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February 26, 2010
Volume 156, Number 43
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National initiative seeks to wipe out malaria
Southwest Texas Conference churches
begin Imagine No Malaria campaign
 Duwahabi Ogoba and her two children from Lekki, Nigeria, are protected from malaria-carrying mosquitoes by an insecticide-treated net.
Managing Editor
A mission trip showed him more malaria victims than he ever wanted to see.
The Rev. Bob Allen, Kerrville District superintendent, will never, ever forget the metal beds, some of them cramped with two or three people, in a foreign hospital—a place where people went to die—where he and his mission team of nine watched malaria steal the life of a man.
Allen and his team gathered around the man because he didn’t have much longer to live. They began to read Scripture aloud.
“As we read Scripture, the bed began to shake violently,” Allen said. “It was as if we were standing on an earthquake area. Even as the bed continued to shake, (the man) began to smile as the word of God was read to him.
“We quickly understood that he was in such pain, such agony. I took the hands of all of our team as we got into a circle, and we began to pray that God would relieve him. He passed away soon after.”
Allen has become one powerful voice among many in The United Methodist Church’s Imagine No Malaria campaign, an initiative that seeks to stamp out malaria in Africa by 2015.
As the pilot conference for the campaign, the Southwest Texas Conference has already seen churches reach and surpass fund-raising goals for the initiative, said Margo Jacobs, associate executive director for Imagine No Malaria.
Begun in the Austin District last year, the campaign is now spreading to other districts whose churches already are brainstorming ways to raise awareness and money.
Churches are encouraged to set a goal of $1,000 for every member of the church, and many in the Austin District surpassed the goal.
Creative thinking
Oak Hill UMC had a goal of $60,000 and, to date, has raised $120,000 for the campaign.
Fund raisers like a children’s “Lemon-AID Stand,” featured on a local Austin news channel, and a focus on Impact 100 donors—those who give $1,000 to Imagine No Malaria in the course of three years—helped the church meet and soar past its goal, said Vicki Matustik, one of the members of the church’s planning team for Imagine No Malaria.
Three children of the church, a 4-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister and one of the sister’s friends, set up a lemonade stand and put up a sign telling patrons that for every dollar they made, 50 cents would be given to Imagine No Malaria. The children made $80 and gave $40 to the effort, saving four lives.
The church’s director of children’s ministry jumped on the idea and had all the kids in the church who wanted to participate open a Lemon-AID stand one Sunday. They raised more than $1,000.
“God was definitely helping us and working with us,” Matustik said. “It’s hard not to get excited when you saw the enthusiasm on those sweet little faces.”
Now the children have issued challenges to all Austin District children to host a Lemon-AID stand to help save lives in Africa.
 Youths from Island in the Son, Corpus Christi, pass out cans to collect change.
Westlake UMC’s children and youth also stepped up for the Imagine No Malaria effort, said Jim Austin associate pastor for the church.
Austin said the church has been collecting continuing pledges for a capital campaign, so leaders were a little concerned that funds would not come in for Imagine No Malaria. But the church reached and surpassed its $35,000 goal, raising $40,000.
At an event targeting Impact 100 givers, three youth in the church—ages 12-15—personally pledged to save 100 lives each.
“The youth were very responsive to the idea,” Austin said. “It struck a chord with them.”
The children of the church collected change throughout the campaign, and on the church’s Save a Life Sunday, they filled and broke a large wagon—raising $5,000 in change.
The church also hosted a barn dance and partnered with a local pizza place to raise more funds.
But what worked best, Austin said, was making the situation more personal. Several members had malaria as children, and they spoke to the congregation. Videos and pictures also did the trick.
“One of the keys to getting people involved with it at the outset is a feeling of direct personal connection,” Austin said. “People identify with people. They were constantly seeing pictures and videos of people. They gave (donors) a sense that it was working, that it was good. When you establish that personal connection, people feel like they’re really making a difference in the world.”
Making it personal
Michelle Keith, a member of Lytle UMC, which is finishing up its Imagine No Malaria effort, made things personal by setting up a walk-through display in the church’s fellowship hall.
Keith, with the help of the church’s youth minister and plenty of research, made up stories about three characters. Before walking through the completely enclosed display, people would draw a name—essentially becoming one of the three characters. As they walked through the display, they heard the character’s story.
Everyone ended up at a Red Cross tent, where a volunteer told them whether their character lived or died.
“I did it because I wanted people to take time to think about it and pray about it,” Keith said. “When I heard about the Imagine No Malaria (campaign), the first thing I thought was that most people will say, ‘OK, that’s sad, but next subject.’ It doesn’t really hit home that it’s an accident of birth that we are blessed the way we are.
“But if the display made them think about it for more than two seconds, the work was worth it. And we had people coming out with tears in their eyes.”
 Bishop Jim Dorff and the Rev. Bobbi Kaye Jones (front right), along with Shannon Trilli, UMCOR executive; Lynne Dobson, member of St. John’s UMC, Austin; and the Rev. David Gilliam of St. John’s UMC, Austin attend a briefing by the United Methodist Global Health Initiative at the United Nations building. St. John’s UMC was the first church to commit to the Imagine No Malaria campaign.
Communicating with donors about how big a difference they’re making helps them see the benefit of contributing to something like Imagine No Malaria, said the Rev. Linda Montgomery, pastor of Schertz UMC.
Her church, she said, did a push for the campaign during Advent and had a significant response from Impact 100 givers.
“They are excited about the idea that they really and truly are saving lives,” Montgomery said. “And not only are we saving lives but by 2015 we will have wiped out malaria. It’s an amazing thing that the church is doing. To be part of that is a really incredible opportunity.”
Valerie Vogt, who was part of the planning group for the Imagine No Malaria campaign at Saint John’s UMC, Austin—which raised $44,000—said the church and Austin in general has a history and mission tradition that contributed to the success of the campaign.
“When the message is clear, when the reason behind what we’re trying to accomplish is clear and the goal is clear, the people in Austin are so generous,” Vogt said. “Austin is a great city where a lot of folks are passionate about mission and making a difference.”
Vogt said the church organized an Imagine No Malaria Walk where participants could get pledges or general donations that would be given directly to the campaign. The church raised $1,000 from the event, she added.
Dana Hamilton, pastor of Island in the Son UMC, Corpus Christi, which just started the campaign, said the church sponsors eight World Vision children from Sierra Leone, and members were excited to know that bed nets will be distributed in areas where their kids live.
“They’re excited about how we have an opportunity and a way to reach out to the world outside,” Hamilton said. “Island in the Son is a mission-minded church. This is so much a broader opportunity.”
Austin said his church put up a banner that shows a picture of the world and hands holding up the world that says, “We’re Methodists encountering Christ and changing the world.”
“I think (members) would say we really are,” Austin said. “They’re feeling like they really are changing the world. These days people feel powerless, but when they feel they’re connecting with people and changing things, it meets a spiritual needs in their lives.
“They’re out there building the kingdom. People respond to that. They have moved further in their spiritual walk. They’re ready to hear other things about bringing the kingdom of God here.”
A kickoff event for Imagine No Malaria will happen on World Malaria Day, April 25, on the Texas State Capitol lawn in Austin from 2-5 p.m.
For more information about Imagine No Malaria, visit www.imaginenomalaria.org.
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Pension funding: much ado about something or nothing?
By the Rev. David A. Seilheimer
Southwest Texas Conference Treasurer
Multiple articles, many discussions, and unprecedented fear have been generated about the “pension crisis” in The United Methodist Church. Is it a real crisis or much ado about nothing? Let me try to bring some clarity to this issue.
No current danger
First, there is no danger that retiree pensions will suddenly stop or the amount be decreased. The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church has consistently affirmed that there is no cash flow problem. All money going into the GBOPHB could stop for several years without having an immediate impact upon the pensions of those who are already retired.
No change can be made to the retirement plans without General Conference action. My own opinion is that the probability of there being any action relating to the pensions of those already retired is extremely small.
Regardless of anything else, it cannot happen without much discussion and prior notice. Any proposal would first have to go to General Conference.
There would be advance notification of the discussion and time for a thorough consideration prior to any action.
There is no possibility that a retired clergyperson will check their bank only to find that her pension deposit has been reduced without her knowledge.
Challenges Ahead
Second, there are serious financial challenges ahead for The United Methodist Church, and some of those are directly related to the cost of clergy benefits.
Before we address the challenges we need to talk about one important fact.
The financial horizon for benefits is different than for other planning in the church. Most churches work off an annual budget. So does the annual conference. General Conference works off a four-year budget. Pensions works with a budget that is extended decades into the future. For example, the Pre-82 pension plan is expected to still be paying benefits as late as 2060.
Who can plan finances that far in the future? An actuary.
Actuaries are highly trained professional mathematicians who specialize in long-range financial forecasts. They are at the core of every successful insurance company and pension plan. The GBOPHB is blessed with two outstanding actuaries. We may jokingly refer to them as UM bookies, but they help the GBOPHB and annual conferences evaluate their finances and benefit plans to determine if they have enough assets available in the long term to pay for those benefit plans.
Now let us look at the challenges. Each annual conference is responsible for funding the pensions of its own participants. Even so, legally there is only one pension plan. The liabilities of that plan are liabilities of every annual conference. That one plan actually includes not only the current Clergy Retirement Security Plan or CRSP, but the previous plans for Pre-82 and Ministerial Pension Plan or MPP. Each annual conference pays into the plans according to their own funding schedule under rules set out by the General Conference. The money paid is invested by the GBOPHB and the actuaries determine whether the amount is adequate to pay for the benefits that annual conference has promised. Of course, the value of the assets depends upon the economy. The assets were worth more prior to the 2008 Great Recession than they were at its end.
During the low point during the early spring of 2009, the picture looked extremely grim. The projections for the Southwest Texas Conference were that beginning in 2011, the conference would have to come up with an additional $2.8 million each year for seven years to pay off the deficit. That is over and above the money we were already collecting through direct billing of churches and the apportionments. That is an amount of almost three times what the conference currently spends on ministry each year. If raised through apportionments it would amount to about a 30 percent increase of total apportionments.
The good news is that our conference was better positioned than many to handle such a pension load. Our Board of Pensions had worked through the years to put ourselves in a position to handle three bad years in a row.
We just didn’t expect them to come all during a six-month period.
The bad news is that other conferences were in not as well prepared as we were. Remember that legally the entire denomination has one plan. This means the faulty planning in one annual conference comes back to impact the entire denomination.
The other good news is that the Great Recession ended and did not continue for 10 years as some were projecting to happen. Much of the loss of value in assets was recovered during 2009, and the outlook now is that the additional $2.8 million needed in 2011 will be more of a one time payment than a continuing annual liability.
Still another piece of good news is that the General Board was able to declare a three-year CPP payment holiday for 2010, 2011 and 2012 because of exceptionally good performance in the CPP fund had left it in an overfunded position even after the Great Recession. By continuing to collect the CPP payments and accumulating them for the three years, much of the 2011 payment can be made, and the Southwest Texas Conference will not have to raise apportionment payment drastically.
Other challenges
In dealing with the pension issues, the several task forces from across the denomination have come to recognize that The United Methodist Chucrh has serious issues to face. They have all expressed the belief that for The United Methodist Church to be effective in the future, there will need to be some major changes in the way we “do church.” Some issues are related to pensions and some are not. There is not enough space to identify all these challenges and the possible ways to address them, but a quick review of them is in order. (I have proposed none of the possible actions, they have come from task forces on the national level.)
1. We have a surplus of clergy. The United Methodist Church in America has been losing members for decades without making significant changes in the way we operate. We have closed some churches and we have changed some appointments from full time to part time. Overall we have more clergy members with guaranteed appointments than we have charges who can afford to pay for them. Most studies say that a rule of thumb is that it takes a congregation with an average worship attendance of 125 to pay all the costs of a full-time clergyperson and still be effective in ministry. Using that number as a guide, we as a denomination are spending about $47 million per year in compensation and benefits that we should not be spending. Some conferences report having 30, 40, 50 or more elders than they have charges who can afford to pay for them. The problem was made more serious by changing the age of mandatory retirement at the 2008 General Conference. The economy has also encouraged clergy members to delay retirement. The most common recommendation to solve this problem is to eliminate the guaranteed appointment.
2. We have a surplus of buildings. We have many buildings that are much larger than needed for the congregation they serve, resulting in higher operating costs than the congregation can afford. Proposals are to revise United Methodist procedures for closing and merging churches. Proposals call for local churches to evaluate their own situations and consider drastic changes such as selling their current buildings and moving to smaller meet spaces.
3. We have a surplus of debt. From 2000 to 2007 total local church debt grew from $260 per member to $420 per member even when adjusted for inflation. The amount annually spent on principal and interest increased from $400 million to $600 million. The 8,000 churches in the denomination that paid less than 95 percent of their apportionments in 2008 had an average debt of $721 per attendee compared to the average debt of $476 per attendee paid by the 20,000 churches who paid their apportionments in full. The Great Recession of 2008 demonstrated that churches had borrowed more than they could repay during a “bad year” while still maintaining the same level of ministry, either locally or through the church at large. One recommendation is that the Discipline be changed to require the annual conference to approve debt. As it stands, a local church can get deep into hock with only approval at the district level.
Pension challenges
So where is pensions in all this? General consensus is that the current pension plan is not financially sustainable over the long term. Remember that the long term means decades rather than the next few years. Changes need to be made. The plans need to find a better balance between the benefits which promised and the church’s ability to pay those benefits. An effective plan must balance benefit adequacy and security for participants with sustainability for the annual conferences and local churches. There will be continued discussion of how the current pension plans for active clergy should be changed to better achieve that balance. It will be an issue at the 2012 General Conference.
There are many proposals. Certainly not all will be adopted. They include:
- Changing eligibility and vesting requirements.
- Decreasing the defined benefit component of CRSP and increasing the defined contribution component.
- Reducing the benefits for part-time pastors.
- Give annual conferences more flexibility in choosing the benefits for their own clergy.
A way must be found to avoid poor benefit or financial decisions made in one annual conference from negatively impacting other annual conferences that have no say in those decisions. At a January meeting of South Central Conference benefit officers and bishops, that was the single clearest message from the bishops. Currently there are no proposals I know of that accomplish this goal.
Pension funding cannot be separated from other questions of how we “do church.” Simply put, The United Methodist Church must change some of the ways it “does church” or no pension funding decisions can be effective.
Conclusions
There will be no immediate changes to benefits for those who are already retired. There is little prospect of long term changes to those already retired. Retirees will continue to receive their checks each month.
Year 2011 will be a financial strain on most annual conferences. Past planning by the Conference Board of Pensions and the creation of a three-year CPP payment holiday by the General Board Of Pension and Health Benefits will allow the Southwest Texas Conference to make no significant changes and still handle the 2011 funding issues. There will be changes proposed to the next general conference to change the pension plans to better balance the costs of the plan and the adequacy of the benefits to the participants. Exactly what those changes will be is yet to be determined.
There will be changes proposed to the next general conference in areas other than pensions to make our church more flexible and better able to meet the needs of the current generation. Exactly what will be proposed and adopted is a matter for the future. The non-pension issues will be even more important to the future of the church than how we deal with any benefit changes.
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Resources, camps, training available for those in various ministries
 Conference events
“Grand Camp” is currently a dream of the Southwest Texas Conference Council on Family Ministries. Envisioned as a three- or four-day time around Independence Day for grandparents and grandchildren ages 6-16, there would be creative worship, creation-oriented activities, reconnecting time with God and each other in a relaxed setting with guides and leaders. The Family Council seeks your input to help discern creating a culture of growth for families. Contact Susan Montesi at grandcamp2012@gmail.com or click on the Family Ministries camping page at www.umcswtx.org.
SWTC ministry commissions resourcing advocacy and inclusiveness are offering free 3-hour training on the ”Ministry of Monitoring” at Annual Conference 2010. Those eligible to be trained Wednesday morning (June 2) would be people who are neither lay nor clergy delegates. Ideal candidates would be interested lay/clergy spouses, lay alternate delegates, or SWTC UMs seated in the visitors section. This amazing ministry is about being Biblically whole, courteous and the eyes and ears of Christ for the marginalized. It’s like holding up a “mirror” to see what’s actually taking place in our meetings, bringing awareness of behavior and all voices being heard. We need about 16 individuals to commit by April 30. To receive this valuable training, contact the Rev. Cheri Brewster, SWTC Commission on Status and Role of Women, cheri@firstmethodist.net, or Eula Purnell, Commission on Religion and Race, eulaj77904@yahoo.com.
Weekday Ministries Conferences offered annually by the Conference Council on Children’s Ministry reach out to offer Christ to workers with preschool children. The three training events are for lay employees and volunteers in church-sponsored preschools, Mothers’ Day Out programs, weekday ministries, or after school care for preschool aged children. We reach out ecumenically as well as offering training for workers in secular day care centers in the conference. Keynoter Kippy Edge, county librarian and dynamic children’s leader, will speak on “walking as children of the Light.” Main Event is July 24 at Manchaca UMC, Austin; Satellite Events are July 31, Sierra Vista UMC, San Angelo; and Aug. 7, St. John’s UMC, Corpus Christi. Online info is available at www.umcswtx.org/weekday-ministries-conferences.
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Kerrville District news Miracles still happen, even today
There are some who say that God does not perform miracles today. I am here to proclaim that God both hears and heals. On Jan. 20 I was headed home from cabinet meetings when my phone rang at the Boerne exit. My assistant Liz Cover called to tell me that the Rev. Everette Boyce of Bandera had been in a terrible motorcycle accident outside of Medina. It was so bad that he was going to be transported via helicopter. I remember going over the crossover bridge over Interstate 10 and heading back to San Antonio. I promise you that I did not exceed the speed limit because I kept thinking how stupid would it look for me as the Kerrville District Superintendent to have caused an accident going to minister to someone who had been in an accident. Heading into 5 o’clock rush hour traffic, I somehow beat the helicopter to the emergency room. I identified myself to the person behind the glass window in ER and they weren’t very impressed with who I was or what I represented. They told me to sit down in the lobby and wait for the helicopter to arrive.
I would not be seated. God had called me into action and I wasn’t going to sit down for anyone. I went outside to pray. Within five minutes I saw the emergency helicopter landing on top of the building across the street. Within minutes Everette was wheeled by me on a gurney. I stretched out my hand and prayed for God to have mercy on my brother. Others who stood by said, “that man must be his friend.” When the two pilots came back outside after delivering my brother into the doctor’s hands, they walked by me and I said, “Thanks guys.” They asked me, “Are you family?” I replied, “I’m his pastor and he too is a pastor.” In that one moment, these two men were transfigured before me and their faces began to shine and their appearance somehow morphed. With assurance they told me the details of how they found him lying on the ground. They told me the measures they took to stabilize his body. And then with piercing eyes they grabbed my hands and said, “He is going to make it. It will be a long road but he will make it. He is going to be OK!” I believe that God was speaking to me and encouraging me through his messengers, his angels.
Some say that God doesn’t perform miracles anymore. I do not agree. I write these words on Feb. 17, and it has been exactly one month since the accident. He laid in ICU for two weeks. It was touch and go for many days. I am here to proclaim that Everette is making a steady recovery. God is good. When God sends angels to proclaim a message to us, may we never lose sight of the word proclaimed. God is still in the miracle business.
Please continue to pray for the Rev. Everette Boyce, all of his family and his church family. He is working everyday with therapists to get him back to full strength. He is already worrying about who is going to do the Ash Wednesday service. Who is planning for Easter? Who is getting the bulletin ready? I want to thank the excellent laity of the Bandera UMC for their faithfulness during this time of uncertainty. Through it all, they have never given up hope and I love them for this and many other reasons. I want to be present on the day he steps back into the pulpit at the Methodist Church in Bandera. We will all be praising God for the miracle standing before us.
Torres Prison needs a chapel for worship
The Reuben M. Torres unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Hondo needs a chapel. At present, worship services are held in the gym, which is not available for other religious activities. The present chapel is two classrooms connected by folding doors, which seats a maximum of 75 inmates. Up to 125 inmates want to attend Wednesday Evening prayer and share groups (something like Emmaus reunion groups), but all who come after the first 75 are turned away. Once they are turned away, they get discouraged and tend not even to try again. The chaplain’s office is about 9’ by 9’ with a religious library half that size.Even with these handicaps, the religious program reaches about 3,500 inmates attending worship services each month, and more than 560 participating in religious education programs, helped by more than 600 volunteer hours a month. There is a faith-based dorm (the God Pod) in which inmates take the leadership in training new Christians about faith and how to live as a Christian. One of the teachers was due for parole last summer, but he asked that parole be delayed until he could finish his responsibilities as a teacher. At the end of each term, some of the graduates are kept on as counselors in the God Pod, while others are sent into the general population to be examples. One gang leader got into the dorm so he could cause problems. The result was that he threw down his colors, and is now a leader of the Christian community. He can hardly wait to share with everybody how much fun it is to be a follower of Christ. Why is it so important that inmates receive religious services? Ninety-five percent of prisoners will be released back into the community. About 65 percent will be back in prison within two years. However, if they are active in religious programs while they are in prison, the recidivism rate drops to less than 15 percent. For those active in the Kairos Prison Ministry, the rate drops to less than 5 percent. Since each prisoner costs the state of Texas about $30,000 a year, chapel programs save Texas quite a large chunk of money. Besides, graduates of the religious programs come out prepared to be productive, tax-paying citizens. A group of volunteers at the prison have incorporated as Chapel of God’s Country Ministries. Inc. (a 501C3 corporation) with the sole purpose of building a chapel for the Torres unit that will seat at least 350 persons. We have permission to build the chapel from the prison officials, and a location already staked out. We need your help in getting it built. All contributions may be sent to: Chapel of God’s Country Ministries, inc. P.O. Box 325, Hondo, TX 78861.
Several of us would like to get the message out about this programs and this need. We would be glad to come speak to any church group (Sunday School class, Men’s group, Women’s group, MYF, etc. You may contact us as follows: the Rev. Kent Kepler (Utopia) (830) 966-3344, 830-279-7028(cell) klk.vsk@swtexas.net; or the Rev. Tom Damrow (San Antonio) (210) 490-8375 tadamrow@yahoo.com.
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Worship Reflections: Give Thanks
By Robert Molder
Kerrville District Lay Leader
- Give Thanks with a grateful heart,
- Give thanks to the Holy One,
- Give thanks because He’s given
- Jesus Christ, His Son.
- And now let the weak say, “I am strong,” let the poor say, “I am rich
- Because of what the Lord has done for us.”
- Give thanks, give thanks.
- 2 Corinthians 9:15
- Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
- Give me a spirit of thankfulness, Lord, For numberless blessings given; Blessings that daily come to me
- Like dewdrops falling from heaven. – Dawe
- With practice, anyone can master the art of thankfulness
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Corpus Christi District news
Following the Shepherds and Magi
This month, we have friends from England visiting us. In 1982, I took an appointment in the Forest of Dean, England, a little known, beautiful area of the country on the border of Wales. In my big church with 55 members, there were three generations of the Hale family. Frank Hale, who was in my generation, is visiting us in Corpus with his wife, Rev. Jacky Hale, whom he met years later as a widower when Jacky came to serve the circuit as one of its pastors.
Jacky is here on sabbatical with the intention of doing some writing and studying, especially on creativity in worship. Part of the pleasure we have when we’re all together is comparing the ways our different branches of Methodism function. Because we’re in the appointment season here, of course, we’ve been talking about those differences.
In British Methodism, where there are over a thousand appointments, a book is prepared for pastors outlining the details of what circuits are becoming available in any year. For circuits, a book is prepared with resumes from all the pastors available. Each circuit and pastor is allowed to express preferences for five choices. No promises are made about matching you with your choices, but at least some of the mystery of what or who is available is revealed.
It occurred to me in thinking about our system of making appointments that there is a lot of mystery and surprise in the process for everyone concerned. Churches don’t know who might be available for appointment, just as pastors don’t know much about which churches might be available. You might think that Cabinets know it all, but that’s not true either. This year is a good example of the Cabinet being surprised by lots of unexpected retirements, for instance.
In both systems of making appointments, there is prayer. In both, there is anxiety. In both, as Methodists, we trust that in spite of all the human imperfections represented in parts of the process, the Holy Spirit works for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
From a theological perspective, I have been considering what does it mean that in our system of making appointments, we are doing so in Lent, Easter, and Eastertide? This is the season of crucifixion and resurrection. This is first a penitential season, a season in which we humble ourselves before God. As the season continues and more appointments are revealed, we celebrate new life in Jesus Christ.
By the time this column is published, one mystery in the district will be revealed. I will be leaving the district in June to take an appointment as one of the pastors at First UMC, Austin. Like other pastors, I have known the anxiety of waiting for the mystery of whether or not I would have a new appointment to be revealed. Living in that mystery has been a matter of prayer. Like other churches, First UMC, Austin, has been living with the mystery of who might replace their pastors who are retiring. That has been a matter of prayer.
Now our prayers can be for the new life to come in this district with a new superintendent and in churches like First UMC, Austin, where change is coming. Through it all, we trust in the risen Christ who lives among us, forgiving our sins and giving us new opportunities to serve for his sake.
District happenings
Linda Morrow
Director of District Ministries
World Malaria Day
Mark your calendars! April 25 is World Malaria Day, and The United Methodist Church will be hosting the main event from 2–5 p.m. on the south steps of the Capitol in Austin. Together we will launch Imagine No Malaria to the world and celebrate all of the wonderful successes from our efforts as the demonstration conference. Help us celebrate! Plan a special service to recognize the efforts at your church. Encourage your youth to build awareness with a Sleep-out to Stamp-out Malaria the night before (set up a mosquito net campsite on your church grounds). We want to celebrate as much of your efforts as possible, so make sure to submit any funds raised to Imagine No Malaria before April 20. Through the grace of God, we can change the world! How many lives do you want to save?
For more information go to: www.ImagineNoMalaria.org.
District Confirmation Rally
The District Confirmation Rally will be held at Island in the Son United Methodist Church on Saturday April 10 with Bishop Jim Dorff. Confirmands and their families are invited to arrive by 9:30 AM with worship beginning at 10:00 AM. One of the highlights of our time together will be the Bishop placing a cross from the Holy Land around the neck of each confirmand as they are reminded that they are disciples of Jesus Christ today and throughout their lives.
Living Congregation Institute
All churches and their leaders are encouraged to take part in the Living Congregation Institute on April 12-15, 2010 at University United Methodist Church in San Antonio. This training event includes national consultants, cutting edge leaders, popular speakers, Bible Studies, and hands on workshops. Regular registration continues through March 12th at the cost of $199. For more information or to register go online at livingcongregations.com. For scholarship information call Shannon Wolfe in the conference office at (888) 349-4191.
Brush Country Awards
At the Brush Country Awards Banquet on Feb. 24 260 people were present as we honored 11 of the Northern part of the District’s youngest disciples, 10 teens, and 27 adult disciples. The evening not only honored those who serve the Lord in so many ways, it also served to raise awareness and money for the Imagine No Malaria Ministry.
McAllen District news
How I learned our church is like a tree
Devlon B. Goodman, Pastor
First United Methodist Church of Mercedes
1 Corinthians 12:25-26
25-26The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, .... If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. 27-31You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.” The Message
When the Apostle Paul was searching for an image to convey to the churches how they were to work and live together and how they are related to Christ and to each other, he chose the image of a body. It’s a beautiful image and rich with many levels of meaning. When our administrative council at First UMC, Mercedes, was looking for an image for our vision statement of the church last fall, we chose the image of a tree. It’s not quite as good as Paul’s image, but he got that one first and we couldn’t just copy it!
Nevertheless, trees are a beautiful, essential and enriching part of our world, and everyone can easily envision and understand the image of a tree. Like a tree, our church seeks to have, and to nurture in others, a deep rootedness in Christ, a strong supportive structure in faith, and branches that reach ever farther outward in love. This image has become even more developed and meaningful for me in the past month. On Dec. 28 I got the dreaded early morning call on my cell phone, but it turned out not to be about someone being sick or dying. Thank God, nobody was injured when the chancel of our sanctuary burned, but the aftermath has had the feel of a sort of death.
As it has been necessary to both grieve our loss and look forward to redevelopment at the same time, emotions and ideas and dreams and lost dreams have been a huge mixture of energy and turmoil. But our blessings have abounded above all. We have hailed as heroes the valiant firefighters (one of which was a member) who kept the fire from totally destroying the structure and stained glass in our sanctuary and spreading to our other buildings, which would have endangered the lives of the mission team that was staying with us at the time. The fact that we have been able to continue worshiping as a body in our beautifully designed and recently redecorated fellowship hall has been a tremendous blessing. The wonderful outpouring of care and support and gifts and loans from other churches, pastors, and friends, along with the burgeoning tide of Nomads and Winter Texan friends we receive at this time of year have been a huge boon for us as well. But the image of a tree has given me great insight and patience in the process. I have seen that God has given each of us special gifts for caring for and protecting our “tree.” When someone tells me yet again that they wish we could just put the place back just as it was and preserve all the memorial items that went into it the first time, I now understand that they are “Protectors of our Roots” and we need that passion that they have for the connections and values from our past.
When someone is very worried and vocal about procedures and protocols, I see now that they are “Tending our Trunk” and will help keep us strong and safe as we find God’s way for us toward rebuilding. When someone cries out that we have to keep thinking about those whom we serve in mission and must redesign our sanctuary bearing in mind those who are other-abled and have different needs and church experiences than we do, I understand that this person is a “Keeper of the Branches. It is my hope that valuing people’s opinions and priorities that are different from my own will help keep us in harmony. (Nobody is “right” or “wrong” here!) Maybe it will help others to extend grace and consideration to me if I find it necessary to “go out on a limb” and make a proposal that I fear will be unpopular but from which I cannot in good conscience turn away. Above all, perhaps it will lead us toward that purity of relationships that can come through a “baptism by fire,” and teach us once again that God truly can work through all things for good.
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From Church to Church AMEN!
AMEN to all who donated to the Haiti disaster relief through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Many around the world have been deeply touched by the effects of the massive earthquake in Haiti. Thank you for your donation.
AMEN to all the churches who honored “Our Winter Texans” with a breakfast, luncheon, or dinner during the month January and/or February.
AMEN to McAllen District Wesleyan Nurses who continue to educate us in all areas of health issues. The month of February is dedicated to National Heart Month. This month they focused on women and heart disease.
AMEN to FUMC Mercedes and Weslaco as they joined forces together in celebrating the Christmas season with a Cantata at the Mercedes church.
AMEN to UMC Christ/Riviera for decorating a float and participating in the Parade of Lights through downtown Kingsville. Way to go in bringing the church to the people, and participating in your local community.
AMEN to FUMC McAllen for hosting a free H1N1 Immunization Clinic sponsored by the Hidalgo County Health Department.
AMEN to FUMC Edinburg for sharing the spirit of the holidays by Christmas caroling at the homes of shut-ins and other selected sites throughout their city.
AMEN to FUMC Brownsville for making new life and growth a top priority in their congregation for 2010. They would like to see grow in worship presence, spiritual depth through study opportunities, volunteer service both inside and outside our church, and outreach to those who are seeking a church home.
AMEN to FUMC Los Fresnos for hosting the Mansfield FUMC mission group, and an Emmaus Gathering.
AMEN to FUMC Donna for accepting the challenge to bring health kits to assist in the Haiti relief effort. A total of 151 health kits were collected. Thank you for your cheerful spirit!
AMEN to FUMC Port Isabel for providing Christmas gifts thru their Adopt-A-Family program and food baskets to needy families.
AMEN to FUMC Port Isabel for distributing 637 shawls through their Prayer Shawl Ministry. What a blessing it is for the many who have received one.
AMEN to UMC Santa Rosa for having a Christmas pageant with their youth.
AMEN to FUMC Laredo for a successful used book sale during the month of January. In times of electronic gadgets, it’s good to know folks still enjoy reading a good book.
AMEN to Falfurrias for distributing the “Crown of Thorns” pins during worship. Each person is asked to wear this small brass pin on their clothing during Lent. It is often said that is difficult to bring up Jesus in our day-to-day conversations. Here is your shot!
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