TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW April 4, 2008

Articles in this edition of the Tennessee Conference REVIEW
1. Beyond the Walls—Restructuring of the Conference Council on Connectional Ministries (CCOCM)
2. A History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly, 1833-2007, Part I, by Ann Troutt.
3. Justice for Our Neighbors to Hold First Clinic, April 12th, UMCOR and Conference move to give honest advice to immigrants. Will provide some exciting volunteer opportunities.
4. Nashville to Observe 10-Year Anniversary of Tornado with World Premiere of New Choral/Orchestral Work—East Nashville United Methodist Church commissions major musical piece.
5. “Agua Viva,” New Hispanic Faith Community, McMinnville, Tennessee,
6. Second annual ‘Spud Day’ set for April 15 on Martin Methodist College campus.
7. Using the Web to Reach Out: Audio Content on your Website.
8. Volunteers Urgently Needed for Mountain T.O.P. ‘Adults in Ministry’ Program—volunteer opportunity in the mountains
9. Black college supporters receive H.O.P.E. awards—John Corry, Tennessee Conference Chancellor receives national award.
10. Global Education Center and West Nashville United Methodist Church have formed a unique partners with creation of Café West.
11. Beersheba Springs Vesper Point Gets New Look—Choates Creek UMC Volunteers brave cold weather to give a face-lift to Vesper Point.
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Photo by Jim Bridges, Crossville UMC
Beyond the Walls—Restructuring of the Conference Council on Connectional Ministries (CCOCM)
By Loyd Mabry, Director of Connectional Ministries

Our theme for the 2008 Session of the Tennessee Annual Conference is Beyond the Walls. This concept is taken from Adam Hamilton’s book entitled, Leading Beyond the Walls. He will be a guest speaker and presenter on Tuesday of Annual Conference. The emphasis in his book is developing congregations with a heart for the unchurched. It is my hope that this theme and emphasis, Beyond the Walls, will become a driving force for us in the Tennessee Conference.

In 2007 the Annual Conference approved the report of the CCOCM Task Force. The Task Force presented a change in the way the CCOCM functions. The new model is based on four words—Engage, Receive, Equip, and Send. We are called to engage the community around us. We are called to offer them Christ and receive them into our midst. Our calling continues as we equip persons for the ongoing ministry of the church and these equipped persons are sent out to engage their communities. The cycle is to continue.

To pursue this direction, a restructuring of the CCOCM staff resulted. For the conference to change direction, to reach different people, to minister in different ways, to reach out beyond the walls it became evident that changes in job descriptions were needed. The result is restructuring of the CCOCM staff and the way it functions. These changes in staff are not related to job performance. The CCOCM program staff fulfills present job descriptions, but with changing job descriptions and direction, staff changes were necessary. The infusion of new ideas, methods, and styles of ministry is needed for us to fully engage the world around us. Again, let me say that the change in staffing is a result of changes in job descriptions NOT job performance.

Our calling as God’s people is to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Connectional Ministries is charged with the responsibility to empower, equip, and enable local churches, districts, and the annual conference in fulfilling this calling. To accomplish this calling we must go beyond the walls and reach out to the people around us. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.”


Part I
A History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly 1833 – 2007
by Ann Troutt

Editor’s note: The Tennessee Conference is glad to present this history of Beersheba Springs Assembly for you to enjoy. The Tennessee Conference Camping Committee is grateful to Ann Troutt for the work and time that she committed to this project. It would not be available now if not for her tireless work to authenticate and document the information she has placed before us. We hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane. See related article —Vesper Point Gets New Look!”

In 1941 the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church bought an antiquated mountain resort for the purpose of developing an assembly and retreat center. Located on the Cumberland Plateau in Grundy County, Tennessee, it consisted of 22 acres containing a pre-Civil War inn and several adjacent buildings known as the “Beersheba Springs Hotel.” The purchase price was $3,000.

The resort had been a fashionable spa of the nineteenth century built to utilize a chalybeate (iron water) spring located just below the summit of the mountain. Beersheba Porter Cain had found the spring one day in 1833 while she was walking up from the foot of the mountain along a distinct path that was later said to have been a portion of the old Chickamauga Trace. Within a few months Beersheba’s husband John Cain, a McMinnville businessman, erected cabins at the top of the mountain near the bluff overlooking the Collins River Valley.

The water source came to be known as “Beersheba’s Spring.” By 1836 a McMinnville physician had built a double log cabin nearby and he was prescribing the water, reputed to have medicinal properties. Soon a tavern and other buildings were constructed and in 1839 the watering place was incorporated as Beersheba Springs, making it a recognized summer resort. It consisted of the tavern, a dining room, rooms for the proprietor, his family and servants, and a cross-row of log rooms. (This cross-row is still standing and is known as Log Row. The present row of log rooms called Marvell, formerly Cozy Corner, is a similar type of construction and probably was built about the same time.) During the early years guests traveled to the watering place by private conveyance over roads that were little more than trails. By 1839 the site had become more accessible with the construction of a turnpike providing a stagecoach route passing through Beersheba Springs connecting McMinnville and Chattanooga. People came to the resort to benefit from the iron water spring and other nearby springs, to breathe the pure mountain air, to obtain relief from the heat of the lowlands, and to escape epidemics of malaria, yellow fever and cholera. They also came to enjoy the mountain vistas and waterfalls, to participate in the social life and to make political contacts.

Within a few years Beersheba Springs was renowned throughout the state. Although quite rustic, it served many distinguished visitors. Former president Andrew Jackson, suffering from declining health, came to benefit from the waters. James K. Polk held a political meeting there in 1840 while he was serving as governor of Tennessee. When Grundy County was established in 1844, Beersheba Springs served for a short period as the county seat. The resort was often simply called Beersheba. The name was sometimes spelled “Bersheba” and the common pronunciation “BURR-shi-buh” survives to the present.

Late in 1854 a prominent man by the name of John Armfield purchased the resort and 1,000 acres of land for $3750. Armfield, a man of considerable resources, closed the establishment in order to make repairs and expand the facilities. He spent the next two to three years building new wood siding structures, a row of brick cabins and additional log rooms. Locating the new buildings adjacent to others on the site, he created a quadrangle configuration of structures surrounding a grassy courtyard. The south side of the quadrangle consisted of the original log cross-row (the present Log Row). Armfield built Brick Row (still standing) on the west side near an existing row of log rooms (now named Marvell). He constructed a two-story wood siding building on the east side containing a dining room with a ballroom above and other rooms on both levels. (This building remains, although the kitchen in the rear has been replaced.) He also built on the east side a one-story wood siding structure (replaced in 2003 with two-story East Side). On the north side of the quadrangle, possibly adding to an existing building, Armfield erected an imposing two-story wood siding hotel with columned front porches. (It remains the focal point of the complex.) South of the quadrangle Armfield constructed other buildings fronting on a second grassy courtyard. (Marcella V. Smith Row, formerly Upper Neal or Post Office Row, remains as a renovated Armfield structure south of the present courtyard.) In addition to the hotel complex, on the surrounding acreage Armfield built twenty or more unique cottages on lots leased to individuals. (Today much of the community of Beersheba Springs is made up of cottages that were built on resort property.)

Armfield reopened the resort the summer of 1857 and by that time several cottages were occupied. By 1858 the complex was large enough to accommodate over 400 people. Armfield brought in a French chef and French cooks from New Orleans. They served a fine cuisine on elaborate table settings in what is still the dining room today. Many guests made the trip to Beersheba by private carriage, often arriving wearing elegant clothing and expensive jewelry and accompanied by an entourage of servants. Other guests rode trains to McMinnville or Tracy City and completed the journey by stagecoach. When a stagecoach loaded with passengers and luggage made the trip from McMinnville to Beersheba Springs the driver paused before beginning the steep climb up the mountain. He signaled with a horn to those on top the number of guests who would be arriving for the next meal so the chef could be prepared. During the ascent the driver stopped the horses frequently to allow them to rest. Persons watching from the observatory above called down encouraging words. Sometimes passengers had to get out and walk over a particularly difficult spot in the road. As the coach drew up in front of the hotel, a French band was in place to salute the approaching party with festive music. Guests were congregated to welcome the newcomers, and the young men were gathered for the purpose of looking over the young ladies arriving!
--Story to be continued

“Go, Make of all Disciples …We hear the call, O Lord”
Agua Viva, New Hispanic Faith Community, McMinnville, Tennessee
By Joaquin Garcia

The age of participants in United Methodist Hispanic faith communities is far below the average age stated for American United Methodist congregations

On Saturday March 9, after a beautiful snow, the new Hispanic/Latino congregation “Agua Viva” ( Living Water) met at First United Methodist Church McMinnville to celebrate this new Hispanic faith community. After sharing bread prepared by the English speaking congregation, the participants moved to worship together and give thanks to God for all their blessings.

“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love . . . “

Pastor Steve Angus and Francisco Gale welcomed the 217 attending the worship service. Four Hispanic congregations from the Tennessee Conference were present to offer support, and 56 Hispanic persons from the McMinnville area attended the celebration. As the participants in the worship service sang and clapped to the music of the praise band, this very special occasion made these words become real and alive: “ They will know we are Christians by our love.. We will work with each other , we will work side by side… And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…”

“We will work with each other, we will work side by side . . .”

We invite the Tennessee Conference to continue praying and reaching out in gestures of Radical Hospitality and going out beyond the walls to make disciples, and to work and walk hand in hand to reach out to the Hispanic/Latino community.

Justice for Our Neighbors to Hold First Clinic, April 12th, Hillcrest United Methodist Church
By Jan Snider

It began as a simple conversation. Now, Middle Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (JfON) is taking the first step toward real service. In just a few weeks, the hospitality and immigration law ministry will open its doors to its first clients, neighbors, and soon-to-be friends.

The ministry is modeled through the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s national Justice for Our Neighbors ministry, which has 19 free immigration legal clinics in 9 states. The program utilizes volunteers who serve as legal clinic staff to greet, feed, listen, and reach out to refugee and immigrant clients while a licensed immigration attorney provides high-quality, free consultation and case management services.

Justice for our Neighbors does not handle typical immigration cases, which are referred to other agencies. JfON focuses on cases that would otherwise fall through the cracks, particularly the most vulnerable immigrants such as immigrant women who are victims of domestic abuse; victims of human trafficking; immigrant children who are unaccompanied by adult caregivers; refugees and asylum-seekers who are fleeing persecution in their homelands on account of either their race, religion, political opinions or membership in a particular social group; and families that are divided by international borders.

In a time when policy debate over immigration reaches high temperatures, meeting refugees and immigrants as individuals is often neglected or forgotten. For many, getting high-quality advice about their true immigration status, options, and next steps is almost impossible to achieve on the streets. Such honest advice, framed in hospitality, is one aspect of JfON’s mission.
Says JfON Task Force Chair Kathryn Dix Esquivel, “Some ministries are proselytic ministries where we’re trying to spread the gospel and really win people to Christ. Other ministries aren’t proselytic ministries. We’re not spreading the Gospel as much as we’re living the Gospel. And it’s what the church does because it’s what the church is supposed to do. And that can be a very powerful witness, as well, because people can see: look at what the United Methodist Church is doing. Look at the sort of commitment that these United Methodists have to social justice. And they seem to care – about me and my family.”

A hand-full of volunteers began meeting nine months ago to launch the program in Middle Tennessee. The original task force represented individuals from Belmont, West Nashville, and Hillcrest United Methodist Churches, the Tennessee Annual Conference, Vanderbilt Divinity School, as well as attorneys and educators in the community. Today, church representatives throughout Middle Tennessee have expressed interest in the ministry.

With the long-term goal of hiring a full-time immigration attorney, the group is relying on the services of attorney and JfON Director Panravee Vongjaroenrat until enough funds can be raised to secure a permanent attorney. Belmont has pledged office space for the future attorney and Hillcrest and West Nashville UMCs have offered clinic space.

The first once-a-month clinics will be held April 12 at Hillcrest United Methodist Church, with the support of volunteers from that church as well as Belmont, Edgehill, West Nashville, and Nolensville UMCs, and interested citizens.

The volunteer commitment includes a two-hour volunteer training session on the morning of the first clinic. Volunteers will be schooled on procedures and the necessity for confidentiality. They will have to sign a pledge to adhere to the rules of the legal clinic, which mirror the same client/attorney privileges of any legal office.

Positions for volunteers include hospitality, such as visiting with clients and childcare, providing food and beverages during the clinic. Other positions include translators, intake workers who will obtain basic information for the attorney, and volunteers who may not be able to attend clinics but provide essential case management services and follow-through on clinic tasks.

The most critical needs of Middle Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors at this time include the position of a Case Manager, who will gather clinic information and set appointments and Volunteer Coordinator, who will be responsible for making sure that a clinic is well-staffed. At this time, it is estimated that the positions will take approximately five hours a week or less.

If you are interested in this vital ministry contact: Jan Snider at 742-5474, or email: tnjfon@comcast.net. Messages can also be left on the JFON line at: 615- 823-1945.
If you wish to make a donation to Middle Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, make your check payable to Belmont United Methodist Church and mark the donation for JfON.


East Nashville UMC Commissions major musical piece
Nashville to Observe 10-Year Anniversary of Tornado with World Premiere of New Choral/Orchestral Work

The four-movement piece, “The Gardener,” was composed by David Childs, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music. The performance will be directed by Joseph Lee, Music Director at East End United Methodist Church. The premiere performance will be Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 PM in the historic sanctuary of East End United Methodist Church, 1212 Holly Street. The concert is free and open to the public and child care will be provided. A community photo and video exhibit will also be on display at the event.

On April 16, 1998, Nashville became the first major U.S. city in nearly 20 years to be struck by an F2 (or larger) tornado in the downtown area. The tornado, which tore through neighborhoods in East Nashville, claimed the life of Vanderbilt senior Kevin Longinotti and caused approximately $100 million in damages. At the center of Nashville’s historic neighborhoods east of downtown, East End United Methodist Church served as the staging area for countless relief crews providing aide and assistance to storm victims.

“The Gardener” was commissioned by East End United Methodist Church and is sponsored by Rediscover East! and East Nashville neighborhood associations, businesses, and individuals.

Note by Jama Bowen: The East Nashville congregation is no stranger to providing assistance to disaster victims.
The church buildings remained virtually untouched by three major disasters which struck the neighborhood over the last century. In 1916, more than 700 homes were destroyed or damaged by a fire which left 3,000 neighbors homeless. Then in 1933, a tornado ripped through the neighborhood killing 37 persons and causing mass destruction. East End Methodist welcomed Eastland Christian Church to hold services in the sanctuary until Eastland’s own tornado damage could be repaired. Sixty-five years later in 1998, another tornado followed a nearly identical path through East Nashville. The only physical change to the main building occurred when the huge wooden doors of the sanctuary were pulled open by the tornado, despite being dead-bolt locked. East End once again shared the sanctuary with another congregation, the Power of Deliverance, whose own church building was destroyed. Through all three of these disasters, East End United Methodist Church played a pivotal role in providing aide and assistance to thousands of victims.


Second annual ‘Spud Day’ set for April 15 on Martin Methodist College campus

If you ever wanted to know what 32,000 pounds of white potatoes looked like, the place to be was on the Martin Methodist College campus on the morning of April 16, 2007.

It was “Spud Day ’07,” a potato drop to feed the hungry in Giles County and beyond. Some170 volunteers — students, faculty, staff, and members of the community — gathered to distribute 10-pound bags of white potatoes, gleaned from fields in North Carolina by the Society of St. Andrew and delivered to the MMC campus.

From there, Martin Methodist College volunteers distributed the potatoes to agencies and locations throughout Giles County, while Feed America First, an organization in Murfreesboro, Tenn., handled the out-of-county distribution throughout Tennessee, northern Alabama, and northern Mississippi.

And now Spud Day is back. Martin S.E.R.V.E.S. (Students Engaged in Reviving
Volunteer Efforts in Society), is once again coordinating a local potato drop on Tuesday,
April 15.

The theme for Spud Day ’08 is “Spuds Around the World,” an acknowledgment of the international influence on the Martin Methodist campus, where 62 students from 22 countries outside the United States represent 8 percent of the total enrollment.
For more information about Spud Day ’08, contact the Religious Life Office at 931-424-7363, or e-mail religiouslife@martinmethodist.edu.


Using the Web to Reach Out: Audio Content on your Website
by Thomas Wm. Madron*

Churches both large and small produce prodigious amounts of audio content. Some, of course, we wish we had never produced at all, but a large portion of what we produce can be used for outreach to our own members and to the wider community.

Worship services, both regular Sunday services and special services, sermons, and music that may be part of the worship services or may be part of special musical programs are examples of some of this audio content. Often, however, we are rarely prepared to record even a fraction of the audio output of our local churches.

There are various planning and technological reasons for our failure to record, but one important reason is that we often do not appreciate the fact that in the local church, in even very small churches, we produce audio output that is (or can be) of interest and importance to our members and beyond the local church into the community at large.

At West End UMC in Nashville we have been producing recorded audio output of selected ministries, especially the Sunday services and concerts organized by our Music Ministry, for a number of years. The recordings of the services provide access to the services for the homebound. The recordings of special music programs are a support activity for the Music Ministry. You can see something of what we are doing in conjunction with the Music Ministry at

http://www.westendumc.org/news.php?viewStory=1908.

Recently we have been more attentive to the recording of special alternative services (Taize, for example) and some programs. Interest in recording by various ministries has been increasing as we have made more audio available over the Internet.

Recording audio requires some basic audio equipment (amplifier, microphones, possibly a mixer, and a computer to capture the audio or stand-alone digital recorders [the easiest is a CD/DVD recorder] attached to the output of the amplifier). For special occasions it is possible to rent more elaborate audio equipment for higher quality recording.

Through various techniques West End now makes the audio we post on our website (http://www.westendumc.org)/ available for immediate listening (“streaming audio”), delivered through podcasting, or downloadable directly to an individual’s personal computer. These techniques can be implemented expensively or quite inexpensively depending on the anticipated volume of concurrent listeners. At West End we use the low-cost approach. It works quite well.

In order to implement audio on the web you will need some basic software to digitize recordings; to “rip” recordings from CDs or tapes (tapes may require additional, relatively low-cost hardware); to edit the digitized recordings (to take care of anomalies in the recordings, to extract music or sermons); and, to prepare for podcasting the selections once edited. Providing audio over the web can be integrated with virtually any website.

Tutorials are available for some of these topics on the West End website. Please feel free to use them. Click http://www.westendumc.org/news.php?viewStory=954, scroll down to “Tutorial Catalogue” and click on it. Toward the end of the list of tutorials are several that deal with website issues including podcasting. A Google Interne search on “audio streaming” will turn up articles that will introduce you to the issues involved.

It is necessary, of course, to have people willing to learn how to operate the hardware and software noted above. At West End we work largely with volunteers for all these activities. For a very small church it may be challenging to find people to take care of the recording, editing, and web posting technologies, but it can be done. It is an area of ministry for the technically inclined. If your church does not have a website you might contact the General Board of Global Ministries for free web space (http://gbgm-umc.org)/ and recruit someone to set up a website for you (web space is also available through UMCOM for a monthly fee). Today, when people are trying to locate a church, they frequently go first to the web.

The “payoff” for the work necessary to implement audio on the web is that the ministry of the church is not only extended to our own members, but also to our communities, and even to our world.

*Thomas William Madron is Manager, Information Technology , West End United Methodist Church. Email: tmadron@westendumc.org


Volunteers Urgently Needed for Mountain T.O.P. ‘Adults in Ministry’ Program

ALTAMONT, Tenn. -- Last fall, Mountain T.O.P. (Tennessee Outreach Project), an interdenominational ministry to the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, got some good news.

Mountain T.O.P. was awarded a $60,000 HPG (Housing Preservation Grant) from The U.S. Department of Agriculture. That grant, along with loan programs offered by USDA to qualifying families, gives Mountain T.O.P. the ability to help Cumberland Mountain families badly in need of home construction or renovation projects.
There's just one problem
“Now, we need people,” said Mountain T.O.P. executive director Rev. Ed Simmons.
In order to complete the projects, Mountain T.O.P. especially needs volunteers for its Adults In Ministry program this summer.

Adults from all over the country give of their time and come together each year to serve.

Campers in Major Home Repair will work in teams on major construction projects such as roof repair, room additions, and siding. Major Home Repair is an option at week-long camp events during the summer but is also offered at long weekend camps (Thursday night through Sunday morning) in the spring and fall. Men and women of all skill and experience levels are welcome, from novices to professional contractors.

“That's one of the great things about the Mountain T.O.P. program,” said Simmons. “Everyone brings different gifts and different opportunities. You may never have picked up a hammer, or you may build houses for a living. Either way, God can use you in ministry.”

In the Summer Plus program, teams of adults lead sessions for local teenagers on topics from self defense to creative writing. Kaleidoscope is a program for local special needs children. Volunteers help these children learn about and experience the visual and performing arts.

AIM weekends for 2008 are April 24-27, Oct. 2-5, Oct. 9-12, Oct. 16-19, Oct. 23-26, and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. AIM full weeks are June 8-14 (Major Home Repair only), June 22-28 (choice of Major Home Repair or Summer Plus) and July 6-12 (choice of Major Home Repair or Kaleidoscope). More information about the AIM program, as well as applications for 2008 camp events, can be found on the Mountain T.O.P. web site, http://www.mountain-top.org/, by e-mailing info@mountain-top.org or by calling (931) 692-3999.
.Mountain T.O.P. is an Interdenominational Christian Mission, affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, dedicated to rural life ministry in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee

Black college supporters receive H.O.P.E. awards
By Linda Green*

LOS ANGELES (UMNS)--Two United Methodists are the recipients of the 2008 H.O.P.E. legacy awards from the Black College Fund for giving hope to 11 historically black colleges and universities related to The United Methodist Church.

The Rev. John G. Corry, chaplain and senior adviser to the president for United Methodist Church Affairs at Meharry Medical College, and Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the Office of Loans and Scholarships for the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, received the awards Feb. 28 during the 41st annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal in Los Angeles.

The Heritage, Opportunity, Preparation and Education awards were initiated in 2001 and are given annually to recognize "exceptional contributions in continuing a tradition of hope in the historically black colleges and universities related to The United Methodist Church," said Cynthia Bond Hopson, director of the Black College Fund and Ethnic Concerns at the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Nearly 16,000 students attend the 11 church-related, historically black schools. The 35-year-old Black College Fund is supported by local church apportionments and promoted through an internship program named for former fund executive Lina H. McCord.

A helping hand
Current-Felder has encouraged many United Methodist students to make a difference through education. She leads the Women of Color Scholars program, which is designed to increase the number of women of color serving on seminary faculties as teachers and researchers. The Office of Loans and Scholarships awards approximately $6 million in financial assistance annually to more than 3,500 students.

"I am humbled by being a recipient of the H.O.P.E. Award," said Current-Felder as she shared the moment with her mother, Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly.

Current-Felder told the luncheon audience that her parents encouraged her and her three siblings to be their own persons but also to fulfill their responsibility "for the liberation of black people. I accept this award. I was only doing what God told me to do," she said.

Trailblazer in the church
A trailblazer in many areas of the church, Corry was the first African-American district superintendent in the Tennessee Annual (regional) Conference. He has served as president of the Judicial Council, the denomination's supreme court, and is the author of nine publications. He is in his 35th year of employment at United Methodist-related Meharry in Nashville, Tenn.

Tennessee Annual Conference Chancellor, The Rev. John G. Corry, accepts a 2008 H.O.P.E. Award from Cynthia Bond Hopson (left) and Lillian Ferguson during the 41st annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal. UMNS photos by Linda Green.

With his family in attendance, Corry told the audience that he is "always humbled when someone recognizes the work I have done. I have been supported by a host of witnesses … and I know I could not have done those things without the grace of God."

Past recipients include Current-Felder's father, Gloster Current Sr., the Rev. Chestina Mitchell Archibald, on-air personality Tom Joyner, Larry Jenkins of the Thurston Group, and the Rev. Walter L. Kimbrough and his wife, author and professor Marjorie L. Kimbrough.

A highlight of the annual luncheon is a table competition to raise money to support scholarships for the historically black college represented by its choir at the gathering. This year, the competition awarded $10,000 to Dillard University of New Orleans and its choir.

Participants opened their wallets after watching tables of the "battling bishops and spouses."

Two episcopal tables, one led by Dillard alumni Bishop Alfred and Mackie Norris and another led by Bishop Melvin and Marilyn Magee Talbert, squared off with their checkbooks to enliven the festivities.

"What happens at black colleges does not happen everywhere else," Hopson said, noting that the colleges accept students who have potential but who may have never experienced "I think I can encouragement."

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



Global Education Center and West Nashville United Methodist Church have formed a unique partnership with creation of Café West

The Global Education Center and West Nashville United Methodist Church have formed a unique partnership to bring the arts of the world to their West Nashville community. Café West is their joint performance series which truly represents cultural arts for everyone. This concert series kicked off in December with A Celtic Christmas featuring the legendary Boys of the Lough, followed by the mandolin and fiddle skills of A Prairie Home Campanion’s Peter Ostroushko. February saw a change of pace with rising hip hop musicians Black Violin, who were joined by a bevy of local artists representing African-American traditions. Coming to town for an April 18 concert is French chanteuse Jacqueline Jourdan, an 85-year old vocal powerhouse with a distinguished singing career spanning several decades who offers the glamour of the posh supper clubs, nightclubs and cabarets of yesteryear.

The remaining concerts planned in this exciting series include The Words and Musical Stylings of Spain’s beloved poet Garcia Lorca, featuring flamenco singer Chayito Champion and local spoken word artist Thandiwe Shiphrah, and Appalachian Roots featuring Tennessee’s beloved Carol Ponder. Check the Global Education Center’s website, http://www.globaleducationcenter.net/, for a complete schedule of this and other exciting multicultural arts programs happening in West Nashville.

In addition to the Café West concert series, West Nashville United Methodist Church and the Global Education Center are forming the Richland Park Arts Council to help garner support for the arts in the Charlotte Pike corridor in which these two historic organizations are housed. Also watch for the premiere issue of their joint newsletter – GORP, focusing on the goings-on in their Richland Park neighborhood. They look forward to participation in the arts council, the newsletter and Café West by members of the community.

For further information contact Ellen Gilbert of the Global Education Center (615-292-3023 or globaleducationcenter@juno.com) or Sherry Cothran of West Nashville United Methodist Church (http://www.westnashvilleumc.org/ 615-297-3216 or sdcothran@gmail.com).


Beersheba Springs Vesper Point Gets New Look
by Dickie Hinton, Executive Director, Beersheba Springs Assembly

On two VERY cold days, members of Choates Creek labored to give Vesper Point a much-needed face lift.

Braving two cold winter days with wind and fog, the members of Choates Creek United Methodist Church worked to give Vespers point at Beersheba Springs Assembly a much needed facelift. The team was able to clear the view of the Collins River Valley, put up a new cross, build a new fence, put down a new brown gravel base, and place new pews in the outdoor chapel area. Future plans include new landscaping and a Vesper Point Sign.

Beersheba Springs Assembly wishes to thank Choates Creek and Fairfield Glade UMC for their donations of materials and Choates Creek for their hard work. Their efforts have greatly enhanced Vesper Point as a place of worship in the midst of God’s beautiful creation.

New pews were placed at Vesper Point.

Any groups looking for projects are encouraged to contact Dickie Hinton at Beersheba Springs Assembly, P.O. Box 577, Beersheba Springs, TN 37305. Phone 931-692-3669.

TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW March 21, 2008

Contents in an edition of the REVIEW honoring the special ministry of Martin Methodist College

Martin Methodist College has a unique relationship to the Tennessee Annual Conference –from launching innovation programs such as the Academy for Congregational Leadership to enriching the church leadership skills of students attending Martin on a full-time basis. This issue of THE REVIEW will help you understand Martin’s role in strengthening the Conference and the United Methodist Church.

1. The Learning Church by Dr. Ted Brown
2 .Church Leader Scholarships will have a major impact on UMC’s future
3..College continues to move forward toward Martin 2010 goals
4.Annie Martin Mitchell -- Remarkable life remembered through scholarship at Sparta FUMC
5. Church Partners in the Tennessee Conference
6. Martin S.E.R.V.E.S. to focus a full week on Social Justice issues
7. Burgett discovers passion for church leadership at Martin Methodist,
8. College’s trustees reflect commitment to church-related education
9. College Prep 101’ offers families insights about preparing for college
10. Eleven MMC students set to attend 2008 General Conference
11. Graduate of the Academy for Congregational Leaders feels a call to servant ministry,
12. One student’s reflection on a trip into civil rights history
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The Learning Church
By Dr. Ted Brown
President, Martin Methodist College

Dr. Ted Brown explains the future plans of Martin Methodist College to two students

Much has been written and said about the challenges the United Methodist Church faces, particularly the decline in membership of nearly 30 percent over the last four decades. Some say we have lost our evangelical fervor, some suggest that our decreased drive for mission is to blame. I say we have lost sight of the most fundamental Wesleyan principle provided to us by our founder – that we are a learning church.

Martin Methodist College, along with the other 122 United Methodist institutions in the United States, as well as the nearly 650 Methodist institutions worldwide, all stem from the same relatively simple act – in 1748 John Wesley founded Kingswood School. Now this was no inconsequential act for John Wesley. In fact, if you read his Journals, as I have done, you will find that the founding of Kingswood was one of the high and holy moments of his life. This school and its educational program figured centrally into Wesley’s understanding of his life work – his effort to make the life of faith more real to the people around him – to make the church more vital in the lives of the people of England. Kingswood’s mission was not just to provide educated clergy and an educated church membership, but also to seek out poverty-stricken children in the inner-city of London to give them a quality education. For Wesley, education had not only a theological motivation, but a social one as well – to lift the human condition.

Likewise in America, Methodists gathered in 1784 for the Christmas Conference, the founding event of the Methodist Church in the United States. One of the very first acts of that conference was to establish Cokesbury College in Abingdon, Md., but that was just the first step. Soon after the conference, Bishop Francis Asbury wrote to all congregations in the connection explaining their obligation to establish a school in the proximity of every church “to give the key of knowledge to your children and those of the poor in the vicinity of your small towns and villages.” And establish colleges we did – in the colonies, on the frontiers, and all across the country.

In deeply theological and spiritual ways, but also in important practical ways, these institutions have served as the lifeblood of our church. Over the years a kind of pipeline existed across our denomination that carried devoted young people from the youth groups of our congregations to our college campuses and nurtured them for leadership – not just for society but leadership in the church. And not just clergy and professional church leaders but also lay leaders – people who on our college campuses strengthened their interest in and capacity for the church. And upon graduation the pipeline returned skilled and dedicated leaders to our congregations to serve. For generations that was the pattern, and it served the United Methodist Church well for hundreds of years. It is no coincidence in my opinion that our slide in membership as a denomination has coincided with a gradual distancing of the church from its educational institutions.

For the last three or more decades various dynamics have been at work driving a wedge between the church and its colleges. For the church, the colleges were expensive – they seemed an unnecessary appendage – a distraction from our primary ministries as needs grew and resources did not keep up. And many of our colleges were willing to go their own ways to avoid some of the messy complications of the relationship with the church. Sad to say that many if not most of our colleges are now Methodist in name only. The pipeline I spoke about is now corroded and clogged, and it no longer supplies the leadership that will sustain our congregations for the future.

I am delighted to say that the Tennessee Conference and Martin Methodist College are in the process of rebuilding that pipeline. Throughout this special issue of The Review you will find clear evidence of the renewed vitality of the church-college relationship and new college partnerships throughout the conference – all dedicated to the development of future church leadership. We give thanks for the support and encouragement of the Tennessee Conference as Martin Methodist College seeks to be a model of church-relatedness for the United Methodist Church.


Church Leader Scholarships will have a major impact on United Methodist Church’s future

As he began his college search as a high school senior, John DeValk was fairly certain he wanted to go to a large campus and, in fact, was accepted at several major universities. But the more he thought about what was important to him and to his future, the more he embraced the idea of a small, private, church-related college.

John DeValk

That’s when he discovered Martin Methodist College and what was at the time a brand-new Church Leader Scholarship program.

DeValk applied for the scholarship in the spring of 2001, and he became one of the first two students to enroll at Martin Methodist as a Church Leader Scholar. He considers it one of the most important decisions he will ever make.

“I can’t say enough about how the staff at the Center for Church Leadership made the transition from high school to college as easy as possible,” said DeValk, who earned his degree in 2005 and is now pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy at Tennessee State University in Nashville. “During that first semester of college that trip up so many college freshmen, they helped me stay focused on what is important, to stay on the right track, to do the right thing. Those people cared about me, and that really made an impression.”

As one of the two inaugural scholarship recipients, DeValk took an active role in helping the church leadership program develop during his four years at MMC.

“It was amazing to see God work in that area,” he said. “Each semester we would ask, ‘What can we do more?’ and then a little more would be added each year. It was fascinating to see it grow so quickly.”

And it has been fascinating to see DeValk grow so quickly into a UMC leader. Once he graduated from Martin Methodist, he returned to Springfield (Tenn.) First UMC and became the Martin representative for his church, and he helped establish a Church Partner scholarship as well.

“It will really be amazing to see how the church leadership program at Martin Methodist impacts the Tennessee Conference in three or four more years when some of my classmates complete seminary or divinity school while others of us are working as lay leaders,” DeValk said. “I think it’s really going to show how important the Center for Church Leadership is.”

Current eight Church Leader Scholars (seated from left): senior Brandi Belcher, Hermitage (Tenn.) UMC; senior Melissa Stewart, Hendersonville (Tenn.) UMC; (standing, from left) junior Stephanie Woolam, Dickson (Tenn.) FUMC; sophomore Courtney Daniel of Mars Hill UMC in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.; freshman Josiah Po’e of Antioch, Tenn. and Belmont UMC; freshman Lyndsay Millo of Nolensville, Tenn., and LaVergne FUMC; junior Will Frazer of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Good Shepherd UMC; and sophomore Katie Cooper of Smyrna (Tenn.) FUMC.

That kind of leadership within the United Methodist Church is exactly why the Church Leader Scholarship was created in 2001. The Rev. Mary Noble Parrish, the director of church relations for Martin Methodist College, looks at the commitment of the two high school seniors who, each year, are selected to receive the full-cost scholarships, and she sees great promise for the future of individual churches, their respective conferences, and the denomination as whole.

“While on campus, these students will be given a wealth of opportunities to continue to develop their leadership skills,” she said. “Students will also have an ideal environment to explore their unique and God-given calling while making a difference in this world as a disciple of Christ.”

Each Church Leader Scholarship is worth more than $88,000 over the recipient’s four years at Martin Methodist, covering tuition and basic room and board.

To be considered for a Church Leader Scholarship, students must be a youth leader in his or her United Methodist church, possess a minimum 3.0 high school grade point average, and show evidence of a long-term commitment and leadership in their local churches. They do not, however, have to pursue a church vocation as a result of this scholarship; while some past recipients have majored in pre-seminary or church education, others have majored in biology or business administration with plans to serve the church in a laity role.

The scholarships are awarded during the first week of April each year, but the two CLS recipients are not the only applicants to benefit by the scholarship competition. Three-fourths of the students who applied in 2007 enrolled in the freshman class that fall, all having received significant financial aid awards.

2007 Church Leader Scholarship finalists

And, like John DeValk, each of the 14 students who have received the Church Leaders Scholarship recognize the opportunities that lie before them.

“Coming to Martin Methodist College has changed my life in such a positive way,” said Katie Cooper, a sophomore from Smyrna (Tenn.) UMC. “I am truly nurtured here. Because of devoted teachers who challenge me, my world view has expanded; and as I build relationships with the students on our diverse campus, I continue to learn outside of the classroom. Both the college and the opportunities the Church Leader Scholarship have given me inspire me everyday. This scholarship has opened doors for me that I would never have imagined. I am confident that I will leave Martin Methodist as a cultured, open-minded, thinking follower of Christ. I am exceedingly blessed.”

For more information or to recommend someone for the Martin Methodist College Church Leader Scholarship, contact the Rev. Mary Noble Parrish at 931-363-9834 or mparrish@martinmethodist.edu. Interested persons can also get information and apply on-line at www.martinmethodist.edu/ccl/scholarships.


College continues to move forward toward Martin 2010 goals

In measuring the recent progress enjoyed by Martin Methodist College, it’s hard to argue with a world record and a national championship.

Granted, five students and one faculty member did successfully break the Guinness Book world record for continuous rocking in a rocking chair during a fund-raiser in September (the previous mark had been 75 hours and three minutes), and, two months later, the RedHawk women’s soccer team captured its second NAIA national title in three years.

Both events gave the college’s family and friends reason to celebrate. But what is really propelling Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. – the only Methodist-related college in the Tennessee Conference – are the many advances resulting from Martin 2010, the college’s ambitious long-range plan adopted in 2001.

The Martin 2010 plan states its vision for the college clearly: “Martin Methodist College is committed to being one of the leading, small, nurturing liberal arts colleges in the Southeast, and a model of church-relatedness for the United Methodist Church.”

And the results, seven years later, have been remarkable.

·Enrollment, which stood at 379 students as the 1999-2000 academic year began, has reached record levels in six of the past seven years and now stands at 924, representing a 144 percent increase – well on the way to the 2010 target of 1080 students.
·Martin Methodist, which moved from junior college to baccalaureate institution in 1993, had four academic programs in 1999-2000. Today, the college offers 29 such programs in 14 different major fields.
·The number of faculty has increased from 37 in 1999-2000 to 81; full-time faculty has increased from 21 to 50.
·The number of students residing on campus has increased from 153 to 321, thanks in large part to two state-of-the-art student apartment buildings which opened in January 2005.
·Life outside the classroom has also made great strides, including the number of student organizations now in existence. In 1999-2000, there were 10 such clubs or groups; today there are 29. The college offered 13 cultural arts events in 1999-2000; this year, no fewer than 60 such events are scheduled.
·Giving to the college has reached all-time high as well. In 1999-2000, the college received $1.9 million in total charitable gifts. At the end of the 2006-07 fiscal year, total gifts exceeded $4.9 million.

Of course, one of the most important initiatives in the Martin 2010 long-range plan was the creation of what is now known as the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership, following a $5 million gift by the Nashville business executive and dedicated member of Brentwood United Methodist Church to endow the center.

The mission of the Center for Church Leadership is to:

1. Identify, recruit, and train future lay and clergy leaders;
2. Provide quality continuing education and support for current lay and clergy in ministry;
3. Advocate and uphold vocation as a calling;
4. Focus on the development of a theological and biblical understanding of leadership; and
5. Develop, adapt, and implement programs and curricula concerning practices and skills needed for effective leadership in the local church.

Today, the center has numerous programs serving both the campus community and the greater UMC. Along with leadership and service opportunities for Martin Methodist students, the Center for Church Leadership offers continuing education programs for UMC laity and clergy in areas such as youth ministry, children’s ministry, congregational leadership, and Christian communications.

Martin Methodist College is currently in the midst of The Campaign for Martin 2010, the comprehensive fund-raising campaign to underwrite much of the long-range initiatives. The $43 million campaign kicked off in April 2006, a celebration heralded completion of Phase I in October 2007. The campaign currently stands at just over $30.6 million – which represents 71 percent of the goal.


Annie Martin Mitchell -- Remarkable life remembered through scholarship at Sparta FUMC

Sometimes a memory and an opportunity just seem to be a perfect fit.

That was certainly the case for Dr. Charles Mitchell learned about the Church Partner scholarship program at Martin Methodist College and thought about the remarkable life and legacy of his late wife, Annie Martin Mitchell.

Annie Martin Mitchell

For the man whom folks in Sparta, Tenn., affectionately call “Doc,” the opportunity to honor the memory of his wife while furthering the education of talented young people in First United Methodist Church of Sparta could not be more appropriate.

“Annie Martin was really interested in education, and she loved the church. It was a natural fit,” he said. “She was president of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, and she simply made the most of every gift that she had. She could have been a senator or governor. She was elegant but tough, and you didn’t want her as an adversary.”

The Church Partner Plan is a program established by Martin Methodist College through its Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership in which individual congregations in the Tennessee Conference commit to endowing a $10,000 scholarship that, once fully funded, provides substantial scholarship money to a Martin Methodist student selected by the congregation.

Taking part in a luncheon celebrating the Annie Martin Mitchell Scholarship established as part of the Church Partner Plan are (from left): the Rev. Richard Morgan, pastor of Sparta First UMC; MMC President Ted Brown; Dr. Charles Mitchell, the Rev. Mary Noble Parrish, MMC's director of church relations; and church members Robert Gallaher and William West.

Currently there are 34 churches in the Tennessee Conference committed to the Church Partner Plan. In establishing a Church Partner endowment in the name of Annie Martin Mitchell, Sparta First UMC became the first church in the Cookeville District to join the program. Now, every district in the Tennessee Conference has at least one Church Partner.

“First and foremost, it is a means to increase the relationships with the churches of our conference,” said the Rev. Mary Noble Parrish, director of church relations for Martin Methodist College. “The CPP has made a significant difference in the educational pursuits of many of our United Methodist students, not to mention the spiritual and emotional support of knowing that his or her church continues to support their walk with Christ.

“Churches like Sparta FUMC are using the Church Partner Plan and the scholarship from the endowment as a means to honor the life and memory of someone dear to their congregation and community,” Parrish said.

A resolution issued by the Tennessee House of Representatives soon after her death in April of 2006 points to the wide-ranging impact her life had on her community and beyond, including her local and national involvement with organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America and PTA. She was active in numerous women’s clubs, was a trustee for White County Community Hospital, and served for 13 years as chairman of the Tennessee Advisory Council for Education of the Handicapped.

At Sparta First UMC, she was president of the United Methodist Women, a longtime Sunday School teacher, and the first woman to be named chairman of the administrative board.

For church member Robert Gallaher, who also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at Martin Methodist College, the scholarship is only the start of a much more meaningful connection between church and college.

“My really great hope is that it not only benefits the students both academically and spiritually, but that it’s the genesis for other congregations in our district to become involved with a wonderful college,” Gallaher said.

Church Partners in the Tennessee Conference

1. Ardmore-Trinity Charge (Ardmore UMC, Cedar Grove UMC, Chestnut Grove UMC, Minor Hill UMC, Trinity UMC)
2. Belmont United Methodist Church
3. Brentwood United Methodist Church
4. Chapel Hill United Methodist Church
5. Choates Creek United Methodist Church
6. Christ United Methodist Church
7. Coleman Memorial United Methodist Church
8. Columbia First United Methodist Church
9. Connell Memorial United Methodist Church
10. Crievewood United Methodist Church
11. Dickson First United Methodist Church
12. Fayetteville First United Methodist Church
13. Franklin First United Methodist Church
14. Hendersonville First United Methodist Church
15. Hermitage United Methodist Church
16. Lewisburg First United Methodist Church
17. Loretto United Methodist Church
18. Lynnville First United Methodist Church
19. Madison Street United Methodist Church
20. McBurg United Methodist Church
21. Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church
22. New Chapel United Methodist Church
23. Olivet United Methodist Church
24. Pisgah United Methodist Church
25. Port Royal United Methodist Church
26. Pulaski First United Methodist Church
27. Riverside United Methodist Church
28. Salem United Methodist Church
29. Smyrna First United Methodist Church
30. Sparta First United Methodist Church
31. Springfield First United Methodist Church
32. Triune United Methodist Church
33. Tullahoma First United Methodist Church
34. West End United Methodist Church


Martin S.E.R.V.E.S. to focus a full week on Social Justice issues

Martin S.E.R.V.E.S. (Students Engaged in Reviving Volunteer Efforts in Society) has been encouraging Martin Methodist College students to serve throughout the area for the past two years. Service blitzes in the fall send groups of students into schools, food pantries, thrift stores, and nursing homes. Alternative fall break trips to Gulfport, Miss., continue the work of helping that area recover from Hurricane Katrina. April brings the students’ favorite service day – Spud Day – where thousands of pounds of potatoes are bagged and delivered to service agencies in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Martin S.E.R.V.E.S. student leaders know, however, that works of charity in themselves will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger. For that to happen, change must begin at the root of the problem – in systems that promote the cycle of poverty. Most often, change of that kind begins with education and awareness.

The week of March 10-14 was declared Social Justice Awareness Week on the Martin Methodist College campus. Each day focused on a different social justice issue: human trafficking, hunger and poverty, refugees, child soldiers, and AIDS and malaria. Social justice-minded students created displays and “confetti facts” for cafeteria tables and handed out items to remind students of the injustices that exist in this country and abroad.

For example, on the day emphasizing human trafficking, students were encouraged to make a “bondage bracelet” out of rubber bands to remind them of the 27 million people who live in slavery today. The next day, students were given small bags containing rice and asked to think about what would happen if that was their only food for the day, every day.

As students left the cafeteria, they were handed information about what they could do to learn more about promoting justice for people around the world. Awareness about these issues is the first step toward a life committed to justice for all. Next year, staff and students from MMC’s Religious Life office hope to offer the same type of educational opportunity to churches in the Tennessee Conference in the form of social justice seminars.

“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NRSV).

How do you DO JUSTICE?


Burgett discovers passion for church leadership at Martin Methodist

When Martin Methodist College President Ted Brown talks about the need to cultivate future leaders for the United Methodist Church and the impact that a program such as the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership can have, he can point to a growing number of young alumni for illustration.

Adam Burgett, a 2006 graduate from Nashville, might be the ideal example.

He transferred to Martin Methodist College after spending his freshman year at the University of Tennessee-Martin, interested in determining if a church-related career might be in his future. To call the move life-changing would be an understatement, as he prepares to enroll this fall in the Vanderbilt University Divinity School on full scholarship.

Adam Burgett

“My experiences at Martin Methodist College jump-started a period of vocational discernment that has continued,” Burgett said. “The nurturing community, approachable faculty and the Center for Church Leadership were important elements that set Martin Methodist apart when choosing a school at which to do my undergraduate studies. Once upon campus, I realized that a multitude of opportunities to experience what ministry looks like was available to me because of the school’s commitment to being a church-related college.

“While at Martin Methodist College, I was able to look at and study different areas of ministry. This allowed me to learn about the US-2 program offered by the General Board of Global Ministries,” he said. “Through the encouragement of many people at Martin Methodist, including great support from President Ted Brown, I decided to participate in the US-2 program after graduation to explore my passions for social justice ministry while allowing myself two more years to more fully discern this calling that I first decided to act upon while in college.

“The US-2 program has pushed me to more fully understand the church’s role and, subsequently, my role in the church. To pursue this role I will be enrolling in Vanderbilt Divinity School in the fall of 2008 with the intention of being ordained. Much of this decision is attributed to the direction, nurturing, and encouragement that Martin Methodist College and the Center of Church Leadership offered,” he said.

College’s trustees reflect commitment to church-related education

Examine an organization’s leadership, and you’ll learn a lot about the organization. That adage certainly holds true for the Board of Trustees at Martin Methodist College.

One of the most significant factors tying these 40-plus leaders together is that all but two of them are members of a United Methodist Church congregation. For an institution that aspires to be a model for church-related higher education within the UMC denomination, that common denominator stands paramount.

Professionally, they may be attorneys or bankers or business executives or ministers, but, personally, their professed faith gives them a keen understanding of the Wesleyan tradition of a faith-based education.

Ken Pinkston

In July, the Board of Trustees experienced its first change of leadership in eight years, as Kenneth Pinkston, a 1962 graduate of Martin Methodist College and a member of Crievewood United Methodist Church of Nashville, assumed the post of chairman. He followed Michael Barton, a member of another Nashville congregation, Belle Meade UMC, who had served as chairman since 1998 and remains a driving force behind the $43 million Campaign for Martin 2010.

‘College Prep 101’ offers families insights about preparing for college

Nearly 50 United Methodists in middle Tennessee have brought their questions about getting their children – and their finances – ready for college to “College Prep 101,” and there’s one more opportunity to do so this spring.

College Prep 101 is a two-hour information session offered by Martin Methodist College’s Office of Admissions and the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership.

The first three sessions were held at First United Methodist Church in Pulaski, First UMC in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., and Trinity UMC in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

College Prep 101 class at Trinity United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

The fourth and final session will be held at Christ UMC in Franklin, Tenn., on Sunday, April 13. For more information about attending, contact the Rev. Mary Noble Parrish, director of church relations at Martin Methodist College, at 931-363-9834 or 1-800-467-1273, ext. 3834, or e-mail her at mparrish@martinmethodist.edu.

The purpose of College Prep 101 is to equip youth of all ages and their parents as they prepare to go through the college selection process and to be a particularly key resource to those college-bound United Methodists in the Tennessee Conference.

“We recognize there are many questions that must be answered in order for a high school senior to identify the perfect college,” Parrish said. “‘How much will college cost and what financial assistance is available?’ ‘How far from home do I wish to travel?’ ‘What major should I select?’

“As the college of the Tennessee Conference, we at Martin Methodist College extend ourselves as a resource to the youth from the churches of our conference as they make this important decision regarding their higher education,” she said. “It will be beneficial to anyone in their college search.”


Eleven MMC students set to attend 2008 General Conference

Eleven students from Martin Methodist College will be attending the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, to be held April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

General Conference is the top policy-making body of the United Methodist Church. Church law provides for a maximum of 1,000 delegates – half clergy, half laity. A conference's representation is based on the number of lay members and clergy members in the annual conference with a guarantee of representation by at least one lay and one clergy.

The conference revises The Book of Discipline (book of church law) and Social Principles and adopts resolutions on current moral, social, public policy, and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for churchwide programs for the next four years.

Martin Methodist students who hope to attend: Brandi Belcher of Hermitage (Tenn.) Daniel Smith of Pleasant Grove UMC in Tullahoma, Tenn.; Cody Gilliam of Meridianville, Ala., who serves at Epworth UMC and Wesley UMC in Huntsville, Ala., in the North Alabama Conference; Matthew Johnson of Salem UMC in Clarksville, Tenn.; Melissa Stewart of Hendersonville (Tenn.) FUMC; Stephanie Woolam of Dickson (Tenn.) FUMC; Lyndsay Millo of Nolensville, Tenn., a member of LaVergne FUMC; Nate Danielson of Winchester (Tenn.) FUMC; Courtney Lancaster of Killen (Ala.) UMC; Doug Fuqua of Christ UMC in Franklin, Tenn.; and Katie Cooper of Smyrna (Tenn.) FUMC.

They will be accompanied by the Rev. Laura Kirkpatrick, campus minister at Martin Methodist College. Anyone who wishes to make a contribution to help offset the students’ expenses for the trip should contact the Religious Life Office at 931-424-7363, or e-mail religiouslife@martinmethodist.edu.


Graduate of the Academy for Congregational Leaders feels a call to servant ministry

7787 Nolensville Road
Nolensville, TN 37135
February 22, 2008

Academy for Congregational Leaders
Martin Methodist College
Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership

Dear Dr. Nigrelli,

About a year ago I began to feel that God was calling me into some form of full time ministry. For six years I have been an active participant on several ministry teams and a Sunday school teacher, as well as the developer and director of the preschool. These commitments together provided opportunity for more than “full time” service, but something was missing.

Terri-Ann Anderson

At 62, the prospects of investing in a seminary form of education seemed pointless. However, I was hungry for a theological and Biblical foundation for ministry that could give direction to my life. I believe that receiving the information about the program at Martin Methodist was nothing short of God opening a door for me to have the educational experience I was seeking. It also offered the possibility of developing a Personal Ministry Action Plan which translated to me as a “life direction.”

Every session and each course brought a new affirmation for a life of servant ministry. The Biblical and theological bases were clearly established through the readings and presentations of the faculty while the focus on strength based ministry clarified the gifts God has given me to be intentional about being in His service. I was able to discern and develop a ministry plan

The 2007 Academy for Congregational Leaders, one of the church development programs of the Center for Church Leadership

But the directed studies were only half of the benefits of the Academy for Congregational Leaders. The fellowship with other persons who were looking for spiritual direction for lay leadership revealed a commonality that proved beyond a doubt that the body of Christ is called to work together to carry out the great commission.

I want to personally thank you and Dr. Ewers for your vision and commitment to providing a quality program which offers a blend of spiritual formation, intellectual stimulation and fellowship leading to a commitment to not only love the Lord but to serve the Lord with heart, mind, soul, and strength.

I have written about the Academy in our church newsletter and referred a prospective participant. Please let me know if there is any way I can assist you in spreading the word about the Academy. I would be honored to speak on behalf of the program to churches or individuals considering participation. I look forward to continuing my studies in the specialized courses in the coming year.

In His service,
Terri-Ann Anderson


One student’s reflection on a trip into civil rights history
Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, a group of Martin Methodist College students, led by campus minister Laura Kirkpatrick, visited Selma and Montgomery, Ala., to retrace some of the steps of the civil rights leaders of the 1960s. One of those students, sophomore Amy Novakoski of Chesapeake, Va., reflects on the experience.

While I got so much out of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, there is one major thing that stuck with me and that I keep coming back to . . . well actually, it’s a couple of things that are all tied together.

Students and Religious Life staff from Martin Methodist College retraced steps from the Civil Rights movement with a trip to Montgomery and Selma, Ala., during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

First of all, upon arriving at Brown Chapel the first morning, it was snowing. This in and of itself is a pretty big deal for Alabama, but it ended up being a “God moment,” if you will, for our group. When we entered into Brown Chapel, the pastor there started off by telling us that the first time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to this chapel for the first mass meeting it was a snowy day in January as well. While this might seem like just a coincidence, hopefully as you read on, this “coincidence” will seem more like a “God moment” to you.

Worried, anxious, and fearful people would pile into Brown Chapel for the mass meetings. They would enter the chapel with the burden of knowing they were risking their lives. After hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or another leader speak, they would leave the chapel with a renewed feeling of “nothing can bring us down.” What a change of emotions just in the course of hearing one man speak. They would leave the chapel with a renewed sense of faith in God, knowing that he was there to protect them, and they would be just fine. Their faith in God was what helped them through the fight for social justice. Their faith was what kept them going after many were murdered and many others brutally injured. Through their faith they moved mountains and paved the way for equality.

Dr. King, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks were all average, ordinary people who stood up for what was right for humankind. They were ordinary people who did extraordinary things with their lives. In the same way, we are merely ordinary people of faith; however, we have the potential to do extraordinary things as well.

In Rosa Parks’ book, “Quiet Strength,” she wrote the following: “There is work to do; that is why I cannot stop or sit still. As long as a child needs help, as long as people are not free, there will be work to do. As long as an elderly person is attacked or in need of support, there is work to do. As long as we have bigotry and crime, we have work to do. This is why I think it is important to tell my story. We have come so far since the days of segregation, but there is always something to do to make things better. All human beings should have equal opportunities.”

There is still work to be done today. There is still a great need for social justice. As Christians we believe that we are all God’s children, therefore we should all be treated equally. For that reason, we must join together through our faith and move mountains of injustice today.

In conclusion, this trip provided me with two things in particular, the first being a renewed appreciation for everything the civil rights leaders went through so the world might be as we know it today. Secondly, it provoked me to take a stand on the injustices of the world today. Yes, change was made during the civil rights movement; however, our world is still in need of great change today. We are ordinary people of faith who can do extraordinary things. Let us never take that blessing for granted.

TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW March 7, 2008

Articles in this edition of the REVIEW

1 .The First Tennessee Conference Hispanic Women’s Spiritual Retreat
2. Pastor, family killed in crash following storms
3. “The Holy Spirit is very powerful in God’s little house – a very small church builds a strong youth ministry
4. Diversified groups of young people come together and friendships emerge, A local church UMYF program invites group from the Magness Potter Center to be their guests at Warmth in Winter
5. Congratulations to the first graduating class of the Academy for Congregational Leaders , Center for Church Leadership, Martin Methodist College, sponsors innovative program
6. A mother and daughter from Tennessee grow closer by becoming Red Cross volunteers, mother and daughter from Bon Aqua United Methodist Church serve as Red Cross volunteers
7. The Sean Mevis Story, small United Methodist Church raises funds for Handicapped Accessible van to accommodate eight year old
8. Singer/Songwriter Sarah Hart Hosts Daughters Day of Reflection, a Women’s Retreat to benefit Jacob’s Ladder Preschool at Nolensville First UMC
9. 5th Annual Overflow Women’s Conference, March 29th: I Am the Vine

and --
10. Foundation Board Sets New Interest Rates for Development Fund, article with no graphics or photos.
__________________________________


The First Tennessee Conference Hispanic Women’s Spiritual Retreat

The bus from Crossville carried a large number of passengers.

She didn't realize it at the moment, but she was laying out the framework for the very first Hispanic Women's Retreat in the Tennessee Conference!.

Francisca Martinez, a member of the Hispanic/Latino Congregation in Chapel Hill UMC, had a wonderful experience at the Lay Speaking Course in Spanish on November 2 -3, 2007, and asked, "Is the Academy going to offer an event where women are able to gather to praise God, learn more about the Bible, and have Christian fellowship?"

Soon a planning committee was formed with women representing the Hispanic faith communities and congregations, sponsored by the Hispanic/Latino Academy. The purpose of the Women’s Spiritual Retreat was for renewal and spiritual growth. In November of last year Scarritt-Bennett Center was contacted to see if they were able to make a contribution to make this dream a reality, and they responded, offering twenty five rooms. The group of participants grew from twenty five to thirty, and then to thirty seven women and twenty seven children and youth!

Minister Eliud Martinez is seen with retreat leader the Rev. Rosita Mayorga

Laura Hernandez, Francisca Martinez, Mirna Merida and Janeth Martinez met through conference calls with the Director of the Academy to plan the retreat.

There was a great deal of excitement as the Retreat was set to begin! Participants began to arrive in groups, including the group from Crossville, the farthest distance in the conference, which arrived in a church bus.

Joyce Clark, the President of the Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women, shared bread with the participants and brought a greeting, inviting the participants to”reach for the stars and to open their hearts to receive the word of God, and to grow in their faith”.

The crowd of women and children at the Spiritual Retreat filled a large Scarritt-Bennett stairway.

Rev. Rosita Mayorga, a Hispanic pastor serving in Waukesha UMC in the Wisconsin Conference, was the Bible study leader and facilitator. She led the participants in a reflection of women in the Bible—persons like Ruth and Naomi whose faith, devotion and mutual support gave them the strength to overcome the tragedy in their lives in a strange land. The women at the retreat could identify with them; and with the Samaritan woman as well—a woman who came to understand God’s plan for her life in spite of the religious, cultural, social and racial barriers that stood in her way.

Twenty five, the original estimate of attendance grew to 37 women and 27 children and youth.

Participant response:
.‘The retreat has been a great blessing! It has given us the opportunity to
re-charge our souls and experience God’s blessings.”

. “It has been a great spiritual experience to deepen our faith in God and be able
to deal with our daily experiences. I hope this is not the only time we come together to learn, grow, and worship God. I hope we will have regular spiritual retreats”.

Motherly duties were sometimes handled simultaneously with retreat projects.

. “It was a great experience to study and reflect on the stories of the women in the Bible and how God provides the strength to deal with all kinds of situations. And it was a great opportunity to get acquainted with the sisters from other Hispanic faith communities and congregations.”
. “It was a great time and I was affirmed that I am not by myself in a strange land, but the Lord Jesus will always be with me”.

Based on the results of the first retreat the Hispanic/ Latino Academy is planning for a Fall 2008 Hispanic Women’s Spiritual Retreat.



Pastor, family killed in crash following storms
By Tom Gillem*

Photographs of the pastor's family adorn the altar of Lafayette (Tenn.) United Methodist Church during the Sunday worship service following the traffic deaths of the Rev. Michael Welch and his family. A UMNS photo by Tom Gillem.

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. (UNMS)--After a ferocious tornado pummeled their rural Tennessee county with death and destruction, members of Lafayette United Methodist Church thought their first Sunday worship service together would be a time to give thanks for survival and to seek divine guidance to minister to their battered community.

With no deaths or significant property damage among its membership, the church had been transformed into a family crisis center, and its pastor, the Rev. Michael Welch, quickly became the United Methodist denomination's go-to person to organize relief work in a county that had lost at least 13 lives and more than 400 homes.

Instead, worshipers who gathered on Feb. 10 grieved an unimaginable loss--the death of Welch and his family in a traffic accident on Feb. 7, two days after the storm hit.

Welch, 51, died, along with his wife, Julie, 45, and their children Jesse, 14, and Hannah, 11, when a tractor-trailer carrying relief supplies slammed into their van on Highway 52, a traffic-choked two-lane highway just west of Lafayette. An adult son, Garrison, was not in the accident and survives the family.

Instead of seeing their pastor of almost four years in the pulpit, members heard a message of encouragement from their immediate past minister, the Rev. Amanda Diamond. She said God had transformed the congregation through the ministry of Welch and his wife--preparing the church for just such a moment as this.

This recent family photo shows the Rev. Michael Welch, his wife, Julie, and children Jesse (14) and Hannah (11)

"God has prospered you and brought you into a new day, and He's telling you that you are the light," said Diamond. "You are his vessels. This community is devastated, and I know in the midst of a physical devastation they are looking at you all. … They are being amazed that you can continue to reach out, that you are concerned about your neighbors because the light of Christ is in place in you."

Bishop Dick Wills of the Tennessee and Memphis Areas and local District Superintendent Ron Lowery attended the Sunday service to express the grief and concern of the entire United Methodist Church.

"I wanted just to come and worship with your precious congregation today," Wills said. "You had one of the most special pastors and families ever. Our hearts and prayers surround you. As United Methodists, we are never alone. When one of our congregations suffers, we all suffer."

A memorial service for the family was held Feb. 12 at the Lafayette church.

'Fierce integrity'
Welch, who had a master's degree in social work, was studying to be an elder in The United Methodist Church. He was an ordained minister in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ and served several United Methodist congregations before making the decision to become a United Methodist minister. From 1994-1997, he was on the pastoral staff of Stephen Ministries, a nonprofit organization in St. Louis that equips lay people to provide one-on-one ministry to people in crisis.

Since arriving in Lafayette, Julie taught Bible studies in the church and supported other mothers in the community who, like her, home-schooled their children.

"The first day I was here (after the storm), every single person said these words to me: 'Julie taught us that we are to praise God in all circumstances,'" said Diamond, who now serves at First United Methodist Church in nearby Hendersonville, Tenn. "And every single person who said that to me emphasized the word all."

The Rev. Jeff Wilson, Welch's longtime friend from their seminary days at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, told the worshipers that Welch was a country boy from Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., who "had a tremendous heart for the Lord" and a "tremendous head for the Lord."

"He was a man of fierce integrity. His journey in faith and his ecclesiastical journey through churches and into the Stephen Ministries and now in The United Methodist Church … is a testament of that faith and his unwillingness to subjugate that faith and the convictions that he knew to any outside force of this world or any other place," said Wilson, who is on staff at Brentwood United Methodist Church in suburban Nashville.

Recalling a conversation with his friend after the Welch family moved to Lafayette, Wilson told the church that the Welches "not only loved you and loved the community, but they came home again."

"This country boy with a big heart for the Lord and a big head for wanting the knowledge of God came home again because, once again, he was in the roots of who he was, in the presence of the power and the spirit and the love of people who loved God, and that moved to the very essence of his soul. You were a blessing for him, and I know that he was a blessing for you, as he was for so many of us," Wilson said.

Memorials may be sent to the Welch Family Disaster Relief Fund at either the Macon Bank & Trust or Citizens Bank, both in Lafayette. Donations for survivors of the Welch family may be sent to the Welch Memorial Fund, Lafayette United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 122, Lafayette, Tenn. 37083.

*Gillem is a freelance journalist based in Brentwood, Tenn.

“The Holy Spirit is very powerful in God’s little house”

Simpkins United Methodist Church is part of a three-point circuit. It is a church with a very small membership—under 40 persons. You can count the number of youth in the congregation on one hand.

But of all the congregations in the United Methodist Church, Simpkins may have one of the most astonishing and vibrant youth ministries in the country. Five youth? Under 35 members? A vibrant and alive youth program? “Certainly,” you think to yourself, “that statement has got to be some kind of joke.” Though small in number, the youth at Simpkins and their adult leader, Linda Hatcher, have received a vision of what discipleship is all about. Devoid of a large church budget with a line item for youth ministry, the youth group has to earn its own way if it is to exist.

Linda Hatcher and the Simpkins United Methodist Youth Group with Warmth in Winter featured speaker Bob Stromberg

In January of 2008, five young people and one adult from Simpkins attended the premier youth program in the Tennessee Annual Conference, Warmth in Winter. The youth group had to earn its own way by doing janitorial duty at the church—clean the entire church twice per month at $25.00 per cleaning. “I wasn’t sure how THAT was going to work out,” notes Hatcher, “but they really labor hard – even suggesting that perhaps they needed to clean more often.

In the past year the group has cared for a hive of bees, collected the honey, and will be selling it this summer. With the assistance of talented adult members of the church they have helped make homemade soup and sold it, and even created a potted meat product which they jokingly labeled as “Possum killed on Little Marrow Bone Road by a 1950 red Buick.” Oh, and there are car washes, the sale of homemade soap (yes SOAP, the stuff you bathe with), and so forth.”

With its labors the youth of the church spent a week at Camp Cedar Crest, had a spiritual life retreat built around the theme “Light the fire of my soul,” and participated in Warmth in Winter. They are about ready to start feeding the bees again – the hive has grown from a queen bee and 10,000 bees, to 20,000 bees—and the group is preparing to harvest honey and create honey sticks and lip balm to sell as well as continuing other projects.

Of course this is the ME GENERATION, correct? Teens and young adults that care only about SELF and benefiting “me”. Everyone in the Simpkins group at Warmth in Winter was given $10.00 to buy a special t-shirt, but two group members gave the money to the Nothing but Nets campaign—saving children in Africa from Malaria. Early on the group also decided to give away half the money it makes through fund raising projects—that money goes to support an African child through Compassion International. Just ask, you’ll be told about Michael Rurwangwa from Rwanda.

Not only that but for the late summer of 2008 the youth are planning a Mission Trip to Cherokee, North Carolina, to work among the tribal people there. The young people will be involved in leading Vacation Bible School, and in cleaning. The one young man in the group, together with Linda Hatcher’s husband, will be doing construction of a handicapped ramp to help someone confined to a wheelchair. On this mission trip Simpkins Church will be working with Boe Harris and Ragghi Calentine, national Native American leaders, who have provided leadership in the past to Tennessee Conference Native American Workshops and Retreats. This is part of the group’s ministry of service that has included serving communion, and presenting an old time foot washing on Palm Sunday.

Linda Hatcher reflects on the way Simpkins church members have contributed to the strengthening of the youth program. “Ms Sherry our Simpkins UMC Native American representative and her mom Holly helped me with the retreat. They taught the girls bead work and we made Beggar Beads. We started the girls on journaling. I found little journals at the dollar store for one dollar each. We had prayer stations with candles and balloons to let our prayers and care go up to God. I could write and write about the girls and the sweet spirit that abounds at little Simpkins Chapel. We only have a part time pastor Ron Anderson. If Freddie Miler, our church lay leader, and any one wants something done, we do it. Bro. Ron last summer gave up his big paycheck for the month to pay for our girls to go to Camp Cedar Crest. The girls then did a car wash to help pay for another little girl that wanted to join them at camp. What ever we are lacking in size,” Hatcher notes, “we made up for it with love . The Holy Spirit is very powerful in God’s little house!”


Diversified groups of young people come together and friendships emerge

They call themselves the BlakeVille family—young people from two United Methodist churches who have been joined into a single United Methodist Youth Fellowship program directed by a youth worker who is on the staff of both churches—Blakemore United Methodist Church and West Nashville.

Like other youth groups, as it was getting well along into January of 2008, the youth were looking forward to the Tennessee Annual Conference’s biggest event--children, youth or adult—Warmth in Winter. As it turned out Warmth in Winter 2008 would be the most memorable ever—not just because of a great program but because the group would help twelve young people attend who would not ordinary have a chance to participate. With some scholarship help from the Annual Conference and funds they had raised during the preceding 12 months, the BlakeVille group invited twelve persons from the Magness Potter Center’s After School program in East Nashville to be part of Warmth in Winter. The Magness Potter Center is sponsored by the Salvation Army but houses urban programs sponsored by the Downtown YMCA. The group invited by BlakeVille goes by the acronym YWOLF which stands for Youth Working on Leadership Fitness.

There was a strong feeling that God had a great deal to do with bringing the BlakeVille Youth Group and the Magness Potter Center’s Youth Working on Leadership Fitness Group together

“It was an amazing weekend!” notes youth worker Nate Sawyer. “After a couple of sleepless nights, a crazy hyped-up speaker, lots of caffeine and soda, and some goofy dances, it was great to see what God is doing in the lives of our students and others. The highlight for this weekend was a small glimpse of what heaven will be like.”

Sawyer explains with delight how the BlakeVille youth group provided funding for a group of young people—complete strangers—to join them in the Warmth and Winter experience “We were able to sponsor at Warmth and Winter about 12 students from the Magness Potter Center After School Program in East Nashville. The three days together would be the first time we had done anything together with this group—but you know what? It felt like they had been a part of our BlakeVille family for a good while. It was as if the few differences we had didn’t matter because we were all there for the common purposes of making friends and worshipping God together.”

"We were worried that the Magness Potter students were not going to like the experience, but they enjoyed the speaker, the wild dancing, the workshops—and getting to make a new bunch of friends. Fit in? By Saturday one of the girls was invited up on the stage to give the scripture reading; and later in the day three of the girls participated in a liturgical dance.”

“Such a bond developed between the two groups that we are continuing the partnership,” says Sawyer, “and are planning activities for the future. First off—in March—we are all going bowling. The glimpse of heaven I mentioned? Heaven is going to be all different kinds of people accepting each other, loving each other. We weren’t the BlakeVille Youth and the Magness Potter youth -- we were one big youth group by the time Warmth in Winter had its concluding worship service on Sunday. We didn’t care who was from where—they were already our friends.”

Rena Knight, the Program Director of Urban Services for the Downtown YMCA, had a great deal to do with the two groups coming together. “It was just huge,” she says, “putting diversified young people together to both explore ourselves as individuals and to get to know others as friends beyond all the differences. “Do you know what I’m asked EVERY time I show up at the Magness Potter Center? When are we going to do this again?” That question is mirrored by the BlakeVille Youth. GR Pulley spoke for the rest the BlakeVille group when he indicated that the two groups came together as one almost instantly. “It’s just like I had always known them. They were friends.”

Congratulations to the first graduating class of the Academy for Congregational Leaders
By Dominec Nigrelli, Ph.D.

The first graduating class of the Academy for Congregational Leaders.

After a year of study, prayer, research and discernment, fourteen congregational leaders successfully completed the six core courses in Bible, theology, worship, spiritual growth, Methodist studies, and leadership. In addition to the learning component, the participants presented their Personal Ministry Action Plan. It was an exciting and uplifting experience to receive the participant’s vision, mission and action plans for their new ministry projects. One student, drawing from her own personal experience, devised a ministry action plan for the awareness and prevention of suicide. Another person, recognizing the need for more biblical literacy among children and youth, proposed a ministry program for teaching the Bible. A third participant, moved by the needs of the homeless in his community, will initiate a program for providing food and shelter in the name of Christ. A fourth student laid out her plans for an older adult ministry. (You can read the entire Personal Ministry Action Plan from one of our participants on Martin Methodist College’s website www.martinmethodist.edu/ccl/education.) Finally, as a last example, one of our participants announced that she discerned God’s calling upon her life to serve the Church as a local pastor. Thanks be to God for all of God’s gifts.

Are there lay people in your congregation who desire practical theological education? Do you wish there was a better way to equip and educate your congregational leaders? Are you searching for a way to empower your lay people, not only to greater service in the church, but also to service in the world? Join the Academy for Congregational Leaders and Martin Methodist College.

The goal of the Academy is simply to empower people to discern their spiritual gifts, transform dreams into strengths and action, and ready them to lead and serve the congregation and the community. We are accepting application for the 2008-09 sessions. The deadline is April 4; classes begin April 27.

We hope that you consider joining us in this new ministry. For detailed information about the research conducted, the program, downloadable brochure and application forms of the Academy please visit us at www.martinmethodist.edu/ccl, and/or send an e-mail at tmcgill@martinmethodist.edu or call us at 931.363.9898.

*The Rev. Dr. Domenic Nigrelli is Director, Center for Church Leadership, Martin Methodist College


Like Daughter, Like Mother
A mother and daughter from Tennessee grow closer by becoming Red Cross volunteers
By Michelle Lemieux*

From the national website of the American Red Cross. Reprinted with permission from the American Red Cross.

(Editor’s Note: Both Jeanne Beasley and Jeanetta Hitt are members of the Bon Aqua United Methodist Church in the Columbia District, The Rev. Tom Barger, pastor. Jeanne Beasley is the Bon Aqua Lay Leader and her daughter Jeannetta Hitt has been in charge of the congregation’s new Christian Life Center project)

Friday, February 15, 2008 — Daughters sometimes follow in their mother’s footsteps. In Hickman County, Tennessee, one mother is following in her daughter’s.

When Jeannetta Hitt read a Red Cross pamphlet on emergency preparedness from her local church, it made her realize how ill-prepared she would be if disaster struck. She immediately decided to become more prepared, but not without getting her mother involved first.

Mother-Daughter Team Jeanne Beasley (standing) and Jeannetta Hitt (seated) at a Red Cross Service Center in Centerville, Tennessee. (Photo: Sandi Loftis/ American Red Cross)

“I wasn’t sure I was prepared and I thought I could help others,” said Hitt. “I managed people at my job and I had to be prepared to help them, too.”

Jeannetta encouraged her mother, Jeanne Beasley, to take Red Cross training with her at the Hickman County Chapter. Since taking the training, the two have been responding to local disasters for the past six years.

“My favorite part is all the wonderful people we get to work with,” said Beasley.

Responding Together
Jeanne is the captain of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) for her chapter, and Jeannetta is a team member. DAT teams respond to emergencies of all sizes to help keep communities safe. In Hickman County, Jeannetta and Jeanne’s chapter averages about 25 local disasters a year, including home fires and straight-line winds. That number will likely increase as the community continues to grow.

The work of this mother-daughter team doesn’t end with disaster relief and response. They both also teach Red Cross babysitting courses in Hickman, Davidson, Dickman and Murray counties.

“We love working together,” said Hitt. “We know what the other is thinking and what the other likes, which makes it so enjoyable.”

The Tennessee tornadoes are the first major national disaster the two have worked on so far.
“We are learning so much just by being here every day,” said Hitt.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters at home and abroad, collects and distributes nearly half of the nation's blood supply, teaches lifesaving skills, and supports military members and families. The American Red Cross, a charity and not a government agency, depends on voluntary contributions of time, money and blood to perform its humanitarian mission.

*Michelle Lemieux is Director of Communications and Government Relations, American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey.


The Sean Mevis Story
By Karla Moffitt

My family and I are members of Pegram United Methodist Church in Pegram, Tennessee. Pegram is approximately 15 minutes west of Bellevue off of Highway 70. Our church is a small growing church, which serves families in the South Cheatham area, which consist of Kingston Springs and Pegram.

We have a delightful young member in our congregation by the name of Sean Mevis. He is an eight year old little boy who is in the 2nd grade at Kingston Springs Elementary. Sean was born with severe physical disabilities. He is confined to a wheelchair. Sean is always in a joyous mood. He speaks to everyone on Sunday mornings and Wednesday night dinners. He always greets them with a bright smile and good morning or good evening. He knows all of our children and youth by first name. He always tries to be in our children’s program and participate in what his abilities allow him to. Sean will go all over the church in his wheel chair, which he calls “Big Red”. This is a power wheelchair with hand controls. This wheelchair affords Sean independence and the positioning and special support he needs. As Sean grows and develops, lifting him in and out of a car or regular van have become very difficult.

A few months ago his family’s wheelchair accessible van broke down. Sean and his family are in desperate need of a new/used wheel chair accessible van, which will allow him to continue to go places in “Big Red”. In order to transport Sean with “Big Red” you have to have the wheelchair accessible van.

Our small but growing church has been working on purchasing a new/used van for Sean. A good used van will cost somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000. Our small church has raised over $11,000 to go towards this purchase. Our youth which consist of approximately four faithful senior youth and seven faithful junior youth are currently working on projects so that they may raise money for this wonderful cause. We have set up a tax deductible fund which is the Mevis Van Fund – Friends of Sean, C/O Pegram United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 321, Pegram, TN 37143-0321. If you would like to support this project, your gifts would be greatly appreciated.

Our congregation is small but we are like one big family and it shows me that GOD is present in our lives with us all working on this wonderful cause.

We can’t wait to see Sean going all over the church again in “Big Red”.

Singer/Songwriter Sarah Hart Hosts Daughters Day of Reflection, a Women’s Retreat to benefit Jacob’s Ladder Preschool

(NASHVILLE, TN)—Though her career as a singer, songwriter and speaker leads her to travel all over the globe, it is Sarah Hart’s role as mom that has led her to Nolensville, Tennessee. On Saturday, April 19, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., this noted artist and speaker will lead women in a one-day retreat dubbed ‘Daughters Day of Reflection,’ held at Nolensville First United Methodist Church.

‘Daughters Day of Reflection’ will allow women the opportunity to see what makes them unique and yet connected to one another, through reflection on the women of scripture. The day includes extensive study of prominent women of the Bible, snack, lunch and music by Sarah Hart.

Tickets for the event are $25 and are available by contacting Jacob’s Ladder Preschool at 776-7362. All proceeds go to benefit Jacob’s Ladder Preschool at Nolensville First United Methodist Church. The preschool is a non-denominational Bible-based early childhood development center in the community for children ages three to five.

“This is my daughter’s third, and sadly, last year at Jacob’s Ladder,” says Hart. “We have been so blessed to be a part of this program. What Terri and her staff have accomplished with the children and families at Jacob’s Ladder is a gift to our community; this day is just a little ‘thank you’ from my own family!”

“There will be lots of singing, storytelling, and sharing during the Day of Reflection,” she continues. “And every woman who attends should feel refreshed and re-energized after our time together!”

Sarah is currently at work on her latest project, Road to Ohio, slated for a spring release on Centricity Records. A folk recording, described by Hart as “sparse and acoustic”, it is co-produced by Sarah and friend Mitch Dane, known for his work with Grammy Award-winning band Jars of Clay. She also begins a new recording in March of 2008 entitled SaintSong, which will feature the writings of some of the greatest religious thinkers of history set to contemporary music.

Sarah has toured with such contemporary Christian artists as Wes King and Kathy Troccoli, and has performed with numerous other artists such as Newsboys and Randy Stonehill. Her music has appeared on radio everywhere and has been featured on such television shows as Joan of Arcadia and Strong Medicine. Sarah has received six Unity Awards from the United Catholic Music and Video Association for her work, including the 2005 awards for Producer of the Year, Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for her third solo project, Into These Rooms.

Hart is the mother of two girls, and makes her home in Nolensville with husband Kevin. In addition to recording three solo albums and numerous compilation projects, she is an award-winning record producer, a founder of the popular all-women singing group Daughters of God, and has been a staff songwriter for major Christian music publishers. She also works with the Tom Tichener Children’s Theater at the Nashville Public Library as a songwriter and performer. To learn more about Sarah Hart, go to http://www.sarahhartmusic.com/.

Jacob’s Ladder Preschool is headed by Terri Anderson, and is a ministry of Nolensville United Methodist Church. The Church is pastored by Rev. Sandy Shawhan, and is located at 7316 Nolensville Road in Nolensville, Tenn. To find out more about Jacob’s Ladder Preschool or Nolensville United Methodist Church, go to http://www.nolensvilleumc.org/ or call 615/776-2815.


5th Annual Overflow Women’s Conference, March 29th: I Am the Vine

Ladies of all ages and all faiths are invited to the 5th Annual Overflow Women’s Conference. This year’s event will be held on March 29, 2008 in Lawrenceburg, TN at the WLX Radio station, beside Wendy’s from 9:00 to 1:00. Our theme this year is I AM THE VINE (John 15).

Cinde Lucas


For the past several years Cinde Lucas, who is an Associate Evangelist with the United Methodist church, has been hosting these events. Coming from a background of emotional and physical abuse, Cinde seeks to reach out to women who are struggling to find their purpose in life and to let them know that God loves them. Juggling the role of housewife, mother, daughter, friend, employee, cook, taxi driver, and coworker can be frustrating at times, to say the least.
Women have so many demands placed upon them and they sometimes lose sight of who God created them to be. It’s important for women to take time out and just sit in an atmosphere of peace where the only thing that is expected of them is to just receive God’s love and blessing!

Guest speaker Patsy Morgan

This year’s guest speaker, Patsy Morgan, is no stranger to the balancing act that life demands of women. Having raised 6 children of her own and being a foster parent for many others, Patsy has a heart for women and children. She has served alongside her husband, Tony Morgan (pastor of 1st Assembly of God), in full time ministry for almost 30 years. Her love for Jesus and her compassion for others won her the HEART OF THE CITY AWARD in 2007.

Worship leader Heather Wallace

Heather Wallace will be leading worship for this year’s conference. Heather is currently the youth minister and worship leader at First Assembly of God in Lawrenceburg. Heather has an anointing that is truly a gift from God. You will be blessed by her special gift of worship.
As always, registration for the conference is FREE and will begin at 8:45. We will be serving a continental breakfast this year. We hope you will come and enjoy a day designed to refill, restore and renew your life. For more information, please visit http://www.cindelucas.com/ or call 931-766-2536. Early registration is not necessary, but it is helpful. A love offering will be taken.

Foundation Board Sets New Interest Rates for Development Fund
By Vin Walkup

The Board of Directors of the Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation met on February 19, 2008, at First United Methodist Church in Jackson. During that meeting, the board set new interest rates for The United Methodist Development Fund of TN/KY, Inc. Effective April 1, the United Methodist Development Fund will pay 3.5% on participants’ deposits. The new loan rate is 6.25%, which is effective immediately, amortized for fifteen years with a two-year balloon/renewal. These rates are reviewed and set by the board at its quarterly meetings, and reflect the desire to be in ministry with one another.

The United Methodist Development Fund of TN/KY, Inc., is a means by which United Methodists help United Methodists. Participants (individuals, churches, classes, or groups) may open an account with a minimum deposit of $2,500 and may add to or withdraw from the account at anytime with no fees charged. Loan requests from churches and ministries in the Memphis and Tennessee Conferences are reviewed by the Credit Committee of the Board of Directors of The Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation, which then makes a recommendation to the board.

At this time, the Development Fund has thirty-four active loans, with a loan balance of $4.5 million. The Fund has almost $9.1 million in deposits. You and your church can assist other United Methodist Churches and ministries in our conferences by investing in the Development Fund. In turn, your investments grow.

If you would like to open an account with the Development Fund or learn more about the Fund or other ministries of your Foundation, contact Vin Walkup, Tiffany Raines or Paulette Dowdy in the Foundation office (615-259-2008 or 259-2066). To receive a circular for opening an account or a loan application, call one of the numbers above or write Tiffany Raines at 304 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Nashville, TN, 37211. You may also reach Dr. Walkup by email at vwalkup@nashaumf.org.