TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW April 3, 2009

Articles in the April 3, 2009, edition of The Tennessee Conference REVIEW
1. Naomi Tutu, daughter of Desmond Tutu, to speak at Nashville District United Methodist Women’s Meeting.
2. Annual Conference Offering to Benefit at Risk Children of Matamoros, Mexico, and within the Tennessee Conference.
3. Important workshop, JUMP START Your Ministry with Children and Youth, will be held in each district.
4. Molly Claire Day – Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, Lawrenceburg
5. The Least of these, commentary by Dr. Ted Hill
6. Hillcrest United Methodist Church youth turn Christian Life Center into Sacred Space for Lenten reflection and meditation
7. At Risk: Success Stories from our neighborhoods, Part I,
8. The Mary Farley Care Center, Lewisburg First United Methodist Church
9. Teddy Bear Sunday, Smithville First United Methodist Church
10. Lebanon First United Methodist Church works with Red Cross & Wilson County on their Disaster Team.
11. Thirteen years of theater at Bethlehem United Methodist Church
12. Old-time religion: Kelley's Chapel serves through the centuries, reprinted article

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Naomi Tutu, daughter of Desmond Tutu, to speak at Nashville District United Methodist Women’s Meeting

Naomi Tutu

Speaker at the Spring meeting of the Nashville District United Methodist Women is Naomi Tutu. She is the daughter of Desmond Tutu, and the founder of the Tutu Foundation for Development and Relief in Southern Africa, based in Hartford, Connecticut. Having taught at numerous universities in the United States and abroad, she is now program coordinator for the Race Relations Institute at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. For the UMW meeting she will speak on the topic Striving for Justice: Searching for Common Ground.

The April 18th meeting will be held at Belmont United Methodist Church and begins at 9:00 a.m. with refreshments and time to meet and greet. The program itself will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a devotion followed by Naomi Tutu’s speech. Joyce Searcy, Director of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville, will introduce the speaker. United Methodist Women from across the conference are welcome to attend the event as are any United Methodist Men.

More about Naomi Tutu
The challenges of growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa has led Nontombi Naomi Tutu to her present as an activist for human rights. Those experiences taught how much we all lose when any of us is judged purely on physical attributes. In her speeches she blends the passion for human dignity with humor and personal stories.

Ms. Tutu is the third child Archbishop Desmond and Nomalizo Leah Tutu. She was born in South Africa and has also lived in Lesotho, the United Kingdom and the United States. She was educated in Swaziland, the US and England, and has divide her adult life between South Africa and the US. Growing up the ‘daughter of …’ has offered Naomi Tutu many opportunities and challenges in her life. Most important of these has been the challenge to find her own place in the world. She has taken up the challenge and channeled the opportunities that she has been given to raise her voice as a champion for the dignity of all.

Naomi Tutu’s professional experience ranges from being a development consultant in West Africa, to being program coordinator for programs on Race and Gender and Gender-based Violence in Education at the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town. In addition she has taught at the Universities of Hartford and Connecticut and Brevard College in North Carolina.


Annual Conference Offering to Benefit at Risk Children of Matamoros, Mexico, and within the Tennessee Conference

By Patty Smith*
Jesus said, “Let all the children come to me.” Not some. Not most. All the children. That can happen, by the way. And you’re the key!

Children from Matamoros, Mexico, a very poor town across the border from Brownsville, Texas

Your church can help at-risk children in Matamoros, Mexico, and within the bounds of the Tennessee Annual Conference know, love, and follow Jesus. How? Participate in the 2009 Annual Conference Offering this year! Here’s how to get ready:

Encourage children and families to use the Make-a-Difference Monthly Calendar to learn about the needs of these children. Activities on the calendar include prayer and conversation starters. Download the calendar at http://2009tnumc.wikispaces.com/ then by clicking on “Special Offering Info for AT RISK Children,” and finally by clicking on “Make a Difference Calendar”

Children from within the Tennessee Annual Conference

.Create multicolored maracas banks to collect and present your church’s offering. Use tissue paper and glue to decorate quart-size plastic containers with lids. Cut a small slit in the top of the lid to make an opening for coins. These musical banks will be used during the offering.

.Participate in the Offertory Procession during Annual Conference, and sing “Yo Tengo Un Amigo.” Call the Conference Office for free access to the song. Teach it to your children in the upcoming months. Come ready to worship with other groups from the conference!

.Decorate worship ribbons for the Offertory Procession. Each attendee at Annual Conference will be given a 3-foot x 2-inch ribbon to use during this special worship time. Picture being part of 1,000 colorful ribbons waving in worship!

.Pray each day for the children of Matamoros and within the Tennessee Annual Conference. Pray as a group or individually.
*Patty Smith is the Annual Conference Director of Children’s and Family Ministries.



Important workshop, JUMP START Your Ministry with Children and Youth, will be held in each district

Dramatizing the difficulties churches face in planning ministry with/for children and youth proves to be an eye-opener. Photos from the Columbia District JUMP START.

Join Bishop Wills, your District Superintendent, and the two new Tennessee Conference team members -- Patty Smith and Brad Fiscus -- to discover innovative ways to reach children and youth in your community.


Clarksville, April 5, 2009, 3:00 p.m., Madison Street UMC
Columbia, March 24, 2009, 6:30 p.m., Franklin First UMC
Cookeville, May 9, 2009, 8:30 a.m., Friendship United Methodist Church
Cumberland, April 21, 2009, 6:30 p.m., Good Shepherd UMC
Murfreesboro, May 9, 2009, 2:00 p.m., Manchester First UMC
Nashville, May 14, 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Hillcrest UMC (register ahead of time with the District Office for sandwich lunch)
Pulaski, April 20, 2009, 6:30 p.m., Lawrenceburg First UMC

Beyond the workshop content JUMP START encourages the exchange of ideas and information between participants.

Who should be there from your local church?
Pastors, paid staff in children, youth, and family ministry; Christian Educators; local church Committee Coordinators for Children, Youth, and Family Ministries; Evangelism chairpersons; Mission Coordinator; Chairperson, Administrative Council; President United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men; Youth Counselors; Sunday School teachers.


Molly Claire Day, Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, Lawrence County

Children’s Time, Molly Claire Day

Pleasant Grove UMC in Lawrenceburg recently celebrated “Molly Claire Day” at a fundraiser chili/soup luncheon held at the church. Whereas in years past, the chili/soup luncheon donations had been used for the missions that our local UMW chose to support, this year the UMW voted to give the donations received at this luncheon to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our contribution will help toward research for this disease.

In our church we have an adorable child, Molly Claire, who was born in June 2007. She spent her first four months in Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Molly Claire is really a “miracle child.” She is now a toddler, with a special place in the heart of every member of our congregation. Molly’s parents, maternal grandparents, and maternal great-grandparents are members at Pleasant Grove UMC. Molly Claire will likely be as musically talented as her mother’s side of the family because she claps to the beat of some of our songs sung in church.

Workers at the Molly Claire Day luncheon pose with Molly Claire and her parents

After the decision was made about giving the funds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, UMW members set to work----one member designed a flyer to be placed in the church bulletin as an advertisement, another member wrote a skit which involved the UMW members in order to enlighten the church congregation as to how much progress has been made over the years to lengthen the lives of children born with cystic fibrosis. The UMW members contributed to the luncheon menu-- chili, vegetable soup, potato soup, corn chowder, along with assorted sandwiches, crackers, chips, and, of course, homemade desserts.

The children’s sermon on this particular Sunday was to explain the reason for “Molly Claire Day.” To look at her, one would not realize Molly Claire had any disease. The disease is not contagious, but we just don’t want to think of Molly Claire, or any other child with cystic fibrosis, as not being able to live a long and happy life.

The members of our congregation opened their hearts and their pocketbooks to help the UMW ladies make “Molly Claire Day” a great success.


The Least of these
By Dr. Ted Hill, M.D.

I am sure Jesus was not a microbiologist by trade, but he did know something about littleness. In the well known scripture where he says, “If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me”, or something akin to that, the base for the prefix “micro” was used. You know, the prefix we recognize in the word “microscope” and micron, microcosm; and microbe. You get the picture? Did Jesus mean bugs too small to see? Yes and no.

I recently made my umpteenth trip to Mexico to Tezoyuca in the state of Morelos. It is a town south of Mexico City and their claim to fame is a concrete plant. Some of the people also make a living, (about $65 per week on average), working in the rice fields. While there in association with a small Methodist congregation, my friend and colleague, a pediatrician, bless his soul, and I saw about 740 people in 5 short days. The range of illness was broad, as is usually the case, but there are common problems that we see each year no matter what part of Mexico we go to, particularly in the outlying more rural regions. I see the older folks, and he sees the little ones. (He and I have an unspoken pact-we are grateful for the other-I don’t have to see screaming, sick kids, and he doesn’t have to see old, complaining adults.)

The older ones are ravaged by the life styles they are required to live in the poor and strenuous rural setting of hard, manual labor. 70 and 80 year olds still work in the fields. (They don’t have social security or pensions or bail outs either). They complain of knee and leg and feet pain from the poor footwear, or lack thereof, required to be on your feet 12 hours per day on hard, rocky, dry and dusty ground. I am continually reminded of the harsh life style as I look at their feet. Often their feet are indistinguishable from the thin, homemade strips of leather they wear on their soles with a strap of leather around their toes to keep their “sandals” on. You often cannot tell the skin of the foot from the sandal from the ground.

Their knees are knobby from degenerative wear and tear of their hard living. The aching shoulders of the women who wash clothes by hand on the rocks in the contaminated water of streams or who pat tortillas together to feed their families. The old ones, who are still working in the fields, have spinal stenosis (a degenerative arthritis of the back) which squeezes the spinal cord and nerves running from the back to the legs to give feeling and movement to the limbs. The spinal cord and nerves,-now compressed by the progression of arthritic change, cause their backs to be in constant pain and their legs numb and weak if they stand too long or work without sitting or lying down. In the States, surgery or at least anti-inflammatory drugs would be of some help. Not here. No access. These people are not seen. They are microscopic. They are the least.

Some of the older ones have cataracts and impaired vision; some are even “blind.” That would not happen in the States. A 15 minute operation restores sight. Not here. They are the invisible; microscope size; unseen. What about the diabetics who don’t have meters to check their sugars? who don’t have access to medical care or affordable medicines or to affordable, healthy food choices needed by diabetics? We keep a running tally to see what the worst sugar is: a sad exercise to sooth the pain of being helpless in the wake of such disease. Our meters often don’t register a number. They only go to 600, you know.

Pregnancies-“little” in the way of vitamins, folic acid to prevent neurological birth defects, screening for high risk conditions that could be treated and preserve a problematic course. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, eye irritation from the dust and dryness. Pterygia-growths from the corners of the eye that result from the constant irritation of dust and dryness slowly but relentlessly covering the eyeball until it shades the pupil and impairs vision. These growths could easily “peeled” back by a skillful eye surgeon in the States to restore full sight. Not here. They are too small to see-micro you know. A girl with kidney failure who needs dialysis but who is afraid and unable to understand the technical demands of home dialysis--all that is available to her in her microcosm of the world.

Well, Jesus knew they existed and even told us He was one of them. Jesus? The one everyone has heard about throughout the past 2000 years of history? Jesus microscopic? Unseen? He said if you do anything for the least of these, you have done it for Him. How many of these did you not see today? Oh, they were there; you just didn’t see them. Too small. No power or prestige or poor or uneducated or challenged in some way. Socially, economically, politically insignificant. That was Jesus my friend and you can do something for Him. If you see Him.

Look.

Ted Hill
March 5, 2009



Hillcrest United Methodist Church youth turn Christian Life Center into Sacred Space for Lenten reflection and meditation

In this busy world we find ourselves in, we rarely take the time to stop and listen to the small quiet voice of God. The Hillcrest Youth will be changing our Christian Life Center into a place during Holy Week that you can take a moment to stop and reflect on who's you are and rejoice in the stillness of his presence in our life. The young people have set up stations that will be self guided, which will help you to reflect on different aspects of His creation. One of the stations will change daily to reflect each unique day of Holy Week. There will also have a 40' labyrinth in the center that you can walk as well. This is a wonderful opportunity for your youth group, Disciple Group, Bible Study Group, Sunday School Class, along with your coworkers, neighbors, family and friends to come and relax in the tranquility of this faith community. If you have any questions please contact Mike Worden at mikeworden@comcast.net or Karan Simpson at info@karansimpson.com. The church phone number is 615-832-0157.

Plans call for the Sacred Space to be open daily and in the evenings from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.


At Risk: Success Stories from our neighborhoods, Part I
Part I of a series on United Methodist Churches in Middle Tennessee reaching out to enrich the lives of At-Risk children.

By Nate Sawyer*

Mentors and youth involved in a service project feeding the homeless.

Until they reach adulthood, youth are searching for meaningful relationships to help them grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. These vital relationships usually come through parents, teachers, family, and the community. But sometimes, in those crucial years, these relationships are missing, as in the case many times with at-risk youth in East Nashville. As a response we have developed the youth ministry partnership of the YMCA, the Salvation Army, and Trinity, West Nashville, and Blakemore United Methodist Churches.

Through this program we are able to involve about 30 youth from East Nashville with positive mentors, offer tutoring, give college preparation help, and do service projects. Also along with positive after-school and summer program activities like basketball leagues, tennis class, music, art, and games, we are able to take youth on trips, retreats and mission. All while connecting these youth with other peers from around the community from various social, economic, and racial backgrounds. We do all of this with an over-arching goal of Christ-like, holistic spiritual formation through building relationships.

There have been many positive relationships to come out of this partnership. Senior at Maplewood H.S. Reginald Johnson is one whose life has been greatly impacted by this program. Reginald is the oldest of six kids and was raised by his mother and has been involved with the program since he was a little boy. From a recent article in the City Paper as he was signing a football scholarship to Lane College: “Johnson brought tears to the eyes of many at the news conference when he thanked numerous people involved with the Maplewood HS Panther program and the East Nashville neighborhood for helping him reach his college goal, saying he was glad he “didn’t end up a statistic.” Reginald thanked the East Nashville neighborhood because he has been mentored and encouraged in the youth program most of his life. One of the many mentors in his life included Rena Knight who has committed to working with youth and leading this program since she was a youth herself. Thanks to the support of mentors like Rena from the community, this program was able to help Reginald achieve his goal. There are many more youth like him, whose lives can and will be impacted by this partnership.

*Nate Sawyer is director of Youth Ministries for a blended youth program involving two congregations, West Nashville UMC and Blakemore UMC.


The Mary Farley Care Center, Lewisburg First United Methodist Church
From the church’s newsletter First Impressions, February 19, 2009

The Mary Farley Care Center is located across from the church’s sanctuary building on 4th Avenue in Lewisburg. It is located in a brick house just north of the congregations new ministry centers.

Persons from the area come to the Care Center hoping to receive financial assistance with a utility or rent payment, a doctor bill, a gasoline voucher, or any such help when their financial situation is distressed.

The Care Center is resourced by a devoted group of volunteers from the church who receive and interview clients, make determinations about each particular case, and distribute funds in the form of direct payments to utility companies, landlords, etc. Cash is not distributed to individuals seeking assistance.

In 2008, due to the amazing generosity of the people of Lewisburg First United Methodist Church, $44,785 was contributed to the Care Center and distributed to needy people.

Monthly communion offerings fund the Care Center as do designated gifts. The need during this time of economic downturn is great, and individuals are asked, along with regular and faithful giving to the church’s General Ministry Fund, to make additional gifts to the Mary Farley Care Center.

Waverley M. Duning, a long-time volunteer with the Care Center sums up the problems faced by the volunteer workers: “Volunteering in the Mary Farley Care Center makes me realize how much need we have in our community. So many jobs have been lost; utility bills, rents and groceries are so high that it is impossible for many to survive without help. The needs are great and it is heartbreaking to see the tears in peoples eyes who have never had to ask for help before. With limited funds and so many requests we can barely touch the surface. It's a helpless feeling.

The Care Center is open on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.


Teddy Bear Sunday, Smithville First United Methodist Church

Shirley Ingram and pastor John Purdue with the children . . .and Teddy Bears

Teddy Bear Sunday was observed on Feb. 15 at the Smithville First United Methodist Church. Adults, as well as children, were invited to bring their teddy bears and place them on the altar. Shirley Ingram presented the children's message and told the children that the Teddy Bear was a symbol of love and comfort.

They are sometimes used by policemen when they pick up children from an abusive situation or an accident. They are given to the children.

Shirley also told of the origin of the teddy bear. It got its name from President Theodore Roosevelt protecting a baby bear on a hunting trip.

The Teddy Bear Parade

Dr. John Purdue told the children about his first teddy bear. A church member, Betty Jo Hardiman, brought her son's 57 year old teddy bear which was love-worn. Then a Teddy Bear parade was led by Dr. Purdue and Shirley up and down the aisles of the church. Everyone loves a teddy bear!





Lebanon First United Methodist Church works with Red Cross & Wilson County on their Disaster Team
Lebanon First has volunteered their Family Life Center as a designated shelter in emergencies and local disasters. Saturday, Feb. 28, Red Cross conducted a “Host Training” event in the Family Life Center. Over 30 participants from area churches were in attendance. It is very helpful for the Red Cross to have a trained “host team” in a shelter to prepare the site before Red Cross arrives. Another local church was designated a shelter after Katrina and quickly learned how unprepared they were without prior training. Lebanon 1st is committed to further training and working with Wilson Co. Emergency Management.


Thirteen years of theater at Bethlehem United Methodist Church
What does “Arsenic and Old Lace” have in common with “The Father of the Bride?” They are two of the popular productions staged by the Bethlehem Players, a drama outreach program of Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

The drama program was begun in 1997 by Bethlehem UMC Music and Arts Director Harry Robinson who originally conceived the program as his version of “church softball” and another way in which to get more people involved in the ministry of the church.

Bethlehem’s talented staff accompanist, Bryan Ward, performed songs from Billy Joel’s Broadway production to the packed audience which included his parents via computer in Baltimore.

“Cottonpatch Gospel” was the group’s first effort. Today, this program has grown leaps and bounds as it stages world renowned musicals and plays to packed houses. The audiences are appreciative and there is important support within all-age groups attending the Bethlehem church. This April, the Bethlehem Players take on the ambitious task of producing the most beloved musical of all time, “The Sound of Music.” Robinson said there are several keys to this production’s anticipated success.

Always a good sport, Bethlehem Music and Arts Director Harry Robinson, reunited with his former Music Man co-star Olivia Dean for a rousing rendition of “South Pacific’s Honey Bun.”

“We are a community theatre outreach program by definition so we held two auditions. One in which nineteen, talented young women showed up for a shot as “Maria.” The second two-day audition was held with over 78 children and adults vying for the remaining roles,” Robinson said. “It was our goal to treat each person with respect and kindness in a nurturing church environment during this nerve wracking audition experience, even giving the kids a note of encouragement and a sucker after their audition.” The end result is one of the most talented group of von Trapp kids Bethlehem Players Director Dietz Osborne says he has seen in quite a while. (Ten of the cast of 27 are church members.)

Eight productions ago, Osborne was hired as the once a year professional director bringing continuity, vision and a tremendous amount of acting and directing experience which has greatly benefited the program. In addition, a volunteer public relations professional, Nancy McNulty, has established a five-month community and media awareness campaign which also includes travel groups and, of course, other Methodist churches from across the Middle Tennessee area.

At the Broadway at Bethlehem show, Harry Robinson and Dietz Osborne were presented a compilation painting reflecting the past 13 years of shows produced by the Bethlehem Players.

The Bethlehem Players have been operating in the black since “Fiddler On The Roof” in 2005. Three years ago, a musical review “Broadway at Bethlehem” was begun by Osborne, McNulty and Robinson as an annual benefit to help underwrite the group’s spring production. Singers from throughout the area, including WTVF’s Meryll Rose last year, perform at the musical revue which has been sold out since its inception and was recently held March 20.

The Bethlehem Players alternate a non-musical production and a musical each year. Musicals are much more expensive due to the cost of theatrical rights and the need for quality musicians – an area of personal pride for Robinson. He concludes it is all worth the effort because so many people have been given the gift of an extraordinary night of entertainment, exposure to the modern day church and, as a result, several folks have joined the Bethlehem church family.

“The Sound of Music” will be held April 24, 25, 26, May 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. in the Bethlehem Performing Arts Center, Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 2419 Bethlehem Loop, Franklin. Special dinner shows, with delicious meals from Barbara’s Home Cooking, are being held April 28, 29 and 30 beginning at 4:45 p.m. Saturday matinees with a box lunch are April 25 and May 2 beginning at 12:30 p.m. Regular show-only tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students high school age or younger.

Dinner shows and Saturday matinee lunch tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. Group sales with a 10% discount are available for parties of ten or more by placing your reservation today at drama@bethlehemplayers.com or (615) 791-6456, ext. 2. For directions or additional information, visit http://www.bethlehemumc.com/.


Old-time religion: Kelley's Chapel serves through the centuries

By Doug Davis
Reprinted from the Friday, March 13, 2009, edition of The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and used here by permission. Copyrighted 2009 The Daily News Journal.

Kelley's Chapel United Methodist Church on East Jefferson Pike has a rich history, including a church sanctuary that dates back to the 1800s, just after the Civil War ended.

Inez Bugg, now 81, has been a member of the church since the mid-1950s.

"It was close (to where we live) and we had small children," she said, explaining why she and her husband joined the church.

Bugg, the church historian, said the church had its beginnings at a revival in the middle 1800s at the Shady Grove campground, located about two miles west of the current church. As a result of that revival, the Shady Grove Church was organized.

"During the War Between the States, the Shady Grove building was used as a hospital," she said. "It was abused and poorly cared for. It was decided a new building was needed."

The land around the crossroads of U.S. 231 and Jefferson Pike was a thriving community, she said. Joseph Neilson, a Walter Hill merchant and landowner, offered a building site if the church would relocate in the Walter Hill area.

The church sanctuary was erected around 1869. The name of the church was changed from Shady Grove to Kelley's Chapel in honor of the district superintendent, D.C. Kelley.

The sanctuary was once heated by a pot-belly stove. That gave way to butane heaters before central heat and air was finally installed. In the early 1900s, three rooms were added across the front. In the early 1950s, two rooms were built out back of the church. A new educational/fellowship hall was constructed in 1993.

The church once had clapboard siding, but in 1979, aluminum siding was added.

In 1984, the church paid for a water tap. Indoor plumbing and a single bathroom was added a year later. Plans are in the works to add a second bathroom.

"Fifty-two pastors have served at the church since 1879," said Bugg.

Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church historian, Inez Bugg along with the pastor of the church, John Eades.

John Eades is the current pastor of the 70-member flock. Since November 2002, he has pastored both Kelley's Chapel and Dunaway's Chapel, about 4.5 miles away (toward Lascassas). He preaches Sunday morning services at both churches. One service is at 10 a.m. and the other at 11 a.m.

"I have to drive pretty fast sometimes (to get from one church to other)," said Eades.

Kelley's Chapel is a special place, made so by the people who have been there so long, he said.

"They have known each other for a long time and the fellowship is real strong," said Eades. "One thing about people; as they get older, they are very supportive of each other, check on each other and offer people rides to take then to the doctor."

An old building requires maintenance and repairs.

In 2008, new siding and windows had to be installed in two Sunday School rooms, located behind where the pulpit is in the sanctuary.

Currently one Sunday School class meets in the sanctuary, one in a classroom behind the pulpit and one in the fellowship hall. Classes for children-youth, young marrieds and older adults are currently offered.

Eventually, we want to come out from the fellowship hall and build more classrooms," said Karen Eades, the pastor's wife and unpaid church secretary. "But that will be down the road, paying as you go. The church adamantly doesn't want to go in debt."

Bill Shaw, the music minister owned a construction company. A long-time member of the church, he helps Kelley's with building repairs and construction projects as well as ministering to others in the county who have needs. His wife plays the keyboard and organ for the church.

The church historian explains why she loves Kelley's.

"It is home," said Bugg. "I have been at the church for 55 years."

TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW March 20, 2009

Articles is this special Evangelism Issue of THE REVIEW
1. Commentary: Knowing the “Why,” a personal commentary by Loyd Mabry
2. Some Basic Principles for Evangelism, by Charles Whittle, Executive Evangelist, National Association of United Methodist Evangelists
3. Pray For Laborers, by singer and evangelist Cinde Lucas, Overflow Ministries.
4. Kairos Prison Ministry, by Boyd Adkins, Tennessee Representative, Kairos Prison Ministry Board of Directors
5. What is an Evangelist by Mike Rayson, Australian born singer and evangelist
6. Evangelism and Missions
7. On the Go Evangelism—Wendy Sellers is concerned that lately she hadn’t done much about leading people to Christ.
8. .Fire wood evangelism – group of men in a small town find new way to share Christ
9. South of the Border down Alabama Way – the story of Brandon Minstry Center in Northern, Alabama
10. “People need to know about the bread of life . . .and that their lives matter,” a quote from the Rev. Adam Hamilton
---------------------------------------------------------


Commentary: Knowing the “Why”
By Loyd Mabry*
In Matthew 28: 19 & 20 Jesus commanded his disciples to “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.” These words are the marching orders for followers of Jesus. These are words we have heard all of our life and they are words that probably make us uncomfortable. This is one passage of scripture that makes it very clear that we are called to action. Jesus is counting on us to continue his ministry. We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In the United Methodist Church we define our mission as “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

Loyd Mabry with Conference Council on Connectional Ministries chairperson Opal Ransom.

Do you ever wonder why this seems so hard for us? Jesus entering my life and making me whole is the most important event in my life. Nothing else I have done has eternal consequences. Accepting the love and forgiveness of Jesus changed me forever. At first, I was not sure what all of that meant. I knew I was loved so much that I had to love Jesus back. I can say without question that Jesus is the best friend I have. He is the only one who is with me all the time. He knows my joys and my sorrows. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows me.

My dilemma is this: If I love Jesus so much and I know he loves me, why do I not talk about him more?

D. T Niles once said that evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. This is one of many descriptions or definitions of the call to share our faith, witness, evangelize, etc. The bottom line is that God is calling us to be active. The Great Commission does not say wait until someone comes to you. It says go!

For those of us who are introverts this is a challenge. Psychology teaches that we talk about what is important to us. Listen to your conversations with others. Is your relationship with God, activities at church, etc. included in your conversations? Remember, we talk about what is important to us. If Jesus changed your life shouldn’t we be telling others?

I want others to know the peace that comes from seeking to walk with Jesus daily. As the Bible tells us, it is a peace that passes all understanding. I am not sure how it all works, but I am sure I want others to have this peace and assurance in their lives. I am writing this article to encourage you to share your best friend and Savior with others. God is convicting me that I need to do this more. I simply ask one question. Will you join me?
*Loyd Mabry is the Tennessee Conference Director of Connectional Ministries and Congregational Development


Some Basic Principles for Evangelism
By Charles Whittle*
Sometime it helps, in knowing where to go, to know where you have been and where you are.

Looking at history it seems that God raised up denominations to emphasize a central truth neglected at the time -- that each denomination has had one central focus.

The Roman Catholics - the sacraments.
The Lutherans - the authority of the Bible.
The Presbyterians - the sovereignty of God.
The Episcopalians - the stateliness of the Church.
The Baptists - autonomy of the local Church.
The Methodists - a warm heart and holy life.
The Church of the Nazarene - sanctification.
The ‘Church of Christ’ - baptismal salvation and works.
The Pentecostals -- the Holy Spirit.

Along the way there have been denominational splits and now a proliferation of independent Churches - Bible fundamental and charismatic. Para-Church groups have risen --
Campus Crusade, Inter-Varsity, Young Life, Promise Keepers, etc.


Charles Whittle

More changes have occurred in the 20th century than all the previous years combined.. But there are some things that have not changed: Our need for God, God’s love for us and the Christian’s mandate to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission. The time has come to make the ‘main business our main business.’

And what is the main business? Jesus said: “Full authority has been given me, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit, and, remember I am always with you, to the very end.” (Matthew 28:18-20.

1. Evangelism in the 21st century must be Christ Centered.

We have a tendency to make the ‘means’ the end. Without diminishing the importance of the means we must say :

“God’s idea about Himself is Christ. Jesus is God breaking through to us. The important things are two: What is your center? And what is your circumference” Christ must be the center. From Him we work out to God, and life, and human problems. He is our Starting Point.” (E. Stanley Jones, The Way, Abingdon, pp 68ff)

E. Stanley Jones said, “Christianity has its doctrines, but it’s not a doctrine; has its creeds but it’s not a creed; has its rites and ceremonies, but it’s not a rite or ceremony; has its institutions, but it’s not an institution; at the center it’s a Person. Christianity is Christ and Christians are people who believe in God, man, life, through Christ.” (Adult Teacher, 1964)

The Church is the only institution specializing in Jesus Christ. You can find ritual in the lodge, service in the club, fellowship in community groups, excitement at the game, but it is the Church that offers Christ.

2. Evangelism in the 21st century must be based in local Churches with strong Sunday Services.

Worship must be styled to meet the needs of the worshippers. We have been through a period of competing rather than complimenting styles. We must recognize the ‘appropriateness of many styles’ - designed to meet the needs of the worshippers.

We must sing more - and read less. Singing must include hymns with content. Music opens us emotionally to receive the Gospel and express our faith. We learn much of our theology from music.

Just as today’s teens are influenced by lyrics of contemporary music, so can they (and we) be influenced by Christian music.

Sunday services must include strong, Christ-centered, Biblically based preaching - aimed beyond instruction and inspiration to challenge. We need to interpret social currents in light of Scripture.

The late Methodist Bishop Gerald Ensley wrote, “One theme ... resounds from Genesis to Revelation...the message of redemption: that we need to be saved, that we are worth saving, that we have a Savior, and, therefore, can be saved. Every book in the Bible proclaims our folly and sinfulness...Yet, God wants to save us...” (p 14, John Wesley, Evangelist, Discipleship Resources.) The Gospel is a Gospel of change - not accommodation.

We must take the Gospel into the inner world of the human heart before we can take it into all the outer worlds of entertainment, politics, education, news media, economics, etc.

3. Evangelism in the 21st century must recognize that laity are the main carriers of the Gospel.

Rev. Leslie Ross used to tell his congregation, “You may leave this building but you can never leave this Church - for where you are,. there the Church is.”

Polls indicate that people are more influenced by laity than by clergy. Laity are in every home, community, school, business, in politics, entertainment, news media. We are agents on mission. God has one great word for the Church and that word is ‘go!” He gives us one word for the world and that word is ‘come.’

Laity reinforce their witness most effectively through lifestyle. Jesus said “You shall be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8). People can refute your theology but few can refute a Christian lifestyle.
Evangelism in the 21st century will continue to face a rapidly changing world but our mission is the same - to make Christ known, loved, trusted, obeyed.
*Charles Whittle is Executive Evangelist, National Association of United Methodist Evangelists


Pray For Laborers
By Cinde Lucas*
“Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. “

Jesus was a busy man. The Bible makes it clear that He took advantage of every opportunity to share the Good News of God’s love with every person that He encountered. He did not limit His preaching to Sunday services or Wednesday night Bible Studies. He did not set up food banks for people to come and receive handouts. Jesus preached the Gospel of Good News of the Kingdom in every city, village, and synagogue that He went to. He proclaimed the message that the Kingdom of God was near. He healed the sick, cast out demons, opened the eyes of the blind and went about every where doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

“The harvest is indeed great but the laborers are few; pray that the Lord send out laborers into His harvest.”

In Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus looked out among the people and His heart was filled with sadness. I believe that He saw not only those that were presently in front of Him, but the eyes of His Spirit saw the multitudes of people in the future who would be desperate to hear the Good News of God’s love and grace for them. He saw them wandering aimlessly, like sheep without shepherds and He said, “The harvest is indeed great but the laborers are few; pray that the Lord send out laborers into His harvest.”

Over the last few years, I have met and encountered several of those that Jesus saw that day. Many of them look and act like their lives are all together; but inside they are empty, tired and desperate for God’s Good News. Some of them sit inside our church buildings, longing to hear the message that Jesus died for them to hear; “I have come that you might have and enjoy your life to the full in abundance until it overflows. I have come to set you free from the power of sin and death. I have come to destroy the works of the enemy and to deliver you from his evil works.” Others are wondering the streets, leery of the church programs and scared of not being able to follow the rules and meet the standards that the church demands they follow.

Many inside are empty, tired and desperate for God’s Good News

Not long ago I happened to meet a lady that was as aimless as anyone could be. She had lived in an abusive environment all of her life, enduring verbal, mental and sexual abuse from countless people. The first day that I met her, she was only a shadow of woman. She was scared and very much aware that her life did not align with the way a Christian should be. Over the course of the next few weeks, I began to contact her. We went for coffee, talked on the phone, and even went to a Bible study. Little by little, as she heard me tell her over and over again, about how much God loves her, she began to realize that her life was not over and that God really did have good plans for her. But her life was far from being whole.

Very few resources are focused on working to share the Good News of the Kingdom with the lost and the least

One Saturday night her husband viciously attacked her. Like the many times before, he verbally slandered her and beat her badly. She was in desperate need of medical attention, but her husband refused to take her to the hospital. She devised a plan that she thought was fool proof. Since she lived across the street from a church (and by the way it was Methodist) she decided to wait until the service was letting out and go for help. She went to three different people, crying and asking for help. Each one made their way to their car; one even went so far as to lock the door. Not one person offered any kind of assistance. They didn’t even bother to get the pastor!

Now I realize that not every church would have been so closed to her, but I have to say that there are large number of churches and people who have closed their doors to those that Jesus prayed for that day in Matthew 9. I’m not sure what we’re waiting for, but I can tell you this; all of our religious activities will count for nothing if we aren’t about doing the work that Jesus commissioned us to do. The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.

We’ve lost sight of the Great Commission. Our building programs, our music programs, and even our Sunday School programs are more important to us than Evangelism. Like Jesus, I am saddened when I read the budgets for most churches. Thousands of dollars are spent every year to pay for all the things that we want to hear and do at church, but very little is focused on working to share the Good News of the Kingdom with the lost and the least. Even those called to be Evangelists in the church are left to their own efforts of raising funds to cover their expenses to do the work that God has ordained them to do.

We need to wake up and open our eyes. God is waiting for us to bring in HIS HARVEST. He has commissioned us to help those who are helpless and to proclaim God’s grace for their lives. How can they know unless someone tells them! I fear that we will stand before the Lord and tell Him about all the stuff we did, only to hear Him say; I NEVER KNEW YOU!

Jesus said to His Disciples (that would include US),”the harvest is ripe and ready to be gathered in.” Evangelism (telling of the Good News) MUST begin or the harvest will be lost. Jesus died to empower the church to come against the gates of hell and to rescue those who are caught in its grip. The church is called to shine the light of God’s love so that those in darkness can see. Let us not forsake the work of evangelism for it is the hands of the church to bring in God’s Harvest.
*Cinde Lucas, Overflow Ministries. Cinde, singer and evangelist, is also chairperson of the Tennessee Conference Evangelism Committee, and is on the board of the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists.


Kairos Prison Ministries
By Boyd Adkins*

There are 2 Greek words for time….Kronos, which is Man’s time such as the calendar or hourly time, and Kairos, which is God’s special time such as Jesus’ birth. In the prison ministry, it is a special time for the incarcerated to experience a relationship with God and with volunteers from the outside. For that reason, we refer to Kairos as “God’s Special Time.”

Presentation of poster made by residents during weekend

Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc., the parent organization headquartered in Orlando, Florida, started in Florida in 1976 and has grown to serving in 31 states in the US and in Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Honduras, and Costa Rica. There are approximately 35,000 volunteers serving in over 358 prisons. The ministry is a Lay ministry whose lay members, along with Clergy, come together in an interdenominational body to proclaim the love of Jesus to men, women, and youth in prisons, and to female family members on the outside of prisons. Kairos embodies 3 ministries, Kairos Inside for incarcerated adults, Kairos Torch for incarcerated youth, and Kairos Outside for the female family members of the incarcerated. The ministry has been active in Tennessee since the late 1990’s. Kairos sprang from the Cursillo movement and is supported by volunteers from Cursillo and the other movements that consider Cursillo as their root. Although a separate ministry, Kairos has received the blessing and encourgement of 4th day movements such as Cursillo, National Episcopal Cursillo, Presbyterian Cursillo, Lutheran Via de Cristo, the Upper Room’s Walk to Emmaus and independently ecumenical Tres Dias. Kairos is a ministry rather than a movement.

Prayer before lunch

Kairos Prison Ministries in Tennessee
Kairos Inside Prison Ministries in Tennessee serves in West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP) in Henning, Mark Luttrell Correctional Complex (MLCC) in Memphis, Morgan County Correctional Complex (MLCC) in Wartburg, and Northeast Correctional Complex (NECX) in Mountain City. This year, Kairos is starting at Southeastern Tennessee Regional Correctional Facility (SETRCF) in Pikeville and at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RSMI) in Nashville. In the future, Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville may be added.

Kairos Torch is presently serving in Mountain View Development Center in Dandridge and will be starting this year in Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville. One of our goals is to prevent many of these youth from becoming a part of the adult prison system.

Kairos Outside is active in the West Tennessee, Middle and East Tennessee, and is starting this year in Northeast Tennessee. Inmates families that attend a Kairos Outside weekend are asked to participate in this ministry on future weekends.


Group photo of residents and team.

The ministry in each prison forms “teams” of volunteers from the nearby area, all from denominational or non-denominational backgrounds. The teams will be 25 to 50 volunteers, depending on the prison, along with up to 20 support members who work outside. Team members attend up to 36 hours of team meetings and training prior to going into the prison. They worship, share, pray together, and praise the Lord in song while building team unity. The outside team prepares to cook meals, keep prayer vigils, and support the team in whatever way they can.

The prison Chaplain selects up to 42 residents of the prison from all levels of security and from all beliefs to come to the weekend. The weekend starts on a Thursday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. If the prison allows us, we serve 2 home cooked meals per day and we keep an endless supply of homemade cookies on hand. The weekend is filled with talks and sharing of life and of walking in faith and individual commitments and experiences. In addition, some of the team will return to the prisons once each month for a reunion with the “graduates” of the program. These graduates are asked to have their wives, mothers and sisters participate in the Kairos Outside program.

There are 16 adult prisons with over 19,000 inmates and 5 youth detention centers with almost 600 incarcerated youth in Tennessee. The Kairos ministry is active in 7 of the 21 institutions. We hope to grow at a steady rate over the next few years. We also have a pilot program of Transition Aftercare that is being developed in Maryland and Texas that we hope to bring to the prisons in Tennessee in the near future. We presently experience a recidivism rate of approximately 28% now and hope to lower that figure with the additional programs.

Kairos Prison Ministry’s motto is “Love, Love, Listen, Listen.” Our mission is to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families, and those who work with them, and to assist in the transition of becoming a productive citizen. I believe the most rewarding statement about the ministry was made by an inmate after attending a Kairos weekend. He wrote, “My life was one of broken pieces. I did not have a family. My Mother died of an overdose when I was eight years old. I never knew my father. During the weekend I spent with Kairos, I felt God reached out to me and said, ‘James, this is your time. It is time for you to know your family, this family…one that will not abandon you.’ God touched me, moved me, and turned my loneliness into never being alone in Him. James went on to say his new feelings have led him to forgive, as he himself wants to be forgiven, and adds this, “My broken pieces got mended.”

Additional information may be obtained at our state website www.kairosoftennessee.org or the international ministry www.kairosprisonministry.org. Anyone interested in participating in Kairos is encouraged to contact us.
*Boyd Adkins is Tennessee Representative, Kairos Prison Ministry Board of Directors, Badkins36@comcast.net

What is an Evangelist
By Mike Rayson*

Evangelist. One mere mention of it is enough to send shivers up and down our collective spine. Images of failed TV preachers and shady financial dealings and hellfire and brimstone invade our consciousness, and leave a bad taste in our mouths.
And we are all the poorer for it!

Mike Rayson

Evangelist’s, in the truest sense of ‘euangelion’ are supposed to be truth tellers of good news – gospel proclaimers. People charged by God to proclaim the life saving and changing message of grace.

John Wesley was an evangelist – not afraid to stand in the fields, on the street corners, and wherever he could draw a crowd to proclaim the gospel, and the power of Christ to save souls and ‘warm’ hearts.

Yet, we don’t value the work of evangelist’s within our United Methodist system. A General Evangelist – appointed by a Bishop, accountable to an Annual Conference – receives no health insurance, no stipend, no parsonage and no expense account. Sure, we want the message proclaimed, but as long as it costs us nothing in return.

Often through the year, our churches host and hold revivals or renewals – a time to call people back to their first love. But how often do we neglect to invite someone with the distinct skills and giftings of an Evangelist, instead preferring to ask our friend up the road in the next church. That’s not to say a fellow colleague from a neighboring church won’t preach a sound message and do a good job, but the calling of a pastor and an evangelist, though sometimes congruent, are also vastly different vocations.

For several years, I have ministered as an evangelist – available to the local church here, and abroad in many different countries – to preach the gospel of grace to all those who will listen, and to many who will not.

What opportunities do we then provide for the spiritual formation of those the church has recognized, formally or informally, as Evangelists?

Spiritual formation is not necessarily formal education, or a once a year course - it is more often than not what happens when iron sharpens iron. The deepening of one’s spiritual life is directly connected to the support structures that exist around about them, and of course, the presence of Christ in, around and about us.

I have been very fortunate to share in a covenant group of pastor’s here in the Tennessee Conference. We meet each Tuesday for coffee, mutual support, accountability, and to discuss the texts of the week and how we will go about preaching them. I am the only member of the group who preaches from a different pulpit each week. This group of clergy, local and student pastors have held me accountable, encouraged me in prayer, and given me deep insight into God's 'ground of being'.

One of the greatest promises in scripture is found in Psalm 23 – ‘Thou art with me’. Just to experience the ‘Thou art with me’ of Jesus, and the ‘Thou art with me’ of colleagues along the journey goes a long way to deepen the journey. Both the journey of being in community with each other, and in community/relationship with God.

Sharing time with my colleagues is sharing time with Jesus. And the more 'time' invested, the deeper the sense of spiritual formation.

So the next time you plan a clergy gathering, a pastors lunch, or start a covenant group, invite the evangelist’s among you to join. You may be surprised at what God will do for you, and for them.
*Mike Rayson is an Australian born evangelist and Christian musician. In 2000 he started Mike Rayson International Ministries. In 2005 he, wife Amy and their children, relocated their ministry to the other side of the world—Pleasant View, Tennessee.


Evangelism and Missions
By Cinde Lucas*

One of the ways that the United Methodist Church excels in is in the area and work of missions. Countless mission projects can be found in every conference and in almost every church; we feed the hungry, help the poor, send workers to clean up and rebuild disaster areas. We provide shelter for the homeless and we extend our hand to the poor. But when it comes to doing the work of evangelism, we seem to be lagging behind.

Cinde Lucas

Part of the problem comes because we don’t really understand what evangelism is. The word evangelism comes from the same word that means gospel, or good news. It is a word that pertains to speaking. Now I know that speaking can be done with more than just words, but when it comes to evangelism, speaking is the primary way that we share the good news with others.

The Bible says that Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the word of God. The primary way in which evangelism takes place is by sharing a spoken word and/or testimony with someone. This doesn’t mean that you need to have a seminary degree in Biblical studies. In fact, I’m convinced that all of our church lingo does very little to entice people to join our ranks. What people really need and want is someone to be REAL with them. They are desperate to hear the TRUTH of God’s love for them.

This world we live in is cluttered with good works. The Rotary Club, The Kiwanis, even the school Beta Clubs do lots of good works. But the CHURCH has been anointed by God to bring a message of GOOD NEWS that will set captives free and open the eyes of the blind. Jesus said that His Church would be POWERFUL enough that not even the gates of hell would be able to prevail against her. He said that WE, His Church, would do GREATER THINGS than Him.

People desperately need to hear the Good News of God’s Kingdom, especially in the season that we are living in. Proverbs 29:18 says that without a prophetic declaration people perish. The Amplified Bible reads “a redemptive revelation” of God’s work. The Church is the only means by which God’s redemptive, revelation for mankind through Jesus Christ can come forth. It is important for the Church to feed the hungry and help the orphans, but along with that we are called to speak forth the GOOD NEWS of God’s grace and love for those who have not yet heard. Otherwise, they will remain in darkness.

Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all (and women). Before they can begin to learn, they must first hear God’s heart for them. When we go out to work on a house or open our church doors to feed the hungry, we also need to have people available to share the gospel and to pray for and with them. After we’ve had our block party and potato drop, we need to begin getting to know those people that we’ve been a blessing to. How can they hear unless someone tells them?

My heart’s desire is to see the church do more than just hand out food, fill pews, and have VBS once a year... We have been empowered by God, through the Holy Spirit to show forth the Glory of Lord. We must be willing to extend our hands and our hearts to people of all walks of life and make a place for them to be welcomed into the Body of Christ. We must stop being afraid of offending people and instead be more concerned with their eternal well being.

Evangelism is the work and responsibility of every Christian. There is no such thing as a “private faith.” Most of us will never preach to thousands or even hundreds. But each one can reach one. Every Christian knows someone that needs to hear about the Good News of Jesus. God has positioned us in lots of places to insure that His message will have opportunity to be heard. Let us not be guilty of being silent. Let the voice of God’s love be heard through you so that the work of evangelism can be done through the church.
*Cinde Lucas, Overflow Ministries; Tennessee Conference Evangelism Committee Chair.


On the Go Evangelism
By Wendy Sellers

Easter at Brandon New Vision United Methodist Church

Years ago I was privileged to learn how to present the gospel through an Evangelism Explosion course conducted by First United Methodist Church, Tuscumbia, Alabama. The pastors introducing this program to our church were Rev. Alton Parish and Associate Pastor Walter Cash. I was in this program for about two years, and what I learned was invaluable. Learning key gospel scriptures, knowing what questions to ask, and having a genuine interest in the person to whom you are witnessing were all fundamental parts of the training needed to present the gospel.

Lately I have been concerned that I haven’t done much about leading people to Christ. My focus has been more on making disciples. While the Great Commission tells us to “go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19), evangelizing is the first step in growing Christians.

People coming forward at the end of a service to indicate their desire to become a member of Brandon New Vision Church.

I have been drawn by the Holy Spirit to Brandon New Vision New United Methodist Church located in Florence, Alabama. Through the process of sharing with one another how we came to know the Lord Jesus, people are being evangelized and are in turn producing other Christians. We don’t have a “scheduled time” to present the Gospel to people. Instead, we are being led by the Holy Spirit and lives are being touched.

Monday was just such an example. I was entering the bank with my daughter who wanted to open a checking account and needed information on requirements. A man followed us in and held the door for us as we entered. The Holy Spirit prompted me to ask him to church. Before I could do so, he walked away from us to another part of the bank. I immediately positioned myself in a chair by the door which he would have to pass when he left the bank. I wrote on the back of my business card the name of our church and its address and times of worship. As he approached the door, I stopped him and told him I would like to invite him to our church. He immediately stopped and dropped down in front of me where I was sitting.

He said, “Who told you to ask me to come to church.”

I replied, “God did, as we were coming into the bank.”

He told me he had been feeling like he needed to get back in church and from there on, he progressed telling me how he had recently lost his dad to cancer, but there had been reconciliation between him and his dad. He told me he had lived a life that had gotten him in prison and that he had a message for young people.

He assured me he would visit our church. I plan to contact him again before next Sunday. Will he come to visit Brandon New Vision? I don’t know, but I do know I was obedient to the Holy Spirit and the possibilities of the Holy Spirit using this man to reach people I can never reach myself are wide open.

If we will each do our part as the Holy Spirit directs us moment by moment, we can win the lost and hasten the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.


Fire wood evangelism
By Steven Ellis*

Fire wood evangelism

When some people think of evangelism they think of a person yelling “repent, the end is near” on a street corner. However I have experienced it in a very different way. I have heard it said “tell someone about the love of Jesus and if you have to, use words."

I have had the pleasure of getting to know a small group of men who have taken this seriously. They found that they enjoy chopping wood. Yes, they actually enjoy chopping wood and splitting it up into firewood. I must admit that at first I didn’t see how working like that would be much fun but it is. We cut the wood with chain saws and then split it up into smaller pieces to be burned in fireplaces and wood burning stoves. After loading up a few pickup trucks we take the wood to people who need it the most.

We live in a small rural community in southern Indiana where many people still use wood to heat their homes. Some of those people are getting older, and it is difficult for them to get enough wood to heat their homes through the winter and that is where we come in. Its fun to give them something we know they can really use, and it’s our way of showing them the love of Jesus Christ. It’s funny but most people don’t know what to say when we show up with a truck load of wood, but they show up for Church the next Sunday. That’s thanks enough for us.

Evangelism for us is doing what we like to serve others. Yes, we could stand on a street corner and yell but we prefer the sound of a chain saw and the smell of fresh cut wood.
*Steve Ellis, Lighthouse United Methodist Church, Elizabeth, Indiana


South of the Border down Alabama Way
By Wendy Sellers*

Changing sign greets visitors to Brandon Ministry Center

Just across the Tennessee border in the Northwest District of the North Alabama Conference lies Brandon Ministry Center. Brandon Center is located on the site of what once was Brandon Elementary school in the city of Florence. However, a couple of years ago the United Methodist Church had an opportunity to purchase this then vacant property and institute an unusual partnership with service organizations in the city of Florence. The United Methodist Church’s vision for the property was to offer a church for the marginalized community surrounding the property. Various service groups who were dealing with these economically depressed people were invited to move into Brandon Center which would provide a central location and make their services easily accessed by the people. Today some fourteen service agencies such as Big Brother & Big Sister, The United Way, Attention Homes, The Healing Place, etc. have their offices located in Brandon Center.

New Vision United Methodist Church hosts Vacation Bible School for Neighborhood Children.

There is also a catering service operating out of the old Brandon School kitchen and cafeteria. The caterer provides jobs for people in the community. In process is the Presbyterian project of providing a daycare center for people with Alzheimer’s to give care-takers a break and give the patients some structure. This organization is called Westminster Interfaith Caring Place (WICP). Plans also include putting a City of Florence Police Station branch in the building. The gymnasium has been rented to a softball coach who helps students improve their playing skills.

The building also houses the Shoals Office of the Northwest District of the North Alabama United Methodist Conference which is the headquarters for 113 United Methodist Churches.
Last, but perhaps the most viable for impacting lives, is Brandon New Vision United Methodist Church whose slogan is “Where Everybody is Somebody.”

This church has been different beginning with the first service! There is a contemporary worship team with keyboard, guitars, and drums. There are people dressed in blue jeans or cut off shorts or dress shirts and ties. The dress is casual, but the love is intentional. At Brandon New Vision, they never know how many kids will show up to eat Sunday Brunch and attend Sunday School or participate in the Wednesday night supper and children’s, youth, and adult programs; but somehow, there is always enough food for everyone.

Pastor Greg Reynolds of New Vision United Methodist Church takes advantage of the nearby Tennessee River to perform a Baptism.

Everyone is welcome, and they are met with love wherever they are on their spiritual journey. If they have money or don’t, it doesn’t matter. If they are highly educated or have problems reading, they are still encircled with love. If they have had a bath that day or haven’t had one in days, it’s okay; they are still welcome.

The pastor, Greg Reynolds, regularly tells the people that he was a kid from the projects. He always points to what God has done in his life and tells everyone if with God’s grace, he could make it, with God’s grace anyone else can make it too. God is drawing a group of people together who have the same vision and want to make a difference in the lives of all who come. The work is demanding, the problems sometimes heart-breaking, but it’s always rewarding.

Brandon Center offers conference rooms in several sizes. Whether persons are scheduling a meeting with 10-12 people, 20 people, or 70 people, there are conference rooms that can be rented to accommodate the group. The Center also has a banquet hall which seats 150 people. With the catering service close by, it is easy to set up buffets or have meals served right in the meeting rooms. (For further information on the conference rooms contact Mark Bourn at the Northwest District office 256-766-4513)

At Brandon Center, the welcome mat is always out. So come South--at least as far as North Alabama!

*Wendy Sellers has attended Brandon New Vision United Methodist Church since the first service, and presently teaches the adult Sunday School class.

“People need to know about the bread of life . . .and that their lives matter”
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., says when evangelism and social justice merge, that is the "sweet spot. Sometimes evangelists forget about social justice and sometimes justice seekers forget to tell people about Jesus," he said. "People need to know about the bread of life, but they also need to know their lives matter." Hamilton spoke at "Living Faith, Seeking Justice," an international conference sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society Nov. 1-4, 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.