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The Church Responds

As of March 11, 2010: ●          $14.5 Million has been received for UMCOR Haiti Relief — $212,068 from churches and individuals in the Central Texas Conference ●          Please remember that 100% of your gifts to the Haiti Emergency will support the people in Haiti. UMCOR can do this because overhead costs are covered through the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS). This year’s...

Kids and Christ

Beginning March 17 with "Let the Children Come" byBishop William Willimon, The United Methodist Reporter will publish a six-part series, "Kids and Christ."  The articles will be published every other week and, in addition to Bishop Willimon, contributors include:  Bishop Mike Lowry, Bishop Scott Jones, Rev. Patricia Farris, Rev. James Harnish, and Rev. John Ed Mathison. Readers will be encouraged to comment using a link to a dedicated Facebook page...

Imagine No Malaria

Imagine No Malaria Selected for 2010 Annual Conference Offering The Central Texas Conference’s Mission Leadership Team selected at their annual meeting March 6 Imagine No Malaria for the 2010 Annual Conference offering. Our launch date of April 25 coincides with World Malaria Day with a special emphasis at the 2010 Annual Conference June 6-9 in Fort Worth and a continuation throughout the year and beyond. Imagine a world without malaria—a preventable disease that kills one child...

Pension Funding and Pension Challenges

By Rev. Harvey Ozmer Executive Director, Conference Council on Finance & Administration   You may have read numerous articles, participated in discussions, and heard others express fear about the “pension crisis” in The United Methodist Church. Is it a real crisis or much ado about nothing? Let me try to bring some clarity to the issue. To get at this, I will be using headings and information obtained from the General Board of Pensions & Health Benefits and...

MCH President to Retire

Bobby R. Gilliam, president and chief executive officer at Methodist Children’s Home, announced his plans to retire during a meeting of the Home’s Board of Directors on Feb. 26. Gilliam, who has served as MCH president since 2003, is battling Parkinson’s disease. His retirement date will be discussed with and agreed upon by the MCH board of directors.         “I certainly feel sadness that the effects of Parkinson’s have led me...

Hunger Justice Leaders 2010

Bread for the World is looking for the best and brightest 20- to 30-year-old advocates to join their next class of Hunger Justice Leaders. Selected participants will attend an advocacy training workshop—all expenses paid—in Washington, DC, June 12-15. The leaders will then coordinate hunger advocacy efforts in their communities for the next 12 to 18 months. Vanessa Martinez, a Hunger Justice Leader from Santa Ana, Calif., shares her passion and commitment in this short video. Watch...

2010 Annual Conference

Welcome to the 144th session of the Central Texas Annual Conference scheduled for June 6-9, 2010 held at Will Rogers Memorial Center. Fort Worth Visitors Guide and map for the Will Rogers Memorial Center, click here.  Hotel Brochure Childcare Information The link is to the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Exemption certificate form that can be completed online before printing. http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxi...

Rev. Carol Woods named superintendent

Bishop Mike Lowry announced Sunday, Feb. 14, the appointment of Rev. Carol Woods as superintendent of the Brownwood District. This is Rev. Woods’ second appointment to a Cabinet position, having served as superintendent of the Northeast District of the North Texas Conference from 1997 to 2002.   It was in 2002 that she transferred to the Central Texas Conference and was named senior pastor at Overton Park (now Arborlawn) United Methodist Church in Fort Worth. Two years later, she...

23,099+ Health Kits for Haiti

“When the Holy Spirit knocks on my door, there’s no telling what will happen,” says Lorena United Methodist Church’s pastor Rev. Christie Robbins. She challenged her congregation, which averages about 150 in worship, to create 500 health kits to be sent to the people of Haiti. They assembled 1,500 kits! The word got out into the community that kits would be assembled at the church on Wednesday evening, usually the time devoted to Bible study. But that night, the Bible...

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, an opportunity for congregations to revisit our nation’s journey in the civil rights movement and to teach about African-American history. A group of 66 high school students took such a life-changing journey Jan. 15-18 as part of the Central Texas Conference’s Civil Rights Road Trip to trace key events and sites of the civil rights movement in the United States. Their journey into this important part of our nation’s history began with the...

Cleburne couple share Haiti relief story

The Sunday following the earthquake in Haiti, we sat in a pew in far off Cleburne hoping to find a way that we could help the people of Haiti. In Georgia, at about the same time, our son-in-law received a phone call; "Colonel Salisbury, your 700th Airlift Squadron is being put on alert. You will deploy from Dobbins AFB, to Homestead AFB, Florida. The 700th will be air dropping medical supplies, water, food, structures, vehicles, and equipment because the airport in Port au Prince...

Brownwood DS takes incapacity leave

Health concerns have necessitated Rev. Jim Olney’s decision to request incapacity leave from his role as superintendent of the Brownwood District of the Central Texas Conference. Bishop Mike Lowry accepted his request with deep regret. “I cannot convey adequately my deep grief,” Bishop Lowry replied upon receiving Rev. Olney’s notification letter. “You’ve made both valued and valuable contributions to my ministry coming into this conference and to the work...

Rev. Randy Wild named superintendent

Bishop Mike Lowry announced Jan. 24 the appointment of Rev. Randy M. Wild to superintendent of the Mid-Cities District of the Central Texas Conference. Rev. Wild is currently in his sixth year as senior pastor at the 1,900-member St. Barnabas United Methodist Church in Arlington. His new position is effective in June with the retirement of Rev. Connally Dugger who has served as Mid-Cities superintendent since 2003. Rev. Wild comes to the Cabinet at a time when the conference will soon take...

Change the World Event

On April 24 and 25, your congregations is invited to participate in Change the World, an event that will reveal the many ways that faithful Christians everywhere are serving God. During that weekend, United Methodist churches are encouraged to create and participate in a service or fundraising event that helps effect positive and long-lasting change, whether it’s revitalizing a food-pantry program, creating a new ministry to help the homeless, or increasing awareness of global health...

Youth lay speakers get preaching gig

Seventeen-year-old Ethan Gregory knows where God is leading him and he couldn’t be more confident about the calling. Ethan is a senior at Mineral Wells High School and a member of First United Methodist Church of Mineral Wells where he has had a few occasions to preach in the informal 8:30 a.m. Sunday worship service. Carly Payne, a junior at Glen Rose High School and a member of Glen Rose United Methodist Church, knows God is leading her to ministry, but she hasn’t yet decided...

Latest update on Haiti

The www.umc.org/haiti website maintained by UM Communications provides all of the most up-to-date national and conference-wide news, blogs, video and audio stories from within the UMC. In addition, there are downloadable print ads that can be customized, web graphics and other resources available for communicating with your congregation and your community. United Methodists everywhere are invited to share a prayer for those affected by the Haiti earthquake. Visit the Facebook...

Central Texans assemble health kits for Haiti

While the devastation continues to unfold in Haiti, people around the world are responding with their financial gifts and prayers. “We want to thank everyone for the tremendous interest and response to this disaster,” states Rev. Laraine Waughtal, Central Texas Conference Disaster Response coordinator. She suggests continued response through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)’s Advance #418325, but UMCOR is also in tremendous need of health kits to provide for...

Update on UMCOR workers

Sam Dixon and Jim Gulley, two UMCOR officals meeting with the new head of the Haitian church in Port au Prince at the time of the earthquake, were found alive.  Sadly, The Rev. Clinton Rabb, a leader in The United Methodist Church’s extensive mission volunteer program, died on January 17 in a Florida hospital of injuries caused when he was trapped for 55 hours in the ruins of a hotel destroyed by the January 12 earthquake... in Haiti. More information will follow at...

Bishop Lowry calls for Haiti response

  The New York Times reports that, “The earthquake, with a magnitude estimated at 7.0, struck just before 5 p.m. about 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince," the United States Geological Survey (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/) said. Many aftershocks followed and more were expected, said David Wald, a Geological Survey seismologist. “The earthquake, the worst in the region in more than 200 years, left the country in a shambles.”   Sam...

Update on UMCOR workers

Clinton Rabb and Jim Gulley, two UMCOR officals meeting with the new head of the Haitian church in Port au Prince at the time of the earthquake, were found alive.  Sadly, Sam Dixon, the head of UMCOR, perished.  We ask for your prayers for each of these dedicated relief workers, their families and all the people of Haiti.  The United Methodist Church had been praying for the safety of three executives of the Board of Global Ministries. Sam Dixon was top executive...