United Methodist Women. Be Repairers of the Breach: A Sisterhood of Support!

After discussion with the conference leaders in the Gulf Coast Region, the Women’s Division knows these United Methodist Women won’t be able to meet their pledge to mission. You can help sisters in those conferences meet their 2005 pledge and serve in their own areas by giving a special offering. The Women's Division will divide the pledge according to need and in discussion with conference leaders. In return, The Women's Division will use pledges to empower women and children in these conferences, in the United States and around the world. Give life, empowerment and hope by sending a special offering to your district treasurer or the Women's Division!

Detach the form below and send it with your special offering to mission for 2005 to the Women's Division, 475 Riverside Drive, #1503, New York, NY 10115 or give it to your district treasurer.

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YES! I wish to give special offering to mission for 2005.
__ $25 __ $50 ____ $100 ____$500 ____$1000 ____Other

____I want to give a special offering on behalf of one of the conferences hardest hit by this fall's hurricanes. (Choices: Alabama-West Florida, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Rio Grande, North Texas, Rio Grande, Texas, Southwest Texas)

_____I want my local United Methodist Women, district and conference to receive credit for my pledge. United Methodist Church name/District/Conference and Address_______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Stories for Survivors, a NEW online resource for survivors of disaster

Stories for Survivors is a collection of Bible stories with discussion questions created for survivors of disaster. The stories are told without extensive commentary in order to allow personal and group discovery of the spiritual truths in each text that are most relevant to the needs of people who are in crisis and transition. The anticipated release for this online resource is the week of November 20, 2005 on the General Board of Discipleship’s evangelism web site http://www.umcevangelism.org/

Why Bible Stories?

What do you say to children to bring them comfort following disaster?
What anchors your soul when you’ve been displaced from your home?
What gives you stability when you are forced to live in temporary housing?
Where do you find faith?

Survivors of disaster are forced to deal with grief, post-traumatic stress and displacement issues. In a disaster few people pause to pick up an armful of books or sermon notes. Hearing and discussing Bible stories encourages people in crisis to see their unique challenges as stories of faith, struggle and perseverance.

What Are You Doing for the Holidays?

If you are recovering from disaster, the holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, can stir up unwanted grief and emotions. The first Bible story set from the Stories for Survivors collection is designed to help survivors journey with God through their first Thanksgiving and Christmas season following disaster. This eight-story set includes:

Elijah Meets God [Elijah on Mt. Horeb]
Thanks [The Ten Lepers]
Life After Rejection [Hagar]
There are Not Too Many People to Help [Jesus Feeds the 5000]
Victory Over Difficult Situations [Joseph in Egypt]
Preparing for the Birth of Jesus [The Pre-Christmas Story]
The Birth of Jesus [The Christmas Story]
Forced Displacement [Joseph, Mary and Jesus Flee to Egypt]

Suggested Use for Stories for Survivors:

Small groups
Sunday school
Home fellowships
Family devotions
Narrative preaching resource

Options for Bible storytelling:

Designate a Bible storyteller.
Play a recording of the Bible story
Read the printed Bible story dramatically.

Click on the links below for More Information on Bible Storytelling:

Resources and Training Opportunities:

Jack and Doris Day http://www.biblestorytelling.org/
International Orality Network http://www.oralbible.com/
Chronological Bible Storying http://www.chronologicalbiblestorying.com/
Making Disciples of Oral Learners [Occasional Paper -- Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism] http://community.gospelcom.net/lcwe/assets/LOP54_IG25.pdf

Stories for Survivors was initiated as a joint project between the General Board of Discipleship and Jack, Doris and Sam Day of Bible Storytelling, Inc. http://www.biblestorytelling.org/

_____________________________________________________________

Kwasi Kena is the Director of Evangelism Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship. Please direct suggestions and comments to him at kkena@gbod.org.
Copyright © 2005 the General Board of Discipleship.

Any or all of this page may be printed, copied, distributed, reprinted in church bulletins or newsletters, or otherwise used for nonprofit local church use with the inclusion of the copyright citation and General Board of Discipleship evangelism website (www.gbod.org/evangelism) as its source. It may not be used for profit or republication without prior permission. It may not be reproduced on another website, although other websites are welcome to link to it.

Storm relief stations established throughout Louisiana

By Betty Backstrom*

Office staff for the Louisiana Annual Conference bagged groceries and personal supplies for storm victims at the distribution center of the Uptown United Methodist Storm/Recovery Station at First Street United Methodist Church in New Orleans. La. A UMNS photo by Betty Backstrom.



BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS)- First Street United Methodist Church, located in the central part of New Orleans, is one of six storm relief/recovery stations being established in areas of Louisiana affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference in setting up the stations, carefully chosen to offer close proximity to storm victims in hard hit areas.

"First Street United Methodist Church offers a prime location for one of these stations," said the Rev. Lance Eden, pastor. "Although our facilities were blessed to virtually be spared from the devastation, the area surrounding the church for miles was severely impacted."
Each storm relief/recovery station is staffed by a director, a construction director, a case management director and a part-time administrative assistant.

"The director works with volunteer teams coming in the area to provide relief and recovery assistance. We are still in the relief phase for most areas," said Jim Bailey, director of the Slidell United Methodist Storm Relief/Recovery Station at Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
As recovery and rebuilding begin, a construction director will oversee efforts to ensure that all work is completed properly and efficiently. The case management director will assist a team of case managers, serving as volunteers, who will work with storm victims to determine their specific needs and develop a recovery program to meet those needs.

"Perhaps an individual needs help with debris removal. Another may need help with construction because their insurance coverage and help from FEMA does not quite cover all their costs. Maybe someone needs a new refrigerator, but with all the financial losses suffered, they simply can't afford to buy one. Once the case manager determines those needs, then the wheels are put in motion to find solutions," said the Rev. Darryl Tate, director of the Baton Rouge based Louisiana United Methodist Storm Recovery Center, which oversees the

United Methodists help schools keep operating in Congo

A UMNS Feature By Allison Scahill*

Hundreds of United Methodist-affiliated schools, ranging from primary schools to seminaries, are educating children in the Democratic Republic of Congo with very limited funds or supplies.
Most of these schools are almost completely supported by both the United Methodist Church and the government, said Robert Mpoyo, executive secretary, Africa Office for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

The Advance for Christ and His Church, the denomination's second-mile giving program, has had a major role in helping fund all levels of the Congolese schools, Mpoyo said.
"The Advance is a channel for funds. It helps pay for the salary of the teacher, but it can only do so much," he said.

Even with the Advance, the schools require much more funding, said Russell Scott, executive secretary of Advance coordination for the Board of Global Ministries."What you are going to find is that in the levels of need, the levels of asking are far greater than these Advance gifts that are received, which in many cases means that the Advance gifts are oftentimes very critical," he said. "They make a real difference as to whether or not teachers get paid."

Most secondary teachers probably only make about US$10 per month working in the Congo, Mpoyo said. When converted, that equals about 3,900 Congolese francs.

"The salary of teachers now has become a very, very big problem," he said. "Normally in the Congo and other places in Africa, education consists of a partnership between the church and the government. (In) some places, the government provided the building (of the school) and the salary to teachers. But the pay is not very consistent."

In the Congo, Africa's third-largest country, other problems include overcrowded classes, lack of transportation, a dearth of supplies, and no continuing education for teachers, Mpoyo said. In addition, students often go to school hungry, he said.

Parents will often carry a heavy load in order to help the teachers survive. They are required to give a monthly parent contribution, whether it is money, food or whatever they can find, Mpoyo said.

"Parents have to play a very big role," he explained. "That's why now, because of the impossibility of the state to fulfill its role of paying the salary to the teacher, that's why the burden is put on the parent."

Through a program called "Sharing the Costs," parents have been making contributions for more than 10 years, said Wilson Nkulu Kiluba, a former teacher in several higher-learning institutions in the Congo. "So, it doesn't solve the problem, but at least it provides a kind of steady income."

Kiluba said the schools where he worked were supported by the United Methodist Church.
"The Advance is responding to the mission of the vision, the priority of the people, so we open up the opportunity for them to present their vision and their goals through a channel where we can fund-raise to accomplish their vision," Mpoyo said.

Jeff and Ellen Hoover, visiting professors of church history at Katanga Methodist University, said they have been missionaries with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1979.

Jeff Hoover said the university in Mulungwishi incorporates the theological seminary that dates back to 1951, as well as colleges of information technology and education that have begun since the change of charter in 2001-02.

"Advance Specials for the seminary have provided scholarships for almost two generations of United Methodist pastors, as the seminary served all of the (Democratic Republic of Congo) from 1956 until around 1980," he said. The scholarships cover a good portion of the costs of going to school, he said.

"Since nearly all the students are on scholarship, the Advance for scholarships in effect supports nearly all the costs of the seminary, including professors' salaries, building repairs, office supplies and other expenses involved in operating a university," Hoover said.
Other Advance Special funds have financed construction projects and library upgrading for bachelor's and master's level programs, he said.

"The Advance is by far the largest funding source for this institution. Visitors during the last two years have given (Katanga Methodist University) the evaluation of the strongest United Methodist seminary in Africa … and as having as good a faculty as any theological seminary they knew in Western Europe. Almost all of our living graduates are serving in Congo as pastors."
The Advance has been raising funds to buy a building that holds six classrooms for the English-speaking School of Lubumbashi, a United Methodist international school. About $225,000 is needed to buy the building.

The school was formed in 1987 to serve the needs of missionary families of various denominations, families with nongovernmental organizations, and others in the community whose children wanted a higher education in English-speaking countries, said school Director Ellen Hoover.

"The school's operating budget is basically self-supporting from tuition. Advance Special funds have been used for various things," she said. "During the recent five years of war from 1998, when people living on the local economy were having great difficulty paying school fees and many families left Congo, TESOL was able to offer scholarships for children from several English-speaking families. The English-speaking School of Lubumbashi (TESOL) is an interdenominational Christian school serving English speaking communities in the predominantly French-speaking Democratic Republic of Congo.

"(The school) now needs additional space, and the French government has decided to dispose of its property in Lubumbashi," she said. "As occupants, TESOL has a wonderful opportunity to purchase the entire primary and secondary school complex, along with associated undeveloped land."

She said the facilities not needed immediately could help other United Methodist education programs, such as the Katanga Methodist University, which is starting short-term computer training and will soon need to place education students in Lubumbashi schools for internships.
Contributions for The English-Speaking School of Lubumbashi may be designated for Advance Special #10337A and placed in church collection plates or sent to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068.

*Scahill is a mass communications major at United Methodist-related Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan.

Doctors, Nurses Needed to Staff Biloxi, MS Clinic

There will be a four nurses going to Biloxi to staff some Lutheran church-run clinics Dec. 4-11. Hermitage UMC is helping to underwrite the expense of this trip. The team is composed of two non-Methodists and three Methodists, one of whom will be a driver and do other jobs at the clinics or in the community as needed.

I am looking forward to taking this trip--and hope it turns out to be an ongoing event-for as long as nurses and doctors are needed.

Any nurses and doctors who want to work for a while in Biloxi can contact me at 615-758-8859 or 615-883-3918 (Hermitage UMC). Room, roard, showers, and laundry facilities are available.

Blessings, Sue Johnson, RN
suejohnsonrn@netscape.net

Katrina Aid Today: A Church-side View

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the humanitarian relief and rehabilitation agency of The United Methodist Church and a unit of the church’s General Board of Global Ministries, is the lead agency in a federally-funded program to assist large numbers of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane struck the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico on August 29, affecting an area of more than 90,000 square miles in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

This Question and Answer paper is intended to describe and interpret Katrina Aid Today for United Methodist Church leaders and members and other religious audiences.

I. Definitions and Scope

Q. 1 What is Katrina Aid Today?

A. Katrina Aid (formally: Katrina Aid Today: A National Case Management Consortium) is an effort to help qualifying families achieve long-term recovery from the hurricane’s devastation. The program provides individual workers to help individual families resolve the complicated problems and needs preventing full recovery. Unmet needs addressed may include housing, employment, healthcare, childcare, insurance counseling, and access to public and private assistance funds. The approach is comprehensive and may involve multiple services and referrals. The program does not provide direct aid; rather, it assesses needs and helps families find solutions.

Q. 2 Why is such a program needed?

A. Hurricane Katrina is the most destructive storm to ever hit the United States. Its impact was so widespread and so intense that it left an unprecedented number of Americans in acute distress and destroyed communities beyond their ability to recover on their own. Many individuals and families were evacuated to places hundreds, even thousands of miles from home; others remain nearer home, often in temporary housing. For numerous people, the sheer complexity of their situations is overwhelming.

Q. 3 How many people will Katrina Aid assist, and where?

A. Katrina Aid is designed to serve 100,000 families, or approximately 300,000 persons both in their home states and across the country.

Q. 4 How long does it last?

A. For two years starting in late 2005 and early 2006, with about 22 months of operational time; extension may be possible as continuing needs are evaluated.

Q. 5 Where is the funding from, and how much?

A. From the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a unit of the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA is providing $66 million for the two years. This particular money is from that contributed by foreign governments to post-Katrina rehabilitation.

Q. 6 How will Katrina Aid Today work?

A. UMCOR, as the lead agency, will manage the grant, of which $60 million will be passed through to other organizations also equipped to organize the “case management” (see below for definition) that can advance the recovery process. Between six and twelve other agencies will form the consortium of providers. Consortium members will employ case mangers who will work directly with families. (See below for more information on Operations and Expected Outcomes.)

II. Church Relations

Q. 7 How and why was UMCOR selected as lead agency?

A. The goal of sixty-five year-old UMCOR is to alleviate human suffering, providing practical and proactive support to the most vulnerable survivors of chronic or temporary emergencies natural or civil. Deliberations within an existing coalition, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD), of which UMCOR is a part, showed the need for extra efforts to help Katrina survivors through case management. With NVOAD’s cooperation, UMCOR submitted a proposal to FEMA for what developed into Katrina Aid Today. UMCOR was a logical lead because of its extensive experience in working with disaster survivors in the USA and around the world. It was already working with FEMA in training post-Katrina case managers for evacuees being housed on a large ship in the Gulf of Mexico. It has worked in the past and currently with several United Methodist annual (regional) conferences in post-disaster case management. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, UMCOR did case management with families and individuals through a large church-funded program called Love in the Midst of Tragedy.

UMCOR’s “Guiding Values for Humanitarian Relief Work” are appended to this document.

Q. 8 Is it unusual for a church-related agency to receive a government grant for humanitarian work?

A. No. Post-Katrina efforts are themselves unusual, but it is not unprecedented or surprising for UMCOR and other church-related humanitarian agencies to receive government funds for programs that assist the general public. It happens frequently in both the USA and other places. Building on initiatives started with church dollars, UMCOR in the past has received funds from government agencies not only in the USA but also in Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and from the Council of Europe. Funders for humanitarian services look for capacity and performance.

No church-related agency doing relief and rehabilitation could survive on grants from governments. Gifts contributed by church members and friends are essential not only for emergency services following disasters but also for response to long-term human needs not covered by government and other sources. The Katrina Aid Today grant does not diminish the continuing need for voluntary support of UMCOR, which itself get a relatively small part of the total allocation.

Q. 9 Is there a theological rationale for United Methodist involvement through UMCOR in Katrina Aid?

A. Yes. The United Methodist Church, reflecting the teachings of John Wesley, the 18th century founder of Methodism, takes seriously Jesus’ admonition to attend to both friends and strangers in physical and emotional distress. The Church believes that “God is love” and tries to live accordingly. Managing Katrina Aid Today illustrates the United Methodist understanding of the Gospel’s mandate to care for persons in need.

Q. 10 Is Katrina Aid designed to promote the United Methodist Church?

A. No. Katrina Aid is nonsectarian. UMCOR never engages in religious proselytization in the guise of humanitarian assistance. The United Methodist Church never conditions humanitarian aid on religious affiliation or sentiment. Should persons served by Katrina Aid request an introduction to a faith community, the consortium member in charge may make referrals as they might to social service providers.

Q. 11 Can church- or religion-related organizations apply for participation in the case management consortium?

A. Yes. Many of the members of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD) are themselves related to religious groups and some can be expected to become consortium members and implementers. In addition, non-NVOAD organizations can apply if they have a national scope in relief work. In the case of UMCOR, case management implementation will be carried out not by the agency itself but through annual conference disaster organizations, some of which are already doing case management. This regranting is possible because United Methodist annual conferences in the USA are each separately incorporated not-for-profit organizations and can accept pass-through funds.

Q. 12 Are any church funds involved?

A. Yes. Each member of the consortium, including UMCOR, will provide in-kind services and are themselves engaged in post-Katrina assistance using their own money. Consortium members are expected to contribute some $35 million to case management of the kind offered by Katrina Aid. UMCOR has set aside $5 million of the funds contributed by church members to help annual conferences and other United Methodist agencies that want to engage or strengthen post-Katrina case management. This is related to but distinct from Katrina Aid Today. The overall effect will greatly enhance the long-term recovery of Katrina survivors.

Q. 13 How can faith-motivated persons be involved?

A. Several ways: 1) spreading the word of the program in areas where Katrina survivors are currently living, 2) applying when qualified to become staff or volunteer case managers (see below), 3) supporting volunteer humanitarian organizations engaged in the program, 4) and praying in their own ways for the future welfare of hurricane survivors.

III. Operations and Expected Outcomes

Q. 13 Just what is case management?

A. The term “case” comes from the field of social service. It names a family or individual who needs face-to-face encounters with a trained “case manager” to overcome obstacles to self-sufficiency or accomplish certain goals. It involves a range of activities and referrals. In disaster response settings, a caring case manager helps survivors understand services and benefits to which they may be entitled or for which they may apply; provides guidance in the steps to full recovery; and continues support until the families or persons are able to stand or their own.

Q. 14 How will the families served be identified and selected?

A. Likely participants will learn about Katrina Aid Today through the news media, advertisements, word of mouth, door-to-door canvasses, referrals by other agencies, and announcements at religious and community events. Many of the organizations that will implement Katrina Aid are already offering some type of post-hurricane care and know of unmet needs. Many evacuees are concentrated in particular locales. An intake process will establish that loss and distress were the result of Hurricane Katrina. This program does not serve survivors of other 2005 hurricanes.

Q. 15 How will the onsite work be done?

A. The organizations selected as members of the National Case Management Consortium will employ some 600 professional and recruit 2,400 volunteer case managers. A typical model would be that each professional manager would work with four volunteers. These managers will live in the communities they serve and will have access to local assistance resources both Katrina-related and general, governmental and private. UMCOR is responsible for Katrina Aid case management training. Not every qualified family will be served immediately because that would require a vast number of managers. Need priorities will be set and managers will take new cases as older ones are resolved.

Q. 16. What are the responsibilities of the survivors?

A. They must commit themselves to the case management process, which includes working with the manager in making a plan of action for disaster recovery.

Q. 17 When and how will consortium members (the implementers) be selected?

A. An application and selection process will be completed by December 9, 2005. They will be selected by a panel of specialists from organizations that are not applying. Those chosen must be not for profit corporations with 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service. All faith-based partners must adhere to the principle of the non-proselytization of beneficiaries. They must agree to federally-stipulated reporting requirements.

Q. 18 Will new organizations be set up to take advantage of the program?

A. No. Katrina Aid Today is not a training ground for new players in relief and rehabilitation. It requires experience and know-how in working with persons in distress through the case management approach.

Q. 19 Is it realistic to think that $66 million can get 100,000 hurricane-devastated families on their feet in two years?

A. Yes. The locations of many of the survivors with unmet and continuing needs are already known and the kinds of organizations that will do the implementation have strong case management skills. A built-in process of evaluation will indicate whether more time may be needed for some survivors in especially challenging situations.

IV. For additional Information:

Online at:
Katrina Aid Today: www.katrinaaidtoday.org
United Methodist Committee on Relief: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters: www.nvoad.org

E-mail:
umcor@gbgm-umc.org

Telephone (as of November 17, 2005): 212 870-3815

Mail (as of November 17, 2005)
Katrina Aid Today
475 Riverside Drive, Room 330,
New York, NY 10115

When fully operational, Katrina Aid will have an administrative office in Washington, DC, and a media office at the New York address.

The United Methodist Church in Service
The United Methodist Church--through its annual conferences and its agencies, including UMCOR--provides a wide spectrum of services to disaster-affected communities, families and individuals. This is seen as “mission,” as a good gift of God, a welcomed privilege to witness to our Christian faith. That government recognizes the capacity of our Church to help in a broad social way expresses confidence in our historic experience and skill. While the Katrina response continues, The United Methodist Church and its people will also be fully engaged in similar acts of service around the globe. We thank God for every opportunity to serve brothers and sisters in the human family.

Paul Dirdak
Deputy General Secretary
United Methodist Committee on Relief
General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church


UMCOR’s Guiding Values for Humanitarian Relief

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the United Methodist Church, a worldwide denomination. For 65 years UMCOR has responded internationally to natural or human made disasters—those interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own.

UMCOR’s mission is to alleviate human suffering. We provide practical, proactive support to the most vulnerable survivors of chronic or temporary emergencies due to natural or civil causes.

UMCOR honors cultural differences. We deliver aid to people without regard to race, religion, politics, or gender. We seek input from local communities in identifying needs. All people have dignity and worth. The most essential partner in UMCOR’s work is the beneficiary, the ultimate end-user of our service. There are no “victims” in our vocabulary. There are only survivors whose courage, along with a humanitarian helping hand, can transform communities.

UMCOR always works with partners—usually in local settings. Civic organizations, faith communities, school leaders and other local resources are great assets to sustainable recovery and development, particularly after massive traumatic events. They exist close to the beneficiary and will continue to serve as positive influences in the community after UMCOR’s work is complete.

UMCOR is a good steward of our gifts and grants. Private donors can designate their gifts to our programs with the assurance that100 percent is spent on the programs. The 8.5 million members of the United Methodist Church assure our ability to guarantee this through undesignated giving that underwrites our general administrative expenses.

UMCOR manages its public grants with equal care, spending less than 10 percent on administrative costs.

UMCOR avoids tying the promise of its relief and development activity to any religious or political viewpoint.

UMCOR welcomes the good efforts of countless individuals and churches who support us through gifts and prayers and service. We incorporate volunteer action everywhere we can and ask our supporters to accept that sometimes it is not appropriate. We appeal to all volunteers to keep learning as their first objective so that the consequences of their service may become a true benefit.

(Katrina Aid Today Q&A 1, November 17, 2005)

Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conference

White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Thursday, December 8, 2005
8:00AM - 5:00PM

Loews Vanderbilt Hotel
2100 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203

On Thursday, December 8, 2005, the White House and the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, and Education, the Agency for International Development, and the Small Business Administration will host a conference in Nashville to help faith-based and community organizations learn more about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative.

The event is geared towards representatives from social service groups that have experience with the government grants process, but are interested in producing more competitive applications.

The conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit www.fbci.gov to register online.

Please register by Friday, December 2. If you must cancel your registration, please send an email to fbci@dtihq.com so we may accommodate as many people as possible.

The conference is part of a series of regional conferences that are being held around the country. These conferences will provide participants with information about the Federal funding process, available funding opportunities, and the legal requirements that come with the receipt of Federal funds. They will also offer practical information on the grant-writing process, provide the opportunity to inform State and local officials about equal treatment regulations, and facilitate opportunities to network with government officials.

The conference will offer two workshop tracks: Federal Grant Programs and State-Administered Federal Programs. Both tracks have five sessions.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in both tracks.

For more information, please call 202-456-6718, send an email to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit www.fbci.gov.


1201 New York Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20525
202-606-5000
fbci@cns.gov
www.nationalservice.gov

Methodists respond to disasters in Mexico, Central America

Nov. 15, 2005
By United Methodist News Service*

United Methodists are helping provide relief to hurricane-stricken areas of Central America and Mexico.

At the beginning of October, Hurricane Stan caused flooding and landslides in Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. In Guatemala alone, more than 1,500 people were dead or missing, and dozens of deaths were reported in the other four countries. The disaster also killed cattle and destroyed houses, roads and cultivated areas.

"Conscious of the situation in the affected areas of Chiapas, the Methodist Church of Mexico has opened its doors in many parts of the Federal District as storehouse centers," said Bishop Moisés Valderrama, with the Methodist Church of Mexico. "These centers are receiving donations."

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is helping the affected people through the Native Ecological Federation of Chiapas. The flood ruined the coffee crops, and UMCOR is working to reach the area with help.

In Guatemala, UMCOR has started a relief program in the disaster areas and is determining the best way to provide long-term help. United Methodist missionary Eunice Arias is working on site to evaluate the situation.

"The feelings of vulnerability, pain and fear overwhelm the people of Guatemala at this moment," said Arias, with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. "The storm brought flooding, landslides and destruction to entire neighborhoods cutting roads and bridges. The cities haven't been immune to the lack of electricity, water and communications.

"The people of the National Evangelical Methodist Church of Quetzaltenango have joined the community relief work and are looking for ways to provide housing," she said.

El Salvador was not only struck by Hurricane Stan but also by the Oct. 1 eruption of the Lamatepec (Father Hill) volcano, which had been dormant since 1904. The Lamatepec is the highest point in the country at 7,804 feet above sea level. The eruption killed at least two people and forced thousands of people to evacuate the zone. The ashes destroyed the coffee plantations.

"The volcano from Santa Ana, in the western part of the country, had a violent eruption, throwing ashes and incandescent rocks, which provoked the destruction of property and people in Ahuachapán, Santa Ana and Sonsonete," said the Rev. Juan de Dios, a pastor in El Salvador. "Houses, streets, trees, vehicles - everything was covered with ashes.

"Many volunteers from the Methodist Church have reacted immediately to the emergency," he said. "We went to the disaster area to help evacuate people to refugee sites, (such) as churches, schools, and stadiums. People are in need of food, water, clothes and medicines. The Methodist Clinic in Ahuachapán has been treating respiratory problems and skin burns.

"We give thanks to God because we have experienced the unity of the people of God and the love of Christ in so many volunteers that are providing humanitarian aid with the Methodist Church of El Salvador," he said.

In El Salvador UMCOR is working with the Methodist Church of El Salvador and Action by Churches Together, the relief and development arm of the World Council of Churches. The United Methodist relief agency has provided grants for relief work in El Salvador, and Volunteers in Mission teams are also working on the recovery.

Contributions can be designated for "UMCOR Advance #501300, Central America Emergency," and sent to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Donations also can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or by going online to www.methodistrelief.org.

*This report was compiled by Humberto Casanova, associate editor of El Interprete magazine at United Methodist Communications.

Church helps families living paycheck-to-paycheck after Wilma

Mounds of sand are piled up in the middle of the street by city workers in Key West, Fla. The sand covered the street as a result of Hurricane Wilma which hit Florida on October 24. A UMNS photo courtesy of Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA
Nov. 11, 2005



By Nancy E. Johnson*



WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (UMNS) - An assembly line formed in the four-bay garage of United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches. Flood buckets filled with supplies passed from one hand to the next.

"Just keep swinging," volunteers called.

The high winds and heavy rains Hurricane Wilma brought Oct. 24 are gone, but the devastation remains. In Palm Beach County, hundreds of thousands of people lost power. Many have been turning to ministries and churches such as the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches for help.

"It's the ones who live paycheck to paycheck, and they can't go back to work because work is gone or doesn't need them - those are the ones that are really hurting and depend on us to get by," said the Rev. David McEntire, pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches.

The West Palm Beach church is one of many United Methodist congregations in the denomination's Florida Annual (regional) Conference responding to the disaster - in many cases as they recover from the storm themselves. Members have left their own desperate situations behind and volunteered to help others.

For some, that has meant doing kitchen duty. On a Saturday afternoon nearly a week after the storm hit, the aroma of chicken, rice and jambalaya filled the fellowship hall. It was the first hot meal many of the hurricane survivors had eaten in a long time.

"A lady came in to eat a meal. She was standing in line crying," McEntire said. "She said she'd been eating crackers for four days. She was dressed nice and looked like she should have the wherewithal to do it, but she ran out of food."

The church served more than a thousand hot meals that day. Volunteers filled 500 bags with nonperishable food for families. Angela Ligonde is a Riviera Beach resident who stopped by to feed her family.

"No grocery stores are open in Riviera. There's no power. We have nothing," Ligonde said. "I have five kids, so anything I can get to help my kids helps."

Winford Wilhoit lives in a mobile home at Lakeside of the Palm Beaches. He showed up at the church for a hot meal. He reported that Wilma flattened at least 75 of the 300 mobile homes in his community but spared his.

"Some of the older homes, (Wilma) just split them open like a can opener. Some people ain't got nothing. ... But I appreciate the help," Wilhoit said.

A quick drive through the Palm Beaches revealed a community ravaged by Wilma. At Christian Manor nursing home, the storm peeled off the roof and crushed two cars in the parking lot. The nursing home lost power for five days, so United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches prepared meals for the 125 residents.

The church building suffered only minor damage, with a few tiles coming off the roof, but next door, Wilma demolished City Furniture's warehouse showroom. McEntire believes his church was spared for a reason.

"The utilities at our church were turned on by the second day in Frances, Jeanne and now Wilma. That's unusual, but it allowed us to get up and running to help people," McEntire said.

Church teams are putting tarps on damaged homes and clearing fallen trees, and members distributed clothes left over from a rummage sale to needy families.

Donna Luther is a church volunteer who's been unloading trucks and serving meals. "We have no power, so we can sit at home and do nothing or (we can) help," she said.

Church member Luciana Dearaujo is also using his talents to serve. His construction job is on hold because of the storm's aftermath, but he has volunteered to cut trees and clear branches. He believes the relief effort at United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches is a blessing for those who need the help and those who give it.

"When people come looking for help, they help my spirit," Dearaujo said. "It gives me the amazing feeling of serving. It makes me feel good."

People interested in helping with recovery and cleanup can contact the Florida Annual Conference's Storm Recovery Center at (800) 282-8011, Ext. 149, or stormrecovery@flumc.org.

Donations can be sent to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and designated for UMCOR Advance No. 982523, "Hurricanes 2005 Global." Contributions can be made online at http://www.methodistrelief.org, at local churches or by phone at (800) 554-8583. Checks given at local churches should be made payable to the local church. Contributions mailed to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068 should be made payable to UMCOR.

*Johnson is a Florida-based, freelance television and print journalist. This story was provided by e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service.

Tennessee Conference Woman Responds to Call as Foreign Missionary

Victoria Bowman





Victoria has been active in missions at Forest Hills UMC for several years. Through that ministry, she felt a strong call of the Lord to serve full time in foreign missions. She is answering the call by preparing to serve in Karaganda, Kazakhstan for a 5-year term. She will teach English as a second language, using that as a means to build relationships with local people through which she can share the love of Christ. Victoria joins a mission team in Kazakhstan dedicated to establishing churches in this region of North Central Asia. Victoria needs your support in prayers, as well as in donations. You may email her at vybowman@hotmail.com and you may send donations to: The Mission Society, P.O. Box 922637, Norcross, GA 30010-2637 and designate gifts: "Bowman Support 5/292/VB"

Trustees plan to start rebuilding Gulfside center

Foundation pilings and a plastic sign are all that remain of a building at the historic Gulfside Assembly grounds in Waveland, Miss., following Hurricane Katrina. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.




Nov. 10, 2005
A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*

Hurricane Katrina washed away the United Methodist Church's historic Gulfside Assembly retreat center Aug. 29, but plans are in the works to bring the center back to life.

"We will rebuild," said Mollie M. Stewart, president of the Gulfside Board of Trustees. A committee headed by the Rev. Earl Bledsoe will look at rebuilding and determining what programs are needed now and for the future.

"Previously we were always challenged to build around how a new structure would look in relation to the other buildings," Stewart said.
"We don't have that challenge now. We can determine for the future what Gulfside needs to look like."

Gulfside Director Marian Martin, who lost everything in the storm, has relocated to an office in Atlanta. The office is on the campus of Gammon Theological Seminary.

The board of trustees, meeting Oct. 13-14 in Atlanta, also voted to pay down the center's debt and work to establish a relationship with Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The board wants to strike a relationship with FEMA to have proceeds coming in but also to act as a missional agency in the community for people to live, Stewart said.

The board voted to pay three months' salary to the 10 employees who were at Gulfside before the storm hit.

The hurricane's financial impact on Gulfside is not known yet. "We're still working with the insurance companies," Stewart said. All of the assembly's 14 buildings were lost. One of them, a residential building that was left standing, will have to be demolished because of damage from water and two trees that fell through the ceiling, she said.

A lot of clearing is needed, but all the staff and board members came through the storm all right. "Everyone had some damage, but no one was lost," Stewart said. "Everyone is in the recovery stage."

A Gulfside Recovery Fund has been set up, and all the board members are looking for fund-raising opportunities, she said.

"Insurance won't replace Gulfside in total."

Bishop Robert E. Jones founded Gulfside in 1923 as a residential school for African-American boys living in rural areas of the United States. The center became a popular vacation and meeting spot during racial segregation in the South. When the United Methodist Church integrated in the late 1960s, the retreat center declined in usage but still hosted meetings and conferences.

For information about the recovery fund, contact the Atlanta office at 80 Walnut St. SW, P.O. Box 92364, Atlanta, GA 30314; telephone: (404) 529-9715.

Donations to support the United Methodist response to Hurricane Katrina can be made online at www.methodistrelief.org and by phone at (800) 554-8583. Checks can be written to UMCOR, designated for "Hurricanes 2005 Global," Advance No. 982523, and left in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068.

Gulfside receives funding in part through the denomination's Advance for Christ and His Church. Donations can be designated for "Gulfside Assembly Program," Advance Special No. 761337-2, or "Gulfside Assembly Capital Fund," Advance Special No. 760235-1, and sent to the UMCOR address.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Ending hunger is achievable, book says

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*


Robert Dole (left), the Rev. Donald Messer (center) and George McGovern launch their book at the National Press Club in Washington. A UMNS Photo by Wendy Whiteside.


Two decades ago, the horrors of famine were thrust upon the world through photographs of hollow-eyed, starving children in Ethiopia.

This year, the starving children can be found in Niger - and Malawi, Zimbabwe, and several other countries in southern Africa. Some 12 million people across the region are in urgent need of food aid, according to the United Nations' World Food Programme.

But the Rev. Don Messer, a United Methodist theologian at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, believes the problem of hunger can be solved, despite situations like those in Niger.

"You always have to address the issue of famine," he tells United Methodist News Service. What has not worked, however, is using "a quick fix for an immediate solution but without dealing with enduring malnutrition issues or food insecurity on a broad scale."

Ending Hunger Now: A Challenge to Persons of Faith, written and edited by Messer, along with former Senators Robert Dole, R-Kansas, and George McGovern, D-South Dakota, focuses on long-term solutions. The book was published this fall by Fortress Press.

"It's really a scandal morally and religiously that we should just accept the status quo of 850 million people chronically malnourished in the world," Messer says.

The three United Methodist authors believe the time is ripe, politically, to make world hunger a thing of the past. "Political leaders of the world have decided that we are going to eliminate hunger," Messer explains. "We'll no longer pretend that this cannot be done. It can be done."

The book also "seeks to build a broad biblical, theological basis for feeding the hungry," to undergird the commitment to ending hunger, he says.

Enough hungry people exist to form their own continent. "If we lived in this part of the world, we might very well be the one of every five people who is hungry, one of four who lacks safe drinking water and one of three who lives on less than $1 a day," Messer writes in the book. "The probability of our being homeless, jobless and suffering from disease (is) quite high."

Hunger also impacts other problems in the world. He points to an increasing awareness that malnourished people don't respond well to drugs and that hunger must be addressed as part of the treatment for HIV/AIDS.

Messer will join McGovern to talk about that particular connection Nov. 15 at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. They will speak as part of the United Methodist-related university's 2005 McGovern Center Conference, "Battling the Death Spiral: Hunger and HIV/AIDS."

HIV/AIDS also impacts food security issues. "In southern Africa, many regions are left with only the elderly and the young, since those adults who would normally be the most productive are too ill to work in the fields," the book reports. "By 2020, it is estimated that one-fifth of the agricultural labor force in southern Africa will have been lost to the disease."

As a boy in South Dakota, McGovern saw hunger during the Great Depression years, but never witnessed real starvation until he was stationed in war-ravaged Italy near the end of World War II. In 1960, President Kennedy named McGovern as the first director of U.S. Food for Peace. Later, in the U.S. Senate, he and Dole helped enlarge the food stamp and school lunch programs and launched the WIC program for needy mothers and their infants.

"Ending hunger requires two fundamental ingredients," McGovern writes. "In the short term, we must underwrite the direct distribution of food to those currently hungry and starving because of the disruption of war, internal upheaval, drought, floods, pestilence or AIDS.

"In the longer term, technical advisory and financial assistance must be provided to strengthen agricultural production and food distribution and to improve the quality of rural life on the farms and in the villages where most of the people of the globe reside. We also need to strengthen and protect our forests, fisheries, land, water and air."

Dole points to a "very proud history of bipartisanship in the war against hunger," including the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

"I favor a universal school lunch program for several reasons," he writes. "First of all, from a purely humanitarian viewpoint, a universal school lunch program makes great sense for the United States. The greatest gift anyone can give is life, and we have it in our power not only to help 300 million children around the world survive but to give them a chance at a better life because of our kindness.

"Another wonderful benefit of a universal school lunch program is that it helps get these millions of hungry and disadvantaged children to school. The promise of a meal - in many cases, the promise of life - will bring children to school who otherwise would not or could not attend, and once the educators have them, great things become possible."

Ending Hunger Now is designed for study and dialogue, according to Messer. He said he hopes local churches will discuss issues raised by the book and "see the need for being advocates and lobbyists for the poor of the world."

The book's recommendations for doing "more than random acts of kindness" to help end hunger include:

" Focusing specifically on assistance to women and children, who are most vulnerable to hunger and poverty.

" Recognizing the contradictions of living the "good life" while others suffer in poverty.

" Making a commitment to become personally involved in the fight to end hunger and linking that involvement to spiritual faith.

" Linking with governments and nongovernmental organizations to bring about a hunger-free world.

Information about ordering Ending Hunger Now is available at www.fortresspress.com, the publisher's Web site.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Hermitage United Methodist Church sponsoring Early Response Training

On November 20th, Hermitage United Methodist Church is sponsoring, in cooperation with the Tennessee Annual Conference Emergency Response Committee, an intense 3 hour workshop on Early Response in Case of Disaster. The workshop will be held in the church's Fellowship Hall which is located at 4250 Andrew Jackson Blvd., Hermitage, TN 37076, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The training is designed for individuals or groups within local churches who are working on the formation of a team or teams to respond quickly and meaningfully to disaster in cooperation with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

Further information about the event can be obtained from the workshop contact person, Emily Bishop, at 902-9213.

Registrar for the Early Response Workshop is Vivian Cate at 615-516-4958, rtvdcate@ifriendly.com

Native Americans create hurricane relief fund

Nov. 4, 2005

By United Methodist News Service

A new United Methodist fund will assist Native American families affected by the recent Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The fund was developed by the denomination's Southeastern Jurisdictional Agency for Native American Ministries after a national team of United Methodist American Indians visited Louisiana and Mississippi in late September.

"Many times during crisis situations, Indian people tend to be left out or overlooked," said Darlene Jacobs, director of SEJANAM.

"I did not think that I would be surprised at anything I would see," said the Rev. Dwayne Lowry, pastor of New Philadelphus United Methodist Church, Pembroke, N.C. "There were large boats in the tops of large trees from 10 miles away, refrigerators, debris and mattresses along highways, and the smell was breathtaking."

The focus of the trip was to assess the extent of damage left by Hurricane Katrina within native communities, Jacobs said.

Team members included Wade Hunt, chair of the Rockingham District Native American Cooperative Ministry and of missions at Prospect United Methodist Church, Maxton, N.C.; the Rev. Sylvia Collins, coordinator of Rockingham District Native American Cooperative Ministry and pastor of Branch Street United Methodist Church, Lumberton, N.C.; Tony Locklear, EMS technician, Lumberton, N.C.; George Locklear, missions chair, New Philadelphus United Methodist Church, Pembroke, N.C.; Lowry and Jacobs.

The group first traveled to Mobile, Ala., to visit native communities of the Alabama Choctaw. There the team met an evacuee family with three children from Louisiana living with a paralyzed relative in the Salcedeaver Community.

"We visited the Gulfport and Waveland areas," Jacobs said. "The level of disaster is truly beyond the utterance of words."

The team met with representatives of the Dulac Community of the Houma Nation in Louisiana. The United Houma Nation, which is state recognized, experienced the greatest level of devastation.

Pat Arunold, director of the Louisiana Commission of Indian Affairs, reported that more than 4,000 members of the Houma Nation were displaced across the Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. Two shelters are set-up to house affected families.

The Dulac (La.) Community Center in Terrebonne Parish has a clothes closet, a food pantry, an intake office for services, and other programs. In addition, the center is designated as a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission and United Methodist Commission on Relief site.

When Hurricane Rita hit Sept. 24, Clanton Chapel United Methodist Church in Dulac had two feet of floodwater inside the sanctuary, which is built six feet off the ground.

"The area received eight feet of water, the most we've ever gotten," said the Rev. Kirby Vining, pastor.

The Dulac Community Center, which houses a thriving United Methodist ministry serving the largely Native American population of the area, suffered flood damage.

"Fortunately, the dormitory building was all right, since it sits 10 feet off the ground," said the Rev. Roger Lathan, Acadiana district superintendent. The dormitories are frequently used by Volunteers in Mission teams that conduct programs for children in the area and assist with local construction projects.

The fact-finding team also visited Philadelphia and Meridian cities in Mississippi, home of the Mississippi Choctaw. There were power outages and downed trees.

"Fortunately in this community, there was no lost of life within the native community," Jacobs said.

SEJANAM is working with leaders at the national level, in the Rockingham District Native American Cooperative Ministry and church leaders across the jurisdiction to coordinate work teams to provide assistance and relief to native families. The Rev. Sylvia Collins, Rockingham coordinator, said that the ministry has a wonderful history of providing work teams in the Southeast Jurisdiction, Alaska, and Bolivia.

Information about where to send donations and resources can be found at www.unitedhoumanation.org. Members are in need of food, new clothing, building materials, tarps, blankets, bedding and air mattresses, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene items.

Donations can be sent by regular mail directly to: United Houma Nation, 4400 La. 1, Raceland, La. 70384 or to SEJANAM - Katrina Relief Fund, P.O. Box 67, Lake Junaluska, N.C. 28745.

Donations to assist with hurricane cleanup and recovery can also be made to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, designated for UMCOR Advance #982523, "Hurricanes 2005." Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583

Bishops launch appeal to help gulf churches build anew

Nov. 4, 2005

By Tim Tanton*

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church's bishops are launching an appeal aimed at helping the denomination's congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina.

The Council of Bishops approved the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal during its Oct. 30-Nov. 4 fall meeting. The appeal will focus on building new ministries, rebuilding facilities and addressing a wide range of other local church and conference needs, such as paying clergy salaries and covering an untold amount of uninsured losses.

During presentations Nov. 2, Bishops William Hutchinson of Louisiana and Hope Morgan Ward of Mississippi shared updates and thanked the council for the support provided by the church since late August.

"You have responded in beautiful and strong, strong ways to an unheralded kind of disaster on the shores of the United States," Hutchinson said. Churches and conferences have helped displaced congregations worship, sheltered evacuees, operated feeding stations, assisted with relocation and sent volunteer teams to the affected areas. "The church has been the church in all of this," he said.

Evacuees from Hurricane Katrina are in every state, Hutchinson said. "This is the largest diaspora of persons in the history of the United States." The evacuees have included 1.5 million people from Louisiana and several hundred thousand from Mississippi and Alabama, he said. Those evacuees include entire congregations and clergy.

Ward described walking through storm-struck areas and seeing work teams from different parts of the country. "The connection has worked in a marvelous way and has been a means of grace to us," she said.

"We've had incredible support in prayers, in love, in concern, in gifts, in work teams and contributions," she told United Methodist News Service later. The outpouring has been "astounding," she said.

The appeal is being developed with support from the General Council on Finance and Administration, United Methodist Communications and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

In its focus on church recovery, the appeal will be distinct from the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which has raised $20 million so far in humanitarian relief related to the hurricanes.

"We know that people have given generously to UMCOR, but we believe there are many people who want to help rebuild United Methodist ministry on the Gulf Coast, and we're thankful for every partner in this effort," Ward said.

At their closing worship Nov. 4, the bishops raised $25,470 for the appeal.

Details on how people can support the appeal are still being developed.

The bishops will establish a steering committee for the effort, which will meet every six months to make decisions about block grants. The block grants will be awarded in four categories: salaries, property, connectional ministries and other.

In their discussion, several bishops emphasized the importance of not simply rebuilding what had already existed on the coast but building ministry in a new way.

In Louisiana, as many as 30 churches may have to be torn down and rebuilt, Hutchinson said. In the New Orleans District alone, 78 churches will need major work, he said. As of the end of October, 58 clergy families were still on salary support.

"We are looking at a need through May of some $1.3 million to deal with salary and benefits," Hutchinson said. That doesn't include housing.

There will also be a cost in lost apportionment dollars that would have been paid by the affected congregations. One of the biggest ways churches in unaffected areas can help is by paying their apportionments in full, Hutchinson said.

Seven church-related institutions in Louisiana, including Dillard University in New Orleans, were damaged, Hutchinson said.

"There is not one inch of the Louisiana coastline … that is not impacted by these two storms," he said. Katrina made landfall Aug. 29, followed by Hurricane Rita Sept. 24.

In Mississippi, six churches are considered destroyed, Ward said. About 300 have filed insurance claims, and of those, 20 probably have extreme damage, she said. Twenty-seven pastors are living temporarily in campers, she said.

Other church-related institutions in Mississippi that were affected included historic Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, which was destroyed, and Seashore Assembly in Biloxi, which sustained heavy damage.

During the council's discussion, bishops spoke in support of the appeal and the coastal conferences. Bishop Juan Vera Méndez, who leads the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, said his members are ready to support the recovery with volunteer teams.

Hutchinson said the hurricanes have created "an incredible opportunity for the church to speak its message in strength with hope and encouragement."

*Tanton is managing editor for United Methodist News Service.