October 23, 2009
Volume 156, Number 24
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Leaders say children are growing church
 Children enjoy sharing games and crafts at the Good News summer camp VBS programs each year. SWTX conference teams travel with many extra pounds of supplies and special treats for the children.
to kids with year-round programs
By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
Cindy Stone loves recounting the story of Denis, a boy who grew up in an orphanage in Vologda, Russia. At 14, Denis was adopted by a woman who had lived at the orphanage. She had a daughter of her own who was preparing to go to college.
Stone, the Russia Initiative chair for the Southwest Texas Conference, met Denis in the summer of 2002. She took a picture with him. They took pictures together every year after that.
But this year, Stone said, she didn’t get to see Denis because she took a team to do leadership training with pastors and lay leaders in Russia instead of working with the children. But Denis sent her back a gift: a pair of earrings he’d made while serving as a leader for the VBS.
“I could hardly believe it,” Stone said. “Denis has turned 18 and has his own apartment and job, and he called the church and said he wanted to come help with the VBS. You don’t realize the impact you have on these kids and how important VBS is to them. It just blew me away.”
Because of the VBS program and camps that happen throughout the year, Good News UMC boasts of an unusually high—for the area—attendance in the children’s department.
“Their programming at the church and the camp with the children just continues to grow,” Stone said. “And they’ve got a reputation—that this is the best thing to do, the most fun, the most entertaining. The moms love their kids to go because they come home and talk about how it’s the place they go and just feel loved.”
Created in 1995, Good News UMC has 18 members and about 30 regular attendees of differing ages, said the Rev. Vera Agapova, pastor of the church and district superintendent of the Novgorod District as of Sept. 1.
The children who attend participate in Bible training courses, holiday celebrations for them and their parents, Bible camp during the fall school break (this year’s had 18 kids attend), winter camp (14 children attended), summer camp (30 children attended) and a camp at spring break.
Several participated in a Bible Work Camp in August. Students cleaned and prepared the camp for the winter season, Agapova said.
 Good News UMC, Vologda, Russia, enjoys a growing church family, including a baby boom over the last two years. The church building needs a nursery and more meeting space.
The church has some needs, Stone said. It’s recovering from someone poisoning the well. It will take $11,000 to put in a new well with a pump and a filter and lines that will take the water into the building. Stone’s goal is to raise the money by next spring so the well can be installed before winter freezes the ground.
Right now, she said, students and adults haul clean water to the camp. She’s hoping to include a toilet and a shower with the well so the kids don’t have to go down to the river to bathe.
“We see this as a really good thing for a facility that has lots of kids and volunteers using it,” Stone said.
Money given to Advance Special #2038 will help raise funds for the well.
Stone said she and other Russia Initiative leaders just finished raising $6,000 to put a heater in the church, which, long-term will save $1,500 to $1,700 a year.
“It’s so cold over there that they stay home in the wintertime,” Stone said. “I mean, some days it gets below 0 degrees.”
Highlights of the year, Stone said, include the Methodist Church celebrating 100 years of Methodism in Russia. The churches held a big celebration in St. Petersburg, she added.
Teams from the Southwest Texas Conference traveled to Russia to help out with the typical camps, visit orphanages and help train leaders in Russia for service in the Methodist Church.
A medical team will be going to Russia next spring, Stone said. Those interested in making the trip can contact Judy Hutcherson at at (830) 685-3562 or judybhutch@yahoo.com.
Stone said she’ll also be taking another leadership team in the spring—pastors and lay leaders who will teach Russian spiritual leaders based on curriculum topics developed by the Russian bishop and pastors and lay leaders in the area.
“We’ve talked about things like spiritual formation and worship and leadership and stewardship,” Stone said. “Pastors will talk about church history and religions of the world. Last year I even gave a lesson on the life of John Wesley.
“We try to cover as much as we can from the topics they give us. That’s been a wonderful thing.”
The leadership training trips have been going on since 2006.
For more information on the Russia Initiative, visit http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/initiatives/russia.
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Spiritual formation academy meets yearning,
transforms church leadership
 Conference events
40-Day Model—Imagine what God can do in our openness and availability over 40-days of soul immersion! The Spiritual Formation Academy’s Two Year model offers just that. The 40 days are spread over five days in residence (once every three months) eight times over the course of two years, covering 16 topics. Clergy members are out of the pulpit only two Sundays each year for this continuing ed. Laity make up nearly half of participants. Rediscover Christianity’s rich spiritual heritage through worship, learning and fellowship. At a personal level, you can find a time and space to discern direction, make covenants and practice commitments. If you’re drawn to a disciplined Christian community and a new spiritual rhythm of study/prayer, rest/exercise, solitude/relationship, click on www.upperroom.org/academy for detailed prospectus and to read more.
Discernment is involved for the one who applies for Academy #31, beginning July 2010. Let me encourage you to listen to what God and your heart are saying, download the prospectus and look at what others have to say who are making the journey:
Peter Aguilar, Elder—Time to drink deeply from the well and to feast at the table…satisfying and nurturing my soul…helped me to re-connect with my calling and fall in love with ministry once again.
Donna Strieb, Deacon—Truly life-changing…nourished my soul, empowered my spirit with God’s love…continues to bless and enable my present ministry setting…expands understanding of the various Christian traditions.
Phyllis Allen, Laity—Like an Emmaus weekend on steroids…a change of heart…new ears for listening… improved my eyesight to see God working everywhere, everyday… new opportunities to serve..a taste for living water…so much healing taking place, every time, in a variety of ways.
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Task force members meet to establish
apportionment core values
By Ralph Thompson
Connectional Funding Task Force member
The Connectional Funding Task Force (Apportionments Task Force) is busy working to discern the best possible apportionment plan for the churches of the Southwest Texas Conference. We appreciate the input that we have received from across the conference, as well as the prayers and words of encouragement that many have expressed.
Accordingly, we recognize and completely understand that the results of our efforts will have a profound effect on the mission and ministries of our local churches, our districts, the Southwest Texas Conference and the global United Methodist Church.
As we took on this responsibility, the task force formed a covenant of prayerful service, driven by mandate and not by agenda. Our covenant involves total objectivity, with no immediate conclusions or assumptions. Our mandate is to discern and report a solution that best serves the mission of empowering every congregation to nurture ministries that make disciples of Jesus Christ. To be effective, the task force has taken into certain “Core Values” that will drive or influence every discussion and decision.
Why apportionments?
They are a historical and practical way that we define ourselves as United Methodists who have, as our goal, the conversion of the world to Jesus Christ. We are not alone. We are a people with a mission that extends beyond ourselves. Through the connectional church system, we work together to accomplish what no individual or single church can accomplish alone. Some of our core values as United Methodists that inform and shape our apportionment calculation are summarized below.
Covenant—Apportionments are tangible, visible evidence of our covenant as an annual conference of pastors and congregations. When one shorts the covenant all are diminished. When one supports the covenant all are blessed.
The apportionments system is the United Methodist version of a wedding ring...an outward sign of our inward and connectional identity.
Effective Clergy Leadership—Providing effective clergy leadership to all charges is a fundamental function of the annual conference.
Apportionments must be structured in such a way that supports effectively developing and deploying clergy leadership to every church, regardless of size or location.
The division of costs between apportioned funds and direct-billed benefits is critical to how we currently accomplish this. Any plan that we adopt must be carefully drafted and the cost impact on the local church for funding clergy benefits clearly understood. Otherwise, we may risk serious consequences to the very existence of some congregations.
Local and Global Impact—Apportionments support effective ministry and mission in the remote congregations of our Conference and as a global church. Addressing this value is strongly related to clergy effectiveness and related cost issues.
Fairness—The apportionment share for each congregation must be fairly calculated based upon the ability of the local congregations to support connectional ministries. The calculation method should be sensitive to the fact that each congregation is unique, while all are connected by bonds of covenant and shared ministry.
Local District Discretion—The apportionments plan should provide each district the discretion to budget for their own ministries.
Generosity—The approach to apportionment calculation should support rather than retreat from our current level of effective connectional ministry, which is one of the strongest in the denomination. The approach should recognize that apportionments are not the maximum of our connectional generosity but the base.
How the Connectional Funding Task Force core values function:
- Our values bring the disenfranchised into the body of Christ for renewal and spiritual growth.
- Our values help to make new disciples and build new faith communities.
- Our values bring up new congregations that perpetuate the body of Christ
- Our values take us into communities and into lives that are suffering.
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Philippine bishop visits friends at
Sierra Vista UMC, San Angelo
by Lorie Woodward Cantu
It was no coincidence that Bishop Rodolfo Juan was en route to visit his friends in Texas on July 4, which is Filipino-American Friendship Day in his native Philippines.
“There is a historic relationship between our countries,” said Juan, who is one of three United Methodist Bishops in the Philippines. “Personally, I have enjoyed a close relationship with many wonderful people in the United States, including my dear friends the Agatep family, who now live in San Angelo.”
During his stay in Texas, Juan visited the Agatep’s home and Sierra Vista UMC, where he was hosted by the Rev. Steven Sweet.
Edison Agatep and his family, who are also natives of the Philippines, befriended Juan through the Annual Conference. They lived in neighboring provinces and, as their friendship deepened, Juan began staying in the Agatep’s home during the gathering.
“My friend was elected bishop at the age of 47, making him the youngest bishop in the history of the Philippines United Methodist Church,” Agatep said. “I think he was destined to be a bishop because he knows how to relate to all people, from the poorest to the richest.”
Agatep said the bishop came from very humble beginnings. He was the child of subsistence farmers. As a youngster, Juan was stricken by disease and almost died.
“I committed my life to God as a thanksgiving for my miraculous healing that came from His hands,” Juan said. His dedication led him to eventually come to the United States to attend seminary at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., as well as at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
Before being elected bishop, Juan, now 48, served as a chaplain in the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy and at the Philippine Military Institute, the country’s equivalent of West Point. When he left the military after 14 years of service to assume his post as bishop, Juan had earned the rank of senior major.
In addition to refining his already legendary work ethic, the diversity of the military instilled Juan with a sense of inclusiveness that serves him well in a country as diverse as the Philippines.
“When I was in the military, I held services in barracks, in dormitories—wherever people needed to be reached,” Juan said. “My services were open to Protestants, Roman Catholics and Muslims, whoever needed to be touched by God’s love. I believe, as Wesley did, that the world is our parish and my experience in the military motivated me to open up to the larger community.”
The Philippines encompasses more than 7,100 islands and is home to a polyglot of cultures and languages. The Philippine Central Conference has three Episcopal Areas. Juan is responsible for the Baguio Episcopal Area, which includes 742 local churches in eight annual conferences. (As a point of comparison, the Southwest Texas Episcopal Area has 365 local churches and 200 Spanish-language churches in the Southwest Texas and Rio Grande Conferences.)
As a hands-on leader, Juan visited 90 percent of those churches in his first 100 days.
“I spend my time talking with my leaders,” Juan said. “I’m in the first stages of my bishop’s ministry, so I must work double-time. It is important that I lay out a comprehensive plan of action so that everyone will be informed and able to help implement our programs.”
His vision encompasses four primary areas: training disciplined leaders for the transformation of the world; creating new congregations with the goal of creating at least 10 new churches in each of the 22 districts under his jurisdiction; being in ministry with the poor; and stamping out killer diseases and promoting good health.
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Even when you feel like it, you are
never truly alone on the mountain
As I write this, I am sitting on the side of a mountain. Actually, I am in a comfy cabin reclining in a Lazy Boy with my feet propped up! It’s what we pastors call a “study retreat.”
I am in Estes Park, Colo., just inside Rocky Mountain National Park. And man, is it beautiful. It’s breathtaking and the weather is changing by the minute.
This morning I awoke at 5 a.m. for some unknown reason and went outside to take a look around. The others in the cabin were sleeping and all was quiet. But outside the wind was blowing, the air a brisk 39 degrees (thanks to the iPhoneWeather App) and the sky was pitch black—except for a speckling of stars.
I just stood there for a while, gazing up at what God had created and enjoying the moment of solitude. I wondered who else was awake at this hour and why I wasn’t back in bed.
I share this with you for two reasons. First, the moment in the dark, windy, cool morning air was spectacular. The sky was a masterpiece and had I not awoken, (oddly early that morning) I would not have seen it.
Secondly, I felt alone. I knew God was there, but I felt alone. I knew friends were nearby, but in the darkness, the chill, with the wilderness all around—I was by myself. Alone.
What’s the point of this illustration? Take from it what you like, but what I hear is that sometimes as the Church we must awake early to see the Lord at work. Sometimes it’s a landscape unfolding before our eyes of His moving Spirit in the lives of our young people. Changing hearts, rearranging lives, reordering purposes for The Grand Purpose of reaching folks for the Kingdom. Waking early doesn’t just mean getting out of bed to see the night sky, it could mean saying “yes” to a plan to fund or support a new but risky ministry.
Furthermore, just because we feel alone in this endeavor doesn’t mean we are. I was outside in the dark, but Lord knows what creatures surrounded me (mule deer, elk, chipmunks and perhaps a gray fox or two.). Just when we think we are alone in life, in ministry, in work, in school, we are not. God is with us.
And the Lord is with you now. You are not alone on the mountain. For Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” And that’s great news for God’s people.
Crisis sets north against south, even in churchThis is the seventh of eight articles related to the
sesquicentennial celebration of the
Southwest Texas Conference.
By Robert Sledge
South Texas was a long way from the center of the rising American political storm in 1859. Slavery was present in the bounds of the conference, to be sure. There were maybe 2,000 slaves west of the Guadalupe, mostly in San Antonio and the lower Guadalupe valley. That was a relatively small number, and many counties had no slaves at all. The population of the German-descended areas had little interest in chattel slavery. When secession came, Blanco, Gillespie, Mason, Uvalde, and Medina Counties voted no, while Bexar and Bandera came close to doing so.
But most migrants to South Texas came from the Deep South and brought with them the attitudes of that slave-holding region. Among Methodists, there was the additional issue of the split with Northern Methodism only 15 years earlier. The perceived injustice of that separation and the subsequent actions of the northern Methodist Episcopal Church rankled even more.
In March 1859, Methodist Episcopal Bishop Edmund Janes held the meeting of the Arkansas Conference of the Northern church in a building at a campground near Bonham, Texas. A large crowd (either a mob or a committee, depending on who you asked; from today’s perspective, the proper word was “mob”) of Bonham citizens surrounded the meetinghouse and demanded that the conference disband forthwith, accusing them of being agents of slave insurrection. “We will have our rights, peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must,” the spokesman proclaimed. The conference members understandably felt seriously threatened by the ominous crowd, especially since several of the locals were openly armed. After a long confrontation, the conference agreed to discontinue ministry in Fannin County and no violence ensued. Bishop Janes was allowed to get on the Butterfield stage at Sherman and proceed homeward.
The event, and the bishop’s account of it, stirred deep feelings in the Rio Grande Mission Conference, for many of its members were convinced that the Bonham crowd had only done what was necessary to run abolitionism out of town. They resented the Northern Methodist presence in Texas and they resented the drumbeat of abolitionist rhetoric prevalent in the Northern Methodist press. The “disturbance in Fannin County,” as it was called, further exacerbated feeling between Northern and Southern Methodism.
And even as the conference members traveled to Goliad in the fall of 1859, additional news flashed from the North and created a deep stir. An abolitionist fanatic named John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, on Oct. 16, for the announced purpose of securing weapons to arm a slave insurrection. The raid failed, people were killed on both sides, and Brown went on trial as the conference sat. The Brown raid drew the strongest denunciations in the Southern church press and was offered as evidence of Northern intentions to foment violent revolution in the South.
None of this made its way into the conference minutes. Annual conferences of the day did not pass resolutions on secular matters. The M.E. Church, South, in particular, prided itself on remaining aloof from politics. A major complaint against the Northern church was its interference in political matters, especially slavery.
But if the two issues did not make it to the conference floor, they were nevertheless very much on people’s minds—the Texas Christian Advocate carried several articles on the Bonham disturbance, mostly denouncing the northern intrusion into Texas. There were others on the Harper’s Ferry affair. The language was intemperate and uncompromising. The conference may have had spiritual matters on its agenda, but the specter of violence was close at hand. If a civil war loomed, the membership of the Rio Grande Mission Conference was not reluctant to go to whatever lengths necessary to defend Southern rights.
Within two years, several of the assembled preachers would be wearing gray uniforms.
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Kerrville District news Will we truly give peace a chance?
I am curious about the uproar about President Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize. Since 1901, 120 Nobel Laureates have received this honor, of which 97 were individuals and 23 organizations. There are those who believe that President Obama does not deserve such an honor because he does not belong in the category of an Albert Schweitzer, Ellie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King, Jr. I heard someone say, “He didn’t do anything more than just hope for peace.” Michael Russnow wrote, “Whatever happened to awarding for deeds actually done?”
Whether he deserves to have the Nobel Peace Prize should be left up to the prophets of the present and historians of future generations. Personally I hope that he will live up to the challenge. He is in a key position to make a difference in this world. But then you and I are in key positions to make a difference in this world too. As John Lennon wrote years ago, “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
Dear reader, the buck stops on each of our desks. The mantle of responsibility has been passed to us from the likes of Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. You may have not received a call from the Nobel committee but we have from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a compelling call to discipleship and a clarion call to peace. You and I receive grace. Did we deserve it? Were we awarded because of deeds actually done? No, God’s Grace is unmerited grace. It is up to us to live up to that Grace which is given through Jesus Christ. It is out of God’s grace that we live a life of gratitude. It is out of that grace that peace flows from the center of our being.
Personally I don’t need a medal to hang around my neck nor a Time Magazine cover to announce that I desire world peace. Promoting world peace is not about popularity, celebrity nor about being remarkable or noticeable. It is about being faithful to the One who calls you. All I want to know is this: will we truly give peace a chance? Personally, I want to see the reaction of the children in my neighborhood as they see what the church is capable of doing and being. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” I want to see the reactions of adults when the church makes a difference in their lives and peace enters into their little corner of the world. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” As the people of The United Methodist Church, may we sing together: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” All I am saying is give peace a chance.
Worship Reflections: prepared for worship
By Robert Molder, District Lay Leader
The quality of our worship is not based on our activities but on our character. Churches can mistakenly assume that the better the music, the more impressive the building, and the more eloquent the preaching, the more worshipful the experience will be. Genuine worship, however, originates from within our hearts. If our relationship with God is not healthy, all these things are nothing more than religious pageantry. Today, we tend to look to external things to enhance our worship. The true quality of our worship, however, rests within us. If we have not allowed God to purify us first, our worship will be void of His presence. If we do not have a pure heart, we may give offerings, but they will be unacceptable to God. Attending a religious service will not automatically ensure an encounter with God. If you are not satisfied with the quality of your worship, don’t be too quick to blame your environment. Look first to your own heart. Allow God to refine your heart until it is pleasing to Him, and you will be free to worship God as He intends. When Jesus said to follow Him regardless of the cost, He promised He would surely give much more than would be lost.
Following Jesus is not always easy, but it is always right.
District happenings
“How many of you remember when...” It was story after story when more than 100 friends, former students, fellow faculty and family gathered to celebrate Mickey Little’s 80th birthday at First UMC, Johnson City, Saturday. They told tales -- some true -- and showed slides of Mickey’s adventures as a PhD student at the University of Texas and Mary Hardin Baylor, and as the Texas A&M professor who invented the Outdoor Education program there. They covered her hiking, camping, canoeing and climbing trips; her church missionary trips and projects; the outdoors books and guides she wrote; and the retirement to Blanco County where she built her own log cabin. So what’s next, flying? Hardly...she soloed at age 16. For her birthday gift to herself, Mickey plans to go sky-diving. Again!
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Corpus Christi District news Imagine a world with NO malaria
Throughout my life I have come to realize that before something can be accomplished I must first recognize it is needed. My fellow United Methodists, at Annual Conference this year we came to recognize the great need for our brothers and sisters who are dying from Malaria in Africa. Now it is time for us to dream, to plan, and work on their behalf. We need to join our hearts and our resources to not only Imagine a World with NO MALARIA but to work towards that goal.
Living in South Texas where we do not experience malaria, we forget that others in our world live with this deadly disease daily. In fact about 500 million cases of malaria are diagnosed each year and every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa. Yet, this disease is preventable and treatable. The Imagine No Malaria is a comprehensive plan designed to save the lives of people in Africa. This plan teaches people the signs of malaria and how to use insecticide bed nets. Part of the plan includes early detection and getting the vital life saving medication to those diagnosed with malaria early.
The United Methodist Church has the network of clinics within Africa as well as the people on the ground there to distribute nets, diagnostic kits and medication. Yet, what is needed is your help and support. Each church is asked to come to the Imagine No Malaria (free) training sessions to hear all about how you can be a partner to save the lives of children and pregnant women. In the Corpus Christi District we will have three training sessions
- Oct. 29, 10-11:30 a.m. at First UMC, Goliad.
- Nov. 3, 10-11:30 a.m. at the District Office
- Nov. 3, 6:30-8 p.m. at Grace UMC, Corpus Christi.
Margot Jacobs will be the trainer at each of these sessions. Margot is Associate Executive Director for Imagine No Malaria. She will be able to help you come to a deeper understanding of what is needed in Africa, what can be done, and how you and your church can be a part of this miraculous work.
Please help spread the word by speaking to your Mission Committee, your Annual Conference delegates, the leaders of your church, and anyone that may have a passion for saving lives. This is an opportunity for teenagers, children, and adults to work together as we put an end to this deadly disease.
Decide which training session will be the best to attend. Please call the District (361) 852-8268 or e-mail ccprogram@bizstx.rr.com to let us know which training session you plan on attending.
I believe that when we all work together we can not only Imagine No Malaria, we can truly make it happen.
First UMC, Odem, celebrates 100 years
 The Rev. Carol Pifer, the Rev. Barbara Ruth; and Bishop Dorff pose with Family of Faith Choir.
The Centennial Celebration began on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. with a reunion program titled “Sentimental Journey of Faith” which included a welcome and invocation by Pastor Carol Pifer followed by a photographic summary of the church’s history narrated by Charlie Spiekerman. Various members and visitors then shared family stories and memories of charter members, former pastors and times spent at the church. The Dine Time Group also sang “Dear Hearts and Gentle People” as a special presentation. A reception was held afterwards where many former members and friends gathered for fellowship, reminiscing, and refreshments.
On Sunday, a special worship service was held to commemorate the past century. Bishop James Dorff officiated and delivered the sermon at the service. Rev. Barbara Ruth, Corpus Christi District Superintendent, also participated in the service. Organist Dana Hayes, pianists Kay Whatley Heather Meister, and choir director Debby Butler led the congregation with beautiful music and hymns.
After the worship service, approximately 150 members and friends were served a delicious lunch catered by Back Street Café. On display were photographs of the original church built in 1910-11 and the existing facility built in 1951 plus numerous photo albums with snapshots of activities from the 1970’s to 2009. Also displayed were items recovered from a custom-made copper metal box that had been placed in the wall behind the cornerstone in 1951 when the church was dedicated. A new stainless steel “time capsule” is being made so that these, as well as the 2009 Church Directory, Centennial Celebration new articles, and other memorabilia can be returned to the cornerstone at a later date.
Bishop Dorff emphasized the importance of our history from whence new beginnings can be created. His sermon title, “On We Go!,” was a challenge to everyone in attendance that it was time to look forward and start working on the next 100 years, keeping in mind that our work is “not only for the people in the church, but for those NOT in the church.”
District celebration held Sept. 19
 Annie Hatfield accepting the Exemplar Award on behalf of her and her late husband.
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McAllen District news Can we have faith like a trampoline?
I just finished reading Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis. It’s a book about how he understands the Christian faith and what it means to be “church” now. There was a passage that jumped out at me in which Bell talked about how he had been thinking a lot about his faith like a trampoline-that the springs were like the core doctrines that allowed him to go deeper and reach higher. He contrasted this to people who think of their faith like a brick wall, building it piece by piece.
“Somebody showed me a letter from the president of a large seminary who is raising money to help him train leaders who will defend Christianity. The letter went on about the desperate need for defense of the true faith. What disturbed me was the defensive posture of the letter, which reflects one of the things that happens [when your faith is built like a brick wall]: you spend a lot of time talking about how right you are. Which of course leads to how wrong everybody else is. Which then leads to defending the wall. It struck me reading the letter that you rarely defend a trampoline. You invite people to jump on it with you.
“I am far more interested in jumping than I am in arguing about whose trampoline is better. You rarely defend the things you love. You enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you. “Have you ever seen someone pull a photo out of their wallet and argue about the supremacy of this particular loved one? Of course not. They show you the picture and give you the opportunity to see what they see.” (Velvet Elvis, pg. 27)
So here’s an invitation to you-I want you to come and meet the Jesus I know and love. And I want to meet the Jesus that has walked and talked with you. We can do that in worship. We can do that in Sunday School or youth.
And then I want you to carry a picture around with you. Maybe it’s not a picture in your wallet, but it’s a picture of the love that you’ve met and has met you here. And then take it out and give others a chance to see what you see. They may just decide that they want some of that love too.
From church to church, Amen!
AMEN to McAllen District Wesleyan Nurses who continue to educate us in all areas of health issues. This month was dedicated to National Cholesterol Education. It’s a reminder of how fragile our bodies are and as temples of God, we are to take care of ourselves physically as much as spiritually.
AMEN to First UMC, Falfurrias’ mission teams who provided their hands and tools to build a ramp for a very needy sister in Christ who is confined to a wheelchair.
AMEN to First UMC, McAllen, for hosting a Fall Sunday Family Picnic to kick-off a variety of Bible Studies to be held throughout the week-including a Bible Study for moms using scripture, prayer and discussion based on the Bible that is relevant to helping moms become more godly women even during the daily routine of life.
AMEN to First UMC, Alice, which was a registered host site in September for the nationwide simulcast of The Total Money Makeover Live! by Dave Ramsey.
AMEN to the UM Women Saturday Circle at First UMC, Mission, who meet the last Saturday of each month so that women who are unable to attend weekday functions because of work, children and everyday business can attend. The women learn of mission opportunities extending a helping hand to the world around them.
AMEN to First UMC, Mission, whose Spanish Sunday School Class has grown by leaps and bounds. They’ve added Home Bible Studies for women and children as requested by the women. These Bible Studies continue to reach new areas of ministry and have outgrown their meeting places.
AMEN to Christ/Riviera UMC for hosting the youth group and sponsors from Memorial UMC, Austin. The youth constructed a labyrinth at Riviera UMC that has already been available as an outreach to the community.
AMEN to First UMC, San Benito, which extended their ministries to include a Spanish Worship Service at Riverside Middle School.
AMEN to First UMC, Hebbronville, for welcoming a County Treatment Counselor and a group of seven adults from the “Out Patient Treatment Program on Alcohol and Substance Abuse,” who helped make crafts and enjoyed a meal with the children on the last day of VBS.
AMEN to First UMC, Hebbronville, whose Clothes Boutique continues to give away thousands of items per month. This ministry is open to the public. Twice a year, items are given to First UMC, Zapata, which in turn gives the items to a charity of their choice.
So, AMEN to First UMC, Zapata, as well.
AMEN to First UMC Edinburg for its Blue Jean Sunday, which collected 62 new pairs of jeans/pants in donations. The clothing will be given to a center that provides clothing and other supplies for children who are in protective care.
AMEN to Wesley UMC, Harlingen, youth and congregation for partnering in a mission project with a group of youth and adults from Parkway UMC, Sugar Land, Texas. The work projects were coordinated by members of Wesley and a former member of Wesley UMC (presently at Parkway UMC). A great way to keep our churches “united” and connected.
AMEN to Los Fresnos UMC, which has been awarded the second year certification for Welcoming Congregations.
AMEN to First UMC, La Feria UMM for adopting a family in La Feria and donating clothes and school supplies to their five children. What a blessing it was for the men.
AMEN to First UMC, La Feria, which held A “Procrastination Party” for La Feria students who had not watched summer assignment “The Sound of Music.” The church hosted more than 60 teens. They enjoyed the movie along with popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, sodas and cookies. This is the third annual Procrastination Party and a wonderful outreach to young teens in the community.
Do you have an AMEN to share about the McAllen District?
If so contact Luvy Carrasco by e-mail at luvcar_23@hotmail.com.
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