May 2010 Edition of the Michigan Area Reporter

Two Sections

Section A

079000

Vol. 156 No. 52

April 30, 2010

Going GreenPractical energy advice | 3A

More than a kiosk21st century ideas implemented | 5A

Out into the cityFoundation of outreach | 4A

See Hoping to make … on page 7A See Mission . . . on page 7A

By RJ WaltersEditor

Votes will be tallied, weighty issues will be discussed and oldfriends will be reunited, but all are for null if not viewed throughthe lens of equipping disciples and providing ways for thechurch to get out into the world.

The 2010 Detroit Conference annual conference will be heldat Adrian College May 20–23 and it will revolve around thetheme “Wherever the water flows..life will flourish…lifeabounds,“ and the speakers and leaders are focused on howthey can help create new places for new people and revitalizeexisting congregations.

To bring those points home the Annual ConferenceCommittee invited Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Bishop Linda Lee tobe the event’s guest speakers throughout the weekend.

Weems is well-known for authoring the book ChurchLeadership: Vision, Team, Culture and Integrity and his latestoffering is The Crisis of Younger Clergy, co-authored with Ann A.Michel, a book that speaks to the decline of younger members inthe church today.

While his track record and list of outstanding achievementscould easily take up several pages of a media guide—includinghis current job as a professor of Church Leadership and theDirector of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at WesleyTheological Seminary in Washington, DC—his work can bestbe summed up by how he is viewed by others.

“(He is) one of the persons who added much to the growingcivility of Mississippi,” distinguished writer Willie Morris once

The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) is published weekly by UMR Communications, 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, TX 75247-3919. Periodicals Postage Paid at Dallas, Texas andadditional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The United Methodist Reporter, PO Box 660275, Dallas, TX 75266-0275.

Ripples hoping to make waves2010 Detroit Annual Conference focusing on revitalization

an Edition of the United Methodist Reporter

Michigan Area ReporterTH

E

RIGHT: Friends are made and ideas discussed by clergy and lay members at annual conferences across the nation. LEFT: Adrian College, the home of the Detroit Conference Annual Conference.

by Jonathan D. Keaton, Bishop

MissionRemembered

Another Bishop’s Day has come and gone.Bishop’s Day is an annual Continuing Education Event

designed to keep the mission of the United Methodist Churchbefore each local church,which is “making disciplesof Jesus Christ for thetransformation of theworld.”

Called Out: Creating NewPlaces for New Faces denotes one manifestation of the missionstatement which became the focus for 2010 Bishop’s DayRegional Training Events. Below are mini-reports of those events.

Digest and use some of the facts, figures and assessmentsfrom our most recent Bishop’s Day Events held for thirteendistricts March 6, 13 and 27.

What worked?“The keynote speaker and workshop leaders were well

received.” “Great presentation by the guest speaker; many seeds were

planted.”“Simplicity, practicality, inspired main speaker, captivating

presentation with good material.”All those quotes were inspired by our speakers/presenters.“Worship was good. Contemporary and traditional music

linked arms like ‘a horse and carriage or love and marriage.’”“We preached. We sang our faith and said ‘Amen.’”Between 600-650 people in the Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids

happening were enlivened by the presence of nearly 75 youth.Detroit West/East Districts rejoiced because they had 45

Hispanic and Korean Methodists attend for the first time. Plus,one workshop was conducted in their mother tongue.

We celebrated the spirit of helping others. An offering wastaken for a new church development project in each conference.Using our regular channels, $10,458.36 will be divided betweenFaithWay in the Detroit Conference and Valley Church in theWest Michigan Conference.

Lessons learned. 1. Excellence matters. 2. So does worshipand genuine fellowship. 3. People are hungry for tools ofevangelism that are practical. 4. They want someone to showthem how. If it is their own pastor or lay leadership, so much thebetter. 5. Caring for our neighbor matters.

Recommendations: Do it again. Strive for excellence.

bishop’scolumn

2010 Detroit Annual Conference

Where: Adrian CollegeWhen: May 20–23Who: Clergy and lay members from the

Detroit ConferenceMain speakers: Lovett H. Weems Jr. and

Bishop Linda LeeSchedule and information:

www.detroitconference.org/annualconference

“We preached.We sang our faith and said ‘Amen.’ ”

APRIL 30, 2010MICHIGAN AREAEDITION OF THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER2A

WANT THE FULL LOW-DOWN? There are a rash of other important issues on the table to be discussed at the 2010 Detroit Conference Annual Conference.Pension benefit rates and annual conference appointment recommendations will be looked at, as will the equitablecompensation, or simply put, the salary markers for clergy members for the coming year.

There will also be a slew of social and economic justice issues discussed.There is a call for Gov. Jennifer Granholm to declare a state of “Economic Emergency” for the city of Detroit and a resolution forthe church to help improve education and reduce poverty in the state.There are also voting items regarding Israel, Afghanistan and hate crimes, among other issues.For a full breakdown of every resolution and the rationale behind them go to www.detroitconference.org/annualconference.

By RJ WaltersEditor

There are 17 resolutions on the table for May’s DetroitConference Annual Conference, but three of them figure toconsume a large portion of the limelight.

The overwhelming theme of the trio is implementing changethat will better equip the entire conference for the future.

The one that is likely to generate the most discussion is theproposal that the Detroit Annual Conference be reduced fromseven districts to six, with a whole new map of districts to bedrawn.

The proposal, written by the Conference Council on Financeand Administration states the change would be effective no laterthan July 1, 2011 and Bishop Keaton would determine theboundaries of the new districts per the 2008 Book of Disciplineof The United Methodist Church.

“Changing demographics and financial constraints havemotivated the CFA to introduce legislation to move to sixdistricts,” said Conference Council on Finance andAdministration chairperson Carol Johns, in December. “We feelthat this will provide a significant cost savings. What we are notdoing is proposing the elimination of any district. We are callingfor the redistricting of the entire annual conference.”

Conference Treasurer Anna Morford said the conferenceestimates a savings of nearly $210,000 with the reduction of onedistrict superintendent and his/her entire office.

Salary freezes already saved nearly $811,000 in 2009 and the2010 budget is one that shows significant reductions from theyear before.

The total approved budget for 2010 is $9,736,500 andincludes pensions, general church apportionments, and fundingfor all connectional ministry and administrative agencies andconference programs.

That is 8.5 percent less than the 2009 budget and includes an11 percent reduction of financial support to conference ministries.

Morford said the conference has lost nearly 47 percent of itsmembers since 1970, thus a new administrative model must belooked at.

“The Board of Pensions has already made significantreductions over the last two years, so that has reduced some ofthe weight on the churches, and we also don’t have as many staffas we used to,” she said. “It just seems like there’s been such ashift in the makeup of our conference, it’s time to look at thispart of our expenses and see if there’s some way to cut.”

If there are seven districts or six, communication is a vitalfunction of the Methodist Church at local and regional levels,and the Conference Commission on Communications wants tomake sure there is no church left out of the Web ofinterconnectivity.

The commission proposed a resolution that will make surethe main office of every church/charge in the Detroit Conferencehas broadband high-speed internet, “in order to provide a 21stCentury communication connection between the conference, itslocal churches and pastors.”

While the exact number of churches that have fallen behind

the digital times is unknown, Conference Director ofCommunications/Program Committee Coordinator Paul Thomassaid some churches have just decided “they don’t want to pay forhigh-speed (internet) because they don’t see the need.”

Thomas said he and the commission believe it is integral tothe health of the conference that all churches have access to e-mail, streaming video, and especially the capabilities of Webconferencing, to save on travel costs.

If the mandate passes, the commission will make grantsavailable to churches that currently do not have high-speedInternet and do not have the means to fund it within their ownbudget. The grants will help offset installation andimplementation costs.

“We want to find out if a church has the money and justdoesn’t want to do it or if there’s a financial need and they needhelp getting up to speed,” Thomas said. “It’s not like we’rerunning around like Fat Tony (of the Simpsons), but we want tomake sure churches are complying. There will be a checkprocess and the follow-up is the responsibility of thecommission and we’ll figure out why certain things arehappening.”

The final resolution that figures to have long-standingimplications for the entire conference is all about getting youngadults more involved.

Ang Hart, the Conference Director of Youth and Young AdultMinistries, and Sara Erickson, a member of the Young AdultTask Force, has proposed that the Young Adult Task forcebecome an official conference commission called the ConferenceCommission on Young Adult Communities.

The task force has been around four years and they haveworked to educate young adults and youth about theopportunities available in the conference.

The resolution proposes the new commission would havefive lay women, five lay men and three clergy members, with atleast eight being young adults.

The commission would receive a $3,000 budget each year tofund its endeavors and would be permitted to bring 15 youngadults to Annual Conference each year.

Mission-based initiatives lookto increase global involvement

Among the resolutions being voted on at the DetroitConference Annual Conference, four of them could widely beconsidered mission-based initiatives.

There is a motion to encourage every single church in theconference to participate in the CROP Walk at some pointduring the next year.

CROP Walk is a fund-raising and hunger-education eventthat supports self-development, assists with emergency needsand helps to address the root causes of poverty and hunger.

Rev. Margie R. Crawford, the Chair of the Detroit AnnualConference Hunger/UMCOR Committee says the conferenceneeds to make a renewed commitment to fighting hunger.

Last year CROP Walks contributed over $4 million to U.S.food pantries alone.

Another motion offered by Crawford is that the conferenceshould set a goal for a minimum offering of $1.75 per memberfor the 2010–11 One Great Hour of Sharing Offering.

The special offering helps with the administrative costs ofUMCOR, which has garnered nationally attention recently forits work in Haiti.

Rev Eric A. Stone and Dr. Floyd Stevens, members of a VIMteam that went to Liberia in December 2009, have proposed aresolution to add Liberia as a recipient country for theconference’s involvement with the Heifer project.

Heifer International provides gifts of livestock and plants,as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world.

Some churches have recently talked about boycottingHeifer International to focus more on UMCOR and UMCmissions, but Stone and Stevens said there are numerousopportunities in Liberia considering the conference’srelationship with the Liberia Annual Conference.

George Jonté, the Peace with Justice and Bread for theWorld Chairperson, is asking for a resolution to be passed thata total of 21 churches, at least three per district, becomecovenant partners with the hunger-fighting organizationBread for the World.

The average covenant church gives upwards of $500 a yearto worldwide resources to end hunger and they also committhemselves to further educating their congregation about foodneeds around the world, while offering support and prayers.

Keep an eye on these votesResolutions to pay close attention to at the 2010 Annual Conference

The Young Adult Task Force hopes to be known as theConference Commission on Young Adult Communities bythe end of the 2010 Detroit Conference Annual Conference.

Like a healing stream, living to our potential

It is that time of year again. No, notspring —it is almost time for AnnualConference!

I have to be honest that our annualgathering for holy conferencing anddecision-making falls at a time each yearwhen I would love to be outdoors, plantingmy vegetable garden and landscaping myyard. I love to create the potential for fruitfulflavor and life-giving spaces. I also shouldconfess that I find it difficult some years tosee any connection between spring and afour-day meeting. The idea of sitting in rowsof seats for hours and days can feel incredibly disconnectedfrom a season known for bringing forth new life andpossibilities [and now I am partly responsible for what goeson]. Yet, there are similarities if we allow ourselves to seethem.

The theme of our gathering this year, Wherever the waterflows… life flourishes … life abounds!, comes out of thevision given to the prophet Ezekiel. It was a vision of therenewal of God’s people and a renewal of life in a barren land.In the vision, Ezekiel was led to a renewed temple—thecenter of encountering God and realizing identity, but theprophet was not allowed to stay in just that place. The renewalwas too large to be contained in one place. It flowed as astream of living water out of the temple into all corners of theland beyond. In the desert new life burst forth because of theriver that came from God and the people would find newhope. The United Methodist Book of Discipline reminds us ofwhy we are a body together, not simply co-existing silocommunities:

Par. 601. Purpose—The purpose of the annual conferenceis to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformationof the world by equipping its local churches for ministryand by providing a connection for ministry beyond thelocal church; all to the glory of God.

What would happen if we expected our ministries to be likea healing stream flowing from the altar of God through ourlives as we gather, then through and beyond us, into the fulltransformation of the communities all across the conferenceand beyond? Annual conference can be a place of gatheringwhere the part of the Body of Christ known as UnitedMethodist reflects on clarity of purpose and visionarydirection, committing ourselves to living out this faith in theyear ahead. I am idealistic enough to desire deep discernmentand discovery to fill the entire time of our gathering, yetseasoned enough to know that I will more likely see it mostfully in small vignettes and connect to it most deeply inindividual conversations. Annual conference can be a time ofchoosing where to focus the pruning, prioritize the fertilizationof the freshly tilled soil, and to plant seeds of new ideas.

If you take a close look at the pieces of legislation, theteaching and worship times, times for ministry stories to beshared and the overall theme of the 2010 Detroit AnnualConference, I do believe it offers the potential for thebeginnings of substantive conversation, discernment anddecision-making geared toward change. You will note that Istated it “offers the potential”; it does not give it to us fullycompleted. One of the most important aspects of our traditionof holy conferencing is our willingness to look for God’smovement in our interaction with one another.

I fully intend to seek signs of the trickle of living water as itbreaks forth in our gathering at Adrian College. I invite you todo the same. I also will openly commit myself to be a part ofmaking the possibility a reality. I invite you to do the same.May God surpass our expectations!

APRIL 30, 2010 MICHIGAN AREAEDITION OF THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER 3A

JERRY DEVINEDETROIT CONFERENCE

DIRECTOR OF CONNECTIONAL

MINISTRIES

What getting “greener” can mean for your church:• A 25% reduction in energy costs could equal a 1–2%

reduction in the annual expense budget• With basic energy efficiency renovations churches can

reduce energy use by 24–50%, CO2 emissions by33–39%, water use by 40% and solid waste by 70%

Source: The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Building;A Report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force

By RJ WaltersEditor

America is home to roughly five percent of the world’spopulation, but the country accounts for almost 25 percent ofthe world’s energy consumption according to the U.S. EnergyInformation Administration.

Comparatively, China is home to over 20 percent of theworld’s population but consumes just 13 percent of the energyused worldwide.

So what’s a church to do when considering this waste, allwhile worrying about tightening budgets, decliningmembership, and evolving and increasing social issues?

If you ask long-time Methodist Bruce Wheaton, theResidential & Commercial Programs Manager at MichiganEnergy Options and member of University UMC in EastLansing, the answer is simple: follow the call of the UMC Bookof Resolutions which says to be more aligned with naturalresources, by getting informed, evaluating options and followingthrough with plans.

As Wheaton is trying to convince people, becoming moreenergy efficient isn’t about understanding the complex scienceof things like biomass gasification and biorefinery technologies,it’s about committing to a change and finding people to educatechurch communities.

Recently Wheaton held a faith-based energy efficiencyworkshop for about 70 area church staff and facility managersin the Greater Lansing area and he’s at the forefront of trying toget churches and other non-profits and small businesses in thestate to analyze their energy use.

Wheaton said it costs around $300 for an energy evaluationof non-profits up to 10,000 square feet and then another fewcents per square foot up to 50,000.

As for the basics of getting fit to go green there are a varietyof things churches can do on their own to become communityleaders of positive change.

EvaluatingWheaton said the first step is as easy as spending a few hours

going over what type of energy sources a church is using.A good place to start is to look at energy consumption for the

last 12 months and determine trends and areas of the largestuse.

“A big impact is just in the lighting systems. (Churches) candecrease their lighting costs tremendously just by installingenergy efficient tube fluorescent lights and LED in signs andCFL lighting instead of incandescent lights,” he said. “Anotherthing they can do is start to tighten up their building structure,and decrease air leakage through the shell of the building, justwith caulking, weather stripping, sealants and the like.”

Taking into account the lighting and heating used when achurch is empty or hardly inhabited can help.

It is also useful to see what older small appliances could bereplaced with newer Energy Star rated electronics. Churchesshould also consider turning off equipment when not in use andlearn how to use on/off timers for vending machines and otherappliances.

Wheaton said that finding ways to reduce a church’s energycosts by 25 percent can equal a 1–2 percent reduction in anannual budget.

So for a church with a $500,000 annual budget, a cost savingsof nearly $7,000 can quickly be found.

Looking for incentivesThe cost savings is not only available in the form of lower

energy bills, there are plenty of monetary incentives for thosewilling to look.

“There are resources through the state of Michigan, orthrough a place online called Desires USA, where they list all ofthe grants available for energy efficiency,” Wheaton said.

“Another way they can find funding is through incentivesfrom their utility companies. A lot of times they offer fairly good–sized rebates on things such as the heating systems or water-heating or air conditioning units.”

Contacting representatives or going to the Web sites ofbusinesses like Consumers Energy or Detroit Edison are a greatplace for church’s to start.

The State of Michigan also offers Energy Efficiency Grantsand building costs can be lowered through programs likeRebuild Michigan IEE.

PlanningAfter analyzing ways to improve energy efficiency, Wheaton

said a church needs to make a plan and stick to it. On Web sites like Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) and The

Web of Creation (www.webofcreation.org) churches can createenergy portfolios and follow guides for congregations trying toget “greener.”

Wheatson said a plan should track energy use changes andset attainable goals for space heating and cooling energy,electrical lighting, plug loads and water consumption andmanagement.

EducatingThe options are nearly endless and becoming a smarter,

more environmentally church is not all that hard, but Wheatonsaid the toughest challenge is educating people.

“A lot more efficient communication could be done, such ase-mails and flyers sent out about the different programs andincentives from utilities and state programs and moneysavailable to,” he said.

“It’s a big job to change people’s minds or make them awareof what’s possible, so like with any church, group or individualit’s a tough job to change behavior. There’s always multiplecommittees you have to educate over a long period of time andwe just have to be consistent with getting the message outthere.”

Churches need to educate staff and membership, encouragevolunteer involvement in implementing change and createprotocols for how to proceed with projects.

“It will take clear concise communication, objectiveeducation, and leadership from the UMC organization at alllevels,” Wheaton said in an e-mail. “The barriers are the sevendeadly sins. Fear breeds war, love makes all things possible.”

Options for getting your church greenPractical sustainable energy advice from a long-time Methodist


By RJ WaltersEditor

Valley Church does not have the wordMethodist in its title, but digging deeper,people might just see the shadow of JohnWesley outlining lead pastor Matt Bistayi.

Focused on creating a new worshipcommunity centered on the motto, “For God.For People. For Change.” the 38-year old ispounding the pavement in the Grand Rapidsarea to fester authentic Godly relationships,regardless of a person’s background or politicalstance.

Located just minutes from Grand ValleyState University in Allendale, in the samebuilding as Byron Bank, Bistayi and his wifeShellie seem to be right on the money with theprinciples they are using as they live out whatMatt calls his “God dream.”

Opening the door of possibilityWhen the Bistayi’s moved from Bronson,

Mich. in July 2009, where Matt was a leadpastor, it seemed like a natural progression.

Bistayi’s father Joe was a United Methodistpastor for 35 years, Matt has always felt calledto open up new opportunities for people, andhe even founded the UnLeashed Conference tonurture Michigan’s 20 to 30somethings whohave leadership potential.

“This was natural, this was logical, it was a‘God thing.’ That’s why it’s so hard for me totalk about, because how can you putsomething like that into words?” he said.“Sometimes I think my words mess it all up.”

His words have been the genesis of this newchurch as well though.

He started by creating what he calls his“mobile office” at Biggby Coffee, where hewould pass out business cards and let localsknow a new church was in town.

What he found out is the Grand Rapids areais quite “churched”, but many people arelooking for new faith adventures and ideas.

One of the keys to getting a new churchstarted on the right foot, in Bistayi’s opinion, isidentifying a core group of people withleadership potential.

“You can tell early on who is committedand here for the right reasons…and you know,you can tell pretty early on who are the fruitsand who are the nuts,” he said. “New churchesattract different personalities and often theyattract healthy people and unhealthy people.There’s nothing wrong with that, you just haveto be aware of it.”

Bistayi said potential leaders are usually theones excited about “getting grubby withministry” and not worried about the so-calledpolitics of the church.

“We can think differently; yeah you can beRepublican, I can be Democrat or I can beDemocrat, you can be Repbulican, Liberal orConservative—let’s meet in the middle andjust love each other,” he said.

Leading through encouraging othersBistayi is not waiting to reach what is often

Cool enough to be different, passionate enough to be realValley Church starts up with foundations of outreach and diversity

referred to as the “magical number” of regularattendees (which is 120–150 in an area likeAllendale, according to the UMC) to startmaking outreach a staple of the church.

Through what Valley Church has dubbed“house churches”, people are alreadyconnecting on a whole new level.

There are four groups of 10–12 people whomeet regularly at someone’s house for a mealand discussion related to the Sundaymessages. Bistayi also encourages them to doat least one outreach project a month together.

While the Grand Rapids area is full of blue-collar working folks there are plenty ofreduced lunches being provided and there is ahomeless population.

Bistayi said by fall he hopes Valley canimplement some programs for lower incomeindividuals and meet people’s needs the wayChrist meets his followers.

“We’ve done a lot of outreach activitieswhere we break up into groups and do thingsat a specific time,” he said. “One (time earlierthis month we met on a Saturday) and onegroup gave away free donuts and fruit indowntown Grand Rapids, another group wentto a nursing home and played board gamesand read to residents, and another group madea whole bunch of cookies and delivered themto like the fire fighters and campus securityand stuff like that.”

By Bistayi’s estimation, more events andmissions will naturally take place if peopleheed the four main initiatives of Valley.

“We have four covenants we kind of expectpeople to be living into and we encourage the

community to live into. They are simply: beingdevoted to a daily time with God, beingdevoted in worship, being devoted in a ‘housechurch’ in community with others, and beingdevoted to making a difference and giving. Youread some early Wesley, there you go rightthere—that’s some pretty Methodist ideas.”

Never settlingPlenty of progress is being made at Valley,

where 80 adults and 30 children are regularlyattending Sunday worship, and 115 peopleshowed up for Easter.

But Bistayi doesn’t want this newcongregation to get so comfortable with itselfearly on that it quits looking outside the wallsof the church.

“Don’t settle. Healthy churches and healthyleaders always ask ‘Who else can we shareGod’s love with?’” Bistayi said. “Existingchurches have boundaries and limits, newchurches tend not to right from the get go—the trick is keeping it that way.”

One guy helping Bistayi keep things fresh isworship leader Darin VanderMolen.

Through some uncanny connectionssomeone suggested Bistayi sit down withVanderMolen, who has seven years experienceas a worship leader/music director, but had notbeen on board with a church for about a year.

After a breakfast meeting turned into athree-hour conversation VanderMolenessentially became Bistayi’s go-to guy. And itwasn’t because he necessarily fit a certainmold or could play a guitar riff that is capableof blowing somebody’s mind—it was because

Bistayi saw the potential of someone whoveritably wanted to be a servant of Christ withno limits attached.

“He’s just crazy, he’s a goof ball. I like crazy,goofball people who are in ministry. He’swilling to take risks, he’s totally genuine andauthentic—Darin is Darin, period,” he said. “Itwas more vital for me to find somebody whowas a genuine spiritual personality than it wasto find a rock star. But Darren is a rock starbecause he is a genuine spiritual person if thatmakes sense.”

With the wheels turning and the headcount growing, Bistayi just smiles at the facthe’s leading a 21st century church start withhis parent’s sound advice in one pocket andthe guidance of his wife, who is a full-timenursing student, in the other.

He jokes that he’ll give it his all until the day“the money dries up”, in regards to the seedmoney of the new church, but he’s extremelyserious about just letting God take him for theride.

“I think (I’ve) had two experiences. One islike wow, thank you God….and the other iswow, this is hard God, what do I do next?” hesaid. “It’s about figuring out how to keep themomentum going and for me that’s sometimesthe biggest challenge.”

Vally Church in Allendale, Mich. is the newest church start-up in the West Michigan Conference, headed by lead pastor Matt Bistayi.

www.valleychurchallendale.com


By RJ WaltersEditor

Sixty-dollar jeans bagged? Check.Over-priced food court meal finished? Of course.Finger muscles sore from texting? The norm.Stopped by that kiosk where God is alive andworking like it’s a 21st century Zion?

I-75 is Michael Sawicki’s road to Jerusalemand Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw is hispulpit, where he is proving taking risks to savesouls isn’t so radical, and giving away peanutM&M’s is never a bad choice.

The head pastor of FaithWay Church—anew faith community of the UMC in the GreatLakes Bay region—is living out his call todiscipleship in what might be considered aless-than traditional fashion, but one he callsessential.

Instead of spending money on ad space inlocal newspapers and trying to run aroundfrom one social hotspot to the next, Sawickidecided that being a couple hundred feet fromMacy’s was the perfect spot to begin his newministry.

Sawicki uprooted his family (wife PattySawicki and their two children) from thecomforts of Piegeon, Mich. where he was thepastor at a thriving church, but he believes theroad less traveled is the trail once blazed byJesus.

The transition has not been easy and aprocess that began more than two years agowas almost derailed more than once.

Nonetheless, the fruits of the Sawickifamily’s labor and willingness to respond toGod’s call has already prompted four previewservices in a strip mall storefront, and 35people attended the March 28 service, sixmonths before the church is set for its’ “grandopening” on Oct. 10.

Called outMichael Sawicki heard his calling loud and

clear a few years ago—in his car on the way toa church conference.

“My wife and another passenger were in thecar, and I’m on I-75 and I hear the Lord tell methere was a church that should be plantedthere,” he said. “And I said, ‘OK, God,’ and justchuckled. I knew one needed to be planted, Ijust thought maybe I’d leave it to somebodyelse.”

Roughly a month later he opened a letterfrom Eugene Blair—the current Flint DistrictSuperintendent, who was the Director ofCongregational Development at the time—andin the envelope was an invitation to be thedriving force behind a new church.

Upon reading that letter on Easter morning2008 Sawicki knew his experience behind thewheel was not just a nudge, it was a full-outpush.

It wasn’t an elementary kind of changethough.

Patty Sawicki said she did not feel called tothe new ministry and plenty of Michael’s

A kiosk accommodating more than just consumerism21st century ideas take root in Tri-City area

www.thefaithway.com

Michael Sawicki, the lead pastor of The FaithWay, does a lot of his recruiting and evangelizing at a mall kiosk in Saginaw.

friends shared their reservations aboutrelocation.

Sawicki said he was well aware of thestatistics behind what planting a new churchcan do to relationships and the challenges itcan pose in a marriage, but he was notdeterred.

He even said it felt like he went from being“a part of a supportive faith community to a‘predator,’” but patience was a virtue that breda clear vision in the end.

During the Exponential Conference inOrlanda, Fla., the largest gathering of churchplanters in the world, Patty heard the softwhisper in her heart and the couple proceededinto the unknown.

Be not afraidAt first the unknown was simply knocking

on doors and seeking out new ministryavenues, but by December 2009, five monthsafter the Sawicki family moved to Saginaw, theevangelical center of this new church was themall.

While it is illegal to recruit and campaignunder the title of consumer or mall wanderer, abusiness or organization can do whatever itpleases once it signs a lease—includingproselytize and share the Gospel.

At the FaithWay booth are free snacks, T-shirts, mugs, registration cards and abig-screen HDTV with an engaging video onlife’s biggest questions.

It’s not the type of stale production thatsociety has seemingly come to expect fromreligious types.

The video shows a clip from “Tommy Boy,”utilizes penguins as a way to describeFaithWay’s dress code and isn’t afraid to besimple and profound in the same breath.

Sawicki usually makes conversation with20–35 people a day at the mall, right in linewith the expectations of the planningcommittee for new churches.

What makes this ministry so exciting tohim is his constant contact with the un-churched.

Sawicki said it’s normal for a stranger tostop by with prayer requests and just lastmonth he talked with a fellow mall employeewho had just lost a friend to suicide, but feltlike a “church outsider” because of some ofhis/her own life choices.

“Sure I deal with some belligerent peopleand I’ve been called names, but I want toengage in relationships with people,” Sawickisaid. “I look to Jesus for my guidance and Iwant to offer empowerment, acceptance andforgiveness.”

By his own estimate Sawicki thinks morechurch leaders need to simply open their earsand hearts to the call of Jesus, instead offocusing on numbers, traditions and issuesthat get blown out of proportion bycontemporary culture.

“He’s not interested in maintaining achurch or keeping the status quo, he wants todo what scripture calls him to do—make newdisciples,” Blair said.

Give the people significanceFaithWay is the first new United Methodist

church start in the Detroit Conference in 13years, and there is plenty of work to still bedone.

Sawicki said he wad working to hire paidnursery help, and needs to get a solid children’sministry curriculum up and running, andsolidify music for church services before a six-week “exhibition” phase that includes thegrand opening. In the meantime he is findingways for FaithWay to host special events andget small groups together.

He said the main demographic at thepreview services is the 26–40 year old sector,and families with kids. No matter what the ageis, Sawicki said many people aren’t searchingjust for a place of worship, but for significance.

“The willingness to take risks, it calls to thedesire to make a difference with your life,” hesaid. “Your people want to live before they die.”

Blair said congregations and believersshould look at FaithWay’s model of outreach asnew and vital, instead of quirky and atypical.

“I always use the kind of absurd example ofif you went to McDonald’s and they didn’t haveany French fries, (or) you went to Pizza Hutand they said, ‘Well, we don’t have anypizzas,’—that would be absurd. It’s just asabsurd for the church not to be makingdisciples and starting new churches andreaching new people.”


When the phrases “green energy” and “committed Methodist”are used in the same sentence it is surprising if the name FaithFowler isn’t coming next.

As the senior pastor of Cass Community UMC and theexecutive director of Cass Community Social Services in Detroitsince 1994, she has redefined what it means to do communityoutreach and set precedents for how churches should become moreenergy efficient.

In the April 18 issue of the Detroit Free Press she was honoredas one of Michigan’s finest green leaders, and as churches acrossthe Detroit and West Michigan conferences start pursuing agreener existence Fowler is a voice of reason.

She helped create a sustainable business for the homeless bytaking illegally dumped tires to produce rubber mats and shejumpstarted a number of recycling programs.

In January Cass opened a “green gym” that offers standardfitness equipment (weight machines, etc.), boxing bags, atreadmill, and 10 stationary bikes featuring Green Revolutiontechnology allows them to generate electricity.

Editor RJ Walters recently talked with Fowler about herodyssey and tips for churches looking to get on board with theenergy efficiency movement.

How does being in touch with the environment andrenewable energy sources relate to the Christian faith andwhen did you start exploring “greener” options for Cass?

“I think it’s a great thing to preach, but if it doesn’t matchyour life your words are really hollow. We forever have beensaying God created the heavens and the Earth, it’s right there atthe beginning of the (creation) story. We started about five yearsago because we have so many buildings and vehicles it became anaturally way to reduce costs as well as to respond to the planetbeing something God wants us to take care of.”

What steps did you take to get started?“We did the self evaluations initially and we did the smaller

stuff initially, like caulking, and changing light bulbs andinexpensive things first. You can start for less than $10. You canfind people on staff, or in committees, or in a youth group thatare interested in the planet and they can start to provide agrounds for people to realize it’s easy and good to reduce ourcarbon footprint. It doesn’t matter where or who the people are,

they can get people excited to get the whole church involved”

The media has given a lot of coverage to several projectsCass has put into action. How did the “mud mats” businessof taking old tires and creating rubber mats start up?

“It was about a $4,000 investment, which to start a newbusiness is next to nothing. So we bought the equipment,installed it and we started the program (after having learnedabout it from a micro enterprise in Oklahoma). We saw that tireswere a problem and could be an asset. They continue to be aproblem because people illegally dump in the city—somepeople from the city, but many more not from the city—sothere’s a constant flow of what we need for product,unfortunately. We’ve done more than 8,000 tires so far andthere’s no end in sight.”

What’s new on the horizon that you might be integratinginto Cass in the near future?

“I just came back from Texas where I learned about a newgreen car washing device, which will allow us to start a newbusiness with homeless and disabled veterans here. It is mobileand uses less than a cup of water to wash the car with allingredients that are good for the environment and we are so“geeked” on this and I plan on buying two. They turn it intosteam…at a degree that is good enough to get off the grime andthe dirt, and you don’t have anything flowing into the groundwater, you don’t have any mess to clean up and you can do it in aparking lot with new trouble.”

How have some of initial investments paid off for the Cassfacilities in the past?

“Every church has toilets. Go put in a low-flow toilet forabout $200 or less and what you’re going to make it up in a year,let alone 20 years. There’s really inexpensive ways to be green.”

The new space isworking

Last month I wrote to you about asurgeon’s skill which opened spaces in threeof the vertebrae in my lower back. The pain ofthat change was significantly less than thepain with which I was all too familiar. Sixweeks after that surgery I am now pain free,more mobile, no longer distracted by sideeffects of medication. And best of all I will beable to walk my daughter down the weddingaisle the day we welcome a new face into thefamily.

The West Michigan Annual Conference,held at Calvin College, will be under way injust a few weeks.

The theme “Making Spaces for New Faces” has the potentialfor inspiring each of us in multiple ways.

I want to encourage us to consider the various mental,emotional, spiritual, financial and physical spaces we mightopen up.

There are multiple efforts underway. People are learningnew skills and exploring new ideas.

Some people are walking multiple steps to open their lungsand heart and shed weight that holds us back or slows us down.

We clear out of our storage areas, and spaces of clutter,freeing ourselves of the unneeded and unused so we can morefreely and fully enjoy that which remains.

The Apostle Paul challenged us in Hebrews 12:1 “…to setaside/throw off the weight and sin that clings so closely.”

Make space.I have reviewed some statistics of the West Michigan

Conference the past few years.As you compare 2004 to 2009, there are 6,000 less people in

our average worship attendance. We will have expended $1.7 million less in conference

resources by the end of 2010 than we did in 2004.We have already made space, now it is time to seek, serve

and welcome new faces.I shared a joke to the conference one year, about the

disheartened soul who had been told they had but four days tolive.

This person promptly informed the physician, “I am headedto Annual Conference.”“Why?”, the doctor asked inamazement.

“Because they are four of the longest days of my life!” Now, as Director of Connectional Ministries, I share some

responsibility in helping to shape the Annual Conferencemeeting so a new feeling of hope and excitement might beexperienced rather than the drudgery noted in this humor.

The Conference Program Committee Chair, Rev. BillJohnson, and the excellent committee with which we serve,have been working since before last year’s conference to makethis event a success

Here are some of the statements we look forward to hearingfrom Conference attendees:

“I am so glad I came!”“The presentations, preaching, Ministry Fair and displays

were excellent. I learned so much.”“We made some important decisions together.”“I am staying to the very end.”“I made some wonderful new friends and had great times

with people I have known a long time.”“I can’t wait to come back next year.”More importantly, I pray that we will all return to our homes

and congregations inspired to follow what God has called eachof us to do and be in the world as we serve, share and speak forthe sake of Christ.

I am looking forward to seeing you at Annual Conference.Come prepared to make space in your heart and home for thoseto whom Christ is calling us to demonstrate His love.

BENTON HEISLERWEST MICHIGAN

CONFERENCEDIRECTOR OF

CONNECTIONAL MINISTRIES

Q&A with Faith Fowler: A greener perspective

By Rev. Dr. Chris MomanyAdrian College Chaplain

“Stop it!” That’s what an established church member shouted at then-

confirmation-student Dale Miller, when he dared to play thesanctuary piano with creative energy.

Miller, now pastor of Farmington: Nardin Park UnitedMethodist Church, still remembers waiting for his parents aftera confirmation class session.

He found his way to the keyboard in the congregation’sworship space and felt at home—until chastised by the churchmember.

Miller shared that story and others in the Adrian CollegeChapel Saturday, April 10 as part of a confirmand rally.

He talked about the joy that accompanies being a disciple ofJesus, and the challenges our churches face to make all,including young members, feel welcome.

Miller’s preaching stressed John Wesley’s celebration ofgrace, renewal, and new commitment.

Each year Bishop Jonathan Keaton meets with the MichiganArea confirmation students, and each year he engages thestudents in dialogue about their faith, the church, and his owncalling. The Bishop also leads Holy Communion with the youngpeople, their sponsors, and the high school youth who organizethe event.

This year’s gathering featured thoughtful leadership by

several high school students and was sponsored by the DetroitAnnual Conference Council on Youth Ministry.

Many professionals also facilitated workshops on campingand various issues related to young people.

To give the event some flavor the Adrian College Chaplain’sOffice, the Adrian: First United Methodist Church “Ascend”band, and the Adrian College Praise team offered their heartsthrough music ministry.

‘I think it’s a great idea to preach, but if it doesn’tmatch your life your wordsare really hollow.’

—Faith Fowler

Michigan Area Confirmands Rally at Adrian College

Adrian College student Chris Momany rocks out on thedrums as part of a confirmand rally at the college lastmonth.


Plan Now for the AnnualFinancial Campaign

As Christian stewards, we are called to begenerous givers.

With churches facing increasing financialpressures, church leaders sometimes experi-ence difficulty in remaining focused on nur-turing the spiritual gift of generous giving,including financial giving.

The tendency is to move to a reactionaryposition to meet the growing demands of thechurch operating expenses.

However, the most effective, spiritually-centered annual financial campaigns consis-tently focus the core of their programs on thejoyful transformation of the giver in giving,and not on the need of the church to receive.

An annual financial campaign is one component of a com-prehensive year-round stewardship program—and now is thetime to be planning for an annual financial campaign scheduledfor next fall.

This annual emphasis provides a focused time when the con-gregation is encouraged to develop the joy-filled spiritual gift ofgenerous giving.

The development of the budget and the implementation ofan annual financial campaign should be distinct from one an-other.

Several annual financial programs are currently available. The best program for one congregation may not be the best

program for another congregation.Thus, church leaders should review two or three campaigns

and make a decision based on the compatibility of the programwith the church. Regardless of the annual campaign program,three consecutive years is generally the maximum lifespan of aprogram.

For a listing of annual financial campaigns, visitwww.UMFMichigan.org.

Most annual financial campaigns fit into one of two distincttypes—member-base expansion campaigns and step-up cam-paigns.

Member-based expansion campaigns are designed to reachmembers who are not currently financial givers.

These campaigns introduce the spiritual gift of generous giv-ing and encourage members to examine their faith commitments.

Step-up campaigns primarily focus on current financial con-tributors and seek to deepen their spiritual and financial com-mitments. While both types of campaigns are essential to thelong-term spiritual formation and financial position of a con-gregation, churches will experience more dramatic increases inincome from step-up campaigns.

The reason for this phenomenon is the key reality that mostchurch income is generated from the financial gifts of a smallpercentage of church members who are current contributors.

Most annual campaigns suggest that church members pro-vide planned personal testimonies during the worship servicefor three to four Sundays prior to the campaign Sunday. Thesepersonal witness moments build enthusiasm for the campaign,inform the congregation of the church’s vision, and remind peo-ple of the responsibility of financial discipleship.

These testimonies are also key motivators that will help max-imize the financial gifts of other contributors and they shouldclearly state the mission of the church and provide several ex-amples of how the church changes people’s lives.

An annual financial campaign is one step in the continuumof an effective year-round stewardship program that can help usexperience God’s abundance and that can challenge us to begenerous givers as a response to God’s abundant blessings.

The United Methodist Foundation of Michigan is pleasedto assist you with your upcoming annual financial campaign.You may contact us by visiting www.UMFMichigan.org or calling 888-451-1929.

DAVID S. BELLVICE PRESIDENT

OF STERWARDSHIP OF THE

UNITED METHODISTFOUNDATION OF MICHIGAN

said, referring to Weems time as a pastor an activist in the state.Now Weems is trying help the Detroit Conference analyze its

strengths and weaknesses so it can better meet the needs of thepeople.

Utilizing studies done at Wesley Theological Seminary,Weems points out some interesting truths about leadership inthe denomination.

“One thing we’re doing is focusing more on the concept offruitful leadership. (For example), clergy have done very wellwith being faithful, but the Bible calls us to be faithful andfruitful,” he said. “What we’re finding in our research is thatoverall clergy get high marks for their character and for theircompetence, but it’s in the area we call contribution that weneed work. It’s not about what the leader knows or does; it’swhat the leader helps people accomplish. ”

Weems said part of helping people grow to their fullestpotential is finding meaningful ways to connect people fromdifferent generations.

Weems has scheduled a session exclusively for young clergyat Annual Conference and he will also lead two plenarysessions and the regular laity and clergy meetings.

He understands that budgets are being crunched like neverbefore and the Detroit Conference is considering downsizing

from seven districts to six, but he wants to encourage churchmembers and congregations to look at the fuller picture.

“Focusing on the short term is always a challenge forchurches. Churches do much better in getting through eachyear than looking ahead several years. Also, when times arehard it’s easy to get into a fortress mentality of leadership,” hesaid.

Weems said he believes true leadership focuses on thepeople, not the leader and when an entire group is focused on agoal it becomes much more manageable to accomplish.

Someone who is focused on the same goal as Weems atAnnual Conference will be Bishop Linda Lee from the NorthCentral Jurisdictional Conference in Wisconsin.

Lee began her ministerial career at Adrian College as achaplain intern and now she returns to Michigan to providedirection and guidance to a conference she was once a part of.

She was a member of the Detroit Conference cabinet from1995-2000 and she is revered for her work in race relations andequality in the church, evident by her title of the president of theUnited Methodist General Commission on Religion and Race.

Lee’s busy schedule did not allow her to give insight intowhat she will be talking about at Annual Conference, but herblog at www.bishoplindalee.wordpress.com suggests she isinformed and inspired on many topics.

Hoping to make wavesContinued from front page

Challenge every pastor and church to attend.What about attendance? I expected over 3,000 persons to

attend at least one of the events—we had done it three years in arow. Approximately 2,700 people showed up.

607 people attended the Detroit East/West event. TheAlbion/Ann Arbor/Lansing encounter attracted 425 eagerbeavers. 600–650 participants from Grand Rapids/KalamazooDistricts descended upon Cornerstone, a new facility.

560 folks jammed the Mt. Pleasant UMC facility. They camefrom the Heartland/Grand Traverse/Saginaw Bay Districts. Ourtraining event in the U.P. attracted 177 people.

Lessons learned. Four districts met their attendance goals.Where three districts combined, attendance dropped off. Time,distance and organizational issues worked against us. Full platesworked against new district superintendents.

Recommendations: 1. Return training events to each district.2. If two districts had success and want to continue, let them.

Bottom line, Bishop’s Day helps us to remember our mission

and do it. Neither the state of the economy, unemployment inMichigan, the cost of universal health care, nor membershipdecline can deter us from doing God’s business anymore than“death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, northings to come, nor powers, nor height, or depth, nor anythingin all creation…can separate us from the love of God in ChristJesus.” (See Romans 8)

In my April article entitled Haiti: A Sign of the Resurrection, Imentioned a woman from the town of Mellier who said,“We arecontinuing all our activities just as before the earthquake. Wehave even added a few members, she said.”

Not even a devastating earthquake, where 200,000-plusHaitians lost their lives, where millions were left homeless,where property loss was assessed in the billions of dollars—none of them made her local church lose sight of its mission.

Her church still met the needs of their members and made aplace for new faces.

Truly, it was a mission remembered! Can’t we go and dolikewise?

Mission RememberedContinued from front page

clergy members.At all times the local church, the clergy and the Bishop will

be involved with the negotiations in regards to housing optionsand all parties will be held accountable for their actions.

For example, if a pastor or clergy person initiates a move forstrictly personal reasons, they will pay for the costs, while theconference and church will take care of those if they initiate anew appointment or some sort of move.

The housing allowances may be used for purchases, rentalsand leases and the policy is one that understands some of thedifficulties of the current one.

“One of the things was the difficulty of clergy to sell theirhouse at the time of an appointment change,” Heisler said. “An-other issue was there was some reluctance by some clergy tomove from their current location to a new appointment. Theywere going to have to move from a house they owned to anotherlocation.”

Other pressing issues the conference will take a look at are aproposed conference budget for 2011 and a reduction of church

ministry shares to 10 percent.The proposed budget for 2011 is $6,144,891, more than

$64,000 less than the 2010 budget and the salaries for districtsuperintendents, the conference director and the conferencetreasure shall remain unchanged.

The proposed budget does not include District MinistriesFunds, which are supported by individual districts.

The World Service and Conference Benevolence budget willbe distributed as follows: 36% to World Service, 64% to the An-nual Conference Benevolence.

There is also a resolution on the table to start moving the lo-cation of Annual Conference around on a rotating basis, to cre-ate a greater sense of unity among all regions of the conference.

It currently is held at Calvin College each year.

West Michigan conference revisionist historyContinued from page 8A

For a list of all of the resolutionsto be voted on at the West Michigan AnnualConference check out the conference Web site at www.westmichigan conference.org.


By RJ WaltersEditor

The late American author/speaker DaleCarnegie seemed to be dead on with themission of the 2010 West Michigan ConferenceAnnual conference, when over 70 years ago hesaid, “The person who gets the farthest isgenerally the one who is willing to do and dare.The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”

The goal of the annual conferencecommittee for the 2010 conference, at CalvinCollege June 3–6, is to create an experience forclergy and lay members that makes them thinkoutside the box about how to “create new placesfor new faces”, the theme of the event.

To facilitate that type of thinking theconference is welcoming friends from “that stateto the south”, in Rev. John Edgar, GeorgeHoward and Donita Harris from the West OhioConference.

The trio has been instrumental in taking acorner store that opened in downtownColumbus in 1999 and shaping it into a UnitedMethodist congregation and hub for humanservices, as well as a free store that now servesover 100,000 in a city of around 750,000 people.

West Michigan Director of ConnectionalMinistries Benton Heisler said their cutting-edge contemporary ministries are somethingthat should excite the crowd and get peoplethinking.

“We tried to bring in presenters who couldcreate an atmosphere that places a greater emphasis on theteaching and learning about what it means to be atransformational church creating new places for new faces,” hesaid. “We don’t want people dreading annual conference, orgetting bored by it, or make it all about these differentcommittees—and with these speakers I think we’veaccomplished that.”

Edgar is the lead pastor at the United Methodist Church forAll People, Harris is a lay pastor at the church, and Howard isthe Director of Connectional Ministries for the conference.

They have mastered the art of taking basic human needs,reaching out to people and incorporating the love of Christeach step of the way.

“We’ve kind of become the poster-child for thedenomination’s emphasis for engaging in ministry with thepoor,” Edgar said. “We don’t have it all worked out, but we arefairly unique as far as Methodist churches in not only what wedo for poor folks, but how we are in ministry andaccompaniment with people who are very low income.”

The flagship ministry of the Church for All People (CD4AP)was the United Methodist Free Store, and it provides freeclothing and household items. Over $11 million dollars ingoods have been given away in the last decade and consumersdon’t have to apply for a need-based membership—as Edgarputs it, giving away necessities is a way for people to catchGod’s grace.

“The Greek word for grace is “charis”, which simply meansgift. Grace itself is just a gift, so the issue is how do we helppeople who aren’t already part of the church experience grace,”Edgar said, speaking to one of three central theories he and hiscolleagues plan on talking about at Calvin College.

All of CD4AP’s ministries and services also go hand in handwith the theory volunteers and leaders call the “DivineEconomy of Abundance.

“We believe God ordered creation so there is more thanenough of every good gift. The problem is not in supply, it’s indistribution; so often the problem is out of our fear, selfishness

and other things we hoard what God has given,” he said, notinghe’s not a fan of the Gospel of Prosperity. “But it does not haveto be that way.”

Edgar said what might seem like “meager assets” can go along way.

In 2005 somebody donated an old, out-dated duplex toCD4AP and volunteers labored and finally got it all fixed upafter a few mistakes in the process.

It was the beginning of an affordable housing project thatwas in its infancy, but five years later the project drives morethan $5 million in affordable housing work by the church eachyear.

Edgar said sometimes all people have to offer is themselves,and if they keep their eyes on Christ that is more than enough.

“As a community of faith we need to reach out and makesure we truly care about (outsiders and the needy) in simple,concrete ways,” he said, speaking of the theory of radicalhospitality he preaches. “The slogan of the Free Store is if thedoors are unlocked the coffee pot is on.”

Edgar admitted not all churches or ministries can look toCD4AP’s precise model, but he believes there is a lot to belearned about reaching others than “middle-class UnitedMethodists”, which aligns with the theme of annualconference.

The revisionist historyof the West MichiganconferenceWhat’s on the voting items docket in 2010?By RJ WaltersEditor

The West Michigan Conference is facing significant changesin the infrastructure of its membership and financial backingand its leaders are not standing idle.

While building relationships and growing in counsel are ofultimate importance at the 2010 Annual Conference, weightybusiness issues are the top priority among voting items.

By focusing time and effort on what the conference’s districtsand annual conferences should look like in the future, as well asa new Flexible Housing policy and restructured budget, AnnualConference will shape what happens next in West Michigan’s408 UMC congregations.

There will be plenty of discourse over the resolution pre-sented by two West Michigan UMC pastors who are urging thereduction of districts in the conference.

Rev. James Gysel (Battle Creek Chapel Hill UMC) and Rev.Phillip Friedrick (Alma UMC) are proposing that the conferenceshrink from six districts to five by July 1, 2011 and ultimately tofour by July 1, 2015.

In their proposal it states the conference has lost more than40 percent of its members since 1968 (113,364 to 64,454) andthe current administrative model “is clearly not facilitatinggrowth.”

The discussion has been on the table for a while, but it waspushed aside when talks of merging the two conferences intoone came up.

“From clergy and others the notion of reducing the adminis-trative costs makes sense in light of the incredible reductionthat has happened in the district,” Gysel said.

The proposal adds that emerging technology such as cellphones, virtual meetings and other tools have provided newcost-effective ways to communicate.

Reducing the number of districts from six to five would savethe conference approximately $200,000 a year.

One district superintendent and one assistant to a districtsuperintendent would lose their titles with a one-district reduc-tion, but pastors are guaranteed an appointment in the UnitedMethodist Church.

“I think there’s resistance to it because we’ve always donethings this way,” Gysel said. “What we want to do is begin thediscussion on the conference floor. This petition could beamended and deleted in any way the conference decides once itgets on the floor—and I’m certainly very open to that.”

Gysel thinks the proposal speaks to the need for solid stew-ardship with the conference’s finances, as well as the need for abetter administrative model that brings new people intochurches.

Another major resolution being put on the table is the adop-tion of a new Flexible Housing Policy to replace the one createdin 2008.

The Flexible Housing task force was created at the 2009 an-nual conference and a committee formed with people from a va-riety of churches and groups, as well as the Bishop’s office, haveasked for change in an economic environment filled with it.

“There’s now a new reality facing clergy and local churchesin terms of finances and housing and real estate values. All ofthose dynamics have changed,” said Benton Heisler, the Confer-ence Director of Connectional Ministries, on behalf of the taskforce which he headed up.

“I think it helps to clarify the role of the local church in de-ciding what’s the best housing arrangement for them.”

The resolution tries to make finding a suitable, financially re-sponsible place of living more permissive and open-ended for

There are spaces, bring on new facesThe purpose behind the 2010 West Michigan Annual Conference

2010 West Michigan Annual Conference

Where: Calvin College

When: June 3–6.

Who: Clergy and lay members from the WestMichigan Conference

Main speakers: Rev. John Edgar, George Howard and Donita Harris of the West Ohio Conference

Schedule and information:www.westmichiganconference.org/pages/detail/1818

Calvin College will host the West Michigan Conference Annual Conference on June 3–6.

See West Michigan . . . on page 7A

Creating new spacesfor new faces

Calvin College � June 3–6 � Grand Rapids

Where’s Arminian voice?Let’s not leave the table amidCalvinism’s popularity | 7B

Bringing hopeCongo celebratesnets delivery | 8B

Section B

April 30, 2010

umportal org

Means of graceLooking outsidethe norm | 6B

� See ‘Ashram,’ page 2B

B Y M A L L O RY M C C A L LStaff Writer

The Rev. Greg Godwin never won-dered why the little boy always camewith his grandfather when he turnedup for Cub Scout meetings at Con-cord United Methodist Church inAthens, W.Va.

Then one day the Cub Scoutshowed up in full uniform, eventhough it was not a meeting whereuniforms were required.

When Mr. Godwin inquired, thegrandfather nodded to the boy andsaid, “Go ahead. Tell him.”

“My mom is getting out of prison

today,” the boy said. “I want her to seeme in my uniform when she getshome.”

The experience taught Mr. God-win a lesson: The Scouting programtruly ministers to young people—sometimes in ways that aren’t obvi-ous.

“That was the first thing the boywanted to show his mom—his CubScout uniform,” Mr. Godwin said. Asa Cub Scout pack leader, the pastorsaid, “I get the opportunity to mentorpeople in ways I can’t do from thepulpit.”

As the Boy Scouts of America cel-ebrates its 100th anniversary, de-

nominational leaders who work withthe Scouting program hope pastorsand laypeople at United Methodistchurches will heed that lesson, too.

Century of serviceThe United Methodist Church is

the second largest sponsor of BoyScout units in the U.S. (The Churchof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isthe largest.) Some 370,000 youthmeet in more than 11,000 Scoutingunits—Cub Scout packs, Boy Scouttroops or co-ed Venturing crews—in6,700 United Methodist churchesacross the U.S.

But leaders of the General Com-

mission on United Methodist Men(GCUMM), which helps lead Scout-ing ministries at the denominationallevel, think churches can do evenmore.

“Our statistics show that abouthalf of the children meeting in UMchurch-sponsored youth programscome from unchurched families,”said Larry Coppock, national direc-tor for GCUMM’s Office of CivicYouth-Serving Agencies.

“In a church where the averageage of our members is 59, Scoutingcan become a portal for bringing

Ashram drawsfollowers fromacross country

More than 80 years ago, renownedMethodist missionary E. StanleyJones reconfigured the Hindu idea ofan ashram—a secluded dwelling ofdisciples—to incorporate Christiandisciplines into that retreat-like set-ting. Since then, the ashram move-ment has become a popular way forChristians to gather for a few days ofin-depth study.

Those who have attended a Chris-tian ashram say it’s the best-kept se-cret for churchgoers who want toexperience their faith at a deeperlevel.

Such an opportunity will be pro-vided at the “North America Chris-tian Ashram: Kingdom Living in the21st Century,” held July 13-16 at LakeJunaluska Camp and Conference Cen-ter near Asheville, N.C.

“The ashram is a vacation withGod,” said the Rev. Jimmie Pyles, gen-eral secretary of United ChristianAshrams, an organization in Ruston,La., that coordinates events acrossNorth America and six other coun-tries.

The events draw Christians whoare seeking an intentional spiritualexperience with fellow believers.

Sandra Hancock is one of them.For years, she had seen the ashram adin a local Louisiana newspaper. But asthe wife of a firefighter and a motherof four, she didn’t think disappearing

B Y M A RY JAC O B SStaff Writer

UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE FILE PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE

Cubmaster Michael Asbell (right) leads members of Pack 32 in a flag ceremony at Eakin Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn.

Troops are part of UM youth ministry

E. Stanley Jones � See ‘Scouting’ page 4B

REVERENTA S C O U T I S

A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 0 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R

FAITH focus2B

THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER (USPS954-500) is publishedweekly by UMR Communications Inc., 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, Texas75247-3919. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas and additionalmailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE UNITEDMETHODIST REPORTER. PO Box 660275, Dallas Texas 75266-0275.

THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER has provideddenominational news coverage since its beginning as the TexasMethodist newspaper in 1847. The Reporter has no official ties to theUnited Methodist General Conference or to any of the denomination’sgeneral boards or agencies. This newspaper aims to provide readerswith a broad spectrum of information and viewpoints consistent withthe diversity of Christians.

All material published in this newspaper is copyrighted by UMRCommunications Inc. unless otherwise noted. Reprint of material fromthis newspaper must be authorized in advance by the Editor, and feesare assessed in some cases. To request reprints, [email protected], or fax a request to (214) 630-0079. Telephonerequests are not accepted.

Bob Mathews, CEO

Robin Russell, Managing Editor

Bill Fentum, Associate Editor

Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer

Mallory McCall, Staff Writer

Cherrie Graham, Advertising Manager

Dale Bryant, Senior Designer

Send Correspondence and Address Changes (in-clude mailing label) To: P.O. Box 660275, Dallas, TX75266-0275 Telephone: (214) 630-6495. Subscriptions are$26 for 52 issues per year. Click on “subscriptions” atwww.umportal.org, e-mail [email protected] or senda check to UMR Communications, Attn: Circulation, 1221Profit Dr., Dallas, TX 75247.

www.umportal.org

[email protected]

Please recycle.We do!

UMC plans three-yearrelief project in HaitiThe United Methodist Gen-eral Board of Global Min-istries approved on April 14a three-year, $10.4-millionplan to help Haiti recoverfrom the Jan. 12 earth-quake. The project of thedenomination’s Committeeon Relief will focus on pro-viding housing, rebuildingschools and increasing ac-cess to community servicesincluding psychologicalcare, water and nutrition.

Civil rights leaderHeight dies at 98Dorothy Height, a UnitedMethodist civil rights pioneerwho served four decades aspresident of the NationalCouncil of Negro Women,died April 20 at age 98. Amember of St. Mark’sUnited Methodist Church inNew York, N.Y., Height re-ceived the PresidentialMedal of Freedom in 1994and the CongressionalMedal of Honor in 2004.During the 1960s she trav-eled throughout the Southorganizing voter registrationand advocating for women’srights.

Judge rules prayer dayviolates ConstitutionA federal judge in Wisconsinruled April 15 that the Na-tional Day of Prayer is un-constitutional. In herdecision, U.S. District JudgeBarbara Crabb wrote thatgovernment can no moreenact laws supporting a dayof prayer than it can encour-age citizens to fast duringRamadan, attend a syna-gogue or practice magic.The Freedom From ReligionFoundation filed in 2008 alawsuit against the govern-ment, arguing the day vio-lated the separation ofchurch and state.

UMCOR respondsto China earthquakeThe United Methodist Com-mittee on Relief (UMCOR) isworking with partners inChina to assess needs fol-lowing an April 14 earth-quake that killed at least1,700 people. Donationsmarked for “InternationalDisaster Response, ChinaEarthquake, UMCOR Ad-vance #982450,” can bedropped in church offeringplates. Online donations areaccepted at www.umcor.org.

FAITH WATCHfor a few days was really an option.

It wasn’t until her husband retiredand kids grew up that she signed upfor the North Louisiana ChristianAshram. “Once I started going, I justcouldn’t stop,” she said.

Ms. Hancock has now attendedChristian ashrams for 16 years. “It’sthe best kept secret I know of. You aresurrounded by people who just wantto get away and bewith God and otherChristians.”

“It’s differentfrom a revival, andit’s different fromjust a church re-treat,” said Mr.Pyles. “It’s a brasstacks, down-to-earth kind of meet-ing with no façade.”

The Christianashram is a disciplined experiencedesigned to further spiritual growthand make God more real in daily liv-ing. Organizers say the retreat settingprovides an escape from everyday lifethat distracts from the grace andpresence of Jesus Christ.

“People are afraid of the termashram; the fact that it’s an Indianword confuses them,” said Ms. Han-cock. “But really, the ashram is a timeyou don’t have toworry about gettingthe phone or otherdaily responsibili-ties.”

The ashram be-gins with the “OpenHeart” session—when participantsshare why theycame and what theyhope to get from theretreat. It encourages a deeper level ofsharing, Mr. Pyles said.

“Most of us live and talk on thesurface,” he said. “We don’t really talkabout the heavy stuff in our lives, andthe ashram movement provides a set-ting where people can begin to trusteach other.”

The ashram also includes Biblestudy, small prayer groups, evangeli-cal sermons and a healing time whenpeople can receive physical, emo-tional, mental and spiritual healing. Itends with an “Overflowing Heart”time of testimony and thanksgiving.

“I like the concentrated time I getto spend with God,” said Ms. Han-cock. “It’s so important to be restoredand refreshed.”

The ashram reflects a holistic ap-proach that Jones taught.

“Brother Jones believed the Bibletaught the concept of the total per-son,” said Mr. Pyles. “That’s why theashram includes not only a preachinghour, but also a recreational hour, awork hour and a church-in-actionhour when people share unusualideas for church ministries.”

The ashram movement is affili-ated with the General Board of Disci-pleship of the United MethodistChurch. While the participants areprimarily United Methodists,

Catholics, Baptists, United Church ofChrist and Church of God membersalso attend Christian ashrams.

“We don’t proselytize,” said Mr.Pyles. “We are attempting to re-equippeople spiritually so they may go backto their own church and benefit fromhaving been at the Christian ashram.

“It’s ecumenical and powerfulspiritually.”

The movement’s rootsJones was called to the mission

field of India in 1907 under the Boardof Missions of the Methodist Episco-pal Church. He began his work withthe members of India’s lowest socialcastes, preaching the gospel of JesusChrist without denigrating Easternreligions.

“The way of Jesus should be—butoften isn’t—the way of Christianity,”Jones said.

Jones worked to strip down Chris-tianity of its Western cultural baggageand present only the word of God onthe mission field. His missionarywork quickly became indigenous, in-terdenominational and worldwide.

Because of Jones’ influential ap-proach to mission work, Christiansbegan to adopt the Indian practice ofholding ashrams. More than 60 Chris-tian ashrams are now held in the

United States and Canada, in additionto those held in Chile, India, Finland,Switzerland and Japan.

Lake JunaluskaAt Lake Junaluska, leaders of the

Christian Ashram will include theRev. Maxie Dunnam, chancellor of As-bury Theological Seminary; BishopWilliam Hutchinson of Louisiana;Bishop Richard Looney of Tennessee;Bishop James Swanson of the HolstonConference in Tennessee; the Rev.Diane Walker of Pelham UnitedChurch of Canada; and Dr. EvelynLaycock of North Carolina.

Sermons, studies and discussionswill focus on what it looks like to livefor God’s kingdom. People from 22states have already registered for theevent, and organizers expect more tocome.

While at Lake Junaluska, atten-dees will be able to visit the South-eastern Jurisdiction Heritage Centerand World Methodist Council Mu-seum, which has the largest collectionof artifacts commemorating the be-ginning of the Wesleyan movement.

For information on the NorthAmerica Christian Ashram, visitwww.christianashram.org.

[email protected]

� ASHRAM Continued from page 1B

COURTESY PHOTO

Participants at a Christian ashram at Lake Junaluska receive Communion.

BishopJamesSwanson

Maxie Dunnam

Subscribe to theUnited Methodist Reporter

www.umportal.org800.947.0207 x 186

GET CONNECTED.

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 0

FAITH focus 3B

Africa Univ. honorslate visiting professorUnited Methodist-relatedAfrica University has hon-ored its first visiting volun-teer-in-mission scholar, the late Don Hill, formermathematics professor atFlorida A&M University.Hill, who died in July2009, taught acceleratedmath courses in 1993 atAU and returned in 1996to do additional lecturing.The university’s AdvisoryDevelopment Committeepresented a resolutionhonoring Hill to his widow,Kandace, during its March23 meeting. Former uni-versity faculty memberLowell G. Kafer acceptedthe award on behalf ofMrs. Hill.

Dance workshop setat Lake JunaluskaLake Junaluska Confer-ence and Retreat Center in North Carolina will hosta Sacred and LiturgicalDance Workshop July 21-25, led by Tiffany Kirkland,director of children’s ministries at West EndUnited Methodist Churchin Nashville, Tenn. Ms.Kirkland has a bachelor’sdegree in dance manage-ment from Oklahoma CityUniversity and is a gradu-ate of Phillips Seminary.The workshop is open toadults as well as middleand high school students;childcare is also available.For information visitwww.lakejunaluska.com/dance.

Dixie Carter funeralheld at Tenn. UMCActress Dixie Carter’s finalhomecoming was cele-brated in an April 15 serv-ice at McLemoresville(Tenn.) United MethodistChurch. Carter’s familyand friends, along withcast members of her hit TVshow, Designing Women,took up most of the 280seats in the church, whereCarter and her husband,Hal Holbrook, occasionallyworshipped. Carter diedApril 10 at age 70 afterbattling cancer. “She wouldhave wanted to leave asmile on everyone’s face,”Mr. Holbrook said at thegathering.

—Compiled by Mary Jacobs

UM CONNECTIONS

B Y L I N DA B L O O MUnited Methodist News Service

UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE FILE PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE

The Rev. Cynthia Harvey, center, prays at a 2008 dedication servicefor a mosquito net distribution in Dabou, Côte d’Ivoire.

Discover how caring for the environment can be an act of Christian faithand a way of showing love to God and neighbor.

Green Church offers resources for all ages, so your church can work togetherto take action as stewards of the environment. Learn how to become abetter caretaker of God’s planet as you study Scripture and scientificfindings and participate in group discussion and learning activities.

for children for youth for all agesfor adultsEach age-level study offers a Leader’s Guide that includes everything a group leader would need for all 6 sessions.The companion piece, 7 Simple Steps to Green Your Church, includes a one-year plan to help churches “go green.”

Reduce, Reuse,Recycle, Rejoice!

store, web, phone

Cokesbury.com | 800.672.1789

®

Published by

STAMFORD, Conn.—A Texas cler-gywoman who has helped coordinatethe distribution of mosquito nets inCôte d’Ivoire, plan disaster response toHurricanes Katrina and Ike and de-velop a leadership program for pas-tors is the new chief executive of theUnited Methodist Committee on Re-lief (UMCOR).

The Rev. Cynthia Harvey, 50, waselected April 13 as deputy general sec-retary of UMCOR and its parentagency, the United Methodist GeneralBoard of Global Ministries, during theboard’s spring meeting.

West Ohio Bishop Bruce Ough, theboard’s president, called Ms. Harvey“an exceptional leader” who brings allthe qualities needed to the job. For thepast two months, she has been servingas a temporary liaison betweenUMCOR and the conferences,churches and individuals respondingto the Haiti earthquake.

“It’s an awesome privilege to beable to serve the church in this capac-ity,” Ms. Harvey said.

Since February 2008, Ms. Harveyhas been director of missional excel-lence for the denomination’s TexasConference, helping local congrega-tions engage in ministries related tothe church’s social principles.

She oversees two fully staffed dis-aster response offices, as well as staffmembers who coordinate volunteermission teams. She worked withHouston Area Bishop Janice RiggleHuie and a small team to develop aprogram called Advancing PastoralLeadership, which received a $2 mil-lion grant from the Lilly Endowment.

‘Heart for mission’Bishop Huie, who also is chairper-

son of the Health and Relief unit forthe General Board of Global Min-istries, said Ms. Harvey “has a heartfor mission in the local communityand the world.”

Ms. Harvey helped create a part-nership with the United MethodistChurch in Côte d’Ivoire—throughboth the Texas Conference and her po-sition as a member of the Commis-sion for United MethodistCommunications—that led to the netdistribution, establishment of a radiostation, development of Dabou Hospi-tal and improvement of schools.

The Texas Conference alone raisedmore than $1 million for the distribu-tion of 855,000 insecticide-treatedbed nets in November 2008.

Ms. Harvey’s tenure with the con-ference—including 12 years as an ex-ecutive associate at the 6,900-memberMemorial Drive United MethodistChurch in Houston—has “given her

experience in both resourcing congre-gations to act locally and connectingthe church in mission globally,” BishopHuie added.

Ms. Harvey said she hopes to bringstability and steadiness to UMCOR.

The agency lost its former chief exec-utive, the Rev. Sam Dixon, when hedied after being trapped under rubblewhen an earthquake struck Haiti inJanuary.

But she also recognizes the relief

agency’s need for “nimbleness” as itresponds to disasters such as theearthquakes in Haiti and Chile.

Ms. Harvey pointed to the board’snew staff leader as inspiration. “Ithink Thomas Kemper is a gift,” sheexplained. “He brings renewed energyand spirit.”

Mr. Kemper said he is counting onMs. Harvey to help the Board ofGlobal Ministries combine missionwith development and relief. “Shebrings a perspective from the pew,from the annual conference, which wealso need at the agency,” he added.

Ms. Harvey—who graduated in1980 with a bachelor’s degree in jour-nalism from the University of Texas,Austin—had a career in marketingand property management before as-suming pastoral duties in 1992. Sheearned a master of divinity degreefrom Perkins School of Theology atSMU in 1999 and was ordained anelder in 2001.

Married to Dean Alan Harvey, shehas a 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth,who is a freshman at Baylor University.

Texas clergywoman to lead relief agency

4 B | A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 0 | U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R

youth into the life of the congregation. It’s a greatopportunity for outreach and evangelism.”

A good turnFestivities for the Boy Scouts of America’s

100th anniversary will run all year and culminateJuly 26-Aug. 4 at the National Jamboree at FortA.P. Hill in Virginia. That event will include aworship service led by Bishop Thomas Bickerton;some 6,000 are expected to attend.

Throughout 2010, Boy Scouts are retelling thestory of William D. Boyce, an American business-man who lost his way in the smoggy streets of

London one day in 1909. A young man offeredhis assistance and led Boyce to his destination.When offered a tip, the young man refused, say-ing he was doing his Good Turn as a Scout.

Boyce was so intrigued that he visited theheadquarters of the Scouting organization inLondon and learned about the movement startedby Lord Robert Baden-Powell, a British militaryhero. On Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of Americawas born.

By then, the Methodist Church was already in-volved in Scouting. In 1908, L. Eugene Rush, pas-tor of Grace Methodist Church in Delaware, Ohio,

formed a group called the “Eastside Roughnecks”in an effort to get boys off the streets. Rush con-tacted Baden-Powell and chartered his group as atroop in the British Scouting movement.

When the Boy Scouts of America were char-tered in 1910, Rush’s troop became Troop No. 1.(There are now 51 No. 1 troops in the U.S.—onein each state and the District of Columbia.)

Mining the opportunityTo help enrich the link between United

Methodist churches and their Scout units,GCUMM has begun a program of recruiting

“Scouting ministry specialists.”“A few years ago, we realized that the structure

of the United Methodist Church is challenging towork with,” said Mr. Coppock. “It’s not always easyto get information about Scouting down to thelocal church.” Scouting ministry specialists, hehopes, will help bridge the gap by communicatingwith one to three churches in their district. So far,51 specialists have been enrolled.

“We call them modern-day circuit riders,” Mr.Coppock said. “These volunteers are really criti-cal for communicating information to churchesabout how Scouting can be a ministry.”

S C O U T I N G A N N I V E R S A RY

Rod Underhill leads a Boy Scout troop chartered by Community UMC in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on a backpacking trip.

Eagle Scout Win Quinley of Turlock, Calif., examines one of his old Boy Scout Handbooks with his grandson, DanaQuinley, a third-generation Eagle Scout.

Victor Karstendiek, 13, a Boy Scout from Tampa,Fla., provided the homeless with backpacks, sleepingbags, health kits and rain ponchos.

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 0 | 5 B

The volunteer specialists provide neighboringUnited Methodist churches with informationabout ways to expand or begin Scouting pro-grams, and encourage congregations to use re-sources provided by Programs on ReligiousActivities with Youth (PRAY). The St. Louis-based ecumenical organization sponsors the Godand Church Awards (formerly God and Country)series. Youth don’t necessarily need to join theScouts to earn the award; some pastors use theprogram as part of their confirmation classes.

“We’re trying to help churches understandthat Scout troops don’t just meet in a room in thechurch,” said Bill Byrd, who serves as a ScoutingMinistry Specialist in the Arkansas conference.“The troop is part of the youth ministry at thechurch.”

Scout troops often give back to churches, too,he adds. Scouts complete ambitious projects tomeet their Eagle Scout requirements—such asremodeling or painting a space at the church.Scouts can pitch in for church-wide mission proj-ects such as a Habitat for Humanity build.

An added ministryWhile the Scouting organization is non-sectar-

ian, Scouts are encouraged to learn about God intheir own faith traditions. Scouts can earn awardsin their particular religion—including Christian,Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions.Each award is administered through an approvedgroup representing the religious tradition.

The emphasis reflects the 12th tenet of theScout Law: “A Scout is Reverent.”

“I think that one of the reasons why Scoutinghas existed for 100 years is because it speaks to as-pects of our human nature,” said Bob Mersereau,100th Anniversary director for the organization. “Itencourages kids to explore who God is.”

“I wouldn’t be a United Methodist preachertoday if I had not as a 12-year-old earned myGod and Country Award,” said Bishop William H.

Willimon, an Eagle Scout who participated in thetroop at Buncombe Street UMC, Greenville, S.C.,as a young person.

As a Scout, Bishop Willimon was present in1960 for the Boy Scouts’ 50th Anniversary at theNational Jamboree in Colorado Springs. He willspeak in May at the Boy Scouts of America’s100th Anniversary Breakfast.

Many Scouts in the United Methodist Churchecho that sentiment: Scouting adds a piece to thespiritual growth of a young man, even if he’s al-ready active in church.

Wilder Smith, a member of Swainsboro (Ga.)United Methodist Church, believes his son grewspiritually by participating in the Boy Scout troopat his church, even though Colby, 18, has also par-ticipated in the church youth group activities.

“To me, the Scouting principles are so in linewith what the church stands for,” said Mr. Smith,whose son was one of four Eagle Scouts recentlyhonored at a Court of Honor at the church.

Will Ross, another one of Swainsboro’s Eagles,attends another church, but feels the Scoutingprogram’s emphasis on the outdoors helped himgrow as a Christian.

“When you go camping, you really get to seethe wonders that God has created for us,” he said.“I’ve had a lot of opportunities to do and seethings that I would not have without the church’ssupport,” including a 12-day hike through theRocky Mountains last summer.

“Scouting has helped me become a betterChristian,” said Brooks Gross, 18, a UnitedMethodist and an Eagle Scout in Troop 320,

which meets at Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) UnitedMethodist Church. “Some of the most spiritualtimes in my life have been on Scout campingtrips, when I was away from all the other distrac-tions of life that keep me away from God.” He re-called a worship service held on a mountaintopas part of a Scout trip.

Moments like those lead Mr. Godwin, 53, tostay involved in Scouting, even though his ownchildren are grown. He sees it as a ministry to thecommunity and a way to connect.

“Scouting is a natural door to the communityfor the church,” he said. “It’s easier to get familiesto come in through the Scouting program than itis for Sunday school or worship.”

[email protected]

Scout OathOn my honor I will do my bestTo do my duty to God and my countryand to obey the Scout Law;To help other people at all times;To keep myself physically strong,mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout LawA Scout is:

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful,Friendly, Courteous, Kind,Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,Brave, Clean, Reverent

Boy and Girl Scouts met with President Obama following their annual reports to the president. AmandaVogt (right), a United Methodist who serves as national president of Venturing, was part of the gathering.

A Scout is honored with the Good Samaritan Award at the 2005 National Jamboree.

Evan Hunsberger, the CaliforniaBoy Scout who republished hisgrandfather’s World War II bookStrength for Service to God andCountry as his Eagle project. Hehoped to print 2,000 copies.With help from the GeneralCommission on UnitedMethodist Men, 330,000 copiesof the historic book of dailydevotions have been distributedto members of the armedservices.

New guests at worship can help ussee things from the perspective ofthose not as familiar with our churchas we are. The Lewis Center recentlyasked church members in differentstates to attend nearby churches asvisitors and report on their findingsfor the benefit of the visited churchesand other churches. This report cov-ers some major findings that showchurches find it hard to view thingsfrom the perspective of persons newto their church.

With all the strengths of a church,the challenge is always to think ofeverything from arrival through de-parture from the perspective ofsomeone who has never been to yourchurch before. In fact, the new personmay have never been to church at allor at least not for many years. Thisnew perspective will help to shapesignage, instructions in the bulletin,the work of greeters and a host ofother things.

SignageMost visitors found directional

signage inadequate. The problemsthey encountered typically related to:directional signage to the church,outdoor signage indicating direc-tions to “sanctuary” if the entrance isnot obvious to a visitor, and outdoorand indoor signage as needed to di-rect people to the nursery and restrooms.

You can quickly survey the ade-quacy of your church’s signage byusing a simple exercise. Have somepeople do a “drive in and walkthrough” as if they had never beenthere before. Was it easy to find thechurch? Is the entrance clear? Is therevisitor parking? Are there greetersnear where people park? Is it obviouswhat door to enterfor worship? Arethere directions tothe nursery andrest rooms?

When you addsignage, currentmembers willhardly notice, butnewcomers willimmediately recog-nize that you are“expecting them.” It is somewhat liketurning the front porch lights onwhen you know guests will be arriv-ing. The guests immediately feel youare anticipating their arrival.

Worship serviceVisitors also found some parts of

the worship service confusing.Churches today need to recognizethat every day there are fewer people

who grew up in church and thusmany visitors are unfamiliar withworship practices.

Simple things can help. If there isa part of the worship that most mem-bers know from memory, such as theApostles Creed or the Lord’s Prayer,still indicate in the bulletin the pagenumber where people can find it, orprint the text so all can participate.Those who already know these ele-ments will not be offended, but guestswill appreciate your thoughtfulness.

If people are to stand at a particu-lar time, you can indicate that in thebulletin, and the worship leader canlift a hand as a signal for people tostand. Simple instructions for com-munion or brief introductions toother parts of the service can helpbring on board those who did notgrow up in the church and thosewhose previous churches had differ-ent patterns.

Walk through the entire servicethinking of what it would be like forsomeone coming to church for thefirst time. Make it easy for new peo-ple to participate and to feel at home.

HospitalityWhile the visitors were welcomed

upon arrival, usually by the officialgreeters and the pastor, most werenot greeted by those sitting aroundthem. More needs to be done to in-crease the welcoming spirit and prac-tice of worshippers. An importantstep is to help members see them-selves as the “hosts of Christ.” A good

Can you find God in ways otherthan the ones specifically taught in theNew Testament?

That’s a relevant question to askourselves as we consider what itmeans for a spiritual practice to be a“means of grace.”

In the past few columns, I’ve beenlooking at Christian practices that aregiven to us directly from Jesus Christhimself: Baptism, prayer, fasting,searching the Scriptures, Holy Com-munion and Christian conferencing(that is, meeting together in Jesus’name).

But any committed Christianknows that these practices do notmake up the whole of the Christianlife.

The same Jesus who taught his dis-ciples to pray and receive a holy supperwas the one who sent them out topreach and heal. “Go into all theworld,” he says in the Great Commis-sion, “and make disciples of all na-tions” (Matthew 28:19-20). The bookof Acts records the early mission activ-ity of the Church, and it shows Jesus’first followers reaching out in a greatvariety of ways: through baptizing,preaching, teaching, healing, caring forthe poor and building the rudimentarynetwork of communities that wouldbecome the Christian Church.

In my first column in this series, Ipointed to the passage in Matthew25:31-46 where Jesus says that mem-bership in the eternal kingdom will bedefined by whether a person was will-ing to feed the hungry, show hospital-ity to the stranger, clothe the naked,and visit the sickand imprisoned.

There are, ofcourse, many waysto go about thoseacts of ministry.And so it takes pru-dence—or practi-cal wisdom drawnfrom experience—to determine howto go about thetasks that Jesus sends us out to do.

But there’s a wide difference be-tween a duty and a means of grace.Doing ministry as a duty should beenough, if that’s what Jesus Christ asksof us. Our Wesleyan tradition, though,has always held that the work of disci-ple-making and the work of outreachministry in general is more than just aduty.

The disciplined form of Christianpractice that became known asMethodism arose in Oxford, England,in the late 1720s. When it began withJohn and Charles Wesley and some oftheir friends at Oxford University, itwas mostly centered around jointstudy, prayer, religious conversationand regular attendance at Holy Com-munion.

But around the year 1730, JohnWesley and the other early Methodistsbegan to visit the local jail and prison.Soon they were engaged in ministryand charitable activity with widows,poor children and impoverished fami-lies around Oxford.

Historian Richard P. Heitzenrater,in his book Wesley and the PeopleCalled Methodists, calls the combina-tion of academic study, devotionalcommitment and social outreach a“unique blend of life and thought”that came to “typify the Wesleyan ap-proach at Oxford.” Part of its unique-ness is that all these aspects ofMethodist discipleship were quicklyseen as real means of grace—that is,real ways in which one received thelove of God in Jesus Christ.

So in a real sense, if we follow theWesleyan precept, we can’t be faithfulMethodists unless we’re combing ourstudy and devotion with a strong out-reach to the poor and disadvantagedin society. And as anyone knows whohas found herself spiritually affectedby involvement in a feeding ministry,mission project, Habitat for Humanitybuild, literacy program, mentoringprogram or social justice effort, thoseforms of outreach ministry will al-ways work in intimate combinationwith our worship and devotional lifeto draw us ever closer to God.

In a 1781 sermon entitled, “OnZeal,” Wesley refers to all such forms ofministry as “works of mercy,” and heasserts, “all these are real means ofgrace, although this is not commonlyadverted to.” Yet whether others inWesley’s day or our own are willing toadmit that they’re places we meetJesus Christ, the enduring belief ofMethodist people is that means ofgrace are just what they are.

Some of the means of grace havebeen instituted by Christ; others wefind by prudence when followingChrist’s command. But both allow usto better receive God’s love. And bothshow us how to share that love withthe world.

The Rev. Thompson maintains a blog at www.genxrising.com. e-mail: [email protected].

FAITH forum6B

GEN-X RISING

Finding God’s graceoutside of the norm


B Y A N D R E W C . T H O M P S O NUMR Columnist

B Y LO V E T T W E E M S J R .Special Contributor

How do visitors see your church?guest parking just as handicappedparking is provided. This is anotherstrong signal that you have new peo-ple attending and that you are ex-pecting your guests.

ParticipationThe word “liturgy” means “the

work of the people.” Visitors report ahigh energy level among most wor-ship leaders but not so much withinthe congregations themselves. Musicand singing may be one way to in-crease the engagement of everyone.

Using a mixture of hymns forwhich different groups have energycan be particularly helpful. Also,choirs need to remember that lead-ing and enhancing congregationalsinging may be their most importantfunction.

Having worshippers spread out intoo large an area also reduces the en-ergy of the service. If attendance isfar below your sanctuary’s seatingcapacity, some portion might beroped off.

Paying special attention to timesin the service when engagement ishighest will give an opportunity tobuild upon those times. And energytends to increase when the elementsof the service move smoothly. Reduc-ing time gaps and staying on sched-ule will help hold people’s attention.

Young people leadingMany visitors were struck by how

few younger people were in worshipleadership. Brainstorm various ways

AndrewThompson

LovettWeems Jr.

‘Walk through the entire servicethinking of what it would be like forsomeone coming to church for thefirst time. Make it easy for new peopleto participate and to feel at home.’

host knows that the most importantperson is the stranger or the one leftalone. If people can come to focusparticularly on those they do notknow, much good will result.

Until hospitality becomes a partof the congregational ethos, somesteps can be taken immediately. Ad-ditional greeters can be stationed in-side the sanctuary to welcomepeople, especially newcomers, andthen to make sure they are greetedwhen the service is over and invitedto a fellowship time or a study group.Guests sometimes arrive early, andtheir waiting time can feel awkwardif no one is reaching out to them.

Another sign of hospitality is pro-viding guest parking. It is commontoday to find reserved first-time

of involving people across all ages inworship responsibilities. Havingyounger people visible in worshipwill not go unnoticed by currentmembers and new people.

Such involvement need not be inonly one part of worship. Be creativein thinking of many ways youngerpeople can be involved. Begin slowlyand build. When you seek to involvenew leaders in worship, be attentiveto the extra time required for train-ing and coordination.

Dr. Weems is director of the LewisCenter for Church Leadership ofWesley Theological Seminary.Reprinted by permission fromLeading Ideas, the Center’s freeonline newsletter, available atwww.churchleadership.com.

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T R E P O R T E R | A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 0

FAITH forum 7B

B Y D O NA L D W. H AY N E SUMR Columnist

WESLEYAN WISDOM

APARTMENT FOR RENTFor rent: nice, fully-furnished apartment at Lake Ju-naluska, NC. Two bedrooms, cable TV, $45/night, 3-night minimum, one night deposit required. Call828-456-8046.

DISPLAY & BANNER ADVERTISING The United Methodist Reporter and the UMPortal offeradvertisers the ability to target unique messagesregarding products, services and employment tochurch leaders and clergy, as well as individuals inthe pews. Reach thousands of Christian households,agencies and organizations by advertising in UMR’sproducts. Variety of display ad sizes and rates to fitany budget and objective. Contact: Cherrie Graham at214-630-6495, x 142 or [email protected]

LUMICON DIGITAL PRODUCTIONSLumicon offers downloadable worship resourcesbased on the Bible and rooted in current culture,

featuring planning guides, graphics and video. Theonline library provides your church with a range ofresources, from Scripture commentary, drama andvisual ideas to finished images and videos. Browsethe search bank by topic, lectionary or Scriptureverse at www.lumicon.org or call toll-free 1-866-LUMICON (586-4266) for more information.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN VERSION OF THE UNITED METHODIST PORTAL! Join the growing number of churches across the UMCwho are making the UMPortal their home page. Newsfrom your local church, stories from the award-winningstaff of the United Methodist Reporter, real-timeinformation from Yahoo! News and Google–all inone home page. Visit www.umportal.org and just twoclicks can make it your personal homepage. E-mail arequest for an online demonstration to learn how easyit is to bring a customized version of the UMPortal toyour church at [email protected]

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Readership is approximately 225,000 readers eachweek RRates are per word or group of figures orinitials (20 word minimum) NNewspaper Only–$3.00 per word, two consecutive weeks.Newspaper/Internet Bundle–$4.00 per wordincludes two consecutive weeks in print and onemonth on Internet (www.umportal.org). IInternetOnly–$1.25 per word run for one month onwww.umportal.org. E-mail your classified ad to:[email protected] or enter it online on theClassifieds page at: www.umportal.org

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING • CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING • CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

SEE MORE CLASSIFIED ADS! CHECK OUT WWW.UMPORTAL.ORG

You can find more position listings, services, and exciting opportunities–

available only on UMPortal.org

MISCELLANEOUS

‘O Lord of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget’

In the late 1980s I began to readabout a “coming revolution that wouldreshape the Christian religion asmuch as the Protestant Reformationdid.” One must remember that MartinLuther soon saw his 16th-centurymovement evolve into a peasants’ re-volt that sacked the Catholic churchesand destroyed sculptures, paintingsand stained-glass windows.

A severe Calvinism later strippedplaces of worship of any residualforms of Christian symbolism, placingweather vanes on church spires ratherthan crosses and having little morethan a massive pulpit in the sanctuar-ies. In other words, “reformation” and“revolution” often are intertwinedwhen religion erupts volcanically.

Not many people in mainline de-nominational leadership, tenuredseminary faculties or traditionalparish churches paid much attentionto late 20th-century pundits. The per-fect storm was forming, but our cruisewas so enjoyable that we insisted onignoring the signs of the times. Majorvoices pooh-poohed church growth as“a numbers game,”not realizing weneeded the radicaloutreach and radi-cal hospitality thatwe call for today.

Today liberalsdismiss conserva-tives as “Fundies”and fundamental-ists dismiss liberalsas “Leftists.” Thiscolumn has repeatedly called upon allof us to give each of us a “place tostand.” In defining our Methodist doc-trine, Bishop Scott Jones used the

phrase “extreme center,” a term coinedin 1973 by Nels Ferrẻ. It is an aptphrase; let’s flesh it out now pulpit-by-pulpit.

To that defining process we mustadd Wesley’s “catholic spirit.” We mustbrand our theology while recognizingwe do not have a monopoly on truth.

Calvinism’s comebackAs we have failed to define Wes-

leyan Arminian theology, Calvinismhas roared back to a place of promi-nence. Time magazine called JohnCalvin one of the most influentialpeople in America—the same Calvinwho had Servetus burned at the stakeand boxed his followers into the theo-logical determinism of total depravity,unconditional election, limited atone-ment, irresistible grace and persever-ance of the saints.

This means we are so depravedthat all residue of the image of God isobliterated, that no one can be savedexcept the Elect, and consequently Je-sus’ atonement is limited to thoseElect. It also means that we cannot re-sist God’s elective grace—the savedmust be saved and the damned mustbe lost. Lastly, it means that we cannotbackslide—once we are saved, we arealways saved regardless of any moralor ethical degradation.

In a March article, The ChristianScience Monitor pictures hundreds ofyoung professionals packing out Capi-tol Hill Baptist Church to hear rock-ribbed Calvinism. A bright, articulateyoung woman testifies, “Like the idol-atrous people of Judah, we deserve thefull wrath of God. Our comfort in suf-fering is this—that through Christyou, God, provide eternal life.”

The reporter writes, “Calvinism’sunmalleable doctrines and view of Godas an all-powerful potentate who de-

cides everything is winning over manyChristians—especially the young.”

Where is the voice of Arminian-ism? Have we deserted our place at thetable of theological debate?

Other theologiesThe other extreme of this “reli-

gious renewal” is the prosperitygospel, as epitomized by Joel Osteen ofLakewood Church in Houston. Mosttheological critics consider him a mo-tivational speaker more than apreacher of the gospel, but his is billedas the “fastest growing church inAmerica,” packed out with a more di-verse congregation than almost anyUnited Methodist church can boast.

In the new mix is the “emergingchurch” movement whose spokesper-sons are being engaged by mainlinechurches to help us rethink our ownheritage. Tony Jones is theologian-in-residence at Solomon’s Porch in Min-nesota and a doctoral fellow atPrinceton. Last fall, in a lecture atWheaton College, Mr. Jones used the“f ” expletive to describe the Bible!

The other well-known speaker forthe emerging church is BrianMcLaren, who publishes prolifically.In his book Everything Must Change,Mr. McLaren predicted the demise ofthe traditional local church.

The Christian Science Monitor pub-lished in 2009 a series of articles byMichael Spencer, a Baptist pastor inKentucky (who died this year on April5), entitled “The Coming EvangelicalCollapse.” He began with this: “We areon the verge—within 10 years—of amajor collapse of evangelical Christi-anity.”

The cohabitation of evangelicalismwith political conservatism was a verycostly mistake, he writes, adding that“the Jerry Falwell types of fundamen-

talist Baptists will become a museumpiece by the middle of this century.”

Identifying his own Baptistchurch as evangelical, he says, “Ouryoung people have deep beliefs aboutthe culture war, but little knowledgeof scripture, theology, spiritual disci-pline, or community.” He concludes,“evangelicalism does not need abailout; much of it needs a funeral.”

Spencer does not let mainlineProtestantism off the hook. He pre-dicts that denominations will shrinkand even vanish as the “denomina-tionally loyal and very generous”greatest generation passes. He asks,“How can a denomination ask itsclergy to go into huge debt to beequipped for ordination into a min-istry where they are not needed?”

If United Methodism continues todecline, Spencer has a point. Our av-erage seminary graduate debt is nowpushing $35,000—about the annualcompensation in one’s first appoint-ment. As we consider the loss ofguaranteed appointment, we mustconsider whether we can ethicallyencourage people to prepare at greatcost for a new career that might notexist to the degree they assume.

Leaving us behind?So what is our appropriate re-

sponse? A fundamental and costlychange in the way we “do church.”

Our theology must help us recoverthe enthusiasm and passion ofMethodism when we were a reformmovement. We must recover theArminian theology that insisted Jesusdied for all, without regard for ethnic-ity, lifestyle or economic status. Thatera also insisted that experientialgrace can empower total life changesin morality and ethics.

We must become less static andmore dynamic, less institutional andmore like a movement that can be re-gionalized. With Paul we must adaptto the new cultural ethos while insist-ing on the core of the gospel. We havebeen too rigid in method and toowimpish in message; now we mustbecome bold in our Wesleyan mes-sage and more flexible in method.

Rudyard Kipling wrote wordsabout country that we UnitedMethodists might take to heart: “Forfrantic boast and foolish word, thymercy on thy people, Lord.” What hecalled for was “thine ancient sacri-fice, the humble and the contriteheart.” Then the apropos refrain,“Lord God of hosts, be with us yet,lest we forget, lest we forget.”

Dr. Haynes is a retired member ofthe Western North CarolinaConference, an adjunct professor atHood Theological Seminary andcurrent interim pastor of KallamGrove Christian Church.

DonaldHaynes


FAITH focus8B

B Y K AT H Y L . G I L B E RTUnited Methodist News Service

Church provides anti-malaria nets in Congo

BONGONGA, Democratic Repub-lic of Congo—Hundreds of childrenjostle each other to get a glimpse ofwhat is happening.

Car after car drives into the neigh-borhood, kicking up clouds of dust.Strangers wearing suits, purple shirtsand robes take their places under abig white VIP tent.

Music blares from loudspeakers.John Livingston, a performer fromSouth Africa, dressed in a brightgreen T-shirt and long shortsadorned with African symbols, holdsthe crowd’s attention for a while.Scouts march back and forth, practic-ing their formation and waving flags.A band of people dressed in whiteshirts and green pants play horns andbeat drums.

At 10 a.m., Moise Katumbi,provincial governor of Katanga, andYvonne Chaka Chaka, a South Africansinger, are escorted to their placesunder the tent. Speaker followsspeaker, and actors perform a skitabout malaria.

Finally, Ms. Chaka Chaka takes thestage. One word from her sets thechildren free: “Come.”

A sea of children surges to thestage.

“That was Mama Africa calling tothe next generation,” says the Rev.Larry Hollon, top executive of UnitedMethodist Communications.

Welcome to the April 15 celebra-tion of World Malaria Day in one ofthe poorest neighborhoods inLubumbashi.

Hanging netsAfter the morning events, seven

teams of volunteers along withchurch, government and traditional

leaders hang long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets in 14 homes. Over thenext few weeks, volunteers will hang30,000 nets in more than 8,000homes in this neighborhood.

“These children deserve a chance.That is really what this day is allabout,” Mr. Hollon says.

“When Yvonne Chaka Chakacalled the children to the stage, thiswhole area came alive. When you re-alize something as simple as hanginga bed net can save one of these pre-cious lives—that’s what we are doinghere today. It is a celebration of life.”

The United Methodist Church andits partners in the Coalition Re-ligieuse pour la Santé—CORESA—afaith-based coalition of health organ-izations in Lubumbashi, laid thegroundwork for this event. The cele-bration also launched the denomina-tion’s Imagine No Malaria campaign,which aims to eliminate malariadeaths in Africa by 2015.

The United Methodist Church pro-vided $150,000 for the distribution.The money was raised through theUnited Nations Foundation’s NothingBut Nets campaign.

Nets for Life, a campaign by theAnglican/Episcopal Church to eradi-cate malaria, provided the 30,000nets.

Cooperative efforts“The reality is that malaria will

not be eradicated by Methodistsalone,” said Pittsburgh Area BishopThomas Bickerton, leader of the de-nomination’s Global Health Initiative.

“We are a player at the table; wedon’t set the table,” he said. “It is notabout us. It is about all these peoplewho will benefit when the nets aredistributed.”

A lack of funds left more than 3

UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY LYNNE DOBSON

South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka waves to the crowd during a multifaith observance of WorldMalaria Day in Lubumbashi.

UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE PHOTOS BY MIKE DUBOSE

Nathalie Naman holds herdaughter Dunongo in front ofthe mosquito net she receivedat her home.

million living in the Lubumbashi areaout of an earlier distribution of nets.

“Those of us on the inside namedthis project ‘Lazarus.’ We knew it wasmuch bigger than us, and I thinkGod’s hand is truly here,” said Shan-non Trilli, a staff executive with theUnited Methodist Committee on Re-lief who has been working on theground in the Democratic Republic ofCongo to organize the event. “We arejust thankful we pulled it off, and I’mjust really proud of CORESA and theUnited Methodist Church in Congofor making it happen.”

Malaria is the leading cause ofmortality in Bongonga due to over-crowding, poor sanitation and openrivers and swamps. Most homes inthis village of more than 58,000 donot have running water or latrines.Puddles of wastewater are every-where.

“The chief and the mayor said noone has ever paid attention to Bon-gonga,” Ms. Trilli said. “This neigh-borhood in Lubumbashi representsliterally one in a million across thecontinent. The churches and religiouscommunities are here and we’restrong. We are filling in the gapswhere governments or national or-ganizations may be hit or miss.”

Historic occasionMs. Chaka Chaka told the crowd

this day would make history.She called all the religious leaders

to the front of the stage and askedthem to hold hands. “God loves us,and we are all equal in the eyes ofGod.”

She implored parents not to selltheir nets and to make sure their chil-dren sleep under them.

“All these good men and womenfrom different religions have come to-

gether to help you, to save your lives,”she said.

San Antonio Area Bishop JamesDorff said the interfaith effort heldspecial meaning.

“When you look at all these chil-dren, if we were even able to save one,it is all worth it. It truly was a tremen-dous experience,” he said.

Hanging nets in homes also wasinspiring.

“The investment the church hasmade to the campaign is paying off,”said Bishop Dorff. “Things are atwork, nets are being hung, standing

water is being treated and removedwhere possible. It is a tremendousthing.”

The children and adults living inBongonga will be able to go homewith valuable information about whatcauses malaria and how to treat it,said Central Congo Area BishopDavid K. Yemba.

“In doing this, people—churchleaders, government representa-tives—all those who have been here, Ithink they learned something notonly about malaria, but also about thepresence of God.”

United Methodist Bishop JamesDorff holds 18-month-oldDunongo after her familyreceived a mosquito net at theirhome.

May 2010 Edition of the Michigan Area Reporter

Documents

Transcript of May 2010 Edition of the Michigan Area Reporter