In the wake of recent painful events in the North Texas Conference, the Executive Committee of the Board of Ministry decided it would be helpful to sponsor a Service of Healing and Wholeness. It will be held on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 1:30 pm at the First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 North Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas 75080.

Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, Episcopal leader will be speaking at the service, and North Texas Conference District Superintendents and Board of Ordained Ministry members will be offering leadership in communion and anointing with oil. There will also be a time of sharing.

Gbarnga City, Liberia – Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, Episcopal leader of the North Texas Annual Conference, participated in a historical event here on Sunday, February 12, 2012. He presented Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with a framed salute to her leadership of this nation and her value to her denomination—United Methodism—in a worship service like no other. Prior to the award presentation, President Sirleaf read the epistle lesson. To date, no sitting head of state has ever read scripture in a worship service. This remarkable service culminated the six-day annual conference of the Liberian United Methodist Church under the leadership of Bishop John G. Innis, who served as the keynote preacher for the 2011 North Texas Annual Conference last June.

Bishop Bledsoe led a delegation of nine lay and clergy persons from the North Texas Annual Conference here to demonstrate the power of the United Methodist connection at a crucial time. The country of Liberia and the Liberian United Methodist Church are both striving to rebuild and stabilize after years of civil war. To help, Bishop Bledsoe and the delegation participated in two weeks' worth of hands-on activities such as preaching in Monrovian United Methodist churches, visiting an orphanage and a hospital, and conducting training for the communications team of the Liberian Annual Conference.

"It was a great honor to present President Sirleaf with her award. She is inspiring to us all," Bishop Bledsoe said. "She rose above gender discrimination, gained an education, and still remembers who she is as a child of God. Her leadership of this nation and her willingness to work with the church is very noteworthy. She understands that the separation of church and state need not be detrimental to the good of society. We need both.

"It was also an honor to see our North Texas delegation in action here in Liberia. They invested themselves generously to undergird their fellow United Methodists in a host of ways. Our impact was much more profound because we all were here. I could not have do ne this without them."

The Rev. Stan Copeland of Lovers Lane UMC was a part of this delegation, and he echoed Bishop Bledsoe's understanding of the need to serve in Liberia at this time."

What an incredible blessing it was to be part of the Liberian Annual Conference and see The United Methodist Church so alive and active in rebuilding their war-torn country," said Dr. Copeland. "Our Bishop Bledsoe was such an empowering presence leading the way with prophetic sermons on unity. I know he and our entire team made a difference there. We all witnessed a palpable spirit of unity grow and build throughout the week. I pray that the Liberian people can know what a life-changing difference they have made on us. I also tried to pack that holy, tangible, deep spirit of unity, but it kept jumping out of the bag. It is my prayer that it followed us home. We have a lot of exciting disciple-making, world transforming work to do together."

Associate Director for the Center of Mission Outreach, Rev. Marji Bishir agreed. "Our delegation embodied what we refer to as "a ministry of presence." Just the fact that we were there gave the Liberian Church a real sense that God cares."

The delegation also included Mrs. Leslie Bledsoe, Dr. Jeremiah Booker, pastor of Hamilton Park UMC, and his wife, Petrella, Dr. Frank Alegria, superintendent of the North Central District, Dr. Sheron Patterson, Communications Officer of the Annual Conference, and Wil Murphy, Communications consultant.

In an act of reciprocity, Bishop Innis invited Bishop Bledsoe to serve as his annual conference preacher. Bishop Bledsoe brought soul-stirring messages on the Liberian Annual Conference theme, "Maintaining the Unity of the Church," that often lifted the Liberian audience to their feet. "Bishop Innis is also an inspiring leader; that's why he was our annual conference preacher in 2011," Bishop Bledsoe explained." He led this nation and The United Methodist Church toward unity during very dark days by repeatedly risking his life to save thousands of people during the civil wars. His faith in God is remarkable.

"We can learn a lot from the Liberians," Bishop Bledsoe continued. "They are a people o f tenacious faith. They have endured a devastating civil war; yet, they trusted in God. We in America sometimes lose sight of the fact that God does work in our lives, even when we cannot see it. "

In the weeks ahead, members of this delegation will share their experiences in Liberia in the UMR and on the website, www.ntcumc.org.

We have received many calls concerning memorial gifts in memory of our granddaughter. Hannah spoke often of wanting to be a veterinarian, and a scholarship/endowment fund is being established to benefit students studying veterinary medicine.

Checks should be made payable to:

Texas Methodist Foundation
11709 Boulder Lane, Suite 100
Austin, TX 78726

In the memo line, please note “In memory of Hannah Moran.”

We are so appreciative of the many calls, cards, and notes. We have felt your love and prayers during this difficult time, and are truly grateful for your presence in our lives.

Please click here for service information for Hannah Moran.

A DAY WITH BISHOP BLEDSOE

Presented by the NTC Board of Laity

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When: Saturday, January 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where: Stonebridge UMC 1800 S. Stonebridge Dr., McKinney, TX 75070

Cost: $10.00 per person for box lunch payable at the door

Who: Open to all laity and clergy

Agenda:
9:00-9:30 Registration, Gathering Time and Fellowship
9:30-11:30 Time with the Bishop
11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-2:30 Time with the Bishop
The Bishop will be answering questions that laity or clergy may have.

Reservations Necessary: Send to Linda Parks by Thursday, January 19 - Reservations

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Join the Bishop's Prayer Team

I just got back from prison. No, I have not been arrested by law enforcement officials. I was arrested by the Holy Ghost to return to Kairos prison ministry. You see, 11 years ago I took part in the Kairos prison ministry at the Darrington maximum security prison in Rosharon, Texas. Since then, something always came up and prevented me from returning, but prison ministry is so vital that I had to get back.

The overall theme of Kairos is "listen, listen, love, love." And that was my experience serving as the spiritual advisor for Kairos #48 last week.

Kairos operates with two teams, one outside and one inside. About 40 persons were on the outside team of volunteers, and they did the praying, cooking and preparing agape, such as cookies, handwritten letters of encouragement and even birthday cake — some inmates have never had a birthday cake or party before. I was part of a 50-member inside team, and we ministered directly to and with the inmates.

We were an ecumenical group — some were Catholics, Baptists or Church of Christ. Some were from Bible churches, and some were from nondenominational churches. Many were laity, six were clergy, and most were retired, but not all. The days were long, beginning at 5 a.m. and finishing our work around 9:30 each night. We began on Thursday afternoon and finished around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Not surprisingly, a lot is the same since I was there last. The only difference I noticed was that the faces of the inmates seem to be a lot younger, and there seem to be many more of them. I was happy to reunite with many of the same inside team volunteers whom I met 11 years ago. They were still there, faithfully living out their calling to reach out and share God's love with those behind prison walls.

There are two questions we are not allowed to ask: What are you in prison for? And how much time are you serving? The warden advised us that after three days of sharing and being with them, they will most likely tell everything.

Once the inmates got over the shock of having a United Methodist bishop sitting in their midst, they relished the moment.

I met several inmates whose parents and grandparents were members of United Methodist churches in the area. There was no animosity toward the church, only grateful appreciation of our willingness to reach outside the walls of the church to share God's love. Many inmates of the Catholic tradition spent time with me confessing their faults and sins. Being a Protestant, this was different for me; however, I understood the need for them to tell me things they had kept deep inside for a long time in fear of reprisals or punishment.

Much of my time was spent listening and praying for the inmates. We sang together, laughed together, studied together, prayed together and cried together, letting the 42 chosen inmates for the week know that God loved them and showing them in tangible ways the love of the church.

What a wonderful testimony to Christian unity! My hope and prayer is that we will not forget people behind prison walls, remembering that Jesus himself was a prisoner. I believe God is at work in prisons and calls us to join in the work of redemption and reconciliation.

To learn more, see www.kairosprisonministry.org.

“Stay Focused on The Mission”

Joint Statement by the Bishops of North Texas and Central Texas Annual Conferences

Recent discussions around the Bishops’ Call to Action and subsequent recommendations by the Interim Operation Team have led us as bishops to voice our support of the recommended changes to create renewed focus and effectiveness within the denomination. For too long the church has talked about the need for change but failed to commit the time or leadership needed for change. We in our respective annual conferences have sought to listen to the call of God in our midst and make the necessary changes to align our priorities and our finances toward the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Changes have not been easy; however, we believe they were made in faithfulness to the call of God upon our lives. This is a time to lead in the church and not a time to shrink back from our calling or our responsibilities to reach another generation for the cause of Christ in the world. We believe this calling not only involves clergy being faithful to the mission, but more importantly, it involves the laity of the local church taking up the mantle as well.

For too long we have lamented over the fact that our denomination is losing members and becoming irrelevant in today’s diverse culture. For too long the cries of the poor and hurting have sought a Word from the church and sometimes found us too wrapped up in politics and institutional survival. We believe God is raising up a new generation of leaders gifted and equipped to carry out the mission of Christ in the world. We see it in the enthusiasm and excitement of young clergy and laity dedicating their lives to help the poor and doing the work of transformation in the world. We also witness it in the laity of local churches who long to see our church become again a movement of God reaching persons of diverse backgrounds and experiences and helping them to be transformed by the love of God in their lives.

This is a defining moment in the life of The United Methodist Church. With deep appreciation and respect for the accomplishments of the past, we believe the Lord is calling us to engage our future in new ways. This requires us to make the difficult changes needed to refocus our attention on the missional imperatives before us. “New occasions teach new duties” . . . [Lowell: “Once to Every Man and Nation”]. We must reclaim the missional flexibility of the early Methodist movement. God is calling us to make disciples of Jesus Christ in a new generation for the transformation of the world. Accordingly, as a first step, we call upon all whom God has called to lead to join in support of the Call to Action and the recommendations of the Interim Operational Team. (Matthew 28:16-20)

In His Name,