Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for September 28:
exclusive – Mississippi Church's Tent City @ holston.org- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TOP STORY: Another hurricane, a new list of needs
Holston Conference is expanding its relief efforts to include victims of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
In the "third wave" of donation appeals, Holston Conference has been asked by the Alabama-West Florida Conference and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to begin collecting flood buckets. Although the first and second "waves" focused on collecting necessities such as bottled water and diapers, flood buckets are now needed by Katrina victims in Alabama-West Florida and by Rita victims in Texas.
Holston's goal is to collect more than 2,000 flood buckets by Oct. 15. Church members are asked to contact their district offices for donation drop-off points. Members are also asked to make financial donations to UMCOR.
Visit Holston's hurricane page for details
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Way to go, Holston: You've given $672,513 for UMCOR so far
As of Sept. 27, the conference treasurer's office had received $672,513 from Holston churches, donated to UMCOR's Katrina effort. Bishop James Swanson thanks Holston members for their generosity.
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Download an updated Sunday bulletin insert
A Sunday bulletin insert has been created to help explain Holston's hurricane response to your parishioners. This latest edition explains why flood buckets are now needed and includes a letter of gratitude from Bishop James Swanson.
Download the insert now
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For pastors: Bishop Swanson's responsive sermon
Bishop James Swanson has written a sermon, "What do you do when there is no bread?" especially for Holston pastors in response to the hurricane recovery.
Read the sermon now
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Hands-on effort: Sign up for work teams now
Holston Conference is assembling work teams to send to hurricane-affected areas. Individuals, churches, and districts that wish to participate on these teams should contact the conference's emergency-response coordinator, Bonnie Howard, by e-mail or call (865) 458-4943.
Please note that it's important to contact Howard before sending individuals or teams to hurricane-affected areas. Some church groups arriving in Mississippi and Louisiana without first coordinating through the conference office were sent back home, because UMCOR's needs are specific and volunteers require training.
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World Communion Sunday: Coming on Oct. 2
Observed this year on Oct. 2, World Communion Sunday is one of six Special Sundays in the United Methodist Church. The World Communion Sunday offering provides Ethnic Scholarships for undergraduate students, Crusade Scholarships for international and U.S. racial- and ethnic-minority graduate students, and scholarships for racial- and ethnic-minority persons seeking second careers in church-related vocations.
Find out more and download worship resources
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Clergy e-mail adresses for life: Who said that?
"...For us to be able to converge, the whole idea of having standard e-mails across the church is a really powerful tool. You can imagine that gives annual conferences and the general church a consistency so that we don't have to spend more people power inputting a different address every time a pastor moves."
-- Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the Commission on Communication and leader of the denomination's Pittsburgh Area, commenting on a new plan to provide United Methodist pastors with the same e-mail addresses for life.
Read the UMNS report now
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Your online calendar: Remember these dates
United Methodist Student Day on Nov. 27