WPAUMC e-News for August 4, 2010
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Here's your first August edition of the e-news.
Fighting Malaria at Boy Scout Jamboree: Bishop Bickerton spoke to more than 5,500 Boy Scouts and their leaders who attended United Methodist worship at the National Jamboree in Virginia last Sunday. It was the centennial of Boy Scouts of America. About 5,200 commemorative New Testaments and 10,000 Nothing But Nets patches were distributed during Jamboree. With the worship service offering of about $12,000. and money collected at the Nothing But Nets display, the scouting event raised more than $17,000 to fight malaria.
Imagine No Malaria Tip of the Week: Get your community involved in saving lives through Imagine No Malaria. Several churches are educating and accepting donations at community festivals. Read more.
Marie and The Guys: Marie Stumpf of Clymer is one of our Conference Prison Outreach Ministry’s loyal volunteers, leading Bible study weekly. She just turned 80 and was the subject of the feature interview in Monday’s Indiana Gazette. Check it out.
Prison Outreach Ministry Update: The mailing address, phone and e-mail for our Prison Outreach Ministry group has changed with the move of secretary Dorie Heckman and her husband, the Rev. Dave Heckman, to a new appointment. The address is now PO Box 601, Russell, PA 16345-0601. E-mail is wpapom601@verizon.net. POM needs donations at this time of year to buy study Bibles and Disciple books for the classes volunteers lead in state, federal, and county jails.
UM Anti-Poverty Summit Set in PA: United Methodists from across Pennsylvania will gather for an anti-poverty summit Oct. 10-11 in Camp Hill, near Harrisburg. Learn more.
Media Resource Center Hours: Beginning this month, the Media Resource Center will be open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30am - 4:30pm. Saturdays are available by appointment only. Director Emma Smith suggests that orders be placed at least two weeks before a resource is needed.
Media Resource Center Tip: As we approach Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), remember that the Animated Stories from the Bible and Animated Stories from the New Testament (series of 36 DVDs) include English AND Spanish programs on each tape – ALL available in the Media Resource Center.
Great Day of Singing: For many years it was traditional for Methodist congregations to have an all-singing service in the summer, often with a picnic afterwards. Here is such a musical service, highly adaptable for your own circumstances. No choir needed. Or use it around Labor Day or when the choir returns after its summer break.
Resources for Upcoming Sundays: The General Board of Discipleship’s worship website www.gbod/worship has lots of resources you can use. Featured now are suggestions to celebrate Labor Day, Grandparents Day or blessing backpacks for Back to School.
Conflict, Growth and Change: In this week’s Leading Ideas, David Brubaker uses conflicts in the early church described in Acts 6 to illustrate how leaders can turn conflict into opportunities for structural and cultural change. Brubaker is the author of Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations, published last year by the Alban Institute. Lovett Weems reviews the book in the same issue.
Clergy Burnout: Religion reporter David Gibson writes on Politics Daily that burnout among clergy is a growing concern. Read about it.
The Real Housewives: “I hope God doesn’t see me the way I see The Real Housewives,” writes Jana Chapman Gates in a Christianity Today opinion piece. Read more.
Dodging Despair: Bob Sitze, author of It’s Not Too Late:A Field Guide to Hope, writes on The Alban Institute’s Conversation blog about hope and despair in these challenging times. Read more.
Put Off By Celebrity Behavior? A recurring question on Christian blogs and other forums is what effect a celebrity's behavior should have on whether Christians spend time or money on the celebrity’s work. The latest discussions were sparked by reports about Mel Gibson. Read Heather Hahn's article for United Methodist News Service.
Racial and Economic Gap: The Christian Science Monitor reports that the job gap beween black and whites in US has widen with the recession. Read more.
In the News: First UMC in Bridgeville was to dedicate a prayer garden tonight with a service in memory of Heidi Overmeier, a member who was killed along with two other women a year ago in the shooting rampage at an LA Fitness Center in nearby Collier. Read more.
Upcoming Events:
After-School Ministry Discussion, August 17,UM Center, Register by Aug. 9.
Managing in a Faith-Based Organization, Aug. 21, UM Center, Register by Aug. 13 | |
| United Methodist Center, PO Box 5002, Cranberry TWP., PA 16066-0002 | Ph. 724-776-2300 | 800-886-3382 | |
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