Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for August 3:
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TOP STORY: Hurricane relief volunteers are needed
Skilled roofers and drywall hangers are needed for a disaster-relief team that will travel in early September to areas affected by Hurricane Dennis, the conference missions office announced.
Individual skilled volunteers or churches interested in assembling their own teams should contact Dwight Barker, Holston disaster-relief coordinator, at (276) 782-3339.
Read about UMCOR's response to Dennis
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Coming soon: Do-it-yourself continuing ed reports
Clergy should be aware of "do it yourself" continuing education reports for their upcoming charge conferences, the Wesley Leadership Institute recently announced.
In early August, pastors will receive via e-mail a personal password to access individual continuing education records through the web. Clergy will then be able to print their personal CEU files for attaching to their charge conference forms. "Wesley Leadership Institute will not only be saving the cost of first-class postage to 700 pastors, but we will be conserving apportionment monies toward continuing education grants and obtaining quality speakers rather than spending postage," Director Caryl Griffin said. Look for your personal password via e-mail on or near Aug. 5.
Visit the Wesley Leadership Institute site
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Redwine grants available for new program ministries
The Redwine Committee is now accepting grant applications from churches and church groups that are beginning new ministries or that require additional funding for newly established ministries. Two grants of $2,500 each will be awarded in spring 2006. Application deadline is Sept. 30.
Applications are available in district offices or by e-mailing John Grimm, Redwine Committee chair.
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Sign up now for 'Wesley & Ethics' in September
Clergy and laity are encouraged to participate in the Wesley Leadership Institute's "Wesley & Ethics" seminar, Sept. 26-27 at Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. Speakers will be Tex Sample, coordinator of Network for the Study of U.S. Lifestyles, and Elizabeth Agnew, a researcher of John Wesley's practices. CEU credit: 1. Registration fee: $40, not including accommodations.
Download a brochure now
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Bishop Carder will lead security forum
Clergy and laity are encouraged to attend a special conference-wide forum, "In Search of Security," at Concord United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bishop Ken Carder, a former pastor in Holston Conference, will lead the gathering, which is sponsored by the office of Bishop James Swanson, the Outreach/Advocacy Team, and Peace with Justice Committee. The forum's purpose is to provoke discussion about how Christians should live in a world filled with terrorist attacks and fear, organizers said.
Learn More
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Clergy: Attending a 'sabbath experience' this fall?
Clergy should choose and register for one of nine retreat locations reserved for a "Fully Alive Sabbath Experience" in mid-October, the Orders/Fellowship Steering Committee announced. Registration deadlines are Aug. 15 for five of the nine locations, and Sept. 1 for the remaining locations. For more information, contact Doug Smith, steward of clergy concerns, by e-mail or at (866) 690-4080.
Get more details; download a brochure now
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Hating the Hispanics: Who said that?
"These illegal immigrants are coming in here and having everything just handed to them."
--Billy Jeffery of the North Georgia White Knights, commenting on rising Hispanic populations in the southeast. Tennessee's Hispanic population rose by 278 percent during the 1990s, Georgia's by 300 percent, and Arkansas' by 337 percent, provoking hate crimes.
Read the AP article
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Your online calendar: Remember these dates
Youth Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail: Sept. 23-25