NOTICE: To download a *print-friendly* pdf of "The Circuit Rider", click here.(Available Wednesdays, after 1:00 p.m.) |
Special Sundays
Special Sunday Offering
November 13, 2011
Methodist Student Day
November 27, 2011 |
Dates to Remember
RIM Formation Seminar
October 24-26, 2011
Camp Wesley Pines
Hazelhurst, MS
JustPeace
Annual Board Meeting
(Bishop Ward serves on board)
October 28-29, 2011 Washington DC
Council of Bishops
October 30-November 4
Lake Junaluska, NC
Administry Institute
November 5, 2011
Oak Grove UMC
Hattiesburg, MS
CFA Meeting
November 10, 2011 at 10 a.m.
Methodist Foundation
Ridgeland, MS
Exploration 2011
November 11-13, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri
Click here for more information.
RIM Lay On-Site Visits
November 13, 2011
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Photo File
Mississippi Conference United Methodist Women Elect Officers
United Methodist Women elected new officers and recognized out-going officers at their Annual Meeting, September 23-24. New officers (left to right): Sarah Sanders, President; Bobbye Toney, Chair, Committee on Nominations; Alice Moreland, Secretary; Jean Ricks, Vice President; Dorothy Carter, Coordinator for Spiritual Growth; Sallie Rule, Member, Committee on Nominations; Patricia Everett, Coordinator for Membership, Nurture & Outreach; and Bessie Conner, Member, Committee on Nominations.  Out-going officers: Mary Simpson, Vice President; Jackie Pennington, President; Jean Ricks, Coordinator for Spiritual Growth; Dorothy Carter, Coordinator for Membership, Nurture & Outreach; and Patricia Everett, Chair, Committee on Nominations. |
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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.
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:: Gleanings
 Enriched for Generosity You will be enriched in
every way for your great generosity...
-- II Corinthians 9:11
"Extravagant Generosity" has been the focus of gatherings of clergy this fall. I would like to invite laity into the conversation as I remind clergy of our time together.
We have remembered the generosity of God. We have affirmed that our generosity is a response to God's generosity to us.
We have acknowledged the way money is a source of anxiety and worry and concern for many of us and for our churches.
We have considered our own life stories, our early memories of money in our families, our motives for giving.
We have remembered the consistent call of the scriptures to generosity.
We have celebrated generosity that we see in our churches and communities.
We are committed to cultivate generosity in four specific ways - Offer guidance for personal financial healthPlan and implement an annual financial emphasis with a call to commitment
- Invite legacy giving (through estate planning, suggesting the "last title" of estates)
- Teaching and preaching the discipline and joy of stewardship.
Which of these four ways holds the most promise for increased generosity in your church? I hope you will continue the conversation as clergy and laity together, and I look forward to hearing the creative ways in which you engage this opportunity.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, with great confidence, "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity." We claim this confidence as well.
May God continue to bless our life together as it overflows in generosity.
With gratitude for your faithful leadership of God's people, Hope Morgan Ward |
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:: News & Announcements
Habitat Project
Join the Methodist Habitat Faith Build Saturday October 29, November 5 and Nov.7-12. Methodist churches in the Jackson metro area are encouraged to join the Habitat Faith Build at 4927 Cedarhurst Drive as we join together to build a home for Jacquelyn McClendon, her three children and mother. Contact Karla Anderson-Sarmiento, Volunteer Development Coordinator at 601-353-6060 or fax-601-353-5829 to volunteer.
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New Renovation Project
at the Methodist Children's Home
A request from Rev. Clint Ware, Clinton First UMC
Last year United Methodist Churches from all over the metro Jackson area came together to renovate Gaddis Hall, one of the cottages at the Methodist Children's Home Campus, located on Flagg Chapel Rd between Jackson and Clinton. That cottage is now ready for the occupancy and has been designated by MCH as the honors house for the teenage girls living on the new campus.
With the opening of Gaddis, MCH will have the capacity to house 41 young people on campus. Unfortunately, due to the lack of good foster homes in this state, there are many more kids who are bounced from one foster home to another until they age out of the system. MCH has committed to providing the long-term, stable, and loving environment that these girls so desperately need. Over the past year, I have seen first-hand the ministry that MCH provides to the young ladies in their care. It makes me proud to be a part of our connectional system that is making this kind of place possible.
As the new year approaches, we are planning to renovate Bailey Hall, another cottage at MCH. This will be used to expand the ongoing ministry to the children of Mississippi. Bailey is in good shape structurally, but it is some 50 years old and badly in need of updating, deep cleaning, and some TLC. To make it a nice home for the kids we hope to install new flooring, update the lighting, update the bathrooms, and rework the kitchen including the installation of new appliances.
For this to become a reality, we need your help. I will be working with the President and CEO of MCH, Becky Dotson, to network with as churches as possible to raise funds for this effort. We are asking every church Mississippi Conference to consider putting this project as a one-time line item in your budget for 2012. If this is impossible for your church at this time would you consider taking a special offering in late 2011 or early 2012 for the purpose of this project.
Your financial support will not only allow this renovation to happen, but it will also provide a local, hands-on mission opportunity for your congregation. It was awesome to meet the dozens of volunteers from all over the Jackson area who came to help on the Gaddis Hall renovation. My hope is that you and your church will consider coming to one of the many workdays we will have as the project gets started. The dates and needs for the workdays will be announced as soon as a sufficient amount of funding is pledged for materials and other needed items.
Please present this proposal to your church as you consider your budget for next year.
For more information, or to make a pledge, call Rev. Clint Ware at 601-924-6671 or email at clint@fumcclinton.org.
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Galloway Memorial to Honor
Rev. Garbuzova of First UMC of Russia
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 Galloway Memorial UMC's United Methodist Women (UMW) will host a luncheon, open to all, honoring Rev. Ludmila Garbuzova, pastor of the First UMC of Moscow, Russia, known as the Singing Christians Church. Lunch will be served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with a concert beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Garbuzova is a graduate of and former professor at the world-renowned Moscow Conservatory of Music. She was the second United Methodist pastor ordained in Russia (1992) and received her Master of Divinity degree from the Korean Methodist Seminary in Moscow. She is the Editor of the United Methodist Hymnal for Russia and a contributing composer. Two of the most beautiful hymns in the Hymnal are her own -- "To You O God" and "And Can It Be." The latter is a new melody to the famous Charles Wesley words. Garbuzova also transposed many of the traditional Methodist hymns into a minor key to give them a Slavic sound similar to the traditional Russian sacred music.
Garbuzova and a small choir from the Singing Christians UMC will bless us with song and message on this special day at Galloway in Reception A & B. Please call the church office to make your reservations at 601-353-9691. Lunch will be $7, payable at the door.
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New Innovative Leadership Project
to Help Create Vital Congregations
Conference, district and congregational leaders seeking to respond to Council of Bishops' Call to Action to create vital congregations can find invaluable help from a leadership development process for local church leaders developed by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).
Next month, the Tennessee Annual Conference will become the first conference to adopt GBOD's Innovative Leadership Project (ILP), which is designed to help congregations that are looking for ways to become vital, to stay vital or to increase vitality.
Developed by Craig Kennet Miller, Director of Pastoral Leadership at GBOD, ILP is available to any group of churches, or even a single church. A new round of training will launch on Nov. 5, but ILP is also designed so participating churches can set their own schedule for the seven-month training period.
ILP helps leaders look at the whole system of the congregation and how it connects to its members and to the people who live in the community where the church is located. The project is designed for churches in a group (district, cluster or city) to gather for the seminars and learn together. Between the seminars, church teams and individuals work on various assignments with the goal of developing and improving various ministry areas in the congregation.
Each ILP team of 5-10 people should include the lead pastor, staff related to the overall program of the church and key laity who have influence in the congregation. During the course of the training, team members will:
- Learn how to start new ministries in their congregations and evaluate current ministries
- Build knowledge and develop strategies around the Call to Action Drivers of Change related to creating vital congregations
- Learn to use an assessment tool that enables their church to develop a plan for its future
With each church's $300 registration, all materials needed for the Innovative Leadership Project are provided in a kit, including 10 Innovative Leadership Guidebooks, a USB flash drive with the presentation material for the four Innovative Leadership Seminars and tools that can be reproduced for church leaders. In addition, three GodFilms videos which are used in the seminars are also included.
Webinars are available throughout the year from GBOD to train people to lead the seminars.
For a complete overview of the program, go online to http://churchleaderUMC.com or contact Miller at cmiller@gbod.org.
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United Methodists Launch Free Mobile App
Mobile device users can easily access information about The United Methodist Church on the go with a new free United Methodist application. Developed by United Methodist Communications and Music City Networks, the app is now available for free download for iPad and iPhone. It should be available for Android smartphone users by the end of next week.
The application enables mobile access to daily devotions, news, videos, photos, social media sites and a searchable index of United Methodist churches by geographic area. The "Ask InfoServ" feature connects users who have questions about the church or requests for resources with church staff who can help.
In early 2012, another new mobile application will be launched that will make it easier for users to connect with the United Methodist General Conference, the meeting of the denomination's top policy-making body which occurs once every four years. The 2012 meeting will take place April 24-May 4 in Tampa, Fla. The application will allow delegates and other interested parties to track proposed legislation, as well as to conveniently keep up with scheduled events and access information about the meeting locale.
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:: Cares and Concerns
A private family funeral service was held for Mrs. Mae Riley, mother of Rev. Donny Riley (TUP-Tupelo: St. Mark) on Tuesday, October 25 in Nettleton at Tisdale-Lann Funeral Home. Please keep the Riley family in your prayers.
Rev. Elbrist Mason, of the EJD appointed to Brandon: Trinity UMC was admitted to the hospital last week. to the University Hospital for a stroke. Please keep Stella and the Mason family in your prayers.
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:: Employment Opportunities Across the Conference
Hazlehurst First UMC is looking to hire a part-time Children's Ministry Director to begin in January 2012. The director will be responsible for developing ministries for children and their families. Salary and job description available upon request by calling 601-894-1709 or mail to Hazlehurst First UMC, P.O. Box 725, Hazlehurst, MS 39083. Hazlehurst First is located at 127 Caldwell Dr., Hazlehurst.
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