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Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for January 18:

Wednesday on the Webexclusive – Sudan Action in Holston @ holston.org

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TOP STORY: Resurrection youth invade Gatlinburg

More than 7,200 youth, youth counselors, and volunteers attended Resurrection 2006 in Gatlinburg last weekend -- leading the way for 4,200 more expected at this weekend's second session. The Rev. Alise Barrymore of Chicago and Steve Fee of Atlanta are leading worship sessions at Gatlinburg Convention Center, where a total 402 churches will be represented at the conference's annual winter spiritual event for youth.

A complete report will be available in the upcoming Jan. 27 edition of The Call.

Find out more about Resurrection 2006

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Hurricane-relief training: Feb. 9 in Chattanooga

Volunteers who wish to lead or participate on work teams bound for hurricane-relif work in Mississippi are invited to a training session in Chattanooga next month. Sponsored by Holston Volunteers in Mission, the training session will be held at Christ United Methodist Church on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. For more information, e-mail the Connectional Ministries office or call toll-free (866) 690-4080.

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Need a speaker at your next meeting?

Rukang Chikomb, a missionary pilot for the Democratic Republic of Congo's air service, will be in the Kingsport and Johnson City area Jan. 21 through March 1. Churches or church groups who wish to learn more Chikomb's work may contact him at (423) 926- 4003 or (423) 794-8544 or e-mail him at southernwings_6@hotmail.com.

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Scholarship opportunities: At Hiwassee, and in Greeneville

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Another hurricane tragedy: Increased domestic violence

Much of the damage from Hurricane Katrina is obvious — homes, businesses and churches devastated by fierce winds and rising waters. But the monster storm has also taken an often-unseen, emotional toll.

Counselors at the Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center in Baton Rouge are dealing with an increasing number of calls to their crisis line. They believe the stress of dealing with the damage caused by Katrina will lead to more calls for help from domestic violence victims.

Read the United Methodist News Service story

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Economic justice conference in Virginia: March 17-18

Holston members are invited to "Proclaiming the Good News to the Poor: A Conference on Economic Justice," to be held March 17-18 at Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center in Blackstone, Va. The keynote speaker is Tex Sample. Cost: $75 Coordinator: Virginia Conference Board of Church and Society.

Register online now

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Numbers: 2005 was a 'very positive' year for giving

Holston churches collectively paid 90.3 percent of their apportionments in 2005 — down .7 percent from the previous year. However, last year's giving was "still very positive when you look at the tremendous benevolence giving by our people for disaster relief and other causes outside the Fair Share apportionment budget," said Treasurer Clyde McDonald, who announced these results on Jan. 17. For a complete report, see the upcoming Jan. 27 edition of The Call.

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Your online calendar: Remember these dates

Jubilation: March 26-28

New event announcements appear here. Visit our upcoming events page for other events. Be sure you have the newest Acrobat Reader or you may not be able to view PDFs.

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