Bishops appeal for people of southern Africa
By Michael Wacht
LAKELAND — The United Methodist Council of
Bishops has appealed to the United Methodist Church to raise money to
help the starving people of southern Africa. The bishops have asked
that all United Methodist churches take up one offering a month over a
three-month period.
Nearly eight million people in an eight-nation
area in southern Africa are starving, and that number is expected to
grow to more than 12 million by next March, according to the United
Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The AIDS and HIV epidemic,
government mismanagement of resources, political upheaval and economic
turmoil have made the situation worse.
“I hope that all of the congregations of the
Florida Conference will receive a special offering to provide relief
to our sisters and brothers in southern Africa who are perishing as a
result of famine,” Florida Conference Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker
said. “This area of the world should be a special concern of ours
since the Florida Annual Conference received offerings to support the
work of the United Methodist Church in two countries in southern
Africa, Mozambique and Angola.”
Checks should be sent to the Florida Conference
Treasurer with “Churchwide Appeal for Southern Africa Famine, UMCOR
Advance #101250-4” in the memo line. For more information and
resources visit http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/africafamine.cfm.
Camp Boosters gather for pep rally
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Photo courtesy of the Florida Conference Summer Camps Ministry |
| The first Camp Boosters Day was held at the Warren W. Willis Camp in Leesburg July 14. It included a full day of camp activities, such as outdoor games, folk dancing, singing and a barbecue supper. The day ended with a worship service and communion in the chapel. |
By Peggy Fox
LEESBURG — Nearly 250 people met at the Warren
W. Willis Camp here July 14 to show their support for the Florida
Conference’s Summer Camps Ministry. The group is called Camp
Boosters, a new ministry of the Florida Conference.
Camp Boosters was approved at the 2002 Florida
Annual Conference Event as a way to increase scholarships, provide new
equipment, and connect friends and memories. The voluntary
organization includes camp team alumnae and friends of the camp who
have a passion for and commitment to the Florida United Methodist
Summer Camping Ministry and choose to give a yearly financial
contribution, according to the Rev. Scott Smith. Smith is pastor of
Community of Faith United Methodist Church in Davenport and a member
of the Camp Ministry Team.
This summer’s nine weeks of camping sessions
ended Aug. 3. More than 3,700 campers in grades 4 through 12 spent a
week meeting new friends and developing a relationship with God.
Camp Boosters is part of the Camp Ministry Team
of the Florida Annual Conference. More information on Camp Boosters
can be found at http://www.summercampboosters.org.
Tampa Bay-area districts awarded second
grant
By the Rev. Tim Ehrlich, Tampa District
Igniting Ministry Coordinator
TAMPA — The Igniting Ministry office of United
Methodist Communications awarded the Tampa and St. Petersburg
districts a second matching grant to help pay for a “Back to School”
series of United Methodist television ads.
The districts will use the $15,000 grant to air
81 commercials Sept. 4-14 in coordination with the nationwide United
Methodist Igniting Ministry media campaign.
Igniting Ministry is a four-year initiative that
began Sept. 2001. The second year of the campaign kicks off this
September with United Methodist Open House Month and the placement of
the “Back to School” series of television ads. A second series of
ads will run during Advent, and a third during Lent.
Igniting Ministry is more than a slogan,
according to the Rev. Albert Blomquist, Tampa District superintendent.
“In Tampa churches, welcoming activities are evident in every church
I visit,” he said.
St. Petersburg District Superintendent the Rev.
Dr. Kevin James is excited about the prospect of using TV to reach out
to the community. The Igniting Ministry commercials are a “very
good, inclusive and open presentation that will be very informative as
we seek to reach out and make disciples for Jesus Christ,” he said.
Unchurched people are more likely to respond to
an invitation to get their families involved in church and Sunday
school during the back to school time period, according to Jackie
Vaughan, director of the funding program of the Igniting Ministry
program. “The first year’s impact study showed there was a 55
percent increase in attendance the week before [Sept. 11, 2001] among
participating congregations,” Vaughan said.
The United Methodist church will broadcast 1,156
commercials nationally on 17 cable networks during the first flight of
ads. The full schedule of the national TV spots is available on-line
at http://www.ignitingministry.org/spotsschedule/
. The local schedule will be available online at http://www.standrewsbrandon.org
when it is known.
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© 2002 Florida United Methodist Review Online |
