Donations for November storms

Both UMCOR and the Memphis Conference are receiving donations for the November tornadoes that affected 13 states and killed 35 people. UMCOR is making available emergency grants to any affected conference at the request of the area’s bishop. Funds given directly to the Memphis Conference Disaster Relief Team will be used to replenish supplies used in cleanup efforts in the Randolph and Jackson (Tenn.) areas. Some funds are still needed by the Disaster Relief teams to stock emergency response trailers with tools. If you wish to donate funds to UMCOR, please send your donations through your church to Advance #901670-1 “November 10 Storms.” If you wish to donate to the Memphis Conference Disaster Relief Team, please send your donations through your church to “Memphis Conference Disaster Relief.” Church treasurers will forward the monies to James Finger, conference treasurer.

Lambuth library to hold Book Sale in December

The public is invited to attend a Book Sale during the first week of December at the Luther L. Gobbel Library of Lambuth University. Used books will sell for 50 cents each and periodicals and paperbacks will be priced at 10 cents each. Some reference books and collections may be priced higher than indicated. All proceeds will go back to the Lambuth Library for purchase of new books. 

Specific times and dates are:

• Dec. 2 - Dec. 5, 9 AM to 9 PM

• Dec. 6, 9 AM to 4:30 PM

• Dec. 7, 10 AM to 5 PM

For information, call (731) 425-3290.

Christmas at Lambuth

• Christmas is in the air at Lambuth University. Kicking off the season’s celebration is the Lambuth Radio Theatre’s production of “Christmas Comes but Once a Year.” The production will air on WIGH 88.7 FM throughout December every Wednesday at 7 PM and Saturday at 6 PM.

• The M. D. Anderson Planetarium will present ‘Tis the Season’ on December 3 and December 10 at 7:30 PM. ‘Tis the Season’ is a 35-minute program about the winter solstice and the many celebrations, past and present, which surround it. The last part of the program discusses the Star of Bethlehem and offers some modern ideas about the kind of objects it may have been. Special effects include an eclipse of the moon, a comet, a triple conjunction of planets and a supernova. Doors open at 7 PM. Admission is $1.

• Lambuth welcomes the community to the 41st Annual Festival of Seven Lessons and Carols on December 8. This Lambuth tradition is a service originally from Oxford. After enjoying hot cider and cookies at 6 PM in the lobby of Varnell~Jones Hall, participants will process by candlelight to the R. E. Womack Memorial Chapel for worship.

‘The Flock that Rocks’ is moving into its new home

Heartsong Church is set to celebrate the grand opening of its new “Celebration Center” at 800 Houston Levy Road in Cordova, Tenn. on Sunday, Dec. 8, with services at 9 and 10:30 AM. In addition to the lodge-like cedar and stacked-stone 25,000 sq. ft. building that seats 750, the property includes walking trails, a labyrinth, outdoor amphitheatre, and plans for a camping area and high-adventure rope course. The center features a glass wall overlooking a natural lake, a 6-foot stacked-stone fireplace, and a water fountain cascading down a stone wall into a baptismal pool. On the exterior is a climbing wall for recreational use.

In addition to the Dec. 8 opening, Heartsong has scheduled on Dec. 13-15 from 6:00-9:30 PM, a unique outdoor Christmas production, “The Road to Bethlehem.”– a guided walking tour through wooded trails featuring narrated scenes from the birth of Jesus.

On December 19, Heartsong will host a special concert called “A Keith Sykes and Friends Christmas.” The 7 PM concert songwriters Keith Sykes and songwriters Richard Leigh (known for his song “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” and Rodger Cook, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” For more information, call (901) 755-6332.

‘Sister to sister’ Thanksgiving feast

Helen Stiles (right) and her sister, Wanda Lanphear, both residents of Wesley at  Millington  Towers, were part of a group cooking Thanksgiving meals for the residents of another retirement community, Wesley Park Meadows, in Halls, Tenn. Stiles is president of the Senior Friends at the Towers, a group of women who enjoy doing things for others.

 By Cathy Farmer 

The 24 elderly residents of Wesley Park Meadows woke up to a big surprise on Nov. 27. They received an unexpected Thanksgiving feast prepared by their “sisters” at Wesley at Milllington Towers.

Wesley Park Meadows in Halls, Tenn., and Wesley at Millington (Tenn.) Towers are United Methodist-related, HUD-subsidized rental units for low-income senior adults. Both facilities are under the management of Wesley Housing Corporation of Memphis.

“One thing I really miss living here is cooking Thanksgiving for family,” Helen Stiles, 79, said wistfully. Ms. Stiles is president of Senior Friends, 35 to 40 women living in the Millington residence who love doing things for others.

“Preparing Thanksgiving for the residents of Park Meadows has been a joy,” she said. “We’re all sisters under the skin.” Ms. Stiles was in charge of cooking one of the 20-pound turkeys.

The Towers has 81 residents, most of them 75 to 85 years old and 95 percent of them women. The complex is in a more urban area than Wesley Park Meadows, said Rick Barrow, manager of both units.

“Rick told us we in the Towers are living in luxury compared to the people at the Meadows,” Helen said, explaining that more activities like parties, computer access and arts and crafts are available at the Millington facility because of its more urban setting. “We have a bus that takes us to Wal-Mart and Kroger every week, and just last week, we traveled to the Pink Palace in Memphis to decorate the Christmas tree.”

Barrow says he believes the Millington facility is one of the finest in West Tennessee, and since everyone lives under one roof, the residents are able to get together often for parties and large functions.

Halls’ residents aren’t quite as fortunate. Living in triplexes makes it more difficult to gather for special occasions.

Daisy Stewart, Halls’ resident manager, says even though her people–whose average age is 85–don’t need assisted living, it’s still hard for them to make their way to a central location in the five-building complex. “We do have a Wednesday devotional,” she said, “and we attempted a monthly birthday party, but it finally dwindled away.”

Feeling blessed by their circumstances, Millington’s Senior Friends talked about doing something for their “sisters” in Halls.

 “We discussed preparing Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone was all for it. We’re doing this out of love. Our ladies are always willing to help; they like to stay busy,” Stiles said.

Senior Friends cooked turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, candied sweet potatoes, homemade hot rolls, pumpkin and pecan pies, and provided fruit for those who can’t eat sugar. The women cooked the food in their own kitchens then carried it to the recreation room to transfer it into hot trays. The insulated trays were loaded into a van and delivered door to door at Halls, 53 miles north of Millington, just off Hwy. 51.

“We were the ones who received a blessing,” Stiles said.

This is just one story of generosity inspired by the love of neighbors. United Methodists across the Memphis Conference and the country opened their hearts and doors to the people in their communities this Thanksgiving.

 For information about United Methodists celebrating Thanksgiving, go on the web to United Methodist News Service at umns.umc.org/02/nov/533.htm

 Tipton County homes hard-hit

While the Disaster Relief team cleared away debris, Marcia Tate (background left) talked with Nola Glover (right) about the tornado hitting her home.

 By Cathy Farmer

 I just never dreamed people would come like this and help me,” Nola Glover marveled, watching United Methodist volunteers clear away branches, trees and pieces of a destroyed outbuilding littering her front yard.

Mrs. Glover’s home was in the path of the tornado that churned across the Mississippi River on the evening of November 9. The storm downed trees and damaged homes in the Randolph, Tenn. community.

“I heard it come roaring up from the river,” she said. “My little dog jumped up in my lap just before it hit. Everything went dark and I couldn’t find my walker or my flashlight.” The memory of the frightening evening darkened her eyes.

“I was here alone. Everything was popping and snapping and I felt breathless, like the tornado was sucking all the air out of the room. It popped the receptacles out of the wall and blew out my air conditioner,” she said.

“We always thought tornadoes would skip over the bluff and miss us. I guess we were wrong.”

Mrs. Glover’s house was one of the many in Tipton County that suffered damage from the recent storms. It was the first place on Randolph Road that Area I Disaster Relief volunteers stopped to offer help.

The 16-member team, drawn from Tipton, Shelby and Fayette counties, was led by Michael Perry, a retired Memphis fire captain. They worked closely with David Joy of the Tipton County Emergency Unit.

On Saturday, December 16, Mr. Joy accompanied Area 1 leaders Myrtle Brown, Joyce Wiggins, Byron Crain, Bill Smitley, Bill and Marcia Tate, and Michael Perry on an inspection of the damage. The drive through the community confirmed the need for volunteers.

The work team gathered at 8 AM on Monday morning, December 18, at the Tipton County Emergency Unit headquarters on Holly Grove Road for a prayer by the Rev. Shirley Lynn, Asbury District Superintendent, before beginning work.

Over the next two days, the group worked on six homes in the area, picking up debris and cutting and hauling trees to the roadside for county pick-up.

“Two of the homes that were demolished were mobile homes that had to be taken apart and hauled to the road,” said Byron Crain.

The Randolph and Hopewell United Methodist congregations provided lunch and snacks both days. They opened the Randolph church for rest breaks as well. Pastor Michael Roberts and his wife Elaine accompanied the team to several work sites.

“We finished what we were asked to do in two days,” Crain said. “They’ll call us back if they need us.”

Work Team Members

Michael Perry                                       Somerville First

Byron Crain, Nina Hiatt, George Hiatt    Emmanuel

Marcia Tate, Bill Tate                            Schoolfield

Joe Crozier, John Millington                    Raleigh

David Turner                                        St. Luke’s

Max Brown, Henry Blanks                    St. Matthew’s

Bill Smitley                                            Whitehaven

Karen Thompson, Roy Hall                    Millington First

Oma Strickland                                     New Bethel

Carrie Handerson                                  Good Samaritan

Put a little SALT
in your life in 2003

 By Judy Renshaw

 Ann Freeman, who grew up a “P. K,” a United Methodist pastor’s kid, wasn’t interested in S.A.L.T.

 “I came kicking and screaming,” she said. “After all, I had been in the family of Methodist ministers all my life!  What could I possibly gain from S.A.L.T?  It has truly been an eye opening experience!  In every S.A.L.T session I have learned more than I ever dreamed possible. It has been GREAT!”

There are many ways that we grow in knowledge and faith to be more effective Christians. One of those ways is through a leadership development program called S.A.L.T. (Servant And Leadership Training).

Now in its sixth year, the program is open to United Methodists in the Jackson District who are interested in learning more about the United Methodist Church, from heritage to resources. It promises to empower individuals and churches to be more effective in reaching members and the unchurched.

Dr. Ben Boone, Jackson District Superintendent, says, “The S.A.L.T. ministry of training leadership is one significant way of inspiring and preparing strong lay leadership for servant ministry within our local churches and our communities. S.A.L.T. sends committed lay persons back into their local churches and communities ready and able to meet challenges for serving Christ.”

Applications are now being accepted for the 2003 class. The program begins in January and meets once a month.