News in brief

The Rev. Bob Grimes, 75, dies Feb. 22 in San Antonio
49 teens commit to Christ during Midwinter retreats
Zan Holmes to help church mark 100th anniversary
Board seeks nominees for Christian educator award
UM giving for tsunami aid surpasses $15 million mark
UM committee sends aid after Iranian earthquake
UM court spring docket includes new pension plan
April 28 hearing date set for Beth Stroud’s appeal
Correction

The Rev. Bob Grimes, 75, dies Feb. 22 in San Antonio
The funeral for the Rev. G. Robert “Bob” Grimes was Feb. 28 at Bethany UMC, Austin.
Grimes, 75, a retired Southwest Texas Conference clergy member, died Feb. 22 in San Antonio.
Grimes began his ministry in 1952 in the Central Texas Conference. He transferred to Southwest Texas in 1957 and served congregations in Austin, Bronte, Carlsba, Harlingen, Kyle, San Antonio, Schertz and Water Valley. He was superintendent of the Corpus Christi District from 1978 to 1983. He retired in 1997.

49 teens commit to Christ during Midwinter retreats
Forty-nine teens made first-time commitments to Christ during Midwinter retreats in January and February.
Eighty-one youths responded to calls to full-time ministry, reported the Rev. Rusty Freeman, youth ministries director. Another 534 rededicated their lives to Christ.
More than 1,100 middle and high school students attended the six weekend retreats sponsored by the Youth Ministry Office.

Zan Holmes to help church mark 100th anniversary
A noted former Dallas pastor is to help his San Angelo home church mark its 100th anniversary.
The Rev. Zan W. Holmes Jr., host of the first Disciple Bible Study video series, is to preach at 4 p.m. March 20 at Wesley UMC, San Angelo, for the congregation’s centennial celebration.
Holmes, a retired North Texas Conference pastor, was featured preacher for the Southwest Texas Conference’s 2002 service of repentance and reconciliation in Corpus Christi.

Board seeks nominees for Christian educator award
The Board of Discipleship is seeking nominees for the annual Kathleen Jones Christian Educator of the Year Award.
Nomination deadline is March 31. The award, named for the longtime Christian education director at First UMC, Austin, is to be presented June 3 during the Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi.
Nominees may be laity or clergy, volunteer or paid. Their work in Christian education should show excellence and effectiveness in sharing knowledge of God’s saving love as known in Jesus Christ.
For more information contact the Rev. Monte Marshall at montem@fbg.net.

UM giving for tsunami aid surpasses $15 million mark
NEW YORK—The UM Committee on Relief had received $15 million as of Feb. 23 for recovery and rehabilitation work following the Dec. 26 South Asia tsunami.
Contributions began arriving the day after the Indian Ocean disaster and haven’t stopped. The total includes donations from all sources—credit cards, checks sent directly to the relief committee and money channeled through annual conferences.
Contributions for tsunami relief may be placed into church offering plates and designated for Advance No. 274305, South Asia Emergency.

UM committee sends aid after Iranian earthquake
NEW YORK—The UM Committee on Relief has sent emergency relief supplies and other aid to Iran following an earthquake there last month.
The powerful Feb. 22 quake destroyed some 8,000 homes in at least 50 villages. The mountainous region in southeast Iran is only 160 miles from Bam, devastated a year ago by an earthquake that killed 31,000 people.
Gifts may be placed into church offering plates and designated for Advance No. 624315, Iran Earthquake.

UM court spring docket includes new pension plan
ARLINGTON, Va.—The UMC’s highest court is to hear 12 cases during its April 27-29 meeting with topics as diverse as clergy benefits, Girl Scouts and handicapped accessibility in local churches.
The nine-member Judicial Council is to consider again an item related to a new clergy plan developed by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. The item is a request from the 2004 General Conference for a decision on the constitutionality of Petition 40325 as adopted, “in light of the broad new powers that it appears to grant to the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits.”
The council heard oral arguments in October before deferring a decision until the spring.

April 28 hearing date set for Beth Stroud’s appeal
PHILADELPHIA—An April 28 hearing date has been set for the appeal of Beth Stroud, the former UM clergywoman who lost her credentials after a church trial.
The hearing is to run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sheraton International Hotel on the grounds of Baltimore-Washington Airport.

Correction
Worship attendance figures reported for Bethany UMC, Austin, were correct, but the trend was wrong (“Memberships slips for 2nd straight year,” Feb. 25). The 2,593-member Austin congregation saw average weekly worship attendance during 2004 go up by 38 from 2003 to 1,499.