Controversy surrounding march — fomented by both opponents and proponents — has obscured original goals, statement declares.

By Renee Elder*

Assistance on dorm move-in day, free food for lunch, Friday night movies and popcorn – these are some of the methods UMC campus ministries use to connect with freshmen during their first days and weeks at college.

“As funny or lighthearted as the first few weeks are, they are central to breaking the ice and getting students connected to people and to a ministry that can forever change their life,” says the Rev. Michael D. McCord, director of Campus Ministry Resources and Training at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The Rev. Ashlee Alley, director of campus ministry at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., agrees.

“Initially they want a place to connect, to be accepted and to find other people like them,” Alley says. “That’s pretty true for every student, and they all will find it somewhere. Hopefully, they will find it in the Christian community and don’t have to look other places.”

As most campus ministers know, there can be a fine line between encouraging student involvement and coming across as too heavy-handed.

“It’s not at all uncommon for students who have been very active in church in high school to want to take a break once they get to college,” says the Rev. Betsy Eaves, chaplain of Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport. “It’s a time for them to step back and decide what is theirs – what they believe versus what their parents taught them.

“Students tend to come and go when it comes to engagement with their spirituality.  It’s a time in their lives when they are raising a lot of questions.  As chaplain, I want to get to know them and to be there for them in conversation, guiding them, and offering support to help them come through this period in a healthy way.”

Rising college senior John Badley says he had something of a been-there-done-that attitude when he first came to Southwestern.  Raised as a Southern Baptist, Badley began attending a UMC youth group in his Oklahoma hometown during his freshman year of high school.  But when the church’s youth minister moved away and a cash crunch prevented the church from hiring a replacement, Badley was left feeling abandoned.

“It plunged me into a period of skepticism and cynicism during my senior year of high school and freshman year of college,” he recalls.

Those feelings slowly began to lessen after Badley joined Discipleship Southwestern, a campus service learning program, and became part of a small-group Bible study.

“As I became more and more involved, I came to realize more about my relationship with the church,” Badley said.  “It’s not like purchasing a product and then deciding you don’t like certain features.”

One key to the turnaround was his relationship with Dave Smith, senior pastor at First United Methodist in Winfield, who volunteered as an adviser to Badley’s 13-member Covenant group. “The group is a safe place. It’s even okay to question whether God exists and at the same time be in Discipleship Southwestern.”

If established campus outreach is tricky, the situation can be even more difficult for pastors and members of local congregations extending invitations to off-campus activities.

“There is an awkwardness,” says Badley, now a student intern working with youth at Smith’s church. “The pastor may be thinking, ‘I hope the students approve of me,’ and students may be thinking, ‘I hope there is respect for us.’ Sometimes there are strained relationships.”

At First UMC in Winfield, the key to successful outreach has been an emphasis on service.

“We have invited lots of college students to be involved in ministries of the church through volunteering with our youth ministry, working in our nursery, working with our Kids’ Day In program for preschool children, and serving on ministry teams in the church,” says  Bill Podschun, director of Christian education. “Our congregation also has many persons who are connected to the campus as teachers, administrators,  and volunteers.  They all help us have a presence on campus and make our church a comfortable place for young adults to come and worship.”

According to McCord, involving students early on in campus ministry tends to help them feel more spiritually engaged.

“Across the board, I see acts of radical hospitality and service as ways that campus ministries can help new students feel connected to the campus,” McCord says. “Those first days, you don’t know anybody or anything, and campus ministry has a unique opportunity to stand in that gap, providing connectivity tools and offering friendships that will help those students feel more grounded.”
 

*Elder is a freelance writer and communications specialist in Raleigh, N.C.

By Vicki Brown*

United Methodist theological schools are offering 11 online continuing education classes for clergy and laity beginning fall semester of 2010.

The Online Continuing Education Consortium aims to provide theologically sound, financially affordable, and easily accessible continuing education programs. All 13 of the United Methodist theological schools are expected to participate. Five seminaries are offering classes this fall.

“The Online Continuing Education Consortium provides a new level of Christian leadership development for clergy and laity using technology as a global church,” said the Rev. HiRho Park, director of Continuing Formation for Ministry for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. “This consortium is a prime example of how United Methodist seminaries can work together in collaboration with GBHEM to provide cost effective theological education around the world.”

A survey of United Methodist continuing educators – The Landscape of Continuing Education in The United Methodist Church (Nashville, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, 2007) – identified these concerns:

·         Limited funding and increased competition among seminaries and other continuing education institutions

·         Lack of accountability and high cost of continuing education through one-time events

·         Limited access to continuing education opportunities for clergy in remote areas.

Eighty-one percent of the respondents wanted GBHEM to provide more continuing education resources and guidelines.

To address these concerns, GBHEM proposed an online consortium idea with the 13 United Methodist theological schools to ensure the quality of classes offered, increase collaboration among the UM institutions, and generate conversation about continuing education for clergy and laity.

The Rev. Randy Cross, assistant general secretary in GBHEM’s Division of Ordained Ministry of GBHEM said the launching of the online consortium is a major step forward in The United Methodist Church’s training and education of its leaders.

“Imagine literally being able to learn and grow in knowledge and effectiveness from almost anywhere in the world, to almost anywhere in the world.  We have only begun to scratch the surface of learning with this important tool.”

Those interested in taking the classes will be able to view an online catalogue and Web links to each theological school that is offering the classes through www.gbhem.org/continuingeducation. Tuition and fees will  be set by the seminary hosting the class and will be paid directly to that seminary.

“I hope this initiative will be the beginning of expanding accessibility to high quality theological education toward a vision of reaching out to all those who are hungry for more opportunities to study theological subjects regardless of geographical distance,” Park said.

*Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Hey everyone,

Candler Conference to Focus on Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations

Come discover how your church can experience congregational health, vitality and fruitfulness by practicing radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity.

These will be the topics as Bishop Robert Schnase, author of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, leads Candler School of Theology’s Fall Congregational Conference Oct. 11-13 at Gainesville First UMC and at Candler on the Emory campus in Atlanta.

The three-day conference features workshops and firsthand instruction by Schnase, who weaves theological insight, practical advice and exemplary stories to inspire pastors and laity. His goal is to help churches discover how they can demonstrate health by focusing on the five practices and how—by repeating and improving them—your church can fulfill its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

All events on Sunday, Oct. 11, will be held at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, where Schnase will also preach at the morning worship services. Monday and Tuesday’s events will take place at Candler School of Theology.

Schnase serves as bishop of the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church. He was elected bishop in 2004. In addition to Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, he has authored Ambition in Ministry: Our Spiritual Struggle with Success, and Achievement and Competition, and Testing and Reclaiming Your Call to Ministry.

For more information or to register for the event, visit www.candler.emory.edu. or
Contact: Candler School of Theology, Laurel Hanna, 404.727.4481, laurel.hanna@emory.edu

About Candler School of Theology

Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is an intellectually vital, internationally distinguished, and intentionally diverse university-based school of theology. Candler is committed to educating ministers, scholars of religion, and other leaders. Candler is dedicated to expanding knowledge of religion and theology, deepening spiritual life, strengthening the public witness of the churches, and building upon the breadth of Christian traditions, particularly the Wesleyan heritage, for the positive transformation of church and world. It is one of 13 United Methodist Church seminaries, and its enrollment includes more than 500 students from more than 50 denominations.

UMAC Annual Meeting

Register Online Now!

Join the United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) Tuesday, Oct. 20 through Friday, Oct. 23 in Nashville, Tenn.!

We will be gathering at various locales, including the United Methodist Communications offices and the General Board of Discipleship offices. We are looking forward to enjoying the sights and sounds from Nashville, as well as being so close to many UM organizations and agencies.

Dear GBHEM Friends and Colleagues:

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church is seeking candidates to fill the position of Associate General Secretary in the Division of Higher Education. The Search Committee is actively seeking a pool of qualified persons who might be interested in applying for the position. A position profile is attached for your reference.

Grace and shalom,
Jerome King Del Pino
General Secretary

JKDP/cls

A PDF for the position is linked below.

The Medical University of South Carolina's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is hosting a 3-hour workshop on October 10, 2009 that will assist non-medical professionals, such as clergy, recognize signs of mental illness.  This workshop, titled Recognizing Mental Illness for Non-Medical Professionals, will offer insight on neurological disorders, non-psychotic experiences and also sleep-paralysis to professionals such as clergy or pastoral counselors.  These professionals often come into contact with people that are seeking guidance.  With the information learned at this workshop, the clergy may be better equipped to recognize a mental illness or neurological disorder.  I have attached a flyer with more detail as well.

Do you have an email list that you could send this announcement to in order to help promote attendance?  We are really hoping to bring in a large group of professionals from the religious community so that we can have a very open and informative workshop that will benefit all attendees.  I would sincerely appreciate it if you could help spread the word to your ministers and staff.

Thank you so much for your help. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me or visit www.muschealth.com/psychevents.  

Have a great day! J

Heather Tyson

MUSC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Post-Graduate Professional Education Office

51 Bee Street; MSC 861

Charleston, SC  29425

(843) 792-7340 Phone

Read about the Rev. Lara Byrd, a member of the South Carolina Conference, in the September-October issue of Interpreter, the official ministry magazine for the people of The United Methodist Church. Byrd, associate pastor at Carteret Street United Methodist Church in Beaufort, is included in a story about young clergy. An expanded story of her call will be posted later in the month. Byrd is included in one of several features on developing new leaders. Read the story on-line at http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=13733. Read other stories about the need for developing new leaders for the church and about laity who are providing “principled Christian leadership” in the world and their workplaces.

Read, too, Dr. Bill Frist’s perspective on providing health care as a way of making peace, how fair-trade purchases improve life for producers and ideas for Laity Sunday and supporting laity throughout the year. As always, enjoy reading the popular "It Worked for Us" and "IdeaMart" departments as well as "Lighter Fare.".

Check out Interpreter OnLine at www.interpretermagazine.org. Then order your personal subscription by calling United Methodist Communications at 888-346-3862.