the starkville district newsletter · 8/7/2016 · district newsletter your connection to the...
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THE STARKVILLE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
Your Connection to the Starkville District of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church
Friday I July 29, 2016
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THANK YOU to all of the churches thathave paid 100 percent of theirapportionments already this year. We wantto continue to uplift these churches andthe ones who are on target to having 100percent paid by the end of the year. TheStarkville District had an increase inpercentage paid of Mission Fair Shares in2015 and has had an increase over thissame period last year. Thank you so muchfor your faithful work and ministry.
– Dr. Embra JacksonStarkville District Superintendent
DISTRICT MISSION SHARESWe are so excited to announce that the followingchurches have made significant contributions to thework of the Starkville District through their MissionFair Shares offerings through July 28, 2016.
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100% PAID• Aldersgate• Artesia• Baldwin• Bellefontaine• Bethel• Bevil Hill• Big Creek• Brooksville• Buffalo• Caledonia• Camp Ground• Center Ridge • Columbus: NewHope• Columbus: St.Stephens• Drake Hill• Dumas Chapel• Eupora: Lebanon• Eupora: Liberty• Flint Hill• Flower Ridge• Hopewell• Kosciusko: Wesley• Liberty Hill• Maben• Macedonia• Macon: New Hope • Mathiston• McAdams• Middleton• Mt. Lebanon• Mt. Moriah (Macon)• Mt. Moriah(Mathiston)
• Mt. Salem (WeirCircuit)• New Zion• NewBellZion• Noxapater• Palestine• Piney Grove• Piney Grove(Louisville)• Plair• Pleasant Grove• Pleasant Hill(Louisville)• Providence• Rocky Hill• Rural Hill• Salem (Weir-Salem)• Shaeffer’s Chapel• Shuqualak• St. James• St. Michael• Starkville First• Sturgis• Sturgis: BoydChapel• Vernon• Weir• West Point: St. Paul• Whitehall• Wright’s Chapel
ON TARGET (58.3%)• Ackerman: First• First Unity (Weir)• Lindsey Chapel• Military• Pleasant Hill(Starkville)
Grant awarded tohelp students withtheir homework
One of the senior volunteers at LibertyUMC was seen helping a young girl withher homework. (Photo submitted)
By GWEN SISSON
“Reach One, Teach One” is the mis-sion of the tutoring program at LibertyUnited Methodist Church in Eupora.
Lead by retired volunteers and olderchurch members, the program bringstogether students from kindergartenthrough 12th grade each Wednesdaynight to help tutor students and helpwith homework. Program organizerssaid Liberty UMC is dedicated to help
The Starkville District is looking for a host church to sponsor this year’sDistrict Health Fair. We have 150 new medical students from all over thestate ready to come to their home districts to lead a health fair. For moreinformation about serving as the Starkville District host church, contact
Lee Burdine at (662) 425-2345 or email him at [email protected]
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AUGUST 1• The District Committee on Ordained Ministry interviewsare set from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Aldersgate UMC inStarkville.AUGUST 2• Join us for the Clergy and Family Picnic, set for 6 p.m.at Starkville FUMCAUGUST 12-13 • Conference UMW Leadership Team Meeting, MethodistFoundation Building in Ridgeland AUGUST 15-16• 3 “L” Academy is set at the Hilton Jackson on CountyLine Road in Jackson. This is a two day educational ses-sion to assist clergy with retirement and financial plan-ning. Sponsored by the Mississippi Conference Board ofPension, the academy will provide an opportunity toexplore clergy benefits, financial planning, stewardshipeducation and connectionalism as the clergy participantslead the denomination in Mississippi and to accomplishthe mission of The United Methodist Church.AUGUST 20 • Starkville District UMW Mission Event at NewBellZionUMC at 9 a.m.SEPTEMBER 5 • District & Conference Offices closed in observance ofLabor DaySEPTEMBER 11 • Starkville District UMW Leadership Team Meeting,Starkville, First UMC at 2 p.m.SEPTEMBER 18• IMAGINE Tour @ St. Luke UMC Tupelo – Coming thisfall, The Gathering Student Conference is on the road,bringing some of the amazing artist that youth will see atThe Gathering 2017. Attendance to The GatheringImagine Tour is free. While registration for this event isrequested for planning, we welcome additional guests.Make plans to attend where The Gathering Imagine Tourstops in your region! Featuring: Big Al, Lo and DJ Blaha. SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1• The Student Ministry Initiative (SMI) movement wasdeveloped to equip children, youth and family ministries toembrace a long-standing impactful plan for ministry in theirlocal church. The Mississippi Conference welcomes MarkDevries, founder and president of Ministry Architects,along with the rest of his ministry team to the 2016 SMIConference at Galloway Memorial UMC in Jackson.OCTOBER 7-8• Conference Annual UMW Meeting at Anderson UMCin Jackson OCT. 8 | NOV. 12 | DEC. 3 • The financial leadership training provides counsel andguidance to strengthen the administrative and financialabilities of the local church treasurer, financial secretary,finance committee members and church business admin-istrators. Successful completion of the training session andassignments will result in a Mississippi Conference recog-nized church "administer."OCTOBER 22• Starkville District Annual UMW Meeting will be held atColumbus First UMC at 9 a.m.
CALENDAR
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL"FatherAbraham"came to visitduringVacation BibleSchool atSiloam UMC.The churchused the firstyear VBS fromSociety of StAndrew. Theycollected non-perishablesand "gleaned"real potatoesin a potatohunt!“Awesomeblessed time!”(Photo submit-ted)
reduce the drop out rate in local schools. Thetutoring program is held each Wednesdaynight one hour before the congregation’sWednesday Night Bible Study. Each tutoringsession also incorporates a Bible lesson and asnack. The program has been on a break forthe summer and will resume Aug. 17.
Liberty UMC’s tutoring program recentlyreceived a special grant from the MississippiConference of the United Methodist Church,helping to fund a computer and purchasesnacks for the weekly program. The missiongrant is made possible by the MississippiConference Office of ConnectionalMinistries.
“God is doing wonderful things here atLiberty UMC under the leadership of Rev.Rochelle Ashford-Minor, Pastor andProvisional Elder,” said Pam Simmons, pro-gram organizer. “We are so blessed to have somany retired educators in our congregation,that once a need for tutoring was brought to
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our attention, Elizabeth Shepard,a retired teacher from EuporaElementary School, was ready tomeet that challenge.”
Simmons said the childrenseem to respond well to the extrahelp.
“We all celebrate when theirprogress report reflect the impactof tutoring program,” Simmonssaid. “Our church auxiliarieshave responded as well, and theynow furnish the meals eachweek and donate supplies somore of the grant money can bespent to purchase computers andprograms to help enrich thetutoring process. We are alsoappreciative of a large donationof scholastic reading books,which the children enjoy readingwith the volunteers. We're lookforward to a new school year!”
Starkville DistrictSuperintendent Dr. EmbraJackson said he was very happyfor Liberty UMC.
“We are so pleased thatLiberty UMC received the mis-sion grant from the annual con-ference,” Jackson said. “Thishelps us to convey that ourUnited Methodist Connection isworking. In addition, this grantwas awarded to this churchbecause of their dedication andconnection to the local commu-nity. I am so proud of Rev.Minor and the members ofLiberty UMC They are commit-ted to being actively involved intheir community.”
For more information aboutthe tutoring program at LibertyUMC, contact Rev. RochelleMinor at (662) 769-6683 oremail her [email protected].
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ANNOUNCEMENTS• RENFRO TRUST FUND –The Renfro Trust Fund awardsannual bricks-and-mortar grantsto small rural United Methodistcongregations in theSoutheastern Jurisdiction.Renfro Trust Funds are againavailable for award, beginningin 2016. The deadline for appli-cation is September 1 of theyear in which the application ismade. Please note: Applicationswill only be accepted when sub-mitted through the Office of theDirector of ConnectionalMinistries of the Conference inwhich you are located.Questions about the applicationform, award process, or theRenfro Trust Fund may bedirected to:David Dommisse, SEJConference Treasurer at [email protected] or at(804) 521-1109 or to AnneTravis, SEJ ConferenceSecretary [email protected] or bycalling (865) 410-6747.
• PIANIST WANTED ––Pianist wanted for 1st, 3rd, and5th Sundays; Must be able toread and play the various cho-sen hymns. For more informa-tion, contact St. Paul UMChurch at P.O. Box 907 (330Fifth Street), West Point, MS39773 or contact the church at(662) 494-3988 or Percy Bryanat (662) 494-4129.
• HELP NEEDED -- We needphotos of your church events.The Starkville District wouldlike to feature events fromevery church in each newslet-ter. Please send us your eventsand announcements to [email protected] so much!
CONNECTIONSRESIDENT BISHOP:
Dr. James E. Swanson, [email protected]
DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT:Rev. Embra Jackson
ADMINISTRATIVEASSISTANT:
Tammy [email protected]
COMMUNICATIONSASSISTANT:Gwen Sisson
DISTRICT HEALTH COORDINATOR:Carolyn Jackson
LAY ACADEMY DEAN:Rev. Sarah [email protected]
Find us on TWITTER @StarkvilleUMC
Find the FACEBOOK group at
www.facebook.com/Groups/
StarkvilleDistrictUMC/
DONATE TO AFRICA UNIVERSITYThe Starkville
District goal for theAfrica Universityendowment is to
raise $130,000 overa three-year period.
To date, we havereceived pledges of$36,000. Churchesare encouraged topledge a minimum
of $1,200. Make yourpledge TODAY!
Contact the DistrictOffice for moreinformation at(662) 323-0198.
Do you feel called to plant a new church or to revi-talize an existing church?
Join the movement -- learn about the key principlesaround what it means to be a church that is moreabout theological clarity, cultural engagement andmissional innovation than the comfort and safety ofthe status quo.
Learn more about what it takes to plant a new faithcommunity. Additionally, a panel of people, who arecurrently planting and revitalizing churches success-fully here in Mississippi, will share their stories andanswer your questions.
Interested? Want to know more? Register now tojoin the Faith Community Formation Office for a day
of discovery and discernment on Thursday, August 11at 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Eagle Ridge ConferenceCenter in Raymond.
Do you know someone who has the gifts andgraces to plant or revitalize a church? Invite them!
The deadline to register is July 31.The Eagle Ridge Conference Center is located at
1500 Raymond Lake Road, Raymond, MS, 39154.For directions, visit their website.
For more information about the day of discoveryand discernment, contact Jane Horstman, FaithCommunity Formation Office at [email protected] or 601-354-0515.
Register now for “Into the Deep:Discover, Engage, Equip,Possibilities” set for Aug. 17-20,at the Hilton Orrington Hotel inEvanston, Ill.
Hosted by the Northern IllinoisConference and Garrett-Evangelical Seminary and spon-sored by Discipleship Ministries,Path1, and Global Ministries, thisyear's theme is based on John 21when Jesus said to his disciples,
"Cast the net to the right side ofthe boat, and you will find some."So they cast it, and now they werenot able to haul it in because therewere so many fish.
Bishop Sally Dyck noted that inthat call, Jesus asked his disciplesto do something different, to puttheir nets on the other side. In ourcontext, leaders in ministry arechallenged to get outside theircomfort zones to engage the
multi-cultural context of our citiesand rural communities.
At SCD 2016 we will be calledto go Into The Deep to Discover,Engage, be Equipped, and to liveinto the Possibilities that surroundus as we share the grace and loveof Jesus Christ in our congrega-tions and communities.
Register today by going to theGlobal Ministries website.
Are you lead to plant or revitalize an existing church?
LEADERSHIP TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES