Kelchner, an anchor and reporter on the WBRE-TV Eyewitness News Daybreak team in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and member of Millville (Pa.) United Methodist Church.
“We will be filing daily reports on the athletes and events, but we also want to showcase the culture and lifestyle in Sochi,” Kelchner said.
Some days will be spent in the “mountain cluster,” covering outdoor sports like skiing and snowboarding, he added. Other days will be focused on the “coastal cluster,” working on indoor events such as hockey, skating, and curling.
“I think the most interesting stories, however, will focus on the area and the people,” Kelchner said. “For example a lot of people don’t realize the average temperature in Sochi is 50 degrees this time of year, and there are palm trees next to one of the main arenas.”
Jones is looking forward to connecting with the athletes. “These athletes and their families have given so much to reach this point,” she said. “It will be very special to see many of their dreams come true, even as my own is coming true.”
Her family has been both her support and inspiration to follow her dream. “My most special Christmas gift from them this year was a small cross that my grandmother used to carry with her everywhere she went,” she said. “Since her death, other family members have carried it when they traveled. Now that cross will go with me to Sochi.”
*Goodwin is director of communications at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Tulsa, Okla. Linda Bloom, United Methodist News Service, contributed to this story. News media contact: 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
-------
Pension board to hold listening session
GLENVIEW, Ill. (UMNS) —The United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits invites interested plan participants and other constituents to address the board of directors during a listening session at 11:30 a.m. CT Feb. 27 in Kansas City, Mo. To place your name and topic on the agenda and for specific presentation requirements, contact Colette Nies by Feb. 14 at 1-800-269-2244 (extension 4296) or cnies@gbophb.org.
General Board of Pension and Health Benefits to Hold Listening Session
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2014
Contact: M. Colette Nies, Managing Director, Communications
(847) 866-4296 or cnies@gbophb.org
Glenview, IL—The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church (GBPHB) invites interested plan participants and other constituents to address the board of directors during a Listening Session on Thursday, February 27, 2014 (11:30 a.m.) in Kansas City, Missouri.
The GBPHB board of directors’ Listening Session gives board members an opportunity to hear points of view related to the mission and work of the agency. Short, 10-minute presentations provide the option to participate in person or by conference call, video/DVD to be played, or by mail/e-mail message to be read during the Listening Session at the discretion of the board chairperson. The session is held during the regularly scheduled board meetings in various jurisdictions during the year.
To place your name and topic on the agenda and for specific presentation requirements, please call or e-mail Colette Nies by February 14 at 1-800-269-2244 (extension 4296) or cnies@gbophb.org.
###
About the General Board
The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) is a not-for-profit administrative agency of The United Methodist Church, responsible for the general supervision and administration of the retirement, health and welfare benefit plans, programs and funds for more than 91,000 clergy and lay employees of the Church.
GBPHB is the largest faith-based pension fund in the United States and ranks among the top 100 pension funds in the country. As a socially responsible investor, GBPHB is actively involved in shareholder advocacy, proxy voting, portfolio screening and community investing.
-------
WCC seeks young adults as stewards
GENEVA (UMNS) — Christian young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 are invited to apply to the World Council of Churches Stewards Programme to learn and assist at the June 26-July 10 WCC Central Committee meeting. Application deadline is Feb. 21.
Young Christians from around the world are invited to apply to the World Council of Churches (WCC) Stewards Programme for the WCC Central Committee meeting which will be held from 26 June to 10 July 2014.
Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old.
The WCC Central Committee meeting will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Before the meeting begins, stewards will follow an on-site ecumenical learning programme, exposing them to the key issues of the worldwide ecumenical movement.
During the Central Committee meeting stewards will assist in the areas of worship, floor management, documentation, communications and other administrative and support tasks.
Following the meeting, stewards will design ecumenical projects that they will implement in their churches and communities upon their return.
The WCC Stewards Programme is a unique ecumenical experience of togetherness with other young people from different churches, countries and cultures.
Applicants are invited to send a completed application form to the WCC youth programme no later than 21 February 2014.
More information on the WCC stewards programme
Download the application form as a pdf (681 KB) or as an MS Word document (68 KB)
-------
News around conferences
Bishop asks prayers after D.C.-area mall shooting
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — “A deep sense of tragedy hangs in the air,” Bishop Marcus Matthews of the Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference wrote as he called Jan. 25 for prayers in the wake of the shooting at the Mall in Columbia, a few miles from the Conference Mission Center.
Bishop Matthews calls for prayers, action in wake of mall shooting
It is with alarm and great sadness that I call upon the churches and the people of the Baltimore-Washington Conference to join me and with one another in prayer in the wake of the shooting at the Mall in Columbia, which is just a few miles from our Conference Mission Center.
As I write, details of the shooting are still being released. However, a deep sense of tragedy hangs in the air and, in addition to praying for the shooter, those killed and injured and all of their families, I find myself lamenting the lack of progress being made in our nation to end gun violence. There have been at least 10 shootings at public institutions this year alone. Just yesterday, at my alma mater South Carolina State University, a shooting claimed the life of a student.
This tragedy at the Columbia Mall startles us since it hits so close to home. It is so near our Conference Center and several of our churches. It scares us when we and our neighbors are not safe shopping in our communities on a Saturday morning. The sudden and drastic nature of this crime must take us to our knees. My first response is to pray, knowing that God is present with all who now mourn. And we know our God is faithful. While I earnestly pray, I also find myself troubled by the fact that our communities are disrupted and lives are fractured by such violence. As people of faith, we must claim our power to work connectionally to address violence and call for effective gun laws. As people of faith, we need to demand that our political representatives find ways to implement laws to help end senseless violence that continue to claim innocent lives.
As news of the shooting in Columbia spreads through the area, I also pray that you will reach out to one another with the love of God and with a voice that inspires justice, courage and peace. We have to hold on to the hope and comfort we find in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
May God be with all the victims, their families and with us all.
Bishop Marcus Matthews
Bishop, Baltimore-Washington Conference
United Methodist Church
-------
Chef with a hunger for mission
GORE, Okla. (UMNS) — Steve Pool, a certified executive chef, filled his plate of life with United Methodist missions. People are fed physically and spiritually because of his ongoing commitment, Holly McCray and Ron Wallin of the Oklahoma Annual (regional) Conference report.
"There are the 12 disciples and then 72 others without the business cards. All of us are ‘the 72 others’ (Luke 10)." — Steve Pool by Holly McCray and Ron Wallin
His first taste of mission service made Steve Pool of Gore hunger for more.
This certified executive chef has filled his plate of life with missions. People are fed physically and spiritually because of his ongoing commitment.
Steve initially just wanted each of his children to experience a mission trip, "to see every place is not video games and air conditioners." So Steve and 12-year-old Zach went to Costa Rica as Oklahoma Volunteers In Mission in 2002.
The Pools’ involvement grew from that 12-day project. Each child has taken part in at least two church missions.
Steve has served on seven VIM teams, often as a leader, in four countries.
His second trip to Costa Rica inspired him to name his restaurant Soda Steve’s and promote missions to diners. It’s part of Fin & Feather resort at Lake Tenkiller.
Photo collages and artifacts large and small from the Pools’ mission trips decorate the restaurant. Donations by diners support projects near and far.
This man on a mission further expanded that outreach when he opened Soda Steve’s Market, a convenience store in Gore. A percentage of sales, including Mission Blend coffee, goes to missions.
"Lezli would call it ‘a God thing,’" Steve said of his wife. All the Pools in Gore attend the United Methodist Church there.
Steve grew up in church, but "my journey personally, after I started on missions, has become much deeper," he said. He credits his wife and also Office of Mission Director Jeremy Basset for helping him grow in faith.
"I’m one of the 72 others. Wow!" Steve declared, referring to Scripture.
Jesus "appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of him, to every town and place where he was about to go. The 72 returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’" (Luke 10, NIV)
Steve explained, "There are the 12 disciples and then 72 others without the business cards. All of us are ‘the 72 others.’ I think everyone should be doing the calling they do best. My status is as someone willing to go a long way off."
His passion is international missions. Vietnam especially beckons to him and is where he has served three times. "Something about that country and the people tugs on my heart. I could easily get back on the plane the next day and go back," he said.
Challenges can occur on any trip, and flexibility is key, Steve counseled. He shrugs off travel delays, housing snags, etc.
"I really believe missions are one of my spiritual gifts. If it’s your gift, you’re gonna love it; you can pull it off easily," he said. "I have found my way in church doing something that I felt I could offer up" to God.
He recalled one Vietnam mission. "I can tell you the devil started fighting with me three months out," Steve said. "The better you’re doing something good, the harder he goes to work on you."
His daughter, then age 13, was reluctant to go. The team had to change hotels eight times in 14 days. Steve was the victim of a pickpocket.
"I just knew it was [the devil] trying to discourage me."
Missing important documentation, Steve walked into an unfamiliar hotel. The desk clerk asked, "Are you Mr. Pool?" The clerk had a phone message for him.
Steve and the caller, a bellhop, had met at another hotel, during a previous mission; they had exchanged business cards.
Someone had found Steve’s stolen wallet, with the bellhop’s card still in it, and called the man — who still had Steve’s card. The man had been trying to locate the mission traveler. The Oklahoman got back his wallet.
"The rest of the mission went perfect," declared Steve. "I honestly think the devil said, ‘I can’t get this guy down; I’m moving on.’"
If you are interested in mission service, don’t delay, Steve urged. "You can’t wait for somebody to ask you to go. Get on the VIM website, call your church, and say, ‘I’m going on a mission this year.’ You just have to go."
-------
UMTV: Restaurant owner on a mission
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/s6pbxw4U58Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
INTRO:
A desire to help others has taken Oklahoma restaurateur Steve Pool around the world. It also inspired an eatery that encourages patrons to find ways to do good in their own communities.
SCRIPT:
The Rev. Craig Clark, Gore United Methodist Church: “People leave Soda Steve’s inspired by the mission they did, what he accomplished.”
Steve Pool, Owner, Soda Steve’s Restaurant: “My name is Steve Pool and I am the owner, the ‘Steve part’ of Soda Steve’s in Gore, Oklahoma. You can see many of the things in the restaurant are inspired by our work in the mission field.”
The Rev. Craig Clark: “As soon as you come in the door, you’re going to see images from his previous mission trips, you’re going to see a sign up where he is accepting donations to help fund his next mission trip.”
(Locator: Gore, Oklahoma)
Lezli Pool: “The bamboo is kind of a nod to Costa Rica. We’ve got the hammocks with the two fat boys in it. They’re wearing Steve’s actual mission clothes. He actually takes the boots off the dummy when he goes on a mission to wear them and he brings them back.”
Steve Pool: “Soda Steve’s was kind of born on a mission trip. In Costa Rica, they had these little, they call them sodas, but they’re not sodas in what we would think a soda is. They’re really just, a local woman has flung up the door of her garage and she is feeding the local people when they come by for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And so we took all of our meals in Matina, Costa Rica at a place called Soda Brenda’s. And I happened to have a couple of employees with me at the time and they said, ‘You know, we should turn The Veranda into Soda Steve’s.’ We came up with the idea ‘Let’s build a restaurant focused on mission starting from the name, Soda Steve’s and where it originated,’ and now we have gotten to where we do a mission every year.”
The Rev. Craig Clark: “His heart is really in the right place. He wants to reach people, he wants to share the message.”
David Sharp, Customer: “You see pictures. You see the books. You see the literature. You see all of those things that are really important.”
Richard Gray, Customer: “We didn’t expect this. We didn’t expect to find a place where the Lord is working and where God has moved mightily.”
Chance Parker: “It’s nice to know that when you come here a portion of what we’re spending on food is going to help them also.”
Steve Pool: “Really the one thing I want people to take away from Soda Steve’s when they leave out of here, no matter who you are or where you live, there are missions I guarantee within ten miles of your house. If you live in the inner city or you live in a suburb or you live in a small country community, there is some person that needs their house worked on and can’t afford it. All you have to do is open your mind up to answer the call and you will be off to the races.”
-------
Kissy UMC Hospital improving health care in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UMNS) — The United Methodist General Hospital at Kissy is improving the lives of Sierra Leoneans in multiple ways. United Methodist Communicator Phileas Jusu looks at two improvements. Physical therapy — which started as a volunteer service — is winning national acclaim, and a $750,000 maternity building addition has doubled maternal bed space to 50.
The physical therapy unit
Since 1974 United Methodists have been working to improve health care for the citizens of Sierra Leone. This is one of two stories looking at the progress. Expanded mother-child health care in Sierra Leone explains the strides toward improving maternal and infant health care. by Phileas Jusu*
Physical therapy — which started as a volunteer service by a United Methodist — is winning national acclaim for the United Methodist General Hospital at Kissy in eastern Freetown.
Steven Moinina, a physiotherapist by training, has helped many people to regain normalcy and functionality through the now overcrowded Physio-Therapy Unit at the hospital.
Ibrahim Sallieu Kamara, a lecturer at Milton Margai College of Education and Technology, explained how by a stroke of luck he came into contact with The United Methodist Church’s General Hospital’s Physio-Therapy unit, which completely changed his life story.
Steven Moinina, head of the unit, helps a patient lift his leg slowly up and down as part of physical therapy.
“I woke up one morning and discovered that I could not stretch out my hands; neither could I walk. I had a feeling that is difficult to name but I felt like a heavy stone was hanging around me and was feeling immobilized. My family became worried and they were looking for help from everywhere. One of the hospitals contacted told my family that I was going to die in five days if family did not seek medical help from abroad. But my family pressed on seeking for a place within the country where I could get help. They took me to Choithram’s Hospital…” ( Choithram’s is one of the leading hospitals in Sierra Leone) . “Again, when the doctor saw me, he thought I would die the next day. I was admitted immediately. I spent about 37 days at Choithram’s and was discharged”.
Kamara explained that even after spending over a month at one of the country’s best healthfacilities, he could still not walk or move limbs or stand.
“I had to be moved around in a wheelchair. My situation has continued to improve tremendously since I arrived here at Kissy UMC General Hospital. Since then, I have been doing guided physical exercises and in less than a month, I can now walk at a faster pace. Now I can move my limbs and could make effort to stand up on my own.” Kamara said.
The story of Kissy UMC Hospital
The foundations for Kissy United Methodist Hospital were laid in 1974 by Swedish United Methodists when they sent a nurse/midwife to Freetown on a health mission. Indiana United Methodists from the United States added their ongoing support and United Methodists in Ohio and Baltimore-Washington provided additional help. All of that effort for almost four decades has led to the birth of a hospital from a clinic.
Learn more about Kissy United Methodist Hospital, who it serves and how United Methodists have helped to make that happen:
Development of Kissy United Methodist Hospital
Future of Kissy Clinic projected in vision of Sierra Leone’s bishop
Kissy United Methodist Hospital: How it grew
Health partners plan medical, educational partner to Sierra Leone
A birth in the dark
UMC Kissy General Hospital
Kamara said that before the treatment he has received at Kissy, he could not move his left hand to the right hand; nor the right to the left. He explained moving both hands in rapid succession to demonstrate his recovery.
“But now all of that is gone and I feel much more energized and alive”, he said.
He said he preached the previous day for almost an hour.
“People thought I was going to fall down. But I did not,” he said, laughing.
“The guys here are real professionals: treatment is good; they are consistent, caring and treat patients with a human face. They give patients freedom of discussion; they dialogue. These are all aspects that are helping us. They are not like the doctors one would find elsewhere that are dictators or would frown their face. There is fun; there is laughter,” Kamara said of the Physio-Therapy unit.
A United Methodist pastor, the Rev. Steven Momoh Momo-Jah, is recovering rapidly now after he was referred to the UMC General Hospital by a doctor at the Government Connaught Hospital where he was hospitalized first. He suffered a stroke after his blood pressure shot up on July 29. With regular guided exercises three days a week, the now-enlivened pastor says there is a significant improvement in his life.
“I became unconscious and I was unable to talk or walk. People had to carry me on a wheelchair. I can now do everything for myself including taking my own bath, which I could previously not do,” he said.
Momo-Jah said his family was worried that he was going to die because of the recurrent sad events in his life in recent times. He lost his wife and son last year. Momo-Jah said people say all of those trials affected him, which resulted in his illness.
Tigidankay Kamara, 42, a patient with high blood pressure who lives three kilometers away, reports regularly for physical exercises. She suffered a stroke on June 27 in Makeni in the north of the country and could not walk as a result. She can now walk to the hospital to take her exercises. She had been to two other hospitals previously but is realizing more improvement at the UMC General Hospital Physio-Therapy unit.
“Though we are encouraged to take our medication, but the personnel here stress on physical exercises,” she said.
The Rev. Steven Momoh Momo-Jah, a United Methodist pastor, works on physical exercise at the physical therapy unit.
Moinina said the path to establishing the unit was difficult since most people he met, including his colleague nurses, did not believe in it. His first step was to persuade the medical director, Dr. Dennis Marke, to allow him open the Physio-Therapy Unit. After encouraging him to do so, the next challenge was persuading patients to go to the unit for treatment.
“I was working effortlessly; I was going from house to house. I was running after people to make sure I rendered my services,” he explained.
Moinina said his effort was a way of fighting the belief people held at the time about physical disability. He said people attributed physical disability issues to witchcraft and some thought there was no cure.
“My first patient here in this hospital was a stroke victim; an elderly woman whom the relatives had given up. They said there was nothing they could do about her condition, but I told them that I could do something about it. She was not able to walk; she could not stand; her speech was not very clear.
“So day by day, I would come. I would do my bedside physio; I would do massage; I would help her sit in bed; I would help her stand etc ….To an extent; I would devise local exercise tools….”, he said pointing to the series of drill implements he had designed and which patients were effectively using.
“At some point, even some staff members here in the hospital ridiculed my effort and described it as waste of time,” Moinina recalled.
Moinina said the first patient finally recovered about 70 percent of normalcy.
Eventually, some nurses became interested in what he was doing, as well as doctors, and started referring patients to him. At that time, the unit was not yet established. Moinina visited patients in their wards or homes. In 2008, after three years, a Volunteers-in-Mission team from the U.S. state of Indiana arrived and among the team were some physiotherapists like Angie Whittaker, Melissa Clifor and Heather Jones.
When the team returned home, Moinina says, they sent some equipment which is now being used in the unit.
*Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church’s Sierra Leone Annual Conference. News media contact: Tafadzwa Mudambanuke, Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470 or wsdesk@umcom.org.
-------
The maternal health care unit
Since 1974, United Methodists have been working to improve health care for the citizens of Sierra Leone. This is one of two stories looking at the progress. Physical therapy helps Sierra Leoneans to normalcy shows how a volunteer effort burgeoned into delivery of another vital health service. by Phileas Jusu*
United Methodist General Hospital in eastern Freetown, Sierra Leone, now provides a more standard and expanded mother and child health care for patients through its newly constructed Mother and Child Health unit.
The $750,000 maternity building, funded through the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad and the United Methodist Committee on Relief, has doubled its previous maternal bed space from 24 to 50. Since the founding of Kissy United Methodist Hospital more than 30 years ago, maternal and child care has served as the core of the hospital’s services and area of expertise.
Community Outreach Unit
The fully air-conditioned facility, which was dedicated Oct. 26, 2013, also will provide space for an expanded outpatient area, consulting rooms, administrative offices, an expanded pharmacy and laboratory and radiology departments.
The unit also will house the hospital’s newly restructured Community Outreach Unit, which includes the HIV/AIDS “Friends” Unit, malaria and nutrition programs. This will enable the hospital to more effectively to reach out in the surrounding community and villages — where the maternal mortality, child morbidity and diseases of poverty are most pronounced.
“Today we open a new chapter in the maternal and child health care delivery in Sierra Leone.The facility will offer the highest level of readiness and the highest level of maternal care anywhere in Sierra Leone — a facility in which hope, comfort and healing will take place; a fully air-conditioned 50-bed edifice with hot and cold running water complete with an emergency room for Caesarian operation/session; a facility where pregnant women and children will receive the best quality care they need in the comfort of its walls,” said the chief medical officer of the hospital, Dr. Dennis Marke, at the dedication.
umns13 300 2 290x191 Expanded mother child health care in Sierra Leone
By providing space in the new unit for medical offices, computer networkingcables and archives, new management and records systems will promote better patient care and strengthen the hospital’s ability to evaluate patient outcomes, especially to reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity.
Shannon Trilli, global health initiative director for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is seen in the Sierra Leone Annual Conference as key in obtaining the first American Schools and Hospitals Abroad grant for Sierra Leone. Trilli expressed joy that their efforts had materialized into such a splendid structure.
“We at UMCOR are proud to represent the people in the pews, partners and volunteers like the Indiana Annual Conference. We believe first and foremost in prevention and education in treating cases like malaria, pneumonia and water-borne diseases that affect the lives of our brothers and sisters. But we also know that the most vulnerable will fall sick. And when that happens, we want more and more of them to be able to come to a place like this,” she said. A significant proportion of support for the UMC Kissy General Hospital also comes from the Indiana Annual (regional) Conference in the U.S.
Trilli said that the planners had everybody in mind — including the physically challenged — as the Maternal Child Health project was rolled out. UMCOR was insistent that access be granted to all, referring to the ramp at the front of the building enabling access to the physically challenged to enter and leave the building with ease.
The story of Kissy UMC Hospital
The foundations for Kissy United Methodist Hospital were laid in 1974 by Swedish United Methodists when they sent a nurse/midwife to Freetown on a health mission. Indiana United Methodists from the United States added their ongoing support and United Methodists in Ohio and Baltimore-Washington provided additional help. All of that effort for almost four decades has led to the birth of a hospital from a clinic.
Learn more about Kissy United Methodist Hospital, who it serves and how United Methodists have helped to make that happen:
Development of Kissy United Methodist Hospital
Future of Kissy Clinic projected in vision of Sierra Leone’s bishop
Kissy United Methodist Hospital: How it grew
Health partners plan medical, educational partner to Sierra Leone
A birth in the dark
UMC Kissy General Hospital
“Our goal is to make this nation the best it could be in health delivery services. With four hospitals and seven clinics around the country, we are here today to show this nation that there is no other option available to us than bringing healing to our people,” said Sierra Leone Bishop John K. Yambasu.
‘Conduit of peace, reconciliation and unity’
The bishop emphasized that politicians come and go but the church will always be there. He said the church will continue to stay and lead.
“So what we need to do is to ensure that we become the conduit of peace, of reconciliation and of unity because our agenda is eternal; our agenda does not change. We must take the lead to help our politicians to redirect their focus to the purpose of their being,” Yambasu said.
As Kissy Hospital’s Community Outreach Unit becomes more effective, referrals to the hospital are anticipated to increase. As bed space is doubled in both the maternity and pediatric wards, a 25 percent growth is anticipated in patient load over the next five to 10 years, raising the number of people served to more than 50,000 patients.
Representing the president who was out of the country, Sierra Leone Vice President Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana, who gave the keynote address at the dedication, said,
“I carry two hats in performing this duty — one being representing my superior and the other as beneficiary… and for what I am today, I owe it to The United Methodist Church”.
Sam-Sumana was educated at United Methodist primary and secondary schools in eastern Sierra Leone but became a Muslim during his political years.
“We as Sierra Leoneans have occupied an unenviable position under the U.N. human development index to which the threshold of the WHO of having not more than 100 infant and maternal mortality rate; we have occupied an unenviable position exceeding the 100 for infants to 165 according to the 2004 statistics,” the vice president said.
However, this picture has drastically changed in the last 12 years. In the 2013 U.N. Human Development Index report, Sierra Leone ranks among countries that made the greatest improvement since the year 2000.
“Out of the 14 countries worldwide which recorded HDI gains of more than 2 per cent annually since 2000, eleven are in sub-Saharan Africa. They include Sierra Leone, which recorded the second highest HDI improvement in the world since 2000,” the report states.
The HDI takes into account life expectancy, education, and income indices to rank countries in terms of human development.
*Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church’s Sierra Leone Annual Conference. News media contact: Tafadzwa Mudambanuke, Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
-------
Church grants help once-troubled vet help others
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (UMNS) — When singer-songwriter Jason Moon performs at Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church in February, the Iraq veteran will be bringing full circle a journey that started when that congregation reached out to him years ago. Beth DiCocco of the Upper New York Annual (regional) Conference shares Moon’s story. by Beth DiCocco
When singer-songwriter Jason Moon performs at Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church in Schenectady in February, he will be bringing full circle a journey that started when that congregation reached out to him years ago.
Jason Moon Photo courtesy of Jason Moon
Moon is an Iraq veteran who returned home in 2004 carrying the burden of PSTD, post-traumatic stress disorder. Four years later, in March 2008, he attempted suicide. But in September of that year, he got the help that would eventually allow him to return to his music, reclaim his life and start helping other vets do the same.
That help came through a grant from Eastern Parkway's G.R.O.W.T.H. (Gifts, Renewal, Outreach, Talents, and Help) Committee.
We received a bequest a long time ago, said the Rev. Alan Kinney, Eastern Parkway's current pastor; at least a portion from that yearly income is used for ministry. Usually, Rev. Kinney said, the grantsare "one-shots" that help establish ministries, or in Moon's case provided funding for him to attend a healing retreat put on by the organization Soldier’s Heart .
Paula Griffin, former lay leader at Eastern Parkway, worked with Soldier's Heart for six years. She was instrumental in connecting Moon with the church.
"After that point (attending the retreat), he was aggressively seeking his own spiritual, moral and emotional healing from war," said Griffin. "He had been a singer-songwriter before Iraq, but had not been able to go near his guitar."
Moon is hardly alone. Time magazine reported that the number of male veterans younger than 30 who commit suicide jumped by 44 percent between 2009 and 2011, according to Department of Veterans Affairs' numbers released Jan. 9, 2013. That means every day, about two young veterans commit suicide.
In 2009, Moon was asked to work on the musical score for a documentary On the Bridge, following the story of veterans who had attempted suicide.
"That reignited his ability to create music," said Griffin, and prompted Moon to start his own group to help veterans heal called Warrior Songs. Griffin now works for the Wisconsin-based nonprofit.
Moon applied to the G.R.O.W.T.H. Committee a second time, and was awarded a $5,000 grant to fund Warrior Songs' first retreat in the summer of 2013.
"What we do is hold veterans healing retreats using creative art as tool to (help access) deep trauma," she said. "The veterans express their stories through song, painting, clay ... on the last night of each retreat, the veterans who attend present back to the community their stories in art form. It becomes a way to educate the community about the truth."
The group also seeks to raise awareness about PSTD and the challenges faced by veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's what Moon will be doing at Eastern Parkway.
"He is performing as a thank you," Rev. Kinney said, adding that the event will offer people "a deeper appreciation of what PSTD is and has done to individuals – and continues to do."
Rev. Kinney said that while it is more than what one congregation could do alone, he would like to see a district, the Conference – even the denomination – take up the cause of these veterans.
"Absolutely, there's a huge role faith communities can play in the healing of veterans," Griffin said. "There's a huge disconnect between veterans serving and returning and the civilian population that is not as engaged in this war as past wars."
"One of the powerful things he (Moon) does is bridge that civilian-soldier gap," and that can help make veterans feel less isolated and hopeless, she said.
The "evening of entertainment and education" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 at Eastern Parkway UMC, 943 Palmer Ave., Schenectady. To learn more about Moon or to hear his music, visit jasonmoon.org.
-------
Racoon hunters 'looking up for' Christ
GADSDEN, Tenn. (UMNS) — Hunters love their dogs and love their sport. And the approximately 90 people of all ages gathered at Center United Methodist Church in Gadsden Tenn., for a raccoon hunt fundraiser also love Christ. Lane Gardner Camp of the Memphis Annual (regional) Conference has the story.
Story and photos by Lane Gardner Camp, Director of Communications
Coon hunters love their dogs and love their sport.
And the approximately 90 adults and youth gathered at Center UMC in Gadsden, Tenn., the night of Saturday, Oct. 26, also love Christ.
They were there for a raccoon hunt sponsored by Coonhunters Looking Up For Christ.
The organization was started more than a year ago by Jay Hart, a member of the church and lifelong coon hunter.
Before the hunt began, the church’s parking lot was filled with pickup trucks and well-loved dogs with names like Candy, Reba, Emma, Chaos, Little Bit, Sugar, Hambone, Trouble and Big Mama.
“Looking up” is a reference to how a coon hunter near the end of a hunt hopes to cast his gaze to find one or more coons his or her dogs have “treed.”
Focus on youth
What Hart seeks to do with his organization is introduce youth to the sport so they can experience the joys of hunting with hounds while also learning about Christ and raising money for worthy causes.
The Oct. 26 event raised several thousand dollars for the Crockett Christmas Store, started by Floyd’s Chapel UMC and supported by many of Crockett County’s churches of all denominations.
Because coon hunting involves being in the woods at night with dogs and rifles, it’s not a sport to experience without adult supervision, said Hart.
“Adults make it happen,” he explained, especially for youth whose parents are not involved in the sport
Hart hopes to attract youth from Crockett County and beyond to share the sport, but also share the word of God and the importance of “putting God first.”
Importance of Christ
“Without Christ we’d all be lost,” said Hart, who “gave his life to the Lord” in May 2012 after a difficult period in his life.
With his new peace and freedom in Christ, he said he asked himself and God what he needed to do next.
He soon realized he needed to take the sport he had loved for so long and “share it with others” in “a Godly way.”
“Coon hunting is something I was raised doing,” said Hart. “My dad and granddad passed it down to me.”
Nine-year-old Will Partey, a member of Gadsden UMC, attended the Oct. 26 hunt with his three dogs, Hershey, Belle and Oreo. He said he likes to coon hunt because he gets to spend time with his dogs.
How it works
Hart organized his first “Coonhunters Looking Up For Christ” event in January 2013.
Before the Oct. 26 hunt got underway, all the hunters and other supporters gathered in Center UMC’s fellowship hall for a meal prepared by the women of the church, followed by worship in the sanctuary. All the pews were filled.
Hart told the group his organization is growing with interest in the concept from coon hunters as far away as Oklahoma and Texas.
Hart paid for the trophies for that night’s hunt by selling the organization’s decals on Facebook. He said he was surprised by the response and interest in the decals and organization.
The worship time included music by vocalist Dakota Scarbrough and guitarist Brian Partey. Hunters heard a message from Damon Thompson, who talked about “staying focused on Jesus.”
That night’s hunt attracted approximately 50 hunters from Crockett, Carroll, Gibson and Madison Counties. Allowed to leave the premises and hunt anywhere until they got a coon, they were to return to the church by 1 a.m. Sunday with their bounty.
A variety of prizes were awarded in adult and youth classes.
Christians and coon dogs
A devotion by Brad McDaniel of Center UMC compared a Christian’s life with that of a coon hound.
“In my lowest times,” said McDaniel during the pre-hunt worship time, “I was not speaking to God, just like a dog alone in the dark by itself.”
A coon dog that is “on track” and performing as its master commands “howls a certain way as it makes its way through the woods at night,” he explained.
That howl, McDaniel proposed, is like the Christian who has learned to express thanks to God in all things at all times and always be prayerful.
Churches and coon hunts
Jim Cox was among those in attendance before the hunt got started. A representative of Black Gold Pet Food, he had driven some 400 miles from Cumming, Ga., to provide dog nutrient info, food samples and prizes for the event.
As one who attends a lot of coon hunts, he said this was the first he’d been to at a church.
“This is great,” said Cox. “I hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger. It got my curiosity up. Normally, I wouldn’t come this far.”
As the hunters left the church headed for their trucks where their dogs waited quietly to hit the woods and find the scents of coons, a voice was heard, “Y’all boys, catch me one. Bring me one.”
For more information about Coonhunters Looking Up For Christ, visit the organization’s Facebook page of the same name or contact Hart at 731-617-1350.
-------
Resources for churches
Science and faith: 9th Evolution Weekend ahead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — The Rev. Paul Kottke has preached it before and he'll preach it again — Christian faith and science, including Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, are not incompatible. The United Methodist Church officially endorses the Clergy Letter Project, an interfaith initiative on religion and science whose projects include Evolution Weekend, which is set for Feb 7-9 this year. by Sam Hodges*
The Rev. Paul Kottke has preached it before and he’ll preach it again — Christian faith and science, including Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, are not incompatible.
“Our faith has integrity when we embrace both,” said Kottke, pastor of University Park United Methodist Church in Denver.
This year, as he has for the last several, Kottke will lead his church in observing Evolution Weekend. It’s an effort to address head on whether Christianity is called into question by Darwin’s ideas, including that humans share a common ancestor with great apes from several million years ago.
The United Methodist Church officially endorses the Clergy Letter Project, an interfaith initiative on religion and science whose projects include Evolution Weekend, which is set for Feb 7-9 this year.
Some 450 congregations are expected to participate, and United Methodist involvement typically is “robust,” said Michael Zimmerman, founder and executive director of The Clergy Letter Project, as well as a Ph.D. ecologist and vice president for academic affairs and provost at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.
The United Methodist Church’s official position, found in the Book of Discipline, is that “science’s descriptions of cosmological, geological and biological evolution are not in conflict with theology.”
Preparing for Evolution Weekend
This year marks the ninth annual Evolution Weekend. All participating congregations will address the relationship between religion and science, but many will focus on the theme this year: Different Ways of Knowing / Asking Different Questions. This year, 513 congregations — representing 13 countries — will participate.
When asked for suggestions on some commentaries that might help to stimulate thought and conversation, Michael Zimmerman, the founder and executive director of The Clergy Letter Project, suggested these five articles:
The Christian Clergy itself
The Rightful Place of Science in Church”
The Clergy Letter Project
Why Creationism Matters: Learning to Question
Evolution Weekend: An Opportunity for Reasoned Debate
General Conference 2008 approved that language, as well as a resolution opposing using “faith based theories such as creationism or intelligent design” in public school science curriculums.
The Clergy Letter Project website includes a sermon Kottke preached for Evolution Weekend 2008, arguing that Christian faith can indeedaccommodate acceptance of Darwin’s theory.
“To embrace the belief, the theory, that the simple forms of primordial life sought out greater complexity and that these complex forms of life sought out even greater complexity until one has life building upon life is not a contradiction to the creative spirit of God,” Kottke said. “Rather, it is an affirmation of how God has chosen to work within Creation.”
Kottke, who decries what he calls “literalism” with regard to the Bible, said in a recent interview that he sometimes counsels parishioners who struggle with whether evolution negates Christian faith.
“If they’re anxious that their faith is going to fall apart, I assure them it won’t. God is stronger than our questions,” he said.
But the United Methodist stance regarding the theory of evolution — as laid out by Darwin in his 1859 book “On the Origin of Species” and elaborated on by generations of scientists since — troubles some within the denomination.
The Rev. Dale Shunk, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Somerset, Pa., introduced petitions at General Conference 2012 to remove the language about evolution from the Book of Discipline and to remove from the Book of Resolutions the call for public schools not to teach creationism or intelligent design in science courses.
Both petitions failed in committee. Another proposal, put forward by Cathy Preston of Erie, Pa., would have changed the Book of Discipline language from “We find that science’s descriptions of cosmological, geological, and biological evolution are not in conflict with theology” to “We find that science’s descriptions of cosmology, geology and biology are not in conflict with theology.” That petition passed in committee by a vote of 40 in favor and 29 against, but did not get a plenary vote.
Of his own views, Shunk said, “I would lean toward creationism because I believe in the authority of the word of God … Evolution assumes and expects only natural explanations of the processes on Earth. It excludes any supernatural explanations.”
Shunk points to Australian physicist John Hartnett and other Christian scientists who hold creationist, “young universe” views. To Shunk, the United Methodist Church errs by what he sees as its bias for evolution over other theories.
“We should open up all the doors,” he said.
But to Al Kuelling, a United Methodist layman in Fort Wayne, Ind., evolution is not just any theory, but one accepted by the overwhelming majority of scientists. (Scientists distinguish between “hypotheses” and “theories,” with the latter defined by science-dictionary.org as “well-established explanations for experimental data.”)
Those scientists include, Kuelling notes, such high-profile Christians as Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and author of the bestseller “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.”
Kuelling said the need for The United Methodist Church’s statement that evolution and faith aren’t in conflict is underscored by a recent Barna Group research project focused on young adults who stopped attending church. The study found that about one in four of the young adults surveyed consider Christianity to be “anti-science,” with a similar percentage saying they are put off by the evolution-vs.-creationism debate.
“Rather than argue with the church, rather than argue with the minister, rather than argue with their parents, these young people just leave the church,” Kuelling said.
Another strong United Methodist supporter of Evolution Weekend is retired Bishop Kenneth Hicks. As leader of the Arkansas Annual (regional) Conference in 1981, Hicks testified in a successful federal lawsuit to overturn an Arkansas law requiring that creationism be given equal time with evolution in public school science instruction.
Now 90, Hicks said he finds spiritual sustenance in the Genesis creation accounts, but not a satisfactory scientific explanation.
And that’s fine, he said.
“Whenever there is new (scientific) truth to be found, God does not want us to run away from that or cover it up, but rather to open it up and use it.”
*Hodges, a United Methodist News Service writer, lives in Dallas. Contact him at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org
-------
Resources for Black History Month
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — February is Black History Month and United Methodists are taking time to reflect on race and religion.
The United Methodist Board of Discipleship has music and worship resources. Choose from resources.
Abingdon Press offers “African American History Month Daily Devotions 2014.” To order the devotions
The Rev. Christopher Anderson, Methodist librarian at the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History and Drew University, on Wednesday, Feb. 5 hosts a program commemorating the visit Martin Luther King Jr. made to Drew. The program is from noon to 1:30 p.m. EST and is part of Drew’s Black History month observances. To listen online
African-American spirituals have a rich, sometimes unfamiliar history to the people who sing them today. Read the story in Interpreter Online
-------
What started as a history project for students at United Methodist-related Rust College turned into Gracing the Table, an open dialogue forum that gives students, professors and community members the opportunity to begin the healing process of wounds left open more than a century ago during slavery. Read story at UMC Giving
Young Clergy Initiative grants deadline
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Wednesday, Feb. 5, is the deadline for the Young Clergy Initiative grants, which will be awarded to applicants who develop innovative projects that could attract young people to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church.
Apply at
Wesley pilgrimage open to church leaders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — United Methodist clergy and lay leaders will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Christ-centered leadership of John and Charles Wesley this summer during a 10-day Wesley Pilgrimage to England. The pilgrimage, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship and the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, will begin July 14.
To learn more
To register
Pete Seeger's connection to popular hymn
DALLAS (UMNS) — Pete Seeger, singer, songwriter and social activist, died Monday, Jan. 27, at the age of 94. He played a crucial role in adapting and popularizing "We Shall Overcome," an anthem of the U.S. civil rights movement that many congregations will sing during Black History Month. C. Michael Hawn of Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology in Dallas offers a full history of the song.
Read story and post a comment
History of Hymns: ‘O Young and Fearless Prophet’
DALLAS (UMNS) — This hymn by S. Ralph Harlow calls us to become more Christ-like, following the prophetic example of Christ’s life. History of Hymns, a weekly feature made available by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, is written by C. Michael Hawn of Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology.
Read story
Global AIDS Fund hosts free Atlanta event
ATLANTA (UMNS) — North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference Bishop Michael Watson and retired Bishops Woody White and Ann Sherer-Simpson will be special guests at Just Save One Atlanta, Feb. 25. The free event hosted by the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund will help attendees learn how they can be a part of eradicating HIV and AIDS around the globe.
Read more
United Methodists in the news
Maryland church opens doors to dogs
SMITHSBURG, Md. (UMNS) — “For those who love their pets,” said the Rev. Al Deal of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, they’re not just animals. “They are part of the family.” If they are part of the family, he asked, “why not invite them to church?” That’s just what he has done, reports The Herald-Mail.
Read story
Farewell to Marine who 'fixed everything' for 6 decades
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (UMNS) — It's difficult for all congregations to lose a longtime and valued member. United Methodist Church parishioners tell MorristownGreen.com that Joe Replogle, who passed away just before Christmas, could "build something that works from what seems to be just a pile of parts."
Read story
Arkansas scoutmaster receives valor honor
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (UMNS) — Barry Bray, scoutmaster of Troop 12 at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, has been honored with the Boy Scouts’ highest valor award for single-handedly guiding to safety a confused motorist who was barreling down the wrong way on busy Interstate 40. The Associated Press reports how Bray maneuvered ahead of the 90-year-old motorist, forcing him to stop.
Read story
Maryland church finds bell in unlikely place
SYSKESVILLE, Md. (UMNS) — Bethesda United Methodist Church may have an average attendance of just 22, but its voice rings through the valleys on Sunday mornings. The Carroll County Times tells how a more than a century-old bell fulfills the dream of a congregant’s mother.
Read story
University and seminary news
Pilot project to streamline student scholarships
BALTIMORE (UMNS) — Students who want to apply for college scholarships will find the paperwork lighter in a pilot project between the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference. Students can go online and complete informational forms once instead of a new form for each application because their information will be stored in a database for reuse.
Learn more
Liberian president asked to keynote international college gathering
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia and 2011 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the 2014 International IAMSCU Conference in Hiroshima, Japan. Johnson Sirleaf is a United Methodist and the first elected female head of state in Africa. IAMSCU, the International Association of Methodist-related Schools, Colleges, and Universities, includes more than 800 Methodist educational institutions around the world.
Read story
Baker Scholarship recipient spearheads new Wesley House dorm
TYLER, Texas (UMNS) — A dilapidated dorm at Tyler Junior College has been transformed into a missional community that is helping students at two Texas colleges grow in their faith. The vision of a campus minister — who is also a United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry Baker Scholarship recipient — came to life with help from the Texas Annual Conference, local churches, and the Wesley Foundation. Nicole Burdakin has the story.
Read story
Emory professor explores food and faith
ATLANTA (UMNS) — Jennifer Ayres, director of the Religious Education Program at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, is the author of the new book “Good Food: Grounded Practical Theology.” The book explores the link between food and the Christian faith.
Read news release
Blogs and commentaries
When is the right time to close a church?
COLUMBIA, S.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Tim McClendon, a South Carolina district superintendent who has taught church polity at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, reflects on “the distinction between abandoning a church or discontinuing it.”
Read blog
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email newsdesk@umcom.org and put Digest in the subject line.
Deadline to register for “Walking Together: Christian Communities and Faithful Responses to Mental Illness,” Monday, Feb. 3 — Feb. 6-8 conference in Houston. The Texas Annual (regional) Conference and Duke Divinity School are among the sponsors. Details
Free webinar “Robert’s Rules 101: Learning to Participate in Conference Legislative Sessions,” Tuesday, Feb. 4 — 7:30 p.m. CT, the first in a series of leadership webinars offered by the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women. To see schedule and register
World Interfaith Harmony Breakfast, Wednesday, Feb. 5 — 7:30 to 9 a.m. CT at Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, Tenn. $12. Details
Free webinar “Developing Your Ministry Plan 1: Congregational DNA,” Thursday, Feb. 6 — 6:30 p.m. CT, the first of four webinars using the School of Congregational Development ministry plan to develop a focus for your church. To register.
Caring for God’s Creation Conference, Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 6-9 — Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta. Matthew and Nancy Sleeth will be keynote speakers. The theme is “Keeping the Sabbath and Mindfulness as Sustainable Practice.” Sponsored by United Methodist group Caretakers of God’s Creation. Details.
Free webinar “Children’s Ministry in New Church Starts,” Friday, Feb. 7 — 10 a.m. CT, the basics needed in new congregations to welcome and contribute to the Christian formation of children from birth to age 11. To register.
Cokesbury Vacation Bible School preview, Friday, Feb. 7 — 9 a.m. to noon CT, United Methodist Publishing House 201 Eighth Ave. S., Nashville, Tenn. Find more preview events near you
Workshop on “Preaching Lent and Holy Week: Dying and Rising with Christ,” Friday, Feb. 7 — 8:45 a.m.– 4:20 p.m. ET at United Theological Seminary, 4501 Denlinger Road, Dayton, OH 45426. $95. Details
Free lunch and Learn about Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, Monday, Feb. 10 — 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. CT, Perkins School of Theology’s Houston-Galveston Extension Program, 3501 W. Alabama, Suite 107, in Houston. Details
Free webinar “Pastors Read: David and Goliath,” Wednesday, Feb. 12 — 10 a.m. CT, discussion of Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants.” To register.
Free webinar “No More Volunteers: Reclaiming Christian Servanthood,” Thursday, Feb. 13 — 5 p.m. CT, a new way for finding people with the time, skills, energy and inclination to serve the church. To register.
Deadline for legislative proposals at Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly, Friday, Feb. 14 — The gathering organized by United Methodist Young People’s Ministries is July 16-20 in Tagaytay, the Philippines. Petitions considered at the legislative assembly could find their way onto the docket for the 2016 General Conference. Details.
Deadline for nominations for Wesley Theological Seminary’s Society of John Wesley Award of Merit, Saturday, Feb. 15 — Nomination forms.
Early registration deadline for Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, “Faith, Health and Peace: Seeking the Basic Right to Good Health for All God’s Children,” Saturday, Feb. 15 — Thursday-Sunday, March 27-30 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Lake Junaluska, N.C. Partial student scholarships available. Details
Online registration deadline for Black Methodists for Church Renewal annual meeting, Saturday, Feb. 15 — Both BMCR and the Native American International Caucus will meet March 28-29 in Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Hotel in St. Louis. Call the hotel at 314-421-1776. Registration
Free webinar “Leaders Learn: Shaped by God, 12 Essentials for Nurturing Faith in Children, Youth and Adults,” Tuesday, Feb. 18 — 6:30 p.m. CT, a discussion of the book “Shaped by God,” which explores the role of story, liturgy and spiritual practices in faith formation. Read the book before the webinar. To register.
The Methodist School for Supernatural Ministry Session Six, "Power Evangelism,” Wednesday- Saturday, Feb. 19-22 — Course offered by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries in Goodlettsville, Tenn. A prerequisite for attendance is to have viewed or attended Session One, "The Basics" Details
Restorative Justice Weekend, Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23 — Christ United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston, will host speakers from Alpha Prison Fellowship and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Jim Liske, president of Prison Fellowship Ministries, and Paul Cowley of Alpha International, London, will preach at worship services. Details
Lake Junaluska Signature Series featuring Rachel Held Evans, Saturday, Feb. 22 — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, The popular Christian blogger and author will talk about how the Bible is meant to be a conversation starter, not a conversation ender. $25-35. Details
Deadline to register for online course “United Methodism 101,” Monday, Feb. 24 — Feb. 26-April 23, training from United Methodist Communications. Seating limited. $9.99. Details.
Deadline to register for online course “Moodle 300: Course Facilitation,” Monday, Feb. 24 — Feb. 26-April 23, training from United Methodist Communications, Moodle Basc and Moodle Advanced are prerequisite. Seating limited. $119.99. Details.
Early registration deadline for United Theological Seminary’s “Light the Fire!” Church Renewal Conference, Friday, March 21 — May 8-9 at Ginghamsburg Church, 6759 S. County Road 25A, Tipp City, Ohio. Details.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days, Friday through Monday, March 21-24 —Assembly co-sponsored by United Methodist Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Women, and other United Methodist ministries in Washington, D.C. The theme is “Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace.” Details.
Increase Generosity in Your Church Conference, Saturday, March 29 — 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte, N.C. The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, will speak. $35-45. Details.
No comments:
Post a Comment