Prepare the Way of the Lord!

Make God's paths straight!
                                           -- Matthew 3

Tomorrow, December 1, is World AIDS Day.

This is the current Mississippi reality:

• 610 persons were diagnosed with HIV in 2009
• 12,989 have been diagnosed with HIV since 1981
• 4,658 have died of AIDS since 1981
• 9,213 are living with HIV/AIDS now in Mississippi

Consider this 29-year timeline:

• 1981 - US Center for Disease Control issues first warning of a strange pneumonia
• 1985 - Ryan White, 14 year old, hemophilic, banned from school in Indiana
• 1986 - Violent torching in Florida of home of Ricky Ray, 9 year old, HIV positive
• 1988 - HIV increases by 56%, First World AIDS Day
• 1990 - Congress passes the Ryan White bill
• 1992 - Persons living with HIV invited to address Republican and Democratic Conventions
• 1994 - AIDS the leading cause of death for all Americans age 25-44
• 1996 - Total death rate declines for the first time since 1981
• 2000 - Increasing rates in Asian, Latino and African American populations
• 2002 - Half of people living with AIDS are women, leading cause of death worldwide in ages 15-59
• 2008 - 56,300 new HIV infections in US
• 2010 - HIV travel ban by US will end

John the Baptizer appears in Advent, with his strange garments and odd diet and thundering voice: "Prepare the way of the Lord! Make God's path straight!"

Advent is a time of strange and strong hope. Over 33 million people in the world are living with HIV/AIDS. Through the Global AIDS Fund of The United Methodist Church, we are preparing the way of the Lord.

On tomorrow, December 1, World AIDS Day, worship services are planned at 7 p.m. at Galloway by Galloway UMC and St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral and at Broadmeadow UMC by Broadmeadow UMC and St. James Episcopal Church. We are eager to know of other community observances across Mississippi.

With gratitude for your partnership in this ministry,
Hope Morgan Ward

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

Full Tuition Scholarships Being Offered by Drew Theological School

The Theological School at Drew University is pleased to announce online application fees will be waived for the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters! Click here to apply online.

United Methodists admitted to Drew with an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or above will receive the 100 percent tuition United Methodist Initiative scholarship! Drew considers every admitted applicant for merit scholarships, including scholarships with a housing stipend. Qualified applicants should apply early to be considered. Learn more about their scholarships on their Web site: www.drew.edu/theo/umscholarship.

For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Drew Theological admissions office at theoadm@drew.edu.

Humble Hands Prayer Shawl Ministry Reaches Over 600 in 3 Years

Nearly three years ago Heritage UMC in Hattiesburg began the Humble Hands Prayer Shawl Ministry. It began with just two of members, Ann Adams and Mary Frances Abbot, who loved to knit and crochet and had hearts wanting to show Christ's love to those in need. At the beginning they had no idea of where God would take the ministry; but they did know they wanted to serve Christ with the gifts he had given them. The project was put into His hands; and they prayed He would keep their hands strong never having to turn anyone down who needed a prayer shawl for themselves or a loved one.

God has certainly been faithful and answered those prayers. In the three years of ministry they have given out close to 600 prayer shawls locally and all over the country. "God also sent us several women who had a heart for this ministry and now stand with us to be His hands and feet to a needy world," said Adams and Abbott. "We have given prayer shawls to people who are ill, have been hurt, recovering from surgery, awaiting test results, have lost a loved one or are struggling with some trial in their lives." Humble Hands has also been able to supply the Forrest General Cancer Center with shawls nearly every month and make baby blankets and children sized shawls for the Children's Hospital in Jackson.

The group never knows how many requests will come in each month. Many people have offered to pay for the shawls, but they're not for sale -- only available for the asking. Several generous people have donated money to purchase yarn to help continue the ministry. "God continues to bless this ministry much more than we could have ever imagined," said Adams and Abbott. "We feel so blessed that He has used us in this way."

Dr. William (Bill) Pennington, Jr, retired elder and retired professor at Delta State University, died November 29, 2010. Dr. Pennington's widow is Jackie Pennington, who is the Mississippi Conference President of United Methodist Women. Please remember this family in your prayers. Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Visitation: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2 at St. Luke UMC, Cleveland; Service: 2 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2 also at St. Luke UMC, Cleveland.

Our prayers are extended to the family of John McCay, III and his family in the loss of his maternal grandfather, Mr. Ralph Rhea, 88, who died Wednesday night, November 23, 2010. Arrangements are with Reimann Funeral Home, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport, MS.

We are saddened to report that Lou Howell, wife of Rev. Glenn Howell, passed away during the night this weekend. Glenn is a retired elder serving Mize UMC. Lou is also the stepmother of Mrs. Cary (Mechelle) Stockett. Funeral arrangements are for visitation this Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Tutor Funeral Home, 822 Simpson Hwy 149, Magee, MS (601-849-9995). Services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Magee UMC with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church. Please remember Glenn and the families in your prayers.

Rev. Rodney Smith, pastor of Mt. Olive UMC (Jones Co.) and Moselle UMC, is having knee replacement surgery this morning at Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg. Please remember Rodney and Jeanette in your prayers.

Rev. Jodie Cothen, pastor of Lumberton and Maxie UMCs, is also having knee surgery today at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. Please remember Jodie and Teresa in your prayers.

Please be in prayer for Rev. Eddie Brown and his family. Rev. Brown's sister, Annie Lou Holmes, was tragically killed in a car accident. Services have not yet been finalized. Please keep the Brown family in your prayers during this extremely difficult time.

United Methodist Publishing House is seeking applications for Vacation Bible School Director.
Major duties: Leads the strategic and daily operations for the VBS unit. Supervises VBS product planning, manuscript acquisition, editorial development, marketing and business planning of Vacation Bible School resources -- both published programs and acquired programs -- to serve the United Methodist Church and other markets. Leads the VBS team in developing and implementing an annual publishing, marketing and promotional plan for the VBS unit to assure achievement of financial budgets, targets and objectives for sales, expenses, cost of goods, inventory levels and net contribution. Works with the marketing manager to plan and implement competitive promotion and sales campaigns for internally produced and marketed programs as well as outside VBS programs marketed by Cokesbury. Leads in the theme and content development process for VBS and related programs. Leads the editorial team in monitoring the theological quality and consistency of the Bible stories and texts within Vacation Bible School resources, looking for both compatibility with United Methodist teachings and breadth that allows a broader use by other mainline denominations. Directs the editing of manuscripts and manages their development through the editorial production process by analyzing structure and content, comparing formats and appeal to competitor products, and appraising and improving readability and format.
Requirements: A Bachelor's degree in business, English, journalism, communications and/or religion. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to make presentations and lead workshops. Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills and ability to manage a large cross-functional team. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of children's church programs, preferably Vacation Bible School. Current or previous participation in Christian education programs within a local congregation is preferred.
Send inquiries to: Employment Office, Human Resources Division, The United Methodist Publishing House 201 Eighth Avenue South, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202 Phone: 615-749-6535; Fax: 615-749-6704.