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HolsTon ConferenCe of THe UniTed MeTHodisT CHUrCH www.holston.orgJanuary 2010

Holston ConferenceP.O. Box 850Alcoa, TN 37701-0850

HolsTon ConferenCe of THe UniTed MeTHodisT CHUrCH www.holston.org

8 The Call • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

december 2010

Abingdon: The aging members of Charles Wesley UMC dreamed of a ramp to help them navi-gate the difficult steps to the church doors. But the ramp didn't become reality until Superintendent Mike Hubble mentioned the need to the "Helping Hands" men of Pleasant View UMC. Within three days of Hubble's request, the plans were drawn, the permits were secured, and 17 men from Pleasant View and other churches gathered Nov. 20 to build the ramp. The women of Charles Wesley showed gratitude by prepar-ing a meal for the volunteers.

Big Stone Gap: Trinity UMC made a parade float out of an 18-wheeler flatbed truck, with two gen-erators providing power for lights and Christmas music. The float's theme was "His Presence is Our Greatest Present," which won first place in both the Big Stone Gap Christmas parade and the Appalachia parade. "All 14 children on the float came to our church through our van ministry," says the Rev. Kenneth LaDuke. The van outreach minister is Larry Spears.

Chattanooga: Signal Mountain UMC moved into its new and renovated facilities in mid-November, reports the Rev. J.N. Howard. Established in 1857, the church had been at its present location since 1948 with only a sanctuary, two children's classrooms and a small fellowship hall. The new building includes an enlarged sanctuary, big fellowship hall, and three classrooms with renovations to the older building to provide a nursery, choir room, and narthex. Worship attendance has more than doubled since 2006, with eight new members join-ing in the first three Sundays in the new facility.

Cleveland: Ten youth and children and five adult volunteers endured freezing weather to represent Daisy UMC in the Soddy-Daisy Christmas parade on Dec. 4. The children tossed candy out to the crowds lining the parade route. "We were not the only church in the community represented," said the Rev. Don Jones. "We were the most enthusiastic."

Johnson City: The United Methodist Men of Edgefield UMC started a food pantry in 2005, serving three families in the first month. In October 2010, the pantry served 100 families on its third-Saturday-of-the-month distribution. The pantry is now a community

effort, supported by $1,000 monthly from the Edge-field budget along with donations from other churches, Scouts, groups, and individuals."It's amazing what God can do when we don't put restrictions and limits on him and just serve him," Williams said.

Kingsport: Kendricks Creek UMC received national recognition from Sears after five "amateur" craftsmen in the church built a chancel and altar rails out of red oak. The men, ages 68 to 81 years old, call themselves the Pout House Gang, according to their affirming leader, the Rev. Susan Anderson.

Knoxville: Ray and Jennifer McDonald haven't cooked many meals since Jennifer began having severe head pain in March and Ray was laid off from his job. Members at Middlebrook Pike UMC are providing all meals, organizing fundraisers, and sending anonymous donations and cards to help and encourage the couple and their 7-year-old son. "When you talk about church family, you don’t understand what it truly means until something like this happens,” Ray McDonald told the Knoxville News Sentinel. Jennifer was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in late October.

Maryville: Broadway UMC obtained a city permit so the Christmas Story could be read in public after the Maryville tree lighting on Dec. 5. WBIR-TV reported that a complaint raised about separation of church and state resulted in elimination of the Christmas reading in 2009, but residents asked for the tradition to return this year. "All the hoopla is really about the birth of the baby who came to change the world," said Broadway Pastor Amy Probst, who read Luke 2:1-20 after the city tree was ceremoniously illuminated.

Morristown: The mother of the pastor at Noe's Chapel UMC knitted caps for each of his 15 church children, so the proud pastor/son handed out the hats during the Advent candle lighting on Dec. 5. "You would have thought there was no heat in the building because of all the children wearing hats," said the Rev. Dennis Loy. "Mom" is Dorthy Loy, a member at Fountain City UMC in Knoxville, who in the last two years has knitted 75 hats for the homeless served by Lost Sheep Ministries.

Oak Ridge: Folks say Junior Welch was the heart of the Arthur community. "He just liked to help people," says Welch's pastor at Arthur UMC, the Rev. Eric Doolit-tle. Welch was known for riding his bike or motorcycle around the neighborhood – stopping to talk to everyone – but especially focused on visiting the home-bound and sick. On Oct. 2, he was riding out to visit a sick aunt when he had an motorcycle accident and died from a head injury. In his memory, an anonymous donor gave money to buy 50 canned hams, which were distributed as Christmas gifts to families in the mobile-home commu-nity near the church. "This seemed like a natural way to honor his memory, especially with the hard year so many of our neighbors are having," says Doolittle.

Tazewell: First Narrows UMC hosted its annual Community Christmas and Dolly’s Love Tree on Dec 5, providing gifts of clothes and food for 40 needy families. The 30-year ministry is led by Dolly Sadler, a retired special education teacher who raised a record $1,600 this year with her baggie-lined Christmas tree in the narthex. "Dolly's dedication and compassion is an extraordinary example of agape love," says Pastor Chris Brown.

Wytheville: The district's "Day Apart Training" at Fort Chiswell UMC on Nov. 21 was attended by 288 laity and clergy. One of the eight sessions was taught by Bishop James Swanson: "Crafting Sermons for Changing Times." Swanson opened the class by inviting questions, "which ranged from today's lack of empha-sis on the reality of hell to my personal preparation for preaching," he said. The day's theme was "Embracing Change."

news from Your District

1 Abingdon 2 Big Stone Gap 3 Chattanooga 4 Cleveland 5 Johnson City 6 Kingsport

7 Knoxville 8 Maryville 9 Morristown 10 Oak Ridge 11 Tazewell 12 Wytheville

Holston districts

tAZeweLL: Santa's got nothing on Dolly.morristown: Noe's Chapel children get top-notch treatment. ABinGDon: Pleasant View ramps it up for Charles Wesley.

Merry Christmas from

The Calldistrict roundup

Happy new Year!21 bishops will visit Alcoa office

I s there a bishop in the house? For a few days in January, Bishop James Swanson won't be the only one. On Jan. 6-8 at the Alcoa Conference Center,

staff members will step lively into the New Year as they host 21 bishops for a meeting of the South-eastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops. The church leaders are traveling to east Tennessee because it is traditional for the SEJ College of Bishops to meet in the Episcopal Area of the bishop currently serving as president. Swanson will hold that title through May 2011.

The SEJ College includes 13 active bishops serving 15 annual conferences in nine states: Ala-bama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Retired bishops of the jurisdiction are also included in the membership but may not vote on issues, according to Swanson.

The Alcoa Conference Center is expecting 13 active and eight retired bishops to fill the confer-ence-room chairs, tour the conference halls, and keep the conference staff on their toes.

Of all the expected guests, Bishop Timothy Whitaker of the Florida Annual Conference will travel the longest distance – from Lakeland, Fla.

Two retired bishops are scheduled to preach in the Maryville District on Sunday morning, Jan. 9: Bishop Clay Lee at Broadway United Method-ist Church and Bishop William Morris at First Gatlinburg UMC.

About 30 staff members have offices on two floors of the conference headquarters at 217 South Rankin Road, next door to the Alcoa post office.

finance deadlines, holiday closings announced

The Holston finance and administration office has announced the following dates as the 2010 year concludes and a new year commences:

►Conference office closed for holidays: Dec. 24- 27, Jan. 1-3

►Deadline for 2010 apportionment payments: Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. in Alcoa office

►First direct invoice for health insurance mailed from Alcoa: Dec. 15►First direct invoice for health insurance and pen-sion costs mailed from Alcoa: Jan. 15►First worksheet for tithe apportionments due in Alcoa office: Feb. 15

For more information, call the finance office at (866) 690-4080 or e-mail JohnTate@holston.org.

They've arrived: 2 churchesgo boldly into 2011

Holston's Congregational Development office has even more reason to celebrate the holiday season as two congregations take historic flights into the future.

On Sunday, Dec. 12 in Maryville District, Sycamore Tree United Methodist Church will become a chartered congregation in a special ser-vice, sealing the deal as a full-fledged UM church.

On Sunday, Jan. 2, First Hillsville UMC in Wytheville District will officially launch its second campus, the downtown "Out of the Box Worship Center."

Both events are landmarks in Holston's quest to start 15 new churches in five years (2009-2014) and revitalize several existing congregations, according to the Rev. Richard Edwards, Holston director of congregational development.

By chartering, Sycamore Tree completes an eight-year journey since its was planted in partner-ship with Fairview UMC in 2002, with support from Holston. The founding and current pastor, the Rev. Jeff Wadley, reports that the church has baptized 69 people, taken 39 trips to the Gulf Coast after Hur-ricane Katrina, and bought and renovated a building – "without debt on a $125,000 project." Sycamore Tree has 200 persons on the roll with an average attendance of 150. (www.climbingthetree.com)

Out-of-the-Box started in October 2008 as a downtown storefront youth ministry led by First Hillsville's associate pastor, the Rev. Ronnie Col-lins. Within 18 months, weekly events were drawing between 60 and 100 youth – some who later found their way to the church building on Sunday morning.

With coaching and grant support from Holston, Out of the Box has aquired a new building and is set to offer "A New Worship Experience for Carroll County" on the first Sunday of January. Collins will lead the new congregation. (fumcoutofthebox.com)

Out of the Box is counted as the third launch in Holston's 15-church goal – "and our first church in Virginia," Edwards said. The first two were

Cokesbury UMC's West campus in the Oak Ridge District and The Remedy in Maryville District.

footloose and wrinkle-free:resurrection, divine rhythm

More than 10,000 youth and young adults will invade Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for three con-secutive January weekends as Holston again offers its groundbreaking spiritual events for the young. Resurrection is having a deja vu year with Adrian Despres returning from 2004 to speak to a new batch of teens. Divine Rhythm is keeping it cur-rent by relocating from Country Tonite Theatre to Smoky Mountain Convention Center and inviting Bishop Sally Dyck from Minnesota to preach to the college-and-beyond set. More details:

resurrection● For youth● Jan. 14-16 and Jan. 21-23● Gatlinburg Convention Center● Speaker: Adrian Despres● Band: Wayne Kerr Band● Registration is available at the door for $45 per person. ● More info: holstonyouth.com or (866) 690-4080

Divine rhythm● For young adults ages 18-35● Jan. 28-30● Smoky Mountain Convention Center in Pigeon Forge● Speaker: Bishop Sally Dyck● Worship leader: Casey Darnell● Registration deadline: Dec. 31 for $35 per person● Registration after Dec. 31: $50 per person at the door● Child care registration deadline: Dec. 31● More info: divinerhythm.com or (866) 690-4080

Meaningful Christmas gifts:50 alternative ideas

"Give a Gift of Hope for the Children of Sudan" is a downloadable booklet with 50 suggestions – such as $10 for a Bible, $42 for garden tools, $152 to paint a new church – that will make a difference in Africa while honoring or memorializing a loved one. A card acknowledging your gift will be mailed to the appropriate recipient.

Visit Holston.org for the online link or call Con-nectional Ministries toll-free at (866) 690-4080.