  April
9, 2004 |
| April
9, 2004 |
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Volume 150 Number 50 021000 |
April 16, 2004 |
Petitions/Resolutions Deadline May 1, 2004 If you wish to submit a petition or resolution to the Memphis Annual Conference, it must be in the Conference Office, 24 Corporate Blvd., Jackson, TN 38305 by May 1, 2004. Please address to the attention of Anita Kay Archer. Sportsman’s BBQ & Auction for Reelfoot, June 12 Sportsmen, get ready. On June 12, the board of Reelfoot Rural Ministries will be hosting the 2nd Annual Sportsman’s BBQ @ Silent Auction, 5:00-5:30 PM., at the Reelfoot Lake Center. The menu is pork barbecue, chips, beans, cole slaw, homemade desserts, tea and soft drinks. Silent auction items will once again be donated by area stores, restaurants and individuals. Profits from the auction and dinner will help underwrite costs at Reelfoot Rural Ministries. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Positions available • Administrative/Financial Secretary: Aldersgate UMC, Memphis. Will maintain church financial records, receive and disburse church funds. Must have experience and working knowledge of accounting skills necessary for payroll and banking as well as excellent computer skills. Responsible for clerical needs; i.e. weekly newsletter, weekly bulletin, correspondence, filing. Experience with Shelby Systems preferred. Excellent interpersonal skills required. 32.5 hours per week. Salary commensurate with experience and education. Submit resumes to Staff Parish Relations Committee, Aldersgate UMC, 4459 Willow Rd., Memphis, TN 38117. • Executive Director, SEJ Agency for Native American Ministries, Lake Junaluska, NC. Preferably of Native American Heritage; college degree or the equivalent; member and knowledgeable of The United Methodist Church; appreciative of all Native American nations, grant writer, and fund-raiser. Computer skills desirable. Salary Range: $37,000 to $55,000 (inclusive of housing and utilities) Apply to: Mr. Robby Lowry, Acting Chair; Personnel Committee, SEJANAM, PO Box 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 (office) 888-825-6316 (fax) 828-456-4040. Submit resume and provide no more than two page narrative addressing the following: My vision and goals for SEJANAM and why I believe I should be considered for the position. Also, share knowledge of and working relationship with Native American Nations/Tribes locally, regionally and nationally. Provide three references (1) Employer, (2) Peer (3) Friend. Provide Email, address, phone number, and fax for each reference. For more information, call 888-825-6316. ST. LUKE’S TO HOST Second ‘ROCK THE BLOCK’ PARTY St. Luke’s UMC will rock the block on Saturday, May 22, noon to 4:00 PM., with free barbecue, live music, and games for children and adults. The event, free and open to the public, will feature music by Pierce, a Memphis-area Christian band that plays at churches, conferences, and camps across the United States and Europe. Pierce will kick off the event with a concert in the church courtyard at noon. Also performing will be Flashing Yellow, the contemporary praise band from St. John’s Episcopal Church. Flashing Yellow will play in the fellowship hall at 12:45 PM. Pierce will return for a second set at 1:15 PM. Then children, youth and adults from St. Luke’s will take the stage for an amateur talent show at 2 PM. The day will close with worship at 3 PM. The service will be led by Lots of Helping Hands, St. Luke’s youth creative arts team. Throughout the day, guests can enjoy a free barbecue lunch prepared by members of the award-winning Fossil Fuel Porkers BBQ team. St. Luke’s is located at 480 S. Highland. For more information, call 901-452-6262. |
Camden women stitch up historyHeritage quilt project raises money for Camden’s CLC
Pearl Oglesby was thumbing through the Memphis Conference United Methodist Reporter one day when she happened upon an article about a beautiful quilt sewn by the ladies of Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church to raise money for the church building fund. Pearl brought the article and the picture of the quilt to the next meeting of the Wesleyan Sub-Group at First United Methodist Church in Camden, Tenn. She thought the quilt would be a good money-making project for the women. “I kept the article for two years before the group decided to do it,” Mrs. Oglesby said. “Once we got started, it took less than a year to actually sew the quilt.” The United Methodist women planned their design carefully, choosing a brick quilting pattern with red and white blocks. Each “brick”, 7 1/2” x 3 1/2”, would be embroidered with the name of a church member, female names in red thread on a white background, males in white thread on a red background. Virginia Whitworth, another member of the UMW sub-group, said the lettering was purposely made large. “We wanted everyone to readily see and be able to read the names.” Each “brick” could be purchased for a donation of at least $10. Many contributed more than $10. If a family wished to purchase a brick for a deceased member of the church, a gold star was embroidered by that name. By the time all the blocks were sold, the group realized a profit of $5,845. “We were able to buy ten tables and 80 chairs for our Community Life Center plus a defibrillator for the church,” said Mrs. Whitworth. Evelyn Craig Shugart, employing her distinctive handwriting, wrote the names on the blocks. Pearl, Maytha Hall, Grace Cain, Sherry Potts and Virginia embroidered each name by hand. The women placed the Methodist Cross and Flame in the center of the quilt. John Conder drew the design which was cross-stitched by Maytha, co-chairman of the quilt project along with Pearl Oglesby. Maytha’s granddaughter, Dana Smith, transferred Conder’s design into a cross-stitch graft. Pearl said, “The quilt top, batting and backing, was laid out in three panels and then machine quilted. When it was finished, it was hung in the church fellowship hall.” According to Babs Fry, the Wesleyan Sub-Group’s chairwoman, the quilt serves two purposes. Not only is it a beautiful heritage quilt, it also covers a very ugly hole in the wall. “The United Methodist Men of the church rigged it up for us,” she said. Mrs. Oglesby added, “Our heritage quilt project would not have been a success if not for each individual’s input and help.” The Wesleyan Sub-Group has approximately 20 members. The completed quilt has 528 squares, but the names aren’t evenly divided between women and men. “Since there were more female names than male, we placed the extra female names on each side of the quilt,” Mrs. Oglesby said. And every name was embroidered with love. “That was what we put on all our publicity,” Virginia Whitworth said. “This quilt was made with love by the members of the Wesleyan Sub-Group of the United Methodist Women.” That’s what counts.
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Arlington: ‘Let the good times roll!’
Times have changed at Arlington United Methodist Church. Not so long ago, the 215-member West Tennessee congregation was satisfied with no more than one hour of worship and one hour of Sunday School every week. No more. As the French would say, “Laissez les bon temps roulez!” It all began with a Mardi Gras party two years ago. Pastor Deb Christiansen suggested that the congregation stage the Lenten celebration in the fellowship hall. “They asked me why we were going to do it,” Christiansen said, “I responded, ‘We worship together, we pray together, we ought to know how to play together!’” The local Knights of Columbus chapter jumped in to help the church put on the celebration/fund-raiser. “Have you seen the movie ‘Pay it Forward’?” Christiansen asked. “Just like in the movie where the young boy helps other people, asking only that they, in turn, ‘pay it forward’ by helping someone else, the Knights of Columbus have made helping others their ministry to the community.” One member of the Knights, David Barczak, is the brother of Frank Barczak, a member of Arlington UMC. That first Mardi Gras cleared a profit of $1,000. “We pledged to give half the money to Barrett’s Chapel Elementary School, which is on the outskirts of Arlington, and earmark the rest to pay for kids going to Lakeshore to summer camp,” Christiansen said. The celebration included a spaghetti dinner, silent auction and carnival games for the children. “This year, we were on our own,” Christiansen said. “Because we were doing the whole celebration by ourselves, we had an even greater involvement of our church members. They claimed ownership of the event and say that next year will be even bigger and better!” Arlington’s 2004 Mardi Gras began with a parade to the accompaniment of a Dixieland Band playing “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In.” Beads were strung around the necks of all participants. Half the profits were designated for the Arlington Senior Citizens’ Center and half for Lakeshore scholarships. “We sold 135 tickets, raising $1150 this time,” said the pastor. Christiansen takes great delight in reporting that the church is now celebrating all the Holy Days. “We have a Christmas Eve service now, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. “Since we started having a Christmas Eve service, three other churches in town have joined in,” she said. “And since we’ve been having Ash Wednesday services, the other churches are getting busy.” People in the community are taking notice of Arlington United Methodist Church. Some have visited. “Our people are getting excited,” Christiansen said.
Carnegie Hall trip means practice, practice, practice
. Saint John’s UMC
For musicians, it doesn’t get much bigger than a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. For members of Saint John’s United Methodist Church and Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church choirs in Memphis, the big time is fast approaching. On June 13, choir members from Saint John’s and Saint Luke’s will join singers from Rhodes College in performing works of modern American choral composer Morten Lauridsen at the world-famous music venue. The choirs will be under the direction of Timothy Sharp, the choral conductor at Rhodes, and the audience will include Lauridsen himself. It’s a fairy-tale story that began last February when the invitation arrived. Choir directors Marcy Mittelstadt (Saint Luke’s) and Kyle Linson (Saint John’s) could hardly believe their good fortune when the letter from Mid-America Productions announced the chance of a lifetime. The opening line read: “Because of the quality and high level of musicianship demonstrated by your choir and the recommendation given to us by Timothy Sharp of Rhodes College, it is with pleasure that I extend this invitation to you and your choir to participate in a performance on June 13, 2004 in Carnegie Hall.” The last two words were capitalized and in bold print – as if there were any extra emphasis needed. “Our choir members were thrilled and honored with the invitation,” Mittelstadt said. “Singing at Carnegie Hall not only is an honor, but also gets the word out of the good things happening at Saint Luke’s.” Linson was equally pleased. “The choir at Saint John’s has worked hard to become a vital ministry of the church. To be invited to sing at Carnegie Hall and record our first album (Servants of Peace released last December) made 2003 a very big year!” After rehearsing for several months in Memphis, choir members will have three days of rehearsal time in New York with Sharpe, Lauridsen and the New England Symphonic Ensemble prior to the concert. Pieces included in the performance include Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, and O Magnum Mysterium. Preparation time in Memphis includes a full-scale presentation of the New York program in Downtown Memphis at the Cannon Center on Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m. All tickets are general admission and cost $15 each. The choirs will be accompanied by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in a musical event that Sharp said is not to be missed. “This concert is an exceptional opportunity for lovers of great choral music. We have assembled some of the best voices in the area,” Sharp said. For more information about the concerts or choral music at Saint Luke’s (901-452-6262) or Saint John’s (901-726-4104), contact the choir directors. |
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