Bishop appoints first Hispanic superintendent

Leaders of Northwest and North Central districts retiring By Sheron C. Patterson Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, North Texas Annual Conference Episcopal leader, has named the North Texas Annual Conference’s first Hispanic district superintendent with the appointment of Rev. Dr. Frank Alegria as head of the North Central district. Dr. Alegria currently serves as the senior pastor of First UMC Beaumont in Beaumont, Texas. He also announced the retirements of two of NTC Cabinet members, the...

African-American Scouts achieve Eagle Rank

By Sheron C. Patterson Twelve African-American Boy Scouts at St. Luke Community UMC in Dallas recently achieved something remarkable – they were all bestowed the rank of Eagle Scout. It is only the second time that this many African-American Boy Scouts moved up to the highest rank in Scouting at one time. “Scouting is an outreach ministry of the men of St. Luke Community United Methodist church that is more important now than ever before,” said the Rev. Tyrone D. Gordon,...

Children have found nurturing for 25 years at Wichita Falls church

By Sarah Johnson Special Contributor “Going outside to play!” “Snack time!” “Coloring!” “The people here are like family to me!” For kids who attend Latchkey, the after-school program at Floral Heights United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, these are just a few of their favorite things. For 25 years, the staff and volunteers at Latchkey have been nurturing and loving children through the weekday program. Floral Heights celebrated the...

Here's your Valentine on celebrating the day

You don’t have to be part of a couple to feel the love By Sheron Patterson Editor Valentine’s Day is the traditional day of love for many. Some experts say the day originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on Feb. 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries, when Roman boys drew the names of girls to honor Juno and couples were formed for the year. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a...

Church planting in poor neighborhood blossoms

Christ’s Foundry sows its own thriving mission, prepares seeds for more By Owen Ross Special Contributor What was the North Texas Conference thinking when it voted to plant a mission near Love Field in Dallas? Back in 2000, the conference made a bold vote to plant a church in one of its poorest areas among a population that has traditionally shown little affinity toward Methodism. Although this decision to reach out to the poorest in our conference was on firm theological ground, it...

We grieve because we love

By Julie Yarbrough Special Contributor Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 (J.B. Phillips, the New Testament in Modern English) The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that about 190 million Valentines are sent each year in the United States. Feb. 14 is largely a commercial occasion that celebrates our secular ideals of...

Here's your chance to have a say in shaping your conference

From Bogata to Burkburnett by Richard Hearne Over the years that I have been involved in the North Texas Conference, I have heard many of my laity friends say “no one cares what I think” or “I don’t have any voice in what is happening” or “no one ever tells us what is happening.” Well, on Saturday, Feb. 19, the NTC Board of Laity is sponsoring two meetings open to all laity, and they may change your minds. Day With the Bishop For the third straight...

Core Leadership Team looks inward as it prepares to lead outward

At its retreat in January, the Core Leadership Team looked deep into “the values that we bring to life in our behaviors,our decisions and our actions,” said Rev. Jan Davis, senior pastor of First UMC Rowlett. Pat Hughes, a consultant from the Center for Ethical Leadership in Seattle, Wash., led the group in developing a list of operational values to help members carry out the North Texas Conference’s Strategic Plan. They met at Prothro Center at Lake Texoma for the overnight...

Around the Conference

Leslie Bledsoe to speak at Sunnyvale healing service Leslie Bledsoe, wife of Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe,will speak at the 7 p.m. March 3 service atNew Covenant UMC, 3032 N. Belt Line Road in Sunnyvale. She has quite a background:A graduate of Prairie View A&M University,licensed in social work serving the homeless and families in crisis, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, mother of six now-grown children. Mrs. Bledsoe, who lost her sight suddenly in 2002, will participate in a healing service...

Early African-American preacher's words echo through the centuries

By John G. McEllhenney Revised by Bishop Forrest C. Stith  No recording devices trapped the cadences and power of “Black Harry” Hosier’s preaching. But we may conjecture that given his African-American heritage, his words poured out rhythmically and with a range of volume. This rhetoric, combined with a keen mind and outstanding communication skills, enabled the biblical truths he proclaimed to pulverize the stony hearts of his listeners.  “I really believe...

Souper Bowl for Hunger

By Sheron C. Patterson Editor The Souper Bowl for Hunger is a youth-led movement that collects canned goods and funds to help the hungry.   Since 1990, young people across the nation have generated $70 million for soup kitchens, food banks and other charities in their communities. In the North Texas Annual Conference numerous youth ministries are participating. Rev. Abe Smith, youth pastor of Christ Plano UMC said, “This will be our 16th year taking part in the Souper Bowl for...

Super Bowl brings flow of human traffic to North Texas United Methodists

Based on figures from previous Super Bowls, many of those flocking to North Texas are  not coming to watch the game. Rather they are sex peddlers who will come to sell women and young girls.  It is anticipated that some 15,000 women and girls will be brought to the area as prostitutes by their pimps for the 2011 Super Bowl. This is known as human trafficking, which is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. It is a...

Faith and Football Church Fundraiser

For over a decade, the National Football League has sanctioned The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration as its only gospel event for the entire Super Bowl Weekend.This Gospel Celebration has been described as a remarkable fusion of inspirational music from the biggest names in Gospel Music and soul-stirring testimonies from top NFL players. This year, the 12th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 4, 2011 at the Fair Park Music Hall, 909 First Avenue in Dallas. The...

Lessons from Tucson: Let's tone down the rhetoric and start listening

Who would ever think that one of the most prominent philosophers of our lifetime would be a convicted burglar who had the misfortune of being the victim of one of the most publicized cases of police brutality? In 1992, at the height of the riots protesting the Rodney King beating, these words were spoken by the victim: “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along?” These words come to mind as I consider the shooting Jan. 8 in Arizona in which six...

Leadership center names associate director

There is a new face around the North Texas Conference Ministry Center. We officially welcome Aleze M. Fulbright to the Center for Leadership Development, where she will serve as associate director. Rev. Fulbright is a native of Tulsa, Okla. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and went on to Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., to obtain a bachelor of science in accounting. She received her Masters in Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian...

Apportionments total $11.5 million in 2010

Despite a difficult economy, “2010 was a year of excellent apportionment payment,” says Marvin Guier, Annual Conference director of  the Center for Connectional Resources. The total apportionments paid were $11,589,221, and the total paid for all benevolent causes was $13,303,222. “In spite of the ongoing challenges of our nation’s economy and the impact that has had on many and the changes that are happening all about us, the churches in the North Texas Conference...

Renowned civil rights leader to speak at Holmes series

Rev. James Lawson, civil and human rights organizer/activist, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Professor and retired United Methodist pastor, is the guest lecturer for the Zan W. Holmes Jr. African Heritage Lecture Series. The series runs 7 p.m. Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at St. Luke Community UMC. Rev. Lawson has been involved in many pivotal events of the civil rights movement, including the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1966 James Meredith March Against Fear and the 1968...

The Bishop: A Call to Action and to testify!

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference “I think I want to testify” was a common expression in the church where I grew up. It signified a moment or experience when something exciting or magnificent happened and you just wanted to tell somebody! For me, the three meetings held in Panama City, Panama, in November were times worthy of testifying. It began with the Council of Bishops meeting the first week and the adoption of the Call to Action report by 100 percent of the...

Welcome 2011: Get involved in a mission

BY MARJI BISHIR Center for Missional Outreach In case you haven’t figured out what your resolution will be for 2011, why not decide to get involved in a mission project this year? Not only will your resolution benefit you, but it will also benefit your Christian community, whether globally or locally. In Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC, Frederick Buechner explains that “the kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b)...

Expert on aging and faith enters national spotlight

BY MISSY BUCHANAN Special Contributor On December 14, Missy Buchanan, an author on faith and aging from Rockwall, appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America. Here is her experience. To say that I appreciate sharing a national platform with Robin Roberts and her mother, Lucimarian Roberts, on ABC’s Good Morning America would be quite an understatement. I have to believe that God has had his hand in bringing us together for his good purpose. How else would an 86-year-old woman from...