Mardi Gras,
the Day Before Tomorrow

 

...truthful speech, and the power of God...
     -- II Corinthians 6:7

We love Mardi Gras, the day before tomorrow: the party before the penitence, the feast before the fast.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and the party will be over.

We live always the extremes of these two days, captured in the list in II Corinthians 6:1-6, the text for Ash Wednesday:

honor and dishonor,
ill repute and good repute,
impostors yet are true,
unknown yet well known,
dying and alive,
punished and not killed,
sorrowful yet rejoicing,
having nothing yet possessing everything...

Our lives are both: feasting and fasting, sorrow and joy, scarcity and abundance. As we move from Mardi Gras into Ash Wednesday, we are alert to all the gifts of God in every situation of our lives. This is a time to be fully human, to live with authenticity, to love with abandon.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes was right: There is a time for everything...

The best of all is this: God is with us. In feasting and in fasting.

With gratitude for your partnership in Christ's ministry,

Hope Morgan Ward    

 

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

The Circuit Rider --
Special Printed Edition for AC 2011

Again, this year we will offer a special printed edition of The Circuit Rider. The special edition will highlight the events of the 2011 Annual Conference and contain the list of clergy appointments for the 2011-2012 year.

Each member of Annual Conference will receive a copy of the special edition on Sunday, June 12, 2011. The issue serves as a tool for members to take to their local church for reporting on the events of the 2011 session.

Additional Copies Available

Additional copies will be made available at a minimal cost of $20 per bundle of 25. Orders for additional copies must be made by May 27, 2011. The bundles will be available to pick up on Sunday, June 12 at the Communications display at Annual Conference. To place an order, call 601-354-0515 or email lisacm@mississippi-umc.org.

Advertise inThe Circuit Rider -- Special Printed Edition

To place your advertisement in over 3000 copies of the special edition contact Lisa Cumbest Michiels by emailing lisacm@mississippi-umc.org.

To download information on ad sizes and cost click here.

Arise! Shine! Go! 'How Do We Go?'
EJD and WJD Lay Leader Forums

A Lay Leader Forum for the Local Church Lay Leaders of the East and West Jackson Districts will be held at Ridgeland First UMC, on Saturday, March 26, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The forum is designed to provide opportunities for the lay leaders of the two districts to get acquainted with each other, share ideas and inspiration, and hear important information from the District Superintendents, the Conference Lay Leader, and the Conference Director of Communications.

There also will be a forum on "What It Means to Be a United Methodist," "How to Generate Excitement in Your Church," and "How You Can Accomplish Meaningful Leadership Development in Your Church."

The Forum, including lunch, is sponsored by the two districts, and is offered at no cost to the local church Lay Leaders of both districts.

Registration is required, and Monday, March 14, is the deadline. Persons planning to participate should telephone Annie Clay, District Administrative Assistant, at 601-944-0776, or email Annie, ejadist@bellsouth.net.

Next 10-Fold Event
to be Held Online March 10            

 

The next 10-Fold online event will shine a light on the church's efforts in working directly with farmers to put an end to hunger and malnutrition.

On Thursday, March 10, throughout the day, Judith Santiago will share stories of farmers who are becoming agents of transformation by learning new ways of working with the land, new crops to grow, and techniques to pass along their knowledge to other farmers. There will be a live update at 12:00 noon with an opportunity ask questions, or you can chat all day long with others who are interested in this project.

To participate in this online event, go to www.10-fold.org/live.

Don't forget, while visiting 10-Fold.org, with one simple click of the mouse, it is easy to become an advocate of Sustainable Agriculture and automatically raise $1.00 to support this project. Mission never stops, so please be counted.

Take a moment to download the attached resource, which you can use to promote 10-Fold.

Each month, 10-Fold.org will feature a different Advance project and we will hear from people closely involved who will report on the progress that is being made around the world. Check back regularly to learn more.

Spread the word! Now you can text "10Fold" to 30644 to get the most current monthly 10-Fold event information on your cell phone. For more information contact Shawn Bakker, Director of The Advance and Development General Board of Global Ministries at SBakker@gbgm-umc.org.

Cokesbury and Turbo Tax Team Up   

Published on behalf of The General Council on Finance
and Administration

Many of you may have seen the offer of the ability to purchase Turbo Tax from Cokesbury. While Turbo Tax is widely available, by purchasing through Cokesbury, a donation will be generated for supporting a critical mission of The United Methodist Church. Staff members of several general agencies have worked with Intuit to make this offer available.

Below is a message from Cokesbury with the details. Though the message says it is "to come", the site is now active. You can visit www.cokesbury.com. If visiting the Cokesbury site, be sure to scroll down the site and click on the "click here" link to be taken to the offer. Or you may go directly to the offer by clicking here. Just typing in www.turbotax.com or www.Intuit.com will NOT take users to the proper site to generate the donation.

We hope the members of your conference will find this a great benefit and an opportunity to give to the ministries of The United Methodist Church.

 

 

Senatobia District Forms Disaster Response Plan 

By Cynthia Laird, Senatobia District
Communications Coordinator

This year, as churches are formulating their disaster response plans, they will be considering numerous important matters such as the best way to keep in touch with t he membership and provide for needs as they arise, an evacuation plan for certain disasters, a backup system for church records, the feasibility of being a mission station, and determining if their insurance coverage is adequate. They will be seeking guidance from their District Disaster Response Coordinators as they work through their plans and meet these important challenges.

Some churches may choose to have a group of volunteers who will train and serve as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT.) When disasters occur in their community, CERT members help save lives, lessen suffering in health threatening situations, and do all they can to help people until more help can arrive. CERT Training involves 20 hours of hands-on instruction and participation. It is recommended the class size be from 10 to 25 people for the most effective training. It is also recommended these volunteers train annually to maintain skills. These responders should have basic equipment such as first aid kits, flashlights, hard hats, and other important items ready to use at a moment's notice.

The Senatobia District and surrounding areas have the additional challenge of including earthquake preparedness in their disaster response plans. With this in mind, Rev. Danny Dabbs, Senatobia District Disaster Response Coordinator and his congregation at Hernando UMC hosted a Disaster Preparedness Workshop on February 19, 2011, presented by Emergency Services in DeSoto County. Speakers included Chief Bobby Storey, director, Chris Olson, chief deputy director, and Tim Curtis, deputy director. They discussed various types of disasters with an emphasis on earthquake preparedness. This emphasis is timely due to several factors the presenters discussed.

A massive earthquake in the New Madrid Fault zone would cause extensive damage in Memphis and much of north Mississippi. There are approximately 160,000 people living in DeSoto County, and should a major earthquake impact the area, it could take three to ten days before outside help could reach many of the victims. Search and Rescue would lock down the area, and there would be an overwhelming need for emergency supplies and medicine. If the Interstate in the area was destroyed, there would be a need to make a way for help to get through. For some, the only way to get their medicines and supplies would be through helicopter drops. Most of the injured would need to be rescued by co-workers, friends, or family members. Some people would face having to remove heavy objects that had fallen on others with very few tools available. They would need to assist the injured by placing splints on certain injuries and by stopping bleeding. If they did not have some knowledge and prior training, they might have to watch as others, who could have been helped, suffer and possibly die.

Recently, there have been several earthquakes in and around the Mississippi Valley, which are referred to as "swarms". While some scientists think this may be pressure being released, there are other scientists who believe these swarms may indicate pressure is building. When the major earthquake comes, and none of us know when this will be, there will be those with supplies for survival, and those who have not made this basic provision. The very least we can do is set aside three to ten days worth of supplies for each person in our household, and hopefully a little extra to share with the unprepared. Basic supplies include, but are not limited to, water, food, medication and a first aid kit, and sanitation supplies. It is recommended you store one gallon of water per person for each day. You will also want to have a plan for the safety of your pets. Also, consider how to preserve and have access to important documents.

Many of you participated in recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, and other disasters. This shows your love for God and man. Will you please extend that love to your family, yourself, and your churches by preparing now?

As you make your plans, consider these useful links provided by Tim Curtis of DeSoto County Emergency Services:

www.FEMA.Gov
www.Ready.Gov
www.MSEMA.ORG and
www.desotoms.com/departments/emergency-services/ema

Rev. Billy McCord (TUP-Shady Grove) has been moved from the Critical Care Unit into a "step-down" room at North Mississippi Medical Center. His family requests your continued prayers for God's healing grace.

Carolyn Wolfe, surviving spouse of Rev. T. Hillman Wolfe, Hattiesburg District, fell March 2 and broke her hip. Please remember Carolyn and the family in your prayers.

Congratulations to Rev. Jonathan Stokes and his wife Laura on the birth of their third child, a son named Seth Alexander, born on February 4, 2011. Rev. Stokes previously served at Maben UMC, Starkville District, and is currently attending seminary at Asbury.

Rev. Donnell Cherry (TUP-New Hope Chickasaw) is at home recuperating after a hospitalization for heart problems. Please add Rev. Cherry and his family to your prayer list.

Rev. Steve Tillman, pastor of Gitano UMC in the Hattiesburg District, is being admitted to the Mobile Infirmary in Mobile, Ala., for tests. Please remember Steve, Marion and their son Stephen in your prayers.

Christ UMC Jackson has two church vehicles as follows: Church Van - 1999 Ford E350 15 Passenger Van 72,840 miles $5,000 negotiable. Church Bus- 1999 Ford E450 - Goshen Coach 25 Passenger Bus 15,982 miles $20,000 negotiable. For more information contact Randy Russ at rruss@christunitedjxn.org or 601-914-7110..

Fannin UMC in the reservoir area of Rankin County is currently seeking an individual for the position of Worship Leader. Strong music background is preferred, but not required. This is a part-time position. For more information, or to apply for this position, please contact the SPRC Chairman, Chuck Parnell, at Chuck825@aol.com or call the church at 601-829-2005, and leave a message for Chuck.