~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for May 31:

Wednesday on the Webexclusive – Prepare for AC Webcast @ holston.org

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TOP STORY: UMCOR responds to Java quake survivors

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is working with partners in the region to respond to survivors of the May 27 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java.

Indonesian government figures released May 29 put the death toll at about 5,000. More than 15,000 are estimated injured and 100,000 people displaced from their homes. UMCOR, which has been working in Indonesia since the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami, will focus on both immediate assistance and long-term relief for earthquake survivors with its regional partners.

Contributions to UMCOR's "Indonesia Emergency" relief efforts can be placed in local church offering plates. Designate checks for UMCOR Advance No. 217400 and "Indonesia Emergency." Credit-card donations can be made online at www.methodistrelief.org or by calling (800) 554-8583.

Read the UMNS news story

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's what to bring to Annual Conference

Under the theme, "Courageous Past, Bold Future," the Holston Annual Conference meets June 11-14 in Lake Junaluska. Clergy and lay representatives: Are you ready?

* Hands-on mission kits. All congregations are collecting food, school, and health supplies, assigned by district, for missions in Liberia and Zimbabwe. Members should drop off kits to designated locations within their districts prior to Annual Conference.

* Offering for Alaska. If your congregation hasn't yet taken its offering for the work of Church and Community Worker Fran Lynch, you have three more Sundays until Annual Conference. Offerings should be submitted during the afternoon mission presentation on Monday, June 12.

* Change for Children offering. Bring your offering for children's ministry to the "Walk for Change" tent on Tuesday, June 13.

* Fellowship bookmarks. Each attending member is asked to bring three bookmarks to exchange during the scheduled "stand-up breaks."

* Registration card. Don't forget to bring your registration card (which has been mailed to you). Turn it in during registration on Sunday, June 11.

See this year's Annual Conference schedule

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

50th anniversary: It's a church-wide party

Holston Conference joins many other United Methodist annual conferences in celebrating the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women.

See what other conferences are doing to celebrate

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Who said that?

"If you go to a church and love the people, they'll work past their discomfort. If you spend time and energy on the discomfort, you lose focus on the Gospel."

— The Rev. Margaret Dewyer Goad, a United Methodist pastor in Manchester, Conn., commenting on local churches that have difficulty with women in leadership.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOW AVAILABLE

______________________________________________

Subscribe, change an email address or join another list, here.

Send your conference-wide news/events here.

This message is from the Holston Conference Communications Office.