50 Days of Prayer

The Upper Room resource, 50 Days of Prayer Before & During General Conference 2012, serves as an invitation to provide spiritual support to the 2012 General Conference. Electronic communication makes it possible for every congregation in every part of the world to pray with and for the 988 delegates. Every United Methodist can read the same scripture, share the same insights and pray the same prayer leading up to and through each day of the General Conference, April 24-May 4 in Tampa, Fla.

We want God to lead and shape the future of The United Methodist Church. This guide will allow us to actively support the spiritual preparation needed before the General Conference and intercede faithfully during the 10 days of the conference. 

The kingdom of God comes through prayer and discernment. Through use of this resource, we unite in prayer for God’s will to be done in God’s way and in God’s time.

The old saying that “there’s nothing new under the sun” is an apt description of the legislation with which I have to deal as a member of the Ministry and Higher Education Legislative Committee during the 2012 General Conference. 

Issues of theological education, ordination, clergy, homosexuality and guaranteed appointments have been addressed previously, some many times. 

But they take on a new urgency in light of our church’s ongoing decline. In the midst of all the issues, I have been working with a group of people from throughout the connection. Our intent is to provide openness, transparency and fairness, as well as build a healthy appointive system that engenders trust among laity, congregations and clergy.

The Ministry and Higher Education Legislative Committee will deal with many petitions addressing issues that generate a great deal of passion. It is my prayer that the committee and the 2012 General Conference will ask a very simple question before we make any decision: “Will this legislation help create vital congregations that will faithfully carry out the church’s mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?”

PASTORAL STUDIES AND ORDINATION

The North Texas Conference is among a number of groups submitting petitions proposing the addition of required seminary coursework prior to ordination. The NTC Board of Ordained Ministry proposed, and the 2011 Conference adopted, a petition to require a course in pastoral leadership. There has been a growing frustration that those graduating from seminary are not fully prepared to assume leadership.

General Conference has authorized ministry studies of some sort for 40 of the past 44 years. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in frequent changes in the definition, structure and process of those serving as appointed clergy. The Ministry Study Commission authorized by the 2008 General Conference is recommending a significant change in the relationship between conference membership and ordination. Commissioning will be eliminated, ordination can occur at the end of one’s theological studies and full membership can be granted after two years of residency. The study does not require the rigorous examination for those seeking full membership as is currently mandated.

The commission’s rationale for this is that it is more in line with our denomination’s major ecumenical partners and will help us recruit younger clergy because it shortens the process. I have been surprised to discover in my conversation with younger persons involved in the process of moving toward ordination that there are wide-ranging opinions about whether this is a change that should be made.

HOMOSEXUALITY

Numerous petitions address the ordination of gays and clergy officiating at marriages or civil unions of gay people. The fate of these petitions will most likely mirror the decisions General Conference makes about larger issues involving homosexuality.

GUARANTEED APPOINTMENTS

The hottest button issue is legislation on guaranteed appointments. If adopted by the General Conference, bishops will have the authority to not appoint elders in good standing or to appoint them less than full time. The study commission believes the proposal more clearly represents the missional nature of itinerancy by giving bishops the freedom to appoint people to those settings where they will be best able to serve.

A General Council on Finance and Administration study indicates that there are increasingly too many clergy for available appointments in a number of annual conferences. Some congregations are then “forced” to take an elder and end up using a disproportionate amount of financial resources to support that person instead of using the resources on mission and ministry. Cabinets have to put a priority on finding places for ineffective clergy instead of making missional appointments that match pastors’ talents with the needs of congregations.

The proposal creates a process for when an elder is not given an appointment. The bishop either must get the Board of Ordained Ministry’s approval to put the person on transitional leave for up to 24 months, allowing that person to pursue other job options, or the bishop must initiate the complaint process to address the individual’s ineffectiveness.

There appears to be significant support for this proposal among many laity and some clergy because of the stress the appointive system will experience in the coming years. At the same time, there are deep concerns around three key issues. The first is its potential negative impact on women, persons of color, aging clergy and those whose beliefs might be at the extremes of the theological spectrum.

The second is a growing concern about its long-term effects on the health and well-being of clergy and congregations. The third is the way it will allow bishops and cabinets to address issues of clergy status that The Book of Discipline lodges in the Board of Ordained Ministry and, ultimately, the Clergy Session of Annual Conference.

THE PROPOSAL

Gary Mueller plans to introduce the following amendment to the Ministry Study legislation proposing the elimination of guaranteed appointments as a way of living into the new reality that the church is facing in the coming decades

Each annual conference shall convene a task force made up of four members appointed by the Conference Lay Leader, two members appointed by the Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry from the Board of Ordained Ministry, the dean of the Cabinet and the Bishop to develop a list of issues and concerns to guide the Cabinet and Bishop when a full-time missional appointment is not available for an elder. The Cabinet will report the following information annually to the Board of Ordained Ministry Executive Committee: 1) which elders have not received a full-time missional appointment and the rationale; 2) which elders have not received an appointment for reasons of ineffectiveness and the steps which have been taken in the complaint process; 3) statistics by age, ethnicity and gender of elders who have not received a full-time missional appointment; and 4) learnings that have been gleaned as appointment-making is carried out in a new way. This data will also become a part of the agenda of the Committee on the Episcopacy at the conference and jurisdictional levels.

Response Team trailer - Ready for Action!

In the aftermath of the April 3 tornadoes, people came streaming out to the stricken areas to help. And while too many volunteers is a good problem to have, say North Texas Conference leaders, many of the well-intentioned were missing something crucial – training.

For relief coordinators, “spontaneous volunteers” create a number of frustrations. The would-be do-gooders may not have the skills to do the particular repairs needed, and “they just sit there,” said the Rev. Marji Bishir, assistant director of Missional Outreach. Emergency coordinators don’t have time to figure out potential volunteers’ capabilities and where best to put them. And people who just show up often haven’t gone through a background check, presenting security concerns in situations ripe for looting.

The Rev. Jeff Garrett of First UMC Forney said leaders in his city, in a quickly called meeting after the tornado, specifically told clergy not to send them any more volunteers as they sorted out the situation.

And while their hearts are in the right places, volunteers that “go off on their own” can end up wasting money and effort, Rev. Garrett said.

He told of one group that reserved 20 hotel rooms the night of the tornadoes for victims. But none of the rooms were used, perhaps because the word had not gotten out or perhaps the displaced had all made their own arrangements. Rev. Bishir notes that UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) has two sessions planned in April and urges those who’d like to help when another emergency arises to attend.

Her bicultural, bilingual background is asset for starting congregations

The Rev. Gloria Fowler was born in Korea and went to high school in India.

The Rev. Gloria Young-Eun Kim Fowler has been appointed associate director of the NTC Center for New Church Development and Congregational Transformation.

Beginning July 1, she will begin working with the Rev. Jim Ozier, director of the center, to start churches and strengthen existing congregations.

“She is an outstanding bicultural and bilingual pastor with broad experience in a wide variety of ministry settings. In addition, she brings extensive experience in teaching, hands-on local church ministry, and reaching emerging mission fields,” Rev. Ozier said.

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe is also pleased with the appointment. “The Rev. Gloria Fowler’s appointment to the Center for Church Transformation is highly significant. She brings a skill set that this Annual Conference needs, and I look forward to her leadership.”

Rev. Fowler, who was born in Jeollado, Korea, and attended high school in India, has served as a cultural and linguistic consultant to Rev. Ozier for several years “to aid his work in developing new Korean churches and revitalizing existing Korean churches in the North Texas Conference,” she said. “In working with Jim, I have seen God’s desire for the conference to plant churches to reach out to the unreached and lost souls in North Texas, and strengthen the existing churches to more powerfully serve God.

“I will be working with all churches, not just Korean congregations,” she said. “I am privileged to be appointed to work alongside my colleagues in Christ who are striving to make disciples of Jesus Christ in new and creative ways, because God has called us to reach this generation and the generations to come.”

Rev. Fowler, a graduate of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, was ordained in 2010 as an elder in the North Texas Conference.

She has previously been on the staff at Korean Central, Good Seed and First UMC Grand Prairie. While an associate at Grand Prairie, she worked in congregational transformation and was the lead team member in the contemporary worship service. She has been working on a doctorate at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky and “will be presenting my dissertation proposal on the topic of planting, transitioning to and growing multiethnic churches.”

The daughter of a pastor, she is married to Abraham, the son of missionaries. The couple have two children, Ernest, 9, and Elizabeth, 6.

Other personnel changes announced

The Center for New Church Development and Congregational Transformation has announced more personnel changes as it expands its work and places more emphasis on congregational transformation.

Carolyn Bryels is working in both the Center for New Church Development and in the Center for Connectional Resources.

She worked seven years as administrative assistant at Hamilton Park UMC and five years in the administrative offices of the Annual Conference office. She will continue to work part time in the Center for Connectional Resources and part time in the Center for New Church Development and Congregational Transformation

Liliana Peña Rangel is staying on as the part-time administrative assistant for Hispanic ministries.

Deniece Mason

Pamela Liston

Attorney Pamela Harrell Liston has been named chancellor of the North Texas Annual Conference, replacing John Croft, who retired April 1.

Liston is a municipal judge in Rowlett and a partner at the Liston Law Firm, which she and her husband, Paul, started in 1995. She is also the lay leader of First UMC Rowlett, part of its New Day emergent worshiping community, leads its Mission Vision task force and is the Children’s Time coordinator/ preacher there. NTC Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe said Liston is known “as having a sharp legal mind.”

“Most of all, she is a committed Christian. I believe that she can bring a new perspective to our Annual Conference,” he said. 

“This job will give me the opportunity to use my skills and abilities to serve the bishop and the conference,” Liston said. “I have two vocational passions, and both center on social justice. One is the law, and the other is Christ’s teachings. Following the leadings that God has placed on my heart, the position of chancellor is a perfect fit.”

She said she intends to use her 17 years of experience as an attorney “to help the bishop and conference navigate the difficult situations that can sometimes develop within churches and organizations. Rules of law, procedure, and lawsuits can be daunting areas.” 

Her pastor, the Rev. Jan Davis, called her “a delightful person, full of energy and enthusiasm,” noting that “Pam is also one tough attorney.

She is passionate about issues of justice and works above and beyond what most people would do to fight for what is right.” Liston is a native of Olton, Texas, and she and her husband have four children: Seth, 25, Rachel, 16, Jessica, 14, and Landen, 10. She earned a bachelor of arts degree and a doctor of jurisprudence from Texas Tech, and is pursuing a master of divinity degree at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, where she holds a 3.9 grade point average.

“What I love about The United Methodist Church is that it makes room for a symphony of thoughts and ideas,” Liston said.

“I find that no less true within the North Texas Conference. I also find us to be intentionally mission-minded, which I love,” she said.

A look at our newly designed Home Page, courtesy of ChurchBuzz.org

We are excited to announce that we are upgrading the North Texas Conference website. As a result of this upgrade, the following enhancements are being introduced:

A friendly design for first-time visitors across the entire website. 

The navigation for the site will be enhanced to make it easier for first-time users and longtime Methodists alike. 

The domain name will change from www.ntcumc.org to www.NorthTexasUMC.org. All previous links to www.ntcumc.org will still work and no changes are required on your part. Also, all ntcumc.org email addresses will function as they do today. 

All current content on the website will remain, but you may have to get to it a little differently. 

Take a look at an informative, new video explaining the details of the site!

A tornado barreled near a home in the Royse City area April 3, a day North Texans won’t forget. - Debbie Mechling

It wasn't the way the Rev. Marji Bishir expected to spend Good Friday, but as assistant director of Missional Outreach for the North Texas Conference, she was directing the NTC Early Response Teams as they set up at Lancaster High School to assist tornado victims.

Lancaster was one of the North Texas cities that suffered heavy damage when, the National Weather Service says, 14 tornadoes struck the area on April 3. In Lancaster, more than 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed. In the NTC, Forney, Royse City and Rockwall County also saw homes damaged, some of them leveled. In all, about 650 families were displaced. Miraculously, no one was killed.

Forney was one of the areas slammed by one of 14 tornadoes in April 3rd's outbreak. - National Weather Service

The NTC sprang into action, teaming with UMCOR to hand out tarps at the Donations Assistance Center at the high school. There, volunteers from groups including American Red Cross, Operation Blessing, Texas Baptist Men, Buddhists and others gathered to offer one-stop aid for the victims.

Along with handing out the tarps, provided by the Latter-day Saints, the NTC/ UMCOR group offered to help residents place the tarps on their roofs. A crew from First UMC Coppell was on standby for that task. (In fact, just after the storms struck, the team was busy covering holes to prevent further damage to Coppell homes.) By the end of the weekend, demand for tarps had outstripped supply.

The day before, as the Lancaster High School assistance center came together, Rev. Bishir said she was proud of how many ERTs showed up today from all over our conference, including Kaufman, Coppell, McKinney and Sulphur Springs. The teams had wanted to get to work right away, but were delayed while authorities were still doing rescues, making sure structures were safe to enter and securing the stricken neighborhoods.

In the Royse City area, the tornado was powerful enough to flip and destroy a barbecue truck. - Debbie Mechling

Two churches in areas where the damage was severe, First UMC Royse City and First UMC Forney, also geared up to do what they could in the chaotic hours after the storms.

In Forney, city leaders and clergy quickly met to put a plan together. First UMC Forney already had a framework in place through an ecumenical effort called Impact My Community to arrange cleanup and debris removal, said Pastor Jeff Garrett.

Even so, one church member provided dinner for the volunteers early on, and others helped curtail this stuff when some elderly and vulnerable homeowners were approached by aggressive contractors, possibly looters, he said. For Easter, his members baked cookies and provided Easter eggs for a hunt in the ravaged Diamond Creek neighborhood. At First UMC Royse City, two adult cleanup crews were being organized to help residents, and a group of youth planned to go out Monday to remove debris, said Pastor Ann Willet.

A team from First UMC Coppell places a tarp on a house in Lancaster. - North Texas Conference

Her church provided dinner for about 100 volunteers two days after the tornado and was working through the school district to find families needing clothing or other aid. “Everybody knows somebody” whose home was damaged, she said. Both Rev. Garrett and Rev. Willet praised efforts to collect donations for gift cards to help victims restore their households. Creekwood UMC in Allen was leading a drive for Wal-Mart gift cards, Rev. Willet said.

The response by other North Texas Conference churches to help shows “the blessing of the connection,” Rev. Willet said.