TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW FEBRUARY 24, 2006

Tennessee Conference Review February 24, 2006

Trained Crisis Responder Course, St. Thomas Hospital, May 9-10, 2006

This event is designed to increase the effectiveness of individuals who have occasion to respond when a natural or manmade disaster occurs. It will be held at Nashville’s St. Thomas Hospital from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9th, and from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10th. Co-Sponsoring the workshop are St. Thomas Hospital and the Tennessee Air National Guard along with the Disaster Response Committee of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. United Methodist clergyman Dr. Ron Lowery has been heavily involved in the planning of the event. The cost will be $10.00 per person.

Most individuals at one time or another have experienced a traumatic event or a critical incident (any event that causes unusually strong emotional reactions that have the potential to interfere with the ability to function normally). Even though the event may be over, strong physical or emotional reactions are present. It is quite normal for persons to experience emotional aftershocks when they have passed through a horrible event.

This course uses the principles of Critical Incident Stress Management to help persons responding to a traumatic event (hurricane, tornado, automobile accident, disastrous fire, airplane crash, earthquake, terrorist attack to name a few possibilities) be effective sources of guidance to individuals who have experienced the traumatic event.

Leadership for the Trained Crisis Responder Course will be provided by Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Woods.




Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Woods




Lieutenant Colonel Woods is an officer in the United States Air Force, assigned as the Commandant of the Academy for Innovative Ministry for the National Guard. He is responsible for developing and maintaining Crisis intervention curriculum and resources for National Guard Personnel so they will have the most current courses and material available to meet the demanding needs of their duties. He is responsible for developing, designing, and instructing curriculum on crisis intervention, suicide intervention, workplace violence, deployment ministry, and family support. He is also responsible for all strategic planning, staffing, administration, scheduling, facility usage, and day-to-day operations of the Academy.

He also serves as the Chief for Crisis Intervention, providing Crisis Intervention policy, guidance, training, and support for over 500,000 personnel assigned to National Guard units in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. He is a certified instructor for six different Critical Incident Stress Management courses, and is responsible for training and mobilizing Critical Incident Stress Teams to provide assistance during times of national crisis. His duties include responding to air crash fatalities, natural disasters, suicides, weapons of mass destruction, and acts of terrorism.

Col. Woods has served in over 26 different countries, including: Antarctica & the South Pole, Albania, Bosnia, Columbia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Italy, Panama and Peru. In 1996, he served as NATO Command Chaplain for Operation Decisive Endeavor in Bosnia, providing crisis intervention throughout Europe and the Balkans. He is a veteran of Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Provide Hope, Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and numerous humanitarian missions. He is a 1997 graduate of Air University, and a 2000 graduate of Air War College.

For information email Dr. Ron Lowery: dograven@aol.com



Randy Williams (left) with friend and mentor Jerry Nail.




Ex-Con Feels Call to Speak to Youth Groups about the Danger of Drugs, Alcohol, and Violence—and the Wonder of God’s Gift of Redemption


Randall Williams has led a hard life and has a passion, a commitment, for sharing his life story with young people. At a recent session with the youth at his church, Christ United Methodist, the youth director was shocked by how attentive the teens were and how willing they were to ask questions. Parents have found in their teens a willingness to discuss things they would never previously discuss—after they heard Randall Williams. If you would like to book Randall Williams to speak to your youth group you can contact him through his friend and mentor, Jerry Nail. Nail is the Chairperson of the Conference Prison Ministry Committee. Nail can be reached at 615-371-1230. If he is not available leave a message and he’ll get back to you.

Randy Williams’ personal story—his testimony—is both frightening and uplifting. The story of his life and his slide into crime is sometimes difficult for him to share—but he is living out a promise he made to God after his prison conversion and subsequent baptism. “If I get out of prison I’m going to speak to every group of youth that will have me.”

His conversion came in the midst of a long prison term when a fellow inmate challenged him, “You’ve spent your life living for Satan, why not give Christ a try?” He had fought against going to church services while he was in prison and up until this time God was of no importance to him. He scarcely knew of Jesus Christ, but the question started him on a pilgrimage during which time he explored scripture, reading the Bible from beginning to end.

He was converted and baptized in 2000. After his re-birth, he helped with monthly communion services sponsored by United Methodist prison ministry, and he ran the prison library. After his conversion he remained in prison almost exactly five years from the time he was baptized. Knowing that Christian community and support are important if a changed life is to remain changed, Williams became a member of Christ United Methodist Church (Nashville district) upon his release from prison.

He admits that there are still people in his local church that are a bit nervous when they see him approaching. His arms are heavily tattooed and word quickly spreads when he is around that Randall was a career criminal. “WAS a career criminal” is the operative phrase because Williams marks his conversion experience in prison six years ago and his subsequent baptism as a time of rebirth.

That is not to say that Williams is not challenged every day. He admits, “I’m right down the street from two liquor stores and liquor was my biggest problem. I drive past them and I feel Satan when I glance over at them . . . but when I got a car I said to Jesus, ‘Take the wheel. Show me where you want to go.’ I know Christ is with me and the feelings for alcohol quickly pass. But, you need to know I’m fighting evil every day.”

“I HAVE changed. I was recently approached by a prostitute. She said she needed $10.00 to feed her family. She offered me sex. There was a time when I wouldn’t have hesitated. I would have put her in the car and headed back to my house. This didn’t cross my mind. Instead I told her, “If you can verify that you have children I’ll go out and buy you some food and give you $10 and take you home. And that’s exactly what I did. I went out and bought her $15 worth of food at Kroger’s and gave her $10 and took her home. But…I didn’t do this until I met her kids . . . then I knew she wasn’t lying to me.”

If you were to ask Williams what his greatest difficulty is since being released from prison he will quickly answer, “Fear.”

After getting out of prison he had contact with two recently released prison friends that he felt had a chance on the outside. One of them had gone to church in prison. Both had a lot going for them but as often happens, the two, who were living close to Williams, picked up with old friends and started using drugs again. The only way to get money for drugs would be to become re-involved in criminal activity. Williams, who is employed and has purchased items for his apartment felt that he could now become a target of persons who knew he had money, a car, and some possessions like a television set—and would not hesitate to take them if it meant having money for drugs. He was in danger of being victimized. “Back when I was a heathen,” Williams notes, “I didn’t have this fear. I didn’t care. I had weapons. If someone came up and got crazy with me, I got crazy right back but now I have no weapons because I’d go back to prison if I did. I had never been put in the position of being a victim. I worried about my property. I worried about the possibility of having to hurt someone who broke into my house to steal money. I lost sleep. It even affected my job a little bit—my boss noticed the change in me.”

“I finally ended up dealing with it when the guys moved to a different area. I thank the Lord that he got those guys away from me. It bothered me something fierce. If I could go back and meet all of my victims, I would sit down and have a long conversation with them about the feelings I put them through. I don’t want ANYONE going through those kinds of feelings, ever. And I’m really sorry, I put them through that. I really am.”

Randall Williams’ Story

Williams had problems with alcohol addiction by the time he was ten years of age. He was also introduced to violence at age ten when he confronted a drunken step-father.

“Bob,” the step-father, beat both his wife and the children in the family, and one time beat his wife so badly that she ended up in the hospital with a broken jaw and numerous serious bruises. Finally, Randall Williams had enough and told “Bob” that if he ever touched him or his brothers, sisters or mom again “I will kill you.” “Bob” just laughed but Williams’ mother knew that if she didn’t take some kind of action her son would indeed kill her husband or be killed himself. Much later the same day after he had been “running the streets” with friends, Williams came home. It was around 11:00 p.m. and the step-father grabbed the ten year old by the hair and threw him out of the house with the admonition, “Don’t come back until you can come home at a decent hour.” The mother became both enraged and protective, grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed the step-father several times, seriously injuring him. The police didn’t take her to jail—instead hinted broadly that she should get rid of her problem (in other words, “Get a divorce”—which she did).

Williams, who was raised in the small town of Wanatte, Oklahoma, was, by age ten, living with his family on the southeast side of Oklahoma City. He became leader of a group of kids that called themselves the Southside Gang.” To support his drinking habit he and other members of the gang would go into stores and steal beer, cigarettes, food, etc. It became increasingly difficult to shoplift items, so before Williams was twelve years of age he and his friends started breaking into homes. Everybody in the gang was using some sort of drugs or alcohol, or involved in the latest fad—sniffing glue.

So much stuff was accumulated from the home break-ins that the gang decided to lay low for awhile—but Williams admits he kept breaking into homes, and getting into fights at school (when he bothered to attend) and on the streets. As a result he was sent to a juvenile home for a few months which managed to make him even wilder and angrier than he was before.

His first experience with religion came one day when he got to an Oklahoma City park and saw a tent—and heard a lot of loud noise coming from inside the tent. Curious, he walked over to the tent and met a man at the entrance. The man handed Williams a pamphlet and asked him if he would like to go on in and hear the word of God. Williams looked at him, “Mister, I’m barefoot, no shirt on with just pants, so give me one good reason why I should go in and hear your God.” The man tried to explain but Williams threw the pamphlet down and walked away. God was not a part of his life then and wouldn’t be for 28 years. “For those 28 years I lived for Satan.”

Half way through his seventeenth year he was sent to prison for breaking into an automobile. To escape sentencing he tried to join the army but the judge wouldn’t allow it—and he was sentenced to two years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The prison was called “Gladiator School” by the inmates because you could not display any sign of weakness while you were there. While in “Gladiator School” he stabbed a bully that has been tormenting him—and wasn’t bothered again.

His drinking, his drug use, and his temper got increasingly worse. He started to carry a 9mm gun. One day he was driving with his girl friend, who was nagging him about something at a red light. Enraged, he pulled his gun, and the girl friend made a dash from the truck. He tried to shoot her but the gun didn’t fire. He couldn’t find anything wrong with the gun so he drove to the home of the guy who had sold it to him. He barreled into the house and cracked Tom, the gun salesman, across the head with the gun. Tom took the gun out back and fired it. Nothing was wrong. Williams was incensed and demanded a new gun—and Tom gave him a .357 Magnum. As he walked out the door he turned to Tom, grinned and said, “Let’s see if this gun works.” He pointed it at him, fired, and shot him through the right shoulder. He looked at Tom and said, “Yep, it works.”

Williams recounts his daily life. “I’ve snatched women’s purses, hit people in the head for their money, rings, necklaces, etc. If I could make a dollar off it, I took it. I’ve been in many auto wrecks over the years, and by rights I should be dead. I’ve overdosed on drugs, alcohol, and sniffed paint until I’d pass out. I’ve got battle scars all over my body from bar fights, prison fights, and fighting on the streets with gangs and police.”

He began dating a woman named Cheryl and lived with her for a year. He asked her to marry him and she said “yes.” Yet, he was still getting in trouble with the law. Cheryl asked him to move with her to Gallatin, Tennessee, where they could live with her parents. “Cheryl thought she could change me . . . but I knew I was too far gone.” By June 1989 the couple was married, and in September she became pregnant with a baby who would turn out to be a daughter. In the midst of this he was arrested and sent to jail for six years on a charge of burglary, but in April of 1990 he was paroled. He was now divorced, still an alcoholic and drug addict. By mid-summer he was back in prison for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assaults, and aggravated burglary.

While in prison he became a trustee and was allowed to work downtown at a state warehouse job. He was still drinking, and shooting morphine, and in August of 1993 he stole a truck and tried an escape to Oklahoma. He was run off the road in Jackson, Tennessee, and hit a van containing a family of four. Fortunately the family was uninjured, but Williams was seriously injured AND had to go back to prison—both to finish out his original sentence and to begin serving time for the escape and theft of the truck.

This time his stay in prison ended differently—Randy Williams shares the story in his own words: “In 1999 during Christmas season at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville, a fellow prisoner, Buster, started telling me about Jesus, and I said, ‘sure, who is this Jesus people keep talking about?’ So he started talking and quoting scripture to me. He told stories about this man Jesus. For five months I went searching, reading the Bible. I even went to a few church services, but I still couldn’t bring myself to think anymore about it. Another month went by, and Buster asked me, ‘Have you thought anymore about Jesus?’ I said no, and he put the question to me. He said, ‘Randy, how long have you lived for Satan?’ I replied, ‘I don’t know.’ We figured it up, and it came to 28 years. He asked, ‘Where has that gotten you?’ I answered, ‘no where.’ ‘So what’s the problem? Why can’t you give Jesus a try?’ I told him I would think about it some more, and I did. In July 2000, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and was baptized in his glorious name.”

Randy Williams was released from prison in 2005. He is dedicated to making certain that young people don’t follow down the pathways that took him to prison. He lives in passion the prayer he made to his Savior, ““If I get out of prison I’m going to speak to every group of youth that will have me.”


Lay Witness Revitalization Has Begun

On Saturday February 4th around 35 lay people met at Ebenezer UMC in New Johnsonville for a Lay Witness Mission team training session. Some came from the Memphis conference and one from Kentucky. About twenty of them were people from Ebenezer church who had experienced the power of the Lay Witness Mission in their own church in April 2005. Now they and others were wanting to be trained to share what Jesus had done in their lives with lay people in other churches on Lay Witness Missions.

Significantly there were six teens there to be trained. The adults were amazed at the boldness of these young people sharing their testimonies, sometimes painful ones, with the whole group. Although the day long session was a training event, people were moved as lay people shared their experiences with Jesus with each other.

The Lay Witness Mission is a weekend event where a team of lay people come to a local church to share their faith experiences with Jesus Christ. There are times of fellowship around meals, general sessions where team members share, small group sessions, home groups, youth and children sessions, men’s and women’s sessions, and sharing in Sunday school classes and Sunday worship. Opportunities are given for the church members to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus Christ. Most churches report an increased desire for prayer ministries and small groups after a Lay Witness Mission.

Many have wrongly thought that Lay Witness Missions died out years ago. The program was discontinued by the General Board of Discipleship, but they entrusted it to one of their affiliates, Aldersgate Renewal Ministries [ARM] in Goodlettsville about two years ago. Since then ARM has been scheduling events all over the country and even has a request to do one among United Methodists in Poland.

This training at Ebenezer UMC was part of a cooperative effort between Aldersgate Renewal Ministries and Bishop Wills and the Tennessee Cabinet to revitalize the Lay Witness Mission [LWM] in the Tennessee Annual Conference. Two LWM’s were held in our conference in 2005. Four are already requested for 2006.

The revitalization plan calls for setting up training sessions like the one at Ebenezer shortly after churches hold missions so that interested people from those churches can become part of a growing pool of witnesses to be sent to other churches. It is an opportunity for more lay people to be in mission outside the four walls of their church. It is an opportunity for Lay Speakers to be used in a new way and more often. Small group training will also be provided so what is gained at the weekend is nurtured, sustained and increased through immediate follow-up in fellowship groups.

To find out more about Lay Witness Missions or to request one at your church you can go to the ARM website, http://www.aldersgaterenewal.org/ or call the office, toll free, at 1-877-857-9372.




Every child a Winner in Upward Basketball Program at Gallatin First United Methodist Church

Senior pastor Randy Brown (right) and Jack Keefe, Director of Children’s Ministries

First United Methodist Church of Gallatin, Cumberland District, has a fine gymnasium. They also have a vision of how the space can best be used both to make a difference in young lives and as a tool for evangelism.

Traditional “little leagues” in sports have been fraught with difficulties over the past few years—sometimes making childhood baseball, soccer and basketball leagues more a battle ground between parents than an opportunity for young players to develop in their love of sports, and to grow emotionally in self-esteem. It is extremely difficult for younger, less physically developed, less athletically inclined children to develop self-esteem in a sports venue where winning is everything and parental “riding” of coaches, referees, and the players themselves seems mandatory.

Players shake hands before the game begins.




First United Methodist, Gallatin, wanted none of the negatives of children’s sports, and fortunately Jack Keefe, Children’s Director at Gallatin First, had come from a community with a church that was one of the estimated 1800 churches taking part in Upward Children’s Sports Ministry nationwide. He was familiar with a program that:

*Divides children into teams so that the teams are more or less equal
*Allows each child—athletically gifted, or athletically challenged—to play the same amount of time.
*Switches around the starting lineup so each child on a team has the opportunity to start some of the games.
*Only allows one on one defense in basketball and no zone defense.
*Stresses learning basic skills—dribbling, passing, shooting
*Doesn’t keep score in a game so there are no winners and losers
*Has a reward system that provides recognition for each youngster. Awards include best offense, best defense, best hustle, best attitude, and most Christ-like.
*Has a season ending banquet in which EVERY young player receives an award.

And “Upward Basketball” is unabashedly faith centered. Each child receives each week of the season a refrigerator magnet containing a bible memory verse. During the one-hour weekly practice period each team is given during the week, the bible verse is discussed and youngsters are encouraged to memorize the verse.

Prayer is an important part of the Upward Basketball program



Devotions and prayer are an important part of practice time, and the referees lead both teams in prayer at center court before each Saturday’s game.

It is obvious that many parents at First United Methodist as well as other churches in the Gallatin community –AND many parents without a church affiliation at all—appreciate the approach. Eighty four children signed up in kindergarten teams (the only teams that are coed), 1st,2nd, and 3rd grade girls, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade boys, 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys. The 4th, 5th and 6th graders play full court while the younger children play half court.

Rev. Randy Brown, senior pastor at Gallatin First, is impressed with the number of volunteers that have signed up to help in the Upward Basketball League. “We have people helping as coaches and referees that haven’t volunteered before for ANYthing.” He is likewise impressed with the evangelism potential of the league. “The League has now been going on for three weeks, and we have four new families that have become part of the church because of it.” Oh, and by the way, Rev. Randy is also known as “Coach Randy.” Brown is one of the volunteer coaches for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade boys.

Pastor Randy Brown and his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Boys Team



Jack Keefe already knows that this first season will be the smallest in the number of players signed up. He has already received major response from parents (many of whom already had children in other leagues when Upward basketball started) asking about NEXT season and leaving phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses so they will not miss the start of the new season.

Possibly the most enjoyable basketball comes in the kindergarten league games. First of all, each team has both boys and girls, and secondly coaching happens on the floor during the game—so the game becomes an ongoing “teaching moment.” Like all games—no matter the age level—coaches and referees work in partnership. There is NO carping at the decisions of the referees, just support for whatever call is made. Likewise, the parents are not allowed to “ride” referees or coaches. Keefe notes that “with our registration process we meet with every family as they come through and make certain they understand that we don’t tolerate anything toward the coaches or the referees.”

Keefe also point out the large number of senior adults in the stands—individuals and couples who are so excited by the Upward Basketball league that they make it a point to show up on Saturday.

The vision statement of “Upward” is EVERY CHILD IS A WINNER. It is refreshing to hear bystanders and coaches applauding a good play NO MATTER who makes it, and being supportive when passes go askew or baskets are missed.

Susan Icenhour New Part-time Clerical Assistant in the Nashville Area Episcopal Office

When you call the Nashville Area Episcopal Office these days, you will likely hear a new voice on the other end! Susan Icenhour began her work in late November, and you see her here at the Christmas Luncheon of the Connectional Ministries Office in December. "We are very pleased to welcome Susan as the new part-time clerical assistant. She is already becoming a valuable asset to our ministry through this office!" says Barbara Garcia, Executive Assistant to the Bishop.

Susan was born in Lynchburg, Virginia and lived there until June of 2005 when they "felt God’s call to move to Nashville for my husband, Chris, to serve as the Accounting Supervisor for The Gideon’s International."

Susan served as part-time youth director at their former church, Centenary UMC in Lynchburg, and volunteered as a teacher for young children in an after school program for disadvantaged children and youth.

"In my free time I enjoy knitting, scrapbooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends," she said.

"When you call or come by, please give Susan a welcome! She is a valuable part of our team!" stated Bishop Wills.

Worship team for “The Connection.” From left to right, Rev. Jeff Streszoff, Rev. Miguel Carpizo, Marshall Norris


A Well Kept Secret
by Jeff Streszoff*

I am aware of the fact that there are “illegal aliens” living here, but it wasn’t until recently that I began to realize that they are people. I would watch the news, or hear the debates on the radio, but it never occurred to me that they were the same as us. I thought of them in terms of an entity rather than individuals. I used to believe that having “illegal aliens” in this country was a real problem. Now, I am not so sure. It was very easy for me to dislike “illegal aliens”, but it is very hard for me to dislike a person.

Back in May 2005, I was introduced to Miguel and Paula Carpizo. Miguel is a Hispanic Local Pastor in the United Methodist Church. The majority of the people Miguel and Paula minister to are here illegally. I had seen them around town and at church, but I really didn’t know who they were. At the time, I was in licensing school to become a local pastor and begin seminary. Miguel and Paula were there to interpret for Carlos Merida, who was also attending licensing school to become a Local Pastor in the United Methodist Church. As I began to get to know them, I realized that we had quite a bit in common. I was drawn to their kindness and love for the Lord and almost immediately desired a friendship. By the end of the week, I felt like I had known them forever. It was also about that time that I found out I was going to be working with Miguel.

Jon Bell, the Senior Pastor at Cookeville FUMC, and Tom Halliburton, the Cookeville District Superintendent at that time, had decided that we were going to begin a bilingual worship service at Cookeville FUMC and that Miguel and I would co-pastor this congregation. We began to pray about it and tried to find a vision for what this ministry might look like.

The week before we began the new service, Jon told the congregation, “If you have any friends that would like to see what a bilingual service is like, invite them to be here next week.” I was leading the contemporary worship that evening and when I stood up I said, “If you have any friends that know what a bilingual service looks like have them give me a call.”

We struggled in the beginning. It seemed that our attempts to make the service bilingual were actually taking away from the worship. At first, Miguel and I would stand up front and interpret everything that was said. We now have headphones and an interpreter in the back who interprets the service simultaneously. In the back of the sanctuary, there is a table with the headphones and a sign that tells the congregation what language the service will be in that week. If Miguel is preaching, the entire service is done in Spanish. When I preach, the entire service is in English. Marshall Norris, our worship leader, leads worship in both Spanish and English. The words are printed in both languages on the screen and a person can sing in what ever language they feel most comfortable. It has taken a while, but I think things are finally running smoothly.

We call the service the Connection because it is our prayer that, through this ministry, people will connect with one another and ultimately through those relationships connect with God. We are very deliberate in taking time during worship to talk with each other. The congregation has become so warm and open that we often have to remind people that it is a time of greeting not a meeting.

Over the last several months, the most wonderful thing happened to me; I had an opportunity to meet some of the most fantastic people I have ever known. I met Cesar and Jessica Rios and their family from Peru. I got to know Victor and Angelina and their son Chris from Mexico. These new friendships have truly been a blessing.

A few months ago, we had a birthday party for my daughter, Madison. I watched as Victor and Cesar held her for pictures and I listened as my friends called each other tío (uncle) Victor and tío Cesar. I was reminded of when I was young and my parents moved away from the rest of the family. I had missed my uncles dearly, and I thought to myself, “These men are more than just friends, they are family. I want them to remain in my daughter’s life so she can look back fondly on the time she spent with her uncles. I don’t want her to have to ask me one day, ‘who is that holding me in this picture?’.”

In Luke chapter 10, an expert of the law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds by telling him the parable of the Good Samaritan. When Jesus is finished with the story, he asks the man, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The experts answer is interesting. He says, “The one who had mercy on him.” The expert’s hatred for the Samaritan was so strong, he couldn’t even bring himself to say his name. Maybe this is why it is easier for us to simply say “illegal aliens” rather than Victor or Cesar.

That is what the Connection is about; getting to know our neighbor’s name, and realizing that we have quite a bit in common. This isn’t evangelism; it is simply reaching out to brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that illegal immigration is a touchy issue right now, and please hear me. I am not making a political statement; I am simply telling everyone my story and what it has meant to be blessed by having an opportunity to be involved in ministry with my Hispanic brothers and sisters here at the Connection in Cookeville, Tennessee.

*Jeff Streszoff is Associate Minister at Cookeville First United Methodist Church


Blakemore Coffee House Evening Features Equal Exchange Coffee and Tea

On Saturday evening, February 11, the Leaven and Light drama group of Blakemore United Methodist Church (Nashville District) sponsored a candle light UMCOR Equal Exchange Coffee House. Packages of Equal Exchange coffee and tea were sold throughout the evening, and Equal Exchange coffee was brewed to give coffee house patrons a sampling of the coffee they were purchasing to take home.

Authentic coffee sacks decorated the table where Equal Exchange coffee and tea were sold



The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Coffee Project is a new way to help people in need while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. Some 20 million people near the equator depend on coffee for their livelihood. In their struggle just to make a simple living, the producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty—but there is an alternative: FAIR TRADE. Fair trade shares the bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the crop, helping them build a better future for themselves and their communities. UMCOR’s partner in this project, Equal Exchange, is a worker-owned fair trade organization committed to paying a fair price with a guaranteed minimum, ensuring farmers a fair return for their labor—and committed to buying directly from the farmers so the benefit of trade go to the farmers and their communities.

Stevie and other youth took advantage of the opportunity to create their own coffee mugs.

Coffee was the theme of the evening at Blakemore and each patron was given an opportunity to select a greenware coffee mug and to decorate it under the guidance of staff persons from Brushfire Pottery, Hillsboro Road in Nashville. Each painted piece was then taken to be fired in a kiln with the promise that they would be delivered back to the happy coffee drinkers in about two weeks.

Music for the evening was provided by church members Jody Lentz, Jim Shadburne, and Bob Tigert III, with additional vocals by Rheatta Petty, Julie Shadburne, Amy Roop, and Kess McClintock. The music “menu” was a blending of old favorites and some pieces written by the performing artists. One Jodie Lentz piece mocked the dire predictions given out endlessly the evening before about the heavy snow due in Nashville—snow that never materialized. The song There Ain’t No Snow In The Donut Hole became one of the hits of the evening.

Three of the musicians who spent the evening entertaining the coffee house crowed. From left to right, Jody Lentz, Jim Shadburne, and Bob Tigert III

To get more information about the UMCOR Coffee Project write to:
Equal Exchange
Attn. UMCOR Coffee Project
50 United Drive
West Bridgewater, MA 02379
Phone: 774-776-7366
Email: interfaith@equalexchange.com

There was no charge for the evening, the entertainment, and the refreshments, but a free-will offering was taken by the Blakemore youth to benefit Heifer, International—an organization helping farmers in poor countries obtain and raise farm animals such as milk cows, goats, and chickens.

The 2nd National Conference on Congregational Health Ministries is coming to Memphis October 8-11, 2006!

The Congregational Health Ministries Second National Conference will be of special interest to Tennessee United Methodists. The event will be held at the St. Columba Episcopal Conference Center in Memphis, Tennessee, from Sunday, Oct. 8 until Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006.

The conference's theme, Empowering Ministries of Health: Transform, Mobilize, Advocate, will be upheld through engaging speakers and breakout sessions to help Annual Conference implement health and healing ministries in local churches.

Conference speakers include:

+Bishop Sally Dyck, resident Bishop of the Minnesota Annual Conference, will speak on "Caring for Clergy."

+Bishop Felton May, retired Bishop, and Dean of Harry R. Kendall Science and Health Mission Center at Philander Smith College, will speak on "Strategies for Motivating Congregations, Leaders, and Pastors." May recently preached at the Tennessee Annual Conference Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration.

+Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, resident Bishop of the Mississippi Annual Conference, will speak on "Belonging to God"

+Rev. Dr. Gary Gunderson, Senior Vice President Health and Welfare Ministries, Methodist Healthcare, will provide a keynote address on "Boundary Leadership."

+Ms. Sheridan B. Smotherman, Congregational Health Ministries, Coordinator Church Health Center, Memphis, TN, will speak on "Assessing the Health Needs of Congregations and the Assets and Graces of the Church."

+Rev. Dr. Scott Morris, MD, Executive Director and Founder Church Health Center, will speak on "Wesley's Ministry Mandate."

For more information about the conference:Contact: Jim F. TruittTel: 253-630-1268Email: jftruitt@comcast.net

TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW FEBRUARY 10, 2006

BE THERE on March 26th by Supporting the ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
by Jason Brock and the Emergency Response Committee, Tennessee Annual Conference

When earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, mudslides, tornados, and wildfires strike in the United States or across the globe, WE ARE THERE. When persons are forced from their homes or countries due to war, WE ARE THERE. When communities need training in sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurial skills, and creating safe water sources, WE ARE THERE. When children and adults are dying of HIV/AIDS or suffering from various diseases, WE ARE THERE. In so many of the world’s most desperate moments and places, WE ARE THERE because of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

BE THERE this March 26th by supporting the ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING (OGHS) by celebrating the ministries of UMCOR in story and by giving an offering to support vital ministries around the world. All during the year, donations and grants fund ongoing projects and emergencies, with 100% of gifts going to directly support them. However, UMCOR depends on part of the OGHS offering to cover administrative costs of the home office. Up to 10% of the OGHS can be used for administrative costs, while the remainder goes to fund smaller emergencies and “filling in the gaps” for those Advance Special Projects that are not fully funded by donations or grants. For example, when Waynesboro, TN, was flooded in 2004, two days after our request, a check for $10,000 arrived for us to be able to provide food, new beds, materials, and other direct service to that community.

While UMCOR does much worldwide in development, healthcare, and food security ministries, 2004 and 2005 have seen an enormous need for their leadership and ministry in disaster response. In 2004 hurricane after hurricane hit the U.S., Caribbean, and Central America. As the year drew to a close hundreds of thousands of lives ended as villages, cities, and a way of life was swept away. In 2005 Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and other hurricanes menaced the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, in several cases hitting those who had not recovered from storms in past years. Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas bore the brunt of the damage, displacement, and loss of life. In the midst of dealing with these disasters at home, Pakistan and Kashmir saw some 80,000 or more perish in an earthquake, many villages still accessible only with the help of mountain climbers.

In order for us to BE THERE, we must provide UMCOR with the support they need to provide leadership, training, communication, and worldwide partnerships. UMCOR has a reputation that they--that WE--are in it for the long haul. Our goal is to BE THERE until communities and lives are restored. We can BE THERE as we support the UMCOR Advance Specials and especially during Lent by supporting the ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING on March 26.

Additional information and free promotional resources can be found at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor and http://www.umcgiving.org

ORDER RESOURCES TODAY at http://www.umcgiving.org or 888-346-3862

Attractive materials are available—many in English, Spanish, or Korean.
Leaflet, combined with an offering envelope. Insert in every bulletin the day of the offering
Mini-poster. Decorate a bulletin board or church schoolroom
Refrigerator magnet. Hand out to the entire congregation, church school, and visitors
Coin Bank. Encourage children to get involved in mission!
DVD—“Be There with UMCOR.” Hear and see vignettes and real-life settings where UMCOR is your heart and hands in the world. On the same menu, “We Change the World,” music and images produced ecumenically
Worship Guide. Suggestions for hymns, litany, and prayers for One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday

Volunteers Needed at Community Care Fellowship

Each day individuals from all walks of life come in contact with each other and the presence of God at Community Care Fellowship. On a typical day you will see homeless and nearly homeless individuals demonstrating incredible courage and strength as they strive to maintain identity and a sense of personal worth while struggling against the effects of poverty and marginalization. You will also see volunteers from all parts of the city interacting, encouraging and caring for members of this community.

CCF could not operate without the many volunteers that come each day to work at the registration desk or in the hygiene room. Volunteers often form bonds with the guests that are rewarding and enriching. Jonathan, a regular volunteer on Tuesday mornings, states, “I consider the staff and many of the guests as members of my family. I look forward to seeing them each week. Most of them are more genuine than the people I deal with during the week. I feel closest to God when I’m volunteering, therefore, I’m the happiest when I’m volunteering. Praise God!”

Front desk volunteers greet the guests and register them for services, receive incoming calls, distribute mail and let guests know when it is their turn for laundry or showers. Volunteers in the hygiene room assist guests with items needed for showers, distribute clothing and first aid items.

Front desk and hygiene volunteers usually work one of two shifts during the day: 9:00 am to noon and 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Most volunteers prefer to work a particular shift on the same day each week, while other individuals prefer to substitute when regular volunteers need to be away. CCF has several shifts that need a volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Rev. Pat Freudenthal at 227-1953.

The Faces of 2006 CCF Volunteers—Won’t you Join Them?

Rev. Donna Parramore, Associate at City Road Chapel UMC, and Rev.Diane Luton Blum, part of a volunteer clergy team getting lunch ready to serve one noon.











Rev. Melisa Derseweh, Charlotte-Fagan UMC, and Rev. Mosae Han, Associate at Nashville Korean UMC. Kitchen teams—lay or clergy—are needed Monday through Friday.










Rachel Parker is a member of Belle Meade UMC and volunteers with the Kindergarten Readiness Program. While Rachel was still in high school, she tutored children in the CCF After School program.










Mary Davis Arnold serves as a volunteer in the Kindergarten Readiness Program.







Shara Parker, West End UMC. There is an ongoing need for persons to operate the Community Care Fellowship registration desk







Betty Vogt, Blakemore UMC, volunteers weekly in the hygiene room.





The Second Chance to Open February 17th—A Must See Catalyst for Discussion on what the Church is all about
by Tom Nankervis with the help of Diane Luton Blum, Ben Alford, and Carla Nankervis

The Second Chance opens in Nashville on February 17th at Regal Hollywood 27, Regal Opry Millss 20, Green Hills 16, and the Carmike Wynnsong 10. It will also open at the Carmike Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin.

This is a film that cries to be seen by church groups and then discussed shortly afterwards—it explores the nature of the church, and a handy leaders guide (with accompanying video clips) is available on-line to facilitate discussion. It also deals with the church’s role in helping to solve societies’ ills—racism and poverty. I’m reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous quote, “Either we will learn to live together as sisters and brothers or we will die together as fools.” Could it be that adult Sunday School classes from traditionally white and traditionally African American churches will want to see and discuss the film TOGETHER? The Second Chance was shot totally in and around Nashville using mainly Nashville actors and technical staff—a “gutsy” credit to the burgeoning film industry in Tennessee.

“The Second Chance is a film about two men – one from a white church in the well-to-do suburbs and one from a black church in the inner-city projects. Although founded by the same man, each church manifests its mission in a very different way. This film authentically tells the story of how the rebellious son of the founder (Michael W. Smith as Ethan Jenkins) and a street-smart pastor (jeff obafemi carr as Jake Sanders) struggle to bridge the gap between their respective churches and cultures. More importantly, at its core, The Second Chance is about being willing to step outside your comfort zone and serve where you are called.” (Synopsis from the film’s website. For an extensive leader’s guide go http://www.thesecondchancemovie.com)

Ethan Jenkins, Jeremiah Jenkins, and Jake Sanders meet for an obvious photo-op during the Second Chance Community Church’s meal service for the poor and homeless.




There is a marvelous moment in the first chapter of the Gospel According to Mark when Jesus . . . new on the scene . . . teaches in a Capernaum synagogue. The congregation is overwhelmed by the content of his teaching, by the relationship he has with God, and finally with the fact that he confronts evil head on in the person of a man afflicted with evil spirits. The people spontaneously ask “What is this?” Or, my translation, “What’s going on here?” It’s the over-riding question in the entire Gospel. I therefore appreciate a soon-to-be released religious feature film that, without saying so, seems to highlight the same question. The Second Chance focuses on what the church is all about and has the nerve, rather than presenting a serious of pious niceties, to ask the church “What is this? What’s REALLY going on here?”

The Second Chance is a ground breaker in religious film history—it doesn’t give a lot of answers and it raises a lot of questions. It takes a strong look at a culture driven to show business religion and mega churches—and at a culture that allows poverty and racism to continue. There is deep faith displayed by the characters in the film but never a faith devoid of uncertainty. Christian folk are trying desperately to maintain and strengthen the church but often in the absence of any vision of what the church is or should be. I’m reminded of Bishop Felton E. May’s sermon at the Tennessee Annual Conference’s Martin Luther King celebration: “The Institutional Church must be born again and both demonstrate and live the proofs of the spirit.”

It is ironic that after six years of planning, agonizing, and attempting to market a film in the secular marketplace about “the church,” and the church’s responsibility to the dispossessed, the production team would film The Second Chance in the same year that Hurricane Katrina uncovered (or should I say “laid bare”) deep poverty in the United States.




Amanda Sanders, Jake’s wife, works with prostitutes and is a stabilizing influence in Jake’s life.


The number of theological themes explored in the film is amazing—stewardship, forgiveness, redemption, loving one’s neighbor as oneself, willingness to sacrifice one’s life on behalf of others . . . but perhaps the one it wrestles with the most is “servanthood.” Christ challenged his followers to become servants, and “aye, there’s the rub.” Can you be a servant if your only commitment is financial? The members of the mega church shown in the film, The Rock, are affluent and are enthusiastic about supporting mission all over the world—but except for “photo op” day now and again are unwilling to roll up their sleeves and provide the much needed volunteers for their sister congregation in the inner city. Even when Ethan is sent into the inner city (as punishment . . . to straighten him out . . . not as a service opportunity) and begins to respond to the needs he sees there, his ministerial cohort Jake sneeringly calls him “Gucci” after the brand of shoes he wears. In the minds of the inner city workers the folks in the suburbs don’t really want to get down and dirty—or get their nice clothes soiled. True to the stereotypical image in which he has been cast Ethan initially tries to solve every problem with money . . . much to the disgust of co-laborers. It is easy to sneer at Ethan’s naivety but by the end of the picture one of the many financial investments he made pays off, so the audience doesn’t have the leisure of being able to assume that financial contributions do not have a place. THAT is another good thing about The Second Chance . . .it challenges assumptions of all kinds.

Words from Tennessee Conference Persons Who Have Seen the Film:

Ben Alford: The Second Chance is the kind of movie you don't see coming out of Hollywood; it's about real people in real settings, dealing with real life situations. I was especially interested in it because David (my son) kept telling me about it. "Dad," he said, I think you ought to see this film. It's about the church, and it focuses on important issues about how we ought to do ministry." So I saw the film, and found it compelling. Here's this mega-church umbilically connected with a powerful and effective inner-city ministry. Sounds like the perfect approach, but the devil's in the details as they say and so, the plot thickens. The characters struggle through some pretty tough situations and they're changed in the process. I found myself entering fully into the story and experiencing occasional bouts of deja vu. I think any person of faith will benefit from seeing this gutsy story and enjoy the experience as well.

Diane Luton Blum: “As a pastor, I have served congregations in the inner city and in affluent suburbs, and with Franklin First, worked to facilitate and deepen their partnership with 61st Ave UMC. The story told by The Second Chance addresses God's call to build genuine bridges between communities (and their leaders) that can remain isolated from one another in a large metropolitan area. The writers created a script that is marked by pathos and humor. Set in familiar Nashville area landscapes and cityscapes, I enjoyed the action and the plot, but more importantly I was inspired to believe that good intentions can lead beyond manipulation, that faith can guide us to just actions, and God can still gift us with community across our diverse cultures and life experience. I hope Tennessee United Methodists will not miss the chance to see The Second Chance. If we attend in great numbers, it will actually strengthen the chances of the movie's release to more audiences/markets this winter and spring.”

Carla Nankervis, Lay person, Blakemore UMC: When I was asked to a viewing of The Second Chance, I went somewhat reluctantly expecting the usual "Churchy" language and themes. Instead I was given a full plate of ideas to digest. In this film, viewers are forced to confront the fact that, as Martin Luther King, Jr. pointed out many years ago the traditional Sunday morning worship hour is the most segregated time of the week. The Second Chance doesn't just deal with racial aspects of segregation, however, it deals with those close relatives of racial discrimination: traditions, attitudes, and economics.

The conclusion of The Second Chance may, at first viewing, appear to give a clear answer for one particular inner city church but, as the viewer considers further, questions are still there for that church and THE CHURCH everywhere. We are prodded to seek and find better answers before a metaphorical wrecking ball destroys more than buildings.

Confirmation Day with Bishop Richard J. Wills, Jr. and the Cabinet, March 25, 2006

Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Nashville will be the site of the 2006 Tennessee Annual Conference Confirmation Day. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon with gathering time set from 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Confirmands from throughout the Tennessee Annual Conference will have an opportunity to meet with Bishop Richard J. Wills, Jr. and participate in a small group discussion with the District Superintendent of his or her District.

The morning-long event not only allows young people involved in the Confirmation process to meet the leaders of Tennessee United Methodism, but through them to gain valuable insights on what the United Methodist Connectional System is all about.

In addition to quality time with the Bishop and District Superintendents there will be exhibits as well as small group presentations by leaders representing all aspects of church life—from United Methodist response to disaster through UMCOR to the evangelistic imperative to reach out to all people. The key question throughout the morning, as small groups move from one experience to another, is “where and how do I fit into this global church as a young person.

Hillcrest UMC is located at 5112 Raymond Lane, Nashville, TN 37211. For further information about the event contact Susan Groseclose at 615-329-1177, sgroseclose@tnumc.org


New resources address church's spiritual leadership need
by Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church's discipleship agency has announced two new initiatives aimed at building spiritual leadership among pastors and within congregations.

The announcement comes as part of a churchwide response to an urgent need identified by the 2004 General Conference, the top legislative body of the denomination. The assembly identified leadership and faith development as critical matters facing the church in the 21st century.

The two new initiatives, designed to help pastors and congregations build those leadership skills, were introduced Jan. 11 at the Board of Discipleship.

"These two companion resources squarely address the most pressing issue of the church today," said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the agency. "Both initiatives are dedicated to creating spiritually formed leaders who want to improve their skills and deepen their congregation's commitment to disciple-making. The impact these resources will make will be felt for years to come."

The L3 Leadership Incubator and the Church Vitality Indicator, more than three years in the making, use a combination of cutting-edge technology and prayerful dialogue to strengthen leaders and reshape disciple-making faith communities, said discipleship agency staff. The L3 stands for "love, learn and lead."



Rev. Vance Ross



"The denomination of United Methodism has a huge elephant in the room, which is the decline and deterioration of local churches and therefore annual conferences," said the Rev. Vance Ross, an agency staff executive. Referring to an adage that holds the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, Ross said the two initiatives are ways the agency "hope(s) to help local churches and therefore annual conference have some forks, knives and spoons and a place setting to begin to eat the elephant."

The Church Vitality Indicator is a subscription-based online assessment and discernment tool to identify and build upon a congregation's strengths. Using results from a 66-question survey and an influence diagraph, the indicator provides an impact report that helps lay and clergy leaders understand the state of their congregation and plan for the future. The online resource provides leaders with analytical tools and offers up to 96 possible focus areas for unlocking a congregation's growth potential, according to agency staff members.

"It is not merely an assessment but a discernment tool that leaders utilize to ... get at truth. What we are looking for is to be able to get at truth as we discern what is going on in a congregation and how to begin to move from decline and deterioration to growth, vitality and health, " Ross said.

Jill Ridenour, a member of the discipleship agency's marketing staff, said the agency took stock of what churches needed in order to grow. Analysis indicated church leaders want help in understanding their church's context and how it can grow.

"The CVI helps people in changing their congregations and helps them to continue to move forward. It is also a way for them to move beyond the church walls and see how the community affects who they are as a church and who they are as a congregation," she said.

The CVI initiative is grounded in three beliefs: that the heart of a congregation is a "community of faith," that congregations are unique and diverse, and that it takes a team to lead a congregation, said Betsey Heavner, the agency's disciplining consultant. Noting that Jesus began with a team of 12 disciples, she said the agency hopes that with the denomination's itinerant system, strong teams will be produced to maintain the church's identity when people leave.

The L3 Leadership Incubator was produced in partnership with local church pastors and denominational leaders after a 2002 pilot project with church leaders in Kentucky, who wanted to be agents of change in their communities and congregations.

The incubator provides opportunities for local church leaders and annual conference leaders to come together and "be part of connection differently than we have understood it over the years," Ross said. More than 40 incubators are currently in place around the United States.

The initiative creates a small-group environment where spiritual leaders and ideas are born, nurtured and developed. Meeting over the course of 18 months, six to 12 leaders focus on their spiritual growth and leadership skills and the development of an Incubator Ministry Action Plan.

"We have had a system that called itself a connection, but we are trying to build places and spaces where there can be relationship that is connected," Ross said.

"These L3 Incubators allow people an opportunity to share in covenant, in cooperation, and with sisters and brothers who are leaders - clergy and lay - God's dreams, God's hope and (the) opportunity to build skills to be spiritual leaders of congregations, not ecclesiastical CEOs," he said. The incubators will help congregations "release people into the world to make disciples and be disciples of Jesus Christ to turn an upside-down world right side up."

The Rev. Craig Miller, director of the Board of Discipleship's center for evangelism through new congregational development, says the L3 Leadership Incubator is more than a product. "It is really the beginning of a movement … designed to bring people together to generate new ideas" and to focus on a specific area or areas of the congregation.

Ross calls the L3 a "back to the future kind of movement" that helps leaders return to Christian conversation and become empowered to lead others to become spiritual leaders. The word "incubator" is widely used in business and education to describe a place where people can find resources, work with one another, hold one another accountable and build an environment where leaders and ideas are nurtured, Miller said. "This is the simple idea underlying the L3 Incubators."

Incubators allow United Methodist pastors and leaders who are living in isolation to come together and talk with one another in an environment of trust, love and accountability, and to develop strategies for personal and congregational ministry, Miller said.

The $250 L3 Incubator kit, developed by Discipleship Resources, contains a DVD with more than 850 slides, 24 songs with lyrics and music, seven video clips, copies of the Incubator Guidebook and an access code to the Incubator Website. In addition, the kit includes a year's subscription to the Church Vitality Indicator Website, the companion resource from the Board of Discipleship.

CVI may be used with or separately from the L3 Leadership Incubator and, like the incubator, does not require any outside facilitator or consultant. CVI subscriptions, available at the Upper Room's online bookstore, range from $49 to $400, depending on congregation size. The bookstore can be found at http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/.

The L3 Leadership Incubator and the Church Vitality Indicator may be ordered at http://www.l3incubator.com/ and http://www.cvindicator.com/. More information is available by contacting Betsey Heavner, project coordinator, toll-free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7295, or by e-mail at bheavner@gbod.org.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.


El Closet Del Niño Dios served over 235 children in need
by Heather Thomas. From the Nolensville Dispatch, Friday, January 27, 2006. Used by permission.

On December 17, 2005 Nolensville First United Methodist Church held its First Annual Closet del Niño Dios or Jesus’ Closet. This outreach was part of a Hispanic Ministry in the making for over a year. The aim was to assist those working in our community that needed help with gifts for their children for Christmas! The first “Jesus Closet” for the Hispanic community served over 235 children in the area.

Lauren Walsh and Arden Sparks, two youth from Nolensville First UMC, with members of the Hispanic congregation who assisted in the "Jesus' Closet" distribution.




Each family could shop for clothes and toys for their children. In addition they all received a stuffed animal, a Bible for their family, information about social services available and love from the Nolensville community. Thanks to our friends at GC Landscaping, those without a Christmas tree were given one free of charge. Two Way market has offered job opportunities. A living room suit was donated as a raffle and Bricks Café provided refreshments. Dollar General set up a toy collection box and donated toys given by our neighbors.




Over 235 children had a much happier Christmas because of El Closet Del Niño Dios



The day was a beautiful outpouring of love to these people. We received so much from our Hispanic friends at the Church of the Nazarene, the Spanish club at Ravenwood High School, local business’ and countless members of our congregation and Ebenezer UMC who came out to give their time and translation skills. It was a beautiful day of sharing God’s love across cultural, language and income lines. Our rainbow coalition has added another color! Thanks to all of those who donated and thanks be to God!

Plans have already started for next year’s event. If you would like to get involved, please contact Heather Thomas at heather.thomas@gsquaredwireless.com .



United Methodist Men's ministry gets new home
by Rich Peck*


The Commission on United Methodist Men will occupy the former Nashville, Tenn., office of the church's finance agency in mid-February. Photo courtesy of the Commission on United Methodist Men


The United Methodist agency responsible for men's ministries will soon have a home of its own for the first time since its creation in 1996.

The Commission on United Methodist Men will move to Music Row, an area populated by the country music industry. Until now, the nine-member staff has occupied crowded rooms in the Kern Building, a structure owned by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. The building also houses offices of the discipleship agency and the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The commission bought a building formerly owned by the Nashville office of the General Council on Finance and Administration. The 4,200-foot structure became available when the finance agency moved to a larger space nearby, where it consolidated its Nashville operations and its main office from Evanston, Ill.

The men's commission received permission to buy the $750,000 building from its 24-member board of directors, GCFA, and the denomination's Connectional Table.

Following the purchase, the commission renovated the bathrooms to make them handicapped accessible and established a large conference room with a movable divider so commission meetings can be held in the one-story building.

The agency also changed the entry door, bought new carpets and made other repairs totaling about $100,000. The agency borrowed $600,000 from the United Methodist Men Foundation, an endowment fund that receives funds for scouting and men's ministries from United Methodist groups and individuals. The balance was paid by commission reserve funds.

The commission expects to move into the building in mid-February.

The agency is also in the process of selecting a new top staff executive. The Rev. Joseph Harris, general secretary since the birth of the agency, resigned last June to become the assistant to the bishop of the Oklahoma Area and director of communications for the Oklahoma Annual (regional) Conference. A search committee, led by Bishop James King of the Louisville (Ky.) Area, expects to nominate a new top executive in the next few months. Bishop William W. Morris, retired, is serving as interim general secretary.

*Peck is communications coordinator for the churchwide Commission on United Methodist Men.


Food Bank Benefit Concert to Highlight Composers with Local Ties

Music by two composers with ties to Nashville will be featured prominently in an early- March concert to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

About 40 area musicians, known as the Second Harvest Symphony, will participate in the event, set for 4 p.m., March 5, at West End United Methodist Church, 2200 West End Ave., Nashville. Admission is free, but the audience is asked to donate money or non-perishable food to Second Harvest Food Bank.




Irving Kane

Among the selections to be performed is Divertimento by the late Irving Kane, who lived in Nashville. A classical and jazz trombonist, Kane was known for his sardonic and outrageous wit, which is often evident in his music. Kane portrayed "Tennessee Trash" on the ad campaign for a cleaner Tennessee.




Timothy Hubler

Another selection, Die Gipfelfanfare by Timothy Hubler, former musical director of the Tennessee Repertory Theater, was composed for the 1992 Salzburg Music Festival Governor's Reception. Hubler's composing credits include A&E Network, National Geographic, and Centennial Symphonettas for the Firestone Centennial Celebrations in Las Vegas and Nashville. Hubler now lives in Salzburg, Austria.

Concerto for Flute and Harp, with soloists Erik Gratton and Licia Jaskunas, will honor the 250th anniversary year of composer W. A. Mozart's birth. The program also includes Pulcinella Suite by Igor Stravinsky. Conductor is Belmont University's Christopher Norton.

The group's annual series of concerts to benefit Second Harvest began in 2000, a result of the efforts of a handful of Nashville professional musicians who were seeking a way to contribute their time and talents to a worthy community cause. Eventually, a large number of area musicians embraced the idea, and continue to devote time and talent to producing each concert.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has been operating in Middle Tennessee since 1978. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive of more than 200 food banks and food distribution centers nationwide, collecting, inspecting and distributing millions of pounds of food annually to soup kitchens, pantries and shelters. In Middle Tennessee, 47 percent of the people Second Harvest serves are children.

Posters, graphics and more information are available from Nancy Jackson, (615) 298-7709, e-mail nanjojac@comcast.net.

Louise Short Thanks Those Who Helped Celebrate her 100th Birthday

Nothing is dearer than having beloved friends rejoice with you. Your many cards with hand written messages brought tears of joy and humility.

I thank all of you for your many ways of rejoicing with me on my 100th birthday.

My love and prayers,
Louise Short

Child of God, Oliver Loftis
? – 2006a
Memorial by Rev. Nancy Neelley
On January 15, I received the news that Oliver had died. Oliver Loftis – the homeless man who befriended me through worship at 61st Avenue UMC – had died after a stroke. During the time I knew Oliver, he was either living in a truck or any other warm/dry place he could manage. In November 2003, Oliver and I happened to sit together in worship when he reached over and put five dollar bills in my hand, saying that he’d had a good day and wanted to give me a gift. I was so deeply touched that I shared the story with others. My friend Debbie Alvarez cautioned me that I’d been given five “talents” and that I better pray about what I was going to do with them. God inspired me to start a fund called “Oliver’s Gift” at Hillcrest and ask others to match his gift of $5. Since then, that $5 has multiplied many times over, providing people around the world with a way to survive and even thrive through Heifer International donations. Oliver was so proud of this legacy that he even added to it when he could.

We never know what goodness dwells in the people we pass by on the side of the road, laying on heating grates or propped on park benches. Oliver’s life was definitely lived on the margins of society and at times his behavior alienated even those closest to him. But I got to see a glimpse of Christ through the gift that he gave and for that I am truly grateful. May God bless his soul.