TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW May 1, 2009
Articles in this issue of the Tennessee Conference REVIEW
1. A Chapter in the Life of Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church
2. Raising Voices and Hopes
3. The Malawi United Methodist Church
4. VIM Mission Trip to Nepal
5. Easter's Over – Were You There?
6. GBHEM leads and serves The United Methodist Church in educating, nurturing, and preparing leaders for the church and the world
7. Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series -- My unconventional call to ministry: shared by Karen Collier
8. Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series -- Faithful to the Call: shared by Rosemary Brown
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A Chapter in the Life of Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church
By Dr. Richard V. Shriver
Editor’s Note: Doug Davis wrote an article about Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church in the March 13th edition of The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and reprinted with permission in The Tennessee Conference REVIEW for April 3, 2009. Retired United Methodist Minister Richard Shriver had a dramatic chapter to add to the story.
From 1965 to 1974, I (Richard Shriver) was the Methodist campus minister (director of the Wesley Foundation) at MTSU. In about 1971, early one morning, I received a telephone call from a woman who claimed to be Mary Martin. She hastily identified herself as a Baptist and the owner of the Red Barn Antiques at Walter Hill, Tennessee (no kin to Peter Pan). She said she needed help with a group of young people who were meeting at the Kelley’s Chapel Methodist Church and wondered if maybe some of the Methodist MTSU students would be interested in volunteering.
Mary Martin, photo courtesy of Tim Martin.
Then she told me the strange and wonderful story. Kelley’s Chapel had closed its doors. The Methodist Conference had made the decision based on membership loss, the inability to support a minister, and no funds for the upkeep of the old building. The property had been put up for sale, and there had been an auction to sell it.
Mrs. Martin had gone to the auction with the intention of buying the church building to use for storing antiques and enlarging her business. She said that when it came time to bid, a lump came in her throat, and she couldn’t speak. Somehow she felt that the marvelous old building should not be used for antique storage. The property did not sell, that day.
Instead, Mrs. Martin got out her Dodge Ram van and began driving up and down the country roads in the area on Wednesday and Sunday nights, loading up with kids (with parents’ consent) and bringing them to the church. She had about 30 kids and a few parents at the church twice each week, and she needed leadership assistance.
I said I would try to help. I presented the matter to our Wesley Foundation student board, and they got very excited. I checked with the Methodist District Superintendent for permission, and soon I, my wife, Joy, and eight or ten students were driving out to Walter Hill on Wednesday and Sunday nights, having a great time with Mary Martin and about 30 young people. Some parents and a few of the families who previously had been members of Kelley’s Chapel became regular attendees, and I began leading informal worship services on Sunday nights.
Dinner on the grounds, October 1, 1972, the day Kelley’s Chapel is reinstated as a Methodist Church
We had regular Sunday morning worship at 11:00 A.M. at the Wesley Foundation at MTSU, so we scheduled an earlier Sunday service at Kelley’s Chapel. It became a very children-and-youth-based congregation – which made it very attractive to the people of the Walter Hill community. By the end of the summer, we had applied for reinstatement as an official United Methodist Church, and on October 1, 1972, the District Superintendent (Elma Broyles) officiated at a Sunday morning reinstatement service, followed by dinner on the grounds. There never was a happier congregation than this revitalized Kelley’s Chapel. I held Sunday morning worship services every Sunday until my Methodist appointment moved me to Gallatin in June 1974. Each week there was a youth program on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
Mrs. Martin had a son, Tim, who was in the Marine Corps but had plans to return to school to study to become a doctor. When visiting his mother, he attended Kelley's Chapel and met Gloria McCool, one of the Methodist MTSU students who was helping with the programs at the church – and they began dating and soon were married. Mary Martin became an active supporter of the Wesley Foundation.
And how can we help but wonder about that day at the auction when Mary Martin simply could not make a bid to turn Kelley’s Chapel into a place to store antiques?
P.S. Mary Martin died in 1989. Her son, Tim, is a doctor in Sheffield, Alabama. He and Gloria raised six children.
*Richard V. Shriver is an author, Professor of Philosophy & Religion, a United Methodist Minister, and Vice-President & Co-Host of Catholic Media Productions
Raising Voices and Hopes
by Nancy Neelley, nneelley@comcast.net
Looking for a way to truly help Nashville’s homeless, Tasha French set out with a goal in mind: to create a job opportunity that helps people get off of the streets and on to self-sufficiency. Tasha had seen examples of “street” newspapers that give the homeless both a means to share their voices, and a viable product to sell. She wondered if such a model would work in Nashville. Partnering with the National Street Newspaper Association, Tasha channeled her drive and graphic design ability to begin production of The Contributor as a means to achieving her goal.
Jerry and Karren Andreasson
After a year and a half, The Contributor now has over 75 vendors who have sold up to 3,500 papers monthly. Vendors can buy the paper for a quarter and resell it for a dollar, or earn free copies by contributing articles. Director of Vending, Tom Wills, oversees recruitment and training of homeless persons wanting to sell the paper. “This is a way to own your own business. Vendors have to learn how to figure out money concerns just like anyone else does. If you treat it [The Contributor] with respect, this is a means to getting a permanent address and moving on to something better.”
Jerry & Karren Andreasson are top performers for The Contributor, almost always reaching their goal of 600 newspaper sales per month. The April issue includes an article by Jerry that describes just what this opportunity has done for them – helping them to take care of their own basic needs rather than relying on hand outs. Now able to afford a meal rather than just coffee, or a hotel stay rather than a night sleeping on the streets, the Andreassons have their dignity after having lost so much else. This couple (who are members of 61st Avenue UMC) has been in the spotlight recently, making the front page of The Nashville Business Journal, and the nightly news on Nashville’s Channel 5.
Tom Wills is Director of Vending for The Contributor
Their drive, hard work and commitment sometimes surprise those who only see homeless persons as stereotypes. An encounter with them brings more than just the monthly edition. Likely, you will also receive a bright smile from Karren, and maybe even a scripture passage to encourage you along the way. You can buy papers from them on the corner of Broadway and 3rd Avenue during the week, and on weekends.
While other newspapers are struggling, Tom Wills is hopeful about The Contributor’s future, believing that one day the now monthly paper may move to bi-weekly or even weekly production. If there are more issues, there will be more sales, and there will be more people who can help themselves. You and your church can help this enterprise help others. Here's how:
.Invite representatives from The Contributor to speak at your church
.Purchase advertising to help offset printing costs and create salary support (both Tom & Tasha are unpaid staff)
.Allow vendors to sell The Contributor at your next function
.When you encounter a vendor, stop, buy a paper and share in conversation. It might just be an unforgettable encounter.
Contact Information:
The Contributor, P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203. 615-653-4577. thecontributorstaff@gmail.com.
The Malawi United Methodist Church
By Kara Lassen Oliver
Kara, husband Jeff, and their two children, are moving to Malawi to be in service to the United Methodist Church of Malawi. They will be in the African nation for a year. Their home church, Belmont United Methodist Church, has a lengthy relationship with the United Methodist Church in Malawi and at Christmas raised $54,143 so that 16 villages could construct church buildings—this has been referred to as “The Miracle Offering.”
The Malawi United Methodist Church was established in 1987 but was given little support or infrastructure. Leadership both within and outside the country was uncertain of its actual status within the structure of the larger church. Some churches were planted in the middle and southern part of the country but were in the north in name only. Delegates went each year to the Zimbabwe Annual (regional) Conference but they also held their own Annual Meeting each year.
So in 2004, delegates from Malawi went to the General Central Conference in South Africa in hopes of clarifying their status as either a district of the Zimbabwe Conference or an independent Missionary Conference. To their dismay and sadness, their delegates were asked to leave the conference. There were no minutes to prove that they were a Missionary Conference, worthy of delegates, and the conference declared them a district of the Zimbabwe Annual Conference.
Rose, 1 of 2 women pastors in the United Methodist Church of Malawi.
At that same year Rev. Eben Nhiwatiwa was elected Bishop of Zimbabwe and he has been instrumental in helping the MUMC become a Missionary Conference. So from 2004 to 2008 Rev. Daniel Mhone, then the equivalent of a District Superintendent, and the bishop worked hard to submit all the necessary paperwork and reports to the General Board of Global Ministries so that on April 28, 2008, at the United Methodist General Conference, Malawi was overwhelming approved as a Missionary Conference, effective January 1, 2009. They are proud to be a Missionary Conference even though the Conference is only several months old!
The vision of the MUMC is to win Malawi for Christ. They believe strongly in the priesthood of all believers; the church is not the monopoly of the clergy. This makes them different from the other mainline churches in Malawi and attracts large numbers of people to their church. This year at annual conference they increased from 12 to 21 circuits (church or churches served by one pastor). A beautiful example is the story of Lester Mhone who went into a village (most of the mainline churches stay in and around the cities) and was served lunch. As was tradition, Lester was taken into a separate room from the people and given an entire chicken and a dozen drinks. But Lester went back to the people and asked that all the food be brought to him there. After a blessing he divided the chicken into portions and gave some to everyone and passed the drinks around. An elder of the village and of another church, who had come simply to stand in the back and "spy", joined the church that day. He told Lester that this was new and different and this was true to the word of God.
Kara Oliver greeting a small boy at Kwidsi UMC in the South Lilongwe Circuit. The Belmont UMC team visited the village chief, church members, and saw the site of another Miracle Offering Church.
The MUMC seeks to witness in three areas: social (clean water and education for all children), economic (starting farming clubs), and spiritual (new congregations and circuits).
The challenges of the MUMC lie within these same areas: leadership in development of clergy and laity to meet the surging numbers of people joining the church; education with a specific hope of starting Methodist primary schools; health, with a specific hope to build a clinic in the north so that people do not need to walk 20 kilometers to the nearest hospital; and economic empowerment to break the "dependency syndrome" so that Malawians stand on their own feet.
At the Round Table just last July, representatives from the German UMC, Upper Room Ministries, the General Board of Global Ministries, the MUMC and Belmont UMC gathered to name priorities that reflect the 2008 General Conference priorities: new faith communities (building 16 churches by November 2009 with Christmas Miracle Offering from Belmont UMC), improving health (HIV/AIDs), eliminating poverty, and leadership development (indigenous publications made possible through partnership with Upper Room Ministries). They are in the process of re-writing their Advance Special descriptions so that persons can make contributions through the General Board of Global Ministries.
The Bishop added that these are an enthusiastic, warm and generous people. While some may say that these are characteristics of Africans in general, he says he has not seen it to such a degree as in Malawi; they are a unique people. The church is young he said, but it is mature. He sees the most important thing as empowering the indigenous people. His concern is that the leadership development not only effect local churches and community but that it also move the MUMC from Missionary status to a full-fledge Annual Conference so that they might enjoy all the same rights and privileges as the rest of the annual conferences of the UMC. They should have a story to tell, and witness to show.
Knowing that we would be moving to Malawi for a year the Bishop’s advice to us was not to worry about how we might use our gifts or where to start. He said, "First, you must blend in. Come and worship with the people. Get to know one another and build relationships. From these relationships and friendships, your gifts will overflow and God will show you what to do." These wise and important words give Jeff and I great comfort and strength.
A special fund raising evening for the ministry of the Olivers in Malawi
The event will take place in Belmont United Methodist Church’s Community Center, May 9, 2009, 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The evening offers an opportunity for both financial and loving community support of Jeff and Kara Oliver as they work in training and empowering the pastors who serve the 16 new Malawi churches built through the generosity of Belmont UMC’s Christmas Miracle Offering. Festivities on May 9th include a spaghetti feast, silent and live auctions, words from the Olivers, and musical entertainment by Belmont’s own Brother Henry. DON'T MISS this chance to send the Olivers on their way ready and able to serve on behalf of Belmont United Methodist Church and the Tennessee Annual Conference.
VIM Mission Trip to Nepal
For many years the Hindu Kingdom of Nepal (located north of India and South of Tibet) was closed to all Westerners. In the 1950’s the first Westerners allowed into the country were Methodists, Dr. Bob and Bethel Fleming. The Flemings and a Presbyterian couple formed the United Mission to Nepal, an organization under which different denominations cooperated to do ministry in Nepal.
Pastor Devi Bhujel & Dr. Frank Billman.
Within the past 10 years the United Methodist Church has been planted in Nepal. There are now 40 churches and about 4,000 United Methodists in Nepal. The largest of the churches has a membership of 400. Converted from Hinduism, Devi Bhujel is the pastor who started the UMC in Nepal and he is now the District Superintendent for Nepal. Nepal is regarded as a mission district under Bishop Rudy Juan of the Philippines, but financially it is fully supported by the Board of Global Ministries.
District Superintendent Bhujel invited Aldersgate Renewal Ministries [ARM] to send a team to Nepal to lead the Life in the Spirit Seminar and Lord Teach Us to Pray seminar. After much planning and preparation work, on March 8th a team of ten boarded a plane in Los Angeles for a UM Volunteers in Mission trip to Nepal. Members of the team were Frank & Peggi Billman, Rich & Sue Fetzer (from PA), Ted & Audrey Newton (from PA), Pam Lipka (from NC), Kim Bright (from MO), Parker Wayland (from TN) and Jim Ball (from VA).
Prayer for Healing at the Life in the Spirit Seminar in Kathmandu.
Dr. Frank Billman, Director of Church Relations for ARM and pastor of Forest Grove UMC in Joelton, coordinated the Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Methodist Center in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. There were about 70 participants. Additional participants who intended to come were prevented from doing so by political unrest in other parts of the country. The presence of the Holy Spirit was quite evident throughout the seminar. After a presentation on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, prayer was offered over the people asking the Spirit to come down upon the participants as at Pentecost. Some of the people began to shake, others began to weep, still others cried out to God. It was very much like early Methodist meetings! When healing prayer was offered most of the group responded. A number of people then testified to being healed. There was a 3 hour worship service with much praise and prayer, testimonies, Frank preaching and Holy Communion.
Peggi Billman coordinated the Lord Teach Us to Pray at the Tanmunna UMC in Sunsari, Nepal. Due to political unrest the location of this seminar had to be changed from its original intended location in East Nepal to Tanmunna just 2 days prior to the seminar. Several people were killed in the original area.
Worship at the Lord Teach Us to Pray Seminar in the Tanmunna UMC, Sunsari, Nepal
Tanmunna was the first UMC planted in Nepal by Devi Bhujel. It is located an 11 hour bus ride away from Kathmandu, about 15 minutes from the border with India. There are no paved roads within many miles of the church. The town is made up of homes with bamboo walls and thatched roofs. It was definitely not a tourist destination like Kathmandu! Our minibus filled with white folks was met with stares as we drove down those dusty dirt roads.
At Tanmunna about 120 participants gathered, even though the location was changed to there just two days before. This seminar went well, too. Participants experienced forms of prayer they never tried before. Pam Lipka made praise streamers for both locations that were received with great enthusiasm. At the worship service there were 8 visitors who had never been in a Christian worship service before, including the bus driver. During the service a young girl testified that she wanted to receive Jesus as her Savior. A man who had been paralyzed testified that the United Methodists came and prayed for him, he was healed, and he left Hinduism to follow Christ. A former Hindu priest and former idol carver both testified to coming to Christ. A woman whose daughter suffered from epilepsy said that the United Methodists prayed for her daughter and she was healed so the lady gave her life to Christ. Another woman whose son was mentally ill was prayed for by the United Methodists and healed so she gave her life to Christ as well. A former Buddhist woman gave her life to Christ and is now studying to become a United Methodist evangelist. A study revealed that about 34% of the people in Nepal have come to Christ because of a healing.
Peggi Billman brought the message during the worship service, and Holy Communion was served there as well. When prayer for healing was offered, the response was great.
District Superintendent Bhujel was very pleased with the seminars. He said that they far exceeded his expectations.
Frank has been invited by UM Bishop John Innis to bring those same seminars to the theological school in Liberia in May, 2010.
Easter's Over – Were You There?
By Lucy Neeley Adams*
Classes had been slightly boring this Friday at school, and I was ready for a long weekend. The books in my arms were heavy so I hurried home. As I plopped them into a chair, my Bible fell to the floor. I picked it up to place it on top of my stack of textbooks. Before I set it down, I lamented over the bad grade I had made in my Bible class yesterday. It was a sad surprise, but all of my studies were taking second place these days.
My life was exciting and school was only a necessity. I almost finished my four years of college before my wedding so I promised my parents, "Just a few more courses after I marry, and then I will graduate." But studying for those classes was not my priority. My new husband, Woody, and our deep love for one another, was uppermost in my thoughts and dreams.
He was preparing to be a minister and I was majoring in Christian Education. My knowledge of Scripture was essential. My attendance at Sunday school and church all my life, had not helped in my understanding of the Christian faith. I heard the words, but they never entered my heart. I even failed a Bible exam when I was a freshman in college.. In tears, I told my roommate who was an excellent student in all courses, "But Nancy, I don't even know the difference between Moses and Paul!"
Attending church on Sundays with my mother was routine until I listened to adults singing hymns. I did not understand why my heart was stirred when I heard the people sing about Jesus. No one ever talked to me about him , but when they sang, it was wonderful. One of my favorites was, "Were You There?" One day when I was not in church I heard it sung and that definitely got my attention.
That moment had a great impact on my young life, and I wrote about it in my book, 52 Hymn Story Devotions. "When I was a child our family had a housekeeper. Lurline Argo was a blessing to my life. Before I knew there was racial prejudice, I loved this woman whose skin was much darker than mine. She loved me too, and was one of the foundations of my childhood. One morning I heard her singing in the kitchen. The plaintive notes of "Were You There' drew me to her side. I could feel the love and reverence with which she sang even though I was too young to understand the depth of the message. "
I am blessed to have come to know the Person and the message of that great song. Several years after my marriage, and graduating from college, I asked Jesus into my heart. That dramatic moment when I was thirty-two years old was a turning point. The Bible took on life and breath in my total being. My study became a privilege and teaching His Word became a great joy.
The hymns we Christians sing are only extensions of God's powerful presence in the Body of Christ. My feelings run high when I sing the spirituals written by African -Americans. Generations ago they came to this country as slaves and their work was seldom easy. Throughout the ordeal of pleasing the slave owner, a temporary escape was to sing their faith in the Lord and an eternal Home much different than this earthly one.
Many books describe the development of the spirituals. Two of these were written by professors at Fisk University in Nashville, Tn. Their origins were published in New Jubilee Songs (1901) and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). John W. Work, Jr. and his brother Frederick J. Work were pioneers in the development of these great hymns of faith.
John Work says: "Many of them were passed down from generation to generation, and after much singing, the texts and melodies varied from place to place. But the gospel message was always proclaimed."
Yes, I can heartily sing "Were You There" and I , ‘tremble, tremble, tremble,' when I think of the events in the last week of Jesus' life on earth. But I quickly rejoice as I experience the power of his resurrection. God raised him from the dead and I eagerly quote the words that Jesus said to Martha who was in grief about her brother Lazarus, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, he shall live."(John 11:25)
God's Word helps me to remember that I was there. And I am still there as I walk through this life with the living Jesus in my heart! I proclaim that his promises are true, his love is authentic, his power is available and his peace is overwhelming.
Dear God, hear my prayer of thanksgiving for the glory of Easter and the joyous Sundays following. Hear my prayer of repentance that at times I rob myself of Your glory in my heart. Then I feed on your Word and deepen my relationship with my living Lord and I am restored.. I pray in the risen Jesus' name, Amen
*Lucy Neeley Adams, author of 52 Hymn Story Devotions
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry educates, nurtures, prepares leaders for the church and the world
Scholarship recipients spoke about how the United Methodist scholarships they received had helped with their academic journey. At a dinner during the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s spring meeting, several spoke of how grateful they were to the church and GBHEM. Shown, from left, back: Kimberly Russaw, Kyle Kawczynski, Kathryn Cooper, Simeon Udunka. Front row, from left: Jessica Gadsden, Caroline Sugg, Uziel Hernandez, Ashley Travis, Tamara Lewis, Trenton Teegarden
Five students attending colleges within the Tennessee Annual Conference presented stories of their academic journeys at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Office of Loans and Scholarships, appreciation dinner. The event was held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel on March 19th. Each student presented his or her story, sharing their decisions for academic majors, and their gratitude for financial support as they were awarded scholarships from the GBOHE – but more than that, the hope kindled in their lives by the scholarship program.
Another group of scholarship recipients who enjoyed the event were introduced to those attending the banquet and were applauded for academic endeavors.
Scholarship recipients from Martin Methodist College, left to right, Uziel Hernandez, Kathryn Cooper, Trenton Teegarden, and Ashley Travis
Among the speakers were Tamara Lewis, who is not only working on a doctorate in Church History at Vanderbilt University, but will be ordained an elder in the Tennessee Conference this coming June. Kimberly Russaw is also doing graduate work at Vanderbilt, and Simeon Udunka is working on a medical degree in dentistry at Meharry Medical School. Two of the young people, Uziel Hernandez and Kathryn Cooper are students at Martin Methodist College.
Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series –Karen Collier
My unconventional call to ministry
My call is somewhat unconventional. I did not hear someone say my name or anything like that. Though I knew I would always be working in the church, I never thought about being a preacher, pastor or college professor. My goal was to teach high school students Black history.
Karen Collier
From my childhood to college, I was always working and participating in church. In fact, if I had to walk to Sunday school I would, without reservation. When I was a junior at Fisk University, the chaplain, Dr. Hycel Taylor asked me what I had planned to do when I finished college. I replied that I was going to attend graduate school and get a master’s degree in Black History. He asked me why I did not consider going to seminary. My first thought was what I would do with all those men in that school. He replied, the better question was what they would do with me. I thought about it and went down to church to tell my pastor, Rev. W.C. Dobbins about the funny thing the chaplain had said to me, earlier. He did not laugh. Instead, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Major Jones and said that he had someone in his office to whom he should send an application. I was shocked. Nevertheless, I applied to seminary. My thinking was that I wanted to study religion, and so I could spend two years getting a Master of Religious Education and then return to do a Master’s in history.
I did visit another seminary, but I went to The Interdenominational Theological Center where I was introduced to Dr. Jacqueline Grant (She was a student then). I decided to go there and within a week I changed from an M.RE. to a M.Div. because I liked the curriculum better. While I was there I met several other professors who were quite challenging. My pastor checked on me and all went well. By the way, there were about 5 women on campus and 250 men. While I was in seminary the question of ordination came up. I had worked in an assistant role at my local church and so that was okay. The system was different then. We had to answer about 35 questions and then go into a room with all these men. When I sat down they all stood up. It was strange. One of the members, Rev. Maurice King, had spent much time trying to talk me out of being ordained. He turned out to be the one in the meeting who said that he had tried to talk me out of it, and I would not budge. Therefore, they should ordain me. That was unusual to me. In any case, I was ordained as the first African American woman in the new Tennessee Annual Conference in 1972, under Bishop H. Ellis Finger.
After seminary, I went to Duke University, where I received a Ph.D. in 1984. I was ordained an elder in TN during my years there (1978). My first trip for the church was to Hinton Rural Life Center in N.C., (1968). From there I went on a UMYF trip to New York. I was quite active in the local, jurisdictional and National Black Methodists for Church Renewal. I also volunteered for several projects with what was then the Board of Evangelism under the person who became Bishop C. Lin Henderson. From there I went on to be a member of the GBGM and traveled for the church. Just prior to that, I met Mrs. Rose M. Catchings and her husband, Rev. L. Maynard Catchings. They introduced me to the work of the church in the world. It was she who sent me on my first trip to Africa. My work in the church has expanded to work at the GBOD and Publishing House, to be a preacher, a pastor of two churches and now a professor at Fisk University. In addition I am a mentor with the UMC’s Women of Color Scholars and a coordinator for the UNCF/Mellon program.
*Karen Collier is Associate Professor, Fisk University in Nashville, and Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy.
Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series—Rosemary Brown
Faithful to the Call
When I was twelve, my home church, First Methodist in Elizabethton, Tennessee, sent me to camp at Buffalo Mountain near Johnson City. Missionaries shared with us the feelings of joy and excitement they had experienced when they heard God call them through Jesus to “go into all the world . . teach . . preach . . baptize . . “ and by the closing worship service on a mountain top I heard my call to follow that invitation. I have tried for the past fifty-four years to be faithful to that call.
At the age of eighteen I became the Junior High leader at Vine Street UMC in Macon, Georgia, where I was a student at Wesleyan College. After graduation I returned to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where my family resided, and became the first youth director at Christ United Methodist Church.
Rosemary Brown
Coming to Nashville in 1960 to attend Scarritt College to earn an M.A. degree resulted in seventeen years as a DCE . . .thirteen of those years at Calvary United Methodist Church in Nashville.
During those wonderful years at Calvary I was part of the originating boards for the Appalachia Service Project (a work project for youth), Outlook Nashville (a program of involving youth and adults with persons who experience handicapping conditions), served as a deputy and helped create Youth Guidance with Major George Curry in an effort to prevent youth from becoming involved in crime.
I became involved with Church Women United while I was at Calvary and spent ten years in prison ministry with that group (I am still President of CWU for my eighth term).
I was elected to serve on the Board of Global Ministries while attending the SEJ
conference at Lake Junaluska, and spent eight years representing our jurisdiction—traveling to New York over thirty-two times. During those years I went to the U.S.S.R. on a peace keeping mission, to Trinidad to work with women in family planning, and to nursing homes around our country evaluating certification requirements. I had the joy of being chosen to teach a Bible study in Singapore for the World Federation of United Methodist Women where we had six hundred women gather.
I have been the preacher for twenty-four Annual Conferences; was featured on the Protestant Hour four different times; average four revivals a year and especially love tent revivals. In addition I have spoken to youth at Lake Junaluska, Warmth in Winter, and Resurrection; and do retreats yearly for United Methodist Women.
1. A Chapter in the Life of Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church
2. Raising Voices and Hopes
3. The Malawi United Methodist Church
4. VIM Mission Trip to Nepal
5. Easter's Over – Were You There?
6. GBHEM leads and serves The United Methodist Church in educating, nurturing, and preparing leaders for the church and the world
7. Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series -- My unconventional call to ministry: shared by Karen Collier
8. Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series -- Faithful to the Call: shared by Rosemary Brown
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A Chapter in the Life of Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church
By Dr. Richard V. Shriver
Editor’s Note: Doug Davis wrote an article about Kelley’s Chapel United Methodist Church in the March 13th edition of The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and reprinted with permission in The Tennessee Conference REVIEW for April 3, 2009. Retired United Methodist Minister Richard Shriver had a dramatic chapter to add to the story.
From 1965 to 1974, I (Richard Shriver) was the Methodist campus minister (director of the Wesley Foundation) at MTSU. In about 1971, early one morning, I received a telephone call from a woman who claimed to be Mary Martin. She hastily identified herself as a Baptist and the owner of the Red Barn Antiques at Walter Hill, Tennessee (no kin to Peter Pan). She said she needed help with a group of young people who were meeting at the Kelley’s Chapel Methodist Church and wondered if maybe some of the Methodist MTSU students would be interested in volunteering.
Mary Martin, photo courtesy of Tim Martin.Then she told me the strange and wonderful story. Kelley’s Chapel had closed its doors. The Methodist Conference had made the decision based on membership loss, the inability to support a minister, and no funds for the upkeep of the old building. The property had been put up for sale, and there had been an auction to sell it.
Mrs. Martin had gone to the auction with the intention of buying the church building to use for storing antiques and enlarging her business. She said that when it came time to bid, a lump came in her throat, and she couldn’t speak. Somehow she felt that the marvelous old building should not be used for antique storage. The property did not sell, that day.
Instead, Mrs. Martin got out her Dodge Ram van and began driving up and down the country roads in the area on Wednesday and Sunday nights, loading up with kids (with parents’ consent) and bringing them to the church. She had about 30 kids and a few parents at the church twice each week, and she needed leadership assistance.
I said I would try to help. I presented the matter to our Wesley Foundation student board, and they got very excited. I checked with the Methodist District Superintendent for permission, and soon I, my wife, Joy, and eight or ten students were driving out to Walter Hill on Wednesday and Sunday nights, having a great time with Mary Martin and about 30 young people. Some parents and a few of the families who previously had been members of Kelley’s Chapel became regular attendees, and I began leading informal worship services on Sunday nights.
Dinner on the grounds, October 1, 1972, the day Kelley’s Chapel is reinstated as a Methodist ChurchWe had regular Sunday morning worship at 11:00 A.M. at the Wesley Foundation at MTSU, so we scheduled an earlier Sunday service at Kelley’s Chapel. It became a very children-and-youth-based congregation – which made it very attractive to the people of the Walter Hill community. By the end of the summer, we had applied for reinstatement as an official United Methodist Church, and on October 1, 1972, the District Superintendent (Elma Broyles) officiated at a Sunday morning reinstatement service, followed by dinner on the grounds. There never was a happier congregation than this revitalized Kelley’s Chapel. I held Sunday morning worship services every Sunday until my Methodist appointment moved me to Gallatin in June 1974. Each week there was a youth program on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
Mrs. Martin had a son, Tim, who was in the Marine Corps but had plans to return to school to study to become a doctor. When visiting his mother, he attended Kelley's Chapel and met Gloria McCool, one of the Methodist MTSU students who was helping with the programs at the church – and they began dating and soon were married. Mary Martin became an active supporter of the Wesley Foundation.
And how can we help but wonder about that day at the auction when Mary Martin simply could not make a bid to turn Kelley’s Chapel into a place to store antiques?
P.S. Mary Martin died in 1989. Her son, Tim, is a doctor in Sheffield, Alabama. He and Gloria raised six children.
*Richard V. Shriver is an author, Professor of Philosophy & Religion, a United Methodist Minister, and Vice-President & Co-Host of Catholic Media Productions
Raising Voices and Hopes
by Nancy Neelley, nneelley@comcast.net
Looking for a way to truly help Nashville’s homeless, Tasha French set out with a goal in mind: to create a job opportunity that helps people get off of the streets and on to self-sufficiency. Tasha had seen examples of “street” newspapers that give the homeless both a means to share their voices, and a viable product to sell. She wondered if such a model would work in Nashville. Partnering with the National Street Newspaper Association, Tasha channeled her drive and graphic design ability to begin production of The Contributor as a means to achieving her goal.
Jerry and Karren AndreassonAfter a year and a half, The Contributor now has over 75 vendors who have sold up to 3,500 papers monthly. Vendors can buy the paper for a quarter and resell it for a dollar, or earn free copies by contributing articles. Director of Vending, Tom Wills, oversees recruitment and training of homeless persons wanting to sell the paper. “This is a way to own your own business. Vendors have to learn how to figure out money concerns just like anyone else does. If you treat it [The Contributor] with respect, this is a means to getting a permanent address and moving on to something better.”
Jerry & Karren Andreasson are top performers for The Contributor, almost always reaching their goal of 600 newspaper sales per month. The April issue includes an article by Jerry that describes just what this opportunity has done for them – helping them to take care of their own basic needs rather than relying on hand outs. Now able to afford a meal rather than just coffee, or a hotel stay rather than a night sleeping on the streets, the Andreassons have their dignity after having lost so much else. This couple (who are members of 61st Avenue UMC) has been in the spotlight recently, making the front page of The Nashville Business Journal, and the nightly news on Nashville’s Channel 5.
Tom Wills is Director of Vending for The ContributorTheir drive, hard work and commitment sometimes surprise those who only see homeless persons as stereotypes. An encounter with them brings more than just the monthly edition. Likely, you will also receive a bright smile from Karren, and maybe even a scripture passage to encourage you along the way. You can buy papers from them on the corner of Broadway and 3rd Avenue during the week, and on weekends.
While other newspapers are struggling, Tom Wills is hopeful about The Contributor’s future, believing that one day the now monthly paper may move to bi-weekly or even weekly production. If there are more issues, there will be more sales, and there will be more people who can help themselves. You and your church can help this enterprise help others. Here's how:
.Invite representatives from The Contributor to speak at your church
.Purchase advertising to help offset printing costs and create salary support (both Tom & Tasha are unpaid staff)
.Allow vendors to sell The Contributor at your next function
.When you encounter a vendor, stop, buy a paper and share in conversation. It might just be an unforgettable encounter.
Contact Information:
The Contributor, P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203. 615-653-4577. thecontributorstaff@gmail.com.
The Malawi United Methodist Church
By Kara Lassen Oliver
Kara, husband Jeff, and their two children, are moving to Malawi to be in service to the United Methodist Church of Malawi. They will be in the African nation for a year. Their home church, Belmont United Methodist Church, has a lengthy relationship with the United Methodist Church in Malawi and at Christmas raised $54,143 so that 16 villages could construct church buildings—this has been referred to as “The Miracle Offering.”
The Malawi United Methodist Church was established in 1987 but was given little support or infrastructure. Leadership both within and outside the country was uncertain of its actual status within the structure of the larger church. Some churches were planted in the middle and southern part of the country but were in the north in name only. Delegates went each year to the Zimbabwe Annual (regional) Conference but they also held their own Annual Meeting each year.
So in 2004, delegates from Malawi went to the General Central Conference in South Africa in hopes of clarifying their status as either a district of the Zimbabwe Conference or an independent Missionary Conference. To their dismay and sadness, their delegates were asked to leave the conference. There were no minutes to prove that they were a Missionary Conference, worthy of delegates, and the conference declared them a district of the Zimbabwe Annual Conference.
Rose, 1 of 2 women pastors in the United Methodist Church of Malawi.At that same year Rev. Eben Nhiwatiwa was elected Bishop of Zimbabwe and he has been instrumental in helping the MUMC become a Missionary Conference. So from 2004 to 2008 Rev. Daniel Mhone, then the equivalent of a District Superintendent, and the bishop worked hard to submit all the necessary paperwork and reports to the General Board of Global Ministries so that on April 28, 2008, at the United Methodist General Conference, Malawi was overwhelming approved as a Missionary Conference, effective January 1, 2009. They are proud to be a Missionary Conference even though the Conference is only several months old!
The vision of the MUMC is to win Malawi for Christ. They believe strongly in the priesthood of all believers; the church is not the monopoly of the clergy. This makes them different from the other mainline churches in Malawi and attracts large numbers of people to their church. This year at annual conference they increased from 12 to 21 circuits (church or churches served by one pastor). A beautiful example is the story of Lester Mhone who went into a village (most of the mainline churches stay in and around the cities) and was served lunch. As was tradition, Lester was taken into a separate room from the people and given an entire chicken and a dozen drinks. But Lester went back to the people and asked that all the food be brought to him there. After a blessing he divided the chicken into portions and gave some to everyone and passed the drinks around. An elder of the village and of another church, who had come simply to stand in the back and "spy", joined the church that day. He told Lester that this was new and different and this was true to the word of God.
Kara Oliver greeting a small boy at Kwidsi UMC in the South Lilongwe Circuit. The Belmont UMC team visited the village chief, church members, and saw the site of another Miracle Offering Church.The MUMC seeks to witness in three areas: social (clean water and education for all children), economic (starting farming clubs), and spiritual (new congregations and circuits).
The challenges of the MUMC lie within these same areas: leadership in development of clergy and laity to meet the surging numbers of people joining the church; education with a specific hope of starting Methodist primary schools; health, with a specific hope to build a clinic in the north so that people do not need to walk 20 kilometers to the nearest hospital; and economic empowerment to break the "dependency syndrome" so that Malawians stand on their own feet.
At the Round Table just last July, representatives from the German UMC, Upper Room Ministries, the General Board of Global Ministries, the MUMC and Belmont UMC gathered to name priorities that reflect the 2008 General Conference priorities: new faith communities (building 16 churches by November 2009 with Christmas Miracle Offering from Belmont UMC), improving health (HIV/AIDs), eliminating poverty, and leadership development (indigenous publications made possible through partnership with Upper Room Ministries). They are in the process of re-writing their Advance Special descriptions so that persons can make contributions through the General Board of Global Ministries.
The Bishop added that these are an enthusiastic, warm and generous people. While some may say that these are characteristics of Africans in general, he says he has not seen it to such a degree as in Malawi; they are a unique people. The church is young he said, but it is mature. He sees the most important thing as empowering the indigenous people. His concern is that the leadership development not only effect local churches and community but that it also move the MUMC from Missionary status to a full-fledge Annual Conference so that they might enjoy all the same rights and privileges as the rest of the annual conferences of the UMC. They should have a story to tell, and witness to show.
Knowing that we would be moving to Malawi for a year the Bishop’s advice to us was not to worry about how we might use our gifts or where to start. He said, "First, you must blend in. Come and worship with the people. Get to know one another and build relationships. From these relationships and friendships, your gifts will overflow and God will show you what to do." These wise and important words give Jeff and I great comfort and strength.
A special fund raising evening for the ministry of the Olivers in Malawi
The event will take place in Belmont United Methodist Church’s Community Center, May 9, 2009, 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The evening offers an opportunity for both financial and loving community support of Jeff and Kara Oliver as they work in training and empowering the pastors who serve the 16 new Malawi churches built through the generosity of Belmont UMC’s Christmas Miracle Offering. Festivities on May 9th include a spaghetti feast, silent and live auctions, words from the Olivers, and musical entertainment by Belmont’s own Brother Henry. DON'T MISS this chance to send the Olivers on their way ready and able to serve on behalf of Belmont United Methodist Church and the Tennessee Annual Conference.
VIM Mission Trip to Nepal
For many years the Hindu Kingdom of Nepal (located north of India and South of Tibet) was closed to all Westerners. In the 1950’s the first Westerners allowed into the country were Methodists, Dr. Bob and Bethel Fleming. The Flemings and a Presbyterian couple formed the United Mission to Nepal, an organization under which different denominations cooperated to do ministry in Nepal.
Pastor Devi Bhujel & Dr. Frank Billman.Within the past 10 years the United Methodist Church has been planted in Nepal. There are now 40 churches and about 4,000 United Methodists in Nepal. The largest of the churches has a membership of 400. Converted from Hinduism, Devi Bhujel is the pastor who started the UMC in Nepal and he is now the District Superintendent for Nepal. Nepal is regarded as a mission district under Bishop Rudy Juan of the Philippines, but financially it is fully supported by the Board of Global Ministries.
District Superintendent Bhujel invited Aldersgate Renewal Ministries [ARM] to send a team to Nepal to lead the Life in the Spirit Seminar and Lord Teach Us to Pray seminar. After much planning and preparation work, on March 8th a team of ten boarded a plane in Los Angeles for a UM Volunteers in Mission trip to Nepal. Members of the team were Frank & Peggi Billman, Rich & Sue Fetzer (from PA), Ted & Audrey Newton (from PA), Pam Lipka (from NC), Kim Bright (from MO), Parker Wayland (from TN) and Jim Ball (from VA).
Prayer for Healing at the Life in the Spirit Seminar in Kathmandu.Dr. Frank Billman, Director of Church Relations for ARM and pastor of Forest Grove UMC in Joelton, coordinated the Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Methodist Center in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. There were about 70 participants. Additional participants who intended to come were prevented from doing so by political unrest in other parts of the country. The presence of the Holy Spirit was quite evident throughout the seminar. After a presentation on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, prayer was offered over the people asking the Spirit to come down upon the participants as at Pentecost. Some of the people began to shake, others began to weep, still others cried out to God. It was very much like early Methodist meetings! When healing prayer was offered most of the group responded. A number of people then testified to being healed. There was a 3 hour worship service with much praise and prayer, testimonies, Frank preaching and Holy Communion.
Peggi Billman coordinated the Lord Teach Us to Pray at the Tanmunna UMC in Sunsari, Nepal. Due to political unrest the location of this seminar had to be changed from its original intended location in East Nepal to Tanmunna just 2 days prior to the seminar. Several people were killed in the original area.
Worship at the Lord Teach Us to Pray Seminar in the Tanmunna UMC, Sunsari, NepalTanmunna was the first UMC planted in Nepal by Devi Bhujel. It is located an 11 hour bus ride away from Kathmandu, about 15 minutes from the border with India. There are no paved roads within many miles of the church. The town is made up of homes with bamboo walls and thatched roofs. It was definitely not a tourist destination like Kathmandu! Our minibus filled with white folks was met with stares as we drove down those dusty dirt roads.
At Tanmunna about 120 participants gathered, even though the location was changed to there just two days before. This seminar went well, too. Participants experienced forms of prayer they never tried before. Pam Lipka made praise streamers for both locations that were received with great enthusiasm. At the worship service there were 8 visitors who had never been in a Christian worship service before, including the bus driver. During the service a young girl testified that she wanted to receive Jesus as her Savior. A man who had been paralyzed testified that the United Methodists came and prayed for him, he was healed, and he left Hinduism to follow Christ. A former Hindu priest and former idol carver both testified to coming to Christ. A woman whose daughter suffered from epilepsy said that the United Methodists prayed for her daughter and she was healed so the lady gave her life to Christ. Another woman whose son was mentally ill was prayed for by the United Methodists and healed so she gave her life to Christ as well. A former Buddhist woman gave her life to Christ and is now studying to become a United Methodist evangelist. A study revealed that about 34% of the people in Nepal have come to Christ because of a healing.
Peggi Billman brought the message during the worship service, and Holy Communion was served there as well. When prayer for healing was offered, the response was great.
District Superintendent Bhujel was very pleased with the seminars. He said that they far exceeded his expectations.
Frank has been invited by UM Bishop John Innis to bring those same seminars to the theological school in Liberia in May, 2010.
Easter's Over – Were You There?
By Lucy Neeley Adams*
Classes had been slightly boring this Friday at school, and I was ready for a long weekend. The books in my arms were heavy so I hurried home. As I plopped them into a chair, my Bible fell to the floor. I picked it up to place it on top of my stack of textbooks. Before I set it down, I lamented over the bad grade I had made in my Bible class yesterday. It was a sad surprise, but all of my studies were taking second place these days.
My life was exciting and school was only a necessity. I almost finished my four years of college before my wedding so I promised my parents, "Just a few more courses after I marry, and then I will graduate." But studying for those classes was not my priority. My new husband, Woody, and our deep love for one another, was uppermost in my thoughts and dreams.
He was preparing to be a minister and I was majoring in Christian Education. My knowledge of Scripture was essential. My attendance at Sunday school and church all my life, had not helped in my understanding of the Christian faith. I heard the words, but they never entered my heart. I even failed a Bible exam when I was a freshman in college.. In tears, I told my roommate who was an excellent student in all courses, "But Nancy, I don't even know the difference between Moses and Paul!"
Attending church on Sundays with my mother was routine until I listened to adults singing hymns. I did not understand why my heart was stirred when I heard the people sing about Jesus. No one ever talked to me about him , but when they sang, it was wonderful. One of my favorites was, "Were You There?" One day when I was not in church I heard it sung and that definitely got my attention.
That moment had a great impact on my young life, and I wrote about it in my book, 52 Hymn Story Devotions. "When I was a child our family had a housekeeper. Lurline Argo was a blessing to my life. Before I knew there was racial prejudice, I loved this woman whose skin was much darker than mine. She loved me too, and was one of the foundations of my childhood. One morning I heard her singing in the kitchen. The plaintive notes of "Were You There' drew me to her side. I could feel the love and reverence with which she sang even though I was too young to understand the depth of the message. "
I am blessed to have come to know the Person and the message of that great song. Several years after my marriage, and graduating from college, I asked Jesus into my heart. That dramatic moment when I was thirty-two years old was a turning point. The Bible took on life and breath in my total being. My study became a privilege and teaching His Word became a great joy.
The hymns we Christians sing are only extensions of God's powerful presence in the Body of Christ. My feelings run high when I sing the spirituals written by African -Americans. Generations ago they came to this country as slaves and their work was seldom easy. Throughout the ordeal of pleasing the slave owner, a temporary escape was to sing their faith in the Lord and an eternal Home much different than this earthly one.
Many books describe the development of the spirituals. Two of these were written by professors at Fisk University in Nashville, Tn. Their origins were published in New Jubilee Songs (1901) and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). John W. Work, Jr. and his brother Frederick J. Work were pioneers in the development of these great hymns of faith.
John Work says: "Many of them were passed down from generation to generation, and after much singing, the texts and melodies varied from place to place. But the gospel message was always proclaimed."
Yes, I can heartily sing "Were You There" and I , ‘tremble, tremble, tremble,' when I think of the events in the last week of Jesus' life on earth. But I quickly rejoice as I experience the power of his resurrection. God raised him from the dead and I eagerly quote the words that Jesus said to Martha who was in grief about her brother Lazarus, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, he shall live."(John 11:25)
God's Word helps me to remember that I was there. And I am still there as I walk through this life with the living Jesus in my heart! I proclaim that his promises are true, his love is authentic, his power is available and his peace is overwhelming.
Dear God, hear my prayer of thanksgiving for the glory of Easter and the joyous Sundays following. Hear my prayer of repentance that at times I rob myself of Your glory in my heart. Then I feed on your Word and deepen my relationship with my living Lord and I am restored.. I pray in the risen Jesus' name, Amen
*Lucy Neeley Adams, author of 52 Hymn Story Devotions
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry educates, nurtures, prepares leaders for the church and the world
Scholarship recipients spoke about how the United Methodist scholarships they received had helped with their academic journey. At a dinner during the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s spring meeting, several spoke of how grateful they were to the church and GBHEM. Shown, from left, back: Kimberly Russaw, Kyle Kawczynski, Kathryn Cooper, Simeon Udunka. Front row, from left: Jessica Gadsden, Caroline Sugg, Uziel Hernandez, Ashley Travis, Tamara Lewis, Trenton TeegardenFive students attending colleges within the Tennessee Annual Conference presented stories of their academic journeys at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Office of Loans and Scholarships, appreciation dinner. The event was held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel on March 19th. Each student presented his or her story, sharing their decisions for academic majors, and their gratitude for financial support as they were awarded scholarships from the GBOHE – but more than that, the hope kindled in their lives by the scholarship program.
Another group of scholarship recipients who enjoyed the event were introduced to those attending the banquet and were applauded for academic endeavors.
Scholarship recipients from Martin Methodist College, left to right, Uziel Hernandez, Kathryn Cooper, Trenton Teegarden, and Ashley TravisAmong the speakers were Tamara Lewis, who is not only working on a doctorate in Church History at Vanderbilt University, but will be ordained an elder in the Tennessee Conference this coming June. Kimberly Russaw is also doing graduate work at Vanderbilt, and Simeon Udunka is working on a medical degree in dentistry at Meharry Medical School. Two of the young people, Uziel Hernandez and Kathryn Cooper are students at Martin Methodist College.
Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series –Karen Collier
My unconventional call to ministry
My call is somewhat unconventional. I did not hear someone say my name or anything like that. Though I knew I would always be working in the church, I never thought about being a preacher, pastor or college professor. My goal was to teach high school students Black history.
Karen CollierFrom my childhood to college, I was always working and participating in church. In fact, if I had to walk to Sunday school I would, without reservation. When I was a junior at Fisk University, the chaplain, Dr. Hycel Taylor asked me what I had planned to do when I finished college. I replied that I was going to attend graduate school and get a master’s degree in Black History. He asked me why I did not consider going to seminary. My first thought was what I would do with all those men in that school. He replied, the better question was what they would do with me. I thought about it and went down to church to tell my pastor, Rev. W.C. Dobbins about the funny thing the chaplain had said to me, earlier. He did not laugh. Instead, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Major Jones and said that he had someone in his office to whom he should send an application. I was shocked. Nevertheless, I applied to seminary. My thinking was that I wanted to study religion, and so I could spend two years getting a Master of Religious Education and then return to do a Master’s in history.
I did visit another seminary, but I went to The Interdenominational Theological Center where I was introduced to Dr. Jacqueline Grant (She was a student then). I decided to go there and within a week I changed from an M.RE. to a M.Div. because I liked the curriculum better. While I was there I met several other professors who were quite challenging. My pastor checked on me and all went well. By the way, there were about 5 women on campus and 250 men. While I was in seminary the question of ordination came up. I had worked in an assistant role at my local church and so that was okay. The system was different then. We had to answer about 35 questions and then go into a room with all these men. When I sat down they all stood up. It was strange. One of the members, Rev. Maurice King, had spent much time trying to talk me out of being ordained. He turned out to be the one in the meeting who said that he had tried to talk me out of it, and I would not budge. Therefore, they should ordain me. That was unusual to me. In any case, I was ordained as the first African American woman in the new Tennessee Annual Conference in 1972, under Bishop H. Ellis Finger.
After seminary, I went to Duke University, where I received a Ph.D. in 1984. I was ordained an elder in TN during my years there (1978). My first trip for the church was to Hinton Rural Life Center in N.C., (1968). From there I went on a UMYF trip to New York. I was quite active in the local, jurisdictional and National Black Methodists for Church Renewal. I also volunteered for several projects with what was then the Board of Evangelism under the person who became Bishop C. Lin Henderson. From there I went on to be a member of the GBGM and traveled for the church. Just prior to that, I met Mrs. Rose M. Catchings and her husband, Rev. L. Maynard Catchings. They introduced me to the work of the church in the world. It was she who sent me on my first trip to Africa. My work in the church has expanded to work at the GBOD and Publishing House, to be a preacher, a pastor of two churches and now a professor at Fisk University. In addition I am a mentor with the UMC’s Women of Color Scholars and a coordinator for the UNCF/Mellon program.
*Karen Collier is Associate Professor, Fisk University in Nashville, and Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy.
Tennessee Conference Pioneering Women series—Rosemary Brown
Faithful to the Call
When I was twelve, my home church, First Methodist in Elizabethton, Tennessee, sent me to camp at Buffalo Mountain near Johnson City. Missionaries shared with us the feelings of joy and excitement they had experienced when they heard God call them through Jesus to “go into all the world . . teach . . preach . . baptize . . “ and by the closing worship service on a mountain top I heard my call to follow that invitation. I have tried for the past fifty-four years to be faithful to that call.
At the age of eighteen I became the Junior High leader at Vine Street UMC in Macon, Georgia, where I was a student at Wesleyan College. After graduation I returned to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where my family resided, and became the first youth director at Christ United Methodist Church.
Rosemary BrownComing to Nashville in 1960 to attend Scarritt College to earn an M.A. degree resulted in seventeen years as a DCE . . .thirteen of those years at Calvary United Methodist Church in Nashville.
During those wonderful years at Calvary I was part of the originating boards for the Appalachia Service Project (a work project for youth), Outlook Nashville (a program of involving youth and adults with persons who experience handicapping conditions), served as a deputy and helped create Youth Guidance with Major George Curry in an effort to prevent youth from becoming involved in crime.
I became involved with Church Women United while I was at Calvary and spent ten years in prison ministry with that group (I am still President of CWU for my eighth term).
I was elected to serve on the Board of Global Ministries while attending the SEJ
conference at Lake Junaluska, and spent eight years representing our jurisdiction—traveling to New York over thirty-two times. During those years I went to the U.S.S.R. on a peace keeping mission, to Trinidad to work with women in family planning, and to nursing homes around our country evaluating certification requirements. I had the joy of being chosen to teach a Bible study in Singapore for the World Federation of United Methodist Women where we had six hundred women gather.
I have been the preacher for twenty-four Annual Conferences; was featured on the Protestant Hour four different times; average four revivals a year and especially love tent revivals. In addition I have spoken to youth at Lake Junaluska, Warmth in Winter, and Resurrection; and do retreats yearly for United Methodist Women.
posted by TN Conference UMC @ 9:22 AM
Brentwood Hispanic Leadership team, Left to right, Rev. Mack Strange, John Frame, Anne Frame, Rev. Joaquin Garcia, Mark Hill, Raquel Hinojosa, Steve Singelton, Rev. Alejandro Hinojosa, Bilha Alegria, District Superintendent John Collette, and Hispanic Ministries coach Rev. Enrique Gonzalez.
