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January 8, 2010
Volume 156, Number 36
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Churches open doors for holiday season
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Special Christmas events ensure
visitors will hear message of Christ
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 More than 500 people attended Wimberley UMC’s Christmas Eve services at 5:30 and 10 p.m., a record for the church. Leaders say the attendance increase was partly due to WUMC, with the conference office, producing a TV commercial.
Managing Editor
Churches across the Southwest Texas Conference collectively celebrated Christmas with thousands of visitors and families this holiday season.
While churches offered different events to their communities, the goal was the same: to share the message of Christ’s birth.
Thirty-one singers from First UMC, San Saba, and churches around the community joined together for a Christmas cantata Dec. 13. Churches that contributed singers included Cherokee Baptist Church, Parkview Baptist Church, San Saba Presbyterian and First Baptist, San Saba.
A re-enactment of Jesus’ birth was performed alongside the cantata.
First UMC, Laredo, held a Christmas Bible School Dec. 13. Church leaders and the children performed Las Posadas.
The church’s Memorial Bells, a hand bell choir, also performed at the church throughout the Christmas season.
 Thirty-one singers from First UMC, San Saba, and surrounding churches joined together for a Christmas cantata Dec. 13. Other churches contributing singers included Cherokee Baptist Church, Parkview Baptist Church, San Saba Presbyterian Church and First Baptist Church, San Saba.
Leaders said residents came out of their homes to listen.
After the hayride, the group returned to the church and warmed up with tamales, beans and chili.
Wimberley UMC held its traditional Christmas Eve services at 5:30 and 10 p.m. and saw more than 500 people attend.
First UMC, Mason, held its annual Christmas program during the Advent season.
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United Methodists move for change in Methodism
By Jay Brim
Conference Lay Leader
Following the Call to Action announced by Council of Bishops President Greg Palmer, resident bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, in May of this year, a select committee of 18 bishops, general secretaries and elected members of the Connectional Table (including me) gathered three times over a five-month period to seek ways to alter the decline of church membership in United Methodist churches in the United States and Western Europe.
The consensus of the group was that in the past 40 years since the merger in 1968, The United Methodist Church, at least in the United States and Western Europe, has directed its energy primarily toward maintenance of itself as an institution, rather than toward leading its people as a movement. At the same time, the UMC has had significant success in Africa and Asia, accounting for more than 3 million converts to Christianity since the 1970s.
Believing in the accuracy of our consensus, we asked ourselves what actions we should propose to alter the status quo and made seven recommendations. You, the reader, may have seen a news release from the last Council of Bishops’ meeting in November about those recommendations, but let me share my take on our report.
1. We felt a need to have objective accountability, across the Church, top to bottom, and asked the Council of Bishops to work on that.
2. We sensed a need to rethink how we develop leaders, both clergy and laity, and especially youth and young adults; we also asked the Council to look into that, since they already have a group working on it.
3. We voiced the widely-held notion that the “guaranteed appointment” system, without a link to fruitfulness of ministry, needs to be reconsidered. Although we acknowledged that appointments of women and ethnic/racial minorities have been protected through that device, it has also contributed greatly to the institutionalization of The United Methodist Church.
4. We felt the need to spotlight reform of General Conference; in my mind, the primary goal of the four I’ve attended since 1996 has been to insure that every petition filed is acted upon. Laudable as that may be, pursuing that goal has also insured that delegates have exercised almost no “proactive” leadership of the Church, and instead have spent their days (and nights) in committee meetings examining, for the most part, minutia to be added to the Discipline. Have you seen a Discipline from a century ago? I have two, from 1902 and 1886, and they are vest-pocket books that include the Articles of Religion, the General Rules, the Ritual and a basic outline of the structure of the Church. Do we really need to have an ever-expanding, all-encompassing book of rules?
5, 6 and 7. We believe the general church apparatus needs to be more nimble. We are an American version of the Anglican/Catholic Church, which means we have no desire to be ruled by a dictator-papal authority. But we sensed the need to be able to alter our course, without changing direction, sooner than every four years. We’ll be giving it more thought.
A new version of our committee (comprised of just 12 people) will be working on these ideas through 2010. We expect a report to the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops next fall. In the meantime, I will be soliciting ideas from all sources. E-mail me at jbrim@brimarnett.com with your thoughts.
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Methodist Children’s Home employee honored with award
CORPUS CHRISTI—Annie Rice, director of the Corpus Christi outreach office for Methodist Children’s Home, recently received the 2009 Volunteer Peer Group Facilitator of the Year Award from Methodist Healthcare Ministries.
In her nomination, Rice was praised for her willingness to facilitate Parents Helping Parents groups with empathy, appreciation, honesty and concern. In addition to her voluntary partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Rice works with families in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas by offering foster care, family preservation and case management services through Methodist Children’s Home.
Methodist Children’s Home provides services to more than 1,300 children and youth daily through residential care—at the Waco campus, the Boys Ranch near Axtell and a satellite campus in Waxahachie—as well as foster care and other services. In addition to Corpus Christi, outreach offices are located in San Antonio, Houston, Tyler, Dallas, Lubbock, El Paso and Albuquerque, N.M.
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The curious case of following Christ: His story is true
This past weekend I watched a movie. This is a feat in itself, with kids’ schedules, family time and ministry obligations. It rarely happens. But as I completed the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I am glad I did. Not many movies have stayed with me like this one has.
Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt, for you ladies) is born old and grows young. It’s a rarely bizarre set of circumstances, not true by any means, but the concepts of this principle intrigued and captured me. Not only this, but the value this movie places on life and death, of grief and loss, of passion and pain, reminds me of what it means to following Christ. Because throughout this movie I was reminded of the simple value of life as we know it, of relationships, of the precious principle of time and the timeless promise of death. And as I finished the movie, not knowing whether to cry, grieve or rejoice, I found myself wanting to be closer to those I love the most.
This brings me to the curious case of following Christ. Jesus promises both life and death and life after death. He promises to bring fulfillment to our gloom, restoration to our relationships. The curious thing about following Christ is that His story is true. (At least I believe it to be so.) It is a story of life and love, a story of sacrifice and redemption.
A story in which you are the starting cast. You are on the center stage. You are not to be left alone, left without hope. Your name was written into the play of the Father for whom we offer a grand performance.
The curious case of following Christ suggests there is more to life, and death, than we could ever imagine. That each day that passes is a blessing. That every moment, every holy conversation, every spiritual encounter, every breath is to be lived in favor of the One who called us to walk as he walked (1 John 2.6).
During one scene in the movie, Benjamin Button is learning to play the piano from an elderly woman who was once a concert pianist. She says to him, “It’s not how well you play, it’s how you feel about what you play.” He then begins to play a duet with her when she says, “You can’t help but put yourself into the music.”
To follow Christ means to put your self into the music. To count each day as special, each moment as a blessing and each person who crosses your path as one divinely appointed.
And to realize, no matter who or where you are, God has a beautiful plan for your life.
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Need for ‘Parents without partners’ exists even more today
By Ralph Thompson
Associate Conference Lay Leader
In 1989, I was a single parent with two boys in the Navy. My friend was a Marine with one child. Both new at single-parenting, we desperately needed guidance and moral support. I discovered that there was a “Parents without Partners” chapter in town and called for information. A soothing voice on the phone invited us to a gathering at a local restaurant. We arrived early and waited in the lobby until well after the scheduled time. The restaurant was empty, with the exception of a senior citizens group sitting in the back. After a while, a lady from the group approached and spoke with the same soothing voice that I heard over the phone. THIS was the “PWP”!
The people were hospitable and intentional about making us feel welcomed. We listened, as they discussed their upcoming events—a square dance, a presentation on colon cancer, a visit by an Alzheimer’s specialist and their annual party. My friend and I attended the square dance, where we found out more about PWP. The lady with the soothing voice was the youngest in the group at age 58! Most of the members had married or remarried since joining the group. All of them had kids our age or older; and a few even had grandchildren our age!
We attended two more meetings, hoping that something would be said or done that could benefit us. We had read the description: “Parents without Partners provides single parents and their children with an opportunity for enhancing personal growth, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others by offering an environment for support, friendship and the exchange of parenting techniques.” However, we found that this chapter had long lost the “need” and had moved on to being a loving “family” that enjoyed just being together.
We abandoned the PWP and started a (“non-denominational”) “Single Parents Association” on base. It quickly grew and helped scores of military members and their families. It influenced other parenting programs that are still ongoing.
The “PWP of San Angelo” went defunct more than a decade ago; although there is a greater need in San Angelo for “Parents without Partners” than ever before!
Does this experience remind you of any particular organization? Does it remind you of too many of our churches? People “on the outside” are in desperate need of what God has to offer through the church. They may have read the “description” found in Matthew 28:16-20 or on the SWTC and UMC websites. Maybe they believed the “welcome” on our marquees or the commercials that we run this time of year. What do they see when they enter?
When people enter for the first time, they are quite willing to accept our grey and balding heads and green bean casseroles. Like my friend and me, they are willing to meet us more than halfway and may even come back a few times. They aren’t looking for anything special…only what our description promises. How we do that is unique to every congregation…but every congregation must be willing to do SOMETHING.
Do we still have the joy described in 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13? Or are we satisfied with just meeting together (Hebrews 10:24-25)? Most of our churches have more empty pews than filled ones. What an opportunity for growth! We have been “blessed” with the space for new ministries, new families, and new disciples! As we start a new year, every congregation can decide to embrace the opportunities and resources that abound for us to “be the Church of Jesus Christ!” Let’s do it!
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DeVilbiss family meets at Oak Island UMC to remember old times
 The DeVilbiss family met at Oak Island UMC, San Antonio, to celebrate the life of the Rev. John Wesley DeVilbiss, a circuit rider.
In the 1860’s, with his knowledge of the customs and language of the English, Spanish and German people, DeVilbiss, with his special talents, was made presiding elder (with the supervision of The San Antonio District ) in the Rio Grande Conference (tri-lingual), so named in recognition of plural culture and the Hispanic influence, which included most of West and Southwest Texas.
DeVilbiss is buried in the Oak Island Cemetery behind the little church, which he founded and help build in 1872. He and his son built all the benches, the pulpit and the candle stands, which are still in use today. Since building the new sanctuary in 2002, the little church is now known as The DeVilbiss Chapel. It has continuously served its members and the community faithfully since 1872. Several plaques of special recognition have been placed at the front of the little rock church, which is designated as a historical site by both The San Antonio Conservation Society and The United Methodist Church.
 Westlake UMC provides many helpful hands to the Mobile Loaves & Fishes program, whether on a once a month basis or the once a year, Christmas in October opportunities, such as this one during Thanksgiving. Another 30 volunteers will be a part of a special food preparation and delivery from these great trucks to Austin’s most needy during the week of Christmas.
Loaves & Fishes food program
 Members of First UMC, Robert Lee,
had a live nativity scene on the lawn of
the church. Children, adults and youth
all participated for a time of food
and fellowship during and after the
nativity. Leaders said the event helped
draw in members of the community.
Many other churches around the
Southwest Texas Conference offered
special holiday events to do the same.
First UMC, Robert Lee offers live nativity for its community
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San Antonio District news
Come welcome Carl Rohlfs to the District
 Rev. Carl Rohlfs
San Antonio District Superintendent
Malachi 3:6
BUT…everything else does! A poet once said that “time and tide wait for no man.” And so, we say good-by to what was and greet with anticipation what is to come. We say farewell to the year just completed, thanking God for what has been. We turn to face the beginning of a new year full of opportunities, seeking God’s blessings on what is yet to be. With the welcoming of a new year, we also welcome Rev. Carl Rohlfs as he begins his service as District Superintendent of the San Antonio District. While we are welcoming a new District Superintendent, we are welcoming no stranger to San Antonio. Many of Carl’s formative years were spent right here in San Antonio. He is a graduate of Oliver Wendell Holmes High School, and did his “Minister in Training” at Windcrest UMC. An ordained Elder since 1978, Carl brings a wealth of experience in ministry and leadership to our District. He has served churches in the Austin, Corpus Christ, San Angelo, San Antonio and Victoria Districts. Carl shares ministry with his wife, Barbara. They have two grown sons, Randy who is married to Charity, and Robert who is married to Meaghan. And, if the Rohlfs name sounds familiar, it is because Carl comes from a family of United Methodist pastors. His brother, Rev. Claus Rohlfs, Jr., serves as senior pastor at Travis Park UMC; and, his sister, Rev. Margaret (Rohlfs) Decker, serves as senior pastor as First UMC, Sinton.
So, welcome, 2010; and, welcome, Carl! May the God who never changes, bless the new ministry and vision you bring to the San Antonio District.
Committee training to be Jan. 23 in San Antonio
On Saturday, January 23, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Equipping the Saints will present the first Sacred Saturday of 2010. Our new District Superintendent, Rev. Carl Rohlfs, will be leading Pastor/Staff - Parish Relations Committee training. While chairpersons and members of P/SPRC are strongly urged to attend, anyone who might be interested in the role of the P/SPRC, is also encouraged to attend. The training is being held at St. Matthew’s UMC, 2738 Bitters Road. Sign-in will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the session will begin at 9.
Equipping the Saints is a leadership development opportunity offered by the San Antonio District through the Council on Ministries. There is no charge to attend and your participation is encouraged. To register or for additional information, please contact Terry McCandless at the District Office.
Jan. 22 is Epiphany benefit for campus ministry
 Rev. Dr. William Abraham
Professor at Perkins School of Theology
The event will feature a catered dinner, inspiring music and testimonies, and insights of Dr. Abraham on the topic of Christian formation and leadership development.
Proceeds from the event will go toward eliminating the remaining debt on recent renovations at the Methodist Student Center at San Antonio College.
Attire is casual and seating is limited to 160. Reservations and payment of $25 per person must be received at the Methodist Student Center (102 Belknap Place, San Antonio, TX 78212) by Friday, January 15. Payment can be made at the student center, or sent by mail with a list of those who plan to attend. For more information please contact Brenda Meneses at the Methodist Student Center (210) 733-1441.
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Victoria District news
Present Glory - I’m very grateful for much
Romans 8:18-27 (New International Version) 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
God promised that the earth would be filled with His glory, which is consistent with the other prophecies.
These Four prophecies speak of a promise to the nations of the Earth. The Bible promises that there will be a time when the Earth will be filled with peace and happiness. The passage was meant for all the people of the world. The Bible tells us how people can choose to have a part in this future kingdom. The Bible is a genuine source of information about how to be involved in the establishment of this kingdom, and to be a part of it.
Although I usually make long never-ending New Year’s resolutions that, I never keep. Nevertheless, I am going to make two anyway.
1. I am genuinely going to try to love everybody and stop lying about it especially when it comes to people with which I do not agree. The United Methodist bestselling author says that we should forgive everybody. ‘The very person you don’t forgive may be the one you spend eternity with even in your mansion. [I started my list of people to forgive immediately.]
2. I will live in the ‘Great State of Texas” but I will also live ‘in a in a state of gratitude. I know that I am not a homemade treat that people immediately love and the reality of it is that I do not wear the perfect party clothes.
However, I can brighten my smile and work for the kingdom of God, as if my life depended on it. What is Gratitude? Gratitude is thankfulness, it is appreciation, It is my personal positive emotion, or my attitude in acknowledgment of all God’ benefits that I have received or will receive.
Along, with being grateful to family, I am grateful for a bright and spirited the Bishop. Bishop Dorff is clear minded fair, serious, and fun. I am grateful for the United Methodist Church. We succeed because we try. Sometimes we fail but we succeed more than we fail. I am grateful for all of the men and women of the Victoria District. In 2009 each letter and e-mail was responded to and the each ‘Church Conference was like a happy family reunion!”
Life is good in the Victoria District of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference! We are the happiest set of churches in Southwest Texas! Our Churches are happy to be connectional for the fourth year in a row; we function as a team, and
We are grateful to be, “TEAM VICTORIA”
Victoria District happenings
 First annual Christmas program at St. Paul UMC-Columbus on December 5th, 2009. About twenty children participated under the direction of Sandra Lettries Children and Youth ministry leader and Sandra Glenn and LaTisha Perry as co-assistance leaders.
First UMC, Columbus, had the privilege of hosting the Peacelight of Bethlehem through the help of local Boy Scout Troop 312 on Sunday, December 13th. In a special Peacelight ceremony people from the Columbus community as well as Victoria and Seguin and as far away as Mexico came to light their lanterns on the Peacelight. Scout master Sidney Chollett and two of his sons went all the way to Independence, Missouri to meet with Boy Scouts who brought the flame from New York. For over twenty years the European Boy Scouts and Girl Guides light a lantern in Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus and carry the light to Europe and beyond. It is transported by plane in blast proof miner lanterns. This is the first year that the Peacelight was brought to Columbus. “This is a great reminder to everyone that Jesus is the ‘light of the world,’” explained Sidney Chollett, Scout master of Troop 312. “We will light the candles of our Christmas Eve services from a candle that is ignited by the flame from the Holy Land,” added Pastor Bruhn. “Our prayer is that the light and peace of Christ will settle in the homes of all the families that will carry a candle from our services. Bringing Christ ‘home for Christmas’ is what it is all about.”For more information on the Peacelight go to www.peacelight.org.
Bringing Un-churched Children Back to Church
“Where do you go to church?” the child was asked. The little boy responded “here”. The Vacation Bible School worker knew that he had not been to church since last year’s VBS. This exchange shows the way to bring un-churched children back to church throughout the year. VBS reunions seem to be the answer. VBS chair, Diane Mooney of Seadrift, organized and led a “back to school” reunion where the children received school supplies donated by the Seadrift United Methodist Church. Halloween and Christmas reunions were also held. At each reunion the children had a Bible lesson, learned scriptur4e, sang songs and participated in crafts. Additional VBS reunion events are planned for 2010. In support of the VBS program the music ministry held its annual congregational Baked Potato Lunch following morning worship on November 8, 2009. Choir director, Nancy Childress, rallied her music ministry participants to stretch their talents into the area of food and fund raising for the benefit of the church and the community’s children. These women baked large potatoes and assembled the cheeses, onions, tomatoes, BBQ beef, bacon bits and other spices which added color and flavor to this most basic of vegetables. A green salad and a cookie or brownie topped off this abundant meal. For the after lunch entertainment of this crowd and in praise of the potato’s value and versatility, the choir members sang original lyrics and accompanied themselves on kazoos as they glorified the ‘tater, the shoe string, the kettle fry, the French fry, the spud, the mashed and the hashed. Additional rewards for the attendees were distributed as names were drawn for door prizes to take home. These prizes drew upon the potato’s popularity in the form of kitchen utensils, calendars, books, potato chips and other useful trinkets.
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Austin District news
What does our future, as a district, bring?
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DCOSD – take 2. What in the world does that mean? Rachel and I stood before the white board in the district office and pondered. District Committee on Spiritual Direction? On Site Development? What. We stood and wondered and finally Rachel remembered: deep change or slow death - take 2. Oh yeah.
That cryptic note was to remind us of our desire to communicate again with the district leadership the rather dire phrase I introduced last year. Deep change or slow death. Passed along via Gil Rendle, the phrase originated with Robert Quinn. I suspect it is intended to sound dire; hoping that a dire, even shocking, phrase might help people realize the truth that “all systems tend toward increasing entropy,” including the church. Including our churches. Over time energy is dispersed and less available, leading toward stagnation and eventual death. This process is actually quite natural – note the second law of thermodynamics. It is natural, and it creates for us the slow death dilemma. We recognize it in our young puppies that mature and then grow old, more sleepy, less active and finally die. We say this is nature’s way when speaking of our pets, even – with much greater difficult – when speaking of our beloved friends and relative. Yet we struggle, I struggle, with extending this understanding to our churches. So last year at our My Job: Leadership I said it out loud: deep change or slow death. I spoke modified versions of the change mantra at many charge conferences last fall and oh boy did that generate some looks. It sounds scary. For some folks, it is scary. Thank goodness Jesus walked around saying “Do not be afraid” all the time.
Our Rethink Leadership event on Jan. 30 will provide multiple venues for considering change and continuing the conversation. I am not afraid and I am not discouraged. We are yet alive! And I have great hope that some of us will enter the “upward spiral” of positive transformation that will lead to the deep change our churches need. I’m so grateful to be looking toward the future with you (for more info on DCOSD check out http://www-personal.umich.edu/~acaza/Quinn%20&%20Caza,%202004.pdf or search for Robert Quinn online).
Rethink Leadership event planned for Jan. 30
At last year’s My Job: Leadership event, District Superintendent Bobbi Kaye Jones invited all in the District to consider the options for United Methodists here and around the world. She challenged those present to consider whether we most desire “deep change or slow death.”
On January 30, 2010, lay and clergy are invited to Rethink Leadership, the first in a series of training events that the Austin District will offer to resource congregations for deep change.
Along with an introductory course for those new to administrative committees (finance, pastor/staff parish relations, and trustees), Rethink Leadership will offer workshops on several of the United Methodist Church’s areas of focus. These include renewing existing congregations and starting new ones, raising a new generation of leaders, and doing ministry with the poor.
District Superintendent Bobbi Kaye Jones will offer a plenary session at the start of the day. Other presenters include Melissa Wiginton from the Fund for Theological Education, Gina Campbell from The Center for Family Process, Linda Murdoch from the Texas Methodist Foundation, and Mike Renquist, who consults on human resources.
A full list of workshop opportunities is as follows:
• Rethink Change: the End of the Quick Fix
• Who’s Sitting in My Pew: New Places for New People
• Stewardship as a Spiritual Practice
• Small is Beautiful: Strengthening the Small Church
• Creating a Culture of Growth: Revitalizing Existing Congregations
• Ministry with the Poor: Moving from Hand-outs to Help Up
• How Serious are We? Assessing Clergy and Staff effectiveness and Providing Good Feedback
• Awakening Our Young People to God’s Call
• Introduction to Trustees
• Introduction to Finance
• Introduction to Pastor/Staff-Parish Relations
Rethink Leadership will be at Westlake UMC on Saturday, January 30. Doors open at 9:00 AM for fellowship and light refreshments. Workshops will conclude by 12:30. The event is free and all are welcomed.
Childcare is available when reserved by January 15, 2010. To reserve childcare or with any questions, please contact admin@umcad.org 512-444-1983.
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