UMNS Weekly Digest for Friday, 28 February 2014

UMNS Weekly Digest for Friday, 28 February 2014

NOTE: This is a digest of news features provided by United Methodist Communications for Feb. 24 - Feb. 28. 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.

News around conferences

South Carolina church makes a comeback
GEORGETOWN, S.C. (UMNS) - Herbert Memorial United Methodist Church was stunned nearly two years ago to find it was missing nearly a quarter-million dollars. The second blow was what happened to the money. Jessica Connor, editor of the South Carolina Advocate, tells the story of this church that climbed back through faith, commitment and forgiveness.
Herbert Memorial UMC back in the game after $250K theft by Jessica Connor
GEORGETOWN—A little more than two years ago, Herbert Memorial United Methodist Church was hit with one of the worst things they could imagine. They were missing money—nearly a quarter-million dollars simply gone.
Standing accused was their beloved administrative assistant, who had grown up near the church and attended preschool there. It was the kind of devastation some churches never overcome.
Fast forward to today—fueled by faith, forgiveness and a renewed commitment to their relationship as a church family—and Herbert Memorial is in a whole new state of grace. They have not only fully recovered financially from the theft but have embraced a fresh mindset. Once mission-oriented, now they have a mission budget to back their zeal. Once scraping by financially, now they have adopted a can-do attitude grounded in belief.
“It is a testament to the power of our God,” said David Essex, Staff Parish Relations Committee chair.
And now they hope others will be encouraged by their story.
Hard news
It all started in November 2011, when Raymond Pearigen, then-chair of the church Finance Committee, discovered a discrepancy in the amount they reported paying to the S.C. Conference of the UMC in apportionments and the amount the conference reported. He took it to pastor the Rev. Marie Nuckles, who called the conference treasurer’s office.
To their shock, they discovered not only were their apportionment payments off, but they were $36,000 behind on their direct billing insurance payments, as well.
It got worse.
Pearigen went to the church the next day and started combing through financial records. He discovered they were $4,000 overdrawn on their bank account, and the church checkbooks were missing. While the deposits seemed just fine, Pearigen said, “Checks written to our administrative assistant totaled almost $54,000 for 2010.”
They secured the church, changed the locks and called in the sheriff’s office. After full investigation by police and a forensic certified public accountant, the grand total missing from the church: $242,000.
“Over about a six-year period she took the equivalent of our one-year budget,” Essex said. It was a lot of money for the 260-member church, which has an average weekly attendance of about 120.
“It hurt,” Pearigen said.
Immediately supportive
Nuckles called a church-wide meeting, personally inviting every church member, to announce the news. From the start, they decided to be completely up-front about everything—no sugarcoating. Marion District Superintendent Dickie Knight was in attendance, as was the Rev. Ken Phelps, who also had experienced a similar crisis.
The church was incredibly supportive both of its leaders and of the accused, Nuckles said.
 “We handed out two cards: one for questions and one for prayer requests,” Nuckles said. “I’d say probably 80 percent of the cards we received were asking for prayer for (the administrative assistant) and her family. Her name stayed on our prayer list a year and a half after that.”
Pearigen said the church showed itself to be a true family.
“The biggest thing was what they didn’t say. They didn’t blame anybody,” Pearigen said. “The next Sunday in our regular church service we got an offering of $11,000; for our church to do $4,000 is pretty good!”
After a negotiated plea, the assistant pleaded no contest and got probation and partial restitution. At her sentencing, Nuckles said the church was a significant witness, stating they did not request any sort of punitive sentence.
“The judge was kind of amazed; he’d been on the bench many, many years and said it was rare to hear that,” Nuckles said. “It was a witness to how things should be.”
Ultimately, Herbert Memorial received $100,000 in restitution, $100,000 from insurance, $10,000 from an employee malfeasance policy and a $10,000 gift from the Marion District, plus its members made many stretch-gift contributions.
They bounced back and made a full financial recovery in about a year’s time, paying back all their past direct billing, achieving 100 percent in apportionments and paying back everything they owed except to the district, which insisted the money they donated was a gift.
A new mindset
The experience changed Herbert Memorial in so many ways, from financially to a newfound faith in their abilities as a church.
“I remember Pastor Phelps came up and said, ‘You’re going to look back and realize all the good that has come of this,” Essex said, noting Phelps was right. “It’s pulled us together and reaffirmed we were doing what we were supposed to be doing; it was a reaffirmation of faith.”
Thanks to a financial crisis, the church ironically is now doing more with God’s money than it ever imagined.
“Before, we always seemed to have just enough to get by. But from that day, we’ve had more money than ever before,” Pearigen said. “It was a mindset change. Before it was, ‘Oh, we can’t do it,’ end of conversation. Now it’s, ‘We can do it.’”
Pearigen said the church had been wanting to replace its pews and add a sound system, but they never thought they could afford to do something like that. But a year after the theft, they decided they wanted to go for it. When they received the $100,000 from insurance, the church paid off their mortgage, reimbursed the conference, paid off the debt on the pews and sound system and still had $10,000 left—a huge witness to their trust in God.
The church has also made a lot of changes in procedure, making sure lay members are in multiple roles, with many checks and balances.
But for Nuckles, the greatest thing to come from the experience was the way it personally transformed the members, both as a church family and in teaching valuable lessons about forgiveness and faith.
“God continues to bless the congregation. There’s no finger-pointing, no one going around angry,” Nuckles said. “Personally, it affirmed for me what the church is—the body of Christ coming together. We held one another up.”
Essex said he had been tremendously hurt by the financial crisis. He’d spent many years lamenting why the church wasn’t doing better financially, when all that time it had been doing well. He had many negative feelings to discard.
“I did my Walk to Emmaus, and I went in wanting to pinch her head, and I came out understanding I needed to forgive,” Essex said. “I laid that at the cross. I can’t describe how it felt to lay down that burden.”
Now, the church has a new understanding of the connectionalism that is The United Methodist Church. It was the district that gave them the initial gift of $10,000. It was the conference that had the insurance.
“It was because of all that we were able to continue,” Nuckles said.
Looking forward
With the financial crisis behind them, Herbert Memorial is entering a bold new phase: a huge heart for missions.
Before, while they cared about helping their community and sent youth to Salkehatchie Summer Service and other efforts, the church didn’t have a budget for missions. Now they do.
Last year, they sent 28 church members on a mission trip to Costa Rica, and the church provided a lot of financial support for the trip. They are also making a conscious effort to find missions that involve all ages, such as their work with Helping Hands, a local food organization. Recently, they did a food drive plus donated funds, and the church children and youth got $400 to personally buy groceries and deliver them to the organization. They also spent time stocking shelves.
Essex is seeking some stay-at-home mission opportunities with overseas implications, such as supporting a nearby church, Union UMC, which is constructing water wells in Africa.
Nuckles said the church is also involving itself in more hands-on mission in the local community. Currently, they are exploring the conference emphasis on helping children in poverty.
They are in a good place, and members are optimistic about the future and the good they can do for the Lord.
“A whole lot came from this,” Pearigen said. “At the end of the day it makes you glad to be a Methodist.”
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Michigan prayer reaches the Ukraine
MUSKEGON, Mich. (UMNS) - A banner and cell phone together became a prayer of encouragement Feb. 23 by a worshipper at Muskegon Central United Methodist Church for a frightened colleague in the Ukraine, a country embroiled in political conflict and violence.
KAY DeMOSS, Senior Editor-Writer
Michigan Area Communications
Sometimes a banner is more than just a visual to be enjoyed during worship. And sometimes a cell phone is more than just an electronic device. 
That was the case at Muskegon Central United Methodist Church on Sunday, Feb. 23. Banner and cell phone together became a prayer of encouragement reaching over thousands of miles.
Hanging in the chancel just above the cross, the banner proclaimed, “Fear is gone!” The congregation shared in a Call to Worship that prayed the banner’s threads …

            Lord, bind our weak places ... with threads of strength. 

            Red threads provide us …   with pardon for the past.

            Green threads prepare us … for all surprises today.

            Purple threads of courage … ease tomorrow’s doubts.

            Blue threads remind us …     to trust everything to you.

            Golden threads shout victory … all fear is gone!

            Lord, bind our weak places … and give us rest in you.

Minutes later, when it came time to Pass the Peace, the man standing in front of this reporter turned and said, “I have a business colleague who is in Kiev today. He just emailed me that it is a very scary place right now.” And then Harry continued, “So I took a picture of the banner up there and emailed it to him. I told him things would be all right.”
Throughout the rest of the service, my attention was on worship but my spirit floated somewhere between Michigan and the Ukraine.
United Methodists had received the request for prayer from missionary, John Calhoun. He spoke through the General Board of Global Ministries on February 19…
Peace to you all from Kyiv (Kiev).  It is midday on Wednesday, and for the past 24 hours the center of the city has been the scene of violent clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police. … Since yesterday, at least 25 people have been killed, and over one thousand injured.  The casualties include both protesters and the police.  Many buildings surrounding Independence Square have suffered fire damage.
Although the clashes are concentrated in the city center, daily life throughout the city has been disrupted:  schools and most work places are closed, the entire subway system has been shut down, and most residents are remaining indoors (as are my family and I today).  Clashes have also been reported in other parts of the country, with anti-government protesters having taken over government buildings in many regions of western Ukraine.
At the moment, there is an uneasy standoff between hundreds of police and many thousands of protesters in the square, but the mood remains extremely tense.  The government has placed the blame for the recent conflict on the opposition leaders and has vowed to clear the square of all protesters.
Thank you for your messages of support in this difficult time. Please continue to pray for a peaceful end to this ongoing conflict, for the faithful witness of the United Methodist Church across the country, and for a better future for the people of Ukraine.
In the days since Calhoun’s report the political crisis in the 46-million member nation intensified even further, with the Ukraine experiencing the worst violence since the break-up of the Soviet Union 25 years ago. The president was ousted and, as of this writing, the Parliament has taken control of the country … some say legally, others illegally. Obviously, conditions remain tense and the future uncertain.
In the midst of the strife and the shifting power, for at least two men—one on this side of the Atlantic and one on the other—“Fear is Gone.” When that banner was crafted to share the assurance of God’s peace with a congregation in Muskegon, who would have known that its proclamation of hope would stretch all the way to a frightened man in Kiev?
Such is the power of God. It’s a power that can use the creative fingers of an artist and the texting fingers of a friend to answer a call to prayer.
What can you do this week to take away another’s fear? God has given you the gifts to be a peacemaker. Discover those gifts and use them. 
Click here for more information about the United Methodist Church in the Ukraine.
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Bishop Cho addresses Virginia legislature
RICHMOND, Va. (UMNS) - Virginia Area Bishop Young Jin Cho was already slated to open the Virginia House of Delegates with prayer on United Methodist Day, when hundreds of church members annually descend on the General Assembly to talk about key issues. As it turned out, however, Feb. 6 also happened to be an important day for Korean Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Neill Caldwell has the story.
RICHMOND - Bishop Young Jin Cho was already slated to open the Virginia House of Delegates with prayer on United Methodist Day, Feb. 6, the annual day when hundreds of Methodists descend on the General Assembly to talk about key issues. As it turned out, it also happened to be a very important day for Korean-Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The House of Delegates on Thursday passed a bill that would require textbooks in Virginia schools to note that the Sea of Japan is also referred to as the East Sea.
But the change in House Bill 11 means more than the designation on a small label on a map in textbooks. It is a sign of respect for the state’s Koreans, who faced Japanese imperial government occupation from 1910 to the end of World War II in 1945.
“It is personally important to me because of the mistreatment that the Korean people experienced at the hands of the Japanese,” said Bishop Cho, who was born in Korea.
The Senate has already passed a similar bill, which the Japan Embassy had tried to squash, and Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said he will sign the bill into law.
The coincidence was a “holy spirit moment” for the bishop in a day of lobbying Virginia lawmakers. About 250 United Methodists participated, a number that was a bit down from previous years.
“What is our mission (as United Methodists)?” Bishop Cho asked participants as they ate breakfast at the start of the day. “To make disciples for the transformation of the world. This is an important part of our mission to change the world.”
Participants focused on three main topics to discuss with their legislators: predatory lending, human trafficking and expanding Medicaid coverage to the state’s poor.
Marco Grimaldo, president of the Virginia Interfaith Center, led Bishop Cho through the maze of halls and offices in the legislative office building beside the State Capitol in a series of appointments with legislators and their staff members.
Bishop Cho presented a copy of the Predatory Lending resolution passed at 2014 Annual Conference to all the lawmakers and aides that he met with. “Talk about this to your legislators,” the bishop suggested before buses took the crowd from Bon Air UMC to Capitol Square. “This is a good way to follow up on the work done at Annual Conference.”
So-called “payday” or “car title” lenders charge up to 300 percent interest to borrowers with little chance of getting a bank loan because of poor credit. The current call is to reduce that figure to 36 percent, which still seems exorbitant but would be a huge improvement.
Bishop Cho told several legislators that as the chair of the North Korean Refugee Committee of the church, he had heard many horror stories of human trafficking.
“The good news is that awareness of human trafficking has risen,” said Delegate Mark Keam, a Korean-American from Vienna. “People understand that human trafficking is right here in Virginia, that it’s not just a global issue.
“It’s not just a human rights issue, a woman’s issue, or an immigration issue,” Del. Keam continued. “It’s an economic issue, because people – criminals, organized crime, etc., – are simply using other human beings as a way to make money.”
In a meeting with Kathy Roberts, chief of staff for House Speaker William Howell of Stafford, she talked about the legislative process in terms that sounded a little like a description of Virginia Annual Conference. “Virginia does things slowly,” Roberts said. “We don’t move very quickly. That frustrates people, but it has some benefits as well.”
Roberts said that the Speaker and his Republican colleagues are opposed to the Medicaid expansion because while federal dollars would be used in the first two years, it’s hard to predict the future beyond that time period. “We know these are real people with real needs and we don’t want to leave them out in the cold,” Roberts said. “But we don’t want to put taxpayers in the position to have to pay that bill in three years. Virginia is required by law to balance our budget every year. We’re not like Washington.”
Several speakers during the day invoked the name of Elvira Shaw, the Colonial Heights lay woman who helped establish United Methodist Day at the General Assembly more than 20 years ago. Shaw passed away last fall. “Elvira made everyone feel as if you were her best friend,” said the Rev. Randy Harlow as he lit a memorial candle. “She was the matriarch of United Methodist Day and the Conference Legislative Network and is still with us in spirit. And probably still walking the halls of the General Assembly and nudging those people to do the right thing for those who have no voice.”
Afternoon speakers included Erin Steigler, of Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare, and Sara Pomeroy, executive director of the Richmond Justice Initiative.-Neill Caldwell is editor of the Advocate.
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Washington Post story on Virginia invocations
In Virginia House of Delegates, a push for inclusive prayers by Rachel Weiner, Published: February 20 E-mail the writer
RICHMOND — Every day they’re in session, as they have for hundreds of years, the members of Virginia’s House of Delegates stand together and pray.

At least most of them do.
The tradition, which has been celebrated at least since the lawmaking days of Thomas Jefferson and often features the New Testament, is coming under scrutiny this year in a state with a growing population of non-Christians. And it is prompting some uncomfortable lawmakers to ask that prayers in the chamber respect the different faiths represented in the House and across the commonwealth.
“I’d like to be able to take part in the prayer,” said Del. Marcus B. Simon, a freshman Democrat from Fairfax County and one of the few Jewish lawmakers in the House who has made a point of standing in the back of the chamber when prayers are read. “I wish it was one I felt like I could take part.”
Just this week, pastor Shahn W. Wilburn of Riverview Baptist Church in southwest Virginia thanked the delegates for “the privilege of standing here in this historic chamber and proclaiming the glorious news of the gospel.” He went on to declare that “Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day.”
In part to reflect the seismic demographic shifts in recent decades that have helped Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh communities take root in the commonwealth, prayers in the House are supposed to be “ecumenical” — not tied to a specific faith. Too often for some, they’re not.
“We start with a prayer to feel energized and rejuvenated,” said Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), who is Jewish. “Why not be inclusive?”
This isn’t the only instance in which the legislature’s allegiance to Christian traditions — many of which are still championed by conservative lawmakers — have clashed with the changing sensibilities of the state’s population centers.
On Thursday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) vowed to veto a bill that would allow students to pray and make religious remarks in public schools. The measure was hailed by some in the legislature, including Sen. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun), who said that lawmakers should “give to our students the same religious freedom and same religious rights that we have granted ourselves.”
In previous years, Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to guarantee the right to prayer in schools and other public places through the state Constitution. Constitutional amendments do not have to be signed by the governor, but they must be passed by the legislature before and after an election before going to voters for ratification.
The current bill, introduced by four conservative senators, instead puts the right to pray in state code and directs public schools not to regulate religious views in otherwise permissible speeches unless they are disruptive or obscene.
Critics of the proposed legislation have argued that the bill would be used to enshrine Christianity in schools and public life. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy confirmed the governor’s plans to veto the measure.
“While the governor respects the right to exercise religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution, he is concerned about the bill’s constitutionality and possible unintended consequences,” Coy said.
Prayers in the House have become contentious before. In 2010, delegates were urged to boycott a prayer from an imam because two of the Sept. 11 hijackers briefly worshiped at his Falls Church mosque — and because a former imam at the mosque is suspected by U.S. authorities of having aided al-Qaeda in terrorist activities. About a dozen delegates were not in the chamber for that day’s prayer.
That same year, then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) reversed a policy banning state police chaplains from referring to Jesus in public prayers.
Virginia has a robust Christian history. The first Christian television station in the country, the Christian Broadcasting Network, was founded here. Jerry Fallwell’s Liberty University, which has become the nation’s largest university with a religious affiliation, is in Lynchburg. Attempts to legalize gambling regularly stall after push-back from Christian groups.
As for prayer in the House this session, there are 12 Baptists, six Catholics, five Methodists, three Episcopalians, two Mormons, two Lutherans and one Anglican on the calendar. A rabbi, invited by Filler-Corn, is the only non-Christian on the schedule this year.
Clerk G. Paul Nardo sent a letter in late January to House leaders, asking them to remind their guests that “out of consideration to the persons of different faiths who will be present, prayers are respectfully requested to be ecumenical in nature.”
House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) has reiterated the clerk’s request to his caucus, spokesman Matthew Moran said. But, Moran added, “ultimately the members invite the faith leaders who deliver the invocation.”
Nardo asks for a copy of each prayer in advance so it can be printed in the daily journal, but he doesn’t think it is his place to edit the words.
“That puts me in a difficult situation,” he said. “To call up and say, ‘Father or Rabbi, I really don’t think this is how you should to it . . . coming from a government official, they may take umbrage.”
Nearly every legislature in the country begins sessions with a prayer, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as does Congress. It’s a tradition that dates back to the British Parliament.The Supreme Court ruled 30 years ago that legislative prayers were constitutional, as they were “deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country” as well as “a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people.” But a Jew and an atheist in Greece, N.Y., have challenged the prayers that began their town council meetings as violating the court’s requirement that prayers not favor one religion. The justices are reviewing an appeals court ruling that agreed with the women that eight years of almost exclusively Christian prayers violated constitutional protections.
Although the concerned delegates in Virginia appreciated Nardo’s response, prayers invoking specific Christian beliefs continue in the legislature. But signs of change are apparent.
At noon Thursday, the members of the House stood. Del. Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria) gave the prayer because a minister invited by another lawmaker was sick. She did not mention God, Jesus or a specific belief. Instead, she asked her fellow lawmakers to “bow our heads in a moment of reflection and thanks . . . in our own individual tradition.”
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Hispanic outreach booms in Oklahoma community
GUYMON, Okla. (UMNS) - Victory Memorial United Methodist Church one recent Sunday received 34 people into membership in its Spanish-language service. That's just one example of how the church's "Vida En Victoria" - Life in Victory - service is reaching new people in this increasingly diverse Oklahoma city. Melyn Johnson reports for the Oklahoma Conference.
In the Oklahoman Panhandle, Guymon’s population has soared. Today’s population is younger and includes a lot of diversity. About 30 first languages are documented among Guymon’s school students.
One of the churches intentionally connecting with that changing population is Victory Memorial United Methodist Church.
On Jan. 26, the church received 34 people into membership in its Spanish-language worship service, as 120 people worshipped together on the second anniversary for the "Vida En Victoria" (Life in Victory) congregation.
"We accept and receive people as they are," said Jesse Gonzalez. "We love them. God does the changing."
Those simple words are how Gonzalez explains the fast growth of the service he leads as a lay pastor. The church’s senior pastor is Gary Holdeman, and Tino Espinoza is associate pastor.
Racial-ethnic groups abound in Guymon. Once dominated by Anglos, the demographics have shifted radically. A major industry, a pork processing plant, is creating jobs, drawing more people. The U.S. Census reports population grew from about 7,800 people, in 1990, to almost 11,500 residents in 2010.
There are Hispanic workers, whose families came from Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, and more. There is a significant Asian population that includes Chinese, Myanmar, and Koreans. Another large group: workers who were born in Africa, including Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The Vida En Victoria congregation has become a church home to people from these diverse backgrounds.
The open face and open heart of Gonzalez show quite well why people feel at home here. But he is quick to say that "the Holy Spirit is the obvious reason for the growth."
The service he leads has adapted to the needs of the community, Gonzalez explained.
Rev. Holdeman said, "The service is indigenous. There is faster music and much joy." He added, "Jesse has extremely good pastoral skills in dealing with people."
"We shaped this congregation for healing," said Gonzalez. "We accept people as they are, looking for a church home, a family. The first thing they feel is they are at home, a family’s love."
That is no small feat for this burly lay pastor, simultaneously leading the service in Spanish and English. He grew up in New Mexico and didn’t speak fluent Spanish as a child.
His vision is of healing, of revival, and for new Christians to find the Way.
The Vida En Victoria service includes a praise chorus and lots of music. "The focus is put on God," said Gonzalez. "We preach to the needs of the people." There isn’t a lot of formal liturgy.
"The method changes," said Holdeman. "The message never does."
Ten years ago in Guymon, the Panhandle Hispanic Ministry of the Woodward District launched. Gonzalez and his wife, Mariana, joined, but then that ministry closed. Feeling a need for continuing in Christian fellowship, the Gonzalezes opened their home for Bible study.
Within a month, the group grew too large for the Gonzalez home.
So the group began meeting at Victory Memorial UMC, in a Sunday School room. They outgrew that space, too.
Worship attendance now averages about 70 in Vida En Victoria, meeting at 12:30 p.m. each Sunday. That service is the fastest-growing of three offered at Victory Memorial.
"People said it wouldn’t work, this combining, that there were too many differences," Gonzalez commented. "I knew in my heart it could. We just need to try to understand other people and be respectful, accepting everyone."
And Gonzalez said he has learned how to be diplomatic from Pastor Holdeman. "He’s very good at diffusing situations."
Gonzalez admits pastoral leadership isn’t always easy. Members seek him out for advice and fellowship. His house is usually full, always busy. He and Mariana have four children. He and another church member are attending the Oklahoma Conference’s Part-Time Local Pastors Academy, meeting in Woodward during this academic year.
And he holds a full-time job in addition to pastoring.
"But you need to always be there for the community," he explained.
This young pastor is seeing Christian relationships growing and leadership developing within the congregation.
Recently, as a member with a need spoke to Gonzalez, another person in the church family stepped up and said, "Pastor, I got this."—Melyn Johnson is director of Main Street Guymon
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Needed: A million books for children
FLORENCE, S.C. (UMNS) - South Carolina United Methodists are tackling a "God-sized" project to help young people. The Million Book Effort is working to collect a million books for children by annual conference as a way to combat illiteracy and poverty. Jessica Connor, editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, has the story.
Continuing mission-heavy trend, AC2014 to feature literacy drive by Jessica Connor
FLORENCE—S.C. United Methodist leaders have a top-shelf goal for this year’s Annual Conference: collect one million books for children as a way to combat illiteracy and its twin sister, poverty.
It’s an enormous goal—“God-sized,” they’re calling it—and one they acknowledge can’t possibly be done without the help of the Almighty. After all, one million books translates to 83,500 books collected per district—or roughly 1,000 per church.
But as S.C. Resident Bishop Jonathan Holston said, “What better way to do something God-sized than to do something bigger than yourself? When you have a vision that’s so big you need God to do it—wow. I think this will do more than we ever dreamed of.”
Called the Million Book Effort, the book drive stems from the conference’s major push to help children in poverty. Illiteracy and poverty often go hand-in-hand, book drive organizers said, so by giving children the education tools they need to get a leg out of generational poverty, lives can be transformed.
“A lot of times the ability to read is very much tied in with poverty, and it’s a good way to combat poverty,” said the Rev. Ricky Howell, who is organizing the Million Book Effort. “We are taking a stand as United Methodists and saying ‘it’s not OK with us that we have 20 percent of children in poverty.’”
The Million Book Effort will involve individuals, businesses, organizations and agencies donating brand-new elementary and preschool books. The books will be dropped off at one of four distribution sites throughout South Carolina. District Connectional Ministries representatives are coordinating with schools and other literacy agencies to identify locations that will get the books in the hands of the children who need them.
“Many of these kids have never had a book, so to hand them a new book will make a great impression,” Howell said.
The books will be labeled so children understand they came with love from The United Methodist Church.  
The Million Book Effort will culminate during Annual Conference, set for June 1-4 at the Florence Civic Center. On the Tuesday of Annual Conference (June 3), volunteers will come together to receive, sort, package and place bookplates in each book to prepare them for distribution.
Columbia District Superintendent Dr. Tim McClendon said the Million Book Effort is an effort to “attack poverty by equipping students for a better education.” He and other conference leaders are distressed with the inadequate education that some of S.C.’s children receive.
“It’s not the fault of teachers and those who give of themselves to educate children, but we have a problem,” McClendon said. “We have some students who have never owned a book. Their reading skills are lagging behind, and a person who cannot read proficiently is a person who will have difficulty finding and holding a job. As Christians, we know that Jesus saves us not just for our personal benefit but for the transformation of the world.”
McClendon urges people to start collecting books now and prepare to join the effort as a volunteer June 3.
The Million Book Effort continues a mission-heavy Annual Conference trend. Last year’s conference addressed poverty through a full day of hunger-relief ministry in the S.C Hunger Project, where three shifts of volunteers (including more than 500 youth) packaged 285,000 meals to send to Haiti through Stop Hunger Now. More than 8,000 pounds of non-perishable food items also were collected that day for distribution to Harvest Hope Food Bank and other food pantries across S.C., and many local churches not able to participate in Florence held hunger relief efforts in solidarity.
In addition, more than $97,000 in surplus raised for the S.C Hunger Project was donated to 135 hunger-relief ministries in all 12 districts of the conference ($8,100 per district).
Previous annual conferences have featured smaller-scale mission events, such as a conference-wide Great Day of Service to agencies in the Florence District.
This year’s Million Book Effort hopes to take the mission focus to a new level and combat poverty in a different way.
Million Book Effort organizers are asking for prayers, as well as for people to begin collecting new elementary and preschool books. Also helpful is spreading the word about the book drive to your church, businesses, agencies and others in local communities who might be able to help with book donations.
For questions, contact Howell at 803-327-5640 or rrhowelljr@ymail.com .
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Ukraine youth forum focuses on 'changing world'
UZHGOROD, Ukraine (UMNS) - "Christianity 4.0" was the theme for the Youth Forum 2014 that focused on the four dimensions of Christianity and its influence on the family, the church, the society and the future. Retired Bishop Hans Vaxby preached about the fourth dimension, Christianity and its perspective.
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see —how good God is.(Psalm 34:9, MSG)
A new Youth Forum-2014 took place in the hospitable land of the Ukraine, Uzhgorod. This time with the curious naming “Christianity 4.0”. As revealed later, the theme dealt with four dimensions of Christianity and its influence on the family, the church, the society and the future (i.e., the perspectives). Lectures and discussions were devoted to these four layers where Christianity had its impact. A special blessing was the visit of bishop Hans Vaxby, who preached about the fourth dimension, Christianity and its perspective.
The participants this time were divided into five teams, symbolizing 5 senses that we use when perceiving God: eyesight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The organizers solved the issue of decorating the hall in a very creative way: when a new day started, each participant received 5 balloons, so that one could tie them to the ribbon with the name on it (a balloon to the person who in this or that way affected one’s senses – eyesight, hearing, touch etc.). For example, if you shared your meal with someone, you would most likely to have gotten a red “taste balloon”.
Truly passionate worship would be impossible without the ministry of two praise bands, from Saint-Petersburg and Kamenitsa. Though it was a little cold the first day of the Forum, the following days were really hot. We all were united in one Spirit and worshiped God from morning till night.
We can’t help mentioning the core event of the Youth Forum – the Big game and workshops. During Art, Crafts and Movie workshops the participants had a great chance to show their gifts and talents and in the evening present their masterpieces to the audience. Every evening we had a fresh piece of art and a new funny video, created at the workshops. The traditional Big game this time took place in the streets of Uzhgorod. As a result, there was a feeling as if the whole town was playing with us. Incredible feeling!
Another great and inspiring surprise of the Forum was a newly presented quiz game – sort of a mixture of some mind game, Jeopardy and a talent show. The teams had an opportunity to test their knowledge of Bible, to show their musical and poetic gifts. Especially thrilling was a “make a 90 minutes sermon” competition that made even pro preachers feel embarrassed and ashamed.
The basic goal of the Youth Forum to reveal and inspire young church leaders was 100% achieved. The following testimonies of the participants prove this fact:
«The Forum is the event that energizes you for the whole year ahead and this time, being together with my husband, we were inspired to start a new ministry». (Maria Tigina, Samara).
«For me the Forum became a true revelation. When boarding a plane in St.Petersburg, I felt clueless and frustrated, but on my way back home – just the opposite thing – I was reassured, calm and inspired. God was among us and He did a great job!» (Yakov Markov, St.Petersburg).
«I can tell, that this Forum is a new step for me. I’ve solved many challenges of my life… The Forum is the beginning of the new life which I’m going to grant to God!!!» (Dmitry Latvis).
«I thank God for this opportunity to be a Forum participant! That was a remarkable time filled with communication, new relationships; it feels like we’re a big family and have known one another for a long time! In fact, I feel confident, many doubts are gone, the lectures inspired new ideas within me! I want to be changed and please God’s heart more and more!!» (Sashka Gorbatsh, Kamenitsa, Ukraine).
Well, we’re heading to change this world!
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News around the connection

Devastation of deportations must end, letter says
WASHINGTON (UMNS) ) - Members of the United Methodist Immigration Task Force sent a letter to President Obama Feb. 25 stating the policy of mass deportations is "morally reprehensible and must end." The letter follows an act of civil disobedience by 32 faith leaders who were arrested in front of the White House on Feb. 17.
Members of the United Methodist Immigration Task Force sent a letter to President Obama Feb. 25 stating the policy of mass deportations is “morally reprehensible and must end.”
The letter follows an act of civil disobedience by 32 faith leaders who were arrested in front of the White House on Feb. 17. Undocumented immigrants stood and prayed with ecumenical faith leaders and members of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
United Methodist Bishops Julius Trimble, Iowa, and Minerva Carcaño, California-Pacific, led the peaceful demonstration and signed the letter to bring focus to the 1,100 deportations that are happening daily.
“The Obama administration will reach 2 million deportations soon, that’s 2 million people since 2009,” said Bill Mefford, executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
The letter to Obama states United Methodist churches across the country “have witnessed firsthand the devastation that results from raids that take place in homes, workplaces, and even in places of worship.”
Often, United Methodist churches are the first to respond when young dependent children are suddenly left alone after their parents are taken to detention centers.
Kneeling with the bishops on Feb. 17 were two family members who spoke of sudden arrests and threatened deportations of their loved ones.
Pilar Molina is speaking out, hoping for the quick release of her husband, Israel Resendiz-Hernandez, who was arrested Jan. 27 and is on a hunger strike at a Pennsylvania detention facility.
“We have two U.S. citizen daughters who ask every night, ‘When will our father be home?’” Molina said, tears in her eyes.
Hermina Gallegos Lopez said her 20-year-old daughter,Rosy, is in the Eloy Detention Center in Phoenix and is sick.
“I’m fasting for my daughter because she has been in detention for over five months. My daughter is sick and she is not getting the proper treatment she needs. I am fasting because every day that my daughter is in detention is a day that her health is in danger, if I don’t do anything she can die.”
Carcaño said United Methodists have mobilized tens of thousands in public witness events advocating for Congress to pass genuine immigration reform.
“Ultimately, we believe deportations will not convince Congress to do what is right by enacting genuine reform. Only by modeling what is just and right and stopping all deportations immediately will Congress and the rest of the country be convinced. You have done this once in a limited way through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and we believe you can and should do it again for all.”
*Gilbert is a multimedia reporter for United Methodist News Service. Contact her at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Bishops' Letter to President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
On Monday, February 17, the United Methodist Immigration Task Force, led by Bishop Julius Trimble and Bishop Minerva Carcaño, along with ecumenical faith leaders and immigrant members of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network peacefully protested your continued dependence on mass deportations of our immigrant sisters and brothers. As people of faith we are committed to following the biblical mandate to welcome the sojourner. Therefore, we engaged in civil disobedience because we find the policy of mass deportations to be morally reprehensible and one that must end. We believe you have the authority to end deportations.
Deportations under your Administration have torn apart families and created distrust and fear among immigrant communities and in our churches. United Methodist churches across the country have witnessed firsthand the devastation that results from raids that take place in homes, workplaces, and even in places of worship. United Methodist churches have been among the first to respond to the needs created by the sudden removal of parents from their families, which often include young dependent children. Deportations have created undue hardship on immigrant families and the communities of faith who are faithfully responding to the many needs created by the removal of family members. As a consequence, many of our churches are overwhelmed by the needs with whom they minister and their resources are being exhausted.
We have heard your challenge to Congress to pass humane immigration reform and we agree with you that legislation will provide the only permanent solution. We are committed to advocating for genuine, solution-based reform that grants citizenship to undocumented immigrants and reunites separated families. We have led the faith community in mobilizing tens of thousands of United Methodists in public witness events advocating Congress to pass genuine immigration reform. We will continue to do so.
However, your policy of deportations must end and we respectfully ask for it to end immediately until just and humane immigration reform is passed. This has been our belief for quite some time. In 2008 The United Methodist Church passed a resolution that calls upon "the United States government to immediately cease all arrests, detainment, and deportations of undocumented immigrants" until such just and humane reform has been passed. (2012 Book of Resolutions)
Ultimately, we believe deportations will not convince Congress to do what is right by enacting genuine reform. Only by modeling what is just and right and stopping all deportations immediately will Congress and the rest of the country be convinced. You have done this once in a limited way through DACA and we believe you can  and should do it again for all.
We believe that all people, regardless of their legal status, have inherent value imbued to them by God, and therefore, as people of faith, we can only support policies which uphold the humanity and dignity of our immigrant sisters and brothers. Deportations violate these core principles and values. Therefore, we urge you to end all deportations until a just and humane immigration reform is passed.
Sincerely,
The United Methodist Immigration Task Force    
Bishop Julius C. Trimble
Resident Bishop
Iowa Area                                                       
Bishop Minerva Carcaño
Resident Bishop
Los Angeles Area
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United Methodist missions program in top 20
NEW YORK (UMNS) - The Global Mission Fellows program has been named one of the top 20 "Service Programs that Change the World" by the Center for Faith and Service and FAITH3 in 2014. Global Mission Fellows is the United Methodist young adult missionary program that is part of Global Ministries' Generation Transformation.
The only time I can remember wishing for the end of a vacation was winter break of my senior year in college. Mid-January rolled around and I couldn't wait to get back to school. No, it wasn't so much that I was longing for cafeteria food or the return to cold showers. Nor was I eager to hit the books again. Instead, I had to get away from the question and the people who asked it: "What are your plans for after graduation?"
These days, with tuition, student loans and unemployment all high, the pressure is great to have an answer for this question.
When you listen to students who are getting ready to graduate or who already have, but are looking for work, they will often say things like:
"I want to make a difference"
"I want to live in a place far away from home"
"I want to meet and work with people who are different from me"
"I want to pay off my student loans"
And of course, they want to have an answer to the looming question: What are you going to do next year?
When I graduated from college, ad agencies and consulting groups were the big draw. If you wanted to do service, the Peace Corps was pretty much the only option, unless you had a friend who knew someone who ran some kind of non-profit somewhere. Today it's different. The most competitive job to get right after college is with Teach for America. AmeriCorps is also a popular option, but with more than 500,000 applicants for less than 80,000 positions, it is not a slam-dunk to get in. So what do you do if you are someone who wants to change the world, find meaningful work, commit to an issue and delve deeper and further into life's journey?
Enter "Service Programs that Change the World: Find a Job, Make a Difference."
FAITH3 has just launched a website that identifies and celebrates twenty groups that recruit, hire and train individuals who want to make a difference in the world, including their own. Most of these service placements last a year.
If you want to go out and do service at your leisure, these groups are not the place for you. But if you're looking for a place that will change the world and you along with it, keep reading.
Over the past decade I have sought out and convened a collection of excellent faith-based service organizations that place individuals - mostly young adults - in community settings where they engage in meaningful work while discerning what they want to do when their years of service are completed.
When you work with one of these organizations you will find your:
Skills are called upon and sharpened
Stereotypes are exposed and changed
Idealism is challenged yet maintained
Passions for changing the world and a platform to do just that
Comforts are traded in for sustainable practices
Most importantly, you'll find that spiritual practices and service collide.
There are four common practices and themes that most, although not all, of these groups follow. They include:
Community Living
Participants live together in a house, often in the neighborhoods where they serve. Residents usually share food and prepare and eat meals together. While living with other people can be hard, it is often seen as one of the most rewarding experiences of the year.
Simplicity and Sustainability
Stipends are intentionally low. The idea is to claim a simple lifestyle and to establish some sense of solidarity and connection with those who live nearby. The act of living simply is a commitment to both economic and environmental sustainability. Members learn that when you don't have so much, you don't need as much. Creating new patterns and habits that reduce personal consumption is challenging and rewarding. The hardest adjustment after a year of service is not regretting the things that one could have acquired, but instead returning to one's old life of over-consumption. The Jesuit Volunteer Corps has a slogan, "Ruined For Life," suggesting that once you have experienced simple community living, most will want to maintain that standard despite pressure to do otherwise.
Social Justice 
Placements with these organizations range from working with at-risk students in schools to organizations supporting people with AIDS. Some focus on direct service while others emphasize advocacy. The agencies where members are placed are mission driven and accepting of the turnover that happens with their programs. When a person is placed year after year in the same location, it is likely that the placement is well thought-out and the work meaningful.
Spiritual Exploration
All of the organizations listed have a common theme in that they are rooted in the Christian faith, but how they interpret that and live it out varies greatly. Some are very explicitly Christian and would expect a member to be practicing, while others openly encourage people of different faiths and those without faith to join. All of the organizations seek to encourage their members to explore their spiritual lives, their faith, and to live in community with others who are doing the same.
It would be a mistake to simply dismiss all of these great opportunities because they have a relationship with a faith tradition. The spiritual practices that most of these programs engage in vary greatly and are activities from which anyone can learn and grow. Keep an open mind. While religious organizations are suspect to many, it is important to note that many of the great leaders of the service movement and many of the defining organizations in the non-profit world have been started, led and maintained by individuals and groups that defined themselves as religious. What these organizations do have in common is that they take a deep interest in the world and the people with whom they work.
Having said all this, this is not easy work. If you sign up with any of these groups, you will be challenged, perhaps in ways you never imagined.
These programs are not for everyone, as stated earlier. If you are merely looking for something to do, you might want to skip these opportunities. But if you are someone who is looking for transformational work, each of the organizations listed are good places to invest yourself. You will find yourself in a place where faith and justice walk side by side, hand in hand, and you will be forever changed.
As someone who has interviewed and hired scores of people and served on selection committees for prestigious awards and fellowships, seeing one of these organizations on a resume is a powerful statement; not because it says you are "super religious," but because it demonstrates a commitment to the community, to the cause of social justice, and the willingness to explore and go deeper into the ministry of faith and to be changed by it.
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5 Adam Hamilton books top sellers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The Rev. Adam Hamilton of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., has claimed five slots on the March 2014 CBA Best Sellers Top 50 list, which is compiled from sales in Christian stores. The March list reflects sales through Feb. 1, 2014. Abingdon Press announced Hamilton's award-winning Lenten favorite "The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus" closed out the top 10, with "Final Words from the Cross," "24 Hours that Changed the World," "The Way: 40 Days of Reflection," and "Love to Stay: Sex, Grace, and Commitment" rounding out the list.
Find Adam Hamilton's books online.
http://www.adamhamilton.org/store?j=93694&e=lcarey@umcom.org&l=16933_HTML&u=2671884&mid=6206185&jb=0&j=93743&e=lcarey@umcom.org&l=16933_HTML&u=2672899&mid=6206185&jb=0&j=97864&e=glparker1952@aol.com&l=460_HTML&u=2778651&mid=6206185&jb=17
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Service for wife of bishop emeritus of Puerto Rico
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico (UMNS) - Rafael Moreno Rivas, the active bishop of The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, presided over the celebration of life and thanksgiving in memory of Iris Janet Rivera Casanova, the wife of the Rev. Juan A. Vera Mendez, bishop emeritus. Rivera Casanova passed away Feb. 18, 2014. She is survived by her husband and her three children, Juan Carlos, Cristina María and Deborah.
Read story in Spanish
Arecibo (PR) – 19 de febrero de 2013. El Obispo Emeritus de la Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico, el doctor, reverendo Juan A. Vera Méndez notificó esta mañana el fallecimiento de su amada esposa, la ingeniera Iris Janet Rivera Casanova. En ese sentido, Janet, como todos le llamaban afectuosamente, partió con el Señor ayer, martes, 18 de febrero de 2014, en horas de la noche. El matrimonio compuesto por Janet y el Obispo Vera Méndez les sobreviven sus tres hijos: Juan Carlos, María Cristina y Deborah.
Janet luchó una dura batalla con el cáncer, fue una mujer de gran valor humano, llevando consigo una vida íntegra y de entrega al servicio de su Iglesia, familia y seres queridos. Una mujer solidaria con las causas sociales, de testimonio inquebrantable de amor al Cristo Resucitado y por supuesto, de amor como ejemplo de su fidelidad a Dios y su incansable fe. Además, participó activamente en causas comunes contra el cáncer y desarrolló un ministerio dirigido a niños y niñas de la comunidad de Santana en Arecibo la cual es auspiciada por la Iglesia Metodista de Bethel, y donde ella asistía.
Por otro lado, la Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico representada por su Obispo, el doctor Rafael Moreno Rivas, invitan a la celebración litúrgica afirmando la vida y el testimonio de fe de la hermana Iris Janet. Ante esta, se celebrarán sendos Cultos de Consolación y Acción de Gracias en la Iglesia Metodista Bethel del Barrio Santana en Arecibo. Darán inicio hoy miércoles, 19 de febrero de 2014 a las 7:00 de la noche y mañana jueves, 20 de febrero de 2014 a la 1:00 de la tarde.
De querer enviar un arreglo floral, se está solicitando llevar una ofrenda de amor y solidaridad para fortalecer el Ministerio con los Niños y Niñas de la comunidad de Santana en Arecibo, y que auspicia la Iglesia Metodista Bethel.
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Donald Will, peace professor, dies
ORANGE, Calif. (UMNS) - Donald Scott Will, 65, Delp-Wilkinson Professor of Peace Studies at Chapman University and former seminar designer in the United Methodist Office at the United Nations, died Feb. 10 at his home. His father, Herman Will Jr., was the long-time peace program director at the denomination's Board of Christian Social Concerns.
Peace professor dies
Donald Scott Will had abiding passion for justice worldwide
February 20, 2014
ORANGE, Calif. — Donald Scott Will, who worked as a Middle East Resource Specialist and Seminar Designer in the United Methodist Office at the United Nations in New York City died Feb. 10 at his home here.
Will, Delp-Wilkinson Professor of Peace Studies at Chapman University, had an abiding passion for social-justice worldwide, working with many groups toward a just resolution for the Palestinian struggle and peace in the Middle East.
Will had also been very active in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and continued to work for post-apartheid reconciliation in solidarity with the people of South Africa. Among his many personal and professional travels were trips to Eastern Europe and the former USSR, the Middle East, and South Africa.
Born in Chicago
Born on Dec. 20, 1948, in Chicago, Will was the son of Herman Will Jr., and Margarita Irle Will. His father was the long-time peace program director at the United Methodist General Board of Christian Social Concerns, predecessor agency of the General Board of Church & Society.
These values of diversity and peace were important to Will from an early age.
During Will’s early years his family lived in the York Center Community Cooperative, which was an intentional community west of Chicago committed to racial, cultural and religious diversity. Many of the residents were also from the Church of the Brethren, a traditional peace church. These values of diversity and peace were important to Will from an early age.
The family moved in 1961 to Gaithersburg, Md., where Will attended junior and senior high school. He was active in student government and athletics while maintaining a strong academic record. He graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 1967, having been named by his classmates as “Most Likely to Succeed.” He then attended Haverford (Pa.) College, majoring in Political Science, competing on the intercollegiate wrestling team, and spending his junior year at the International College of Copenhagen, Denmark. He graduated with his B.A. in 1971.
Met his wife
While at the United Methodist Office at the United Nations as a Middle East Resource Specialist, Will met Ntathu (Leonora) Mbatha, whom he married in 1978. Their son, Alexander Lwazi, was born in New York in 1981. In 1984 the family moved to Denver where Don completed his Ph.D. in International Relations at the University of Denver.
In 1987 Will joined the faculty of Chapman University, here, as Director of Peace Studies. He became the first to hold the newly created Delp-Wilkinson Chair in Peace Studies. Among his many responsibilities he served as adviser to the Black Students Union, Director of the Freshman Seminar Program, and later as Associate Dean. He took a group of students to the Model United Nations in New York City over spring break every year. He also participated in Orange County interfaith peace activities.
Will is survived by his wife, Ntathu (Leonora), and son, Alexander; his five siblings, Douglas, Mary Kay, Allan, Debra and Harold Will; numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, 614 North Bush Street, Santa Ana, Calif. Chapman University will hold a subsequent memorial service on March 21.
Those wishing to honor WIll may join the Chapman Community support of The Donald S. & Leonora N. Will Endowed Chair of Peace Studies, Wilkinson College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Chapman University.
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Strength for Service becomes non-denominational
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - United Methodist Men announced that the Internal Revenue Service officially granted Strength for Service Inc. status as a 501(c) (3) public charity. "Strength for Service to God and Country" which began as a pocket-sized book of daily devotions distributed to more than a million military troops before it went out of print after the 1953 Korean armistice, has evolved under United Methodist Men's leadership into devotions for first responders as well as military.
A six-chapter story
NASHVILLE, Tenn.––A Catholic Boy Scout’s effort to republish a World War II book of daily devotions and expanded by a United Methodist group, has become a non-denominational ministry to all who give their lives in service to others.
On February 6, Internal Revenue Service officially granted Strength for Service, Inc., status as a 501(c) (3) “public charity.” Contributions to the organization are now deductible under section 170 of the IRS code.
Chapter one
The remarkable history of Strength for Service began in 1942.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, the Methodist Publishing House wanted to do something to support the thousands of young people enlisting in the Armed Services.
The Nashville-based publishing agency asked Norman Nygaard, a World War I Army chaplain, to recruit 365 church leaders of all denominations to write one-page devotions for each day of the year.
The result was the publication of Strength for Service to God and Country, a pocket-sized book of daily devotions distributed to more than 1million military troops before it went out of print following the 1953 Korean armistice.
Chapter two
Eugene Hunsberger, corpsman in the U.S. Navy, received a copy of Strength for Service to God and Country while serving in World War II.
He not only read daily devotions for his own spiritual enrichment, but when words failed him, he would read sections of the book to sailors after attending to their wounds. He kept the book during his service in Korea.
Following his discharge, Eugene read the book to his Scout troop at meetings and camp outs.
In his later years, he carried the book in his breast pocket to read to folks in the hospital as a volunteer guild member.
Chapter three
In 1999, Evan Hunsberger, the grandson of Eugene, noticed a tattered copy of the book of daily devotions on the bedside of his grandfather.
In need of an Eagle Scout project, Evan asked his grandfather if it would be a good idea to republish the book as his Eagle project. He thought he could provide copies to Camp Pendleton, the Long Beach Naval Station, and other military installations near their Orange County California home.
“That’s not a good idea,” said Eugene. “That’s a great idea.”
Chapter four
The General Commission on United Methodist Men, the agency responsible for scouting ministries, helped Evan secure the publishing rights from the United Methodist Publishing House, and they assisted in adding 50 meditations from contemporary religious leaders to create a second edition of Strength for Service to God and Country.
The commission received the support of the Pentagon and launched a fund-raising campaign resulting in the publication and distribution of 480,000 copies of the updated book.
Chapter five
While distributing most of the 400-page book to military chaplains to give to their troops, some of the copies were also given to fire fighters and police officers. While these public servants were grateful, they were aware the meditations were written for the military. They asked if a volume could be written for them.
In 2013, the commission created Strength for Service to God and Community, a 365-page book of daily devotions for first responders and all those in the service of others.
The commission also established the Eugene A. Hunsberger Strength For Service Endowment Fund at the United Methodist Church Foundation.
Chapter six
Noting that the book is designed for Christians from all denominations, the commission created a non-denominational board of directors and secured non-profit status from Internal Revenue Service.
The new board is now soliciting funds to publish both books and making proposals to various foundations to establish a permanent office and a professional staff. Board members want to ensure that the original book will never again go out of print, and that similar spiritual resources will be available to others.
The story begun in 1942, reintroduced in 2000 and expanded in 2013, has become a promise to future generations.
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Church leaders urge better U.S.-Cuba relations
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - The Rev. John McCullough, a United Methodist pastor and top executive for Church World Service, is urging the U.S. faith community to action around improved relations with Cuba as a delegation from the Cuban Council of Churches prepares to meet with Obama administration officials and members of Congress during a Feb.26-27 visit. "This is a particularly important time for congregational activism; for people to tune in to this issue and to make their voices heard to members of Congress," McCullough said.
Cuban Church Leaders to Push for Improved Cuba-U.S. Relations
CWS Head Calls Faith Community to Action
Washington -- As a delegation from the Cuban Council of Churches prepares to meet with administration officials and members of Congress during a Feb. 26-27 visit to Washington, D.C., CWS President and CEO the Rev. John McCullough is calling the U.S. faith community to action around improved relations with Cuba.
“This is a particularly important time for congregational activism; for people to tune in to this issue and to make their voices heard to members of Congress.  My experience has been that there are easily a majority of members of Congress who believe that it is time to move forward and they need to hear from their constituents that this is something that is important to them,” McCullough said.
Hoping to capitalize on a perceived softening of official attitudes towards improving relations with Cuba, McCullough and members of the Cuban delegation will renew their appeal to the U.S. government to take the necessary steps to end the decades old U.S. embargo on Cuba, with its ban on travel to and trade with the island nation.    
Last year, McCullough joined other U.S. faith leaders in praising President Obama for a 2011 directive that lifted restrictions for religious and academic travel to Cuba, and allowed licensed people-to-people cultural travel. That move, faith leaders said, strengthened relationships with church partners in Cuba and paralleled what they described as a "time of robust growth for Cuban churches, which has occurred alongside movement within Cuba to increase economic prosperity and political rights."
This week’s trip is motivated by a desire by the Cuban church leaders “to continue trying to serve as a bridge and to explore paths for normalizing relations between our two governments,” said delegation member Dr. Reinerio Arce, moderator of the Presbyterian Churches in Cuba and president of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Matanzas.  “Our peoples have never felt enmity and I believe that it is our duty as Christians to do all that is possible to find ways in which our two neighboring peoples can live as friends.” 
Describing the delegation members as “ambassadors of reconciliation and peace,” Dr. Arce pointed out that, “The churches of the U.S. and Cuba, over all these years of disagreement between our two governments, have been an important bridge in the relationship between our two peoples.”
Another member of the delegation, Bishop Griselda Delgado, the Episcopal Bishop of Cuba, emphasized the urgency of “responsible, respectful” dialogue between Cuba and the United States if reconciliation is to be achieved.
“As members of the Cuban church, representing our communities in dialogue and relationship with our sister churches in the U.S., we believe it is important to keep making the people of North America aware of the reality of the people of Cuba, who live unjustly under economic blockade by the United States,” Griselda said.
While the issue itself is complicated, Rev. McCullough believes that giving lawmakers an incentive to act by calling and urging them to work toward normalizing relations with Cuba is a simple thing for people of faith to do.  “It is both easy and imperative for people to speak out about it, and the visit of the Cuban church delegation provides an excellent opportunity to again raise concern about this issue to our elected officials on Capitol Hill,” McCullough said.
The Cuban delegation will be led by the Rev. Joel Ortega Dopico, Presbyterian minister and president of the Cuban Council of Churches.  In addition to Dr. Arce and Bishop Delgado, members include the Rev. Maria Yi, Society of Friends (the Quakers), and head of the Cuban chapter of the Latin American Council of Churches, the Rev. Raul Suarez, Baptist minister and founder and director of the Martin Luther King Center in Havana; and the Rev. Rhode Gonzalez, a pastor in the Christian Pentecostal church and past president of the Cuban Council of Churches. 
The delegation is sponsored by Church World Service, the Presbyterian Church USA, the American Baptist Churches, the American Friends Service Committee, the Episcopal Church, and Global Ministries of the Christian Churches (Disciples) and United Church of Christ.
Media relations contacts
Lesley Crosson, 212-870-2676, media@cwsglobal.org
Matt Hackworth, 908-420-8630, mhackworth@cwsglobal.org
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UMCOR putting people first in Philippines work
CALOGCOG, Philippines (UMNS) - Following its strong commitment to provide permanent homes after a major disaster, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is working in Calogcog to help residents return to permanent homes after Typhoon Haiyan. David Tereshchuk explains what the organization is doing.
February 25, 2014—As the people of the Philippines struggle to recover after their worst-ever typhoon, Haiyan—or Yolanda, to use its local name—residents of Calogcog, an especially hard-hit community in Leyte Province, are preparing to rebuild their homes with support from UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Since the disaster on November 8, 2013, overall humanitarian response strategies undertaken by the Philippines government in combination with humanitarian agencies working under United Nations guidance have been seeking to address survivors’ needs for food, restored livelihoods, and shelter.
UMCOR is playing its part in this broad recovery effort, and in Calogcog has prioritized the reconstruction of permanent housing. It decided on this focus and this barangay, or community, after an assiduous process of consultation with community members themselves.
“The community’s classrooms and schools had become emergency evacuation locations,” reports Ciony Eduarte, director of UMCOR’s disaster response office in the Philippines. “When classes resumed in January, the homeless had nowhere to go. More than 100 days after the devastation, people continue to live under tarps and in temporary shelters.”
Commitment to a Permanent Solution
UMCOR's experience in humanitarian work has instilled in the organization a strong commitment to move as swiftly as possible to provide permanent homes. In Calogcog, rather than relocating families, UMCOR has prioritized the task of enabling them to stay and to rebuild their homes.
This long-term provision is being undertaken amid continuing discussions about what areas should be “no-build” zones because they appear subject to future hazards—mostly those sites within 40 meters (131 feet) of a shoreline.
It has been an important factor for UMCOR’s discussions with the barangay leaders that the damaged homes in the community are located in a zone considered relatively safe from future threat, where fresh building is allowed, and where local families have decided they want to stay.
UMCOR has been establishing a field office within the program area to help continue community consultations, assess housing needs, and chart a way forward. The planned rehabilitation program seeks to provide beneficiaries with permanent solutions rather than transitional housing.
‘Dignified Giving to Dignified People’
UMCOR’s overriding concern is to avoid what can happen too often after major disasters—that temporary and transitional accommodation will, under pressure of time and resource shortages, unintentionally become all too permanent, and the former normalcy of people’s lives is never properly regained.
“We are working here to fully restore a community. Our guiding principle is “Dignified giving to dignified people,” individuals with Christ within them,” Eduarte says.
Your gift to International Disaster Response, Advance #982450 will support the Filipino homes-restoration program and enable UMCOR to respond effectively to other disasters around the globe.
* David Tereshchuk is a journalist and media critic who regularly contributes to www.UMCOR.org. 
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Human rights task force updates agencies 
GLENVIEW, Ill. (UMNS) - Two United Methodist general agencies - Pension and Health Benefits and Global Ministries - received an update from the Human Rights and Investment Ethics Task Force on the effort "to identify resources, principles, and procedures that express our commitment to human rights, taking into account fiduciary responsibility and ministry priorities, consistent with the global mission of The United Methodist Church."
Human Rights and Investment Ethics Task Force to Submit Draft Report and Recommendations to Agency Boards
Glenview, IL—The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) and the General Board of Global Ministries today provided an update on the fifth meeting of the Human Rights and Investment Ethics Task Force (HRIE TF), held at the end of January in Atlanta, Ga.  The task force was convened last year “to identify resources, principles, and procedures that express our commitment to human rights, taking into account fiduciary responsibility and ministry priorities, consistent with the global mission of The United Methodist Church.”
Over the course of five meetings, the task force gathered information about Human Rights protocols; studied United Methodist teachings and policies related to human rights and investments; discussed case studies on Palestine/Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tibet; shared strategies for socially responsible investment; and engaged theologians in conversation about readings related to theology and human rights.
In the preamble of the draft report, the task force noted that, “The human rights-related resolutions that fill our Book of Discipline reflect a profound theological commitment to share God’s grace in the world by protecting and enhancing the well-being of all persons. This document reflects the efforts of the HRIE TF to respond to this calling by working constructively with our internal diversity and maintaining a focus on our common mission.”
The draft report will be presented to the boards of directors of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits in late February and the General Board of Global Ministries in April for feedback and input to the task force. The final report will be presented for approval at the fall board meetings.
In a letter to directors, the head of GBPHB, Barbara Boigegrain, and the head of Global Ministries, Thomas Kemper, wrote, “As the top executives of our respective agencies and part of the United Methodist connection, we are both committed to developing synergy between finance and mission.” They continued, “It is important to us that there is congruency with how we meet the needs of our constituents while responding to the call to be faithful Christians.”
About the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits
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 invests over $20 billion as 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.
About the General Board of Global Ministries
The General Board of Global Ministries is the global mission agency of The United Methodist Church, its annual conferences, missionary conferences and local congregations. Its purpose is to connect the Church in mission; its vision is to equip and transform people and places for God's mission around the world.
Global Ministries has Four Mission Goals:
1.  Make disciples of Jesus Christ;
2.  Strengthen, develop, and renew Christian congregations and communities;
3.  Alleviate human suffering; and
4. Seek justice, freedom and peace.
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Resources and educational opportunities

Shift Happens: Hope in the midst of transition
HOUSTON (UMNS) - The first iRun Conference opened Jan. 16 with perspectives from rural and urban church leaders on the theme of change. The International Rural and Urban Network is a new ministry put together by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Fred Koenig in The Missouri Methodists reports what was shared.
Story begins on Page 12 of the March issue
http://d27vj430nutdmd.cloudfront.net/27942/198516/b58e2a2366746c1b28b7e2aaebe3e40b0bc0eafe.1.pdf
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Summit to connect global missions with technology
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Registration is open for the Game Changers Summit, a technology conference to help churches, universities and organizations connect global mission agendas with technology solutions for the developing world. Attendees will learn how to undertake a project in a developing country and get advice from global experts. The conference is scheduled for Sept. 3-5, 2014.
Early bird registration now open for ICT4D conference
United Methodist Communications
Office of Public Information
810 12th Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37203
umcpresscenter.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 24, 2014

Early bird registration now open for ICT4D Conference

Nashville, Tenn.: Registration is open for the Game Changers Summit, a technology conference designed to help churches, universities and organizations connect their global mission agendas with technology solutions for the developing world. Attendees will learn step-by-step how to undertake a project in a developing country, as well as get advice from global experts and meet others with similar interests.

The 2-1/2 day conference, scheduled for Sept. 3-5 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, features industry leaders in Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D). These award-winning companies, which include FrontlineSMS, Development Gateway, and Inveneo, are empowering communities in remote Africa, Asia and the Middle East to improve outcomes for health, education, safety, business and more.

More than a billion people worldwide lack access to electricity, but mobile phones, solar power and low-power computers are making technology – and information – accessible in ways that were not previously possible. Examples of ICT4D projects that The United Methodist Church is involved in include:

Haiti: The digital future is becoming the digital present as low-cost, low wattage computers powered by solar energy bring powerful education opportunities to communities there.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Text messaging software sends helpful and lifesaving information to hospitals, clinics, health centers and communities quickly and broadly via mobile phone, helping to fight the deadly spread of malaria.
The Philippines: After last year’s devastating typhoon, restoring mobile phone and radio communication networks has become a humanitarian priority to help with everything from air traffic control to monitoring disease to informing people where clean water, food and medical assistance is available.
United Methodist Communications organized the Game Changers Summit to equip churches that seek to help people in developing countries who are struggling to overcome poverty and lack of access to modern communications. The conference will help them learn about technology solutions that improve education and foster development, as well as connect them with experts familiar with the obstacles and technology that is appropriate for the environment.

“Historically, particularly in the development sector, outsiders have been seen as the ones with the best answers because they’ve had all the best resources, and the best access to the information to make use of them. The internet has changed much of this, as has the mobile phone,” said FrontlineSMS founder Ken Banks, a pioneer in the ICT4D field, in an interview that appeared in Huffington Post.

Mobile phones, in particular, are providing a powerful platform for allowing communities to solve social problems even in the most rural areas, said Banks, who will be the keynote speaker at the Game Changers Summit. “So, we live in an incredibly exciting time, one which is turning development on its head, and that's a good thing,” Banks said.

“At the end of the day, technology has to be sensitive and appropriate to the geographical, economic, technical, and cultural conditions of its users. If it’s not, it will often fail,” Banks added.

A host of expert speakers and presenters includes Chris Locke, a managing director at GSMA, the trade association for mobile operators worldwide; Maeghan Ray-Orton, manager of Medic Mobile’s East Africa program; Bruce Baikie, executive director of Inveneo and founder of Green WiFi; and Wayan Vota, co-founder of Kurante and senior manager of business development and external relations at Development Gateway. Learn about all of the speakers and presenters at www.umcom.org/gamechangers.
Early bird registration is $215 and ends April 30. After that, registration is $250. For more information, visit www.umcom.org/global.
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Media contact:
Diane Degnan ddegnan@umcom.org
615.742.5406 (w) 615.483.1765 (cell)
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Resources for church tutoring programs
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. (UMNS) - Germantown United Methodist Church is offering other churches access to resources and training for an elementary tutoring program. The church developed Team Read in partnership with education professionals at Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary School in north Memphis. Through the program, volunteers teach 1,000 foundational words to second graders while maintaining their own flexible schedules. The Memphis Annual (regional) Conference has the story.
A United Methodist church in Germantown, Tenn., is offering other churches access to resources and training for an elementary tutoring program, allowing congregations to benefit from its expertise.
Germantown UMC developed Team Read in partnership with education professionals at Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary School in north Memphis. Through the program, volunteers teach 1,000 foundational words to second graders while maintaining their own flexible schedules.
“Team Read proved enormously popular at church—[we had] 60-75 volunteers, called coaches, each year with very little turnover,” Jackie Flaum, Germantown UMC Team Read Head Coach, said.
In the program, volunteers donate one hour per week of their time from Labor Day until the end of April. They tutor two children for 30 minutes each, either during or after class. During that time, they go over “sight” words, or words children should recognize on sight.
So far, the project has been a major success. On average, Flaum said, tutored children learned 200 words per year, which got the attention of local educators. Last year, only two Team Reads existed, but now that number has grown.
“This year there are 16 schools with Team Reads and all but one are staffed by churches,” Flaum said. “Last August Germantown UMC offered training for volunteers and 100 people showed up for an all-day session. Many of those were from other churches that grew programs at their schools.”
The project actually has worked so well that the Shelby County School System urged its schools to adopt the program. The school system conducted a study showing that coached students learned nearly twice as many foundational words within the span of a year as other children their age.
In the wake of such results, Germantown UMC hopes to expand Team Read even more. Flaum said the church plans to promote it, offering a step-by-step marketing plan along with Coach Playbooks, which give details about the program, educational materials and training.
If churches want to get involved, the program’s promotional material says they should contact Shelby County Schools Community Engagement Specialist Barbara Dawson at 901-416-5732 or dawsonb@scsk12.org. She can tell church members about training, background checks and schools in need of a team.
If people have any other questions about how to help children through Team Read, they may contact Flaum at jrflaum@yahoo.com
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UMCOR offers 40 days of Lenten devotionals
NEW YORK (UMNS) - "The practice of Lenten disciplines," says Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, "offers us the opportunity to deepen our faith, renew our commitment and prepare ourselves for the gift of Christ's Resurrection." Jung, who serves the Wisconsin Annual (regional) Conference, is one of several writers of a new collection of 40 Lenten devotionals that share the life-changing ministries of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
To download
http://www.umcgiving.org/atf/cf/%7ba5da7032-3d61-4af7-88b9-96b0e1145ff4%7d/OGHS_DEVOTIONAL_EBOOK_2-10-14.PDF?j=97864&e=glparker1952@aol.com&l=460_HTML&u=2778662&mid=6206185&jb=17
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History of Hymns: 'We'll Understand it Better By and By"
DALLAS (UMNS) - The Rev. Charles A. Tindley was one of the eminent preachers of Methodism at the turn of the 20th century. His most famous hymn about faith in God in times of "somber skies and howling tempests" was written during a time of challenge for his ministry. Southern Methodist University's C. Michael Hawn has the story.
History of Hymns: “We’ll Understand It Better By and By” by C. Michael Hawn
"We’ll Understand It Better By and By"
Charles A. Tindley
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 525

We are tossed and driven

on the restless sea of time;

somber skies and howling tempests

oft succeed a bright sunshine;

in that land of perfect day,

when the mists have rolled away,

we will understand it better by and by.

Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) was one of the eminent preachers of Methodism at the turn of the twentieth century. Hymnologist James Abbington has called Tindley a "pastor, orator, poet, writer, theologian, social activist, 'father of African American Hymnody,' 'progenitor of African American gospel music' and 'prince of preachers.'"
He was born in Worchester County, Maryland, the son of Charles and Esther Tindley, but his mother died when he was only two years old, and his father raised him. Dr. Abbington comments that biographies often refer to Tindley's slave ancestry, but that an autobiographical reference in his Book of Sermons (1932) implies that he was not a slave.
Economic conditions were very difficult after the death of his mother, forcing his father to "hire him out." African American scholar Bernice Johnson Reagon notes, "This practice was not unusual for freed Blacks. Hired-out workers often labored alongside slaves, experiencing much of the reality of the slave plantation. The major differences were that there was some remuneration … and hired-out workers did get the opportunity to go home."
Tindley moved to Philadelphia as a young person, attending school at night. He said, "I made a rule to learn at least one new thing -- a thing I did not know the day before -- each day." He was self-taught, never graduating from college or seminary, yet acquiring and reading more than 8,000 books in his library. He took Greek through Boston School of Theology and Hebrew through a synagogue in Philadelphia. Tindley was awarded two honorary doctorates of divinity from colleges in North Carolina and Maryland.
From 1887-1900, Tindley served short-term itinerate positions until he became the Presiding Elder in the Wilmington District in 1900. Tindley, granted a license to preach from Bainbridge Street Methodist Church where he was employed as a janitor between 1880-1885, thus became a member of the Delaware Annual Conference. In 1902 he was assigned to Bainbridge Street Methodist Episcopal Church, this time as its pastor.
His return to the congregation as pastor was not universally appreciated since he had served more than fifteen years earlier as the janitor; but the 150th Anniversary Journal of the congregation notes that "All were pleasantly surprised, for as Tindley mounted the rostrum, wearing a Prince Albert Coat -- then the garb of many African American Protestant preachers -- he had the dignified bearing acquired during his previous appointments. They were further surprised when Tindley delivered a masterful, soul gripping sermon that brought loud amens and praise God exclamations from his listeners."
In 1906 the congregation moved from Bainbridge Street, having gone through difficult negotiations to purchase Westminster Presbyterian Church, a sanctuary that seated 900. In its new location, the name was changed to East Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church. As the church grew to a multiracial congregation of 10,000, the facility was strained to its limits. After his death, the church was named Tindley Temple. Tindley Temple United Methodist Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
The Rev. Carlton Young notes "We’ll Understand It Better By and By" was "one of eight hymns . . . written during a difficult period in Tindley’s life when negotiations were underway for the purchase of Westminster Presbyterian Church on Broad Street. It reflects aspects of Tindley’s ministry through preaching aimed to lift the spirits of turn-of-the-century urban African Americans."
One can imagine Tindley using this song to punctuate his sermons, offering hope to those assembled not only through exegesis of the biblical text, but also through a lyrical sung theology. African American scholars C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya clarify that "by and by" was "not simply other-worldly. [These hymns] are also addressed to helping the oppressed survive this world."
Stanza one paints a picture of "restless seas" and "howling tempests" that will eventually give way to "that land of perfect day, when the mists have rolled away." Stanza two speaks to the economic condition of many of Tindley’s parishioners:
destitute of the things that life demands,
want of food and want of shelter,
thirsty hills and barren lands;
Stanza three invokes the image of the "promised land" found in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Just as the children of Israel followed the pillar and fire through the desert, Tindley exhorts, "he guides us with his eye, and we’ll follow till we die."
Stanza four cautions the singer to watch out for "Temptations, hidden snares [that] often take us unawares." Perhaps like Job, "we wonder why the test, when we try to do our best."
The refrain beginning, "By and by, when the morning comes," echoes Psalm 30:5: "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning" (New American Standard Bible). In the morning we will experience the community of "the saints of God . . . gathered," "we’ll tell the story of how we’ve overcome," and finally, "we’ll understand it better by and by."
Indeed, Tindley’s theology is not escapist "pie in the sky by and by." It is a theology of hope that exemplifies I Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known " (KJV).
Dr. Hawn is distinguished professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology. He is also director of the seminary's sacred music program.
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New website for higher ed and ministry agency
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry has introduced a new website. The redesigned website promises to resource the church more efficiently to "prepare global leaders for a global church," said the Rev. Kim Cape, the top executive of the agency. The web address for the agency remains http://www.gbhem.org/
See website
http://www.gbhem.org/?j=97864&e=glparker1952@aol.com&l=460_HTML&u=2778664&mid=6206185&jb=17
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The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry website, a key component of the agency’s work on behalf of The United Methodist Church just got a facelift aimed at making ministry and education resources easier to find and use.
“Our website is the face of the Board to the people in the pews, church leaders, our core constituencies, and the world,” said Terri Hiers, executive director of GBHEM’s Office of Interpretation. “We wanted a completely new look with updated content and an enhanced search engine.”
The project began with a website survey that collected feedback from students, clergy, Boards of Ordained Ministry, and others who regularly use resources produced by GBHEM. The survey asked what features and content they wanted or needed in the redesign.
Kim Cape, GBHEM’s general secretary, said young adults or second-career people who are exploring God’s call to ministry can find materials about discernment, seminary, and loans and scholarships on this new site.
“Seminarians and college or university students will find information about paying for an education, as well as how to find a campus ministry. Ordained or licensed clergy, members of a conference Board of Ordained Ministry, or district superintendents also can find something especially meant to complement their ministry,” Cape said.
The redesigned website promises to resource the church more efficiently to “prepare global leaders for a global church.”
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The church and homosexuality
Age no obstacle in Dallas same-sex wedding
DALLAS (UMNS) - The longtime partners are 84 and 80 and the pastor is 85 and battling cancer. But the Rev. William McElvaney will unite Jack Evans and George Harris in marriage March 1, a violation of United Methodist church law. "We claim that our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and therefore to transform the world. ... by excluding a whole group of people? ... That's just myopic, blindness," McElvaney said.
Public defiance of The United Methodist Church’s same-sex marriage ban has increasingly made headlines in the last few months. But the action set for Saturday, March 1, will be like no other, featuring three octogenarian Texas men.
The Rev. William McElvaney, 85, plans to officiate at the Dallas wedding of Jack Evans, 84, and George Harris, 80. The latter have been a couple for 53 years, and for more than two decades have been active members of Dallas’ Northaven United Methodist Church, where McElvaney is pastor emeritus.
McElvaney has liver cancer and will undergo radiation Wednesday, Feb. 26. But he intends to take his stand against the United Methodist law on Saturday, even if he has to sit while doing so.
“George and Jack are amenable to different kinds of situations,” McElvaney said. “They said, `If you need to do the service seated, fine. No problem.’”
The United Methodist Church has, since its 1972 General Conference, declared the practice of homosexuality to be incompatible with Christian teaching. Church law also prevents United Methodist clergy from officiating at same-sex unions and United Methodist churches from hosting such services.
“I think the church is on the wrong side of the gospel on this, and the wrong side of history,” McElvaney said last week. “We claim that our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and therefore to transform the world. I’m saying, `Transform the world?’ By excluding a whole group of people? Who are we kidding? That’s just myopic, blindness.”
Bishop Michael McKee of the North Texas Annual (regional) Conference has not commented publicly on McElvaney’s plan to do the March 1 service.
The Rev. Mike Walker, a retired United Methodist ordained elder in Dallas and board member of Good News, an unofficial caucus within the denomination that supports the church’s teaching and positions on homosexuality, did voice objection.
“I’m deeply saddened that a fellow colleague in ministry for all these years in the North Texas Conference has decided to plan an act seemingly in defiance of church law on a very controversial and divisive issue, and on an issue which the church has settled through a long series of decision-making processes,” he said.
Walker added, “I’m sure that Bill sees this as an act of justice or perhaps pastoral care, but I see this as an issue of covenant-keeping and an issue of the meaning of marriage and the boundaries for proper sexual behavior.”
Making a statement
McElvaney — an ordained elder since 1957 — announced in a Jan. 19 Northaven worship service that he would risk a church trial and the possibility of losing his clergy credentials by officiating at a same-sex service, if a couple came forward asking for one.
Evans and Harris were ushers at Northaven the morning of McElvaney’s announcement, and also were celebrating their anniversary. They soon met with McElvaney and worked out the plan for a March 1 wedding.
Texas is not among the 17 states that have legalized same-sex marriage, and, in fact, has a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. But Evans and Harris, who have not ruled out going to another state for a service recognized by law, still chose to have a church wedding with McElvaney officiating.
“We want to make a statement to the Methodist Church,” Harris said.
Saturday’s service will not be at Northaven United Methodist. McElvaney made clear on Jan. 19 that he did not want to put Northaven or its pastor, the Rev. Eric Folkerth, in violation of church law.
The service will be at nearby Midway Hills Christian Church, which is in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination.
 “We’re looking forward to this,” said the Rev. Arthur Stewart, pastor of Midway Hills Christian. “Northaven’s a great sister church.”
The wedding will be Texas-size, with 16 friends of Evans and Harris — a group that went with them on their 50th anniversary cruise — standing with them for the vows.
The Midway Hills sanctuary, with seating for 250 to 300, may not accommodate the crowd. 
“We could have 200 people here from Northaven alone,” Folkerth said.
While the wedding won’t be at Northaven United Methodist, the reception will be. Northaven has long been a member of Reconciling Ministries Network, an unofficial caucus working to change The United Methodist Church’s position on homosexuality, and gays and lesbians make up about a third of its membership.
Sharing work, life
Evans grew up in Olney, Texas, attending a Presbyterian Church. Harris is from Flora, Miss., where his parents helped start a Methodist church.
"We were there every time the doors opened,” he recalled.
Evans and Harris said they met in 1961 at a party thrown by an antiques dealer whose clients included Betty Criswell, wife of the Rev. W.A. Criswell, who for decades led the First Baptist Church of Dallas with fiery, fundamentalist preaching.
Along with living together for more than a half century, Evans and Harris were longtime partners in selling real estate.
“We worked together and lived together for 38 years,” Harris said. “You may imagine that that has its own challenges.”
They are a Mutt and Jeff couple, with Harris standing 5 feet, 4 inches, and Evans almost a foot taller. Both are gentle in demeanor, known to provide cookies regularly to their street’s garbage men, and to have bags of food staples in their sport utility vehicle for handing out to the homeless.
But they are activists in their own way, having years ago started a series of networking lunches for gay-owned businesses, which became the Stonewall Business & Professional Association and evolved into North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce.
Evans and Harris more recently founded The Dallas Way, a nonprofit aimed at preserving the history of the gay rights effort in Dallas through video interviews and more. Both men say they lost jobs as young men (Harris in the military and Evans in retail) over their sexual orientation, and they strongly believe that discrimination and the effort to overcome it should be remembered.
Focus on justice
In his long career, McElvaney led Northaven and other United Methodist churches. He also was a professor at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and served as president of Saint Paul School of Theology. Both seminaries are United Methodist.
He is a graduate of Perkins and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration at SMU. His father was a board chairman at SMU (where a dorm is named McElvaney Hall) and McElvaney himself received a Perkins’ Distinguished Alumnus Award last year.
But McElvaney is perhaps best known in Dallas for his work for peace and social justice causes. He’s author of the book “Becoming a Justice Seeking Congregation,” and helped lead a high-profile, unsuccessful campaign against having a public policy institute as part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU.
McElvaney has long pushed for full inclusion in The United Methodist Church, including ordination of lesbians and gays. He said his decision to officiate at a same-sex wedding wasn’t precipitated by any one thing but part of a strengthening conviction.
“I had to grow some just to sort of understand and be mentored by my gay and lesbian friends as to what it’s like to be in their shoes,” he said.
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht, vice president and general manager of Good News, noted that of those United Methodist pastors who have officiated at same-sex ceremonies, McElvaney would be in a “lower-risk category.”
McElvaney is retired, so he would not lose a salary even if he lost his credentials after a church trial. The denomination’s Board of Pension and Health Benefits has said that federal law and provisions of its retirement plan prevent withholding pension benefits earned by clergy.
Still, Lambrecht strongly appealed to McElvaney not to do the March 1 service.
“When clergy publicly perform ceremonies that the worldwide United Methodist Church does not recognize, it only further exacerbates the present strife and division within our denomination,” Lambrecht said.
McElvaney, though, said he has received many calls and messages of support since making his announcement, and he plans to follow through.
“My only second thought is, `Why didn’t I do this sooner?’” he said.
He added that he’s aware of divisions in the denomination and mindful of the need to advocate in the right spirit.
“Our task is also to love those who have the contrary opinion. That’s the harder love for us, and it is upon us.”
*Hodges, a United Methodist News Service writer, lives in Dallas. Contact him at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org
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Announcement March 10 in Ogletree case
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (UMNS) - The Rev.William S. Shillady, secretary of the trial court in the case of the Rev. Thomas Ogletree, said Feb. 24 that there will be a news conference March 10 to announce the resolution of the case. Ogletree's trial for officiating at a same-sex wedding was scheduled to begin March 10 but was postponed Feb. 10.
A United Methodist theologian and retired elder in the New York Annual (regional) Conference, who had been scheduled to face a church trial in a month for officiating at the same-sex wedding of his son, is now awaiting a new trial date.
The trial of the Rev. Thomas Ogletree was initially scheduled for March 10 at First United Methodist Church in Stamford, Conn. Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives, the presiding officer or the equivalent of a judge, postponed the trial date Feb. 10.  No new date has been given.
Ives’ decision followed a joint motion by the counsel for the church, the Rev. Timothy Riss, and the counsel for Ogletree, the Rev. W. Scott Campbell.  In a previous pre-trial meeting, Ives —  after consultation Riss and Campbell — referred the charge to a process seeking just resolution.  More time is needed for this process, said a news release. This news opens the possibility that the case could be concluded without a trial.
Ogletree, a retired seminary dean noted for his work on Christian ethics, presided over the wedding of his son, Thomas Rimbey Ogletree, to Nicholas Haddad on Oct. 20, 2012. The service took place at the Yale Club in New York City.
Ogletree, 80, is a Yale Divinity School professor emeritus, veteran of the U.S. civil rights movement and lifelong member of the Methodist tradition.  He has served as dean at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn., and the United Methodist-related  Theological School at Drew University in Madison, N.J. Ogletree is declining interview requests at this time.
But, in May, he told United Methodist News Service that as a professor, he rarely has been asked to perform weddings. When his son asked him to officiate, he said he felt “deeply moved.”
He said in a statement released Jan. 17 that “I could not with any integrity as a Christian refuse my son’s request to preside at his wedding.”
“It is a shame that the church is choosing to prosecute me for this act of love, which is entirely in keeping with my ordination vows to ‘seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people’ and with Methodism’s historic commitment to inclusive ministry embodied in its slogan ‘open hearts, open minds, open doors.’”
The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s law book, since 1972 has stated that all people are of sacred worth but “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
Church law says that marriage is to be between a man and a woman and bans United Methodist clergy from performing and churches from hosting “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions.”
If tried and found guilty, Ogletree could face a variety of penalties. The Book of Discipline gives a trial court of 13 clergy — the church equivalent of a jury — a range of choices up to revoking Ogletree’s credentials as United Methodist clergy. However, a trial court also can opt for a lesser penalty.
Voters in the New York Conference repeatedly have approved petitions seeking to change church law on homosexuality, most recently in 2011. In 2013, the conference approved a resolution by Methodists in New Directions that commended United Methodist individuals and congregations “whose bold actions and courageous statements help to provide for the pastoral needs of same-sex couples within The United Methodist Church.”
Complaint process
The Rev. Randall C. Paige, pastor of Christ Church in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., and the Rev. Roy E. Jacobsen, a retired pastor, were the New York Conference clergy who filed a complaint against Ogletree after his son’s wedding announcement appeared on Oct. 21, 2012, in The New York Times.
Paige is the president of the Wesley Fellowship, an unofficial evangelical renewal group in the New York Conference. Jacobsen is a board member of the group.
“As we who brought the complaint expressed to Bishop McLee , we take no joy in bringing this complaint,” Paige said.  ”We do it in obedience to Christ and the laws of our Church.  His honor, along with the integrity of the entire United Methodist Church is the motive driving this action.”
Ogletree and Paige met face to face in late January 2013 to try to find a just resolution to the dispute and avoid a trial. Paige asked Ogletree to promise never to officiate at such a union again. Ogletree declined.
New York Area Bishop Martin D. McLee informed Ogletree in March that he had referred the case to a church counsel — the equivalent of a prosecutor. The church counsel then determined that there was enough evidence to proceed to trial.
The Book of Discipline says “church trials are to be regarded as an expedient of last resort.”
McLee said in a statement released late Jan. 17 that he still prayed that the complainants and Ogletree could negotiate a just resolution and avoid a trial.
“During this most difficult time in the life of the church, I invite you to be in prayer for the Reverend Dr. Ogletree, the complainants and all who have a vested interest in this matter,” his statement said. “God is still God and that is where our trust and hope lies.”
Ives’ referral of the case for the  just resolution process puts the matter before  McLee again. Under the Book of Discipline, the process is confidential. McLee may use a trained, third-party mediator to help. If a resolution is achieved, a written agreement will be presented to Ives. If no agreement is reached, the matter will be returned to Ives for further action.
Trial preparations
The United Methodist News Service confirmed Feb. 10 that McLee had asked Ives to serve as the trial’s presiding officer and Riss, pastor of Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) United Methodist Church, to serve as the counsel for the church. McLee was not immediately available for comment Feb. 10.
Ives was among 36 retired bishops who signed a 2011 statement urging General Conference, the denomination’s top lawmaking body, to end the United Methodist ban on “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy. Riss is the  treasurer of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, an unofficial progressive United Methodist group that has advocated for greater inclusion of gays and lesbians.
The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, the vice president and general manager of the unofficial United Methodist evangelical renewal group Good News, serves as an advocate for the clergy who filed the complaint against Ogletree.
“The complainants registered their concerns about the appointment of Rev. Timothy Riss as counsel for the church with Bishop McLee,” Lambrecht said on Feb. 10. “Bishop McLee assured them that Rev. Riss would carry out the responsibilities of the office of counsel with objectivity and integrity, and he refused to reconsider the appointment.  We are hopeful that Rev. Riss will indeed vigorously pursue the goal of accountability with grace, which has been the intention of the complainants all along.  The complainants desire to maintain the covenant unity and polity of The United Methodist Church in a context of deep division.”
After the trial’s postponement, Lambrecht did not yet know whether he and the complainants would be part of the discussions with Riss and Ogletree’s counsel about a potential just resolution.
In an earlier interview, Lambrecht said his hope is that a trial “will accomplish the goal of holding the Rev. Ogletree accountable to the vows he made as an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church.
Lambrecht served as counsel in the church case against the Rev. Amy DeLong, who  was found guilty of officiating in a same-sex union at a public church trial in June 2011. He also helped Paige and Jacobsen file the complaint against Ogletree.
“We filed this complaint in the spirit of Matthew 18 following Christ’s direction when a brother/sister sins.  We are to go to him asking him to listen.  The goal is restoration; the implicit requirement is repentance,” Paige said.
Methodists in New Directions,  an unofficial New York Conference group that advocates for greater inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals in the life of the church, has championed Ogletree’s case and first announced the trial date.
Dorothee Benz, chair of Methodists in New Directions, said after the trial’s postponement, “Tom (Ogletree) has had an official complaint hanging over his head now for 16 months and the phrase ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ certainly comes to mind.”
“But let us hope that justice may yet be won,” she added, “And let us remember that whatever happens in this case, the problem here is not the church trials but the unjust church laws that put pastors on trial for ministering to LGBTQ people.”
Campbell, pastor of Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Mass., serves as Ogletree’s counsel. He previously represented DeLong in her 2011 trial.
“I will try to help the jury of 13 people understand the difference between what is legal and what is right,” he said in  a statement on his church’s website. “I will attempt to empower them to make a decision that reflects the true nature of the covenant of the ordained, a covenant that is not held hostage every four years to the whims and prejudices of the General Conference.”
Ogletree told UMNS in May that as retired clergy, it won’t make much difference if he loses his credentials. Both federal law and provisions of United Methodist retirement plans prohibit depriving clergy members of the pension benefits they already have earned.
Lambrecht said that the goal of those filing the complaint is not necessarily to affect Ogletree’s financial standing.
“Our goal is to have a public declaration of accountability, and if Rev. Ogletree were to lose his credentials, it would be a very public statement that his actions were outside of the agreed-upon covenant of United Methodist clergy.”
Widening dispute
Ogletree’s case comes at a time when the church’s debate regarding human sexuality has intensified and more clergy have been willing to defy publicly church law.
He was among more than 1,000 active and retired United Methodist clergy across the United States, who in 2011, signed pledges announcing their willingness to defy the denomination’s ban on officiating at same-gender unions. The New York Conference alone has 218 clergy signers, supported by 1,000 lay signers.
Bishops promised in a letter released Nov. 11, 2011, to uphold church law banning same-gender unions.
Since then, the dispute has become only more public.
Frank Schaefer in the East Pennsylvania Conference was told in December to surrender his credentials after he was found guilty in a church trial of officiating at the 2007 nuptials of his son to another man. After a 30-day suspension, Schaefer said he could not abide by the Book of Discipline “in its entirety because of its discriminatory laws.” He also announced plans to appeal the ruling. The trial and  its aftermath made headlines nationwide.
Retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert officiated on Oct. 26, 2013, at the same-sex union of Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince, members of Discovery United Methodist Church in Hoover, Ala. The Council of Bishops has called for a complaint to be filed against Talbert.
A complaint against the Rev. Stephen Heiss, a pastor in the Upper New York Annual (regional) Conference, has been referred to church counsel. Heiss has said he officiated at the same-sex ceremony of his daughter in 2002 and more such unions since New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011.
*Hahn and Gilbert are multimedia reporters for United Methodist News Service. Contact them at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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United Methodists in the news

Former Clinton spokesman marries faith with politics
WASHINGTON (UMNS) - Mike McCurry has gone from being President Bill Clinton's spokesman to a graduate of and now teacher at United Methodist-related Wesley Theological Seminary. In a profile, the Washington Post shares how McCurry, who also serves on United Methodist Communications' board of directors, now quietly lives out his faith.
Mike McCurry was President Bill Clinton’s spokesman during the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky years, so suffice to say he knows what it’s like to feel uncomfortable on a podium. But his typical audience these days scares him in a new way.
A few weeks ago, McCurry, 59, became a teacher in religion and politics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Northwest Washington, from which he graduated last spring. It marked his official transition from a hard-charging, super-political spin doctor who quietly attended church to a very public evangelizer for the idea that religious values can save “the frozen tundra” of today’s politics.
“I had no problem getting up and doing briefings before millions of people, but I am fearful in front of 12 students that I can’t really fake it,” says McCurry, who spent more than two decades as a political spokesman. “I’m laying it on the line about who I am and what I believe in a way that’s different. When you’re spokesman for someone else, they don’t care what you think. These people want to know who I am.”
Who McCurry is is, in part, a hybrid: He derides the political scene but is still very much in it, as an adviser to left-leaning religious advocacy groups and candidates. He almost spits the word “spin doctor” but has remained in communications and image-making his entire life. He’s known both as the guy who prompted great skepticism by declaring himself “out of the loop” on the relationship between Clinton and Lewinsky and as an elder statesman of respectful, frank dialogue. The point of his program at Wesley is to get seminarians — most of whom are on the progressive side — to be comfortable merging their faith and politics in the public square. And yet several of his closest friends say he never speaks to them about his beliefs.
When he left the Clinton administration in the fall of 1998, McCurry wrote on White House stationery to a friend that he wanted to do “something that counts.” Yet his is not a story of some radical conversion. It’s a more subtle tale of a guy who has always had both a faith life and a political life but realized that the two should be one.
Growing up in Northern California in the late 1960s, McCurry and his family were involved in the local Congregational church, which is part of the liberal United Church of Christ. While his parents focused on church music, McCurry eagerly participated in youth group trips to Berkeley to protest the war in Vietnam. He loved politics.
“The church is what brought me to politics. But I thought: If the church is doing politics, I can go do politics on my own, which is what I did,” he said.
His father and grandfather worked for the government, and he saw public service and politics as a noble calling, an expression of his values. At that point — and for a few decades — he didn’t give a lot of thought to what Christianity taught and what he believed.
After graduating from Princeton University, he went right to Washington to work as a press secretary for Democratic senators and a string of Democratic candidates for the White House.
McCurry was considered a gifted communicator. He hadn’t been part of Clinton’s initial campaign crew, but in 1994 he was brought from the State Department to the White House.
At that point, religion was largely associated in politics with the right wing, and as secular Americans became a larger part of the Democratic Party base, Democrats became increasingly uncomfortable framing their values in spiritual terms. By then, McCurry and his wife, Debra, were parents and had become regulars at St. Paul’s United Methodist church in Kensington, where he taught Sunday school and made the separation between religion and politics more formal.
“I went to church on Sundays, but it never dawned on me, it never occurred to me that that should affect how I should behave,” McCurry says. “Church for me was a sanctuary away from the world of politics, where I could get away from it all and have my own spiritual reflections.”
Speaking openly about faith was not the Democrats’ way, and it wasn’t McCurry’s way, either. He was — and is — somewhat private about his faith.
“He’s more likely to talk about John Boehner than John Wesley. I think that’s a side of himself he’s happy to share but reluctant to impose,” said Joe Simitian, a childhood friend who went on to become mayor of Palo Alto. Other friends chuckled at the image of McCurry-as-choirboy, talking about prayer or sitting around reading the Bible quietly.
But the scrutiny of the rough-and-tumble Clinton years began to wear on McCurry. He was an avid defender of the president and of his policies but says he was hurt when editorial writers or others would question his own character. Even though McCurry was popular with reporters, it was the nature of the job for him to evade, bully and sometimes even threaten.
He kept his faith in a different compartment.
But he began to look at his role in a more critical way when longtime network correspondent Brit Hume “said I was the most political person who had ever been at that podium,” he said. “When Brit said that, it may have been the moment when I said: Am I dialed up too much?”
He remembered reading reporting about himself and thinking: “What have I done besides being a spin doctor that has created something important or some common good?”
When he left the White House in late 1998, McCurry recalls his pastor telling him: Now “you can do something important.” The pastor asked him to take a bigger leadership role, but at that point, he didn’t know that much about Christianity. To fill that gap, he began taking courses at Wesley, a mainline Protestant seminary affiliated with McCurry’s Methodist denomination.
He went into private communications consulting with the firm Public Strategies Washington and did some political advising, including near the end of John F. Kerry's 2004 campaign, when the Swift Boat controversy was raging. By then, his guidelines were clear.
“I said, I’ll do it, but I don’t want to be a mad-dog and say mean things about [President George W.] Bush and the other side,” McCurry says. “I think that experience for me said: This Christian thing has a practical application. A light bulb went off: We can have serious debate in this country without always questioning the other side’s motives. It’s corrosive.”
The Wesley courses slowly shifted his perspective about the purpose of his church life — and of politics. He was fascinated to see how early Christians dealt with similar issues: power politics, sex scandals, and the tension between pure morality and the pragmatic pursuit of policy change. And he thought about what he really believed for the first time.
“It brought out for me how you articulate what a creator God is for you. I don’t think I ever thought in those terms. I did my church thing, but as far as, what is God, how is God interacting with you, how is God affecting the world — those are profound questions I’d spent no time thinking about. I began a lifelong search for those answers,” he said.
As he slowly worked toward his degree, he became increasingly convinced that what modern political life needs is an infusion of basic scriptural values. Primarily: treat others with respect. He wanted to help both sides; to infuse progressive religious types — such as many of his students — with the skills to be models of effective, and yet loving, politics, and get sheer politicos to realize “you don’t need to blast your opponent every time they get a traffic ticket.”
McCurry’s place in Washington public life has changed quite a bit.
Since leaving the White House, he has played the role of generous, wise mentor to a generation of progressive Christians. He has advised most of the advocacy organizations that have sprung up in the past decade to give voice to religious liberals. He has done bipartisan presentations to groups such as chiefs-of-staff and Senate staffers.
“People are always deferential to him and just want to listen to what­ever wisdom he has to share,” said Mara Vanderslice Kelly, who was a faith adviser to Kerry in 2004. “He is incredibly kind and generous. If there is a rough-and-tumble side to him, it certainly doesn’t come out anymore.”
Another thing that still doesn’t come out a lot is McCurry’s faith.
At a recent Monday afternoon class, he sat at a huge square table in his downtown office with Kelly and the 13 students in Wesley’s National Capitol Semester for Seminarians, which is geared toward students interested in politics or policy.
Kelly recently left the office at the White House that works with faith-based groups and was telling students about her path. They were animated not by juicy details of the White House but about her own story of coming to Christ.
McCurry sat watching, quietly.
“I am not an openly professing evangelical Christian who tells people on the street: ‘Let me tell you about my pal Jesus.’ I don’t wear my religion out there,” he said later.
“That has not been the vocabulary of my world. It’s a little outside the box for me. But I’m getting more comfortable.”
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Tea Party official opposes candidate because he's 'Methodist'
FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS) - Bud Kennedy writes in the Star-Telegram that the co-founder and president of the Northeast Tarrant (County) Tea Party set off a controversy when she wrote on her Facebook page that Republicans should vote for a Southern Baptist instead of a Methodist for a vacant judgeship because Methodists believe "anything goes."
Ever busy ridding Tarrant County of evil, a local Tea Party has found a new threat.
The co-founder and president of the NE Tarrant Tea Party has come out against Methodists.
Republicans should vote for a straitlaced fellow Southern Baptist instead of a Methodist for a vacant judgeship because Methodists believe “everything goes,” Tea Party co-founder and president Julie McCarty of Grapevine wrote on Facebook.
Arlington lawyer Don Hase, the Methodist, replied on his page: “ God does not want politicians spinning to the public.”
Hase is one of three candidates for County Criminal Court No. 1 along with Bedford lawyer David E. Cook, a Baptist, and current state District Judge Everett Young of Fort Worth, a Lutheran.
Both Hase and Young have been recommended by other Tea Party affiliates. A local bar association poll rates both as “well-qualified,” Cook only “qualified.”
Cook, not related to the Mansfield mayor with the same name, did not return a phone message Thursday.
He has written on social media that church denomination can be a “secondary” qualification.
McCarty declined comment Thursday but posted and then deleted a Facebook comment criticizing the United Methodist Church for having women as pastors and welcoming gay worshipers.
Co-founder of the Grapevine-based NE Tarrant Tea Party in 2009 as an offshoot of the Dallas Tea Party, she is described in an online biography as a lifelong Baptist who has led mission trips.
On Facebook, she wrote earlier this month that she saw pros and cons in both candidates, but “my con with Hase was that he is a Methodist. … Methodists tend not to take a stand on issues — anything goes.”
When the Rev. Denise A. Luper of Davis Memorial United Methodist Church in nearby North Richland Hills objected, McCarty replied, “Oh, lighten up. … My preference is a straitlaced Baptist to an everything-goes Methodist.”
Luper said Thursday she didn’t want Methodists stereotyped: “I don’t care what she says or who she votes for, but the statements she made were assumptions.”
McCarty’s Tea Party group had been meeting at Concordia Lutheran Church in Bedford but no longer does so, pastor Mark Lasch said.
The conflict was not the first between a Tea Party leader and Methodists.
In 2011, a Tea Party Nation leader complained about Methodism’s support of immigration reform and the DREAM Act legalizing children brought to the U.S. illegally. Judson Phillips said: “I have a ‘dream’ — that is, no more United Methodist Church.”
In Washington, Mark Tooley of the Christian conservative Instititute on Religion and Democracy said McCarty’s comment seems unfair: “Methodism is very liberal, but most Methodists are not nearly so liberal.”
At Southern Methodist University, political science professor Matthew Wilson writes and teaches on religion in politics.
“What makes this so much worse is that she attacked the candidate in startlingly denominational terms,” Wilson said.
“She didn’t say what’s right or good about Baptists — just what was wrong with another denomination. … It’s surprising because the religious right has tried to transcend religious boundaries.”
In a final Facebook comment, McCarty wrote: “Arguing with me is a waste of time.”
That’s the gospel truth.
Bud Kennedy's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 817-390-7538 Twitter: @BudKennedy Get alerts at RebelMouse.com/budkennedy
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Faith leaders denounce opposition to 'Methodist' candidate
AUSTIN, Texas (UMNS) - Texas Impact and the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, interfaith groups that include United Methodists, have released a joint statement critical of a Tea Party leader publicly urging voters not to vote for a candidate because he is United Methodist. "We raise our voices purely to affirm that there is no place for religious or denominational affiliation as a criterion for holding public office in the State of Texas," the statement says. 
STATEMENT OF TEXAS RELIGIOUS LEADERS ON RECENT ANTI-METHODIST COMMENTS
In a Friday morning Fort Worth Star Telegram article by Bud Kennedy, we became aware that Tea Party leader Julie McCarty has opposed a local candidate for criminal court judge because “he is a Methodist…Methodists tend not to take a stand on issues – anything goes.”  She explained why she is supporting another candidate in the race: “My preference is a straitlaced Baptist to an everything-goes Methodist.” 
Early in our nation’s history, our Founding Fathers decided to be free of the destructive denominational wars of Europe.  They knew firsthand the dangers of sectarian conflict and sought to prevent this nation from the horrors that continue in the present day in countries like Bosnia, Syria, and Nigeria, to name but a few.
The writers of our Texas Constitution found it equally important after their experience of forced conversion to Catholicism by Mexico. They clearly thought religious tests were irrelevant as a criterion for holding public office and said so in Article 1, Section 4 of the Texas Constitution. 
If Ms. McCarty chooses to base her own vote on denominational membership, that is her prerogative, but her public statements are problematic given her role as co-founder and president of the North East Tarrant County Tea Party which “promotes constitutional governance” when her position is so clearly counter to the values of both the Texas and the U.S. constitutions. Surely her views cannot reflect the consensus position of her organization since their “newest board member…sings in the choir at Keller United Methodist Church.”
We’ve been down this road before in Texas. Shortly before the Civil War, a Methodist minister was lynched in Ft. Worth, and two more whipped and run out of Dallas in what became known as “The Texas Troubles.” Their “crime” was being members of the faction of the Methodist Church that opposed slavery, as opposed to the faction that supported it. 
The ramifications of the current situation represent more than a flap among mainline Protestants. Leaders of all political persuasions, such as Mormon Governor Mitt Romney, Roman Catholic President John F. Kennedy, and Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison, have had the opportunity to serve the public in spite of those that thought they were not religiously qualified, thanks to the religious freedom that the Founding Fathers of both Texas and the United States embedded in our Constitutions to protect us from religious bigotry.
Neither Texas Impact nor the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy endorses candidates, and our organizations have no stake in the outcome of this or any other race. We raise our voices purely to affirm that there is no place for religious or denominational affiliation as a criterion for holding public office in the state of Texas. There is no excuse to suggest otherwise.
Signed by members of the boards of Texas Impact and the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy:
Amanda Quraishi
Betsy Singleton
Brian Heymans
Reverend Chuck Freeman
Dorothy Kraemer
Ellen Sable
Reverend Ernie O’Donnell
Reverend Judy O'Donnell
Fred Lewis
Reverend Glynden Bode
Reverend Herb Palmer
Reverend Jim McClain
Kathleen Burke
Reverend Kevin Young
Linda Team
Margie Medrano
Mike Renquist
Mohamed Elibiary
Reverend Dr. T. Randall Smith
Reverend Ronald Smith
Rabbi Steve Folberg
Reverend Sue Abold
Sue Sidney
Susan Aguilar
Tim Marlow
Reverend Tom Heger
Reverend Dr. Whit Bodman
Jerry Massey
Iesa Galloway
Beaman Floyd
Reverend Mel Caraway
Patrice M. Schexnayder
Reverend Franz Schemmel
Reverend Melinda Veatch
Reverend David Owen
Richard Ertel
Reverend Tom Heger
Rita Carlson
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Faith partnership to anchor poor neighborhood 
WICHITA, Kan. (UMNS) - United Methodist churches are working with Lutherans and Episcopalians in a project called Partners Church, which is trying to make a difference in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the state. The Wichita Eagle explains how Partners Church, which is housed in Brookside United Methodist Church, plans to help provide education and job opportunities for adults and soccer for kids in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
Alma Contreras has heard the joke: “Just dump your trash in Planeview.”
“That’s sad,” she said. “I want people to stop.”
Contreras, 36, a single mother of three boys, has lived in Planeview for 13 years.
She worked two jobs so she could save enough to buy a house two years ago in the southeast Wichita community. Planeview is among the poorest areas in the state, with a 22 percent unemployment rate and a third of its more than 1,300 households living on less than $15,000 annually, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
That’s not to say there haven’t been efforts to help Planeview residents.
The most recent one involves three church denominations coming together to establish Partners Church. The church intends to help provide education and job opportunities for adults and soccer for kids in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, organizers said.
Partners will be located at an existing church, Brookside United Methodist, 2760 S. Roosevelt. Services are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and then be held each Saturday evening.
“Planeview is a forgotten place,” said Charlie Schwartz, who is helping establish Partners through his church, Chapel Hill United Methodist. “If people don’t have to drive through it, they forget it. They’d rather not think about it.”
Other groups have come to Planeview with good intentions but some didn’t hang around for the long, difficult haul. Those who have a vested interest in Planeview issue a warning:
“My advice to them has been not to promise anything they can’t deliver,” said Lura Atherly, principal at Planeview’s Jardine Middle School. “And they need to be there.
“They need to be consistent because a lot of people promise things to Planeview and then move on. This community doesn’t hear from them again, so people here are not as trusting.”
The needs are great. Nearly 96 percent of Jardine’s students receive free or reduced-price lunches. At Colvin, Planeview’s elementary, the number is 98 percent.
Ivan Gonzalez has heard the message and said he gets the point. A native of El Salvador, he was brought to Wichita in November by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church to serve as Partners’ pastor.
“From the beginning when I came here I felt at home,” he said. “I plan to stay and hopefully have the support of the people.”
He and his wife have also chosen to live within two blocks of Planeview’s eastern edge.
Churches’ collaboration
Partners is a combined effort of Lutheran, United Methodist and Episcopalian denominations.
“Denominations used to compete against each other,” said the Rev. Dave Fulton, pastor at St. Paul’s. “Now it’s against the world, the culture. We need to pull together.”
St. Paul’s is joined by several Lutheran churches in Wichita in supporting Partners, as well as Chapel Hill and St. John’s Episcopal Church.
“It’s laying down some lines that divide us to share together in a cooperative ministry that reaches people,” said Gary Brooks, the United Methodist’s superintendent for its East Wichita district.
Chapel Hill became involved in Planeview several years ago, including helping to raise funds to build Hunter Health Clinic next to Brookside and providing school supplies. The church also formed the Planeview Transformation Coalition, which included the principals of the neighborhood’s schools and others to get input on needs and solutions.
The neighborhood’s demographics have changed since the federal government built temporary housing to accommodate aircraft workers during World War II.
Planeview saw its Hispanic population, which includes a number of immigrants, grow from 37 to 53 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the U.S. Census. This school year, nearly 70 percent of Colvin’s students and more than 59 percent of Jardine’s are Hispanic.
“Planeview is kind of a landing spot for new immigrants,” said Fulton, of St. Paul’s.
Fulton said he’s hopeful that Partners can become a strong anchor for Planeview, much as several churches are for the large concentration of Hispanic residents in north Wichita.
He noted that 60 percent of the residents in that neighborhood own their homes, while 60 percent of Planeview’s residents rent.
“That means there is less attachment to the community in Planeview,” Fulton said. “It means we have to work harder.”
Chapel Hill – a church made up of mostly white members in a well-to-do east Wichita neighborhood – tried to reach out through Brookside United Methodist.
Bringing in a part-time Hispanic pastor didn’t work. Neither has rotating in a pastor.
About a year and half ago, a group that included Fulton, Schwartz and others began looking for a better approach. Nothing really clicked until Fulton learned that he could bring in Gonzalez, who had been working at a church in the Houston area.
“It all came together,” Fulton said.
Organizers point to Gonzalez’s personal experience as an immigrant as one reason he’s well suited for the position.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for the last 3 1/2 years,” said Schwartz, who is the Planeview Tranformation Coalition’s chairman. “That’s not to undermine what we’ve done up to this point, but this is how we can really impact lives and bring transformation. This is for both the church and unchurched.”
Chapel Hill made a 10-year commitment to Planeview, and Partners is doing the same thing.
That commitment also may extend the life of Brookside, a church that has been in Planeview more than 50 years. Brookside now has only about a half-dozen members, including Marianne Leach.
She left Planeview years ago after getting married but has kept Brookside as her home church.
“I grew up in Brookside. It’s where my heart is, where my kids were baptized,” Leach said. “Most of us are getting older. It’s time for us to let others try what they can do.”
Brookside will continue to have Sunday services. A thrift store attached to the church has been a source of income, but efforts to attract Hispanic people to Brookside haven’t worked.
“We’re just hoping this new endeavor can help utilize the church and what it can do for our community,” Leach said, “because we haven’t been able to do it for some reason.”
Overcoming fear
Contreras, the single mom who lives in Planeview, said fear of not being able to communicate keeps some immigrants from getting involved.
Gonzalez, 50, understands that fear.
He came to the United States in 1996 from his rural hometown in El Salvador to visit family in New York state. A friend convinced him to stay and study to be a Catholic priest.
“But I was afraid because I didn’t know English,” said Gonzalez, who became a U.S. citizen. “It was hard. I had to overcome that fear.”
He attended seminary and was ordained a priest in 2001. He served in several parishes in Long Island, N.Y., before deciding to leave the Catholic Church in 2012.
Now he wants to make sure English language classes are offered at Partners. The Catholic Diocese of Wichita has already provided the books, Gonzalez said.
Sometimes Spanish-speaking immigrants “don’t see the need to learn English,” he said. “But if they get the language, they will have more opportunities.”
Plans also call for computer, G.E.D. and U.S. citizenship classes for adults. Nine computers have already been donated.
To help encourage community, a dinner will be served before each of the weekly classes and the evening will be closed with worship.
“We’ll be feeding the stomach, mind and soul,” he said.
Soccer teams are also on the list to be sponsored by Partners.
“People are afraid these kids come to make gangs,” Gonzalez said. “They have to be doing something.”
All services will be free. Everything is provided by the sponsoring churches, he said.
Gonzalez said the “big idea for me” is establishing co-ops, similar to the agricultural co-ops found in rural Kansas. Co-ops are common in El Salvador, he said.
He wants to start with a cleaning co-op, where Planeview residents would join together in the work and share the profits and draw higher wages. But he sees it being utilized in other work areas, such as construction.
Getting the plans going is a work in progress. Gonzalez moved into his sparse office at Partners only a few weeks ago and has been busy getting to know both Planeview and the Wichita community.
“I know I have to go slow,” he said.
Atherly, the Jardine principal, has met Gonzalez.
“The gentleman seems like a really nice guy, very sincere,” she said. “He wants to bring people together – not only to provide a place of worship but also to support members of the community so they can be independent and self-reliant.”
“I feel I am here to make a dream come true,” Gonzalez said.
Perceptions
Contreras has dreams for her sons – ages 4, 16 and 17 – and herself.
She was pregnant with her oldest child when she come to Wichita from Mexico 18 years ago. Her husband later left.
Contreras works long hours as a housekeeper to provide for her family, which now also includes her mother and 14-year-old sister.
She wants to learn how to put restrictions on the computer to limit how much time her sons can spend time on it. She’s excited about the English classes for her mother and for the chance for her two youngest boys to play soccer.
She enthusiastically talks about plans to study social work so she can help others.
“It’s important to help,” Contreras said.
Early last year, the city of Wichita was threatening to give her a citation because of poor siding on her house. On a Saturday in April, 50 volunteers from Love Wichita – an annual citywide effort by many churches – showed up and not only replaced the siding but fixed windows and put in a new bathroom.
“All in one day,” Contreras said.
She’s hopeful.
“To me, it’s like we’re progressing,” Contreras said. “I heard when I was moving that ‘Oh, don’t move over there, people are getting killed every weekend.’
“Now, I don’t see children fighting. I don’t hear people are getting killed. Now, we walk free.”
Planeview saw 16 homicides from 2003 to 2010 according to police records, but none since then. Drug arrests dropped from 161 in 2007 to 75 last year, records show.
So, yes, Contreras said: “It’s getting better.”
She said she’s not as skeptical as some because she has seen other groups fulfill what they said they would do. She also watched Janet Johnson, who was an assistant at what used to be a neighborhood City Hall in Planeview, care about her and her children.
Johnson, who now works as the city’s supervisor of community engagement, said Contreras is typical of many hard-working Planeview residents.
“Oftentimes there is a perception that the people who live in Planeview are just lazy bums,” she said, “but there many who are working poor. Some work two or three jobs.
“People’s perceptions are just what they are – perceptions.”
Partners may not be able to change the perceptions, but its leaders hope to change what the neighborhood residents think of themselves and their community.
“Coming together,” Gonzalez said, “makes all of us stronger.”
Contributing: Catalina Cepparro of The Eagle
Reach Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rickplumlee.
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Rwanda trip eye-opener for United Methodists
BOONE, N.C. (UMNS) - A team from Boone United Methodist Church made a two-week trip to Rwanda as part of a ZOE (Zimbabwe Orphans Endeavor) ministry to help orphans in Africa. What they saw and did gave them a new understanding of how to make a difference. The Watauga Democrat tells the story.
A team from Boone United Methodist Church left Feb. 3 for Butare, Rwanda, and returned nearly two weeks later with a new appreciation for the word "empowerment." 
Jason Byassee, senior pastor of Boone United Methodist Church, and church members J.J. Brown, Cameron St. Clair and Price St. Clair considered it an honor -- and a blessing -- to have made the trip through ZOE ministry. 
ZOE is an orphan empowerment program founded by North Carolina Methodists, based in Garner and supported by several local churches.
"When asked about what we did for orphans in Africa," said Byassee, "we reply, 'It's more about what the orphans have done for us.' We saw how empowerment actually works."
Byassee referred to ZOE's mission, which works to break the cycle of poverty and give hope to children in Third World countries.
The ministry's three-year empowerment program joins vulnerable children with their peers, and helps them to become independent through such opportunities as learning essential life skills, living in their own communities, starting small businesses, growing their own food, returning to school, growing in their faith and having access to the resources they need to make their dreams possible.
"Our congregation, along with Bethelview UMC and Tabernacle Baptist Church in the Green Valley area, have promised $22,500 over three years to this ministry," Byasse said. "As pilgrims, we went with curiosity over how the empowerment model works. We now want to encourage our church, and others, to give to missions in sustainable, empowering ways across the board."
Before the ministry was begun, Bayasse said its founders wanted to help orphans, but weren't sure how to do it. 
"Western countries have dumped some $1 trillion in aid on Africa in the last two generations and have succeeded only in making its economies and politics worse (so says the Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo in her book 'Dead Aid')," Byassee said. "Churches are often little more effective than governments. Our short-term mission teams descend on some Third World location, we paint or build, preach and sing, give away clothes or cash or medicine or mosquito nets and leave. And what have we done? Undercut local markets that build or paint or sell clothes or medicine or nets and reduced our partners to beggars."
Sound harsh?  "Don't take my word for it," he said. "Listen to the remarkable Epiphanie Mujawimana, a sort of Mother Teresa figure in Rwanda, and the author of ZOE's model of empowerment. Epiphanie worked previously for several very successful Christian aid programs before ZOE and noticed that when the aid stopped flowing, its former recipients were worse off than they had been. How could she receive Western largesse in a way that ennobles rather than turning people into beggars?"
Byassee explains: "ZOE begins by asking village elders or town officials to identify the most needy and most vulnerable children in a given area.
"It then places 80 to 120 kids together in working groups, assigning them a social worker and teaching them basic skills in faith, health and business skills. The working group together chooses a venture capital sort of project."
The group Boone Methodist sponsors just harvested corn and is preparing to plant cassava (a starchy tuberous tropical root used as food), he said. 
"Other groups plant bananas, eggplant, sorghum, tomatoes, rice and coffee. ZOE provides seeds and tools and with the largesse of the Rwandan government, land," he said. 
ZOE does provide some aid, Byasse said, and the working group decides who needs it most and for what -- "leaky roofs, windows or doors for new houses, pigs or cows for meat or milk or income, health care."
The program allows orphans to emerge from the first year with skills, confidence and, more importantly, dreams, he said. 
"ZOE encourages them, perhaps for the first time, to imagine what they want most. The homes we saw had dream pictures proudly displayed on their walls," he said. 
"In short," Byasse said, "church breaks out, replacing strangers and aloneness with friendship and support."
In years two and three, orphans move out into a venture project of their own with a second grant to learn a business they love, such as sewing, auto repair, hair care, woodcarving and, yes, even donut making, he said.
"A year after that, the orphans are ready to graduate bravely out of aid and into self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship," he said. "The proverb is a cliche: 'Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach that one to fish and he eats for a lifetime.' ZOE shows that some cliches are true." 
Byassee said he and his team members also went with their own parental issues. 
"None of us is an orphan, but each has faced challenges with our family of origin, and each is trying to parent better than we were parented," he said. "What we saw didn't disappoint."
They met first with orphans who were in their third year of the program. "They're starting out on their own," he said. "One small group is producing a sorghum-based soft drink that Americans can't stand, but Rwandans line up for. These orphans thanked us for our support with gifts, songs, hugs, dancing. We didn't feed them. We helped them feed themselves. Then they fed us -- a lavish spread of corn, eggplant, eggs, cassava."
They had gone from beggars for food to those with largesse they can give away, he said. 
"Their backs were up straight, heads held high, their hands were out -- not seeking handouts, but handshakes," he said. "They're models in a community that once either pitied or loathed them."
Newer orphans in the program had the "hangdog look of the down and out," Byassee said. "Some slept in abandoned buildings or under bridges. Some have children of their own; most are caring for younger siblings or other family whom they've taken in. Some abuse victims have HIV. One had a daughter with an eye injury in need of urgent medical care she couldn't provide. They may eat two or three times a week." 
The Boone team was not allowed to give them food or money. 
"That would torpedo ZOE's model,"Byassee said. "They've been hungry a long time. In a few months, they'll eat food they've grown with their own hands and sweat. They'll stand up straight, too. But, they never will if we just give them stuff. So we didn't."
That was the hard part, Byassee said. 
"But we'd seen their peers in their third year of the program. We knew it could work and had to trust that these more needy orphans could wait to feed themselves, rather than feeding them ourselves immediately," he said.
Part of the local interest in ZOE is its similarity to the Circles program recently launched in Watauga County, Byassee said. 
"This is also an empowerment program intending to give local poor what the middle class has in spades -- social capital and relationships with those who can help them be more themselves," he said.
On behalf of his team, Bayassee said, "We also saw our own families enlarged. The orphans gave us gifts, like those Rwandans traditionally give their mother and father: a seed box, milk jugs, a taste of the first fruits. As we ate that corn (not the tastiest by American standards) and danced those dances, we had a glimpse of a kingdom where all are fed, all ennobled and where the line between guest and host is thin, indeed."
"I know that I speak for Jason, Price and Cameron on how humbled we are to represent our church, our community on this mission trip,"  Brown said. "We were able to see the face of God in each of these children. I know with all my heart his love and grace are ways in which he serves as an advocate for all his children every day. I am proud of what our church community has been doing to pray and support our group, New Hope, but also all of the 8,000-plus orphans involved in ZOE across Rwanda."
"We're so grateful for the opportunity to represent BUMC and the body of Christ to these orphans," Cameron St. Clair said. "In our interactions with them and in seeing their lives transformed, we've seen God's face."
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Heifer works with church on poverty program
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (UMNS) - Bethel United Methodist Church in Connecticut chose Heifer International's Seeds of Change Initiative to help its members better understand hunger and poverty in the United States. The Seeds of Change Initiative helps farmers increase production, builds an infrastructure for selling their products and provides access to resources and financial assistance.
Members of Bethel United Methodist Church in Connecticut plan to use the six weeks of Lent to help their congregation and community learn more about hunger and poverty in the United States.  The 250 member church is following the lead of its youth group who engage in the summer with a service project to help low-income families in Central Appalachia.
“We are using Heifer International’s Seed of Change Initiative to help educate our members and community that poverty is a very big issue here in the United States,” said Ann McLellan, volunteer Sunday school coordinator.  Heifer’s Seeds of Change Initiative focuses on helping people living in extreme poverty in the Appalachia region, stretching from rural Pennsylvania to northern Alabama, and the Arkansas Delta, which follows the Mississippi River along the eastern half of the state.  The Initiative focuses on community-based development.
“Research tells us many people in the United States are without work and don’t have enough to eat,” said Pat Keay, national community engagement director for Heifer International.  “One in six children in this country don’t know where or when they will find their next meal.”
Church members kicked off the six week effort with a Lent Fair on February 9, 2014. The fair took place during the church “coffee hour” and members visited different tables to learn about the Seeds of Change Initiative and other projects.  In addition, the Sunday school passed out banks from Heifer’s Fill The Ark program and the donations will be received every week.
“We choose Heifer programs because we like its mission, it involves animals which is nice for the children and it’s in line with what we want to teach our children about giving,” said McLellan.
Heifer International is a global nonprofit leader of sustainable agricultural development for smallholder farmers. Family-oriented, community-based development models remain at the core of Heifer’s programs, along with the Passing on the Gift® process where families agree to give the first offspring of their donated animal to another needy family. In addition, the Seeds of Change Initiative helps farmers increase production, builds an infrastructure for selling their products and provides access to resources and financial assistance.
“We will need to double food production over the next two to three decades to keep up with worldwide demand. Support from churches like Bethel United Methodist church is critical to help reach our goal of assisting two million families annually,” said Keay.
Bethel United Methodist Church participated in Heifer’s REACH Project for Haiti in 2013. In addition to participating in the Fill the Ark program,  Church members purchased coffee from Haitian farmers as well as auction art by local artists to raise money.
Information about Heifer International programs and ordering resources is available online.  In addition to the online resources, printed resources are available by calling 1-888-5-HUNGER (548-6437).
About Heifer International:
Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. For 70 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 30 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org, read our blog, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or call 1-888-5HUNGER (888-548-6437).
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Learn about Heifer International
http://www.heifer.org/?j=97864&e=glparker1952@aol.com&l=460_HTML&u=2778674&mid=6206185&jb=17
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Supporters walk for the homeless
ATHENS, Ohio (UMNS) - The walkers left from the First United Methodist Church for the 12th year to raise funds for Good Works, an organization that includes 20 different community-funded initiatives. The Athens News tells the story.
"Good Works should have a legacy, and… want the history of Good Works to say, 'They loved well,'" said Keith Wasserman, founder of Good Works Inc. during his welcome speech at the nonprofit organization's 12th annual WALK Saturday morning.
The First United Methodist Church basement in uptown Athens was filled to the brim with alert Athens residents ready and willing to support a cause that celebrates hope and love.
Good Works was founded 34 years ago by Wasserman when he was a student at Ohio University. His vision was to form a charity organization that reaches out to people of poverty and homelessness, but he stressed the importance of seeing everyone as a good and equal person rather than putting a label on someone based on his or her situation.
Thus, Wasserman created Good Works Inc., an expansive organization that includes nearly 20 other initiatives as well as the Timothy House on Athens' West Side, which provides shelter for those in need of a home. As Good Works is funded solely on community donations (see related story in this issue), the WALK is a way for the organization to raise money in a friendly and spirited setting.
The WALK began at the Methodist church and weaved its way throughout Athens and the Ohio University campus. The beginning of the event included registration, mingling and refreshments, and an inspiring welcome speech by Wasserman. A corner of the room showcased T-shirts promoting Good Works that people could buy and were encouraged to wear on the walk.
Three different walks, incorporated in the overall Good Works WALK, took different routes, and each walker had a choice among the walks and was designated a colored tag with a story and the words, "I am a real person." The first two walks were separated by the topics of hunger and homelessness. The third walk was a mini-WALK created for people who had difficulty walking but still wanted to participate in the event.
At a few different points along the way, the WALKers paused to hear stories about hunger, and learn more about food and homelessness problems in the community.
One of the stops on the hunger walk took place at New Life Assembly near OU's South Green and Riverpark Towers, where two different talks were presented both upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs talk welcomed Mary Nally, executive director of Community Food Initiatives, who discussed the actions that CFI takes to help those who are hungry. The second talk was more spiritual and focused on the role that Christianity plays with Good Works and the reasons why people go hungry.
The WALK drew a diverse group of people, some being students or children from Athens City Schools, while others were just community residents hoping to make a difference. Many of the college students who attended belonged to OU organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega, a campus service fraternity. Other students were motivated by speakers who spoke to their classes about the WALK.
"[Wasserman] came to our class to talk about Good Works and get people involved, so that's how we heard about it," said junior communications student Shelby Cook, who attended with two other students from the class.
Hannah Back, a senior communication studies major, is an intern for Good Works and helped organize the event. Many of her duties as an intern included promoting the event and speaking to groups and classrooms, while trying to make students aware of the event and the issue of poverty in Athens. According to Back, the efforts seemed to work, based on the turnout.
"My job is primarily to connect with the Ohio University… and sometimes there is a disconnect between the school and community in terms of what is going on with the economic situation of poverty that they are trying to alleviate, so I think I brought in a lot of students," she said.
Maybe it was the warm, sunny weather or just the happy buzz of supporting a good cause, but there was definitely a positive energy throughout the trek around town. At the end of the event, WALKers rounded back up at the Methodist Church for lunch and to hear stories from people who have been benefited by Good Works Inc.
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Ohio church to begin rebuilding after fire
ADA, Ohio (UMNS) - March 17 is the big day when - weather permitting - the congregation of the First United Methodist Church plans to see construction begin on their new church building. The Toledo Blade tells what has happened in the two years since fire destroyed the previous building.
ADA, Ohio — A new Ada First United Methodist Church soon will rise from the ashes where the congregation’s 113-year-old church burned in 2012.
Two years after a March, 2012, fire destroyed the church at the corner of North Main Street and Highland Avenue, construction will begin on its replacement, a two-story, brick-and-stone building designed with nods to both the past and future.
Weather permitting, work is scheduled to begin March 17 on the new church. A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for noon March 30, and both church and community members are invited. Construction is scheduled to end in February, 2015.
Robert McCurdy, chairman of the church’s building committee, said specific details remain to be worked out, but parishioners would like to worship in the new building by the fire’s third anniversary.
The decision to rebuild on the same site as the old church, located at one end of the Hardin County village’s downtown area, was welcomed by those outside the 300-member congregation as well.
“We hear that all the time from townspeople, ‘Oh, I’m so happy that the church is going back there,’ ” Mr. McCurdy said.
The congregation still needs to raise $300,000 to $400,000 for the $6 million building project, to be paid for with contributions from church members, donations from other churches and supporters, and insurance proceeds.
The 25,000-square-foot building features a second-floor sanctuary that will seat 240 people and a commercial kitchen and fellowship hall on the first floor. There’s also room for children’s ministry and Christian education programs.
The church design incorporates some of the old building’s Gothic architecture elements, but uses more glass to create a warmer feel.
“Before, the old church sat really close to the street without windows, so it kind of felt like a fortress as you were walking by. So we’ve pulled it back from the street a little bit, so we still have the hints of the old church, but with all of the glass, it’s more welcoming and open to the community,” said Tracie Carpenter, project manager with RCM Architects of Findlay.
The old church was made of stone, while the new one will be mostly brick with some stone. Like the previous church, the new building will have a rose window.
The church selected Thomas & Marker Construction of Bellefontaine, Ohio, as its general contractor.
Twelve volunteer subcommittees helped plan the new building. The groups have provided input on everything from interior wall colors, carpeting, and landscaping to liturgical furniture.
The congregation continues to meet Sunday at 10 a.m. for services at Ohio Northern University’s English Chapel.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
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Nebraska church's glory returning after fire
FRIEND, Neb. (UMNS) - The first rush of grief is past and now the congregants at the United Methodist Church are eagerly watching their new structure rise from the rubble of a Dec. 4, 2012, fire that gutted the historic building. The Lincoln Journal Star tells how a piece of religious history is being lovingly restored.
Heavy fog lifted in Friend on Dec. 4, 2012, revealing what townsfolk had smelled all morning: the burned wreckage of the United Methodist Church.
The congregation, which had just finished a $100,000 remodeling project, decided to rebuild.
FRIEND — The acrid odor of charred wood is gone, replaced by the smell of fresh paint.
Arline Vossler and Dave McClatchey, longtime members of the United Methodist Church in Friend, brush the final coats onto the walls of the fellowship/kitchen area in the basement.
Upstairs in the sanctuary, a crew from L.J. Roth Restoration Service in Olds, Iowa, replaces the last of six huge wooden ceiling trusses destroyed by an early-morning fire on Dec. 4, 2012.
Joe Hammen, project manager for the company, said they're close to the originals, pointing to a blackened truss leaning against a tree across the street from the church. That one is destined for a local museum.
A piece of Friend's religious history nearly vanished that December morning. A candle left burning overnight started a fire in the sanctuary, and by the time firefighters arrived, smoke was pouring out of the church's three east windows that already had been cracked by the intense heat.
Nearly all of its 13 stained glass windows were destroyed or damaged, along with the sanctuary roof. Inside was a blackened, soggy mess.
Pews, carpets and wooden adornments were lost along with the pipe organ, hymnals and other religious objects. The 175-member congregation faced a difficult decision: restore or rebuild?
But first, they had to mourn.
"It's a grieving process people go through before they can even start thinking about what to do. Some of the older folks were really sick. Some of these people have been members since it was built. That's a pretty tough deal," McClatchey said.
One of the first things church trustees did was to determine if the building was structurally sound. It was. Although the fire had destroyed much of the interior, the thick brick walls remained intact.
Next came the insurance question. Fortunately, the church had a policy that covered most everything except some extras, such as new wiring and a sprinkler system mandated by fire and building codes.
"Knowing the community and my congregation and their faithfulness, I knew in the beginning we would rebuild," the Rev. Paixao Baptista said on a recent tour of the nearly rebuilt church, at 601 Sixth St.
"A lot of people grew up here, were baptized here, got married here, and died here," he said. "It's a large part of their faith."
After the fire, the congregation held Sunday services in the chapel of Lauber-Moore Funeral Home, and the community rallied around them. Neighbors held fundraisers, donated money and volunteered to drag out soiled carpets and other debris.
"If you had been here when it first happened, you would wonder if we could do it," Baptista said.
Construction began about six months after the fire, and soon, workers will install a new altar, pews and ornate woodwork.
Baptista said everything should be done by late spring, with the church restored as close to its original condition as possible.
Some of the stained glass windows are new, and some of the old ones have been restored. They'll go in last.
"We don't want to break them in the process," Baptista said.
Vossler is glad some of the windows were saved, especially the ones on the east wall. During summer services, the sunlight streams through them, bathing the interior of the church in beautiful colors.
Baptista is amazed at the outpouring of support — not just from Methodist churches and the people and businesses in Friend, but from churches of different denominations and people in nearby towns.
So far, the congregation has raised about $114,000 to pay for things not covered by insurance, Baptista said, but he noted that the fire sprinklers alone cost $130,000.
He estimates resurrecting the church will cost nearly $1 million. He said fundraising will continue even after the project is finished.
The church plans to hold a rededication ceremony later this year. Baptista hasn't given much thought to what he'll say that day, but the experience of rebuilding a church has taught him this: "You need courage and the involvement of all members and we have that. People are very involved, especially the trustees and the fire restoration committee."
Baptista, who also serves a congregation in Dorchester, is grateful to everyone who has helped, but he gives special thanks to his congregation.
"They are very patient and understanding and I am very grateful for that."
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 402-473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
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University and seminary news
Spanish-language clergy program to graduate 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Two students are expected to graduate this year from a Bachelor of Theology program designed for pastors whose primary language is Spanish. The program, cosponsored by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica and offered in collaboration with the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, began six years ago. The program responds to the growing need for Hispanic/Latino leadership in The United Methodist Church and providing clergy who can help the church understand ministry in the context of Spanish-speaking communities.
Two students are expected to graduate this year from a Bachelor of Theology program designed for pastors whose primary language is Spanish, said the Rev. David Martinez.
The program, cosponsored by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica and offered in collaboration with the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, began six years ago.
“This program helps students fulfill their dreams and move forward in their ministry journey,” said Martinez, GBHEM’s director of Specialized Theological Education. “When the classes meet again in May, we will have two students graduate, and others are getting close to graduation, so we will be looking for new students.”
There are 28 students registered in the program, and a total of 16 semester hours is offered each year. Two students are expected to graduate this year, one has started seminary at Iliff School of Theology, and 10 have another year until completion, Martinez said.
The program provides a way for GBHEM to respond to the growing need for Hispanic/Latino leadership in The United Methodist Church, as well as providing educated clergy who can help the church understand ministry in the context of Spanish-speaking communities, Martinez said.
Rosita Mayorga, who is originally from El Salvador, will graduate from the program in May. She has been a local pastor for 16 years. She expects to be accepted as a provisional member at the next meeting of the Wisconsin Annual Conference and plans to apply for seminary to study for a Master of Divinity degree.
“This program was my dream,” said Mayorga, who is serving a two-point charge in North Prairie and Palmyra, Wisc. “It took me 20 years, and now I will be applying for seminary.”
In addition to the courses offered in Nashville, there are required residence courses at the Latin American Biblical University and classes offered through distance education.
Elsie Quintanilla, who plans to start the candidacy process next year, said it has been helpful to take classes in Spanish, her first language. She believes the classes have improved her preaching in both Spanish and English.
Jose Chacon Mayorga, who is four years into the program, said it has been good for him and his ministry at La Trinidad UMC in St. Louis, Mo. “It has been a wonderful experience,” he said.
Martinez said the fall semester included a new collaboration with Vanderbilt University, which allowed the students to use the library for a research project.
Martinez said one of the students told him that as the oldest in his family, he had put his own dreams of education on hold in order to help his brothers and sisters. “He said through this program he has been able to accomplish his dream to get his education,” Martinez said.
Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. 
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Perkins names new Hispanic ministries director
DALLAS (UMNS) - Philip Wingeier-Rayo will be the new director of the Mexican-American and Hispanic-Latino/a Church Ministries Program at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Wingeier-Rayo also will be director of the Regional Course of Study School, under the auspices of The United Methodist Church.
Dr. Philip Wingeier-Rayo Appointed to Perkins
Wingeier-Rayo to direct Mexican American and Hispanic-Latino/a Church Ministries Program
Dallas, Texas – Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University has named Dr. Philip Wingeier-Rayo to be director of the Mexican American and Hispanic-Latino/a Church Ministries Program. In addition, Dr. Wingeier-Rayo will be nominated to serve as director of the Regional Course of Study School, under the auspices of The United Methodist Church. Both appointments will be effective June 1, 2014. 
Dr. Wingeier-Rayo, professor of Religion at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina, succeeds Rev. Jeannie Treviño-Teddlie, who retired January 1, 2014, after more than a decade at Perkins. As an aspect of being director of the two programs, Dr. Wingeier-Rayo will also have the title “Professor of Christian Mission and Intercultural Studies.”
Perkins Dean William B. Lawrence praises the scope of the new director’s expertise. “Dr. Wingeier-Rayo has a wide range of experience in and beyond the United States,” Lawrence said. “His work both in the academy and in the mission field ideally suits him for leading the Mexican American and Hispanic-Latino/a Ministry Program as well as the Regional Course of Study School at Perkins. His diverse gifts will enhance Perkins’ mission to prepare women and men for faithful leadership in Christian ministry.”
Besides his faculty responsibilities at Pfeiffer, Dr. Wingeier-Rayo has taught as an adjunct professor at several theological schools.  He is a 1988 graduate of Earlham College with a double major in Human Development/Social Relations and Spanish. He earned Master’s degrees in Theology from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Seminario Evangélico de Teología in Matanzas, Cuba. He also earned a Ph.D. in theology, ethics and culture from Chicago Theological Seminary.
A commissioned missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church for 15 years, Dr. Wingeier-Rayo has served in Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico, and the Rio Grande Valley in southwest Texas.
In addition to numerous articles, Dr. Wingeier-Rayo has published two books: Cuban Methodism: The Untold Story of Survival and Revival (2006) and Where are the Poor? An Ethnographic Study of a Base Christian Community and a Pentecostal Church in Mexico (2011). Philip is married to Diana Wingeier-Rayo, an elder in the Western North Carolina Conference UMC, and together they have three children.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to serve God, the church and the world through the Mexican American and Hispanic-Latino/a Ministry Program and the Regional Course of Study at Perkins School of Theology,” Dr. Wingeier-Rayo said. “As we face declining church membership as a denomination, there are opportunities to reach different population groups in the changing demographics in the United States. Given the dramatic growth of the Hispanic population over the last few years, Perkins’ Mexican American Program with its strong reputation and valuable resources is well-situated to offer leadership to the church and society.”
“My family and I are grateful for this opportunity to re-locate and be part of the rich heritage of the Perkins/SMU community in the southwest,” he added.
The Mexican-American and Hispanic Latino/a Church Ministries Program, founded in 1974, prepares church leaders for effective ministry in Spanish-speaking contexts and cultures. In addition, the program recruits, prepares, and provides continuing education for people in ministry with Hispanics-Latinos/as.
The Regional Course of Study School—offered in both English and Spanish tracks—is a program of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. The five-year curriculum of the Basic Course of Study provides theological education for all licensed local pastors not enrolled in a seminary degree program.
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Meharry's student-run free clinic helps underserved
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Now in its second year, the 12 South Clinic was founded by students of United Methodist-related Meharry Medical College to address healthcare disparities. The clinic is funded in part by The United Methodist Church's Black College Fund.
Dr. James Sullivan with student volunteers from the Meharry 12 South Community Clinic.
The patient in his mid-30s was an asthmatic suffering from recurring attacks of coughing and labored breathing. He had a job but could not afford the expensive inhaler he badly needed. A visit to 12 South Community Clinic, a free clinic in Nashville, Tenn., that is run by students who attend Meharry Medical College, changed his life and brought him to tears.
"I remember this guy. He had asthma, and he suffered with his asthma all the time," said Nick Kramer, 26, a third-year Meharry student from Seattle, Wash., and the clinic's co-executive director. “An albuterol inhaler can be really pricey. It costs like a hundred dollars, and he couldn't pay for it. So we bought him his own inhaler, and he broke down crying. He was so thankful that we were able to help him."
Now in its second year, the 12 South Clinic was founded by Meharry students to address healthcare disparities by providing free, high-quality care to Nashville’s underserved populations. The clinic also serves as a training ground for students who work under the supervision of faculty physicians.
The clinic is funded by donations and grants, including support from The United Methodist Church through the Black College Fund. Administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the BCF is a churchwide fund that supports the 11 UM historically Black colleges and universities in the Southeastern and South Central jurisdictions—the largest number of historically Black institutions of higher learning supported by any church body in the United States.
“The 12 South Clinic is a precious gift to the community and fills an important niche in primary care and critical diagnostic testing,” said Cynthia Bond Hopson, GBHEM’s assistant general secretary for the Black College Fund and Ethnic Concerns. “Meharry students and faculty don’t just learn the school’s motto, ‘Worship of God through Service to Mankind.’ They put their hearts and souls into living it out. Meharry students understand early and often that they are the difference between visionary, culturally sensitive intervention, and poor health and despair. We praise God and applaud their efforts.”
Founded in 1876, Meharry’s mission is to improve the health and healthcare of minority and underserved communities by offering excellent education and training programs in the health sciences. The medical school has 7,000 alumni worldwide, including nearly half of the practicing African-American doctors in the United States. About 18 percent of all African-American physicians in the nation graduate from Meharry each year, and the dentistry school is the nation’s leading producer of African-American dentists.
Every Thursday night, eight to ten patients normally receive primary care at 12 South Clinic, which uses facilities operated during normal business hours by United Neighborhood Health Services, a private, nonprofit network of primary care clinics and health programs based in Nashville.
Although appointments are made weekly for 12 people, there are usually no-shows, and walk-ins typically make up half of the patients. Each is seen for an hour, first by two students—a third- or fourth-year student and a first- or second-year student—and then by the attending physician along with the student team.
One night recently during the height of the flu season, 75 people came for free flu shots. When word spread that 12 South was offering these shots, 10 to 20 people began coming each week for the immunizations.
Since it opened in September of 2012, the clinic has provided more than $20,000 in free care to its patients.
As the number of patients seeking primary care rises, organizers are considering how to increase the clinic’s capacity, either by adding additional students and another physician on Thursday nights or by opening the clinic a second night each week.
In addition, the clinic hopes to offer free dental services and perhaps the expertise of student volunteers from the social work program at nearby Tennessee State University.
“I feel like I'm directly helping a patient and directly changing his or her life,” said Veronica Ralls, 23, a second-year student from Springfield, Mass., and the clinic’s co-executive director. “You help so many different people. Just to see the difference that we make in their lives is really meaningful to me.”
The clinic is a blessing for patients like Jeffery Reynolds, 51, who lost his job and his health insurance last summer. On a recent Thursday night, Reynolds was making his third monthly visit to the clinic for treatment of his hypertension, arthritis, and painful gout in his ankles.
“Everybody's been great. Actually, I've had results from the treatments I've gotten,” said Reynolds, whose high blood pressure is now in check. “The medication I've been on for the gout has helped me a lot. I mean it's still there, but it's kind of tolerable.”
Dr. James Sullivan, an endocrinologist and an associate professor of family and community medicine at Meharry, volunteers once a month at 12 South.
“A lot of the people we see are working poor people that actually do have jobs but don't have insurance. And we see a significant number of people who have jobs or children, and they can't get off during the day,” said Sullivan, who also serves as a faculty director of the clinic.
“The reason we put [the clinic] here (south of downtown Nashville) is because nobody else is serving this neighborhood. We're right in the middle of a place where people need us,” Sullivan said.
Learn more about the clinic. Donations to the clinic can be made through the medical college online donation site, donate here. Donors may designate where they want a gift to go.
To learn more about the Black College Fund, visit www.gbhem.org/bcf. To order resources and read inspiring stories about the BCF, visit www.umcgiving.org/bcf.
Gillem is a freelance writer and photographer in Brentwood, Tenn. 
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University of Indianapolis OKs $50-million plan
INDIANAPOLIS (UMNS) - United Methodist-related University of Indianapolis has approved a $50 million investment in the university and the neighboring community through a five-year plan of capital projects and educational enhancements. University President Robert Manuel said students, alumni, faculty, staff and community contributed to the planning process.
UIndy News
UIndy launches 5-year, $50M development plan
UPDATE: News coverage so far has included: The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside Indiana Business, WTHR, WISH, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, WXIN-Fox 59 and WFYI radio.
The University of Indianapolis Board of Trustees has approved a five-year plan of capital projects and educational enhancements that comprise a $50 million investment in the university and the neighboring community.
“This action arises from a strategic planning process that involved students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners over the past 18 months,” UIndy President Robert Manuel said. “We took that input and identified priorities that position the university to be strong and relevant, and that benefit the community through economic development. The plan will enable us to focus on the kind of education that we believe is vital to our students and the world they live in – an education in which they are engaged in their learning experiences, interact directly with faculty and learn to think critically, communicate well and contribute to their communities.”
The five-year plan will build a foundation for the university to seek support for programs, scholarships, research and endowed positions that will further enhance UIndy’s market strength and reputation.
One key project is a four-story, 134,000-square-foot health sciences center, a unique space for students from UIndy’s highly ranked health sciences programs and for clinical facilities that will serve both the campus community and the local neighborhood. The center will provide clinical experiences for students in relevant fields and afford opportunities for collaboration on a variety of public health issues, which will inform discussion on a national and international level.
The building will house UIndy’s programs in nursing, psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, kinesiology and athletic training, with classroom and laboratory space that will allow the university to expand its undergraduate and graduate programs in health-related disciplines, including a new Master of Public Health degree program. The facility will create jobs and generate economic activity to spur further development in the area.
Over the next two years, the university will:
Renovate Krannert Memorial Library to create technology-rich group collaboration areas and social spaces, making it more inviting and useful to the campus community and the general public.
Replace the 160-student-capacity Campus Apartments on Shelby Street to create new housing options for students and enhance visual appeal along that key corridor west of campus.
Expand and upgrade biology, chemistry and physics labs.
Make significant personnel investments that will include faculty positions for new and growing academic programs.
Become the first institution in the state to field NCAA Division II men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, adding to the current roster of 21 men’s and women’s sports.
Accompanying those improvements are new initiatives in curriculum, programming and co-curricular opportunities intended to sharpen the university’s competitive edge in attracting, retaining and graduating successful students.
Already this year, UIndy has restructured its student advising offices into a centralized program, the Center for Advising and Student Achievement. Also new is the Professional Edge Center, a fresh approach to career services that links students directly to alumni and other working professionals in their fields of interest for internship, networking and job opportunities.
Robert Wingerter, chair of UIndy’s Board of Trustees, expressed enthusiasm about the direction the university is heading under Manuel’s leadership.
“The trustees hired Rob because we knew he would not be satisfied with just maintaining the good reputation of UIndy, but would be very proactive in keeping us as at the forefront among our peer institutions,” said Wingerter, now retired as a partner at Ernst & Young. “His vision for what UIndy could become is inspirational to the entire campus community, and the Board of Trustees was unanimous in support of this transformational development program.”
About UIndy
The University of Indianapolis is a private, comprehensive institution of higher education founded in 1902, with a home campus of 5,400 students and partnership sites around the world. UIndy offers a strong liberal arts foundation along with cutting-edge business and professional preparation in a close-knit community that enjoys the opportunities and amenities of a major city. The university’s challenging undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs include nationally ranked offerings in the health sciences. Its mission is to prepare graduates for responsible and articulate membership in society and for excellence and leadership in their professional and personal lives. More information is available at www.uindy.edu.
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Blogs and commentaries

Taking Lent outside of church
NOVI, Mich. (UMNS) - The Rev. June M. Marshall Smith of Novi United Methodist Church explains her reasons for offering "Drive Thru Ashes" on Ash Wednesday and offers examples of how it can be an effective outreach.
JUNE M. MARSHALL SMITH
Novi United Methodist Church 
I likely would have been the person who wrinkled her nose hearing of a church doing drive-thru ashes. 
Then a stranger, driving by, turned around and came back to our evening worship to receive ashes. Her action was a lesson for my heart. I was being called to find a way to reach out. on Ash Wednesday. Because that day has always been very important to me, I wanted to give others an opportunity to connect with their faith.
An idea hit me. Two weeks before Ash Wednesday last year, I sent notices to the county-wide newspaper inviting interested persons to “Drive Thru Ashes.” We announced the event on our marquee and we placed signs on the lawn the day before.
At 5:00 a.m. I was at the church preparing for my 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. worship services, when my friend called to say that the church building was on the news. He said that a news crew was covering the event from the front lawn. In fact, every local news crew headed to the church to cover this story. Having received some dismayed reactions from people in the community, I was expecting negative push back.  Yet the reporters were talking positively about attending private schools or going to early Mass and receiving ashes to remind them of Jesus passion and sacrifice during the day. 
So we waited and waited for the first drive-thru followers. After 45 minutes my spirit began to be discouraged. Then a car pulled up with a woman inside. This started a steady stream of attendees, deeply moved to have the opportunity for ashes. As people commented on how important this was for their spiritual lives, the stories touched me also. 
I spent time with each car ... praying if they had time ... placing ashes upon their head with a blessing. Each person received small notes with an invitation: “Sometime today, someone will tell you that you have dirt on your forehead. Share with that person what the ashes mean to you. Share your faith." Sometimes there were tears before the care drove away.
Would we do Drive Thru Ashes again? “YES!” And here's why ... 
One woman drove OVER an hour to arrive to the church. None of the churches near her home had Ash Wednesday worship until evening. She explained that she likely would not end work until well after 8 p.m. and could not attend. She was greatly moved.
A wife explained that her husband used a wheelchair, making it difficult for him to attend. worship. They were on their way to the doctor’s office when they read the church marque. 
The woman who heard about the event on her car radio. She explained that her father wasabout to have emergency surgery and she was rushing to be by his side. She looked at the clock and realized that she had 10 minutes, tops, to stop.If there was a line of cars, she would have to drive away.  No line.  We prayed together and she went on. 
I admit, it was a long morning and I was very cold when I shut down the line about 15 minutes after the appointed 10 a.m. I thank God for every person, each with a deep abiding faith that led them to a little church in Novi to find a means of God’s grace. God is clearly with those who take the church outside the walls of the church building.~Pastor June has tips to share for those who might want to try this outreach. Click here.
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Commentary: Mandela showed us how to forgive
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - As Black History Month nears its close, Tafadzwa W. Mudambanuki, central conference coordinator for United Methodist News Service, reflects on a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for almost three decades. "Purpose as demonstrated by Madiba is magnified when lives are affected positively and tremendously by a person's lifestyle," he noted.
EDITOR’S NOTE: As Black History Month is celebrated this month in the United States and Canada, Tafadzwa W. Mudambanuki, central conference content coordinator for United Methodist Communications, reflects on the contribution of a black South African who “became the symbol of the ability to overcome adversity” and an inspiration to people of all colors and all nations.
I was driving home in pelting rain after picking up my son Kingsley from school on Dec. 5, 2013, when I got a call from Deacon Mike Mahlaule, a South African brother, who told me of the passing of President Nelson Mandela.
As I offered my condolences, a swirl of thoughts rushed into my mind for this great global icon of love, justice, freedom, reconciliation and peace. Who would replace him I wondered?  
Kingsley noticed I had received some disturbing news, and before he asked, I told him President Mandela had died. He sighed in disbelief. Kingsley is a keen follower of world events and personalities.
Remembering Robben Island
As I reflected on Mandela, affectionately known as Madiba, his clan name, my memory focused on a visit I made to Robben Island with the World Association of Christian Communicators. The communicators’ congress featured a program on apartheid titled “Clouds of Witnesses,” a biblical reference to people whose lives are examples of faith and witness in action.
When I arrived at Robben Island on Oct. 10, 2008, my birthday, I will never forget the concrete block buildings and tall barbed wire surrounding the prison. My group joined a tour given by one of the island’s former inmates, now a guide. A tall, slender and bald man in his mid-40s, he had been held for 15 years for various terrorist offenses under the apartheid government. Since his release in 1990, he has committed himself to showing and telling the story of the island.
“When one is brought here, you no longer have any rights at all,” the guide said. “When the apartheid authorities bring you to Robben Island in leg irons and handcuffs, you were treated like a wild animal. The apartheid authorities psychologically applied all physical means to break one’s resilience.
“When they gave you a number as your identity, they gave you a prison uniform — shorts and no shoes for coloreds. The white prisoners got trousers and shoes. A number they gave you became your new identity.”
Mandela: ID #46664
Our tour guide first took us to Block B where the apartheid authorities imprisoned Nelson Mandela for 18 years. Nelson Mandela’s identity number was 46664. I saw a tiny cell where Mandela, who was about 6 feet 2 inches, had been imprisoned. I quickly associated the gait of his walk with this matchbox prison cell. The tiny room had barred windows, a green bucket, a small rolled brown blanket and concrete floor.
A stone’s throw from Mandela’s cell were the censorship offices, the study offices and the section where punishments were meted out. The authorities did not inflict physical torture, but the apartheid authorities denied the inmates creature comforts and kept them in solitary confinement for weeks. “That alone was enough to drive one crazy in this solitary place,” said the tour guide.
The authorities figured they had to block cross-pollination of ideas among the prisoners. They confined each prisoner in a solitary space. It was in this stifled environment that Mandela wrote his book “Long Walk to Freedom.”
The tour guide said Mandela wrote the manuscripts and hid the book notes close to the wall of the prison under a stunted shrub in plastic bags to avoid the impact of the vagaries of weather. It is unclear how Mandela got the manuscripts out of the prison after he hid them in the plastic bags.
Triumph of human spirit over adversity
Across the island at the limestone quarries, I saw where the prisoners worked all day breaking limestone without protective gear. “Inmates demanded sunglasses but they were not given,” the tour guide said. This limestone area is believed by many to be the genesis of health problems Mandela suffered in his twilight years.
Looking back at the concrete buildings as I left, I thought that Robben Island has become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Mandela’s life was awe-inspiring because he fought a fortress apartheid system of racial segregation with astounding stoicism.
Apartheid authorities attacked Mandela’s character, but he persevered. Acts 16 perhaps sums it all. Paul and Silas under incarceration were able to sing praise and worship songs resulting in an earthquake of deliverance when God stretched his hand on their situation. Mandela’s attitude made possible his struggle for freedom and liberty for all races. He could not control what happened to him but he had the capacity to control his attitude.
‘90 percent of life is reacting to other 10’
I have realized that 10 percent of life is what happens to a person and 90 percent of life is how one reacts to what happens.
Mandela’s attitude was forged in his formative years in the Methodist heritage that espoused Christian principles of justice, forgiveness, reconciliation and love. It was at Robben Island that his political and social philosophies flowered. Mandela proved to the world that the control center of one’s life is one’s attitude. Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.
It is incomprehensible that one could spend 27 years in such inhumane conditions and still have the capacity to love, to forgive and the grace to lead a shibboleth (Judges 12:6) nation to a rainbow nation in 1994 when he was inaugurated the first black president of South Africa. There is nothing impossible before God for a person with a positive attitude because he or she has the ability to remain optimistic in uncertain and adverse conditions.
Mandela became the symbol of the ability to overcome adversity. Some people would have chosen to be bitter if they walked his shoes. Maya Angelou said, “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” Mandela chose to forgive and embraced a better future for himself and a nation.
How was I changed?
I asked myself what was born in my life that day after visiting Mandela’s cell on my birthday. I learned to mend fences with adversaries. I learned to be frank with anyone I come across and vowed to shun hypocrisy — an evil bread of the Pharisees (Luke 12:1-2) — thanks to Madiba’s pioneering template on forgiveness.
My visit reinforced the notion about purpose, which was seared in my mind while in Madiba’s prison cell. Purpose is the essence of life. It’s a spiritual thing. Purpose as demonstrated by Madiba is magnified when lives are affected positively and tremendously by a person’s lifestyle. Purpose can never be aborted and is the foundation on which others can build their lives.
Just like the biblical Moses, Madiba’s purpose was connected to fellow human beings. His purpose was to liberate the people of South Africa and then the rest of the world. His painful days in prison revealed Madiba’s purpose through the assignment he successfully championed. The question I ask myself is: Where I am on the map of God?
Madiba had a penchant to lift people out of poverty and energize their economies. What comes to mind is November 2006, when Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, gracefully strolled into Hotel Avenida in Maputo, Mozambique, to pay a surprise visit to United Methodist bishops. He repeated a joke about going to heaven. He spoke about bettering people’s lives without any streak of bitterness after all those years of incarceration. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave us the way forward when confronted with resentment and bitterness. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Mandela espoused that biblical principle in real life. He was a spiritual man who loved God’s people. 
These are the lessons I would instill in my son as I try to live them myself and make the world a better place. I will leave you with this task. Would you please do an attitude check on your life? I know that it is not easy.
Remember we have a one-man cloud of witness in Nelson R. Mandela. I recall the echoes of our tour guide’s words at Robben Island at the close of our tour, “Freedom is not free but one has to pay dearly to get it.” Rest in perfect peace, Madiba!
* Tafadzwa W. Mudambanuki is central conference content coordinator for United Methodist News Service. Contact him at (615)742-5470 or at newsdesk@umcom.org
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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.
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Women's History Month, March - Worship resources from the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women.
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Early-bird registration deadline for Engaging Local Schools Conference, Monday, March 3 - 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 22, Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, $20-50. Details.
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Webinar "Making Sure Your Church Website Works," Tuesday, March 4 - 7p.m.-8 p.m. ET, what belongs on the website, how to organize content and how best to use images, offered by Practical Church Resources. $10. Details.
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Welcome Table at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, and Thursday, April 3 - 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m. ET. Events for prospective students include a campus tour, networking opportunities and the chance to attend a class. Details.
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Ash Wednesday, March 5 - Mark the start of Lent with worship resources from the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. Devotional and study resources are available from Cokesbury.com.
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Early-bird deadline for Evangelism Conference, Thursday, March 6 - Holston Conference event Friday-Saturday, March 14-15 at Cokesbury Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The speaker will be the Rev. Jorge Acevedo, lead pastor of Grace Church, a multi-site United Methodist congregation in Southwest Florida. $35. Details.
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Free webinar "Developing Your Ministry Plan 2: Discovering Your Congregation's Niche," Thursday, March 6 - 6:30 p.m. CT, Understanding the missional context of your congregation and your community is key for creating ministry that connects to newcomers. To register.
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Sprague Lecture Series, "Christian Ethics and the Crisis in U.S. Criminal Justice," Saturday, March 8 - 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, the University Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio. Speakers include Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness;" James Logan, author of "Good Punishment? Christian Moral Practice and U.S. Imprisonment;" and Ohio West Area Bishop Gregory V. Palmer. Details.
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Deadline to register for "The Wizard of ALZ: A Different Perspective on Dementia," Monday, March 10 - Memphis Conference Older Adult Council event 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 18, First United Methodist Church, Jackson, Tenn. $15. Details.
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Deadline to register for five online courses from United Methodist Communications, Monday, March 10 - March 12-April 23, choices include Communicating Faith in the 21st Century, Connectional Giving, Moodle 200: Basic Training, Web Ministry 100: What is Web Ministry? and Welcoming Ministry 100. Prices vary. Connectional Giving is free. Details.
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Free webinar "Individual Faith Formation Planning for Children," Tuesday, March 11 - 10 a.m. CT, The interactive webinar explores what an individual faith formation plan for a child would look like and how it could shape the way a child engages. To register.
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Free webinar "Multiplying Disciples: Part 1," Tuesday, March 11 - 6:30 p.m. CT, Explore the qualities needed to build a lay-clergy team that leads the congregation in disciple-making. To register.
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Free webinar "Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife," Wednesday, March 12 - 10 a.m. CT, discussion of Dr. Eben Alexander's best-seller. To register.
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Free webinar "Freed Up Financial Living: Start This Ministry in Your Church!" Thursday, March 13 - 6:30 p.m. CT, This course can help people in your church better understand their money and how to control it so that it doesn't control them. To register.
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"180 Turnaround Church Conference," Thursday, March 20 - 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET conference at Redeemer United Methodist Church in DeWitt, Mich. $59 per person and $20 for each additional person from the same church. Details.
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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.
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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. The theme is "Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace."  Details.
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"Prophets, Harlots, Witches, And Warriors: Untamed Women Of The Old Testament," Friday, March 21 -6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. CT, The Rev. Sherry Cothran, United Methodist pastor and singer/songwriter, will share songs and stories about some of the Bible's most interesting women at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn. $10. Details.
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Window on Wesley Theological Seminary, Tuesday, March 25; Saturday, April 26; and Tuesday, June 17 - 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET, full-day events for prospective students include a campus tour, discussion of degree programs and the chance to attend a class. Details.
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White Privilege Conference, Wednesday-Saturday, March 26-29 - A conference that examines challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and offers solutions and team-building strategies to work toward a more equitable world, co-hosted by the Wisconsin Conference Board of Church and Society and Wisconsin Council of Churches at Monona Terrace Convention Center and Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wis. Details.
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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.
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One Great Hour of Sharing, Sunday, March 30 - Donations the United Methodist Committee on Relief receives through this offering, along with other undesignated gifts made throughout the year, cover the relief agency's costs of doing business. The United Methodist Publishing House offers "Be Hope," a new, four-week study in preparation for One Great Hour of Sharing. $6.29-10. To order.
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Community Organizing for Social Change & Church Development training, Monday-Friday, March 31-April 4 - First Grace United Methodist Church, New Orleans. The training will teach how methods of community organizing can be a tool in congregational development, community transformation and engagement in justice ministries. Jointly offered by United Methodist Board of Church and Society, and Path 1 of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. $295. Details.
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Deadline to register for Church Communication: 10 Things, Tuesday, April 15 - Clinic sponsored by the Memphis Conference Communications Action Team, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT, Thursday, April 24, First United Methodist Church, Jackson, Tenn. $25 per person, $20 each for groups of three or more. Details.
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Early-bird registration deadline for Game Changers Summit, Wednesday, April 30 - United Methodist Communications invites local churches to attend a conference Wednesday-Friday, Sept. 3-5 at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., focused on how congregations can use technology to strengthen international development. $215. Details.
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