News Briefs

Home for Christmas reports to be submitted by Jan. 3
Longtime pastor in Star, Center City dies Dec. 4
Martindale buys headstone for retarded man’s grave
147 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
Connectional giving runs $520,650 ahead of ’05 totals
UM sworn in as chief justice of Philippines high court
Finees Flores Jr., 78, dies Nov. 28 in San Antonio
Bishop to fill Geneva post for world Methodist body
Finance agency dedicates headquarters in Nashville
Board seeks applicants for summer intern program



Home for Christmas reports to be submitted by Jan. 3
Home for Christmas feedback forms are due Jan. 3 to the Communications and Public Witness Office.
Those forms, sent Dec. 4 to all congregations taking part in the outreach campaign, ask 10 questions. The information goes to the Board of Discipleship.


Longtime pastor in Star, Center City dies Dec. 4
The memorial service for the Rev. George Mathews, longtime pastor of Center City and Star UMCs, was Dec. 8 in Salado.
A retired clergy member of the Central Texas Conference, Mathews died Dec. 4 at 84.
Mathews served the Center City and Star congregations in the Southwest Texas Conference from 1976 to 2004.
Mathews began his ministry in 1946 as a licensed local pastor in the Central Texas Conference. He was ordained a deacon in 1948 and an elder in 1950. He retired from the Central Texas Conference in 1993.


Martindale buys headstone for retarded man’s grave
When the 33-member Martindale UMC learned about the unmarked grave of a mentally retarded neighbor, it took up a special collection Nov. 19.
The offering raised $350 to buy a headstone for Joey, a resident of the Century Home in Lockhart. He had died in June.
An additional $75 from the offering went to the Century Home, which serves people 35 to 78 with mental retardation or Down syndrome. Beverly Hunter, a home administrator, cried when she received the church’s check.
Martindale UMC got involved because Joey had no family to buy a headstone. The state, which helps fund the Century Home, doesn’t provide money for a grave marker. The home itself had no budget for a headstone.


147 UM congregations pay ’06 apportionments in full
One-hundred-forty-seven of the 345 Southwest Texas congregations had paid their 2006 apportionments in full as of Nov. 30.
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 globe.
The count of “100 percent” congregations by district was Austin, 22; Corpus Christi, 19; Kerrville, 31; McAllen, 8; San Angelo, 25; San Antonio, 13; and Victoria, 29.


Connectional giving runs $520,650 ahead of ’05 totals
Southwest Texas congregations gave $520,650 more to connectional causes through November than they did during the first 11 months of 2006.
Contributions to apportioned funds totaled $7.59 million. That’s 77.9 percent of the $9.7 million asking for the year.
The Kerrville District had paid the highest percentage of apportionments through November—92.7. Other district percentages were San Angelo, 89.7; Victoria, 86.7; McAllen, 75.9; San Antonio, 75.3; Austin, 72.3; and Corpus Christi, 72.


UM sworn in as chief justice of Philippines high court
MANILA, Philippines—A UM lay preacher is the new chief justice of the Philippines.
Reynato S. Puno, 66, was sworn in as the Supreme Court’s presiding officer by Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Dec. 7.
The Manila native is the administrative council chairman of Puno Memorial United Church and formerly led the administrative board at Knox UMC. On its 100th anniversary, the UMC in the Philippines named him a “centennial awardee” in law.

Finees Flores Jr., 78, dies Nov. 28 in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO—The Rev. Finees Flores Jr., 78, former editor of el Intérprete and an influential figure in Hispanic ministries, died Nov. 18 at his home in San Antonio after a long struggle with cancer.
He was editor of el Intérprete, the UMC’s Spanish program magazine, from 1973 to 1986.
In 1979 he was an organizer of the first Consulta Nacional of MARCHA (Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa Hispano Americana).


Bishop to fill Geneva post for world Methodist body
AARAU, Switzerland—Retired Bishop Heinrich Bolleter has been named Geneva secretary for the World Methodist Council.
Bolleter, who retired in May as leader of the Central and Southern European Conference, is to begin his part-time duties Jan. 1.
The Rev. George Freeman, the council’s chief executive, said Bolleter was chosen “because of his wide ecumenical experience in Europe,” depth of knowledge about the church and linguistic skills.


Finance agency dedicates headquarters in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The General Council on Finance and Administration dedicated its new headquarters Nov. 28.
Last year, the finance agency consolidated its Evanston, Ill., operations and its Nashville, Tenn., service center into one location in Nashville.


Board seeks applicants for summer intern program
WASHINGTON—The UM social action agency is seeking applicants 18 to 22 for the 2007 Ethnic Young Adult Summer Internship Program.
Application deadline for the June 3 to Aug. 4 internship is Feb. 1.
The General Board of Church and Society selects a young adult each year to represent each of the denomination’s five special interest ethnic caucuses—Asian, African-American, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander.
For information contact the Rev. Neal Christie at (202) 488-5611 or Nchristie@umc-gbcs.org.