News Briefs

Pastor Sherman Franks Sr. dies Feb. 10 at age 83
Lakehills UMs make plans for annual fish fry March 26
Application deadline nears for UM summer internship
Special Sunday offering supports relief committee
UMC program magazine reports on Austin students
Application deadline nears for ’06 college scholarship
UM volunteers to clean up Mount Sequoyah April 3-7
Texas history group to meet March 24-25 at McMurry
Bishop Susan Morrison announces fall retirement
Relief committee responds to mudslide in Philippines
Age poses no barriers for Katrina relief workers
Progress on Dillard repairs surprises visiting bishops

Pastor Sherman Franks Sr. dies Feb. 10 at age 83
Services were Feb. 25 in Dale for Pastor Sherman Franks Sr.
The retired licensed local pastor died Feb. 10. He was 83.
Franks began his ministry in 1982. He served Cherry Chapel UMC, Industry, and St. James UMC, La Grange, for 17 years. He retired in 1999.
Franks’ son, Sherman Franks Jr., has been pastor of Cherry Chapel UMC since 1999.


Lakehills UMs make plans for annual fish fry March 26
Lakehills UMs are preparing for the sixth annual fish fry and auction March 26.
Food is being served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakehills Civic Center on Park Road 37.
Money raised by the annual event supports communitywide outreach ministries including an after-school study program for youngsters, the Bread of Life free Monday night meal, Vacation Bible School and a food pantry.


Application deadline nears for UM summer internship
March 15 is the application deadline for the 2006 Ethnic Young Adult Summer Internship Program.
Run by the General Board of Church and Society, the program involves ethnic young adults, ages 18 to 22, in faith and justice work from June 4 to Aug. 1. Interns live in Christian community in Washington, D.C.; work at various Church and Society projects; participate in spiritual-development activities; and attend weekly worship at various UM churches.
For more information contact Wanda Holcombe at wholcomb@umcswtx.org or the Rev. Neal Christie at nchristi@umc-gbcs.org or (202) 488-5661.


Special Sunday offering supports relief committee
Southwest Texas church members can join UMs around the globe March 26 in supporting outreach to victims of natural and manmade disasters.
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering funds work of the UM Committee on Relief. The agency receives no money from apportionments.
The offering, one of six special denominationwide appeals on the UMC calendar each year, helps the relief committee assist people around the world affected by floods, storms, earthquakes and wars.


UMC program magazine reports on Austin students
The March-April issue of Interpreter includes an item about UM-related Huston-Tillotson University in Austin.
The story, which talks about ministries supported by the Black College Fund, reports on tutoring and mentoring that Huston-Tillotson students do with middle-school youngsters.
The bimonthly Interpreter is the UMC’s official program magazine. Stories can be read at www.interpretermagazine.org.


Application deadline nears for ’06 college scholarship
April 1 is the application deadline for the 2006 Southwest Texas Conference college scholarship.
The Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministries awards the scholarship each year from moneys generated by the UM Student Day special offering.
The amount ranges from $500 to $1,000, depending on response to the annual offering.
Congregations may nominate full-time undergraduate students attending institutions recognized by the UM University Senate for the merit scholarship.
For information contact the Leadership Development Office at (210) 408-4500 in San Antonio or toll free at (888) 349-4191.


UM volunteers to clean up Mount Sequoyah April 3-7
Southwest Texans can help UMs from across the South Central Jurisdiction clean up Mount Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center next month.
Volunteers are to gather at the jurisdictional facility in Fayetteville, Ark., April 3 to 7. They are to repair buildings, clean windows, seal decks and clean up the grounds. Carpentry, drywall, sewing and painting skills would be valuable.
Mount Sequoyah is providing free lodging for the week. Volunteers can buy meals at the center.
Days are to begin with a morning devotional. Nights are to include opportunities for worship, games and fellowship.
Contact (800) 760-8126 or www.mountsequoyah.org.


Texas history group to meet March 24-25 at McMurry
Texas UMC history buffs are to gather this month in Abilene.
The 31st annual meeting of the Texas UM Historical Society is scheduled for March 24 and 25 at UM-related McMurry University.
The Rev. Robert W. Sledge, a retired Southwest Texas Conference clergy member, is playing host to the meeting. He’s historian in residence at McMurry’s McWhiney Research Foundation.
The meeting schedule includes presentations of research papers about various UM history topics.


Bishop Susan Morrison announces fall retirement


NEW YORK—Bishop Susan M. Morrison has announced she will retire Sept. 1 because of health concerns.
Morrison, 63, serves the Albany (N.Y.) Episcopal Area, which includes the Troy and Wyoming conferences.
Morrison was elect-ed bishop in 1988 and served in the Philadelphia Area until 1996. She has served the Albany Area since then.
Bishop Peter Weaver, president of the Council of Bishops, said nominations to fill Morrison’s position would come from the Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops and be voted on by the entire council.


Relief committee responds to mudslide in Philippines
NEW YORK—The UM Committee on Relief is asking for prayers and financial support as it responds to the mudslide that buried an entire village in the Philippines Feb. 17.
The mudslide, triggered by days of rain, buried Guinsaugon, on southern Leyte Island. The mud destroyed the elementary school.
The relief committee said it anticipated working with partners in the area to provide immediate relief and support for long-term recovery.
Contributions can be placed into church offering plates and designated for “UMCOR Advance No. 240235, Philippines Emergency.”


Age poses no barriers for Katrina relief workers
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.—Aubrey Smith, 85, could have been home enjoying his favorite pastimes, fishing or playing golf.
Instead, Smith traveled 400 miles from his Guntersville, Ala., residence to help families whose homes were destroyed and whose lives were thrown into chaos by Hurricane Katrina.
“They just need a lot of help,” said Smith, the oldest of 18 members of First UMC, Guntersville, who came to lend a hand in Ocean Springs.
Retirees—many in their 60s and 70s—are common among volunteer relief workers on the Gulf Coast. Smith encouraged others to volunteer and help coastal residents.


Progress on Dillard repairs surprises visiting bishops
BATON ROUGE, La.—Louisiana Bishop William W. Hutchinson and four bishops from other conferences were surprised at the restoration completed so far at UM-related Dillard University, New Orleans.
“It is very encouraging to see the progress at Dillard University as the city struggles to come back,” said Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the Pittsburgh Area.
The five bishops joined the university board of trustees for a recent visit to the storm-damaged campus.