News Briefs

Musical revue starts tonight at church in San Antonio
Industry UMC seniors have Christmas in July
San Antonio center plans open house for Aug. 28
5 more congregations to hire Wesley nurses
Travis Park UMC plays host to inclusiveness meeting
Wesley Foundation seeks freshman contact info
Austin UM receives award for Christian education
2 retired clergy members write books on faith topics
Signup deadline approaches for workshop on worship
Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa of Burundi dies in Kenya
Judicial Council to hear appeal of Stroud decision
Pastor suspended for not allowing gay to join church

Musical revue starts tonight at church in San Antonio
The music ministry of University UMC, San Antonio, was to a summer musical revue this August 12- 14.
Performances of “To Be a Kid Again!” were to be scheduled Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. A Sunday performance is set for 2:30 p.m.
The program includes songs usually sung by and about children from Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz and other musicals.
Tickets cost $5 per person for adults and $3 per person for children and seniors.


Industry UMC seniors have Christmas in July
Christmas came in July for some members of Industry UMC.
Those members, homebound or in nursing homes, received gifts from the congregation during the week of July 25.
The Rev. Timothy Abel said the recipients, who make up 12.5 percent of the 240-member congregation, are visited regularly by individuals from the church.
It’s important that they know many others are thinking of them year round, he said.
A second benefit to the churchwide Christmas in July program is that “this keeps in front of everyone the value of older individuals in the life of the church,” Abel said.

San Antonio center plans open house for Aug. 28
Wesley Community Center, San Antonio, has scheduled an open house from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 28.
Activities include tours of the facility at 1406 Fitch St. and meetings with staff members and volunteers.
Theme for the event is “Looking to the Future.”


5 more congregations to hire Wesley nurses
Five more Southwest Texas congregations are to welcome Wesley nurses this year.
The churches are Faith UMC, Austin; St. Paul UMC, Corpus Christi; First UMC, Cuero; First UMC, Hebbronville; and First UMC, Hondo.
The Board of Directors of Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas approved the sites recently. The additions bring the number of churches with Wesley nurses to 65.
Churches select the nurses with assistance from Methodist Healthcare Ministries. The organization pays the salaries.
Wesley nurses are all registered nurses with active Texas licenses.


Travis Park UMC plays host to inclusiveness meeting
Travis Park UMC, San Antonio, is playing host to a gathering this month on “Recovering the Soul of the Church.”
The Aug. 20-23 gathering is to explore ways to break down racial, economic and sexual barriers in the church to promote inclusiveness.
The Rev. Tex Sample, emeritus faculty member of UM-related St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo., is featured speaker. Registration fee is $150 per person.


Wesley Foundation seeks freshman contact info
The Wesley Foundation in Austin is asking congregations for help identifying new freshmen heading to the University of Texas.
The UM campus ministry unit wants to send all incoming UM freshmen information about its campus outreach before classes start Aug. 31. But the foundation needs e-mail addresses or other contact information for new students.
Southwest Texas congregations are asked to send contact information to mail@ texaswesley.com.


Austin UM receives award for Christian education
A staff member at First UMC, Austin, was honored during the May graduation ceremony at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Kyle R. Toomire, a master of divinity degree recipient, was presented the John B. Spragens Award. Named for a former seminary dean, the annual award is to be used for further training in Christian education.
Toomire is responsible for ministries with youths and young adults at the 2,171-member Austin congregation.


2 retired clergy members write books on faith topics
Two retired clergy members with Southwest Texas ties have published books.
The Rev. Don E. Post of Huntsville has written Ghosties and Ghoulies and Long-Legged Beasties and Things That Go Bump in the Night: Christian Basics for the Twenty-First Century. It traces the development of Christian beliefs over 2,000 years.
The Rev. George M. Ricker of Austin has written A New Look at the Old Commandments. It examines each of the Ten Commandments in light of the Christian gospel.


Signup deadline approaches for workshop on worship
Sept. 9 is the advance-registration deadline for a one-day worship workshop in San Antonio in September.
The worship and music team of the Board of Discipleship is sponsoring the Sept. 17 event at Alamo Heights UMC from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The schedule includes two group worship experiences and at least 15 workshops.
For information contact Brad Kisner, (361) 884-0391 or bkisner@ccfumc.com.


Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa of Burundi dies in Kenya
WASHINGTON—Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, leader of the East Africa Conference in Burundi, died July 29 at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
The death was reported by the office of the UM Council of Bishops in Washington.
Ndoricimpa, 61, had checked into the hospital three weeks earlier.
Ndoricimpa started his ministry as a pastor with the World Gospel Church, a U.S.-based interdenominational group with a Wesleyan doctrine. In 1980 the church became the Evangelical Episcopal Church, and he became its first bishop. In 1982, he led the negotiations for the church to join the UMC. That happened in 1984.


Judicial Council to hear appeal of Stroud decision
HOUSTON—The case of the Rev. Irene Elizabeth “Beth” Stroud—who was tried last year after disclosing she is a lesbian—tops the 14-item fall docket for the Judicial Council.
The UM supreme court meets Oct. 26-29 in Houston.
The court is reviewing the Stroud case following an appeal by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of an April 29 ruling by a Northeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Appeals. That committee overturned the original Eastern Pennsylvania trial court verdict against Stroud because of two procedural issues.
The trial court had found Stroud guilty in December of violating UM law by openly admitting she was living in a committed homosexual relationship. The court removed her clergy credentials.
The appeals committee restored those credentials pending review by the Judicial Council.
Stroud is on voluntary leave of absence from her appointment as associate pastor of First UMC of Germantown in Philadelphia. She continues working at the church as a layperson.


Pastor suspended for not allowing gay to join church
RICHMOND, Va.—A Virginia Conference pastor has been placed on “involuntary leave of absence” for refusing to allow a homosexual to join his congregation.
The Rev. Edward Johnson was placed on a yearlong involuntary leave July 1 by action of the clergy of the Virginia Conference June 13. He is to receive medical benefits but no salary. 
Johnson, pastor of South Hill (Va.) UMC for six years, could be reinstated if he fulfills recommendations from the conference’s board of ordained ministry.  
The Rev. W. Anthony “Tony” Layman, who was district superintendent when Johnson was placed on leave, said the pastor’s unwillingness to allow a homosexual to become a member of the church led to the involuntary leave.
Layman said he worked with Johnson for four months before filing a complaint against him in April for refusing to allow the person to join the congregation.