Annual Conference to Accept Flood Bucket Donations

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We are still encouraging all churches to help replenish our flood bucket supply. There will be several donation stations at Annual Conference 2016. We will haul all flood buckets from Corpus Christi back to the Bishop Joel and Dr. Raquel Martinez Disaster Response Center in Kerrville. 

If hauling your flood buckets to Corpus Christi is a little too troublesome, take a photo of your flood buckets you plan to donate. We will post them on the Disaster Response bulletin board at Annual Conference. Each district will have a designated area for buckets and a place on the bulletin board for pictures.  
 

You can also drop-off your flood buckets at the Conference Office in San Antonio during regular business hours or at the warehouse in Kerrville (but please make prior arrangements with Eugene Hileman) 

Over 1,000 flood buckets were donated to help victims near the Sabine River in March 2016. 

May 20 Update: 200 flood buckets were distributed in Ingleside, TX due to strong flooding in the Coastal Bend district on Monday, May 16. Please help us replenish our supply! 

Clergy Choir Rehearsal

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CLERGY CHOIR REHEARSAL for singing at Ordination Service.  Please make every effort to attend. It should last no more than about 30 minutes.

Thursday, June 9

5 p.m.

First UMC, Corpus Christi—Choir room (2nd floor)

Bring a black choir folder if you have one.  If not, one will be provided.  Be sure and bring your anthem copies if you already have them.

For the service wear a robe or alb (white or black) and a red stole.  We’ll meet on stage as soon as possible after the plenary is over that morning to warm up.

Questions?  Call or email:

Russell Miller

rmiller@fumc-boerne.org

Office:  830-249-2565

Cell:  210-445-5109

Webinars Benefit Conference

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The Rio Texas Conference hosted several webinars since February 2016. Three delegation listening sessions took place via the ZOOM Meeting platform.

At these listening sessions, approximately 100 people participated in virtual presentation sessions complete with question and answers.

These ZOOM webinars helped the delegation prepare for May’s General Conference. 

“These Listening Sessions have been an amazing blessing in our work as a delegation.  They have provided a great opportunity for us to listen and interact with many members across our conference concerning the issues and legislation that will come before us at General Conference,” said Teresa Keese, General Jurisdictional Conference Delegation Leader.

“I have been so impressed with the participation and feedback we have received from the participants during each session, and I appreciate those who took the time to give presentations as well.  These sessions have helped us connect with the entire annual conference membership and hear their views and input on important church issues; and we will take this input to heart as we head to Portland in early May and discern God’s will in each decision we make.”

Outreach Vitality Director Abel Vega looks at these webinars as a learning experience.

“These listening sessions have been a great learning experience. It was great to see the initial responses and interactions in these sessions,” said Vega. “As the church, my sense is that we will see more venues like this emerge as we discern and learn together into the future."

Another webinar took place on Friday, April 29. The topic was regarding the integration of social media with the local church’s ministry engagement.

Rev. Will Rice hosted the social media webinar with J.R. Atkins, author of Social Media 2.0.

“A friend of ours had J.R. Atkins in town for another event and asked if we would be interested in having him stop by and offer a webinar,” said Conference Communications Director Rev. Will Rice. "I jumped at the opportunity. J.R. shared some great insight into how churches can engage people on social media instead of just sharing photos and announcements."  

Webinars are another piece of the mission of the Rio Texas Media Center. Webinars can connect churches to each other and connect leaders with high-quality information without the need for so much travel. This saves time and money and allows even more people the opportunity to be connected to the life and work of the conference.

April 26 Update: Cruise to Cuba

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We already have more than 40 folks registered for our Cuba cruise, Oct. 2-9.  Here are the things we have learned: 

  • A person born in Cuba can now return at this point.
  • Working with Educational Opportunities, American Airlines is handling flight connections to Miami. They do charge baggage fees.
  • Flying into nearby Ft. Lauderdale requires a $70 cab ride or $17/person shuttle ride to port of Miami.
  • Paying by check allows you to get the 4% cash discount.
  • The deadline for final payment has been extended to June 15, 2016.
  • Interior cabins have all been filled.
  • Ocean view cabins start at $2399 per person (based on double occupancy) or $2848 with airfare from Austin, D/FW, or San Antonio.
  • Additional charges: gratuities of $80.50, taxes of $208, Cuban visa of $75 (which EO handles with the cruise line)

Please see attached brochure
 

For more information, contact Director of Tour Ministry for Rio Texas, Lynn Barton, 512.924.6983, or lynnbarton1@gmail.com.

UMCOM Webinars

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Increase the Vitality of Your Church

Get ideas that work for engaging your local and global community, develop a realistic plan toward more vitality, and get consultations from a vitality coach.

This is an online, six-week self-paced course designed specifically for United Methodist pastors. Upon successful completion, you will receive two continuing education credits.

Upon successful completion, you will receive 2 ALLLM continued education credits.

Click Here to read more

Engage your church and community digitally

Use current and emerging communication tools to communicate your faith relevantly and effectively. Learn to craft and share powerful and personal stories of faith and engage with social media platforms to reach out to your local community and beyond.

Upon successful completion, you will receive 1 ALLLM continued education credits.

Click Here to read more

Take Your Church's Hospitality to the Next Level

Learn to be a welcoming, hospitable congregation. Identify and enlist congregants for your church's welcoming ministry. Assess what your church does well in welcoming — as well as areas for improvement. Use and participate in specific tools, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Blog. Identify what your church is known for.

Upon successful completion, you will receive 1ALLLM continued education credits.
 

Registration ends June 20

New Certifications in Parish Nursing Now Available for Ordained and Lay Leaders

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United Methodist parish nurses now have the opportunity to earn certification in their specialized ministry. Developed in consultation with Discipleship Ministries and the Global Health Division of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) is now offering deacons or elders who are also parish nurses a certification in parish nurse ministry. Discipleship Ministries is offering a parish nurse specialization for nurses through the certified lay ministry process.

While other organizations offer certification in faith-community nursing, the GBHEM certification is explicitly United Methodist in that in entails education in United Methodist history, doctrine, polity, resources and mission. 

“This is an opportunity for United Methodist parish nurses to get a distinctly United Methodist certification and enhance their connection with other United Methodist nurses,” says Victoria Rebeck, director of Deacon Ministry Development and Provisional Membership, Division of Ordained Ministry at GBHEM. She adds, “Parish nurses continue John Wesley’s interest in health and wholeness. This certification recognizes and supports that vital community ministry.”

Parish nursing has long been a part of congregational health under Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit. The term “parish nurse” was chosen by Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg in 1985 to name this specialty practice because it connoted service not only to congregations, but also to the wider community. Global Ministries will promote the ministry tracks for the parish nurse through its UMC Health Ministry Network of parish nurses.  

“For health ministry to flourish, you need a parish nurse or person with a passion for health to advocate for programs that will improve the health of the local congregation and the community,” says Dr. Olusimbo Ige, executive director of Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit. “Not every community has a hospital or medical facility, but every community has a church which can positively influence and educate congregations and communities regarding holistic health practices of health ministry,” she explains. Global Ministries will assemble a roster of nurses who have completed the certification process for support and networking purposes.  

Click Here for more information

Rio Texas Announces Coastal Bend Case Manager

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The Rio Texas Conference is proud to announce the addition of Kimberly White to the UMCOR Case Manager team. She will be working mostly in the Alice and Robstown areas of the Coastal Bend District. Those areas suffered tornado damage in May 2015.

Ms. White is responsible for identifying and prioritizing disaster cases. She was trained at the UMCOR Case Management Training Session at Grace UMC in Corpus Christi. She has already started several home visits and establishing a system.

Ms. White was born in Uvalde and raised on farms in Crystal City and Mathis. She has a lineage of grandparents that helped start First United Methodist Church in Mathis.