News Briefs

Philip Dibrell, 82, dies Oct. 7 at hospital in San Antonio
Band to perform Saturday in parking lot of church
Schertz UMC plays host to youth ministry workshop
Noted musician to play in Corpus Christi Nov. 13
Blanco UMC event extends Open House Month 1 day
Jambalaya dinner raises funds for hurricane relief
Austin church gets $100,000 for ministry in music, arts
Chorus in Corpus Christi seeks singers for Messiah
Disaster donations suggest new ways of contributing
UM relief agency responds to earthquake in Pakistan
UM Women urged to study issues raised by Katrina
Survey seeks to determine what men think, believe

Philip Dibrell, 82, dies Oct. 7 at hospital in San Antonio
Graveside services were Oct. 10 at Sabinal Cemetery for the Rev. Philip C. Dibrell of Sabinal.
The retired Southwest Texas Conference clergy member died Oct. 7 at a San Antonio hospital. He was 82.
Dibrell began his ministry in 1947. He served congregations in Copperas, Junction, Sabinal, San Antonio, Utopia and Woodsboro. He retired in 1989.


Band to perform Oct.29 in parking lot of church
Laurel Heights UMC, San Antonio, is presenting a free concert in its parking lot Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.
“Station 7,” contemporary Christian band, is to perform. For more information contact Associate Pastor Alex Alvarez at (210) 733-7156.


Schertz UMC plays host to youth ministry workshop
Schertz UMC is playing host Nov. 12 to a national youth ministry workshop.
Group Magazine Live is sponsoring the 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. event titled “What Matters Most: Jesus Everyday in Every Way.” The session is to provide hands-on training in ways to lead teenagers to Christ.
Registration fee is $59 per person. The fee includes lunch, course materials and a one-year subscription to Group Magazine.
To register, call (800) 888-5991, or check www.group.com/gml.


Noted musician to play in Corpus Christi Nov. 13
An internationally known musician is to present a special concert of original music Nov. 13 at First UMC, Corpus Christi.
The free 5 p.m. performance by Ken Medema is part of the Ray West Lectureship and Christ in the Arts series at the 2,562-member congregation.
Medema, a composer who is blind, performs in a wide variety of venues, from local congregations to charity fund raisers.


Blanco UMC event extends Open House Month 1 day
Blanco UMC extended Open House Month by one day and welcomed 115 people Oct. 1 to the first event in the Hill Country Praise series.
Inspired by the Rev. Kenneth Greene and his wife, the series is an evangelism effort to foster community fellowship. The next event is scheduled for April 1.
At the inaugural event, Blanco UMs presented music, shared faith stories and served sloppy joes.


Jambalaya dinner raises funds for hurricane relief
A special Sept. 25 jambalaya dinner at Grace UMC, Granite Shoals, drew 100 people and raised $1,000 for UM hurricane relief along the Gulf Coast.
That money is in addition to the $2,000, 125 personal health kits and five flood buckets already contributed by the 63-member congregation to the UM Committee on Relief, said the Rev. Nancy McDougall, minister of education.
“Yet they wanted to do more,” McDougall said. “Volunteers planned a jambalaya dinner to raise additional funds. Children and youths designed note cards for sale at the dinner.”


Austin church gets $100,000 for ministry in music, arts
Northwest Hills UMC, Austin, has received a $100,000 bequest to support music and arts ministry.
The money came from the estate of Jeannette Faurot, a longtime participant in the 1,149-member congregation. A professor emeritus of Chinese, Faurot died in August.
Her gift will allow the church to buy additional equipment for its music and arts programs and increase community awareness of its arts ministry, officials said.
Northwest Hills is home to many music and arts programs. Those include Chorus Austin, the Austin Classical Guitar Society, Austin Civic Orchestra, Texas Choral Consort and North Hills Gallery.


Chorus in Corpus Christi seeks singers for Messiah
The Corpus Christi Messiah Chorus is accepting applications for singers to perform G.F. Handel’s Messiah Dec. 11 at First UMC, Corpus Christi.
The chorus is limited to 80 singers, said Brad Kisner, First UMC music director.
Rehearsals begin Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. and continue weekly for the next three Mondays. Singers must attend at least three rehearsals as well as a Dec. 10 orchestra rehearsal, Kisner said.
The 2005 edition of the annual performance is to feature local soloists Flicka Rahn, Laurie Bryce, Andy Moore and Scott Elliff. The Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra is to accompany the chorus.
For more information contact Kisner at (361) 884-0391 or bkisner@ccfumc.com.


Disaster donations suggest new ways of contributing
STAMFORD, Conn.—The tremendous financial outpouring in response to the Dec. 26 tsunami suggests that UMs are looking at giving in a new way, missions officials said.
During the first eight months of 2005, donations to Advance special projects, along with other income received by the UM Committee on Relief, exceeded donations to the denomination’s general funds for the same period.
The relief committee’s total income was nearly $63 million. That compared to $58.5 million for the apportioned funds.
That information came to light during the Oct. 10-13 annual meeting of the General Board of Global Ministries.
To Sandra Lackore, chief executive of the General Council on Finance and Administration, the giving pattern indicates the current systems of giving may need to be adjusted to better reflect the situations that encourage donations.


UM relief agency responds to earthquake in Pakistan
NEW YORK—The UM Committee on Relief is responding to the Oct. 8 earthquake that shook Pakistan and India, leaving a death toll that some reports place at nearly 80,000.
The UM agency is sending aid to the region through its partners, the International Blue Crescent and Church World Service.
Donations can be marked for “UMCOR Advance No. 232000, Pakistan Earthquake,” and placed into church offering plates.


UM Women urged to study issues raised by Katrina
STAMFORD, Conn.—The Women’s Division issued a statement this month calling UM Women to address issues of race and class raised by Hurricane Katrina. 
The statement, “Be Repairers of the Breach,” was adopted during the Oct. 7-10 meeting of the division, the UMW’s administrative arm and a unit of the UM mission board.
UMW members are urged to study biblical and ethical obligations “to respond and address both immediate and long-term system injustices.”


Survey seeks to determine what men think, believe
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Do most men in the UMC believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God, or do they believe it is the word of God to be interpreted in the light of its historical context and the church’s teachings?
That’s just one question in an online questionnaire developed by the General Commission on United Methodist Men.
The commission is inviting all men who are members of the UMC to visit www.gcumm.org and click on “UMC Men’s Study—Individual” to answer 45 questions about their congregation, faith, involvement, history, family and theology.
The survey is to enable researchers to correlate demographic data with church activities, theological viewpoints and reasons for participating in various groups.