Austin UM wills $48,895 to Volunteers in Mission
Corpus Christi musicians sign up for Messiah show
Pleasanton UMs to mark 150th birthday Nov. 10-11
Clergywomen plan retreat at Canyon Lake Nov. 12-14
Seminary in Austin plans Barth symposium Nov. 13-15
Board accepts applications for college scholarship
Registration begins for 2008 Midwinter retreats
Mission board considers UMC’s global nature, reach
Movie tells of debate team from school in East Texas
UMs to pick favorites songs in online survey of hymns

Austin UM wills $48,895 to Volunteers in Mission
An Austin UM has given $48,895 to Southwest Texas Conference Volunteers in Mission through her will.
The conference received a check Oct. 5 from the estate of Vava M. Johnson, a member of Faith UMC, Austin.
“My mother supported your work during her lifetime,” said Cheryl Johnson, her daughter and executor. “I hope that these funds will continue to advance her interests.”
Bishop Joel N. Martinez said, “The gift is a great affirmation for Volunteers in Mission and will enable great mission in the future.”



Corpus Christi musicians sign up for Messiah show
The Corpus Christi Messiah Chorus is signing up singers for its Dec. 9 performance at First UMC, Corpus Christi. The choir is limited to 80 singers.
Presentation of George F. Handel’s Messiah is to begin at 5 p.m. in the sanctuary. Members of the Corpus Christi Symphony are to accompany the group.
Rehearsals are to begin Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at First UMC. Singers must attend weekly rehearsals and a December orchestra rehearsal, said Brad Kisner, First UMC music director.


Pleasanton UMs to mark 150th birthday Nov. 10-11
Members of First UMC, Pleasanton, are to celebrate 150 years of ministry in Atascosa County Nov. 10-11.
The 247-member congregation plans an open house, picnic lunch, old time revival and ice cream social Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Artifacts and historical information are to be on display.
A covered-dish lunch is to follow the sesquicentennial worship service Nov. 11. The service is to begin at 10:45 a.m.
Pioneering circuit rider John Wesley DeVilbiss, founder of many Southwest Texas congregations, began open-air services in Pleasanton in 1857.


Clergywomen plan retreat at Canyon Lake Nov. 12-14
Southwest Texas Conference clergy-women are gathering for a Nov. 12-14 retreat at Canyon Lake.
The Rev. Ellen Shephard, chaplain at the UM Children’s Home, Decatur, Ga., is leading the program. She is author of Twelve Retreats for Women’s Groups.
Registration fee is $75 per person. For information contact the Rev. Colleen Haley at (830) 997-7679.


Seminary in Austin plans Barth symposium Nov. 13-15
Southwest Texas UMs can attend a symposium on the works of noted theologian Karl Barth Nov. 13-15 at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Eberhard Busch, professor emeritus at Georg-August University in Gottingen, Germany, and former Barth assistant, is keynote speaker.
For ticket information contact Alison Riemersma at (512) 404-4821 or ariemersma @austinseminary.edu.


Board accepts applications for college scholarship
The Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry has begun accepting applications for 2008-09 college merit scholarships.
The board awards an annual grant of $500 to $1,000 to a UM student attending an institution recognized by the UM University Senate.
Application deadline is April 1. Information is available from the Leadership Development Office at (210) 408-4500 or toll free (888) 349-4191.



Registration begins for 2008 Midwinter retreats
Southwest Texas youths can now sign up for one of six 2008 Midwinter retreats.
The Youth Ministry Office is sponsoring retreats for junior high school students Jan. 25-27, Feb. 8-10 and Feb. 22-24 at Mount Wesley Conference Center, Kerrville.
Senior high students can attend Feb. 1-3 at Mount Wesley, Feb. 15-17 at H.E. Butt Foundation Camp near Leakey or Feb. 29-March 2 at Alto Frio Encampment near Leakey.
Cost is $90 per student. For more information check www.reachingyouth.org.

Mission board considers UMC’s global nature, reach
STAMFORD, Conn.—One-third of UMC membership now lives outside the United States. But the denomination’s structure remains decidedly centered both in and on the United States itself.
How to respond to the new global reality was the topic of a panel discussion during the Oct. 8-11 annual meeting of the General Board of Global Ministries.
Scott Brewer, director of research for the General Council on Finance and Administration, reported that at the end of 2005, the denomination had almost 13.8 million baptized and professing members, which includes children who have been baptized.
While the U.S. baptized and professing membership stands at more than 8.9 million and continues to decline, “globally, the UMC is growing,” with most of the growth in Africa, he said.


Movie tells of debate team from school in East Texas
MARSHALL––It’s not every day that Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey do a movie about a historically black college with fewer than 1,000 students.
But that’s what happened when the pair learned about a David and Goliath matchup in which UM-related Wiley College’s 1935 debate team won a national championship against Harvard University.
Scheduled for release Dec. 25, The Great Debaters is being produced by Winfrey’s Harpo Productions. Washington is both director and star.
Filming began in early 2006 and wrapped over the summer. Most of the scenes were filmed in Louisiana, with brief scenes on the Wiley and Harvard campuses.
The Wiley Forensic Society competed against historically black colleges. It earned national attention with its debates against Harvard and then UM-related University of Southern California.
In 2004 the East Texas college received inquiries from Hollywood about Melvin B. Tolson. The leader of Wiley’s first debate team lost only one of 75 debates.


UMs to pick favorites songs in online survey of hymns
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—UMs are invited to go on line to identify their 10 favorite hymns.
Survey results are to help the United Methodist Publishing House and the General Board of Discipleship plan for congregational singing resources and identify changes and trends in musical styles.
Survey choices may come from the United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing. The survey also asks participants to select up to 10 of their least favorite hymns and songs and also the titles that should have been included.
The survey is available at www.gbod.org/favoritehymns.html. For more information contact Dean McIntyre at (615) 340-7073 or dmcintyre@gbod.org