News Briefs

Signup deadline is Sunday for UMW scholarships
Walnut UMC dedicates renovated building Oct. 2
Connectional giving runs $129,000 ahead of ’04 totals
113 UM congregations pay ’05 apportionments in full

Signup deadline is Sunday for UMW scholarships
November 13th is the application deadline for scholarships to attend Young Women! Shine! in December.
The Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries has granted $10,000 to pay for 80 scholarships to the Dec. 28 to 30 event at Mount Wesley Conference Center.
UM Women of the Southwest Texas and Rio Grande conferences are sponsoring the spiritual retreat for women 14 to 30.
Information about Young Women! Shine! is at www.gbgm-umc.org/swtxumw. For scholarship information contact Glenda Sanders at (361) 992-7985 or Glenda7010@aol.com.

Walnut UMC dedicates renovated building Oct. 2
More than 170 people witnessed the dedication of Walnut UMC’s renovated building Oct. 2 during the congregation’s 150th anniversary celebration.
Kerrville District Superintendent Fred Martin presided at the dedication ceremony. Many who watched were descendants of original church members.
The 38-member congregation was organized in 1855 on the front porch of Francis and Nancy Smith’s home in Blanco.
The Rev. Grady Roe, pastor, said many small churches in the area are now closed.
“The fact that Walnut UMC is still going strong is proof of the commitment of the laity,” Roe said.

Connectional giving runs $129,000 ahead of ’04 totals
Southwest Texas congregations gave $129,000 more to connectional causes through October than they did during the first 10 months of 2004.
Contributions to apportioned funds totaled $6.4 million. That’s 67.89 percent of the $9.4 million asking for the year. The remittance rate is down 0.04 percent from October last year.
“The major difference between the two years is the giving (beyond apportionments) to disaster-relief efforts,” Treasurer David A. Seilheimer said. “Giving to hurricane relief has almost reached $1 million. That does not include the tremendous outpouring of generosity earlier in the year when more than $600,000 was given for tsunami relief.”
The Kerrville District had paid the highest percentage of apportionments through October—86.
Other district percentages were San Angelo, 79; Victoria, 73; McAllen, 71; San Antonio, 64; Austin, 63; and Corpus Christi, 61.

113 UM congregations pay ’05 apportionments in full
One-hundred-thirteen of the 350 Southwest Texas congregations had paid their 2005 apportionments in full as of Oct. 31.
The count of “100 percent” congregations by district was Austin, 18; Corpus Christi, 14; Kerrville, 24; McAllen, 8; San Angelo, 18; San Antonio, 7; and Victoria, 24.
Apportioned amounts represent a congregation’s share of expenses for ministries across the state, nation and world.