SNAPSHOT. november 2016 issue no. 34. A Monthly recap of local church news & Views

Transcription

1 SNAPSHOT november 2016 issue no. 34 A Monthly recap of local church news & Views

2 Smothers Named to Commission on a Way Forward Council of Bishops Names 32 Commission Members The United Methodist Council of Bishops has announced the membership of the Commission on a Way Forward. Rev. Jasmine Smothers of the North Georgia Conference is among the 32 members, made up of United Methodists from around the world. After three months of diligent and prayerful discernment, we have selected 8 bishops, 11 laity, 12 elders and 1 deacon to serve on the Commission, said Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the Council of Bishops. This group is representative of our theological diversity. Ough said the makeup of the 32-member commission is roughly comparable to U.S. and Central Conference membership. Seven of the members (Jorge Acevedo, Tom Berlin, Jessica Lagrone, Julie Hager Love, Bishop Deborah Wallace-Padgett, Alice Williams, and Rev. Smothers) are from the Southeastern Jurisdiction. All of the members of the Commission have already indicated their willingness and availability to serve. The team of moderators -- Bishop Ken Carter, Bishop Sandra Steiner-Ball and Bishop David Yemba -- will soon convene the Commission to begin to organize their work and finalize their meeting schedule. The Commission s mission is to bring together persons deeply committed to the future(s) of The United Methodist Church, with an openness to developing new relationships with each other and exploring the potential future(s) of our denomination in light of General Conference and subsequent annual, jurisdictional and central conference actions. The 2016 General Conference gave a specific mandate to the Council of Bishops to lead The United Methodist Church in discerning and proposing a way forward through the present impasse related to human sexuality and the consequent questions about unity and covenant. The Commission is a group appointed by the Council of Bishops to assist the Council in fulfilling this mandate. As such, the Council has appointed bishops from across the global connection to serve on the Commission alongside laity and clergy. While clergy and laity will vote at a General Conference on these matters, the bishops have the responsibility to lead the church. Thus, the Commission is designed to inform the Council s leadership of the General Conference. After hearing concerns that the proposed composition did not include enough laity, three additional laypersons were added from the original pool of more than 300 nominees. At their fall meeting (October 30 November 2), the Council will make a decision about a called General Conference and will review a plan to conduct additional and complementary work in annual conferences designed to broaden the conversation with hundreds of lay and clergy members. The members of the Commission are: MEMBERSHIP Jorge Acevedo USA, Florida, elder, male Brian Adkins USA, California, elder, male Jacques Umembudi Akasa Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, laity, male Tom Berlin USA, Virginia, elder, male Matt Berryman USA, Illinois, laity, male Helen Cunanan Philippines, elder, female David Field Europe, Switzerland, laity, male Ciriaco Francisco Philippines, bishop, male Grant Hagiya USA, California, bishop, male Aka Dago-Akribi Hortense Africa, Côte d Ivoire, laity, female Scott Johnson USA, New York, laity, male Jessica Lagrone USA, Kentucky, elder, female Thomas Lambrecht USA, Texas, elder, male Myungae Kim Lee USA, New York, laity, female Julie Hager Love USA, Kentucky, deacon, female Mazvita Machinga Africa, Zimbabwe, laity, female Patricia Miller USA, Indiana, laity, female Mande Guy Muyombo Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, elder, male Eben Nhiwatiwa Africa, Zimbabwe, bishop, male Dave Nuckols USA, Minnesota, laity, male Casey Langley Orr USA, Texas, elder, female Gregory Palmer USA, Ohio, bishop, male Donna Pritchard USA, Oregon, elder, female Tom Salsgiver USA, Pennsylvania, elder, male Robert Schnase USA, Texas, bishop, male Jasmine Rose Smothers USA, Georgia, elder, female Leah Taylor USA, Texas, laity, female Deborah Wallace-Padgett USA, Alabama, bishop, female Rosemarie Wenner Europe, Germany, bishop, female Alice Williams USA, Florida, laity, female John Wesley Yohanna Africa, Nigeria, bishop, male Alfiado S. Zunguza Africa, Mozambique, elder, male MODERATORS Sandra Steiner Ball USA, West Virginia, bishop, female Kenneth Carter USA, Florida, bishop, male David Yemba Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, bishop, male 2 november 2016 snapshot

3 Rev. Kim Uses Gift of Creativity Serving New Chinese Congregation Rev. Hyo Kim serves part-time as Associate Director of Congregational Development focused on Korean Church Development and part-time he serves at McKendree UMC in Lawrenceville and John Wesley UMC in Norcorss. In June he became pastor of the new Chinese United Methodist congregation at McKendree. Kim, who s first language is Korean, doesn t speak Chinese, but he communicates with the congregation and preaches with the help of a translator and technology. Kim showed his depth of flexibility recently when the translator was unable to attend Sunday worship. Instead of live translation, Kim wrote his message on Power Point slides and the translator typed the translation ahead of time for the congregation to read. Hyo s engineering background always comes into play in the way he seeks to solve problems, said Rev. Dr. Phil Schroeder, Director of Congregational Development. In the spirit of Pentecost, Hyo has found a way for each to hear in their own native language. Kim says there are many translation tools that, while imperfect, may help diverse congregations overcome a language barrier and offer flexibility in multi-lingual settings. He has even used a lip-sync tool to make translated message more accessible and interesting. There is no tool quite so powerful as creativity and being open to share the good news of Christ with all people. Holy Land Journey with Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson & the North Georgia Conference Join the North Georgia Conference and Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson for an 10-day Holy Land Journey in February You ll walk in the footsteps of Jesus and Old Testament heroes like Jacob. Participants will depart Feb. 6 and return Feb. 16. The tour, which is open to all North Georgia United Methodists, is an excellent opportunity for a Disciple Bible Study class, small group, Sunday School class, or individuals. The theme is Jesus: His Life, His Times, His Land, His Hebrew Faith and includes visits to Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem and more. november 2016 snapshot 3

4 Clergy Appreciation Month Using Tech Tools for Ministry Shannon Karafanda Prays on Periscope 1. What drew you to Periscope? My friend Rev. Lisa Jenkins from St. Matthew s Baptist in Harlem, NY was using Periscope to do midday devotional moments for her congregation. I joined in a few times and thought it was a great way to connect with busy people during the week. Lisa was busy herself. She often did these devotional moments from a parking lot in her car, at an outdoor cafe, or during a walk outside the church. She was a reminder that you are never too busy to connect to God and share God s love with others. 2. What do you use it for? Inspired by her, I began to use Periscope as our prayer team prayer-walked in our sanctuary at Cornerstone. We would pray over the chairs and pray for our church and community. As we prayed others would pray for us online and send us their prayer requests. Later I used Periscope to highlight out music groups during rehearsals to give people a sample of would happen in worship on Sunday. I m not sure how much more I ll use Periscope. With Facebook and Twitter rolling out live broadcasts as well, we may switch mediums to ways in which we are already connected. We will stay on top of the statistics to see which has the broadest reach so that we can make the biggest impact. 3. How has using Periscope effected your ministry? Video is the most popular marketing strategy for businesses. 46% of people say they would seek out more information after watching a video. I can t know for sure if our unknown Periscope viewers went to church after viewing or had a transforming moment, but I do know that I was able to connect to our church Periscope viewers on a new level. Each of them sought me out to have a deeper conversation after viewing the broadcast. They had a different connection to Cornerstone that inspired them to pray or reflect on worship. 4 november 2016 snapshot Kevin Murriel Hosts Bible Study on Facebook Live. 1. What inspired you to use Facebook Live for your bible study? John Wesley believed that the world was his parish. I hold a similar belief. In the 21st century this must also translate into the online, virtual world. Facebook is one of the only platforms that allows instant connectivity to people worldwide. I reasoned that if people could post pictures of parties or write opinionated reviews on a myriad of issues, then I could use Facebook as a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has become a vital part of my ministry. 2. How long are these sessions, and what do they entail? I am moving to a monthly study that will last about 45 minutes to an hour. The vision for this study (TGIT-Thank God It s Tuesday) is to provide a perspective of the Bible that addresses real and relevant issues with the end viewer in mind. This is a very intentional Bible Study. It is meant to target people who are in church, but wrestling with life, and people who rarely, if ever, go to church and are also wrestling with life. Some of the topics so far have covered the racial divide in America, relationships, dealing with heartbreak, faith, and finding purpose. 3. How has using this tool helped your ministry? Our analytics show that the videos are viewed on average over 1,000 times. We also live stream through YouTube and Google Plus so the videos are saved on multiple platforms that reach multiple audiences. The reciprocity from this ministry is that people share the videos with others and we have had people visit and subsequently join Cliftondale Church simply through their connection to Facebook Live. At the end of each video, I invite anyone who would like to, to repeat the prayer of salvation after me and I conclude with a prayer for our entire online audience (those who were live and those will view the recorded video). The fruit of this ministry is that people have come to know Jesus Christ through Facebook Live. It is a sacrifice but it is yielding positive results. Robert King Participates in a Group Podcast 1. Why did you decide to start a podcast? What is its purpose? The name of our podcast is The Good Life Podcast. For clarity, I am the only clergy member of the Last Disciples : our group name for the podcast. My other four friends are serving God s church in dynamic ways as laity İ didn t start the podcast myself, but it was birthed as a dream through a friend with whom I served in campus ministry during college at Clark Atlanta University. For several years during my matriculation, I served as a Chaplain Assistant for our University Chapel Ministry. During that time, I became close friends with four other Chaplain Assistants. In the midst of one of our chats, God gave a vision to one of us, Jaleesa Hall, that our conversations should be shared with the world. This was the birth of the podcast. In this sacred space, we could create room for Millenials to speak freely, think critically and live authentically through faith in Jesus Christ. After having this vision, Jaleesa invited all of us to live into this bold, creative vision together, and the rest is history. 2. What have you enjoyed most about it? What has brought me the most joy in doing this podcast is spending time talking about relevant issues in faith, life and pop culture with my friends. Throughout the years, I have shared so much of my life s journey with these four friends. It is a blessing to have the opportunity invite others into our conversation so that others can become more Christlike in their attitudes and actions. 3. How has having this podcast aided in your ministry? Having this podcast has aided in my ministry in several ways. First, the Christian community I experience with the Last Disciples has sharpened my personal faith in God. The monthly conversations we have strengthen my faith in Christ and expand my imagination for what meaningful discipleship and ministry look like for young people in today s culture. Also, the Good Life Podcast has created a great entry point of faith exploration for young adults who are at varying places in their faith journey. As a result, the Good Life has helped to draw people closer to God whom might not immediately come to a church worship service.

5 Clergy Appreciation Month: Clergy Do That?! Herzen Andone is a Fisherman When did you start fishing? I have been fishing since age 6. What do you enjoy most about it? What I love about fishing is that regardless of whether I m on a mountain stream, on a lake or on the ocean, I am reminded that creation reflects the very loving nature of God. Carol Scroggs is a Twilight Twirler How did you become a Twilight Twirler? In December 2003, Children s Healthcare was using the facilities at Atlanta First UMC to stage the Festival of Trees Christmas parade. I was designated as the staff representative to work with the parade officials. While I answered questions and gave directions, I met a group of energetic women from Marietta who were in the parade. These women were over 50 years of age and called themselves the Twilight Twirlers. As I inquired about the group, I discovered they were fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming baton twirlers. They were retired teachers, grandmothers, mothers, teachers, counselors, and artists. The twirling experience of these women ranged from college to high school to never picking up a baton. Why does being a part of this group mean so much to you? I had wanted to be in the marching band and a majorette at my high school. Now 40 years later my aspirations were to Has maintaining this hobby helped you in your ministry in any way? Fishing invites me to breathe, to wait patiently with hope and expectation. What are some of your favorite fishing stories? When I was a senior in high school, living in Pensacola, Florida, we went out on the lagoon on a cold morning. I was with my dad and brother, as well as my dad s friend and his son. We get in the boat and the start won t catch. It was the perfect October day on the Gulf, and we re sitting there about for 4 or 5 hours, cranking and cranking and it still won t catch. Finally, a little after lunch, it starts. We sit there for a second and wonder if we should even go out at all, but we decide to out anyway. Soon, we see this big blob floating beneath the water, about the size of a football. We figure it has to be fish so we drop our lines in and in no time our reels start to bend, and you hear that exciting screeching sound of the real being stripped of its line. We quickly realize that we happened upon a school of huge, Bull Reds, pounds each. Within 30 minutes the floor of the boat is covered with these giant fish. That story has always stuck with me because there are always those moments as a fisherman when you wonder if it s even worth it to go out, but you might be surprised by what you might catch. Grace works the same way. become a reality. Over the course of five years I would perfect my twirling skills, make new friends, march in parades in two states, hearing church members cheer me along the parades routes, appearing on television, and meeting celebrities. Has being a part of the Twilight Twirlers effected your ministry? The women have battled cancer, faced surgery, celebrated marriages and births, and suffered injuries over the years. They turned to me for pastoral care in these times. In fact, it was always a topic of conversation that a minister was a twilight twirler. My plans to become a part of this group didn t involve taking on the role of a minister. I just wanted to pursue a dream. Tonya Lawrence is a Swimmer When did you start swimming? I started swimming when I was 3 years old. My dad was a lifeguard; he taught my brothers and me when we were really young. I loved swimming from the beginning. I remember looking at the older kids who were already advanced and swimming in the deep end of the pool and thinking I can t wait to do that! I still thank parents for teaching me to swim because I love it so much. What is your favorite part about it? Swimming is sanctuary for me. It is my escape. The pool is where I go to work on a sermon, and collect my thoughts. It is where I commune with God. Sometimes while I am in the pool, I get approached by people who ask if I would offer them swimming lessons. Even though I do not teach anymore, I still give tips to others while we are in the pool. Does it help you in your ministry in anyway? My dad loved to swim. He passed that on to me. I love it too. I learned to swim well, then became a lifeguard so that I could in turn teach others how to swim. Understanding how my father passed the love and knowledge onto me, helps me to understand how faith love for Jesus can be shared Learning how to swim gives me a framework for how people develop and grow in their faith. november 2016 snapshot 5

6 Clergy Appreciation Month Artists Share Their Gifts Hugh Hendrickson is a Painter I was able to take art electives in undergrad. Not too many art classes in Seminary. And my dorm room was too small for an easel. So I funneled my creativity into sermons. I m painting lots of miniatures now. These paintings are about the size of a business card. It s a bit tedious but I can do them in less than an hour. They make a great insert into a handwritten note to a clergy friend or church member. Rev Dr Bill Burch (Lawrenceville First) preached at Salem Camp Meeting this year. He did a fine job. It was his first year. I hope he can return in the future. I made him a cross with Salem sawdust and a painting of the tabernacle at Salem. I wrote a short poem on the back. I mailed it to him a few weeks after Salem. Hopefully he didn t put it in a church yard sale or an ebay auction. I will be giving my friend Dr John Beyers a small painting of Grace UMC in Atlanta. He served grace for 10 years. He said he didn t have a picture or painting of the church that has a special place in his heart. So I felt moved to paint a small gift. A church member donated a carillon for the bell tower at our south campus at Greensboro. This was a memorial gift for her late husband. She is moving soon, so I will be finishing up a small painting of that tower for her. I know it is special to her. C. Kay Fuino is a Quilt Maker A quilt is made up of so many different pieces, shapes and colors. Even with a pattern you never know what you will actually see until it is finished. I think it is a lot like a congregation for a pastor. All the members are different, with patterns of life that fit together to make something wonderful. We never really know what each year will show us until we take the time to step back and look at how it all lays out together. Sometimes there are frayed edges that need mending, sometimes there are bright colors and sometimes there are deep places that make us question why that piece is included. Quilts keep us warm when we wrap them around us but you can always feel the seams that hold each little piece together. I believe that at the end of my time of ministry I ll be able to look at the quilt of my life in ministry and see the pattern that God called me to piece together. It will be exciting to see what quilting pattern God chooses to stitch the front to the backing and then how I will add the binding to complete it all. There is also a camaraderie among quilters. We love to share our patterns, our tools of the trade: rulers, rotary cutters, pin cushions, seam rippers and other fun things. If we can help another person take on this addiction to fabric we will give them parts of our stash to get them started and teach them along the way. My friend Rev. Beth is hooked now and for me to see her joy when she finishes a project is almost my own joy. Susan Landry is a Singer It is important to me to sing in groups, not just to sing solos, because the making of music with others forms a connection that produces a sound that is far bigger than the simple sum total of our voices. The qualities of harmony and unity in song, whether in a choir rehearsal or while we sings hymns in worship, infuse within us a connection to what is eternal. The presence of God, a sense of the Holy Spirit, is sometimes more easily experienced in music than even in the spoken word. As I preach, there are times when the singing of an old familiar hymn tune grounds a point in my sermon, or brings it to life. And on the personal side, being a part of the Mt. Zion UMC chancel choir enables me to be playful, to feel that I can be Susan, a singer, a musician, and not only the Senior Pastor. The balance of this sort of personal joy with the role of being pastor is important for me as I seek to live fully, abundantly, as both a child of God and a minister of the Gospel. 6 november 2016 snapshot

7 Disaster Response: After Hurricane Matthew North Georgia Teams Needed Updated November 1st There are a staggering number of Disaster Response and mission team needs between the recent Hurricane Matthew impact and all the disasters of the last year. Because we in North Georgia are uniquely positioned and mostly unaffected by the disasters, we can make big a difference in our neighbor s recovery -- particularly in the 6 weeks to 6 months. Please consider giving, going, and praying. If your team is deployed, please share your plans with the North Georgia Conference by ing scott.parrish@ngumc.net. Need is Great for Teams in South Carolina Orangeburg, Bamburg, Kingstree and Manning... Marion, Mullins, Nichols and Charleston These are just a few of the South Carolina towns in need of mission teams. Bishop Jonathan Holston and the South Carolina Conference need our help. South Carolina has an urgent and immediate need for teams. A trained ERT team leader is all that s required. It would be helpful, but not mandatory, for other team members to have a background check. The South Carolina Conference will coordinate housing and food, but self sufficient teams are also needed and welcome. Teams can contact the disaster response team coordinator, Chuck Marshall, directly at ERTs Needed in North Carolina The North Carolina Conference is in need of and ready for Early Response Teams (ERT) for clean up after Hurricane Matthew. It is overwhelming with the amount of effort it is going to take to provide relief to these communities. We will need assistance from as many conferences within SEJ as possible to help us recover from this storm, they shared. Interested ERT teams can reach out to our Disaster Response Committee for specific priority locations, needs, and scheduling at disasterresponse@nccumc.org or call ERT and Chainsaw Teams Needed in South Georgia In the South Georgia Conference, the?greatest need right now is for trained Chainsaw Teams. There are work orders in right now numbering in the 100s, mostly in the Savannah area. There is also a need for ERT teams for mucking out 4-5 houses. Contact Disaster Response Coordinator Luis Morales to schedule your team at morhilll@ gmail.com. ERT Training ERT training will be led by Rev. Thom Shores at Bethlehem UMC in Bremen on November 19. Register at More Ways to Help North Georgia Conference Disaster Response has been in communication with FEMA, UMCOR, and United Methodist Annual Conferences. There are several ways we can help. 1. Give. As always, 100 percent of our gifts to UMCOR go to those in need. Give through your local church by clearly marking checks for UMCOR Disaster Response. The NGUMC fund numbers are Fund #4390 for UMCOR US Disaster Response or Fund # 8430 for UMCOR International Disaster Response. 2. Assemble UMCOR Health Kits. Thanks to the generosity of many, there are adequate Cleaning Buckets (flood buckets) that can be mobilized immediately. There is need for Health Kits. Find assembly instructions at Supplies. 3. Do not self deploy. A strength of our connection is that we can cooperate and respond based on need and information from local authorities and organizations. Please do not go to a disaster site until we are asked to send trained ERTs or mission teams. Check ngumc.org in the coming days, weeks and months for updates on how we in North Georgia can respond. Disaster Response Deployment Procedures Disaster Response Teams working through The United Methodist Church are known for being the first to arrive and last to leave in times of disaster. By coordinating with local and national response organizations and following established protocols, the United Methodist connection is effective and useful. Here is the deployment procedure for ERTs (Early Response Teams): 1. ERTs from within the affected Conference are deployed first (if available). 2. When additional ERTs are needed from outside that Conference they will request assistance from the Conferences in their Jurisdiction. (Contiguous conferences first and then outward.) 3. Should additional teams become necessary from outside the affected Jurisdiction then notification will come from the Jurisdictional UMVIM coordinators Global Ministries Completes Transition to Atlanta By Linda Bloom United Methodist News Service During an Oct. 20 dedication service and reception, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries officially marked its new status as an Atlanta institution. The establishment of the mission agency s headquarters and U.S. regional office in the renovated buildings of Grace United Methodist Church, 458 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, is the result of an October 2014 decision to move from its longtime home in New York. We have worked, lived and slept transition for the last two years and now to be here and to be able to celebrate is just something very special, Thomas Kemper, top executive for Global Ministries, told the invited crowd of area church leaders and members, partners and city representatives. The dedication for the United Methodist Church Global Mission Center Building was livestreamed as part of the first meeting of the agency s board of directors. The celebration included greetings from representatives of the Atlanta area and church leaders and musical offerings from the young singers of the Atlanta Music Project AMPlify Zaban Choir. Church s Presence in Georgia Bishop Lawson Bryan, South Georgia Conference, noted that Methodism came early to Georgia when John and Charles Wesley landed near Savannah in When John Wesley set his British foot on American soil in Georgia, he took the first step in what has become the global reach of The United Methodist Church, he said. Churches in South Georgia are grateful for the way Global Ministries has resourced us for decades, including recent calls from the United Methodist Committee on Relief during the threat by Hurricane Matthew. At the same time, we want to offer our own resources to Global Ministries, the bishop added. For instance, South Georgia is a leader in sustainable agriculture. Practices developed here can be invested into people throughout the world. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference, vowed to pledge all the resources of the North Georgia Annual Conference in partnership with Global Ministries. The conference presented the mission agency with a large decorative nameplate made by woodworker Efton Arnold from Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta. Haupert-Johnson, who is one of the bishop s assigned to serve on the Global Ministries board of directors, said that part of her episcopal role is to build relationships between the conference and the mission agency, Emory University and other seminaries and institutions. I ve never been so excited to have such an assignment, she added. november 2016 snapshot 7

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