East District News and Events

Oklahoma Disaster Relief May 2013: How you can help now

It's Not Just Another Revival, as Martin Memorial Delves into Revitalizing Church

Virginia Point Block Party - May 18, 2013

Youth finds a voice and a mission through church

Youth Lay Leader, Carly Collida Carly Collida is a member of Wesley UMC in Greenville and East District youth lay leader for the North Texas Conference.

My name is Carly Collida and I’m a senior at Celeste High School. My school has around 150 students and does not have the resources to offer any extracurricular programs for students other than sports. I was immensely grateful when I became a Methodist in the seventh grade and found that the opportunities for youth are practically endless.

I began small by becoming involved within my own church -- our leadership team, handbell choir and youth choir. When I learned that I could get involved outside of that, I jumped at the chance.

I have been a member of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries board for our North Texas Conference and the East District youth lay leader for two years. I've found both of these positions to be fantastic ways to have a voice within the North Texas Conference and learn about the goings-on of our church.

Just a few years ago, I had no idea that we were even in a conference, what a district was or who our bishop was. Through my role on CCYM and the Board of Laity, I have expanded my knowledge on the church tremendously.

In addition to leadership, one of the areas I feel most passionately about within our church is mission work. Through my youth choir, which is a part of Youth Cue (a nonprofit, nondenominational organization that puts on youth choir concerts across America), I became involved with International Youth Cue, where youth from North America traveled to Toronto to perform for the public, nursing homes and homeless shelters.

Through my home church, I have done mission work in Oklahoma, Arkansas and many places in Texas. Mission work has truly changed my life, and I feel that our church does a fantastic job making it a priority. Not only does it change someone's life, but it also shows that youth have the ability to change a life.

I am truly blessed to be a part of The United Methodist Church. My life has been changed so significantly since I became a member. I'm grateful for the opportunities the conference has given to me and so many other youth, and I am truly excited to see how else we can be included in the future. Obviously, our church is not perfect, but I feel that our progress is a testament to our faith and dedication, and I am beyond excited to be a part of that progress.

Linda Parks, the North Texas Conference Lay Leader, arranges the guest laity columns. Contact her at ljparks@aol.com or ntclayleader@ntcumc.org.

Dr. Joan LaBarr given Lifetime Communicator award

McKenzie Memorial UMC celebrating 175th anniversary: May 19, 2013

Roxton UMC 100 year Anniversary: June 9, 2013

Decision time? Turn to God in prayer for answer

Melba Harris is the laity leader of the East District of the North Texas Conference.

I had decided that I would not take advantage of the opportunity to write a laity column, but I would pray about it anyway. But as I prayed about it, God said yes. So since He said yes, I had to trust Him to lead me in what to write today.

Laity are in partnership with pastors in carrying out the mission of the church, which is telling the good news of Jesus. As good Methodists, we say it this way: "We are to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." I do believe that if we make disciples of Jesus Christ, we do transform the world.

Think of how different our country would be if the majority of people who led our government, schools, companies and other organizations were Christians who spent time asking God about the right decision to make for any issue before us. Think of how different our world would be.

What God says is the right decision is not always what appeals to us, but we just have to trust God. Think of how different our churches would be if in a dispute, all parties took time to pray and see how the Spirit leads them on which decision to make.

There have been times that I have apologized to people although I was dead right on my issue. God said to apologize, and many times the apology is as much for you as it is for the person you apologize to. I found in humbling myself to apologize, my heart was changed. Although I was dead right on my issue, my attitude was not.

In marriage, it takes a lot of love and forgiveness for it to work well. So it is with the church or any other organization. Human nature does not have a propensity to forgive. It is an act that is Spirit-led and accomplished. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have to ask God about everything.

God is concerned about everything that concerns us, for the Bible tells us to cast all of our care upon Him for He cares for us.

When I was a babe in Christ, I only asked Him about the things that I really thought were important, the big things.

Now I ask him about everything, and my life is so much more peaceful. He knows my past, present and future. I don’t have to come up with the answer — He does that for me. All I have to do is listen and obey.

As we, the laity, go out to do mission, we are Jesus Christ to the world. We cannot really be Jesus Christ to the world if we do not listen to what God, the Great Conductor, instructs us to do day by day, moment by moment.

As we tell the good news of Jesus in our words, we must also give the message in what we do. Let’s be intentional about making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Linda Parks, the North Texas Conference Lay Leader, arranges the guest laity columns. Contact her at ljparks@aol.com or ntclayleader@ntcumc.org.

Pastors step up in tragedy

By SHERON C. PATTERSON
Editor

Cynthia and Mike McLelland

Slain DA, wife were active Methodists

As the nation focused on the horrific murders of Mike and Cynthia McLelland, two North Texas Conference pastors found themselves front and center.

Mike McLelland, the district attorney of Kaufman County, and his wife, Cynthia, a psychiatric nurse — both active United Methodists — were found shot to death March 30 in their home near Forney. Their slayings, as well as the killing of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on Jan. 31, remain unsolved.

The McLellands were members of First UMC Terrell. The Rev. Keith Head has been pastor there for the past two years. The Rev. Joe Ed Goolsby, a retired pastor serving at First UMC Sherman, was pastor at First UMC Terrell 10 years ago. While there, he performed the marriage ceremony of the McLellands. Rev. Goolsby and his wife, Juaneille, became close friends with the couple and often shared meals together.

“They were more than church members, they were our good friends,” Rev. Goolsby said. “Mike helped me start a Sunday school class, which is now one of the largest at the church.”

The Rev. Joe Ed Goolsby of First UMC Sherman gave the eulogy at the public memorial service for the McLellands at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale.
Photo: First UMC Sherman

Rev. Goolsby gave the eulogy at the public memorial service for the McLellands at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale and offered a prayer at the private service at First Baptist of Wortham.

He called it “a surreal experience.”

“I got a call an hour after the bodies were found. I learned that Cynthia’s son was looking for me to ask me to give the eulogy. It was an honor to be asked. I did it because of our friendship,” Rev. Goolsby said.

For the Sunnyvale service, at which Texas Gov. Rick Perry also spoke, “the funeral was almost a frightening experience,” he said.

“I have done a lot of funerals in my time, but this is the first time I encountered so much police presence.

“There was a police roadblock on the highway that led to the church, with three police cars on each of the four sides of the intersection.

“As I drove up to the intersection, a policeman stopped my car; he did not say a word. He just looked into my car and waved us on. It was that way all the way to the church.

“At the church, there were snipers on the roof and there were four police helicopters hovering over the church in every direction. Once we got inside, we had at least three to six uniformed officers around us constantly.”

“Fear was everywhere,” he said. “Everyone in the church was looking around to see who was in there.”

Goolsby’s sermon “was based on 2 Timothy 4:7, ‘I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race.’ I tried to present who Mike and Cynthia were in connection to the church, the community, the county, to me and to their family. They kept the faith, and they would get to wear crowns.”

At Wortham, where Mike McLelland grew up, 300 people packed the small church.

In response to the ubiquitous question of where was God in this, Rev. Goolsby paused and said: “God was in the midst of this and sustained us in getting through. God sustained us to proclaim that these two people were indeed blessed people who were a blessing to people. God was in the midst of making this event positive despite the negative surrounding it.

“God did not have anything to do with somebody coming and killing two people. God was there with the family and gave them strength and courage to respond in faith.”