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African Connection

W.T. Handy / 6

Hagar’s House / 3

Africana Worship / 8

A fact finding mission to Senegal inearly November turned into a life chang-ing experience for United Methodistteam members from the LouisianaAnnual Conference.

“We learned about the wonderfulthings that The United Methodist Churchis already doing in this poverty-strickenarea of Africa. But we also got a firsthand glimpse of the overwhelming needthat volunteers and staff face every sin-

gle day,” said Rev. Dr. Martha Orphe,director of Multicultural Ministries forthe conference.

Orphe went to Senegal Nov. 5-17with Rev. Connie Thomas, pastor of Mt.Zion United Methodist Church in NewOrleans and Mae Calvin, a member ofFirst UMC in Baton Rouge. WesleyBelton, a retired professor fromMississippi, also went with the groupwhich traveled to Dakar—Senegal’s cap-ital and largest city—the town of Thies,Goree Island, and a small village called

Gandiol.When the team arrived in Dakar, they

visited the Women’s Skill Center, a proj-ect of The United Methodist Church.“We visited with the women and learnedmore about the clothes, jewelry andtablecloths they make and sell to earn aliving. Once the participants have com-pleted the three-year program, theyreceive their own sewing machine,” saidOrphe, who explained that the center can

Fact-finding mission to Senegal proves fruitful

See Africa, page 4

United Methodist Communications iscreating the next evolution of the “Openhearts. Open minds. Open doors.” welcom-ing and advertising campaign, which seeksto redefine the church experience beyondjust Sundays and church buildings—inother words, to “rethink church.”

“Rethink Church” is the name of thisnew phase of the Igniting Ministry initia-tive, a product of efforts by UnitedMethodist Communications. Developers ofthe plan hope to make the word “church” averb instead of a noun. Their hope is thatchurch can be more of an out-of-church

365 days a year experience where peoplemay find opportunities for active participa-tion in the world beyond.

If “open” moves from an adjective to averb then, together, United Methodists canopen hearts, open minds and open doors.

Campaign invites congregations to ‘rethink church’

See Igniting Ministries, page 7

A fact finding mission to Senegal Nov. 5-17 turned into a life changing experience for United Methodist team members from theLouisiana Annual Conference.The team was also able to provide outreach by delivering over 300 pounds of medicine to theimpoverished areas of Gandiol and Thies. A free pharmacy was set up at the Gandiol clinic, a two hour drive from Dakar,Senegal’s capital. Team members Revs. Martha Orphe and Connie Thomas are pictured above right.

For the latest information regarding

disaster recovery efforts,visit the La. Conference

web site at

www.la-umc.org or contact the UM

Disaster Recovery Center

at (225) 346-5193

BY BETTY BACKSTROM

Recently, I listened yet again to the

vows of membership into the United

Methodist Church. They are the very

vows I have heard all of my life – or at

least I think that is the case! Anyway, I

can’t remember when we didn’t use

them. “Will you be loyal to the United

Methodist Church and uphold it by your

prayers, your presence, your gifts and

your service?” They are like a mantra

that is descriptive of our household of

faith. They are strong, expectant, and

active vows that have served us as a

denomination quite well over the years.

With the General Conference of 2008

these familiar vows have been changed.

Nothing has been removed, but some-

thing has been added. Now, in addition

to prayers, presence, gifts and service, a

new promise is to be asked – Witness.

I affirm that addition. Prayers, pres-

ence, gifts and service are all ways we

have been supportive of our church and

in particular of our own local congrega-

tion. We pray for the church, local and

universal. We are present in our church

when it gathers for worship and for mis-

sion. We give of our talents to the

church in an effort to lead it forward.

And we pledge our service to the needs

of the church. But now, with Witness

added to these vows, we are expected to

go outside the church and share with oth-

ers what it means to be a follower of

Jesus. I like that expectation.

For too long we have ignored and left

to chance, or to someone else, the shar-

ing of the good news with others. It has

been an uncomfortable part of our

Christian walk to tell another person

what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

For some reason we have rationalized

our reluctance by saying we don’t want

to intrude into another person’s private

realm. We don’t feel we have the right

to help another see where they might

find true life and true help for them-

selves. We don’t have a problem telling

our friends and neighbors about most

anything else, but when it comes to

telling what it means to be a disciple of

Jesus, and to sharing our own faith jour-

ney we suddenly freeze up. If they ask

us to tell them about it then maybe we

will. But we aren’t at ease freely volun-

teering the information to one we know

is struggling, or even to one we know to

be on the wrong track.

Witness is an expectation of us voiced

by Jesus himself. In the closing verses

of the Gospel according to Matthew,

Jesus is heard to say, “All authority in

heaven and on earth has been given to

me. Go therefore and make disciples of

all nations, baptizing

them in the name of

the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy

Spirit, teaching them

to observe all that I

have commanded

you; and lo, I am

with you always, to

the close of the age.”

(Matthew 28: 16-20,

RSV) We call this passage of scripture

“the Great Commission.”

It is our commission from Jesus him-

self to witness to our faith. It is our com-

mission to tell others of Jesus’ love and

grace, baptize them, teach them, and help

them to become disciples.

We are now entering into a new

Christian year. We will spend the next

few weeks in preparation for the

Christmas event and the celebration of

the birth of Jesus. Now is a perfect time

to make that witness. Everyone loves the

hopes, dreams, and joy of Christmas!

Now is a great time to invite a friend, a

co-worker, an acquaintance from down

the street, or a perfect stranger to join

you in worship or in a study group so

they can understand and know the “rea-

son for the season.” Now is one of the

best times of the year to interest another

person in what it means to be a follower

of the Christ of Christmas.

I admit to you that this has been a

major area of struggle for me over the

years. I am comfortable with my witness

being my life. I am comfortable with my

witness being made from the pulpit or in

a structured classroom. But I have strug-

gled with how to tell a perfect stranger,

or even a close friend who hasn’t opened

the door to me about the Jesus I love and

to whom I have given my life. It’s just

not natural to me to open up that conver-

sation face-to-face without invitation.

Yet, I want my journey to reflect that I

have done all I can do to usher in Jesus’

kingship over all of life. And that means

opening my mouth and telling others

about him! I continue to work on ways

for that to happen for me. I invite you to

join me and all those who will join the

United Methodist Church in the future,

on this all-important journey of witness-

ing to our faith.

In Christ’s love,

Bill Hutchinson

2 DECEMBER 5, 2008Louisiana Conference Now!

Louisiana Conference Now!

Louisiana Conference NOW! is the newspaper of the Louisiana Annual Conferenceof The United Methodist Church and is published twice a month.

Subscriptions are $20 for one year, $30 for two years.(Please make checks payable to Louisiana Annual Conference.)

Send subscriptions, news and information to: Editor

527 North BoulevardBaton Rouge, LA 70802

E-mail: lanow@bellsouth.net(888) 239-5286 ext. 227

(225) 346-1646, (225) 383-2652 fax

You can find the Louisiana Annual Conference on the Internet athttp://www.la-umc.org

William W. Hutchinson

Don Cottrill

Betty Backstrom

Resident Bishop

Provost

Editor

ON THE JOURNEY

Witness

Bishop WilliamW. Hutchinson

“Tending Our Lives Together,” a retreatfor all clergy under appointment, is slatedfor Feb.16-18, 2009 at The Wesley Centerin Woodworth, La. All clergy underappointment in the Louisiana Conferenceare expected to be in attendance at thisevent. Those participating will be richlyblessed by Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster,resident bishop of the Western NorthCarolina Conference, who will lead ourretreat. Bishop Goodpaster will be using

his book, There’s Power in the Connection:Building a Network of DynamicCongregations. Clergy are encouraged toread this book before they attend theretreat.

Registration will begin at 1 p.m. onMonday, Feb. 16 with the first sessionbeginning at 3 p.m. The retreat will con-clude at noon on Wednesday, Feb.18.Registration and agenda information willbe forthcoming.

What is the Nothing But Nets campaign?Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots

campaign to save lives by preventingmalaria, a leading killer of children inAfrica. Sports Illustrated columnist RickReilly challenged his readers to donate $10for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net,and thousands of people have joined thecampaign. The people of The UnitedMethodist Church, along with SportsIllustrated, NBA Cares, the United NationsFoundation and several other groups, areraising funds to purchase bed nets to endmalaria. You can join the cause and con-tribute money for bed nets that will keepchildren and families safe.Why Should I Get in the Game?

The children of Africa need you to helpstop the spread of this disease. There aremany different ways to prevent malaria.Bed nets, vaccinations, insecticide sprayingand water treatment are important tools.Purchasing bed nets is an easy way forindividuals to make a difference in combat-ing this disease. At this time, no consistent-ly effective malaria vaccine exists.

Plasmodium, the parasite that carries thedisease, changes rapidly and can becomedrug resistant. With your help, we can slamdunk this disease.How Do Bed Nets Save Lives?

Stop malaria from scoring! Send a net.Save a life. Bed nets work in two ways:They stop mosquitoes from biting duringthe night and spreading the disease, and theinsecticide on the net kills mosquitoeswhen they land on it.How Do I Get Involved?

Send a net. Save a life. You can save alife by making a $10 donation through TheAdvance (982015). It's that easy.

Cheerleaders are needed to spread theword and get everyone involved. Adopt theNothing But Nets campaign as a missionproject. Display your Nothing But Netsposter prominently in your church. Ask thepastor to receive a special offering during aworship service devoted to mission.

Lead a fundraising campaign to fightmalaria. Order a game plan to get addition-al information. Check the UMC.org web-site frequently to get updated information.

Clergy retreat set for Feb 16-18

Louisiana Conference Now!

Eric Gremillion would never haveguessed in “a million years” that he wouldone day serve on the staff of a homelessshelter for women.

Gremillion came to New Orleans threeyears ago as an Americorps volunteer, serv-ing the needy through programs sponsoredby First United Methodist Church. Therewas plenty to do in this big city that hadjust been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Gremillion, along with Sarah Fleming,Angela Davis and Jennie Hammett, livedon meager Americorps stipends while pro-viding tutoring to school aged children andcoordinating disaster recovery volunteers.All four are active United Methodists.Davis has completed seminary andFleming’s mother, Rev. Carol WinnCrawford, is the pastor of Rayne MemorialUMC in New Orleans.

In the wake of Katrina, First UMC andGrace United Methodist Church decided tomerge congregations. Grace UMC’s facilitywas destroyed by the hurricane, and thetwo churches believed they could serve thecity more effectively by pooling people andresources. First UMC’s expansive complexon Canal Street now serves as home for themerged congregation.

Last November, newly formed FirstGrace UMC was approached by Unity ofNew Orleans, an organization funded byHUD focused on helping the homeless.The housing shortage that was growing inNew Orleans was hitting crisis proportions.Storm damaged public housing units werebeing demolished. Homeless people weresleeping in front of City Hall and under theClaiborne Avenue overpass. Unity of NewOrleans wanted First Grace UMC toassemble and provide emergency shelterfor homeless women who had no place togo.

Sarah Fleming explained that she, alongwith Gremillion, Davis and Hammett,worked nonstop during November of 2007finding bunk beds, plates, sheets, couches,towels, and formulating a plan for takingresidents into the church for temporaryhousing. The shelter would be known asHagar’s House.

The women moved in around mid-December, with the numbers eventuallyswelling to 20 different people. “Theycame and then went once they were able tofind more permanent arrangements,” saidFleming.

Members of First Grace UMC reachedout to the residents sheltered in their church

complex. The women were encouraged tohelp in the Community Garden, locatedbehind the church. “We kept modeling clayout so that they could make figurines. Oneof the church members even taught someof them how to take photos and developthe film. Art projects and digging in thesoil with your hands can be good therapy,”said Hammett, who added that churchmembers who are licensed clinical socialworkers also volunteered their time to helpthe residents with the emotional traumasthey suffered during and after the storm.

A lot of the residents got involved in thechurch, attending Wednesday night Biblestudy. “The members of the church knewthem. The women were very open aboutwhere they were in life. But they did notwant to be defined by that fact that theywere homeless,” said Davis.

Although most of the residents had theirown food provisions, volunteers at FirstGrace UMC provided supper for them onMonday and Thursday. When church mealswere prepared, as on Wednesdays andSundays, they were invited to take part.

The down side to having a shelter in thechurch building was that people werealways coming and going through thebuilding, affording the women little priva-

cy. Residents were required to leave thefacility at 8 a.m. and return every evening.

First Grace UMC began to dream ofsponsoring a self-sustaining, full care shel-ter for women. And soon after, a little mira-cle happened .

A beautiful, 3000-square-foot homecame available for purchase. It was the per-fect site for a women’s shelter. First GraceUMC purchased the old home, and renova-tions began with the help of volunteerteams.

The new facility for Hagar’s House isscheduled to open later in December, withthe capacity to house four women on itssecond floor. Renovations to rooms on thefirst floor will make it possible to take insingle mothers with young children.

“Having the new facility helps in somany ways,” said Fleming. “We can pro-vide a residential setting which will makethings more comfortable and friendlier forour residents.”

One room houses office space and a pullout bed for whichever staff member is onduty. A full kitchen will be used for mealpreparation, and an outside deck—built bya team of volunteers—will offer space forrelaxation and outdoor meals.

3DECEMBER 5, 2008

BY BETTY BACKSTROM

Hagar’s House provides shelter for homeless women in New Orleans

Eric Gremillion, Angela Davis and Sarah Fleming stand outside the new site of Hagar’s House, a shelter for homeless women in New Orleans. The shelter is a project of FirstGrace UMC in New Orleans. The need for the shelter was created by the housing crisis that developed after Hurricane Katrina hit the city in August of 2005. Fleming points outthe bunk beds that will be used by women staying in the shelter.

Eric Gremillion assesses the renovations that have taken place in the living area of Hagar’s House, which will serve as a shelter for homeless women. The staff of Hagar’s Houseanticipate that the walls will be finished in the next few weeks and that the first residents will be moving in before the end of December. Jennie Hammett accepts donations of bed-ding from a member of First Grace United Methodist Church, which sponsors the shelter.

See Hagar’s House, page 8

4 DECEMBER 5, 2008Louisiana Conference Now!

train 40 women at a time.Members of the fact-finding team

enjoyed lunch with members of UnitedMethodist Women, the district superin-tendent, a youth pastor and the onlywoman pastor in the area. “They told usabout their churches and we found outmore about their daily lives in Senegal,which is a French speaking country and 96percent Muslim,” said Orphe.

The group also visited a women’sprison. Most commonly, women inSenegal are incarcerated for crimes suchas murder, theft or drug dealing. The teamwas shocked, however, to learn that manywomen are imprisoned for becoming preg-nant outside of marriage. “The warden ofone prison told us that these young womenare often coerced into sex by men whopromise to marry them. Once the girl ispregnant, the men walk away from the sit-uation, and the women can wind up inprison,” said Orphe.

The United Methodist Church has anactive ministry within the prisons, provid-ing soap and food to those incarcerated.“Male prisoners have been treated better,receiving three meals a day. In somewomen’s prisons, only one meal a day wasprovided. The United Methodist churchbegan feeding programs to eliminate theproblem. As a result, in most cases, theprisons have shifted to three meals dailyfor the women as well,” said Orphe, whoadded that women are “learning their

voice” as a result of these kinds of inter-vention.

Some who have finally been releasedfrom prison have entered the women’sskill program. Efforts are now in place tostart similar programs inside the prisons.

The team was also able to provide out-reach by delivering over 300 pounds ofmedicine to the impoverished areas ofGandiol and Thies. A free pharmacy wasset up at the Gandiol clinic, which was atwo hour drive from Dakar. “A doctor andfour nursing staff from Senegal came withus to these two towns. Mae Calvin, one ofour team members, worked with the med-ical staff to assess the needs of the peopleseen at the two clinics. We saw everythingfrom malaria to skin rashes. Malnutritionplayed a big part in many of the healthproblems the group saw,” said Orphe.

A particularly heart wrenching momentcame when one young mother had justreceived a bag of gummy vitamins. One ofher children was so hungry that he tookthe bottle and started eating the vitaminsone after the other.

“Hunger and malnutrition are tremen-dous problems being faced throughout thecountry. The United Methodist Church hasnutrition programs in place, but toward theend of the year, the programs start runningout of money,” said Orphe. “My heart washurting as I remembered how much peoplefrom all over the world had provided forLouisiana after Katrina hit. The over-whelming poverty in Africa is truly aglobal health issue, and it is really by the

grace of God that people make it day afterday.”

In order to scratch out a living, the resi-dents of Senegal must be creative. InDakar, where there is very little greenspace, roof top gardening is common.Boxes are filled with compost carried upto the roof by pullies. Vegetables aregrown and sold at market as a source ofincome. “Yoff United Methodist Church inDakar is also using roof top gardening asone of its ministries,” said Orphe.

The group visited several local congre-gations, including Mbour UnitedMethodist. The church and parsonage arehoused in one structure. Bible studies andworship are held throughout the weekwhere the pastor and his young family livewith a newborn. “The baby really has tobe flexible because believe me, there is alot of lively music in those churches,” saidOrphe.

It was unusual and wonderful for thegroup to hear familiar hymns sung inFrench. “We stood side by side, brothersand sisters in Christ, singing songs in ourrespective languages. I just thought, ‘Thisis what heaven is going to be like.’”

Some of the most powerful stories thegroup heard were about conversions fromthe Muslim faith to Christianity. The chap-lain at one of the women’s prisons, whowas raised in a Muslim family, had heardabout the ideals of love preached in theChristian faith. “I told my parents,when Igrow up, I’m going to be a Christian,” shesaid. The woman was ostracized by the

family when she converted.One of the local pastors, who is also a

convert, went to the Muslim elders toreceive their blessing to pastor a church.“They were so stunned by the request thatthey gave him their permission. He’s nowleading a church, and is very effective atreaching out to Muslims because heunderstands how they think,” said Orphe.

The group was very moved by the tripto Goree Island, the home of one of theinfamous houses used in the slave trades.“Visiting the slave house was such anemotional experience. It is devastating toactually see that the people were held inthese houses on the coastline, so close towater, yet rarely fed or bathed, in closed inbuildings with no light,” said Orphe, whosaid the experience was like “touching thesoul of the ancestors.”

Orphe’s home town of St. Martinville,La. is a sister city to Goree Island. “It washelpful to me that family members spokeCajun French, and I began to remembersome of it as I visited with all the Frenchspeaking people in Senegal.”

Those wishing to make a donation tothe outreach efforts in Senegal shouldmake out checks to “LouisianaConference” and mark the memo portionof the check “Senegal.” Send the checks tothe Conference office at 527 North Blvd.,Baton Rouge, LA 70802.

A donation of $150 will pay for asewing machine for one graduate of theWomen’s Skill Center sewing program.

Africa, from page 1

A fact-finding mission team to Senegal, Africa offered medical attention to impoverished areas of Gandiol and Thies. A doctor and four nursing staff from Senegal traveled with theteam to provide medical aid. Mae Calvin, a team member and nurse by profession, worked with the medical staff at the two clinics. Pictured are team leader Rev. Martha Orphe,GBGM missionary Karen Ujerah, Rev. Connie Thomas, Wesley Belton, Calvin and, kneeling, Dr. Aly Bashir.

Members of the mission team from Louisiana are shown at a worship service in one of Senegal’s United Methodist churches. Mothers are shown with their children at one of theUnited Methodist feeding programs that provide nutrition to the impoverished people of this African country.

Louisiana Conference Now!

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5DECEMBER 5, 2008

6 DECEMBER 5, 2008Louisiana Conference Now!

Pastors and lay persons from through-out the Louisiana Annual Conferenceattended the 2008 W. T. HandyConvocation, held Nov. 21-22 at TheWesley Center in Woodworth, La.

Keynote speaker for this year’s eventwas Rev. Vance P. Ross, associate generalsecretary for the General Board ofDiscipleship. Ross addressed the groupon Friday evening and during a breakoutsession on Saturday morning.

During his talks, Ross outlined effec-tive strategies for African Americanchurches, both for existing congregationsand new congregations. He spoke aboutthe General Church’s new approach withit’s concept of “Rethink Church,” focusedon reaching 18-34 year old seekers.

Cheryl Walker, director of AfricanAmerican Ministries for the GBOD, led aworkshop on the role of laity in stregthen-ing multi-cultural churches. Walkeremphasized the importance and the needfor laity to work together with clergy as ateam. She added that churches grow fromthe efforts of the laity; they are thechurch’s trueevangelists.

More than 200 youth and young adultsattended a series of workshops and wor-

ship services designed especially for themthroughout the two-day event.

Soul Fruit served as worship musicleaders for the services targeting theyoung people. The large crowd enjoyedthe spiritual, entertaining approach evi-dent in Soul Fruit’s style of music.

The youth and young adults heardmany speakers including Michael Caffery,NOLA Urban Ministries; LaSheenaSimmons, New Orleans East Cooperative;Rev. LeKisha Reed, First Grace UMC;Rev. Ossie Clark, St. Mark UMC; Rev.Eugene Herbert, St. Peter/ MallalieuUMC; and Rev. Dawn Young, ChristianEducation.

Late night sessions included visits tothe Soul Cafe, featuring poetry; Three onThree Hoops; and The Hub, where theyoung people enjoyed arts and crafts.

The audience also enjoyed performanc-es by St. Mark UMC’s liturgical dancersand mime troupe.

For the adults, worship was led by Rev.Anise Moses on Saturday morning. Inaddition to workshops led by Ross andWalker, participants learned how tobecome a welcoming congregation (ledby Betty Backstrom); that Hip Hop can

be holy (Andres Adams and Soul Fruit);heard about church and community min-istries (Joanne Finley); and how to partic-ipate in Five Star Mission Programs (Rev.Doug Milliron).

Bishop William W. Hutchinson led theentire group in a communion service heldat the conclusion of the event onSaturday.

Rev. Martha Orphe, director ofMulticultural ministries for theConference, said, “Our goal with thisyear’s event was to bring local churchesthe latest information on what’s happen-ing at the global, national and conferencelevels of the church. We were so blessedto have Rev. Ross and Cheryl Walkerwith us this year. Cheryl has committedto returning to us over the next fouryears.”

Orphe added that she looks forward tothe good work that is coming, and that“we will not be where we are today fouryears from now. Much progress will havebeen made.”

This year’s event placed an emphasison bringing information to local churchesthat can help keep them moving in thedirection that is being established at the

general church and conference levels.All churches serving multicultural con-

gregations are encouraged to make noteof and attend the following events in2009:

Convocation for pastors of BlackChurches, Jan. 6-9, Houston, Tex.

Retreat for pastors of LouisianaConference African American Churches,Feb. 15-16, The Wesley Center,Woodworth, La.

Tending Our Lives: Louisiana ClergyRetreat, Feb. 16-18, The Wesley Center,Woodworth, La.

Candidacy Mentor Training, Feb. 18,The Wesley Center, Woodworth, La.

National Black Methodists for ChurchRenewal, March 25-27, Pittsburgh, Penn.

Louisiana Annual Conference, June 7-10, Ponchartrain Center, Kenner, La.

South Central Black Methodists forChurch Renewal, October

W. T. Handy Convocation, Nov. 20-21,New Orleans, La.

Those wishing to speak to someone inthe Office of Multicultural Ministrieswith the Louisiana Conference may call(225) 346-1646 and ask for Rev. MarthaOrphe, director.

W.T. Handy Convocation features national speakers, music

The 2008 W. T. Handy Convocation was held Friday and Saturday Nov. 21-22, 2008 at The Wesley Center in Woodworth, La. The theme of this year’s event was Moving ForwardWith God in the 21st Century. Rev. Vance P. Ross, Associate General Secretary for the General Board of Discipleship, served as keynote speaker for the event. Ross is shownleading a breakout session held in the assembly area of The Wesley Center. Over 200 youth and young adults participated in workshops and worship experiences during the con-vocation. An enthusiastic group listens to Soul Fruit, a reknowned worship band, during one of the worship services.

Rev. Marcus Gault, pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Monroe, works with one of his church members to fill out a sample Welcoming Certification worksheet during abreakout session led by Betty Backstrom, Communications Director of the Louisiana Annual Conference. Cheryl Walker, Director of African American Ministries for the GeneralBoard of Global Ministries, leads a workshop on the importance of laity and clergy working together as a team.

The Louisiana Annual Conference willbe hosting an Igniting Ministry training onMarch 13-14, 2009 at The Wesley Centerin Woodworth, La.

The day long training on Saturday,March 14 is open to all churches in theconference. There will be three tracksoffered, including Beginning Welcomingand two additional advanced tracks forchurches that have participated in theBeginning track already.

National trainers will be conducting theevent, which promises to inspire localchurches to put their best foot forward inbecoming a more welcoming congregation.Church representatives who participate in

the training can bring these exciting ideasback home to share in Sunday Schoolclasses and from the pulpit.

On Friday, March 13, the national train-ers will lead a “train the trainer” compo-nent. These persons will serve as IgnitingMinistry trainers within their respectivedistricts.

Those interested in knowing more aboutthe Friday component should contact BettyBackstrom, Communications Director forthe Conference, at (225) 346-1646 or emaillanow@bellsouth.net

Registration information will be provid-ed soon through the Louisiana Now! andthe conference website, www.la-umc.org

7DECEMBER 5, 2008 Louisiana Conference Now!

Key to the concept of this new cam-paign is that there isn’t just one door intothe church, but thousands of doors throughwhich a person can become engaged withthe church—many of them non-traditional.

The campaign kicks off on WorldMalaria Day, April 25, 2009. The primarytarget will be seekers 18- to 34-years-old,but both older and younger audiences willnot be ignored.

Ads will reflect the areas of focus forthe denomination, which are leadershipdevelopment, church growth and revitaliza-tion, ministry with the poor, and globalhealth. While many of the external compo-nents of this effort – especially early in thequadrennium – will highlight global healthand ministries with the poor, there will be acomponent for each focus within this com-munications effort. Annually, there will beone focus with related themes.

A key component of the campaign willbe the new www.10thousanddoors.orgwebsite, which offers opportunities notonly to learn more about the church but tointeract with others and find ways to getinvolved.

The overall advertising strategy will bechanged to include more advertising medi-ums,spreading advertising throughout theyear instead of focusing only around Lent,Advent and back-to-school. UMCOM will

continue to have matching grants for localchurch advertising. Although traditionalmarketing expressions such as televisioncommercials, magazine ads and billboardswill anchor the campaign, the message willalso be delivered through new communica-tion tools such as United Methodist iTunes,text messaging, YouTube Methodist chan-nels, and other digital media.

The United Methodist Church began the“Open hearts. Open doors. Open minds.”campaign in 2001 as part of the IgnitingMinistry initiative.

The three-fold purpose of the campaignwas to increase awareness and recognitionof denomination’s basic beliefs, to promotewillingness to visit a United Methodistchurch, and to renew a sense of commit-ment among United Methodists.

Independent research is conductedannually to determine if the campaign isreaching those goals. The latest surveyresults indicate 42 percent of respondentshad a very or somewhat favorable impres-sion of The United Methodist Church, upfrom 37 percent in 2006; 54 percentexpressed a willingness to visit a UnitedMethodist Church, up from 47 percent in2006; and 59 percent recalled the tagline,“Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.”

Primarily national advertising has beenthrough broadcast and cable TV, supple-mented by regional and local television,radio, outdoor and cinema advertisements.

Igniting Minitries, from page 1

Monroe District Faith-Sharing Workshop

The “E” Word II“Spiritual Formation is the Bridge”

Saturday, March 7, 20099 a.m. – 3 p.m.

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church513 Lincoln RoadMonroe, Louisiana

Put fire into your spiritual life and share that fire with others!

Are you excited about what God is doing in your life? If not, do you want to be?This interactive workshop can bring fire into the spiritual lives of clergy and laity

by offering practical steps to achieve that excitement.

Featured Speaker: Rev. Royal Speidel

Rev. Speidel has 40 years of pastoral experience with big city, suburban, smalltown and country churches. He serves as Distinguished Evangelist in Residenceat the General Board of Discipleship. Speidel is the author of Evangelism in the

Small Membership Church, 100 Days of Hope.

Cost: $12 per person (includes lunch)Registration deadline: March 2, 2009

Monroe District Faith-Sharing WorkshopThe “E” Word III

“How Can I Share My Faith?”Saturday, April 25, 2009

10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.Mt. Zion United Methodist Church

1010 US Hwy. 80ECalhoun, Louisiana

Plenary Leader: Rev. Dr. Doug Ezell

Rev. Ezell, formerly the Lake Charles District Superintendent, has served churches in Louisiana and Texas. Ezell has taught New Testament, Greek andEthics at the seminary level. He is also a licensed marriage and family therapist

and professional counselor.

Nuts and Bolts Workshops:

It’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It! led by Rev. Bob Burgess,

Monroe District Superintendent

Each witness matters and writing it down briefly helps to present one’s story. Inthis workshop, each participant will write his/her story by connecting the dots of

one’s unique “ah ha” moments with God.

Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors by Rev. Susan Ferguson,

associate pastor for St. Paul’s UMC in Monroe

All conversations provide open doors to heart and faith. All hearts have deepquestions needing answers. Most minds are too busy to hear those answers. Bypracticing active listening skills, this workshop will identify those doors and basicquestions so that listening can be intentional, personal, honoring, focused and

effective.

Witnessing: It’s in the Bag! led by Freida Peel and Sarah Schwab, professional educators and trainers for

Basic Lay Speaker Course

Come and “bag” some ideas for growth in your witnessing ministry. Learn techniques for witnessing to all ages and diverse groups. We’ll take away

some of your fear of the “W” word through role play and discussion.

Cost: $12 per person (includes lunch)Registration deadline: April 22, 2009

For more information, contact the Monroe District Office at (318) 387-7364 oremail monroedistrict@bellsouth.net

Igniting Ministry training slated March 13-14

At the 2007 Louisiana AnnualConference, Jackie Vaughn of UnitedMethodist Communications announced thatthe Louisiana Conference has been chosenas one of several Igniting Ministry mediaand training test markets for the next qua-drennium.

During that presentation, BishopWilliam W. Hutchinson challenged localchurches throughout the conference tobecome Welcoming CertifiedCongregations. Achieving WelcomingCertification is encouraged by UnitedMethodist Communications, and requiredof any church that applys for individualmatching grant funds for media buys andLED signage.

The process of becoming a WelcomingCertified Congregation is easier than youmight think! Simply download the formwhich can be found on the Igniting

Ministry website atwww.ignitingministry.org

The site is easily accessed from the con-ference website at www.la-umc.org

To become certified for the first year, achurch must fulfill requirements on theform. Each requirement adds a certainnumber of points. A total of 100 points isall that any church needs to be certified inthe first year.

Documentation of the requirements isrequired either with pictures or an actualcopy of the item, such as a churchbrochure. The completed form with docu-mentation is sent to your DistrictSuperintendent for a signature. The form issent from the DS’s office to UnitedMethodist Communications.

Churches are encouraged by the Boardof Laity to ask church lay leaders to facili-tate the filling out and turning in of forms.

Be a Welcoming Certified Congregation

“We honor God, when we tell the story.Africana liturgy teaches us to honor thelives of the saints. To tell the story of thesaints is honoring an ancient art thatengages the hearts and minds and of all thesenses,” says the Rev. Marylyn Thornton,lead editor of African-American Resourcesat the United Methodist Publishing Houseand pastor of Emery United MethodistChurch in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Thornton spoke to worshipers October29 during an All Saints Day and dedicationservice in the Upper Room Chapel, cele-brating The Africana Worship Book: YearC, published by Discipleship Resources,one of the United Methodist Board ofDiscipleship’s three book imprints.

“How can African-Americans tell thestory of God’s deliverance without know-ing or referring to Africana heritage, with-out knowing about or celebrating the saintsthat went on before in the path of deliver-ance,” asked Thornton, a contributor toeach volume in the series.

Rev. Darlene A. Moore, pastor ofCamphor Memorial UMC, is also a con-tributor to this latest volume.

Africana is the term used to describethose persons, regardless of where they

live, who can trace their ancestry back toAfrica.

“Through storytelling we are boundtogether in a common narrative and sys-tems of belief and spirituality, methodologyand value structure.

We’ve got to tell the whole story aboutJarena Lee and Julia Foote who preachedeven though black men who clamored fortheir own freedom refused them freedom.

We must tell the story of Leontine T. C.Kelly the first black female bishop in anydenomination,” says Thornton.

“More than 30 writers of Africandescent have answered our call to articulatethe common faith through the lens ofAfrican experience,” said the Rev. GeorgeDonigian, editorial director of DiscipleshipResources.

As Donigian introduced and dedicatedeach volume of The Africana WorshipBook series, he presented them toAssociate Editor, Safiyah Fousa, GBODdirector of invitational preaching, who lov-ingly held them in her arms, as a motherholding her infants.

“The results have overwhelmed us andthe worldwide community of faith has beengiven an opportunity to ‘overhear’ the

sacred conversation through the publicationof four distinct volumes: three books ofliturgy written to support the use of theRevised Common Lectionary for years A,B and C, and a fourth volume with essayson worship in the black church,” he said.

Drawing on Psalm 107:1-3 as her text,Thornton said the text admonishes that theredeemed of the Lord should say so.

“The story of God’s deliverance ispeculiar and particular to the heritage of thepeople.” she said. “The redeemed of theLord cannot say so unless they know.”

“We honor God, when we tell the story.Africana liturgy teaches us to honor thelives of the saints. To tell the story of thesaints is honoring an ancient art thatengages the hearts and minds and of all thesenses,” Thornton said.

Following the pattern of the two earlierAfricana volumes, this book offers calls toworship, litanies, choral readings, confes-sions, creeds, benedictions, and many spe-cial prayers. Africana Year C includesresources for special days, including MartinLuther King, Jr. Day, Juneteenth Day,World Communion Sunday, and All SaintsDay. This hardcover book includes a bound-in

CD that includes interviews and commentson the series from Bishop Linda Lee,Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., Eric H.F. Law,Rudy Rasmus, Tyrone Gordon, and others.As with the earlier editions, users may cutand paste materials from the CD for use incongregational worship.

This resource can be ordered onlinethrough Cokesbury.

8 DECEMBER 5, 2008Louisiana Conference Now!

Staff members will pair up with eachresident, helping them in their transitionand providing mentoring. “Getting toknow each woman better gives us thecapacity to be a building partner. We willwork with each person to establish goalsand timelines, and to discover what eachresident wants to do. With the setting ofthe permanent facility, we can incorporatemore life planning. We can empower thewomen to be independent in an atmos-phere of creativity. The house is on thestreet car route, giving the women easieraccess to the city,” said Davis.

Finding adequate funding for Hagar’sHouse consumes a lot of Eric Gremillion’stime, taking every opportunity he can toapply for grants. Those wanting to knowmore about the organization’s financialneeds may inquire by calling (504) 210-5064 or emailing hagarshouse@gmail.comThe facility will be funded through FirstGrace Community Alliance, a non profitorganization which facilitates the socialministries of First Grace UMC.

The staff of Hagar’s House continues tobe amazed by the turn of events over thelast three years. “Starting the shelter defi-nitely was not what I expected when Icame here, but this experience has rootedme more in New Orleans,” said AngelaDavis.

Sarah Fleming said that when the repre-sentative from Unity of New Orleansasked First Grace UMC for help, some-thing “clicked” inside of her. “I realizedthat this is the best way I can serve the cityand this church. I have a mission.”

Eric Gremillion has also been touchedby the experience. “Working with the vol-unteers and the residents of Hagar’s Househas shown me more of what is divine andholy about people.”

Hagar’s House, from page 3

Africana Worship Book series helps ‘redeemed of the Lord to say so!’