Mid-year appointments

Effective July 1, 2002

• Phillip L. Jones (Probationary Member) from Edith-Melville-Bethesda to Family Leave.

• Richard C. Denton (Elder) from St. Stephen to Incapacity Leave.

Effective October 1, 2002

• Kim A. Kulow (Elder) from Arlington-Galloway to St. Stephen.

• Debora Ann Christiansen (Elder) from Germantown Associate to Arlington-Galloway.

•Thomas Cary (Elder) from Germantown Associate/Health Ministries to Germantown Associate (full-time position).

•Thomas O. Perkins (retired Elder) to Edith-Melville-Bethesda.

In Memoriam

Mrs. Betty Glyn Barksdale Doyle, 70, wife of retired minister, Dr. Lloyd Allen (Al) Doyle Jr. died Sunday, October 13, 2002 of a heart attack. The funeral service was October 16 at 2:00 PM at the Hermitage Funeral Home in Nashville, TN with Dr. David Hilliard and Dr. Vincent Walkup officiating. Interment followed in the Hermitage Mausoleum. Mrs. Doyle is survived by her husband, Dr. Lloyd Allen Doyle Jr. of Mt. Juliet, TN; a brother, Joseph D. Barksdale of Laurel, MD; a son, Dr. Lloyd (Lloyd) Allen Doyle III of Waverly, TN: a daughter, Sally Eileen Doyle Sharpe of Mt. Juliet, TN; and four grandchildren. Correspondence should be sent to Dr. Al Doyle Jr., 2021 Chesapeake Way, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122.

Positions Available

• Youth Director: Pleasant Valley UMC, Union City, TN. Position will begin January, 2003. Seeking Christian at least 21 years old with excellent driving record who enjoys relating to youth. For information about salary and work responsibility, call (731) 885-5203, or write Mr. Shea Riley Jr., 1422 Pleasant Valley Avenue, Union City, TN 38261. Resumes should include previous work experience with children and youth, three references with personal experience of your youth work. Background checks will be made.

• Full time Director of Youth Ministries: First UMC, Dyersburg, TN. A church with 1200+ members and youth program with approximately 50  7th - 12th graders. Director will facilitate existing youth-led contemporary worship service, Wed. nights as well as restructure Sunday night format.Salary and benefits negotiable based on education and experience.  Send or fax resume to: Jere Ozment, SPRC Chairman, First United Methodist Church, PO Box 452, Dyersburg, TN 38024. FAX: (731) 287-7870. Phone: (731) 285-6454.

Jane Hyde Scott Center releases 2002-2003 calendar

The Jane Hyde Scott Center provides a variety of programs for both clergy and laity. For the 2002-2003 year, the following are scheduled:

• Christian Conference: Lay Colloquies: The Office of Pastoral Formation will sponsor two series of Colloquies for the Laity at Grace UMC, Jackson. All sessions Sundays, 3-7 PM. Call OPF at (615) 867-9008.

• Exploration 2002: A weekend designed to assist those who might be sensing God’s call. In Chicago, IL, November 15-17.  Room, food and program costs provided.Call Gary Lawson, (731) 584-6102.

• Fourth Annual Spring Revival:  Lambuth University Religious Life Council and the Reginald Mallett Series in Evangelism will host the Fourth Annual Spring Revival, March 31 through  April 1-2. For information, call Andrew Thompson, (731) 425-3340.

• Christian Stewardship Workshop: “Moving from Financial Success to Significance,” a workshop to help people realize their assets can provide financial independence for their family while also being utilized to affect the world. At Lambuth University, Jan. 28. Call (800) LAMBUTH.

• Stewardship for Your Child’s Future: Learn how to plan for your child’s education, January 14, Christ UMC (Memphis). Workshop begins at 7 PM. For information, call (800) LAMBUTH.

BOLING MEMORIAL HAS PEWS, PULPIT CHAIRS AND PULPIT FREE

Boling Memorial UMC has pews, pulpit chairs and a pulpit FREE to any church that can use them. The church must be able to pick them up. Available are:

•14 pews, length, 11 feet, 1 inch

        width, 19 inches

        height, 34 3/4 inches

• 2 pulpit chairs, length 26 3/4 inches

        width, 19 inches

        height, 35 inches

• 1 pew,  length, 9 feet 10  1/2 inches

        width, 21 1/4 inches

        height, 34 3/4 inches

Call  (731) 656-2078  

Methodist to sell seven hospitals, assume management of UT Bowld

Methodist Healthcare announced September 26 that the system was entering into negotiations with Community Health Systems to sell seven of Methodist’s hospitals in West Tennessee, pending approval of each hospital’s local board as well as other required regulatory authorities.

The sale will include Methodist’s hospitals in Brownsville, Dyersburg, Jackson, Lexington, Martin, McKenzie and Selmer as well as other West Tennessee operations including home health, durable medical equipment, employed physician groups, clinics and various ambulatory centers.

Methodist Fayette Hospital in Somerville will remain part of Methodist Healthcare.

Bishop William Morris, an ex-officio member of the Methodist Board, said, “I know that Methodist’s decision to sell these hospitals did not come easily; however, I am pleased that Community Health Systems, a Nashville area company, was  chosen because it is a company with a mission and values compatible with Methodist Healthcare, as well as financial stability.”

Gary S. Shorb, CEO of Methodist Healthcare, said, “We’ve been looking at our system-wide performance in Memphis and West Tennessee and have decided that this is the right move for the good of our organization as a whole and for the future of our West Tennessee hospitals. This will allow us to focus on our strategic initiatives by capitalizing on Methodist’s expertise in running urban and suburban hospitals.”

Shorb added: “In keeping with our affiliation with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center this past March, Methodist Healthcare is working to become a major academic research hub, and transitioning our rural hospitals to another health system will allow us to more clearly focus on that goal.”  

UT Bowld joins Methodist Healthcare family

On October 4, Methodist Healthcare announced plans to assume management of the 104-bed UT Bowld Hospital on November 1,  2002. UT Bowld specializes in transplants and chronic diseases, primarily of the liver and kidney.

“We’re very excited that UT Bowld will be affiliated with Methodist University Hospital,” said Shorb. “We look forward to working with their employees and physicians during the transition.”

Shorb said Methodist is working with its medical center partners to build a medical center that rivals any in the country.

“Our vision for UT Bowld is to build a center of excellence in transplants and chronic disease programs and bring in more patients from all over the world,” Shorb said. “Bringing UT Bowld into the Methodist Healthcare family complements our pediatric transplant program at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and furthers our goal to become the physicians’ heath care system of choice.”

UT and Methodist joins hands

The move to affiliate with UT Bowld is the latest step in Methodist’s continuing effort to build a stronger relationship with the University of Tennessee and to help build a premier academic medical center in the heart of Memphis. This past March, Methodist and UT Health Science Center announced an affiliation agreement.

UT Chancellor William R. Rice said, “Methodist is a strong partner in the medical center and this move will mean great things for UT Bowld as we move forward.”

Osama Gaber, medical director of UT Bowld and director of the transplant program, said, “I’m looking forward to working with Methodist to enhance and expand services at UT Bowld. I think Methodist will bring real depth to the academic enterprise of the university and will advance our clinical programs allowing us to focus on our mission of education and research.”

As for the decision to sell the West Tennessee hospitals, Shorb says it was difficult.

“We’ve had a presence in West Tennessee for many years and this is a decision that took much thought and deliberation. But as we looked at our options, we kept one thought in mind: we want our West Tennessee hospitals to be as successful as they can be, and we want the same for our Memphis hospitals.”

Shorb said Methodist looked for a potential new owner with financial stability and a mission and values compatible with Methodist Healthcare.

Chaplaincy programs, service discounts for clergy to continue

“We also looked for a company with a demonstrated commitment to strong community-based boards, high levels of physician involvement and a commitment to continue the chaplaincy programs and service discounts for local clergy. With Community Health Services, we have found a company that meets those criteria,” he said.

Methodist and CHS expect to have all agreements completed and approved by the end of the year, at which time all Methodist associates will become employees.

Methodist Hospital Associates visit Russian orphanage for babies with AIDS, promise to return

Conditions in a Macedonian orphanage closely resemble those found at Children’s Home #7 in Russia.  Photo by Mike DuBose, United Methodist News Service

Counting your blessings comes in a variety of forms. For Anita Chilcutt, pulmonary tech at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, one of her greatest blessings came to her in the form of a mission trip to Russia in September.

Chilcutt was among 13 people who visited Children’s Home #7 in Moscow, an orphanage for abandoned babies with AIDS.

She learned about the orphanage in a round-about way. Dr. James Tutor, a pulmonologist at Le Bonheur, attended a presentation by Barry Singer about medical mission trips to Russia. Tutor in turn mentioned the mission to Ms. Chilcutt.

“I knew right away that I wanted to go,” she said. “I had been waiting all my life for this opportunity.”

With the help of her church, a grant from the Methodist Healthcare Foundation, and an anonymous donor, the trip became a possibility. The Foundation granted $1000 toward her fare, the donor added another $500, her church raised $1,000 for supplies, and she supplied the rest.

“The grant from the Foundation made it possible for me to go,” she said. “I am very grateful.”

Another Methodist Associate, Jackie Mabry, RN, from Methodist North Hospital, was also a member of the group. The two women had never met before sharing this experience which both claim was life changing.

The mission group distributed 100 “Jesus dolls” made by a friend of Ms. Chilcutt, medical supplies such as blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes, vitamins and cold medicines.

Since each of the 13 members of the group carried some of the supplies, they were not taxed for the goods they brought into the country.

The orphanage, which is government run, receives no support from the government. The government also strictly limits any assistance they can receive from outside the country.

Ms. Chilcutt said although the economy is somewhat better than when communism ended, every day is a struggle for the people of Russia. “In order to get anything done, you have to either bribe someone or have some connection,” she explained.

“Fortunately, the gifts we brought allowed us to meet the director of the orphanage. We made a good impression on him, which has opened the door for the Brotherhood of Compassion, a mission of the Central Baptist Church of Moscow, to continue helping the babies.”

Ms. Mabry said when she agreed to go on the trip she knew it would be life changing for her, but not how. “At the time, I was having some difficulties in my personal life. When I saw those children with no hope, my problems became trivial.”

With the funds collected in the U.S. by the group, they were able to purchase two washing machines, “luxuries” they didn’t have at the orphanage before. Laundry was washed by hand. There was no money in the orphanage’s budget for diapers. Charitable works simply are not supported by the Russian government. There is no welfare of any sort for the many people displaced from their homes; salaries are not protected; nor do workers have any recourse to collect wages if the employer refuses to pay.

Ms Chilcutt was so moved by her experiences that she’s collecting funds and clothing to send to the Brotherhood of Compassion. And she plans to return one day. She doesn’t know when or how, but is determined to go back. Leaving was heart wrenching for her because so much needed to be done.

Now back at Le Bonheur, she is setting up a fund through the Foundation to collect donations and is accepting new baby and toddler items to send. Both women expressed profound gratitude to the Foundation for making the trip possible for them.