NOTICE: To download a *print-friendly* pdf of "The Circuit Rider", click here.(Available Wednesdays, after 12 Noon.) |
Pacific Recovery
Donations can be made to
Pacific Emergency, UMCOR Advance #3021317
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REUTERS/Lee Jae Won
Courtesy Trust.org Alertnet
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UMCOR Assessing
Relief Needs in Japan
Relief needs in Japan and elsewhere related to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami will be the focus of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which is in contact with partners in the region, said Melissa Crutchfield, UMCOR executive for international disaster response.
The Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey, UMCOR's top executive, urged prayers for those affected by the disaster. "Once again, in
the wake of disaster and in the face of widespread need, we rely on the ever-expansive generosity of United Methodists and all people of goodwill to help us respond to those whose lives
have suddenly been turned upside down," she said.
Emergency response staff members at Church World Service are in contact with the agency's office in Bangkok, which is monitoring the situation in Japan and across the region. Tsunami warnings are in effect for North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and two local partners for CWS there have been contacted.
Donations can be made to Pacific Emergency, UMCOR Advance #3021317.
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Dates to Remember
Cabinet Meeting
April 25 - 27, 2011 Black Clergywomen's Summit
April 29, 2011
Anderson UMC, Jackson, MS
Council of Bishops
(Bishop Ward will be attending) May 1- 6, 2011 Epworth by the Sea 6th Annual UMC Tribe Ride Arise, Shine, Ride!
May 7, 2011
Natchez Trace Multi-Purpose Trail
Ridgeland, MS
662-404-4671 or 601-738-0813
UMVIM Training
May 7, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. St. Mark's UMC, Brandon, MS 601-956-6974 Annual Conference Planning Committee
May 9, 2011 at 1 p.m. MS Conference Office Cabinet Meeting
May 9 - 11 Methodist Foundation Duke University Board of Trustees
(Bishop Ward will be attending) May 13 - 14, 2011 Duke University, Durham, NC UMVIM Training
May 14, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wesley UMC, Ocean Springs, MS 228-875-8900
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Photo File Grenada First UMC Youth spend Spring Break in Mission
The group of 20 youth from Grenada First UMC left Saturday March 12 and headed for Summit, MS where they spent the night at Felder's UMC and Campmeeting. Sunday morning they got up and drove the rest of the way to Galveston, TX where they stayed at the One Mission: Galveston building.
While at One Mission: Galveston the youth worked on an 80-something-year-old (she wouldn't give us her actual age) lady's home named Mrs. Annie Jackson. Annie's home was damaged during Hurricane Ike in 2008. The initial plan for her house was to tear the old worn out siding off the house and replace it with new siding called Hardie plank. Once they arrived at the home they discovered there were two layers of siding on the house. Once the first layer was off they realized there was some pretty decent and salvageable wood siding under it. They then began to scrape and prep the existing wood siding for primer and eventually fresh paint. While most of the girls worked vigorously on scraping the house the guys helped replace rotten areas of the siding and trim with new wood. After working insanely hard for four days their work was done.
While the group was not hard at work on Annie's house or visiting with her and her family they had the opportunity to go to the beach, play Putt-Putt golf, ride the ferry to Port Bolivar, and serve meals at a soup kitchen.
On March 18 the group headed for Baton Rouge, LA to spend the night on the USS KIDD a WWII destroyer, but not before stopping by the Schlitterbahn water-park in Galveston. Once they arrived at the USS KIDD they were given an hour long tour of the ship and given an opportunity to freely roam the boat and check out all the cool hatches and big guns before going to sleep on the ships bunks.
On March 19th the group left Baton Rouge, LA and made it safely back to Grenada. For a slideshow visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZASBdy2QkKc.
A special thanks to everyone who kept us in your prayers and to those who helped make this trip possible by buying a ticket to our spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
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Save the Dates!
Pre-Conference Briefings
(For more information
contact your district.)
- May 1: Starkville District at Griffin
UMC - 3 p.m. - May 3: East/West Jackson Districts at St. Matthews UMC - 6:30 p.m.
- May 5: Tupelo District at St. Luke's UMC - 6:30 p.m. Registration/7 p.m. Briefing
- May 15: Senatobia District at Batesville UMC - 2:30 p.m.
- May 15: Seashore District at Mississippi City UMC - 3 p.m.
- May 15: Meridian District at Poplar Springs Drive UMC - 2:30 p.m.
- May 22: New Albany District at Booneville First UMC - 2:30 p.m.
- May 22: Greenwood District at Indianola First UMC - 2:30 p.m.
- May 22: Hattiesburg District at Ellisville UMC - 2:30 p.m.
- May 29: Brookhaven District at Centenary UMC - 3 p.m.
Nexus Youth Day features workshops for youth, workshops for those who work with youth, a fun room with games and competitions, and worship featuring a nationally recognized artist. Admission: $10.00 To register link here: http://nexus2011.eventbrite.com/. Annual Conference 2011
June 10-12
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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
 Darkness
and Light I give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. -- Isaiah 49:6 Last week a Central Conference friend shared wisdom from his African context: "We knew God in the darkness, and we now know God in the light." Jesus experiences rejection, betrayal and denial in the darkness of this week. The week began with a violent storm, with damage across the South and severe impacts here in Mississippi. Our prayers and generosity are with all who have been impacted as well as all those who bring assistance and support -- both in this immediate crisis and in the ongoing needs from the April tornadoes just one year ago.  Last week, just two days before the Friday tornadoes, UMCOR  | Damage from the tornado that struck
on April 15, 2011. |
communicated that we will receive over $500,000 in addition to what we had anticipated as final support for continued Katrina Recovery. Over five years from the storm, and volunteers and generosity and support continue from the connection of the United Methodist Church. God is present in the darkness, and God is present in the light. Jesus is the light of the world, embracing all, even in this Holy Week. We are called, in darkness and in light, to faithfully proclaim the compassion and power of God. May you be richly blessed in this most holy of weeks as you journey with Jesus to the cross, and through the cross to resurrection joy. With gratitude for your partnership in Christ's ministry,
Hope Morgan Ward
To comment, link on the Bishop's Blog page here. |
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:: Countdown to Annual Conference
Special Needs Parking Requests
The Mississippi Conference would like to meet the needs of those attending Annual Conference June 10-12, 2011. Our desire is for your time at the conference to be as enjoyable and easy to access as possible. Please provide the following information to us so that accurate parking will be made available for you. Who qualifies for special needs parking: Conference attendees with permanent disabilities -- attendees in this category displaying the disability license plate or disability parking permit or who justify specific need shall be assigned a parking stall in close proximity to the Jackson Convention Complex facilitates. Deadline for making request is May 20, 2011. Submit your request to the conference office mailing to Connectional Ministries: Attn. AC Parking, P.O. Box 1147, Jackson, MS 39215-1147. You may also complete and turn them in at your Pre-Conference Briefing. A request form can be found by linking here.Pre-Conference Briefings Set for May Members to Annual Conference are asked to attend a Pre-Conference Briefing in your district. For date, time and location of your briefing, please refer to the schedule at the bottom left-hand side of the Circuit Rider. And, for those in Greenwood District please note the change in location: You briefing will be held at Indianola First UMC, in the new Bailey Hall building, which is at 204 Main Street, Indianola. All members of the 2011 Annual Conference should attend their briefing to receive their handbook and other information, and to register for Annual Conference.
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:: Announcements
Make a 10-Fold Difference This Easter
A Message from Associate General Secretary The Advance & Development General Board of Global Ministries This week we approach Good Friday, the day of our Lord's Crucifixion, and we remember God's amazing love for all of creation. It is a time of mourning before the celebration of the empty tomb on Easter morning. As we prepare for this most significant day, Resurrection Sunday, I ask you to spread more joy through giving. For the people in Haiti, where more than a year after the 2010 earthquake there is progress, but there is still a long way to go as we rebuild churches and schools. For the people in Bolivia, where it is common to walk a mile to get water for the day, digging wells nearby will eliminate this hardship. For the thousands of "street children" who are without care in Bangkok, Thailand; St. Petersburg, Russia; São Paulo, Brazil; and major cities in the United States. These numbers seem to be declining, but there is still work to be done. Let Easter become a time of celebration for all of God's people by making a meaningful contribution toward meeting the needs of those who require it most. Make your gift to the project of your choice at www.10-fold.org and show that Resurrection is about hope and joy. Blessings to you and your family and friends during this joyous Easter Season! May God continue to bless all that you do in mission and ministry! |
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Changes Set for MYAC & Other Youth Events
One of the major changes taking place this year concerns Mississippi Youth Annual Conference (MYAC). Last year, the CCYM, along with the Conference staff, believed the format of the event was not engaging the conference and students as well in its current state. After many conversations with youth leaders and students, the CCYM decided to change MYAC to an event that would engage more of our churches and meet the needs of our students and the church for the 21st century and beyond.
The decision made was to make MYAC an event focusing primarily on spiritual formation and equipping students and leaders to lead in their youth ministry, their local church, and the community. MYAC hopes to bring in many nationally recognized and locally recognized leaders and trainers in youth ministry and worship. These leaders will encourage, challenge, and equip all who attend MYAC to truly be the church in their day-to-day life. Our hope is that this will be our large event where all of local churches are involved and we truly live into our connectionalism.
Therefore, MYAC will no longer exist as a legislative body like Annual Conference. All legislative work will be accomplished in district gatherings and CCYM meetings. The decision was also made to open up MYAC to all students and to not limit it to two students per church.
The new MYAC is set for March 2-4, 2012 in Jackson. You will begin to see more on the New MYAC, its format, and how to register in the next two months.
In regards to our other events, please watch the Circuit Rider. Along with MYAC, the Annual Conference will continue to sponsor Convo and Nexus Youth Day. For more information on NEXUS link here.
We also want to encourage you to contact our United Methodist Camps. All throughout the year Camp Lake Stephens (www.camplakestephens.com), Camp Wesley Pines (www.wesleypines.com), and Seashore Assembly (www.seashoreassembly.org) run camps and retreats for youth and children that continue to impact their lives for Jesus. The staffs at these camps do an amazing job in planning and we encourage you to participate in their activities.
For more information on the changes in the MYAC and other events you may contact Frank Haynes at frank@mississippi-umc.org.
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Mission Fest Set for June 5-9, 2011
at Galloway Memorial 
Galloway Memorial UMC in Jackson will once again host Mission Fest June 5 - 9, 2011. This year's theme of "Steps in Servanthood" will offer hands-on mission opportunities, passionate worship, and incredible fellowship with youth and adults from around Mississippi! Eddie Willis and the Narrow Path will lead in worship and Chris Lahr from Mission Year in Philadelphia, PA will be the speaker. The cost is $225 per person. Final registration deadline is May 15. For more information on Mission Fest, link here or call 601-353-9691. For more updates follow us on TWITTER @GUMCMISSIONFEST.
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The United Methodist Foundation Seeks Nominees for the Walter Steven Ridgway Award
A creed is a reference point in our lives, which helps broaden our understanding of the relationship between God and Christ. In a time when so many of our Christian guides are being challenged, the creeds are a concise rendering of the Christian belief of vision and reality, and help define our community of faith. The Walter Steven Ridgway Award was established to provide honorariums for at least two persons interested in learning more of the history of Christian Creeds, the preservation of these guidelines for our Christian faith, and sharing those creeds with others. The honorarium will provide funds for at least two people to visit sites of interest to Christians and historic places associated with the formulation of The Apostle's Creed, The Nicene Creed, and perhaps of the Athanasian Creed. Such historic places should include, but not be limited to, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Library, and the Blue Mosque. If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, contact The Mississippi United Methodist Foundation, Inc., 601-499-2120.
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Methodist Federation for Social Action Organizational Meeting Set for April 30
Mississippi United Methodist interested in helping to organize a local chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) are invited to attend a meeting April 30, 2011 at Broadmeadow UMC, Jackson. The meeting will befin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.
The discussion will center around the organization of the chapter, the vision and witness at Annual Conference as well as issues facing Mississippi at this moment.
The mission of the Methodist Federation for Social Action is to to mobilize, lead and sustain a progressive United Methodist movement, energizing people to be agents of God's justice, peace and reconciliation. To learn more visit the web site at www.mfsaweb.org.
Broadmeadow UMC is located at 4419 Broadmeadow Drive, Jackson.
For more information about the April 30 meeting contact Rev. Justin White at Dawgwhite2@gmail.com.
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Hinds Chapel and Horn Lake UMM
to Host Fish-fry Fundraiser May 7
The United Methodist Men of Hinds Chapel UMC and Horn Lake UMC (Senatobia District) will host their seventh annual fish fry and fundraiser Saturday, May 7 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Hinds Chapel, located at 5105 Church Road in Lake Cormorant. Cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children under 12, and free for children under 5. The meal includes fresh fried or baked catfish filets, coleslaw, hushpuppies, hand-cut fries, drink and dessert. Takeout orders are also available. Sponsorships are currently being sold for $25, and advertisers receive one quarter-page advertisement in the program, which will be given out at the event. All net proceeds from the event will benefit local missions and charities supported by the UMM. For more information or to purchase a sponsorship, contact Robin James at 901-461-4186.
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Long Beach First Holds Rummage
and Bake Sale for Missions
The bi-annual church-wide rummage and bake sale will be held at Long Beach First UMC on Saturday, May 7th, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The proceeds are used to help many missions. The church is located at 208 Pine Street and if you have any questions or would like to donate items please call the church office at 228-863-9519 or the UMW President, Joyce St. John at 228-865-0051. Don't miss this huge event. If you need it they'll have it!
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:: Employment Opportunities Across the Conference
Rust College is receiving applications for the campus nurse's position. A RN is desired, but will consider a LPN with experience. Contact Ms. Patricia Pegues, Director of Personnel, at 662-252-2491 or ppegues@rustcollege.edu.
Oxford-University UMC, a vibrant and growing 1,700-member congregation in Oxford, Mississippi, is looking for an energetic and passionate full-time Director of Ministry to Youth and their Families. Building on a current core group of about 50 active youth, the Director will be responsible for leading and expanding an integrated youth ministry. The Youth Ministries mission statement is: We exist to experience God by loving and serving God and one another. The program serves youth and their families from seventh grade through twelfth grade. For more information on O-UUMC, visit www.ouumc.org.
The successful candidate will have at least five years total experience in youth ministry, with at least three years at the last church served. Previous experience should also include employment in a medium (+500) member church and experience in facing the particular challenges of ministry in a college town. A master's degree in Christian Education, Divinity, etc. is preferred. Submit resumes by email to ouumcyouthministries@gmail.com.
Diamondhead UMC is now taking applications for the positions of Worship Leader for our Celebration Service and pianist for our Heritage Service. These positions are part-time and one person could fill both positions. For more information or a copy of the job description contact Pastor Oscar McGough at brothero@cableone.net.
Rust College in Holly Springs seeks a College Chaplain. For further information, contact the personnel office at 662-252-2491, Attn: Ms. Patricia Pegues.
Brandon First UMC is seeking a part-time Children's Program Director to plan, coordinate, and implement ministry for children age 2 through fourth grade. Submit resume to Kminshew@comcast.net.
Rewarding Summer Counselor Spots Available: Young college students looking for invaluable experience in ministry this summer can apply for one of our paid Summer Counselor positions at Seashore United Methodist Assembly's Camp SUMA. Counselors are provided room and board and will be given the perfect opportunity to develop their interpersonal and leadership skills in a loving, Christ-Centered camp environment. Job responsibilities will include facilitating small groups, leading in-door and out-door challenge games, lifeguarding, but most importantly will act as role models to campers by spreading the love of Jesus Christ. Please contact Ginger at 228-806-9853 or ginger.suma@gmail.com. Seashore United Methodist Assembly, "Camp SUMA," is located in Biloxi, MS.
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