The District Weekly - Village United Methodist Church

Volume 3, Issue 4
January 31, 2014
Just A Note
Attention: Local Pastors and Supply
Pastors Under Appointment!!!
The District Weekly
The Southwest District
The Conference Board of Ordained Ministry
is now requiring all persons under
appointment to meet annually with the
District Board of Ordained Ministry
Committee. This is a change. It means that
everyone serving an appointment, except
Elders and Associate Members must meet
with dCOM.
You need to schedule a time for the
meeting, by calling the District office @
870.230.1118.
Currently, the dCOM is
meeting Thursday February 13, Thursday
February 27 and Saturday February 22.
Local Pastors, please remember to bring
your license with you to the dCOM
meeting.
Keep in Your
Hearts & Prayers
Rev. Jim Polk, Arkadelphia 1st, in
the death of his mother, Nancy
Polk on January 31, 2014 in
Magnolia. Funeral arrangements
are pending. Please keep Rev.
Polk and family in your prayers.
Friends and family of Wynona
Wagner, surviving spouse of Rev.
Stanley Wagner, who passed away
on January 27, 2014 in Malvern.
Services were held on Friday,
January 31 at the Ruggles-Wilcox
Funeral Home with the Rev. Jim
Polk officiating.
Frances
Brown
(Surviving
Spouse) widow of Shelton Kilgore
and Winslow Brown (United
Methodist pastors) is in Lake
Hamilton Rehab after breaking her
hip. Please pray for her speedy
recovery.
Many of you know and some of you
remember Rev. Bennie Warner, who
served as the DS of the Camden District.
Rev. Warner has a fascinating life story.
He was Vice President of Nigeria and
Bishop of the UMC in Nigeria. While he
was at a Council of Bishop’s meeting in the
USA, a revolt overthrew the government,
and made it life threatening to return to his
home land.
Rev Bob Hagar has produced a
documentary on the life of Rev Warner. The
BIG news is that AETN will air the
documentary, “Black Marks on White
Paper” February 3rd at 8 p.m. Please inform
your congregation of this program.
If you need promotional materials for
bulletins of posters, then contact the District
Office.
Bishop Mueller in the Southwest
District
Preaching Schedule
January 26
February 9
March 9
April 6
Sept. 14
Oaklawn UMC
Texarkana First UMC
Emmet UMC
Dierks UMC
St. Mark UMC, El Dorado
Coffee with the Bishop
Laity
March 9
2:30 p.m.
Hope First UMC
Feasting On The Word
I have in my possession two Feasting
On The Word volumes to give to anyone
needing them to complete their collection. They are: Year A, Volume 3 and
Year B Volume 4. I can be contacted at
donhrob @hotmail.com or at 501-8152028.
Rev. Don Robinson
Shorewood Hills / Magnet Cove Charge
Upcoming Events
February 3
“Black Marks on White Paper”, February
3rd at 8 p.m. on AETN.
February 10-21
Getting Organized in Youth Ministry — A
two week online course. For more
information and to register for the course go
to http://beadisciple.com/
youthworkermovement.html# organizing.
May 2-4 and June 6-13
Local Pastor License School….the total
cost for a student is $350. More
Information will be provided as it becomes
available.
November 9-14
Southwest District Sager Brown Mission
Trip.
Message From The Bishop
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As the New Year gets under way, I pray that you will be filled
with new hopes and dreams. I know I intend to continue to get
more serious about going “all in” to be the kind of disciple of
Jesus Christ who makes other disciples who are serious
about letting God use them to transform lives, communities
and the world with excellence and passion.
A large part of that commitment will be working hard to fulfill
the trajectory set out in my mission plan for the United
Methodists of Arkansas. To help us to take part in the “new
thing” God is doing here in Arkansas, we are trying something
different.
Between now and June, you will be invited to watch a series
of short videos about each of the 10 next steps outlined in the
mission plan. You can watch the introductory video by clicking
on the link below:
www.arumc.org/missionplan
A few days after each video is launched, you will be invited to
be part of an online discussion about that particular “next
step” of the mission plan. During the discussions, other clergy
or I, along with laity from around the state, will help unpack
each of the 10 mission plan points. We want to answer your
questions and hear how you or your church plans to live into
God’s trajectory for the Arkansas Conference.
A downloadable copy of my Next Steps Trajectory mission
plan and the schedule for the videos and online
discussions may be found at www.arumc.org/missionplan.
Each of the videos and the audio portion of the online
discussions will be archived there as well.
I hope you will mark your calendars, make the videos
available to your churches, and plan to participate in as many
of the online discussions as possible.
I look forward to being part of God's vision with you in the
coming years, and to hearing from you as we take this
journey together.
Grace and peace,
Gary E. Mueller
Bishop
Events Coming to Mount Eagle
Retreat Center Spring 2014
Feb. 27 – March 1 “Food for the Heart and Soul –
A Cooking Retreat” 6 pm Thursday - 11:30 am
Saturday, for anyone who wants to learn new
cooking skills and tips, ways to create healthy
recipes, and make a stronger case for cooking as
spiritual practice.
March 7 – “Enneagram – What’s Your Number” –
a day long workshop for clergy and laity who want
to learn more about the ancient personality typing
system, taught in conjunction with Perkins School
of Theology, Office of Spiritual Formation.
March 13-14 – “Lay Servant Ministry School Session I” – One basic and two advanced classes
will be taught. Stay for the second session and pick
up another course.
March 14-15 – “Lay Servant Ministry School Session II “ – One basic and two advanced classes
will be taught. Come a day early for the first
session and pick up another course.
March 30- April 2 – “Hands-on Faith” – a three day
spiritual formation retreat based on the Academy
for Spiritual Formation/Benedictine model where
the new small group curriculum, Hands-on Faith:
A Practical Guide to Everyday Christianity in
Community, will be introduced.
For more information and registration forms, go to
http://www.mounteagle.org/events.htm and scroll
down to find the specific event. Or call Mount
Eagle, 501-723-4580.
Save The Date! And help us get the word
out to everyone.
VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION TEAM LEADER TRAINING
SATURDAY MARCH 29, 2014
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM
CONFERENCE OFFICE, LITTLE ROCK, AR
PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED BY MARCH 1, 2014
If you have questions please contact Byron Mann
Methodist Family Health still needs
gifts, offerings and support
Methodist Family Health relies heavily on United Methodist
churches and individuals who give during the Christmas
season. On Dec. 8, one of the two designated special
offering Sundays for Methodist Family Health, many
churches in the central and northern parts of the states
cancelled services due to ice and inclement weather. As a
result, many church-goers missed the opportunity to
support Methodist Family Health through a church
offering.
“The Christmas offering is vital for the large
population of children and families in our care,” says
Maggie Beeler, director of development for Methodist
Family Health. “We do not receive apportioned funds
from the Conference, so we rely heavily on this
special offering and support from local churches,
UMW groups, individual church members and mission
teams.”
As of Jan. 21, Beeler said, the organization is more
than $50,000 shy of its Christmas offering goal for 2013,
a shortfall she blamed on the early December snow and
ice. The funds are needed to provide care through a
network of therapeutic group homes, a behavioral hospital,
residential treatment centers, emergency shelter, day
treatment programs, community- and school-based
counseling clinics and other programs.
“We invite churches and individuals to help us catch
up in February,” Beeler said. She suggests the
following ways to help:
1. Make a gift online at www.methodistfamily.org.
2. Hold a special or second church offering for Methodist
Family Health in February.
3. Make a contribution via mail to the Methodist Family
Health Foundation, P.O. Box 56050, Little Rock, AR
72215.
4. Contact
Maggie
Beeler
–
mbeeler@methodist
family.org or (501) 412-6178 – to find out other
ways to support this mission in your own backyard.
Methodist Family Health has been serving children and
families in Arkansas since 1899. Initially created as an
orphanage, today’s Methodist Family Health offers
comprehensive psychiatric and behavioral healthcare to
more than 1,400 clients daily via inpatient, residential and
outpatient venues of care, including the programs of the
Methodist Children’s Home. Services include a network of
therapeutic group homes, a behavioral hospital, residential
treatment centers, emergency shelter, day treatment
programs and community- and school-based counseling
clinics.
For
more
information,
visit
www.methodistfamily.org.
UPCOMING MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
Welcome to 2014. In 2013 the Arkansas Conference had over 600 volunteers participating in authorized VIM
Mission Journeys. I know there were hundreds more that I did not know about. Please let me know if your
church or one you know of is planning a Mission in 2014 so that we can celebrate their work with others
throughout the conference. Also please let me know about churches involved in local and community mission
work. We at the conference feel that this is a vital part of meeting the Bishop's Trajectory over the next few
years. Janice and I have been able to visit a few churches this past year and are completely amazed at the
work that local church congregations are doing in their own neighborhoods. If you would like to learn more
about VIM and getting your church involved in Mission please contact Byron or Janice and we will come to
your church for a presentation, consultation, training or just a visit.
The following is a list of the upcoming Mission Opportunities for 2014. Most of these still have spots open for
volunteers. If you or someone you know is feeling the leading or nudging of the Holy Spirit to join God in what
He is doing and where He is working please pass on this information. Also if you have not yet joined the
Network at ARUMC.org do so now. All of the VIM and Disaster Response information is being posted there. If
you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Blessings, Byron Mann
DATES
SPONSOR
CHURCH
02/15-24/
2014
Ft. Smith FUMC
02/22-28/2014
Jasper UMC/
ARUMC/ VIM
03/23-28/2014
Village UMC
05/25-31/2014
Dardanelle UMC
NW District
MBRS
15
30
SITE
WORK/
TYPE
TEAM
LEADER
CONTACT
Cunan,
Guatemala
Medical
Claire Caldwell
ccaldwell@
fsfumc.org
Rio Bravo,
Mexico
Construction,
Bible School,
Painting,
Repairs
Larry Acton
lacton@
ritternet.com
Jim Morris
jjcmorris@
yahoo.com
Jim Benfer
Troy Conrad
jbenfer@
centurytel.net
Sager Brown
Rio Bravo,
Mexico
Medical
construction
pastortroy5@
mac.com
11/09-14/2014
Southwest District
20
Sager Brown
Audrey Powell
aapowell2@
yahoo.com
December 20
14–January
2015
ARUMC
12
Havana,
Cuba
Nechi
Fullerton
nefullerton@
yahoo.com
03/23-27/2015
ARUMC
20
Sager Brown
Byron Mann
vim@arumc.org
10/19-23/2015
ARUMC
20
Sager Brown
Byron Mann
vim@arumc.org
Construction
This & That
Magnolia area clergy meet every
Tuesday @ Andy's — @ 9 a.m.
CHRIST OF THE HILLS UMC, HOT SPRINGS VLG. —
Director of Music Needed
Christ of the Hills UMC (Hot Springs Village) is
seeking a qualified and experienced person to direct
their music program. To request an application and a
description of this part-time position call 501-9224503 or email cothumc@cohumc.com.
KEITH MEMORIAL, MALVERN —
Great news about Keith Memorial / L’eau Fraiz in
Malvern. The January totals are in:
Keith fed 172 on Saturday Community lunch and
gave out 113 food boxes. This is the final total
for the January report. L’Eau Fraiz gave 25 food
boxes out along with paying a portion of another
church’s electric bill.
The children’s Noisy
Offering has been helping with the homeless
among other mission work that is brought before
the church.
Blessings Abound!
OAKLAWN UMC, HOT SPRINGS —
Pastors in the Arkadelphia area meet
every Monday morning at the Donut
Palace, located on Hwy 7 next to the
Sonic at 9:30 a.m.
“The District Spouses Meet for
Lunch” the first Thursday of every
month at the San Francisco Bread
Company in Hot Springs at 11:30 a.m.
SW District 2014 Apportionments
% Paid to Date
District (as of 01/31/2014)
Conference (as of 01/31/2014)
4.24
?
SW District 2013 Apportionments
% Paid to Date
District (FINAL)
97.47
Conference (FINAL)
93.23
Part-time Youth Director needed at Oaklawn United
Methodist Church. Call 501-623-5588 and speak to
the pastor, Rev. Fred W. Hunter regarding
commitments.
The Southwest District
904 Caddo Street
Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71923
Phone: 870.230.1118
Fax: 870.230.1148
Mike Morey: mmorey@arumc.org
Cindy Parker: cparker@arumc.org
Dawn Branton: dawn.branton@arumc.org
Website: www.swdarumc.org