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Who is God calling to lead the United Methodist Church into the future? Please encourage those you know with gifts and passion for ordained ministry to consider registering for The Calling 2010.
November 12-14
Camp Lake Stephens
To register click here.
Deadline to register is November 7 -- earlier registration is greatly appreciated.
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2010 Tornado Recovery
To volunteer or make a donation to the 2010 Tornado Recovery call: 866-647-7486
Click here for more information. |
Get the Mail -- Sign Up
for The Circuit Rider!
Receive up-to-the minute news and information from the Mississippi Conference. Sign up now for The Circuit Rider at www.mississippi-umc.org and click on "Sign up for newsletter here."
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Dates to Remember
Council of Bishops and Conference on Methodist Bishops(Bishop Ward will be attending)November 2-9, 2010Panama City, Panama
UMVIM Team Leader Training
Saturday, November 6, 2010
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Mississippi Conference Office
Pre-register by Nov. 1
amandaFUMC@gmail.com
Conference of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America & the Carribbean
(Bishop Ward will be attending)
November 10, 2010
Panama City, Panama
JustPeace 10th Anniversary
(Bishop Ward will be attending)
November 12-13, 2010
Boston, MA
The Calling Event
November 12 - 14, 2010
Camp Lake Stephens
Register here
RIM Lay Onsite Visits
November 14, 2010
People of Faith
Against the Death Penalty
(Bishop Ward will be featured speaker)
November 16, 2010
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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Photo File
Sardis UMC Takes Team
to Guatemala
At 3 a.m. on the morning of July 11, 2010 a mission team from Sardis UMC left for Antigua, Guatemala. The members were Jerry Gant, Lee Dixon, Billie Wade Fite, Deby Klyce, Makesha Kinard, Darlene Patrick and Paula Lundgren. Their mission included helping at a school and working with coffee farmers.
To read about their trip or to comment link to the Circuit Rider Blog here.
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Annual Conference 2011
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Greetings!
Welcome to your connection for up-to-the minute news and information from the Mississippi Conference. Your Circuit Rider will arrive weekly with announcements, dates to remember, celebration stories from across the conference and employment opportunities. Our hope is for The Circuit Rider to become a tool for building the connection across the conference, strengthening our districts and local congregations as we go forth to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Please e-mail your news and information for us to share with others around the conference to lisacm@mississippi-umc.org. Deadlines are Thursday at noon for the following Tuesday.
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 :: Gleanings
Comfort and Hope
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. -- I Thessalonians 2:16
As we bear one another's burdens, we live faithfully as Christ's beloved people.
This week we carry together deep grief in the tragic loss Saturday of Jeremy Kirby, the 12-year-old son of Eddie and Martha June Kirby. Jeremy died tragically in an accident during a fall church activity.
Our prayers surround the entire Kirby family and the family of First United Methodist Church in Biloxi. The Seashore District, led by Bill McAlilly, has responded with love, presence, counsel, and prayer services. Across the conference, we are united in loving support.
Contributions to the Jeremy Kirby Trust Fund can be made at any branch of BanCorp South.
In this time of shock and loss, we remain God's faithful people. The scriptures are strong and true: Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father gives us eternal comfort and good hope, strengthening us.
As we move through this week together, may we be aware of God's presence and confident of the gift of eternal life. May we lean on the everlasting arms of God, trust in Christ our Savior, and be companioned by the Holy Spirit.
With gratitude for the life together we share in Christ,
Hope Morgan Ward
Note: Visitation and Funeral arrangements for Jeremy Kirby can be found under Care and Concerns below. To comment, link on the Bishop's Blog page here. |
:: Announcements
Rethink Church Offers Advent Sermon Series, Multimedia Resources
This Advent, United Methodist Communications offers "A Life-Giving Christmas," a lectionary-based sermon series with accompanying resources for the four Sundays of Advent. Each component -- including an optional media bundle -- echoes the outbound focus of the denomination's Rethink Church advertising and welcoming campaign.
"This series is unique," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "Not only does it provide a powerful sermon starter for each Sunday, but it also takes that sermon theme further by identifying ways to carry that theme throughout the week and into the community."
Included in the sermon series are ideas for engaging congregants via a church's social media channels. One question offered for use on Facebook is, "If peace were to show up at your door, what would it look like?" Another says, "Look for hope in today's news stories. How is God at work?"
Additionally, each week offers an outbound challenge, from identifying areas within the community that need peace, to extending Christmas day event invitations to those who would otherwise be forgotten.
The free sermon series includes an optional related media bundle. It features five videos for use in worship or study, print and slide graphics, and templates for invitation cards, door hangers, and direct mail. The bundle is available for $25 from the United Methodist Communications e-store or by calling toll-free 888-346-3862.
To learn more about Rethink Church resources and products, visit www.umcom.org/rethinkchurch.
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A Request from The United Methodist Hour
November 14, 2010 The Mississippi Conference of United Methodist Church will be having a Special Sunday offering for The United Methodist Hour. I hope that you will take part in this special offering and that you will ask others in your church to give to this offering that helps The United Methodist Hour continue to reach lost souls through uplifting television programming to all in Mississippi.
For almost 40 years the United Methodist Hour has served the wonderful people of Mississippi and beyond! People all over Mississippi have turned to The United Methodist Hour for news and information about Methodist Programs and Ministries all over the state. This ministry has offered hope to many that have given up, and have lost connection with the church and with God!
The Hour has gone through many changes in the past couple of years, but the one thing that has stayed the same is our love and desire to share God's love to all.
Please be in prayer for The United Methodist Hour and please remember The Hour on November 14, 2010 with your special offering.
For more information contact Mike Boucher, Executive Director by emailing mike@thehour.org or call 601-296-1676
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Rust Welcomes Award Winning Actress
for Lyceum Opener
The Rust College Lyceum Committee is excited to announce the start of the 2010-2011 Lyceum Series. The Lyceum Series features the best of European/African American cultural expressions in the forms of music, dance, literature, and visual arts.
The 2010-2011 season will begin with award winning actress Ms. Starletta DuPois arriving to present her one-woman stage production, Order My Steps. Ms. DuPois has been featured in several stage and film productions, including A Raisin in the Sun, Miss Evers' Boys, Big Momma's House, First Sunday, Friday After Next, The Notebook, and Waiting to Exhale, just to name a few. She has been nominated for several awards, and earned the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role in American Playhouse.
Ms. DuPois will present Order My Steps at Morehouse Auditorium in the Doxey Alumni Fine Arts-Communication Center on Tuesday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m. Additionally, she will be on campus Monday, October 25 through Thursday, October 28 as an "Actress in Residence", conducting workshops in which students can participate. This event is free and open to the public.
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Broadmeadow UMW to Hold
Old-fashioned Thanksgiving
The United Methodist Women of Broadmeadow UMC in Jackson wish to extend an invitation to an "Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dinner" following the worship service on November 7, 2010. The menu includes turkey and cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, Waldorf salad, green beans, rolls and seasonal pies. Tickets may be purchased from UMW members for $10 (individual) and $20 (family), or by calling the church office at 601-366-1403 to make a reservation. Proceeds will be donated to the Building Fund of the Community Place Nursing Home. Broadmeadow is located at 4419 Broadmeadow Drive in Jackson, MS.
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Millsaps Announces Fall 2010
Chamber Singers Concert Schedule
The Millsaps Chamber Singers announces the Fall 2010 concert series. All events are free to the public. The Chamber Singers was formed in 1993 to provide the college with a touring choir of reasonable size. The primary mission of the ensemble was to take choral presentations of high quality to United Methodist congregations in Mississippi. The highly selective membership of Chamber Singers is drawn from the Millsaps Singers, the College's large choral ensemble. Sixteen to twenty-four singers are selected annually to comprise Chamber Singers, and each receives a scholarship for service. - Sunday, October 24 Chamber Singers Concert: St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 5:00 p.m. - 621 Duling Avenue, Jackson, MS 601-362-6381, Millsaps College's 20-voice auditioned touring choir presents a concert of a cappella and accompanied choral music from motets and anthems to American folk hymns and spirituals. *Free admission
- Sunday, November 7th Chamber Singers Concert: Crossgates United Methodist Church, 6:30 p.m. - 23 Crossgates Drive, Brandon, MS 601-825-8677, Millsaps College's 20-voice auditioned touring choir presents a concert of a cappella and accompanied choral music from motets and anthems to American folk hymns and spirituals. *Free admission
- Sunday, November 21st Chamber Singers Concert: First United Methodist Church of Tupelo, 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. - 412 W. Main Street, Tupelo, MS 662-690-8100, Millsaps College's 20-voice auditioned touring choir presents a cappella and accompanied choral music from motets and anthems to American folk hymns and spirituals as part of the morning worship service. *Free admission
- Sunday, November 21st Chamber Singers Concert: Fulton United Methodist Church, 4:30 p.m. - 301 East Main Street, Fulton, MS 662-862-9530, Millsaps College's 20-voice auditioned touring choir presents a concert of a cappella and accompanied choral music from motets and anthems to American folk hymns and spirituals. *Free admission
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Arts Under the Dome Season Opens Nov. 19 Gulfport First's concert series Arts Under The Dome kicks off its 2010-2011 season on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. with three-time Grammy nominee Quartet San Francisco.
Led by renowned jazz violinist Jeremy Cohen, QSF is the ultimate crossover group -- you're likely to hear this unconventional string quartet put their own unique twist on just about any kind of music. QSF excels in multiple genres, from jazz to tango, pop to funk, blues to bluegrass, gypsy swing to big band. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 students, or season tickets may be purchased for all five concerts in the Arts Under The Dome series for $45 individuals or $90 families (in the same household). Other concerts are jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini on Jan. 8, Rastrelli Cello Quartet -- another crossover group from Russia -- on Jan. 29, Alabama's popular Three On A String on Feb. 19, and the ProTango Duo from Croatia on March 13. Concerts are at First United Methodist Church in downtown Gulfport on 15th Street and 24th Avenue, across from Gulfport City Hall. For more details, go to www.arts.fumc-gulfport.org or call 228-863-0392. Any tickets may be purchased online or from the First United Methodist Church office at 2301 15th St. Both season tickets and Quartet San Francisco tickets will also be available at the door.
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:: Celebrations
Clergy Spouses Gather for Retreat
The Clergy Spouses of the Mississippi Conference met on Sept. 24 and 25 for a uplifting retreat in McComb hosted by the Brookhaven District. "The guest speaker at the retreat was Rita Sweatt, a gifted and talented speaker who brings the Word of God to life with her enthusiasm," said Sheranne McGraw, Clergy Spouse Treasurer and Senatobia District president. "She helps bring the teachings into perspective in today's everyday life." More information on Rita Sweatt can be found by visiting her Web site at www.ritasweatt.com.
The retreat offered a time for clergy spouses to have fellowship and share life experiences. "It is very important for us to extend ourselves to each other and build bridges that will help take us through this life together," said McGraw. "Together we can become stronger and build trust and friends to lean on. The most important thing we learned is ways to build our relationship with God."
Other discussions were held on the future Clergy Spouse retreat and plans for next years Annual Conference. Clergy spouses are invited to take part in helping with ideas for the retreat and Conference.
Please visit our Web site at www.msumcclergyspouses.org.
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:: Cares and Concerns
Jeremy Kirby, 12-year-old son of Revs. Eddie & MJ Kirby (Biloxi FUMC,) tragically passed away Oct. 23, 2010 from injuries suffered during a hayride accident at the church's fall festival. Visitation will be held on Wednesday evening, Oct. 27, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Biloxi (14220 Highway 67). Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28, at First United Methodist Church in Biloxi, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Southern Memorial Park in Biloxi. Friends of the Kirby Family have set up a memorial for Jeremy Kirby at BanCorp South. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Jeremy Kirby at any BanCorp South location. Please keep the Kirby family and friends, as well as the congregation at Biloxi FUMC in your prayers.
Mrs. Irma Harris, widow of The Reverend David A. Harris, died in Virginia on Oct. 21, 2010. Arrangements for a memorial service in Tupelo will be announced at a later date. Please remember the Harris family, Gordon, Glenn and Camille, in your prayers during this difficult time.
Dr. Sam Morris' surgery on last Tuesday, Oct. 19 went well. Dr. Morris was expected to remain at the University Medical Center Hospital for seven days. Please continue to pray for Dr. Morris' speedy recovery. Dr. Morris serves as Senior Pastor at Columbus FUMC, Starkville District.
Please be in prayer for Cary Carl Smith, the father of Rev. Carl Smith of Beauregard UMC, Brookhaven District. Mr. Smith had quadruple by-pass surgery last week and is now on his way to Southwest Medical Center for emergency abdominal surgery.
Please be in prayer for the Rev. Mike Assink and his family on the death of Mrs. Assink's father. Rev. Assink is pastor of the Barlow Charge, Brookhaven District.
Mrs. Shirley Cain, spouse of Rev. Bobby Cain, had surgery to repair an aneurysm in her heart and is in ICU at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson last week. Rev. Cain is pastor of the Goodman Charge, Greenwood District. Please remember Shirley and Bobby in your prayers.
Herman Gibbs, spouse of Rev. Anjohnette Gibbs, is in CCU at UAB, Birmingham, AL, awaiting a heart transplant. Rev. Gibbs is pastor of the Belzoni Circuit, Greenwood District. Please remember Herman and Anjohnette in your prayers.
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:: Connectional Exchange
Walnut Charge in New Albany District is seeking any and all churches/choirs/youth groups etc., within our conference who have a performing group of any kind that travels outside their church and is looking for a place to offer their service. " I am doing some long-range planning and would love to have your group in the churches of the Walnut charge," said Rev. Neville Vanderburg, pastor. "Please contact me via any of the following methods and I'll work with you to find a mutually beneficial date." Contact information: Email: nvanderb@comcast.net; Phone: 901-494-397; Fax: 662-890-3220; Mail: Neville Vanderburg, 6676 Blocker St., Olive Branch, MS 38654 |
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:: Employment Opportunities
Across the Conference
Union UMC in Union is currently seeking an energetic individual to grow, direct, plan, and guide our worship arts by serving as part-time Minister of Music. Pay dependent upon background and experience. All interested applicants may send their resume to unionunitedmetho@bellsouth.net or call 601-774-9412 for more information.
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) seeks a passionate, creative, adaptable leader to serve as the CEO of the worldwide agency of educational, institutional, and ministerial leadership of the United Methodist Church. The $39 million agency is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and employs approximately 65 full-time employees. Minimum requirements include a masters degree in a field related to the agency's work and active involvement as a United Methodist. The position is elected by the GBHEM Board with an expected hiring range of $135,000 to 145,000. Download the profile at http://thenovakconsultinggroup.com/services/executive-search/apply-for-open-positions. Applications, including cover letter, resume, salary history & references, to Catherine Tuck Parrish at The Novak Consulting Group at apply@thenovakconsultinggroup.com. Open until filled. Resumes will be reviewed on 1112/10. EOE |
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