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Administrative Resources
2011 Annual Conference Journal
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Current News
Events honor
Martin Luther King, Jr.
An MLK Interfaith Service drew a packed sanctuary at St. Paul UMC, San Antonio Jan. 15, the actual birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Offered at 4 p.m., the service was hosted by the MLK Commission of San Antonio and coordinated by the MLK Interfaith Committee.
Learn more
Rethink Green event seeks to teach stewardship of creation
Rethink Green, an event that will examine some ways to care for the environment, is the committee’s response to a growing conviction that stewardship of the earth is just as important as stewardship of money, said Leighanne Brechin, a member of the committee. The event will begin at 9 a.m. March 3 at Gruene UMC and run through 4 p.m.Learn more
Men of Light conference purposes to grow
local men’s ministries
Men of Light is a spiritual outreach program of Light Shine Ministries, which exists to inspire men to become godly leaders through a relationship with Jesus Christ, said the Rev. Steve Coker, spiritual director for Men of Light. The conferences reach out to men ages 15 and older.
Learn more
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Empowering your ministries to make disciples of Jesus Christ,
our website serves as a valuable resource to you—the more
than 120,000 members in 350 congregations across the
southern third of Texas.
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Mount Wesley
Southwest Texas Conference’s
retreat facility near Kerrville, Texas
Located in the heart of the beautiful
Texas Hill Country, the Mount Wesley
Conference Center is situated
on a hillside within the city limits
of Kerrville. The scenic, peaceful
64 acres of woodland provide a
unique, secluded, and safe haven
—a sanctuary from the real world—
where guests can retreat to become
refreshed and renewed.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MOUNT WESLEY.
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Jim DorffBishop
San Antonio Area
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New year means new opportunities, challenges, changes
2012 is upon us. I am very much looking forward to it. At the beginning of most new years there is a sense of anticipation because we don’t really know what is going to happen over the course of the next 12 months.
This year I am looking forward to events as they unfold because I already know that many momentous decisions will be made that will affect our future for years to come. These decisions will be related to both the church and the world.
This spring the General Conference of The United Methodist Church will have its quadrennial meeting. The decisions made there will set our agenda as a denomination for at least the next four years, possibly longer. In June the Rio Grande and Southwest Texas Conferences will decide whether or not to commit themselves to the creation of one new conference rather than remain separate as two. This decision will set our conference agenda for the next several years. In July, the Jurisdictional Conference will elect three new Bishops to serve the Church. Those decisions will provide new leaders for the church and new colleagues for me for the next four years.
In our country we shall elect a president to lead our nation for the next four years. A momentous decision, to say the least.
I am looking forward to the future. I firmly believe that God is going to have a major hand in directing the decisions we make. I firmly believe we will go about our business of decision making with great care and great prayer. All will be well as long as we maintain our focus on the purpose of the church and the nature of our great country. I am eager to move with you into God’s future.
However, I do have one major concern. I pray that our conversations, our attitudes and our efforts will reflect the nature of the One who created and sustains us. As major decisions are made, there will definitely be differences of opinion. This is inevitable whether it is in the church or our civic life. That is why these decisions are called “major.” They are not easy to make.
As I look to 2012 with great anticipation, I pray that we will act Christ-like toward one another in all things. If we will, I am confident we will look back on 2012 as a very good year, even if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way I would have done it. After all, this is God’s church, not mine, and God’s world, not ours. We are but His instruments.
Happy New Year!
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