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Gift of renewal – Donors provide retreat time for UM clergy

May 17, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor Leave a Comment

The Inn Above Onion Creek in Kyle, Texas, has been a popular retreat for UM pastors and spouses participating in an anonymously-funded renewal program. PHOTO COURTESY THE INN ABOVE ONION CREEK

By Sally Hicks, Faith & Leadership… Last October, Margot Porterfield and her husband, the Rev. Mark Porterfield, faced big changes in their life together. He was starting a new appointment as pastor at First United Methodist Church in Port Lavaca, Texas. She was going back to full-time work after five years. And with their two girls in college, they were coping with an empty nest. So when they were invited to take part in Renew, a retreat designed for United Methodist pastors and spouses, the timing was exquisite. Being able [...]

Bringing it home – ‘One Mile’ model helps focus mission

May 10, 2013 Posted by Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer Leave a Comment

For years, members of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine, Texas, tried to organize a Wednesday night supper—with little success. People were too busy. Volunteers were hard to find. They tried having the meal catered. Nothing worked. Then, in 2009, the church launched “One Mile Mission,” encouraging every group in the church to find some way to serve within a 1-mile radius of the church. That new focus led leaders to try giving the Wednesday night suppers a new spin. “We realized we were trying to feed people who weren’t [...]

Bishop’s book draws on faith, leadership theory, martial arts

May 2, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor 1 Comment

Greater Northwest Area Bishop Grant Hagiya earned a third-degree black belt in karate, as well as a master of divinity and a doctorate in organizational leadership. His new book Spiritual Kaizen: How to Become a Better Church Leader (Abingdon Press) draws on this varied background. Bishop Hagiya answered questions by email from managing editor Sam Hodges. Here’s an edited version of the exchange. Can you sum up, in a sentence each, how your faith, leadership training and martial arts experience are guiding you as you serve the UMC in a [...]

Florida church finds rebirth in mission

April 26, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor Leave a Comment

The Rev. Jim Harnish greets parishioners during a recent Sunday service at Hyde Park UMC in Tampa, Fla. The church has grown in membership and mission work during his 20 years there. PHOTO BY CHRIS URSO

By Michelle Bearden, Faith & Leadership… TAMPA, Fla.—The call came from the bishop on the Rev. Jim Harnish’s 45th birthday. “Can you come by the office tonight?” the bishop asked. Dr. Harnish, then pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, knew an urgent summons from the bishop was serious. He suspected that he and his wife, Marsha, would be asked to relocate. The prospect of leaving the vital, healthy church he had helped birth 13 years earlier wasn’t a happy one. Exciting things were happening there. When they [...]

Filed Under: Home Center Position 1, News Tagged With: Faith & Leadership, Hyde Park UMC, Jim Harnish, Michelle Bearden, tampa

UMC’s Africa University celebrates first 20 years

April 19, 2013 Posted by Kathy L. Gilbert, UMNS Leave a Comment

Dr. Athanasius Mphuru, professor of entomology at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, was recognized as a “pioneer staff member” at the UM-affiliated institution’s 20th anniversary celebration, March 23-24. UMNS PHOTO BY KATHLEEN BARRY

MUTARE, Zimbabwe—Pauline Shongo believes that one day Africa University will be the key to peace on the continent of Africa. So do the many who gathered on the campus of the United Methodist-related university March 22-24 to celebrate the school’s first 20 years. The university, located in Zimbabwe and established by the United Methodist Church in 1992, draws students from all over Africa. The current enrollment of 2,000 represents students from 29 countries. From the beginning, Africa University has been a place where dreams come true. “I think because of [...]

Filed Under: Home Center Position 1, News Tagged With: Africa University, Kathy L. Gilbert

Gift of life: Passionate UMC advocates emerge for organ donation

April 12, 2013 Posted by Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer Leave a Comment

Ann Meixner (left), a member of First United Methodist Church in Laurel, Md., received a kidney donation in January 2011 from her pastor, the Rev. Chris Owens (right). PHOTO BY BLAIRLEE OWENS

As Bob Young talks about organ donation, he recalls the years he served as a hospital corpsman in Vietnam, treating villagers during the day and wounded Marines at night. “There’s no greater high than saving someone’s life,” he said. Mr. Young, 64, wants more United Methodists to experience that “high.” He’s a passionate advocate for organ donation at his church, First United Methodist in Santa Rosa, Calif. “There’s no greater gift you can give someone than their life,” he said. As a denomination, he believes: “We should be doing everything [...]

Filed Under: Home Center Position 1, News Tagged With: Mary Jacobs, National Donate Life Month, organ donations

Duo creates model for training church leaders

April 5, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor Leave a Comment

The Rev. David McNitzky teaches at a session of the Quarry, a leadership program of Alamo Heights UMC in San Antonio. PHOTO BY KATIE CLEMENTSON

By Abe Levy, Faith and Leadership… SAN ANTONIO—The Rev. David McNitzky hired a young man 15 years ago to launch a contemporary service in the church gym—a new option for worship at his large, historic United Methodist congregation here. The new pastor shadowed him on hospital visits and pre-wedding talks with couples. Dr. McNitzky went over the young man’s sermons and narrowed his seemingly endless ideas to one or two practical ones. A seasoned veteran and an enthusiastic upstart, the two pastors saw their friendship deepen into a father-son bond [...]

Front and center – Church goes to school on dealing with youth

March 29, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor Leave a Comment

Last summer, students at Clemson UMC in South Carolina planned and led a weekly worship service on the beach at nearby Lake Hartwell, adapting the United Methodist Hymnal’s Service of Evening Prayer. PHOTO COURTESY JAD TAYLOR

By Ken Garfield, Faith and Leadership… The youth ministries room at Clemson United Methodist Church in Clemson, S.C., still has an old sofa, the type that teenagers typically occupy on Sunday evenings far and wide across the faith landscape. But that’s one of the few vestiges of the past in a youth ministry working to educate young Christians in a deeper way. Believing that the role of the church is to mold young people into serious students and devoted disciples, the 1,000-member congregation, located a mile from Clemson University, has [...]

UM innovation extends to Easter observances

March 29, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor 1 Comment

Baptisms are the centerpiece of the Easter sunrise service on the beach for Gulf Breeze United Methodist in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Shown here from Easter 2012 are Scott Veroneau (left), pastor of the church’s Soundside campus, and Joe Driver, pastor of its Fairpoint campus. PHOTO BY JACQUE GORRIS

By Sam Hodges, Managing Editor and Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer… Easter is all about transformation, but Easter observances tend to be conservative, sticking to familiar (if stirring) music, and the usual texts and formats. The exceptions are out there, though. They’re found in highly innovative congregations and in others where the weather seems a bit warm or cold to tackle this quintessential spring religious holiday in the usual way. Here’s a sampling: Easter Improv At The Crossing, a coffeehouse-style worshipping community and satellite of Wesley UMC in Russellville, Ark., the [...]

Staying centered – Clergy find ways to cope with stress of Holy Week

March 22, 2013 Posted by Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer 2 Comments

On a typical week, the Rev. Penny Stacy stops a few times at a Catholic seminary near her home to quietly walk the outdoor Stations of the Cross at the beginning or end of her day. This year during Holy Week, however, she’s determined to be there every single morning, and possibly in the evenings as well. For Ms. Stacy, who is pastor of Lee Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio, it’s her way of coping with the busy, stressful demands of Holy Week. “There have been years when [...]

Gift of renewal – Donors provide retreat time for UM clergy

Bringing it home – ‘One Mile’ model helps focus mission

Bishop’s book draws on faith, leadership theory, martial arts

Florida church finds rebirth in mission

UMC’s Africa University celebrates first 20 years

Gift of life: Passionate UMC advocates emerge for organ donation

Duo creates model for training church leaders

Front and center – Church goes to school on dealing with youth

UM innovation extends to Easter observances

Staying centered – Clergy find ways to cope with stress of Holy Week

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