Vol. 4 • No. 11
April 19, 2005
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Victims of bombing remembered 10 years later
Ten years ago, Oklahoma City and the rest of the nation witnessed the horror and felt the pain of what was at that time the worst terrorist act ever committed on American soil. One hundred sixty-eight people lost their lives - and it is estimated that 387,000 people in Oklahoma knew someone who was killed or injured in the bombing. Changed forever, many Oklahomans still struggle with the aftermath of the bombing, its residual effects and the need and desire to make the world a better place. This morning the traditional remembrance ceremony was held, highlighted by observing 168 seconds of silence and reading the names of those who were killed. May we keep this city in our prayers today.
Work Teams Still in Demand
According to the Rev. Randy Carnley, Disaster Response Chair for the South Georgia Conference, there is still a significant need for clean-up teams and roofers in the Miller County area. "As I drive around (Miller County), there is some progress being made but many of the sites are just as they were immediately after the storm," said Carnley. Miller County was hit with a tornado on March 22, damaging or destroying over 200 homes. Duren Williams, volunteer team coordinator in Miller County, is working hard but is hampered by lack of people-power and equipment. If you have a team than can help in this area, please contact Duren at 229-220-4922 .
Award Nominations Needed
The Conference Advocacy and Witness teams are in need of applications for the following Conference Awards: Bishop L. Scott Allen Award (deadline April 29th), Harry Denman Evangelism Award (deadline April 25th) and the Ruth and Carl Looney Evangelism Award (deadline April 25th). Click here to find out more information about each of these awards.
Local Pastors and Associate Members Banquet to be held at AC
The annual Local Pastors and Associate Members Banquet will be held on Monday, June 6 at 12:30 p.m. at Vineville UMC in Macon. All local pastors and associate members and their spouses are encouraged to attend. Cost is $5.00 per person. Please make your reservations with Guy Mathis (hgmathis@alltel.net or 229-567-4343) or Ron Burbank (ronaldburbank@bellsouth.net or 912-449-3777). Please make your reservations no later than May 27.
General Conference commission sets '08 dates, chooses theme
(UMNS) When the 2008 General Conference meets in Fort Worth, Texas, delegates will gather for nine days instead of 11. With a theme of “A Future With Hope,” the nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world will meet from April 23 to May 2 to set church policy and conduct other business. The 17-member Commission on General Conference also reduced the assembly's budget, in keeping with a mandate from the 2004 General Conference to study ways of increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. Meeting April 4-6 in Chicago, the commission reduced the General Conference's $6.66 million operating budget by $250,000. The budget for the 2004 assembly in Pittsburgh was $4.87 million. More>>
UMCom launches syndication service for church Web sites
(UMNS) The United Methodist Church's communications agency is introducing new syndication formats that will enable local church Web sites to make the latest denominational news available more easily.
United Methodist News Service and UMC.org launched a series of "syndication" tools April 18 that allow Web designers and site visitors to customize the display of articles and news generated by the agency. UMCom launched the Internet-based service in response to daily requests from webmasters and designers for ways to tailor articles generated by the denomination's official news agency. Several syndicated offerings were already available through UMCom, and the news service and UMC.org are working to develop more on a regular basis. To view available syndications, click here.
UMCOR allocates $1 million to Sudan start-up work
(UMNS) Responding to the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan, the United Methodist Committee on Relief has approved a $1 million-plus start-up budget for work in the African country. The budget will cover personnel, equipment and operations costs and program activities. UMCOR directors approved the funding request during the April 11-14 spring meeting of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the agency's parent organization. More>>
UM giving to tsunami relief effort tops $32.4 million
As of March 31, giving to the UM Committee on Relief for recovery from the Dec. 26 tsunami has topped $32.4 million, the largest amount ever received by UMCOR for disaster relief. The amount was announced April 11 at the semi-annual directors meeting of the General Board of Global Ministries in Stamford, Conn. "While receipts have significantly surpassed responses to previous catastrophes,
they offer again the faithful desire of United Methodists to stand with those who are hurting and in need," said Bishop Edward W. Paup (Seattle Area), president of UMCOR. More>>
Three months later, those affected by tsunami still remember
(UMNS) Three months have passed since Bishop Joel Martinez made an emergency pastoral visit to Indonesia, but he has not forgotten the faces of the children in the camps for those left homeless by the Dec. 26 tsunami. What the future holds for those children "is the call of God to me," said Martinez, of San Antonio, who is president of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
With the Rev. R. Randy Day, the board's chief executive, Martinez co-led a January delegation to northern Sumatra-a region devastated by the tsunami-to offer solidarity to Indonesian Methodists and assess relief needs. The church there already had set up small-scale relief operations, such as hosting volunteer medical teams at the camps. "I left with a sense that our partnership with these leaders would result in a very effective delivery of ministry in the days and the years to come," the bishop told directors during the board's April 11-14 spring meeting. More>>
Health Kits at the Top of UMCOR's Wish List
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is putting out an urgent call for health kits. Already, UMCOR field offices have requested nearly 193,000 health kits for distribution in 2005 - more than UMCOR has ever shipped before. The kits provide much-needed supplies for daily hygiene for vulnerable people who have little to call their own. New operations in Indonesia and Sri Lanka have placed demands on supplies of kits. Elderly refugees and children who have been displaced from their homes in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia also will be beneficiaries.
Requests for school kits are also at a record high. Some 78,000 school-age children will receive school kits, but only if supplies allow. Health kits and school kits are fun to assemble and can introduce even young children to the satisfaction of hands-on mission.
Please consider these in-kind gifts as an expression of your care for the most vulnerable, or let a cash gift "say it for you" by giving to UMCOR Advance #901440, Material Resource Ministry, "Health Kits" and/or "School Kits." Visit the UMCOR website for specifications and shipping information.
New session of United Methodism 101, registration through May 15
A new session of the online course, United Methodism 101, is being offered now through May 25. Registrations are accepted through May 15. There is always time to register and take part in the course. To register online or to learn more about the course go to http://training.umcom.org . To register by phone contact UMCom's Customer Service Center at 1-888-346-3862, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm, CST. The next UM101 online course will be offered June 1 through July 20.
Advance for Christ and His Church Committee for 2005-2008 Announced
Richard Shinhoster, a member of Speedwell UMC in Savannah, has been named to the committee that will oversee the "second mile" mission giving program of The United Methodist Church for the next four years.
The program, the Advance for Christ and His Church, was launched in 1948 and raises millions of dollars each year for missionary support, mission projects, and humanitarian relief. "The Advance" is a well known entity within and beyond the denomination. The committee issues lists of approved recipients which are promoted within United Methodist circles. In 2004, more than $35 million was contributed through the program. Every penny of Advance money goes to the donor designated recipient ministry. Overhead costs and staff are paid from other funds.
Churches sell steeple space as hiding spots for cellular antennas
(UMNS) For generations, church steeples have served as conduits to God, symbolically reaching heavenward, providing a visual reminder of the size and power of the church, and calling congregations to worship with the sound of bells.
These days, the steeple may also include an antenna to relay cell phone calls. Churches, from the National Cathedral in Washington to the most rural parishes in the U.S. Midwest, are taking advantage of the telecommunications industry's need for a system of wireless antennas. Churches allowing such antenna in their steeples have discovered a new source of income that often runs into tens of thousands of dollars annually. More>>
Pope embodied courage, love, United Methodist leaders say
(UMNS) Pope John Paul II is being remembered by United Methodists as one of the great leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. The 84-year-old pontiff, whose health had taken a serious decline over the past few weeks, died peacefully April 2 at the Vatican in Rome.
The 84-year-old pontiff, whose health had taken a serious decline over the past few weeks, died peacefully April 2 at the Vatican in Rome.
“John Paul II personified the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter-century,” said Bishop William B. Oden, ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops. “He embodied its conflicts, its strengths and weaknesses and its struggles. More>>
Bishop impostor targets churches in scam
(UMNS)-A phone scam by someone posing as a United Methodist bishop has robbed three African-American United Methodist congregations in Florida, Georgia and Maryland of about $2,400, a bishop's assistant said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation began investigating the matter April 6 at the request of Bishop G. Lindsey Davis, who oversees the North Georgia Annual (regional) Conference of the United Methodist Church and whose office is in Norcross. In the scam, a man posing as the bishop contacts churches and asks them to wire money—usually between $700 and $800—to his niece, identified as Diane Williams, who is traveling in their area and having car trouble. He asks that the money be sent to Wal-Marts and other large stores. More>>
May-June Issue of Inerpreter in Mailboxes Now
The global United Methodist Church is featured in the May-June issue of Interpreter, the ministry magazine for United Methodists. Read about four new bishops in the Central Conferences - including the first woman elected there (and hear clips from each of them at www.interpretermagazine.org.) Learn about the poverty many Central Conference pastors face in retirement - and how your annual conference can help them. Discover the truth of the statement "The Sun Never Sets on Methodism."
This month's issue also: Features ministries that keep children in touch with their imprisoned parents (audio clips are on the Website); Celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Upper Room; Highlights ministry made possible with Peace with Justice offerings; and Offers a fun way to help children memorize Bible verses. You'll also find new resources for your church's ministry in IdeaMart and JumpStart, ideas for Living Our Your Faith in the Real World and "It Worked for Us" stories.
Check out Interpreter online. You'll find a special feature on United Methodist efforts to reduce tobacco use and new "It Worked for Us" stories each Wednesday.
Check out the latest Annual Conference Information
Online Registration Now Available for Summer Camps!