Transformation, Volume 1 Issue 1

Cont

ents

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g 20

09 Special Features05 What’s in a name? The Desert Southwest

Conference print piece naming contest produces the name for this new publication.

08 United Methodists join protest against Arpaio Thousands march against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s abuse of the 287(g) agreement and his violations of civil and human rights.

12 The Strategic Direction The Strategic Direction guides churches all around the Desert Southwest Conference

United Methodists Join Protest Against Arpaio Page 08

The Strategic Direction Page 12

Contents03 Publisher’s Pen

04 Across the Connection

06 One in Christ

07 One With Each Other

22 One in Ministry

24 Pastor’s Perspective

27 Order Form

A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.

2 | Transformation | Spring 2009

For more news and features from

around The Desert Southwest Confer-

ence, be sure to check out The Desert

Connection, the Conference online

newsletter, by going to

www.desertsouthwestconference.org/

desertconnection.

What a long journey it has been

to bring you this first issue of

Transformation, the Ministry

Magazine of the Desert Southwest Confer-

ence! It has been over three years since

there was any form of regular printed

communication put out by the Desert

Southwest Conference, but now, unless

you are reading the online version of

Transformation, you are holding the first

issue of the Conference’s new ministry

magazine in your hands. As one of the

largest supporters of printed communica-

tions in the Conference, I have to say I

feel a great sense of accomplishment and

gratitude as we are finalizing this first

issue. I’m excited about what is to come,

but I’m also grateful for the journey that

got us here.

Although, by some, there has been

frustration and even anger at the loss of

regular printed communication, the last

three years have forced our entire Confer-

ence to find new and exciting ways to

communicate. This time has helped us re-

design our overall Communications plan,

and it has made us denominational and

even ecumenical leaders in electronic

communications. As we forged a new path

we’ve been able to directly and indirectly

help countless United Methodist confer-

ences, organizations, districts, and local

churches grow in their web ministries, and

we have earned enough awards and recog-

nitions to cover a small wall at the United

Methodist Center in Phoenix.

Still, even with all the good that has

come out of this focus on electronic com-

munications, questions persisted about

what role, if any, regular printed commu-

nications should play in the Desert South-

west Conference’s overall communica-

tions plan. Who was not being welcomed

at the table when all regular conference

communications were online? Finally, in

2007 a task force was empowered by the

Communications Commission and the

Program Cabinet to look at these con-

cerns, and by Annual Conference 2008 a

proposal was made that would bring regu-

lar printed communication back to the

Desert Southwest Conference in a form

that would both support and enhance the

great work that had been done in elec-

tronic communications.

The important work of the Print Piece

Task Force can be viewed online at

www.desertsouthwestconference.org/com-

munications, but even if you do not take

the time to read this informative report,

please know that the decision to bring reg-

ular printed communications back to The

Desert Southwest Conference was based

solely on ministry. Simply put, there are

people that are missing out on hearing our

story as Christians and United Methodists

if there is not a print element to our com-

munications plan. It’s also interesting to

note that the people we are failing to reach

are not necessarily in demographics based

on age or population centers. By a dis-

turbingly great margin, the greatest deter-

miner of whether someone has access to

electronic communications is income

level.

With all of this in mind, Transforma-

tion Magazine has been designed to share

the stories of ministry around the Desert

Southwest Conference and The United

Methodist Church with a world that is

starving for our good news. The vision is

that someone who has been a member of

The United Methodist Church will be able

to look through Transformation and find

inspiration for continued ministry and

growth, while a first time visitor to a

church will be able to find inspiration to

continue their spiritual journey. Many of

the stories will be written entirely for the

magazine, but some stories will come

from other Conference or United

Methodist communications channels. All

stories will be chosen because they speak

to a broad audience about who we are as

TransformationM i n i s t r y M a g a z i n e o f t h e D e s e r t s o u t h w e s t C o n f e r e n C e

Spring 2009Volume 1, Issue 1

Transformation is provided quarterly

in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter by

the Communications Department of

The Desert Southwest Conference.

Transformation is also available online

by going to www.desertsouthwestcon-

ference.org/transformation. Individual

articles and photos may be used by

DSC churches and organizations.

Views in Transformation come from

representatives of official Conference

groups or by request of Conference

Staff. Viewpoints may only be those of

the writer and may not be representa-

tive of the entire Conference. Ques-

tions about the reproduction of

individual articles or photos should be

directed to Stephen J. Hustedt, Confer-

ence Director of Communications

(602-266-6956 ext. 220 or

[email protected]).

Contributors Rev. Rosemary Anderson, Ryne Brinks,

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño,

Kathy Gilbert, Stephen J. Hustedt,

Rev. Gary Kennedy,

Rev. Candace Lansberry,

Valerie K. Maravolo, Susan Passi-Klaus,

Rev. Michael Pearson, Pat Pillsbury,

Rev. Sharon Ragland

For general inquiries or subscription

information email:

[email protected], call

602-266-6956, or mail Communica-

tions Department, 1550 E. Meadow-

brook Ave., Phoenix, AZ, 85014-4040.

Publisher’s

Pen

A transforming journey

Story continues on page 7

By Stephen J. Hustedt, D

irector of Comm

unications

Spring 2009 | Transformation | 3

Stephen J. Hustedt

The buzz has begun. Even be-

fore the first ads hit the pages

of national magazines or TV

commercials begin to air, United

Methodists are talking about a new aware-

ness campaign.

United Methodist Communications is

calling it Rethink Church. As United

Methodists take on the challenge of re-

thinking what it means to be church and to

do church, they will also rethink what it

means to advertise and market the third-

largest denomination in the United States.

Rolling out on May 6, Rethink

Church will be unique because digital

media will be a priority. Along with TV

and print ads, Rethink Church messages

will appear on YouTube and iTunes and

through cell phone text messages.

“The idea is to provide a way for peo-

ple to connect with the church in as many

ways as possible,” said the Rev. Larry

Hollon, General Secretary of United

Methodist Communications. “Rethinking

church and denominational marketing

calls for an ability to tell the church’s sto-

ries in many, many different ways, through

many media and with different audiences.”

The campaign was introduced at the

denomination-wide training event for an-

nual conference leaders at the end of Janu-

ary in Florida. In the months following, it

will be featured in conference, district and

regional events.

To some, Rethink Church will be an

advertising campaign to continue the posi-

tive work of the successful “Open Hearts.

Open Minds. Open Doors.” campaign that

began in 2001. Others will find it a con-

versation starter, inspiring church leaders

to find creative ways to do church in dif-

ferent, more relevant ways. Rethink

Church will also be a personal wake-up

call inviting many to change old ways of

thinking, believing and expressing faith.

“The advertising is perhaps the most

visible ingredient of the campaign, but the

strength of the campaign is the conversa-

tion it inspires and encourages,” Hollon

said. Bishop Sally Dyck, president of the

General Commission on Communication,

calls Rethink Church “the self-study that

the denomination has needed for a long

time.”

“Rethink Church will be an opportu-

nity for people within the church to go

deep into what is the meaning and purpose

of church,” Dyck said. “It will help the

church make a transition into a new way

of being in a rapidly changing world. Un-

less we Rethink Church, we won’t be able

to make the needed changes.”

The campaign will use traditional and

nontraditional mass media, everything

from basic bumper stickers and T-shirts, to

print ads in Parents magazine and radio

ads on programs like “American Top 40

with Ryan Seacrest.” The heart of Rethink

Church, however, will be in the hands of

local church leaders and congregations

who will explore and live out the ques-

tions the campaign will pose. Most of the

The Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications, addresses the Commission on Communication meeting in

Nashville, Tenn. Hollon and his staff presented the Rethink Church awareness campaign to the commission during its Sept. 25-27 meeting.

To the right is the Rev. Mark Conard, of Hutchinson, Kan., a member of the Commission. A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.

United Methodists asked to ‘Rethink Church’By Susan Passi-Klaus, United Methodist Communications

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Courtesy Rethink Church


questions start with “what if?”

* What if church was less about Sun-

day, and more about the other days of the

week?

* What if church wasn’t just a place

we go, but something we do?

* What if church wasn’t just a build-

ing, but thousands of doors, each opening

up to a different concept or experience of

church?

Bohan Advertising/Marketing in

Nashville, TN, is crafting the campaign.

Agency president Kerry Graham hopes

Rethink Church will help shake United

Methodist churchgoers out of a Sunday-

only malaise.

“Sometimes, those of us who attend

church on a regular or even a sporadic

basis get lulled into a bit of a ‘Sunday ex-

perience’ hypnosis,” Graham said. “We

forget we are all called to live church and

the teachings of Jesus every day.”

“Sunday will continue to be an impor-

tant time for the church to express worship

and honor the Sabbath,” Hollon explains,

“but we are saying that there are many

doorways through which individuals may

engage the Christian faith.” As more and

more people do not know or understand

the practice or language of worship, “we

need to provide alternative entry points

that are relevant to them and that commu-

nicate in language they understand.”

Graham suggested that church leaders

will need to embrace the idea that it is OK

for “church” to start out as day care, a ski

trip, a basketball league or a Habitat for

Humanity build. “Rethink Church is a

wake-up call to remind us of the many

needs in our own backyards and around

the world, and to call us to action in any

one of the thousands of programs, mis-

sions and initiatives The United Methodist

Church is already engaged in,” he said.

Hollon adds, “Engagement is not an

end point, however. It is to provide deeper

knowledge and experience of the life of

faith. It is about providing people with a

community in which to experience for-

giveness and acceptance before God in a

society that increasingly denies our deeper

spiritual nature.

“The end result of connecting with the

church is to enter into a community of

faith that seeks to make disciples of Jesus

Christ engaged with God in the transfor-

mation of the world, even as we are our-

selves are being transformed.”

Creators are aiming the four-year, $20

million advertising campaign at 18- to 34-

year-old “seekers” — people on a spiritual

journey looking to fill the hole in their

souls. United Methodists have been on a

mission to bring three generations into the

life of the church: baby boomers (born

1945-1964), post-moderns or Gen X

(1965-1977) and millennial, Mosaics or

Gen Y (1978-2000). Research shows that

these generations have been difficult to in-

volve in mainline churches. The reasons

cited include church relevance, negative

impressions of Christians and limited op-

portunities for involving young people.

“Younger people and people who

haven’t been a part of the church will be

attracted by the ads,” said Dyck. “I also


Editor’s note: At the end of 2008 the

Communications Commission an-

nounced that the new Print Piece

would receive its name through a contest.

The contest was open to the entire Desert

Southwest Conference, and a promise was

made to feature the person who submitted

the award-winning title in the first issue of

the new printed communications piece.

The following letter was the winning print

piece naming contest submission.

I am writing to submit Transformation

as the title for the new printed magazine of

the Desert Southwest Conference. I am sub-

mitting this name anonymously because it is

not really mine to submit. This name be-

longs to the people of The United Methodist

Church and The Desert Southwest Confer-

ence. It is our mission as United Methodists

What’s in a name?


Do you want to stay in the loop? The new DSC Weekly Digest is your source for allthe news highlights from the preceeding week and a glimpse of whats to come. Tolearn more about full color HTML email, visit www.desertsouthwestconference.org/digest. If you would like to begin receiving the DSC Weekly Digest, send yourname and email address to [email protected].

Courtesy Rethink Church

Transforming our lives By Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

Transformation! We are indeed

transformed by the power of Christ

Jesus who rose from death to life.

All over the world persons are hearing the

good news of Christ Jesus and are being

reborn. Because Christ lives among us,

every day is an opportunity to be revital-

ized in life, in faith, in hope.

The United Methodist Church is ex-

periencing such a transformation. Led by

the Holy Spirit we have been led to focus

our ministry in four areas:

1. Planting new churches to reach out

to new people, younger people, and people

of color;

2. Raising up principled Christian

leaders for the church and the world;

3. Eliminating poverty in community

with the poor;

4. Conquering illnesses that contribute

to poverty through a global health initia-

tive.

We in the Desert Southwest Confer-

ence are aligned with the areas of focus of

The UMC. We are planting new churches

and our fastest growing new church plant

today, is in the community of Maricopa.

Started in mid July 2008, by February of

this year Journey United Methodist Fel-

lowship had gathered 142 persons who

want to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Jour-

ney UMF then launched its first worship

service on Easter Sunday, 2009! Maricopa

is a brand new community and already

lives are being transformed because you

have seen God’s vision of reaching out to

others. Your gifts, and prayers, have en-

abled The UMC to be present in this com-

munity among several others, giving a

new and faithful witness of God’s trans-

forming love.

Principled leaders of all ages are also

being prepared. Spiritual formation is a

core value for us in the DSC. One of the

ways we are shaping and raising up princi-

pled spiritual leaders is through our

Bishop’s Confirmation Retreat. Every

spring I invite congregations to allow me

to spend a weekend with young people

who are preparing to be confirmed as dis-

ciples of Jesus Christ and to join a UMC.

With the help of a wonderfully committed

cadre of adult leaders I guide these young

people through a time of examining what

it means to be a spiritual leader in the

world in the name of Christ Jesus. What a

rich experience I have had! I will never

forget a young 12 year old who upon

being asked what prayer meant to him

said, “It is the Holy Spirit speaking to that

deepest part of our spirit,” his voice calm

and assured. Quite a faith statement for

one so very young!

Some months after one of our confir-

mation retreats, I was at a retreat where we

were learning how to lead all the work of

the church as an expression of our spiritu-

ality and deep faith in Christ. I was at the

registration desk when I felt someone

come very close to me and then just stand

there by me while I completed what I was

doing. When I was freed from my task I

turned around and there stood a confirma-

tion retreat participant. I said to him,

“What are you doing here?” With a great

big smile he responded, “I’m here to be-

come a spiritual leader!” There is no

doubt in my mind that God’s own Holy

Spirit is lifting up strong and passionate

principled spiritual leaders who will lead

us out into the world with the gospel good

news of Christ Jesus.

We are also fighting poverty in the

communities God has placed under our

care. Poverty is a mighty foe to God’s de-

sire that we all live life’s of abundance.

You know this because of the deep love

Bishop Carcaño had the opportunity to spend time with, and spiritually mentor, Conference

youth at the Confirmation Retreat held March 28-30, 2008.


Photo Courtesy of Jim Parkhurst

One in

Chr

istBy

Bish

op M

iner

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. Car

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Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

Transforming our lives

Christians and United Methodists in The

Desert Southwest Conference.Because this first issue of Transforma-

tion Magazine is coming out in the spring,

following Lent and Easter, the theme of

the issue is Resurrection, Renewal, and

Rebirth. We will explore what we must do

to get ourselves right so that we may bet-

ter do ministry. We will explore the steps

that we are taking to better do ministry,

and we will explore how these steps are

beginning to make a difference.The journey we have taken together

through communications ministry has

taken more than three years to get to the

point of launching this new ministry tool,

and we’ve seen a lot along the way. There

were many times that I wished we could

change the pace or change the direction,

and there were plenty of times I became

frustrated with myself and others along

the way. I’m sure this could be said for all

of us in our ministries.

The good news is that we’ve always

had a guide; even in spite of ourselves, at

times. The view from here is pretty good,

but I’ve got some news to share… this is

not a destination! We don’t have time to

stop. Our work is far too important.

There will be plenty of bumps and

plenty of obstacles as we continue to find

the best ways to share our story with the

world. Things will not always be perfect,even when the view is great, but we’ll ad-

just and continue with a greater sense of

purpose. We’ll find different mediums

and new methods to share our story, but

our journey in ministry together will never

be done. We are called to always walk

down the road together looking to share

our story in every way we can and with

everyone we can. We must use the gifts

that we have been given to make our

world better and we must continue to

make disciples of Jesus for the transfor-

mation of the world!

PUBLISHER’S PEN | continued from page 3

In December, driven by a desire to help

hungry people in the Bullhead City

area, a group from Hope United

Methodist Church’s new Missions Out-

reach Committee formed “Hope’s

Kitchen.” The soup kitchen is meant to

serve the community’s hungry people-

whoever they are. Working with the

health department, planning the first din-

ner, and raising funds in preparation took

several weeks.

As facilitator of this new kitchen, Pat

Pillsbury knew opening the first commu-

nity-wide soup kitchen in the area would

have its challenges. They were certainly

aware that some people in the community

did not have enough food. There was

plenty of anecdotal evidence, even among

their own acquaintances. There have been

a lot of layoffs in the community, and

work is scarce. But actual statistics were

hard to come by. So it was hard to know

how much food they would need, or if

people would even come. They decided to

open for one meal a month and felt that if

this service was needed, God would lead

the people to the door. The group elected to have a dinner onthe last Saturday night of the month, whenpeople’s food supplies were most likely tohave been used up. The first dinner washeld from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The menu wassimple, filling and nutritious, and includedbeef stew, chili, bagels and breads, crack-ers, fruit salad, potato salad, and bever-ages. An invitation to dine was extendedto everyone, through flyers, radio andnewspapers. Free tickets were distributedin an effort to get a tally in advance of thedinner. One hundred tickets were pickedup by February 26, and some people saidthey would be bringing others. They had49 guests, enjoyed their company, and in-vited them back. Leftovers were donatedto a men’s ministry in Bullhead City.After evaluating the experience they real-ized they’ll need to refine the program andsee how it can be improved but believe itwill grow.

The church is blessed to have Chef

Roy Connor and his wife Valerie running

the kitchen, they are tremendous assets.

Together they bring years of experience in

By Pat PillsburyHope’s Kitchen feeds the hungry


One W

ith Each Other

By Pat Pillsbury


Photo Courtesy of Pat Pillsbury

Tough times inspired members of Hope United Methodist Church to start Hope’s Kitchen,

where members aim to serve the area hungry.

UniTed MeThOdiSTS jOin

PrOTeST AGAinST ArPAiO

Photo By Don Benton8 | Transformation | Spring 2009

UniTed MeThOdiSTS jOin

PrOTeST AGAinST ArPAiO

Photo By Don Benton

By Kathy L. Gilbert

United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño offered a blessing and words of peace to thou-

sands gathered to march in protest of the treatment of immigrants by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

“Help us, O God, help us to move the people of this country toward a reformation of these un-

just laws of immigration,” said Carcaño, United Methodist leader of the Phoenix area. “We pray you

will touch the heart of Joe Arpaio, that you will turn it from stone to a living heart of justice.”

Her words stirred strong emotions in a crowd of up to 5,000 that gathered at Steele Indian School

Park on Feb. 28 to participate in a “March to Stop the Hate.” The march ended about four miles later

at the federal courthouse, after passing more than 100 Arpaio supporters gathered at the Wells Fargo

Tower where the sheriff has his office.

Arpaio supporters held up signs that read, “We Support Joe” and “We Support 287g Enforce-

ment” while thousands streamed by carrying signs declaring, “Arpaio is Not My America,” “Revoke

Arpaio’s 287g” and “Reform Not Raids.” Story continues on page 10


Several United Methodists from the area

joined Carcaño in the march, carrying red

signs proclaiming, “The United Methodist

Church supports Immigrant… Civil…

Human… Rights!”

The protest was organized after

Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County,

marched more than 200 detained immi-

grants dressed in prison stripes through the

streets of Phoenix to a tent city facility in

the desert earlier in February.

Arpaio and his deputies have contracted

with the federal Department of Homeland

Security under a program identified as

287g that allows local police officers to

enforce immigration laws. The sheriff has

said he is enforcing the laws that he was

elected to uphold.

“But we believe he has gone beyond

the law, beyond the contract, certainly be-

yond the civil and human rights and con-

stitutional rights of these people because

even undocumented immigrants have

human and civil rights and certain rights

under the constitution of this country,”

Carcaño said in a United Methodist News

United Methodists across The

Desert Southwest Conference

have continued to voice their

concerns over the ongoing mistreat-

ment of undocumented persons that has

resulted in the destruction of families

and violations of human rights. In an effort to coincide with the Febru-ary 13-22 Congressional recess, severalevents-all leading up to the February 28protest against Sheriff Arpaio-provideda platform for the community and peo-ple of the Desert Southwest Conferenceto take a stand on immigrant abuse. People gathered in Arizona, both atthe El Tiradito Shrine in Tucson and atBirchett Park in Tempe, to pray for thefamilies victimized by the immigrationraids and inhumane treatment of un-documented persons. Rev. Saul Mon-tiel, associate pastor at Epworth UMCin Glendale, encouraged participation atthe Tempe prayer vigil, “God will listento us. God indeed is asking us ...to be a

Speaking out against immigrant abuse By Valerie K. Maravolo

(To the right) United Methodist Bishop

Minerva Carcaño marches Feb. 28 in

Phoenix with demonstrators to protest

crackdowns on illegal immigrants by

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Under a deal allowing them to enforce

federal immigration laws, deputies have

arrested more than 1,500 people that

they determined were in Arizona ille-

gally. The detainees are housed in a tent

city located in the desert.

MARCH | Continued from page 9



Photo By Billie K. Fidlin10 | Transformation | Spring 2009

Photo By Kathy L. Gilbert.



Originally adopted in 2006 and revised in 2008, The DesertSouthwest Conference Strategic Direction represents theguiding principles by which we perform ministry in theDSC.

Represented in our vision and mission, “We believe God’svision for us is a transformed world through Jesus, thus, ourmission is to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ. One withChrist, One with Each Other, One in Ministry to All theWorld.”

The Strategic Direction

GUIDING CHURCHES AROUNDTHE DESERT SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

(To the right) Green Valley UMC Mission

Committee members, Jan and Don Linch

work at El Buen Pastor to paint the struc-

ture and install/improve electrical service

to the church.


When I was asked, “Where is the

Strategic Direction guiding a

church in the South District?” I

immediately reviewed the charge confer-

ence season because a version of that

question was asked of all congregations:

“How is the Strategic Direction guiding

your church?” Green Valley Community

UMC was best able to articulate how this

process was happening. So let me share

with you how it is working in that congre-

gation. Let me first offer a slight dis-

claimer: the Conference Strategic

Direction’s chair, Jim Jennings, is a mem-

ber at Green Valley Community UMC. In

fact, it was he that I turned to for more in-

formation.

This congregation has a long history

of outreach and missions work, but the

Strategic Direction has provided some ad-

ditional focus. Most recently, the Strategic

Direction has informed the decision mak-

ing process in their creation of a job de-

scription and hiring of a Volunteer Coordi-

nator. The Volunteer Coordinator has

taken the social holiness aspect of the

Strategic Direction as a major part of her

job description. She is seeing to it that new

opportunities for service and experiential

learning are in place for the congregation.

Let me share a brief listing of ongoing

activities that demonstrate a high commit-

ment to both new and ongoing programs:

Food Bank Sunday (last year over $6,000

and two tons of food raised), UMCOR

special offerings, funding for the women’s

shelter, and assistance for a local single

parent. On border issues the church has

been at the forefront of the Conference

Church-to-Church program, and has a re-

lationship with four border congregations:

three in Mexico and one in Nogales, AZ,

El Mesias UMC. It also has recently part-

nered with the Claremont School of Theol-

ogy to sponsor a lecture for the church and

community on Christianity and Immigra-

tion. The lecture was given by Dr. Helene

Slessarev Jamir and was delivered in con-

junction with a course of study class

hosted by the church. Dr. Jamir taught the

class.

With regard to the second priority, to

develop an ongoing culture of leadership

development, the church and its two pas-

tors, Rebecca Oakes Long, Senior Pastor

and Jeanne Festa, Associate Pastor, have

both attended leadership development

classes and have participated in training

new church leaders. In addition, lay speak-

ing classes at the church have helped new

leaders develop skills and enabled others

to preach in four care centers in town.

Also, youth are involved in leading two

worship services and are being mentored.

Our third direction centers on encour-

aging a culture of planting new churches

and communities of faith. Green Valley

Community has paid almost three quarters

of its Forward in Their Footsteps Cam-

paign goal. In addition, they have been fi-

nancially supportive of new faith efforts in

By Rev. Michael Pearson, South District Superintendent

Green Valley Community UMC,guided by the Conference Strategic Direction

Rev. Michael Pearson

Photo courtesy of Jim Jennings


Take a church with a heart for social

holiness, wrap it up with a pastor

whose specialty is leadership devel-

opment and flavor it with emerging faith

communities of cultures from around the

globe, and you begin to get a glimpse of

the ministry of University United

Methodist Church.

In 2008, University UMC offered its

portable building to United Methodist So-

cial Ministries for its day-to-day opera-

tions, its primary center for WEAP

(Weekend Emergency Assistance Pro-

gram) and its emerging foster care pro-

gram. With that move, University UMC

once more positioned itself as a church

with social holiness at its center in its de-

sire to support and undergird ministry to

the poor and the oppressed. Their work

with Sidewalk Sunday School has long

been an integral part of who they are and

what they do as a church with a heart for

outreach.

Under the guidance of Rev. Art Gafke,

the staff has been training and growing in

its understanding of leadership, of the staff

person’s role in equipping the congrega-

tion for ministry, and of the need to iden-

tify and train leaders for the work of the

church in the transformation of the world.

Rev. Candace Lansberry, North District Superintendent

Strategic Direction takes hold in theNorth District

Nogales, Sonora at El Divino Redemptor,

and the Crossroads Mission. Finally, they

continue to be supportive of Santa Cruz

Valley UMC, a congregation they par-

ented several years ago.

When I asked if there was a good un-

derstanding of the Strategic Direction and

how it was guiding the congregation into

the future, Jim responded that this was a

growth area for the church. The Green

Valley Community UMC has already

been doing many of the things that fit the

measurable objectives. Therefore, the

changes have been by addition rather than

by taking a completely new direction. Jim

noted that the outward focus of the Strate-

gic Direction has been one of the direct

benefits to the church.

(left) Two children benefit from the ef-

forts of Green Valley UMC members at

the Nogales, Sonora Mexico dump.

(right) Israel Ramirez, music leader for

the English speaking contemporary

worship, also leads the Las Naciones

band at the Spanish service at Univer-

sity UMC. Also pictured, Mariah

Marsalla, singer; Cordova Hicks,bass;

and William St John, drums.

Rev. Candace Lansberry

Photo courtesy of Jim Jennings


The greatest success in implementing the

Strategic Direction, however, comes in

University UMC’s vision for planting new

faith communities, multi-cultural congre-

gations that are reaching people of differ-

ent ethnic groups who are living around

the church. Currently, there are seven

United Methodist worshipping congrega-

tions at University UMC and two non-

UMC congregations who utilize space for

worship and study.

The earliest addition to the three

Anglo congregations, who meet for wor-

ship on Sunday mornings, is the Filipino-

American congregation who began

gathering under the leadership of Rev. Dr.

Julian Miguel, a retired pastor from Ne-

braska. Initially part of the church-within-

a-church model, this congregation grew to

the point where it decided it would launch

as a separate fellowship, First Filipino

American UMF, while still maintaining a

physical presence on the UUMC campus.

Las Naciones, the Hispanic congregation

at UUMC, began meeting at Daniel

Gomez's home as a bible study group.

When they out grew Daniel’s home in

2005, they arranged to meet at UUMC and

eventually became incorporated in the

UUMC church as a fellowship in the

church-within-a-church model with Daniel

serving as its lay pastor. They meet Sun-

day afternoons as a multi-generational

worshipping community and again on

Thursday evenings, which is designed for

all the youth of the worshiping congrega-

tions of UUMC.

UUMC’s African congregation began

last summer when Pastor Alexander Ba-

hati, along with 35 African refugees flee-

ing from the warring countries of Congo,

Rwanda and Burundi to America, showed

up at worship one Sunday and asked what

they would have to do to become part of

UUMC. The congregation extended help

to the refugees (there’s that heart for social

holiness again!) by helping the children

get shots for school and school registra-

tion, providing clothing and household ar-

ticles, and taking the new African

members shopping for groceries and other

needs.

The African refugees’ languages in-

clude several dialects of Swahili, French,

and English. Some speak no English,

some, a little, and some are fluent. Pastor

Alexander Bahati speaks fluent English,

Photo courtesy of Ann Heardt


which he taught himself in a Kenyan

refugee camp. The Africans meet both in

worship led by Alexander and with the

greater congregation. The Anglos, Africans, and Las Na-

ciones come together for the Thursday

evening service in which the youth of the

church attend. Originally it was a His-

panic service, all in Spanish. Now Daniel

Gomez conducts the service in Spanish

and English. Alexander Bahati then trans-

lates the service to his son, Oliver, from

English to French. Oliver then translates

the service from French, to the African

youth, to Swahili. All the youth of the

church meet together for youth activities

and are forging a multi-cultural identity

that is contagious. Under the enthusiastic leadership of

Pastor Daniel Choi, the Korean Campus

ministry meets at UUMC and in July 2008

gave birth to a new congregation, A Grain

of Mustard Seed UMF. While the former

churches were a church-within-a-church

model, AGOMS was intentionally started

as a stand-alone fellowship with the sup-

port, prayers and blessing of the UUMC

congregation. In addition to these United Methodist

faith communities, two groups from India

meet at UUMC to worship and to study:

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and

Blessed Mother Theresa Church.

It’s pretty obvious that University

UMC has continually promoted the prac-

tice of establishing churches within the

greater church to meet the diverse needs of

the surrounding community. They have

caught the vision of what the church can

look like when they are about making dis-

ciples for the transformation of the world

and are striving with all their heart to be

one with Christ in reaching those in their

community who experience injustice;growing in leadership development as they

learn what it means to be one with each

other as they lead an ever changing and di-

verse congregation; and exploring in a tan-

gible way what it really means to be one in

ministry to all the world.

Strategic Direction makes a difference in the Central West DistrictRev. Gary Kennedy, Central West District Superintendent

The Strategic Direction has been a

document that reflects the life of

our Conference because it captures

the very essence of the Spirit of God with

us and directing us. From the beginning it

has been a living document in that it

guides a church in the transition of the

many phases of life and call. Currently we

are a church in the midst of change and

challenge because of economic realities

that impact all of our churches and ex-

tended ministries. Yet in the midst of this

challenge we have the privilege of truly

being the church, a beacon of light and

hope for a world that has seen the light of

direction shining forth from the people of

God in the past and in the present. During the past few months the sub-

jects of the economy and finances have

surfaced during all sorts of conversations,

meetings, and calls to the District Superin-

tendent. Churches are dealing with finan-

cial shortfalls in many different and

sometimes creative ways. There are folks

stepping up to the plate with greater finan-

cial commitment. There is budget adjust-

ing and staff shifts and program

reemphasis. I want to speak to the concern

that I have seen on the faces of those

working on these realities and the transfor-

mation of those expressions when we then

talk about the God of hope and the people

of faith. It seems that several of our con-

versations turned positive when we shared

about how other churches are facing the

same things. In some ways, with the

thought of other churches came the re-

minder of how we are all in this together.

Even the words printed in our mission,

“One with Christ, One with Each Other,

One in Ministry to All the World,” are re-

minders that God is with us. We are about

God’s business. We have been called to

Community UMC’s Opportunity House provides ESL instruction, tutoring, meals, and men-

torship as well as summer programs to keep kids safe and involved.

Photo courtesy of Veronica Schwake


this ministry together as God’s church.

There then is a new sense of calm and

resolve. We operate not in fear but in the

assurance that God is with us. This past

charge conference season saw the same

kind of reminder and transformation when

we moved beyond financial reflecting with

the question, “What is happening in your

church that is exciting?” I have heard so

much joy, purpose and excitement about

the future with every discussion of what

God is doing among the people called

United Methodist.

In further capturing the essence of the

Strategic Direction in the Central West

District, let me share that many of the

churches have been intentional about coor-

dinating goals and ministries along the

lines of the Strategic Direction priorities.

Some churches have not intentionally

done this, yet the end result is that they

often match. To list some faithful expres-

sions of ministry in line with our vision,

our mission and various priorities of the

Strategic Direction would include but cer-

tainly not be limited to: the continued

community outreach done by The Com-

munity UMC of Avondale through the Op-

portunity House. These hands-on

educational programs are administered

and taught by members of the church and

reach hundreds of community folks. Cal-

vary UMC is involved together with ex-

tension ministries of the Wesley

Community Center and Grupo ministries

on the Calvary site. Mentoring and leader-

ship development can be seen with the

helping relationships of the pastors in the

Yuma area. Retired pastor Bob Ray has

been working with seminary-bound Edgar

Vergara at Somerton and Tweedy Som-

brero has offered very helpful cultural

input for Lilda Burnham at Ft.Yuma

UMC. Frank Peters has mentored an

emerging Hispanic ministry and its pastor

Arturo Gutierrez at Prescott Valley.

Various levels of training, cultural

awareness, conversation, and leadership

development go into the planning and im-

plementation of outreach mission trips.

Some examples include the mission trip to

Africa coordinated by the Prescott UMC

and others, the India mission trip organ-

ized by Calvary UMC and a South Ameri-

can mission trip organized by Yuma First

UMC. These are a few highlights, yet I

can safely say that all our communities

around our churches are impacted in posi-

tive and wonderful ways by our church

people. We share a vision together, a God,

and through the church a Strategic Direc-

tion that help give shape to the transforma-

tion of the world by the people of God.

Volunteers help to serve refreshments at Opportunity House’s 2008 Easter celebration.

The Strategic Direction is alive in theCentral East District

Rev. Gary Kennedy

Photo courtesy of Veronica Schwake

Photo courtesy of Veronica SchwakeRev. Sharon Ragland, Central East District Superintendent

In planning for this article, I sent an

email to pastors in the Central East

District with the subject line “Help for

Article!” I said we were trying to tell

about the ways that churches are living

into the Conference Strategic Direction. I

asked, “What are the stories about creating

a culture of social holiness, leadership de-

velopment, and starting new churches and

faith communities?” This article contains

clips from those stories. I’m grateful to

the churches and pastors who contributed.

One church provided a creative way

for the congregation to learn about and

connect the Conference Strategic Direc-

tion with its own mission. As a way of

learning about the Conference Strategic

Direction and planning for ways to imple-


ment it in their own church, in the fall of

2008, Payson UMC offered SOULinten-

tions, a day long mini version of SOULfi-

esta. Rev. David Rennick is the pastor at

Payson UMC.

Other churches shared information

and stories about specific areas of the

Strategic Direction. Around “Creating a

culture of social holiness”, Rev. Mike

Kerr-Osman, the pastor of the UMC of

Casa Grande, reports that the church is

pursuing a prison ministry. With a major

prison system in Florence, located east of

Casa Grande, this is an important way of

reaching “the least of these.”

Grace UMC, Mesa, has worked to-

ward integrating social holiness into the

ethos of the church by intentional reading

and discussion of “Three Simple Rules”

by Rueben Job. The entire congregation

received copies of the book and it was

lifted up in worship, classes, committees,

and conversation. The leaders embraced

this as a way of integrating their experi-

ences at Soul Fiesta at Gold Canyon,

Tending the Soul in Casa Grande and

Imaginative Leaping.

First UMC, Tempe, has expanded

their ministry to the homeless by being

open 30 hours a week for direct services,

including an evening drop-in center

(called Potter’s House) where 50-100 per-

sons come each night for food, hospitality,

and spiritual care. First Tempe has also

just decided to join Valley Interfaith Proj-

ect so they can more effectively work on

the underlying conditions and justice is-

sues that move people into poverty and

keep them there.

White Mountain UMC, Show Low,

has a team of four-eight persons that

serves lunch at Love Kitchen in Pinetop

every Tuesday. “The Love Kitchen has

said that the good folks of White Moun-

tain are their most consistent supporter,”

reports Rev. Michael Higgs. To support

this ministry, the Youth Group of White

Mountain serves breakfast the first Satur-

day of each month. The congregation

comes and eats and donates toward the

Love Kitchen ministry.

The Arizona State University Wesley

Foundation students and alumni initiated

an interfaith group that provides scholar-

ships to undocumented ASU students who

graduated from Arizona high schools.

These students do not have access to in

state tuition or any other sources of public

funding. This year, in cooperation with

two other faith communities, students

have been awarded $4,500 in scholarships.

Also, one of the freshmen in the ASU

Wesley Foundation has taken the lead in

starting an Open Table. Wesley Founda-

tion Director, Rev. Rob Rynders says,

“The table will be made up of ASU stu-

dents from different faith backgrounds and

they will be seeking to help bring a person

or a family with an ASU connection out of

poverty. They hope this table will launch

Rev. Sharon Ragland

Volunteers from White Mountain UMC’s Love Kitchen take a moment from food preparation to pose for a photograph.

Photo courtesy of White Mountain UMC


in August and hope it will be the first of

many to come at ASU.” We know that the three priorities ofthe Strategic Direction overlap and dove-tail with each other. Some of the abovestories tell about a culture of social holi-ness and lead us into the priority of “Cre-ating a culture of leadershipdevelopment.”

The last Sunday in January is Youth

Sunday at Dayspring UMC, Tempe. The

youth pick the theme for that Sunday, and

plan and lead worship for both services,

including providing leadership for the

music and message. Rev. George Smoot,

who works with the youth at Dayspring

says, “Through this the youth learn and

grow and pastors hear comments like,

‘You have to do this every week? How do

you do it?’” While past years have seen

high school seniors as speakers, this year

three freshmen and two seniors were the

speakers. Through this, the youth grow

into leaders, and the congregation grows

in its appreciation of the youth as thought-

ful disciples and leaders. This year the

children’s choirs also sang in the service,

so it was a children & youth Sunday.

Part of leadership development calls

for the sharing of resources. Shepherd of

the Pines in Overgaard purchased and used

the resource, “Seeing Gray in a World of

Black & White” by Adam Hamilton.

Through the weekly E-Notes, Shep-

herd indicated a willingness to share this

resource, which is now being used by

Cross in the Desert UMC in Phoenix, and

will then be shared with Grace UMC in

Mesa.

Shepherd of the Pines, located in an

area of many summer residents and fewer

winter, found a creative way to develop

musical leaders. When the paid pianist

left, they recruited a summer resident who

had assisted in the past and cultivated an-

other summer resident with a long church

music background. When both went south

for the winter, four members who played

for their own enjoyment but could not

commit to regular service each agreed to

play for a few Sundays at a time. “This

has worked out well for them and for the

congregation,” reports Pastor Noni Dye.

Shepherd of the Pines also cultivates lead-

ers through pastoral care. Like some other

churches in Arizona, about half of the

members are seasonal residents. At least

once during their season off the mountain,

a fellowship event is held in the Phoenix

area which is attended by the pastor. In

addition, two dedicated leaders make reg-

ular contacts and visits in Phoenix on be-

half of Shepherd of the Pines. This

provides good pastoral care, cultivates

leaders, and helps people stay connected.


Bobby Safley and Yun Sil Kean sort grapefruits for White Mountain UMC’s Love Kitchen


(Editor’s note) “The Strategic Direction is alive in the Central East District” first ran in the March 1, 2009 edition of The

Desert Connection. To view the rest of Rev. Ragland’s article as well as to learn more about the Desert Southwest Conference

Strategic Direction, please visit the Communications Resources area of the DSC website by going to www.desertsouthwestcon-

ference.org/communicationsresources.

For more stories, see editor’s note.


Service interview before the march began.

The United Methodist Church has a clear

stand on immigration that is based in

Scripture, she said.

“Holy Scripture says we should walk

with the immigrant, we should welcome

them as our own, we should love them as

we love ourselves,” she said.

“Jesus calls us to be compassionate to-

ward the immigrant, to love our neighbor

without condition, and so we come to this

task out of our biblical understanding of

Christian discipleship.”

We Are Human

After praying in the park, Carcaño

joined other religious and community

leaders at the head of the crowd holding a

banner, which read, “We Are Human.”

Men, women and children walked in the

hot Arizona sun for several hours holding

signs, chanting and calling for change.

Activist Alfredo Gutierrez, a former state

lawmaker, stood beside Carcaño during

the march and praised her for her stand on

immigration reform.

“This is the fundamental message of

Christianity isn’t it?” he said. “How one

treats another human being, that is the fun-

damental message. What we have here is a

sheriff who is using the laws to abuse —

(To the right) United Methodists are among the

estimated 3,000 demonstrators rallying Feb. 28

in Phoenix to protest the crackdowns on illegal

immigrants by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe

Arpaio. Under a deal allowing them to enforce

federal immigration laws, deputies have ar-

rested more than 1,500 people that they deter-

mined were in Arizona illegally. The detainees

are housed in a tent city in the desert.



(Above ) United Methodist Bishop Minerva

Carcaño prays Feb. 28 for the immigrant de-

tainees housed in the Maricopa County sher-

iff's S.M.A.R.T. Tents outside Phoenix. Earlier

in the day, Carcaño marched with thousands of

demonstrators to protest crackdowns on illegal

immigrants by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Under a

deal allowing them to enforce federal immigra-

tion laws, deputies have arrested more than

1,500 people that they determined were in Ari-

zona illegally.

PROTEST | Continued from page 10


voice for the undocumented family...wecan be their voice... God is calling us tocome down in the valley - be the voice forthose who have a voice no more.” Prayerwas lifted up for not only the immigrantsand their families, but for the faith com-munity so they may speak out againstthese abuses and for the United StatesCongress to work diligently towards morecomprehensive immigration reform.

“I pray that we will not be silent. I mustspeak. I can do no less than that as a per-son of faith...We are called to care for thewanderer, the person who struggles,”prayed DSC Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño.Over 150 people combined, participated inthe events along with many DSC churcheswho took time during Sunday services to

pray.

Several key Arizona faith leaders in-

cluding Bishop Carcaño, called out against

local and federal immigration policies that

have provided a way for Maricopa County

Sheriff Joe Arpaio to enforce the laws in

ways that violate both civil and human

rights. “No public servant should ever be

allowed to promote racism, and the viola-

tion of basic human and civil rights…

enough is enough,” said the Bishop to

local news affiliates. “We must remember

that racial abuse … affects all of us, as it

shapes the character and spirit of our com-

munity.” She continued by calling on

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security,

Janet Napolitano to “abolish immigration

enforcement measures, including 287g,

which allows local police to enforce fed-

eral civil immigration law. “Such an abol-

ishment of locally enforced immigration

law should begin with Sheriff Joe Arpaio

before he becomes an embarrassment not

only for the state of Arizona, but for this

entire country. Enough is enough.”

Following these events faith and com-

munity leaders continue to call for the fair

treatment of the immigrant reminding us

that, “We too, were once immigrants in

this land.” Bishop Carcaño calls all peo-

ple of the Desert Southwest Conference to

continue to lift in prayer, those immigrants

and their families touched by the abuses

they must endure.

SPEAKING OUT | Continued from page 12

More than 50 people gather at Birchett Park

in Tempe, AZ to pray for immigrants and

their families that have fallen victim to recent

raids as well for people of faith that they

might speak up against these abuses.

Photo By Billie K. Fidlin

in increasingly horrendous ways — a par-

ticular community, the Hispanic commu-

nity. He is doing it on the basis of race. He

is using the excuse of law and abusing it

for the purposes of exploiting a particular

group of people in Arizona.”

Zack de la Rocha, who described

himself as a “poet, activist and singer”

with the rock group Rage Against the Ma-

chine, also took his place in the front of

the march. Speaking through a megaphone

after the march ended, he read a prepared

statement about Arpaio’s actions.

“By parading human beings shackled

in chain gang stripes in a misguided effort

to collectively humiliate and to dehuman-

ize an entire population, he reopened the

wounds from which we all still suffer, by

invoking the painful memories of the era

of slavery and segregation. ... By doing so,he has not only brought shame upon the

state of Arizona, but is bringing shame

upon the entire nation.”

Stand forJustice

Carcaño said she hoped the march

would bring attention to the sheriff’s ac-

tions in Maricopa County and open peo-

ple’s eyes to abuses that may be happening

in their communities. “We are hoping people across thecountry will see what is happening hereand notice that perhaps it is happening intheir communities and join us in facingthese very racist actions that we are expe-riencing. “We are hoping our march will bringattention to the violation of human andcivil rights that can so easily lead to the vi-olation of all our human and civil rights.We are hoping we will inspire persons offaith to join in taking a stand for God’sjustice.”



A transforming ministryBy Ryne Brinks

Photo courtesy of Michelle Scott

RELEVANCE | real. relational. revolutionary.

One in

Min

istry

By G

len

Sim

pson

, DSC

You

ng A

dult

Cord

inat

or


Arevolution brews on a journey of

the young people of this genera-

tion and as Glen Simpson, Coordi-

nator of Young Adult Ministries to The

Desert Southwest Conference tells me,

“Young adults want four things in a

church: relationship, community, social

action, and a genuine church.” With the

transformation of our society and church,

Relevance was created to serve the young

adults of our conference. The question is,

are you ready for the revolution?

Relevance is the new official young

adult ministry of The Desert Southwest

Conference. It strives to be relevant and

productive to society and the church.

Through connecting with one another,

Relevance exists to improve personal spir-

itual lives, the spirituality of the church,

and the hurts of society. Thus, their mis-

sion is to be grounded in scripture, while

using their own traditions, experiences,

and reason, as they actively seek God and

social justice in all that they are a part of.

“I am excited to lead a team rather than a

committee of young adults on this jour-

ney- not battle-that we embark on,” shares

Glen. “Together we have created a min-

istry that will work to transform and re-en-

ergize as one. We are working under the

umbrella of being real, relational, and rev-

olutionary.” Glen goes on to further say

that, “The road ahead is a challenging one.

One that we can’t take on alone, rather we

will need the help of our local churches.

We have to realize that young adults are

important to the future health and strength

of our church, and once we embrace this,

together we must strive as one and trans-

form together!”

A lot of planning and preparation is

coming from the team that is Relevance

and the goal will be to help the local

church, and revitalize young adult min-

istry. By this summer, Relevance will have

a place on the internet; with a fully inter-

active site that will provide local churches

with resources for young adult ministry. In

addition, this spring, Relevance will an-

nounce dates for “Relevance X,” a leader-

ship conference for young adults that will

take place in Las Vegas in 2010. Churches

will be encouraged to bring their groups of

young adults together and experience “The

power of 10.” “Young Adult Ministry is

alive and moving at a fast pace,” assures

Simpson. Relevance is gearing up for an-

nual conference this June 23-28, 2009, and

excited by the opportunity that awaits

them to share with the church the road

ahead. “We are preparing for an exciting

time at this year’s session, with informa-

tion that we want to share with our

churches. You will see young adult min-

istry in a way unlike ever before,” he con-

tinued.

Single or married. From those prepar-

ing for the MCATs, or having already fin-

ished college, young adult ministry is as

diverse as it gets. Together we must be

one in ministry and embark on the jour-

ney!

A transforming ministry

Photo courtesy of Michelle Scott

RELEVANCE | real. relational. revolutionary.

Relevance is currently undergoing a transformationon the web. Visit the workbeing done by going to www.relevanceonline.com.

Questions? Comments?Input? Email:[email protected].

Check Relevance out on Facebook, too!


Although often-times wonderful,

the problem with renewal is that it

seems it is something which must

be accomplished in the dark, where you

can’t see it. Take for example, a bulb that

must be planted deep in the ground during

fall, submitting it to the freeze of winter

before its roots and green leaves enjoy soft

places to emerge from when the bulb

thaws in the warming grounds of spring.

It is renewed in this way, and becomes a

blazing transformation of glory in the

form of a colorful tulip or daffodil. Fruit

trees must lose their leaves and appear

dead in winter in order to renew them-

selves before their summer crop, in fact,

the harder the freeze that winter, the

greater the crop.

Like plants, people can also experi-

ence renewal in “the dark.” There are two

times in my life when I can recall feeling

emptied of everything: emotions, re-

sponses, of knowing what to do with my

life. The first time this happened, it was

very scary for me. I cried and cried, not

understanding what was happening to me.

The only thing I knew to do was pray and

to seek out people mature in their faith to

help me through this time. When God

began to fill me, I then understood that I

needed to be emptied first. There was too

much of me in there, I suppose. When this

happened a second time, I felt secure

through the emptiness, knowing God

would do God’s great work within me

again. I welcome these times of waiting

for God’s fullness now. Although it is im-

possible to predict what will happen dur-

ing these times or how long they will last,

for renewal is accomplished in the dark.

We cannot always see or understand

the ways of spiritual renewal, yet we have

seen and read accounts of these mighty

acts by God. We know them often as res-

urrection or transformation. When we link

these words together, we sense a bright

glory from transformation. Think of the

transfiguration of Christ, happening spon-

taneously on the mountain top. If only our

own transformations were to be as won-

derfully transparent, that we could see

clearly, the effects of renewal-without the

times of waiting in the dark!

I am in ministry with a church in

need of renewal. I know renewal is ac-

complished in the dark, and that is a prob-

lem for me. Is the church coming together

or isn’t it? I just want an answer or a sign,

though renewal requires patience, as well

as nourishing care. As with a garden or an

orchard, one needs to be at work tend-

ing, even in the times when all seems to

be withering up, in the times when one

knows nothing visible will grow. For in

those empty times, God can accomplish

a great work within the church.

As pastor, I want to provide the oppor-

tunities for God to touch and mold the

lives of those within this church, for the

renewal of the church rests upon the

people yearning for renewal within

themselves. Renewal is scary. We don’t

want to cry or spend time waiting for

God to fill us. We need to see results

and be able to predict where we will be

next year. Besides, haven’t we spent

enough time waiting and praying? At

my church, Primera Iglesia, we have

waited years to feel the reassuring touch

of Christ that will heal and transform.

So we search for signs of our fruits,

our renewal. Would the new piano

player and her spouse who will join the

church soon be a sign of renewal? Is our

Sidewalk Sunday School, which attracts

over 50 people a week, a solid sign of re-

newal? Is it our food bank, our clothing

room? Is it the special event we offer that

attracts people of other churches to come

join in, showing diversity in culture and

race? Is it the increased number of people

in worship on Sunday mornings? Or is it

the increased number of volunteers com-

ing in throughout the week to work at vari-

ous projects at the church?

Our offering plates on Sunday morn-

ings do not offer any sign of renewal.

With 90% of our congregation on food

stamps and/or fixed incomes, the people

cannot afford to stock a food bank or run a

big, yellow truck for Sidewalk Sunday

School. The answer comes from our

United Methodist connection. We have a

Sidewalk Sunday School, a food bank, and

a clothing room to offer because sister

churches have supported these ministries.

Other churches have donated funds and

items. The people of these sister churches,

individuals and groups, have reached out

to empower the people of Primera to ac-

complish ministry that is so needed in

inner-city Phoenix.

Ultimately, I find the answer for re-

Renewal has roots in darknessBy Rev. Rosemary Anderson

FreeDigitalPhotos.net Design, Valerie Maravolo

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the food industry, and also have been in-

volved in the operation of church soup

kitchens in Oregon, so they have a lot of

information Hope can draw upon to run a

successful program. Valerie’s resourceful-

ness helped everyone work through the

biggest challenge right away. Since

Hope’s kitchen was built many years ago,and is not a commercial kitchen in the

eyes of the Health Department, Valerie

recommended starting with commercial

preparations such as number 10 cans of

beef stew, and enhanced it with canned

potatoes and other ingredients. This plan

worked especially well because the

kitchen staff could start with a relatively

small quantity of food and expand based

on the demand. This seemed to work per-

fectly by keeping our leftovers to a mini-

mum. In an effort to make guests of the

church’s kitchen feel welcome, the dining

room was managed with the same care and

efficiency as a good restaurant, under the

stewardship of Hope’s Trustee Charlie

Greer. Charlie made sure someone

greeted each person at the door, someone

else escorted each guest or group of

guests—if they came as a family—to the

cafeteria-style serving line. Smiling ladies

ladled generous portions of food for guests

and invited them back for seconds. Tables

were set with placemats, napkins, and

plastic dinnerware. Servers brought bev-

erages to each diner. Others cleared and

reset the tables when the guests were fin-

ished dining. Still other church members

made a point of stopping by tables, chat-

ting with diners, and having a bite to eat

with them if they were alone. It was Char-

lie’s purpose that all who dined be treated

with dignity, be made to feel welcome,

and be invited back. All together, 26

church members served at the first

kitchen. Hope’s Kitchen is not the first time

the church has reached out to the commu-

nity to provide real assistance to the

needy. Over many years the church has

been supportive of a wide variety of local

programs. Currently, Hope numbers

among its outreach support programs to

feed school children over the weekends, to

provide food to the local food banks and

baby layettes to young mothers in preg-

nancy counseling. But Hope’s Kitchen

does represent the culmination of an effort

to reach out more into the community to

draw area residents who need help into the

arms of the church family. This effort,

fostered in the recent past by Rev. Marc

MacDonald, Hope’s previous minister, has

now reached fruition in Hope’s Kitchen

through the efforts of Rev. Jimelvia Mar-

tin. Rev. MacDonald prepared the ground

and planted the seeds for change, growth

and renewal. Rev. Martin is doing the cul-

tivating. Harvesting will be left to the

Lord.

think it will invite people who have been

disappointed with the church or even hurt

by it to rethink and reconsider what

church is really about.”

When it comes to reinventing the

church experience, many United

Methodist churches are ahead of the

game.

- Centenary United Methodist Church,

Richmond, Va., has a feeding and foot-

washing ministry for the homeless.

- Flowing Grace United Methodist

Church, outside of Chicago, created a

portable house of worship.

- Pets are welcome and ushers collect the

offering in minnow buckets for a floating,

boating congregation at Warwick (Ga.)

United Methodist Church.

- Paul’s Restaurant, operated by Oakland

United Methodist Church, Charleston,

W.Va., offers two kinds of soul food:

home-cooked meals and spiritual nourish-

ment.

Levin Van Sant, chairperson for evan-

gelism and outreach in the Peninsula-

Delaware Conference, saw a United

Methodist News Service story about the

upcoming campaign and was quick to get

on the Rethink Church bandwagon.

“It’s the perfect platform for us to

show people that church can be fun and

flexible,” Van Sant said. “And to show

United Methodists aren’t stuffy — that we

do things for others. We’re a very mis-

sions-minded people, and for us, church

isn’t just a noun. We are a verb.”

“Rethink Church is ultimately an in-

vitation to missional Christianity,” Hollon

said. “It’s about being transformed, doing

those things that transform us individually

and transform the world. If we rethink

church, our spiritual yearning and our de-

sire for change become integrated. We

focus on faith as life lived in mission, be-

cause we are called by God to be people

who serve.”

RETHINK | continued from page 5

newal comes from the congregation of

Primera Iglesia. For renewal comes from

within and is usually accomplished in the

dark. My faith tells me God is working on

the hearts and minds of the people of

Primera, even if I can’t see it, and, it ap-

pears, the cold freeze of winter has done

its work for as Spring comes upon us,

there are signs of green and growth, so we

know the roots are there and still strong.

HOPE’S KITCHEN | continued from page 7

Byron Petty and Val Connor


Connect your church!Do you want to do your part to help the people of your church stay connected to

the rest of the Desert Southwest Conference? Be sure to visit www.desertsoutwestconference.org/ourconference to download and print copies of Our Conference,a bulletin insert designed to communicate important news from the Conferencewhile remaining easy and cheap to reproduce. This tool can be simply inserted intoyour existing church bulletin or can stand alone. For questions about the bulletin in-sert or learn more about how you can help your church connect with the Conferenceand the General Church, email [email protected].

Photo Courtesy Patt Pillsbury

that God has placed in your hearts for God

and neighbor. So you are working hard to

eliminate poverty. There are so many ex-

traordinary examples of your good and

faithful work, but allow me to lift up two.

In Safford, Arizona the local United

Methodist Church has taken on the feed-

ing of all who are hungry in that commu-

nity! Through a USDA grant and many

donations from church and community

members, they have built a state of the art

food distribution center. The center is a

20 by 30 foot building with a porch that

extends a welcome to all, and contains a

freezer the size of a semi-truck! Its heart,

though, are the disciples of Christ Jesus

who are preparing to feed both bodies and

spirits. The town of Safford is being revi-

talized as neighbors of many faith persua-

sions are joining together to serve those

who hunger for bread for the body and the

bread of life.

In Las Vegas, Nevada the United

Methodist Social Ministries of Las Vegas

(UMSM) has transformed an old building

on the campus of University UMC into a

warm center of hospitality for those whose

lives are afflicted by the vicious impact of

poverty. A well stocked food pantry feeds

the hungry, the poor are given counsel as

they seek help to meet the many needs

they face, and children are surprised by

Christmas gifts when their families aren’t

able to provide even the smallest of gifts.

UMSM is also helping reunite parents

with their children. In a lovely and wel-

coming room that feels like a nice den in a

home, parents who have lost custody of

their children are able to spend some time

with them at UMSM. In this sacred and

safe space parents and children are learn-

ing to rebuild their lives, and in some

cases love is being reborn. You have

proven that even poverty can be over-

come, a family at a time.

Finally, did you know that global

health is being promoted from right here

in our area? The DSC helped send a team

to Ethiopia to teach a community how to

fight against an HIV/AIDS epidemic that

has stricken our brothers and sisters on the

continent of Africa. We are actively col-

lecting our dollars to meet our goal of $1

per church member to fight this deadly

disease that has blanketed the world with

death and suffering. Here at home we

continue our Strength for the Journey

camps for those afflicted by HIV/AIDS.

What a privilege it is to embrace these

beloved ones, for in embracing them we

experience the very presence of Christ

among us and all of our lives are trans-

formed!

Each winter, UMSM’s Hats ‘n Hands program distributes clothing items to the homeless in partnership with other area agencies where

homeless services are provided. People all over the Las Vegas valley knit or crochet hats and scarves throughout the year in preparation for

winter distribution. Thousands of homeless individuals have directly benefited from the generosity and caring of so many who care about the

homeless.

TRANSFORMING | continued from page 6


Photo Courtesy UMSM

PHOENIX (UMNS)—Leaders from

around the Western Jurisdiction gathered

in Burbank, CA, Jan. 10-11 to begin to

focus in on the work that lays ahead for

this quadrennium. It was a time of team-

building, information sharing and decision

making; as well as a time of dreaming

about possibilities. During the gathering,

the leadership team received insight into

what is needed for ministry in the Western

Jurisdiction by the Council of Bishops. A

new “Strategic Priority” of a commitment

to the development of new churches and

communities of faith was brought forward.

It encompassed elements of the mission

statement of The United Methodist

Church, the Four Areas of Focus presented

at the 2008 General Conference, and the

vision of the Western Jurisdiction. “What I

like about this (Strategic Priority) is that it

gives us something solid to hold onto,”

said Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, of the

Desert Southwest Conference. “It is the

house that lets us model our values.”

TransformationM i n i s t r y M a g a z i n e o f t h e D e s e r t s o u t h w e s t C o n f e r e n C e Order Form

Free copies of Transformation can be obtained by inquiring at

your church. If you would like to receive Transformation at your

home, detach and complete this form. Send this form and pay-

ment to: The Desert Southwest Conference,

Attn: Transformation Subscription, 1550 E. Meadowbrook

Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85014-4040.

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to make disciples of Jesus for the transfor-

mation of the world, and our Conference

Strategic Direction states, “We believe

God’s vision for us is a transformed world

through Jesus, thus our mission is to make

Disciples of Jesus Christ.” We are a people who believe transfor-

mation is possible through Jesus and thatis exactly what this new ministry maga-zine should be about. The magazineshould help us all to see how the ministrywe do is transforming the world andshould give us a drive to want to trans-form the world further, even when we aretired. I believe the title Transformationwill reflect our mission, our strategic di-rection, and everything we are about.Please give this title consideration foryour contest.

-- A proud member of the Desert

Southwest Conference

Western Jurisdiction explores ministry possibilities

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

NAME | continued from page 5

DSC Photo

Are you the last one to know about Conference events and other important news? If so, its time to make a change. Be

sure to sign up to receive immediate and timely email from the Conference Notes listserv. To be added to the list, send

an email with your name and email address to: [email protected].

Staying Connected

Photo Courtesy UMSM

One with Christ“. . .‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.‘ “

- Matthew 25: 40Priority: Develop and encourage an ongoing culture of Social Holiness

Measurable Objectives:1. We will work toward educating our churches and communities about Social Holiness in the Wesleyan tradition by pro

viding all congregations opportunities for Christian conferencing, spiritual formation, and leadership development inresponse to the pressing social issues of our area.

2. We will work toward the elimination of poverty in the communities where we serve, connectionally supporting everychurch to walk each year compassionately with one family afflicted by poverty that they may come to live in theabundance of God's grace.

3. Each church will take at least one decisive social justice action in each of the following areas:a. Border Concerns b. Children and Youth at Risk

4. The Annual Conference will take at least one decisive action annually to strengthen partnerships in each of the following areas of relationship:

a. Northwestern Annual Conference of The Methodist Church of Mexicob. Urban Ministriesc. Rural Ministriesd. Interfaith and Ecumenical Ministries, with special consideration for the historic black Methodist churches

5. Other measurable Objectives that will be developed by the assigned ministry team (s).

One with Each Other "And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.‘ “

- Matthew 4:19Priority: Develop and encourage an ongoing culture of Leadership Development

Measurable Objectives:1. Annually, inspire, identify, recruit, develop and deploy 120 laypersons for leadership in The United Methodist Church,

at least 30 of whom will be ethnic persons and/or youth/young adults. 2. All clergy complete at least one leadership development program, annually, that is related to their specific ministry

settings and relevant to their individual needs. 3. Other Measurable Objectives will be developed by the assigned ministry team(s).

One in Ministry to All the World "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . ."

- Matthew 28:19aPriority: Develop and encourage an ongoing culture of Planting New Churches and Communities of Faith

Measurable Objectives: 1. Plant at least 4 new churches annually-at least 1 of which is an ethnic church, and assist every established church and

campus ministry to initiate a new community of faith each year.2. Build and maintain an on-going, trained pool of new church planters to serve the needs of the Conference. 3. Train new Christians/members of new faith communities in the Wesleyan tradition.4. Create an endowment fund designated for new church planting. 5. Other Measurable Objectives to be developed by the assigned ministry team(s).

Our Vision, Our MissionWe believe God’s vision for us is a transformed world through Jesus,

thus, our Mission is to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ.One with Christ, One with Each Other, One in Ministry to All the World.

Strategic Direction for The Desert Southwest Conference

Documents

Transformation, Volume 1 Issue 1