July 5, 2002

Edition

Stewardship chairpersons and committee members are invited to attend the “Tooling Conference” July 26-27 in Atlanta sponsored by the Center For Christian Stewardship of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).

Each participant will receive a set of hands-on “tools” they can use in their own church or in another congregation as they work with financial stewardship. The tools include three recent stewardship books, PowerPoint presentations on stewardship and tithing, materials explaining apportionments and special offerings, and planned giving resources. Participants will also have networking opportunities at the conference and later in an Internet chat room.

An optional Pre-Tooling Conference event is also available the first day of the conference. The two-hour workshop will help churches planning a capital campaign or looking for ways to help their members wrestle with the meaning of money from a Christian perspective.

The cost is $149 per person and does not include lodging. For more information, visit http://www.gbod.org/stewardship/events/tooling/default.html  or contact Herb Mather with GBOD at 1-877-899-2780, extension 7077.

“God’s Mission: Faith in Action” is the theme of the 2002 School of Christian Mission July 22-26 at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg. The school is sponsored by the Florida Conference United Methodist Women (UMW) and is open to all Florida Conference laity and clergy.

This year’s mission studies are the Epistle of James, Restorative Justice and Mexico. The school also features a Mexican Fiesta to celebrate the Mexican culture.

The Rev. Candace Lewis, pastor of Jacksonville’s New Life Community United Methodist Church, is teaching a new young adult class for 18- to 35-year-old participants.

The weekend session, July 26-28, offers classes in Spanish, Creole and Korean.

For more information, contact the president of your local unit of UMW, visit the UMW Web site at http://www.gbgm-umc.org/flaconferenceumw/ or contact Leah Pittard, dean of the school, at rockpitt@gte.net or 863-683-7939.

“The Discovery Church Journey: An Invitation to Congregational Transformation” is a new resource and the basis for a series of training seminars from the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). It is designed to help churches understand and reach their full potential for ministry.

The process outlined in the new book is designed to help congregations look beyond their church and reach into their communities, according to author Douglas Ruffle, a GBGM staff executive for training and leadership development.

The workbook includes exercises to help congregations discover their strengths, weaknesses, vision and mission. It also helps congregations learn more about the community that surrounds them and design ministries to meet the needs of that community.

Ruffle and other staff from GBGM’s evangelization and church growth area will conduct seminars at participating churches or in other local venues selected by participants. The seminar schedule is tailored to meet the needs of participants.

For more information, contact Ruffle at 212-870-3715 or druffle@gbgm-umc.org. 

Copies of “The Discovery Church Journey: An Invitation to Congregational Transformation” workbook can be ordered from Evangelization and Church Growth Program Area, GBGM, for $8 plus shipping and handling. For more information call Aysha Siddiqa at 212-870-3865.

Churches interested in obtaining a copy of the Global Warming video shown at the 2002 Florida Annual Conference Event should contact the Rev. Fred Morris, Executive Director Florida Council of Churches at 407-839-3454.

Delegates to the 2002 Florida Annual Conference Event are invited to participate in an on-line survey about the event. The one-question poll also includes a comment section for suggestions on improving the event. The poll is at http://www.flumc.org/2002acpoll.htm. 

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., is holding a two-day leadership institute, Oct. 18-19, to help mainline churches strengthen their lay and clergy, staff and volunteer leadership. For more information, visit the church's Web site at http://www.cor.org  or contact Dan Entwistle at 913-897-0120 or dane@cor.org. 

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© 2002 Florida United Methodist Review Online