UM innovation extends to Easter observances

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 [...]

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Brewing to Perfection – Pastor tries coffee shop to reach young adults

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DALLAS—The Rev. Mike Baughman had never made a half caffeine latte, but that’s what the man across the counter wanted. So, after a quick consultation with the barista on duty, the pastor got to work and produced a frothy drink that sent his middle-aged customer away happy. It was one more learning curve. Mike Baughman’s had a lot of them lately. “Nothing in seminary prepared me to open a coffee shop,” he said. The coffee shop is named “Union,” and it’s also a church plant led by Mr. Baughman, with [...]

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Young Clergy Summit – Focusing on a new generation of church leaders

Participants at the Young Clergy Summit in Nashville, Tenn., lift their hands while singing a hymn in opening worship. United Methodist clergy and clergy candidates under age 30 met with church leaders at the event, hosted Aug. 20-21 by the UMC’s General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. PHOTO BY VICKI BROWN/GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY.

By Jay Voorhees, Special Contributor… NASHVILLE, Tenn.—In the year 2032, if trends continue, the United Methodist Church will face a shortage of trained ordained elders for appointment to local congregations. This was just one of the factors which led the 2012 General Conference to create a $7 million Young Clergy Initiative Fund designed to “increase the number of young clergy among the jurisdictional conferences,” to be administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). As the first step in this initiative, GBHEM staff hosted a special summit [...]

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Rev. Mike Baughman preaches on ‘dehydration’ of church

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Note: The Rev. Baughman preached this sermon June 3, at opening worship of Annual Conference 2012 of the North Texas Conference. Greetings beautiful people of the North Texas Annual Conference. I am so grateful to stand before you this day as we enter into this time of Holy Conferencing. I give thanks to Bishop Bledsoe for inviting me to preach today and for his leadership of this annual conference. I give thanks to the good people of Custer Road. It is good to see so many people whom I love [...]

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For the Love of God: a response to Saturday night

Mike Baughman

No one can agree to share their toys so we will all go home with no change in structure?  @pastor_clayton Parliamentary pandemonium broke out in the final General Administration Committee [...]

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Same sex marriage allowance defeated in committee

Delegates wait as ballots are counted

The Committee on Ministry & Higher Education rejected sub-committee work that would have recommended another historic shift in the United Methodist Church. Submitted legislation sought to allow each Annual Conference to decide whether or not to allow same sex unions in their churches and by their pastors. The measure was defeated by a written ballot vote of 34-44. Amy Lippoldt of Kansas West spoke against the petition despite her previous support of other legislation that seeks to make the church more inclusive of homosexuals. She worried about the implications of [...]

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Historic shift proposed by Comm. on Ministry & Higher Ed

Committee discusses guaranteed appointments.

The Committee on Ministry and Higher Education tackled an aggressive agenda of legislation this morning that could lead to a radical shift in the United Methodist Church. Guaranteed Appointments…not for [...]

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Seminarians Explore General Conference

Maxine Harris, Gina Yeske, Sungchun Ahn and Martha Epstein stand outside the convention center in Tampa Bay. FL

Seminarians from Drew Theological School are among the crowds of United Methodistst who have flocked to Tampa Bay for General Conference. They’re here as a part of a course studying [...]

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Laity Address Speaker Opens Up in Press Conference

Amory Peck delivers a portion of the laity address at General Conference

“I know that people want to stop talking about this issue and I would like to stop talking about it too because I would like for all to welcomed to the church and to ordination…regardless of sexual orientation.” Amory Peck, one of the three speakers who offered the Laity address this morning, shared before a room of reporters at General Conference this morning. Though Peck did call the church to inclusivity, she did not speak to the issues of sexual orientation during her address. When asked by the United Methodist [...]

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UMC Twitter Sub-Culture Grows at General Conference

Graphic design by Nancy Bryan

Lauren Roden (@laurenmroden) prophesied yesterday afternoon: “Twitter is about to be ridiculously overloaded with Methodists and their iPhones. #gc2012” Her prediction has proved accurate. Since the beginning of General Conference, [...]

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