The Cal Turner Jr., Center for Church Leadership is launching the Learning For Discipleship Series. On September 21-22 we will be offering our first event: “Teaching the Mission of Jesus.”
The purpose of the Learning for Discipleship series is three-fold:
1. Offer lay and clergy persons regular, accessible opportunities to strengthen foundational knowledge and skills for ministry leadership
2. Extend to clergy and lay professionals “Sabbath time,” with regular opportunities for shared spiritual reflection and re-tooling in ministry specialties
3. Keep clergy, pastors and lay professionals “up-to-date” with cutting edge issues and practices important to the life of the congregation.
On September 21-22, Dr. Margaret Ann Crain and Dr. Jack Seymour, two nationally known scholars in discipleship formation and spiritual growth, will come on campus to offer lectures, lead discussions and workshops. The theme is: “Teaching the Mission of Jesus.”
Please take a look at the brochure and notice the specific topics treated in the event. www.martinmethodist.edu/ccl/education/learndiscipleship I cannot think of any other ideal that ought to guide the life of our congregations. The vitality of the church depends on understanding and living out the Christ’s mission.
This experience benefits pastors, lay leaders, Christian Educators, Sunday School teachers, and other people interested in discipleship formation.
It only costs $80.00 for two days, dinner and lunch included. There is also an option to register for Saturday only.
I hope you join us for a time of learning, worship, fellowship and Sabbath. If you have questions or need more information, please feel free to contact me at 1.931.363.9864; or e-mail me at dnigrelli@martinmethodist.edu; or visit our website at www.martinmethodist.edu/ccl/education/learndiscipleship
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Eleven women receive seminary scholarships
By United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -Eleven U.S. seminary students will travel to other countries to learn about the leadership styles of women and share their own leadership methods in an effort to help develop leaders for global justice.
The experience is provided through the 2007-08 Georgia Harkness Scholarships, which awards $5,000 to women who are over age 35 and preparing for ordination as an elder in The United Methodist Church as a second career.
"We believe the Georgia Harkness scholars will be an inspiration to many women in countries where women's ordination is still a foreign concept," said the Rev. HiRho Park, director of continuing formation for ministry at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Scholars will be invited to visit both Honduras and El Salvador this year to immerse themselves in the experience of women there and to share their own determination to respond to God's call to ordained ministry.
The number of recipients increased from 10 to 11 this year as part of the board's strategic plan for 2007-2012. The recipients are chosen by a committee of United Methodist elders and board staff.
Harkness, the first woman theologian to teach in a Protestant seminary in the United States, dedicated her life to dismantling sexual and racial discrimination in The United Methodist Church and the world. Harkness taught at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and died in 1974. She was instrumental in the 1956 decision giving women full-clergy membership in The Methodist Church.
"We believe the women who have been selected to receive the scholarship named for her will continue her work," Park said.
The endowment for the Georgia Harkness Scholarship Program is now more than $500,000, and the board plans to increase that to $1 million by 2012 in conjunction with the United Methodist Foundation for Higher Education. Local churches will have opportunities to invite Georgia Harkness scholars to speak about their faith journey as women leaders of the church.
The 2007-2008 scholarship recipients, their schools and annual conferences are:
.Gladys Frances Adams, Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, N.C., Western North Carolina Annual Conference
.Carolyn Jane Christman, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, West Ohio Annual Conference
.Heather Ann Flaherty, Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, North Georgia .Annual Conference
.Cynthia "Cindy" Kaye Frisch, Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., Western North Carolina Annual Conference
.Peggy Ann Gibson, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tenn., Mississippi Annual Conference
.Regina Lou Gile, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo., Kansas East Annual Conference
.Suzanne L. Lyons, Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri Annual Conference
.Robyn J. Morrison, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., Yellowstone Annual Conference
.Beth Wilhelmson Mueller, Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif., Minnesota Annual Conference
.Susie Hiss Thomas, Drew University, The Theological School, Madison, N.J., Louisiana Annual Conference
.Norma Magdalene Wiegand, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference.
For more information about the scholarship program, visit www.gbhem.org/Harkness.html or contact the Rev. HiRho Park at (615) 340-7409.
By United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -Eleven U.S. seminary students will travel to other countries to learn about the leadership styles of women and share their own leadership methods in an effort to help develop leaders for global justice.
The experience is provided through the 2007-08 Georgia Harkness Scholarships, which awards $5,000 to women who are over age 35 and preparing for ordination as an elder in The United Methodist Church as a second career.
"We believe the Georgia Harkness scholars will be an inspiration to many women in countries where women's ordination is still a foreign concept," said the Rev. HiRho Park, director of continuing formation for ministry at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Scholars will be invited to visit both Honduras and El Salvador this year to immerse themselves in the experience of women there and to share their own determination to respond to God's call to ordained ministry.
The number of recipients increased from 10 to 11 this year as part of the board's strategic plan for 2007-2012. The recipients are chosen by a committee of United Methodist elders and board staff.
Harkness, the first woman theologian to teach in a Protestant seminary in the United States, dedicated her life to dismantling sexual and racial discrimination in The United Methodist Church and the world. Harkness taught at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and died in 1974. She was instrumental in the 1956 decision giving women full-clergy membership in The Methodist Church.
"We believe the women who have been selected to receive the scholarship named for her will continue her work," Park said.
The endowment for the Georgia Harkness Scholarship Program is now more than $500,000, and the board plans to increase that to $1 million by 2012 in conjunction with the United Methodist Foundation for Higher Education. Local churches will have opportunities to invite Georgia Harkness scholars to speak about their faith journey as women leaders of the church.
The 2007-2008 scholarship recipients, their schools and annual conferences are:
.Gladys Frances Adams, Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, N.C., Western North Carolina Annual Conference
.Carolyn Jane Christman, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, West Ohio Annual Conference
.Heather Ann Flaherty, Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, North Georgia .Annual Conference
.Cynthia "Cindy" Kaye Frisch, Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., Western North Carolina Annual Conference
.Peggy Ann Gibson, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tenn., Mississippi Annual Conference
.Regina Lou Gile, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo., Kansas East Annual Conference
.Suzanne L. Lyons, Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri Annual Conference
.Robyn J. Morrison, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., Yellowstone Annual Conference
.Beth Wilhelmson Mueller, Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, Calif., Minnesota Annual Conference
.Susie Hiss Thomas, Drew University, The Theological School, Madison, N.J., Louisiana Annual Conference
.Norma Magdalene Wiegand, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference.
For more information about the scholarship program, visit www.gbhem.org/Harkness.html or contact the Rev. HiRho Park at (615) 340-7409.
Forum helps students connect, hear calling
By Vicki Brown*
TACOMA, Wash. (UMNS) - For Khou Lee, participating in a Student Forum was an opportunity to see the world - and discover the possibility of furthering her education and seeking ordination in The United Methodist Church.
"In the Hmong culture, women are labeled as low, almost nothing," said the Merced (Calif.) College student, who served on the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee this year.
The committee, with staff assistance and financial support from the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, organizes Student Forum, the only annual leadership event for United Methodist college students. This year's event was held May 24-27 at the University of Puget Sound.
"It's had a huge impact on my life," said Lee, the daughter of Hmong immigrants from Laos. "I wasn't a churchgoer until I was 18. I really got involved in the church through the Wesley Foundation, and that really strengthened my faith. Then, Student Forum helped affirm that I wanted to respond to the call I feel to ministry."
The Rev. Luther Felder, the executive in the board's Campus Ministry Section, said he has seen many Student Forum participants take leadership roles in the church and the world. He mentioned Kenia Guimaraes, a staff member of the Division on Ministries with Young People at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship; Motoe Yamada, a pastor in the California-Nevada Annual Conference; and Glen Sears, legislative assistant and deputy communications director to U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kansas.
"Student Forum is a leadership training event where the great tapestry of God's creation is viewed and engaged around issues that are significant to The United Methodist Church and the larger society," Felder said. The experience enriches the lives and leadership gifts of those who attend, he added.
Jumping on a bus
The event helped Christine Seymour stay connected to The United Methodist Church, since Minnesota State University has no Wesley Foundation or United Methodist campus ministry. Seymour, who chaired the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee, attends an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America campus ministry and learned about Student Forum almost by accident.
"I heard a five-minute presentation at Youth 2003 and jumped on a bus with three total strangers to go to Student Forum," Seymour said. "It's really important that United Methodists realize Student Forum exists and that the church doesn't forget about you in college."
Seymour believes her work on the steering committee has helped her develop consensus-building skills.
"I've had to learn that although we are all United Methodists, it's not a narrowly defined church. How do you play to the middle so you include the most people in what you are doing?" Seymour asked.
On a nuts-and-bolts level, she's learned a great deal about long-term planning and also that "you can have differences of opinions with other people but still love the heck out of them."
Seeking ordination
Several steering committee members said attendance and their work at Student Forum helped them decide to seek ordination.
Jonathan Fell, a University of Iowa graduate, starts seminary at United Methodist-related Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., this fall.
"Forum has given me an experience working with other individuals who are just as caring and committed Christians as I am, but who have very different views," he said. "It's easy for me at home to be in a leadership position because our Wesley Foundation is pretty like-minded. ... And it's easy to be in community with one another. But when you get on a national committee, you have to open yourself up and be in community with folks who have different views.
"I've learned there is a story and a reason why we all believe what we believe and have the convictions we do," Fell said.
Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, a student at American University, Washington, said the Student Forum inspired her to get her campus ministry connected with others in the Washington area.
"We had a retreat with three other campus ministries in D.C., and we are trying to work with other campus ministries on some social justice programming," she said. She plans to attend seminary, but said she is more interested in social justice than local church ministry.
Birkhahn-Rommelfanger worked on putting together the hunger banquet for the forum, including an information packet with facts on hunger and steps everyone can take to fight hunger. "I had never put that kind of information together," she said.
She is taking what she learned back home.
"I can share that with the people in my own church community. In fact, I preached on why it's important to fund campus ministries," she said.
Connecting young people
Will Green, a student at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., said he is working on events in his own conference that are modeled on the forum and that will stress the importance of helping young United Methodists connect to one another.
"Student Forum really speaks to the 18- to 24-year-olds in the church," Green said. "We need something that makes us see who we are, what we are, the reason we are Methodists."
Forum participant Simone Furtado, a graduate of Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., agrees with Fell that one of the major benefits of the forum is learning how to work with different people.
"It's a place where you learn to renew our relationships with the church, an open place where we as United Methodist students can speak our mind and be in contact with the church as a whole," she said.
Details on leadership opportunities for young people in The United Methodist Church are available at www.umsm.org, www.umsm.org/studentforum and www.ExploreCalling.org.
*Brown is an associate editor and writer in the Office of Interpretation, United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
By Vicki Brown*
TACOMA, Wash. (UMNS) - For Khou Lee, participating in a Student Forum was an opportunity to see the world - and discover the possibility of furthering her education and seeking ordination in The United Methodist Church.
"In the Hmong culture, women are labeled as low, almost nothing," said the Merced (Calif.) College student, who served on the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee this year.
The committee, with staff assistance and financial support from the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, organizes Student Forum, the only annual leadership event for United Methodist college students. This year's event was held May 24-27 at the University of Puget Sound.
"It's had a huge impact on my life," said Lee, the daughter of Hmong immigrants from Laos. "I wasn't a churchgoer until I was 18. I really got involved in the church through the Wesley Foundation, and that really strengthened my faith. Then, Student Forum helped affirm that I wanted to respond to the call I feel to ministry."
The Rev. Luther Felder, the executive in the board's Campus Ministry Section, said he has seen many Student Forum participants take leadership roles in the church and the world. He mentioned Kenia Guimaraes, a staff member of the Division on Ministries with Young People at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship; Motoe Yamada, a pastor in the California-Nevada Annual Conference; and Glen Sears, legislative assistant and deputy communications director to U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kansas.
"Student Forum is a leadership training event where the great tapestry of God's creation is viewed and engaged around issues that are significant to The United Methodist Church and the larger society," Felder said. The experience enriches the lives and leadership gifts of those who attend, he added.
Jumping on a bus
The event helped Christine Seymour stay connected to The United Methodist Church, since Minnesota State University has no Wesley Foundation or United Methodist campus ministry. Seymour, who chaired the United Methodist Student Movement Steering Committee, attends an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America campus ministry and learned about Student Forum almost by accident.
"I heard a five-minute presentation at Youth 2003 and jumped on a bus with three total strangers to go to Student Forum," Seymour said. "It's really important that United Methodists realize Student Forum exists and that the church doesn't forget about you in college."
Seymour believes her work on the steering committee has helped her develop consensus-building skills.
"I've had to learn that although we are all United Methodists, it's not a narrowly defined church. How do you play to the middle so you include the most people in what you are doing?" Seymour asked.
On a nuts-and-bolts level, she's learned a great deal about long-term planning and also that "you can have differences of opinions with other people but still love the heck out of them."
Seeking ordination
Several steering committee members said attendance and their work at Student Forum helped them decide to seek ordination.
Jonathan Fell, a University of Iowa graduate, starts seminary at United Methodist-related Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., this fall.
"Forum has given me an experience working with other individuals who are just as caring and committed Christians as I am, but who have very different views," he said. "It's easy for me at home to be in a leadership position because our Wesley Foundation is pretty like-minded. ... And it's easy to be in community with one another. But when you get on a national committee, you have to open yourself up and be in community with folks who have different views.
"I've learned there is a story and a reason why we all believe what we believe and have the convictions we do," Fell said.
Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, a student at American University, Washington, said the Student Forum inspired her to get her campus ministry connected with others in the Washington area.
"We had a retreat with three other campus ministries in D.C., and we are trying to work with other campus ministries on some social justice programming," she said. She plans to attend seminary, but said she is more interested in social justice than local church ministry.
Birkhahn-Rommelfanger worked on putting together the hunger banquet for the forum, including an information packet with facts on hunger and steps everyone can take to fight hunger. "I had never put that kind of information together," she said.
She is taking what she learned back home.
"I can share that with the people in my own church community. In fact, I preached on why it's important to fund campus ministries," she said.
Connecting young people
Will Green, a student at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., said he is working on events in his own conference that are modeled on the forum and that will stress the importance of helping young United Methodists connect to one another.
"Student Forum really speaks to the 18- to 24-year-olds in the church," Green said. "We need something that makes us see who we are, what we are, the reason we are Methodists."
Forum participant Simone Furtado, a graduate of Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss., agrees with Fell that one of the major benefits of the forum is learning how to work with different people.
"It's a place where you learn to renew our relationships with the church, an open place where we as United Methodist students can speak our mind and be in contact with the church as a whole," she said.
Details on leadership opportunities for young people in The United Methodist Church are available at www.umsm.org, www.umsm.org/studentforum and www.ExploreCalling.org.
*Brown is an associate editor and writer in the Office of Interpretation, United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Grants awarded to ministries for older adults
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Grants awarded to 26 United Methodist older adult ministries will assist senior adults across the globe.
The projects range from a transportation ministry for "latch key seniors" in Houston to a mentoring program in Central Congo, Africa, in which older adults teach newlyweds about HIV/AIDS.
The grants total $38,000 and were awarded through the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries, Board of Discipleship. The awards partially fulfill the Comprehensive Plan for Older Adult Ministries approved by General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body.
The committee selected the projects from 59 applications.
"Every proposal was read and thoroughly evaluated. The discernment process was difficult, yet spirit-led," said the Rev. Richard H. Gentzler Jr., director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries.
Program recipients this year are:
.Older adults in Kindu, Lodja, and Wembo-Nyama, Congo, teach young adults about human sexuality and the risk of HIV/AIDS, $1,000;
.Refuge for Latch Key Seniors, Trinity United Methodist Church, Houston, $1,000, providing essential transportation for older adults to medical appointments, grocery stores, etc., as well as field trips for study;
.Parish Nurse, First United Methodist Church, Apopka, Fla., $1,250, training a volunteer to provide multiple health services and education at the church;
.OWLS - Older Wiser Livelier Souls, Baldwinsville (N.Y.) First United Methodist Church, $1,255, providing monthly meetings and meals for senior adults and a monthly worship service at a local retirement facility;
.Christian Music Therapy, Wesley Village, Macomb, Ill., $2,500, providing musical instruments to stimulate and engage older adults;
.Sew n' Sews Outreach, First United Methodist Church, Hutchinson, Kan., $1,143, providing useful sewn items for older adults, primarily for those using wheelchairs or walkers;
.Transforming: A Regenerative Community, United Methodist Elder Care, East Providence, R.I., $700, training and certifying staff as Eden Alternative Associates. Eden Alternative is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for elders;
.Clair Community Bible Study, Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, Irvington, Ky., $1,220, providing an outreach Bible study to spread God's word by increasing community knowledge of the Bible and its spiritual rewards;
.Older Adult Ministries in Small and/or Rural Churches, Sunshine District Rocky Mountain Conference, United Methodist Church, $1,500, brainstorming for ideas to promote older adult ministries in small, rural churches;
.Feeding of the Elderly and Homebound, Liberia Annual Conference United Methodist Church, Monrovia, Liberia, $2,500, providing food assistance to elderly left destitute by civil war and delivering hot meals and unprepared food items to homebound;
.Happy Hearts, Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Orlando, Fla., $2,000, providing an educational and social monthly gathering of older adults;
.Senior Fun Days, Mill Creek United Methodist Church, Montoursville, Penn., $984, helping purchase audiovisual equipment for social and educational ministries;
.Living Waters, Crawford United Methodist Church, Mobile, Ala., $2,500, for bi-weekly program of lunch, information, crafts, games, Bible study and health screening for isolated older adults;
.Reach Out Senior Adult Ministry Project, Grayson (Ga.) United Methodist Church, $800, developing phone tree project to reach out to older adults;
.Seniors Day Out, Calvary United Methodist Church, Brownsburg, Ind., $1,250, a weekly program for fellowship, exercise and information;
.Clothes and Blankets to Older Adults, African South Congo Conference, $1,000, providing blankets and clothes to older adults;
.Food and Utensils for Older Adults, African East Congo Conference, $1,000, providing food rich in proteins and vitamins as well as eating utensils for older adults;
.Finding Fitness, Maumee (Ohio) United Methodist Church, $1,500, providing modified exercise to adults over 55 by teaching Tai Chi and Yoga to improve balance and flexibility;
.The Seniority Project, Marcy-Newberry Association, Chicago, $1,500, providing seed money to purchase supplies for arts and crafts projects and to publish a newsletter;
.Each One Reach One, Triad Native American United Methodist Church, Greensboro, N.C., $2,000, outreach program to older adults in the community who are not connected with the church and not receiving healthcare services. The volunteer-led program includes Bible study, meal and transportation services;
.Angels on Call, Golden Gate District, California-Nevada Conference, $1,250, training and providing resources to welcome visitors and assist those in need;
.Coming Fully Alive-A Joint Venture, Grace United Methodist Church & Senior New Ways, Yuba City, Calif., $1,000, offering an eight-class series on topics for older adults and helping launch an older adult program in two locations;
.Churchland Connection, Centenary United Methodist Church, Portsmouth, Va., $2,000, providing food preparation, transportation and referrals to service providers for homebound seniors;
.Get Connected-Stay Connected, Phoebe's Place of Maple Park United Methodist Church, Chicago, $1,000, connecting seniors from drop-in center with students from Higgins Community Academy;
.Barnitz/Mt. Zion United Methodist Church's Older Adult Ministries, Barnitz/Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Carlisle, Penn., $1,650, meeting the needs of seniors without partners in a monthly educational, social event;
.Older Adult Ministry, First United Methodist Church, Voorheesville, N.Y., $2,500, helping older adult church members cope with decreased income and mobility and increased healthcare costs, with a focus on maintaining independence.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Grants awarded to 26 United Methodist older adult ministries will assist senior adults across the globe.
The projects range from a transportation ministry for "latch key seniors" in Houston to a mentoring program in Central Congo, Africa, in which older adults teach newlyweds about HIV/AIDS.
The grants total $38,000 and were awarded through the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries, Board of Discipleship. The awards partially fulfill the Comprehensive Plan for Older Adult Ministries approved by General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body.
The committee selected the projects from 59 applications.
"Every proposal was read and thoroughly evaluated. The discernment process was difficult, yet spirit-led," said the Rev. Richard H. Gentzler Jr., director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries.
Program recipients this year are:
.Older adults in Kindu, Lodja, and Wembo-Nyama, Congo, teach young adults about human sexuality and the risk of HIV/AIDS, $1,000;
.Refuge for Latch Key Seniors, Trinity United Methodist Church, Houston, $1,000, providing essential transportation for older adults to medical appointments, grocery stores, etc., as well as field trips for study;
.Parish Nurse, First United Methodist Church, Apopka, Fla., $1,250, training a volunteer to provide multiple health services and education at the church;
.OWLS - Older Wiser Livelier Souls, Baldwinsville (N.Y.) First United Methodist Church, $1,255, providing monthly meetings and meals for senior adults and a monthly worship service at a local retirement facility;
.Christian Music Therapy, Wesley Village, Macomb, Ill., $2,500, providing musical instruments to stimulate and engage older adults;
.Sew n' Sews Outreach, First United Methodist Church, Hutchinson, Kan., $1,143, providing useful sewn items for older adults, primarily for those using wheelchairs or walkers;
.Transforming: A Regenerative Community, United Methodist Elder Care, East Providence, R.I., $700, training and certifying staff as Eden Alternative Associates. Eden Alternative is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for elders;
.Clair Community Bible Study, Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, Irvington, Ky., $1,220, providing an outreach Bible study to spread God's word by increasing community knowledge of the Bible and its spiritual rewards;
.Older Adult Ministries in Small and/or Rural Churches, Sunshine District Rocky Mountain Conference, United Methodist Church, $1,500, brainstorming for ideas to promote older adult ministries in small, rural churches;
.Feeding of the Elderly and Homebound, Liberia Annual Conference United Methodist Church, Monrovia, Liberia, $2,500, providing food assistance to elderly left destitute by civil war and delivering hot meals and unprepared food items to homebound;
.Happy Hearts, Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Orlando, Fla., $2,000, providing an educational and social monthly gathering of older adults;
.Senior Fun Days, Mill Creek United Methodist Church, Montoursville, Penn., $984, helping purchase audiovisual equipment for social and educational ministries;
.Living Waters, Crawford United Methodist Church, Mobile, Ala., $2,500, for bi-weekly program of lunch, information, crafts, games, Bible study and health screening for isolated older adults;
.Reach Out Senior Adult Ministry Project, Grayson (Ga.) United Methodist Church, $800, developing phone tree project to reach out to older adults;
.Seniors Day Out, Calvary United Methodist Church, Brownsburg, Ind., $1,250, a weekly program for fellowship, exercise and information;
.Clothes and Blankets to Older Adults, African South Congo Conference, $1,000, providing blankets and clothes to older adults;
.Food and Utensils for Older Adults, African East Congo Conference, $1,000, providing food rich in proteins and vitamins as well as eating utensils for older adults;
.Finding Fitness, Maumee (Ohio) United Methodist Church, $1,500, providing modified exercise to adults over 55 by teaching Tai Chi and Yoga to improve balance and flexibility;
.The Seniority Project, Marcy-Newberry Association, Chicago, $1,500, providing seed money to purchase supplies for arts and crafts projects and to publish a newsletter;
.Each One Reach One, Triad Native American United Methodist Church, Greensboro, N.C., $2,000, outreach program to older adults in the community who are not connected with the church and not receiving healthcare services. The volunteer-led program includes Bible study, meal and transportation services;
.Angels on Call, Golden Gate District, California-Nevada Conference, $1,250, training and providing resources to welcome visitors and assist those in need;
.Coming Fully Alive-A Joint Venture, Grace United Methodist Church & Senior New Ways, Yuba City, Calif., $1,000, offering an eight-class series on topics for older adults and helping launch an older adult program in two locations;
.Churchland Connection, Centenary United Methodist Church, Portsmouth, Va., $2,000, providing food preparation, transportation and referrals to service providers for homebound seniors;
.Get Connected-Stay Connected, Phoebe's Place of Maple Park United Methodist Church, Chicago, $1,000, connecting seniors from drop-in center with students from Higgins Community Academy;
.Barnitz/Mt. Zion United Methodist Church's Older Adult Ministries, Barnitz/Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Carlisle, Penn., $1,650, meeting the needs of seniors without partners in a monthly educational, social event;
.Older Adult Ministry, First United Methodist Church, Voorheesville, N.Y., $2,500, helping older adult church members cope with decreased income and mobility and increased healthcare costs, with a focus on maintaining independence.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Uniting Youth to be launched at Youth 2007
By Linda Green*
United Methodist teens dance to the music of Kirk Franklin during Youth '03 on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Youth 2007 will bring up to 10,000 United Methodist youth to Greensboro, N.C. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-United Methodist youth will use an old board game to try to set a new world record and, in the process, help launch a ministry to invite other teens into the church as they seek to explore their faith.
When up to 10,000 teens gather for Youth 2007 (http://www.youth2007.org/) on July 11-15 in Greensboro, N.C., they can try to play "Operation" in less than one minute and two seconds and earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest game of Operation ever played.
It's all part of Operation Vote, which will help launch a new denominational ministry called Igniting Youth, aimed at welcoming teen seekers into the life of the church.
Part of the initiative is a new interactive Web site filled with a library of advertising material for youth and youth groups to use for local community outreach and evangelism, including a handbook to help churches enhance their teen welcoming ministries.
Through Operation Vote, youths ages 14 to 17 can help select the Web site's name by voting from a ballot of five names submitted by teens from across the United Methodist connection.
Among today's Internet-savvy teens, an effective and interactive Web site is an important part of the new ministry, and all the resources will be teen-focused and teen-produced, according to Susan Crawford, director of Igniting Youth at United Methodist Communications.
"It is based on very real teen things such as ways to tell another about the youth group, ways to talk to the youth leader and ways to talk about the strange times in life when faith becomes important-like when you are upside down on that rollercoaster," Crawford said.
Every four years, The United Methodist Church hosts the largest gathering of youth from across the denomination and, together, they experience God through five days of ministerial, cultural and spiritual opportunities. Youth 2007 is the perfect place to roll out the new ministry because Igniting Youth is for, with and about youth, according to Crawford.
Can you operate on "Cavity Sam"?
Operation, the classic battery-powered board game created by Milton Bradley and in production since 1965, tests a player's hand-eye coordination as he or she uses wired tweezers to remove 13 plastic "ailments" from a patient named "Cavity Sam." If the tweezers touch the metal edge of the opening during the attempt, a buzzer sounds and the patient's nose lights up red.
It's not as easy as it looks.
To play Operation, youth at the 2007 assembly must participate in an interactive laptop computer experience about Igniting Youth, and then qualify for an attempt to break the board game's record.
Igniting Youth is the teen sibling of denomination's 7-year-old adult program called Igniting Ministry (http://www.ignitingministry.org/), an advertising and welcoming ministry that targets adults aged 25-54 through traditional media such television, posters, door hangers and billboards.
Both ministries are designed to raise awareness of The United Methodist Church and target "seekers," or those who have not been to a church worship service in six months and those not closely affiliated with a church. The two welcoming campaigns also highlight the church's tagline of "Open Minds. Open Hearts. Open Doors."
Church leaders say welcoming is a form of kindness, hospitality and acceptance shown to both guests and church members alike. "In a nation that's becoming more unchurched all the time, we need to ensure that teen seekers encounter in us a Christ that they want to know better," according to literature introducing Igniting Youth.
'Soul searching'
Specifically, Igniting Youth is an evangelism tool to reach 14- to 18-year-olds. Research indicates that teens, like adults, are "soul searching" and using diverse means to connect with one another and to acquire knowledge.
"Teens need to feel they have valued voice with adults," said Crawford. "They need to feel that the questions and issues they have are valid and warrant the same thoughtful consideration and answers any adult posing the question would receive. They need to feel that there is a community where they can share their ideas and not be judged on their ideas."
One of the most critical issues facing The United Methodist Church is communicating with youth and young adults, according to the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive at United Methodist Communications.
The Igniting Ministry Youth Initiative "has partnered with youth and young adults to learn about their concerns, joys and hopes in order to encourage connection between youth and young adults and the church," Hollon said. "The hope is that in this partnership we will find ways to encourage meaningful interaction that will lead all of us to growth and deeper faith."
Although housed at United Methodist Communications, Igniting Youth's partners include the Division on Ministries with Young People; De'vozine, the church's teen magazine; ileadyouth.com at the United Methodist Publishing House; the Living Prayer Center at the Upper Room; and the youth worker movement.
Igniting Youth is just one more way the church can connect with teens, according to Jay Clark, director of Youth 2007 and a staff member of the Division of Ministry with Young People at the Board of Discipleship.
"Igniting Youth was not designed to take the place of relationships," he said, "but to provide a portal for youth to connect to the bigger picture and to help answer questions along the way."
As part of the effort, the denomination's annual Open House Month in September - when United Methodist churches host special events to welcome and invite people in the community to church - is this year being called Teen Open House Month, aimed at welcoming teens into the life of the church.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
By Linda Green*
United Methodist teens dance to the music of Kirk Franklin during Youth '03 on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Youth 2007 will bring up to 10,000 United Methodist youth to Greensboro, N.C. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-United Methodist youth will use an old board game to try to set a new world record and, in the process, help launch a ministry to invite other teens into the church as they seek to explore their faith.
When up to 10,000 teens gather for Youth 2007 (http://www.youth2007.org/) on July 11-15 in Greensboro, N.C., they can try to play "Operation" in less than one minute and two seconds and earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest game of Operation ever played.
It's all part of Operation Vote, which will help launch a new denominational ministry called Igniting Youth, aimed at welcoming teen seekers into the life of the church.
Part of the initiative is a new interactive Web site filled with a library of advertising material for youth and youth groups to use for local community outreach and evangelism, including a handbook to help churches enhance their teen welcoming ministries.
Through Operation Vote, youths ages 14 to 17 can help select the Web site's name by voting from a ballot of five names submitted by teens from across the United Methodist connection.
Among today's Internet-savvy teens, an effective and interactive Web site is an important part of the new ministry, and all the resources will be teen-focused and teen-produced, according to Susan Crawford, director of Igniting Youth at United Methodist Communications.
"It is based on very real teen things such as ways to tell another about the youth group, ways to talk to the youth leader and ways to talk about the strange times in life when faith becomes important-like when you are upside down on that rollercoaster," Crawford said.
Every four years, The United Methodist Church hosts the largest gathering of youth from across the denomination and, together, they experience God through five days of ministerial, cultural and spiritual opportunities. Youth 2007 is the perfect place to roll out the new ministry because Igniting Youth is for, with and about youth, according to Crawford.
Can you operate on "Cavity Sam"?
Operation, the classic battery-powered board game created by Milton Bradley and in production since 1965, tests a player's hand-eye coordination as he or she uses wired tweezers to remove 13 plastic "ailments" from a patient named "Cavity Sam." If the tweezers touch the metal edge of the opening during the attempt, a buzzer sounds and the patient's nose lights up red.
It's not as easy as it looks.
To play Operation, youth at the 2007 assembly must participate in an interactive laptop computer experience about Igniting Youth, and then qualify for an attempt to break the board game's record.
Igniting Youth is the teen sibling of denomination's 7-year-old adult program called Igniting Ministry (http://www.ignitingministry.org/), an advertising and welcoming ministry that targets adults aged 25-54 through traditional media such television, posters, door hangers and billboards.
Both ministries are designed to raise awareness of The United Methodist Church and target "seekers," or those who have not been to a church worship service in six months and those not closely affiliated with a church. The two welcoming campaigns also highlight the church's tagline of "Open Minds. Open Hearts. Open Doors."
Church leaders say welcoming is a form of kindness, hospitality and acceptance shown to both guests and church members alike. "In a nation that's becoming more unchurched all the time, we need to ensure that teen seekers encounter in us a Christ that they want to know better," according to literature introducing Igniting Youth.
'Soul searching'
Specifically, Igniting Youth is an evangelism tool to reach 14- to 18-year-olds. Research indicates that teens, like adults, are "soul searching" and using diverse means to connect with one another and to acquire knowledge.
"Teens need to feel they have valued voice with adults," said Crawford. "They need to feel that the questions and issues they have are valid and warrant the same thoughtful consideration and answers any adult posing the question would receive. They need to feel that there is a community where they can share their ideas and not be judged on their ideas."
One of the most critical issues facing The United Methodist Church is communicating with youth and young adults, according to the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive at United Methodist Communications.
The Igniting Ministry Youth Initiative "has partnered with youth and young adults to learn about their concerns, joys and hopes in order to encourage connection between youth and young adults and the church," Hollon said. "The hope is that in this partnership we will find ways to encourage meaningful interaction that will lead all of us to growth and deeper faith."
Although housed at United Methodist Communications, Igniting Youth's partners include the Division on Ministries with Young People; De'vozine, the church's teen magazine; ileadyouth.com at the United Methodist Publishing House; the Living Prayer Center at the Upper Room; and the youth worker movement.
Igniting Youth is just one more way the church can connect with teens, according to Jay Clark, director of Youth 2007 and a staff member of the Division of Ministry with Young People at the Board of Discipleship.
"Igniting Youth was not designed to take the place of relationships," he said, "but to provide a portal for youth to connect to the bigger picture and to help answer questions along the way."
As part of the effort, the denomination's annual Open House Month in September - when United Methodist churches host special events to welcome and invite people in the community to church - is this year being called Teen Open House Month, aimed at welcoming teens into the life of the church.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
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