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June 25, 2010
Volume 157, Number 8
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Mount Wesley gets hit by high winds, rain
12 buildings damaged during June 2 storm that swept through Kerrville
 Mount Wesley Conference Center was damaged during a storm June 2 that swept through Kerrville, tearing off roofs, pouring water inside sleeping quarters and damaging many of the trees on campus.
Managing Editor
Violent winds and heavy rains tore through Kerrville and surrounding areas June 2, twisting roofs off buildings of Mount Wesley Conference Center, soaking carpets inside sleeping quarters and damaging many of the trees that shade the 64-acre woodland.
Mount Wesley administrator Patti Zaiontz was attending the Southwest Texas annual conference session in Corpus Christi when the storm swept through the community. She said she did not expect what met her—roofs lying on the ground, the chapel’s steeple lifted off its home, at least 12 buildings damaged—when she returned to the property.
“I just wasn’t prepared for what I saw,” she said. “It saddened me. It was so hard to see it ripped up like that.”
The damage comes at an economically tight time for Mount Wesley, Zaiontz said. Insurance will pay for some but not all of the damage.
She’s had an outpouring of volunteers to help with initial cleanup, like clearing trees and brush from the grounds, she said.
Leaders said Mount Wesley workers responded immediately to the crisis to limit damage, logging more than 500 hours of labor by staff members, volunteers and outside contractors.
Teams worked to “dry in” buildings with roof damage to avoid further damage to their interior. The telephone system was quickly repaired. Any debris that could have caused visitors or campers injury was removed.
But leaders say the work done to date is only the beginning.
Other damage to Mount Wesley includes the roofs in the chapel and the office, which were damaged beyond repair. The steeple was lifted off the chapel and then set back down at an angle. The studio roof was torn off, ripped in half and tossed to the side, with the other half blown across the campus and impaled on a post. The interior of the studio was soaked by the rain, which destroyed the flooring and the furnishings.
 The roofs of four buildings at Mount Wesley will have to be repaired, leaders said.
Four complete roofs will have to be replaced, and another eight buildings will need roof repairs, leaders said. Dozens of other repairs are likely to be needed, they added.
Bishop Jim Dorff toured the campus and met with Zaiontz and Board of Trustees Chair Larry Harrison to develop a process for dealing with the crisis. The Conference Board of Trustees will have an emergency meeting June 22 to begin thoroughly assessing the buildings, damages, insurance coverage and needs of the camp. Trustees are working with the Rev. David Seilheimer, conference secretary and treasurer, and Zaiontz on the insurance claim, but leaders say additional funds will be necessary to repair the camp.
The Trustees will evaluate all the work so repairs are done in the most cost-effective manner for the long term, leaders said.
The timing of the storm, Zaiontz said, is inconvenient, considering Mount Wesley is booked solid for the summer. Fortunately, she added, they are still able to accommodate campers.
“We’re not canceling any camps,” she said. “We’ve been in contact with all the groups, and we have everybody ready to come. Nobody wants to cancel.
“We have lost some sleeping space, which may cause some of the camps to have a cap.”
Insurance money will help, Seilheimer said, but it obviously will not pay all of the repairs.
After regrouping, Zaiontz said, she will need even more volunteers to help with repairs.
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Volunteers build 70 homes in 50
hours for homeless in Haiti
 Volunteers work on constructing walls for the hurrican shelters that will be sent to Haiti. More than 700 people showed up at University UMC, San Antonio, for the Homes for Haiti project.
Managing Editor
Even as heat rose from the asphalt like a parking lot bonfire, the first shift workers for the Homes for Haiti project at University UMC, San Antonio, continued their labor well past their five-house goal.
More than 700 people joined the church’s effort to provide shelters for the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their homes during the Jan. 12 earthquake.
“You’ve done some incredible work,” said the Rev. Adam Knight to first-shift volunteers, who worked for five hours to build five shelters. “You’ve doubled what we needed to do this shift. That’s a great accomplishment.”
Knight and volunteers prayed over the shelters before wrapping up the first of 10 shifts.
 Volunteers for the Homes for Haiti project at University UMC, San Antonio, finish the first of 10 shifts by praying for each of the homes constructed and the people who will live in them.
He got the idea, Knight said, when a lay leader in the church forwarded him an e-mail about Homes for Haiti, organized by the CORE Alliance, a nonprofit disaster relief organization established in 2005.
Leaders’ goal, Knight said, was to build 50 homes in 50 hours. They built 70.
The homes, Knight said, are hurricane shelters that will house a couple of bunk beds once assembled. Volunteers constructed walls, the floors and ceilings, but the separate pieces are stacked flat-packed and shipped to Haiti for assembly.
Each shelter costs $600, Knight said. The project at University was fully funded, he added.
“With the folks down there living under tents and tarps, when hurricane season comes, we wanted them to have something,” Knight said.
Workers prayed over every house built and sent crosses and letters to those who would receive the homes. It’s helped them to see beyond the walls of the church, he said.
“This is a great opportunity for volunteers to know that they were a part of ministering to the Haitian people in a tangible and very necessary way,” Knight said. “We don’t think of this so much as helping with the past disaster but as helping them to be better off come the next one.
“Hurricane season is coming, and those things have a habit of going right over Haiti. They’ll be safer when the hurricanes do come.”
Volunteers began building homes at noon May 28 and finished at 2 p.m. May 30.
Sarah Holden, a volunteer on the first shift, said she’s always done Habitat for Humanity and has been active in missions, so it just made sense to participate in Homes for Haiti.
“This project will give them the shelter they so desperately need,” Holden said. “It’s pretty basic, but if you don’t have anything, it’s at least something.”
Kris Spratley, another volunteer on the first shift, said it was a no-brainer for her, also a Habitat for Humanity worker, to volunteer.
“This will give them shelter,” she said, “and comfort, knowing that someone did that for them. It will show them Christ’s love.”
For more about CORE Alliance or Homes for Haiti, visit www.core-alliance.org.
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Kerrville District news
Get to know the Rev. Bill Henderson
The Rev. Bill Henderson has been appointed to serve as the Kerrville District Superintendent in June of 2010. He is delighted to be part of this gracious, hospitable and faithful connectional ministry with people who have a clear intent of sharing God’s grace.
Bill has most recently served as the Senior Pastor of Northwest Hills United Methodist Church in Austin where he was appointed in 2000. Prior to that Bill served as the District Superintendent of the Corpus Christi District. As a member of the cabinet of the Southwest Texas Conference he had specific responsibility for 45 churches (city, suburban and rural, ranging in size from 3400 to 25). He previously served pastorates at First, San Marcos, St. Mark in McAllen, Helotes Hills and Lakehills in the San Antonio area, San Juan-Edcouch and Brownsville (as Associate) in the Rio Grande Valley.
Bill is a graduate of Texas A&I , Kingsville and Perkins School of Theology at SMU. He served 15 years on Board of Ordained Ministry in various capacities-as Seminary Liaison, Interview Chairperson, and Vice Chairperson and as a Chairperson. He has been active in the Walk to Emmaus and has served as Spiritual Director of the Valley and the Hays Praise Communities and of the Conference Emmaus Community.
Social Concerns and Missions are also a part of his ministry, having served as vice chairperson on the Conference Board of Church and Society. While in McAllen he served on the board of Mujeres Unidas, Leadership McAllen and served as president of the Board of Directors of the Southside Community Center in San Marcos for 6 organization focused on building tolerance and trust within the Corpus Christi community. He has served on the board of the Austin Area Inter-religious Ministries, an interfaith organization focused on dialogue among diverse religious faiths and common missions to help those in need.
He is married to Jody Glock Henderson, a retired career elementary and art teacher who last taught first grade at Live Oak Elementary School in the Round Rock ISD. They share the joy of having two adult children: Linda and Bill, Jr. Linda (a historian with the Texas Historical Commission) is married to Jefferson Stewart and they have two sons, Amon and Eli. Their son is also married and has three children.
Bill’s interests include photography, tennis, computers, Cyberspace, and backpacking.
How to make Jesus your best friend, second and third steps
By Robert Molder, District Lay Leader
Second Step: Meet one of His followers.
If you really want to find out about an individual, study the people they choose as friends. In the case of Jesus, this makes for an interesting study. For instance, there was Peter, the brash and brawny fisherman who left his nets and spent three years traveling with Jesus. His special ability seemed to be speaking or acting first and thinking later. Recall one night, in a gloomy garden outside Jerusalem, Peter whipped out a sword and hacked off the ear of a guard coming to arrest Jesus. Just a few hours later, he was confused and frustrated, denying that he even knew Jesus.
Not much of a candidate for leadership, you might think. But Peter eventually gave himself fully to the power of Jesus Christ, and one day the Lord said to him,” You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church”.(Matt. 16:18) Peter lived up to that trust. When you read about someone like Peter, or about all of Paul’s many experiences, and even in modern times, Billy Graham, you can’t help but find the power that comes from having Jesus as a friend. Jesus promises that an active relationship with Him will bring great benefits to your life.
Third Step: Study His Teachings
One problem many people have in really knowing Jesus is that they rely on second-hand information. They know very little about Him except what they have heard from others. Jesus is clear in his teachings and was also careful to have them simply recorded in the New Testament. It is a very simple matter to discover for yourself what He had to say. In a nutshell, Jesus said in John 14:6……(Read )
If you are confused about something and you need answers, Jesus can show you the way. He can be trusted to bring out the truth. People today are facing moral and ethical choices that become complicated. A simple guide to use is to ask “What would Jesus do?” (WWJD)…or better yet…What would Jesus want me to do ?
Do you want to live--- really live--- not just exist from one day to the next?
Do you want to wake up every day with joyful anticipation for what the day will bring? Then believe that life begins and continues through Jesus Christ!! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
Action Step: Read Jesus’ most famous sermon in Matthew, chapters 5,6,7. Visualize yourself sitting on a grassy hillside, overlooking a beautiful lake…listening to Jesus as you read. Let the truths of your reading fill your mind. Then make your own list of the practical advice He gives, as a standard for all Christians.
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Corpus Christi District news
New things in the Corpus Christi District
The start of a new conference year brings moves for many pastoral families and individuals. It is never an easy time for both the church families and the pastoral families. There is mixed feelings of joy and sadness on both parts; yet, all done with the knowledge that God is involved and that through a move God is moving among us. This year saw more moves than had been seen in some time in our conference. I know many folks have already moved and some are still in that process and I believe I even heard our movers singing loudly, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus!”
One of the things I wanted to do as a new superintendent was to go and visit the new pastors moving into the Corpus Christi District. I set aside this past Friday and Saturday to do just that, and as I visited, I was so glad to see these new servants in our district all living like Nellie and I; amidst mountains of boxes with paths cleared for walking. I also discovered that in almost every home (like mine!) there were some common sights: televisions and computers had been unpacked first (like mine), and were either already or in the process of being connected (like mine). Modern pastors have to be connected, right? I have a sneaky suspicion that computers and televisions sat next to the pastor in the car and not on the moving van (like mine). And I was thankful to the trustees and other appropriate committees (like mine), that made sure the parsonages were at least a little spruced up. Every home I visited had the same smell of fresh paint, some homes had new or professionally redone carpets (like mine). I thanked God that these churches took these steps to ensure that the incoming pastor and family not have to worry about these details, so again, thank you to those who made these preparations for us.
I prayed with those pastors that were already in their homes as well as for those who were in the process of coming into our district. My prayer was that the “right” dwelling places were also being prepared for this new conference year. It is one thing to get the parsonage ready, it’s quite another for the spiritual home of each member be made ready for those who minister among and with us. As we welcome either new or returning pastors, let’s ready our hearts, minds, and spirits for what God is preparing to share with us during this new year. As we have re-painted or re-carpeted our homes, let us ask the Lord to make us ready with willing and prayerful spirits for God to do great and wonderful things in our churches. May we be open to God’s leading to wherever it may take us even beyond the four walls of comfort into our neighborhoods and communities in new and exciting ways. May we be people who respond to God’s leading through our pastoral leadership, excited about new possibilities and new adventures that perhaps we had not done before. The last book in our Bible closes with what God will do and all of it is called “new.” This is Revelation 21: 5, “And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’” May the newness start now in us.
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District happenings
Senior Adult Sunday at Corpus Christi First UMC
The theme used for this special day was Longevity of Membership and Service with a special emphasis on those having 65+ years of active membership and service. Two special honorees, Morris Englehardt and Robert Woolsey, have been members for 72 years and are still in active service. Dolores Ingrum was honored for her years of service in Senior Adult Ministries. Members who participated in the worship services were Mavis Brown, Bob Woolsey, Barbara Shirley and Chuck Volk. Each gave a brief talk relating stories of how FUMC had been an important part of their lives.
The Senior Adult Council hosted a reception for all seniors and provided the altar flowers in honor of those members who are no longer able to attend church. The flowers were later taken to those members to enjoy and to know they were remembered.
Sea City Workcamp
As a new Conference year begins there are many blessing and opportunities in our midst. Various youth, in the district came together to use their hands and labor to refurbish homes in the Corpus Christi area through the ministry of Sea City Work Camp. This camp now in its seventeenth year was hosted by First UMC of Portland during the week of June 6-11th and Grace UMC during the week of June 13-18th . We give thanks to God for all the youth and adults who have blessed homeowners by stepping out in faith and being the hands of Christ as they brought about needed repairs on homes of those who are often overlooked.
As we enter into the summer you may want to take note of some of the upcoming opportunities in our District and through the Conference.
Weekday Ministries Conference
Weekday Ministries Conference – August 7 at Portland First UMC.
Designed for Workers with Preschool Children, Caregivers to Young Children, Mother’s Day Out Workers, Preschool Professional Staff and other Church-related ministries for children. Cost of event is $30 per person by July 30th and $75 after deadline. Register online at www.umcdata.com. There is a limit of 150 persons so register early.
Senior Christian Retreat
September in the Hill will be September 14-16, 2010 held at Mount Wesley in Kerrville. For information call Laura Rhodes 830-995-3357. Our Older Adult Council will be discussing the possibility of taking a bus load from the Corpus Christi District. Please let me know if you are interested. Email me at ccprogram@bizstx.rr.com
District Awards Celebration
District Laity Awards Celebration, South, Sept. 18, 2010 at First UMC, Corpus Christi. Come and meet our new District Superintendant and celebrate with Bishop Jim Dorff as we celebrate Laity in the Southern part of the District. Nomination sheets and tickets should arrive at your church soon.
Lay Speaker Training
Lay Speaker Training – September 25 at Portland FUMC (Notice the change it is One day only) Basic Training or Advanced Training. The Advanced Course offered in September will be Lay Speakers Preach. There will be another Advance Training, April 16 in Goliad. The courses in April will be: Lay Speakers Are Accountable Disciples or Lay Speaker Tell Stories. Cost for Lay Speaker Training is $50. This includes the material and meal.
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McAllen District news
Leave a little room for a new possibility
It was moving day, and the truck driver had suggested I go back inside to make sure there was nothing important left behind. What I saw when I looked were largish piles on the floor of each room, piles of things I recognized but that weren’t worth taking with us. I was paying cleaners to sweep that all up and throw it out. When I got to the living room, though, I became aware of something else—space. The afternoon sun shone through the back windows, across the empty space, and rather than deserted or forlorn, the place looked clean and open. It was as if the house were taking a long, deep breath. Freed that day of the burden of all the stuff we had crammed in there, it looked full of possibility and an easy graciousness.
We all seek a home, a place where we feel comfortable and can let down our guard, where we can look around and know from what we see that we belong there, that someone was expecting us. But often that leads us to think we know exactly how things should be, so we can feel safe and like we belong. We do truly need this, for we hurt and are broken and wandering much of the time. It is tempting to try to take the church and “make it our own,” filling it with our things.
But as important as it is to see the church as our home, it is very good to leave a little open space, a little room for new possibility. For God may be seeking to breathe and move and live in us and our churches in ways we would not imagine on our own, ways we might in fact block if we’ve crammed in too much stuff—stuff we’re used to but maybe could live without. God is using us to build a home, a place where weary travelers can let down their guard and find welcome and rest, a place where folks might know someone’s been expecting them. It is ours to be flexible and buildable, willing in that process to let some things go and others come, all by the spirit and grace of God.
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Is your church a welcoming congregation?
By the Rev. Laura Brewster
One of our church members, Andrew Weeks, has visited many churches over the years because of his employment. He says, “I attended churches where I felt that if I had died in the pew, no one would have noticed.” What would Mr. Weeks think of your church? Are we as welcoming and friendly as we should be?
How we welcome the guests that God ushers to our door is exceedingly important. Studies tell us that it only takes ten minutes for a guest to determine whether he or she will return to a church. If he/she is greeted promptly and warmly, that guest may decide that this is a friendly church that deserves a second visit. If a guest is not received in a friendly manner, that guest may choose to never return to our church (or any other church for that matter).
I have requested that every member of our church adopt the following two “rules” – rules that are designed to make us “the church” a more welcoming congregation:
The Rule of Ten. Greet every person within ten feet of your chair before worship begins and during that portion of the worship service when we are specifically asked to greet others with the love of Christ.
The Rule of Three. After a worship service concludes, take the first three minutes to thank guests for visiting.
Are you unsure of how to approach a guest? It’s as simple as, “Hi, my name is ______, I don’t think we’ve met. What’s your name?”
Summer is here, and we are sure to have summer-time guests in the pews. Please join with me in welcoming them in the name of Christ. Your heartfelt smile and handshake could be all it takes to encourage them to return.
 June 13-19 seventy one youth and adults from seven SWTC UMC congregations gathered at FUMC Brownsville for the
first ever U.M. ARMY-SWTX camp in Brownsville . High school youth, college and adult participants completed extensive
repairs on four homes within Brownsville and two homes in La Paloma. Detailed story in future Witness.
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San Angelo District news
Appointments are just one year at a
In the United Methodist system of appointing pastors, the bishop of an area is responsible for designating the pastor of a congregation a year at a time. One of the business items of an annual conference session is the “fixing of appointments” by the bishop. In the Southwest Texas Annual Conference, it is a highlight of the conference when we receive our new appointments and move to sit with the lay delegates of our new appointment. All clergy and lay persons then share in a covenant service in which they commit themselves to ministry with and through each other during the coming year. The District Superintendent is not exempt from this process. We are also appointed “one year at a time” as the Cabinet was recently informed by the Bishop.
This will be year number three for us to be working together in ministry in the San Angelo District and I am excited about the prospects of the upcoming months. We have proven that we can, indeed, work together. I think as a District we have deepened our intensity of ministry as we have become more caring for each other. We have broadened our scope of ministry in many ways. Many of you have truly strengthened your bonds to your communities by ministry to those in need. You have responded remarkably to the Imagine No Malaria Campaign. As I look around the conference, I am aware of how special we are as a district and I am thankful to God to be with you for another year. I hope that we have learned to trust each other during our time together. I sense that it will be another exhilarating year together. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with you and hope that you are pleased about the prospects for a meaningful year in ministry together as I am. Both lay and clergy, I hope you will continue to share with me your hopes and dreams for your church and how I can help. That is one of the ways in which we deepen our care for each other and express our faith in the ONE who came to live among us teaching, healing, and bringing authentic hope.
Grace to you and peace in Christ’s name.
District happenings
San Angelo District Clergy Gathering
The District Ministries Council of the San Angelo District hosted a gathering of the clergy and their families on Thursday, June 17, 2010 in Christoval at the Morning Glory House B&B. After a time of fellowship and tubing, Larry made introductions of the new clergy and welcomed them to WOW (Way Out West) and to the San Angelo District. We ended the gathering with our “Old Fashioned” style picnic with BBQ and fixin’s.
Christ’s Shepherds in the Canyon
First United Methodist Church of Barksdale has a unique definition for the term Country Store. You might think the country store is a place that a tourist stops along the road to check out interesting things to buy from a community or you might think of it as a place to pick up supplies in a small local community. Actually the Country Store is an outreach ministry of FUMCB at the local nursing home, Cedar Hills Geriatric Center. Still confused? Read on. The Country Store is the brain child of Ron Fulton, President of the San Angelo District United Methodist Men. Ron was looking for ways that First United Methodist Church of Barksdale’s mission statement, “Christ’s Shepherds in the Canyon” could be realized. Ron observed that the nursing facility where his father-in-law, Howard Burton, resides provided an opportunity for the residents to purchase snacks once a week. In talking with the director of the nursing home, Ron found that the country store items were purchased by the nursing home. The revenues from the sales of the product were being used to buy more products. Ron wondered if FUMCB could be a part of that process. Ron proposed that FUMCB purchase the country store merchandise and facilitate selling it to the residents. Then, rather than purchasing more product with the proceeds of each Country Store, the revenue of the “Store” would purchase items the residents could use and enjoy. These items include prizes for bingo games, art and craft supplies, holiday decorations, rentals for weekly afternoon movies and Christmas gifts. The ice cream socials are one of the favorite uses of the proceeds. Other purchases for the residents include a Wii and TV for the physical therapy room. An event the residents are looking forward to is the float for the Old Settlers Parade the first week in August. When reflecting on the success of the ministry, Ron recalls that the idea was a good one but implementation of the idea was really going to be a struggle for our 40+ member country church. $400 a month commitment or what amounts to $5,000 a year (20% of the total budget) was a lot to ask the members of the church to support. So Ron thought, prayed and visited his sister, Betty. As Ron explained the ministry to Betty, she was struck by his enthusiasm for the project and asked what she could do to help. “Funny you should ask,” he replied. Her generous donation funded more than 90% of the project in 2009. Betty continues to be a generous contributor to the ministry. The ministry has also received other donations from folks outside the church as well as church members.
Several of the members of the church help each Thursday morning setting up for the country story, passing out the merchandise and putting away the goods at the end of the Country Store. The residents wait expectantly for Thursday morning and the Country Store. The members of the FUMCB have become favorite visitors of the facility. The gratitude goes both ways. The residents may feel blessed by the service of the FUMCB church members, but FUMCB feels equally blessed as they serve the residents. FUMCB hopes to continue, in its small way, our mission of being “Christ’s Shepherds in the Canyon.”
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