News Briefs

Bishop urges congregations to join Souper Bowl effort
Robert A. Vaughan dies Jan. 7 in San Antonio at 92
St. Paul UMC plays host to scholarship fund-raiser
Former reporter to speak at church in San Antonio
Woman at Well House plans Feb. 12 gala at country club
Children’s Ministry Forum set for Feb. 15-18 in Houston
Counselor to discuss care for aging parents Feb. 16-17
Kenyan gets peace award from World Methodist group
Nigerian bishop ends leave, plans to retire next year
Diversity to mark 2006 assembly of UM Women
Pastors, members differ on commitment views
Sager Brown Depot needs supplies for disaster relief
Poster suggests 50 ways to honor your clergywoman


Bishop urges congregations to join Souper Bowl effort
Bishop Joel N. Martinez is encouraging Southwest Texas congregations to participate in the 2006 Souper Bowl of Caring Feb. 5.
“Please prayerfully consider how you might use the Souper Bowl of Caring to enhance your ministry to the hungry and poor in your community,” Martinez said in a Jan. 20 message to youth leaders.
At least 17 Southwest Texas congregations were signed up last week for the Souper Bowl of Caring. They plan to ask each worshiper that day to donate at least $1 to help the hungry in their communities. Each church picks the local charity it will support.
Last year 2,160 UM congregations were among the 11,000 groups nationwide that took part. The 11,000 groups raised $4 million for local causes. Information is available at www.souperbowl.org.



Robert A. Vaughan dies Jan. 7 in San Antonio at 92
The funeral for the Rev. Robert A. Vaughan was Jan. 11 at St. Francis Episcopal Church, San Antonio. Burial followed at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
The retired Southwest Texas Conference clergy member died Jan. 7 in San Antonio. He was 92.
Vaughan began his ministry in 1942. He served congregations in Corpus Christi, Pettus, San Antonio, Taft and Utopia. From 1942 to 1964 he was a U.S. Navy chaplain. Vaughan retired in 1979.


St. Paul UMC plays host to scholarship fund-raiser
St. Paul UMC, San Antonio, is planning a Feb. 12 fund-raising event for the Lavalle Lowe Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund.
An auction is to begin at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is to follow at 6:30 p.m.
The scholarship fund provides grants to first-career and ethnic ministry candidates attending seminary full time. Lowe was a Southwest Texas Conference pastor and leader.
For tickets call (210) 673-0000 or check www.sanantonio4jesus.com/scholarship.htm.


Former reporter to speak at church in San Antonio
A former National Public Radio reporter is to discuss her experiences in Afghanistan Feb. 7 at Travis Park UMC, San Antonio.
The free program with Sarah Chayes is to begin at 7 p.m. Walt Wilkins, a singer-songwriter from Austin, is to perform before the talk.
Chayes, who spent four years in Kandahar, Afghanistan, helped create Afghans for a Civil Society. After leaving the radio network, she helped rebuild a small village near the Kandahar airport. She also helped form Afghan Independent Radio and aided farmers seeking an alternative to growing opium crops.


Woman at Well House plans Feb. 12 gala at country club
Woman at the Well House, San Antonio, is to mark its 10th anniversary Feb. 12 with a fund-raising gala at the Dominion Country Club.
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band is to play for the event. Theme is “Make a Ripple, Touch a Life.”
Money from the gala is to help expand the house at 221 Post Ave. to accommodate more residents. The house provides emotional, spiritual, educational and social support for formerly incarcerated women.
Founded by a UM pastor, Woman at the Well House is a Southwest Texas Conference Advance Special cause (2060).
Tickets for the gala cost $100 per person. For information check www.well-house.org or call (210) 472-2787.


Children’s Ministry Forum set for Feb. 15-18 in Houston
Southwest Texas UMs can attend Child-ren’s Ministry Forum ’06 next month in Houston.
The General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, Tenn., is sponsoring the Feb. 15-18 event at Memorial Drive UMC, Houston. Theme is “Children love stories, and the church has incredible stories to tell!”
The event is designed to inspire, energize and train people working in ministry with children.
Registration fee is $310 per person. For information contact Mary Alice Gran toll free at (877) 899-2780, Extension 7143, or mgran@gbod.org.


Counselor to discuss care for aging parents Feb. 16-17
A counselor from UM-related Morningside Ministries is to present three lectures next month in San Antonio on caring for aging parents.
Terry Hargrave, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is to give the free talks Feb. 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Morningside Ministries Menger Springs, Boerne; Feb. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Morningside Meadows Retirement Community, San Antonio; and Feb. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Alamo Heights UMC, San Antonio.
One in five adults is giving some type of care to an elderly parent, Hargrave said.


Kenyan gets peace award from World Methodist group
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C.—A Kenyan Methodist bishop who spoke out against the violent regime of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is to receive the 2005 World Methodist Peace Award.
Bishop Lawi Imathiu is to be given the award Sunday during a ceremony at Kenya Methodist University in Meru, Kenya. The presentation is to be made by His Eminence Sunday Mbang of Nigeria, chairman of the World Methodist Council, which sponsors the award.
Imathiu was president of the World Methodist Council from 1986 to 1991, the first African to serve in this capacity. Now retired, he serves as the Africa continent secretary for the council’s Division of World Evangelism.  
In 1977, as Amin caused upheaval in East Africa, Imathiu “showed great courage, with a clear voice for peace, reconciliation, salvation and hope for all the people,” noted the Rev. George Freeman, chief executive of the World Methodist Council.
When Amin ordered the death of the Anglican archbishop of Uganda, Imathiu called the Ugandan leader a murderer and an oppressor. Imathiu was serving as a member of the Kenyan Parliament at the time.


Nigerian bishop ends leave, plans to retire next year
WASHINGTON—Bishop Done Peter Dabale of Nigeria returned to active status in December after a six-month leave of absence.
Dabale, 56, said he had decided to seek voluntary retirement as soon as a new bishop could be elected.
The West Africa Central Conference, which elects bishops for Nigeria and some other African countries, is planning a special election in March 2007.
The Council of Bishops executive committee placed Dabale on leave of absence last May. The committee determined the church in Nigeria was “conflicted” and had leadership issues to work out, Bishop Roy Sano, council executive secretary, said at the time.
“They’re not issues of morality,” said Bishop Peter Weaver, council president. “…These are issues of administration and the way the conference operates.”


Diversity to mark 2006 assembly of UM Women
ANAHEIM, Calif.—A Bolivian organizer, Tongan women’s choir, Latino orchestra, Christian salsa band and drummers from several cultures reflect the diversity planned for the 2006 UM Women’s Assembly.
The gathering, which has met every four years since 1942, is to run May 4 to 7 at the Anaheim convention center. Theme is “Rise! Shine! Glorify God!”
An estimated 8,000 women are expected to attend.
Registration information can be found at www.umwassembly.org. Registration deadline is March 20.


Pastors, members differ on commitment views
VENTURA, Calif.—How committed to God are Americans? The answer depends on whom you ask.
Two surveys conducted by the Barna Group provide a glimpse into the contradictory views of church pastors and people in the pews. Findings suggest a huge gap between the perception of pastors and the reality of people’s devotion to God.
Based on interviews with a national sample of 627 Protestant pastors, the Barna study found that clerics believe a large majority of their congregants deem their faith in God to be the highest priority in their life.
On average, pastors contend that 70 percent of the adults in their church consider their personal faith in God to transcend all other priorities.
However, in a national sample of 1,002 adults, only one out of every seven placed their faith in God at the top of his or her priority list.
The survey isolated those who attend Protestant churches and found that even among that segment of adults, 23 percent named their faith in God as their top priority in life.


Sager Brown Depot needs supplies for disaster relief
BALDWIN, La.—The UM Committee on Relief’s Sager Brown Depot needs relief supplies for disaster aid in the United States and around the world.
School kits, layettes, flood buckets, sewing kits, health kits and hand towels are in great demand, said interim director Ted Warnock.
Visit http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.cfm to find out more about relief supplies, health kits, assembly and shipping.
Contributions for relief supplies can be designated for “UMCOR Advance No. 901440” and put into any church offering plate.


Poster suggests 50 ways to honor your clergywoman
EVANSTON, Ill.—Take a clergywoman to lunch, honor her with flowers on the altar, create a scholarship in her name, or invite her to preach at your church.
Those are some of the 50 suggestions offered on a poster marking “50 Ways to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Full Clergy Rights for Women” in the UMC during 2006.
The full-size poster, available for purchase, is a joint project of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
The poster is designed to give local congregations, pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth groups and others ideas on how to mark the anniversary this year.
Ordering information is available at www.gbhem.org/clergywomen.