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January 22, 2010
Volume 156, Number 38
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Earthquake in Haiti devastates country
Southwest Texas Conference members
start raising funds, offer prayers
 Bishop Jim Dorff led Southwest Texas Conference staff members in a prayer for Haiti Jan. 15.
Managing Editor
Haitian officials say the death toll from a magnitude-7 earthquake Jan. 12 that tore through Haiti could exceed 100,000 and that monetary damages are yet undetermined.
But as the news sources reported the tragedy, United Methodists across the nation began immediately rallying to offer aid to the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Bishop Jim Dorff and Virgilio Vazquez-Garza, assistant to the Episcopal Office, called the Southwest Texas Conference staff members together Jan. 15 to offer prayer for Haiti and participate in a free will love offering.
Many churches across the conference have done the same, praying in particular for the family of the Rev. Clinton Rabb, 61, who died Jan. 17 in a Florida hospital from injuries sustained from being trapped in the ruins of a hotel for 55 hours. Rabb was head of the office of Mission Volunteers for the General Board of Global Missions.
Rabb and the Rev. Sam Dixon, who also died in the Jan. 12 earthquake, and the Rev. James Gulley, who survived, were in Haiti for meetings examining how to improve Haiti’s health services.
Dorff said UMCOR Sager Brown also is coordinating a shipment of health kids that will provide basic necessities to people in Haiti. Information about assembling and shipping the kits are at: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/health-kit/.
Officials are calling the Jan. 12 disaster the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in more than 200 years.
Even before the earthquake, nearly 80 percent of Haiti’s population lived on $2 a day. No city in Haiti has a public sewage system, malnutrition is practically commonplace, only half of Haitian children have vaccinations against diseases like measles and diphtheria, clean drinking water is accessible to less than half the population and almost 200,000 Haitian people live with HIV or AIDS.
Dorff is urging the conference to pray for all people in Haiti at the time of the earthquake, their families and their future. He also urges prayer for all the people who are involved in rescue, recovery and restoration.
In addition Dorff is urging United Methodists to give toward the cause relief in Haiti—individually or through special congregational offerings.
“Our God is a mighty God,” Dorff said. “In times of crisis and tragedy we know that our God is continually with us. The support and hope we need is available to us and the people of Haiti. The Christ of the cross and the Christ of the empty tomb are fully engaged in this ministry. So are we.”
Dorff said gifts can be given to support UMCOR’s Haiti Relief efforts by donating to Haiti Emergency UMCOR Advance #418325.
Individual or special congregational offering money can be sent to: Treasurer, SWTX Conference, Attention: Haiti Relief, United Methodist Church, 16400 Huebner Rd., San Antonio, TX 78248. Gifts also can be made online at: http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760. One hundred percent of the donations will directly help the people of Haiti.
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Apportionment giving ‘exceptional’ in 2009
By the Rev. David Seilheimer
Southwest Texas Conference Treasurer
Apportioned giving was exceptional in 2009, especially considering the economic climate. We began the year with the economic chaos of late 2008 still an active part of everyone’s lives. The first two months showed a continuing precipitous drop in the stock market. Everyone and every church had to look carefully at each dollar spent and each dollar given. The economy improved during the course of the year but remains weak even today.
Even during this time, giving to connectional causes in Southwest Texas Conference increased by $470,146 and 1.46 percent, bringing total giving to apportioned causes to $10,628,253.
Consistently, the message I have received from our pastors and lay people is that the times are hard, but our members remain faithful in their giving. Many Methodists were not able to give as much in 2009 as they had previously. Others were even more generous because of the obvious need. On a church level, some churches have had major difficulties because of job related membership loss. Virtually all of our churches struggled financially. Regardless, most of our churches are weathering the economic storm and have been able to continue in significant ministry to their members, their communities and the world.
The giving to apportioned causes in our conference is especially important this year because other parts of the country have been so hard hit by both the economy and the weather. Reports from other conferences are that many geographic areas were unable to have worship for the last one to three Sundays of the year, a time when giving is usually the highest. That makes the apportioned dollars from our conference even more important than ever. In essence, our conference has been able to step forward to give generously when other conferences are experiencing even more financial difficulty. Two thousand nine is a year when many individuals gave more generously than before and similarly, some churches gave more generously to connectional causes than previously.
Some high points of the year:
- The vast majority of our churches paid 100 percent of their apportionments. The number of churches giving 100 percent is 278 out of 340 churches, or 82 percent.
- Special recognition goes to Monthalia in the Victoria District. Monthalia gave 164 percent of its apportionments in order to pay out some of the other churches in the district who were not able to give 100 percent of their apportionments.
- Giving to 2nd mile causes was down, but much of the decrease can be attributed to the higher level of giving to the Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow Campaign in 2008.
- Every district gave at least 90 percent of their apportionments. This is an increase from 2008, when only five of our districts were able to reach that mark.
- San Angelo churches gave more than 99 percent of their apportionments.
- Austin, Corpus Christi, Kerrville, San Angelo and Victoria Districts gave more than 95 percent of their apportionments.
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Effective recovery needs disaster preparation
 Natural disasters in 2009, including hurricanes, wildfires and flooding, left many people within the boundaries of the Southwest Texas Conference without clean, sanitary living spaces. Disaster response teams help with cleanup.
Managing Editor
Hurricane. Fire. Floodwaters.
Panic. Despair. Fear.
A natural disaster is enough to throw any victim into a panicked frenzy—even the most organized of victims, said Eugene Hileman, disaster response coordinator for the Southwest Texas Conference.
Which is why, he added, he’s encouraging all churches to construct a disaster plan.
A disaster plan, he said, covers four areas: taking care of the church property, such as records and computer backup; taking care of the flock—providing for vulnerable members of the congregation; taking care of the ministries like Scouts that hold meetings at the church, daycare and pre-school classes; and taking care of the community—what churches will do to reach out beyond the local church and congregation.
“My problem here is that unless you plan to do it, you’re not going to do it,” Hileman said. “Are you going to have an early response team, a group of volunteers that’s prepared to go into the shelters—and that means getting trained in advance? Churches need to plan and be prepared.
“If we’re going to get effective in disaster response, we’re gonna have to get local churches serious about doing a disaster plan.”
More information about the disaster plan can be found at www.umcswtx.org/outreach.
Plenty of disasters popped up in 2009 to give disaster response teams practice on the field, but Hileman said they also highlighted a need that has only increased with time: the need for spiritual and emotional care.
 Eugene Hileman, conference disaster response coordinator, lectures at an early response team training event. Members of early response teams and spiritual and emotional care teams must be trained and certified before they are sent to disaster areas.
“Spiritual and emotional care teams go into the disaster area to work both with the disaster survivors and caretakers and the people who are giving care and assistance,” Hileman said. “It’s primarily a listening ministry. Counseling.”
Volunteers, he added, don’t have to be mental health professionals.
He and other leaders are targeting Stephen Ministers and pastors to become spiritual and emotional care team members.
Teams could be sent at any stage of disaster response, Hileman said.
“Very often,” he said, “the most important thing you could do is to listen to victims, to let them talk and be a comforting presence for that. That’s true even for early response teams.
“But the spiritual and emotional care goes another layer of that. Hopefully those team members will provide even more assistance.”
In this part of the state, Hileman said, not a lot of people are credentialed in spiritual and emotional care.
“So, as United Methodists, we are trying to fill a void, to make that type of ministry more available in this area,” he said.
Hileman added that volunteers are also needed for a new project on which disaster response coordinators will be working.
The San Antonio Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) has asked The United Methodist Church to be the primary staffing agent for the Volunteer Operations Center (VOC). The VOC is activated, he said, when a major disaster strikes and people are evacuated to San Antonio.
In the event of an evacuation, thousands of volunteers are needed. Volunteers go to the VOC, where they receive an orientation class, a background check and get their assignment.
“It takes staff to do all that,” Hileman said. “We have agreed to be the primary staffing agent. We’re not the only one, but we’re the primary one. This will require, depending on how it’s organized, up to 50 volunteers.”
Training will be involved, he said. He’s looking for people with clerical and computer entry skills and also people who could be greeters.
“Volunteers will be needed very rarely, but when they’re needed, they are needed,” Hileman said.
If interested in volunteering to staff the VOC or in becoming certified as an early responder or a spiritual and emotional care team member, contact Hileman at (210) 557-8698.
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San Antonio churches help feed the hungry
 Brannon and Jennifer Slusher, and their
Boston terrier, Bosco, receive a blessing
from the Rev. John Wright. Photo by
Eddie Seal, reprinted with permission of
the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
The food was distributed the morning of Dec. 22 at Cassiano Homes, a low income housing community, which is served by the ministries of Principe de Paz.
The idea of “A Christmas Dinner with Love,” was initiated by the Rev. Claus Rohlfs of Travis Park, who sought to combine this opportunity for ministry with the hungry of San Antonio with a chance to work in partnership with a sister UM congregation in the city. Volunteers from Principe de Paz joined volunteers from Travis Park for breakfast, fellowship and prayer before travelling to Cassiano Homes, where the food was unloaded from the truck and distributed to families.
Both churches are working to serve “the overlooked and ignored” (Matthew 25) in their areas of the city. Principe de Paz Church’s outreach ministry, Jireh House Community Development & Resource Center, is a growing provider of support for some of the city’s most disadvantaged families. They offer a food pantry, clothing, referral services, meals and Bible Study in the Cassiano Homes community.
Corazon Ministries, Inc. started as a weekend feeding program at Travis Park Church. The ministry provides clothing, health care and substance abuse counseling, and is a source of spiritual transformation through unconditional love and justice in action.
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New year kicks off new beginnings for new churches
 Gruene UMC consecrated its new building the first Sunday in January.
Executive Director of New Church Development and Transformation
What a great way to start the New Year! Jan. 3, Bishop Jim Dorff consecrated the Gruene UMC! It was a beautiful service, followed by a barbeque dinner.
A daughter congregation of First UMC, New Braunfels, Gruene UMC leaders opened their new building in October. Their worship attendance at their three Christmas Eve Services was 759! That is not a typo! Even the Rev. Karen Horan was impressed! Praise God for the foresight of the pastors and congregation of First UMC, New Braunfels!
On Jan. 10, the launch team of Hope Arise, the new daughter congregation of First UMC, Bulverde, held their first meeting and celebrated holy communion together in the cafeteria of Lady Bird Johnson High School on Bulverde Road. Reese Henry, pastor of the church, hopes to launch their first worship service in September. Praise God for the foresight of pastors and congregation of First UMC, Bulverde!
And grace upon grace, I received notification from the Texas Methodist Foundation that the Rev. Bruno Schmidt has established an endowment for new church starts! We received the first distribution this week! Praise God for the foresight of the Rev. Bruno Schmidt! May his good example and faithful witness inspire others.
I am delighted with the depth and breadth of support for our new church starts across the Southwest Texas Conference. Please pray with me that the rest of the year continues in the strong way it has begun.
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Corpus Christi District news
Following the Shepherds and Magi
In the second chapter of Luke’s gospel, we find that shepherds, hearing the celestial choir, say to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” Shepherds were the riff raff, the lowliest of low class in that society, and yet God’s messengers bring a word of hope and great joy to them. More importantly, they hear, believe, and respond to that word, and after finding Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger, they witness to what they have heard and seen as a holy experience.
In the second chapter of Matthew’s gospel, we find foreigners, magi from the East, who see a star in the sky they believe represents the birth of a new King of the Jews. For whatever reasons, they choose to endure the hardships of travelling a long distance to confirm what they have seen in the sky. Undeterred by the jealousy of King Herod, they risk their lives to find the newborn king. The magi also find Mary and the child and are overwhelmed with joy at this sight. They saw a sign, endured hardship, offered gifts, and risked their lives for a holy experience.
Shepherds and magi, lowlife and foreigners, are the first to recognize the birth of the one who would become King of Kings. They are privileged to have holy experiences that have been celebrated through the ages. Yet, it seems so strange that the message or sign would be offered to the likes of them. Why risk that they would not understand or follow when others who were more educated, important, or faithful surely would?
On a visit to the Cathedral of Guadalupe in Mexico City many years ago, I heard the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe who appeared to a Mexican peasant and told him to bring the word of her appearance to the resident Spanish bishop. At first, the bishop didn’t even want to receive this peasant, but after agreeing to let him present himself, the bishop dismissed the peasant and his story.
The Virgin appeared to the peasant two more times. Each time, the peasant sought an audience afterwards to tell the bishop. The bishop scoffed at the idea that the Blessed Virgin would appear to a lowly peasant instead of to himself whom others recognized as a holy man of God.
The bishop was unmoved until the third audience. When the peasant presented the bishop with Castillian roses, (which could not have grown in Mexico at the time), wrapped in a sarape imprinted with the image of the Virgin, the bishop knelt at the feet of the peasant. He finally realized that this peasant had indeed had a holy experience.
Sometimes those of us who are good church folks—we know the Bible, worship regularly, pray constantly, serve faithfully—miss the holy when it is presented to us. We are so enmeshed with keeping the faith intact as we know it that we can’t hear a message or see a sign that might call for a response taking us far afield from our comfort zones.
Better to follow the lead of the shepherds and magi who responded and witnessed and risked. After all, their reward was seeing the face of God.
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District happenings
 Brannon and Jennifer Slusher, and their Boston terrier, Bosco, receive a blessing from the Rev. John Wright. Photo by Eddie Seal, reprinted with permission of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
On January 10, the Sunday of the Lord’s baptism, the Rev. John Wright, one of the pastors at Grace UMC in Corpus Christi, preached on “Jesus the Dog God.” He talked about how in his baptism, Jesus became like a dog, the lowest of the low, willingly associating himself with us sinners. The church advertised, inviting people to bring their dogs to the contemporary worship service in the church’s gym. As individuals came forward to be marked with water in remembrance of their baptism, the pastors gave their dogs a special blessing as a sign of God’s unconditional love.
My Job Workshop 2010
Grace UMC will host the My Job Workshop this year at their church at 11222 Leopard St. on January 30 from 8:45a.m to 12:30 p.m.
Sessions will include:
The Finance and the Local Church, PPRC/SPRC Roles and Responsibilities, The Role of the Trustees in the Local Church, Connecting Neighbors, how to implement a disaster relief plan for your church, Myths, Realities, and Aging designed to help with Older Adult Ministry, Spiritual Paths, The Missional Church, What do we do about Youth Ministry?, Vacations Bible School- Rockin’ Fun, Crazy Creativity and Sharing Jesus, and Puppets, Puppets and More Puppets!
Registration forms were sent to your church office and your lay leader or visit the Corpus Christi District Website www.ccdistrictumc.org to download a registration form. Registrations can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the District Office. Faxed to (361) 852-3370 or emailed to ccprogram@bizstx.rr.com.
If you need more information contact Rev. Linda Morrow at (361) 215-9970 or ccprogram@bizstx.rr.com
 Afshana Hague (front row, center) and Christianity and World Religions Bible Study.
Study at Runge UMC
Afshana Hague was invited to the Christianity and World Religions Bible Study group on Dec 16 hosted by Runge UMC. Afshana, a Counseling Intern for Methodist Healthcare Systems, and a doctoral candidate came to Runge to help the group better understand Islam. Her visit to the group was arranged by Rev Art Kirby, II, Director, Counseling and Training, Methodist Healthcare Systems.
Several in the Bible Study commented that it was a great blessing to have Afshana visit and speak on her faith. They said she was very gracious, an effective speaker, and very faithful. Many Of the Bible Study participants commented that it would help all of us, the sons and daughters of Abraham, if we could have more dialogue to better understand each other. Afshana was presented with several gifts by the group.
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Kerrville District news The unfolding promises of 2010 are good
Hello 2010! I have waited to embrace you for a very long time now. I know that the beauty of 2010 is the hope of a brand new year that will unfold promises before my very eyes. I can hardly believe it, 2010. You are only but a few days old, and you have taught me once again that it is indeed a small, small world.
In the last week I have reconnected with old friends from a very long time ago. I am not sure how we got disconnected. Time and space always seem to get in my way. Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps I am not a very good friend. I get busy and my plate is always so full. I don’t mean to be a fair-weather friend. It just happens. I am so very happy that connections are being made. Obviously I am not the same person that they remember from 40 years ago. Even though I tend to freeze persons in the time frame that I last saw them, I know that they have moved on from those particular freeze frames. I thank God that I am not the same person that I was in those days. I pray that I have left old habits behind me. I pray that I have learned from the mistakes of yesteryear. I pray that I have forgiven myself for all those past sins and have accepted what God has done for me through Jesus Christ.Many old friends have gone their own separate ways. For some of us the road has been rockier than for others. We have all been on our own faith journeys. What I want to remember is that no matter the consequences of the choices we made in the past, we have each been under the watchful eye of God. The hand of God does not cease to touch us because of our waywardness nor our awkwardness. God is with us. Thanks be to God.
I am so glad to see you, 2010. I am full of hope. Even though there were hard times for many persons in 2009, I want to believe that great things are going to happen in this new season. I am grateful that most of my days for this year’s calendar are blank (at this point). I want to fill that calendar with quality opportunities that God will bring to my attention. I do not want to waste any of these precious days this year. I want to live life to its absolute fullest. I want to be a beer friend. I want to be a more committed disciple. Thank you God, for giving me this opportunity to experience the newness of another year. Thank you for helping me to reconnect with those that I have missed for a very long time. May our separate journeys now be joined together to complete the story that you, O Lord, started so many years ago.
What does vital worship look, feel, smell, taste, sound like?
Worship Refelctions By Robert Molder, District Lay Leader
Everyone acts in ways that say, “Worship Matters”. People who are experiencing hurt and isolation receive a healing touch. People’s hope is awakened. All the people have a sense of belonging and know how to participate. People are free to observe when they need to watch and listen as a way of preparing to participate more fully. There is energy, and the way worship unfolds makes sense. The worship reveals the planning, gifts, and preparation of the people.
You may think of other experiences. What are they?
Come Thou Found of every blessings. Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing. Call for songs of loudest praise. -- Robinson
Praise is the voice of a soul set free.
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Renew your desire to follow Jesus
18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. – Matthew 4:18-20
At the beginning of this new year I want to reemphasize the mission which I discerned was needed in the McAllen district three years ago at the start of my tenure as a District Superintendent and after my visits to every church in the district. It is: we will follow Jesus by transforming our churches through intentional discipleship development and risk-taking mission and service.
I believe that every church in the district, to some extent, has planned and worked with this mission in mind. Some have had visible growth in numbers of people and programs, others have worked just as hard but are still praying and waiting for the visible growth although they sense a deepening in their relationship with God, and still others are frustrated by both the hard work and the lack of response. No matter what the outcome of our discipleship development and missional service, we are called still to follow Jesus. When things are going well, we are to continue to follow Jesus, not just our own successful ideas and our own inflated egos. When things are going poorly, we are to keep one foot in front of the other marching after Jesus, not to fall into the ditch of despair or run after the bright lights of easier but false attractions. The Bible is clear on this point…and Jesus states it directly at least twenty times in the New Testament when he commands, “Follow me.” So, we follow. We follow the one who showed us what attitudes to apply to life. We follow the one who demonstrated the depth and strength of love. We follow the one whose voice we seek to hear more clearly still. We follow the one who has forgiven his enemies – and his friends!
In 2010 may we all renew our desire to follow Jesus as we are transformed by and transforming in our churches, as we are intentional in our leading persons into greater discipleship, and as we undertake and are undertaken by more risk-taking mission and service.
Go follow Jesus.
Update on The Open Arms Project at Pharr UMC
By Rev. Robert L. Clark II
“…the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (NRSV Ephesians 3:5-6)
In December of 2008, the Pharr UMC, in partnership with 12 community organizations, the McAllen District, and UMCOR began the Open Arms Project, for the purpose of welcoming newcomers into our community. The project is centered around a monthly community services fair/fiesta, during which partners provide information and services to the community. Entertainment is provided by local artists and lunch is furnished. Participation in these events has ranged from 100-500 people.
In addition to the services provided by partner organizations, Pharr UMC, in partnership with Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), a project of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), provides free high quality legal services for immigrants.
In the first year legal services were provided by attorneys in the national JFON pool. The project now has its own attorney, Jack Grayer. Jack and his wife Susan have decided to move from Erie, PA to Pharr, TX as individual volunteers in mission. Jack began working full time at the Pharr Church in December; Susan will join him as soon as they sell their home in Erie. Plans are now underway to expand our services by opening a second JFON Clinic in Brownsville, TX.
The Open Arms Project has been a lot of work. Funds have been difficult to come by. Misunderstandings about what we are doing and why abound. This article attempts to clarify the what and the why.
In coming, Christ opened up a new possibility, that of a truly unified humanity. In the past there were myriad boxes into which human beings were neatly packaged, Greek and Jew, master and slave, etc. Stacked together these boxes formed a seemingly insurmountable barrier to human unity. Now, in Christ the barrier has been broken. “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God….there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave, or free, there is no longer male and female.” (NRSV Galatians 3:26-29).
The gospel claim is that all human beings are now bound together into a single unity transcending race, ethnicity, gender, and the circumstances of one’s birth. Still, injustice and inequality are very much in evidence in the year 2010. Society is still divided along racial, ethnic, and economic lines. Unity is far from being a political reality. People still suffer oppression. Discrimination is still real. How, therefore, can we believe, let alone proclaim, that in Christ humanity has been reconciled into a single unity?”
By faith we know, that in Christ, we are one people united in one body. That it appears to be the case that humanity is still composed of separate and distinct individuals and classes of individuals does not negate the good news that in Christ we are one.
We can no longer view one another as merely physical beings differentiated by various external characteristics. We are spirit, joined in the unity that is Christ. We are neither Anglo nor Latino. We are not citizens and aliens. We are children of the one true and living God, and despite the evidence of outward appearances, it is the responsibility of every Christian to live as if unity is reality until such time as God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Leviticus 19:33-34 says, “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” The demand is clear, “love the alien as yourself”. The Open Arms Project is an effort to satisfy that demand.
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