News Briefs

Church in Corpus Christi to bless animals Sunday
Miles UMC to celebrate 115th anniversary Sunday
81 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
Inspirational speaker to visit San Antonio church Oct. 25
Connectional giving runs $299,000 ahead of ’05 totals
Fires damage UM churches in 3 states over 4 weeks
Bishop Thomas Bangura of Sierra Leone dies at 81
Dillard University reopens campus in New Orleans
Agency moves men’s event in July 2009 from Purdue
Austin school to rename, reopen historic building
3 events to present tools for nonviolent interaction
Communication Web site profiles Southwest Texan
Paper cites clergy member as healthcare admin hero

Church in Corpus Christi to bless animals Sunday
Coastal Bend residents can bring their pets to First UMC, Corpus Christi, Sunday for a special blessing of the animals.
The pastoral staff is to bless pets from 3 to 5 p.m. Two local veterinarians are to be on hand to offer pet health advice. The church is offering prizes for the biggest, smallest and best-dressed pets to come for blessing.


Miles UMC to celebrate 115th anniversary Sunday
Miles UMC is celebrating 115 years of ministry Sunday.
A special anniversary lunch and program are to follow the 10 a.m. worship service.


81 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
Eighty-one of the 346 Southwest Texas congregations had paid their 2006 apportionments in full as of Sept. 30.
Skidmore UMC led the list. The 54-member congregation had paid 104 percent of its share of expenses for ministries across the state, nation and world.
Bruni UMC had paid 100.7 percent of its apportionments.
The count of “100 percent” congregations by district was Austin, 14; Corpus Christi, 11; Kerrville, 18; McAllen, 7; San Angelo, 13; San Antonio, 3; and Victoria, 15.


Inspirational speaker to visit San Antonio church Oct. 25
Inspirational speaker Terry Hershey is to make a presentation Oct. 25 at Coker UMC, San Antonio.
The 7 p.m. talk, titled “Live with Intention: Practice the Sacrament of the Blessed Parent,” is free.
Hershey is a nationally known speaker, author and Hallmark Channel personality.


Connectional giving runs $299,000 ahead of ’05 totals
Southwest Texas congregations gave $299,000 more to connectional causes through September than they did during the first nine months of 2005.
Contributions to apportioned funds totaled $6.3 million. That’s 64.3 percent of the $9.7 million asking for the year. The remittance rate is up 2.8 percent from September last year.
The Kerrville District had paid the highest percentage of apportionments through September—80.4. Other district percentages were San Angelo, 77.2; Victoria, 72.3; McAllen, 62.3; San Antonio, 60.2; Austin, 59.6; and Corpus Christi, 58.9.


Fires damage UM churches in 3 states over 4 weeks
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Fires have damaged three UM churches since mid-September.
First UMC in downtown Memphis was nearly destroyed by flames Oct. 6. Fire officials were investigating the cause.
The blaze spread from the historic structure to two other buildings within three blocks of the church. First UMC, built in 1893, has a little more than 100 members.
In Mishawaka, Ind., Albright UMC was struck by lightning and partially burned Oct. 2. The sanctuary was destroyed, but other parts of the church were salvaged, the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune reported.
In Warrensburg, Mo., someone broke into First UMC Sept. 14 and set fire to a Bible and a wall hanging on the second floor. The blaze burned through the adjacent wall into an adult classroom. Initial estimates put the damage at $100,000.


Bishop Thomas Bangura of Sierra Leone dies at 81
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone—The funeral for the second indigenous UM bishop in Sierra Leone was Oct. 8 at King Memorial UMC, Freetown.
Bishop Thomas S. Bangura, 81, died Sept. 24. He began his ministry in the Evangelical United Brethren Church and served as bishop from 1979 to 1992.


Dillard University reopens campus in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS—UM-related Dillard University is back in business at its campus in New Orleans.
Student registration began Sept. 16—nearly 13 months after Hurricane Katrina flooded the campus. More than half the 2,100 students enrolled before Katrina have returned.


Agency moves men’s event in July 2009 from Purdue
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The governing body for UM Men is moving the denomination’s quadrennial men’s conference from Purdue University to Nashville.
The General Commission on UM Men voted Sept. 16 to have the 10th national UM Men’s gathering July 9-12, 2009, at a university to be determined in Nashville.
The every-four-year gatherings at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., began in 1953.


Austin school to rename, reopen historic building
AUSTIN—UM-related Huston-Tillotson University is to mark its 131st anniversary Oct. 27 by reopening a historic campus building.
The 93-year-old Old Administration Building, once described as “statuesque but dilapidated,” is to get a new name. The facility now houses a business resource center, heritage center, computer laboratory and offices.


3 events to present tools for nonviolent interaction
Austin-area UMs can learn about Compassionate Communication at one of three sites Oct. 19.
Liv Moore, a certified Nonviolent Communication trainer from Olympia, Wash., is leading free seminars from 9 a.m. to noon at First UMC, Georgetown, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the University of Texas Union Building and from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.
Developed by the Center for Nonviolent Communication, Compassionate Communication offers tools for resolving conflicts, reducing criticism, promoting understanding and avoiding violence.
For information contact Brenda Hardt at bhardt@academicplanet.com or (979) 830-0136.


Communication Web site profiles Southwest Texan
A UM Communications Web site is profiling a Southwest Texan.
Douglas Cannon, communications and public witness director, is the second conference communicator featured on the Communications Resourcing Team Web site (www.crt.umcom. org). The first was the Rev. Tom Slack of the West Ohio Conference.
The team, part of the General Commission on Communication, plans to profile different people involved in UM communication ministry every two-to-three weeks.


Paper cites clergy member as healthcare admin hero
The San Antonio Business Journal honored a Southwest Texas Conference pastor May 24.
The Rev. Alvin Loewenberg, president of UM-related Morningside Ministries in San Antonio, was named a healthcare hero for administrative excellence.
Founded in 1961, Morningside is affiliated with the Southwest Texas Conference, the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio.