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May 22, 2009
Volume 156, Number 3
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Major Changes Highlight 2009
Annual Conference Agenda
By: Thomas Monahan, Director of Communications
Many established events at Annual Conference have new dates and times this year. Starting the list of changes is the Laity session on Wednesday June 3 will be at a new time of 1:00pm and a new location in Watergarden A. The Clergy session will be at 1:30pm in the Bayview Ballroom. Both of these meetings will conclude in time for a new event this year, a discussion of the Constitutional Amendments at 4:00pm in Watergarden A, all clergy and lay are invited to this meeting. We have provided the Constitutional Amendments in a special pull out section of this edition of the United Methodist Witness for your information.
Thursday afternoon will be the new time for Recognition of Retiring Clergy, followed by the diner for Retired Ministers/Spouses at 5:30pm in the Bayview Foyer. On Friday the Awards Banquet will be at 12:15pm this year, this is a new time. Right before this event, there will be a new worship service in Selena Auditorium from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Friday night at 7:00pm is the new date and time for the Ordination and Commissioning Service with Bishop Dorff preaching. The last major change will be the annal business session that includes the Celebration of Covenant and Fixing of Appointments will all be held on Saturday morning in Exhibit hall B. Here is the full agenda for the 2009 Annual Conference:
2009 Annual Conference Agenda
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
1:00 PM–7:00 PM Registration Lobby in front of Exhibit Hall A & B, ABC
1:00 PM–2:30 PM Laity Gathering Watergarden A, ABC
1:30 PM–3:45 PM Clergy Session Bayview Ballroom, ABC
6:30 PM–7:00 PM Memorial Worship Gathering—Selena Auditorium, ABC
7:00 PM–8:30 PM Memorial Worship Service and Opening Eucharist
Rev. Raúl García de Ochoa, Preaching
Selena Auditorium, ABC
Reception hosted by the Victoria District
Immediately following Service—Watergarden, ABC
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
8:00 AM–8:30 AM Small Group Communion Services—Rms. 101–107, ABC
District Superintendents Presiding
9:00 AM–12:00 PM First Business Session—Exhibit Hall B, ABC
Gathering Hymn
Welcoming and Opening
Organization of the Conference
Adoption of Agenda
State of the Church Address, Bishop Jim Dorff
Consideration of Consent Agendas I and II,
Rev. Teresa Welborn
Standing Rules Committee, Ms. Barbara Mobley
Preliminary Nomination Report, Dr. Austin Frederick
Report of the Board of Ordained Ministry & Introduction of Ordinands, Rev. Eradio Valverde
12:00 PM–2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM–4:30 PM Gathering Hymn
Second Business Session—Exhibit Hall B, ABC
Conference Lay Leader’s Address, Mr. Jay Brim
Greeting from Methodist Healthcare Ministries,
Mr. Kevin Moriary
Greetings from Methodist Healthcare Systems,
Mr. Jaime Wesolowski
Council on Finance and Administration Preliminary
Report, Mr. Joe Vasquez
Greetings from Texas Methodist Foundation,
Mr. Tom Locke
Report on the Advance, Ms. Becky Harrell
Board of Pensions Report, Rev. Ellen Ely
United Methodist Publishing House Presentation,
Mr. Greg Cady
Commission on Equitable Compensation and Moving
Expenses, Rev. Lynne Lockett
4:30 PM–5:15 PM Recognition of Retiring Clergy—Exhibit Hall B, ABC
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
8:00 AM–8:30 AM Small Group Communion Services—Rms. 101–107, ABC
A Variety of Liturgical Traditions
9:00 AM–10:45 AM Third Business Session—Exhibit Hall B,ABC
Gathering Hymn
New Church Development Report, Dr. Kim Cape
Nominations Committee, Dr. Austin Frederick
Statistician’s Report, Rev. David Seilheimer
Other Business
11:00 AM–12:00 PM Worship Service—Selena Auditorium, ABC
Rev. Meredith Wende, Preaching
12:15 PM–2:00 PM Awards Banquet—Bayview Ballroom, ABC
2:00 PM Fourth Business Session—Exhibit Hall B, ABC
2:00 PM Intercessory Prayer, Rev. Teresa Welborn
2:15 PM “Order of the Day”, ACCOM
2:45 PM–4:00 PM Move to one of four breakout sessions (Listed on Back)
4:15 PM–5:30 PM Fourth Business Session Resumes
Gathering Hymn
District Superintendent’s Address, Rev. Barbara Ruth
Other Business
6:30 PM–7:00 PM Ordination Worship Gathering—
Selena Auditorium, ABC
7:00 PM Ordination Service and Commissioning Service
Bishop Jim Dorff, Preaching—Selena Auditorium, ABC
Reception hosted by the San Antonio District
Immediately following Service—Watergarden, ABC
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
8:00 AM–8:30 AM Small Group Communion Services—Rms. 101–107, ABC
The Newly Ordained Elders and Deacons Presiding
9:00 AM–10:45 AM Fifth Business Session—Exhibit Hall B, ABC
Gathering Hymn
Opening Prayer
Constitutional Amendments
CFA Final Report Confirming Budget
10:45 AM Celebration of Covenant and Fixing Appointments—
Exhibit Hall B, ABC
OTHER SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY
9:00 AM Board of Ordained Ministry Executive Committee—Rm. 102, ABC
10:00 AM Board of Ordained Ministry—Rm. 102, ABC
10:00 AM Board of Laity—Rm. 105, ABC
10:00 AM Commission on Equitable Compensation—Rm. 106, ABC
11:00 AM Luncheon for First Time Appointees/Spouses—
Rms. 103, 104 ABC
12:00 PM Extension Ministries Luncheon—FUMC Corpus Christi
4:00 PM Discussion on Constitutional Amendments—Watergarden A, ABC
5:00 PM Board of Trustees Meeting and Dinner—Rm. 102, ABC
5:00 PM Black Methodist Church Renewal Dinner—FUMC, Corpus Christi
5:00 PM Austin Presbyterian Seminary Dinner—Waterstreet Seafood
5:30 PM CFA Dinner and Meeting—Rm 103, ABC
5:30 PM Perkins Alumni Dinner—Bayview Foyer
5:30 PM Asbury Alumni Dinner—Selena Rotunda
THURSDAY
6:00 AM— Wellness Lab Screening for Health Benefit Plan
9:00 AM Participants; with Breakfast—Watergarden B. ABC
12:15 PM United Methodist Men and Women’s Luncheon—
Watergarden A, ABC
12:15 PM Clergy Spouse’s Luncheon—Selena Rotunda
12:15 PM Clergy Women’s Luncheon—FUMC, Corpus Christi
12:15 PM Fellowship of LP & AM—Golden Coral #560
5:30 PM Dinner for Retired Ministers/Spouses—Bayview Foyer, ABC
FRIDAY
6:00 AM— Wellness Lab Screening for Health Benefit Plan
9:00 AM Participants; with Breakfast—Watergarden B, ABC
3:00 PM Rehearsal for Ordination and Commissioning Worship Service—
Selena Auditorium, ABC
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Young Girl Scout throws Christmas
Party for Homeless
 Caelynn Moon (left) and Kate Stasney, Girl Scouts who hosted the party for the IHN kids.
I don’t really know where to begin. Should I talk about the hope and future that rests in the lives of our young people? Should I talk about the fusion of church life and programs like scouting? Should I talk about the church property and buildings being a platform for ministry? Should I talk about faith in practice, love in action?
Let me just say that Manchaca UMC is one of many churches in the Austin area that participate in the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). IHN is a program that provides housing and hope for families experiencing homelessness. MUMC provides housing, hope and nurture to homeless families four times throughout a calendar year. During the Christmas season of 2008 one of our younger members, a girl scout, proclaimed Jesus’ greatest commandments in an expression of practical Christianity.
Let’s hear the story from the source, the almost ten-year old Caelynn Moon:
“Hi, I’m Caelynn Moon. I’m a Girl Scout who just got my Bronze Award done. What I did was I had a party for the IHN children. I chose this project because I love working with children. Another reason is because we are required to for Girl Scouts.
One of the first things I had to do was get donations. I got donations from Michaels, Chick-fil-A, and HEB. We didn’t end up getting donations from HEB, but we were successful in getting donations from Michaels and Chick-fil-A. Next we had to have gifts donated for the children. These are just examples of the gifts that were donated, a robot, a soft baby blanket, sidewalk chalk, and a body art kit. Then we needed to get craft supplies. The activities we did were coloring pages, decorating stockings, coloring ornaments, decorating snowmen, decorating gingerbread men, played a game, handed out gifts, and ate snacks.
The party was for everyone in the families, parents and kids, and they all had fun! There were eighteen people. A lot of the people said thank you throughout the party. There were people and crafts everywhere!
While organizing and during the party I learned a few things. The first thing I learned is that you shouldn’t assume or as I would say, “Don’t trust my thoughts”, because the thoughts I had about these people were proved wrong. Second, find out the stores policies before asking for donations so you can have a pretty good idea of what your answer will be. Third, you can’t change your time because the kids would be disappointed. Fourth of all, be ready to adapt.
I have written this article because I would like each and every one of you to sign up for something or organize something that meets the needs of homeless children and their families. If you can’t do anything like that, why not donate some money? When you do, it puts a smile on their face and yours.”
Thanks be to God.
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Meet the Guest preachers
for Annual Conference
Bishop Raul Garcia de Ochoa of the Methodist Church of Mexico will be preaching at the Memorial Worship Service and Opening Eucharist on Wednesday at 7:00pm in Selena Auditorium at Annual Conference. Here is a little information about him.
Rev. Raul Garcia de Ochoa was born in General Teran, state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The fifth of ten children, and raised in the Methodist Church, he entered John Wesley Seminary in Monterrey, Mexico, when he was seventeen years old. He received a BA in theology in 1981. Rev. Garcia received a BA in Communication Sciences from Universidad Valle del Bravo, in Reynosa, Tamps., Mexico, in 1986. Asbury Theological Seminary, in Wilmore, Ky., granted Rev. Garcia the Master in Divinity in 1991. Rev. Garcia also received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Asbury Seminary in the year 2008.
Rev. Garcia has been a pastor in seven different churches and has contributed to establish several congregations both in Mexico as well as in the South Georgia Conference. He served as a District Superintendent for eight years and is currently the bishop in the Conferencia Anual Oriental of the Methodist Church of Mexico.
Rev. Garcia is married to Martha Delia and has two children: Carolina and Raul Israel.
Rev. Meredith Wende who is currently serving First United Methodist Church Nacogdoches will be preaching at the new worship service on Friday June 5, at 11:00am in Selena Auditorium at Annual Conference. Here is a little information about her.
Meredith Wende grew up in San Antonio and attended UT Austin, where she received a BA in English. During her undergraduate years, she was privileged to have several missional opportunities, including a 3 month trip to Nicaragua through the Board of Global Missions. She discerned a call to ministry through those missional experiences, and started Duke Divinity School in the fall of 2005. During that time, she served in diverse ministries such as youth pastor to a rural congregation and teacher in a Peruvian seminary. Meredith graduated in May, and has been serving as an associate at First UMC, Nacogdoches since June.
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A CUP OF COFFEE AND A DONUT
 Bob Allen
Kerriville District
Superintendent
I know for I was that stranger thirty years ago. I transferred into the life of the Southwest Texas Conference from Louisiana in 1979. I came from a foreign land called New Orleans where we spoke a different language, had a very different culture and ate foods that were very, very different. It truly seems like only yesterday but that was thirty years ago. I remember stepping into what felt like a giant cavernous arena in San Antonio. I remember that worship services were held at Travis Park UMC and the business meetings were at the La Villita Assembly Hall. I will never forget being grabbed by the elbow and literally being dragged down the stairs by a red headed stranger who said, “you look like you need a cup of coffee and a donut.” I can still see his shining face in my mind’s eye and how he took me in and welcomed me in a way that I will never forget. That brother changed my life and my attitude. He taught me what it means to be a “pastor” to all those around me.
I picked up somewhere on my journey that annual conference was just another hoop that I had to jump through and that if I gritted my teeth, somehow, someway, I would get through it. He introduced me to his friends who became my friends. They taught me about the “life” of the annual conference. These pastors introduced me to their lay delegates. They introduced me to the importance of going to the worship services and lifting my voice in praise. They introduced me to the sacred obligation of being present at ordination. They introduced me to the conference floor where delegates spoke their minds freely and even when they disagreed they agreed not to be disagreeable. They taught me that annual conference was about friendship and collegiality. This red headed stranger became a friend for life and although he only lived a few more years on this earth, he lives in my heart and in the culture of the Southwest Texas Conference forever.
Dear reader, determine right now that you will change the life of one person. Annual conference is what you make it to be. I hope that you will take every advantage of every opportunity that is given at annual conference. Ordination services are on Friday evening this year. I hope that you will be in attendance not only for the ones you know but especially for the ones you do not know. Take courage, grab an elbow and say, “hey, you look like you could use a cup of coffee and a donut.”
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WORSHIP REFLECTIONS
Forgiveness is the loving cancellation of a debt
By Bob Molder, District Lay Leader
God’s concept of love is so radically different from ours. We tend to love what we like. He loves what is in our best interest. We are inclined to forgive when we think it is in our best interest. He wants us to forgive when it is in the best interest of someone else. We are inclined to embrace what is comfortable and to avoid what brings pain. He tells us, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)
Loving others requires a willingness to forgive. Forgiving others requires a willingness to love. Both require a deepening relationship with God to make us a reflection of His good heart to those with whom we have relationships. Only then is love “perfected among us…that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
The ability to love and forgive can begin only after we have been forgiven by God. Have you taken that first step? Have you experienced the joy of a restored relationship with God through the forgiveness of your sins that He offers through faith in His Son? If not, humble yourself, acknowledge your inability to pay the debt of your sin, ask Him to forgive you, and accept His forgiveness. Accept Christ today and begin to experience the freedom to forgive others as God has forgiven you.
When others we will not forgive,
God’s blessings are denied;
We must forsake our stubbornness
And banish sinful pride.—Sper
Ground that is filled with roods of bitterness needs to be plowed by the grace of God.
***Note: Watch this column for words of encouragement, joy, hope and peace.
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Construction underway at Uvalde FUMC
The Uvalde FUMC just celebrated the end of the first year of their three year Capital Campaign and they are in the seventh month of construction and renovation. During the first year of the campaign $759,338.32 was received from pledges and memorials to help renovate their 101-year-old sanctuary, and to construct the new Roe Foyer as well as new restrooms and a new room that will be part of the music ministry department.
Pastor Scott Bradford reports that they are now under the new roof and work is progressing towards “drying-in” the walls. The project, including the stained-glass window repair that occurred in 2007, and other related expenses, such as the architect, is currently expected to total an estimated cost of $2.2 million.
On May 3, 2009, Pastor Bradford called on the congregation to celebrate what God has been doing in their midst, noting that three quarters of a million dollars has been raised during what has otherwise been a troubled economy.
The congregation has been worshiping in the Weston Hall gymnasium during the renovation process which is expected to be complete about mid September 2009.
The renovation project has included: brick restoration, a new roof, new lighting and related electrical, and making the building handicap accessible, with the installation of a new elevator.
A Consecration Sunday has been planned for October 18, 2009 with Bishop Jim Dorff presiding.
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Take a deeper look at the Pre-Conference Report
 Barbara Ruth
Corpus Christi District
Superintendent
At the district conference, delegates who attended received a copy of a district report that also appears in the pre-conference journal which Rev. Linda Morrow, Director of District Ministries, wrote after we conversed about the past year in the life of our district. I would urge you to read it in full. I’d like to make a few comments and call attention to a few points in the report.
I am very proud to serve as the superintendent of this district. Though I had vacationed in the area as a child and teen and happily come to Corpus for annual conference over the years, I had never served as a pastor in this district. I have thoroughly enjoyed making new friends among the laity of our churches whom I would never have known otherwise. I have also worked with pastors whose paths have never crossed mine in other districts, and it’s been a joy for me to be colleagues in this setting. In addition, my co-workers in the district office, Sheila, Cheryl and Linda have been phenomenal in the ministries they have provided to us all.
We have much for which to be grateful in this district, not the least of which is that our people and our churches have been safe from the terrible devastation others have suffered from weather events.
Now, I want to own that one measure of success in a district is payout on apportionments. One reason that payout is a measure is that churches and districts that are thriving are doing their part as United Methodists to bring mission and ministry to wider circles of influence beyond each local church. In 2008, our payout rate was 84.5%, the lowest it had been for more than a decade. Plenty of folks will look at that one number and wonder what’s happening in our area that would lead to that low payout.
I say it was a fluke, and I believe we will do even better this year than in previous years. We set a goal in 2007 to have a 100% payout, and I have high hopes for 2009. We’ll see.
We have been working hard at transformation and leadership training, and I see the results. We have increased our hands-on mission across the district in churches of all sizes. We are building beautiful and practical new facilities to make room for new people. We have 30 churches who are Welcoming Congregations, the majority of which continue to challenge themselves to provide radical hospitality.
Most important of all, by the grace of God, in 2008 we reported a 25% increase in professions of faith from the previous year. Hallelujah! Isn’t this what all the rest comes down to? Are we reaching out to offer Christ to all? I think the answer is, “You betcha!” Praise God! .
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From The Director of District Ministries:
Renovation is the key word that is often used when talking about the Sea City Work Camp. This work camp is a housing rehabilitation project designed to help families in the Corpus Christi area. Developed over sixteen years ago, it continues to provide service to the elderly, and to those who can not afford to repair their own homes. Yet, this camp does more than just work on houses. It actually allows the youth whom attend a time to work on and even repair or strengthen their own relationship with Christ. This year there will be two weeks of Sea City Work Camp beginning June 7th and continuing until June 20th. The first week will be hosted by Portland First United Methodist Church and the second week by Grace United Methodist Church. Each church will host approximately a hundred high school youth and fifty adults. In the span of the two weeks sixteen homes will be repaired, and lives will be changed. Yet, it is not just the lives of the families that receive this gift of love and grace that are affected.
For over the years, we have come to find that God works on the lives of participants as well. In one short week, as youth and adults from various churches and denominations work together, eat together, worship together, and play together something special begins to happen. Within the span of one week those young and old who have signed up to renovate another person’s home find that their faith has been renovated and that their lives are forever changed though this camp.
Linda Morrow
Director of District Ministries
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Six days you shall labor
 Larry Howard
McAllen District
Superintendent
—Exodus 20:8–9 (NRSV)
46Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 47Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.
—Matthew 12:46–47 (NRSV)
In my last column I emphasized the importance of keeping a Sabbath in our work. God wants us to rest, renew, and reflect. And, God commands us to find time to do that. Please keep in mind that emphasis as I talk in this column about the importance of the second part of that commandment: “six days you shall labor”.
There is an expectation in this commandment that humans will work. Likewise, when we hear Jesus tell stories and give parables, we sense his expectation that humans will work…and that those who work well will be rewarded. (Yes, Jesus’ understanding of “reward” was not the typical for his culture…or ours. Remember the parable of the workers who came late to work but received the same reward.) Further, the Apostle Paul makes a big point about the importance of his work, both for the Lord and for his sustenance. He challenges the early church to labor well, both in their work for God and their work for their “bread”.
So, what do these expectations from God’s commandment, Jesus’ parables, and Paul’s admonitions have to do with us in the 21st century. I believe we in this era can fulfill these expectations by laboring with productivity and purpose, for God and humankind.
We seek to be faithful to God when we make our work productive. That means that something good comes from our labor. Yet, to best be productive we often must find a larger purpose in our work. Our trusting in God and seeking after Christ’s purpose for us can help our labor be more meaningful. Yes, we want to help our company or our boss be productive, but equally important, we want our work to contribute to the good of humankind or to our community or to our family. I admire those companies that provide the support for their employees to find rich satisfaction in their work, both within the company and outside of it. As well, I applaud those employees and workers who look for ways to contribute to the success of their work…and to the lives of others.
Sometimes, it’s hard to discover good in or from our labor. Although work is called “work” because it is often difficult or stressful, work which is either oppressive or meaningless can keep us and others from being productive and purposeful as God would desire. So, employers have an obligation to provide working environments that assist productivity and purpose…and workers have an obligation to seek to infuse purpose and to reap productivity from their labor. As Christians, we have an obligation to help persons discover meaning in their work and to advocate for those who find themselves oppressed or caught in grinding toil.
May God bless our work together in Christ.
P.S. In regard for these expectations of work and rest, I will be taking renewal leave this summer from June 15 to August 4. Bishop Dorff and my District Superintendents Committee have both approved this leave. I will have another DS and a couple of pastors in the district be available for pastoral care and administrative counsel during my absence.
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Justice For Our Neighbors Project
starts at Pharr UMC
By Rev. Bob Clark
There shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.
(NRSV Exodus 12:49)
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God
(NRSV Leviticus 19:34)
In response to God’s commands concerning our treatment of aliens, Pharr United Methodist Church has begun a project aimed at providing radical hospitality to immigrants and other marginalized persons.
The Open Arms Project, features a monthly community gathering during which numerous community organizations provide free information and services. At the heart of this project is a program of the General Board of Global Ministries begun in 1999 in response to the increasing need for legal services for those wishing to navigate the difficult waters of the U.S. immigration process, Justice For Our Neighbor (JFON).
The Mission of JFON is:
To provide free, high-quality, immigration legal services and a warm welcome to immigrants in our congregations and communities and at the same time encourage cross-cultural community building.*
As a pastor, I have seen firsthand how human lives are impacted by the complexity of immigration. Scarcely a day passes when I do not encounter someone with an immigration story to tell. Three stories in particular led to my personal interest in JFON.
The first of these involved several students enrolled in classes at the church. Desperate to find a means to become legal permanent residents these students fell victim to a conman masquerading as a pastor. He was telling people that he could get them added to the roles of an Indian tribe which would automatically make them U.S. Citizens and all they had to do was pay him between $300–$500. He took in several hundred people before being arrested.
The other two stories both involved widows whose husbands, both U.S. citizens, died before their wives had become citizens. Both of these women came into the country legally, both had filed all the proper documents, and both wished to remain in the U.S. However, since they had been married less than two years they were left with no path to citizenship.
Before beginning The Open Arms Project and JFON the church felt powerless to help our neighbors who were suffering as a result of unjust laws and unscrupulous predators. Now, even though for the majority of people who come to us for help there is no path to citizenship, we are at least able to offer honest high quality legal advice and a compassionate ear.
Recently the Board of directors of the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville voted to become the second JFON site in the Rio Grande Valley. Our vision is to have at least three JFON sites operating in the SWTX conference by the end of next year. With God’s help and with your prayers and contributions we believe that together we can reach this goal.
*Pasted from: http://gbgmumc.org/UMcor/refugees/justiceforourneighbors
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