News

A 100-year anniversary is a once-in-a-lifetime benchmark for most folks. That’s why the Centennial Celebration of the Central Texas Conference on Saturday, Oct. 23, is such a significant event. Every since the Northwest Texas Conference of the then Methodist Episcopal Church split in 1910 to create the new Central Texas Conference, God has been changing lives through the discipleship building in our local churches and many outreach ministries.   Stories of a Bygone Era There is a now comical ...

  Conference Members Have Multiple Opportunities to See, Study, Question Alignment Prior Nov. 13 Voting   Voting members of the Central Texas Annual Conference will have opportunity to vote on the new conference alignment plan at a called session on Saturday, Nov. 13, hosted at First United Methodist Church of Mansfield. In preparation for that time, the Conference Alignment Task Force will provide multiple means for members to see, study and ask questions about the alignment plan. First, on ...

Quilts, quilts and more quilts. They are generally the biggest attractions at most local churches’ annual fall fundraising events. Over the 100-plus years that churches in Central Texas have been raising funds for mission and special ministries, members have been gathering to work on quilts, crafts and treasurers from the kitchen. It’s an American tradition based on the concept of the “Lord’s acre” — part of each year’s fall harvest would be designated for the Lord’s work. Patchwork quilts ...

  Read what Bishop Larry Goodpastor and Bishop Neil Irons, president and executive secretary (respectively) of the Council of Bishops, had to say about honoring religious differences on the eve of the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=6176437&ct=8649269&notoc=1     Read also how United Methodists from New York to Florida are participating in peace vigils Friday night to promote religious understanding in the midst of the raging ...

Church Outside the Walls ACTS 1:8 Project 2010 First United Methodist Church of Ennis begins a new day of ministry at 8:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, when members step outside the walls of the building to live out their vision of “Loving God … Loving Neighbor.” They will be involved in doing ministry in the area around the church. We believe in the call from Acts 1:8 that says: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem (at home), and in all ...

Rev. Sheila Fiorella New Day United Methodist Church He walked into the Mansfield Activities Center where we were meeting early one Sunday night. He stood about 6 feet tall with two boys at his side: an 8th grader named George and a 4th grader named Allen I would soon learn. My new friend Peter said he had been driving by and seen our signs outside and finally decided to come in and check us out. He lived in an apartment with his sons not far from the center. I told Peter that worship wasn’t for...

“Coming Home” Documentary Begins Sunday A documentary, "Coming Home: Hurricane Katrina 5 Years Later", tells the story of families still struggling to return home. The documentary, presented by the National Council of Churches and produced by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), will air on many NBC stations starting Aug. 29. http://www.interfaithbroadcasting.com/program.aspx?PID=326&tr=y&auid=6889583   Advisory: Hurricane Katrina five years laterFive years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast....

One of the highlights of this year’s Cooperative School of Christian Mission, held Aug. 3-5 at First United Methodist Church of Hurst and Aug. 6-8 at Glen Lake Camp & Retreat Center, was learning how to make pipe cleaner mosquitoes. What made this a highlight was the teachers — 26 youngsters who quickly learned the art of mosquito making from Connie Smith of Crowley (CSCM children’s program director). The kids — most of them from United Community Centers, a mission institution of the UMC’s ...

Below are the links to two stories about the devastating floods in Pakistan. The first link is an overview of the problems faced by the people in Pakistan and the partners through which UMCOR is working to bring relief. http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5259669&ct=8594733 The second link is more specific about donor fatigue, while comparing the sudden impact of the Haiti earthquake and the slower unfolding of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. A massive ...

Churches Struggle to Stay Connected to College Students   By Renee Elder* Congregations routinely celebrate college-bound youth with farewell gifts and parties featuring slideshows of pre-school pageants, high-school mission trips, and almost everything in-between. But youth leaders and pastors who want to extend the relationship into the months and years ahead often struggle to find the right approach. “It’s hard,” says Carol Ellis, director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at Main Street ...

  By George & May Wang Spaghetti for Haiti Organizers Lake Shore United Methodist Church Ministry   When pictures of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12 appeared on television in our living rooms, regardless of religious persuasion, one would be led to ask: “What can I (or we) do to help?” First action is to send monetary assistance. The devastation is enormous. Some 250,000 people in Haiti died as result of the earthquake and about one million people are now homeless. Lake Shore ...

Start your engines. It’s time for the 2010 UMME Rally Sept. 18-19 with an open invitation to all motorcycle enthusiasts. (UMME stands for United Methodist Motorcycle Enthusiasts and carries with it a commitment to Christian values and practices.) The event starts at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at Granbury First United Methodist Church. Participants can expect motorcycle games, a scenic countryside ride, hamburger lunch provided by the youth of Granbury First UMC, dinner by a local chef, door ...

  By Teresa Sherwood Director of Mission Ministries, First United Methodist Church Mansfield   First United Methodist Church Mansfield is involved in a most remarkable project and we would like to invite all of the churches of our Central Texas Conference to join us. Carry the Light is an ecumenical gospel concert with performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth. The concert will feature a mass choir with participants from numerous ...

United Community Centers was started by several women from what is now First United Methodist Church Fort Worth to serve low-salaried meat packinghouse workers and their families in North Fort Worth — 101 years ago. Today, area churches and even those beyond continue to value and support this Tarrant County ministry organization that is also a mission institution of the Women’s Division of The United Methodist Church. For decades, UCC has coped with and patched over and over again the aging ...

  Tapping into this year’s time of Centennial Celebration — the 100th anniversary of the Central Texas Conference — a Centennial Church designation will given to congregations reaching certain levels of effectiveness for sharing Christ. They will be recognized at the 2011 Annual Conference June 5-8 in Waco. The challenge will also be highlighted at the Conference Centennial Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Will Rogers Complex in Fort Worth. The celebration event will be both a time of ...

Members of Grandview First United Methodist Church (Waxahachie District) held their first of several planned events last weekend in their community. From their booth at the local “Fourth in the Park” event, members handed out pipe cleaner mosquitoes and information brochures about malaria and the Imagine No Malaria campaign. They sold approximately 150 snow cones and collected $187.50. They also received $82.65 in donations for a total of $210.15 for the "Imagine No Malaria" campaign.   For ...

More than 300 of the 1,100 members attending the 2010 Central Texas Annual Conference June 6-9 in Fort Worth responded to Bishop Mike Lowry’s challenge to follow Jesus’ plea to be disciples. One by one, clergy and laity came forward with their signed Holy Covenant and took a scrolled copy back to their local church. About 47 percent of those who came forward were laity. The Holy Covenant reads: Before Almighty God and my sisters and brothers in faith, I enter into this Holy Covenant to heed ...

Tim Brown, a veteran child care administrator, was elected president and chief executive officer of Methodist Children’s Home Friday during a meeting of the Home’s Board of Directors.   The announcement was made by Dr. Clayton Oliphint, chairperson of the Board of Directors.   Brown has held various leadership roles during 26 years of service at MCH, most recently as vice president for community services. He was named interim president at MCH April 1 following the retirement of Bobby Gilliam, ...

Have questions concerning the Central Texas Conference Centennial Celebration?  Contact Susan Briles at 817/877-5222, 800/460-8622 or susan@ctcumc.org. Download and Print the following forms:   Centennial Event Registration Form Share Your Church History (Display Tables)  Centennial Commemorative Pin Order Form Centennial T-Shirt Order Form Centennial History Book Reservation Form Fort Worth Hotels Centennial Church Point System Our History It was 100 years ago that the Northwest Texas ...

By Rev. Mike Love First United Methodist Church, Burleson   On May 2, 2010, seven people from First United Methodist Church of Burleson set out for Galveston to Crocket Place United Methodist Church, a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) facility set aside for the restoration and recovery program for Hurricane Ike.   Hurricane Ike struck Galveston in September 2008. Thousands of houses were damaged by flood. In many cases, homeowners were prevented from moving back in after the ...