Remembering Art and Seashore 

 

Well done, good and faithful servant... -- Matthew  25

 
Today many will gather in Biloxi to give thanks to God for the life of Art Steinaway, who together with his wife Ann, have welcomed us to Seashore Assembly for rest, renewal, retreats, and other gatherings.

In remembering Art today on his birthday, we remember God's grace to us in and through each other. Art's life and ministry were focused, committed, and joyful. His smile adorned Seashore Assembly. His presence was everywhere -- from the lawn mower to the dormitories to the dining hall to the office.

When Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury, Art and Ann watched the waters rise from the upper story of the dormitory. Pews from the church floated by. Their home on the grounds of the Assembly was effectively sandbagged by the material washed back from Arlene Hall. When the material was pulled away, their home was miraculously dry. I often used this as a metaphor for our work in disaster recovery. We gather around, through casework, and restore families to safely and wholeness.

The gift of life comes to us in God's remarkable creation of wonderful people. As we remember Art and the impact of his life upon us, let us resolve to live as he lived, with faithfulness and purpose and power.

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

   

July 24 Special Offering Designated for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness          

 

Every year Mississippi faces the challenges of disasters and emergencies that affect the lives of our people in Mississippi. The United Methodist Church is very committed to be a witness when disaster strikes.

   

To help us prepare for these challenges, we have created the Disaster and Emergency Preparedness offering on the 4th Sunday in July. This year it is on July 24, 2011...but can also be taken on July 31, 2011.

  

Please consider helping us have funds to support our Conference's response to the floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other tragedies that await us in the 2011-2012 year.

 

A bulletin insert is available for you to download and use.
Link here for the color version.
Link here for black & white version.

Please forward the offering to the Mississippi Conference office: P.O. Box 1603 Jackson, MS 39215-1603. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Vital Congregations Website
Empowers Churches 

    

A new website aims to equip and empower local churches to become vital and healthy congregations. UMVitalCongregations.org is designed to help churches move through a process of evaluation and assessment as they begin to set goals, and then find key resources to help them achieve those goals.

Three main components help congregations see their church history, assess their current church health and develop and set-goals for their future. Throughout the website are descriptions of vital congregations and resources to help congregations become more vital. Churches are encouraged to share their stories of success and achievement on the site. In October, another component will be added that includes resources to help congregations reach their goals and in November, a best practices component will be added.

The Vital Congregations project was authorized by the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table in response to the Call to Action research, which indicated a lack of measures and accountability within The United Methodist Church. The research identified a vital congregation as being one that has:

· Inviting and inspiring worship
· Engaged disciples in mission and outreach
· Gifted, equipped and empowered lay leadership
· Effective, equipped and inspired clergy leadership
· Small groups and strong children's programs and youth ministry

Part of the evaluation process involves looking at the history of the congregation, and how the past has affected where they are at today. A key feature of the website allows every congregation to see their "health history" based upon their past 5-10 years of experience using church profiles research from the General Board of Global Ministries . Congregations would then assess their current health in order to set feasible and attainable goals.

After reviewing their history and assessing their current health, each congregation is asked to set goals to reach the vision of becoming a more vital and healthy congregation based upon five measurable indicators of vitality: worship attendance, professions of faith, number of small groups, persons in mission, and missional giving.

Congregations that need help, encouragement and support in moving towards health and vitality will have resources available to assist them in achieving these goals. Resources will be available to address the areas of worship, evangelism, small groups, missions, and stewardship.

A report of every congregation's goals will be compiled by district and by conference. Conferences will be invited to set goals based upon the congregational goals, and conference goals will be collected and reported at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference .

The website was developed by the Vital Congregations Project Team, that includes United Methodist Communications, the Connectional Table, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Council on Finance and Administration, and the Council of Bishops

For more information, visit UMVitalCongregations.org .

UMCOR Needs School Kits 

   

The latest shipment of school kits to Haiti has "seriously depleted" the stockpile kept by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which is encouraging congregations to use kit-making as a group project or activity. The kits, which cost about $11 each to assemble, provide children with basic supplies such as paper, pencils and other items. Learn more about assembling school kits or make a gift toward the purchase of materials .

Shiloh UMC to Hold 179th Camp Meeting

Shiloh UMC invites you to worship camp meeting style during the 179th Camp Meeting. Services begin on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., July 29 and continue through Sunday, August 7. Shiloh UMC is located at 2394 Shiloh Road, Pelahatchie.

Each day worship services are held at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with morning devotional at 9 a.m. (There are no 3 p.m. services on either Saturday and no 9 a.m. devotional on Sunday.) At 5 p.m. each day children, youth, and ladies have prayer meeting and men meet at 6:30 p.m.

The Explorers Sunday School Class is sponsoring a fish fry on Saturday, July 30 from 4 to 6, with proceeds to benefit recent tornado victims. Dinner on the ground will follow the morning service on July 31 and the Searchers Sunday School Class will also be selling hamburger plates Friday, August 5 from 4 to 6. Youth Night is Thursday, August 4.

Rev. Mike Russell from Oklahoma will be speaking at the morning and night services and Rev. Tal Vardaman will be leading the music and speaking at the afternoon service. Daniel Engle will be ministering with the youth and Jenna Clenndining with the children.

Rev. Ron McDougald, and entire congregation invite you to come for fellowship, visit the museum, walk the grounds, share a meal, and worship with together during this time. For questions and or directions, please call the church office at 601 854-8158 or email umc.Shiloh@gmail.com.

Sympathy and prayers to Rev. Clint Gill and family on the death of his sister, Doris McQueen. Services were held at Saucier UMC on July 18, 2011.

Mamie Hill, the grandmother of Laura Sappington -- spouse of Larry Sappington who is appointed to Harrisville/Rexford, died July 13, 2011 in Tupelo. Laura's mother, Bettye Coggin, is the lay leader at St. Luke UMC in Tupelo. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Christ UMC in Jackson has many children's music books, including complete sets for children's musical programs, which we would like to share with other churches. Please call 601-914-7108 or email missions@christunitedjxn.org for more information.

Shiloh UMC needs a small organ for camp meeting services July 29 - August 7. If someone has one in their home they might rent or sell. The organ we used for this has died! Thanks for your help! Contact Terri Robinson at Shiloh UMC: 601-854-8158 or by cell phone: 601-953-3294.

Minor Memorial UMC in Walls, MS (near Memphis, TN) is seeking a full-time Youth Minister. This person will assume the responsibilities of developing and implementing programs (including weekly gatherings on Sunday and Wednesday night), activities, and mission opportunities for the youth of our church in grades 7-12. This person will also work with a newly created Youth Ministry Team to ensure that certain values established by the church are met. Candidates should be organized and able to effectively communicate with youth, their families, and staff. Candidates should also have a strong personal commitment to Christ and a desire to lead youth to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Salary is commensurate with experience. Please send resumes to Rev. Amanda Gordon, 6120 Goodman Rd W, Walls, MS 38680 or amandaMMUMC@gmail.com.

Oxford University United Methodist Church, located in the historic district of Oxford, Mississippi, with strong ties and commitment to the surrounding community, seeks a Church Administrator. OUUMC is a community of faith that exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ by letting people know they matter to God by showing them they matter to us so that others will matter to them. For additional information on OUUMC, please visit www.ouumc.org. The Church Administrator is responsible for managing the business and administrative operations of the church and its property, and the Church Administrator will work with the pastoral and lay staff members to achieve the mission and objectives of the church community. The person in this position will extend the ministry of the church to our staff, our members and the surrounding community. For a detailed job description along with job requirements, please visit www.ouumc.org and click on the link for Church Administrator Job Posting.

The Seashore United Methodist Assembly (SUMA) in Biloxi, MS is actively seeking an Executive Director. This is a full-time position with on-site housing provided. The Executive Director will act as chief operating officer and staff manager for the assembly. A job position overview is available upon request. Please submit resumes as well as any questions to Rev. Ben Barlow at benbarlow@mac.com.