Tennessee Conference Review

Electronic Version of The Tennessee Conference Review a publication of The Tennessee Conference - United Methodist Church

Thomas Nankervis, Editor

Thursday, April 13, 2006

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

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW APRIL 7, 2006

Tennessee Conference Review April 7, 2006

Ten Stories of God at Work through the members and local congregations of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

1. Easter Message from Mark 16: 5-6
2. Acting on the Vision, Port Royal-Grants United Methodist Church becomes a growing, vibrant congregation
3. Tennessee Conference minister Rev. David C. Adams Elected Top Staff Executive for Commission on United Methodist Men
4. Executive Directors Named for Beersheba Springs Assembly and Cedar Crest Camp
5. Congratulations Mary Winslow, Commissioned to Office of Deaconess, April 4, 2006
6. Some information if you are interested in exploring Christian service as a United Methodist Deaconess
7. Seven-year-old Bellshire UMC boy finds a way to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in the story, “And a little child shall lead them . . . “ (includes information for creating UMCOR flood buckets and school kits)
8. Dick and Margaret Colby, Residents of McKendree Village, are honored for Community Service
9. All Conference youth & local church youth choirs invited to participate in Tennessee Conference Youth Choir
10. Preliminary Announcement Native Moccasins Rock, August 19-20, 2006, Lake Benson, Tennessee


The stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.” (Mark 16: 5-6) Photo: Part of the Easter Prayer Station, 2005 Session of the Tennessee Annul Conference.



Acting on the Vision, Port Royal-Grants United Methodist Church Becomes a Growing, Vibrant Congregation

Pastor Ben Alford’s sermon the last Sunday in February 2006 at Port Royal-Grants United Methodist Church was based on Mark 9: 2-3 “He was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white.” Alford spoke of the need for each follower of Christ to discover God’s vision and used as examples Rock Hardaway, and then Ken and Carol Powers, in the creation of Community Care Fellowship.

He paused and looked over the Port Royal-Grants congregation, numbering some 70 persons, that Sunday morning . . . and admitted that he could share stories for the rest of the Sunday service about the persons in that congregation who had caught God’s vision, and stepped forward. It was an emotional moment.

Alford and the congregation knew that four years ago Port Royal-Grants was a dying church with twenty or so persons at worship. Two other churches on the same circuit had already closed their doors. Bill Alley, chairperson of the Administrative Council, talked later in the morning about the church having to determine whether it was going to live or die. “We reached the point where it was now or never. We knew something had to be done and had to be done fast.”



Worship attendance has grown substantially at Port Royal-Grants and now includes a number of younger persons.




The Port Royal-Grants congregation determined that they were not only going to grow, but they were going to become vital in the community. Evangelism would have to be more purposeful. The congregation would need to develop a new sense of mission; facilities would
have to be upgraded to allow for growth.

Older church members are delighted at the number of children who participate in the children’s story during worship. Here the children gather around Julie Rullman.



In a few short years Port Royal-Grants church has paved (and totally paid for) the church’s parking lot, remodeled the kitchen and upgraded a multi-purpose room that can double as a classroom for children, started a rotation Sunday School class for children ages 4 to 11 (a center-based approach to teaching), started a United Methodist Youth Fellowship group, acquired five acres of adjoining property assuring space for future growth; and engaged in a strong program of missional outreach. The missional outreach can be demonstrated by the following 2005 figures: $3,612 to UMCOR for Tsunami relief; $335 to Ronald McDonald house; $200 for District Hunger fund; $187 to Golden Cross; $500 for military families; $3,821 for the Martin Methodist College scholarship program; $1,000 to help Charles Stuard, Jr. purchase critical medicine resulting from the TennCare crisis; and $3,651 collected for Hurricane Katrina relief (which includes 25 flood buckets packed by the church’s youth and shipped out in September of 2005).

Bill Alley reminisces with his former Sunday School teacher Louise Ford. When Alley was a child his Port Royal classroom was literally a walk-in closet.


On the final Sunday in February 2006, a cluster of younger adults was meeting for the first time to form a new Sunday School class and they developed a list of over 20 good prospects; formation of a Boy Scout Troop was announced and eight boys had signed up; construction on an addition to the historic church building was underway to hold a nursery—to take care of a growing number of infants-- and additional classroom space; it was announced that average attendance had gone up to 65 and over the past two years church membership had increased by 18%.

Bill Alley points to a unique factor in the church’s renewed vision: “I’ve never had a person come up to me and say at a board meeting or individually, ‘That’s not the way we’ve done it before.’ It’s always been ‘let’s try it, let’s do it.’ There have been no complaints that the new folks were taking over, no sitting back on the part of the new folks. They came and did their part.”

Leaders realized that if the church was to grow remodeling had to take place in the historic church building. A new edition will make possible a nursery for the growing number of infants. Administrative council chairperson, Bill Alley, noted with a smile when a baby cried out during worship, “A child crying is the closest thing to the voice of the Lord we’ve got.”


Abridged History of Port Royal-Grants UMC

Historically, the roots of Port Royal-Grants UMC go back to 1793 when a “circuit-rider” preached in the home of Jonathan Stephenson at Port Royal. Sometime subsequent to that visit, a Methodist society, or congregation, was formed in the area.

In 1824, John Baker deeded to the Methodist Society two acres of land and the meeting house (already built). This gift to the Methodists was known as Baker’s Camp Meeting Grounds. Its location was six miles southeast of Port Royal.

In July and August when the crops were “laid by,” it was camp-meeting time. People by the hundreds would load up their families in wagons filled with goods, bedding, and other necessary camping equipment and spend a week or so at the camp-meeting grounds. The preachers would preach at least three times a day. Out of these camp-meetings at Baker’s grew two local Methodist churches, Mt. Carmel and Port Royal.

By 1873 the Port Royal Methodist congregation had become too large for local homes and was meeting upstairs in the Hampton Lodge (Masonic Building, 1859) in Port Royal.

“In 1875, the Methodists purchased a 5/8ths acre lot from J.E. Gaines for $25. Immediately, the erection of a new meeting house was begun. The Port Royal Meeting House was dedicated in 1876.

In 1922 the Tennessee Conference merged the Grant’s Chapel Methodist Church with Port Royal due to declining numbers. Grant’s members were placed on the rolls of the Port Royal Church. Since the Port Royal building was in good condition, church leaders voted to move it to a new location about half-way between the two churches.

The congregation contracted with Robert Wynn of Clarksville in 1922 to move the Port Royal church building from its original location across from the Alley Home on Port Royal Road to the new site on what was then called the Austin Peay Highway. It was a sizeable undertaking. First, the entire building was raised, stabilized, and placed on log rollers. Then it was hitched to a large steam traction engine, pulled across the fields, and finally lowered onto a new foundation.

Today’s sanctuary is the original building that was moved. Mrs. Mary Alley describes the move this way: “the church was literally moved down the hill, across the spring branch, up the hill, and across the field to its present location.”

The church was dedicated as Port Royal-Grant’s Chapel Methodist Church on Sunday, May 28, 1922.

Highlights of its almost 200 years in ministry
+Proud to have sent one of its own sons into the ministry, George Edward Sanford, who served 11 Tennessee Conference congregations before retiring in 1986.

+Can claim that eleven different United Methodist bishops have preached from the Port Royal pulpit.

+Takes seriously its responsibility as a part of the Methodist “connection” and has never failed to pay its annual benevolence apportionment. In recent years, these payments for mission throughout the world have been paid early, and in full.

+It is estimated that since its founding, Port Royal Church has contributed well over a million dollars for the cause of Christ at home and around the world. From its ranks have come teachers, farmers, medical personnel, artists, merchants, lawyers, and political leaders. All this from a congregation whose membership never exceeded 100.

+But numbers alone do not present the full picture of any congregation’s service. Those who discovered faith, and grew in faith at Port Royal have gone to and fro throughout the earth. Each of them has touched other persons. Their witness, their contributions to other people and institutions, and their sacrificial love cannot be measured.

The Review gratefully acknowledges Ben R. Alford’s A History of Port Royal-Grants United Methodist Church, and the assistance of District Superintendent John Casey, members James B. Alley and William B. Alley in the preparation of this report.



Pastor Ben Alford stands with part of his Sunday School class on Sunday morning.












Formation of a new adult Sunday School Class was the order of the day on Sunday, February 26th.







Rev. David C. Adams Elected Top Staff Executive for Commission on United Methodist Men

by J. Richard Peck*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- The Rev. David C. Adams, former president of Tennessee Conference United Methodist Men and pastor of First United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, Tenn., has been elected top staff executive of the Commission on United Methodist Men.

Elected by the 23-member commission, Adams, 56, will assume leadership of an eight-member Nashville staff June 19.



Rev. David C. Adams, Tennessee Conference minister named top executive for the national Commission on United Methodist Men





In 1987, when Adams was elected president of the Tennessee Conference's United Methodist Men, the organization occupied last place in the number of new members. By 1990, the conference led the nation in growth. Over the same period of time, United Methodist Men went from using $2,000 in conference apportionment monies to raising more than $40,000.
While serving as a conference president, Adams was elected treasurer of the National Association of Conference Presidents. He was elected to the United Methodist Board of Discipleship in 1992 and served as secretary of the men's division during the 1993-96 quadrennium. He also served as a delegate to the 1992 General Conference and Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

Working as an insurance salesman after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Adams said he received a call to the ministry while attending a 1994 meeting of United Methodist Men.

Following his 1999 graduation from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., he was appointed associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Shelbyville, Tenn. In 2000, he was appointed to Monterey United Methodist Church, and he was named to the 240-member Lynchburg Church in 2003.
Key challenges

One of the challenges of the 9-year-old commission is finding ways to reach unchurched men. Adams understands that challenge.

"I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church at age 12 and had no relationship with a church from that time to age 23, when I started dating my wife, Joyce," he said. She happened to be a United Methodist, and from that time, Adams served as chairman of nearly every local church committee.

The Commission on United Methodist Men must find ways to relate to the younger generation without losing its base of older men, Adams said.

Noting the absence of young men in the pews and in chapters of United Methodist Men, he suggested following an Emmaus saying, "Make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ."

"We must find ways to enjoin both generations in order to move forward in the ministry of men," he said. "Finding a common purpose and goal to unite men of all ages would enable United Methodist Men to wake up to their potential for Jesus Christ."

One of Adams' concerns is for children who have no fathers. "We live in a culture where 50 percent of all families do not have a father in the home," he said. "Men need to be involved as role models in the passage of boys into manhood." The commission recently signed a partnership agreement with Big Brothers Big Sisters to encourage men to mentor children of incarcerated adults.

Transition in leaders

Bishop William W. Morris has been serving as interim top staff executive for the commission since the Rev. Joseph Harris resigned last June to take a position in the Oklahoma Area as assistant to the bishop and director of communications.

Adams' election was announced by Gilbert Hanke, president of the Commission on United Methodist Men.

"The commission welcomes David as the newest member and new leader of our staff," Hanke said. "We are excited with the energy, vision and experience he brings to this vital ministry of the church.

"I also want to formally thank Bishop William Morris, who has served as general secretary on an interim basis," Hanke said. "He has brought calm and caring guidance as we transitioned to a new building and now to a new general secretary. He is truly a servant leader of the church."

"As the interim general secretary of the commission, I welcome the Rev. David Adams to his new position," Morris said. "I look forward to his leadership in the purpose of the commission, namely making Christ central in the lives of men."

Adams is expected to be appointed to the commission by Bishop Richard Wills at the conclusion of the June session of the Tennessee Annual Conference.

Said Adams: "It's an honor and a privilege to work for Jesus Christ through the ministry of the General Commission of United Methodist Men."

*Peck is the communications coordinator for the Nashville-based General Commission on United Methodist Men.


Executive Directors Named for Beersheba Springs Assembly and Cedar Crest Camp

Executive Directors have recently been named for the two camps owned and operated by the Tennessee Annual Conference, Beersheba Springs Assembly located in the mountains of middle Tennessee, and Cedar Crest Camp in Lyles, Tennessee. The Executive Director positions were newly created at the end of 2005 by the Committee on Camps and Conferences and, for the first time, tie together the functions of facility manager and director of programming for the two facilities.

Philip G. Geissal, who has served for this past year as the Beersheba Springs facilities manager, in charge of the Assembly, its buildings, grounds, and large staff, has taken on the additional job of programming. Geissal has wide experience in all aspects of camp and conference ministry, and in a long and distinguished career has provided leadership in camps from Hawaii to North Carolina. He has also provided leadership in capital campaigns for numerous non-profit organizations from the National Community Development Service, to the United Way and several colleges. At Beersheba he has supervised a staff of 10-15 persons, and overseen scheduling and maintenance of an historic facility that has received major renovation over the past four years.

Geissal, who has a B.S. in Group Work Education for George Williams College in Chicago, Illinois, was widowed early in 2005, has seven children and twelve grandchildren.

James Ralston, who is new to the Tennessee Annual Conference, will be the Executive Director of Cedar Crest, a 500 acre rustic camp. Ralston has worked for over ten years in camping and outdoor ministries, and has experience with a wide variety of types and styles of camping. He has the experience of taking a camp through the process of ACA accreditation.

Ralston has a Bachelors of Science in Sociology with a minor in Religious Studies from Southwest Missouri State College. He did academic work as an Emergency Medical Technician, at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he graduated and was licensed in 1995. He has a Masters of Divinity, and a Masters of Arts in Religious Education and Church Recreation, both from Southwestern Baptist Seminary.

He is certified as a Safe Sanctuaries trainer, and is certified by the National Swimming Pool Foundation as a Pool and Spa operator. He has held a number of certificates related to the programming side of camping including Rock Climbing, High and Low Ropes Facilitator, Lifeguard Instructor, CPR Instructor, First Aid Instructor, and Emergency Medical Technician.

He comes to his new position at Cedar Crest Camp from the United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where he served as Director of Family Ministries. Though he enjoyed local church work immensely both he and his wife Jennifer are looking forward to God’s calling back to a camp situation.

James and Jennifer Ralston have three children: Brianna (7), JChris (James Christian, age 5) and BJ (Benjamin Jeremiah, age 3).

Beth Morris, Conference Director of Youth and Camping Ministries, feels that the blending of facility and programming oversight at Beersheba and Cedar Crest will benefit the Conference’s growing camp and conference ministry: “Having Executive Directors at each camp is exciting. With programming oversight coming directly from the camp, I am looking forward to some creative activities taking place at both our camps.”



Congratulations Mary Winslow, Commissioned to Office of Deaconess, April 4, 2006





Mary Winslow, LCSW, Tennessean Commissioned as a Deaconess


On April 4, 2006, Mary Winslow answered the call she felt from God to become a Deaconess in the United Methodist Church and was commissioned as a Deaconess, along with a dozen others. The service was held in Stamford, Connecticut, as part of the semi-annual meeting of the General Board of Global Ministries’ Board of Directors.

For individuals not familiar with the term Deaconess, “Deaconesses are lay women who have responded to the call of God in their lives and have been commissioned by The United Methodist Church to full-time ministries of love, justice and service. They form a covenant community that is rooted in scripture, informed by history, driven by mission, ecumenical in scope and global in outreach.” With Mary Winslow’s commissioning there are officially five Deaconesses in the Tennessee Conference, with four of the five now retired. She and her twelve newly commissioned colleagues will join 122 Deaconesses presently in active service around the world.
Becky Louter, Executive Secretary of the Deaconess Program Office, expressed joy in Mary Winslow’s commissioning. Louter points out that “the number of Deaconesses in active service has been increasing at a rapid rate since the reaffirmation of the Office of Deaconess at the 1996 General Conference. Following the 25 year study of ministry during which the formal promotion of the Office of Deaconess was halted, the numbers had steadily declined to our lowest point of approximately 48 in active service.”

As a Deaconess Mary Winslow is a member of City Road Chapel United Methodist Church in the Nashville District. Her full-time ministry of love, justice and service is with the Tennessee Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society where she serves as the Chapter’s Patient Services Manager. The Society’s mission is to “Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” The latter part of the mission statement is Winslow’s responsibility as she works to provide support and guidance to patients, families and healthcare professionals who care for them. She manages Patient Education Programs, helps provide patients, families, and healthcare professionals with the latest information on leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; works through Family Support groups; works with children with cancer through the Trish Greene Back to School Program; and manages a program where patients and their families have an opportunity to share experiences with someone who has been successfully treated for the same diagnosis.

Her background and experience have not been lost on the staff at City Road Chapel. Associate pastor Donna Parramore spoke for her colleagues and the church membership when she said, “We are so excited that God has brought someone to City Road with her passion for the underprivileged, and her concern for social justice.”

Though it is probably accurate to say that most United Methodists have not heard of the Deaconess program and know NOTHING about it, many of the great moments in American Methodist history, since the Office of Deaconess had its beginning in 1888, can be attributed to Deaconesses. Deaconesses helped establish community centers, orphanages, schools (including Nashville’s Scarritt College for Christian Workers), hospitals, and clinics. Homes for immigrant women and outreach ministries in both rural and urban settings were also part of the ministry. The Office of Home Missioner was established at the 2004 General Conference providing lay men with a similar opportunity to serve in a life-time relationship in The United Methodist Church.

The concept of Deaconess goes back to the early days of the Christian church. In Romans 16: 1-2 the Apostle Paul writes: "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae...receive her in the Lord as befits the saints...for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well."

Mary Winslow is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters of Social Work. She came to Nashville, Tennessee, from Southern Mississippi, where she served as director of the Moore Community House in Biloxi. Mary’s roots go back to her birth in Maryland and then years spent in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She experienced quite a bit of culture shock when she originally moved from Massachusetts to serve in Mississippi as a VISTA volunteer.

In 2004 she moved northward into Tennessee, accompanied by sons Cameron Hale (now 17) and David Hale (now 15), to accept a position with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mary Lou Moore, a retired Deaconess and part-time librarian at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, served as Winslow’s mentor as she went through the process of becoming a Deaconess. “She’s a very talented person and I like to say that Mary mentored me throughout our work together. We’ve become friends.”

When Mary Winslow reflects on her ministry and on being finally commissioned as a Deaconess she strongly emphasizes the spiritual and emotional support received from gatherings of the Deaconesses. “Every time I am with other Deaconesses my life is richer. We are such a wonderfully diverse group of people—I benefit so much from being around them.”

A major source of information on the Deaconess program is the March 2006 issue of Response magazine. Theme of the March issue is “Deaconesses—Love, Justice, Service.” If no member of the United Methodist Women in your church subscribes to Response you can order a copy of the magazine through the General Board of Global Ministries Service Center, 7820 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45222-1800, scorders@gbgm-umc.org (you will be billed if you order by email). Toll free order number 1-800-305-9857. Stock number for the March issue is #3745 and cost is $2.00 per copy.


Are you interested in exploring service as a Deaconess?
Do you feel that God is calling you but you are not sure where or how God is calling you to serve? Or do you think God is calling you to be a Deaconess but you are not sure what that means or how to go about exploring that option? If these are your questions, the Deaconess Program Office provides a wonderful opportunity for you to have your questions answered by attending a Deaconess Discernment / Reflection Event.

At least once a year women who are discerning options for lay mission and ministry come together to explore how they might best answer God’s call in their lives. During the Discernment/Reflection Event active Deaconesses share their stories regarding how they answered the call to life-time service through the church and what it means to them to be a Deaconess and a part of the Deaconess community.

Write, call or e-mail the Deaconess Program Office for more information and an application for the Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner. General Board of Global Ministries, Becky Dodson Louter, Deaconess Program Office, 475 Riverside Drive #320, New York, New York 10115. Phone: Deaconess Program Office (212) 870-3850. Email:
Deaconess@gbgm-umc.org



And a little child shall lead them . . . (Isaiah 11:6)

When 7-year-old Donald Thomas “Donny” Paisley*, a second grader, heard about the tremendous amount of damage done by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast, and the subsequent human suffering endured by residents, he wanted to help. After seeing pictures of the devastation on the news, he heard about the needs in worship, and wanted to do something. The congregation of Bellshire United Methodist responded almost immediately with a special offering of nearly $1500 for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and the United Methodist Men’s group donated an additional $300.00.

Continuing to respond to the crisis a week or two later, the church’s Sunday morning bulletin urged the membership to help storm victims by preparing UMCOR emergency kits. Included with the appeal was a listing of ingredients for the kits—including the much needed “Flood Buckets” filled with emergency cleaning and disinfecting supplies.

Donny wanted to help. He pledged to fill a flood bucket, one or two items at a time, as money became available to him through his allowance and the occasional gift. It started with a gallon of bleach at Dollar Tree, and then through the next few months, and many trips to the nearby Dollar General Store, he added the other ingredients. The main problem now became the huge plastic bucket to hold all the items—the usual sources of such buckets had none in stock. It was the church secretary who saw one on a trip to the hardware store, and brought it to church for Donny.

So, by early March, Donny’s pledge to help storm victims had resulted in a jam-packed bucket full of essential supplies to help a home owner or renter begin to clean out flood residue and create a safe environment for repairs to take place and for his/her family to have a place to sleep. As the bucket was delivered, Donny acknowledged that his gift could go to a family in Mississippi or Louisiana or, perhaps, to someone in another part of the world. He just wanted to help somebody.




Bellshire United Methodist church, Donny Paisley prepares to turn in his flood bucket





Incidentally, Christmas time was right in the middle of Donny’s labors to fill the flood bucket, and he didn’t feel it was fair to receive a bunch of presents from Santa Claus. His Christmas letter to Santa let the folks at the North Pole know that Donny Paisely expected his gifts to go to boys and girls along the coast who lost all their toys in the flood. Santa was obviously impressed with Donny’s generous heart, cut way back on the gifts, but DID bring him one gift, a small stack of games.




Photo #11, caption: Tennessee Conference Director of Love and Justice Ministries loads Donny’s flood bucket for its trip to the Sager-Brown UMCOR Depot.



Donny’s Flood Bucket inspired one of the men of the church who worked in a situation that used a whole lot of plastic buckets and discarded them when empty. This man is now collecting ten buckets to bring to church for other concerned people to fill. When this kind man told Donny about the buckets, Donny said his bucket was multiplying just like in the bible story.

If you have children’s Sunday School classes or youth groups that would like to fill flood buckets, Donny was happy to share his list of essential ingredients—and we are also sharing the listing of ingredients for a school kit. Donny thinks that might be a good next project.

*Donald Thomas Paisley is the son of Randall and Katherine Paisley.

School Kit
In some countries, children don't have books or school supplies. Many have no schoolrooms; classes are held in inadequate or half-destroyed buildings, tents, or even the open air. Often students must write down everything the teacher says or records on a board. Their teacher's knowledge and their own notes are their only textbooks. School kits may be these children's only educational resources. This UMCOR kit is designed for a variety of ages.

1 pair blunt scissors (rounded tip)
2 pads (or loose leaf) of 8 1/2" x 11" ruled paper
1 30-centimeter ruler
1 hand held pencil sharpener
6 unsharpened pencils with erasers
1 eraser, 2 1/2"
12 sheets construction paper (varied colors)
1 box of 24 crayons (only 24)

Prepare a 14" x 16" (finished size) cloth bag with handles and a closure (Velcro®, snap or button) and place items in the bag. Patterns are available through the following website address http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/schoolbagpattern.cfm#pattern

Flood Bucket
These supplies enable people to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after a flood or hurricane. For flood buckets only, if the requested sized item is not available, go down to the next available size. If nothing is available in the requested or smaller size, put masking tape on the outside of the bucket saying, "This bucket contains no _________."

5-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle. Do not include bleach of you are shipping the bucket through the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx)
5 scouring pads
7 Sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.)

*Special requirements: Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles. Deliver the bucket/s to the Tennessee Conference Office of Connectional Ministries for shipment to the Sager-Brown Depot.


Residents of McKendree Village Honored for Community Service









Dick and Margaret Colby



Hermitage, TN – Dick and Margaret Colby, residents of McKendree Village continuing care retirement community, were honored recently with the Community Spirit Award at the Star-Spangled Salute, an annual gala event in the Donelson-Hermitage community which honors area residents for their outstanding volunteer service. The Colbys, who have lived in The Towers independent living apartments at McKendree Village since 1996, are members of Andrew Price United Methodist Church in Donelson.

“Dick and Margaret’s commitment to others and our community is unselfish and deserves recognition. We are blessed to have them in our community,” said Jane Schnelle, executive director of the Donelson Senior Center. The Star-Spangled Salute is a benefit event for the Donelson Senior Center.

This award marks the second time that the Colbys have been honored for their volunteer service. In 2004, they were named Volunteers of the Year by the Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging for their service to the Nashville community and at McKendree Village.

“Dick and Margaret exemplify the spirit of volunteerism,” said Mary Anna Womeldorf, president and CEO of McKendree Village. “They are an outstanding example of how senior adults in their retirement years continue to make vital contributions to improve their community and to serve others. Dick and Margaret’s efforts are felt at McKendree Village and throughout the Nashville community.”

The Colbys are active volunteers with the American Red Cross, Summit Medical Center, McKendree Village and their church. Both were active in establishing a McKendree Village Beautification Committee and raising funds to support the committee’s ongoing efforts. Margaret recruited a physician to provide free podiatry services to McKendree residents and then helped to coordinate the program. She has also volunteered at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the State Archives. Dick has been a volunteer coordinator of Disaster Relief Volunteers and assisted with disaster relief efforts nationally and internationally. He most recently assisted in relief efforts for the 2004 Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

Established in 1963, McKendree Village provides a continuum of retirement living options and health care services to approximately 700 senior adults in a secure, Christian environment. Its services include independent living, assisted living, nursing home care and Alzheimer’s care. McKendree Village is affiliated with The United Methodist Church and is in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

All Tennessee Conference Youth invited to participate in Tennessee Conference Choir




Dr. Karen Kenaston-French




All Tennessee Conference youth (grades 7-12) and local church youth choirs are invited and encouraged to join The Tennessee Conference Youth Choir forming for participation in the Thirty-Ninth Session of the Tennessee Annual Conference.

The Conference Youth Choir will have a mass rehearsal and choral workshop on the afternoon of Monday, June 12th, at First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, site of the 2006 Annual Conference. The Choir will then present its special musical offerings at the Monday evening Annual Conference Worship Service.

Directing the Youth Choir will be Dr. Karen Kenaston-French, Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. She holds degrees from West Virginia Wesleyan College, Southern Methodist University, the Perkins School of Theology, and the University of North Texas.

Dr. Kenaston-French has been active in the field of choral conducting for over 20 years. During her tenure as Director of Music Ministries at Plymouth Park UMC in Irving, Texas, she managed a program which included a 90-member adult choir, a 75-member youth choir, 3 handbell choirs, and 5 other performing ensembles, involving over 250 people. Her success with the Plymouth Park Youth Choir led to her popularity as a clinician for festivals and workshops throughout the south-western United States.

For more information or to register to become a part of the Tennessee Conference Youth Choir, contact Rev. Jared Wilson, Madison Street United Methodist Church, (931) 647-0221, jared@msumc.ntcmail.net


Native Moccasins Rock, August 19-20, 2006, Lake Benson, Tennessee

This 5th joyous celebration of Native American history, culture, and traditions is being sponsored by the Native American Ministry Committee of the Tennessee Conference, United Methodist Church. The event will be held at Lake Benson, west of Nashville, Highway 100, in Bon Aqua (Dickson area).

Speakers will include Ray Buckley and a number of exciting workshops have already been set—with many more to come: Drum Workshop, Native Games, Pottery, Women’s Circle, Medicinal Plants and Herbs, and storytelling.

The Saturday evening “Native Jam will include performances by Jamie Russell (Cherokee), Emerson Begay (Navajo), Grady Jones (Cherokee/Shawnee) and Drum-Warriors Path.

Contacts for further information: Mary T Newman and request a brochure at 1-800-403-5796 or 615-792-3411 (evenings) or email her at ntnewman@tnumc.org or you can contact Margie Hesson at 615-746-8726 (evenings) haskellh@aol.com