News Briefs

Robert Hinkelman, 86, dies July 14 in Round Rock
Saturday youth conference set at San Antonio church
Francis Asbury to visit Seguin church July 31
Enrollment deadline nears for Nov. 1-11 trip to Turkey
2 more churches join list of welcoming congregations
UMs check damage, seek volunteer help after Dennis
Storm takes emotional toll on Floridians, official says
British Methodists help those caught in bombings

Robert Hinkelman, 86, dies July 14 in Round Rock
Services were July 18 at First UMC, Round Rock, for the Rev. Robert Hinkelman.
The retired Southwest Texas Conference clergy member died July 14 in Round Rock. He was 86.
Hinkelman began his ministry in 1949 in the North Texas Conference. He moved to Southwest Texas in 1950.
Over the next 36 years he served congregations in Alice, Austin, Barnhart, Big Lake, Devine, Fredericksburg, Harlingen, Laredo, Pharr, San Angelo, San Antonio and San Juan. He retired in 1986.


Saturday youth conference set at San Antonio church
St. Paul UMC, San Antonio, is playing host to a free daylong youth conference Saturday July 23.
Called “Armed With the Word of God,” the gathering is designed to help young people ages 12 to 18 find resources for spiritual enrichment. The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. program includes workshops on managing relationships, college life, setting goals and budgeting money.


Francis Asbury to visit Seguin church July 31
America’s first Methodist bishop is to visit First UMC, Seguin, July 31.
The Rev. Mark Winter is to portray Francis Asbury in a one-man show called “Trailblazin’ Bishop: The Francis Asbury Story.” The performance is scheduled for 6 p.m.


Enrollment deadline nears for Nov. 1-11 trip to Turkey
Aug. 3 is the enrollment deadline for a November study trip to Turkey.
The General Board of Church and Society is sponsoring the Nov. 1-11 journey, which is to explore Christian origins and mission in Turkey. Wanda Holcombe, Southwest Texas Conference peace with justice coordinator, is recruiting local participants.
The $200 enrollment fee is due Aug. 3. For information call Holcombe at (512) 619-3469.


2 more churches join list of welcoming congregations
Two more Southwest Texas churches joined the list of certified welcoming congregations this month.
First UMC, Edna, and First UMC, McAllen, became the 12th and 13th certified congregations in Southwest Texas July 6.
Southwest Texas has more certified welcoming congregations than any other conference. The McAllen District is home to 10. Three more are in the Victoria District.


UMs check damage, seek volunteer help after Dennis
NEW YORK—UMs along the Gulf Coast—still recovering from a hurricane 10 months ago—were thankful the damage from Hurricane Dennis was less than expected. But damage is extensive.
“Despite the impression many media reports are giving, there is major damage in our area,” said the Rev. Clyde Pressley of the Alabama-West Florida Conference Disaster Recovery Ministry.
UM agencies and conferences were beginning damage assessments and calling for volunteer help July 11.
Particular attention is being given to Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, Milton and Pace in Florida and Atmore and Monroeville in Alabama. The Category 3 storm hit those areas hard July 10.
Contributions to UM recovery efforts should be designated to Hurricanes 2005 Global, Advance No. 982523. Checks to the UM Committee on Relief can be placed into church offering plates. Online gifts can be made at www.methodistrelief.org.
Volunteers interested in assisting in any area affected by Hurricane Dennis can call the relief committee’s volunteer hot line at (800) 918-3100.


Storm takes emotional toll on Floridians, official says
NEW YORK—Enduring another hurricane has taken an emotional toll on those affected by Hurricane Dennis, a UM relief official reported.
The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, U.S. disaster response coordinator for the UM Committee on Relief, said that toll was evident as he began traveling around the Alabama and West Florida coast July 13 to assess hurricane damage.
“The significant thing that I’ve seen, more than anything else, is the impact on people’s emotional and spiritual lives,” he said.
In areas that had not yet recovered from Hurricane Ivan some 10 months ago, at least half a dozen people told Hazelwood the anticipation of Hurricane Dennis and the time just before it hit land “was the most excruciating time they can ever remember.”


British Methodists help those caught in bombings
LONDON—In moments after bomb blasts rocked London, Methodist churches in the city center did whatever they could to help people caught up in the explosions.
Across the street from the train station where one of the rush-hour bombs exploded July 7, Kings Cross Methodist Church opened its doors to those who were wounded, in shock or stranded in the immediate aftermath of the blast.
Several miles away from the main areas affected by the bombing, officials at Methodist Central Hall, near the Houses of Parliament, opened the church’s chapel and restaurant to anyone who needed support and practical help.
Fire damages black UM church in Tennessee
SPARTA, Tenn—Kynette UMC was heavily damaged in an arson spree that also destroyed Roberts Street Church of Christ and five vacant houses July 8.
Both churches are predominantly African American.
Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the fires and ruled out the possibility the fires were racially motivated.
A Tennessee Conference representative said the conference would help rebuild Kynette UMC if insurance doesn’t cover the costs.