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Responding to Tornados: Oklahoma Conference asks for Collaborative Response

OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS) —“I know you are seeing and hearing news reports about the devastation and want to assist. … Do not self-deploy. Best practices in times of crises call for a collaborative response, so people who can help are directed to where that help and those skills are most needed and will be most effective,” wrote the Rev. Richard Norman, disaster response coordinator for the Oklahoma Conference.

The Oklahoma Confernce Disaster Response Team sent this email outlining how best to help.

How to Give
Donations may be made through your local church by putting a check in the offering plate made out to the church with a note for "2013 May Tornado Relief" on the memo line. Donations may be made directly to the Conference Treasurer's Office by mail to To give to:
Conference Treasurer's Office
PO Box 102417
Atlanta, GA 30368-2417
Note Fund number #4085 for May 2013 Tornado Relief

How to Help
(UMNS) — As communities in Oklahhoma, Texas and other U.S. states reel from the devastation of tornadoes, remember that The United Methodist Church has a system in place for responding. Here are a few of the places to check for information and find out how you can be part of United Methodist relief efforts:
United Methodist News Service Facebook page
United Methodist Committee on Relief
North Georgia Conference Facebook Page
North Georgia Conference News Page at ngumc.org

Holding the People of Oklahoma in Prayer

We are beginning to hear from North Georgia United Methodist churches and individuals who are responding in prayer to the tragic tornado damage in Oklahoma. Email sybil@ngumc.org or post a comment below to list a time of prayer or other opportunity open to your community.

Oak Grove UMC, Decatur
The Oak Grove community will host a service of prayer for the victims of the deadly storms sweeping across the United States Tuesday night, May 21, 2013, at 7 p.m. at Oak Grove United Methodist Church. The church is located at 1722 Oak Grove Road, Decatur GA. 30033. The service will include music, prayers for the victims, and lighting of candles. In addition, the sanctuary will be open Tuesday 9:15 a.m. - 8 p.m. for prayer. For more information contact one of the church pastors, Rev. Glenn Ethridge 404-512-2229.

UMR Communications, publisher of the North Georgia Advocate, to close May 31

UMR Communications and the United Methodist Reporter have announced that they will cease operations due to financial pressures on May 31, ending a tradition of Methodist news coverage that began in 1847. UMR Communications (UMRC) publishes the North Georgia Advocate.

Staff of the North Georgia Conference learned of the closure today via email and the UMR Communications website.

In 2009 the North Georgia Conference formed a partnership with UMRC in which UMRC assumed the administrative functions of the Advocate while the North Georgia Conference provides the content for the North Georgia portion of the newspaper. The Advocate is published twice a month as an insert of the United Methodist Reporter.

The final Reporter newspaper will carry the date June 7, but will be mailed and printed by May 31. It is not yet known if this mailing will include the June 7 North Georgia Advocate edition.

"We are just learning this news as it is made public," said Mike Selleck, Director of Connectional Ministries. "We have begun evaluating the options for the future of the North Georgia Advocate and await information on what this means for our subscribers. While we have many unanswered questions, we do know that we will continue our commitment to sharing the news and telling the stories of The United Methodist Church in North Georgia."

The announcement below was published today on the UMR Communications website:

UMR Communications, including United Methodist Reporter, to close

Finding no viable plan for reversing financial losses of recent months, UMR Communications will cease operations on May 31.

UMR Communications (UMRC) publishes the United Methodist Reporter in print and digital formats and online, and provides printing and communication services to churches and other nonprofits.

The final print Reporter will carry the date June 7, but will be mailed and printed by May 31.

The UMRC board reluctantly but unanimously voted this morning to close the nonprofit ministry during a tearful meeting at the nonprofit’s Dallas office.

“At one time, our ministry produced nearly 300 separate editions of the newspaper which integrated content created by our news staff with content provided by church and conference partners,” said Tom Palmer, board chair. “That number has decreased over the past 10-15 years due to changes in publishing technology. The financial crisis of 2008 had a significant impact on both individuals and institutions. Local church and conference finances were also severely affected. As a result, a growing number of churches and conferences either ceased publishing Reporter editions or changed their publishing frequency. We now no longer receive enough revenue from our publishing and printing operations to sustain the overhead needed to maintain the ministry.”

Closure will cost the jobs of the 26 remaining employees, including some with more than 40 years of service. Thirteen others were laid off near the end of 2012.

Alan Heath, CEO since August, 2011, said the ministry had struggled financially for several years. But the late 2012 loss of a major contract – for printing, as well as for warehousing and shipping curriculum materials – reduced revenue by about 40 percent.

Reporter editions have declined to 45, though UMRC has continued to print other newspapers, as well as doing a variety of specialty printing.

Since the beginning of the year, efforts to cut costs while seeking new income could not keep the ministry in the black. Mr. Heath noted that UMRC has operated as a fee-for-service ministry, with no strong donor base and no direct support from the United Methodist Church.

In recent days, various organizational alternatives were explored internally and with friends of the ministry, Mr. Heath said, but closure became the only realistic step.

“There was no solution that didn’t involve red ink,” he told board members.

Mr. Heath added, “This decision obviously affects not only our newspaper customers, but other customers that have relied on us for printing and mailing services for many other products. We are sorry to leave our partners in ministry who have been so faithful to continue their relationship with us. We will do our best to help these ministries find a new print provider.”

For departing employees, severance and vacation pay will not be available in the short term, for lack of funds, Mr. Heath said. He added that after liquidation of assets, any remaining funds will be used to pay former employees proportionally.

The Reporter has its origins in pre-Civil War Methodist papers in Texas, and was long the main vehicle for news about Methodists in Texas and across the Southwest.

In recent decades, it has covered the full United Methodist Church, offering independent news coverage, features and commentaries. Staff members have regularly won religious press awards.

Mr. Heath said an appropriate home will be sought for the newspaper’s print and online archives.

The UMRC board celebrated communion at the end of this morning’s meeting, led by the Rev. Arthur McClanahan, a board member and director of communications for the Iowa Conference.

Before doing so, he said: “Many of us standing around these ordinary tables have received the gift of grace of people of the UMR family – the grace of an extra day, or days, or more when we’ve needed to send our copy for a paper, the grace of converting stick figure ideas into beautiful designs, the grace of telling stories, offering commentaries, helping us to see beyond our own horizons. And we are the better for the gift that the UMR team is.”

http://www.unitedmethodistreporter.com/2013/05/umr-communications-including-united-methodist-reporter-to-close/

Mothers Day Offering is Used for Charitable Care for Wesley Woods Residents

From Mike Watson

President & CEO, Foundation of Wesley Woods

This Sunday we will celebrate Mother’s Day. As the scripture “Keep loving each other like family” HEBREWS 13:1 CEB reminds us, we have a responsibility for caring not only for our own parents, but also for those who have nowhere else to turn. Wesley Woods is the older adult connectional ministry of our great Conference, and I ask each of you to continue providing your personal support to this annual offering and the charitable care that it exclusively enables here at Wesley Woods.

Over 75% of Wesley Woods residents are dependent on financial assistance. Even more poignant is the fact that 40% of them live below the poverty level, which for one adult is about $10,000 per year. Our annual Mother’s Day Offering is used exclusively for charitable care for those residents who need this assistance to pay for housing costs, meals or skilled care. Next year, Wesley Woods will celebrate its 60th anniversary and thanks to your generous support, we have never had to ask an older adult to leave simply because they ran out of resources. As older adults live longer, more are exhausting their financial resources and relying on Social Security as their only income. Some experience health problems that go far beyond what Medicare benefits will cover. Many struggle to afford simple necessities. That is why your support of the Mother’s Day Offering is so critical.

Each of congregation has received materials for May 12th. In addition, our website also has materials available for download to either print or digitally insert in church bulletins.

To view these materials please visit http://wesleywoods.org/foundation/mother-s-day-offering.html.

On behalf of our 1,600 residents, thank you for your support.

Bishop Watson Visits U.S.-Mexico Border

Bishop Mike Watson spent yesterday on the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, where he joined other bishops from around the U.S., Africa, Asia and Europe.

The purpose of the bishops’ visit was to immerse themselves in the reality of life at the border and sharpen their focus on how The United Methodist Church can be in ministry with border residents.

The bishops divided into four groups, each with different itineraries.

Bishop Watson was part of a group that visited the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the busiest border crossing in the world where some 100,000 people a day cross between the two countries. He also saw the border wall, the most striking symbol of U.S. border enforcement policies, and the Plaza de las Americas.

Another group of bishops crossed into Mexico and visited the Plaza del Bordo, an open-air migrant encampment that includes both internal migrants, as well as immigrants who have crossed into the U.S., been detained by the U.S. Border Patrol and have been repatriated or returned to Mexico.

The bishops distributed health kits to the community and visited a ministry of the Methodist Church of Mexico. Additionally, they joined for a service of Holy Communion and hiked through the Tijuana Estuary, one of the last undeveloped areas in the region. The hike allowed participants to experience a bit of the terrain that immigrants crossing over into the U.S. navigate.

Border community leaders, leaders of the Methodist Church of Mexico, area United Methodists and news media joined the bishops during the visit.

Pictured is Bishop Watson at the US-Mexico border with two of our Bridges partners: Bishop Eduard Khegay of the Eurasia Area and Bishop Rudy Juan of the Manilla Area.

Imagine No Malaria releases updated 'Killer in the Dark' documentary

Documentary narrated by actress Pauley Perrette from top-rated TV show “NCIS” will air on NBC affiliates

United Methodist Communications is releasing an updated version of the Imagine No Malaria documentary, “Killer in the Dark: An Extraordinary Effort to Combat Malaria,” in collaboration with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission. The documentary, originally produced in 2011, is about The United Methodist Church’s work to help make the world malaria-free.

Set to air on NBC affiliates from May 5 through November 3, the sequel highlights the work of Emory University researchers who have a contract with the National Institutes of Health. It also focuses on the advocacy of Elisabeth Clymer, an 18-year-old college student who is now pursuing a career in global health after involvement with Imagine No Malaria at the local church level changed the course of her life. Additional footage demonstrates how Imagine No Malaria empowers community health workers in Africa to be better equipped to prevent and treat the disease.

Actress Pauley Perrette, who stars in the top-rated TV series “NCIS,” narrates “Killer in the Dark.” Perrette, an active member of Hollywood United Methodist Church, donated her time and services to the effort. She also narrated the original version of the documentary and remains a passionate supporter of Imagine No Malaria.

“Killer in the Dark” features diverse voices that are working together to stop malaria from killing one person every 60 seconds. Those voices include scientists, advocates and health workers on the frontlines of the effort in both the U.S. and Africa.

“Malaria ravages more than 40 percent of our planet,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications, the agency that produced the documentary. “More than 650,000 people are killed by malaria every year in Africa. 85 to 90 percent of these deaths are women and children. Progress is happening thanks in part to the people of The United Methodist Church. Malaria’s death rate is almost half of what it was at the start of the effort.”

Imagine No Malaria has raised more than $31.2 million to date, trained more than 5,800 community health workers and distributed more than 1.2 million mosquito nets in Africa.

Check your local NBC station to find out when “Killer in the Dark” will air in your area and express interest in having them include it in their programming. For more information about Imagine No Malaria, go to imaginenomalaria.org/akillerinthedark.

About Imagine No Malaria
Imagine No Malaria is an initiative of The United Methodist Church to raise $75 million to end preventable deaths from malaria in Africa by 2015. With a comprehensive approach to fighting this killer disease, Imagine No Malaria empowers the people of Africa to improve health infrastructure and achieve a sustainable victory over malaria. For more information, visit ImagineNoMalaria.org.