Into All the World

This week, Rev. Danny Dabbs and Dr. Mark Shepherd are in the Veronezh area of Russia, visiting four rural United Methodist Churches in the Black Soil District. They are hosted by the District Superintendent, Rev. Igor Volovodov.

They will also go to the Penza area where the Mississippi United Methodist Churches engaged in the Russia Initiative have a partner congregation. Winter coats and boots will be provided in this area for 104 children in one orphanage. In addition tennis shoes will be provided to handicapped children to use in the gymnasium of a second orphanage. These partnerships have been in place for over a decade.

I hope that you will mark your calendars for the annual Mission Summit on Saturday, January 22, in Jackson. Bishop Hans Vaxby of the Eurasia Area will be with us, along with other leaders of mission in the world. This will be a day of celebration, connection, learning and growing in our commitment to GO into the world, engaging all people in mission which is a powerful instrument of God drawing all people to the cross of Christ.

Let us offer prayers today for the Russia Initiative, for our Chabadza Covenant partners in Zimbabwe, for the people of Haiti, and for all the places where we have partners in mission in the world.

With gratitude for the life we share together in Christ,
Hope Morgan Ward

To comment, link on the Bishop's Blog page here.

 
No Change in Number of Delegates
for 2012 General Conference

The secretary of the General Conference, Rev. L. Fitzgerald Reist, announced today that the number of delegates for the 2012 General Conference will be near the 1,000-delegate limit.

Reist said he considered numerous factors during the decision-making process, consulted with many others, made himself available for discussion with the Council of Bishops and the Commission on the General Conference, held conversations with diverse bodies, and spent endless hours in prayer and meditation.

The exact number of delegates will not be available until calculations have been completed, but the secretary of each annual conference will be notified by December 1 how many delegates their conference will have. The number of delegates per annual conference will be calculated based on the requirement for one lay and one clergy delegate for each annual conference, with additional delegates assigned proportionately according to the total clergy and lay membership per conference.

The Constitution of The United Methodist Church allows for the General Conference to have anywhere from 600 to 1,000 delegates. Because the formula that is provided within church law for the distribution of delegates currently allocates more than 1,000 delegates, the formula must be adjusted to bring the total within that range. In October 2009, the Judicial Council issued a decision stating that the secretary of the General Conference has the authority to "determine the number of delegates that each annual and missionary conference will elect to General Conference within the provisions of the Constitution and the legislative enactments of the General Conference."

Rev. Reist was elected as Secretary of the General Conference by the 2004 and 2008 General Conferences upon nomination by the Council of Bishops. He is the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, 216 State Street, Harrisburg, Pa.

For the full article link to the Circuit Rider blog here.

The Greenville I Challenge You Community of Shalom invites local churches and non-profits in the Greenville District area to the Compensation and Taxes Workshop, designed to help finance committees, treasurers and others charged with the completion of IRS forms. The focus will be the completion of IRS Forms 1099, W-2, 941 and 990.

The goal of the workshop is to help churches and non-profits better understand changes in the requirements for the completion of these forms and is open to any one in the community who feels the information being presented beneficial and will be facilitated by David Stotts, treasurer for the Mississippi Conference.

To register for the workshop call 662-332-8060 before 12 p.m. or 601-335-0515 if calling between 2p.m. to 7p.m. Monday thru Thursday.

The Professionals Health Network and St Dominic Hospital invite you to join them for the 3rd Annual Mississippi Addictions Conference to be held February 10 - 12, 2011 at the Hilton-County Line Road in Jackson. There will be CEU's available for licensed professionals.

The conference is filled with nationally and internationally known experts in the field of addiction. For more information please contact Donna Young, PHN Executive Director at dcyoung2128@aol.com or 601-261-9899.

General Board of Church & Society program for 18- to 22-year olds who have interest in exploring issues of public policy, social justice advocacy and social change.

Deadline to apply for a 2011 Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) Summer Internship in Washington, D.C., is Jan. 10. The EYA program is for persons, ages 18-22, who have an interest in exploring issues of public policy, social justice advocacy and social change.

The nine-week summer internship program is for young adults representing the five ethnic minority caucuses of The United Methodist Church: Native Americans, Pacific-Islanders, Hispanic/Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans.

Interns will work in social justice placements in the U.S. capital from May 28 to July 31 and will live in Christian community. Work placements will be supplemented by evening intern-led devotions, Friday seminars on topics of social justice concern, area field trips, and Sunday worship in area United Methodist churches. Participants must commit to being present at these activities.

GBCS will provide round-trip transportation to and from Washington, D.C.; housing for the eight-week EYA Internship; commuter stipend for travel to intern work sites; and $1,500 for each intern for the eight-week period.

Application and recommendation forms may be obtained from the GBCS Web site:

• 2011 EYA Internship Application Form
• 2011 EYA Recommendation Form

For more information, contact the Rev. Neal Christie, assistant general secretary, Education & Leadership Formation, General Board of Church & Society, 100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, 202-488-5611.

Pascagoula First to hold Dayspring Revival

Pascagoula First UMC invites you to Dayspring, a unique blend of story and song presented by Wesley Putnam Ministries, Nov. 14 - 17, 2010. BibleQuest begins at 6 p.m. followed by the revival service at 7 p.m.

Dayspring features the talent of Wesley and Felicia Putnam. Through imagination you might meet Elijah as a Bronx cop, or see Daniel from the lion's den as a West Texas cowboy. These and other stories bring ancient characters to life and convey truth in a fresh, relevant way for our generation. The Putnams bring an exciting blend of old and new songs to help people express their love for God.

BibleQuest, a fast-paced program for kids, is designed to make learning Bible facts exciting for elementary students. Pascagoula First is located at 2710 Pascagoula St., Pascagoula. For more information call 228-762-5222

Mississippi Team Visits the Church for All People
By Rev. Embra Jackson, Assistant to the Bishop

A group of eight persons from the Mississippi Annual Conference participated in a two-day practical immersion engaging in ministry with the poor at the Church for All People in Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of this immersion was to allow persons to explore the ways that this church had become a multi-cultural, multi-racial, cross class, diverse body of Christ. Those who attended the immersion were Rev. Vickie White, Rev. Cecil Rhodes, Mrs. Yviette Rhodes, Rev. Matthew Pharis, Rev. Vicki Baldwin, Mrs. Anita Word, Rev. Sally Bevill and Rev. Embra Jackson.

The Church for All People began in 1999 with the opening of the United Methodist Free Store on the "urban" south side of Columbus, Ohio. Its atmosphere of unconditional love and hospitality fostered the dream of a church for all people that would be intentionally diverse, with a new model of service and worship that was with the poor, not just for the poor.

The Church for All People was founded in 2003 with the mission of being the church at the heart of both community renewal and personal transformation. From housing to health to music, its programs provide a model and inspiration of urban ministry across the world.

The time at the Church for All People was a great experience for the eight persons who attended the immersion. They were able to attend workshops, training sessions, visit the various sites connected with the Church, participate in worship, and engage in ministry with the poor through participation in the Free Store. The Free Store serves as the foundation for this ministry. The store literally gives away cloths and many household items free of charge to persons who desire them.

It is the hope of those who attended this event to replicate ministries such as the Church for All People in our annual conference.

For information about the Church for All People and their ministries, please contact those who attended the immersion or the Church for All People via email at office@4allpeople.net or visit their Web site at 4allpeople.org.

Dr. John "Jack" L. Ewing, Jr. Named Executive Director of Lake Junaluska Assembly

Dr. John "Jack" L. Ewing, Jr. has been named the new Executive Director of Lake Junaluska Assembly Inc. Dr. Ewing will begin his new duties on January 1, 2011, and fills a position that is being vacated by the retirement of Rev. Jimmy L. Carr. Ewing currently serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Evangelism, which is also based at Lake Junaluska, NC.

Dr. Ewing comes from a family of United Methodist pastors. His father, maternal grandfather, father-in-law, grandfather-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law were or are United Methodist ministers. He has degrees from Asbury College (1974), the University of Kentucky (1975), and the University of Minnesota (1982). Ewing has served on the faculty of his alma mater and South Dakota State University. He also served as president of two United Methodist institutions of higher education: Dakota Wesleyan University (1994-2000) and Mount Union College (2000-2005).

Service to the United Methodist Church has been an important part of Jack's life. He and his wife Cynthia have been active in their local congregations in every community in which they lived, often taking on significant leadership roles. Jack has served as a delegate to annual conferences on many occasions, and has been elected as a delegate to both Jurisdictional Conferences (1996 & 2000) and General Conference (2000). His presidential colleagues recognized his leadership ability by selecting him as the President of the United Methodist College and University Presidents Association for 2003-04.

More information about Lake Junaluska is available at www.lakejunaluska.com.

Funeral services were held on Nov. 8 for Mrs. Helen Proctor, spouse of the late Rev. William L. Proctor appointed last in Hermanville, (1979) at the Hermanville Cemetery.

Please be in prayer for Sid Collins, husband of Julie Collins (appointed to Dream in Hattiesburg) and their children. Sid was in a serious car accident in Hattiesburg on Oct. 28 and was admitted to University Hospital in Jackson. For updates, go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/sidcollins. Sid recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Rose Williamson, mother of Clemmie McDonald, (wife of Rev. Paul McDonald of the of the East Jackson District) is in the hospital intensive care unit, in Louisville, KY., after a fall. She also has other medical concerns needing our prayers. Please place the Williamson and McDonald family on your prayer list.

Rev. Kenneth Sissell, retired United Methodist clergy, passed away on Nov. 1, 2010. Funeral services were held Nov. 4 at Senatobia First UMC, with burial in Water Valley, MS.

The Crossgates United Methodist congregation asks us to pray for its senior pastor, Rev. John Moore, who is scheduled for surgery on November 16. Rev. Moore will be undergoing back surgery involving his spine. Pray for God's healing presence and tender mercies for John and Nancy.

Sam Lee, Jr. appointed to Asbury/Kingsley Chapel UMC of the West Jackson District passed away on Sunday. Please keep Ms. Anita and family in your prayers.

Rev.Darrell Sanderson (TUP-Friendship/Harden's Chapel) will be delivering a truck load of toys for children of Virginia coal miners in December. If you wish to donate a toy to be included in this delivery, please bring it by the Tupelo District Office no later than December 9.

Greer Chapel UMC in Flowood is seeking an administrative assistant. This position is part-time, paid weekly, and shall be under the supervision of the pastor(s). The administrative assistant performs the clerical tasks necessary for the support of the Council on Ministries. Applications are currently being received and will be considered until the position is filled. Please call Greer Chapel at
601-932-6507 to express interest or obtain more details.

The Riggs Manor campus of Methodist Senior Services, Raymond, MS, has an opening for a Director of Resident Services who will help us fulfill our mission statement of "Serving older adults in a spirit of Christian Love." The person in this position assists residents with non-medical needs, markets and leases units, performs account payable and receivable functions, and is a part of the management team. Please send resume along with cover letter, salary history & references to Kay Higginbotham, Executive Director, Riggs Manor Retirement Community, 2300 Seven Springs Road, Raymond, MS 39154. E-mails will be accepted at kayhh@bellsouth.net. EOE.

Director of Communications, WNC Conference, United Methodist Church (UMC), Charlotte -- Requirement: working knowledge of UMC and its many connections. Responsible for emerging, creative, cutting-edge communications; team coordinator for communications and information technology staff. Email: jtrollinger@wnccumc.org. Deadline: 11/20/10.