News Briefs

Edinburg church renewed as ‘welcoming congregation’
San Angelo church gets grant for Daily Bread effort
San Antonio teacher named outstanding public educator
Evangelist from Red Oak to kick off Pleasanton series
New Braunfels secretary attends national meeting
Bishop, wife to lead prayers at Hymn Society meeting
UM Women seek designs for 2008 meeting symbol
Bishops meet with Bush, open door for future talks
Retired bishop to serve as interim table executive
UMs in central Europe pick new bishop for 4-year term
Leaders seek logo design for ’08 General Conference

Edinburg church renewed as ‘welcoming congregation’
First UMC, Edinburg, is the first Southwest Texas church certified as a welcoming congregation for a second straight year.
Certification, which is to be renewed annually, means a congregation has systematically evaluated its hospitality and intentionally embraced a lifestyle of welcoming newcomers.
“Thank you for continuing your efforts to welcome people into your church by sharpening your skills and making your church more inviting,” said Jackie Vaughan of the General Commission on Communication in an April 19 letter to the Rev. Steven Sweet, pastor of the 415-member congregation.
The Edinburg church was the first certified welcoming congregation in Southwest Texas. Seven more have since joined the list.
Southwest Texas has more certified welcoming congregations than any other conference.
The certification program, run by the General Commission on Communication, is part of the denominationwide Igniting Ministry hospitality and image campaign.

San Angelo church gets grant for Daily Bread effort
The Wesley Daily Bread Program at Wesley UMC, San Angelo, has received a $175,000 grant to renovate and expand the kitchen and dining area.
The grant came from the San Angelo Health Foundation. That’s a private organization dedicated to providing public services that enhance the lives of San Angelo and Concho Valley residents.
With support of local churches, the all-volunteer Wesley Daily Bread program provides free noon meals six days a week to low-income, homeless and transient people. It has been in operation for 20 years.
Currently, the facilities are equipped to serve about 50 people; however, it manages to accommodate 70 or more daily.

San Antonio teacher named outstanding public educator
A San Antonio elementary school teacher is to receive the Outstanding Public Educator Award next month in Corpus Christi.
Collenn Bailey, a member of Laurel Heights UMC, is to be given the honor during the June 3 awards banquet at the Southwest Texas Annual Conference session.
The Board of Church and Society is recognizing Bailey for her service to poor and at-risk students for 11 years at James Bowie Elementary School in San Antonio

Evangelist from Red Oak to kick off Pleasanton series
An evangelist and vocalist from Red Oak is to kick off the community discipleship speaker series May 21-22 in Pleas-anton.
Anna Marie Warren, an artist for World Vision, is to offer a message and song for a May 21 luncheon at First Baptist Church, a 7 p.m. gathering at First UMC the same day and morning worship at First UMC May 22.
Warren is to discuss the role of women and men who wear “ordinary hats” in fulfilling God’s purpose as disciples.
First UMC is sponsoring the speaker series. Other speakers are scheduled for August and November.

New Braunfels secretary attends national meeting
A New Braunfels church secretary attended the 23rd annual Professional Association of UM Church Secretaries conference last month in Albuquerque.
Cynthia L. Myers, First UMC, New Braunfels, was one of more than 270 participants in the April 14-16 event. Myers is a member of the group’s executive committee.
The yearly meeting provides continuing education and a supportive network for church secretaries. The organization, established in 1982, is affiliated with the General Council on Finance and Administration.

Bishop, wife to lead prayers at Hymn Society meeting
Bishop Joel N. Martinez and his wife, Raquel, are coordinating morning prayers for the annual meeting of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada next month in San Antonio.
The Boston-based organization is to meet July 17-21 at Trinity University.
The conference is devoted to the development of congregational song. Theme is “Hymns and Songs of the Americas.”
Free evening hymnal festivals are planned at various San Antonio churches July 17-20.
For more information check www.thehymnsociety.org, or call toll free (800) 843-4966 (the hymn).

UM Women seek designs for 2008 meeting symbol
UM Women leaders are accepting logo entries for their 2008 jurisdiction meeting through Sept. 30.
Theme for the March 28-30, 2008, gathering in Albuquerque, N.M., is “Called by Name as Resurrected Women.” Scripture reference is Isaiah 43:1-13.
“Each conference is being asked to submit a logo design to depict the theme and scripture,” said Glenda Sanders of Wesley UMC, Corpus Christi.
Entries go to Becky Ratliff, P.O. Box 315, Munday, TX 76371.

Bishops meet with Bush, open door for future talks
WASHINGTON—Five UM bishops visited President Bush May 3 in a meeting that they said opened the door for future conversation.
 The bishops had a private, 10-minute meeting with the president and some of his staff, then joined a larger group of religious leaders meeting with Bush at the White House.   During their private session, the bishops presented Bush, a UM, with a Bible signed by the Council of Bishops, and shared a moment of prayer.
 The delegation included Bishops Peter Weaver, Janice Huie, Ernest Lyght, John Schol and Charlene Kammerer.

Retired bishop to serve as interim table executive
CHICAGO—Retired Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader has been named part-time interim executive secretary for the Connectional Table, effective Monday.
Established by the 2004 General Conference, the Connectional Table is where ministry and money are brought together to coordinate the work and resources of the denomination. Rader retired last September after 12 years as resident bishop of the Wisconsin Area. Since Jan. 1, she has been the bishop in residence at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and will continue that part-time position as she staffs the Connectional Table.

UMs in central Europe pick new bishop for 4-year term
BERN, Switzerland—A new bishop has been elected to lead the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe.
The Rev. Patrick Streiff, 49, was consecrated during an April 17 service at Bern Cathedral in Switzerland. He succeeds Bishop Heinrich Bolleter, who will formally retire in May 2006. Streiff was elected to a four-year term on the second ballot, receiving 66 of a possible 73 votes, during the central conference meeting.
Countries covered by the Central and Southern Europe Conference are Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Switzerland and Tunisia.

Leaders seek logo design for ’08 General Conference
EVANSTON, Ill.—UM leaders are seeking logo designs for the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth.
The symbol should relate to the theme “A Future with Hope,” from Jeremiah.
The Commission on General Conference is sponsoring a contest and plans to award $500 for the winning design. Deadline for entries is June 15.
Entries should be sent to Business Manager of General Conference, 1200 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201, or by e-mail to gbowen@gcfa.org.