TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW March 19, 2010
Articles in the March 19, 2010 issue of THE REVIEW
1. Change Your World by Loving Your Neighbor
2. Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry: A Skillshop for Small Church Leaders,
3. J. Ellsworth Kalas to preach at Carthage United Methodist Church Revival, April 9, 10, and 11, 2010
4. 2010 Annual Conference Offering to aid Central Conference Pension
5. Stories show why the Central Conference Pension initiative is essential
6. Building for Betty, December 6, 2009, Nunnelly United Methodist Church
7. Loyd Mabry Named District Superintendent of the Clarksville District
8. 2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, a time of fun, but also a time for exploring difficult questions,
9. Rethink Church and Charting the Course to be held at Lake Junaluska, April 25-29
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Change Your World by Loving Your Neighbor
By the Rev. John Carpenter
I am proud of the leadership of Arlington United Methodist Church. We have not only walked through the vision process but we are making our God-given vision become reality. Here is our story.
In January of 2008 a group of leaders, our Joel Vision Community, selected at our previous charge conference, met together for the first time. Our first goal was to answer this question: What is the mission, or purpose, of every church? In order to answer this question we read Acts and made a list of what the New Testament Church did in the name of Jesus. Afterward we read “Part III: The Ministry of All Christians” from The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church: 2008. Again, we stated the mission of every church as: “to make disciples by following Jesus”.
In the summer of 2008 we began a longer process that was completed in March of 2009. This process was to prayerfully determine the more specific vision that God has for Arlington UMC. We did this using a source that was effective for us entitled Leading Congregational Change: a Guide for the Transformational Journey written by Jim Herrington, Mike Bonem and James H. Furr. It encouraged us to ask this question: What is God’s purpose for Arlington UMC? Like every good leadership resource it acknowledges the difficulty of change and gives insight into making change a healthy process. To establish our vision, we divided into four groups and each group took one of the following: take a congregational survey designed to perceive how we see ourselves; study the Percept demographics of our church; study the Percept demographics of our community; interview community leaders such as police, teachers, and business owners; and, interview people who had joined or left AUMC in the last five years. And then from Scripture, prayer, and our research put short and imaginable words to our God-given vision. This is our: “Changing your world by loving your neighbor”.
Now, we are in the continuing process of making our vision reality. Such is the visionpath whose overall objective is to set all our goals and actions based upon making our vision reality. Here are some of the observed effects I have had of AUMC already “changing your world by loving your neighbor”.
And a separate educational time for children and youth has been established by our children/youth director;
Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry: A Skillshop for Small Church Leaders
This seminar will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at Springfield First United Methodist Church, 511 S. Oak Street, Springfield, TN 37172. It is sponsored through a partnership between the Tennessee Conference Cooperative Ministry Team and the Clarksville and Nashville Districts.
Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry is a seminar designed for small churches (under 100 in worship) that are struggling with declining membership and the rising costs of ministry yet still want to be effective in reaching people today for Jesus Christ. Beyond restored hope, participants will also discover:
Julia Kuhn Wallace
Leadership for the event will be provided by one of American Methodism’s top consultants in the area of cooperative ministry. Julia Kuhn Wallace is co-author of Partnersteps: Developing Cooperative Ministries Today and is the former Director, Small Church and Shared Ministry, General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.
At the end of 2008 Julia made some suggestions in the Tennessee Conference Review related to the importance of Cooperative Ministry. She said: “Powerful ministry is accomplished when leaders take seriously God’s call and share mission through Cooperative Ministry. Churches of every size and in every place can be effective by getting out of the “me, myself and whine” mode to cooperate in making a real difference in people’s lives! When a church says: “here we are, God, use us” miracles happen. Ironically, when we seek to save our life - we lose it.”
“Cooperative Ministry is sharing God’s work with God’s people. It happens whenever a congregation works beyond itself with other congregations (UMCs or ecumenical), community organizations or groups. It claims an area to serve for Christ and works with anyone and everyone in that place who can help heal the hurts and realize the hopes in Jesus’ name.”
“To explore cooperative ministry, gather a group of friends and consider these questions:
• What is God’s will for our church and community? A congregation that truly discerns God’s way will always look beyond itself. It focuses on serving the community in which it is located and claims that area for Christ.
• Who are our partners in ministry and how well do we work together? Hopefully your congregation sees itself as active disciples in God’s hope for the world rather than settle for mere membership. Ministry isn’t only the work of the one who gets paid. No matter how brilliant your pastor is or how committed the laity are, ministry never happens in solitary confinement. God expects Christians to work together! It comes from our Baptism. Clergy and laity should be on the same team, and cooperative ministry calls us to work with others on a circuit, other denominations, with community leaders, and local organizations.
• What resources do we have, or could we have to accomplish God’s mission? Fear is not a resource – it’s a disgrace. No matter how tightly we hold onto our possessions, they’ll never be enough. Successful congregations do not hoard their assets – they give them away in ministry. Make a list of the resources God has given you for ministry: people, facility, talent, location, money, etc. Name one thing you can do with how you’ve been blessed that will bless others! Now, do it!”
Cost for the “Skillshop” is $15 per person, $35 per team of three persons. Registration deadline is May 7, 2010. For additional information and registration contact the District Secretary in your district:
Celena Spiva,, Clarksville District, P.O. Box 847, Clarksville, TN 37041-0847, phone 931-553-8401, email clkdistumc@aol.com.
Lynn Taylor, Nashville District, 304 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 5, Nashville, TN 37211, phone 615-327-3582, email nashdistum@tnumc.org
J. Ellsworth Kalas to preach at Carthage United Methodist Church Revival, April 9, 10, and 11, 2010
Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas
Carthage United Methodist Church, Carthage, Tennessee, has scheduled a time of revival for the week after Easter 2010. The Revival will begin on April 9th at 7:00 p.m., continue on Saturday, April 10th at 7:00 p.m. and conclude on Sunday morning, April 11th, at 10:30 p.m. Preacher for the Revival will be the Rev. Dr. J. Ellswoth Kalas.
Dr. Kalas is the Beeson Distinguished Preacher in Residence at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and has been a pastor in the United Methodist Church for nearly 40 years, in Watertown and Green Bay, Wisconsin—“Yes,” he asserts, “I had several Green Bay Packers in my congregation”—and Cleveland, Ohio. He also spent five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council before accepting the call to be mentor and professor of preaching at Asbury.
As a result of what he refers to as “a continuing love affair with the Bible,” Kalas has developed a curriculum series that will enable a person to read and study the whole Bible in 365 days, appropriately called The Great Sweep.
In response to queries, he writes, “I’ve written a variety of things (more than 15 books, including Parables from the Back Side and Ten Commandments from the Back Side) for which I feel some pride of authorship, but The Grand Sweep has a special place in my heart. Here’s why. When I was barely 11 years old and newly converted, a Presbyterian evangelist came to our little Methodist church in Sioux City, Iowa. He challenged me with the insistence that I couldn’t hope to be a preacher (I had felt my call) unless I had read the Bible through, and he gave me a method: three chapters each weekday and five each Sunday, and I would finish the Bible in a year. I believed him, and I did it—the King James Version, at that—as an 11-year-old. I also did it the next year, and the next, etc. Not every year since—but I did last year, and the Lord helping me, I will do it again next year.”
As a result, Kalas has had a lifelong passion for every believer to read the Bible through at least once—catching a glimpse of the “grand sweep,” from Genesis to Revelation. He has enhanced what has worked for him 30 to 40 times by adding a pattern of study that includes reading, writing, reflection, prayer, and more. It’s a 365-day trip through the entire Bible, and it can be made from your living room, a classroom, or a pulpit. It doesn’t matter whether you make the journey alone, with your family, or with friends. What matters is that you make the journey, and continue to have your own “love affair with the Bible.”
Kalas’ books include Jeremiah: Looking for a New Day, Christmas from the Backside, Seven Words to the Cross, The Thirteen Apostles, Through Suffering to Hope: Job, New Testament Stories from the Backside, Old Testament Stories from the Backside, The Grand Sweep, If Experience is Such a Good Teacher, Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?, and Preaching from the Soul: Insistent Observation on the Sacred Art.
Kalas is married to Janet Stith, and his adult children have followed the two tracks of his own career—teaching and preaching. His daughter is an associate professor of French Language and Literature at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and his son is a United Methodist pastor in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Carthage United Methodist Church is located at 608 Main Street, Carthage, TN 37030. To get to Carthage UMC - - from I-40 take the Carthage/Gordonsville exit, go north on Hwy 53 to second red light and then turn left on Main St. Church one mile on the left. Members of other churches are invited to participate in this time of spiritual renewal with one of America’s top evangelists.
2010 Annual Conference Offering to aid Central Conference Pension Initiative
“Any amount given to the Central Conference Pension Initiative will help those pastors who have served faithfully for many years in our Central Conferences to have a small amount of funds during retirement. Without this help these faithful pastors will have nothing in retirement and will have to seek other work. Thank you for your response to this important ministry.” Bishop Dick Wills.
The Central Conference Pension Initiative (CCPI) is a long-term solution that provides retirement financial security for dedicated clergy and surviving spouses living in Africa, the Philippines and Eurasia, who would otherwise have little or nothing.
United Methodist congregations in the Tennessee Conference are asked to support this effort for relief and financial security for pastors and their families by participating in Pennies of Praise Parade—a 30-day, game-based exploration of the global impact of The United Methodist Church and its dedicated servants worldwide. Throughout the experience, participants will discover the purpose of connectionalism, locate the seven central conferences and explore their efforts to bring people to Christ, participate in relevant Scripture exploration, pray for people worldwide, identify similarities between the lives of people in Tennessee and members of the central conferences, praise God for his faithfulness, and give graciously as a result of their participation. Your whole church can participate in this offering and the activities leading up to it – children, youth, adults, Sunday School Classes, weekday study group . Here’s how to get started:
Download the Pennies of Praise Parade game board, Parade Stop directions, map, global bank instructions, and banner instructions at http://www.tnumc.org/
Introduce your congregation to the dramatic stories of some of the Central Conference retirees, and surviving spouses of ministers. These stories (along with photos) can be found at http://www.ccpi-umc.org/stories/index.asp. Some of the stories are also told through video clips (A sample of three of the stories is included in this edition of the REVIEW, see next article)
A Central Conference Pension Initiative Lenten Toolkit for Pastors was released earlier in 2010. To access these resources, visit the CCPI Web site at www.ccpi-umc.org and click on “Volunteer Resources” in the toolbar at the top of the page (included are sermon starters, prayers, bulletin inserts, sample brochure).
Play the Pennies of Praise Parade game and collect your offering for the Central Conference Pension Initiative.
Make “We Are the Church” Banners that highlight the diversity of our congregations. Bring your offering and banners to the multi-cultural opening session of Annual Conference on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at 4:00 p.m.
Participate in the Offertory Procession during Annual Conference and sing “We Are The World.” You can download the song from i-Tunes or request a copy from the Conference Office.
Pray each day for the pastors and members of Methodist Churches worldwide that they would continue to reach people for Jesus. Pray as a group, or individually.
Stories show why the Central Conference Pension initiative is essential
These stories and many other together with photos and some video clips are available on-line at http://www.ccpi-umc.org/stories/index.asp.
Albertine Djedjro, Surviving Spouse, Cote d'Ivoire
Albertine Djedjro has many children to support on a small pension she receives as a result of the death of her husband, a United Methodist pastor. “Some of our kids are very young,” says Djedjro. “There is not enough for them.”
Medical care for Djedjro and her family is out of the question. “Before 1985, we could go to the United Methodist hospital in Dabou,” she says. “But the hospital can no longer afford to support us for free, so now they charge us a small fee. We cannot afford it.”
Despite few resources, Djedjro and her husband valued education and their connection to the Church. She continues to instill those values in her children now that her husband is gone.
“All of our kids are educated,” she says. “Three of my kids sing in the choir, one is a lay preacher and one is a teacher."
Rev. Ishaku Vobeyere, Retiree, Nigeria
After serving as the pastor of 30 different congregations over his 44-year career, the Reverend Ishaku Vobeyere struggles to clothe himself, put food on the table and pay medical bills. “In our home, we use a 50-kilo bag of rice each month,” says Rev. Vobeyere. One bag of rice costs almost half of the pension he receives for the entire year. Rev. Vobeyere also suffers from chronic medical conditions, but a single doctor’s visit costs more than a third of his annual pension amount.
“In the past, pastors—active and retired—were able to get free medical attention at Zing Rural Health Center, a United Methodist hospital,” says Rev. Vobeyere. That free care is no longer available, however. While active pastors often ask their congregations to pay for their medical care, retirees, such as Rev. Vobeyere, often must go without care.
Rev. Vobeyere is grateful for the help he receives from the local conference. However, he acknowledges that it is never enough to make ends meet. “I wish that some kind of pension could be regular,” he says. “We do get a little each year, but we never know when it will come or how much it will be. Neither my district nor my children can help me.”
Willie Marare, Retiree, Zimbabwe
HARARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS)-The Rev. Willie Babopotongerenyi Marare has suffered imprisonment, attacks on his home and the deaths of his two sons.
The setback that finally made him stop preaching was the loss of his eyesight in 2001.
After a lifetime of dedication to The United Methodist Church, he relies on the support of his five daughters and "Christians" because there is no pension money for him or his wife.
When he could see, he had a small garden that helped supplement his diet, but now that he is blind, he has to buy all his food. With Zimbabwe's soaring inflation rate, food has become more costly.
During most of Marare's time as a pastor, Zimbabwe was struggling for independence from Britain, and he says he was arrested several times. His house was attacked during the election in 2002 because one of his sons worked for the opposition party.
His car was smashed, and all but one of the windows in his house were broken in a 4 a.m. attack one Sunday morning. He says he knows some of the men involved in the attack because they are church members, but he doesn't hold a grudge. "I just want them to repent," he says.
He retired in 1994 at age 65 but continued to preach in several appointments for another seven years.
Building for Betty, December 6, 2009, Nunnelly United Methodist Church
On July 22, 2009, Betty Dudley of Goodrich walked out to her garden to pick tomatoes and took a bad fall, severely breaking her ankle. After surgery and some major complications, Betty stayed with her daughter’s family, Angie and Toby Cotham and daughter, Maricia. As Betty slowly healed, she wished to return to her own home but could not negotiate the steps with wheelchair or walker. Often, she and her husband, Ray, would drive to their house and just sit in the yard for a while before returning to Angie’s home. It was time to do something about this situation.
Sunday, December 6, 2009, was a cloudy, windy, 20 degree winter day. At 8 am, 32 men, women and children of the Nunnelly United Methodist Church gathered in Goodrich to build a 30 foot wheelchair ramp for Betty. A bonfire and homemade snacks kept everybody warm and motivated. By 11 am half of the work was done, and a short worship service was conducted, accompanied by the sounds of hammers, saws and laughter. By 4 pm Betty and her wheelchair were pushed up the nearly-completed ramp into the home she had not entered in almost 5 months. She couldn’t wait to bake a pan of cornbread in her own kitchen! Betty’s huge smile and sincere gratitude made this a wonderful labor of love for everyone involved.
Betty Dudley is wheeled into her house
Betty, age 71, has been a member of the Nunnelly United Methodist Church for many years. Her ankle has healed, and she is again able to sing in the choir and participate in church activities. Betty is also a 24 year cancer survivor who, in 1987, received Baptist Hospital’s first experimental bone marrow transplant for lymphoma which saved her life.
Betty says that faith and prayers keep her going. Her positive outlook is a great inspiration to her church, family and friends.
Loyd Mabry Named District Superintendent of the Clarksville District
Bishop Richard Wills has announced the appointment of the Rev. Loyd E. Mabry as District Superintendent of the Clarksville District. Mabry has served since 2007 as the Director of the Tennessee Annual Conference Council on Connectional Ministries. He has served congregations within the Tennessee Annual Conference since 1976 and was District Superintendent of the Columbia District before being called by Bishop Wills to a newly created position in Congregational Development and then to the position with the Conference Council on Ministries.
the Rev. Loyd Mabry
Mabry is a strong supporter of local church ministries, and prefers to view the United Methodist Church as an organism rather than an institution. He recently wrote: “Often, we speak of the church in institutional terms. Words like preserve and maintain replace words like growth and movement. Words like budget and the bottom line replace vision and ministry. The church is not a building nor an institution. The church is a community of all true believers under the Lordship of Christ. Growth, movement, change, etc., are not frightening words for an organism but they are for an institution.” These words back up his personal commitment when he originally accepted the Congregational Development job. “This job is not about buildings and property,” he stated, ‘I definitely affirm that we must invest in people not properties. Once a faith community is developed, property can be secured. Without passionate spiritual leaders faith communities can not sustain themselves.
Mabry has had special training in both leadership techniques and church revitalization through the General Board of Discipleship, the Beeson Institute, and the School of Congregational Development (Tipp City, Ohio, 2004; Dallas, Texas, 2005; San Diego, 2006). He has also completed conflict resolution training through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. He makes no secret of things he feels need the most emphasis in ministry: “Increasing the effectiveness of local congregations and enabling the revitalization of congregations is a passion of mine.” When he served as Columbia District Superintendent he began using Natural Church Development as a vehicle to promote healthy churches. Loyd feels that promoting church health is an excellent way to revitalize congregations.
Loyd Mabry received a B.S. degree from Lambuth College in Jackson. Tennessee, and his M. Div. from the Candler School of Theology. He is married to Deborah Louise Pearce Mabry and the couple have two children, Matthan and Rachel.
2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, a time of fun, but also a time for exploring difficult questions
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Michelle Johnson (r) from Springfield First coordinated Confirmation Day. She stands with fellow worker Sarah Hailey
.
Springfield First United Methodist Church hosted the 2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, March 6, 2010. Built on the theme 24/7 Service to God & Others, and focusing on the scripture passage “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5), the event attracted about 200 young people who are part of the confirmation journey in the United Methodist Church. The group of participants represented 23 local churches from throughout the Conference.
The registration table kept busy.
Everyone, young person or adult leader, was challenged by a question Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” – an incredibly important question that people seem to miss in the 21st century. Confirmation Day with the Bishop explored personal answers to that powerful question in thought-provoking, hands-on ways. During the morning everyone took a journey through Jesus’ life and explored his personal attitudes toward life and toward others.
The band from McKendree UMC in Nashville was a definite hit.
After an opening time together with worship, strong sharing by Bishop Wills, personal response to questions asked by the leadership team, and stirring music by a band from Nashville’s McKendree UMC, the groups moved to Exploration Stations where leaders guided focused discussion on specific attitudes displayed by Jesus throughout his life: Humility, Focused on Scripture, Compassion, and Love. The question throughout the Exploration of Jesus’ attitudes was basically, “How can we have the same attitudes that Christ Jesus had?” or stated another way, “How can we be the heart of Jesus in the world in which we live?”
Bishop Wills shared personal stories about persons that represented the heart of Jesus in his own life.
The day closed with more great music, an inspirational message from Bishop Wills, and a service of Holy Communion with opportunity for personal prayer at the altar.
Patty Smith, conference Director of Children and Family Ministries, engaged the group with interactive teaching.
Confirmands brought food supplies as an offering for the
Springfield First UMC’s Backpack Attack Program that provides weekend food bags to Robertson Country Elementary, Middle, and High School students.
Multi-talented Brad Fiscus wearing his acolyte hat.
Confirmands were led in a meaningful discussion of the attitudes Jesus displayed toward others throughout his life
A communion and dedication service concluded an exciting day.
Rethink Church and Charting the Course to be held at Lake Junaluska, April 25-29
by Andie Robbins*
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – Do you long for your church to “rethink” its mission? Do you want change and growth to be evident in your part of God’s Kingdom? This April, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center will host the Rethink Church workshop which poses the question, “What if Church was a verb?” Rethink Church will be held in combination with Charting the Course, another workshop designed to give attendees specific tools and ideas to reshape the way their church invites, welcomes, and reaches out. Rethink Church and Charting the Course will be held from April 25-29, and those interested have the option of attending either workshop or both.
“I hope participants will take away practical information and practices to put into use in their local churches to make them more welcoming and to learn how to become more inviting,” said Rethink Church leader Reverend Mark Barden, Western North Carolina Conference Director of Communications. Workshop training will cover the areas of welcoming, connecting, and identifying. Barden sees the workshop as “a catalyst that moves the denomination…into dialogue – and ultimately, into transformative, collaborative action.” In addition to answering the question “What if Church was a verb?”, the workshop will “[prod] us to consider church as more about what we do than simply a place to go on Sunday mornings. Grounded in Wesleyan theology, Rethink Church encourages us to move beyond the walls of the church and engage those outside the walls in the action of Christ in the world.” Similarly, Charting the Course will offer practical ways these ideals can be put into play in the Church.
Rethink Church and Charting the Course will feature several leaders, each of whom have experience in discipleship and facilitating personal and church growth. Leading Rethink Church in addition to Reverend Mark Barden of Western North Carolina staff will be Reverend Ms. Dawn Hand, Associate Pastor of Matthews United Methodist Church; and Reverend Mr. Gregg Plott, Pastor of Warrensville Charge and Chair of WNCC Commission on Communications. Leading Charting the Course will be the Reverend Ms. Donna Gaither, who has served as Christian educator and currently serves on the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. Gaither also helped develop the Charting the Course materials with the Little Rivers Conference in Illinois.
Registration fees vary from $70-$85 for early registration, depending on workshop or workshops being attended. After April 1, late registration fees apply and prices vary from $85-$100. More information about the retreats, leaders, and registration can be found at www.lakejunaluska.com/charting, where a printable brochure and lodging information can also be found, or by contacting Pam Naplen at 828-454-6656.
*Andie Robbins, is Communications Intern, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center
1. Change Your World by Loving Your Neighbor
2. Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry: A Skillshop for Small Church Leaders,
3. J. Ellsworth Kalas to preach at Carthage United Methodist Church Revival, April 9, 10, and 11, 2010
4. 2010 Annual Conference Offering to aid Central Conference Pension
5. Stories show why the Central Conference Pension initiative is essential
6. Building for Betty, December 6, 2009, Nunnelly United Methodist Church
7. Loyd Mabry Named District Superintendent of the Clarksville District
8. 2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, a time of fun, but also a time for exploring difficult questions,
9. Rethink Church and Charting the Course to be held at Lake Junaluska, April 25-29
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Change Your World by Loving Your Neighbor
By the Rev. John Carpenter
In January of 2008 a group of leaders, our Joel Vision Community, selected at our previous charge conference, met together for the first time. Our first goal was to answer this question: What is the mission, or purpose, of every church? In order to answer this question we read Acts and made a list of what the New Testament Church did in the name of Jesus. Afterward we read “Part III: The Ministry of All Christians” from The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church: 2008. Again, we stated the mission of every church as: “to make disciples by following Jesus”.
In the summer of 2008 we began a longer process that was completed in March of 2009. This process was to prayerfully determine the more specific vision that God has for Arlington UMC. We did this using a source that was effective for us entitled Leading Congregational Change: a Guide for the Transformational Journey written by Jim Herrington, Mike Bonem and James H. Furr. It encouraged us to ask this question: What is God’s purpose for Arlington UMC? Like every good leadership resource it acknowledges the difficulty of change and gives insight into making change a healthy process. To establish our vision, we divided into four groups and each group took one of the following: take a congregational survey designed to perceive how we see ourselves; study the Percept demographics of our church; study the Percept demographics of our community; interview community leaders such as police, teachers, and business owners; and, interview people who had joined or left AUMC in the last five years. And then from Scripture, prayer, and our research put short and imaginable words to our God-given vision. This is our: “Changing your world by loving your neighbor”.
Now, we are in the continuing process of making our vision reality. Such is the visionpath whose overall objective is to set all our goals and actions based upon making our vision reality. Here are some of the observed effects I have had of AUMC already “changing your world by loving your neighbor”.
- In 2009 an average of 32 persons per week were fed through our food closet which is a lay-led effort of local churches and businesses (from a church with an average worship attendance of just over 100!);
- And, as necessary, people are eating free at both our Wednesday night supper and Sunday morning breakfast;
And a separate educational time for children and youth has been established by our children/youth director;
- The Sunday Morning Breakfast (8:30 AM), presently known as “The Gathering”, begins with a free meal, and after about 25 minutes, is led into singing, prayers, readings and testimony. This is becoming another means of God's grace reaching the community through the gifts of members and non-members.
- In 2009, by the grace of God, a child has entered as a baptized member, and twelve persons have united with AUMC. Of the twelve, eight have come as ‘professing members’ making decisions to unite with a local church, the body of Christ, for the first time. In January of 2010 three joined and two were ‘professing members’. The meals that focus on body and soul have become an additional way to reach people for Jesus Christ.
- Organizations outside AUMC continue to receive our financial and/or volunteer support such as 61st Ave UMC; Habitat for Humanity; Room in the Inn; and Community Care Fellowship; and,
- We are coordinating the work of our Child Development Center with the work of bringing people to Jesus Christ.
Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry: A Skillshop for Small Church Leaders
This seminar will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at Springfield First United Methodist Church, 511 S. Oak Street, Springfield, TN 37172. It is sponsored through a partnership between the Tennessee Conference Cooperative Ministry Team and the Clarksville and Nashville Districts.
Partnersteps for Sharing Ministry is a seminar designed for small churches (under 100 in worship) that are struggling with declining membership and the rising costs of ministry yet still want to be effective in reaching people today for Jesus Christ. Beyond restored hope, participants will also discover:
- Why your congregation’s future may depend on sharing ministry
- Types of cooperative ministry and how to select the appropriate form
- Benefits of shared ministry
- 6 Partner ‘steps’ to successfully develop ministry together
- Leadership tasks (clergy and lay)
Leadership for the event will be provided by one of American Methodism’s top consultants in the area of cooperative ministry. Julia Kuhn Wallace is co-author of Partnersteps: Developing Cooperative Ministries Today and is the former Director, Small Church and Shared Ministry, General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.
At the end of 2008 Julia made some suggestions in the Tennessee Conference Review related to the importance of Cooperative Ministry. She said: “Powerful ministry is accomplished when leaders take seriously God’s call and share mission through Cooperative Ministry. Churches of every size and in every place can be effective by getting out of the “me, myself and whine” mode to cooperate in making a real difference in people’s lives! When a church says: “here we are, God, use us” miracles happen. Ironically, when we seek to save our life - we lose it.”
“Cooperative Ministry is sharing God’s work with God’s people. It happens whenever a congregation works beyond itself with other congregations (UMCs or ecumenical), community organizations or groups. It claims an area to serve for Christ and works with anyone and everyone in that place who can help heal the hurts and realize the hopes in Jesus’ name.”
“To explore cooperative ministry, gather a group of friends and consider these questions:
• What is God’s will for our church and community? A congregation that truly discerns God’s way will always look beyond itself. It focuses on serving the community in which it is located and claims that area for Christ.
• Who are our partners in ministry and how well do we work together? Hopefully your congregation sees itself as active disciples in God’s hope for the world rather than settle for mere membership. Ministry isn’t only the work of the one who gets paid. No matter how brilliant your pastor is or how committed the laity are, ministry never happens in solitary confinement. God expects Christians to work together! It comes from our Baptism. Clergy and laity should be on the same team, and cooperative ministry calls us to work with others on a circuit, other denominations, with community leaders, and local organizations.
• What resources do we have, or could we have to accomplish God’s mission? Fear is not a resource – it’s a disgrace. No matter how tightly we hold onto our possessions, they’ll never be enough. Successful congregations do not hoard their assets – they give them away in ministry. Make a list of the resources God has given you for ministry: people, facility, talent, location, money, etc. Name one thing you can do with how you’ve been blessed that will bless others! Now, do it!”
Cost for the “Skillshop” is $15 per person, $35 per team of three persons. Registration deadline is May 7, 2010. For additional information and registration contact the District Secretary in your district:
Celena Spiva,, Clarksville District, P.O. Box 847, Clarksville, TN 37041-0847, phone 931-553-8401, email clkdistumc@aol.com.
Lynn Taylor, Nashville District, 304 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 5, Nashville, TN 37211, phone 615-327-3582, email nashdistum@tnumc.org
J. Ellsworth Kalas to preach at Carthage United Methodist Church Revival, April 9, 10, and 11, 2010
Carthage United Methodist Church, Carthage, Tennessee, has scheduled a time of revival for the week after Easter 2010. The Revival will begin on April 9th at 7:00 p.m., continue on Saturday, April 10th at 7:00 p.m. and conclude on Sunday morning, April 11th, at 10:30 p.m. Preacher for the Revival will be the Rev. Dr. J. Ellswoth Kalas.
Dr. Kalas is the Beeson Distinguished Preacher in Residence at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and has been a pastor in the United Methodist Church for nearly 40 years, in Watertown and Green Bay, Wisconsin—“Yes,” he asserts, “I had several Green Bay Packers in my congregation”—and Cleveland, Ohio. He also spent five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council before accepting the call to be mentor and professor of preaching at Asbury.
As a result of what he refers to as “a continuing love affair with the Bible,” Kalas has developed a curriculum series that will enable a person to read and study the whole Bible in 365 days, appropriately called The Great Sweep.
In response to queries, he writes, “I’ve written a variety of things (more than 15 books, including Parables from the Back Side and Ten Commandments from the Back Side) for which I feel some pride of authorship, but The Grand Sweep has a special place in my heart. Here’s why. When I was barely 11 years old and newly converted, a Presbyterian evangelist came to our little Methodist church in Sioux City, Iowa. He challenged me with the insistence that I couldn’t hope to be a preacher (I had felt my call) unless I had read the Bible through, and he gave me a method: three chapters each weekday and five each Sunday, and I would finish the Bible in a year. I believed him, and I did it—the King James Version, at that—as an 11-year-old. I also did it the next year, and the next, etc. Not every year since—but I did last year, and the Lord helping me, I will do it again next year.”
As a result, Kalas has had a lifelong passion for every believer to read the Bible through at least once—catching a glimpse of the “grand sweep,” from Genesis to Revelation. He has enhanced what has worked for him 30 to 40 times by adding a pattern of study that includes reading, writing, reflection, prayer, and more. It’s a 365-day trip through the entire Bible, and it can be made from your living room, a classroom, or a pulpit. It doesn’t matter whether you make the journey alone, with your family, or with friends. What matters is that you make the journey, and continue to have your own “love affair with the Bible.”
Kalas’ books include Jeremiah: Looking for a New Day, Christmas from the Backside, Seven Words to the Cross, The Thirteen Apostles, Through Suffering to Hope: Job, New Testament Stories from the Backside, Old Testament Stories from the Backside, The Grand Sweep, If Experience is Such a Good Teacher, Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?, and Preaching from the Soul: Insistent Observation on the Sacred Art.
Kalas is married to Janet Stith, and his adult children have followed the two tracks of his own career—teaching and preaching. His daughter is an associate professor of French Language and Literature at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and his son is a United Methodist pastor in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Carthage United Methodist Church is located at 608 Main Street, Carthage, TN 37030. To get to Carthage UMC - - from I-40 take the Carthage/Gordonsville exit, go north on Hwy 53 to second red light and then turn left on Main St. Church one mile on the left. Members of other churches are invited to participate in this time of spiritual renewal with one of America’s top evangelists.
2010 Annual Conference Offering to aid Central Conference Pension Initiative
“Any amount given to the Central Conference Pension Initiative will help those pastors who have served faithfully for many years in our Central Conferences to have a small amount of funds during retirement. Without this help these faithful pastors will have nothing in retirement and will have to seek other work. Thank you for your response to this important ministry.” Bishop Dick Wills.
United Methodist congregations in the Tennessee Conference are asked to support this effort for relief and financial security for pastors and their families by participating in Pennies of Praise Parade—a 30-day, game-based exploration of the global impact of The United Methodist Church and its dedicated servants worldwide. Throughout the experience, participants will discover the purpose of connectionalism, locate the seven central conferences and explore their efforts to bring people to Christ, participate in relevant Scripture exploration, pray for people worldwide, identify similarities between the lives of people in Tennessee and members of the central conferences, praise God for his faithfulness, and give graciously as a result of their participation. Your whole church can participate in this offering and the activities leading up to it – children, youth, adults, Sunday School Classes, weekday study group . Here’s how to get started:
Download the Pennies of Praise Parade game board, Parade Stop directions, map, global bank instructions, and banner instructions at http://www.tnumc.org/
Introduce your congregation to the dramatic stories of some of the Central Conference retirees, and surviving spouses of ministers. These stories (along with photos) can be found at http://www.ccpi-umc.org/stories/index.asp. Some of the stories are also told through video clips (A sample of three of the stories is included in this edition of the REVIEW, see next article)
A Central Conference Pension Initiative Lenten Toolkit for Pastors was released earlier in 2010. To access these resources, visit the CCPI Web site at www.ccpi-umc.org and click on “Volunteer Resources” in the toolbar at the top of the page (included are sermon starters, prayers, bulletin inserts, sample brochure).
Play the Pennies of Praise Parade game and collect your offering for the Central Conference Pension Initiative.
Make “We Are the Church” Banners that highlight the diversity of our congregations. Bring your offering and banners to the multi-cultural opening session of Annual Conference on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at 4:00 p.m.
Participate in the Offertory Procession during Annual Conference and sing “We Are The World.” You can download the song from i-Tunes or request a copy from the Conference Office.
Pray each day for the pastors and members of Methodist Churches worldwide that they would continue to reach people for Jesus. Pray as a group, or individually.
Stories show why the Central Conference Pension initiative is essential
These stories and many other together with photos and some video clips are available on-line at http://www.ccpi-umc.org/stories/index.asp.
Albertine Djedjro, Surviving Spouse, Cote d'Ivoire
Medical care for Djedjro and her family is out of the question. “Before 1985, we could go to the United Methodist hospital in Dabou,” she says. “But the hospital can no longer afford to support us for free, so now they charge us a small fee. We cannot afford it.”
Despite few resources, Djedjro and her husband valued education and their connection to the Church. She continues to instill those values in her children now that her husband is gone.
“All of our kids are educated,” she says. “Three of my kids sing in the choir, one is a lay preacher and one is a teacher."
Rev. Ishaku Vobeyere, Retiree, Nigeria
“In the past, pastors—active and retired—were able to get free medical attention at Zing Rural Health Center, a United Methodist hospital,” says Rev. Vobeyere. That free care is no longer available, however. While active pastors often ask their congregations to pay for their medical care, retirees, such as Rev. Vobeyere, often must go without care.
Rev. Vobeyere is grateful for the help he receives from the local conference. However, he acknowledges that it is never enough to make ends meet. “I wish that some kind of pension could be regular,” he says. “We do get a little each year, but we never know when it will come or how much it will be. Neither my district nor my children can help me.”
Willie Marare, Retiree, Zimbabwe
The setback that finally made him stop preaching was the loss of his eyesight in 2001.
After a lifetime of dedication to The United Methodist Church, he relies on the support of his five daughters and "Christians" because there is no pension money for him or his wife.
When he could see, he had a small garden that helped supplement his diet, but now that he is blind, he has to buy all his food. With Zimbabwe's soaring inflation rate, food has become more costly.
During most of Marare's time as a pastor, Zimbabwe was struggling for independence from Britain, and he says he was arrested several times. His house was attacked during the election in 2002 because one of his sons worked for the opposition party.
His car was smashed, and all but one of the windows in his house were broken in a 4 a.m. attack one Sunday morning. He says he knows some of the men involved in the attack because they are church members, but he doesn't hold a grudge. "I just want them to repent," he says.
He retired in 1994 at age 65 but continued to preach in several appointments for another seven years.
Building for Betty, December 6, 2009, Nunnelly United Methodist Church
On July 22, 2009, Betty Dudley of Goodrich walked out to her garden to pick tomatoes and took a bad fall, severely breaking her ankle. After surgery and some major complications, Betty stayed with her daughter’s family, Angie and Toby Cotham and daughter, Maricia. As Betty slowly healed, she wished to return to her own home but could not negotiate the steps with wheelchair or walker. Often, she and her husband, Ray, would drive to their house and just sit in the yard for a while before returning to Angie’s home. It was time to do something about this situation.
Workers construct a 30 foot wheelchair ramp for Betty
Sunday, December 6, 2009, was a cloudy, windy, 20 degree winter day. At 8 am, 32 men, women and children of the Nunnelly United Methodist Church gathered in Goodrich to build a 30 foot wheelchair ramp for Betty. A bonfire and homemade snacks kept everybody warm and motivated. By 11 am half of the work was done, and a short worship service was conducted, accompanied by the sounds of hammers, saws and laughter. By 4 pm Betty and her wheelchair were pushed up the nearly-completed ramp into the home she had not entered in almost 5 months. She couldn’t wait to bake a pan of cornbread in her own kitchen! Betty’s huge smile and sincere gratitude made this a wonderful labor of love for everyone involved.
Betty, age 71, has been a member of the Nunnelly United Methodist Church for many years. Her ankle has healed, and she is again able to sing in the choir and participate in church activities. Betty is also a 24 year cancer survivor who, in 1987, received Baptist Hospital’s first experimental bone marrow transplant for lymphoma which saved her life.
Betty says that faith and prayers keep her going. Her positive outlook is a great inspiration to her church, family and friends.
Loyd Mabry Named District Superintendent of the Clarksville District
Bishop Richard Wills has announced the appointment of the Rev. Loyd E. Mabry as District Superintendent of the Clarksville District. Mabry has served since 2007 as the Director of the Tennessee Annual Conference Council on Connectional Ministries. He has served congregations within the Tennessee Annual Conference since 1976 and was District Superintendent of the Columbia District before being called by Bishop Wills to a newly created position in Congregational Development and then to the position with the Conference Council on Ministries.
Mabry is a strong supporter of local church ministries, and prefers to view the United Methodist Church as an organism rather than an institution. He recently wrote: “Often, we speak of the church in institutional terms. Words like preserve and maintain replace words like growth and movement. Words like budget and the bottom line replace vision and ministry. The church is not a building nor an institution. The church is a community of all true believers under the Lordship of Christ. Growth, movement, change, etc., are not frightening words for an organism but they are for an institution.” These words back up his personal commitment when he originally accepted the Congregational Development job. “This job is not about buildings and property,” he stated, ‘I definitely affirm that we must invest in people not properties. Once a faith community is developed, property can be secured. Without passionate spiritual leaders faith communities can not sustain themselves.
Mabry has had special training in both leadership techniques and church revitalization through the General Board of Discipleship, the Beeson Institute, and the School of Congregational Development (Tipp City, Ohio, 2004; Dallas, Texas, 2005; San Diego, 2006). He has also completed conflict resolution training through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. He makes no secret of things he feels need the most emphasis in ministry: “Increasing the effectiveness of local congregations and enabling the revitalization of congregations is a passion of mine.” When he served as Columbia District Superintendent he began using Natural Church Development as a vehicle to promote healthy churches. Loyd feels that promoting church health is an excellent way to revitalize congregations.
Loyd Mabry received a B.S. degree from Lambuth College in Jackson. Tennessee, and his M. Div. from the Candler School of Theology. He is married to Deborah Louise Pearce Mabry and the couple have two children, Matthan and Rachel.
2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, a time of fun, but also a time for exploring difficult questions
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Springfield First United Methodist Church hosted the 2010 Confirmation Day with the Bishop, March 6, 2010. Built on the theme 24/7 Service to God & Others, and focusing on the scripture passage “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5), the event attracted about 200 young people who are part of the confirmation journey in the United Methodist Church. The group of participants represented 23 local churches from throughout the Conference.
Everyone, young person or adult leader, was challenged by a question Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” – an incredibly important question that people seem to miss in the 21st century. Confirmation Day with the Bishop explored personal answers to that powerful question in thought-provoking, hands-on ways. During the morning everyone took a journey through Jesus’ life and explored his personal attitudes toward life and toward others.
After an opening time together with worship, strong sharing by Bishop Wills, personal response to questions asked by the leadership team, and stirring music by a band from Nashville’s McKendree UMC, the groups moved to Exploration Stations where leaders guided focused discussion on specific attitudes displayed by Jesus throughout his life: Humility, Focused on Scripture, Compassion, and Love. The question throughout the Exploration of Jesus’ attitudes was basically, “How can we have the same attitudes that Christ Jesus had?” or stated another way, “How can we be the heart of Jesus in the world in which we live?”
Bishop Wills shared personal stories about persons that represented the heart of Jesus in his own life.
The day closed with more great music, an inspirational message from Bishop Wills, and a service of Holy Communion with opportunity for personal prayer at the altar.
Patty Smith, conference Director of Children and Family Ministries, engaged the group with interactive teaching.
Participants voted thumbs up or down if they felt a photo on the screen represented the Christ they knew.
Kids did hand motions to the captivating music.
Confirmands brought food supplies as an offering for the
Springfield First UMC’s Backpack Attack Program that provides weekend food bags to Robertson Country Elementary, Middle, and High School students.
Multi-talented Brad Fiscus wearing his acolyte hat.
The exploration sessions were all held in rooms with stunning religious murals
A communion and dedication service concluded an exciting day.
Rethink Church and Charting the Course to be held at Lake Junaluska, April 25-29
by Andie Robbins*
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – Do you long for your church to “rethink” its mission? Do you want change and growth to be evident in your part of God’s Kingdom? This April, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center will host the Rethink Church workshop which poses the question, “What if Church was a verb?” Rethink Church will be held in combination with Charting the Course, another workshop designed to give attendees specific tools and ideas to reshape the way their church invites, welcomes, and reaches out. Rethink Church and Charting the Course will be held from April 25-29, and those interested have the option of attending either workshop or both.
“I hope participants will take away practical information and practices to put into use in their local churches to make them more welcoming and to learn how to become more inviting,” said Rethink Church leader Reverend Mark Barden, Western North Carolina Conference Director of Communications. Workshop training will cover the areas of welcoming, connecting, and identifying. Barden sees the workshop as “a catalyst that moves the denomination…into dialogue – and ultimately, into transformative, collaborative action.” In addition to answering the question “What if Church was a verb?”, the workshop will “[prod] us to consider church as more about what we do than simply a place to go on Sunday mornings. Grounded in Wesleyan theology, Rethink Church encourages us to move beyond the walls of the church and engage those outside the walls in the action of Christ in the world.” Similarly, Charting the Course will offer practical ways these ideals can be put into play in the Church.
Rethink Church and Charting the Course will feature several leaders, each of whom have experience in discipleship and facilitating personal and church growth. Leading Rethink Church in addition to Reverend Mark Barden of Western North Carolina staff will be Reverend Ms. Dawn Hand, Associate Pastor of Matthews United Methodist Church; and Reverend Mr. Gregg Plott, Pastor of Warrensville Charge and Chair of WNCC Commission on Communications. Leading Charting the Course will be the Reverend Ms. Donna Gaither, who has served as Christian educator and currently serves on the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. Gaither also helped develop the Charting the Course materials with the Little Rivers Conference in Illinois.
Registration fees vary from $70-$85 for early registration, depending on workshop or workshops being attended. After April 1, late registration fees apply and prices vary from $85-$100. More information about the retreats, leaders, and registration can be found at www.lakejunaluska.com/charting, where a printable brochure and lodging information can also be found, or by contacting Pam Naplen at 828-454-6656.
*Andie Robbins, is Communications Intern, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center
posted by TN Conference UMC @ 11:22 AM
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