WPAUMC e-news for May 12, 2010
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Fighting the Winged Scourge: Believe it or not, Walt Disney was fighting malaria before Bishop Bickerton was born! While we don’t particularly recommend the insecticide- spraying method employed by Dopey, you might be interested in the video from 1943 posted on Pittsburgh Calvary UMC’s website. Meet the Mosquito! If you’re in the vicinity tomorrow (Thursday), stop by the UM Conference Center in Cranberry Twp. around noon when Mozzy the Mosquito and crew stop by en route to their next destination on the Nothing But Nets Buzz Tour. Even if you don’t want to meet the mosquito, you can check out the eco-friendly bus that runs on recycled vegetable oil and solar-power.
Cabot Imagines No Malaria: Cabot UMC (Butler District) has set an initial goal of raising $10,000 to fight malaria and has placed 1,000 mosquitoes all over their sanctuary and fellowship areas. As contributions are made, the kids cross out a mosquito with red electrical tape.
Child Deaths Decline, But Numbers Still Staggering: ScienceNews magazine has an article on the childhood mortality rate around the world. Read it.
Fight AIDS or Malaria? Ruth Messinger of American Jewish World Service, commenting on a New York Times report that the AIDS war in Africa isfailing and support dwindling, doesn’t see it as an either-or. “While the cost of AIDS treatment is significantly higher than the cost of rehydration tablets to treat diarrhea or the cost of mosquito nets to prevent malaria,” she writes, “it is impossible to quantify the cost-benefit of saving a child from malaria when her mother dies from AIDS.” Read more.
Gates Grants: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation yesterday announced 78 grants aimed at improving global health. Learn more.
Want to Make A Difference? Ruth M. Smith Needs You! The Ruth M. Smith Center in Sheffield is a United Methodist agency that cares for elderly and challenged individuals and provides quality day care in a rural area where few such services are available. Youth and adult volunteers are needed this summer for a variety of work projects, such as building handicapped ramps, painting, and weeding. For more info, call Wendy Curtin, the director, at 814-968-3238 or e-mail rmsc@westpa.net.
Annual Conference Registration: Online registration for annual conference is going pretty well, reports Frank Bloise, who set up the system and has been making any needed fixes as glitches appear. As of mid-day yesterday more than 200 people had registered online and most reported satisfaction with it. Learn more or go straight to the registration page.
Need Newsletter Help? Ann Michel offers some newsletter tips in this Leading Ideas article. They are from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership’s 50 Ways to Communicate Effectively.
Wireless Microphones: Pass Them On! Last week’s s e-news reminder about the change in FCC regulations on wireless mics, prompted missionary Ron Hipwell to suggest that because other countries have not made the same change, ministries such as his in Mexico could benefit from mics and equipment no longer usable in the US. If you have equipment in good condition that you can no longer use and would be willing to ship to Texas, Hipwell says it would be a huge blessing for the seminary and churches they work with in Mexico. Contact him at perhipwell@yahoo.com or their U.S. phone number 814-621-2001.
Western PA Mission News: Check Mission VIM Coordinator Diane Miller’s latest blog post on the Conference website. There are prayer request and some info on serving in Haiti.
Eradicating Poverty: The National Council of Churches has a new resource called Eradicating Poverty: The Call of the Church. It’s free and available to download. Developed by the Poverty Initiative of the NCC Justice & Advocacy Commission, it offers worship, education and action opportunities for faith-based communities. Click here to download it and other resources.
Health Panel Warns of Environmental Cancer Risk: The President's Cancer Panel released a report last week that says environmentally caused cancers are “grossly underestimated, writes Wayne Rhodes in this week’s Faith in Action. Read more.
Celebrate Wesleyan Heritage Day! Greensburg District will host a 4 p.m. worship celebration at Holiday Park UMC with Thomas Albin of the Upper Room Ministries in Nashville as the speaker. Fellowship time will follow. All are invited.
Camp Allegheny News: Check out Camp Allegheny’s e-newsletter, with multiple links to their new website. Among upcoming events are an adult Wranglers Weekend May 21-23; a July 24 golf tournament, and an Aug. 22-24 women’s retreat with singer/songwriter/TV personality Sue Duffield. Has your life been touched by Camp Allegheny? Check out their Facebook group.
Too Many Choices? In restaurants, as in life, many find it nearly impossible to decide what to do when faced with a wide array of selections. Studies indicate that when we offer too many options, most people simply don’t choose, according to a Leading Ideas article adapted from a book by Mark Waltz. The principle applies to church programming too. Do your activities merely add to a crushing burden of choices that may lead people to dismiss the church's options altogether? Read more.
The Moral Life of Babies: A New York Times magazine piece this month highlighted recent research with infants that addresses whether humans are born with a sense of right and wrong. To read more, watch a video or comment, click here.
Hidden Dangers of Facebook: To read about five, click here.
FTC Offers Info to Churches: The Federal Trade Commission is reaching out to congregations, offering brochures, booklets, videos and other materials covering a wide array of consumer topics, including avoiding scams. The Pa Council of Churches has compiled a list of some of them. Click here to see it. The materials are absolutely free of charge (including shipping) and you can order them by visiting FTC’s bulk order site.
Office 2010: Microsoft’s new version of Office should be available to consumers in June. It’s part desktop software, part web app. They’ll reportedly offer a free online version. Read more. Wired posted a review today of the full version (not free!).
Armed Forces Day: Should the church observe Armed Forces Day (May 15, 2010) in worship? If so, how? How should the church care for and support its military soldiers and their families? Read The Christian Soldier and the Church on the General Board of Discipleship’s re-designed worship website.
Faith Leaders Call for End to Cuba Travel Restrictions: Two ecumenical leaders have written to President Obama asking for an end to restrictions on religious travel to Cuba. The letter, signed by the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, head of the National Council of Churches, and the Rev. John McCullough, the United Methodist who leads Church World Service, noted that restrictions imposed in 2005 by the Bush Administration "have the effect of severely limiting participation in Cuba missions by U.S. churches and congregants." The letter can be found here.
In the News:
A fashion show of vintage wedding gowns at Christ UMC in Bethel Park raised $2500 for missions. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report said what stole the show were the love stories behind the gowns. Read more.
The Pittsburgh Tribune mentioned a grant to Swissvale UMC in an article headlined History and Landmarks Foundation Calls for Religious Revival in Preservation. Read it.
Check the Western PA connection in this UMR piece about the UMW Assembly.
Upcoming Events:
Dismantling Racism Day of Discernment, May 15, Transitions Seminar in Mercer, May 19
SpiritFest 2010 in Hyndman, May 21-23 | |
| United Methodist Center, PO Box 5002, Cranberry TWP., PA 16066-0002 | Ph. 724-776-2300 | 800-886-3382 | |