TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW APRIL 21, 2006
Tennessee Conference Review April 21, 2006
Index to Articles in the April 21 blog edition of THE REVIEW
1. Tennessee pastors respond to second wave of tornadoes. Includes interviews with Cathie Leimenstoll, Randy Brown, and Allen Weller.
2. Gallatin Pastor Randy Brown Deeply Affected by Tornadoes. Brown shares his sadness, the stress, and his feeling that Christ shows up in the midst of our storms.
3. Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana Celebrate entrance into new covenant relationship. April 2nd service brings the two congregations together.
4. Gold Cross Tradition Continues on May 14. An essential offering to benefit benevolent care assistance to approximately one-fourth of the 700 McKendree residents.
5. "From Australia with Love" signed "God". Mike Rayson, an Australian Christian music star did his best to avoid God's call to head to America. Rayson's amazing story.
6. 360 Attend Confirmation Day at Hillcrest United Methodist Church. What questions do you think the kids asked Bishop Richard Wills?
7. Retired optometrist keeps close to God by recycling eyeglasses--Gifts of sight go where needed in other countries. Dr. James McCord, Jr., seated in his motorized wheelchair, testifies: "My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God. . . I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them." Read McCord's inspirational story as reprinted from the pages of THE TENNESSEAN.
8. Program helps interns like 'Captain Planet' make impact. 23 year old Erick Veliz, a native of La Paz, Bolivia and now a resident of Nashville, reflects on two months spent with the 2005 Ethnic Young Adult Internship Program sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington.
9. A Letter of Love and Appreciation from Michael O'Bannon. O'Bannon, pastor of First UMC in Murfreesboro, was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. He was staggered by the outpouring of cards, calls, e-mails, food, flowers, visits, thoughts, and prayers.
Tennessee pastors respond to second wave of tornadoes
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
The Rev. Cathie Leimenstoll rode out April 7's tornado in the basement of her home. When she emerged, she didn't recognize the neighborhood she has lived in for the last 25 years.
Leimenstoll, pastor of Rehoboth United Methodist Church, Gallatin, Tenn., was just blocks away from the deadly tornado that hit middle Tennessee, killing 12 people. Gallatin had the worst damage in a wave of storms that was the second to hit the state in less than a week. Tornadoes were spotted in about 10 Tennessee counties.
"I have lived here a number of years and jog in this neighborhood; I know this place by heart, but I didn't recognize anything," she said, the day after the storm. "It was very eerie, seeing orange Xs on the doors marking where emergency officials had checked for bodies."
Several members of her church sustained significant damage to their homes, but no one was injured, she said. "We are feeling blessed."
The Rev. Allen Weller, pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., was called into action and used his training as a disaster relief chaplain for the first time as tornadoes bore down Friday afternoon.
After the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo., in 1999, Weller said, "God laid it on my heart that we needed to do something in case a disaster struck here." He and 12 other pastors in Hendersonville have been trained to respond in case of an emergency.
When the tornadoes struck, the Hendersonville Police Department called upon the pastors and deployed them around middle Tennessee.
"We offered moral support, gave out information and listened to stories," Weller said. "It felt good to be prepared, and our presence was appreciated."
'A God moment'
The Rev. Randall T. Brown officiated at a wedding in his church, First United Methodist Church of Gallatin, April 8, even though the bride's parents' home was hit the day before by a tornado.
"I managed to weave my way through the damage to get to their home," he said. "The daddy greeted me at the door and said, 'Come on in, we were just about to pray,' and he added, 'This time the pastor isn't going to pray, I am.' He thanked God everyone was OK. That was a God moment for me."
"There was no damage to the church, but a lot of folks lost everything and a lot of folks lost just about everything," Brown said.
No churches were destroyed in the latest round of storms, but many members of United Methodist congregations are without homes, said the Rev. Jason Brock, Tennessee Annual Conference disaster response coordinator. The conference office has sent tarps and trash bags to the Adventist Disaster Response, which is coordinating the collection of donated items for Sumner County.
April 7's storms also ripped through Alabama, Georgia and West Virginia, but no deaths were reported in those areas.
Earlier storms
Deadly storms swept through eight states April 2 and the death toll from those storms has increased to 28, including one member of Christ United Methodist Church, Dyersburg Tenn., and one member of Bradford (Tenn.) United Methodist Church.
United Methodist buildings known to be destroyed or heavily damaged in the April 2 storms in Tennessee include Christ United Methodist Church in Millsfield, Bradford United Methodist Church, and Griffins Chapel church and parsonage in Rutherford.
Tennessee suffered the brunt of the storms, but heavy damage was also reported in Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri. The National Weather Service said Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana were hit when thunderstorms packing tornadoes and hail as big as softballs ripped through the Midwest.
Five Midwestern states were still recovering from a series of about 100 tornadoes that struck in March, killing 11 people in Missouri alone. The United Methodist Committee on Relief contacted the affected annual conferences, offering assistance and emergency funding.
"There is a lot of damage in a lot of places," said the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for UMCOR. He said an emergency grant has already been sent to the Memphis Annual Conference. Hazelwood said Kentucky and Arkansas will most likely receive grants from UMCOR.
Flood buckets will be needed to send to all the affected areas, Hazelwood said.
Cash donations will help in immediate relief and long-term recovery. Donations should be designated for "UMCOR Advance #901670 Domestic Disaster Relief" and mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.
A bishop's presence
Bishop Dick Wills, who leads the United Methodist Church's Memphis and Tennessee conferences, spent April 5 visiting the West Tennessee United Methodist churches and pastors whose congregations suffered death, injury and destruction of property during the April 2 tornadoes. Brownsville District Superintendent Cecil Bellew and Dyersburg District Superintendent Mickey Carpenter accompanied him.
"As we rode around seeing all the destruction caused by the tornadoes, I was deeply moved by the loss of life and suffering of our people in West Tennessee," Bishop Wills said. "I felt such sadness for so many people. It was when we visited United Methodist pastors and laity who had suffered damage that my spirits were lifted.
"In spite of all the losses," he said, "our United Methodist people were talking about rebuilding and the many new things God would be doing in spite of this tragedy. I saw being lived out Romans 8:28, 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.'"
The Rev. Gene Rollins, pastor of Bradford United Methodist Church, still reeling from the loss of five members of the close-knit community, greeted the bishop with a firm handshake.
"The bishop's presence meant a lot to us," Rollins said later. "We think it's just fantastic that he thought enough of us to spend some time here. It's good knowing we're not out here all alone."
Walt Asher of Christ Church also emphasized his appreciation for the bishop's visit. "We learned that we don't have to be a big church to get his attention. He cares about everybody."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Cathy Farmer, director of communications for the Memphis Annual (regional) Conference, contributed to this report.
Gallatin Pastor Randy Brown Deeply Affected by Tornadoes
by Randy Brown*
Rev. Randy Brown requests continuing prayers for the healing process of the people of Gallatin and Sumner County. At least 20 houses connected with the membership of Gallatin First UMC were either damaged or destroyed.
This has been a very emotional few days. Several members have lost their homes but the lives were spared. These ramblings may just be one of the ways I deal with the stress of the situation.
I don't know of any time in my life that I have cried more than I have in these last four days. I have made some observations that I would like to share.
First, the connectional system of the United Methodist Church works. Phone calls, e-mails, etc from churches all across this conference have meant so much to me and Gallatin First that it is beyond words.
Secondly, we are a scarred people, scars are a part of the deal. We are not immune from pain and suffering. Scars lead to healing. Jesus knew about scars. He never said, "Look no scars," he said “See the scars", but again scars lead to healing.
Thirdly, wherever there are storms that is where Jesus shows up!!!! He has always done that. He showed up in the storm with the disciples, and he showed up in the storm with the people of Gallatin last Friday.
I saw him through the relief efforts that took place, I saw him as I went to see a family that was supposed to be with me at a wedding rehearsal at church and instead we were standing in what use to be the front of their house having a family meeting and prayer where the father of the bride said, "Lord, I thank you that we are all okay. I thank you for your presence with us, and I thank you for your goodness and grace.”
Yes, Jesus shows up in the midst of our storms. We did have the wedding on Saturday, and I saw Jesus again as I drove home and saw people from the wedding out in the area helping in the clean up effort.
God is good and so are his people in Gallatin and the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church.
*Brown is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Gallatin, Tennessee.
Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana Celebrate entrance into new covenant relationship
Woodbine United Methodist Church sits in the middle of one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the nation, let alone the city of Nashville or state of Tennessee. Spanish language marquees on businesses and restaurants, including the popular La Hacienda Restaurant, next door neighbor to Woodbine UMC, indicate a large Hispanic population in the area. There are numerous Kurds, Somalians, and Koreans as well in the area historically known as “Flat Rock”, and the area has become a veritable international
cultural center.
Cole and Alejandro Hinajosa picked up guitars to jointly lead the singing of the final hymn.
So it was with great excitement on Sunday, April 2nd that Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana entered into a covenant relationship with both congregations set to share the same historic facility—and reach out in mission to the community. For the past 7-8 years Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana has been meeting at Arlington United Methodist Church. The new alliance with Woodbine clearly places the congregation in the midst of a growing Hispanic population and no end of mission possibilities.
The Woodbine UMC Memorial Building will be the home of Primera Iglesia Methodista Hispana with its offices and classrooms. Members of both congregations have been working side by side to remodel and upgrade that space.
Rev. Alejandro Hinajosa stands at the door of the Memorial Building, new home for Primera Iglesia.
On Sunday mornings both congregations will share the spacious Woodbine sanctuary. The Woodbine congregation will worship at its traditional time, 9:00 a.m., while Primera Iglesia will hold its worship service at 11:00 a.m. Sunday School for both congregations will be at 10:00 a.m. It is hoped that in the future the youth of both congregations can meet together as one United Methodist Youth Fellowship.
The two congregations celebrated Holy Communion together.
The alliance between the two congregations was formally and joyfully acknowledged on April 2nd at 9:30 a.m. with a bilingual Service of Word and Table. Celebrants for the Communion Service were James Cole, pastor of Woodbine UMC, and Alejandro Hinajosa, pastor of Primera Iglesia. They were assisted by Randy Neff, Woodbine’s Lay Leader, and Jose Sanchez, a lay person from Primera Iglesia.
District Superintendent Gary Speich preaches with Spanish translation by Joaquin Garcia.
Preacher for the worship service was Dr. Gary Speich, Nashville District Superintendent, with translation into Spanish by Joaquin Garcia. Speich challenged the two congregations with the imagery of a famous sailing ship, the Cutty Sark, which sits in a London, England, dry dock without sails and unable to put to sea. The Cutty Sark can’t do what it was designed to do. Speich urged the two United Methodist congregations—Woodbine and Primera Iglesia-- to get out of the safety of the dry dock of our existence, and move out in mission to a needy word. The day’s pastoral prayer was given by Rev. Barbara Garcia, Assistant to Bishop Richard Wills.
A small bag of multi-colored jelly beans was passed out by the youth at the Potluck Fiesta. Contained in the bag was the quote from Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” “Mirad cuan bueno y deliscioso es Habitar los hermanos juntos en harmonia!”
Following worship there was a Potluck Fiesta in the Woodbine Fellowship Hall. The food was great – with the good “southern” cooks from Woodbine combined with the wonderful food brought by Primera Iglesia whose members are from several Central and South American countries. It was fortunate that the day was warm and sunny because the Fiesta celebration filled the Fellowship Hall and spilled over to tables set up outside.
The Potluck Fiesta provided rich fellowship—and even richer food.
Golden Cross Tradition Continues on May 14
On Sunday, May 14, two important traditions will continue in many Tennessee Conference churches: mothers will be honored and remembered, and contributions will be accepted for the Golden Cross offering to benefit senior adults living at McKendree Village in Hermitage, Tennessee. The Golden Cross Fund provides benevolent care assistance to approximately one-fourth of the 700 residents at McKendree Village.
“Golden Cross helps senior adults who have outlived their financial resources and have no other means of support,” said Willie McDonald, chairman of the Board of Directors of McKendree Village Foundation. “Donations to Golden Cross mean that people facing the uncertainty and vulnerability of old age can continue to receive compassionate, quality care while living in a secure, Christian environment.”
He added, “Through the years, Golden Cross donations have been a great gift and blessing to thousands of people.”
McKendree Village, founded in 1963, is a United Methodist affiliated continuing care retirement community. Its services include independent living, assisted living, nursing home care and Alzheimer’s care. Because of its Methodist heritage, McKendree Village is equally committed to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of its residents.
“I was recently reminded that John Wesley had a great interest in health, human diseases and cures,” said Lynn Webb, Ph.D., chairman of the McKendree Village Board of Directors and a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church. “Historically and theologically, health and welfare have been concerns and priorities of the United Methodist Church. These concerns and priorities are reflected in the daily work of McKendree Village.”
Helen Sawyer (seated) and Margaret Colby, residents of McKendree Village, were among the many volunteers who assembled packets of information about the May 14 Golden Cross offering for distribution to churches in the Tennessee Conference.
Dignity and security are basic human needs. At McKendree Village, elderly women and men receive the best in residential and healthcare services. In 2005, McKendree Village was able to provide approximately $1.5 million in benevolent care to its residents thanks to donations to Golden Cross and other contributions to the McKendree Village Foundation.
“I contribute to Golden Cross every year for three reasons,” said Annella Creech, a member of West End United Methodist Church. “It is a meaningful way to honor the senior adults who have blessed my life, to be faithful to my Christian belief, and to support this ministry of the Methodist Church.”
“From Australia with Love” signed “God”
Australian Christian music star did his best to avoid God’s call to head to America.
Mike Rayson and his family, wife Amy and children Sam (Samuel), Laura, and Ollie, are relative new comers to middle Tennessee—having moved from Sydney, Australia in 2005. Rayson is a performing Christian artist, songwriter, storyteller, and preacher. How he got to Tennessee is an amazing story reminiscent of the biblical Jonah’s heading out in the opposite direction rather than heed God’s call to go to Nineveh. In Rayson’s case he would have done anything he could to avoid God’s call to go to America.
Rayson’s story begins in the Australian Outback, REALLY in the Outback. The family lived on a farm so he grew up around sheep and cattle and wheat crops—everything he hated because he was NEVER going to be a farmer. He went to tiny schools and when he says “tiny” he means it. One of his schools had 75 students and they ranged from kindergarten through the senior year in high school.
He lived such an isolated existence that when he moved to nearby Wudinna at age 12 or 13 he was unsettled by the traffic in a community of 300 people. He was also unsettled by the fact Wudinna was sports mad and had a special fervor for Australian Rules football. As a boy who was not at all athletic, he found it difficult to attract attention from the opposite sex. His solution was to see if he could attract some attention as a musician. “EVERYONE loves a rock star so that was what I was going to become. I learned to play the flute and discovered rather quickly that that really didn’t work. The flute is NOT an attention getting instrument.” He did find, however, that he had the heart for music and was musically inclined. So he began to study music as part of his school day. He’d arrive at 8:30 a.m., a half hour before everyone else, in order to study. Most of his formal training was done over the telephone on Monday and Friday mornings with a music teacher about 200 kilometers away, a very interesting way to learn music.
At about the same age Mike Rayson felt a call to ministry and felt that the only true ministry would be through the process of ordination and then serving a local church. Over a period of years he would go on to become a pastor in the Uniting Church (which includes the Methodist Church). He served three different churches and worked off and on in the media, but he kept being drawn back into music. “I was very sure that whilst I could do the work of a minister I wasn’t GIFTED to do the work of a minister.” By this time he could not only play the flute but had picked up skills on a dozen different instruments. He had entered full time into a touring ministry—making use of his own unique style of preaching, and music generated out of his faith journey. He was a storyteller—and his music, sometimes through humor and offbeat imagery, provided the perfect medium for the stories he had to tell.
He was married with children, and living in the big city (the first member of his family to live outside of South Australia) when he discovered in a rather unique way how it was that he became connected with the church as a child.
“I was performing at a church in Adelaide over three years ago. It was a Sunday evening service. It wasn’t a big venue—perhaps 150 folk there. I was about to begin and I looked at the back door and this elderly lady came in. The lady was probably in her late 80s or early 90s. I looked at her for a second and I thought, ‘I know this lady. Why do I know her?’ Suddenly it all clicked. She had been my first Sunday school teacher in a little church just out of Wudinna from when I was four years old. She, in the meantime, had retired to the city.
She came up to me later that night and told me that she doesn’t go out at night any more, but when she heard I was coming she HAD to come and tell me a story. What she told me almost made my head roll off on the floor. She said, ‘When you were four years old I went to your mom and I asked if I could take you to Sunday School—to the Kyancutta Methodist Church.’ There were about nine adults at worship on Sunday morning, and I would increase the child population by about 25 percent. My mom said ‘no.’ She went again a second time a couple of weeks later and my mom said ‘no’ again. When she went back again a third time--this is a persistent lady--she asked again and my mom said, ‘Well, OK, but just keep him away from all the Jesus stuff.’
So thus began my journey on the road to faith. She tells me this story and then she adds, ‘You know several weeks after you began coming, I was in prayer one day in this tiny little town. I’ve never really had the experience of God being present quite so tangibly in a room before. As I was praying it was almost as if God arrived and took my attention and said, ‘You know, you need to talk to this kid about me. And there’s a reason—in three decades time I plan for this kid to travel the world and preach Christ and talk about the Gospel.’ She’d never told me this before, and what she didn’t realize or didn’t know was that just that week I’d signed off on my first overseas mission trip ever as an artist. I was coming to the U.S. I would be touring through parts of California and Colorado.”
Mike Rayson’s musical style is as unique as his story. Much of it is based on his own life. He recalls his wife rolling over in bed and announcing the coming of their first child, “Honey, it’s time!” He got so excited racing to pack the car and get set for the trip to the hospital that he forgot to load his wife. He wondered to himself how Joseph of Nazareth must have felt about the birth of his first child—a child he knew to be special—and out of Rayson’s thoughts came the idea for the song Hey Joe, the birth narrative from the perspective of a nervous father.
Reflection on the many years Jesus spent as an older teen and young adult—not covered in the Gospel narrative—caused Rayson to think of Jesus as a tradesman with his own carpentry shop, mixing the imagery of a worker who “repairs” and “fixes” with the carpenter’s role in his own personal spiritual journey, “mending my shattered heart whole . . . in the joinery shop hear him whistle a tune, as he fixes my brokenness there . . .”
It is when Rayson narrates the story of God’s grace in his own life that his music is most powerful.
Mike Rayson’s music expresses the moment of complete joy the thief on the cross must have experienced when he realized, after his verbal contact with Christ, that in the midst of the excruciating pain he was experiencing at the moment, God loved him and had always loved him even though he had given no cause to be loved. As he died, he joyfully wrestled with the implausibility of God’s Grace. Rayson at his best musically in Because You Love (based on Luke 15: 21-22) has the same sense of joy as he sings “you don’t love me ‘cause I’m worthy, I am worthy ‘cause you love.”
Rayson didn’t come gift-wrapped, but he definitely came as a gift to American Methodism. Despite being one of the most in-demand Christian performers and gospel preachers in Australia, a singer with an album high on the charts of Christian music, and possessing a loving family and a great support group of friends and colleagues, he felt God’s call to become a missionary. “I’d had a sense of a call to mission for a long time and I wanted to be somewhere that it made sense to be a missionary. I have a very dear friend in Zambia and that’s where I wanted to go. Or I would have settled if God had sent me to India or Africa or Indonesia or somewhere like that.” It was soon apparent that God had other plans—which included moving to the United States. “As soon as I perceived that America was where God was calling me, I went about the business of telling God that God had lost God’s mind and there was no way even if hell froze over or the Pacific froze over and I could drive over in my car that I was going to move to America. Being an outsider looking in it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking, ‘Well, America is a Christian country. It has it all together, and there is no need for anyone to go there.’”
Finally convinced through prayer that God indeed wanted him to go to the United States, he went through the long and expensive process of applying for a visa, giving away his car and nearly all the family belongings, and beginning the move of Mike Rayson International Ministries to middle Tennessee. He got the visa long before he expected it—an “O” visa which by definition is for “an alien of extraordinary ability in the science and the arts.” He just KNEW he was going to be turned down and would have an “out” with God. It wasn’t to be. “So, we put what we could fit into suitcases—what we were allowed on the plane—and came to America. We didn’t have anywhere to live; we didn’t have any place to go; we didn’t know what was going to happen. We just knew we had been called to come.” It was a step of faith because Rayson only had a few bookings.
Another major hurdle for Rayson was related to his health. He is a juvenile diabetic and requires a number of insulin shots each day. He would be leaving the security of Australia’s socialized medical system and moving to a country where he couldn’t possibly afford the insurance he would need.
For example one of his original exposures to Nashville turned into a nightmare. Arriving by plane in 2004 from Australia he discovered that his suitcase and guitar did not arrive with him, and the folks at baggage claim weren’t a great deal of help. He took a taxi to down town Nashville and checked into a motel. His spare insulin was in the missing suitcase, and he began the process of arranging a flight home because without the insulin he would be a dead man.
In a rather jet-lag induced befuddlement, Rayson decided he needed some fresh air and he broke what he claims should be the 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not go walking in a foreign city in a foreign country after midnight.” He walked for a few blocks and spotted the Ryman Auditorium and while he looked at the “home church of country music,” he was mugged. His assailant took all his money—every dollar he had for the remainder of the trip. All that remained was his passport and laptop—both of which he had left back at the hotel.
In desperation, he began to reflect on Romans 8. “It’s a passage we all read and love, but until something drastic happens to us, we don’t come to grips with the promise at the end, ‘Nothing can separate me from the love of God.’ As I thought about that I felt that neither losing baggage, having no medication, nor being mugged, being beaten and kicked and broken and bruised or anything was going to separate me from the love of God. And suddenly the phrase dropped into my head which became a complete song—one of my favorites to sing anywhere, ‘I’m not loved because I’m worthy, I am worthy because I’m loved.’” Almost miraculously his luggage arrived early the next morning.
Rayson and his family attend Pleasant View United Methodist Church in the Clarksville District. His pastor Ryan Bennett who has heard Rayson preach and perform in several different venues says of him: “Mike is a man of extraordinary ability. Whether he is singing, playing an instrument, teaching, preaching, or leading worship he commands attention from you. You are afraid if you do not pay attention you will miss something. He weaves story and song and the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way that is very effective in drawing people into a deeper understanding of who God is and how much God loves them. Mike is an ordinary man. When you talk with him you realize that. However God has and continues to use him to do extraordinary things for the Kingdom!
The Rayson CD Sometimes Human can be obtained by going to the website http://www.mikerayson.com. The cost is $17.00. For booking Mike Rayson you can phone 931-362-1190 or email him at mike@mikerayson.net
350 Attend Confirmation Day at Hillcrest United Methodist Church
Confirmation Day 2006 was held March 25th at Hillcrest UMC. The Hillcrest staff - Joe Shelton, Nancy Neelley, Mike Worden plus numerous volunteers (including Jamie Powell, Pam Wilson, parents, and confirmation students) not only offered superb hospitality but also led music, provided the sound system, and cared for the multitude of "behind the scenes" details that result in a great connectional experience.
“A bishop with a motorcycle? Cool!” Photo courtesy of Neal Glass.
There were approximately 350 confirmation students and leaders/pastors according to Susan Groseclose, Tennessee Conference Director of Nurture Ministries.
Bishop Wills fielded a number of questions in his conversation with Confirmation Day participants. Photo courtesy of Neal Glass.
The day included singing, conversations with the District Superintendents and with Bishop Wills. Among the questions that the confirmation students asked the bishop were a number related to theology, but also quite a few related to the bishop’s personal life:
How did you become bishop?
Tell us about your children and grandchildren
Who is God?
How was God created?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
What has been your hardest decision as a bishop?
What is stressful about being a bishop?
What do you enjoy most?
Tell us about your motorcycle
What is heaven like?
Confirmation Day concluded with service of Holy Communion lead by Bishop Wills.
Faith in Action
“My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God. . . . I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them.” Dr. James McCord, Jr.
Retired optometrist keeps close to God by recycling eyeglasses
Gifts of sight go where needed in other countries
By Sylvia Slaughter, Staff Writer
From the Faith & Values section of The Tennessean, Saturday, March 25, 2006. Reprinted with permission of The Tennessean, March 25, 2006.
Lebanon – Dr. James McCord, Jr. doesn’t just believe in miracles. He relies on them in his mission work.
He experienced his first mission miracle 21 years ago, standing in the middle of the Panamanian jungle at 6:30 in the morning. The crowing roosters had awakened him, and the women from the village had fed him fried tortillas and watermelon juice for breakfast.
He looked out at the long line of men, women and children waiting to have their eyes examined by him. McCord planned to work as quickly as he could to accommodate them.
He doesn’t remember his first patient on that first morning of mission work, but he will never forget his second. “I knew then that God had placed me in my niche,” he says. “A barefoot older woman made me realize it.”
The woman had walked for days and waited for hours to see the optometrist, who she hoped could give her the gift of sight.
Through an interpreter McCord learned that the woman had a daughter she wasn’t able to teach to sew because the mother could no longer see to thread the needle. The mother knew that no man would marry a woman who couldn’t sew. The mother was waiting for the Senor Doctor to answer her prayer by curing her eyes with glasses.
With his hand lenses and an E chart, Senor Doctor McCord determined her vision with his primitive tools, and then fitted her with a pair of glasses.
McCord’s wife, Helen, who was along on the mission, handed the woman a needle and thread.
“She threaded the needle her first try,” McCord recalls. “She could see to thread the needle. …she was crying, I was crying, Helen was crying, the interpreter was crying. …Through our tears, we had just seen a miracle.
“Of course, her ‘miracle’ was from God, I was just the one He asked to implement it. …I traveled 2,000 miles to give the woman the miracle of threading the needle, and I’ve never forgotten how close I felt to her and to my God.”
McCord has seen thousands of miracles since that first one, when he donated two weeks of his life to the comfort of others.
He has traveled to other countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, time and again. He is ready to make another mission trip but he can’t this year because he is recovering from two heart attacks and from the amputation of his right leg, a complication from diabetes.
Though McCord must stay stateside until he can walk and balance himself with his prosthetic leg, he keeps his Central American friends in mind.
He gathers glasses for other optometrists to distribute in countries where they are needed. He mends the glasses if they need to be mended, then he logs the prescriptions and bags and tags the secondhand eye wear.
Dr. James McCord, Jr., flanked with boxes of glasses destined for the mission field.
He doesn’t know how many pairs of glasses he has readied for the missions, but he figures the number is well into the thousands.
“My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God,” he says. “I’m retired now. …I intend to help others ‘thread the needle’ as long as God wants me to. I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them. …I miss the people contact, but I’m happy to the core in my little shop getting a suitcase of glasses ready for the next missionaries.”
McCord determines the prescription for each pair of glasses received, labels the glasses, and then stores them in readiness for the next mission trip.
HOW TO HELP. Any person or organization who wants to donate eyeglasses for recycling in James McCord ’s project many send the glasses to him at 412 Castlewood Lane, Lebanon, Tennessee 3708 7.
There is a special need for children’s glasses. McCord also needs old suitcases optometrists can carry the glasses in until they arrive at the mission site.
For more information, call McCord at 444-9371.
Program helps interns like 'Captain Planet' make impact
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Erick Veliz - sometimes known as Captain Planet - doesn't look like a superhero at first glance.
Talk to him for a while and you begin to believe he probably could save the world if given a little more time. After all, he's only 23.
Veliz, a native of La Paz, Bolivia, is working for the Tennessee Fair Housing Council. In his spare time, he is helping establish English as a Second Language classes at his local church, the United Methodist (Nashville) Hispanic Fellowship; working for Amnesty International USA; and looking for any opportunity to advance his three top priorities: working for the rights of indigenous people, promoting equal rights for women and stopping torture.
His passion for human rights grew stronger and more focused after he spent two months in the 2005 Ethnic Young Adult internship program sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington.
March deadline each year
The internship has been sponsored by the board for the last 20 years and has at least 200 participants who either now lead the church in some capacity or influence society in their vocations, says the Rev. Neal Christie, a board executive. The program is open to young adults ages 18-22 representing the five ethnic caucuses of the United Methodist Church - Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander. Interns live together and are assigned to work in organizations addressing social justice concerns. The work is supplemented by evening intern-led devotions, Friday seminars on topics of timely social justice concern, area field trips and Sunday worship in area United Methodist churches.
"Most internships in D.C. are very European-American. You can see that just by looking out the window of 100 Maryland Ave.," Christie says, referring to the address of the United Methodist Building at Capitol Hill. "To my knowledge, this is one internship that in its own small way has had a lasting impact on an intentionally multi-racial group of young people gathered from across the country to work not just on mercy but to do advocacy with the Hill and the United Methodist Building at the center."
Details on the internship are available by contacting Christie at nchristie@umc-gbcs.org or (202) 488-5611.
Captain Planet
Veliz already had experience working for human rights and social justice when he became one of 13 young adults in the 2005 program. There he earned his nickname, Captain Planet.
Erick Veliz, a 2005 intern, participates in a forum on sustainable agriculture. A UMNS photo by Vince Isner
"Everyone was interested and they became more active once they were in the program," he says of the other interns, "but I was already passionate about it."
While a senior in college, Veliz took time out to work and stay with farm workers in Immokalee, Fla., where they labored in the scorching sun picking tomatoes for $3 an hour. Then he traveled with their union leader to Washington to persuade members of Congress to improve the farmers' conditions.
In 2004, the United Methodist Church joined in a boycott of Taco Bell. The boycott had originated three years earlier because the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers and others believed the restaurant chain was not addressing issues of alleged worker exploitation by its tomato suppliers. The boycott ended in 2005 with an agreement between the coalition and Taco Bell.
The United Methodist Church's stand on human rights is one of the reasons Veliz became a member and loves the church.
"I don't just want to talk about human rights, I don't just want to complain, I want to do something," says Veliz who grew up as a Catholic in Bolivia. "I saw that the United Methodist Church was very active in promoting justice and did it with a true love and interest for people."
Veliz says he feels fulfilled by the work he is doing with the Fair Housing Council. The council works to enforce the Fair Housing Act, passed after the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He handles complaints from the community and trains volunteers.
"I am working on a fair housing academy, which will be workshops to help professionals that work with minorities, people with disabilities, women and others about fair housing violations," he says.
"I feel fulfilled working in communities; I don't want to be a policy nerd who just sits at a computer constantly tracking policies."
The greatest thing
Before attending the internship program at the board, Veliz says he wasn't sure many other Christians were as passionate as he was about human rights and social justice.
"I know so many people who went on mission trips to Brazil or Mexico and forgot that they were real people; it was like going to a museum," he says. "They come back with pictures of themselves with little Brazilian kids, hugging a Venezuelan girl and say, 'Look at how compassionate I am,' but as soon as they are back home, they are buying $100 bags that were probably made by those same children.
"Working at the Board of Church and Society gave me a lot of hope," he says.
When asked about his long-term goals, he pauses to think. "The greatest thing would be to work within communities of faith and provide that link to human rights.
"The empowerment that I was given by the Board of Church and Society was to see the worth, the possibilities and the options that we can do as groups of faith," he says. "They talk about human rights and quote Jesus Christ at the same time. As Christians, we should all do that."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
A Letter of Love and Appreciation from Michael O’Bannon
To my dear friends in the Annual Conference:
Dee and I are simply overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and concern we have received as a result of my recent diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. The cancer was malignant, but the surgeon feels as though he got it all. The lymph nodes were clear as were the margins around the affected area. I had at first intended to write everyone a personal note for each kind expression of concern, but the number is staggering--and continues to grow. Thank you so much for your cards, calls, e-mails, food, flowers, visits, thoughts and especially your prayers through this time of trial. From the very beginning, Dee and Amy and I have felt the result of your compassion and prayer; and we stand as a testimony to God's presence as well as God's healing and calming touch. I am now back at the office and able to handle a full workload each day. Indeed, God is good!
With my deep appreciation for all you mean to me, Michael O'Bannon
Index to Articles in the April 21 blog edition of THE REVIEW
1. Tennessee pastors respond to second wave of tornadoes. Includes interviews with Cathie Leimenstoll, Randy Brown, and Allen Weller.
2. Gallatin Pastor Randy Brown Deeply Affected by Tornadoes. Brown shares his sadness, the stress, and his feeling that Christ shows up in the midst of our storms.
3. Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana Celebrate entrance into new covenant relationship. April 2nd service brings the two congregations together.
4. Gold Cross Tradition Continues on May 14. An essential offering to benefit benevolent care assistance to approximately one-fourth of the 700 McKendree residents.
5. "From Australia with Love" signed "God". Mike Rayson, an Australian Christian music star did his best to avoid God's call to head to America. Rayson's amazing story.
6. 360 Attend Confirmation Day at Hillcrest United Methodist Church. What questions do you think the kids asked Bishop Richard Wills?
7. Retired optometrist keeps close to God by recycling eyeglasses--Gifts of sight go where needed in other countries. Dr. James McCord, Jr., seated in his motorized wheelchair, testifies: "My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God. . . I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them." Read McCord's inspirational story as reprinted from the pages of THE TENNESSEAN.
8. Program helps interns like 'Captain Planet' make impact. 23 year old Erick Veliz, a native of La Paz, Bolivia and now a resident of Nashville, reflects on two months spent with the 2005 Ethnic Young Adult Internship Program sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington.
9. A Letter of Love and Appreciation from Michael O'Bannon. O'Bannon, pastor of First UMC in Murfreesboro, was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. He was staggered by the outpouring of cards, calls, e-mails, food, flowers, visits, thoughts, and prayers.
Tennessee pastors respond to second wave of tornadoes
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
The Rev. Cathie Leimenstoll rode out April 7's tornado in the basement of her home. When she emerged, she didn't recognize the neighborhood she has lived in for the last 25 years.
Leimenstoll, pastor of Rehoboth United Methodist Church, Gallatin, Tenn., was just blocks away from the deadly tornado that hit middle Tennessee, killing 12 people. Gallatin had the worst damage in a wave of storms that was the second to hit the state in less than a week. Tornadoes were spotted in about 10 Tennessee counties.
"I have lived here a number of years and jog in this neighborhood; I know this place by heart, but I didn't recognize anything," she said, the day after the storm. "It was very eerie, seeing orange Xs on the doors marking where emergency officials had checked for bodies."
Several members of her church sustained significant damage to their homes, but no one was injured, she said. "We are feeling blessed."
The Rev. Allen Weller, pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., was called into action and used his training as a disaster relief chaplain for the first time as tornadoes bore down Friday afternoon.
After the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo., in 1999, Weller said, "God laid it on my heart that we needed to do something in case a disaster struck here." He and 12 other pastors in Hendersonville have been trained to respond in case of an emergency.
When the tornadoes struck, the Hendersonville Police Department called upon the pastors and deployed them around middle Tennessee.
"We offered moral support, gave out information and listened to stories," Weller said. "It felt good to be prepared, and our presence was appreciated."
'A God moment'
The Rev. Randall T. Brown officiated at a wedding in his church, First United Methodist Church of Gallatin, April 8, even though the bride's parents' home was hit the day before by a tornado.
"I managed to weave my way through the damage to get to their home," he said. "The daddy greeted me at the door and said, 'Come on in, we were just about to pray,' and he added, 'This time the pastor isn't going to pray, I am.' He thanked God everyone was OK. That was a God moment for me."
"There was no damage to the church, but a lot of folks lost everything and a lot of folks lost just about everything," Brown said.
No churches were destroyed in the latest round of storms, but many members of United Methodist congregations are without homes, said the Rev. Jason Brock, Tennessee Annual Conference disaster response coordinator. The conference office has sent tarps and trash bags to the Adventist Disaster Response, which is coordinating the collection of donated items for Sumner County.
April 7's storms also ripped through Alabama, Georgia and West Virginia, but no deaths were reported in those areas.
Earlier storms
Deadly storms swept through eight states April 2 and the death toll from those storms has increased to 28, including one member of Christ United Methodist Church, Dyersburg Tenn., and one member of Bradford (Tenn.) United Methodist Church.
United Methodist buildings known to be destroyed or heavily damaged in the April 2 storms in Tennessee include Christ United Methodist Church in Millsfield, Bradford United Methodist Church, and Griffins Chapel church and parsonage in Rutherford.
Tennessee suffered the brunt of the storms, but heavy damage was also reported in Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri. The National Weather Service said Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana were hit when thunderstorms packing tornadoes and hail as big as softballs ripped through the Midwest.
Five Midwestern states were still recovering from a series of about 100 tornadoes that struck in March, killing 11 people in Missouri alone. The United Methodist Committee on Relief contacted the affected annual conferences, offering assistance and emergency funding.
"There is a lot of damage in a lot of places," said the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for UMCOR. He said an emergency grant has already been sent to the Memphis Annual Conference. Hazelwood said Kentucky and Arkansas will most likely receive grants from UMCOR.
Flood buckets will be needed to send to all the affected areas, Hazelwood said.
Cash donations will help in immediate relief and long-term recovery. Donations should be designated for "UMCOR Advance #901670 Domestic Disaster Relief" and mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.
A bishop's presence
Bishop Dick Wills, who leads the United Methodist Church's Memphis and Tennessee conferences, spent April 5 visiting the West Tennessee United Methodist churches and pastors whose congregations suffered death, injury and destruction of property during the April 2 tornadoes. Brownsville District Superintendent Cecil Bellew and Dyersburg District Superintendent Mickey Carpenter accompanied him.
"As we rode around seeing all the destruction caused by the tornadoes, I was deeply moved by the loss of life and suffering of our people in West Tennessee," Bishop Wills said. "I felt such sadness for so many people. It was when we visited United Methodist pastors and laity who had suffered damage that my spirits were lifted.
"In spite of all the losses," he said, "our United Methodist people were talking about rebuilding and the many new things God would be doing in spite of this tragedy. I saw being lived out Romans 8:28, 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.'"
The Rev. Gene Rollins, pastor of Bradford United Methodist Church, still reeling from the loss of five members of the close-knit community, greeted the bishop with a firm handshake.
"The bishop's presence meant a lot to us," Rollins said later. "We think it's just fantastic that he thought enough of us to spend some time here. It's good knowing we're not out here all alone."
Walt Asher of Christ Church also emphasized his appreciation for the bishop's visit. "We learned that we don't have to be a big church to get his attention. He cares about everybody."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Cathy Farmer, director of communications for the Memphis Annual (regional) Conference, contributed to this report.
Gallatin Pastor Randy Brown Deeply Affected by Tornadoes
by Randy Brown*
Rev. Randy Brown requests continuing prayers for the healing process of the people of Gallatin and Sumner County. At least 20 houses connected with the membership of Gallatin First UMC were either damaged or destroyed.
This has been a very emotional few days. Several members have lost their homes but the lives were spared. These ramblings may just be one of the ways I deal with the stress of the situation.
I don't know of any time in my life that I have cried more than I have in these last four days. I have made some observations that I would like to share.
First, the connectional system of the United Methodist Church works. Phone calls, e-mails, etc from churches all across this conference have meant so much to me and Gallatin First that it is beyond words.
Secondly, we are a scarred people, scars are a part of the deal. We are not immune from pain and suffering. Scars lead to healing. Jesus knew about scars. He never said, "Look no scars," he said “See the scars", but again scars lead to healing.
Thirdly, wherever there are storms that is where Jesus shows up!!!! He has always done that. He showed up in the storm with the disciples, and he showed up in the storm with the people of Gallatin last Friday.
I saw him through the relief efforts that took place, I saw him as I went to see a family that was supposed to be with me at a wedding rehearsal at church and instead we were standing in what use to be the front of their house having a family meeting and prayer where the father of the bride said, "Lord, I thank you that we are all okay. I thank you for your presence with us, and I thank you for your goodness and grace.”
Yes, Jesus shows up in the midst of our storms. We did have the wedding on Saturday, and I saw Jesus again as I drove home and saw people from the wedding out in the area helping in the clean up effort.
God is good and so are his people in Gallatin and the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church.
*Brown is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Gallatin, Tennessee.
Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana Celebrate entrance into new covenant relationship
Woodbine United Methodist Church sits in the middle of one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the nation, let alone the city of Nashville or state of Tennessee. Spanish language marquees on businesses and restaurants, including the popular La Hacienda Restaurant, next door neighbor to Woodbine UMC, indicate a large Hispanic population in the area. There are numerous Kurds, Somalians, and Koreans as well in the area historically known as “Flat Rock”, and the area has become a veritable international
cultural center.
Cole and Alejandro Hinajosa picked up guitars to jointly lead the singing of the final hymn.
So it was with great excitement on Sunday, April 2nd that Woodbine United Methodist Church and Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana entered into a covenant relationship with both congregations set to share the same historic facility—and reach out in mission to the community. For the past 7-8 years Primera Iglesia Metodista Hispana has been meeting at Arlington United Methodist Church. The new alliance with Woodbine clearly places the congregation in the midst of a growing Hispanic population and no end of mission possibilities.
The Woodbine UMC Memorial Building will be the home of Primera Iglesia Methodista Hispana with its offices and classrooms. Members of both congregations have been working side by side to remodel and upgrade that space.
Rev. Alejandro Hinajosa stands at the door of the Memorial Building, new home for Primera Iglesia.
On Sunday mornings both congregations will share the spacious Woodbine sanctuary. The Woodbine congregation will worship at its traditional time, 9:00 a.m., while Primera Iglesia will hold its worship service at 11:00 a.m. Sunday School for both congregations will be at 10:00 a.m. It is hoped that in the future the youth of both congregations can meet together as one United Methodist Youth Fellowship.
The two congregations celebrated Holy Communion together.
The alliance between the two congregations was formally and joyfully acknowledged on April 2nd at 9:30 a.m. with a bilingual Service of Word and Table. Celebrants for the Communion Service were James Cole, pastor of Woodbine UMC, and Alejandro Hinajosa, pastor of Primera Iglesia. They were assisted by Randy Neff, Woodbine’s Lay Leader, and Jose Sanchez, a lay person from Primera Iglesia.
District Superintendent Gary Speich preaches with Spanish translation by Joaquin Garcia.
Preacher for the worship service was Dr. Gary Speich, Nashville District Superintendent, with translation into Spanish by Joaquin Garcia. Speich challenged the two congregations with the imagery of a famous sailing ship, the Cutty Sark, which sits in a London, England, dry dock without sails and unable to put to sea. The Cutty Sark can’t do what it was designed to do. Speich urged the two United Methodist congregations—Woodbine and Primera Iglesia-- to get out of the safety of the dry dock of our existence, and move out in mission to a needy word. The day’s pastoral prayer was given by Rev. Barbara Garcia, Assistant to Bishop Richard Wills.
A small bag of multi-colored jelly beans was passed out by the youth at the Potluck Fiesta. Contained in the bag was the quote from Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” “Mirad cuan bueno y deliscioso es Habitar los hermanos juntos en harmonia!”
Following worship there was a Potluck Fiesta in the Woodbine Fellowship Hall. The food was great – with the good “southern” cooks from Woodbine combined with the wonderful food brought by Primera Iglesia whose members are from several Central and South American countries. It was fortunate that the day was warm and sunny because the Fiesta celebration filled the Fellowship Hall and spilled over to tables set up outside.
The Potluck Fiesta provided rich fellowship—and even richer food.
Golden Cross Tradition Continues on May 14
On Sunday, May 14, two important traditions will continue in many Tennessee Conference churches: mothers will be honored and remembered, and contributions will be accepted for the Golden Cross offering to benefit senior adults living at McKendree Village in Hermitage, Tennessee. The Golden Cross Fund provides benevolent care assistance to approximately one-fourth of the 700 residents at McKendree Village.
“Golden Cross helps senior adults who have outlived their financial resources and have no other means of support,” said Willie McDonald, chairman of the Board of Directors of McKendree Village Foundation. “Donations to Golden Cross mean that people facing the uncertainty and vulnerability of old age can continue to receive compassionate, quality care while living in a secure, Christian environment.”
He added, “Through the years, Golden Cross donations have been a great gift and blessing to thousands of people.”
McKendree Village, founded in 1963, is a United Methodist affiliated continuing care retirement community. Its services include independent living, assisted living, nursing home care and Alzheimer’s care. Because of its Methodist heritage, McKendree Village is equally committed to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of its residents.
“I was recently reminded that John Wesley had a great interest in health, human diseases and cures,” said Lynn Webb, Ph.D., chairman of the McKendree Village Board of Directors and a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church. “Historically and theologically, health and welfare have been concerns and priorities of the United Methodist Church. These concerns and priorities are reflected in the daily work of McKendree Village.”
Helen Sawyer (seated) and Margaret Colby, residents of McKendree Village, were among the many volunteers who assembled packets of information about the May 14 Golden Cross offering for distribution to churches in the Tennessee Conference.
Dignity and security are basic human needs. At McKendree Village, elderly women and men receive the best in residential and healthcare services. In 2005, McKendree Village was able to provide approximately $1.5 million in benevolent care to its residents thanks to donations to Golden Cross and other contributions to the McKendree Village Foundation.
“I contribute to Golden Cross every year for three reasons,” said Annella Creech, a member of West End United Methodist Church. “It is a meaningful way to honor the senior adults who have blessed my life, to be faithful to my Christian belief, and to support this ministry of the Methodist Church.”
“From Australia with Love” signed “God”
Australian Christian music star did his best to avoid God’s call to head to America.
Mike Rayson and his family, wife Amy and children Sam (Samuel), Laura, and Ollie, are relative new comers to middle Tennessee—having moved from Sydney, Australia in 2005. Rayson is a performing Christian artist, songwriter, storyteller, and preacher. How he got to Tennessee is an amazing story reminiscent of the biblical Jonah’s heading out in the opposite direction rather than heed God’s call to go to Nineveh. In Rayson’s case he would have done anything he could to avoid God’s call to go to America.
Rayson’s story begins in the Australian Outback, REALLY in the Outback. The family lived on a farm so he grew up around sheep and cattle and wheat crops—everything he hated because he was NEVER going to be a farmer. He went to tiny schools and when he says “tiny” he means it. One of his schools had 75 students and they ranged from kindergarten through the senior year in high school.
He lived such an isolated existence that when he moved to nearby Wudinna at age 12 or 13 he was unsettled by the traffic in a community of 300 people. He was also unsettled by the fact Wudinna was sports mad and had a special fervor for Australian Rules football. As a boy who was not at all athletic, he found it difficult to attract attention from the opposite sex. His solution was to see if he could attract some attention as a musician. “EVERYONE loves a rock star so that was what I was going to become. I learned to play the flute and discovered rather quickly that that really didn’t work. The flute is NOT an attention getting instrument.” He did find, however, that he had the heart for music and was musically inclined. So he began to study music as part of his school day. He’d arrive at 8:30 a.m., a half hour before everyone else, in order to study. Most of his formal training was done over the telephone on Monday and Friday mornings with a music teacher about 200 kilometers away, a very interesting way to learn music.
At about the same age Mike Rayson felt a call to ministry and felt that the only true ministry would be through the process of ordination and then serving a local church. Over a period of years he would go on to become a pastor in the Uniting Church (which includes the Methodist Church). He served three different churches and worked off and on in the media, but he kept being drawn back into music. “I was very sure that whilst I could do the work of a minister I wasn’t GIFTED to do the work of a minister.” By this time he could not only play the flute but had picked up skills on a dozen different instruments. He had entered full time into a touring ministry—making use of his own unique style of preaching, and music generated out of his faith journey. He was a storyteller—and his music, sometimes through humor and offbeat imagery, provided the perfect medium for the stories he had to tell.
He was married with children, and living in the big city (the first member of his family to live outside of South Australia) when he discovered in a rather unique way how it was that he became connected with the church as a child.
“I was performing at a church in Adelaide over three years ago. It was a Sunday evening service. It wasn’t a big venue—perhaps 150 folk there. I was about to begin and I looked at the back door and this elderly lady came in. The lady was probably in her late 80s or early 90s. I looked at her for a second and I thought, ‘I know this lady. Why do I know her?’ Suddenly it all clicked. She had been my first Sunday school teacher in a little church just out of Wudinna from when I was four years old. She, in the meantime, had retired to the city.
She came up to me later that night and told me that she doesn’t go out at night any more, but when she heard I was coming she HAD to come and tell me a story. What she told me almost made my head roll off on the floor. She said, ‘When you were four years old I went to your mom and I asked if I could take you to Sunday School—to the Kyancutta Methodist Church.’ There were about nine adults at worship on Sunday morning, and I would increase the child population by about 25 percent. My mom said ‘no.’ She went again a second time a couple of weeks later and my mom said ‘no’ again. When she went back again a third time--this is a persistent lady--she asked again and my mom said, ‘Well, OK, but just keep him away from all the Jesus stuff.’
So thus began my journey on the road to faith. She tells me this story and then she adds, ‘You know several weeks after you began coming, I was in prayer one day in this tiny little town. I’ve never really had the experience of God being present quite so tangibly in a room before. As I was praying it was almost as if God arrived and took my attention and said, ‘You know, you need to talk to this kid about me. And there’s a reason—in three decades time I plan for this kid to travel the world and preach Christ and talk about the Gospel.’ She’d never told me this before, and what she didn’t realize or didn’t know was that just that week I’d signed off on my first overseas mission trip ever as an artist. I was coming to the U.S. I would be touring through parts of California and Colorado.”
Mike Rayson’s musical style is as unique as his story. Much of it is based on his own life. He recalls his wife rolling over in bed and announcing the coming of their first child, “Honey, it’s time!” He got so excited racing to pack the car and get set for the trip to the hospital that he forgot to load his wife. He wondered to himself how Joseph of Nazareth must have felt about the birth of his first child—a child he knew to be special—and out of Rayson’s thoughts came the idea for the song Hey Joe, the birth narrative from the perspective of a nervous father.
Reflection on the many years Jesus spent as an older teen and young adult—not covered in the Gospel narrative—caused Rayson to think of Jesus as a tradesman with his own carpentry shop, mixing the imagery of a worker who “repairs” and “fixes” with the carpenter’s role in his own personal spiritual journey, “mending my shattered heart whole . . . in the joinery shop hear him whistle a tune, as he fixes my brokenness there . . .”
It is when Rayson narrates the story of God’s grace in his own life that his music is most powerful.
Mike Rayson’s music expresses the moment of complete joy the thief on the cross must have experienced when he realized, after his verbal contact with Christ, that in the midst of the excruciating pain he was experiencing at the moment, God loved him and had always loved him even though he had given no cause to be loved. As he died, he joyfully wrestled with the implausibility of God’s Grace. Rayson at his best musically in Because You Love (based on Luke 15: 21-22) has the same sense of joy as he sings “you don’t love me ‘cause I’m worthy, I am worthy ‘cause you love.”
Rayson didn’t come gift-wrapped, but he definitely came as a gift to American Methodism. Despite being one of the most in-demand Christian performers and gospel preachers in Australia, a singer with an album high on the charts of Christian music, and possessing a loving family and a great support group of friends and colleagues, he felt God’s call to become a missionary. “I’d had a sense of a call to mission for a long time and I wanted to be somewhere that it made sense to be a missionary. I have a very dear friend in Zambia and that’s where I wanted to go. Or I would have settled if God had sent me to India or Africa or Indonesia or somewhere like that.” It was soon apparent that God had other plans—which included moving to the United States. “As soon as I perceived that America was where God was calling me, I went about the business of telling God that God had lost God’s mind and there was no way even if hell froze over or the Pacific froze over and I could drive over in my car that I was going to move to America. Being an outsider looking in it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking, ‘Well, America is a Christian country. It has it all together, and there is no need for anyone to go there.’”
Finally convinced through prayer that God indeed wanted him to go to the United States, he went through the long and expensive process of applying for a visa, giving away his car and nearly all the family belongings, and beginning the move of Mike Rayson International Ministries to middle Tennessee. He got the visa long before he expected it—an “O” visa which by definition is for “an alien of extraordinary ability in the science and the arts.” He just KNEW he was going to be turned down and would have an “out” with God. It wasn’t to be. “So, we put what we could fit into suitcases—what we were allowed on the plane—and came to America. We didn’t have anywhere to live; we didn’t have any place to go; we didn’t know what was going to happen. We just knew we had been called to come.” It was a step of faith because Rayson only had a few bookings.
Another major hurdle for Rayson was related to his health. He is a juvenile diabetic and requires a number of insulin shots each day. He would be leaving the security of Australia’s socialized medical system and moving to a country where he couldn’t possibly afford the insurance he would need.
For example one of his original exposures to Nashville turned into a nightmare. Arriving by plane in 2004 from Australia he discovered that his suitcase and guitar did not arrive with him, and the folks at baggage claim weren’t a great deal of help. He took a taxi to down town Nashville and checked into a motel. His spare insulin was in the missing suitcase, and he began the process of arranging a flight home because without the insulin he would be a dead man.
In a rather jet-lag induced befuddlement, Rayson decided he needed some fresh air and he broke what he claims should be the 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not go walking in a foreign city in a foreign country after midnight.” He walked for a few blocks and spotted the Ryman Auditorium and while he looked at the “home church of country music,” he was mugged. His assailant took all his money—every dollar he had for the remainder of the trip. All that remained was his passport and laptop—both of which he had left back at the hotel.
In desperation, he began to reflect on Romans 8. “It’s a passage we all read and love, but until something drastic happens to us, we don’t come to grips with the promise at the end, ‘Nothing can separate me from the love of God.’ As I thought about that I felt that neither losing baggage, having no medication, nor being mugged, being beaten and kicked and broken and bruised or anything was going to separate me from the love of God. And suddenly the phrase dropped into my head which became a complete song—one of my favorites to sing anywhere, ‘I’m not loved because I’m worthy, I am worthy because I’m loved.’” Almost miraculously his luggage arrived early the next morning.
Rayson and his family attend Pleasant View United Methodist Church in the Clarksville District. His pastor Ryan Bennett who has heard Rayson preach and perform in several different venues says of him: “Mike is a man of extraordinary ability. Whether he is singing, playing an instrument, teaching, preaching, or leading worship he commands attention from you. You are afraid if you do not pay attention you will miss something. He weaves story and song and the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way that is very effective in drawing people into a deeper understanding of who God is and how much God loves them. Mike is an ordinary man. When you talk with him you realize that. However God has and continues to use him to do extraordinary things for the Kingdom!
The Rayson CD Sometimes Human can be obtained by going to the website http://www.mikerayson.com. The cost is $17.00. For booking Mike Rayson you can phone 931-362-1190 or email him at mike@mikerayson.net
350 Attend Confirmation Day at Hillcrest United Methodist Church
Confirmation Day 2006 was held March 25th at Hillcrest UMC. The Hillcrest staff - Joe Shelton, Nancy Neelley, Mike Worden plus numerous volunteers (including Jamie Powell, Pam Wilson, parents, and confirmation students) not only offered superb hospitality but also led music, provided the sound system, and cared for the multitude of "behind the scenes" details that result in a great connectional experience.
“A bishop with a motorcycle? Cool!” Photo courtesy of Neal Glass.
There were approximately 350 confirmation students and leaders/pastors according to Susan Groseclose, Tennessee Conference Director of Nurture Ministries.
Bishop Wills fielded a number of questions in his conversation with Confirmation Day participants. Photo courtesy of Neal Glass.
The day included singing, conversations with the District Superintendents and with Bishop Wills. Among the questions that the confirmation students asked the bishop were a number related to theology, but also quite a few related to the bishop’s personal life:
How did you become bishop?
Tell us about your children and grandchildren
Who is God?
How was God created?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
What has been your hardest decision as a bishop?
What is stressful about being a bishop?
What do you enjoy most?
Tell us about your motorcycle
What is heaven like?
Confirmation Day concluded with service of Holy Communion lead by Bishop Wills.
Faith in Action
“My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God. . . . I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them.” Dr. James McCord, Jr.
Retired optometrist keeps close to God by recycling eyeglasses
Gifts of sight go where needed in other countries
By Sylvia Slaughter, Staff Writer
From the Faith & Values section of The Tennessean, Saturday, March 25, 2006. Reprinted with permission of The Tennessean, March 25, 2006.
Lebanon – Dr. James McCord, Jr. doesn’t just believe in miracles. He relies on them in his mission work.
He experienced his first mission miracle 21 years ago, standing in the middle of the Panamanian jungle at 6:30 in the morning. The crowing roosters had awakened him, and the women from the village had fed him fried tortillas and watermelon juice for breakfast.
He looked out at the long line of men, women and children waiting to have their eyes examined by him. McCord planned to work as quickly as he could to accommodate them.
He doesn’t remember his first patient on that first morning of mission work, but he will never forget his second. “I knew then that God had placed me in my niche,” he says. “A barefoot older woman made me realize it.”
The woman had walked for days and waited for hours to see the optometrist, who she hoped could give her the gift of sight.
Through an interpreter McCord learned that the woman had a daughter she wasn’t able to teach to sew because the mother could no longer see to thread the needle. The mother knew that no man would marry a woman who couldn’t sew. The mother was waiting for the Senor Doctor to answer her prayer by curing her eyes with glasses.
With his hand lenses and an E chart, Senor Doctor McCord determined her vision with his primitive tools, and then fitted her with a pair of glasses.
McCord’s wife, Helen, who was along on the mission, handed the woman a needle and thread.
“She threaded the needle her first try,” McCord recalls. “She could see to thread the needle. …she was crying, I was crying, Helen was crying, the interpreter was crying. …Through our tears, we had just seen a miracle.
“Of course, her ‘miracle’ was from God, I was just the one He asked to implement it. …I traveled 2,000 miles to give the woman the miracle of threading the needle, and I’ve never forgotten how close I felt to her and to my God.”
McCord has seen thousands of miracles since that first one, when he donated two weeks of his life to the comfort of others.
He has traveled to other countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, time and again. He is ready to make another mission trip but he can’t this year because he is recovering from two heart attacks and from the amputation of his right leg, a complication from diabetes.
Though McCord must stay stateside until he can walk and balance himself with his prosthetic leg, he keeps his Central American friends in mind.
He gathers glasses for other optometrists to distribute in countries where they are needed. He mends the glasses if they need to be mended, then he logs the prescriptions and bags and tags the secondhand eye wear.
Dr. James McCord, Jr., flanked with boxes of glasses destined for the mission field.
He doesn’t know how many pairs of glasses he has readied for the missions, but he figures the number is well into the thousands.
“My faith in serving others in the small way I can from my wheelchair gives me a closer walk with God,” he says. “I’m retired now. …I intend to help others ‘thread the needle’ as long as God wants me to. I may not be able to climb a mountain again, but I can keep the glasses coming so other missionaries can deliver them. …I miss the people contact, but I’m happy to the core in my little shop getting a suitcase of glasses ready for the next missionaries.”
McCord determines the prescription for each pair of glasses received, labels the glasses, and then stores them in readiness for the next mission trip.
HOW TO HELP. Any person or organization who wants to donate eyeglasses for recycling in James McCord ’s project many send the glasses to him at 412 Castlewood Lane, Lebanon, Tennessee 3708 7.
There is a special need for children’s glasses. McCord also needs old suitcases optometrists can carry the glasses in until they arrive at the mission site.
For more information, call McCord at 444-9371.
Program helps interns like 'Captain Planet' make impact
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Erick Veliz - sometimes known as Captain Planet - doesn't look like a superhero at first glance.
Talk to him for a while and you begin to believe he probably could save the world if given a little more time. After all, he's only 23.
Veliz, a native of La Paz, Bolivia, is working for the Tennessee Fair Housing Council. In his spare time, he is helping establish English as a Second Language classes at his local church, the United Methodist (Nashville) Hispanic Fellowship; working for Amnesty International USA; and looking for any opportunity to advance his three top priorities: working for the rights of indigenous people, promoting equal rights for women and stopping torture.
His passion for human rights grew stronger and more focused after he spent two months in the 2005 Ethnic Young Adult internship program sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington.
March deadline each year
The internship has been sponsored by the board for the last 20 years and has at least 200 participants who either now lead the church in some capacity or influence society in their vocations, says the Rev. Neal Christie, a board executive. The program is open to young adults ages 18-22 representing the five ethnic caucuses of the United Methodist Church - Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander. Interns live together and are assigned to work in organizations addressing social justice concerns. The work is supplemented by evening intern-led devotions, Friday seminars on topics of timely social justice concern, area field trips and Sunday worship in area United Methodist churches.
"Most internships in D.C. are very European-American. You can see that just by looking out the window of 100 Maryland Ave.," Christie says, referring to the address of the United Methodist Building at Capitol Hill. "To my knowledge, this is one internship that in its own small way has had a lasting impact on an intentionally multi-racial group of young people gathered from across the country to work not just on mercy but to do advocacy with the Hill and the United Methodist Building at the center."
Details on the internship are available by contacting Christie at nchristie@umc-gbcs.org or (202) 488-5611.
Captain Planet
Veliz already had experience working for human rights and social justice when he became one of 13 young adults in the 2005 program. There he earned his nickname, Captain Planet.
Erick Veliz, a 2005 intern, participates in a forum on sustainable agriculture. A UMNS photo by Vince Isner
"Everyone was interested and they became more active once they were in the program," he says of the other interns, "but I was already passionate about it."
While a senior in college, Veliz took time out to work and stay with farm workers in Immokalee, Fla., where they labored in the scorching sun picking tomatoes for $3 an hour. Then he traveled with their union leader to Washington to persuade members of Congress to improve the farmers' conditions.
In 2004, the United Methodist Church joined in a boycott of Taco Bell. The boycott had originated three years earlier because the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers and others believed the restaurant chain was not addressing issues of alleged worker exploitation by its tomato suppliers. The boycott ended in 2005 with an agreement between the coalition and Taco Bell.
The United Methodist Church's stand on human rights is one of the reasons Veliz became a member and loves the church.
"I don't just want to talk about human rights, I don't just want to complain, I want to do something," says Veliz who grew up as a Catholic in Bolivia. "I saw that the United Methodist Church was very active in promoting justice and did it with a true love and interest for people."
Veliz says he feels fulfilled by the work he is doing with the Fair Housing Council. The council works to enforce the Fair Housing Act, passed after the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He handles complaints from the community and trains volunteers.
"I am working on a fair housing academy, which will be workshops to help professionals that work with minorities, people with disabilities, women and others about fair housing violations," he says.
"I feel fulfilled working in communities; I don't want to be a policy nerd who just sits at a computer constantly tracking policies."
The greatest thing
Before attending the internship program at the board, Veliz says he wasn't sure many other Christians were as passionate as he was about human rights and social justice.
"I know so many people who went on mission trips to Brazil or Mexico and forgot that they were real people; it was like going to a museum," he says. "They come back with pictures of themselves with little Brazilian kids, hugging a Venezuelan girl and say, 'Look at how compassionate I am,' but as soon as they are back home, they are buying $100 bags that were probably made by those same children.
"Working at the Board of Church and Society gave me a lot of hope," he says.
When asked about his long-term goals, he pauses to think. "The greatest thing would be to work within communities of faith and provide that link to human rights.
"The empowerment that I was given by the Board of Church and Society was to see the worth, the possibilities and the options that we can do as groups of faith," he says. "They talk about human rights and quote Jesus Christ at the same time. As Christians, we should all do that."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
A Letter of Love and Appreciation from Michael O’Bannon
To my dear friends in the Annual Conference:
Dee and I are simply overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and concern we have received as a result of my recent diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. The cancer was malignant, but the surgeon feels as though he got it all. The lymph nodes were clear as were the margins around the affected area. I had at first intended to write everyone a personal note for each kind expression of concern, but the number is staggering--and continues to grow. Thank you so much for your cards, calls, e-mails, food, flowers, visits, thoughts and especially your prayers through this time of trial. From the very beginning, Dee and Amy and I have felt the result of your compassion and prayer; and we stand as a testimony to God's presence as well as God's healing and calming touch. I am now back at the office and able to handle a full workload each day. Indeed, God is good!
With my deep appreciation for all you mean to me, Michael O'Bannon
posted by TN Conference UMC @ 7:37 AM
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