Partnership Will Train Pastors in Angola and Mozambique

An agreement for a partnership to develop curriculum and theological education for training Portuguese-speaking pastors in Angola and Mozambique was signed in June in Brazil.

The partnership includes the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the faculty of theology of the Methodist University of São Paulo, the Angola and Mozambique Annual Conferences, and the Methodist Church in Brazil.

“The Board is moving with all deliberate speed to create relationships with higher educational institutions and theological seminaries to meet the educational needs of world Methodism, especially Latin America,” said Jerome King Del Pino, general secretary of GBHEM.

“This is being done even without financial support of the Global Education Fund that was proposed to, but not approved by, the General Conference in 2004,” Del Pino said. The General Conference delegates did approve a $4 million World Service Special Gifts Fund for the Global Education Fund, which will allow GBHEM to ask for donations for the Fund.

The Board’s Division of Higher Education will be working with staff at the Methodist University of São Paulo to deliver that curriculum to theology schools in the two African countries.

The partnership will help meet the educational needs of world Methodism, Del Pino said.

“This and other similar initiatives by GBHEM in Asia, Africa, and Europe constitute a defining moment for a connectional church that needs a global infrastructure for leadership development in order to claim truthfully that it is a global church," Del Pino said.

In addition to the agreement to develop curriculum and theological education for pastors in Angola and Mozambique, the Division of Higher Education will be working with staff at the Methodist University of São Paulo to deliver that curriculum to theology schools in the two African countries.

Magali do Nascimento Cunha, a member of the faculty at the Methodist School of Theology at the Methodist University of São Paulo, says the agreement will give more strength to the partnership between the three Portuguese speaking countries.

“Since the 1980s, the Faculty of Theology of the Methodist Church in Brazil has worked in partnership with the Methodist Church in Angola and Mozambique, receiving students to be trained for the pastoral ministry, including three of the current bishops of those countries,” Cunha said. The church in Brazil has also sent faculty members to teach courses, as well as printed materials published in Brazil.

“This Methodist connection is part of the Wesleyan inheritance that sees the main task for the church ministry in global perspective – the world is our parish,” Cunha said, adding that the connection leads to solidarity in action and sharing of resources.

A research team made up of representatives of the Faculty of Theology and the Methodist Church in Brazil will spend several weeks in Angola and Mozambique in September and October to assess the needs and determine an appropriate curriculum, said Robert Kohler, an assistant general secretary in the Division of Ordained Ministry at GBHEM.

Developing the curriculum will be done mostly by the staff of the Faculty of Theology at Methodist University of São Paulo and representatives of the church in Brazil. Once the research is compiled, the planning committee will meet in February to work on the curriculum, Kohler said.

In addition to the work in theological education, GBHEM is working with Methodist University of São Paulo, Africa University in Zimbabwe, and the church in Mozambique to develop an eight-week distance education program that will use printed materials, possibly a DVD, and at least one visit from a teacher to Maputo to train a group of tutors in Mozambique.

According to Ken Bedell, associate general secretary of GBHEM’s Division of Higher Education, this will make it possible to use the excellent technical capabilities of the Brazilian university to deliver needed training in agriculture, health, and environmental studies, as well as theological studies, to Mozambique.

“This is an exciting example of what can happen when Methodist schools cooperate across continents,” Bedell said.

United Methodists join vigil opposing death penalty

A UMNS Feature By Kathy L. Gilbert*

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the United Methodist Church's call to end executions and the 30th anniversary of a decision by the United States Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary, the United Methodist Board of Church and Society is resurrecting the United Methodists Against the Death Penalty network.

Retired United Methodist Bishop Ray Chamberlain will speak during Starvin' for Justice, an annual fast and vigil opposing capital punishment. The vigil will be held in front of the United States Supreme Court June 29-July 2. The dates commemorate the historic 1972 and 1976 Supreme Court rulings that first suspended the death penalty and later allowed executions to resume.

"All executions are brutal," Chamberlain said. "I don't know of any humane way for the state to execute someone. Does the person being executed prefer the electric chair to being taken out to the town square and having their head cut off?" The church stands on the side of respecting all human life, he said.

At its 1956 General Conference, the Methodist Church declared: "We stand for the application of the redemptive principle to the treatment of offenders against the law, the reform of penal and correctional methods, and to criminal court procedures. We deplore the use of capital punishment." (Social Principals, 164G)

The United Methodist Church has passed resolutions opposed to the death penalty since 1976.
"Our church comes down on the side of respect of human life," Chamberlain said. Calling people criminals instead of human beings is an excuse to treat them differently, he said.

"I just don't know that we should take it (executions) in our hands--to take a needle and think because it is sterile it is alright. It hurts me very much to see what we are doing in our country about capital punishment."

The board passed a resolution at its 2006 spring meeting celebrating the church's "prophetic statement" and the fact that the Methodist Church was one of the first denominations in the United States to formally come out against the death penalty.

"In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus gives us a picture of the final judgment and in it our righteousness is dependent on our treatment of the most vulnerable, including whether or not we have visited those who are imprisoned," said Bill Mefford, civil and human rights director with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

"Our call to love those imprisoned is clear as Jesus identifies himself among those who are incarcerated. There should be no ambivalence in our stance on capital punishment - we as United Methodists and as the followers of Jesus are called to advocate for the end to the death penalty," he said.

United Methodists Against the Death Penalty is a network of United Methodists working and advocating against the death penalty in the United States. It has been inactive for a while, Mefford said.

"The United Methodist Church clearly stands against capital punishment throughout the world," he said.

According to Amnesty International, more than 124 nations have taken steps through either law or practice to abolish the death penalty. Currently, the United States, Iran, China, and Vietnam account for 97 percent of the world's executions.

Information on how to join United Methodists Against the Death Penalty is available on at http://archives.umc.org/frames.asp?url=http%3A//www.umc-gbcs.org.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Event celebrates, focuses on Native Americans

For information about Native American ministries within the Tennessee Annual Conference contact:
Mary T Newman
Office of Connectional Ministries
304 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 1
Nashville, TN 37211-4167
615-329-1177
mtnewman@tnumc.org



By Milse Furtado*

Deckee Garris is part of the United Methodist Church "because it allows me to be Indian with my traditions and at the same time it gives me freedom to worship God."

Garris, a member of the Catawba tribe, was one of 350 participants who gathered June 23-25 at Lake Junaluska, N.C., for the 18th Native American Summer Conference. The theme for the event was "Every Member in Ministry for the 21st Century: Called, Chosen and Equipped to Walk the Sacred Path."

"I am always so inspired by the energy and passion and compassion of this group," said Suanne Ware-Diaz, a staff executive with United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race. "There were so many activities for people of all ages."

The event was "designed to heighten awareness of critical social, contemporary and cultural issues affecting native people, spiritual strengthening and renewal, and the celebration of inter-tribal ministries within the United Methodist Church," according to Darlene Jacobs, director of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Agency on Native American Ministries.

SEJANAM is the advocate for 23 Native American congregations and three other ministries in the Southeast Jurisdiction.

The Rev. Kenneth Locklear, pastor of Prospect United Methodist Church, Maxton, N.C. and former director of SEJANAM, presented a native perspective on the pros and cons of gaming.

"Many Native Americans in reservations live in poverty," said Locklear. "When gaming was introduced to them there was a dramatic improvement in their lives."

But gaming also has a negative side, he warned. "Gaming has been viewed as an addiction and it is so overwhelming and overpowering that people are not able to make a choice, therefore they jeopardize their livelihood, impacting their home economy, family, job and social status."

Other presenters dealt with the emerging pandemic of HIV and AIDS within native communities, the prevalence of domestic violence, and critical health issues affecting the native population. Evelyn Laycock, author and writer, presented an in-depth discussion on social issues from a biblical perspective.

A special recognition ceremony was held to commemorate and honor the labor, commitment and dedication of native ministries. Nominees were given a special certificate, along with a resolution passed by the SEJANAM board of directors.

Jacobs called the gospel singing "one of the highlights of the conference." Fifteen groups singing southern, native, and contemporary gospel sang and children also performed.

"Everyone was energized by the spirit after the hymn sing that was only supposed to last about an hour but went on for three hours," said Ware-Diaz.

Keynote speakers were North Carolina Bishop Al Gwinn, the Rev. Chester Jones, top executive at the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, and the Rev. Marion-Moore Colgan, chairperson of the National United Methodist Native American Center.

Graham Fields, western regional representative for Sen. Elizabeth Dole, along with the Rev. Al Ward, superintendent for the Waynesville District Office, brought special greetings.

For additional information, contact Darlene Jacobs at (888) 825-6316 or send an e-mail to djacobs@sejumc.org.

*Furtado, an intern at United Methodist Communications, is a senior communications major at United Methodist-related Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss.

US-2 program helps put faith into action

By Linda Bloom*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - For Emily Harris, social activism has often been a part of her involvement with the United Methodist Church.

So it wasn't a stretch when she joined the US-2 program of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries to explore the calling she felt.

"It always made sense to put my faith in action for economic justice," she said.

Harris, from the church's Virginia Conference, is one of seven US-2s who have just finished their two-year term of missionary service. They shared some of their experiences during a June 22 briefing at the board's New York headquarters.

The US-2 program offers leadership development through peace and justice ministries at U.S.-based community organizations. It is open to young adults aged 20 to 30 years.

Harris was assigned to the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice in Chicago. The organization's goal is to "educate, organize and mobilize the religious community in the U.S. on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers," according to the Web site.

Rachel Harvey plans for return to South Dakota for a year, where she has served as the director of Coffee Loft, an ecumenical ministry for the University of South Dakota community sponsored by Vermillion First United Methodist Church. Programs there have included "hookers for Jesus" -- a knitting and crocheting group composed mostly of young men.

The US-2 experience has led Harvey to be more assertive. "I'm a lot more confident in myself," she said.

Amy Brown, who worked for the N.O.A.H. Project, a resource center for the homeless sponsored by Central United Methodist Church and Family Service, Inc., in Detroit, wasn't often able to follow up on her clients. "A lot of people we don't always see again," she explained.

But Brown, from the North Alabama Conference, did take a life lesson from Robert, a man who used the center's phones to call employment agencies. Although he was "scammed" by a phony agency that never paid him for his work - money he was counting on for a security deposit on an apartment - Robert was not bitter over the experience, she recalled.

Children's health was a focus for Donna Wheeler of the Central Pennsylvania Conference, who has a degree in elementary education. She coordinated the SMART Body Program, a collaboration of the Wilkinson Center, based at Munger Place United Methodist Church in Dallas; Texas A&M University and Cooper Aerobics Center. The focus was on nutrition, exercise and reducing childhood obesity.

In addition, Wheeler assisted with a job preparation program for ex-convicts and found she had a "gift" for helping them with their resumes. One woman got a contract job with the USDA. "She credited her success to the program," she said.

Her success with these programs also told her something about herself, according to Wheeler. "I learned I had much more ability than I gave myself credit for."

Utah is one of the few states that still charges sale tax on food, reported Elizabeth Matthews of the Texas Conference, who spent her two-year term at Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The ecumenical ministry is the largest emergency food pantry in the state and is housed in a historic building owned by the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

The decision of the state legislature to remove half of that tax, after years of lobbying by Crossroads and other groups, was a success she will remember, she said.

Kandis Samuels of the Delaware-Peninsula Conference found it "challenging" to run an after-school program with the Hampden Family Center in Baltimore by herself, but learned she could do it.

Samuels, who will be attending graduate school at George Washington University, also likes to talk about what it meant to be a missionary. "I felt it was an opportunity to educate people," she said.

At Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C., Andrew Jordan has worked in a program "that provides scholarships for students who otherwise wouldn't be able to go to college in exchange for doing community service." One of the "most memorable" groups on the receiving end of that community service has been Second Parenthood, a program for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.

Jordan, from the Tennessee Conference, said he is being hired full-time at Pfeiffer to continue in the same position.

The 2005-2007 US-2 missionary class of 8 currently is half-way through its term. Another 8 young adults will be commissioned on July 30 for the 2006-2008 class.

The application deadline for future US-2 classes is Feb. 1 each year. Information and application forms are available at http://new.gbgm-mc.org/about/us/mp/missionaries/us2/, on the Board of Global Ministries Web site.

US-2s are not asked to raise monetary support during their time as missionaries, but United Methodists can support the program through the Advance for Christ and His Church.

Checks may be written to Advance GCFA and earmarked for US-2 Program, No. 982874, and dropped in church collection plates or mailed directly to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Credit card donations may be made by calling (888) 252-6174. Online donations can be made at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/ on the board's Web site.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Doctor prescribes power of Christ to beat meth addiction

By Danette Clifton*

MORGAN CITY, Ala. (UMNS) - "No one is immune… no family, no church, no community," Mary Holley warns.

Holley is addressing a church group about the danger of methamphetamine. She knows firsthand the effects methamphetamine has on the user, his or her family and the community. In 2000, her younger brother, Jim, died after years of methamphetamine addiction. As a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist, Holley increasingly saw the drug's effects in her patients and their babies.

So in 2002, Holley, a member of Guntersville (Ala.) First United Methodist Church, founded "Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine."

"After he died, I started looking into it as a physician, as a scientist," she says. "What is this drug that destroyed his life in just two years? What I found out appalls me.

"Science knows how methamphetamine works," she says. "We know what it does to the chemistry in the brain. But nobody was translating this stuff into plain English so everybody else can understand."

Holley's efforts started as a series of editorials she wrote to local newspapers in nearby Arab and Albertville, Ala. As she discussed the effects of addiction, she also included an invitation to experience the healing power of Jesus Christ in each editorial. Soon Holley was being asked to teach drug education classes for the county and city jails as well as juvenile probation programs. Individuals also contacted her for help and information.

Now retired from medical practice, Holley has produced booklets and pamphlets about methamphetamine and its effects, along with videos used in public schools, prisons and rehabilitation centers. She recently published a book, Crystal Meth: They Call it Ice.

Holley also speaks to churches and civic groups and encourages them to be more aware and active in offering help and hope to addicts, families and communities affected by the drug. That's why she's speaking in Morgan City, a small town with such a big addiction problem that some people refer to it as "meth mountain."

For seminar participant Olivia Smith, Holley brings an important message for the local church to hear. "I think it's good to do it in a church environment because everyone is so comfortable with each other," Smith says.

As Holley has produced more materials and addressed more groups, her organization, Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine, has grown to 100 chapters worldwide.

One of the most active of those chapters is in Polk County, Florida. The chapter serves close to 900 people a month from community education to support groups for recovering methamphetamine addicts and their loved ones.

Libbie Combee, 42, started the chapter after learning about Holley's program from her son, Jason, who is in prison because of his addiction to methamphetamine.

"The day I picked up the phone to have my son arrested was the hardest decision I'd ever made but I knew the cycle had to be broken in my family and the cycle had to be broken starting with me."

Combee says addiction runs in families. This mom knew from experience only tough love would work. She, herself, was once a methamphetamine addict but has been clean for 12 years. Combee's personal understanding of the dynamics of addiction has helped her share Holley's ministry with those in need.

"What I have seen is the families prolong the process of the loved ones recovery because families enable, families rescue, and families won't get out of the way for God to rescue."

Recovering addict and mother of two little girls, 29 year-old Holly Burress agrees.

Burress came to the Florida Mama Chapter with a $50 a day methamphetamine habit that had become a dark family secret no one wanted to talk about. For years her parents had given her money to feed her children because her own paychecks were feeding her habit.

"After a while you end up using people and using people to the point they don't want to help you anymore," Burress says.

For Burress the breaking point was the pending breakup of her marriage. She has been clean for four months and is now working to mend her relationship with her husband and her children.
Burress has tried to quit many times before but says Holley's program has given her hope for long term success. "It feels different this time… I'm not alone… It's not a secret anymore."

Growing use
Methamphetamine use is growing in the United States and worldwide. According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 11.7 million Americans ages 12 and older reported trying methamphetamine at least once, representing 4.9 percent of the population ages 12 and older.

Holley explains that because of meth's strong chemical effects on the brain, one use is enough to become addicted.

"Use it once, you will do it again," she says. "You did not choose it, it chose you."

Methamphetamine, developed in the last century, was originally used in nasal decongestants.

Now it is being manufactured in clandestine laboratories known as meth labs, using ingredients purchased in local stores, such as over-the-counter cold medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Other chemicals used to make crystal meth are also available as household items such as rubbing alcohol, lithium from batteries, red phosphorus from matchbooks, salt and drain cleaner.

Meth labs are being set up in homes, barns, even in the trunks of cars, and they are popping up in both urban and rural settings.

The drug's effects
The first effects of methamphetamine are increased alertness and energy. Holley explains that this high can last 12 to 20 hours and the user may "feel invincible." As the high goes away, the user experiences a crash. This can last from one to two weeks. During the crash, users often experience irritability and the unbearable sense that "nothing feels good." The only thing that can make the crash go away is using meth again.

Crystal methamphetamine damages and overwhelms the pathways in the brain, Holley says. It causes the brain to flood these synapses with dopamine - a neotransmitter that affects the processes controlling movement, emotional response and ability to experience pleasure and pain - at 100 times the normal concentration. She compares this to one brain cell yelling at another brain cell for 20 hours.

"You yell for 20 hours, you get hoarse," she says. "This is what happens to cell A."

This breakdown in the normal communication of brain cells can cause loss of control of cravings and temper, mood swings and panic attacks. Some people even develop anxiety disorders and experience hallucinations, paranoia and loss of muscle control. Other effects of meth use include depression, sexual dysfunction and the deterioration of tooth enamel leading to tooth loss.

Holley says the brain needs a year to 18 months of complete abstinence from methamphetamine to heal. However, she says, some ingredients commonly used to cook crystal meth, such as battery acid, cannot be absorbed by the body. As a result, meth use often leaves lasting effects, such as holes in the brain or acid burns on the skin.

Methamphetamine users aren't the only victims of the drug, Holley says. The families of users and the community are also affected. While parents are high on crystal meth, children are often abandoned and not cared for, she says.

A user's family can help through tough love, Holley says. Her experience in talking to addicts and former addicts has shown her that most people don't want to get off meth until "it hurts worse to keep using," she says. "That's when they'll stop."

So she instructs the family and friends of meth users: "No matter how ugly it gets don't stop praying for that child." But she also warns, "They will break your heart."

Holley says 50 percent of the people she talks to who are addicted are good people who went to the wrong party, made the wrong friends or were just looking for a quick way to find energy to make it through another shift at work. She says the other 50 percent she meets are wounded people who have experienced pain in their lives and want an escape.

Hope through Jesus
No matter how or why a person gets addicted, Holley offers the same hope and help: Jesus Christ.

Although the spiritual aspect is not included in her public school curriculum, in other teaching situations, Holley freely offers to power of healing of Jesus Christ for addicts.

She labels methamphetamine use as a form of idolatry and urges addicts to "put God back in the center of your life. You are more than the sum of your brain cells."

She says Christ gives strength for any temptation. "He (Jesus) forgives. You will love him and you will live for him and you will die for him. That's what it takes to get off crystal."

This night, as she leads the group in a closing prayer, she says, "Lord … this drug is more than we can handle but not more than you can handle."

That is the ultimate message Holley seeks to spread through MAMA. More info on Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine can be found at www.MAMAsite.net.

*Clifton is director of communications for the United Methodist Church's North Alabama Annual (regional) Conference. Lilla Marigza, a freelance producer in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

Church invited to open the doors for celebration of Sunday school

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Spruce up the place and put out the welcome mat-the United Methodist Church is having an "open house" during the month of September.

Igniting Ministry, the denomination's national television and welcoming campaign, works with bishops to encourage congregations to celebrate United Methodist Open House Month each September. This year, Sunday school is joining the welcoming wagon.

"Sunday School continues to be a fruitful and powerful time of forming faith and building friendships," said Harriett Olson, senior vice president with the United Methodist Publishing House. "It's easy to forget that we need to offer regular invitations to children, youth and adults who are not already part of a class.

"An Open House can remind the congregations to do just that. It can also be a platform for starting new classes and building on the congregation's work in on-going faith formation," she added.

According to the Igniting Ministry Web site, "Hosting special events, worship festivals or making other efforts to welcome those in your community present perfect opportunities to intentionally recognize Christ in everyone -- and to remember that guests may look for Christ in us."

Carol Krau, a director at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, has prepared some planning ideas for celebrating open houses for Sunday school:

+Select a date in September to celebrate Open House Month and get the date on the church calendar.

+Plan the open house to introduce members of the congregation and community to the Sunday school classes and small groups available to them.

+Encourage members of the congregation to invite friends to the open house celebration and to Sunday school.

+Identify one or more new classes that can begin in September.

+Celebrate the ministry of Christian education with resources available at www.gbod.org/education.

+Remember that Christian education happens in many settings on any day of the week.

"Open House may be on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening or another time when congregations gather for worship and study," Krau said. "Consider scheduling some classes at more than one time so more people can participate. Schedule some classes or small groups in homes or other community locations."

September is not the only time to provide entry points to Sunday school, Olson pointed out. Some other ideas are to provide opportunities during Lent, Advent or as a New Year's resolution.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Leaders believe Sunday school can revitalize church

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-If you are not part of a Sunday school class you may be missing out on a great "combo deal."

"Sunday school is the place where you are known at church," said Chris Jackson, Christian educator at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.

"Worship may be glorious and inspirational, but you cannot create discussions or develop interpersonal relationships while sitting in the pews," he noted. "Sunday school is the 'combo meal deal' at church!"

Jackson is one of 13 speakers trained by the United Methodist Publishing House to go out and talk to congregations about the "promise of Sunday school."

A list of speakers and contact information is available on the Web site, Sunday School- It's for Life, at www.sundayschool.cokesbury.com. Other resources available to promote Sunday school include posters, certificates of appreciation, post cards, door hangers and business cards.

By Aug. 1, a video workshop written by Bishop Scott Jones of the Kansas Area will be available for churches interested in revitalizing their Christian education and Sunday school classes.

"Beyond the Roll Book: Sunday School and Evangelism" explores the history of Sunday school, gives churches an inventory to use to access their classes and offers how-to tips on developing an action plan. To accompany the video, the Rev. Diana Hynson, director of learning and teaching with the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, has written a leader's guide.

The original intent of Sunday school was evangelistic, Jones explained. "Sunday school ought to be a place where unchurched people can come and find that community, that exposure to the Bible, that willingness to be in relationship with real Christians that will give them an opportunity to enter into the faith.

"We need once again to reclaim Sunday school as a great opportunity, a great tool, for helping to make disciples of Jesus Christ," he said.

"Many people say Sunday school is dead," said Gerald Chambers, project leader for Sunday School- It's for Life, "but it is really the best opportunity for churches to show Jesus Christ to people."

True believers
The 13 speakers trained by the United Methodist Publishing House are true Sunday school believers.

"It was my Sunday school teacher in second grade who left that year to be a missionary in India who had the first real impact in my life, so much so that I remember announcing in sixth grade that I was going to be a missionary when I grew up," said Corinne Van Buren, a United Methodist deacon and director of the Christian Education Fellowship.

"Sunday school, for me, has really been a place for life-long learning, support, and faith growth," she added.

Each of the speakers has a vision for Sunday school and is willing to share that story with congregations. They address some of the problems that may be barriers to having active classes.

"The ties that bind can sometimes become the ties that exclude new faces," said Pamela Deck, a member of Spindale United Methodist Church, Rutherfordton, N.C.

"Think back on your first time in a class. What did and did not make you feel welcomed? Use those insights to make your class easier to walk in to."

Liz Lippoldt, a United Methodist certified director of Christian education at College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, Kan., agreed.

"Make your room inviting; create a worship center, arrange the room so newcomers can easily slip in," she advised. "Be open to people about who you are, how the class operates and what they can expect to receive by participating."

Jackson urged Sunday school classes to share the joy. "Because a class is so valuable to others, why wouldn't you want to invite newcomers to experience the joy you have? But, knowing this is difficult, perhaps six leaders from an established class would agree to 'parent' a new class along for a year. They could be 'on loan' from their existing class, for leadership, and then go back to their old class."

Being part of a class is important, according to Deck. "Small groups are so important to your faith walk. Keep visiting a variety of classes to find the best fit." Those having trouble finding the right class might talk to the Sunday school superintendent and be willing to help start a new class if needed.

"I see Sunday School as an exciting 'filling station' at the end of a demanding week," Deck said.

"Sunday school is a welcoming place of learning and support for children, youth and adults. It is a safe, engaging place where people can open up, learn, feed and be fed for their spiritual journey."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Africa University continues work despite country's woes

A UMNS Report By Linda Green*

While Zimbabwe grapples with hyperinflation and other problems, the United Methodist-related university there is holding its own and continuing its work of educating students from around Africa, according to a school official.

"Africa University is thriving," said Andra Stevens, director of public information. "We have never missed a meal, the lights are on most of the time, and our water situation is improving thanks to investment in a new reservoir on the campus."

As with other institutions in Zimbabwe, Africa University is challenged by the difficulties of planning and managing in an environment characterized by run-away inflation, currency fluctuations and crisis-level unemployment. The inflation rate is 1,200 percent, making $1 in U.S. currency equal to Z$102,000. That means a roll of toilet paper costs more than $Z145,750 or, in U.S. money, around 69 cents.

International media report the country's unemployment rate has reached 85 percent, and that 90 percent of the people live in extreme poverty. Food reserves are being rapidly depleted, and more than 4 million people are hungry. Thousands of people are dying from HIV/AIDS and malnutrition each month. The life expectancy in Zimbabwe is 39 years.

Agriculture, a primary source of foreign income for the sub-Saharan country, has been particularly hard hit. Basic consumer items are in short supply, and the price of fuel is beyond the reach of many.

Leaders with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Roman Catholic bishops say the church has a key role in tackling the country's social and economic crises. Some church leaders have openly criticized the country's leader, Robert Mugabe, for refusing to step down as the economic crisis deepens. Mugabe has asked for dialogue with those church leaders critical of his administration.

In a recent interview, Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, leader of the Zimbabwe United Methodist Church, said the challenge for the African church is in finding holistic approaches to evangelism to assist in addressing the social and material needs people face. He said the United Methodist Church in America must be aware that the church in Zimbabwe is filled with opportunities for growth that are tempered by a scarcity of resources.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief, the Board of Global Ministries and the Women's Division have missionaries and other personnel in the country providing humanitarian relief and other assistance.

True to mission
The beauty and blessing of Africa University is that the people who call themselves United Methodist have remained faithful to the mission and ministry that they started in Mutare, Zimbabwe, Stevens said.

"They committed to building an institution that is relevant, fiscally sound and sustainable, one that would have a profoundly positive impact on African nations, and that work continues," she added.

According to a June 13 report on AllAfrica.com, Mugabe blames economic woes on sanctions imposed by the European Union - and prompted by Britain - in retaliation for his land reform policies, which transferred white-owned farms to landless Zimbabweans.

Before 2005, an estimated 200,000 people were internally displaced as a result of the farm invasions, a situation that was worsened by the government's urban cleanup campaign to clear illegally built vending sites and homes. Nearly 2.4 million people were indirectly affected, while 700,000 people were displaced.

Stevens said the university, in light of the constant increases in the cost of goods and services, does all it can to mitigate the hardships students and staff face. The university periodically adjusts salaries to keep experienced faculty and provides them with housing and subsidized daily transportation. The staff is allowed to buy commodities, milk, eggs, chicken and meat at cost from the school's farm.

For students, the university has held tuition at US$5,200 to $5,400 for the past five years, but students are paying more for food on campus, Stevens said. The changing value of the Zimbabwean dollar to the U.S. dollar causes the institution to make adjustments in fees for students, so the school applies a "concessionary rate rather than the actual market exchange rate" in order to keep learning accessible to students from myriad backgrounds.

"We're proactive in our friend- and fund-raising in order to secure additional resources with which to assist needy students. The university operates the 'Toothpaste Club,' through which students work for pay and receive assistance with toiletries, etc."

Scholarships and financial aid grants keep student enrollment up, she said.

But the government's difficulty in maintaining infrastructure, communications and utilities has meant additional costs for the university because regular power outages have necessitated the purchase of generators and devices to protect equipment, she said.

Ways to respond
One way the church can respond is "to pray without ceasing for Africa University, for the United Methodist Church in Africa and the people of Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa," Stevens said. The need for this university on the continent is "even more critical" than when it was founded, she said.

"From this institution is emerging a new, proactive, principled leadership for this continent. Our graduates are spread out from Angola to Zimbabwe, across sub-Saharan Africa as teachers, pastors, counselors, development workers, agriculturalists, entrepreneurs and peacemakers. They are moving into leadership roles in various institutions, in government."

University officials encourage United Methodists across the country to:

+Urge local churches to pay 100 percent of their apportionments.
+Endow scholarships to enable someone who would not otherwise be able to grow to their full potential to get an education for life.
+Tell the university's story across the church and world to increase partnerships.
+"Visit to see and experience for yourself what we consider to be the most exciting ministry of our church in this century."

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

United Methodist Connectional Table Gathering Information for the State of the Church Report; Research Firm Contacting UMs for Interview

United Methodist Connectional Table Gathering Information for the State of the Church Report; Research Firm Contacting United Methodists for Interviews

NASHVILLE -- An international consulting firm is working with The United Methodist Church's Connectional Table to conduct interviews and gather information for an assessment of the state of the denomination.

Staff from The Martec Group are contacting United Methodists to collect information for The Connectional Table's state of the church project, said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications.

This information, Hollon said, is one element of the research needed for the report. The Connectional Table, chaired by Bishop John Hopkins of the East Ohio Area, was created by the 2004 General Conference to guide the denomination's mission and ministries.

The first draft of the State of the Church report is expected to be completed by the end of this year, Hollon said.

In addition to conducting the personal interviews, The Martec Group is gathering information through Internet bulletin boards, surveys and other research methods.

Martec's findings will describe the thoughts, feelings, values, and judgments of active and inactive members of the UMC, Hollon said. Martec will also interview bishops, pastors, district superintendents, annual conference treasurers and administrative service directors, connectional ministries directors, and designated lay leaders.

Martec will be contacting United Methodists to request interviews this summer. The company is based in Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Beijing.

Persons who want additional information about the interviews should contact Linda Saunders at United Methodist Communications. Her telephone number is (615) 742-5119. Her email is: lsaunders@umcom.org.

Resources celebrate women of color, clergywomen's 50th

By Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - DVDs, books, bulletin inserts, hymns, dramas, litanies and more are being offered across the United Methodist Church to celebrate the diversity of clergywomen and recognize the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the denomination.

The celebrations culminate Aug. 13-17 with the International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation in Chicago. Under the theme "The Spirit of God Is Upon Us: Celebrating Our Courageous Past - Claiming Our Bold Future," clergywomen from the United States and from around the world will have time for theological reflection and opportunities for nurture in their ministries.

Throughout the event, diverse resources will help the clergywomen in daily worship, plenaries, workshops, spirituality groups, seminary gatherings, liturgical displays and informal gatherings to connect with women from around the globe.

Those and other resources, produced by several United Methodist agencies, are also available for local congregations to use.

Women of Color resources
Before the consultation, clergywomen of color whose pulpit is the classroom will celebrate the 18-year-old program that helped them pursue a religious education. The Women of Color scholars program was created in 1988 by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry to address concerns about the lack of women of color faculty members at United Methodist seminaries.

The Women of Color program provides up to $10,000 a year in scholarship funds - financial aid to women of color who are working on doctorates in philosophy or theology. Recipients of the scholarship meet twice a year with mentors - women of color who are working in theological education.

Eighteen years later, 40 women have participated in the program, and 22 graduates have doctorate degrees or doctor of theology degrees in religious studies. Their accomplishments will be celebrated at an Aug. 11-13 Women of Color consultation.

The 2006 Women of Color Consultation/Celebration program will highlight insights, theological perspectives and the academic work of the program's graduate scholars, mentors and current participants. The event is being sponsored by the Office of Loans and Scholarships and the Division of Ordained Ministry of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry in Nashville.

Premiering at the Women of Color celebration banquet will be the DVD, "Following the Path," which shares the stories of the women participating in the scholars program. It deals with the program's significance and the challenges and obstacles the women have overcome.

In the DVD's introduction, Loans and Scholarships Director Angella Current-Felder says the Women of Color scholars program "has been the path for United Methodist women seeking higher ground in church and academic settings." She says participants in the program help strengthen the mission of the lay and clergywomen for the church and the world.

The DVD introduces viewers to clergywomen on the path and at the end of the journey, all paying tribute to the program that put them on their way. The resource, produced by United Methodist Communications, also features women who are part of academia and are mentors to clergywomen on the path today.

"The beauty of the Women of Color scholars is that it helps those who are going to be our spiritual leaders really deal with a diverse world because we are bringing a different kind of message to the classroom," says the Rev. Linda Thomas, a professor at Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago.

All the Women of Color scholars "can sing the song 'I am a Living Testimony,'" says the Rev. Jacqueline Grant, a professor at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta. She says she hopes that as the church views this DVD and "these living testimonies across the connection ... (it realizes) that we cannot stop there, but we have to continue to multiply" them.

Celebrating the 50th year
Fifty years ago, following action by the United Methodist General Conference, 27 women took the initial steps toward full clergy rights, and today, nearly 12,000 clergywomen worldwide serve the denomination. That milestone will be celebrated at the Clergywomen's Consultation, held every four years.

The quadrennial international clergywomen's consultation "invites clergywomen from around the world to gather to renew our sense of call, refocus our vision, remember our past, reflect on the global church, reach forward to a new generation, and rejoice together," says the event's Web site, http://www.gbhem.org/clergywomen/consultation2006/home.html.

Two clergywomen from the Northern Illinois Annual Conference - Carol Noren and Christine Hoffmeyer - will serve as spiritual directors of the consultation. Noren is professor of preaching at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. Hoffmeyer is pastor and director of LampLighting Ministries for Spiritual Formation in Evanston, Ill., and an instructor Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry commissioned books, hymns, litanies and prayers to celebrate women as ministers in the denomination.

Courageous Past-Bold Future chronicles the historic journey of the first women to receive full clergy rights and looks at challenges still facing clergywomen 50 years later. Another book, Courageous Spirit: Voices from Women in Ministry, is a compilation of writings by clergywomen published by Upper Room Ministries.

The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is providing free resources to commemorate the granting of full clergy rights. Twelve different bulletin inserts highlight courageous women who embarked and are now entering ordained ministry.

A poster developed by the commission and the Board of Higher Education and Ministry provides 50 ideas for celebrating the anniversary. The poster has been mailed to every local United Methodist church. Churches that have not received it should contact the women's commission at gcsrw@gcsrw.org or call (800) 523-8390.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary, the United Methodist Board of Discipleship has published "Call to Worship and Opening Prayer to Commemorate the Fifty-Year Anniversary of Full Clergy Rights for Women." The resource was written by the Rev. Pamela Cunningham Hawkins, a staff member of Pulpit & Pew: the Duke Center for Excellence in Ministry. The worship and prayer, as well as other prayers, litanies and acts of worship, are available at http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=9,1115,1119&act=nav_loc

The women's commission has listed various resources available to celebrate the 50th anniversary and has linked to Gospel Colors.com, which is offering for purchase a 50th anniversary stole. The $179 stole features the names of the women in the Bible and the United Methodist Cross and Flame symbols. The design is also available as part of a deacon stole and a scapular. Prices and ordering information are available at www.gospelcolors.com or by calling (816)531-3590.

A tour, dramas and more
A museum tour featuring women from both the Methodist and Holiness traditions is offered by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History at http://www.gcah.org/Museum/home.htm. The tour shows that women have been part of Methodism since its beginning in England.

The Rev. Clayton Childers, a staff member at the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, has written two dramas to give context to the action giving women clergy full rights. "A Story to Tell Our Grandchildren: A Celebration of Full Clergy Rights for Women" focuses on the actual debate leading to the church's granting full clergy rights to women. The drama, in a pdf format, may be downloaded at http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/pp.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1425057.

The second offering is "It's a Matter of Discrimination," a "gender-reversed" play that has characters arguing for and against clergy rights for women. It can be downloaded at the same address as the other drama.

The May/June issue of Circuit Rider, a magazine of the United Methodist Publishing House, is devoted to women in ministry. The edition highlights "stories of women as far back as 1787 who have provided firm ground on which to stand," says the Rev. Judy Smith, associate to the Publishing House president and an ordained clergywoman for 30 years.

In addition to featuring resources, Umc.org, the Web site of the United Methodist Church, also provides history, related articles, commentaries and denominational statements.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

A Wesleyan Institute, September 25-28, 2006, Nashville Scarritt-Bennett Center

A Wesleyan Institute will be held September 25-28, 2006, at Nashville’s Scarritt-Bennett Center. Theme for the Institute is “Opening Ourselves to Grace: From Membership to Discipleship.” Co-sponsoring the event are The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church and The Council for Accountable Discipleship.

This Wesleyan Institute will be a time of Christian conferencing with leaders seeking to help Christians grow from church membership to discipleship. Participants and leaders will explore together how spiritual disciplines help to form faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Discipleship is first and foremost a relationship with Jesus Christ. When Christians open themselves to grace they move from church membership to living in the world as faithful disciples.

Jesus summarized his teachings in two commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12: 30-31).

Christ has given to his disciples the means for following him. John Wesley called these spiritual disciplines means of grace because they are “signs, words, or actions ordained of God, and appointed for this end: to be the ordinary channels whereby Christ might convey to men and women preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace” (Sermon 16: The Means of Grace).

The means of grace are those holy habits through which God helps Christians and the church to take discipleship to a new level. They are how grace forms church members into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

In plenary sessions, small group table conversations, prayer, and worship we will explore the meaning and practical application of the means of grace in the life and mission of the church.

The leadership team for the event includes Henry H. Knight III, Bishop Ann B. Sherer, Tom Albin, Carmen M. Guad, Sandra King-Shaw, and Steven W. Manskar.

Henry H. Knight III, is Donald and Pearl Wright Professor of Wesley Studies at Saint Paul School of Theology. He is author of The Presence of God in the Christian Life: John Wesley and the Means of Grace and Eight Life-Enriching Practices of United Methodists. Hal is one of the foremost authorities on the means of grace in the Wesleyan tradition.

Ann B. Sherer is Bishop of the Nebraska Annual Conference, and is President of the Council of Accountable Discipleship.

Tom Albin serves as Dean of the Upper Room Chapel and Director of the Upper Room Program Unit. He is a recognized authority in Wesleyan spirituality and Christian formation.

Carmen M. Gaud is an International Editor of El Aposento Alto, the Spanish edition of the Upper Room. Carmen was one of the translators of Obras de Wesley, a project that gave Spanish-speaking readers access to a significant portion of John Wesley’s work.

A life-long member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., Sandra King-Shaw coordinates the Class Leader Ministry. She recently retired after 10+ years as Deputy Director of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital. Sandra is a member of the Council for Accountable Discipleship.

Steven W. Manskar is Director of Accountable Discipleship at the General Board of Discipleship. He is author of Accountable Discipleship: Life in God’s Household, A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley’s ‘A plain Account of Christian Perfection’, and A Disciple’s Journal.

For individuals registering before July 15, 2006 the cost of the Institute is $297 which includes 3 nights lodging in a private room and 8 meals at Scarritt-Bennett Center. You will also receive a copy of A Disciple’s Journal: Daily Bible Reading and Guidance for Reflection (Year C) by Steven W. Manskar. After July 15th the cost per person is $372.

You can register online at http://www.WesleyanInstitute.org or you can call 877-899-2789, extension 7059, Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Central Time) and ask for Becky. Payment is accepted via major credit cards.

Commentary: Looking at documents attributed to Judas, Jude

A UMNS Commentary By Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker*

The recent publication of the Gospel of Judas has received much media attention. Sometimes this gospel has been presented as if its exclusion from the New Testament represented a conspiracy of Christians to suppress the historical truth about Jesus, á la The Da Vinci Code.

The Gospel of Judas is one of many "gospels" produced by Gnostics in the second and third centuries. These alternatives to the four biblical Gospels packaged Gnostic ideas in the popular form of a narrative of Jesus' life. It was a clever marketing strategy. Anyone who reads them immediately recognizes how different they are from the four Gospels in the New Testament.

Being written so late, they do not reflect an authentic tradition of Jesus' life independent of the four Gospels. Moreover, they substitute Gnostic philosophical ideas for the apostolic witness to God's revelation in the history of Jesus of Nazareth. They help us better understand Gnosticism, but not Jesus.

As Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202) wrote in "Against Heretics," the Gnostics "boast that they possess more Gospels than there really are" so that they may mix their "lime" with "the milk of God."
Despite the hubbub over the Gospel of Judas, there is actually a more interesting scholarly discovery of another book, the Epistle of Jude. Ancient scholars such as Eusebius (A.D. 265-340) acknowledged that it was one of the books "disputed" for inclusion in the New Testament. Most of the critical scholars of the past two centuries viewed it as a work ascribed to Jude, but written in the second century.

However, some recent scholarship views it as written by Jesus' brother in the A.D. 50s, making it one of the New Testament's oldest documents. Its affirmation of tradition makes it seem as if it were written later than it was, but in this respect it is not different than Paul's affirmation of the tradition of the apostles in I Corinthians 15:3, which was also written in the A.D. 50s.

What is valuable about the Epistle of Jude is that it demonstrates the understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the primitive Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem. The Gospel is understood in the context of the law and the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish literature of the first century. As is clear from Acts 15, the Jewish Christian leaders in Jerusalem were guardians of the church's task of moral formation because they understood Jesus as the fulfillment, not the annulment, of God's Law.

Everything in this epistle is primitive in the sense of containing ideas that do not reflect the later maturity of the church. Jude cites Jewish literature that was later excluded from the canon of Holy Scripture. He expects the imminent return of Jesus. He affirms belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit with no attempt, of course, to explain what the church called the doctrine of the Trinity 250 years later.

This epistle demonstrates how sophisticated the members of Jesus' family were, since it has some of the best Greek in the New Testament (a language spoken widely in Galilee) and indicates a learned grasp of Jewish literature and thought. It directly connects us to the Jewish Christian interpretation of the Gospel, which lacked the evangelical depth of the writings of the apostle Paul, but which preserved the moral weight of Judaism and the teaching of Jesus. It is a reminder of the Jewishness of Jesus.

If you allow for the difference between Jude's historical situation and ours, it will enable you to hear the Word of God in its earliest Jewish Christian accent: "Build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." (Jude 1:20-21)

*Whitaker is bishop of the Florida Annual (regional) Conference. This commentary first appeared in e-Review, the news service of the Florida Annual Conference.

University provides site for satellite seminary in Oklahoma

By Holly McCray*

OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS) - A United Methodist university has agreed to provide space to a seminary for a satellite campus for United Methodists in the region.

Oklahoma City University and church-related Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., have agreed in principle to establish the Saint Paul Theological Seminary at Oklahoma City University, making it the only United Methodist seminary in the state.

The agreement between the university and seminary was announced May 29 during the 2006 Oklahoma Annual (regional) Conference, and the satellite campus is expected to begin accepting theological students in fall 2007. The action has been approved by Saint Paul officials and faculty.

Conference delegates responded with applause and cheers when Oklahoma Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. announced the news in his episcopal address. They also warmly greeted Oklahoma City University President Tom McDaniel when he addressed the conference about the plan.

"I'm just elated this has come about. I know the importance of what a United Methodist education can do for people in the church," Hayes said. "You soak in everything from the United Methodist presence in that setting. I want our people to be prepared, to pass that on to those in the pews."

He acknowledged Saint Paul School of Theology as "a school steeped in issues of social justice, in working with people on the margins of society." The seminary teaches its students how to address churches involved in those areas, he said. "It's a perfect match for Oklahoma."

McDaniel said the seminary has "more and more non-traditional students," which he defines as "people who are going back to the university after being out in the community doing something else - older students, more established" in their lives.

"For those who want to go to a United Methodist seminary, this will be more convenient. This will broaden the base of opportunity," he noted. He sees the satellite seminary at Oklahoma City University as being "squarely" within the university's mission as a place of higher education in the state.

Hayes and McDaniel believe the seminary also will appeal to people beyond those entering formal ministry. They envision pairing seminary study with other disciplines at the university, such as the schools of law, business and music. The new seminary will be the eighth college at the university.

"There is a need for people who don't want to go into ministry but want to further their education in theological ways," Hayes said. "This will provide other opportunities: church administration, sacred music, church law."

Scholarships will be a focus of fund-raising for the school. McDaniel said corporate support will be crucial.

Serving Native Americans
"Probably the most rewarding aspect of this for me is the relationship the seminary will have to the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference," Hayes said.

The officials are leading the way to secure funding to pay all seminary costs for United Methodist Native Americans in Oklahoma, Kansas and portions of Texas wanting to enter into ministry. They hope to expand that to cover undergraduate degree costs too. The bishop said about 10 ordained elders serve in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, which has 90 churches.

"We are excited about Saint Paul School of Theology's new satellite campus at Oklahoma City University. Its proximity will serve OIMC very well," said the Rev. David Wilson, superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. "In this new venture, any Native American United Methodist in our annual conference can attend seminary for free."
The cost of seminary has been prohibitive for many young native people, Wilson said. The location of the satellite campus will assist in recruiting young native people into ordained ministry "because of the fact that it will be of no cost to native people," he said.

Open to all
McDaniel reported 33 other higher education institutions operate in Oklahoma. "There is competition and, in the long run, it makes us all better," he said. "What we want to offer is a choice," he said.

Saint Paul Theological Seminary would be accessible to all, Hayes said. "It is just simply us trying to look out after the needs of United Methodist students who want to learn in a United Methodist environment."

The bishop was a pastor in the Texas Conference when Perkins School of Theology, based at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, expanded into the Houston area. The initial goal was 20 students; 80 were enrolled by the second year.

"You would be saturating this jurisdiction if you had more than two full seminaries," Hayes explained. "We already have two: Saint Paul and Perkins. We decided a satellite campus with Saint Paul is better for our needs."

*McCray is editor of Contact, the newspaper of the Oklahoma Annual Conference.

A brief history of Lake Junaluska

By Neill Caldwell*

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - The name "Junaluska" honors Chief Junaluska of the Cherokee Indians, who were native to western North Carolina.

Junaluska was chief when the Cherokee were removed to Oklahoma in 1838, and he was among those who made the long "Trail of Tears" walk to the west. He slipped away to return to those tribe members who remained hidden in the Great Smoky Mountains and remained chief until his death.

The tallest mountain visible from the cross at Lake Junaluska Assembly is named for him, as is the lake, which was created by damming Richland Creek.

According to a history written by Bill Lowry, Lake Junaluska Assembly celebrates its birth as June 25, 1913, when the Second General Missionary Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was convened in the new auditorium by the lake (which was not yet filled with water). The 4,000 attendees stayed in nearby Waynesville, as the first hotel was not completed until 1914.

In 1913 there were just 13 homes at Lake Junaluska. Today there are more than 700. A larger hotel, the Junaluska Inn, was built in 1917 but burned the following year. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, built a new hotel on the same site and named the Lambuth Inn for Bishop Walter Russell Lambuth. In 1923, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, built a large classroom building, Shackford Hall, at the opposite end of the lake. Both of these buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The assembly went into bankruptcy during the Great Depression, but in 1936 the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, organized a "Save Junaluska" campaign, which raised $100,000 and brought the organization out of debt. The assembly became property of the newly formed the Methodist Church in 1940, and in 1948, the church transferred ownership to the Southeastern Jurisdiction. In addition to being a conference center, Lake Junaluska remains home to offices and agencies of the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

The post-war years also witnessed a building boom. Stuart Auditorium was enclosed and a number of facilities were created. The World Methodist Council moved its offices from New York to Lake Junaluska in 1955 (see related story).

*Caldwell is a freelance writer based in High Point, N.C.

Lake Junaluska bounces back from last year's controversy

By Neill Caldwell*

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - It's a new summer and a fresh start for the picturesque United Methodist retreat center here, which has continued to concentrate on its mission and ministry through the aftermath of a controversy last fall.

The Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, home to the denomination's Southeastern Jurisdiction and long known as a favorite meeting place of the people called Methodist, came under attack last fall when its board approved a request from an unofficial church caucus to meet here. The Reconciling Ministries Network asked to rent meeting space and rooms over Labor Day weekend for its "Hearts on Fire" convocation, touching off a storm of protest. The group advocates for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the church, which is contrary to the church's Book of Discipline.

While some groups have decided not to return to Lake Junaluska, new groups have taken their place, and bookings for 2006 are at the same point as a year ago, officials say.

"Lake Junaluska Assembly is in a good place," says the Rev. Jimmy L. Carr, executive director of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Connectional Table. "We have a strong staff in place and great ministry offerings. We have a wonderful list of preachers for our summer preaching series. Everyone feels good and is anticipating a strong summer."

"People want to come," says Ken Howle, director of communications and marketing. "We're on a par from this time last year, and it's been a very positive thing."

The center has some 150,000 guests a year, he says. Those are people who use the facility in some way, including overnight visitors as well as people who use the golf course, attend concerts, walk around the lake or attend other events and programs at the assembly.

Surprised by reaction
Carr says he was surprised by the level of anger that was expressed toward the staff of Lake Junaluska Assembly and the jurisdiction office at the height of the "Hearts on Fire" debate.

"We felt we were offering Christian hospitality to a group, and although we knew there would be some people who would not like it, I didn't think we'd be so targeted. The saddest part is that people didn't have more faith in Lake Junaluska. Since 1913, this has been a place to serve people and offer hospitality. One event, which was not even ours, is not going to change that."

While there was a negative campaign against the facility, Lake Junaluska also received a tremendous amount of support from around the jurisdiction and across the general church, Carr says. And he says he was proud of the way the staff handled the controversy. "They know that what we're about is most important, no matter what is said about us."

He sees the facility's mission as being about education, leadership development and enabling people to become better disciples. "Junaluska is a faith-based assembly in the United Methodist tradition that welcomes all of God's children to come and grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. We're working to provide the best resources available to strengthen discipleship."

'A spiritual place'
Carr has been at Lake Junaluska for six years. He visited the center throughout his ministry career for continuing education events, never imagining he would be the director.

"There are few places like Lake Junaluska," he says. "With the mountains and the serenity of the water, it's one of those special places created that provides space for reflection, study, exercise. … It's OK just to be here."

"Lake Junaluska is a spiritual place and a community of faith," adds Howle. "It's a friendly environment that creates a very positive feeling that can even be life-changing. But it has an even bigger impact as a ministry. More than 150,000 people a year interact with the programs we offer, and then they have a great impact on more people when they go home."

The assembly's promotional materials tout something called the "Junaluska Experience."
"Everyone has their own kind of experience," Carr says, "and it takes a lot of energy to make that happen. The beautiful flowers are not just there. But it is all God's creation, and people long before us have enjoyed the beauty of these mountains."

"It's something intangible and unique to each person," says Bob Ray, director of the Conference Center. "But a lot of people mention it in their feedback. People feel the peace and tranquility of the lake and the grounds."

The Southeastern Jurisdiction has made about $750,000 in improvements to Lake Junaluska during the past two years.

The assembly includes 434 rooms, three restaurants and 90,000 square feet of meeting space. A campground across the road has 56 camp sites, and the Lakeview Motel beside the campground has been purchased and renovated.

The facilities have been spruced up for the summer season. A renovation project of the rooms in the Terrace Hotel is complete. There's a new miniature golf course near the pool, a new lodge at the campground and other small changes. The Foundation for Evangelism has moved into a new building (see related story).

And just up the road from that new building, major construction is expected to get under way this summer on the Bethea Welcome Center, which will become the entrance to the grounds. The groundbreaking ceremony is set for July 2.

Reconciling racist past
The building is named for Joseph and Shirley Bethea. A South Carolina native, Bethea served churches in North Carolina for more than 30 years before he was elected as bishop in 1988 and assigned to his home state.

"This facility will be an important statement for Lake Junaluska hospitality," Carr says. "It will be the first building people come in contact with and will be filled with servant leaders ready to take care of people's needs."

Carr says the importance of the name goes beyond an important bishop who has strong ties to the Carolinas.

"That the center is named for an African-American couple will hopefully be a statement of reconciliation of the early racist history of this facility," he says. "Since the mid-1950s, the leadership here has worked diligently as a place that is seen and experienced as a place that serves all of God's children."

The first Lake Junaluska building named for an African American will be a symbol of the United Methodist Church's diversity, as it will be decorated with art from African-American, Native American, Latino and Asian cultures. "It will mirror the commitment to serve all those ministries that exist within the Southeastern Jurisdiction," Carr says.

It will also eliminate some confusion. "We have housing registration and event registration in different locations, but this will put everything under one roof," says Ray. "Plus the Haywood County Chamber Visitor's Center will be housed in the building, so we hope to have even more folks exposed to Lake Junaluska."

Plans are on the drawing board to build a new clubhouse for the public golf course across the road, which is also part of the jurisdictional facilities. Plus, plans have been discussed for some time about expanding Stuart Auditorium, the centerpiece of the assembly grounds, and add heating and air conditioning to the facility so that it could comfortably be used year-round.

"We could host youth events during the winter," Ray says. "That would give us a real boost."
Plans are in place to make the entire grounds "technology friendly." "Our goal is for you to be able to take your laptop down on the beautiful Rose Walk and use it," Carr says.

Coming events
In April, Lake Junaluska hosted a new event, "Caring for God's Creation," which dealt with getting the church to become involved in environmental care. New events for this summer include Youth Week and Weekend Lost in Grace events (all summer), Building a Christian Formation System for Your Church (July 7-9); Sunday School: It's for Life! (July 20-21) and Tools for Teaching Children (July 21-23). The United Methodist Christian Educators Fellowship will hold its 2006 conference at Lake Junaluska in October, and the SEJ Communicators will meet here next February. For a list of upcoming events and retreats, visit www.lakejunaluska.com.

Lake Junaluska is also working more closely with the other Southeastern Jurisdiction-owned retreat centers, Epworth By-The-Sea at St. Simons Island, Ga., and Simpsonwood Conference Center in Atlanta. (Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss., was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but plans call for it to be rebuilt.)

For 38 years, the Lake Junaluska Associates group, comprising homeowners and friends from across the jurisdiction, has supported the facility and contributed funds for the beautification of the grounds.

While the organization is a business, its workers would rather claim what they do is a form of ministry. Lake Junaluska has a workplace discipleship program that was first established for summer workers. "The goal is for the staff to see value in their work beyond just a paycheck," Carr says.

Carr hopes future programs will be responsive to the church's needs. "We want to be a little more focused on what we offer and provide more things that are cutting edge. We're constantly searching for new things that can be done to accomplish our mission."

And is there a message for people who might be concerned that Lake Junaluska has changed due to last summer's controversy?

"Come and make your decision for yourself," Howle says. "We want everyone to come and be a part of our ministry."

"If people come, they'll find the same kind of experience they've had in the past 10 or 15 years, the same balanced ministry offerings," adds Carr. "I hope people won't let themselves get caught up in all the continuing hype, and experience Lake Junaluska as pro-Jesus Christ and pro-ministry of Christ."

*Caldwell is a freelance writer in High Point, N.C.

Methodist council prepares for global event from lakeshore offices

By Neill Caldwell*

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - It might be surprising that a worldwide organization makes its home beside a quiet lake in the North Carolina mountains. But since it moved from New York in 1955, the World Methodist Council has made its headquarters here while reaching out around the globe.

The council is a fellowship of 76 Methodist-related churches around the world. It sponsors the World Methodist Conference every five years, including one coming up July 20-24 in Seoul, South Korea.

The Rev. George H. Freeman, top staff executive of the World Methodist Council, has already made several trips back and forth to Seoul to prepare for the gathering, which is expected to attract 3,000 Methodists from all parts of the world.

"The purpose of our conference is educational, inspirational and motivational," Freeman says. The council will also conduct a business meeting at the same time.

The theme of the conference will be "God in Christ Reconciling."

"That theme is appropriate anywhere in the world," Freeman says, "because of divisions in the church, in our homes, in our personal lives. When the Korean Methodist Church invited us to meet in Seoul, it was seen as an opportunity to talk about the reunification of the Korean peninsula. The Korean people are very anxious for peace in their land."

In addition to planning for the World Methodist Conference, the council is active in ecumenical areas. Recently a World Methodist Council lay and clergy delegation, including Freeman, met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

"Methodists have been in dialogue with the Roman Catholics for 40 years," Freeman says. "We were first in line after Vatican II, where Catholics said they were more open to ecumenical activities. Our audience with Pope Benedict was an important sign that we want to remain in dialogue, and that we're making progress as we continue these conversations."

The council is also recommending that the Methodist family of churches sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, a historic document created in 1999 by officials of the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches. The document addresses the concept of salvation, and states that the Christian church agrees that people are saved by God's grace through faith alone rather than by their own efforts.

"This was one of the issues that created the split that formed the Protestant church," says Freeman. "Methodists are certainly in agreement with the idea of justification by faith, and we ought to add our names to this declaration."

This will be one of the items for discussion in Seoul, and if approved, Methodist denominations could participate in an ecumenical signing ceremony.

The council is also active on a range of international issues, including war, torture, poverty, AIDS and HIV, and immigration.

A tour of the offices Freeman says the World Methodist Council is a proud part of Lake Junaluska. "This is a beautiful part of God's world," he says, "and it's blessed with incredible facilities. We're glad to have such a prominent position on the lake."

Since 2002, the World Methodist Council's offices have been housed in a replica of the Old Epworth Rectory where John and Charles Wesley grew up. The building was funded by Royce and Jane Reynolds, a lay couple from West Market Street United Methodist Church in Greensboro, N.C.

Next door is the organization's museum, built in 1956 and renovated in 1983. Elmer Clark's personal collection of Methodist artifacts was moved from New York when the organization moved to Lake Junaluska, and it accounts for the bulk of the original collection. Also featured are a number of John and Charles Wesley-related items that came directly from England.

Arthur Swarthout is about to mark his first anniversary as director of the World Methodist Council museum. Attendance appears to be climbing: since September, when the museum started keeping a daily count of visitors, more than 3,000 people have passed through. While the museum is popular with former or current missionaries and foreign visitors, the largest tour groups are confirmation classes, who often come when Lake Junaluska Assembly holds special youth events.

"This jurisdiction is blessed to have this facility," Swarthout says. "What other group of confirmation classes can see their heritage like this?"

On Swarthout's desk, a stack of old editions of the Book of Discipline is waiting to be sorted. "People are constantly calling and asking, 'do you need …?' Very often its things we don't already have. And we're still running across things in this building that we didn't realize we had."

The museum is currently hosting the Ebenezer Methodist Plate Collection, a special display of nearly 600 of the world's largest collection of Methodist-related plates. Tom and Barbara Southwell of Memphis own nearly 2,000 of these commemorative plates. The exhibit will run through October.

To the left of the main entrance and the small museum office is the library of Bishop William R. Cannon, which was moved from Atlanta, shelves and all.

"We haven't touched any of the contents," Swarthout says. "If there's a Christmas card used as a bookmark, it's still there. If you want to study Bishop Cannon and see what he taught from, this is the place to go."

Special events are planned for 2007, the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley.
The World Methodist Council Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and other times by appointment.

*Caldwell is a freelance writer in High Point, N.C.

Africa University graduates 1st health science class, gives 400 degrees

More than 400 students, among them the pioneer class in the health sciences faculty, graduate from United Methodist-supported Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, on June 10. This year’s graduating class including students from 11 African countries – Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A UMNS photo by Andra Stevens.

By Andra Stevens*

MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) - The first class in Africa University's school of health sciences was among those graduating at the school's 2006 ceremonies.

The Faculty of Health Sciences opened in 2004 with a pioneer group of six women and two men working for a post-basic bachelor of science degree in nursing. The school presented its first group of graduates this year, and Tsitsi Murapa, the sister-in-charge of the University Health Clinic, was among them.

"You're sometimes fearful when you're among the first to do something," Murapa said. "Now that I've come to the end, I have a new motto, and I'm ready share all that I've learned with the university community. The dream of high quality health care is alive."

The health science graduates were among the more than 400 receiving degrees at Africa University's 12th ceremony June 10. Eleven African countries - Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe - were represented in the 2006 graduating class.

The drive to succeed and contribute to development in their various countries was evident among the graduates.

Trésor and Héritier Nday are twin brothers from the Democratic Republic of Congo who studied agriculture. Trésor specialized in agribusiness and Héritier in crop production. Upon returning to their home country, the brothers plan to go into commercial farming together.

"We did attachments on farms as part of our program at Africa University, and this really helped us to put theory into practice. … It was a very beneficial and meaningful part of our education," said Trésor Nday.

"Although the DRC has primarily been a mining country up to now, it has great potential for agriculture. … AU has equipped us with the knowledge and skills to realize our dreams. No subsistence farming for us; we're thinking big," he said.

'I have a joy'
Many of the graduates described a sense of accomplishment and joy upon reaching this milestone.

"I'm glad that I did not give up and go back home," said Neide Epalanga. "I'm now richer in terms of knowledge, and I have a definite advantage over other Angolans who trained in Portuguese."

Twenty-five-year-old Epalanga, from Luanda, Angola, now has a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Faculty of Management & Administration. Looking back at her four years in the faculty, she gave much of the credit for her success to her lecturers.

"My first year here was terrible," she said. "I couldn't communicate in English. I wanted to go back home because of frustration, but our lecturer, Dr. (William) Humbane, was very good, and he encouraged us and gave us psychological support. … Later on, (Chris) Njoroge and (Andrew) Gumbo believed in us and spurred us on. Without all that support and encouragement, I would not have graduated."

Epalanga's sentiments were echoed by 39-year-old Binwell Mtoso of Malawi. For Mtoso, who trained in the Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resources and majored in animal science, staying enrolled was a constant struggle. He had difficulties paying his fees but relied on his skills as an amateur photographer to raise extra money. His efforts earned him a degree and two prizes for outstanding performance in the area of animal production.

"I have a joy in me because, though I struggled financially, I have made it," Mtoso said. "I feel well-prepared and confident. … It won't be long before I'm an employer because that's what I've been trained to become."

A challenge for graduates
All six faculties within the university, as well as its Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance, presented candidates for graduation.

In his brief report on the state of the university, Rukudzo Murapa, university vice chancellor, spoke of the evolving partnerships that are extending the institution's service and impact on the continent.

Investment in information technology is revolutionizing teaching, research and community service, he said. However, enrollment growth is hampered by a shortage of on-campus housing and teaching facilities.

The graduation ceremony featured Grace Muradzikwa, chief executive officer of NicozDiamond Insurance Limited, one of Zimbabwe's leading short-term insurers. She is secretary to the Africa University Board of Directors and was recently named the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Businesswoman of the Year.

She challenged the graduates to "consciously resist being prisoners to the environment" in which they find themselves. She also urged them to remain present and involved in their countries' development and to resist the pull of more developed nations.

Muradzikwa stressed that principles, performance and servant leadership are the keys to success. "Leadership today is about the strength ... to support those you lead and to make them more valuable for tomorrow's world," she said.

In her message, she told the graduates about the intangibles of the education they received from Africa University, highlighting "ethics and values, faith, hopefulness and an outward-looking zest that continually flies in the face of gloomy predictions about Zimbabwe … and Africa as a whole." She called the intangible the foundation that will help the graduates maintain the highest standards of morality and professional discipline and make a difference in their various nations.

What they'll miss
As the graduates prepared to return to their homes around Zimbabwe and across the continent, they highlighted the university's spiritual life activities, the mix of cultures and the many friends they made as the aspects of campus life that they will miss.

"What stands out for me when I look back at my four years is the choir," said Chiedza Murombedzi, 22, who just received a bachelor of science degree in education. "It is through the choir that I was able to go places, meet lots of different people and minister through song."

Murombedzi hopes to combine her teaching training with strong computer skills and an aptitude for commercial subjects, such as accounting, to specialize in business education as her career develops. She said she and her fellow graduates have much for which to be grateful.

"The spirit of the people behind the scenes in developing this institution, the board of directors and the volunteers who come from the USA and elsewhere to help, they show so much love and dedication to the university. … It is priceless," Murombedzi said. "As graduates, we need to do our part to show that we appreciate this support. It has made our education at Africa University possible, and without it the university would not be here."

This year's graduates bring the number of Africa University alumni to more than 2,100. Africa University graduates are at work as teachers, agriculturalists, pastors, business professionals and peace-builders in communities across the continent.

*Stevens is director of information at Africa University.

Enthusiasm Grows for Congregational Development School: Still Time to Register

By Mary Beth Coudal

"This is the most exciting event in our denomination!" raved Mary Brooke Casad. The North Texas Conference director of mission was describing the upcoming School of Congregational Development.

Ms. Casad will be among hundreds of United Methodists from around the country and indeed, the world, who will gather this August 3-8 at the School of Congregational Development in San Diego, California, to learn about church vitality and transformation.

"It's where the Spirit is moving and the energy is flowing - all centered on our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ," the veteran of six schools added. "Most find that it's a good combination of the practical and inspirational, but mainly it's a place to connect to God and others and learn from each other about effective ministry."

People visiting Southern California for the event will be particularly impressed by the strength of the United Methodist congregations and the rich diversity of the United Methodist people there, remarked Jim Conn, director of new ministries, California-Pacific Annual Conference (Cal-Pac).

On Sunday, participants will worship in one of ten churches. "There'll be an opportunity to visit a congregation across the border in Tijuana (people will have to bring their passports), a Korean congregation, a Vietnamese congregation, a Spanish language congregation, as well as some very large, effective, primarily Anglo-population churches. Not only will they experience worship but they will have a chance to dialogue with the pastors and the people," said Mr. Conn.

"The conference leaders are working very hard to welcome leaders from all over the connection to beautiful San Diego for a time of worship, prayers, learning, connections, and fellowship," said The Rev. Keith Andrew Hwang, executive director of connectional ministries, Cal-Pac.

"Prayer as a Change Agent" is one example of the many workshops offered at the school. "The thrust of the workshop is that prayer can really make an impact in ministry," said The Rev. John Southwick of the Research Office of Global Ministries and veteran of ten schools.

The Rev. Sam W. Dixon, Jr., deputy general secretary of the Evangelization and Church Growth Program Area of Global Ministries, called the upcoming School of Congregational Development, "the preeminent training event for United Methodist clergy and laity interested in starting new churches, expanding their churches to another site, or reinvigorating their current congregation."

The school is sponsored by the Joint Committee for Congregational Development, the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, and the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church.

All United Methodist clergy and laity are invited to the School of Congregational Development. The planning team expects this school to be the largest one ever.

For registration and information, please visit Global Ministries' website at: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/ecg/events/school/

Bethlehem Centers seek to be "beacons" in inner city

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (RSV)

A UMNS Feature By Linda Green*

Bethlehem Centers across the United States are providing healing, hope and wholeness to people with many needs and few advantages.

The centers began in African-American neighborhoods in Southern cities in the late 1800s, offering a variety of education, recreation and health care opportunities. As inner-city populations have changed or become multiethnic and diverse, the centers have adapted to meet new needs.

"Our mission is the same today as it was yesterday, when the first center began in Augusta, Ga.," said Jerald McKie, director of community and institutional ministries for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. "It is helping families meet their basic needs, creating opportunities for growth, healing, self-determination, empowerment and success."

The Bethlehem Center of Nashville, Tenn. Is one of eight across the country helping families meet their basic needs and creating opportunities for growth, healing, self-determination, empowerment and success. The centers are institutional ministries supported by the United Methodist Church. A UMNS photo by Linda Green.

Bethlehem Centers were started by women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as places within the church where African Americans could receive the same services that their white counterparts received at Wesley Centers and Wesley Houses. No longer segregated today, the centers are supported by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and its Women's Division.

The centers "serve as a beacon of light across this country for individuals who may not know about the United Methodist Church, (but) when they step into one of these places, they find out immediately what our church is all about," McKie said.

They are still addressing issues of poverty, as well as challenges posed by development and encroachment by businesses and others moving into the community, McKie said. She noted that as cities have grown, the Bethlehem Center sites - many of them dating back more than 100 years - "have become more the center of town than say, the outskirts of town."

Jerald McKie, director of community and institutional ministries for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries

While contending with such problems as drugs and alcohol, gangs and violence, the centers offer after-school child care, arts and crafts, training to develop young people's self-esteem, and other positive activities for youth and young people.

They still have an educational focus and work with a variety of ethnic and immigrant populations. They also perform needs assessments and strategic planning. Boards of directors are now incorporated, and centers hire their own executive directors as opposed to when the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries sent staff - often deaconesses - to lead them.

Of the 103 institutional ministries supported by the board and United Methodist Women - ministries such as community centers, schools and colleges, residential treatment centers, women's residences and the Red Bird Missionary Conference - eight are Bethlehem Centers.

Building futures
The Bethlehem Centers of Nashville is three facilities working as one. Along with a youth camp, the three sites work together to "promote self-reliance and positive life choices for children, teens, adults and families in Middle Tennessee by delivering and advocating quality programs and services," said Joyce Searcy, the executive director. Founded in 1894, the centers were dedicated to young mothers and their children in Nashville.

During the past 112 years, Bethlehem Center, Wesley House and Centenary Center evolved into one multi-service agency, with a mission to reach all poverty-restricted infants and young children, teens, women and senior citizens in neighborhoods surrounding the centers. The agency also runs Camp Dogwood, which was started in the 1920s as the first location in Middle Tennessee where African-American youngsters could attend camp.

Working under the theme "Changing Lives, Building Futures," the centers serve people and families from three of the poorest areas of the city, with 97 percent of the clients living at 90 percent or below federal poverty guidelines, and attempts to make them self-reliant. "What we do is change lives and build futures for our families, children, youth and adults," Searcy said.

Kim Parks, 42, said the center's motto has been a testimony about her life. She was a client of the center for six months, and she is now a dental student at United Methodist-related Meharry Medical College. Recalling her "time in the wilderness," she said, the Bethlehem Center helped her remember that she is not alone and could rely on the "village."

"While going through the crossroads of my life, I am so grateful that Bethlehem Centers was my village." The center enabled her to create resumes for her job search, and the staff provided a listening ear. "Most importantly, everything was free," she said.

As a dental student, she has been existing on a "shoestring budget," she said. The center "lightened the load at times and became a guiding light."

According to an agency fact sheet, nearly 90 percent of the children and youth served are in single-parent households, and 100 percent of the elderly served receive various forms of public assistance.

Helping children
Searcy offered United Methodist News Service a glimpse into Nashville's centers. "We are serving children as young as 6 weeks old. It is very important that as brains are developing and bodies are developing, that moral values are developed in those children." She outlined the various programs that impact women, children, teens and adults, noting that the ministries provide empowerment, advocacy, substance abuse prevention, job training and hunger assistance.

When she arrived as executive director in 1987, she said she was most impressed with volunteer spirit and dedication of one of the daily workers. That volunteer inspired her.

"It was my vision to put programs in place here and have the agency do a better job of serving the community, and if it was going to serve the community, then the community would need to be more involved here," she said.

During her tenure, she has introduced and expanded programs and incorporated measurable goals. The center is ranked by the state as "Three Star," which is the highest rating a day care can receive in Tennessee. In addition, it is accredited by a national association for the education of young children. "It is like the national Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval to say you are the best of the best," she said.

Searcy wants the Bethlehem Centers to become a leader in the community. "I want the agency to continue to produce community leaders, children who are educated and people who are self-reliant, people determining their own destiny and giving back to the community."

Giving back is what Jessica Oldham, 25, is doing. A former recipient of the center's day care services, Oldham teaches day care students at the center today. The experience, love and attention she received at the center made her want to work with children as an adult.

"It is exciting. It is never a dull moment. Every day is different. The Bethlehem Center is a place to be loved. It is a loving place. Everyone loves everybody here."

The center embodies the Christian principle of serving "the least of these," and no one is turned away, Oldham said. "It is a place that believes in families, is Christian and believes in helping one another."

Support needed
To promote the center and its work, Searcy speaks to a lot of church groups, during worship services, and to United Methodist Women and youth groups.

"What I try to do is let United Methodists know that their foremothers founded (Bethlehem Centers), and it sinks or swims on their involvement." A large portion of their funding comes through the local, regional and general conferences of the United Methodist Church. The agencies also receive financial support through the donations of individuals, businesses and churches, both local and across the country.

The center recently revamped its logo to include the Star of Bethlehem and to express its ecumenism and interdenominational community outreach. "We don't care who you are, we want to bring the love of Christ to you," Searcy said.

For its work in promoting abstinence and the prevention of substance abuse, the Bethlehem Centers of Nashville is one of 13 agencies nationwide chosen by the federal government to use a program called "Too Smart To Start," to help 'tweens - kids who aren't small children but not quite teenagers - make decisions about their future and say no to sex, drugs and alcohol.

McKie said the eight centers share in common the challenges associated with racism and poverty. Impoverished people, even if they are trained and employed, have a hard time juggling the costs of health care, child care and homeownership - pressures that keep many people down, she said.

If the Bethlehem Centers and other mission institutions could eradicate the issues stemming from poverty in their clients' lives, "then we would see women and children and their families being able to step beyond that issue and join the rest of us who have been blessed and have been able to maintain a semblance of a good caring environment for our families," she said.

More information on Bethlehem Centers is available at http://gbgm-umc.org/cim or by calling (212) 870-3843. Donations can be designated for Advance Special #982149 and mailed to 475 Riverside Dr. Room 1544, New York, N.Y. 10115. Money specifically for children's programs, can be designated for Advance Special #123456, which helps ministries with children at the United Methodist Church's National Mission Institutions.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.