the starkville district newsletter · 2014/10/10 · local church treasurers, pastor parish...

THE STARKVILLE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

Your Connection to the Starkville District of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church

Friday I October 3, 2014

P . O . B o x 1 3 2 9 , S t a r k v i l l e , M i s s i s s i p p i 3 9 7 6 0 • ( 6 6 2 ) 3 2 3 - 0 1 9 8 • ( 6 6 2 ) 3 2 3 - 0 0 8 6 ( f a x )

CONNECTIONSRESIDENT BISHOP:Dr. James E. Swanson, [email protected]

DISTRICT

SUPERINTENDENT:Rev. Embra [email protected]

ADMINISTRATIVE

ASSISTANT:Pat [email protected]

COMMUNICATIONS

ASSISTANT:Gwen [email protected]

DISTRICT HEALTH

COORDINATOR:Carolyn Jacksonandrewandcarolyn@

bellsouth.net

LAY ACADEMY DEAN:Rev. Sarah [email protected]

OCTOBER 5Crawford United

Methodist Church will

hold its 35th Annual

Homecoming at 11 a.m.

Oct. 5. Friends, family

and former pastors are

invited to join the cele-

bration. Services will

begin at 11 a.m. in the

sanctuary. There will be

special music and after-

ward “dinner on the

ground." Please bring

your favorite covered

dish and join in the fun

and fellowship.

IMPORTANTDATES

Deaconess Erie Stuckett of the United Methodist Appalachian Ministry Network presentsRev. Giles Lindley of Starkville First United Methodist Church with a $1,500 Hunger andPoverty Grant for the Backpack Buddies Ministry. Starkville District Superintendent Dr.Embra Jackson was also on hand for the award at the recent Leadership Conference forLaity and Clergy for the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. (Submittedphoto)

Starkville FUMC member Karen Brown packs forthe Backpack Buddies Ministry. (Submittedphoto)

Backpack BuddiesMinistry receives$1,500 grantBy Gwen Sisson

The ministry began to meet the most basic needs

of many local children.

Members of First United Methodist Church of

Starkville – both adults and students – began notic-

ing children in the Starkville School District who

were coming to school very hungry on Monday

mornings.

“It became obvious that they were not getting

enough to eat over the weekend,” said Rev. Giles

Lindley, pastor of First United Methodist Church of

Starkville. “We heard about the Backpack Buddy

concept where packages of easy-to-prepare food

items were discretely placed into backpacks on

Friday afternoons. The schools help us identify the

children and the placement is done very carefully.”

Continued on page 2...


At the recent Leadership Conference

for Laity and Clergy of the Mississippi

Conference of the United Methodist

Church, First UMC of Starkville was

awarded a $1,500 Hunger and Poverty

grant to help them expand the program

to more needy children in the school

district.

Lindley said the new grant will come

in “very handy in providing the food

for the packages.”

The Hunger and Poverty Grant from

the United Methodist Appalachian

Ministry Network is designed to help

organizations working in the

Appalachian Region of the United

States, to overcome the systematic

causes of poverty.

Deaconess Erie Stuckett of the

United Methodist Appalachian Ministry

Network was on hand to present the

award.

“The Backpack Ministry at First

United Methodist Church of Starkville

is a wonderful example of the faith

community seeing a need and taking

action to improve the lives of children,”

said Stuckett.

Starkville District Superintendent for

the Mississippi Conference of the UMC

Dr. Embra Jackson, said this project

brings to mind Matthew 25:40 "as you

did it to one of the least of these, you

did it to me."

“At the joint Lay and Clergy

Leadership Event held at Christ U. M.

Church, this Gospel was acknowledged

as Rev. Giles Lindley received a check

for $1,500 from the United Methodist

Church's Appalachian Fund,” Jackson

said. “The check was received to assist

the church for one of their outreach

ministries -- the Backpack Buddies

Ministry. The ministry provides meals

to children in the Starkville Public

Schools who often do not have ade-

quate food to eat over the weekend. I

am so blessed to serve as the superin-

tendent of a district where a church is

recognized for helping to fulfill the

Good News.”

For more information about the

Backpack Buddies Ministry of First

Methodist Church of Starkville, contact

them at (662) 323-5722. For more

information about the United Methodist

Appalachian Ministry Network Hunger

and Poverty Advance, go to

www.umamn.org.

Continued from page 1...

(Left) Dr. Sarah Sandersand Jackie Penningtonreceived awards for theirwork with the UnitedMethodist Women of theMississippi Conference.(Submitted photo)

Laity from the Starkville District working in small groups as part of theLeadership Conference for Laity and Clergy of the Mississippi Conference of theUnited Methodist Church held in September. (Submitted photo)

Applications are being accepted now for 2015 Young Peoples'Delegation to South Korea: Parallels of Justice; Pathways of Peace.College students who have a growing faith, a sense of adventureand a desire to engage the world are wanted. This opportunity willspan over a year.

Participants will retreat together on Dec. 14, 2014 in Madison,Miss., gather with South Carolina college students in Atlanta, Ga.on Martin Luther King Jr. observance weekend (Jan. 16-18),embark on an 11-day journey to South Korea in the summer of2015 (June 30-July 10) and will share stories with local churches inthe fall of 2015. This experience will stretch participants in areas offaith, justice and leadership. They will make new friendships acrossthe state, across the country and across the globe. They will get toencounter South Korea in churches, monasteries and places whereSouth Korean college students are.

The young people will hear stories of joy, pain and hope, and getto share their stories with them. Students get to work together as ateam all year long. Since it is being supported by the MississippiAnnual Conference of The United Methodist Church, the Peacewith Justice Fund and others, student cost will be minimal ($250).So, fill out the application and submit it soon.

Help spread the word to as many Mississippi United Methodistcollege students as possible! This is a one-of-a-kind, dual projectwith college students from South Carolina. If you have any ques-tions, email Bruce Case at [email protected].

WOMEN’S DAY

Rock Hill UMC will

have their Woman's

Day program Sunday,

Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. The

speaker will be

Minister Angela Bluitt

of New Beginning

Full Gospel Church.

Theme: "The Power

of We as Women"

Rock Hill had their

Church Homecoming

program last month

and recognized their

senior citizens dur-

ing the program.

Pastor Eddie Hinton

was the guest speak-

er.

Missions opportunity for college students...


At the 2014 Session of the Mississippi

Annual Conference, the Board of Medical

Benefits reported that consideration for direct

invoicing for the active medical plan (current-

ly line 7 on the apportioned mission shares

list) would be coming up for consideration at

the 2015 annual conference session. Locations

for the listening sessions were announced at

that time.

Those sessions are to be held between

October 2 and October 14, 2014 in each dis-

trict. The purpose of the listening session is

two-fold: 1) to explain the proposed plan of

direct invoice that will be developed for sub-

mission to the 2015 annual conference and 2)

to hear your reactions and comments that will

be carried back to the Board of Medical

Benefits and the Council on Finance and

Administration. After those meetings, the

board and council will complete the work on

the proposed plan based on the comments

received at the listening sessions and release it

to the conference members in the early spring.

Final action will be taken on the plan at 2015

annual conference session.

It is imperative that the lay and clergy

members of the 2015 conference be in

attendance so that they may help direct the

proposal that will come to annual conference.

Local church treasurers, pastor parish chairs,

admin council chairs, lay leaders and finance

chairs are also welcome.

It is also the time we will have open

enrollment for the conference medical

insurance plan for the clergy in the active

or Medicare supplement plan. Dental and

vision insurance will also have an open enroll-

ment. If your total clergy compensation for

2015 is $20,453 and you are not in the plan,

you may enroll in the plan effective January 1,

2015. Please look at the plans to determine

which one is right for you and your family.

You must enroll by October 31, 2014 to par-

ticipate in the plan beginning January 1, 2015.

Below is the schedule of district meetings

for the medical benefits explanation of direct

invoice, open enrollment and other specific

information that has changed on the Clergy

Budget Compensation Package form for 2015.

• Thursday, October 2, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

East West Jackson, Madison UMC

• Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. -

Brookhaven, Brookhaven First

• Monday, October 6, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

Senatobia, Senatobia First

• Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

Starkville, Starkville First

• Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

Greenwood, St John's Greenwood

• Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 9:30 p.m. -

Hattiesburg, Parkway Heights UMC

Hattiesburg

• Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. -

Meridian, Meridian District Office

• Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. -

Seashore, Gateway UMC

• Monday, October 13, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

New Albany, New Albany First

• Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. -

Tupelo, Tupelo First

– A message from David Stotts, MississippiConference Treasurer and Benefits officer

MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE NEWS

District listening sessions set for October

OCT. 3-4

United Methodist Women

Annual Meeting at H.A.

Brown United Methodist

Church, 200 Azalea Dr. N.

in Wiggins.

OCT. 4

Administry- Seashore

District

OCT. 5-7

Transforming Communities

Through Health Care

Ministry at Camp Wesley

Pines on Oct. 5-7.

OCT. 5

World Communion Sunday

OCT. 18

United Methodist

Volunteers in Mission

(UMVIM) meets every

October giving fellow

United Methodists an

opportunity to network,

hear from ongoing projects

and work together in

encouraging one another.

Paulette West, SEJ

UMVIM director, will pro-

vide Train the Trainer for

UMVIM team leader train-

ing.

OCT. 24-25

The Mississippi

Conference of The United

Methodist Church presents

the 2014 Convocation on

the Black Church, October

24-25. This event is

specifically designed to

meet challenges of African

American churches -- but

beneficial to all churches -

- ALL churches are wel-

come! The convocation

will take place at the

Brandon Conference

Center in Brandon, MS.

CALENDAR


Registration is now open for the

Mississippi Conference Health

Ministries training event to be held at

Camp Wesley Pines on Oct.5-7.

You are invited to attend and help

recruit local, district and conference-

wide teams to participate in this

important training event.

Bring a team of three to five mem-

bers from your church, community or

district to this Mississippi Conference

Health Ministries event (this is not an

event for individual participants).

COst is $50 per person.

During this training you will learn

how to "Transform Communities

through Health Care Ministry." Join

Bishop James E. Swanson, Sr., train-

ing staff from the General Board of

Church and Society, health profes-

sionals from the University of

Mississippi Medical Center and

Mississippi Conference staff. Join

other Mississippi Conference lay

members and clergy as we gather

together and participate towards

reaching the goal of transforming your

community.

This is an important program that

has the ability of making a life-chang-

ing difference in your home church,

your home town, your county and

throughout Mississippi. Thank you for

your continuing efforts in making our

Mississippi Conference United

Methodist churches a healthy place to

be.

Transforming Communities through

Health Care Ministry will equip faith-

based advocate teams for the incarna-

tional work of health care justice in

the community. Participants will gain

skills in health advocacy and commu-

nity organizing that prepares them for

motivating community leadership in

building transformative health care

ministries. During the training teams

will complete an action plan that

addresses a local community need.

Implementing the plan is hard work.

GBCS staff will be available to pro-

vide technical assistance to teams as

they implement their action plans.

Please fill out the sign up sheet at

the Mississippi Conference website to

let us know you are interested in reg-

istering for the event. Once you have

signed up you will receive an

email/phone call from one of the

training leaders to discuss the screen-

ing and registration process.

Once you have had a conversation

with the training leaders you will

receive the registration link via email

so that you and your team can finish

the registration process for the event.

The training will begin on Sunday

afternoon, Oct. 5 and will end in the

afternoon on Tuesday, Oct. 7. All

teams are expected to take part in 100

percent of the training schedule.

Registration is limited to members

of the Mississippi Annual Conference.

After registration is confirmed, pre-

training preparatory materials will be

emailed and will include biblical/theo-

logical, ecclesiology resources that we

will use in the training.

• Registration Fee & Cancellations:

$50 per person. Scholarship funds

have been offered by the Mississippi

Conference. Please contact Lee

Burdine at (662) 328-0444 or

[email protected] to discuss scholar-

ship needs for this event.

If you sign up and then register and

find that you cannot attend this train-

ing session, please contact us for

refund arrangements no later than

Sept. 29. No refunds will be given

after 12 p.m. on Sept. 29.

Questions? Please contact Detra

Bishop at [email protected].

The Mississippi Conference staff

will make reservations for your stay at

Camp Wesley Pines. Rooms and

roommates will be assigned upon

arrival. With a complete registration

there will automatically be a room

reserved for you.

What You Need to Bring:

Bible, note pad, pen/pencil, twin size

bedding or sleeping bag, pillow, tow-

els, washcloths, soap, toiletries, flash-

light, sunscreen. Camp Wesley Pines

is a camping environment and casual

clothes are recommended. Tennis

shoes are recommended if interested

in light group exercises or walking

trails.

Food:

Healthy meals and snacks will be pro-

vided. Participants are not required to

bring food. If you have dietary restric-

tions, please indicate this on your reg-

istration form.

Facilitators:

• Rev. Cynthia Abrams

Director, Alcohol, Other Addictions

and Health Care Program

General Board of Church and Society

• Kristin Kumpf

Director of Organizing

General Board of Church and Society

• Closing Speaker: : Bishop James E.

Swanson, Sr., Resident Bishop,

Mississippi

For more information and expecta-

tions please contact: Lee Burdine at

[email protected].

SIGN UP TODAY!

MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE NEWS

Transforming communities through

health care ministries...training set Oct. 5


MISSION FAIR SHARES 2014We are so excited to announce that the follow-ing churches have made significant contribu-tions to the work of the Mississippi Conferenceand the United Methodist Church around theworld through their Mission Fair Shares offer-ings for 2014.

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What fun things What fun things will your church be will your church be doing to show appreciation for yourdoing to show appreciation for yourppastor? Send your photos to astor? Send your photos to [email protected]@yahoo.com

We need photos from your church’s events...The Starkville District would like to feature events from every church in each newsletter. Please sendus your events and announcements to [email protected] or to [email protected] your photos as .jpeg attachments (or whatever format your camera or phone typically uses -- ifgiven the choice, .jpeg formats better). Thanks so much!

100 % PAID• South Union• St. Peter• Pleasant Hill(Louisville)• Longview• Bethel• Vernon• Shuqualak• Military• Rockport• McAdams• Salem (Weir-Salem)• Wright’s Chapel• Ethel• Tabernacle• Rocky Hill• Macedonia• St. Stephen(Webster Circuit)• Cooksville

90%+ PAID• Bevil Hill• Louisville:Hopewell• Middleton

80%+ PAID• Lindsey Chapel• Mathiston• Plair• Mt. Vernon• Flint Hill• Caledonia

70%+ PAID• Noxapater• Columbus: St.Stephens• Mt. Lebanon• Palestine• Columbus: St.James• Columbus:Shaeffer;s Chapel• Shuqualak: Asbury• Eupora: Liberty

60%+ PAID• New Hope (Macon)• Ackerman: Mt.Hermon• Mount Pisgah• New Zion• Piney Grove(Columbus)• Siloam• Flower Ridge• Pierce Chapel• West Point: St. Paul• Drake Hill• Eupora: First• West Point: First• Big Creek• Artesia• Whithall (Louisville)• Sturgis• Lebanon (Eupora)• Jones Chapel• Salem (Sallis)• Maben• Rock Hill

The First Sunday of October (October 5) special offering provides

scholarships for U.S. (racial- and ethnic-minority) students and inter-

national students, on both undergraduate and graduate levels.

the starkville district newsletter · 2014/10/10 · local church treasurers, pastor parish...

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