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Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for March 8:

Wednesday on the Webexclusive – RSS Feed Saves You Time @ holston.org

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TOP STORY: Children's workers 'march forth' in Farragut

Children's ministry workers from six states gathered at First Farragut United Methodist Church last weekend for "March Forth for Children," Holston's biannual training and networking event. More than 226 workers and volunteers participated in workshops with topics that included fund raising, CPR instruction, and game playing.

For a complete report, see the upcoming March 24 edition of The Call.

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United Methodist Men, come meet with the Bishop

Men from all over the conference are invited to a "Day With the Bishop" at Brainerd United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., this Saturday, March 11, starting at 10 a.m. The annual gathering with Bishop James Swanson is sponsored by Holston's United Methodist Men. For more information, e-mail President Jim Ball or call (276) 686-5284.

Learn about other UMM events; visit the new prayer room

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A special activity for Lent, benefiting the Wesley House

Wesley House Community Center, based in Knoxville, Tenn., invites Holston members to participate in a seven-day fundraiser that will also help them show gratefulness for God's blessings.

On each day of the Wesley House campaign, participants make contributions for specific blessings. For example, on the first day, participants show thankfulness for the blessing of hearing by giving 25 cents for each CD owned. On the third day, participants show thankfulness for the blessing of taste by contributing 50 cents for each meal.

Materials and information are available to help church groups organize the campaign. For more information, e-mail Richard Gibson at richard@wesleyhouse.com.

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Sign up your youth for some summer soul-time
When many people think of Holston youth ministries, they might think of Resurrection, the annual January event attended by nearly 12,000 youth and counselors. But quietly over the years, two summer ministries have led many young people to spiritual experiences that were later remembered as their most influential.

Junior High Assembly and Senior High Assembly give youth a week of discipleship with "awesome worship, awesome people, and one awesome God," according to organizers. This year, both events are scheduled the same week, July 10-14, at Emory & Henry College. An early registration fee of $140 per person is due by May 19. For more information, e-mail umyouth@holstonyouth.com, call (423) 928-2156, or visit HolstonYouth.com.

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AC deadline: Reports due on March 15
Committee chairpersons and other Holston leaders responsible for submitting reports for the Annual Conference "Book of Reports" are reminded that March 15 is the deadline. Reports should be mailed or e-mailed to: Secretary of Annual Conference, P.O. Box 32939, Knoxville, TN 37930-2939, or GradyWinegar@holston.org.

Visit the Annual Conference page for other deadlines

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Numbers: So your sanctuary is too small?
Even the largest churches have that challenge, according to new research from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

In a survey of megachurches with an average regular weekly attendance of 3,585, only 5 percent had sanctuaries of 3,000 seats or more. Consequently, 53 percent of those churches hold four or more services over two or three days. At least 50 percent of the churches use multiple venues for worship as well as satellite locations to increase seating capacity.

More about the "Megachurches Today 2005" survey

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Your online calendar: Remember these dates

F.U.E.L. Training for Youth Workers: April 8 and 29

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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