Cleveland District Newsletter DUSTY SHOES

Transcription

1 Cleveland District Newsletter Phone: (423) Fax: (423) United Methodist Church March 2015 Mary Virginia Taylor, Resident Bishop Joseph S. Green, District Superintendent Carol Underdown, Administrative Assistant A note from Joe DUSTY SHOES Perhaps you ve heard the story of the baby camel who, as babies will do, was peppering his mother with questions one day about his big feet, his long eyelashes, and the big hump on his back. His mother replied that they were all to help him traverse the hot, dry, windy, sandy terrain of the desert. After hearing this, the baby camel then said, But mom, if we were designed to survive well in the desert, why are we here in the zoo? That s a good question. As followers of Jesus Christ and leaders in His church, we have got to believe that we have been given all the resources we need to carry out Christ s Great Commission to take the Gospel to the world, yet we seem to spend most of our lives in the comfortable, safe confines of a church building. John Wesley, commenting on Matthew 5:13-16, said, I will endeavor to show that Christianity is essentially a social religion, and that to return it to a solitary religion is indeed to destroy Christianity. Wesley had dusty shoes, traveling all over England to preach the Gospel and minister to the people wherever they were. As someone pointed out to me recently, it is important to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; it is also important, as ministers of the Gospel, to have a personal relationship with the folks in our communities. God forbid that we be bashful or afraid to share the greatest news anyone could ever share with those in our midst. Joe 1

2 Prayer Concerns & Praises Prayers for Rev. Jim Purser, retired, health concerns. Please continue to pray for Tillery Phillips, daughter of Rev. Joe Phillips, Daisy UMC, and Alana Phillips. Please continue to pray for Rev. John Neese, retired, continuing health issues. Please continue to pray for Mike Goodman (former District Treasurer) battling cancer. Please be in prayer for Nathan, son in law of Rev. Mike Ogle, retired, and Judy Ogle. Nathan has been diagnosed with leukemia and is receiving chemo treatments. Prayers for Rev. Leonard Perry, retired, and wife Ingrid Perry, health concerns. Prayers for the Rev. Tony Collins, Spring City and Reed Chapel, health concerns. Prayers for Jim Silcox of Dayton health concerns. March Mark your calendars Local Pastor Licensing School ( 2 nd of 3 ) UMW Sisters in Service Retreat Appointment Cabinet 16 Registration Deadline for Jubilation Clergy Spouses Retreat Discovery, Exploring the Call to Ministry Camp Wesley Woods 29 Holston Home 5 th Sunday Offering April 1 Deadline to Order Print Copy of AC Book of Reports 3 Good Friday- Conference and District Office Closed 5 Easter Sunday 8 Extended Cabinet 9 Appointment Cabinet 10 Pre-Registration Deadline for Discovering Authentic Worship 10 Cabinet meeting with Bishop Schnase Local Pastor Licensing School (3 rd and last one) Clergy Marriage Enrichment Retreat UMW Leadership Development Days Lake Junaluska, NC 13 Cleveland District Ministers Englewood UMC Hands-On Mission Project 2015 Food Buckets for Liberia Goal: For every church to participate and to double what you collected last year! Pack in a NEW CLEAN food-grade 5-gallon bucket with lid. The church should buy the buckets and lids and have individuals fill them. These buckets can be purchased at Lowe s. Each bucket should contain the following: 1 bag sugar (4-5 lb.) 1 bag rice (2 lb.) 1 bag dried beans (2 lb.) 1 box powdered milk (9oz. or less) 1 box oatmeal (18 oz. or less) 1 bottle cooking oil (48 oz. or less) 2 cans (total) meat: ham, spam or tuna DROP-OFF SPOT: June 3, Wesley UMC, Cleveland 9:00 a.m. 2 p.m Peerless Rd. Cleveland, TN COST: $5/kit for shipping. One check from each church should accompany the kits. Make checks payable to Cleveland District and marked Hands-On Kits ***DO NOT PUT CHECKS IN BUCKETS*** The check from the church should be placed in an envelope with the name of the church, number of kits & amount enclosed. Bring envelope to drop off point. Please only purchase what is asked for. When going through customs all items have to be the same. 2

3 Vital Signs Pastors, please remember to code your church s statistics each week at VITAL SIGNS. (Some of our district pastors are still not doing this!) If you are not receiving a weekly on Sunday evenings with a link to record your Vital Signs, please check your SPAM folder as the may be blocked by your server. You may need to add filings@trendsendapp.com to your address book to help get the s through the security settings on your server. Your District Superintendent is reviewing the online weekly Vital Signs. Bishop Taylor is also watching your progress. Let s continue to use this valuable tool available to us. If further assistance is needed, please contact Sylvia Simpson, Vital Signs Coordinator, GCFA at or her at ssimpson@gcfa.org The Call Digest The Call Digest is available online in English and Spanish and is a mini-edition of The Call. Each edition contains news that will interest our UM congregations, and are released regularly. You can view current and past Digests. Please note, Pastors, that Holston s Digest would be a wonderful way to share conference news with your parishioners who don t use computers. It s easy to print, easy to share as a bulletin insert, or to make copies available in your church office. For more information about Digest or for back issues, visit District Administrative Assistants/Pastors We need your help in distribution of the Cleveland District newsletter. Please place a few printed copies of the district newsletter in the narthex area of your church. Thank you. Marriage Ministries This year Holston Conference begins the second decade of offering weekend marriage enrichment retreats for couple in professional ministry in our churches. These retreats are designed to provide quality time for married couples during a weekend away from work and family responsibilities. All the cost for housing, meals, and leadership are covered by the Holston Conference. Two changes have taken place in this ministry. First, because the Retreat Center at Buffalo Mountain is no longer available, the retreats will be held at the Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center near Newport, Tennessee. We are fortunate to have the use of this facility that is in a beautiful setting with comfortable accommodations at a convenient location. Second, because Partners In Crisis is providing additional funding, we are able for the first time to schedule two retreats April and May 15-17, Couples may select the date that is most convenient for them. Someone who participated in a previous retreat wrote: This is such a wonderful weekend! I feel rested and renewed and ready for what comes next. Information about the retreat and a registration form are included in a brochure that is available from Pete and Ginny Rowlett ( or bee.rowlett@gmail.com) or from the district office. Also, a Leadership Training Workshop will be held at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Knoxville on June 26-30, Open to both laity and clergy, this event prepares couples to lead marriage education and enrichment programs that empower couples to build stronger marriages. Contact the Rowletts for more information. Drs. Lynn & Sharon Fogleman available to speak Drs. Lynn & Sharon Fogleman are currently living and working in Yei, South Sudan alongside Fred & Libby supporting the work of Holston Conference. They live on the UMCOR compound just down the road from Fred & Libby. They will be stateside next spring and are wanting to itinerate around Holston to help share what is being done in South Sudan. They will be speaking at First Broad Street UMC in Kingsport for their Mission Celebration March 13-15, After that they are available for speaking engagements around the Conference from March Their goal for these speaking engagements is simply to help inform Holston of some of the work being done in their name. They will not be asking for any personal financial support. They already have all that through The Mission Society. If people ask about support they will direct them to support Holston s work through the Advance project in South Sudan called HEAL, which supports all of the health work done in UMC churches in South Sudan.

4 OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN THE JUBILEE PROJECT, INC. While numbers are important, so are opportunities to make a difference. Jubilee Project in Hancock County, Tennessee is a United Methodist ministry that is directly involved in providing potable water and home repair. Jubilee has acquired the former Flat Gap School to house church and ministry teams to do this volunteer work, but the well that served the school is contaminated. Fairview United Methodist Church is blessed to have several certified specialists in various contractor trades and has committed $65,000 in in-kind services through Faithful Men of Fairview to solve this issue and equip the school with potable water, showers, etc. Even with that commitment, Jubliee is still facing thousands of dollars in direct costs to renovate the facility. In response to this need, the Holston Conference Foundation through the Goddard Mission & Ministry Fund is issuing a challenge grant of $20,000 that will match each dollar raised 2 to 1. (Donor contributes $50, the Fund matches it with $100.) Through the years, the Foundation has done much to help provide clean water and sanitation in South Sudan, but this is an opportunity to help our neighbors right here in the Holston Conference. Gifts may be made through the Foundation and earmarked for the Flat Gap Project by clicking here. For more information on the Flat Gap School Project or please click here to Jubilee directly. Your support, either as an individual, Sunday School Class, youth group or church, will impact the lives of many who are served by such an important ministry in Tennessee's poorest county. For more information on this vital ministry please contact the Jubilee Project by calling Way to Go! Way to Give! Holston Conference. Your generosity continues to touch lives through the shared ministries supported by the tithe and second-mile giving. Visit WaytoGiveHolston.org for a bulletin insert that serves as a thank you note to your congregations for the ministries shared in In addition, you will find bulletin inserts and video resources that are intended for use in your local church beginning in February. These very special pieces provide a call from Bishop Dindy Taylor to commit our time and our 2015 Annual Conference Mission Offering to Children and Poverty in the Holston Conference. A copy of the video with instructional guidance will be ed directly to clergy, treasurers, finance chairpersons, lay leaders, and lay members to Annual Conference in the near future. Please use these resources to issue the invitation to bring it home as we give of ourselves to the most vulnerable in our communities. Thank you, Holston. Let s see how many lives we can change this year! The Grace Of Giving: Extravagant Generosity Bishop Robert Schnase Saturday April 11, 2015 Concord UMC, Knoxville 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Register online: Brochures and Registration forms are available at the District Office Be a Five Star Church for 2015 To meet the requirements of Five-Star status, a church must pay their full 10% Tithe to Conference for the year and contribute at least $25 to each of the four Advanced Special areas: International, United States, Conference and UMCOR.

5 Camp Lookout News Summer Camp Registration is Open!! All rising 1st- 12th graders are invited to join us for a week of camp this summer. Register before April 1st to receive a discount. Camp Lookout s Children s Day on May 30th: All elementary age children and their parents, siblings, grandparents, and Children s Directors are invited to participate in the 2015 Children s Day at Camp Lookout. This will be a day of fun and fellowship with crafts, games, and worship led by the Camp Lookout 2015 Summer Staff. There is no cost. Bring a t-shirt to tie-dye and a sack lunch, and we look forward to seeing you on May 30th!! Annual Conference June 7-11, 2015 April 1 Order Print Book of Reports Deadline May 20 Register for Annual Conference acregistration.holston.org It s time to Register for Wonders in the Woods 2015 POWER-UP!...Living the Spirit Crafts, Music, Worship, Cooking, Pickleball, Paddleboats, Fishing, Games all in God s beautiful world at Johnston Woods! For registration forms and more information contact David or Mary Ketchersid, mhketch@bsumc.org or call Early bird rates available for those who register April 1 Pre-Registration Deadline: April 10th Cost is $40 per person; optional breakfast with Barbara Day Miller $5. Make checks payable to: Holston Conference Mail to : Holston Worship Event P.O. Box 850, Alcoa, TN Register online at: authenticworship.holston.org Cleveland District Older Adult News Events: Jubilation April 19-21, 2015 Main Stay Suites Pigeon Forge. Brochures available at District Office. **Registration Deadline: March 16, 2015** For more information contact Gaye King Holston Conference Older Adults Ministries gayeking@holston.org May 11- District Older Adult Council Meeting 10 Big Spring UMC New Members Welcome. Jeanette Reynolds Scholarship The scholarship deadline is May 15, 2015 Contact the Cleveland District Office for application and Scholarship Guidelines Live Simulcast! Empowered to Connect Conference Equipping you to bring hope and healing to adopted and foster children. April 10-11, :00-6:00 Ooltewah United Methodist Church 6131 Relocation Way, Ooltewah, TN Register at oumclive.org or

6 Holston Conference United Methodist Women 2015 Calendar of Conference Events March April April May 23 June 7-11 July August 8 Sept Sisters in Service Retreat River Plantation Convention Center and Governor s Inn Sevierville, TN Mission Trip to Sager Brown, Baldwin, LA Spiritual Enrichment Experience, Lake Junaluska, NC Mujeres en Accion Worship Event for Women, Children, Youth Mount Zion UM Church, Afton, TN Holston Annual Conference at Lake Junaluska, NC Holston Conference Mission u Event, Central UMC, Lenoir City, TN Social Action Workshop First UMC, Sevierville, TN Conference UMW Annual Meeting and District Officer Training Lake Junaluska, NC Each District United Methodist Women of Holston Conference have events scheduled. Please refer to the district calendar for more information. United Methodist Women s Day should be observed on a Sunday selected by the local unit in consultation with their church s pastor. Lay Servant Training Chattanooga District Spring Lay Servant Training Brainerd UMC April 17-18, 2015 April 17 th from 6:30-9:00 p.m. April 18 th from 9:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Basic and Advanced Course (Living our United Methodist Beliefs) will be offered. These courses are offered for personal enrichment and for Lay Servant certification. Brochures will be coming soon via . Cost is $30 and includes lunch and curriculum. If you have any questions contact the Chattanooga District Office at Morristown District Lay Servant/Speaker Training Mosheim Central UMC April 10-11, 2015 April 10 th 6:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Registration 6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Class April 11 th 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Class Lunch when prepared 3:00 p.m. Dismissal/Sending Forth Registration Fee $25 the book is not included For additional information contact the Morristown District Office Knoxville District Lay Speaker/Lay Servant Training Christ UMC April 17-18, 2015 April 17 th 5:30-6:00 p.m. Registration, Gathering and Fellowship 6:00 9:00p.m. Workshops: Basic and Advanced April 18 th 8:00 11:45 a.m. Workshops: Basic and Advanced 11:45 12:30 p.m. Lunch (Provided) 12:30 4:00 p.m. Workshops: Basic and Advanced 1:00 4:00 p.m. Refresher Course Only Registration fee $40 For additional information or questions contact, Bobby Stair, Knoxville District Director of Lay Servant Ministries at or bsstair@comcast.net 6