Global conference in Dallas urges education on disease

Church mostly silent on AIDS, young say BY SHERON C. PATTERSON Editor Dallas hosted “Lighten the Burden,” an international AIDS education conference sponsored by the General Board of Church and Society, this month.  Many sessions focused on adults, but it was in a session devoted to young people where the pleas came through clearly for the church to get involved in the fight against AIDS. Perhaps the most compelling story was from Brryan J.R. Jackson, 19, a nationally...

Ridgewood Park helps school on science

BY CAROL BELL-WALTON Pastor Rob Spencer at Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church preached many Sundays on looking for opportunities to serve others as part of the United Methodist “10,000 Doors Campaign.” As Rebecca Cartier heard his message, she found herself sitting in the pew asking, “Why not knock next door?” To better root Ridgewood Park into its northeast Dallas neighborhood, she decided that a plan revolving around education and children would be the best...

Go by 80/20 rule, transformation expert says

BY JOE DAN BOYD Special Correspondent A good rule for any church that wants to grow or otherwise transform itself is to spend 80 percent of its time doing the 20 percent of ministry in which it excels. It’s that simple, says Rev. Dr. Don Nations, head coach of DNA Coaching, who recently concluded seminars with pastors and laity throughout the North Texas Conference. The seminars ended Oct. 7 in the East District at First UMC Sulphur Springs, where he and District Superintendent Rev....

Ministry is more than a job, it is a blessing!

Methodist Charlton President Jonathan Davis (left), Dr. Clara Reed, and Methodist Health System President and CEO Dr. Stephen L. Mansfield took part in the hospital’s Pastor Appreciation Luncheon. Dr. Reed, District Superintendent, North Texas Conference, gave a message of encouragement in the keynote speech, noting  that “ministry is more than a job, it is a blessing.”...

Duncanville pastor goes big for Charlton Methodist

  The billboard featuring Dr. Jim Bowden, pastor of First UMC Duncanville, is on Interstate 20 in Duncanville. The Rev. James Bowden, senior pastor of First UMC Duncanville has taken on a larger-than-life persona, now that his likeness has been magnified on a Methodist Health Care System billboard on Interstate 20 in Duncanville. Dr. Bowden has more than a passing interest in health care. He is active on various boards within the Methodist Health Care Systems, including the Golden...

Bogata to Burkburnett: Would you really burn the Book of Discipline?

BY RICHARD B. HEARNE NTC Board of Laity, Chair After my last article in which I jokingly suggested that the UMC needs to burn the Book of Discipline, several people called to ask whether I really meant it and others called offering a match. While I think we all can have a bit of a laugh with the suggestion, it is really a serious topic. Is there a way, maybe not to burn the Discipline, but to streamline it, make it more useful and ensure that is not used to hurt or discriminate against...

Can We Talk? Candid black clergy-laity dialogue to take place in Dallas

BY SHERON C. PATTERSON Editor “Can We Talk?”, the South Central Jurisdiction’s forum for candid conversation between African-American United Methodists lay and clergy, is slated Nov. 19–20 at St. Paul UMC in downtown Dallas. The two-day event is known for a no-holds-barred dialogue that brings lay people, clergy, district superintendants and bishops together for solving challenges that face the African-American United Methodist Church.  More than 200 people from...

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EDUCATION Certification in Spiritual Direction Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University is offering a certification in Spiritual Direction. The program offers a non-traditional schedule suited to student needs; cohort education that fosters collegial relationships, a network of future spiritual directors and continuing education opportunities. Openings are available for December. Contact the Office of Spiritual Formation at Perkins at 214-768-3664 or go to...

What I did on my summer vacation

Editor’s note: Larry George, Director of the Center of Mission Outreach at NTC, is writing in place of Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, who is on a short renewal leave. By Larry George Director of the Center of Missional Outreach As much as things change, some things remain the same, like back-to-school essays. Perhaps it was to get a pencil back into our hands and a well-constructed sentence back into our heads. Whatever the educational motivation, the method always seemed to be a variation...

Munger Place Church opens doors to a fresh today

Modern leadership in renovated building matches interests, needs of old Dallas neighborhood BY KIM GIFFORD Special Correspondent After more than six months of renovations totaling about $4.5 million, Munger Place Church will officially open its doors for worship at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 24. An open house from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, will let neighbors get a first look inside the refurbished building at 5200 Bryan Street in Old East Dallas. “We’ve done what people do when...

Lewisville FUMC builds faith as well as a house

First FUMC Lewisville recently dedicated a Habitat for Humanity home now occupied by Jesus “Jessie” Martinez Sr. and his wife, Marisella, and their children. The dedication capped an effort that began last Christmas with an offering designated for the Habitat house. By the time construction started in the church parking lot on Main Street in March, the congregation had raised the $65,000 to build the house. Here is a look back at major steps along the way. Church...

First UMC Alvord Annual Lord's Acre Festival

Jennifer Endsley and Pastor Johnny Irish show off a quilt made for First UMC Alvord that will be for sale at the annual Lord’s Acre Festival on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Lord’s Acre, featuring baked goods, crafts, Christmas decorations and a silent auction, runs from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m....

NTC controller Susie Milligan retires Oct. 7 after 26 years

BY SHERON C. PATTERSON Editor After 26 years of faithful financial service, Susie Milligan, the North Texas Conference Associate Treasurer and Controller, has retired. If her name is not instantly recognizable, know that she is the one who literally paid the NTC bills with a calm, cool demeanor. Three things were always certain: Ms. Milligan would be fashionably attired, she would be razor-sharp focused, and there would be masses of  financial matters spread across her desk. A...

A sharper lens for seeing the leader in you

Editor’s note: Keith Payne Boone, director of the Center for Leadership Development at NTC, is writing in place of Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, who is on a short renewal leave. By Keith Payne Boone Center Director for Leadership Devlopmment During a recent office visit, I listened as an optician posed the question, “Which is clearer, one or two, two or one?”  Since I arrived July 1 as the Center Director for Leadership Development, I have a new lens for seeing leadership....

Out in the country, but close to God

Cuthand plants one boot in past, the other in the future BY JOE DAN BOYD Special Correspondent Rumors were flying. Something was going on at Cuthand UMC, the country church in the middle of nowhere, not really close to any city, but a church already known in the North Texas Conference for its bluegrass band, Cuthand Creek, and a youth group large and lively enough to be the envy of most other UMC churches in the newly organized East District.  One rumor was that Cuthand UMC had...

Africa University gets good progress report

BY JOHN A. LOVELACE Special Correspondent Two people who led 155,000 or so North Texas United Methodists to pay a $1 million pledge to Africa University as of 2009 haven’t lost their zeal for the school that opened in Zimbabwe in 1992 with 42 students and has now graduated about 3,600 students. Lisa W. Tichenor of Highland Park UMC and Rev. Dr. Tyrone L. Gordon, senior pastor of St. Luke Community UMC in Dallas, co-chaired the Bishop’s Initiative for Africa University, which...

Book review: Katrina survivors tell riveting stories

BY SHERON C. PATTERSON UMR Editor New Orleans native Lynette Norris Wilkinson offers powerful testimonies of 16 Hurricane Katrina survivors from the Lower Ninth Ward in her recently released book, Untold: The New Orleans 9th Ward You Never Knew. Wilkinson, now a public relations executive with Dallas’ Methodist Health Systems, was born in the Lower Ninth Ward, and she takes the readers on a journey with her to this close-knit, predominantly African-American community, nestled less...

Malaria drive offers Advent items and ideas

Sleep in heavenly peace. It’s not just a Christmas song. For millions throughout Africa, it’s a prayer, a dream, something only to be imagined. This year, as the holiday season approaches, United Methodists nationwide will be called on to help support the global health effort called Imagine No Malaria. A United Methodist ministry that aims to raise $75 million, Imagine No Malaria has just launched a series of Advent-focused support materials. The new items illustrate the...

Clergy retreat to focus on fueling dynamism

The North Texas Conference Clergy Retreat, “Doing Connection Differently,” aims to generate ideas on church growth, leadership and teamwork — Rethinking Church, in other words. It runs Monday, Oct. 18, through Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro. The retreat teachers are Rev. Olu Brown, lead pastor of Impact Church in Atlanta, Ga., and Dr. Jay Carson, assistant professor of management and organizations at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist...

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Tent sale bargains at Cokesbury Cokesbury will hold a Bargains Too Big to Fit Under One Roof tent sale Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8–9, at 19200 Preston Road, Suite 101. Selected Christian books, church supplies and other items will be discounted 50 percent the first day and 75 percent the second day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 8 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9. For more details, call 972-964-5777. Social Media for the Ministry The Beatitudes Society and the Perkins School of Theology...