Vol. 4 • No. 3  
January 25, 2005
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New UMC.org Feature Offers Full Coverage of Delegation Visit to Asia
UMC.org, the official Web site of the United Methodist Church, launched a new online feature package offering immediate reports from a delegation of mission and communication leaders who recently arrived in Indonesia. The delegation, which is visiting both northern and southern Sumatra, including the cities of Medan and Banda Aceh, took 100,000 doses of antibiotics and anti-diarrhea medicine for use in the recovery. Click here to see more.

Giving to UMCOR tsunami relief exceeds $4 million
Contributions to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for Asian tsunami relief passed the $4 million mark during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. “We are still opening checks,” said Roland Fernandes, treasurer of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the parent organization of UMCOR. The death toll from the tidal waves that swept the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas reached 220,000 on Jan. 19.

South and Southeast Asia: Rehabilitation Will Take Years
How well do relief organizations follow through with rehabilitation after "mega-disasters" such as the earthquake and tsunamis that swept the Indian Ocean on December 26? The New York Times dramatically posed that question in a front page story last week. "In big, complex recoveries from mega-disasters, we plan to be in place for a long time- for years," said the Rev. Kristin Sachen of UMCOR. "I do not doubt that more rebuilding is needed in Honduras, Mozambique and Iran. Though a number of organizations have left those three countries, UMCOR is still at work," she said, "just as we will be in the Indian Ocean region long after the media and dignitaries leave." A United Methodist team has just returned from Indonesia with a project design for long-term recovery, including Medicine Boxes and long-term rebuilding.

In the meantime, more relief is on its way to South Asia. UMCOR last week shipped a second truckload of health kits that will augment a supply coming from other denominations. Value of the new shipment is set at around $120,000. You can get involved through giving to UMCOR Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency. Cash gifts continue to be most meaningful in the initial weeks of this response.

Aid still has not reached some Indonesians after tsunami
Almost a month after tidal waves engulfed shorelines across continents, people are still stranded in parts of Indonesia, and emergency helpers are battling to reach areas where bridges and roads were swept away and helicopters cannot land. International media attention has focused on flattened cities like Banda Aceh and Meulaboh on Sumatra island, which have received an outpouring of assistance. But on the west coast of Indonesia, people are still stranded, despite efforts to reach them. More>>

Find Tsunami Disaster Leadership Resources here

Avalon UMC receives matching funds from Igniting Ministry
Avalon United Methodist Church in Albany has been approved to receive matching funds from Igniting Ministry for Lent. Avalon will use the approved funds for television and outdoor advertising. Spearheading this local campaign are Mrs. Leslie Thomas and Mrs. Jenni Bode.

Matching grants are available to local churches to enable local and regional placement of television spots on broadcast television, to supplement the national campaign and to reach people local churches are trying to attract. United Methodist Communications contributes $1 million yearly in matching grants for use by conferences and local churches to place their own ads. Grants are offered three times a year at Lent, Back-to-school and Advent, using TV spots and other media produced by UMCom to support the national media schedule.

May 1, 2005 will start the grant cycle for Back-to-school and Advent flights. If you are interested in applying for a grant visit www.ignitingministry.org or contact Kelly Roberson at 888-266-7642.

Igniting Ministry is a coordinated and comprehensive series of efforts offering resources to assist local churches in strengthening their welcoming and marketing skills in their congregation and community. All of it is aimed at helping make disciples of Christ.

Igniting Ministry to Expand Witness to Seekers
Beginning in Fall 2005, The United Methodist Church will expand its witness to spiritual “seekers” with more messages in national public media of the brand promise “open hearts, open minds, open doors.” The Igniting Ministry media campaign, a unit of United Methodist Communications, will provide more advertising, welcoming training and resources for local churches than the initiative's first four years. More>>

New Connectional Table plans state-of-church report
An annual state-of-the-church report will be presented to members of the United Methodist Church around the world. That's the first major decision made by the newly created "Connectional Table," meeting Jan. 20-23. The 60-member body, comprising staff executives and officers of denominational agencies and representatives of ethnic caucuses and jurisdictions around the world, invited the Council of Bishops to join in preparing the annual statement. If the bishops agree, the first report would be issued in 2006. More>>

GCFA buys new office building in Nashville
The United Methodist Church 's finance and administration agency has closed on the $2.8 million purchase of a building previously occupied by RCA. The General Council on Finance and Administration will have its new, consolidated headquarters at 1 Music Circle North . The offices are 27,000 square feet on two floors — about the same amount of space now occupied by GCFA in its Evanston , Ill., headquarters and Nashville branch. Built in 1990, the building will be renovated before current Nashville staff move into it this summer. There are 11 employees in Nashville and about 40 in Evanston.

'Off' switch may be best shield against indecency in media
(A UMC.org feature) The answer to the national debate over decency in the media might be simple: Control the remote, lest the remote control you. Turn the television off, some say. Others argue the media is too pervasive to ignore. They demand programming changes, as well as heavier penalties for those who violate Federal Communications Commission decency standards. But is media decency a faith issue? More>>

World Evangelism Division launches series of activities and events
The World Evangelism Division of the World Methodist Council is launching a series of activities and events in 2005 and 2006 aimed specifically at further empowering members of the Wesleyan/Methodist denominations around the world to reach out and share the love of Jesus Christ!  For 10 consecutive days between Pentecost and Aldersgate, Methodists worldwide are invited through local churches, individually and Methodist related entities to experience 10 days of celebrations focused on the theme “That the world may know Jesus Christ.” Methodists are encouraged to choose from a variety of evangelistic activities and events. An extensive 10 Days of Faith Resource packet available online at www.WorldMethodist.org or by calling (866) 400-8573.

Society of St. Andrews saved 13% more in 2004
The Society of St. Andrew saved 31.2 million pounds of food in 2004, up 13 percent over last year. To date, 467.8 million pounds of food, 1.4 billion servings, have been saved and distributed since 1983. The society is an Advance Special of the United Methodist Church. Donors can designate contributions for Advance Special No. 801600 and make checks out to their local church or to “Advance GCFA.” More information on the Society of St. Andrew is available here.

Correction in Local Arrangements Letter regarding banquets
The letter sent out by the Local Arrangements Committee to conference members and delegates had the incorrect contact number for Debbie Towson, banquet coordinator. The correct number is 478-719-3939. Please contact Debbie if you would like to coordinate a banquet during Annual Conference.

Rev. Ken Myers and Ms. Angie Carr announce engagement
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh E. Carr of Donalsonville, Georgia and Mrs. Grace Y. Myers of Lancaster, Pennsylvania announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their children, Angela Michele Carr to Rev. Kenneth George Myers, Jr. The wedding will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, 2005 at First United Methodist Church in Cordele. A reception will follow in the Activity Center. All friends and relatives are invited to attend.

The bride-elect is employed as Director of Music Ministries at First United Methodist Church in Cordele, Georgia. The groom-elect serves as Pastor of Montezuma United Methodist Church, Montezuma.