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.
_______________________________
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.
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.
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.
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.
_______________________________
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 congregationsOn 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
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.
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.
posted by TN Conference UMC @ 10:51 AM
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