United Methodist News and Communications Service
- Daily Digest - Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. The people of The United
Methodist Church – Tuesday, 3 December 2013
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O come, thou Dayspring
Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine Advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows
Put to flight(O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)
Advent meditation: O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Advent, which
means “coming” or “arrival,” is a time of preparation for the birth of Christ,
and a celebration of God’s unconditional love. This meditation features the
photographs of Mike DuBose, Kathleen Barry, Ronny Perry and others over the
hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” dating from the 12th century.
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Advent, which means “coming” or
“arrival,” is a time of preparation for the birth of Christ, and a celebration
of God’s unconditional love. This meditation features the photographs of Mike
Dubose, Kathleen Barry and others, over the hymn tune, “O come, O come,
Emmanuel,” dating from the 12th century. The human condition can, at times, be
one of struggle, yet through faith, the spirit rises above even tragedy, and
hope and love prevail.
Lyrics to verses 1 and 4 of “O Come, O
Come, Emmanuel”
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
O come, thou Dayspring
Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine Advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows
Put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Producer: Laurens Glass
Editor: Anthony Cook
Photographs: Mike Dubose, Kathleen Barry,
Ronny Perry, Arthur McClanahan, Paul Jeffrey, with images by Reed Galin and
Buda United Methodist Church
Pianist: Anne D. Glass
Contact: LGlass@umcom.org for more
information
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Share a photo a day for Advent
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Rethink Church
is inviting you once again to enter this season of Advent with intention and
awareness. Will you join the photo-a-day practice and share with the community
how you perceive each word or phrase for the day?
Details
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7 United Methodist theology schools share
in Lilly funds
INDIANAPOLIS (UMNS) — FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: December 2, 2013
Contact: Ronni Kloth
317.916.7304 | klothr@lei.org
Lilly Endowment Gives $12.3M to Help
Theological Schools
Improve the Economic Well-Being of Future
Ministers
INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly Endowment Inc. has
awarded more than $12.3 million for 51 theological schools across the United
States as part of the second round of its Theological School Initiative to
Address Economic Issues Facing Future Ministers.
Recent research indicates that student
educational debt in excess of $30,000 is not uncommon for seminary graduates,
and some students are graduating from seminary with loans of more than
$100,000. The financial pressures caused by these debt levels severely limit
the ability of seminary graduates to accept calls to Christian ministry and undermine
the effectiveness of too many pastoral leaders.
To help address this issue, Lilly
Endowment created the Theological School Initiative to
Address Economic Issues Facing Future
Ministers. The initiative’s aim is to encourage theological schools to examine
and strengthen their financial and educational practices to improve the
economic well-being of future ministerial leaders.
“The Endowment believes that pastors are
indispensable spiritual leaders and guides, and the quality of pastoral
leadership is critical to the health and vitality of congregations,” said
Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Financial hardships
can make it difficult for pastors to lead their congregations effectively.”
The Endowment conducted an experimental
pilot of the Theological School Initiative to
Address Economic Issues Facing Future
Ministers in 2012. Grants were given to 16 theological schools to develop
programs to improve the economic well-being of their students and graduates.
The promising programs created by these
grantees led the Endowment to offer a larger, second round of this initiative
in 2013. All theological schools fully accredited by the
Association of Theological Schools in the
United States and Canada (ATS) that did not receive grants in the first round
were invited to submit grant proposals. 49 grantees representing 51 theological
schools were awarded grants. Nearly one-quarter of all ATS schools have
received funding in rounds one and two of this initiative. “Theological schools
are uniquely positioned to address the educational debt issue and to lead broad
efforts to improve the financial circumstances facing pastoral leaders,” Coble said.
“Our hope is that these grants will help them build relationships with church organizations
and others to lessen the debt burden and increase support for future ministers.”
Theological schools will pursue a range
of activities that include: examining new models for financing theological
education, exploring ways to reduce the number of hours it takes to complete
degree programs, advising students on how to lower the amount of money they
borrow, broadening sources of scholarships and financial aid, and creating distance
learning programs. Many schools will create programs to improve their students’
personal financial literacy and ability to help manage congregational funds.
Efforts also will be made to raise
awareness of this issue among pastors, congregations and other constituents.
To coordinate the efforts of the
theological schools participating in this initiative, the
Endowment also awarded a grant to ATS.
ATS will monitor the progress of each program, convene project leaders and stakeholders
to share insights with one another, and organize working groups to explore
specific challenges faced by the theological schools in implementing their
programs.
Grant recipients from the first and
second rounds of this initiative include:
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary,
Elkhart, Ind.; $248,324
Anderson University School of Theology,
Anderson, Ind.; $248,772
Andover Newton Theological School, Newton
Centre, Mass.; $239,050
Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis,
Mo.; $249,700
Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore,
Ky.; $249,741 (2012)
Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland,
Ohio; $236,544
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary,
Austin, Texas; $224,906 (2012)
Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond,
Ind.; $249,954
Boston University School of Theology,
Boston, Mass.; $250,000
Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian
University, Ft. Worth, Texas; $250,000
Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand
Rapids, Mich.; $250,000
Candler School of Theology of Emory
University, Atlanta, Ga.; $250,000 (2012)
Catholic Theological Union, Chicago,
Ill.; $250,000 (2012)
Central Baptist Theological Seminary,
Shawnee, Kan.; $250,000
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.; $249,151
Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft.
Wayne, Ind.; $250,000 (2012)
Denver Seminary, Littleton, Colo.;
$250,000
Duke University Divinity School, Durham,
N.C.; $250,000
Earlham School of Religion, Richmond,
Ind.; $248,948
Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries,
Gettysburg, Pa.; $750,000
Comprising three seminaries:
Lutheran Theological Seminary,
Gettysburg, Pa.
Lutheran Theological Seminary,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
of Lenoir-Ryne University, Columbia, S.C.
Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis,
Mo.; $247,733
Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge,
Mass.; $250,000
Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena,
Calif.; $250,000
George W. Truett Theological Seminary of
Baylor University, Waco, Texas; $249,132
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
South Hamilton, Mass.; $250,000 (2012)
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary of
Cornerstone University,
Grand Rapids, Mich.; $117,575
Howard University School of Divinity,
Washington, D.C.; $250,000
Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colo.;
$249,982
James and Carolyn McAfee School of
Theology of Mercer University,
Macon, Ga.; $249,251 (2012)
Lancaster Theological Seminary,
Lancaster, Pa.; $248,150 (2012)
Lexington Theological Seminary,
Lexington, Ky.; $250,000
Louisville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary, Louisville, Ky.; $249,992
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.;
$239,500
Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago,
Ill.; $250,000
Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis,
Tenn.; $249,371 (2012)
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg,
Md.; $250,000 (2012)
Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas
City, Mo.; $250,000
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New
Brunswick, N.J.; $250,000
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary,
New Orleans, La.; $250,000
New York Theological Seminary, New York,
N.Y.; $250,000
North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago,
Ill.; $249,550 (2012)
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Lombard, Ill.; $250,000
Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio,
Texas; $250,000
Payne Theological Seminary, Wilberforce,
Ohio; $250,000
Perkins School of Theology Southern
Methodist University, Dallas, Texas; $249,981
Regent University School of Divinity,
Virginia Beach, Va.; $250,000
St. John’s University School of
Theology∙Seminary,
Collegeville, Minn.; $249,873 (2012)
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology
of Virginia Union University,
Richmond, Va.; $250,000 (2012)
Seattle University School of Theology and
Ministry, Seattle, Wash.; $250,000
Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas;
$250,000
Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Falls, S.D.;
$249,750
Talbot School of Theology of Biola
University, La Mirada, Calif.; $250,000
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of
Trinity International University,
Deerfield, Ill.; $250,000
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus,
Ohio; $250,000 (2012)
Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond,
Va.; $250,000 (2012)
United Theological Seminary, Dayton,
Ohio; $250,000
United Theological Seminary of the Twin
Cities, New Brighton, Minn.; $184,355
University of the South School of
Theology, Sewanee, Tenn.; $249,996
Vanderbilt University Divinity School,
Nashville, Tenn.; $250,000
Wake Forest University School of
Divinity, Winston-Salem, N.C.; $249,964
Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque,
Iowa; $250,000
Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington,
D.C.; $250,000 (2012)
Western Theological Seminary, Holland,
Mich.; $250,000
Winebrenner Theological Seminary,
Findlay, Ohio; $102,950
Yale University Divinity School, New
Haven, Conn.; $250,000
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First United Methodist Church in Morton
destroyed by Sunday morning fire by Alex Zielinski
MORTON, Texas (UMNS) — Fourteen hours
after arriving at the First United Methodist Church Sunday morning, Morton
volunteer fire crews were finally rolling up their hoses.
The next step is to sort through the
rubble.
Morton fire officials were called to the
church shortly after 3 a.m. Whiteface and Levelland fire departments sent crews
to help, but it took them more than twelve hours to get the blaze under
control.
The church's pastor, Hoppy Fletcher, told
us one person was arrested after they were caught jumping out of the church.
The Cochran County Sheriff's Office tells
us there is an ongoing investigation. The state fire marshal's office is
conducting an official investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
Officials tell us there were no injuries,
but the building was a complete loss.
One person is in custody in association
to the fire. The name of the suspect and any possible charges have not been
released.
Members of the church drove by slowly
this afternoon taking in the damage, including James St. Clair.
"This was the sanctuary, this was
where all the services took place and then all the programs and
everything," he said pointing at the side of the building. "Back in
the back was the kitchen and these were offices right here."
James walked slowly around the burned out
structure, taking pictures with his iPhone in disbelief.
He says the church was like a second
home, that he had many memories there as a young boy and had to see it for
himself.
"Just all the memories," he
said. "I just think of every dinner we had in here and the special things
that happen - the Christmas services, it just made me almost cry when I heard
the news."
Cory Benson and his wife live across the
street from the church and a fire was the last thing he expected to wake up to
this morning.
"You could kind of see it started
down in the far corner of the church and it kinda spread its way through,"
he said. "We stayed out here until 8 or 9:30 this morning as church
members were showing up wondering what was going on. The flames got pretty high
up towards the roof..."
Benson says members of the church were
visibly upset as they drove by this morning. Both he and St. Clair feel this is
a big loss for the community.
"You have insurance on a building
like this. I'm sure that it can replace some things but you can't replicate
what they had here," St. Clair said.
Fletcher confirmed that the building is
covered by insurance and the church will be rebuilt. They are still looking at
locations for next week's service. He says that will be decided in the middle
of the week.
Copyright 2013 KCBD. All rights reserved.
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Church fires: Damage, recovery,
prevention
During 2012 and early 2013, fire
destroyed or damaged more than a dozen United Methodist church properties
across the United States. Arson was the cause of at least five fires. The
insured property value ranged from $10,000 to $3.3 million, but several
churches lacked adequate insurance to cover full replacement costs. This
special news series reported on the damage from those fires, the response to
the affected congregations and what churches can do to protect themselves.
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United Methodists open doors to Catholics
after fire
MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio (UMNS) — (Jen
French)After the only Catholic in Morrow County burned down on Thanksgiving, a
Methodist church has opened its doors. They are songs heard every mass, but
this Sunday, there's a different tone. "All our music. All our
memories--are all gone. Everything is gone, Cheryl Jason said, Sacred Hearts
Parish Music Director. Cheryl Jason was among the first to see Sacred Hearts
Parish reduced to rubble Thursday. After
hearing the news, Trinity Methodist Church in Mt. Gilead made room for more.
"Extreme sadness for the congregation of Sacred Hearts--but also what if
it had been us--and how would we have wanted someone to respond?" Lori
Burdette-Steele said, Trinity United Methodist Church head pastor. Though the
future of Sacred Hearts Parish remains uncertain, the devotion of members
remains strong. "We just have to do some planning now, Bishop Frederick
Campbell said. "Mass will be offered. The sacraments will be celebrated.
The people will pray together and work together." Sacred Hearts Church
Re-Building Fund
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History of Hymns: ‘People, Look East’ by
C. Michael Hawn
DALLAS (UMNS) —
"People, Look East" by Eleanor
Farjeon
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 202
People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Guest, is on the way.
Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) received much
encouragement as a writer from her parents, Benjamin Leopold Farjeon, a
successful writer and novelist, and Maggie Jefferson Farjeon, daughter of an
American actor.
"Nellie," as she was
affectionately called by her parents, was a small, shy young girl. She later
cared for her dying mother for the twelve years of a long and difficult
illness. One brother, Harry, was a composer; and her other brothers, Joseph and
Herbert, were writers.
Farjeon had a vivid imagination. Her
father encouraged her to write from the age of five. At age eighteen, she
penned the libretto for an operetta composed by her brother Harry. In spite of
her shyness, she participated in a circle of talented artists, writers, and
musicians.
Farjeon grew up in England in a home
surrounded by books. She and her brothers both enjoyed reading stories to one
another and writing their own. In the United States, Farjeon's best-known work
is the hymn "Morning Has Broken" (later recorded by Cat Stevens, now
Yusuf Islam, in 1971); but in England, she is beloved as the author of more
than eighty children's books and poem collections, most notably Elsie Piddock
Skips in Her Sleep, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard, and The Little
Bookroom.
Some of Farjeon's books won prestigious
recognitions, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Carnegie
Medal. The artist refused another prize, Dame of the British Empire, explaining
that she "did not wish to become different from the milkman." Upon
her death, the Children's Book Circle established the Eleanor Farjeon Award in
her honor.
"People, Look East" first
appeared in The Oxford Book of Carols (1928). The lively tune, a traditional
French carol BESANÇON, which earlier appeared with the anonymous text,
"Shepherds, shake off your drowsy sleep," provides a festive setting
for this wonderful Advent text. In the last forty years, this hymn has gained
increasing popularity, as evidenced by its appearance in a number of hymnals in
the United States.
Key images of the season are abundant.
"People, Look East" is the direction of the rising sun and, in the
history of Christianity, the direction of the coming Messiah. In stanza two,
the bare earth is waiting for the seed that will flourish in the reign of the
Promised One. In stanza three, the stars that guided the Magi shape the
"bowl" of the heavens, giving signs of hope beyond "the frosty
weather." The angels' song, in stanza four, sets "every peak and
valley humming," an oblique reference to Isaiah 40:4, "Every valley
shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. . ."
Except for one word that changes in the
last two lines of each stanza, the poem and its musical setting give the sense
of a refrain. "Love," in turn, is defined as "Guest,"
"Rose," "Star," and "Lord." Stanza three is
usually omitted:
Birds, though ye long have ceased to
build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
He for fledging-time has chosen.
People, look east, and sing today:
Love, the Bird is on the way.
This joyful Advent hymn has the spirit of
a Christmas carol, but with an imaginative Advent text. Singing this carol is
indeed one way to prepare both our homes and hearts for the coming of the
Savior.
For more information on Eleanor Farjeon,
visit www.eldrbarry.net/rabb/farj/farj.htm.
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Typhoon Haiyan and the need for climate
justice b y Sharon Delgado*
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UMNS) — United
Methodists have responded swiftly and generously to the devastation in the
Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan, the largest storm ever recorded.
In the wake of this disaster, it is
important for us to go beyond simple relief efforts. We must heed the warnings of climate
scientists who point to present disasters and future dangers, including sea
level rise and increasingly deadly storms linked to climate change.
In November, in the wake of Typhoon
Haiyan, leaders from more than 190 nations met in Warsaw, Poland, for the
latest round of United Nations climate negotiations (the 19th Conference of the
Parties, or COP 19). Yeb Sano, the lead
negotiator from the Philippines, broke down in tears, made a powerful and
emotional appeal for bold action and pledged to fast for the duration of the
talks unless commissioners come to a substantial agreement addressing climate
change.
Many people around the world have joined
him in fasting. An interfaith group in
Warsaw, which included Methodists, joined the fast, stating that “As we engage
in COP19, it reminds us to relate the negotiations with our responsibility as a
believer. We cannot live in isolation, but we must care for each other. As a
principle of equity, we fast and reduce because we can for others who cannot.”
On Nov. 20, the tenth day of Yeb Sano’s
fast, developing nations walked out of the climate talks because of the refusal
by wealthier nations to heed their call for a financial mechanism to address
“loss and damage” caused by climate change.
This protest highlighted the fact that fossil fuels emissions now
causing climate change have mostly come from industrialized nations, especially
the United States.
As United Methodists who have long
acknowledged and understood the dangers of climate change, we should not avoid
raising the alarm. Future and more frequent disasters will be coming if we
don’t respond to this threat.
This is especially important because the
people of the Philippines, the Maldives and other island nations, Africa, and
other hard-hit countries are pleading with those of us in wealthier, more
powerful nations to take climate negotiations seriously. We must enter into solidarity with the people
of the Philippines and other developing nations that are affected “first and
worst” by climate change, and join them in calling for climate justice.
Read more on COP 19 from the World
Council of Churches: Faith communities advocate climate justice at COP 19.
*Delgado, a United Methodist clergywoman,
is executive director of Earth Justice Ministries and a speaker and author.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New
York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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