Honors

Congratulations to Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, his wife Leslie Bledsoe, the Revs. James and Sandra Minor, the Rev. Elzie Odom, Dr. Ouida Lee and Dr. Jeremiah Booker. All have been nominated to win an Epitome award from Epitome magazine for the success of articles that featured them in the November 2010 issue of the magazine, which focuses on spirituality, family, health and finances. For more information, visit www.epitomemagazine.org....

The Bishop: Memory one thing, change is another

  BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” I would agree, except that I would like to add that nothing can be said to be certain except death, taxes and change.  Change is what we all experience in more ways than one.  The experience became a reality recently as my family traveled back through Amarillo, Texas, on the way home from vacationing in the cool...

Laity speakers speak volumes with dynamism

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Leslie and I had the most awesome experience while attending the Lay Speakers Gathering of the North Texas Conference. The event, held at First UMC McKinney, was a transitional gathering in which lay speakers were reorganizing from the previous six districts of North Texas into the new four district as adopted in the Strategic Plan of the conference. You could feel the excitement and passion in the room from the dynamic devotional given...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference I am having so much fun this summer! I think it’s because I’m doing things out of the ordinary for a bishop of The United Methodist Church. At least that is my take on it. Usually, it’s the summertime when bishops get a break from the routine schedules of cabinet, boards, College and Council meetings. This is the time when most take vacation and time away. This summer, I decided not to take vacation until the fall and to...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

By Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe North Texas Conference I noticed this past week that many transitions are taking place everywhere. Here in the Conference Ministry Center, new centers are being developed and established. Individuals are transitioning out of the office, and new people are transitioning into newly created positions. Change is in the air. I spoke with a clergyperson last week at Duke Divinity moving into a new appointment the same week. She had excitement and anticipation in her voice...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference I’m writing this article the day after our historic 2010 Annual Conference. I believe our time in holy conferencing in Wichita Falls, Texas, was a defining moment in the life of the North Texas Conference of United Methodists.The members of the Conference listened to one another, shared mutual concerns and made a decision to move forward, trusting in the grace of God to get us to the place of our calling in Christ as a church and as a...

Episcopal Address declares 'The Time is Now'

By John A. Lovelace Special Correspondent Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe began his 2010 Episcopal Address by admitting that “this past year has not been easy. Many of you have to been asked to do more with less.   “We have focused on getting our priorities straight. We have sought God’s vision for North Texas laity and clergy. We have invited you to share your hopes and dreams, and I believe that God’s greater vision is beginning to take shape.”   He noted...

Believe, then act: Bishop's Lenten Lecture Challenge

BY JOHN A. LOVELACE Special Correspondent In the Christian faith, what happens when words are not enough? Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe framed that question for his March 30-April 1 Lenten Lecture Series at Lovers Lane UMC. As a comprehensive introductory answer, he said, “Jesus was a man of action, not just words. He encourages his followers to act, not just believe.” He then presented three action-based scriptural texts as answers, one per day: Tuesday, March 30: Devotion Bishop...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference  Do you know who’s in your community? In an ongoing effort to get to know the North Texas community, I had the privilege of spending a day traveling with Mr. Bill Avera, Assistant Chief of Police for the Dallas Independent School District. We visited several elementary, middle, and high schools in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). Throughout the day, I received an education which I believe is worth sharing with the...

The Bishop : Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference How hospitable is your church? Our family attended the First UMC, Paris, a couple of weeks ago and received a “hero’s welcome.” No, it wasn’t a dedication, anniversary, or special occasion. The pastor, Rev. Van Lazaroff, invited me to come and preach during the 10:30 a.m. worship service. It just so happened that our two daughters and grandson were also visiting us on the weekend, so they joined us as well. The...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference How disabled are you? Many of us who have sight, hearing, and use of all ourlimbs usually do not think of ourselves as disabled. However, I learned at the disabilities seminar held Oct. 5 at our Ministry Center that we all are disabled in some way. I discovered I cannot give or understand sign language or Braille. Most recently, I discovered I cannot climb stairs or run as fast as I used to, and I have to have surgery on my knee. In a way...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference I’m excited about the work that is going on with the Strategic Planning Team (SPT) affirmed at this year’s Annual Conference. The team is meeting and doing its work. They have read and categorized all the various comments, ideas and opinions received during and after Annual Conference. We had great responses from both lay and clergy persons. At our September SPT meeting, I appointed the Rev. Dr. John Fiedler, Senior pastor of...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Are you aware of the many ways to communicate with one another these days? I’m learning about Twitter and Facebook, but I know there are many others. This year, I will begin what is known as blogging, using a link on the www.ntcumc.org website called, “Bishop’s Blog.” The link will be easy to find, right at the top left of the website homepage. What is it? I’m not sure yet, but I’m told that it is...

The Bishop: Getting Our Priorities Straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Have you ever expected one thing and experienced another? I had that happen a few weeks ago. I was invited to preach at St. Luke “Community” UMC in Dallas. I was prepared to Bishop Besdoe preach at the 11:00 a.m. worship service, but learned that I was scheduled to preach at the 8:00 a.m. service as well. Thoughts of traditional and typical early morning worship in a United Methodist congregation ran through my mind. Most, if not...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Do modern day miracles still happen in the world? In this bishop’s mind, they really do. Such a miracle happened regarding the Africa University campaign and its completion with the dedication of the Health Centre and the Health Science scholarships. For me, it was a miracle to see so many of the North Texas congregations join in to support the effort during a time when economic conditions have worsened to the lowest since the Great...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Have you ever wanted to get away from all that you have to do? Hectic schedules and lots of work to do…A few years ago, Leslie and I booked a cruise to celebrate our wedding anniversary. To be truthful, we wanted to get away by ourselves. To our surprise, we discovered that other clergy families we knew also booked the same cruise. We made a pact not to talk about church or work during the time away. One of the pastors turned off his...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

 BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference By the time many of you read this article, a small representative group from the North Texas Conference will be ready to make the trip to Africa University to participate in dedicating the new health clinic constructed with funds donated by NTC churches and individuals. Most of the participants on the trip have paid their own way to go. Others have received financial support from funds provided by local congregations to assist in this...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Have you ever thought about the role that vision plays in our lives? It is what enables us to take our eyes off our issues and the things around us and to focus on something much greater than ourselves. Vision plays an important part of our spiritual lives. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Actually, a more literal interpretation of the Hebrew text would be, “When people do not accept...

The Bishop: Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference Wow! What an awesome Annual Conference! Thank you, North Texas Conference leaders, for the way you participated in the holy conferencing process and handled the business of the Conference. We have come so far with telecommunications in the last 150 years, with most of the advances being made within the last 50 years. Although I am not a historian of communications, my recollection is that the earliest form of communicating was through...

The Bishop : Getting our priorities straight

BY BISHOP W. EARL BLEDSOE North Texas Conference By the time of this publication, the North Texas Annual Conference will be over. I will be traveling to Midland, Texas, to serve as the preacher for the Northwest Texas Annual Conference. After that, we will take some time off for rest and relaxation. Leslie and I plan to take a week’s vacation to unwind and renew our lives with God and with one another. I’ve come to realize that we as clergy have a difficult time stopping what...