http://www.awfumc.org/news_find.aspnothing provideden-usTue, 9 Feb 2010 01:00:00 ESTTue, 9 Feb 2010 01:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=545http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=545February 7, 2010 (Montgomery, Ala.) Bishop Paul L. Leeland announces today that Dr. Timothy H. Thompson has been appointed as Pastor of Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church (Montgomery, Ala.), effective March 1. ldquo;After multiple consultations with the lay leadership of Frazer UMC, a list of leadership qualities and pastoral needs emerged,rdquo; said Bishop Leeland. ldquo;Through thorough consideration and much prayer, Dr. Thompson was identified as the right person for this appointment.Sun, 7 Feb 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=539http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=539A volunteer group from Christ UMC, Mobile, AL, gathers with Cassandra on her front porch. Photo courtesy of Lisa Pierce. (Lisa Pierce, ARMDirector) How do we measure the impact of any ministry as it serves within the community It can be a great challenge if we try to quantify ldquo;fruitrdquo;. But we can tell the story of the incredible friendships that are being built and how in some small way we are sharing a small glimmer of light into the heart of families through Alabama Rural MinistriesWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=537http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=537UMCOR vehicles prepare to enter Haiti at the Haiti/Dominican Republic border. Photo credit: Mike DuBose/UMNS (Bishop Paul L. Leeland) I, along with our entire church, was stunned to hear the disappointing news that Dr. Sam Dixon, Director of theUnited Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR), did not survive the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.Personally, I experienced the unexpected grief of his death as my mind immediately recalled how years ago we began our shared ministry in the North Carolina ConWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=544http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=544Click here to see additional photos of this ministry. (Montgomery, Ala.) When Rev. Rudy Olivo first went to Perry Hill UMC in Montgomery, Ala.,he spent some time listening to his new congregation to find out what was important to them.Out of the many hours of listening and praying and learning, Rudy clearly heard thedesire for two different ministries within the church and community. Cancer has so affected the congregation members themselves ndash; either personally or family members ndash; thWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=538http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=538Haitians are shown how to purify their drinking water after the Jan. 12 earthquake. Photo Credit:Mike Dubose, UMNS (Susan Hunt, AWFConference Director of Mission, Advocacy, and Ethnic Ministries) Like many of you, I have watched the news about the situation in Haiti with a heavy heart.There doesnrsquo;t seem to be a good enough reason to explain why so many people died from the earthquake on January 12, and why so many more have suffered in one way or another because of it.The earthquake only eWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=535http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=535My Dear Brothers amp; Sisters in Christ, First, Happy 2010 to all! I want to express my gratitude for your generous, missional heart for Hispanic-Latino Ministries. Your giving for 2009 totaled $4,399.22. Thank you, thank you, thank you.Your connectional dollars contributed to fund mission in the following ways: a) Seminars/workshops for leadership formation. Generally, these workshops/seminars are held at Blue Lake UMCamp. By holding our events at the conference camp, we are supporting our coTue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=536http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=536(Barbara Sadler) ldquo;In all my years of ministry I have never felt so much a part of a team with my congregation as I have with this process.rdquo;So said The Reverend John Wesley Spivey upon completion of the first year of using Natural Church Development (NCD) as a growth process for Brantley United Methodist Church, the church he was serving following his retirement fromthe Marianna/Panama City District. Natural Church Development is a process adopted 6 years ago by the Alabama - West FlorTue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=541http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=541(Tonny Algood, UMICMDirector) This past summer the United Methodist Inner City Mission took 38 boys and girls to Blue Lake for Camp Discovery.This was the best camp that we have ever had.The student counselors at Blue Lake did an excellent job working with our children.The second night that we were there, a previous counselor came to give the evening vesper.She said that she felt let by God to do something very special for our children and had raised funds to purchase Bibles for each child.For sMon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=540http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=540(Glenn Glover, Conference UMVIM Coordinator) It was a cold, rainy, and dark December morning.My wife, Flavin, and I had finished breakfast and were about to dress for our churchrsquo;s 8 a.m. service.It had been windy the night before, so looking out the kitchen window I was not surprised to see a small dead pine branch with brown needles lying at the edge of our yard.That is what my mind was programmed to see.I had seen dead branches in the yard many times; it was just one more. Then all of Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=534http://www.awfumc.org/news_detail.asp?PKValue=534(Glenn Glover) The AWF Conference plans to develop one or more Conference-wide teams with the purpose of not only serving the people of Haiti, but also training team members to serve as future team leaders in this long-term recovery effort. UMVIM is requiring that, at least for a while, any team sent to Haiti must have a team leader with experience in the country. UMVIM teams will be able to enter Haiti sometime after mid-March.If you or someone you know has been to Haiti on a mission trip and mWed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST