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January 28, 2011
Volume 157, Number 24
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Bishop Robert Schnase to visit conference
Special February event will examine leader’s latest book, study materials
By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
Bishop Robert Schnase, who leads the Missouri Conference, will return to the Southwest Texas Conference Feb. 19 for a special leadership seminar.
Titled, “Inspiring Discipleship,” the event will be at University UMC, 5084 DeZavala Road, San Antonio, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and is open to all lay leaders and clergy members.
“We’re asking pastors to get their local lay leader and lay members of the annual conference and load them in a car and bring them as a team,” said Jay Brim, conference lay leader, who organized the event. That way, he added, the team can talk about what they’ve learned and how they can use the teaching to directly impact their churches.
He’s hoping 750 will attend the event, representing 200 churches from the San Antonio Area.
Brim said the seminar will provide practical and inspirational techniques for effective discipleship.
Schnase said it will detail his newest book, Five Practices of Fruitful Living and how those practices can be put into action in an individual’s life to ensure a closer connection with God.
He added that his teachings will answer the questions, What are the essential personal practices (I need) to have in me the mind that is in Christ? How do I cultivate a life that is purposeful, deep and fruitful? What are the practices that God created for me to be in wholeness? What are the tools for Christian discipleship?
Reading his book, Schnase said, is not essential for someone to attend the event, but it would help in familiarizing them with some of the terminology he uses.
“I’ll review some of the content, and we’ll have time to talk about how to use this as a tool in congregations,” Schnase said.
He said he was inspired to write the book because he’s seen a scenario in many churches where someone who’s fairly new to the faith approaches a pastor or another church leader and asks what they should do after experiencing Jesus in a life-changing way.
“Often, if we’re not careful, our answer has been, ‘Keep coming to worship and maybe someday we’ll elect you to the finance committee,’” Schnase said. “This (book) is meant to really fill that gap. This is (about) a habit of the heart. Personal Christian practices really do allow God to work through us.”
While Schnase visited the conference about two years ago, Brim said he won’t be discussing any of the same material he discussed during his last visit.
Brim said all attendees will receive a copy of Schnase’s newest writing, 40 Days of Fruitful Living. Schnase said it would make a great 40-day Lenten devotional for churches.
“If a church is looking for a Lenten theme or sermon series, this would lend itself wonderfully,” he said.
A box lunch will be provided to all attendees, as well as a leader’s guide to the Five Practices of Fruitful Living to each church that is represented.
Brim said he and conference leaders are hoping the special event will strengthen the lay and clergy leadership in local churches.
“The conference and (Bishop Jim Dorff) are very concerned about training principled leaders,” Brim said. “Bishop Schnase’s efforts over the last five years are directed primarily toward that. We felt it was important to ask him to come back to talk about individual discipleship.
“We’re hoping to strengthen the lay leadership’s commitment in ways that are easily understood.”
Registration for the event is $20. Register online at www.umcswtx.org. For questions, call or e-mail Thomas Monahan at (210) 408-4505 or tmonahan@umcswtx.org.
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Reaching new leaders means new perspectives, different ministries
By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
It is no longer an option; it is a necessity.
Developing principled Christian leaders—particularly among the younger generations—means embracing new perspectives and finding a different way to worship and carving out a place that offers acceptance.
It means The United Methodist Church lives beyond the next 50 years.
New perspectives
Becky Jackson, conference youth events coordinator, said that recruiting leaders from the younger generations—and especially among students—will provide the church with a brand new way of looking at things.
“Bringing in a younger generation, with fresh ideas and renewed energy, is essential to both the church and the conference,” she said. “Our students look at things with a fresh perspective and work hard to accomplish their goals. They are willing to try new and creative ways to bring God’s word to others and rarely will quit until they have achieved his desires.
“I look at student leaders as a (method) of ‘sustainable ministry growth’—they are constantly replenishing our renewable resources with energy, passion and creativity.”
She said it’s important that the Church and the conference seek out those leaders and really develop them, “allowing them to uncover their spiritual gifts and how to use them so that the future of the church evolves with the generations.”
“Most of the younger generation is not pulled into a traditional church setting,” she said, “and so it is important to allow our students input as to what they see the emerging church look like and how we can better reach out to their generation while still meeting the needs of the older (generations).
“If we do not reach out to our younger counterparts, then the church might become stagnant and growth could halt.”
Different way of doing church
The Rev. John Feagins, director of San Antonio’s campus ministry, said the nature of the campus ministry is very itinerant, which means adapting the programs the ministry provides to meet the specific needs of the young adults involved. It’s what they seek at this point in their lives, he added.
Jackson said many conference churches have struggled to be effective among youth because their outreach ministries are not what youth need or desire.
“In the past, our youth felt uncomfortable in their own home churches,” she said. “Some were simply not youth-friendly with no leadership in place that solely focused on the youth.
“Now most of our churches are realizing that to regenerate church leaders, they must be youth-friendly, often adapting media resources, creating new contemporary-style worship services and even creating out-of-the-box youth focused ministries.”
She mentioned the skateboarding ministry at University UMC, San Antonio.
Carving out a place
Brandon Shook, youth minister at First UMC, Seguin, said it’s important to trust youth with some responsibility—giving them a place on church committees, allowing them to lead during services, relying on them to organize events. It gives them hands-on opportunities to build leadership skills.
Jackson said youth should hold positions on important “governing boards” within the church to help connect them to the church and allow them the opportunity to provide input on subjects “often reserved for the elders.”
“Allowing youth to have real value within their church, like letting them lead children’s Sunday schools or serving on administrative councils or preaching and leading worship, also helps students feel connected and develops valuable leadership skills,” she said.
Feagins said young people desire to serve.
“Find young people and put them in positions of leadership,” he said. “Let them take roles that are visible. Have patience with them as they learn how to lead. Give them some room to make mistakes and get back up and learn from them. They’re capable of so much.”
Part of their desire to serve, Jackson said, lies in their need to feel accepted in their churches.
“Youth are wanting acceptance for how they are and definitely do not want to be asked to conform to a certain structure within the body of the church,” she said. “They are looking for relevant life application messages and worship that allows them to connect with God. They are seeking churches that practice what they preach—literally—and for churches that are willing to apologize for their shortcoming.
“Youth are looking for churches that will allow them to participate in leadership positions, without demeaning or undermining their authority. Youth are simply looking for love and acceptance, and our churches should be that place.”
Shook said his youth are seeking places where they can be a part of a group that “strengthens their soul.”
“The kids I see and talk to want more than just games and entertainment,” he said. “They are yearning for places that will genuinely help them grow as a believer versus grow them as a good dodge ball player or just a good moral person. They want more spiritually.
“For some, it’s a place that has a great youth worship service, places that advocate community building through small group styles of study and worship, groups that allow them to be ‘real’ and take off the weary burden of mask-wearing, even if it’s for just an hour.
Even the outcasts and those on the fringes are wanting more from their time in the worship settings than many of our congregations provide.”
Essential to the future
Feagins said recruiting and developing younger leaders is essential to the church’s future.
“They are both the present and the future,” he said. “None of us is getting any younger. My college students will one day contribute something back to the life of the local church. I myself was one campus ministry student. We’re developing clergy leaders, and it’s critical.”
“We have in many churches effective youth ministry,” he said. “At the conference level we have an effective youth program. But what happens afterward? Are we going to wait eight, 10 years before we have another relevant ministry?
“In that aspect, campus ministry is the expression of young adult ministry. Leadership development is a lifelong endeavor, a lifelong process.”
Feagins pointed out that Methodism at its beginning resembled the campus ministry
“People were meeting together to do the same things we do here,” he said. “John Wesley did it. It worked for them, spawned a movement that spawned a church and conquered a frontier, and here we are. I’m not sure you can have Methodism without campus ministry because it’s as old as Methodism itself.”
Teresa Kingsbury, youth minister at Bethany UMC, Austin, said the young leaders are the ones who will continue the ministry of the church.
“I hate that phrase, ‘the future of the church,’” she said. “They are what’s happening now. They will be the generation that continues the church. The state the church is in now where things are not going in a positive direction as far as membership is concerned, they undergird that whole thing. I see them as the foundation.”
Shook said training the young adults within individual churches is important because it helps familiarize them with the traditions and functions of The United Methodist Church.
“It would be a great disservice to us as a denomination if we did not try to instill Christ-like leadership in our youth,” he said. “We benefit as a conference because our present will someday become the future, meaning that our students will one day be guiding us from pulpits, serving on SPRCs, as lay leaders, in the mission field, in youth ministry, as volunteers Our future is in great and capable hands.
“We will always have good Christ-like leadership in the world if we take the time now to show the youth what a lifestyle in leadership as a follower of Christ is. That seed is within them forever. They will take it wherever they go in life. No matter the vocation they choose, they will always have that in their heart to be a morally principled leader in the world.
“Without a doubt we will have raised a new generation of people who will lead us in all facets of life.”
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Kerrville District news
For everything there is a season, a time
We have just come through a wonderful season in our life, celebrating the works of God in some amazing, even miraculous ways. You may immediately imagine that I must be speaking of the Christmas season. Indeed, that was a wonderful season during which we heard the “old, old story of Jesus and his love.” Those were days for me of a heart attack that slowed me down enough so that I enjoyed family, friends and the Christmas story all the more!
For a district superintendent though we would be talking about “charge conference season,” that time between September and December when we move out long miles among our many churches and discover all matter of ministry, many means by which God has been moving among God’s people with grace, and some wonderful ways in which God’s mercy has been moving out into the world to ease the pain of many. Perhaps three to six times a week we listen to pastors and church leaders speak of their accomplishments and of their future hopes for faithfulness. My wife Jody and I were impressed and grateful again and again as we felt so many strong and caring fellowships and as we heard recounted so all the ways in which the churches are getting outside the buildings to serve their mission field.
Churches struggle these days in many ways – just like every business and institution in society today. Our culture and our world continue to change at an ever-increasing pace and we all are overwhelmed with trying to “re-think” how to be relevant, effective and faithful in our purpose of increasing the love of God and of neighbor. Yet, in the midst of all the frustrations and confusions, the Spirit continues to stir our people, mixing in hope, love and perseverance in “being church,” a body active in love.
Charge or Church Conference Season is over. Now as pastors and congregations prepare for Lent and Easter seasons your bishop and district superintendents enter into another kind of season – “the appointment season!” Pray! Please. Yes, we are looking at you, your church and your pastor. Sounds a bit foreboding. We’ll begin our “inventory sessions,” looking at all 350 of our churches, the ministries and the pastors. How is the mission our Annual Conference moving forward? How can we more effectively deploy our leadership to advance the Kingdom of God? How do we replace those effective pastors who are retiring, or who have “gone to glory,” or who have some special family needs that require a move? Where do we help begin the ministry of those just coming out of seminary excited about beginning to live out their call to serve God as pastors? We’ll ask questions, consider consultations, and then we’ll spend four months planning some 50-90 pastoral changes.
In that past season of the year I heard many grateful stories of good preaching, compassionate care and visionary leadership from our church members. It was good to hear how you love your pastors. With your prayers, our careful deliberations and Spirit-led transitions in pastoral leadership I hope to hear those stories again next fall. So, for Christ’s sake, keep us in your prayers!
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Kerrville District happenings
11th Annual Fish Fry & more
Lakehills UMC
Join us March 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for this annual celebration which helps Lakehills UMC raise the funds that enables us to plan for the future as church ministries and community needs grow.
There will be live and silent auctions, live music, games for the kids and much more! Admission and parking are free. Meal tickets are $3.50 for children’s plates and $7 for adult plates. Each plate has fried cat fish, cole slaw, french fries, corn bread and beans.
Tickets price includes ice tea. Water, soda and dessert of peach cobbler and ice cream will be available at an extra charge.
First UMC, Eagle Pass
Rev. Harlene Sanders
Nancy Johnson head of the Eagle Pass pregnancy program which helps pregnant teens stay in school and member of Eagle Pass UMC is happy as she goes through gently used baby items furnished by St. Johns UMC in Georgetown.
First UMC Eagle Pass, in a joint effort with First UMC, Houston and Bethany UMC, Houston fed close to 300 people at Rosita Valley Colonia in Maverick County. The visiting churches also repaired four homes in the area.
Warm blankets bound for Mexico and the Texas border fill the parking lot of Eagle Pass First UMC.
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Corpus Christi News
Technology: embracing, enhancing witness
One thing I applauded in some of our charge conferences was the sharing of the church’s vision with the Church. I heard and was blessed by some great dreams and visions for Who the Church can be in our different and diverse settings. Some of the visions simply stated that the church would “embrace technology,” thus my sharing my thoughts about that vision.
In our setting as the Southwest Texas Conference, we have received some technological advances before we even started. Someone invented the use of papyrus and it was easier to write down scripture that previously had been shared orally. I wonder if that was reported in a charge conference along with some heated debate about that? The Church was also blessed by the printing press thanks to Johannes Gutenberg, which allowed for the mass production of Bibles and other literature that the Church employed.
Someone invent pianos, then organs. And once upon a time the church moved from what the old hymn called “brush arbor by the side of the road” to a more permanent structure and then had to consider moving beyond kerosene lamps to lighting provided by electricity. The old story is about a church who barely approved allowing the monthly expense of a light bill to be part of its budget and then the pastor, willing to risk his ministry among that flock, suggested that the church move beyond the one tiny lightbulb in the sanctuary to buying a chandelier. Word got out beyond the church board and Old Man Crachit got wind of it and made a rare appearance at the church; limiting his presence to three times a year unless something major was happening. You see, he liked to sing his favorite song, “We Can’t Afford It” anytime and every time he could. He arrived to the meeting where the decision was to be made and shared that “hymn,” and said, “We can’t afford it, and even if we could, who in this town would know how to play it?”
And it was one Christmas Eve that Franz Gruber started, in 1859, the famous “Guitar Wars” that highlighted the church’s big battles of the 1960s. Then someone thought drums in the worship space might be a good idea...
Friends, nothing has changed the importance of our mission and ministry. We still live under The Great Commission of going into the world, to all nations, to make and teach new believers about that “old, old story of Jesus and His love.” How we choose to do it to enhance that ministry is up to our willingness to “embrace technology.”
We’ve gone from having typewriters on the desks of our church secretaries to having computers. We’ve seen the arrival of the Internet, email and web pages to help get our church’s presence on the Web. We’ve seen the arrival of cell phones that can text, which is how our youth communicate with each other. Twitter has come and some churches have embraced that and many are the churches that have a Facebook page with which to share news and information about the church. Both are free, and you could probably recruit someone to do the updates for your church.
We are also blessed by those churches who have bought into the idea of having projectors and screen to use Powerpoint and other media to help in worship. Some limit the use of the screen to announcements prior to worship and some use it to help the preacher share images and thoughts to enhance the sermon. Those who know the power of these also use them to put everything in the Order of Worship on the screen so that visitors don’t have to find the “red hymnal” or the “black songbook”, etc. Many have been those blessed with having the words to old hymns that for many years were not visible on the page of the hymnal and now in using a font that is large enough for the back row, they can again fully participate in singing and reading along with important parts of our worship.
District happenings
Linda Morrow
Ministries Director
As we enter into a new year there are many opportunities before us. I hope that each of you as leaders within your churches have made the commitment to attend the upcoming District and Conference trainings. Our district is hosting the Ministry Workshop on Jan. 22 at Three Rivers First UMC from 8:45 am – 12:30 pm and on Feb. 5 at Grace UMC in Corpus Christi from 8:45 am – 12:30 pm as well. Each of these event will feature great ideas and training in the areas of Spiritual development, volunteer recruitment, age level ministries, disasters, border ministries, power-point, finance, trustees, and staff and pastor relations. If you missed the one at Three Rivers then make plans to attend the Ministry Workshop on Feb. 5 in Corpus. It is not too late to register, so make plans to come to one of these events.
The Conference has just announced another wonderful event with Bishop Schnase on Saturday Feb. 19 at University UMC in San Antonio from 10 am – 3 pm. This event is designed for all laity. Bishop Schnase will teach practical and inspirational techniques on discipleship based on his new book Five Practices of Fruitful Living. The cost of this event is $20 and it includes a box lunch. You can register for this event by going to www.umcswtx.org/inspirational-discipleship-with.
The Corpus Christi District is hosting the Brush Country Awards banquet on Feb. 16 at the Goliad Memorial Auditorium, 925 So. U.S. Hwy 183, Goliad, from 5:30 – 8 p. m. We are excited to have Bishop Dorff join us for the evening. Our theme this year is “shining light in the darkness” based on Isaiah 58:10.
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McAllen District news
True witness of faithfulness and love
This month I received the great blessing of celebrating my grandfather’s 100th birthday. Grandpa had been very ill during December, and we were all grateful for his bright, healthy presence at the parties held in his honor.
My grandfather, Bruno Carl Schmidt, is an eternal kid, one who not long ago loved scouring Toys-R-Us for gifts for his great-grandchildren. He was the one who got down on the floor with us when we were little, willing to make himself look silly in any imaginable way to get us to laugh. He held us up to pet the deer heads that hung on his living room wall and perched little elves up there at Christmas time. He played games with little children that involved bouncing on his lap and rhyming songs in German. He was a master calligrapher (whose hand created countless clergy ordination certificates), played classical guitar and organ, once carved a nativity scene out of Ivory soap, made us wooden breadboards, and brought us priceless trinkets from his travels around the world.
My grandpa is also a retired United Methodist pastor, the oldest one in our Conference, and pastor emeritus at First UMC Austin.
Every year at the Baptism of the Lord, the same week as Grandpa’s birthday, I remember that he baptized me and helped baptize both my kids. This time around, the extra gift has been to see the outpouring of love by so many others who have been touched by his life. They sent cards and photos, knelt by his chair at his party to help him remember, told stories of his care and kindness, made new connections with each other, and gave thanks to God for the miracle of life. And my grandpa, the eminent historian, the generator of numerous historical markers across the state of Texas and human repository of all things genealogical, basked in the light of it.
I hope this won’t be the last time the world tells my grandpa how much we love him. And without sounding like a eulogy (at one point he told my mother, “It sounds like you’re talking at my funeral!), I hope his witness to the power of faithfulness and love, no matter what the trial, might even yet change the world.
From church to church, amen!
First UMC of Mercedes started a youth group this year. The group meets two times each month. They have reached out to their community by volunteering at a number of community events, and they participate in worship leadership every week. The youth did a fantastic job of planning and leading the entire worship service on the second Sunday of December. Amen to First UMC MERCEDES! Amen to their youth, their leaders, and their families!
Pharr UMC started a Sunday School class for the children. Though one of the teachers has moved away and another is dealing with sickness at this time, leaders have continued to step up to this important ministry. Amen to the power of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the people at Pharr UMC.
Freer UMC launched a Christ Centered twelve step recovery ministry we call RISE. They meet every Thursday evening for an hour and a half. They share food and fellowship, praise and worship the Lord, have a teaching and break into small groups. They are very excited to report that God has blessed families and individuals tremendously through this ministry. They are seeing entire families experience real change. They have several husbands and wives that attend together, and since they provide child care their children participate in the worship time. RISE is a testament that God doesn’t just deliver but saves to the uttermost and that recovery is about restoration, wholeness and healing. Amen to Freer UMC!
McAllen First UMC held their annual Youth Christmas Share on December 17th, over 60 teenagers came together to make the Christmas season a little bit merrier for others. At the annual Youth Christmas Share, an all-nighter from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., students bought gifts (clothes, household items, and toys) for 8 different families representing 42 people. It was a night of fun, service, gift wrapping, and Denny’s! For photos of the great night, check out the photo album on www.rise619.com.
First United Methodist Church of Edinburg donated its entire Christmas Eve offering to Living Waters International. LWI builds water wells in impoverished areas around the globe. Several years ago First UMC established the practice of asking church members to cut back on their Christmas spending and then donate their savings to the Christmas Eve offering. The entire offering is then donated to a worthy cause. The practice reinforces the message: “Christmas is not our birthday. It’s Jesus’ birthday!”
Amen to First UMC Alice held a new youth “shadow” nativity play in December. The new youth “shadow” nativity play was held before Christmas. Many youth participated and it was an amazing play! Amen to all who participated in the play!
Amen to the Falfurrias First UMC for starting a Children’s Ministry during worship in a remodeled room.
Amen to the Premont First UMC for a successful White Elephant sale, silent auction and fellowship meal to complete paying 100% of their apportionments.
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San Angelo District news
Thank you to the San Angelo District
The San Angelo District had a wonderful 2010 in mission and service as disciples of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your good work with the Imagine No Malaria campaign. It began with folks responding to Nothing But Nets and continued with the Conference wide program. Thank you for the work of the church in these hard economic times with the pay-out of 99.85% of apportionments – a higher rate than last year. For some of you this was a real stretch, but you made full-effort to get it done. Thank you for the continued Lay Leadership training responses in the District. Thank you for churches who partnered with other congregations this year to have a greater impact in their communities. Thank you for the churches across our District involved in feeding children. Thank you for Pastors in their new appointments this year providing out-standing leadership.
Thank you for a wonderful District Staff (Gini and Amy) and the good work they do for all of us. Thank you for the wonderful spirit of our churches to be a positive light in the midst of sometimes “dark” times. Thank you to some of our Lay Pastors who have stepped into an “interim” setting to provide pastoral leadership. Our own Gini Christian who is serving Paint Rock, and Jim Hambright who is serving Lakeview in San Angelo.
WOW (Way Out West) is alive and well. Thanks be to God!
I look forward to another year in ministry with you as we stretch our wings with the winds of the Holy Spirit to lift us to new heights of service and mission.
District happenings
What’s happening at Junction, First UMC
Junction FUMC began 2011 by hosting a Bible Reading Marathon in the sanctuary beginning at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Ninety-eight volunteers from the church and different denominations around town filled one hundred sixty-two, thirty minute time slots, reading continuously through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in eighty-one hours. Pastor of the church, Rev. Steve Fieldcamp said the reading was based on the promise found in Isaiah 55:11 that when God’s word goes forth it does not return empty and accomplishes the purpose for which he sent it. “We had people reading from ages nine to ninety, and many people reported feeling blessed as they read. They were really excited about the experience and want to do it again next year.”
On Feb. 4 and 5, the church will host the Rev. Sue White who will lead classes on the Holy Spirit and Praying in Evangelism. A confirmation class for fifth and sixth graders will begin in March. On April 3, the church will have a “Make Church a Verb” Sunday, going out to do service projects in the community in lieu of a regular worship service.
Plans are in the works to bring Samy Tanagho, an Egyptian Christian from Orange County, California, this spring to talk to the Junction community about his ministry that shares the Gospel with Muslims. Plans are also underway to host a revival with a guest preacher hopefully in the late spring.
Nursing Home Ministry in McCamey
The parish of the two United Methodist Churches in Iraan and McCamey supports weekly worship services at the McCamey Convalescent Center for residents, visiting friends, family and staff members. Support is offered by parish members who pray for these ministries attend the services, play music for them, contributed money to purchase new large-print UMC hymnals to replace the previous frayed ones.
Attendance averages 20 each week. Communion is celebrated once a month. Last summer, this community of faith gathered for a special memorial service which was held for two beloved staff members who had died within weeks of one another. Over 70 residents, staff members and people from area communities were able to come together and praise God for the gift of their lives touching theirs.
During Advent and Christmas, a hand-bell choir was organized. Weekly practices resulted in a lot of fun. The choir’s rendition of “Joy to the World” at their Christmas Eve Service was an extra-special event for all in attendance. Praise be to God!
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Briefs
Contacts needed for upcoming
Witness stories
Several series are planned for future issues
of The United Methodist Witness, but we
can’t write them without you! Please let us
know if you have any contacts for the
following themes:
Four areas of focus—what is your church
doing to engage in ministry with the poor and
to improve health globally?
Generosity—focusing on generosity as the
giving of one’s time, talents and treasure. Do
you have individuals in your church who deny
the “American dream” and instead give their
money/time/talents to following Jesus’ command
to “make disciples of all nations?” Has the faithful
generosity of members changed your church or
enabled your church to be more effective in
ministry? Let us hear from you!
Health and wellness—what does your church
do to promote health and wellness (including
physical health, financial health, spiritual health)?
Marriage—what does you church do to promote
healthy marriages among members? (This could
include marriage classes, seminars, date nights,
babysitting services, etc.). Do you have couples
within your church who have exemplified good
marriages, either by their longevity or their
obvious love? Please send us names and
contact information.
Ordinary Radicals—Similar to the generosity focus,
this series will focus on individuals who have traded
their comfort and stability to engage in ministry with
the “least.”
Send information, including contact names and
numbers to rtoalson@umcswtx.org or call
(210) 408-4524.
Contacts needed for Witness stories
Several series are planned for future issues of The
United Methodist Witness, but we can’t write them
without you! Please let us know if you have any
contacts for the following themes:
Four areas of focus—what is your church doing to
engage in ministry with the poor and to improve
health globally?
Send information, including contact names and
numbers to rtoalson@umcswtx.org or call
(210) 408-4524.
Opportunities
Burnet UMC has 27 choir robes available for a
church in need. They are royal blue and free.
Call the church at (512) 756-2229.
Mark your calendars!
Bishop Robert Schnase is
coming back to Southwest Texas
Saturday, Feb. 19
University UMC, San Antonio
Kerrville District
The Kerrville District staff has compiled
the information for Page 6 and paid to
use the space as a district newsletter.
Bill Henderson
Superintendent
dskerrville@texxa.net
Elizabeth Cover
Admin. Assistant
kdumc@texxa.net
Address:
222 Sidney Baker S # 528
Kerrville, Texas 78028
District Office
(830) 896-6400
Fax: (830) 896-6407
Program Office
(830) 896-6400
District Calendar
February
8 District Professional’s Meeting,
TBA.
District Committee on Ordained
Ministry.
15 Newsletter Deadline.
Corpus Christi District
The Corpus Christi District staff has compiled
the information for Page 6 and paid to use the
space as a district newsletter.
Eradio Valverde, Jr.
Superintendent
districtsuper@bizstx.rr.com
Sheila Campbell
Admin. Assistant
ccdistrict@bizstx.rr.com
Linda Morrow
Ministries Director
ccprogram@bizstx.rr.com
Address:
3510 Gollihar Road
Corpus Christi, TX 78415-2750
District Office
(361) 852-8268
Fax: (361) 852-3370
Program Office
(361) 852-8268
District Calendar
February
3 District Professional’s Meeting,
First UMC, George West.
3 Sea City Workcamp, District Office,
6 p.m.
5 My Job Workshop, Grace UMC.
14 Newsletter Deadline.
17-18 Cabinet Meeting.
25-27 UMM Annual Retreat, Mt. Wesley.
28-1 Bishop’s Convocation.
March
2-3 Cabinet Meeting.
3 Sea City Workcamp, District Office,
6 p.m.
14 Newsletter Deadline.
30-31 Cabinet Meeting.
McAllen District
The McAllen District staff has compiled the
information for Page 7 and paid to use the
space as a district newsletter.
Rev. Laura Merrill
Superintendent
lauramerrill@sbcglobal.net
Linda Jewell
Admin. Assistant
umcmcallen@sbcglobal.net
Oralia Sanchez
District Editor
oralia0804@yahoo.com
Address:
1909 W. Harrison St.
Harlingen, TX 78550
District Office
(956) 428-0200
Fax: (956) 428-1728
Program Office
(956) 428-0200
Celebrating
Lay Ministry 2011
McAllen District Leadership Event
For All Laity & Clergy
January 29 – First UMC, Kingsville
10:00 – 11:15 Ministry Fair
11:15 – Noon Worship with Holy
Communion
January 30 – St. Mark UMC, McAllen
3:30 – 4:45 Ministry Fair
4:45 – 5:30 Worship with Holy
Communion
San Angelo District
The San Andelo District staff has compiled the
information for Page 8 and uses the space as
a district newsletter.
Larry Altman
Superintendent
sangds@suddenlinkmail.com
Amy Moore
Operations Manager
sangom@suddenlinkmail.com
Gini Christian
District Ministries Coordinator
sangpd@suddenlinkmail.com
Address:
1315 S. Abe Street.
San Angelo, TX 76903
District Office
(325) 486-1500
Fax: (325) 482-0033
District Calendar
February
8 Doug Hester class, 11 a.m.-noon.
12 Lay Ministry Training, Sonora.
14-15 Ordained Ministry annual interview.
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