Austin man, Industry group receive awards for service
Ten individuals and eight groups were honored Feb. 23 during the Austin District laity celebration at Asbury UMC, Austin.
Ralph Eckwall of Crestview UMC, Austin, received the 2008 Bishop’s Exemplar Award for the Austin District.
The 2008 district Innovative Programming Award went to Hand to Hand Mission Circle of Industry UMC.
Nominees for both awards were also recognized.
Bishop Joel N. Martinez gives the Exemplar Award annually to laypeople selected by each district board of laity “for witness, commitment and service after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Eckwall was cited for the “joy and goodness of Jesus Christ” that radiates everywhere he goes, said District Superintendent Kim Cape.
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UMs share resurrection miracle at Easter
By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
Fredericksburg UMC schedules a 6:30 a.m. Easter sunrise service at the downtown Marketplatz—just so the town’s visitors can experience the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.
Sometimes the weather keeps people from coming. But many years, the crowd numbers nearly 200 people, said the Rev. Jarrell V. Sharp, senior pastor of the 1,059-member congregation.
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Urban academy sessions to help UMs aid cities
By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
Workshops on how churches can missionally engage their communities highlight the third Holy Boldness Urban Ministry Academy session this month in San Antonio.
The gathering for clergy and laity teams from city congregations across Southwest Texas runs from March 28 to 30 at Travis Park UMC, San Antonio.
The Rev. Jeannie Whitehurst, pastor of Bethany UMC, San Antonio, is to lead a session about the “church as a social provider.” That workshop is to explore how the church can minister to communities in need, she said.
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