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Today, in Holston Conference News Briefs for March 7:

Wednesday on the Web Moving Day Approaches! @ holston.org

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TOP STORY: The Controversial ruling revisited – again

A ruling about pastoral authority by the highest court of the United Methodist Church was explored by pastors, bishops, theologians, seminary deans, and denominational staff members gathered Feb. 15-16 in Nashville, Tenn.

The consultation over implications of Judicial Council Decision 1032 – in the case of a Virginia pastor who blocked a homosexual man from church membership – was sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, which oversees the church's licensed and ordained leadership.

The consultation was called to provide a "hospitable space" for church-wide conversation on the issue. Discussions centered on theological implications of how the decision relates to United Methodist understanding of membership, pastoral authority, the nature of the church and the role of Scripture.

UMNS report: Read more about the conversation

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Relocation to Alcoa: Expect some "down time"

The Holston Conference Center will move offices from Knoxville to Alcoa beginning March 9. Staff members will be working in their new offices on March 12. The phone system is expected to be down for part of March 9, and other delays in conference services may also occur.

The new mailing address will be: P.O. Box 850, Alcoa, TN 37701-0850. Phone numbers will remain the same.

Read the explanatory article in The Call

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Warning: Fraudulent e-mails in Holston Conference

The Chattanooga and Cleveland District offices have received e-mails from a finance firm claiming to represent the Chattanooga District office, offering to provide a "legal check-up" for churches.

The alleged firm and the person representing it have no connection to the Chattanooga District or the Holston Conference. Please be aware of fraudulent e-mails from "John Prophet, senior manager," "Mission Management & Consultants LLC Mortgage Bankers," or "National Church & Christian Project Finance Specialists" of Damon, Texas. Please refer any suspicious e-mails to your district office.

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Reminder: Deadlines for Annual Conference

March 1 is the first of several deadlines related to Annual Conference, which will be held June 10-13 in Lake Junaluska, N.C.

Resolutions and petitions are due March 1. Requests for special meals are due March 10. Submissions for the "Book of Reports" are due March 15.

See the complete list of deadlines, with instructions

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Need resources for Easter and Lent?

The new UMC.org site offers an extensive list of family, worship, devotional, and study guide resources for Easter and Lent.

Visit the site now

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Telephone excise taxes: Possible IRS refund for churches
The United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration is providing resources for local churches, annual conferences, and general agencies to apply for refunds under a recent Internal Revenue Service guideline. The IRS says tax-exempt organizations may request a refund of certain federal telephone excise taxes. Organizations must file the appropriate forms with the IRS for the 2006 tax year.

Download more information from the GCFA

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Bishop Ken Carder presents Lenten study at Concord

Bishop Ken Carder will present a Lenten Study March 11-12 at Concord UMC in Knoxville, Tenn. His sermon series begins with "The Cross in a Suffering World" on March 11 at Concord's 8:45 and 11 a.m. services. For more information, e-mail or call Joan De Tar at (865) 966-6728.

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Fantastic archaeology: Who said that?

“One of the problems is there are so many biblically illiterate people around the world that they don’t know what is real judicious assessment and what is what some of us in the field call ‘fantastic archaeology.’"

— Lawrence E. Stager, the Dorot professor of archaeology of Israel at Harvard University, following the claim that a crypt unearthed in Jerusalem contained the bones of Jesus of Nazareth. A documentary by the Discovery Channel also asserts that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and the couple had a son named Judah.

Read the New York Times article (may require registration)

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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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