2010 Annual Conference Session -- Arise! Shine! Grow!

You shall be like a watered garden...
Methodists gather each year, delighted and a bit amazed, to be "yet alive" to sing praise to God whose grace goes behind and before and ever onward.

Next week we gather for Trans4mation on Thursday and for Annual Conference on Friday through Sunday.  We will create a garden of growing things as you bring your living symbols of growth in ministry to surround the conference space in the Jackson Convention Center.

Conference is a uniquely Methodist word.  It is a noun, as in "charge conference."  It is a verb, as in "we conference together."  It is an adjective, as in "conference offering."  It is geography, as in "bounds of the conference."   It is time, as in "conference year."  It is community, as in "conference membership." 

Lay members of the Annual Conference are elected from local churches and equalizing members are selected from each district so that lay and clergy membership will be equal.  Note that the term is lay MEMBER and clergy MEMBER.  We do not send delegates.  We come as members. All who are lay and clergy members come to engage in the conference as members, in real time, out of their faith, wisdom and experience.

The decisions made during the Annual Conference Session are made by all the members, lay and clergy.  As we depart, we go forth bearing in mutual love the decisions we have made together.

The role of the bishop at the Annual Conference Session is to help you -- the members of the conference -- worship God, learn and grow in community, and make the decisions you desire to make.

It is my prayer we will all "be at home" at Annual Conference, for in a profound sense, it is our home together.  May this be a warm and inviting time, a significant and inspiring time. 

With gratitude for all that lies before us,
Hope Morgan Ward

:: Arise! Shine! Grow!

 
Countdown to Annual Conference
 
This week's questions go to our special guest Rev. Candace Lewis, New Church Strategist with the General Board of Discipleship. Rev. Lewis will be a guest speaker at both Trans4mation and Annual Conference. 

Q & A:
Q.  What is Path 1?
A.  Path 1 is our denominational church-planting movement encompassing national, regional and local levels of The United Methodist Church.  Path 1's mission is to provide collaborative leadership to re-evangelize the United States so that we might reach more people, more young people, and more diverse people for Christ by creating new places for new people. Path 1 seeks to cultivate the leaders, develop the systems and implement the strategies necessary to regain our healthy denominational habit of starting one new church a day.

Q.  Why is the U.M. Church involved with the emphasis on new churches?
A.  Starting new churches has been proven to be one of the best evangelistic means available through which to reach new people for Christ. Starting new churches does in fact reach more people, more younger people and more diverse people!

Q.  What does the general church's phrase "New Places for New People" mean?
A.  The United States is the third largest mission field in the world with a population of over 300 million people and more than 200 million people are classified as "unchurched".  In fact, on most any given Sunday, only 17 percent of the total population attends church!  Plus, in addition to the growing population in the last fifty years the population of the U.S. has shifted leaving between 70 - 80 percent of our existing churches outside of the areas where the new people are living.

:: Announcements

 
General Board of  Church & Society Web Page Presents Faithful Response to Tragedy, Discussions & Worship Materials About Gulf Oil Spill

The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) has developed a Web-based resource that addresses the "slow-motion tragedy" of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "Gulf Coast Resources for Prayer and Action" is available at www.umc-gbcs.org/gulfcoast.

"The tragedy of the gulf oil spill lays bare our collective failure as caretakers of God's good creation," said John Hill, director of Economic & Environmental Justice at GBCS who developed the resource. "While unknown thousands of barrels of oil leak into the rich and diverse ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico, how are we as Christians called to respond?"

The resource offers diverse information intended to help you understand the tragedy that took 11 lives and is threatening shorelines and marine life, possibly as far away as the east coast of the United States.

Nearly half of all U.S. coastal wetlands - over 5 million acres - are located along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil and gas exploration industry employs 55,000 workers in the gulf. The consequences of the oil spill reach beyond that industry, however, to encompass fishing and recreational industries, not to mention adverse affects on wildlife and marine biology.

The page offers links to United Methodist positions on "Energy Policy" and "Environmental Justice for a Sustainable Future," both from the 2008 Book of Resolutions.

There is also a link to the United Methodist Council of Bishop's foundation document, God's Renewed Creation (www.hopeandaction.org), which identified environmental degradation as a threat to the Earth that must be addressed.
Besides facts about the Gulf of Mexico and oil exploration, the Website offers prayers for worship and resources appropriate for small group studies.

Links on the page go to sources, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, that are reporting on the oil spill clean-up effort. There is also a link to "Communities on the Horizon" (http://communitiesonthehorizon.org/), a website developed specifically as a resource center for communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster. The website will be updated with additional voices from affected communities and action opportunities as the tragedy unfolds.

"Gulf Coast Resources for Prayer & Action" includes: Prayers for the Gulf; Facts about the Gulf of Mexico; Facts about Oil and Gas Exploration in the Gulf of Mexico; and Resources for Reflection and Action.

The Rev. Mari Castellanos of the United Church of Christ's Justice & Witness Ministries provided the "Prayer of Confession" and "Words of Assurance."

Resources for reflection and action include Faith & Facts cards on Sustainability and Clean Water from the General Board of Church & Society, and "Water Stewards: A Toolkit for Congregational Care of Local Watersheds," from the National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Program.

For more information, contact John Hill at jhill@umc-gbcs.org or 202-488-5654.

Aldersgate UMC to Celebrate 50 Years

Sunday, June 27, 2010 Aldersgate UMC, Starkville will celebrate its Jubilee Anniversary with a special worship service and fellowship time marking its fiftieth year in ministry.  The day will begin at 9 a.m. with gathering, remembering and fellowship, with Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to join in a meal of celebration following the morning worship.

The Reverend Raiford P. Wallace will bring the morning's message. Rev. Wallace, his wife Gatha, and their family served the Aldersgate church and the Starkville area for ten years between 1974 and 1984. Rev. Wallace returned to Starkville serving as District Superintendent from 2000 to 2007. Now retired, the Wallace's live in Baldwyn.

Aldersgate UMC was organized on June 26, 1960 when a small group of Christians gathered under a pecan tree behind Sudduth Elementary School to form a new Methodist church in Starkville.

Reverend Lonnie B. Johnston was the Church's founding pastor. In March, 1961, the Church moved into a brand new 'temporary' building and on Aldersgate Sunday, May 21, 1961, Reverend Johnston presented membership certificates to the 86 charter members who joined the Church during it's first year. That brand new 'temporary' building is now fondly known as 'The Annex.' The building continues to be used as the church ministers to the community.

Great American Backyard Campout at SUMA

Seashore United Methodist Assembly (SUMA) will hold a free campout on June 26.  The event is for all ages.

Does a small voice inside of you tell you that you should go outside more? Maybe you've noticed that the kids are calmer and happier after a walk. Or you learned that lack of sunlight can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder or Vitamin D deficiency. Or maybe you just know-on a gut level-that life's burdens are easier to bear when you hear the birds sing, watch a sunset or feel the wind on your face.

But let's face it -- after a long day at work, it's hard to motivate yourself to get off the couch. The kids seem happy to play with the Wii-and maybe you don't even think of yourself as outdoorsy.
And this is why, in neighborhoods across the country, backyards are empty and parks are silent.  No more excuses -- it's time for some fresh air!

RSVP today for Camp SUMA's Great American Backyard Campout. It's FREE.   Here are some fun things we'll have available for families: Spider Bingo, Animals Home Hike, Ladderball, Basketball, Volleyball, Tetherball, Horseshoes, Create a Tree Journal, Alphabet Scavenger Hunt, Enjoy the Beach, Beach Bon-fire, Camp Songs, Night Bugs Adventure Hunt and Sunday Morning Service on the Beach.

For more information email Ginger Bennet at ginger.suma@gmail.com or call 228-806-9853.

Rev. Aleda Warren of the Senatobia District passed away May 17, 2010. A Home Going Memorial Service was held May 20, 2010.

Funeral services were held May 30, 2010 for Ms. Ruthie LaRue Owen, mother of Rev. LaRue Owen.  Please keep the Owen family in your prayers.

Marvin United Methodist Church, in the heart of downtown Florence, is seeking to fill the position of music director (part-time). Please send resume to lynettemumc@windstream.net.

Wiggins First UMC is searching for a Junior and Senior Youth Director. This is a full-time staff position. Candidates should have strong Christian faith and strong Bible knowledge. Salary is based on experience, education and qualifications. Please send resume to First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 278, Wiggins, MS 39577.  For additional information please call the church office at 601-928-4880.