Austin District happenings

 

Wesley Nurse applications accepted now
Two new Wesley Nurse sites for 2008 have been approved by the Board of Methodist Healthcare Ministries. The church must provide services to or be located in an underserved community and must have sufficient infrastructure to support a Wesley Nurse health ministry. The site must provide heat and air conditioning, a desk and chair, telephone and high speed Internet service for the Wesley Nurse. If your church is interested, please send a letter to the District Office (attention: Kim Cape) expressing the desire to support a Wesley Nurse health ministry and state how this ministry would enhance services to your church community. Applications are due in the District Office by April 14.

April seminars to highlight Palestinian struggle for peace
St. John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Road, invites all to a spring seminar series: A Look at Palestine and the Struggle for Peace. The schedule is as follows:
April 15: Panel Discussion with The Rev. Whit Bodman, associate professor of comparative religions at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and ordained United Church of Christ pastor; The Rev. Dr. Sid Hall, pastor of Trinity UMC, Austin; Rizk Ikhrais, a Palestinian-born peace activist and surveyor; and moderator Carol Walker, professor at St. Edwards University and retired Methodist missionary.
April 22: Speaker is the Rev. Stephen Goldstein, assistant general secretary for the Mission Personnel Program Unit of the General Board of Global Ministries, clergy member of the New York Conference and author of Israel—Palestine, A Mission Study for 2007-8.
April 29: “Israel/Palestine in the News: Facts & Stories, with speaker Robert Jensen, associate professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. A professional journalist for a decade, he now teaches courses in media law, ethics and politics. He is also author of Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity.
Each Tuesday evening event is to begin at 6 p.m. with gathering and refreshments. Discussion and speakers are to begin from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend all three sessions. Please RSVP by contacting Emma Lea Mayton at (512) 451-6876 or emayton@gmail.com or Jeanette Ball, 338-4344 jeanette.ball@sbcglobal.net.

Spiritual Formation Committee needs local church pictures
The Spiritual Formation Committee is asking for photographs! Photographs of your church in ministry within the community!
For this year’s annual conference in June, the Spiritual Formation Committee is working on a prayer wall at the back of the meeting area, with the theme “Connecting with our Communities.” The committee would like to use photographs of churches from our annual conference engaged in ministry—connecting with their community.
If you have a photo or two, please e-mail a jpeg copy to Randy Mahoney at rmahoney@umcswtx.org or umswtxcom@suddenlink.net or mail hard copies to Randy Mahoney, UM Center, 16400 Huebner Road, San Antonio, 78248-1693.
It would be helpful if you also included a one-sentence description of the act of ministry, that identifies your church.
For questions, contact Greg Hackett at g.hackett@windcrestumc.org.

Lay speaker training scheduled at First UMC, Pflugerville
The Lay Speaking Ministries Committee for the Austin District is pleased to announce plans for the Basic Lay Speaking Course at First UMC, Pflugerville, 500 E. Pecan St., on two consecutive Saturdays in April—April 19 and April 26.
Anyone interested in learning skills that will expand their leadership skills in the church is encouraged to enroll in this important training opportunity. The focus of the training is on caring, communicating, and leading—all important components of lay leadership in the local church. The Book of Discipline encourages all local lay leaders to enroll in the Lay Speaker training.
Interested people may access the registration information through the Austin District UMC Web site at www.umcad.org or by contacting Emmett Eary, Austin District coordinator for Lay Speaking Ministries at emmett.eary@sbcglobal.net or (512) 251-2145.
The registration fee is $40 and includes lunch both days, snacks, and all training. Participants must attend both days of training to receive credit for the course.
Preteen camp teaches youths God is with them everywhere
God is with us at the pool, with our friends, in everything we do. That is the message of the 2008 Austin District United Methodist Preteen Camp, which welcomes any boy or girl who has completed the third, fourth or fifth grade as of May 2008.
Camp begins at 6 p.m. June 9 and ends at 5 p.m. June 12.
Registration forms are available at your local church or on the Web at www.umcad.org.
This year the cost of camp is $200 per camper or $350 per family of two campers. Counselors pay $60. Payments can be made in two installments of $100 each, the first due by May 1 and the second due by June 1.
Make your check payable to: Austin District UMC. Mail it, along with a completed registration form, to Austin District UMC, Preteen Camp, 1221 West Ben White Blvd, Suite 201-A, Austin 78704. Contact Rachel Wright by e-mail at rachel@umcad.org or by phone at (512) 442-9444 with questions.

Class teaches how to choose right school for your children
Dr. Paula Stiernberg, director of Children & Family Ministry at First UMC, Austin, is to lead a class on choosing the right school for your child. The class is to be April 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at First UMC, Room 108. To register, contact Paula at pstiernberg@austin.rr.com or go to www.parenting-with-purpose.net.
Oak Hill UMC to host Early Response Training May 17
Disaster Early Response team experts are to be at Oak Hill UMC May 17 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. to show United Methodists how to respond to disasters. The training is to include six hours of instruction concerning purpose, protocols and hands-on skills needed to be an early responder.
Cost is $30 and includes a meal, a T-shirt, an official ERT badge and training manuals. For registration information, contact Emmett Eary at (512) 251-2145 or by e-mail at:  emmett.eary@sbcglobal.net. Registration forms and fees should be mailed to Registrar, SWTXC UMC, 16400 Huebner Road, San Antonio, 78248-1693.