1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

ECHOES ACROSS THE RIVER
an edition of
The United Methodist Reporter
PERIODICALS
Two Sections, Section A • 075635 • Vol. 159 No. 13 • July 27, 2012
Sunday In The Hills
From the Heart
of Bob Allen
By BOB ALLEN
Senior Pastor
321 Thompson Drive,
Kerrville, Tx. 78028
Phone: 830-257-0800
FAX 830-257-0835
E-Mail: kfumc@kfumc.org
Pat Browne, Editor
SUNDAY ACTIVITIES
Morning Worship Services
8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship Service
11:00 a.m. , Fellowship Hall
Sunday School Classes
9:45 a.m.
Sunday Morning Communion
8:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m.
Sunday Evening Service:
6:00 p.m.
United Methodist Youth Fellowship
Wednesdays and Sundays
Mid-Week Manna
Fellowship Hall
5:00 p.m.
Wed., August 1:
Meatloaf, stuffing, green beans,
soup, salad bar, dessert
Wed., August 8:
Chili cheese dogs, baked beans,
soup, salad bar, dessert
Boy Scouts Annual
Spaghetti Supper
Tues., Aug. 7 @ 4–8 p.m.
Gym—$5 per plate
Boy Scout Troop 60 will host
its annual spaghetti supper again
this year, serving the spaghetti
and meat sauce entrée with salad,
dessert and drink. Tickets are
being sold the next two Sundays
before services at the doors. All
proceeds beyond food expenses
will apply toward summer camp,
monthly outing expenses, uniform costs, camping gear and
other related camping expenses.
Your support is greatly appreciated and truly supports a worthy
cause.
More FUMC News on
pages 4A, 5A and 8A
W
e must not let the failures and disappointments of yesterday
determine our todays or our tomorrows. Things happen and life
often is not fair. We can be keenly disappointed by the unexpected events of life. The degree that we worked on for years and years did
not bring the rewards that were expected. Our dream job left us empty and
unfulfilled. Sometimes our poor choices can take us places that we never
intended to go. We normally don’t start a marriage by saying, “someday
we will get divorced.” We don’t normally start the day by saying, “I think
I’ll be careless today and see if I can hurt someone’s feelings.” Our actions
sometimes can be thoughtless and quite insensitive. Our tongues can
quickly get us into trouble when we end up saying regrettable things. We
must not let the failures and disappointments of yesterday shape our future.
We must not allow our negativity to circumvent the will of God.
We serve a God of second chances and new beginnings. This day God
is giving you another chance to begin anew. This day God has granted us
a new opportunity to live life to the fullest. Every day should be a celebration of life. God is full of forgiveness and surprises. Let God reshape
your life and may you celebrate our awesome God who gives us new life!
“Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
POSITIVE CHANGES MADE FOR
ANNUAL CHURCHWIDE PICNIC
Make your plans now for the annual Church Picnic at Camp Mystic
that is going to be held on Sunday, August 19th. Please note the change:
the Picnic will be held from 3:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Games and swimming
in the river will be held from 3:30p–5:30p; worship from 5:30p–6:30p;
dinner from 6:30p–7:30p. Please note this additional change: we are going
to invite the Methodist Churches of Kerr County to this wonderful event.
This means that we will be hosting this super event. Remember that all
KFUMC services on that Sunday morning will be held at their regular
time. Make your plans to attend this fantastic evening.
GOD’S KIDS CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Children will have the choice of two different meeting times for choir
this year. Choir times will be Wednesdays from 4:15–5:15 pm. OR Sundays from 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. This will allow children with busy
schedules to find time for choir. Children of all ages are welcome. Our
Christmas musical will be “Arrest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” I am looking
forward to seeing your child in choir. Choir will begin Sunday, August
26 and/or Wednesday, August 29. If you have questions, please call me
(Mary Boman) at 257-7507.
AUGUST MISSION MOMENT:
JUNCTION HOUSE, KERRVILLE
Marilyn Ketcherside will be the speaker for the August 5th Mission
Moment in all services. She will share information about Junction House,
held at Cedar Elm Place apartments, that provides activities for as many
as 35 people with mental illness, including devotionals, meals, crafts,
exercise, games, fellowship, and holiday celebrations. Marilyn is a
retired occupational therapist and is the Coordinator of activities at Junction House.
The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) is published weekly by
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Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send address changes to The United Methodist Reporter.
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July 29, 2012
NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
YOUTH SUNDAY
TRADITIONAL SERVICES—8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 a.m.
CROSSING SERVICE—9:30 a.m.—NEW!
CONTEMPORARY SERVICE—11:00 a.m.
Sermon:
Scripture:
Theme: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A KING
“How to Fall: Selective Amnesia” Rev. Bob Allen
Rev. Ray Altman
2 Samuel 11:1-15
++++++++++++++++++++++
AUGUST 5, 2012
TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Theme: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A KING
“How to Fall: Lie to Yourself”
Rev. Bob Allen
Rev. Ray Altman
Scripture:
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
++++++++++++++++++++++
If you are unable to worship with us, our 11:00 a.m. service can be heard
on KERV 1230 Radio. You are welcome to visit our web site
at www.kfumc.org or E-Mail the church at kfumc@kfumc.org
############
You are welcome to join us for the Sunday evening service
at 6:00 p.m. in the Chapel.
#############
The 11:00 a.m. Sunday Morning Service may be seen on TV
Channel 10 at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, and again at 9:00 p.m.
on Wednesday evening. Also, in the Hunt/Ingram area, you
may view this service on Channel 11 at the same times.
Sermon:
Hope for a
Dying Church
By Ray Altman,
Associate Pastor
In 1975, 68% of Americans had “quite a bit” of confidence in the
church or organized religion. This was the highest mark for any institution in the country. Through the years, that number has slipped to where
it sits today - 44%. And while this regular Gallup poll shows that Americans’ faith in institutions in general has been on the decline, it has been
particularly steep for the church. There are several ways we can respond
to the data that suggests that in a few years only a small amount of people will have much confidence in the church at all. One of the most popular responses among “church folk” is to blame a rise in secular culture
and enter a battle between “us and them” in a fight for morals and values in America. This attitude often results in a victim mentality for the
church and compromising behavior in the name of preserving our vanishing heritage.
This “battle” has been going on for at least 25 years and the news is
clear—the church cannot win THIS WAY. Another response for the church
is to try and make ourselves more likeable. If we can run our churches
like a theme park or a cruise ship, we’ll restore America’s faith in us! But
this approach seeks to reach more people at the expense of watering down
the message of the gospel and the call of discipleship. Is there a third way
where we don’t go to war with an unbelieving society and we don’t acquiesce in our values? Yes. It is the way of Christ and the cross. It is to love
one another and our neighbors (secular and religious) and to let the institution die if it must. Our message of hope does not rely on the institution
of Christianity—it relies on the Spirit of the Eternal God with in us. And
nothing can take that away.
2A
Southwest Texas
Conference News
Briefs
Contacts needed for future
Witness series
Several series are planned for future
issues of The United Methodist Witness,
but we can’t write them without you!
Please let us know if you have any
contacts for the following themes:
Environmentalism—Is your church
taking steps to care for the earth? We
are in the brainstorming stage of a series
that examines the conscious choices
churches are making to “clean” up their
practices and be better stewards of the
planet.
Evangelism—This series will focus
on the ways churches in our conference
evangelize. What are the ways your
church practices evangelism (oldfashioned door-to-door evangelism,
serving-while-evangelizing, home-group
evangelism)? Let us know!
Health and wellness—what does your
church do to promote health and wellness
(including physical health, financial
health, spiritual health)? Contact us and
let us know names of people in charge of
ministries that promote wellness within
members of your congregation.
Small churches—This series will
focus on small churches, examining
the challenges of two- and threepoint charges, collecting dollars for
ministry and keeping up membership
numbers while celebrating the unique
blessings that come with being a small
congregation.
Please send all information to Rachel
Toalson at rtoalson@umcswtx.org or call
(210) 408-4524.
Students spend a week serving the needy
Sea City Work Camp participants repair roofs, repaint houses for the poor
Students help repair the roof of a house for Sea City Work Camp during Week 2 of the summer camp, where students work
in triple digit heat to bless homeowners in Corpus Christi.
By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
By the time they leave, these students will know how to roof a house,
how to properly cut boards to ęt,
how to paint past the aching in their
arms.
By the time they leave, these students will know what it means to
sweat for their team, what it means
to sacrięce, what it means to make
forever-friends across all denominational lines.
By the time they leave, these students will know a way to serve the
poor, a way to love their forgoĴen
neighbors, a way to draw closer to
the God who gives and takes away.
More than 100 youths chose to
spend a week of their summer roofing and painting houses in Corpus
Christi’s triple-digit weather so they
could help the needy and, at the same
time, spend time with Jesus.
“Servanthood touches each of us
like no sermon or retreat can,” said
Kathy Rios, youth director for Grace
UMC, Corpus Christi, who runs Week
2 of Sea City Work Camp. “We are experiencing what Jesus would do, and
that is to help our neighbors and treat
them as we would treat ourselves—
(See “Youths” on page 6)
Southwest Texas Conference News
3A
Efforts to rebuild homes destroyed by wildfires continue
By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
It’s been almost a year since wildęres swept through Central Texas,
destroying and damaging more than
2,000 homes—enough time for the
memory to fade in the minds of those
leĞ unaěected.
But the overwhelming needs have
not gone away.
United Methodist Volunteers in
Mission (UMVIM) teams are working diligently to rebuild homes for
homeowners without insurance and
those with limited coverage.
A new home, even a minimal one,
costs $68,000 to build, said Gene
Hileman—which means money is
one of the biggest needs in long term
recovery.
The Southwest Texas Conference
received a $50,000 grant from the
United Methodist CommiĴee on Relief (UMCOR) to help fund a disaster
case management supervisor for the
Bastrop County Long Term Recovery
Team, he added.
“That will help (the team) get case
management done,” he said. “It’s
necessary for a lot of reasons, but
most important is the fact that you
can’t help the families properly until
you’ve done the case management so
you know who needs the help most.
That’s what the case management supervisor does.”
The grant funds part of the salary
and expenses for the staě position,
which began in June.
Hileman said teams have been
making progress on rebuilding
homes.
“There’s still a need for additional
funding because there are so many
homes that need to be rebuilt,” he
said. “The amount of money needed
is preĴy great.”
The need for volunteers is also
great.
“I’m really encouraging UMVIM
teams to plan on helping with the
A recovery team from First UMC, Round Rock, works on rebuilding houses for the victims of the Bastrop wildfires that
swept through Central Texas almost a year ago.
recovery eěort,” Hileman said. “We
need them to help.”
UMVIM teams have access to a
housing facility called Faith Village,
an interdenominational volunteer
housing center with which the recovery team is cooperating. Long-term
recovery team volunteers do not have
to be trained, he added.
Volunteers are helping rebuild the
homes of victims without insurance.
For those with limited insurance,
team assistance is combined with
the limited resources homeowners
have.”
“(Victims) don’t have enough (money) that they can just go out and build
another home,” Hileman said. “This
allows us to get them back in a home.”
The wildęres in Bastrop began
Sept. 3 and had burned more than
34,000 acres by Sept. 14. It was declared a national disaster Sept. 10.
It’s been called one of the most destructive wildęres in Texas history.
Early response teams helped with
cleanup and immediate needs, Hileman said, but long term recovery
groups are now doing the work.
Those interested in being a part of
a recovery team can visit the Southwest Texas Conference Web site
(www.umcswtx.org) and register.
And Advance Special #2050 has
been set up for victims of the ęres.
Make sure donations are designated
for wildęre assistance. Donations can
be sent to Treasurer, southwest Texas
Conference, 16400 Huebner Rd., San
Antonio, TX 78248 and designate
it for wildęre assistance and/or advance #2050.
PAGE 4A
KERRVILLE FUMC EDITION OF THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER
Children’s
Activities
You are invited to attend Wacky Summer 2012!
June 3 through August 19 Summer Sunday School meets on Sundays at 9:45 a.m.
Bring a friend! 2 & 3 yr olds, 4 yrs.–Kinder, 1st–4th grade, and 5th–6th grade
(All age requirements are based on grade just completed. Promotion will be held Aug. 26th).
**August 9—Family Fun Night: 6:00 p.m. in Youth Building. Free hot dogs & drinks
provided by the Children’s Council. Special entertainment by Lucas Miller, singing
zoologist. Miller, who holds a B.A. in zoology, brings science to life in wildly animated
style. With an electric guitar, a trunk full of puppets, and images projected on a six-foot
screen, he delights preschoolers and upper-elementary kids alike while teaching about
monarch butterflies, wetlands, adaptations, metamorphosis and other topics.
August 26—Back to Sunday School Rally Day: 9:45 a.m.
Meet your new teachers, have great refreshments, and receive a special gift. Don’t
miss it! All kids are promoted today!
** Not a drop off event. Adults must accompany children to this event. All rooms are in the
Education Building, 1st floor, unless otherwise noted. There are no charges for these events
unless noted. Please contact Patti Hutte for more information at 257-0808 or
phutte@kfumc.org.
2012 Children’s Camps, Mt. Wesley
5th–6th grades: August 5–9
Kid’s in Action will not meet in the summer and will resume again on Wednesday,
September 12.
The mission of the children’s ministry of First United Methodist Church is to bring all
children in our care to a personal and meaningful relationship with their savior, Jesus
Christ, and to be a living example of His love in their lives.
For more information about children’s programs,
contact Patti Hutte, Director, at 257-0808 or patti.hutte@kfumc.org.
FIRST UM YOUTH
OPPORTUNITIES
We have a place for YOUth!
A Note from Beth…. .
Some people talk about teenagers being the church of tomorrow. I don’t believe that! I
am convinced that teenagers who are bold enough to follow Jesus are the church of today.
You don’t have to wait until you’re older to do something big for God! I Timothy 4:12
SUNDAY MORNING! 9:45–10:30
The Breakfast Club! Muffins, doughnuts, juice and a time
of discussing, teaching, praying and serving.
Come as you are! Everyone is welcome! Bring your friends!!!
JULY & AUGUST SCHEDULE 2012
Youth Sunday: July 29
Meet at the Rio! Sunday afternoon,
August 5 (more information soon)
Church Picnic: August 19
Pray on Campus for the new school
year! Sunday, August 26
Parents and students welcome at 2 pm
at Peterson Middle School and/or 3 pm at
Tivy High School to join in prayer at the
flagpole for the 2012-13 school year.
Let’s blanket the campus with prayer!!!
LASER QUEST LOCK-IN!
Saturday night, August 11 thru Sunday morning, August 12
Meet at the church at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and travel to San Antonio in church buses to
Laser Quest. Play laser tag all night and return back to the church at 6 a.m.! Lots of fun!!!
$30. Sign up now in the Activity Center or call Beth at 257-0803
or email her at beth.palmer@kfumc.org.
Fall Youth Group Begins on Sunday, September 9
For more information, contact Beth Palmer, Youth Director
257-0803 or www.bpalmer@kfumc.org
JULY 27, 2012
SUMMER
OPPORTUNITIES
Disciple II: Into the
Word Into the World
Tues., Aug. 22–May,
2013 @ 5:30–8 p.m.,
Room 203
If you are looking to
grow in knowledge and
faith, we want to offer all of you that have
taken Disciple I an opportunity to sign up
for Disciple II, which Bob and Irene Allen
will be leading beginning in the month of
August. Beginning next week, on Tuesday, August 14th, we will be gathering in
the Education Building, Room 201 for our
orientation meeting. It is here that you will
receive your manual and instructions for
our weekly meetings. This introduction
will be from 5:30p–6:30p. Beginning on
Tuesday, August 21st, our first full class
will meet from 5:30p– 7:50p. Remember
that Disciple Bible Study II is 32 weeks
long: 8 weeks in Genesis; 8 weeks in Exodus; 8 weeks in Luke; 8 weeks in Acts. You
can sign up now through the church office.
This class is limited to twelve students,
and you must have completed DBS I.
Companions in Christ
Wed., Aug. 29–May, 2013 @
6:00–8 p.m., Room 218
This 28-week class provides you with
an overview of the Christian spiritual life
and the practices that help people enter
into the formative pattern of Christ’s life:
a life of prayer, study and service. Prior to
the first meeting, there will be an introductory reading and five daily exercises.
The weekly group meeting is divided into
three segments—worship and prayer,
sharing insights and deeper exploration.
Call the church office at 257-0800 to register by August 22 so that we may order
enough books. Cost: $15, to be paid at the
class meeting. Facilitator: Kelly Pelton
ALPHA
Begins Wed., Aug. 29th, with an
introductory dinner—Fellowship Hall
If you want to explore Christianity in a
relaxed informal atmosphere, you are
invited to join us. Find out answers to
questions such as “What am I doing here?”
and “Is there more to life?”
Companions in Christ: Freedom of
Simplicity
Wed., Sept. 5–Nov. 7, 2012 @
9:30–11:00 a.m.
“Simplicity is not merely a matter of
having less stress and more leisure. It is an
essential spiritual discipline that we must
practice for the health of the soul.” Written
by Richard Foster, the 10-week study
explores the foundation of this discipline,
its fundamental importance in the Bible,
and how it has been manifested and taught
by God’s saints throughout Christian history. Registration deadline is August 22nd.
Cost: $12
PIANO UPDATE:
88 Keys in 88 Days
As you have probably heard, the music
department is working to raise $50,000 to
buy two grand pianos. With the start-up of a
new 9:30 worship service, a serviceable
piano is needed for the Fellowship Hall. Also,
an opportunity has come our way to upgrade
the piano in the Sanctuary at the same time.
The net purchase price, after trade-ins, is
$62,500 for the two pianos. Accumulated
special music funds and memorial gifts will
make up the $12,500 difference.
As of now, $30,000 has been donated or
pledged, leaving a shortfall of $20,000. In
an effort to close the gap, an anonymous
donor has agreed to match new donations
received between now and July 31. Elvin
Haynes is coordinating this new matching
challenge.
Here’s how it will work:
Please make checks payable to First
United Methodist Church with “piano
fund” in the memo line. Give checks to
Elvin Haynes or Don McAvoy on or
before the July 31st. Please do not
leave checks in the church office—this
runs the risk of the check being lost
with other donations. (Prior donations
or pledges don’t count—the matching
will only apply to new donations).
Donations received by the deadline will
be tallied and the anonymous donor
will write a check for an equal amount
up to $9,000!
With this generous offer, we get twice
the bang for our buck! Thanks for your help
and generosity in advance!
Please contact Don McAvoy at (830)
257-0809 with any questions.
ATTENDANCE
July 15, 2012
8:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. Crossing
9:45 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. Contemporary
Evening Service
TOTAL
Sunday School
Adults
Youth
Children
TOTAL
July 22, 2012
8:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. Crossing
9:45 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. Contemporary
Evening Service
TOTAL
Sunday School
Adults
Youth
Children
TOTAL
125
148
81
214
240
14
822
216
16
49
281
143
116
89
227
201
13
789
199
16
27
242
NEW MEMBERS
Kathy Wilke united with our church as an Affiliate Member on Sunday, July 15th. Her primary church home is Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas.
Robin Weiss and David Baxter, left, united with our
church family on Sunday, July 22nd. Robin joins by profession of faith. She is manager of Wally’s Party Factory. David
joins by transfer of his membership from the First United
Methodist Church of Edinburg, TX. He is employed by
Thomas Electric and Air Conditioning. Welcome to KFUMC!
PAGE 5A
JULY 27, 2012
GOOD NEWS CLASS NOTES
KEYSTONE CLASS NOTES
Glenn Andrew welcomed the class and opened with a
prayer.
Joys: The class said Happy Birthday to Pat Browne and
Peggy Eubank. Becky Freeman shared that her mother will
be celebrating her 95th birthday on Saturday.
The class welcomed Crystal McGinnis back after having
her second surgery. She was pleased with the doctor’s report
and that there would be no follow up treatments. Irene Allen
gave a report about her niece in Chili and her adjustment to
the altitude. Sue Leach reported that they had experienced a
wonderful week-end retreat to Laity Lodge and encouraged
others to attend one of the opportunities available near Leakey.
Concerns: Prayers were asked for the people in Aurora,
CO, after the terrible tragedy there, for Jim Minnich, Alex
McAvoy, Frank Kubica’s granddaughter, knee surgeries for
Betty Boynton and Preston Weatherred, and Nancy Cowan’s
grandson. Sue Monk told that their long planned for Alaskan
trip might have to be cancelled because of Charlie’s back
problems.
Irene Allen continued her series of lessons on Becoming
a Good Samaritan. There was a discussion concerning the
mission opportunities available, both locally and abroad. Caring for others should not be a political issue but a “child of
God” issue. Irene encouraged us to use our actions to express
our faith. Thank you, Irene.
July 15: 23 members were present as our opening hymn,
“Near To The Heart of God” was sung, led by Kathy Holloway, with Ruth Hatch playing piano. Barbara Anthony
presided, and made appropriate announcements. Karla gave
an interesting lesson on 1 Kings.
July 22: 26 members were in attendance, plus two visitors, Carol and Mike Collins (daughter and son-in-law of Bill
and Wanda Woods). Our opening hymn, “We’ve A Story To
Tell”, was led by Kathy Holloway, with Ruth Hatch playing
the piano. Barbara Anthony presided, and read a note from
Laurie Peetz (granddaughter of Marie Whitehouse), informing us that Marie has been in the hospital, and is now in a
nursing home. Marie had her 90th birthday on July 23.
Jeanette gave cares and concerns. Elouise Huff is home,
and is in rehab. Others needing our prayers include Betty
Daniel, Betty Wippert, Kim Hesse, Randy McCoy, and Joyce
Kardos (friend of Sue Frix). After the prayer hymn, “In Christ
There Is No East or West”, Steve gave our lesson, based on 2
Kings Chapter 8.
FAITH ALIVE CLASS NOTES
July 15: Maggie Steele opened our Joys & Concerns Session. Among the joys were for our recent rains. The new 9:30
church service begins and Masel Quinn returned to class. A
suggestion was made to all to go and see the current play at
the Point Theater. Concerns and prayers were for Laura
Rhodes, the Packard Family and for Jim King. Maggie closed
the session with prayer.
Lesson: “Change the World (Recovering the Message and
Mission of Jesus)
Session 5 “RESCUE”—Luke 13:1-5; 8:40-56—Bill Havill led the study. When disasters occur, it is human to ask why
innocents die? Jesus assures us that disasters are not a result
of people’s sins. Disasters are not acts of God, but rather acts
of nature. They are a consequence of life in a fallen world.
Victims of disasters are just that, and they deserve our compassion, our help, and our prayers. After class discussion, Bill
closed the study with prayer.
July 22: Melba Smith opened the Joys & Concerns Session. The joy was for Laura Rhodes, who is doing much better and hopes to be home soon. The Concern was also for Laura
to continue to pray for her. Concerns listed were for the Colorado tragedy, Jim King, Melba’s grandson Baily, Shana, the
Joe Sweeney family, and for Savannah, Chip and Sharon Temper’s granddaughter. Melba offered a prayer for all.
Lesson: “Change the World” Session 4 “Go”—Matthew
25:31-46; 28:18-20 “World-Changing Idea: You are God’s
plan for changing the world.” We are called to serve those in
need, and in so doing, we serve Jesus himself. We were called
to be sent out to be physical demonstration of God’s radical
love to planet Earth, serving together to change the world one
life at a time. After a discussion on what we can do ourselves
and as a class, Faith Alive Class will have a workshop in
August to take action and to “go”. Bill offered a closing prayer.
21ST CENTURY CLASS NOTES
The class was greeted with “Stand Up for Jesus” and “The
Pentecostal Power” played by Edra Bowdle and Johnnie
Moore. Ken Estep and Fred Wendt led the group in “He Keeps
Me Singing” and “ Whispering Hope”. Prayers were offered
by Raymond Hardee and Dorris Wendt. On July 15 Dee
Speaker presided, and on July 22 Bonnie Whitley substituted
for Dee. Paul Toops gave an update on the treasury.
Eleanor Toops asked for special prayers for Alexander
McAvoy. Special birthday and anniversary wishes were
expressed for Keith Ellis and Claude and Fran Brown. Welcome back to Helen Yarborough and Harold and Barbara
Ashlock. Edra introduced guests: Gene Smith and Diana and
Allan Howard. The attendance for the two Sundays was 140.
Edra also gave the latest report on the piano fundraising. Betty
Leifeste reported on the Cares and Concerns of class members, Bill Bell, Jack and Ruth Holton, and announced the
memorial service for Katy Painter will be held Monday, July
23, at 2:00 p.m. Keith Ellis will be responsible for the Cares
and Concerns until July 30.
Bill Lewis offered the invitation to the Anniversary party
for Bill and Lou’s 60th on Sunday, July 29 following the 11:00
services. It will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Then Bill continued the study of the History of the Early Christian Church.
WOMEN’S BIBLE CLASS
Room 202—9:30 a.m.
WOMEN STUDYING THE BIBLE
***STUDY: Beth Moore’s Here and Now...There and
Then, a series on Revelation***
WE WANT YOU TO JOIN THE FUN.
Married and your husband won’t come to Sunday School?
This is the place for you.
you. Single and feel ill at ease in a couples’ class?
This is the place for you.
Widowed and can’t find the right class?
This is the place for you.
A SMALL GROUP SETTING WITH OTHER WOMEN
WHO CARE ABOUT ONE ANOTHER. THAT’S US!
Retired New York Firefighter to Speak at Men’s Rally
The seventh annual rally for all men of
Kerrville First UMC will be held Tues.,
Oct. 9, from 6 to 8 pm in the Fellowship
Hall. This year’s keynote speaker is Mr.
William Groneman III, retired FDNY
commander and author. Bill will talk
about the presence of religion at the World
Trade Center on 9/11 and afterwards.
After graduation from college in 1974,
Bill joined the New York Criminal Court
as a uniformed court officer. Three years later, in 1977, he
achieved his dream of continuing the family tradition in the
New York City Fire Department. Bill served the FDNY for the
next twenty-five years in the roles of firefighter, fire marshal,
lieutenant, and captain. He was commander of Engine Company 308 in charge of three lieutenants and 25 firefighters when
the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001.
His book, September 11, a Memoir, describes his experiences
during the days of and following the attack. Bill has published
six books on the history of the American West starting in 1990
and is a member of the Western Writers of America. He retired
from firefighting in 2002 to continue his writing career.
Bill and his wife Kelly live in the Summit. Bill has two
children. His daughter, Katie, is a student at Sam Houston
State University majoring in criminal justice. His son,
William IV, is a New York City police sergeant.
This will be a special evening of good food, good music,
and good fellowship. This is one of the few opportunities to
meet men who may attend other services on Sunday morning. Dinner will be served, and there will be special music
and hymn singing. Cost is $10.00 per person. Tickets will be
available beginning September 4th from members of United
Methodist Men and the church office. All men are invited and
encouraged to attend. It’s an event you don’t want to miss.
Our World Community Ministries
Our church community extends beyond the “walls of the
church” not just into the Kerrville community, but into the
World Community of Christian life. John Wesley said that
“The World is My Parish.” Methodism lives up to that charge
by its “Connectional System.” As United Methodists, our
churches perform Outreach together by ministering to the
poor, stamping out Killer diseases of poverty by improving
health around the World, creating new places for new people
and renewal of existing congregations. No one congregation
can do all the ministries, but together we do make a tremendous difference as we help transform the World.
In particular, our church Outreach ministry
supported Regional, National, and Global health, food, and
spiritual ministries for Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Rwanda, and our sister church, “Good News UMC” in
Vologda, Russia—PLUS the Moscow Russian Seminary,
which trains new Methodist pastors for the Methodist
Eurasian Conference.
Our church Outreach Ministry supports the following
Methodist World Community Ministries through the
Methodist connectional system:
Haiti Children’s Project w/Haiti Methodist Church $500.00
Haiti Emergency—Rebuilding/Development
$500.00
Haiti Hot Lunch Program for Children
$500.00
Rwanda Water & Sanitation Project
$1,000.00
Four Corners U.S.A.Native American Parish
$1,000.00
Cookson Hills Methodist Community
Center, OKLA
$1,000.00
Good Neighbor House Brownsville, TX
w/Mexico UMC
$1,000.00
Methodist Border Friendship Comm.
w/Mexico UMC
$1,000.00
Lydia Patterson Institute Bi-Lingual
School, El Paso
$1,000.00
Russian Initiative—Good News UMC, Vologda $1,000.00
Russian Youth Camp—Water Well
$1,000.00
Russian Seminary Scholarship Support
$1,000.00
For additional information, please contact Bill Dunn,
Chair,
Outreach
at
830-257-9682
or
email:
bcdunnjr@ktc.com.
SINGLES MINISTRY FOR LADIES
Single ladies of the church will meet for lunch on Sunday, July 29th, at Bella Vita Restaurant (recently moved to
1550 Gallery across from Billy Gene’s Restaurant). On Sunday, August 5th, we will meet at Acapulco’s Restaurant.
For more information, call Sarah Childress at 895-9798.
New in
Library
Did You Know?
After carefully searching for the right authors, the United
Methodist Publishing House plunged into the world of
romance, suspense and drama with several novels. “We look
for stories that illuminate particular aspects of the human condition as people seek to know and love God and shape their
relationships with families, neighbors and the wider
world,” commented publisher Neil Alexander.
“All of the books have exceeded our expectations,” said
Barbara Scott, senior acquisitions editor for fiction at Abingdon Press, an imprint of the United Methodist Publishing
House. “Our promise is that our fiction will inspire you to do
no harm, to seek to do good and to love God.”
We invite you to check out these Abingdon books which
have received positive reviews:
The Fence My Father Built—Linda Clare
Gone to Green—Judy Christie
Eye of the God—Ariel Allison
Surrender the Wind—Rita Gerlach
(A recent reader commented this was one of the best
books she has ever read.)
We are missing several books in the library which folks
are asking for and would like to read. You can help by checking around your house and children’s rooms to see if there
are some overdue books which can be returned. We would
particularly like to get back “Stained Glass Hearts” by Patsy
Clairmont. Thanks for helping to keep our books circulating
so that all may enjoy them!
6A
Southwest Texas Conference News
Youths learn life
Nina Cawthon, a youth from Hope Arise UMC, San Antonio, paints one of the two houses that her team was assigned during
Sea City Work Camp. Students spent one week of their summer working to repair homes.
Left:Ashleigh Pepper, youth leader at Hope Arise UMC, San Antonio, and Jacquelyn
Tleimat, youth from Hope Arise, work on roofing one of 14 homes that students
repaired during Week 2 of Sea City Work Camp in Corpus Christi. Students pay
to spend a week in triple-digit weather repairing homes for homeowners who can’t
afford it or just can’t do it themselves. After working all day, students participate
in fellowship activities and a worship service at the host church, Grace UMC,
Corpus Christi. Right: Before laying down new roofing, students have to tear away
the old roofing. The process usually takes all of five days. This year, teams ran into
some rain, and some houses had to enlist the help of other teams to get finished
with their roofs before the camp ended. But all teams finished.
(Continued from page 2)
and ask for nothing in return.”
In its 19th year, the ecumenical service
project had its beginnings when leaders in
the Calallen and surrounding areas saw a
need for some housing rehabilitation assistance among the needy in Corpus.
The camp is open to students in grades
9-12 and includes full work days and different “fellowship” activities every evening, just before a worship service.
The camp mission is to spread the
word of Christ to those who need it, to
gain “technical experience and leadership skills” and to foster lifelong friendships among campers, Rios said.
“Sometimes it is the ‘mountain top’
spiritual feeling that brings (students)
back, and hopefully that will encourage them to ęnd home churches in their
own areas, whether they are in college or
working away from their home town,”
Rios said. “We hope that the campers see
this camp like a family and long to return
to experience that, but mostly it is about
serving as Christ would—selĚessly.”
During the weeklong camp, youths and
adults work at home sites and spend the
night at host churches. This year, Grace
UMC hosted all the youths and adults
at a new facility. Rios said she and leaders maxed out the space to get the most
youths involved as they could.
Being in the new facility, Rios said, presented “its own challenges just logistically,” but “now that we know how the building works, next year will be a breeze.”
This year was also a liĴle diěerent, she
said, because a group from San Antonio
participated.
Ashleigh Pepper, youth minister at
Hope Arise UMC, San Antonio, took 20
students and seven adults.
“I chose to take my students to Sea City
because it is one of the best organized
camps I’ve ever seen,” she said. “At Sea
City Work Camp, students work hard,
have a lot of fun and are deeply moved
spiritually. They involved their entire
community, and I’ve seen the impact that
can make to a family in need.”
“Sometimes it is the ‘mountain top’ spiritual feeling that brings (students) back, and hopefully that
will encourage them to find churches in their own
areas, whether they are in college or working away
from their home town. We hope that the campers
see this camp like a family and long to return to
experience that, but mostly it is about serving as
Christ would-selflessly.”
Kathy Rios
Youth director, Grace UMC, Corpus Christi
Southwest Texas Conference News
7A
skills during camp experience
Rios also believes in mentoring students to become leaders—so she chooses
Youth Deans to help run the camp and
plan worship services.
“The leadership skills learned as a
Youth Dean will be priceless to the youth
who go that route,” Rios said. “They
serve on the Sea City Board of Directors
and actually get to see how a nonproęt
group works and how much work and
planning goes into each year.
“Being in charge of events and following through with all the details is deęnitely a skill they can use forever.”
Katie Baker, a youth dean who’s attended Sea City for four years as a camper and this year as a dean, said she began
coming to the camp originally because a
bunch of her friends were doing it. But
aĞer they didn’t come back, she did.
Her favorite parts, she said, are worship with the band and all “the great
friendships that are formed.”
The learning experience has been
valuable.
“I’ve learned to appreciate everything
that I have,” Baker said, “not to take anything for granted and also when something gets extremely tough, the Lord will
get you through it.
“Being a Youth Dean is like looking at
camp from a completely diěerent perspective. Although at times it could be
very stressful, I loved every minute of it.
I loved planning worship and watching all the campers sing along to the
songs and pray for each other.”
Rios said she knows the camp has
impacted lives—and not just the lives
of those doing to the work.
“There were many homeowners
who had leaky roofs and now will
live without fear of that and the health
hazards that can cause,” she said.
All roofs repaired at Sea City Work
Camp are Wind Storm Certięed, Rios
added.
Pepper said that, for her students,
the most “valuable parts of the week
were the fellowship and the skills
learned.”
“At their sites and through the activities, they became closer as a youth
group, and they really got to know
the students from Corpus,” she said.
“They’ve already asked to go back
next year! I also loved seeing them
put to work in a situation they’ve
never experienced before, like roofing, and seeing the conędence they
gained from completing such a difęcult and technical task.
“This experience was incredibly
challenging, and rising to the challenge
as a group will give them so much
more faith as they encounter other obstacles because now they know they
can do anything with God.”
Before roofing a house at Sea City Work Camp, youth and adults sometimes
have to repair beams in order to have a solid foundation on which to lay shingles.
Students and adults spend 7-8 hours a day working on homes.
Left: The painting team works on
repainting one of two houses that their
group was assigned to finish in five
days during Week 2 of Sea CityWork
Camp. Top: Isaac Combs works on
the roof of one of 14 homes that were
re-roofed and repainted during Week
2. Homeowners are selected based
on their financial and physical need.
Right: The painting team works on
another house during Week 2. Leaders
say students learn valuable skills
during the weeklong camp, including
serving as Jesus served, in spite of
triple-digit temperatures.
PAGE 8A
KERRVILLE FUMC EDITION OF THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER
NURSE NOTES
By Jennifer Correa-Knoulton, RN,
Wesley Nurse
Weight of the Nation part 3
Good day! I want to continue the conversation on the
Weight of our Nation. Today I want to give you the habits
of people who have successfully maintained weight loss over time. Many
of us (me included) have successfully lost weight, only to gain it back.
Frustrating isn’t it? It is the number one reason that ‘diets’ don’t work,
and why long-term behavior modification is the key.
The National Weight control registry was formed to track people who
have successfully kept weight off over time—much research has been
gleaned from the registrants. 42% of the registrants felt weight loss maintenance was easier than the initial weight loss—which means 58% thought
it was harder! However, these people do it—so what is their secret?
First, they eat breakfast every day. Study after study has shown that eating breakfast helps with weight control, either because it keeps our metabolism elevated or helps us avoid getting too hungry and overeating later.
Second, they weigh themselves at least once a week. Obsessive? I don’t
think so. Knowledge is power, and it is too easy for us to lie to ourselves
about our weight if we aren’t staring at a number. This is a habit that helps
me immensely.
Third, they watch less than 10 hours of TV a week—and this includes
computer also. This habit helps young children also. My kids have happier, more productive lives, since we have eliminated electronics during the
school week.
Fourth, they exercise on average an hour a day. There is no way around
it; physical activity has to occur. This can be broken into segments—I do
morning exercise and afternoon exercise due to my schedule. I can’t even
begin to go into why exercise is so good for us, but if it were an easy pill—
they wouldn’t be able to keep it on the pharmacy shelves.
Lastly, they follow a low calorie, low fat diet. They continue to monitor portions, keep a food journal, and make healthier choices. Remember,
studies show that a person who has lost weight needs fewer calories than
a person of the same weight that has never been overweight. Fair? No, but
that is life. I consume fewer calories than other women my size because I
have been heavier before. Oh, well.
I see the journey of good nutrition and physical activity as a part of my
role as a child of God. We are blessed. We live in a country where the
poorest person is still among the wealthiest in the world. We have been
given these blessings, and it is up to us to take care of ourselves so we can
do His work. I applaud you as you embark on your own journey.
Blessings, Jenn *257-0810*
2012 WOMEN’S RETREAT
Friday, October 5–Sunday, October 7
Begins 7:00 p.m. Friday night
Tapatio Springs Resort, Boerne, TX
“Journey of the Heart” Retreat, sponsored by Heart and Hands
Women’s ministry. Special guest speaker will be Deb Sewell of Fort
Worth, a frequent speaker at women’s retreats. She states: “The one thing
that we can always count on in life is change, and those changes often
come when we are least expecting them. Is it possible that God offers us
renewal and even joy in the midst of chaos? Change? If so, how?” Cost:
$150 per person. Applications are available in the church office. For more
information, contact Margaret Greenshield at 830.370.9747 or
mgreenshield@stx.rr.com. Deadline to register: September 2nd.
URGENT NEED FOR MATH &
ENGLISH TUTORS
Families & Literacy needs Basic Math & English
Tutors for the September term. Retired engineers or
teachers are also welcome to apply. Faculty positions
must be filled by mid-August for the above courses.
Please contact Paula Wilson at Families & Literacy,
Inc.; 830-896-8787 or email: famandlit2@hctc.net
JUMP! Jesus Use Me Please!
Our Children’s Ministry has several opportunities to serve our children and families beginning next month. We need teachers, snack
provider/preparers, table parents for Wednesday nights, shepherds, and
other fun and rewarding jobs. Service can be from once to as much as
your schedule permits. Please contact Patti Hutte, Children’s Director, at
830.257-0808 or patti.hutte@kfumc.org to find the perfect spot for you!
FLOWER MINISTRY NEEDS VASES
The flower committee is once again in need of small (bud) vases to
be used in delivering flowers to our homebound members. If you have
vases at home that you are no longer using, please bring them to the
church office. Thank you for your support.
Memorials
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
MILLIE ALLEO
BY: Frank and Janice Kubica
Nina Langford Moller
Eva Smith
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
LILA ASHMORE
BY: Jim and Jo Ann Ashmore
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
MAELOUISE BASKIN
BY: Mr. and Mrs. Milton Bernhard
Glen and Mary Margaret Doyen
Don Hainlen
Thomas and Lisa Kretzschmar
Douglas and Sheryl Mann
The Ahmadi Family
The Bigler Family
The Costas Family
The Crowley Family
The Femal Family
The Irby Family
The Hutcheson Family
The Legan Family
The Rhea Family
The Stephens Family
The Swofford Family
The Wade Family
Attorneys and Staff of Stone,
Loughlin and Swanson, LLP
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
CARL CANTWELL
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
BILL DAVENPORT
BY: Charles and Gail Brundrett
Josephine Coffman
Bill and Carolyn Dunn
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Joo
Nina Langford Moller
Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
Esthermae Rooke
Eva Smith
Leon and Pamela Stuckenschmidt
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
ELLEN FELTS
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
CHAD FLETCHER
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
GRACE GREGORY
BY: Nancy and Marty Clayton and
Family
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
GEORGE HOLEKAMP
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
DON OATES
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
EVELYN RAMSEY
BY: Dwade Engle
Don Hainlen
Billie Hall (Care Committee)
Frances Hatch
Bill and Lou Lewis
Esthermae Rooke
Eva Smith
Sunshine Spivey
Norman and Margaret Treude
Randy and Mary Gay Wagner
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF: HESTER
SCHWOPE (aunt of Sandra Murray)
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:
EARL AND TINA WILLIAMS
BY: Sparky and Sandra Murray
(Mustard Seed)
GIVEN IN HONOR OF: NANCY
HUNTER AND CHARLEY
CHIPMAN ON THEIR MARRIAGE,
JULY 14TH
BY: Esthermae Rooke
JULY 27, 2012
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
Sunday, July 29, 2012—NINTH
SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST;
YOUTH SUNDAY
8:00 a.m.—Sanctuary Choir
Rehearsal (Rehearsal Hall)
8:30, 9:45, 11:00 a.m.—Traditional
Worship Services (Sanctuary)
9:30 a.m.—The Crossing Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School classes
11:00 a.m.—Contemporary Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
6:00 p.m.—Evening Worship Service
(Chapel)
Monday, July 30, 2012
9:00 a.m.—Mother’s Day Out
10:00 a.m.—Chair Exercise (Keystone
Room)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
6:30 a.m.—Walkers (Gym)
9:30 a.m.—Prayer Warriors (Chapel
and Parlor)
1:00 p.m.—Walking Group (Gym)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
7:00 a.m.—Men’s Bible Study
(Education Lunchroom)
9:00 a.m.—Mother’s Day Out
10:00 a.m.—CiC: Praying in the
Messiness of Life (218)
12:00 p.m.—Al Anon Family Group
(205)
5:00 p.m.—Mid-week Manna
(Fellowship Hall)
6:00 p.m.—Spiritual Gifts (210)
6:00 p.m.—Wednesday Night Bible
Study (203)
6:00 p.m.—Ladies Bible Study (214)
7:00 p.m.—Chancel Choir Rehearsal
(Rehearsal Hall)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
1:00 p.m.—Walking group (Gym)
2:00 p.m.—S.A.L.T. Shakers Game
Day (Fellowship Hall)
6:30 p.m.—Praise Team Rehearsal
(Fellowship Hall)
Friday, August 3, 2012
10:00 a.m.—Balance Class (Education
Lunchroom)
12:00 p.m.—Al Anon Family Group
(205)
Sunday, August 5, 2012—TENTH
SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST;
COMMUNION SUNDAY
8:00 a.m.—Sanctuary Choir
Rehearsal (Rehearsal Hall)
8:30, 9:45, 11:00 a.m.—Traditional
Worship Services (Sanctuary)
9:30 a.m.—The Crossing Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School Classes
11:00 a.m.—Contemporary Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
12:15 p.m.—First Sunday Fellowship
(Narthex)
6:00 p.m.—Evening Worship Service
(Chapel)
Monday, August 6, 2012
9:00 a.m.—Mother’s Day Out
10:00 a.m.—Rug Hookers (Assembly
Room)
10:00 a.m.—Chair Exercise (Keystone
Room)
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
9:30 a.m.—Prayer Warriors (Chapel
and Parlor)
1:00 p.m.—Walking Group (Gym)
4:00 p.m.—Boy Scouts Spaghetti
Supper (Gym)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
7:00 a.m.—Men’s Bible Study
(Ed Lunchroom)
9:30 a.m.—CiC: “Praying in the
Messiness of Life” (218)
12:00 p.m.—Al Anon Family Group
(205)
12:30 p.m.—Quilters Group
(Assembly Room)
5:00 p.m.—Mid-week Manna
(Fellowship Hall)
6:00 p.m.—Spiritual Gifts (210)
6:00 p.m.—Wed Evening Ladies
Bible Study (214)
6:00 p.m.—Wednesday Night Bible
Study (203)
7:00 p.m.—Chancel Choir Rehearsal
(Rehearsal Hall)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
8:30 a.m.—HCYO String Camp
(Fellowship Hall, etc.)
1:00 p.m.—Walking group (Gym)
6:30 p.m.—Praise Team Rehearsal
(Fellowship Hall)
Friday, August 10, 2012
8:30 a.m.—HCYO String Camp
(Fellowship Hall, etc.)
10:00 a.m.—Balance Class (Education
Lunchroom)
12:00 p.m.—Al Anon Family Group
(205)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
ELEVENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST
8:00 a.m.—Sanctuary Choir
Rehearsal (Rehearsal Hall)
8:30, 9:45, 11:00 a.m.—Traditional
Worship Services (Sanctuary)
9:30 a.m.—The Crossing Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
9:45 a.m.—Sunday School classes
11:00 a.m.—Contemporary Worship
Service (Fellowship Hall)
12:15 p.m.—First Look (Parlor)
6:00 p.m.—Evening Worship Service
(Chapel)
THANK YOU
A heartfelt thank you to all who honored the troops by sending a care
package during our summer patriotic campaign. Due to your generosity
the morale of more than 32 soldiers and Marines was lifted with snacks,
toiletries, and personal notes. Thank you for showing your appreciation
for their service and sacrifices by sending them a little reminder of home.
THANK YOU FROM THE MOLDERS
We want to say “thank you” to the pastors, staff, and congregation of
KFUMC for the wonderful “send-off” you gave us. KFUMC has been our
family for 16 years, and the move was a difficult decision. It was hard to
leave the love and fellowship of our Christian friends. We have been greatly blessed and what a surprise when you presented us with the plaque of
appreciation. We miss all of you but know that God is blessing you. Thank
you again for your loving spirit—exciting things are happening at
KFUMC—don’t miss out!
Bob and Mike Molder, Midlothian, TX
THANK YOU FROM MUSTARD SEED MINISTRIES
Thank you so much for your continued support this past year of Mustard Seed Ministries. Your gifts of love and generosity of food, prayers,
and money will assure that this ministry will continue to help those in need.
With your help, in one year MSM has assisted 641 families. Thanks be to
God! Six people have joined KFUMC, and many more have come to worship. As the ministry grows, the need for your support and additional pantry
workers also grows. Will you help? Call 830.895.3851 to volunteer.
‘Pilgrims’
on a mission
UM video producer
recalls Ukraine visit | 3B
Beyond the
stained glass
Does our iconography
dilute the Gospels? | 7B
‘Report card’
for bishops
Evaluation process
varies in jurisdictions | 8B
THE
July 27, 2012
Section B
UNITED METHODIST REPORTER
The independent source for news, features and commentary about the United Methodist Church
Clergy stoles
are taking more
expressive forms
Clothed in the spirit
B Y M A RY J AC O B S
Staff Writer
UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE
United Methodist clergy are opting for stoles that are more colorful and elaborate, like this one worn by Bishop James King, leader of the
South Georgia Area, as he preached at General Conference in Tampa, Fla.
On Sunday mornings, the Rev.
Kenny Dickson dons his robes for the
early service, a traditional Methodist
worship. For the mid-morning gospel
service, he wears a suit and tie. And
for the late service, a contemporary
worship, he preaches in shirt sleeves
and slacks.
But at all three services, Mr. Dickson wears a stole: a long band of cloth
that signifies he is an ordained member of the United Methodist clergy.
“Any time I’m preaching or leading
the sacraments, I wear the stole,” said
Mr. Dickson, senior pastor of Christ
United Methodist Church in Farmers
Branch, Texas. “It’s a reminder that,
even if we’re doing it in a less formal
way, the worship service is a sacred
occasion.”
His stole is a special one. A church
member made it by hand, crafting
pieces of fabric in the pattern of a jigsaw, the symbol for autism awareness.
See ‘Stoles’ page 4B
Jurisdictional delegates affirm vote to retire Bishop Bledsoe
BY SAM HODGES
Managing Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY—In what appears to have been a precedent-setting
move for the UMC, the South Central
Jurisdiction’s episcopacy committee
voted Tuesday, July 17, to retire Bishop
Earl Bledsoe involuntarily, citing concerns about his administrative skills
and trustworthiness.
The full conference affirmed the
committee’s work two days later, even
after hearing from Bishop Bledsoe,
who defended his record as leader of
the North Texas Conference and questioned the effort to retire him.
“I asked the committee and I’m
asking you now: Where is fair
process, where at least I’m able to
share my side of the story?” Bishop
Bledsoe said to delegates.
But the episcopacy committee
chair, Don House, said Bishop Bledsoe
had been given a 7½-hour hearing
with committee members, and earlier
had been given warnings about his
performance.
Mr. House described the decision
to retire Bishop Bledsoe as a sign that
church leaders will be held accountable as the UMC tries to reverse numerical declines in the U.S.
“Bishop Bledsoe demonstrates
many gifts. He’s a fine Christian man
and dedicated spiritual leader,” Mr.
House told conference delegates. “Yet
the committee believes his gifts are
best deployed in other forms of ministry.”
The controversy cast a pall over the
quadrennial South Central Jurisdic-
tional Conference, held at Cox Convention Center here. Bishop Ann
Sherer-Simpson spoke of “a sorrow so
deep that it is hard to move forward.”
Bishop Bledsoe has through midAugust to appeal to the UMC’s Judicial
Council. He said he and his wife,
Leslie, continue to pray about whether
to do so. If he appeals, he’ll remain an
active bishop until the council rules.
Its next meeting is October.
Bishop Bledsoe, 61, said he was
disappointed by the move to retire
him, but not angry at those involved.
“I just want to say thank you to
God and to my savior Jesus Christ for
the North Texas Conference and the
wonderful people that faithfully serve
Christ in their local settings,” he said.
Bishop Bledsoe was a district su See ‘Bledsoe’ page 2B
UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY HEATHER HAHN
Don House (left), chair of the South Central Jurisdiction’s
episcopacy committee, talks with Bishop Earl Bledsoe during a
break in the bishop’s hearing in Oklahoma City.
2B FAITH focus
BLEDSOE Continued from page 1B
perintendent in the Texas Conference
when elected bishop at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference four
years ago. Assigned to the North Texas
Conference, he made strong reorganizational moves early, including adoption of a strategic plan.
But a Judicial Council decision
found that part of his reorganization
violated church law. Meanwhile, his
appointment of a pastor from outside
the conference to be a district superintendent displeased some North
Texas clergy.
More recently, Bishop Bledsoe had
to deal with high-profile trouble at St.
Luke “Community” UMC in Dallas.
The pastor there, Tyrone Gordon, left
amid accusations of sexual harassment. The conference eventually was
named in two lawsuits that alleged insufficient supervision of Mr. Gordon.
Criticism, support
Bishop Bledsoe communicated
with North Texas Conference clergy in
a video this spring, acknowledging
complaints about how his administration handled appointments and
“triad” evaluations.
The episcopacy committee went
through a lengthy, two-part evaluation
of all active bishops in the jurisdiction, looking at statistics but also
drawing on interviews with conference leaders, said Mr. House.
After meeting with Bishop Bledsoe
on May 24, the committee voted to ask
him to retire. Mr. House said he and
another committee member delivered
that message on May 29.
On June 1, Bishop Bledsoe announced his retirement, giving no indication he was pushed. But on June 5,
at the end of the conference’s annual
gathering, he reversed course, dramatically informing the crowd of clergy
and laity that he would fight to keep
his job. Bishop Bledsoe openly questioned whether he was being evaluated fairly, and noted improving
statistics—such as worship attendance, apportionment payments and
number of church starts—in the
North Texas Conference.
Bishop Bledsoe, the third consecutive African American to lead the conference, also noted that he had been
hurt by a report that someone in the
conference had asked when it would
have a white bishop. He later made
clear that he saw no racial motive in
the episcopacy committee’s action.
Leading up to the episcopacy committee’s meeting and vote here, Bishop
Bledsoe drew vocal backing from the
Rev. Mark Craig, pastor of Highland
Park UMC in Dallas, one of the denomination’s largest churches. About
100 people came to Oklahoma City to
show support for Bishop Bledsoe—an
effort sponsored by the North Texas
Black Methodists for Church Renewal.
But Bishop Bledsoe clearly faced
opposition from clergy within the
conference. Richard Hearne, former
conference lay leader, confirmed hearing complaints.
“He lost the clergy,” Mr. Hearne
said.
Tears, prayer
The episcopacy committee met
with Bishop Bledsoe behind closed
doors on July 16-17. His attorney,
Jonathan Wilson of Dallas, was left out
in the hall. Bishop Bledsoe did have
with him a clergy advocate, the Rev.
Zan Holmes, well known preacher,
teacher and civil rights advocate in
Dallas.
Mr. Holmes reported a lot of give
and take in the meeting. “There was
challenge on both sides,” he said.
The episcopacy’s vote to retire
Bishop Bledsoe was taken on a secret
ballot, with 24 in favor, four against
and two abstaining, said Mr. House.
Mr. House described wrenching,
closed-doors deliberations. “A lot of
tears, a lot of prayer,” he said.
In announcing the committee’s
vote late Tuesday night, July 17, Mr.
House emphasized concerns about
Bishop Bledsoe as administrator. But
by Wednesday the committee had produced a document titled “Jurisdictional Episcopacy Committee Report”
that showed its concerns extended to
his character.
The document was used Wednesday night in briefings for conference
delegations. Mr. House read from it in
addressing delegates in the Thursday
morning plenary session.
The document said Bishop Bledsoe
“failed to fully answer a number of
questions, and some of his answers
raised for the committee questions
about his integrity and trustworthiness.”
Bishop Bledsoe disputed that.
“One of my big values is integrity
and honesty,” he said in an interview.
Bishop Bledsoe and Mr. House
both spoke to the full jurisdictional
conference on Thursday, July 19, as it
considered whether to affirm the
committee report.
Mr. House noted grievances so serious that charges under church law
could have been brought against
Bishop Bledsoe. He did not share
specifics, the committee having decided to keep such information confidential.
Bishop Bledsoe ticked off accomplishments of his tenure. He also complained of what he called Mr. House’s
“zingers” and of what he said were unverified reports of trouble in the conference.
“It’s very difficult when you’re trying to fight ghosts,” Bishop Bledsoe
said.
But delegates, after some debate,
voted 208 in favor of affirming the
committee’s decision, and 45 opposed.
Sorting things out
Robert Williams, top executive of
the UMC’s General Commission on
Archives and History, said he knew of
no other example of a jurisdictional
episcopacy committee placing a
bishop on involuntary retirement.
The action comes soon after a
General Conference in which delegates
approved ending guaranteed appoint-
UMR PHOTO BY SAM HODGES
Delegates to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference voted on
July 19 to affirm an episcopacy committee’s decision that Bishop
Earl Bledsoe should be retired involuntarily. After the vote, North
Texas Conference delegates gathered around Bishop Bledsoe
(center) and prayed for him.
ment for clergy—something deemed
necessary to remove ineffective clergy.
The Rev. Ted Campbell, associate
professor of church history at Perkins
School of Theology, said the episcopacy committee’s move seems in the
same vein.
“Methodist conferences and other
groups have begun to implement
stronger means of accountability and
evaluation for church leaders,” he said.
“This process has been far from consistent across the range of church institutions, and it’s not surprising that
as new standards are implemented, we
run into very big issues about how
fairly these processes and evaluations
are being applied.”
The South Central Jurisdiction
College of Bishops has asked the Judicial Council to rule on the constitutionality of a paragraph in the Book of
Discipline that deals with episcopacy
committees and their evaluation of
bishops, including the option of retiring them involuntarily.
The College of Bishops supported
having the full conference take a vote
on the episcopacy committee’s decision to retire Bishop Bledsoe, said
Bishop James Dorff, president of the
group. He emphasized that the bishops weren’t weighing in on how delegates should vote.
This jurisdictional conference saw
the election of bishops, a joyous event;
but the move to retire Bishop Bledsoe
dominated the mood and clearly burdened members of the episcopacy
committee.
“There will be a day when I wake
up and this won’t be the first thing on
my mind,” a choked-up Mr. House told
delegates. “I look forward to that day.”
shodges@umr.org
Bishops elected in three U.S. jurisdictions
F R O M S TA F F R E P O RT S
Eleven new United Methodist
bishops were elected in three U.S.
jurisdictions in conferences July
18-20. Jurisdictional conferences meet
every four years, with half the delegates being lay people and clergy the
www.unitedmethodistreporter.org
news@umr.org
Alan Heath, CEO
Sam Hodges, Managing Editor
Bill Fentum, Associate Editor
Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer
Cherrie Graham, Advertising Manager
Dale Bryant, Senior Designer
J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R
other half.
In 2010, conference realignments
resulting from membership losses in
the U.S. required that four of the five
U.S. jurisdictions eliminate one episcopal post by 2012. For this reason, no
bishops were elected in the Western
and North Central jurisdictions after
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the retirement of Bishop Mary Ann
Swenson (Los Angeles Area) and
Bishop Linda Lee (Wisconsin Area).
The Southeastern Jurisdiction—
which already had one fewer bishop
than the formula allowed—met in
Lake Junaluska, N.C., and elected five
bishops to replace five retiring bishops: the Rev. Jonathan Holston of the
North Georgia Conference, who currently serves as senior pastor at St.
James UMC, Atlanta; the Rev. Ken
Carter, superintendent of the Waynesville District of the Western North
Carolina Conference; the Rev. Bill
McAlilly, superintendent of the Mississippi Conference’s Seashore District; the Rev. Debbie Wallace-Padgett
of the Kentucky Conference, lead pastor of St. Luke UMC in Lexington, Ky.;
and the Rev. Young Jin Cho, superintendent of the Arlington District in
the Virginia Conference.
The Northeastern Jurisdiction met
in Charleston, W.Va., and elected three
bishops to replace three retiring bish-
ops. Elected were the Rev. Sandra
Steiner Ball, director of connectional
ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware
Conference; the Rev. Martin McLee,
superintendent of the Metro Boston
Hope District in the New England
Conference; and the Rev. Mark J.
Webb, superintendent of the York District in the Susquehanna Conference.
The South Central Jurisdiction met
in Oklahoma City to elect three bishops. Elected were the Rev. Cynthia
Fierro Harvey of the Texas Conference, who has served the last two
years as deputy general secretary of
the United Methodist Committee on
Relief; and the Rev. Gary Mueller,
North Texas Conference, senior pastor
of First UMC in Plano. The third election had yet to be decided at the time
of the Reporter’s press deadline, with
more balloting set on the afternoon of
July 21.
Episcopal assignments in each jurisdiction will be reported in next
week’s issue.
FAITH focus 3B
‘Pilgrims’ find their calling in Ukraine mission
B Y JA N SN I DE R
United Methodist News Service
Editor’s Note: On July 10, David
Nevotti, a member of First UMC in
Sugar Land, Texas, and Illya Onoprienko, a member of the student ministry of the University of L’viv
(Ukraine), were fatally injured while
helping to repair a church-related facility in L’viv. The Rev. David Goran, a
United Methodist missionary serving
there as a student ministry director,
was seriously injured. United Methodist
Communications producer Jan Snider
reflects on her stay with Mr. Goran and
his wife, Shannon, while working on
stories about their mission in February
2010.
I first experienced the passion of
the “pilgrims” two years ago.
In the heart of L’viv in Ukraine is a
university, and
around the corner a
few blocks is the
United Methodist
student center. It was
at that center I witnessed the work of
David and Shannon
Goran, as they shep- Jan Snider
herded a growing
student ministry.
The students came up with the
name “pilgrims” because they felt that
they were beginning an adventure and
clearing a new path for themselves in
post-Soviet Ukraine. They gathered
for Thursday evening worship every
week at the student center, and it was
at one of those gatherings that the
name was suggested. “Pilgrims” stuck.
L’viv hugs the Polish border. It is a
richly storied city that received the attentions of nearly every Eastern European power, dancing a reluctant waltz
with the Austria-Hungary Empire, the
Polish Proletariat and, most recently,
the Soviets. The urban fabric is woven
with elaborate Viennese-inspired ar-
chitecture and dotted with simple
block buildings of later Soviet influence. The Orange Revolution was born
in the 1990s in L’viv as a push-back
against Russian influence in a newly
independent Ukraine.
Farther away from the Russian
eastern border than the capital city of
Kiev, L’viv quietly clung to its Christian roots during Communist rule.
But, the formality of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church was often experienced through passive participation of
established rituals.
David Goran explained to me that
the goal was not to replace the religious identity of the students but to
affirm a “real and living faith.” Still,
Ukrainian society as a whole continues to look upon Protestant ministries
with suspicion.
The Gorans understood some of
these challenges when they accepted
the role as missionaries in 2009. They
were stepping into a ministry started
earlier by United Methodist missionaries Stacy and Fred Vanderwerf.
Shannon Goran was familiar with
the ministry because she served as a
mission intern with the Vanderwerfs
in 2003. It was after she returned to
the United States that she met David
Goran while attending Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. After
they married, the opportunity to take
over the ministry was presented to
them. David Goran committed to
being a missionary in Ukraine without ever having set foot in the country.
Although he didn’t know it at the time
he, too, was a “pilgrim.”
The formal name of the student
ministry is called Molod’ do Isusa,
which means “Youth to Jesus.” David
Goran likens the ministry to a Ukrainian version of a Wesley Center. It is established near campus to be a place of
refuge and a community rooted in
Jesus.
The center was on the top floor of
a centuries-old building. Several times
The Rev. David Goran visits an orphanage outside L’viv, Ukraine in
this 2010 file photo.
a day, the students went up and down
the curved, slanted and creaking stairs
passing the Soviet-style apartments
carved out of the building. At the top
floor, they were greeted with backpacks and shoes strewn across the
worn wooden entry, and they reached
for a pair of slippers from the communal pile. Nearly always, the next stop
was the small kitchen, where they
would pour hot tea, often into cups
provided by the Sugar Land (Texas)
United Methodist Church.
At the time, it didn’t seem all that
unusual to me, but I came to realize
that this experience is what made
these students “pilgrims.” It was a
sense of shalom and community and
with it came a new realization that
shalom happens when God’s love is
acted out.
It was unusual in this culture for a
church leader to talk with the students
about their faith, their aspirations,
and to challenge them to think beyond rote teachings and more toward
societal outreach. The students loved
it. Shannon Goran explained to me
that it was the long-term goal to develop the students into leaders of the
ministry, from a Ukrainian perspective, under Ukrainian leadership. “Indigenous leadership would be so
much better than having two people
from the U.S. running things. We want
to put ourselves out of a job.”
As she explained this to me, I
could hear raucous laughter next door.
Peeking in, I noticed that after the
men’s meeting, the ping-pong table
was pulled to the middle of the room.
The loser of the match, David Goran
explained, became the target of the
“red dot” game. This meant the winner of the match launched a pingpong ball, full speed toward the
offered back of the loser. David Goran
laughed and said the guys came up
with the game on their own. He noted
that the game seemed to build the
kind of camaraderie that was the ultimate goal.
The Gorans believe in ministry
outside the walls of the church, and
while this Wesleyan tenet is key to
United Methodism, it was an entirely
new idea to the students. Whether it
was venturing outside the city to
spend a day at an orphanage or experiencing the hospitality of the Gorans
as they opened their home to share a
meal and Bible study, the approach
was growing the ministry. The “pilgrims” were experiencing what it was
like to blaze a trail.
But the students weren’t the only
ones to forge ahead into new territory.
The Gorans, themselves, were moving
outside their comfort zone. In a new
country and a strange culture, they
were leading and forming future lead-
UMNS FILE PHOTOS BY JAN SNIDER
The married couple of Shannon and the Rev. David Goran served
as United Methodist missionaries in L’viv, Ukraine until an accident
on July 10 that killed two people and left Mr. Goran seriously
injured.
ers of the church. They were experiencing the barriers to innovation that
exist in Eastern Europe: red tape,
Byzantine bureaucracy and a suspicion of the motives—and even the
character—of Western Protestants.
In the middle of making relationships, doing church and extending
Christ’s love to the greater community,
the Gorans found themselves to have
become good, old-fashioned, situationally challenged United Methodist
missionaries—and in this way, they
found themselves fighting the battles
and taking on the responsibilities of
foreign mission just as if they had
been in a forgotten corner of Africa. In
living into Christ’s calling for them,
the Gorans found that they, too, were
“pilgrims.”
Now that a terrible tragedy has occurred the Gorans are in mourning for
two brave brothers who gave everything in their service to Christ. Now
comes the question, where do the “pilgrims” go from here? It is not clear
whether the Gorans will return to
Ukraine, or when. For the students,
will indigenous leadership emerge?
Have the seeds of ministry been given
sufficient time to take hold? For the
Gorans, they will have the additional
layer of grief added to their burden.
Thankfully, they have a worldwide
church to support and pray for
them—but that is not to say that it
will be easy, or that their pilgrimage
has not led to heartbreak.
Even though we know better, people like me often think about the mission field as just another ministry. But
this incident reminds us that Christian missionaries put a lot on the line
to follow their calling: their years on
earth, access to their families back
home, their dreams, their hearts, and
even their lives. I can’t think of any
reason someone would do that—except that they love God, they love
God’s vision, and they love and want
to serve God’s children.
Pilgrims believe in this model of
giving, one that started with a single
Hebrew peasant and 12 pilgrim recruits, and has trailblazed forward
ever since. It continues today, and into
tomorrow. I pray for God’s love to surround the families, friends and
churches of the lost brothers, and the
two young pilgrims who set out years
ago for Ukraine to do God’s work. I
pray for healing; for meaning, for hope
and for renewal. Because the world is
still out there, God’s work remains to
be done, and there is no place for the
pilgrim to lay his head.
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COURTESY PHOTO
UMNS PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE
LEFT: Bishops Deborah Lieder Kiesey of the Dakotas Area and Marcus
Matthews of Upper New York gave the benediction during an evening
worship service at General Conference in Tampa, Fla. ABOVE: The Rev.
Karin Tunnéll attached fishnet to the stoles she made for Bishop Kiesey
and Bishop Matthews.
STOLES Continued from page 1B
Mr. Dickson’s daughter, Madeleine, has
autism, and can’t attend worship.
Wearable art
Like Mr. Dickson, many United
Methodist clergy these days are sporting stoles that are varied, colorful,
elaborate and often, symbolically or
personally significant.
Survey the clergy at any United
Methodist gathering, and you’re likely
to see stoles in a rainbow of colors, designs and fabrics. The trend has
spawned a cottage industry and provided a new avenue of gifting for
parishioners eager to offer something
handmade and unique to pastors.
Stoles also played a starring role
this spring at the 2012 General Conference in Tampa, Fla.
Todd Pick, visual designer for General Conference worship, invited
artists from the United Methodist
connection around the U.S. to make
special, handmade stoles for each
service. Each artist was given the
scripture, theme, liturgy and color
palette for a particular worship service. “Then we just said, ‘Let your creativity go,’” said Mr. Pick.
The Rev. Karin Tunnéll was one of
those artists. The pastor of St. Paul’s
UMC in Odessa, Del., she made the
stoles worn by Bishops Deborah
Lieder Kiesey and Marcus Matthews
on May 3. Reflecting the day’s Scripture passage—John 21, the story of
Jesus preparing fish for breakfast on
the beach with followers—Ms. Tunnéll attached pieces of fishnet and
bark collected from trees in Tampa
(symbolizing kindling for the cooking
fire) to each stole.
The Rev. Gloria G. Hughes, a UM
deacon and founder of viaCREATIVA,
a liturgical arts ministry, crafted a
stole for Bishop James King at General
Conference. Reeds were the motif for
the day’s worship, so she fashioned the
stole out of batik fabric, pieced together to look like woven reeds.
As she worked, she prayed.
“I prayed for Bishop King, for his
leading the worship, for General Conference,” she said. “This journey of
creating the stole was a spiritual discipline for me.”
In the days leading up to General
Conference, Mr. Pick unpacked the
stoles as they arrived, one by one, in
the mail.
“Each one was like this precious
Christmas gift,” he said. “I had the
privilege of giving each bishop his or
her stole. They seemed very humbled
to receive them.”
While artists worked with the
color palette for each worship service,
“It wasn’t like matching the paint to
your drapes,” Mr. Pick said. “There was
intentionality in the liturgy, the artwork, and everything was ground in
the gospel and in the word.”
The stoles sparked comments on
Twitter feeds during General Conference, as well as a Facebook page devoted to “Behind the Scenes at General
Conference worship.”
“I think the stoles were my favorite
part of the services,” said the Rev.
Peter K. Perry of Anchorage, Alaska, in
a Facebook comment. “But they made
me fall into the sin of covetousness repeatedly!”
Also, the growing presence of
women in the clergy may have helped,
too. At the Western North Carolina
Annual Conference, the Rev. Gloria
Hughes noticed that very few of the
female clergy in attendance wore
stoles with the traditional Methodist
cross and flame.
“The women seem to be stepping
out with stoles that are more creative,”
she said. “They seem to be leading the
way.”
The growing variety of clergy stoles
has opened up an avenue of spiritual
expression for the people who create
Only for the ordained
Nothing new
Stoles aren’t new—clergy have
worn them as far back as the fourth
century, and the garments’ symbolic
roots are in the Bible.
So why has the range of options
exploded of late?
For one thing, Americans have embraced a wide range of wearable symbols—think yellow bracelets for
cancer research, pink ribbons for
breast cancer awareness or rainbows
for acceptance of lesbians and gays.
4 B | J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R
them, as well as the wearers.
Jan Laurie of Fabric Art Clergy
Stoles in Nanaimo, British Columbia,
Canada, started making handcrafted
stoles for clergy about 20 years ago.
Today she sells about 100 stoles a year
to customers in almost two dozen denominations, including many United
Methodists.
“No two are exactly the same,” she
said. “It’s become a ministry for me.”
She sees her stoles as a means for
inviting worshippers “to take a closer
look, or a closer listen, to how the
word is reaching out to them. Each
stole is saying, ‘Wake up a little bit.’”
While many stoles are riotously
colorful and elaborate, some make
statements with their plainness and
simplicity. Mark James, a member of
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., experimented with
weaving jute by hand. The result was a
simple stole given to a priest who was
leaving the congregation.
“The cloth looks ancient, which
makes me think of biblical times,” he
said.
PHOTO BY DAN ROARK
The Rev. Kenny Dickson wears
shirtsleeves and slacks for
casual worship, but still wears
his stole. The stole’s jigsaw
pattern is a symbol for autism
awareness.
While the variety of stoles may
have blossomed, the meaning of the
stole remains unchanged, according to
the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources for the General Board of Discipleship.
“Only ordained deacons and elders
are to wear stoles,” he said. “That is
solid Christian tradition that dates
back at least to the fourth century.”
The stoles, he added, recall the serving
towel that Jesus used to wash the disciples’ feet, as well as the prophetic
mantles worn by Elisha and Elijah.
Mr. Burton-Edwards says some
district superintendents have allowed—or even encouraged—local
pastors who aren’t ordained to wear
the stole, but that goes against the de-
nomination’s ordinal.
“The stole is not a sign of being a
pastor, it’s a sign of ordination to a
particular order, elder or deacon,” he
said. Ordained deacons wear the stole
over the left shoulder; ordained elders
wear them around the neck and
straight down from the shoulders.
When non-ordained persons wear
the stole, he added, “That is an affront
to our commitments to our ecumenical partners to function in ways that
are ecumenically recognizable.”
Stoles are rooted in ancient history, but their widespread popularity
among United Methodist pastors is a
relatively recent phenomenon. At St.
Paul’s UMC in Houston, where traditional, formal liturgy rules on Sunday
mornings, clergy didn’t wear robes
and stoles until the late 1960s. Before
that, suits and ties were the pastoral
norm.
Today, St. Paul’s Altar Guild keeps a
detailed manual for coordinating the
colors of clergy stoles and paraments
(altar linens) during seasons of the
church: blue for Advent, purple for
Lent and red for Pentecost, for example. Still, St. Paul’s sacristy also devotes space for clergy member’s
personal stoles, as well as a set of colorful handmade stoles, made of indigenous fabrics, given by sister
churches in Bolivia.
Disappearing mantle?
Ironically, while clergy stoles have
grown more varied and expressive,
there’s a contingent of United
Methodist pastors who almost never
wear them. Many are younger pastors
whose churches offer only casual worship.
The Rev. Brock Patterson, 42, owns
stoles and clerical robes “of every variety,” but he’s only worn them a few
times—at weddings, only when the
bride requests them.
PHOTOS BY DONNA ADAIR
ABOVE: Robes and stoles hang in the sacristy of St.
Paul’s UMC in Houston. LEFT: These clergy stoles
were given to St. Paul’s UMC in Houston by sister
churches in Bolivia.
For one thing, the extra clothing is
hot and uncomfortable in the summer
in Little Rock, Ark., where Mr. Patterson pastors FaithSpring Church, a
United Methodist congregation. More
importantly, he doesn’t like the associations that vestments might create.
“The only place an un-churched
person sees a robe is in a courtroom,”
he said. “Since our focus is on making
disciples of the un-churched, I’d prefer
that our target audience not be think-
ing about a courtroom, judgment or
trial during their first worship experiences.”
Because he doesn’t wear a stole or
a robe, Mr. Patterson says he’s extra
intentional about explaining the liturgical seasons and their ecumenical
significance to worshippers. Personally, he loves the symbolism of stoles
and vestments, but says, “I’m not
going to wear them right now. It
seems to offend more people than it
encourages.”
Mr. Dickson understands the instinct for casualness, but he hopes
that stoles—in whatever form they
take—won’t fade away with the next
generation of clergy.
“It’s a part of our heritage, and it’s
a symbol of ordination,” he said.
“Wearing the stole is my way of symbolically claiming that position.”
mjacobs@umr.org
ABOVE: A stole
created by Carol
Pick for Bishop
Larry Goodpaster
at General
Conference. LEFT:
The Rev. Gloria
Hughes crafted
this stole for
Bishop James King
by piecing
rectangles of batik
fabric.
COURTESY PHOTO
COURTESY PHOTOS
LEFT: Church member Jane Sublett made this stole for the late Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball while she was
pastor of Greenland Hills UMC in Dallas. Baskin-Ball often repeated her grandmother’s expression,
“Glory Be!” RIGHT: Mark James wove this rough-hewn stole of jute for his Episcopal priest.
U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 | 5 B
6B FAITH forum
Dreaming, via the Internet, Stewardship: It’s all
a new future for the UMC about relationships
BY BECCA CLARK
Special Contributor
The DreamUMC conversation is
more than two months old, and growing in some exciting ways. We are putting words and ideas to action, and
finding new partners across denominational lines.
Coming out of
the 2012 General
Conference, many
delegates, volunteers
and folks who had
followed the proceedings from afar
looked for a way to
Becca Clark
continue a broad
conversation about
the United Methodist Church and the
directions into which God is calling
us. Using the social networking platform of Twitter, we created space for
this communication through the account @DreamUMC and the corresponding hashtag #DreamUMC.
The central goal is to have the
communication and vision building
be as open, grassroots-generated and
participatory as possible. We fundamentally believe that there is something inherently Methodist about
seeking out, listening for and valuing
every voice, rather than assuming direction comes from the top. Sometimes—often, even!—the Spirit
speaks boldly through the people one
might least expect.
Every two weeks, Monday nights at
9 Eastern, we have participated in
moderated Twitter chats or “tweetups,” where people follow the same
hashtag at the same time, and respond
to discussion questions. Three separate people from two different UMC
jurisdictions have moderated, and
participation has been strong, with
the number of people tweeting declining, but the number of new tweets and
secondary level questions increasing
as the conversation goes deeper. The
chats are archived on a Facebook page
so that people who can’t tune in at
that time can read the questions and
responses later. Often, one or more
persons will summarize the conversation for people to read.
Challenges, benefits
Certainly there are challenges and
drawbacks to this method. Not everyone is able to use Twitter and Facebook or feels comfortable in those
platforms. Our conversations have
been tipped toward United Statesbased individuals (although we have
several participants who sign in from
Europe or Africa), and are most popu-
lar among those under 40 (although
there are again many active participants who are young at heart if not in
years). Becoming more inclusive with
respect to age, geography and socioeconomic status remains a top priority.
The benefits and advantages are
stunning, however.
One might expect the conversation
to be monolithic theologically, or to
point to particular polity positions.
This has not been the case. In the
open conversation forum, participants
have voiced widely diverging opinions, beliefs and positions, and returned to engage with one another
two weeks later. Sharing insights, the
people tweeting have offered up a
wide range of creative, forward-thinking ideas on a range of topics from the
major lessons of General Conference
to the need for theological and spiritual formation in local churches, from
the essential qualities of an episcopal
leader to spreading the message and
model of DreamUMC’s open-source
conversation.
Focusing the chat
With people weighing in from
around the United States and around
the world, both during the chat and
on their own time, the folks of
‘We are . . .
finding new
partners across
denominational
lines.’
DreamUMC have begun to identify
key areas of focus for conversation
and action moving forward, including
building toward a United Methodist
Church that is more connected to its
Wesleyan heritage, has a stronger
focus on discipleship and development, is more inclusive, and is more
equitable globally. For weeks, we have
discussed the need for education and
formation in local churches, and for
the development of lay and clergy
leadership at all levels of the church.
We have also heard frustration
about the divisions, exclusions and
process-related technical details that
keep us from being as effective as we
can be in mission and service (like debating almost all critical topics using
Robert’s Rules of Order rather than
living into a more open and holy conferencing style).
These areas of interest are exciting
to think about as the conversation
J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R
continues. The plan is to invite participants to place themselves on one or
more teams and work intentionally
around these topics, while continuing
the wider discussion about the United
Methodist Church as a whole, and
about where the Spirit is leading us in
the months and years ahead.
Ecumenical dreams
One of the most exciting developments in this movement is its expansion beyond the UMC. At the recent
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General
Assembly, a conversation began on
Twitter that was very similar to the
conversation that we had experienced
at our General Conference. One United
Methodist, following the PCUSA
tweets, mentioned this similarity,
inviting the participants there to peruse the conversations that we’d been
having through DreamUMC, and suddenly @WeDreamPCUSA was born.
Within days, new hashtags and
user accounts popped up for other denominations, including the United
Church of Christ, the Episcopal
Church, the Disciples of Christ, and a
broader ecumenical gathering.
Vital, connected future
My personal hope is for a focus on
reconnecting to the things that make
us Christian, that give us power and
purpose as the Body of Christ, and
that inform and shape us in our various theological and historical foundations.
In talking with a friend from another denomination this morning, we
reflected that the ecumenical movement has historically focused on either mergers or, more typically, on
sharing in mission. What if this time,
we focused on a different kind of mission: to reclaim and reinvigorate
mainline Christianity, to engage with
a culture hungry for meaning and
purpose and connection, and to offer
what the church as a whole has found
in Christ, trusting that individuals will
flock to the particular and distinct denominations with which they best resonate?
Can we, this summer, this year, at
this season in the church, open a conversation at all levels and in all places,
hearing, discerning and sharing where
God is calling the Christian church
into a new and more relevant, vital,
connected future?
Now that’s a dream I want to live
into.
The Rev. Clark is pastor of Trinity
UMC in Montpelier, Vt., and was a
New England Conference delegate
to General Conference 2012.
B Y K E N S L OA N E
Special Contributor
I worshipped in a church that had
signs posted everywhere—doors
coming in, doors leaving, entering the
fellowship hall, even
in the men’s and
women’s rooms. The
signs said: “It’s all
about relationships.”
It wasn’t the
church’s mission
statement, but it was
a core value, and you
Ken Sloane
couldn’t be in that
church facility for
more than a minute without realizing
it. It was a reference to their relationship with God, with Jesus Christ, with
other persons in the church family,
with their neighbors and community,
and with the global community. This
church lived it out; they were all about
relationships.
Stewardship is all about relationships. It’s not about what the Finance
Committee does in August or September in preparation for the pledge campaign in November, or the little box in
the Sunday bulletin that tells us how
much less last Sunday’s offering was
than what we needed to make the
budget.
Not just raising money
Don’t be mistaken: Raising money
for the operation of the church is important, and the money your people
give or don’t give will either empower
or cripple ministry that your church
must be about and the world desperately needs. Creating revenue for the
church is important, but it is not the
foundational purpose of stewardship.
It’s about building relationships.
In many ways the Bible is about
relationships as well. A dominant
theme in the Hebrew Scriptures is the
understanding of the covenant that
God established with our Hebrew ancestors: “You will be my people and I
will be your God.”
More than an agreement or a contract, the covenant defines a relationship. We can’t understand or teach
stewardship until we understand the
blessings and obligations that undergird this covenantal relationship. Read
through the Ten Commandments and
you’ll realize how they help define how
to keep our most important relationships healthy. We often hear it said
that in the Gospels Jesus speaks more
about money and possessions than
any other topic, but really he talks
more about how those things interact
with the relationships we value.
So how does our teaching about
stewardship connect and call people
into relationships? Stewardship is
about our relationship with God,
who in love has sought to enter into
covenant with us; our relationship
with Jesus Christ, the embodiment
of that love, and our relationship to
the church, Christ’s body in the
world, and the mission to which it
has been called.
The big shift
Carol Johnston, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Christian Theological Seminary in
Indianapolis, has done extensive research on generosity in a variety of
congregational settings and interviewed church members across a
wide range of income levels. She observed that, regardless of the economic strata, when asked about
money there was a consistent anxiety
expressed about whether the interviewee “had enough” to really feel secure.
They were unable to see that
money really couldn’t guarantee security in this life.
Dr. Johnston’s reflections on this
were powerful: She writes at length
about the connection between this security that people seek and the faith
perspective that points them to examine the relationships that can provide that security. She lists family and
community and we could expand that
to include relationship systems that
develop within congregations—some
healthy and some not healthy. Ultimately, the key relationship that can
satisfy that need for security is our
relationship with God.
Dr. Johnston makes a powerful observation about one of the key obstacles to unleashing the generosity in
our people. “In order for people to
change the way they think about and
use money, the focus needs to shift
from money as the measure of wealth
and security to the only true security
there is: placing your life in God’s
hands.”
So when it is time to begin the
stewardship conversation in your
church, let’s not start with what the
church needs to pay the bills. Talk
about relationships, and in which relationships people put their trust, and
in which relationships people find
their security. See if that doesn’t lead
us into a place of more generous living.
The Rev. Sloane is director of
stewardship for the United
Methodist General Board of
Discipleship in Nashville, Tenn.
FAITH forum 7B
REFLECTIONS
When it becomes difficult to believe in God
B Y B I S H O P W O O D I E W. W H I T E
UMR Columnist
The man simply said, “I no longer
believe in God.” It was said without
emotion, no effort to be dramatic.
Clearly, he did not intend to shock me,
or otherwise create a scene. He went
on, “I do not believe
there is a Supreme
Being who looks
down to protect me
or even cares about
me.”
He had seen so
much of evil in the
world, in his young
Bishop
years. Too much. As
Woodie
we talked, he was not
really interested in a White
philosophical discussion or in hearing a theological argument for the existence of God. His
comments came as a result of his conclusion that no Supreme Being could
allow to happen what he had endured.
He didn’t even sound angry, only disappointed.
In that moment I remembered a
response I had read or heard somewhere, “Well, maybe you don’t believe
in God, but God believes in you.” It
seemed trite! Contrived. I did not say
it. This was no time for theological
“cuteness.”
I knew the depths of evil and the
constant pain experienced by this
young man, who was innocent and yet
also wise beyond his years. Something
within him had died before it had a
chance to fully live.
I believed this was a time to acknowledge his journey through disappointment and despair, victimization
and pain, not to minimize them. At
the moment, he was simply trying to
get through one night—not the whole
rest of his life.
Perhaps I responded inadequately,
but I was truthful.
“I understand,” I said. “Perhaps
you will find God again.”
Of course, my young friend was
asking the age-old question: How can
God allow evil and suffering to exist?
Then again, perhaps he would phrase
it differently—that evil, suffering and
catastrophes serve as evidence that no
God exists. Or if a God does exist, certainly not a good God.
To put it even more personally:
Why would a God allow me to go
through all that I have experienced in
so few years?
As the night went on, we talked not
about God but about life. Life in the
raw, as he had seen and experienced
it. I listened to his description of how
others had so little value for life, or at
least for the lives of others. I had to
hold back tears, and it was not easy.
Here was Gilead with no balm. God
had been erased from the equation.
It was a long night. But we made it
through.
Sadly, this young man’s experience
is not uncommon. Perhaps in too
many instances, Christians keep
themselves personally divorced from
such real and genuine pain and suffering. However, I am sure pastors are
confronted with these issues and
questions almost daily.
I hear some televangelists—and
perhaps other preachers as well—
proclaiming that prosperity is evidence of God’s presence in a person’s
life. That good people are “blessed”
with continuous bliss and uninterrupted joy. And by inference, those
who are not good are doomed to suffering and pain. This is “a God of the
healthy and wealthy.”
I wish I could help my young friend
understand why evil is so evil. Yes, why
even the good and innocent suffer. For
that matter, why anyone suffers. It is
not as easy as simply presenting a logical, rational explanation, especially at a
moment such as this one.
But the issue is not so much about
evil and suffering, as it is about trying
to understand the nature of God. Not a
new topic, except perhaps for one who
considers it in the midst of his or her
suffering. Then it is new. Existentially
new!
I am glad that God sent me to the
young man that night, not so that I
could give him answers, for he asked
no questions. He only acknowledged,
“I no longer believe in God.” I, in turn,
acknowledged that I understood his
place of disbelief and hoped that in
some future time he would find God
again. I will join him on his journey.
It is not always easy to believe in
God. I think no one understands that
more profoundly than God!
Retired Bishop White is the
denomination’s Endorsing Agent
for Chaplain Ministries and bishopin-residence at Emory University’s
Candler School of Theology, in
Atlanta.
Learning to see the dirt on the back of Jesus’ neck
BY EDGAR MOORE
Special Contributor
On a recent visit to Notre Dame in
Paris, I was reminded of the power
art wields over our imaginations and
memories. The cathedral was begun
in the mid-12th century, its architects
assuming that the
majority of folk who
worshipped there
would be illiterate.
So the building was
designed as catechism, teaching the
Edgar
faith through stone,
Moore
sculpture and
stained glass to people who would never themselves read
the Scriptures.
Christ enthroned in glory sits
above the main entrance, the last
judgment depicted in vivid detail beneath his feet. The blessed, gazing up
adoringly at their Lord, are being led
to heaven by an angel; the less fortunate head off to a quite different
place, escorted by a sculpted demon.
The message could not be clearer:
This is the future that awaits humanity, and inside this church one may
discover how to join the company of
the blessed. Those unable to read got
the message; the sculpture is unforgettable.
The art in our local churches exerts subtle, catechetical power, even
in our information-drenched age, and
the stained-glass windows are especially potent. In many of them the images are, for want of a better term,
Photoshopped.
Everyone is clean, their expressions exuding holiness. The ultrabiblical robes never show dirt or
perspiration stains. Even the sheep
are bleached and blow-dried. John the
Baptist sometimes looks a bit outré,
but scarcely as unkempt and hygienically lax as the Gospels attest.
In Protestant churches where
there is a resurrection window, the
risen Christ is usually physically perfect, no wounds in hands or feet, contradicting the Gospel of John. This is
not only unbiblical but spiritually
subversive.
Subversive in that we are formed
by constant exposure to these images,
whether we are aware of it or not, and
the world they depict never existed.
The newly raised Christ still had
wounds, because incarnation was
costly to God, and Jesus’ journey
through human history left him indelibly altered. In the new Jerusalem,
his scars bear witness to the chaos
and struggle of the world. So says the
Gospel of John.
Pastors live out their vocations in
this chaotic place. In the Duke Clergy
Health Initiative, we remind them in
worship and other ways that incarnation intersects their lives, not only
during the great festivals of Christ-
mas and Easter, but also in the ordinary places, where most ministry occurs.
We invite them to look at the dayto-day work of their callings through
lenses that demythologize the biblical
world, taking Christ out of the stained
glass and making him a true companion to parish clergy. We invite
pastors to see Jesus with—as the Rev.
Claire Wimbush, an Episcopal priest,
says—“the dirt of Galilee deeply embedded in the pores of his skin.”
Re-imagining Jesus this way is not
only historically and theologically appropriate but also curative of the distortions that threaten our spirits by
encouraging us to remember Jesus as
he never was, and as he is not now.
The one enthroned in glory still carries bits of Galilee in his pores, and
vivid reminders of his time among us
in his hands, feet and side.
This is the Lord of the church, the
one who accompanies every pastor in
her visits with the uncomprehending
Alzheimer’s patient and in her bedside presence with the dying. This is
the one who stands beside her in the
pulpit and at the communion table.
This is the one who co-endures the
harsh, unfair criticism of the angry
parishioner who, heedless of his baptism vows, enjoys wounding the
church.
This is the Jesus who bears the
scars. This is the flesh-and-blood
Christ who invites the pastor to go
alone to a mountaintop or to put out
from shore in the boat for a while,
away from all the demands, to care
for her own soul and to be nourished
by the manna of silence.
Our invitation to pastors to refresh
their imaginations with these perspectives on incarnation has been
difficult for some, liberating for others and, frankly, disquieting to a few.
But as John reminds us in recounting
the conversation between Jesus and
Nicodemus, it’s hard to see the kingdom unless you view it from above
(John 3:3).
That new vantage point can be
challenging. From it you can see the
dirt on the back of Jesus’ neck. And
that is John’s good news.
The Rev. Moore is the primary
liaison between the Clergy Health
Initiative and the leadership and
staff of the two United Methodist
conferences in North Carolina.
He’s an elder in the BaltimoreWashington Conference. This
essay earlier appeared on
Duke Divinity School’s Faith &
Leadership website (www.faithand
leadership.com). Reprinted with
permission.
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U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2
8B FAITH focus
What goes on a UM bishop’s ‘report card’?
B Y H E AT H E R H A H N
United Methodist News Service
Kids bring home report cards. Employees typically undergo annual reviews. And now, United Methodist
bishops get formal evaluations as well.
But just as each class has its own
way of grading, each U.S. jurisdiction
varies in how it appraises bishops.
The 2008 Book of Discipline, the
denomination’s law book, for the first
time requires the United Methodist
episcopacy committees that oversee
bishops around the globe “to establish
and implement processes” to evaluate
each active bishop at least once every
four years.
The assessments must include
self-evaluations from the bishops,
input from their episcopal peers and
comments from individuals affected
by their leadership (such as district
superintendents, lay leaders and directors of agency boards on which the
bishops serve).
Those evaluations played a role
July 18-21 as jurisdictional conferences were held across the United
States and jurisdictional committees
on the episcopacy recommended
where U.S. bishops will serve during
the next four years.
Responses to questionnaires on
Bishop Earl Bledsoe of the North
Texas Conference likely played a critical role July 16-17 during the South
Central Jurisdiction episcopacy committee’s closed-door hearing with the
bishop. The committee voted to place
Bishop Bledsoe in involuntary retirement (see story in this issue).
Even before the 2008 requirement
of formal evaluations, some jurisdictional and central conference episcopacy committees have carried out
bishop assessments on their own.
Since the 1976 Book of Discipline,
episcopacy committees—within certain limits—have had the authority to
place a bishop in involuntary retirement by a two-thirds vote. The South
Central committee’s vote on Bishop
Bledsoe was 24 to 4 with two abstentions, more than the necessary twothirds margin.
“As a member of the committee, I
have found the questionnaires helpful
as one of several sources of information used in the evaluation process,”
Don House, the South Central committee’s chair and a lay member of the
Texas Conference, said in an interview
before the hearing.
The Book of Discipline defines
bishops as elders “set apart for a ministry of servant leadership, general
oversight and supervision.”
The law book goes on to say that
bishops must possess:
• A vital and renewing spirit
• An enquiring mind and a commitment to the teaching office
• A vision for the church
• A prophetic commitment for the
transformation of the church and the
world
• A passion for the unity of the
church
• The ministry of administration
So far, the episcopacy committees
in four of the five U.S. jurisdictions
have developed questionnaires based
on these requirements to use in evaluating their bishops.
The United Methodist News Service asked representatives from each of
the jurisdictional episcopacy committees to share what metrics they use in
assessing bishops.
At a glance, here is what they provided:
• The South Central Jurisdiction
uses three documents: a questionnaire
for the bishop and two episcopal area
questionnaires for annual conference
members, Part A that profiles the area
and Part B that assesses the bishop.
• The Southeastern Jurisdiction
also uses three documents: a self-evaluation where bishops share their gifts
and passions, an overview of the episcopal area and a bishop’s assessment
that covers eight areas of ministry.
• The Northeastern Jurisdiction
models its bishops’ evaluation tool
closely on the requirements for bishops outlined in the Book of Discipline.
• The North Central Jurisdiction
offers a toolkit for annual conference
committees on the episcopacy as well
as an episcopal leadership evaluation
and annual conference profile.
• The episcopacy committee of the
Western Jurisdiction, which will not
be electing any new bishops this year,
is still formalizing its evaluation tool,
said Greg Nelson, the committee’s
chair and director of communications
for the Oregon-Idaho Conference.
Each jurisdictional episcopacy
committee includes a clergy delegate
and a lay delegate from each of that
jurisdiction’s conferences.
Different processes
The evaluation tools all examine
the spiritual leadership of bishops in
areas such as disciple making as well
as their stewardship in such practical
matters as church giving. Evaluations
also typically take place with strict
confidentiality.
However, the committees vary in
how they carry out evaluations.
The Rev. John Ed Mathison, chair
of the Southeastern Jurisdiction episcopacy committee, offers the example
of his committee’s process.
He said the jurisdictional committee requests each annual conference to
determine a number “somewhere in
J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R
the neighborhood of 50 people” to be
involved in the evaluation process of
their bishop. The individuals should
be of different age groups and represent different ministries.
“We didn’t want the evaluation to
come simply from the cabinet and a
few selected leaders,” said Dr. Mathison, who is also a retired clergy member of the
Alabama-West
Florida Conference.
His group also
encourages each
conference committee on the episcopacy to include an
outside bishop in the
John Ed
evaluation. For example, the Alabama- Mathison
West Florida
Conference invited Louisville (Ky.)
Area Bishop Lindsey Davis to help
with the evaluation of the conference’s
Bishop Paul Leeland.
The jurisdictional committee relies
heavily on the evaluation process from
the conferences, Dr. Mathison said.
“We were asking episcopal committees to look at these evaluation
forms and work with the bishops to
provide growth opportunities,” he said.
“We don’t see the evaluation process as
ending simply when a report is made,
but putting in place some structure for
assisting that bishop in a good program of development.”
Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, who
leads the Susquehanna Conference in
Pennsylvania, is a veteran of bishop
evaluations, which the Northeastern
Jurisdiction had conducted for years
before 2008.
The personal assessment and feedback from others serve as “a kind of
bellwether,” said Bishop Middleton,
who will retire this year. “So yes, there
is a level of help.”
However, she said, there are limits
to their usefulness.
Just as it is frustrating to try to
measure fully the work of a pastor, she
said, it is no less disconcerting to try
to do the same with bishops. She recalls being involved in the assessment
of a bishop who she thought was very
effective but whose evaluation came
out very poorly on paper.
“It’s kind of like the proverbial elephant being examined in a dark
room—no one sees the full work of a
bishop,” she said.
“And because the
work has such
breadth, it’s very
hard to get appropriate feedback.”
Another struggle,
she said, is that
sometimes people
Bishop
only tell bishops
what they think they Jane Allen
Middleton
want to hear.
At their best, the
standardized evaluation forms can be
“tools for dialogue and gaining insights on leadership needs and effectiveness,” she said.