Florida United Methodist Review Online -February 2, 2001

Suffering in El Salvador overwhelms chaplain
     The Rev. Emilio Chaviano spent Jan. 29 and 30 in San Salvador, El Salvador, touring neighborhoods destroyed by the Jan. 13 earthquake, visiting refugee camps and counseling members of the United States' embassy staff. He said the experience was emotionally overwhelming.
     "The emotional impact is beyond words…," he said. "I never expected to react so emotionally."
     Chaviano is an elder of the Florida Conference and chaplain with the United States Air Force. He was invited to San Salvador by the United States military commander, who is dealing with the loss experienced by members of his Salvadoran wife's family.   Full Story

Churches increase giving in 2000
     Florida Conference churches gave nearly $600,000 more toward apportionments during 2000 than in 1999, according to Dr. Randy Casey-Rutland, conference treasurer.
     In 1999, churches gave more than $12.6 million to the overall fair share apportionment, which includes both conference and general church giving. That amount was 84.5 percent of what churches were asked to pay. In 2000, churches gave more than $13.2 million, or 86 percent of the total.
     "While apportionment giving is up, and I'm optimistic about the conference's financial health, we won't know the true picture until we finish the annual audit," Casey-Rutland said, adding the audit will be completed by spring.   Full Story

Missionary serving, learning in Florida

Katy Robinson, 23, says she is learning the truth about homelessness while serving as director of children's ministries at The Shepherd's Way, a homeless shelter for families that is a ministry of Christ Church United Methodist in Ft. Lauderdale.
Robinson was one of 15 young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 commissioned a US-2 by the denomination's General Board of Global Ministries last August. US-2s are young adults who serve as missionaries in the United States for two years. Full Story

Church wants to ring state in prayer
Members of Fellowship United Methodist Church here plan to begin a circuit ride of prayer around the state of Florida this April, according to the Rev. Deborah Mak, pastor of the church. But it won't be the church's members or Mak making the ride that will cover nearly 54,000 square miles, it will be two prayer journals. The project is called the "Circuit Ride for the New Millennium."
The goal of the circuit ride is to prepare the state for a massive evangelistic effort, she said, adding prayer is an essential part of any effort to win people to Jesus Christ. Full Story

Workshop challenges members to fight racism
     Throughout the last year, Dr. Arnett Smith Jr. and Connie Nelson Barnes have been encouraging pastors and lay persons to be proactive in the fight against racism, discrimination, bigotry and hate crimes.
    Smith is chairperson of the Florida Commission on Religion and Race and Barnes is a consultant with the General Commission on Religion and Race.
     More than 725 clergy and laity, including the bishop's cabinet and members of the Commission on Religion and Race, attended the workshops, which were designed to build awareness about racism and its incompatibility with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Full Story

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Opportunities

Workshop helps preachers have presence and more

Retreat gives clergy and spouses time to relax

Retiree reunion to vote on association for retired clergy

Spiritworks leads pilgrimage to France

2001 Florida United Methodist Children’s Home Day on Campus

Notices

Cokesbury gets toll-free number

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