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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 [...]

UMR Communications, including United Methodist Reporter, to close

May 16, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor 14 Comments

Board members and top staff of UMR Communications hold communion after closure decision.

Finding no viable plan for reversing financial losses of recent months, UMR Communications will cease operations on May 31. UMR Communications (UMRC) publishes the United Methodist Reporter in print and digital formats and online, and provides printing and communication services to churches and other nonprofits. The final print Reporter will carry the date June 7, but will be mailed and printed by May 31. The UMRC board reluctantly but unanimously voted this morning to close during a tearful meeting at the nonprofit’s Dallas office. “At one time, our ministry produced nearly [...]

Thomas V. Wolfe named president of Iliff School of Theology

May 15, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor Leave a Comment

The Rev. Thomas V. Wolfe has been named president of Iliff School of Theology in Denver, a United Methodist School. He’ll be the 14th president of Iliff, and comes from Syacuse University, where he has been senior vice president and dean. “We are excited to have Dr. Wolfe join us,” said Jim Wilkins, chairperson, Board of Trustees, Iliff School of Theology. “He currently leads more than 350 Syracuse University employees in the areas of Health and Wellness; Discovery and Engagement, Inclusion, Community and Citizenship; and Central Services. His leadership and management [...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Iliff, president, Syracuse University, Thomas V. Wolfe, united methodist

What Happened between John Wesley and his wife?

May 15, 2013 Posted by Special Contributor Leave a Comment

Methodists have always lived with an uneasy sense that something went seriously wrong between John Wesley and his wife, Mary Vazeille (née Goldhawk). Married in 1751, John and Mary stopped living together from around 1758. They were reconciled for a short period in the 1770s, and then again separated from each other. What happened? Traditionally Methodists have blamed Mary. The Encyclopedia of World Methodism (1974) has an article on Mary Wesley that blamed the breakup on “his wife’s perverseness, which was probably worsened by a streak of mental unsoundness …” [...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Ted A. Campbell

UMs get, give help in hard-hit West, Texas

May 14, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor Leave a Comment

There were plenty of hugs and expressions of support to go around before and after worship at West UMC on the Sunday after the blast. PHOTO COURTESY CENTRAL TEXAS CONFERENCE

The Rev. Jimmy Sansom apologized for his inability to recall exactly where he went first on the day after a fertilizer plant explosion brought death and widespread destruction to his [...]

United Methodist woman helps arrange burial of Boston Marathon suspect

May 10, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor 2 Comments

A United Methodist woman in Richmond, Va., said she was acting out of Christian compassion in helping to arrange the burial of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. “Jesus tells us to love our enemies, not hate them after they’re dead,” said Martha Mullen, in a phone interview. “That’s why I kind of got this ball rolling.” Ms. Mullen, a 48-year-old counselor in private practice who studied at a United Methodist seminary, was distressed at news accounts about the difficulty of finding a burial place for Tsarnaev, [...]

How old is too old to join UM clergy?

May 10, 2013 Posted by Heather Hahn, UMNS 4 Comments

The Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church has proposed changing its minimum standards for clergy to discourage people over 45 from becoming candidates for ordained ministry. The conference’s board [...]

Filed Under: Home Center Position 4L, News Tagged With: Carol Bruse, clegy, elders, Heather Hahn, Jan Love, Lovett Weems, texas conference

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 [...]

Bishops ‘get act together’ in San Diego meeting

May 9, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor Leave a Comment

Bishop Sally Dyck of the Northern Illinois Conference hands out health kits during at the California-Mexico border.

Active bishops of the UMC wrapped up their meeting in San Diego on Thursday, emerging with no action items or joint statements, but insisting the time had been fruitful. The sessions at The Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa were not open to the press, though the bishops did invite press coverage of a visit they made to the gritty California-Mexico border, to underscore the importance of the immigration issue. Greater Northwest Area Bishop Grant Hagiya compared himself and his colleagues to dysfunctional family members who have been too polite to one another. He said [...]

Retired UM pastor faces possible church trial for officiating at gay son’s wedding

May 6, 2013 Posted by Sam Hodges, Managing Editor 5 Comments

A new, high-profile episode in the United Methodist Church’s struggle over homosexuality has emerged, with a retired UM pastor and Yale Divinity School dean, the Rev. Thomas Ogletree, facing a possible church trial for presiding at the wedding of his gay son to another man. The UMC’s Book of Discipline forbids clergy from officiating at same-sex unions, and also holds that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. The New York Times reported that Dr. Ogletree had refused a complaining pastor’s request, in a mediation meeting, to apologize or say [...]

Gift of renewal – Donors provide retreat time for UM clergy

UMR Communications, including United Methodist Reporter, to close

Thomas V. Wolfe named president of Iliff School of Theology

What Happened between John Wesley and his wife?

UMs get, give help in hard-hit West, Texas

United Methodist woman helps arrange burial of Boston Marathon suspect

How old is too old to join UM clergy?

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

Bishops ‘get act together’ in San Diego meeting

Retired UM pastor faces possible church trial for officiating at gay son’s wedding

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