News Briefs

Nov. 14 funeral marks death of James R. McWilliams, 59
2 San Antonio churches slate sessions on grief
Church in Corpus Christi offers lunchtime concerts
Connectional giving runs $616,850 ahead of ’05 totals
125 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
San Angelo church marks 124 years of ministry Nov. 19
Monk to lead presentation on contemplative prayer
Witness writer gives birth to son at Methodist Hospital
UMs join launch of effort to fight malaria worldwide
Conferences may disagree with rulings, UM court says
Africa University develops plans for distance learning
UM publisher to produce devotional book for troops
Oct. 22 service celebrates Art UMC sesquicentennial

Nov. 14 funeral marks death of James R. McWilliams, 59
The funeral was Nov. 14 at Castell UMC for the Rev. James R. McWilliams.
The 59-year-old pastor of Castell and Hilda UMCs in the San Angelo District died Nov. 10.
McWilliams began his ministry in 1980 in the Northwest Texas Conference. He later served in the Central Texas Conference before transferring to the Southwest Texas Conference in 1987.
Before going to Castell and Hilda in 2004, he served Southwest Texas congregations in Donna, Crystal City, La Pryor, Robert Lee, Stockdale and Water Valley.


2 San Antonio churches slate sessions on grief
Two UM congregations in San Antonio are playing host to free sessions next month on dealing with depression and loneliness during the holidays.
Alamo Heights UMC has scheduled a “Grief and the Holidays” gathering for Dec. 3 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Aldersgate UMC is playing host to a session Dec. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.
St. Andrew’s UMC, San Antonio, offered the program Nov. 15.
Porter Loring Mortuaries of San Antonio developed the grief presentation four years ago. Some 50 experts in grief and dying have volunteered to lead the sessions.
More than 20 San Antonio-area churches are playing host to “Grief and the Holidays” events between Nov. 8 and Dec. 16.


Church in Corpus Christi offers lunchtime concerts
People in downtown Corpus Christi can hear free weekly Christmas concerts next month at First UMC.
Free “Winter Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts” are scheduled from 12:05 to 12:35 p.m. Dec. 6, 13 and 20 in the church sanctuary.
Baritone David Pinter is to sing Dec. 6. Organist Robert Hammitt is to play Dec. 13. Brad Kisner and members of First UMC music groups are to perform Dec. 13.
The church dining room offers a light lunch for concertgoers from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information check www.ccfumc.org.


Connectional giving runs $616,850 ahead of ’05 totals
Southwest Texas congregations gave $616,850 more to connectional causes through October than they did during the first 10 months of 2005.
Contributions to apportioned funds totaled $7 million. That’s 72.1 percent of the $9.7 million asking for the year. The remittance rate is up 4.25 percent from October last year.
The Kerrville District had paid the highest percentage of apportionments through October—87.3. Other district percentages were San Angelo, 83.6; Victoria, 81.3; San Antonio, 69.9; McAllen, 69.3; Austin, 66.5; and Corpus Christi, 66.2.


125 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
One-hundred-twenty-five of the 345 Southwest Texas congregations had paid their 2006 apportionments in full as of Oct. 31.
Skidmore UMC led the list. The 54-member congregation in the Corpus Christi District had paid 104 percent of its share of expenses for ministries across the state, nation and world.
Bruni UMC in the McAllen District had paid 101 percent of its apportionments.
The count of “100 percent” congregations by district was Austin, 18; Corpus Christi, 15; Kerrville, 29; McAllen, 7; San Angelo, 23; San Antonio, 8; and Victoria, 25.


San Angelo church marks 124 years of ministry Nov. 19
First UMC, San Angelo, marked 124 years of ministry with a special Heritage Sunday program Nov. 19.
Worshipers and visitors could view special historical displays from 8:30 a.m. to noon in Heritage Hall. Items on display included old Bibles, a certificate for church membership “on trial” and Methodist tickets for communion.
First UMC, founded in 1882, was the first church of any denomination built in San Angelo.


Monk to lead presentation on contemplative prayer
UMs can explore the centering-prayer spiritual discipline during a special Advent presentation by Abbott Thomas Keating Dec. 7 in Boerne.
St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church is playing host to the 7 to 9 p.m. program. The church is adjacent to the Omega Retreat Center, where many Walk to Emmaus spiritual retreats take place.
Keating, a Trappist monk, is the author of several books on contemplative prayer.
For information call (210) 286-4320.


Witness writer gives birth to son at Methodist Hospital
UM Witness Staff Writer Rachel L. Toalson gave birth to a baby boy Nov. 19 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio.
Although her byline will continue appearing in the newspaper, she plans to be out of the office until early January.


UMs join launch of effort to fight malaria worldwide
NEW YORK—The UMC participated in the official Nov. 14 kickoff of a malaria-prevention campaign that plays on the image of balls flying into nets.
The goal is to encourage donations for malaria nets for African families.
The campaign asks for a $10 contribution. The first $7 purchases and distributes the nets, which can cover up to four family members as they sleep. The last $3 pays for community workers to educate families on how to use the insecticide-treated bed nets.
Besides the UMC, partners in the “Nothing But Nets” effort include the United Nations Foundation, Sports Illustrated, the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares foundation, Millennium Promise and the Measles Initiative. Donations can be made at www. nothingbutnets.net.


Conferences may disagree with rulings, UM court says
CINCINNATI––Annual conferences may pass petitions that disagree with Judicial Council decisions—as long as those actions don’t mandate any violation of The Book of Discipline or legal precedent.
That was the word last month from the UMC’s highest court. Meeting Oct. 23-25, it considered several petitions that stemmed from Decision 1032. That ruling, issued last fall, dealt with a Virginia pastor who denied membership to an openly gay man.
The nine-member council ruled that a pastor has the authority to determine who is ready for church membership.


Africa University develops plans for distance learning
MAPUTO, Mozambique—UM-related Africa University is becoming the pan-African institution it was created to be.
That was the message school officials gave to the Council of Bishops’ Nov. 1-6 meeting.
Africa University information technologists provided a glimpse of how distance education would work to provide learning opportunities across the continent. E-learning would enable the university to reach out initially to Mozambique, Angola, Congo and Liberia, said Nodumo Dhlamini, the university’s director of communication technology.


UM publisher to produce devotional book for troops
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The UM Publishing House is to resume producing a 64-year-old book of daily devotions for U.S. military troops.
In November, after publishing 250,000 copies of Strength for Service to God and Country with a Franklin, Tenn.-based firm, the General Commission on UM Men returned the publishing role to the original developer and copyright holder.
After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, publishing house staffers discussed ways to serve the thousands of people enlisting. Strength for Service to God and Country was the result. completed in 1942. By 1944 the book had been given to 800,000 troops, the largest publishing effort by the Nashville-based agency to that date.


Oct. 22 service celebrates Art UMC sesquicentennial
Art UMC marked its 150th anniversary Oct. 22.
Pastor Mark Krause arrived for the special sesquicentennial service on horseback.
San Angelo District Superintendent David Edgar came by horse-drawn buggy.
The New Creation and Chancel choirs from First UMC, Uvalde, led singing for an overflow worship crowd.
A 40-minute video presentation covered the 67-member congregation’s history.
More than 370 people enjoyed a chuck wagon meal of beef stew, cornbread and peach cobbler after the service.