From the Editor’s Desk
Virginia United Methodist
Getting to Know Addiction —
One Name at a Time
Vol. 174, June 2006, No. 6
Single Copy: $2.00
T
Inside This Issue
Features
Twelve Steps to God
p. 3
Offering Strength to Stand p. 4-5
Out of the Depths
p. 6
Myth Busting
p. 7
View From My Desk
p. 7
Sections
Virginia
Upcoming Events
Youth Thrive
Annual Conference Info
Nation & World
Local Church
Living the Word
Letters & Commentary
Classifieds
Clergy & Diaconal
Grace Notes
8
14
15
16
18
24
26
28
29
30
31
The graphic on the cover and p.3:
Many people seek community in
the cool lights and warm
feelings of a bar. Today, more
than ever, churches are being
called to offer communities of
recovery to addicts.
TheVirginiaConferenceVisionStatement:
“We envision churches where
all God’s people are welcomed at table,
nurtured, and transformed to be
Christ to others in the world.”
©2006 Virginia Advocate
National award-winning newsmagazine
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ISSN 0891-5598
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2
hey found him perfectly still the next morning, in the
same place he fell the night before. His eyes were
half-open but unseeing — his body stiff and cold. A
homeless man died on the streets of New Orleans. It happens
all the time. It was not mentioned on the news. Hardly anyone knew his name. But I knew. His name was Steve.
Larry Jent
We spent the first 18 years of our lives together in a
Editor
peaceful small town. His grandmother was my Sunday school
teacher. His father was the first Ph.D. I ever met. He attended church regularly, showed above-average intelligence, and got good grades.
His family was comfortable but not wealthy. He participated in Scouts and sports.
He played the saxophone and had blonde, curly hair. He earned citizenship
awards and college scholarships. Everyone liked Steve.
If you could have known that one of the top students in my graduating class
would be homeless and dead by age 40, you could not have guessed it would be
he. On paper, he was much more likely to succeed than dozens of others — including me. Why are we still here, while his life passed like a vapor? What happened
to Steve?
We can sum it up with a single word: addiction. That dread disease of body,
mind, and soul took away his ability to reason or repent. He could not imagine
life without his drug of choice. Family members begged and prayed and offered to
help. He used every single opportunity to fill that gaping maw of addiction. At
last, every option had been crossed off. Nothing was left but a final collision with
the pavement. That was the end for Steve.
There was nothing genetic that caused this. His younger sister is a fine, productive member of society. He was neither better nor worse than those of us who
still walk by the light of day. The only difference between us and him is a little
bit of grace. It could have been any one of us lying there instead of Steve.
The disease that killed my friend has become pandemic. Today, street drugs
can destroy the will to be free with just one joyride. The Internet offers opportunities for addiction that did not exist a decade ago. Our society has responded by
legitimizing addictive behaviors, such as gambling or pornography, and ignoring
the human toll. That is why it is so unremarkable to hear about someone like Steve.
Addiction is a terminal disease, and most addicts will die from it. They do not
die alone. They pull down entire family trees into the volcano of guilt and despair —
the same inferno that swallowed Steve.
The glorious good news is that the answer to addiction is spiritual. Yes, body
and mind must also receive treatment, but the solution begins with the soul. The
church can be a source of life and hope for addicts and their loved ones, but not
through silent well-wishing. If we are willing to address addiction openly, by the
light of day, we may save thousands of souls like Steve.
Every addict comes from a family — many had a loving church family as well. It
is easy to forget that all who die from this disease are real people with real stories and real names. I thought you might want to know: one of them was named
Steve.
Grace & Peace,
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Cot
Celn
By Keary Kincannon
“M
y name is Keary and I’m an addict. By the
grace of God and the support of this group I
have 34 years of recovery.”
These words are a familiar introduction to any one who
has ever attended a recovery meeting. I believe, however,
that every one of us is in need of recovery, not just alcoholics or drug addicts. The Bible makes it clear that we are all
sinners. Every one of us has some habit, hurt or hang-up
that gets in the way of our fully being the person that God
created us to be.
Hebrews 12:1 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and
let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
If we accept that we are all sinners, the question becomes: How do I throw off everything that hinders and the
sin that so easily entangles? It is easy to get stuck in anger
and resentment at the source of our pain. It is easy to get
trapped in guilt, beating ourselves up for some past failure.
It is easy to get lured into an activity that temporarily dulls
the pain and promises escape, only to find that we cannot
escape the activity that held the promise of our escape.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are a spiritual path to a relationship with God that has been adapted
to overcome any habit, addiction, or sin that has taken control of our lives. There are now Twelve Step Recovery Meetings to deal with compulsions involving sex, food, anger,
money, control, and a host of other addictions — not just
drugs and alcohol. Every successful recovery group assists
the participants in calling upon God to help them take practical steps to deal not merely with the sinful habitual activity, but with the underlying pain that prompted the activity.
A summary of the first three of these steps is also a summary of the church’s call to Christian discipleship. First we
must get out of denial and admit we are powerless over our
sin. Second, we need to recognize that God is not powerless
in defeating sin. Third, we should turn our lives and wills
over to the care of God and begin a journey that allows
God’s transforming power to work in our lives.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Worship is a time to give praise and thanks to God for
what God has done in our life. Imagine the celebrations we
would have in church every Sunday if we truly acknowledged the work that God was doing to overcome our sin.
Every Sunday would be a victory celebration as we humbly
acknowledged our limitations and celebrated God’s transforming power. What a witness that would be to the world!
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives
had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care
of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the
exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing
to make amends to them all.
9. Made a direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only
for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that
out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these
principles in all our affairs.❑
— Keary Kincannon is the senior pastor of Rising Hope UMC.
The church ministers to the spiritual and practical needs of the
most at-risk people on the Route 1 Corridor of Alexandria.
3
Offering Strength to Stand
The Faith Community Responds to Addiction
By Leigh Kammerer
H
ave you ever heard something like this in your
church? “We don’t have those problems (or those
kinds of people) in our church.”
We may believe that if we are faithful, we will be safe
from addiction — but Christian living does not guarantee
us freedom from pain, suffering, illness or death. Our
faith does promise the grace to cope with life.
Sometimes we get confused: we think our faith
is a promise that we will not fall down, rather than
a means of support as we seek to stand again. If
you understand addiction — if you have experienced
it, or have a family member who has — then you know
there are no guarantees, even for the faithful. No one is
immune to substance abuse.
If we hear about someone who is dealing with addiction, most of us feel uncomfortable talking about it. And
why should we expect to feel comfortable talking about
such an intimate, vulnerable, painful topic that can have
such devastating consequences?
Addiction is a disease. The fact that many people still
struggle with that reality says more about how we view
other diseases than it does about addiction. With addiction,
we focus on the behavioral choices that seem to show that
it is all about willpower. At the same time we ignore all
choices that play a central role in the development of many
other diseases. We judge addicts in ways we would never
think of doing with those who suffer from other diseases.
In the church, we are
especially good at judging. Gracefully, we are
also good at forgiving,
accepting, and being in
service to others.
Addiction is a biopsycho-social disease,
meaning that it affects
not only the addict’s
physical well-being, but
also their social, psychological, and spiritual
health. It is a chronic
condition that, over
time, attacks all areas of
a person’s life.
4
1. Check Our Attitudes
What can the Christian community do
about addiction? First, we can check our
attitudes. We are called to minister to
the least, last and lost. No one is more
lost than an addict in the throes of
addiction. In the past the church
has often been associated with
judgment and condemnation, rather
than with grace and forgiveness.
How does one get from addiction to
recovery? Alcoholics Anonymous teaches
that HOW (Honesty, Openness, and Willingness) is the essence of recovery. HOW speaks
to a powerful universal truth about spiritual growth and
relationship, which applies to the Christian community as
much as it does to addicts. Unless we are honest about who
we are — all of who we are, including the deep dark secrets
we keep locked away — we will continue to stumble over
those secrets as we try to maintain the fiction that they are
not there. Those secrets have the power to separate us from
God — and from recovery. How can we be open, either to
God or recovery, if we are not first being honest?
Confronting addiction is less about willpower than it is
about willingness: willingness to be taught what we do not
know; willingness to admit mistakes and failures; willingness to admit we cannot do this alone and that we need
help. The next step is to listen to the help and do the work
that is required. We have a powerful role to play in helping
addicts find forgiveness and grace, and get into recovery,
but only when we learn HOW.
2. Educate Ourselves
Second, we can educate ourselves. We need to understand the dynamics of addiction. We need to learn how to
support and minister while keeping healthy boundaries.
Christian discipleship calls us to service, and that service
acts as a window revealing God’s love. It accepts and empowers people while always encouraging them to stretch
and grow toward their own wholeness and discipleship.
Addiction, on the other hand, leads to a self-centered
survival strategy of deceit and manipulation. It intends to
defend against the danger of exposure because that might
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
threaten the addict’s opportunity to get high. It is idolatry,
as the drug becomes God to the addict.
One of the dangers Christians face in working with addicts is co-dependency: a distortion of the genuine loving
and caring that are fundamental to our faith. Co-dependency
happens when caregivers take over responsibility for things
that those receiving care should do for themselves. It is
doing for rather than with the addict.
Co-dependency discourages the addict by fixing problems
for them while allowing them to avoid facing the truth,
meaning there is less urgency for change. It also discourages the caregiver, who finally burns out from doing the
work of both people.
Recovery is a painful process. In order to get into recovery, an addict must realize that the pain of the addiction
outweighs its payoff. Healthy, effective support encourages
movement toward healing without contributing to the denial that disconnects addicts from their motivating pain.
When it is the caregiver who goes to any
lengths, while the addict hides behind the benefits of the caregiver’s efforts, then we all are
being used and manipulated. Sadly, Christians
who find themselves sucked into the co-dependency cycle often turn and blame the addict for
being weak and not caring, for exhibiting the
very symptoms of the disease that got them to
seek help in the first place.
3. Create Accountability
Third, those of us in the Christian community need to play to our strengths. We are in a
great position to create conditions of support
and accountability that can promote recovery.
We can be the means of grace to welcome people back from
the wilderness.
To do that effectively, however, we need to remember
that we are not the whole solution. It is important to not
undercut the other things that are essential to recovery.
Undercutting happens if we view the solution to the
addict’s problem as just requiring of them to be saved — as
if that is the answer all by itself.
When I worked with jail inmates, it was common to hear
them tell how they had renewed their commitment to
Christ and to their church during that time they were incarcerated — but they often seemed to misunderstand what
that commitment meant. They often saw it as the end of
their addiction problem. They thought they did not need to
do any more work or treatment because they had been
fixed or cured.
They failed to understand that their renewal of faith was
actually just the beginning: a first step that would still
require honesty, work, willingness, learning — and yes,
treatment — if they were going to succeed.
Accepting Jesus, then coming into faith and discipleship,
is a miracle of grace — not magic. Have I met addicts for
whom that was enough? Absolutely! Unfortunately, they
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
have been very rare. I have met many, many more who
relapsed back into active addiction because they denied
reality.
Spiritual growth, grace and forgiveness do not erase the
past. They can transform that past into a means of grace for
living out a life of faith and service in recovery. Just as addiction can steal one’s faith, so recovery will surely require
one to approach life in faith.
4. Prepare to Respond
Finally, the church can prepare to respond. Most people
will come face to face with addiction, sooner or later. Thinking about it ahead of time by learning about the disease and
examining our beliefs and attitudes can help us be ready
when that time comes.
It has been said that courage is the most important of all
virtues, because without courage, how can anyone hope to
act on any other virtue? Preparing ourselves
for that time can be an important part of the
foundation of courage we will all need when
the time comes to act.
We have the ability and opportunity to encourage addicted people toward recovery, but
only if we are prepared and educated. United
Methodist churches have a long history of
support for allowing Alcoholics Anonymous
(AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and other
Twelve Step groups to use space for meetings.
Beyond that, an increasing number of churches
are integrating Twelve Step models into their
own programming. There are United Methodist
conferences that have taken strong positions
in addressing the issue of addiction. The Oklahoma Conference, for example, has a full-time
staff person in the area of addiction. They offer training for
clergy and laity. The ecumenical Texas Council of Churches
has offered a similar program, and has developed training
for churches and clergy. The historically Black Methodist
denominations (African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and Christian Methodist Episcopal)
have developed curriculum called “Revival of Hope” that is
available for churches and groups to use.
The list of other available resources is long. Here in Richmond, there is a monthly Twelve Step Communion Service
held at Richmond Hill. Many churches here in the Virginia
Conference are making significant contributions in support
of people seeking recovery from addiction.
The resources are available for those who decide to act.
We have come a long way in the church in our response to
addiction. We have a solid foundation which can serve as
the launching pad from which we can take even more important steps in being present to those who suffer from
addictions, both within and without our church families. ❑
— Leigh Kammerer is a licensed clinical addictions specialist.
He is currently serving as the Intake Coordinator for the
Virginia Health Practitioners’ Intervention Program.
5
Out of the Depths...
Praying the Alcoholic’s Prayer
By Albert C. Lynch
I
am a child of the church — in fact, I grew up in a parsonage family. I was privileged to be raised in an atmosphere of love and support from my earliest memories.
My parents were well-educated, as were all three of their
children. I grew up in a house in which alcohol was never
present and its use was forbidden. The first time I tasted
beer, I thought it was the nastiest thing I had ever had in
my mouth. But sometime that evening, I began to feel for
the first time in my life that I really belonged to a
group — that I really fit in instead of being the
preacher’s kid. That was something I had
yearned for all my life.
As time passed, I forgot how awful I felt
the next morning. I forgot how much I
had hurt my family. Instead, I remembered
how good it felt to be accepted and feel
that warm glow. I experienced “euphoric
recall,” that is, remembering the good
feelings and minimizing the bad results.
It was not long before I began trying to
see how much I could drink without visibly showing any outward signs of intoxication. Over the
years, this game led to all sorts of bizarre behavior on my
part, whether I was in college, or seminary, or law school.
My disease of addiction did not keep me from excelling at a
number of endeavors. Addiction is a progressive disease, so I
was still able to function at a high level in the early stages.
It causes me great pain now to admit that I served as a
pastor of churches and began the practice of law — all while
I was actively addicted to alcohol.
Addiction is a family disease as well. My story involves a
number of repercussions to those whom I love, including
divorce and the loss of every relationship that ever meant
anything to me. At one point, I was virtually unemployable
and homeless. Here I was — well educated and trained in
two professions — but helpless and hopeless. I sincerely
believed that my life was coming to a tragic end.
In the midst of my despair one night I found myself in a
motel room. I had gone for over a month without a drink,
but here I was. I had just consumed a pint of whiskey and I
was at the end of my rope. I could not quit. I could not turn
my life around. I could not face another failure on top of all
my other failures. I reached into my suitcase and pulled out
6
a pistol. I put it to my head and thought, “I cannot stand
this anymore. I cannot stand to fail again. I cannot stand to
hurt my loved ones again.”
As a last-ditch effort, as I held that pistol I cried out a
prayer. It did not reflect any of my theological training. It
was the only prayer I could think of at the time. It was not
eloquent. I soon learned that it was called “The Alcoholic’s
Prayer.” From the depths of despair I cried out, “God help
me!” And God did help me. Immediately, I felt a sense
of calm and of peace roll over me like a great wave
of relief. I felt God leading me back to life. God
called others to join in restoring my life. God led
me to a treatment center (where I did not want
to be) in Greensboro, N.C. While I was there,
God led me to Market Street United Methodist Church. The newly elected bishop of the
Western North Carolina Conference, Charlene Payne Kammerer, brought a message
of hope and grace that day — a message which
washed over my soul.
God led me to some trusted friends: pastors in the
Virginia Annual Conference who believe that the God we
worship is the God of the second chance. I had an opportunity to tell my story to Bishop Joe E. Pennel Jr. As we
talked together and prayed together I told him that I believed that God was calling me back into the ministry of
The United Methodist Church. He believed that call and
supported my re-entry into the conference. He cautioned
that this would be a very careful and exacting process, but
if this was truly God’s call, then it would happen in its own
time — just as it did with the prayerful help of many friends
— both lay and clergy.
My name is Al and I am an alcoholic — a gratefully recovering alcoholic. Recovery for me is not a one-shot deal. If I
am to continue in my recovery, I have learned that I have
to live my recovery “one day at a time.” My recovery continues to involve support from a number of different individuals and from support within Twelve Step circles of fellowship as well. My recovery is not something I earned. From
out of the depths I cried out “God help me!” and God did! ❑
— Rev. Al Lynch has been serving under full-time appointment in
the Virginia Conference since resuming that calling in 1998.
He is now the pastor of St. Andrew’s UMC in Richmond, Va.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Myth Busting:
Telling the truth about addiction
By Bill Lenters
The Rev. Bill Lenters is a United Methodist elder who serves
as the chaplain at Rosecrance Substance Abuse Treatment
Centers, a ministry supported by the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. He recently told us a
few things everyone should know about addiction.
• It is impossible to talk addicts into recovery.
Threats, tongue lashings, floggings, or wise counsel offer
no permanent solution. Addicts recover when they hear the
stories of other recovering addicts and apply those stories to
their own recovery. Well-intentioned people are powerless
to fix, manage, and control other people — particularly addicts. Recovery is a lengthy process in which an addict embraces a Twelve Step program one day at a time.
• Addicts often perceive churches as agencies of
guilt and punishment.
No matter that we teach the grace of forgiveness and the
grace of renewal, addicts in early recovery cannot seem to
tolerate good news. Picture the waiting father in the familiar story of the prodigal son. There was nothing the father
could have said to get his son to come home. He could only
wait. Grace comes in the listening and waiting. Never underestimate the power of the ear in the recovery process.
Hearing an addict’s story is an embodiment of simple grace.
• Addiction is not a choice — but recovery is a choice.
Addicts do not choose their disease any more than a
cancer patient chooses to have cancer. However, once an
addict has been exposed to treatment alternatives, an addict
is responsible for making choices for recovery.
• We do not have to wait until the addict hits bottom.
Courts, families, health issues, loss of employment, — all
of these can play a significant role in helping an addict to a
find a turning point for recovery. There is no one key, but
most folks open up to recovery when the pain from using
the drug of choice becomes greater than the gain from using it.
• Addiction is a disease called denial.
Denial keeps the addict blind to the wreckage and havoc
the disease causes. “It’s not that bad yet,” say addicts and
families alike. Denial may also keep religious communities
on the sidelines of lives being affected. If drugs and alcohol
are the root problem in a family, then that addiction must
be addressed before any other problems can be solved. ❑
Rosecrance has more information about addiction and the impact
of drugs and alcohol on teens and adults. To learn more, visit them
on the Web at <www.rosecrance.org>, or call (815) 391-1000.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
View From My Desk
Resources for United Methodists
in Times of Need
From the Virginia Conference
Pensions and Related Benefits office
H
ave you ever had a morning like this? You wake up
at 1:30 a.m., eyes wide open and a thousand
thoughts are racing through your head. You start thinking about your family, friends, and everyone’s problems
— 6 a.m., still thinking — 8 a.m., time to go to work. Two
miles down the road your car shuts off. You are out of gas.
You forgot your cell phone, so you start walking. Two
miles later, you are home. Now what? Everyone you know
is at work. You find a way to get back to the car with gas.
You did it! The car is running and you are on your way,
but what is this? The car is acting funny: no steering, the
temperature is rising — 260 degrees! You have to pull
over. You walk home for the second time today and wait
for someone to help — and it’s only 10 a.m!
Work, cars, cell phones, children, spouses, bills, and
daily challenges: life is full of surprises! Stress is a part
of life. Sometimes it leads to depression or anxiety.
Sometimes we need help. At such times, we have to let
go and allow another person to lend us a hand. Sometimes that other person is a friend, and sometimes that
person is a professional.
At the Virginia United Methodist Conference, we
understand that our clergy and lay employees need
resources to help them through those difficult times.
The Conference Health Plan has benefits designed for
simplicity and privacy. No referrals are required. Participants can see a professional for a small co-pay. If further
care is necessary, the Conference Health Plan offers
hospital benefits with limits on out-of-pocket expenses.
If a clergyperson wishes to use professionals that are
familiar with the unique challenges faced by clergy, the
Virginia Institute for Pastoral Care (VIPCare) is always
available. VIPCare has professional counselors who
understand those needs.
We all have a lot to deal with in this day and time.
We are only human. Help is out there — do not hesitate
to call. You can reach the Virginia United Methodist
Pensions and Related Benefits office at 1-800-7686040 or (804) 521-1100, ext. 130.
For a list of approved providers for your area, visit
<www.anthem.com>. Anthem PPO participants may
also call 1-800-451-1527 for more information. Anthem
HMO participants may call 1-800-421-1880.
Visit the Virginia Institute for Pastoral Care at
<www.vipcare.org>, or call (804) 282-8332. ❑
7
The United Methodist Connection in . . .
Virginia
‘Twelve Step’ Members Thank God for
Wesley Memorial Family
T
he Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
group has been a part of the
family at Wesley Memorial
UMC in Richmond, Va., for 13 years.
The group started with just five
participants, but grew to become one
of the largest NA groups in the city.
Approximately 120 persons now meet
at the church each Saturday at noon.
Group member Tyira H. described
the path that brought her to NA: “As a
young adult, peer pressure crept up on
me, and I wasn’t prepared for it. Sex,
alcohol and street drugs became a part
of my life. If only I had known how my
life was about to spiral down.”
Tyira credited the gospel message
with the power to begin a new way of
life. “After the Good News was explained to me in a way I could understand it, I was baptized. With the help
of jail ministry and the fellowship it
offered, I was well on my
way.”
Tyira saw the 12
steps of NA as the path
toward change. “With
the help of God and the
Twelve Step Program, I
have been able to walk
in the light, after having
been in darkness for so
Group member
long,” she recalled. “I
Raymond H.
have had three near
death experiences, and God has been
faithful through them all.” She said
she had no doubt what had brought
her through those experiences.
“Prayer, praise, trust and faith are
what guide my life today. I will continue on this journey through life with
8
God leading me, and the support of the
Twelve Step Program,” she affirmed.
“The love that I get from the pastor
and members of Wesley Memorial,
where I am a member, carries me
when I feel empty and alone.”
Raymond H. said he grew up in
Richmond as an only child, with both
parents and a loving grandmother. He
graduated from high school, joined the
service, served in the military, and
returned home.
In spite of that strong support, he
recalled being pulled down by other
influences. “I was surrounded by a lot
of negative activity while growing up,
and was attracted to it,” he remembered. “I got
caught up in the
lifestyle of using
drugs, and everything that
came with it.”
At first, that
lifestyle seemed
attractive. “This
started off good
Group member — or so I
Nina H.
thought. Then
this so-called good became a bitter
end,” Raymond said. “I realized I
needed help. I couldn’t stop on my
own, so I did what was suggested.”
He remembered being ready for
a positive change. “It was time for a
better life, time to grow up, time to
change, and time to listen to God —
not only listen, but to be obedient.”
Raymond knew what was missing. “In
order to change to become the man I
was supposed to be, I needed God in
Rev. Rodney Hunter, senior pastor of
Wesley Memorial, with group member
Tyira H.
my life. That was my choice — to
change.”
Nina H. remembered what it was
like to feel beyond the reach of that
mercy and grace. “Feeding my children
didn’t seem important. Paying bills
was out of the question. Praying to a
God that didn’t seem to know I existed was useless,” she recalled. “That
was how I felt a little over 13 years
ago.” She described how her priorities
changed. “Today, parenting — making
sure we have the necessities of life —
and thanking God for His grace comes
first. Staying clean and doing the best
I can for myself brings contentment to
my life.”
Nina described the source of her
problems with brutal honesty: “Drugs
were never my problem — I was.” But
Nina was also quick to describe the
sources of hope. “Help is available for
anyone who wants it,” she said. “God,
the Twelve Step program, and Wesley
Memorial saved me. Thank God for my
family and people who supported me.
Salvation is free to those who try.” ❑
— Rev. Rodney Hunter, pastor,
Wesley Memorial UMC, Richmond
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Health Care Clinic for Virginia Indians Gives
Thanks for Church’s Efforts to ‘Heal the Hurts’
A
s the Mattaponi Healing Eagle
Clinic enters its eighth year of
providing free health care to
Virginia Indians and their immediate
family members, it credits much of its
growth and continued success to the
support of the Virginia United Methodist Conference.
The Rappahannock District United
Methodist Women (UMW), often
prompted by Mrs. Dorothy (Dot)
Daniel, have been particularly ready
to lend a hand. Daniel has been the
conduit linking United Methodists to
the clinic. The response has been
tremendous. Many of the clinic administrators and volunteers have said that
the clinic could not have been so effective without the support provided by
The United Methodist Church.
This winter, the clinic administered
over 150 flu shots free of charge to
patients. Part of the $1,500 cost was
deferred through timely donations
from United Methodists. Clinic staff
hope soon to be able to offer pneumonia and other vaccines.
The Healing Eagle Clinic has been
designated as one of the conference’s
“Healing the Hurts” mission projects —
a grants program which combines funds
from the conference UMW, a special
grant from the conference Connectional
Ministries, and a portion of the Church
Extension apportionment. Because of
that support, the clinic was able to open
a prescription account at a local pharmacy, which will make medications available on a discounted basis for patients
who do not have any other means for
obtaining their medicines.
The Evangelical and Mission Team
from Central UMC in Mathews, Va., led
by Sylvia Woodcock, donated unrestricted patient use funds, which went
toward emergency tooth extractions.
The clinic also used these funds to
purchase protective bed pads for several elders who are bedridden.
Twice, the clinic has found itself in
urgent need of wheelchairs, and
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
(Right to left) Dr. Narinder Arora; Mary Lou Sterling, RN; and medical students, Marcia
Redwood, and Susan Sekel return from a house call on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation.
Photo: Angela Daniel
Virginia’s United Methodists have
been there to fill those needs. One
was for a young mother of four who
was recently diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis. She needed a small wheelchair, maneuverable enough for her
trailer. Another chair gave freedom to
a 45-year-old patient who is now able
to leave his house, visit family and
friends, and attend church after having been homebound for years. The
clinic still has a waiting list for wheelchairs and adjustable canes.
A baby-changing table, donated by
Central UMC, has been installed in the
recently remodeled women’s bathroom.
These renovations were partially funded
by donations from UMW groups.
The clinic often needs the services
of a volunteer nurse. Registered nurse
Mary Lou Sterling, a member of St.
Paul’s UMC in Mathews, has blessed
the clinic with her dedicated support.
She has won the hearts and trust of
the people who look forward to seeing
her monthly, but the clinic needs more
volunteer nurses to serve.
United Methodist Women have also
provided food for the clinic volunteers.
A clinic day can be long for the staff —
as much as 10 hours, with 65 patients
to process. Words cannot express the
gratitude of the volunteers for these
gifts of nutrition. The delicious meals
delivered to the clinic keep the staff’s
energy levels high.
Any group desiring a Wish List of
current needs at the Healing Eagle
Clinic can contact Daniel, District
Projects Committee Chair, at (804)
758-5521; or the Rappahannock District office at (804) 758-3686.
The staff of the clinic extends heartfelt thanks to The United Methodist
Church for these efforts in seeking
peace in the world and healing the
hurts of Virginia. In God’s name, you
are making a difference. Together, we
will continue to do so! ❑
By Angela L. Daniel “Silver Star”
Hutcherson Convicted
On Seven Counts
Lynchburg Mayor Carl B. Hutcherson Jr. was convicted on May 2 of defrauding social security disability
recipients and a charitable organization, making false statements to federal officials and bank representatives,
and obstruction of justice. No sentencing date has been set.
Hutcherson was also pastor of
Trinity UMC in Lynchburg where he had
served since 1986. Bishop Charlene
Kammerer stated that she was saddened
by the news. “Our prayers will continue
for Rev. Hutcherson and his family, and
the members of Trinity UMC,” she said.
Hutcherson withdrew his ministerial
credentials on May 4. ❑
9
Outreach to Recovery Group Members
Provides New Realities at Skipwith UMC
I
n Richmond, Va., Skipwith UMC
has been finding some new ways
to extend hospitality to those
struggling with addiction.
Twenty years ago, the Rev. John
Tate opened the Skipwith church
building to local recovery groups.
Those ministries became an important
tradition to the congregation over the
years, but church members found few
opportunities to build relationships
with group members.
Then one day last year, Chip Ridout,
a church member who had grown up
at Skipwith and had known the
struggle of addiction firsthand, came
to the Rev. Deborah Austin, pastor of
the church, and said, “There is a tremendous need for us to begin a
Twelve Step Bible Study here so that
people can develop faith relationships
with the Lord Jesus.”
Ridout told Austin how it is not
permissible to say the name of Jesus
in the recovery groups because of the
desire to be open to all faiths. Together with seminary student Esther
Hanners, Austin agreed to lead the
Bible studies. They ordered Serenity
Bibles and began a study group that
focused on a different step each time it
met.
Group leaders were amazed by the
deep community that developed
among participants, and the capacity
of group members to bring fresh insights into the Scriptures. Still the
question remained: how to unite this
group with the congregation?
Austin began to realize the key was
in the Strength Finders Inventory
(SFI) by Donald Clifton. The SFI, developed through research by the
Gallup Organization, identifies 34
personal strengths or passions, and
identifies the top five strengths for
each person who takes the inventory.
Austin had studied this tool last year
under the leadership of the Rev. Kathy
Gochenour, and was impressed with
the ways it energized people.
10
When Austin introduced the SFI to
one of the Sunday school classes at
Skipwith, participants were excited
enough to combine all their strengths
to do a mission project together. At
that time, three members of the recovery group had joined the Sunday
school class. The link was obvious; the
class mission work would be reaching
out to the people in the Recovery
Bible Study group.
The issue at stake was providing
another image of the church for the
recovery community. Those struggling
with addiction are so ashamed of their
lives that they tend to see members of
the church as judgmental people.
Sunday school class members decided
to hold a dinner on the one year anniversary of the Recovery Bible Study.
Group members also decided to offer
inventory books to anyone who
wanted to take the SFI. Super Bowl
sandwiches were sold in the church to
cover the costs.
The rest of the story is yet unfolding. All of the Recovery Bible Study
group members wholeheartedly received the gift. In April of this year,
they joined together with the Sunday
school class members to form a new
Wednesday night Bible study group –
a study of the David stories (1 and 2
Samuel) along with an interpretation
of the Clifton strengths. The theme of
this new study is, “What does it mean
to be human in our time?” The goal is
the formation of relationships and the
nurturing of Christian community!
Austin calls this kind of ministry
Holy Spirit work. The Spirit is blessing
the ministry with good will and intimacy and energy and creativity and
joy. The image she uses to describe
the human effort part of the work is
that of simply holding the back door of
the church open — month in and
month out — and being patient as God
unfolds new reality. ❑
— Rev. Deborah Austin, Skipwith UMC
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Wellspring UMC Participates in Faith Team
Member Training Through Johnson Foundation
B
eginning this fall, Wellspring
UMC in Williamsburg, Va., will
be one of 20 congregations in
the Historic Triangle region where
members are trained to serve, nurture,
and honor people recovering from substance abuse and addiction through
Faith Partners Teams.
This program, developed by the Rush
Center of the Johnson Institute, aims
to engage and assist people of faith in
the development of caring communities that promote prevention of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse
and where recovery from addiction is
valued and supported.
Faith Partners Team members will
be trained to provide education and
awareness of addiction. They will also
work to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and
other drug use by youth; educate families about treatment services; and empower those in recovery to celebrate
overcoming their addiction.
Public opinion surveys have demonstrated that people turn to pastors and
churches as often as doctors when
faced with the devastating illness of
addiction. Family members often bring
their questions and cries for help to the
church. Too often, their questions go
unanswered, and the pastor simply
does not know what to say or do.
Understanding clergy, supported by
committed and trained members of the
congregation, have a tremendous opportunity to serve by addressing addiction
problems in the early stages of the
disease. A ministry of recovery offers
real hope: addicts get well, families
heal, money is saved, life gets better,
recovering people give back, congregations rejoice, and communities are
safer. In short: everyone wins! A
four-member Wellspring team will be
trained in the Faith Partner Team
program. Once trained, teams will provide one prevention program a year, a
recovery Sunday service, and education
about addiction recovery. Congregational action presents a vital opportunity for addressing the illness of addic-
tion. It is here that the pain and suffering of alcohol and drug problems can
best emerge as hope, faith and love
through successful recovery.
The General Board of Church and
Society (GBCS) of The United Methodist Church has endorsed the Johnson
Institute’s Faith Partners Team ministry plan for dealing with the nation’s
number one health problem: alcohol
and other drug addiction. James
Winkler, General Secretary of the
GBCS, called the Faith Partners
Team approach an effective and sustainable way for congregations to
respond.
Wellspring is excited to have this
opportunity to reduce the stigma of
addiction and celebrate the process of
recovery. To learn more about their
work with Faith Partner Teams, call
Wellspring at (757) 258-5008. To learn
more about the program, visit the Rush
Center on the Web at <www.rush
center.org>, or call 1-888-451-9527. ❑
— Rev. Tim Tate, Wellspring UMC
Media Center Offers
Resources on Addiction
The following resource on addiction is available for rent from the
Virginia Conference Media Center:
Close to Home — Portrait of Addiction:
This set of six videotapes, by TV
news journalist Bill Moyers, features nine men and women, all
recovering from drug and/or alcohol
addiction, telling their stories.
These personal testimonies from
people who have been there leaves
little doubt that addiction can
happen to anyone. . . and so can
recovery.
To reserve a copy for your local
church or to become a member of
the Media Center, call Violet
Durrette at 1-800-768-6040 or
(804) 521-1100, ext. 119, MondayFriday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; or e-mail
<[email protected]>. ❑
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
11
Neill M. Caldwell Named New Advocate Editor,
Communications Publications Associate
D
Virginia communications team, bringr. Susan Garrett, Virginia Coning a unique set of skills and experiference director of connecence to our work,” said Carole
tional ministries, has anVaughn, Virginia
nounced that Neill M. Caldwell
Conference director
will become the new full-time
of communications.
Virginia United Methodist ComSome of those
munications publications assoawards include the
ciate effective Aug. 1.
2003 Lilly Fellow at
Primary responsibilities for
Northwestern
this position include working
University’s Medill
with the communications team
School of Journalism
as editor to produce the Virginia
and Garrett EvangeliAdvocate, the weekly electronic
cal Theological SemiSunday Advocate, and the Daily
nary, where Caldwell
Advocate (during annual conferwas one of five proence). He will also assume reNeill M. Caldwell
fessional journalists
sponsibility for production of the
from around the
conference’s annual Book of
nation selected to participate in a
Reports and Journal.
special program to study how the
Caldwell comes to the Virginia
Conference from High Point, North
Carolina, where he is a freelance
writer for Our State magazine, The
N.C. Christian Advocate, United Methodist News Service, Interpreter magazine, and the UM Reporter. He has
also been features editor for The
Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, N.C., and
news designer for The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. He succeeds
editor Larry Jent, who will be taking a
local church appointment following
annual conference.
“For the past several years I’ve
admired the quality of the Virginia
Advocate magazine,” said Caldwell.
“The opportunity to extend that
excellent work, or even expand on it,
is a very exciting challenge.” Currently, Caldwell is the United Methodist News Service reporter for the
Judicial Council, chair of the Western
N.C. Conference Communications
Commission, and president-elect of
the Southeastern Jurisdiction
Association of United Methodist
Communicators.
“Neill is no stranger to outstanding
journalism, having won numerous
awards for excellence. We are delighted that he will be joining the
12
media covers religion, spirituality and
ethics. He is also a seven-time winner
of the North Carolina Press
Association’s annual awards contest,
having won in four separate categories:
writing, criticism, layout/design, and
graphics. In addition, he is a past winner of The New York Times Chairman
of the Board’s Award, given among members of The New York Times Newspaper Group for outstanding journalism.
Caldwell is married to the Rev.
Lynne Blankenship Caldwell, an elder
in the Western North Carolina Conference, currently serving as the High
Point district superintendent. In his
leisure time, Neill follows sports and
sings in the Lexington, N.C., Choral
Society. ❑
— Carole Vaughn
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Petersburg Urban Ministries
Hosts Capital Campaign Event
P
etersburg Urban Ministries
hosted a Capital Campaign
kick-off event on Sunday, April
30, at Union Train Station in Petersburg.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was
the keynote speaker for the event.
Two graduates of the YouthBuild program — one of the outreach programs
of the ministry center — were among
the speakers. Many dignitaries from
local and state government agencies
and humanitarian foundations were
also present.
Gov. Kaine spoke about the importance of interfaith efforts which take
persons outside the walls of their
sanctuaries. He referred to the biblical
story of the loaves and fishes in regard to community programs like
Petersburg Urban Ministries. Kaine
said if everyone put a little bit in the
basket there would be an abundance
for all.
The Rev. Dwala Ferrell, director of
Petersburg Urban Ministries, gave an
inspiring reminder about what Petersburg Urban Ministries stands for, and
who it helps. Petersburg Urban Ministries is part of the Communities of
Shalom program of The United Methodist Church and is related to the
General Board of Global Ministries.
Communities of Shalom are locallybased ministries that work to re-
Gov. Tim Kaine discusses capital
funds campaign with the Rev. Dwala
Ferrell, director of Petersburg Urban
Ministries.
Photo: S. Garrett
store and renew communities. The
work is based on four principles:
faith in action, collaboration, asset
based community development, and
systemic change. The ministry’s new
facility is already taking shape. An old
grocery store in downtown Petersburg
is being renovated into a modern center for the work of Petersburg Urban
Ministries. The ministry has set a goal
of $2 million, 25 percent of which had
been raised prior to the campaign
kickoff.
For more information about Petersburg Urban Ministries, contact Dwala
Ferrell at <[email protected]>
or call (804) 862-1104. ❑
Virginia News Bits
Free Door Hangers Available
For Open House Month
Virginia United
Methodist Communications will be
offering free Open
House door hangers at their annual
conference display
table at the Hampton Coliseum in
June. These custom-izable items
are packaged in
lots of 100 for your
convenience. They
are designed to
help invite people to your local
church as part of the celebration of
September Open House Month.
Anne West Selected for
Young People’s Convocation
Anne West, former Virginia Conference Youth President, and current Purnell Bailey pre-ministerial
scholar at Randolph-Macon College,
has been elected as one of only 10
representatives from the Southeastern Jurisdiction to the very first
Global Young People’s Convocation
and Legislative Assembly.
Lost Boys of Sudan to Reunite
The Lost Boys of Sudan will
come together July 7-8 at George
Mason University in Fairfax, Va., 20
years after war forced them from
their homes. Sponsored by The
United Methodist Church, the
former refugees will reunite to
address the genocide in Sudan and
Darfur. For more information, visit
<www.lostboysgathering.org>, or
call (703) 401-0818.
Errata
In the May 2006 edition of the
Advocate, an article on Brian
Manwiller’s death (p. 12) should
have listed his home church as St.
Stephen’s. We regret the error.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
13
sit the Web at
For more Events, vi
<www.vaumc.org>
Upcoming Events
JULY 2006
‘Mission CSI,’ July 2-7, Camp Overlook, Keezletown. For youth groups and
their leaders, this event is an actionpacked week of service, sharing, and
exploring what it means to be on a
mission for Christ; and asks the questions: Is there enough evidence to
convict you? When you come before
the judge and he asks. . . “Did you feed
the hungry? Were you a friend to the
stranger? Did you help the needy?”
How will you plead? Cost is $240/
person. For information, call (540) 2692267 or e-mail <[email protected]>.
School of Christian Mission, Weekend Session: July 28-30; Week Session: July 31-Aug. 3, VUMAC*. What
are you doing this summer? Why do
the same old thing. . .when you can
attend the School of Christian Mission? Why watch reruns of
Survivor. . .when you can listen to
dynamic experts speak on the issues
of global economy? Who knows, you
may even get a chance to ask a question. Why sit dreaming of India and
Pakistan. . .when you can visit them
at Blackstone in a study of these intriguing countries? Why feel uninformed whenever the subject of the
Middle East is discussed. . .when you
can impress your friends with your
knowledge of Judaism and Islam in
the crash course offered at the School
of Christian Mission? Why do hundreds of people return each year to the
School of Christian Mission? Discover
for yourself what all the interest is
about. To register, go online at
<www.vaumw.org>. Registration
deadline is July 20. For more information, contact the conference Mission
office at 1-800-768-6040 or (804) 5211100, ext. 144, or e-mail <mission@
vaumc.org>.
AUGUST 2006
Young Women’s Weekend, Aug. 1820, VUMAC*. The theme for this
United Methodist Women’s event is
“Shaping Our Lives, Piece by Piece.”
Leader is Paulette J. Kim, executive
secretary for membership for the
14
Women’s Division of the General Board
of Global Ministries. For more information, contact Joann McClung at (757)
420-9022 or <[email protected]>.
‘Developing More Effective Lay
Leadership,’ Aug. 19, UM Center,
Glen Allen. This leadership development event for clergy and laity will
give practical suggestions on how to
more effectively identify, recruit, train,
and maintain church leaders. Primary
leader is the Rev. Glen Langston. The
event, endorsed by the Virginia
Conference Leadership Development
Institute (LDI) offers a .5 CEU credit
for clergy. Registration information
is available on the Web at
<www.vaumc.org>, click on “events,”
and then the date of the event; or visit
<www.fourseasonsministry.org>. For
more information, call (804) 272-3313
or e-mail <fgillisjr@fourseasons
ministry.org>. Registration deadline is
Aug. 5.
‘Healing Prayer’ Weekend, Aug. 2527, Camp Overlook, Keezletown. This
event allows participants to discover —
through the Scriptures, instruction,
guided imagery, focused activities, and
personal experiences — the blessing of
healing prayer. All you need is an
open spirit as you let God take the
lead in this walk. Cost is $120/person.
For information, call (540) 269-2267 or
e-mail <[email protected]>.
SEPTEMBER 2006
Marriage Encounter Weekend, Sept.
29-Oct. 1, Pittsburgh, Pa., area. “Rediscover the one you love on a Marriage
Encounter Weekend! Marriage Encounter is 44 hours where married couples
can get away from jobs, kids, chores,
and phones — and focus only on each
other. If you would like greater depth,
growth, and enrichment in your relationships, you’ll like the difference a
Marriage Encounter United Methodist
Weekend can make! For registration
information, contact Dick & Donna
Risinger at (814) 723-1296 or Bernell
& Jola Shoff (717) 244-4848; or visit
the Web at <www.encounter.org>.
For more Events, vi
sit
<www.vaumc.org> the Web at
OCTOBER 2006
Retired Ministers and Spouses Fall
Retreat, Oct. 11-12, VUMAC*. The
theme for this year’s popular fellowship of retired ministers and spouses is
“RETIREMENT=ACTIVE JOY.”
There will be a number of activities
and occasions for worship, and two
sessions with six interest groups for
personal exploration. Bishop
Kammerer will lead the group in worship and conversation and Don
Rogers, conference Director of Pension
and Related Benefits, will bring those
attending up-to-date. Dr. Samuel
Showalter, practicing physician, will
have a session to answer questions on
health and well-being topics. A brochure
and registration blank will be available
at annual conference and in the mail.
For more information or to register, contact Samuel and Judi Espinoza, P.O. Box.
1175; Harrisonburg, VA 22803;
phone 540-434-3303; e-mail:
<[email protected]>.
NOVEMBER 2006
UMMen Spiritual Retreat, Nov. 3-5,
VUMAC*. Dr. Winston Worrell will be
preaching on the theme, “That the
World May Know Jesus Christ” at the
annual gathering of conference United
Methodist Men. Worrell will present a
series of five sermons expressly tailored to fill the spiritual needs of men
— young and old alike — who are
caught up in today’s busy and rushed
society, and to help them guard
against threats to their Christian belief posed by an increasingly secular
world. Worrell is director of the World
Methodist Evangelism Institute, a
cooperative ministry of the World
Methodist Council and Emory University. He holds a doctorate in evangelism and a master’s degree in media
communications. Worrell has had
experience in Billy Graham Crusades
and has preached worldwide. For more
information, contact Larry Tubbs at
(540) 371-2213 or e-mail
<[email protected]>.
_______
*Virginia UM Assembly Center, Blackstone
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Questions
about
youth ministry?
One of Life’s Most Important Questions...
What is God’s Plan
for My Life?
Contact
Angie Williams,
Director of Youth,
Young Adult, and
Singles Ministries
1-800-768-6040, x135
(804) 521-1100, x135
ARE YOU LISTENING?
www.vaumc.org/youth
[email protected]
Hearing God’s Call
3-day event
Enjoy a high-energy
camp adventure!
Here’s just some of what’s planned for
Youth ages 6-17
at
Westview on the James
this summer:
-Caving, Climbing & Hiking
-Acting, Dancing & Singing
-Pedaling, Paddling & Riding -Clowning & Puppetry
-Playing Games & Sports
-Celebrating God
-Hang Gliding & Surfing
-Laughing & Eating
-Beach Trekking
-Meeting New Friends
-Renewing Old Friendships
-Canoeing
-Wind Surfing & Rafting
-Mountain Biking
Imagine
for rising high school sophomores,
juniors, and seniors to explore the
meaning of Christian vocation.
August 7-9, 2006
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, Va.
Sponsored by the A. Purnell Bailey Pre-Ministerial
Program for Ordained Ministry and the Virginia
Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, with meals and
housing provided at the college. Participation is limited
to 40 applicants at no cost.
Featuring inspirational speakers:
- Rev. Alvin J. Horton
- Rev. Clarence R. Brown
- Rev. Rhonda VanDyke Colby
- Rev. Mark A. Miller
- Rev. Michael P. Kendall
happily
paddling a canoe, kicking
a soccer ball, hauling a
backpack, dipping in the
lake, learning about
God’s love, singing by the
campfire, eating great food, and returning to your
cabin each evening happily exhausted!
For more information, call the college admissions
office at 1-800-888-1762 or register on the Web at
http://www.rmc.edu/vocationevent.asp
To learn all the details of Westview on the
James, call the camp office for a brochure or
check out the Web site listed below. It’s got a
registration form and everything you need to
know about this wonderful camp, which
celebrates exploration, adventure, and
Christian fellowship. Sign up now!
The A. Purnell Bailey Pre-Ministerial Program for
Ordained Ministry has provided us with…
-mentoring, guidance, clarity, and core values
-development of collegiality
-spiritual formation
-a shared experience and community
-a support system
-a career focus
Through the A. Purnell Bailey Pre-Ministerial Program
for Ordained Ministry, we have been able to…
-make a difference on campus and strengthen
the United Methodist connection
-mentor others in their faith journey
-participate in service projects
For more information, call (804) 457-4210,
or e-mail [email protected],
or visit the Web at www.westviewonthejames.org.
Westview is an outdoor ministry of the Ashland,
Charlottesville, and Richmond districts of the
Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: July 15
Hear what some of the Bailey Scholars say about
their experience in the program thus far…
15
Annual Conference Information June 11-14, Hampton Coliseum
The 2006 Annual Conference logo is based upon the theme, “We are One with each
Other,” which flows out of our conference vision statement: We envision churches where
all God’s people are welcomed at table, nurtured, and transformed to be Christ to others
in the world. The design was created by Richard H. Jenkins, a graphics designer who is a
member of St. Luke’s UMC, Richmond District.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OFFERING —
Each year, members of local churches
are encouraged to help raise money for
projects designated by the bishop. The
pastor or lay representative of each
church will take that money to annual
conference where it will be collected
during a special time of the session. This
year’s offering goal is $250,000 and will
benefit the four projects listed below:
Brazil: $100,000 — Money will be
divided among the three Brazilian Methodist Church initiatives described as follows: The Mechanical Cow is a community-based project which harvests soybeans and processes them into soy milk,
which has reduced the infant mortality
by 80 percent. The conference offering
will allow for replacement of aging machinery and the possible replication of
this successful venture in another impoverished community. Shade and Fresh
Water is a Church-wide initiative in Brazil that targets the acute crisis faced by
impoverished urban children and youth.
Making “street children” a priority for
its missionary outreach, the Methodist
Church of Brazil has created a network
of after-school recreational programs for
children. Providing an alternative to life
on the street for children in dozens of
urban locations throughout this vast nation, Shade and Fresh Water is a success that Brazilian Methodists would
love to expand upon, had they the financial resources to do so. The Hospital
Boat serves children living along the
Amazon River. In an area essentially devoid of modern health care, the Boat
makes forays along the river to deliver
medicine and medical services, including dental care and treatment for parasites. This offering will be used to offset
the expenses of several United Methodist Volunteer In Mission (UMVIM) medical teams that the conference will send
in support of this effort.
16
Mozambique: $50,000 — The offering will provide ongoing support for
Va. Conference-sponsored projects, including the Bishop Charlene Kammerer
Girls Dorms, the Janene Pennel Elementary School, the Bishop Joe E. Pennel
Jr. Vocational School, and the Women’s
Training Center; and support for the
Chicuque Rural Hospital. In partnership
with the German UMC, this offering will
also be used to build a Women’s Theological Student Dormitory in Cambine
which will provide drier, warmer, and
mosquito-resistant homes and improve
health conditions for students and their
families.
Russia: $50,000 — Funding will
support two initiatives in Russia: the summer exchange camps for youth and the
Russia Seminary. Each summer Russian
and American youth come together at a
camp, alternating between Russia and
the United States. Funds would be used
to provide scholarships to assist with
travel costs for Russian and American
youth so that more youth can be involved
in this ministry of sharing faith and forming relationships. Part of the funds will
also continue the work on the Russia
Seminary building in order for it to meet
the needs of training pastors.
Virginia Children's Projects:
$50,000 — Since 1996, the Virginia
Conference has sought to reach out to
the “least of these” in neighborhoods and
local communities through the work of
the Children’s Initiative Committee by
focusing on ministries for and with children who are at-risk and/or living in poverty. The local focus of this year’s offering will benefit children of incarcerated
mothers through the All God’s Children
camps, which have expanded to four
weeks at four different camp locations.
The funds will also reach out to impoverished children through ministries that
emphasize community with the poor,
including programs that benefit at-risk
children and their families. A portion of
the funds will be used for local seed
grants to churches that have not been
actively engaged in ministries with atrisk or impoverished children.
Detailed informational fliers and bulletin inserts have been mailed to local
churches and are posted on the conference Web site. For more information
about the offering, contact the conference Mission office at 1-800-768-6040
or (804) 521-1100, ext. 144 or 143; or
e-mail <[email protected]>.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR
POTATO DROP — The conference
Board of Global Ministries (BOGM) and
the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) are
co-sponsoring a Potato Drop, Tuesday,
June 13, 5:30 a.m. The potatoes will
provide more than 135,000 servings
of food to the region’s poor and hungry. SoSA is delivering a tractor-trailer
filled with more than 20 tons of donated sweet potatoes to Hampton and
the BOGM is helping to cover the cost
of shipping. The truck will arrive in
the predawn hours and the potatoes
will be dumped at the old “Best” parking lot on the corner of Pine Chapel
Rd. and Coliseum Dr., near the Hampton Coliseum. Volunteers are needed
to help bag and load the potatoes for
pickup by regional food banks, church
pantries, soup kitchens, and other
local feeding agencies. Bagging is
expected to be completed before 7:30
a.m. For more information about the
national, nonprofit food salvage, hunger-relief work of the SoSA, or about
the Virginia Annual Conference Potato Drop, contact Judy Bair at 1-800333-4597.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
For updates, visit www.vaumc.org >> Resources >> 2006 Annual Conference Session
MASSED CHOIR — A Massed Choir
for the Sunday evening Memorial
Service, directed by Sandi Billy of
Virginia Wesleyan College, welcomes
singers from across the conference. For
further information, contact Sandi
Billy at <[email protected]>; phone:
(757) 455-3376.
PHONE NUMBERS — (757) 8962236 is for incoming emergency messages only. Calls must be returned at
other phones. (757) 896-2237 is for
news media/press room only. No
emergency calls or messages can be
taken at this number.
PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS —
Large print or Braille editions of the Book
of Reports and other accommodations
for persons with special needs can be
requested through the conference Office of Lay Life & Work, Disabilities, and
Older Adult Ministries at 1-800-7686040 or (804) 521-1100, ext. 153 or
e-mail <[email protected]>.
KITS FOR CONFERENCE — Local
churches are encouraged to gather
items for kits and send them to annual conference. There are several
types of kits that will be used and all
of the kits will be received at conference; however, an emphasis is on the
following three categories of items
that are most needed: School Kits,
Flood Buckets, and Bedding Packs.
(For a complete list of kit contents and
how to package them, see previous
issues of the Virginia Advocate or visit
the Web at <www.vaumc.org>, click
on “Resources” >> “2006 Annual
Conference Session” >> “Kits for Conference.” Kits should be brought to
the parking lot across from the Hampton Coliseum at Pine Chapel Rd. and
Coliseum Dr. (the lot next to the Comfort Inn). Receiving station hours are:
Sunday, 3-7:30 p.m.; Monday, 7:30 a.m.7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. For
more information, contact the Rev.
Bob Sharp, kits coordinator, at (757)
851-1923 or e-mail <[email protected]>.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
COMPUTER ASSISTED NOTE
TAKING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED —
Assistance is needed to type text of
reports, worship, and music using
Microsoft Word, at times as the
speaker is presenting. Further information is available by contacting
Martha Stokes at 1-800-768-6040 or
(804) 521-1100, ext. 154; or by e-mail
at <[email protected]>.
BLOODMOBILE — The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at the coliseum, Tuesday,
June 13, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (This is CHANGE
from the times listed in the BOOK OF
REPORTS.) A sign-up sheet will be available for appointments starting on Sunday
afternoon at a table beside the Faith Community Nursing display. NEW THIS YEAR,
receive a free T-shirt when you donate
blood and register to win a Jeep Liberty.
BANQUETS
Date and Group
Location
Time
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Welcome Dinner for First-time Appointments Holiday Inn
5 p.m.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Board of Global Ministries (BOGM)
First UMC Fox Hill
6:45 a.m.
Peace with Justice Forum
Holiday Inn
6:45 a.m.
Industrial & Commercial Ministries (ICM)
Bethany UMC
7 a.m.
Religion & Race
Sammy & Nick’s Family Rest. 7 a.m.
Black Methodists for Church Renewal
St. James UMC
Noon
Board of Communications
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Clergy Spouses
Bethany UMC
12:30 p.m.
Clergy Women
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Order of Deacons
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Shenandoah University
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Board of Laity
Convention Center
5 p.m.
Methodist Federation for Social Action
Wesley UMC
5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Minutes Committee
Embassy Suites
6 a.m.
United Methodist Men
Bethany UMC
6:30 a.m.
Reveille Church
Holiday Inn
7 a.m.
United Methodist Women
Chestnut Memorial UMC
7 a.m.
Assoc. of Educational Institutions (AEI)
Holiday Inn
7 a.m.
Randolph-Macon College Society of Alumni Holiday Inn
Noon
VUU Methodist Clergy Assoc.
Holiday Inn
Noon
Woodlawn Mass Choir
Embassy Suites
Noon
Eastern Mennonite Seminary
St. Marks UMC
Noon
Union Seminary PSCE
Holiday Inn
12:15 p.m.
Asbury Seminary Alumni
Holiday Inn
12:15 p.m.
Christian Educators Fellowship
First UMC, Hampton
12:30 p.m.
Emory Club
Wesley UMC
12:30 p.m.
Local Pastors
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Duke Alumni Association
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Northeastern Seminaries
Hampton Yacht Club
12:30 p.m.
Russia Initiative
St. James UMC
12:30 p.m.
Wesley Seminary
Holiday Inn
12:30 p.m.
Evangelical Fellowship
Bethany UMC
5 p.m.
Retirees Banquet
Holiday Inn
5 p.m.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Minutes Committee
Embassy Suites
6 a.m.
Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) Embassy Suites
6:30 a.m.
Order of Elder Chairpersons
Holiday Inn
7 a.m.
Any questions concerning banquets during annual conference should be directed to
the Rev. Brian K. Brown, coordinator, at (703) 360-9450 or e-mail <[email protected]>.
17
Religious News from Around the . . .
Nation & World
Gambling Addiction Becomes
Fast-growing Concern Among Seniors
P
at Fowler, who runs the National Council on Problem Gambling, said a growing number of
calls to her help line are from seniors
who are problem gamblers.
“It’s not unusual for us to hear from
an older person who has lost hundreds
of thousands of dollars, and they usually lose it all in a short time,” said
Fowler. “In some cases, senior citizens
become so addicted to gambling that
they risk money earmarked for prescription drugs.”
The Rev. John Eades, a United
Methodist pastor from Murfreesboro,
Tenn., recalled a 70-year-old man who
lost everything to gambling. “He
started gambling when he was 68, and
he lost his home and his retirement.”
Eades, a professional addiction counselor, knows the dangers, after battling a
gambling addiction himself.
“Casinos and other gambling outlets target older Americans because
seniors often have free time and discretionary income,” Fowler said. “They
use perks such as free meals and
drinks, cheap transportation, and coupons as lures designed to reel seniors
in. They also entice retirees with promotional mailings and advertising.”
Fowler said a casino in Iowa even
offered discounts on prescription
drugs.
Experts say another factor in the
rising number of problem senior gamblers is the ever-increasing accessibility of gambling outlets. Before 1990,
casino gambling was legal in just two
states. Today, 28 states allow casinos
to do business. Forty-eight states have
legalized gambling in some form.
18
The bright lights of casinos are enticing to more and more senior citizens
who are becoming addicted to gambling.
The Rev. Tom Grey, a United Methodist and executive director of the National
Coalition Against Legalized Gambling,
isn’t surprised that casinos target older
Americans. “They are bottom-line
people; all that matters is money,” Grey
said. “Why would we expect people that
sell a product that is addictive should
have any concern if they sell that product to the old or the sick?”
Grey has battled with gambling
interests in 49 states and five countries, fighting to stop or at least limit
gambling’s spread. The United Methodist Church opposes gambling in any
form. In its Book of Discipline, the
church condemns gambling as a “menace to society, deadly to the best inter-
ests of moral, social, economic, and
spiritual life, and destructive of good
government.”
Grey urged congregations to offer
seniors more alternative free-time
activities in an attempt to keep their
older parishioners out of casinos. He
said religious leaders haven’t done
enough to fight gambling forces looking to expand. “I naively expected that
the church would want to get in a
good fight, but as far as a national
battle, it hasn’t happened. America
should be ashamed of itself that it has
let gambling have a free ride, and I
mean the political and the religious
establishment,” Grey said. ❑
— UMNS
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Counselors Say Churches Must
Confront Pornography Addictions
C
ounselor Roberta Beckmann
has some free advice for
churches: Stop ignoring the
danger of Internet pornography.
Preach it. Now. Start support groups.
Train people to lead them. Sponsor
Twelve Step gatherings. Devote a
classroom to the subject. Get over the
embarrassment.
Addictions inflamed by Internet
porn are washing up at the church’s
door. Pornography addiction is damaging Christian marriages, young people
and pastors, too. It is hurting God’s
church.
“God’s still the healer, but people
first have to admit they have a problem,” said Beckmann, director of counseling at Asbury UMC in Wichita,
Kan., and a 30-year member of the
congregation. “Churches are going to
have to step up and talk about sexual
sins. The Bible does. This stuff could
destroy our country.”
The Wichita church is conspicuous
locally for tackling the problem of sex
addictions. It has sponsored support
groups for men who have a destructive
porn habit. The congregation advertised the program in local media to
open the invitation citywide. Group
members used the book Every Man’s
Battle, by Stephen Arterburn, Fred
Stoeker and Mike Yorkey, as a guide.
“The church has to be THE place to
talk about it,” said the Rev. Bob
Sample, associate minister at Asbury.
“There are going to be times when
God calls us into these situations that
have to be addressed. It’s not easy.
That’s why we need to walk by faith.
That’s why we need to give ourselves
to Christ every day. Internet porn is
attacking our youth (and) our older
generation, too.”
Asbury’s aggressive attitude is an
exception. The church is one of the
few United Methodist congregations
known to be mobilizing programs and
strategies against easy-access, anonymous Internet porn.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
The human toll
mentor who helps
of online porn
keep the person
appears to be
accountable
spreading. More
through e-mail
pastors are spendcorrespondence.
ing time counselThe free program
ing broken marfocuses on the
riages damaged by
study of biblical
a spouse who
principles and the
habitually
confession of sin
watches Web site
to the people
Counselors are calling churches to
porn for sexual
affected. It also
action against pornography addiction. encourages facegratification.
“It’s not a
to-face accountuniquely United Methodist problem,
ability partners with a pastor or other
but I don’t know that our churches
trusted local mentor in one’s life.
have come to grips with it as a wholeBuehl said he knows of few local
sale matter on a Sunday morning,”
church programs that deal with the
said the Rev. Joseph Harris, top staff
subject of Internet porn addiction. “I
executive of the Commission on
try to tell every pastor I meet about
United Methodist Men, based in Nashsettingcaptivesfree.com,” he said. “I
ville, Tenn. “If we’re going to be relcould talk all day about grace. What
saved me was the resurrection of
evant, we have to say how our faith
Christ, the power of God, to change my
makes a difference on such an issue.”
life. It’s about joy, faithfulness, selfOthers worry that Protestantism’s
control.”
traditional reluctance to talk about
All addictions are driven by shame
sex offers little preparation for a potenand self-hatred, one observer said. A
tial social meltdown of sexual dysfuncchurch should be a place that invites a
tion, driven by the rise of Internet
person to feel hope and renewal, not
porn. There are now an estimated 4
shame.
million pornographic Web sites (or 12
“A lot of ministers are reluctant to
percent of all sites), with 372 million
address this problem in the pulpit
Web pages, according to the Internet
because they fear they’ll get in trouble
Filter Review.
for doing X-rated material,” said
Some 20 percent of men admit to
Donald Joy, retired professor at Asbury
accessing porn at work. Forty million
Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.
U.S. adults “regularly visit” Internet
Joy said the church does its best evanporn sites, according to Internet Filter
gelism when it faces human problems
Review. The average age of first Interwith emotional honesty. “Let people
net porn exposure is reportedly 11.
know there is a place to unload all
The largest consumer of online porn is
that and get help — right here, the
the 12 to 17 age group.
church.” ❑
Ted Buehl, a United Methodist in
suburban Cleveland, used to have a
— Ray Waddle, UMNS
porn problem. It ruined his first marLooking for help?
riage, he said. But now he serves as a
The official United Methodist Web site,
mentor to those who are struggling.
<www.umc.org>, lists a number of sources
He’s associated with the online proof help for those struggling with addiction
gram, <settingcaptivesfree.com>. Indito pornography. Visit the site and search,
viduals can sign up anonymously for a
“Sexuality.”
60-day program and be assigned a
19
Bishop Senses God’s Call to Revitalize
Black United Methodist Movement
S
even thousand United Methodist Women gathered May 4-7 at
the Anaheim, Calif., Convention
Center for worship and workshops,
exhibits and education, community
building and contemplation. The
theme for the event was, “Rise, Shine,
Give Glory to God.”
For more than 137 years, the
United Methodist Women organization
has offered the love of Christ and
“literally saved and served the lives of
millions of women, children and
youth” through its mission programs,
said Dr. Jan Love, chief executive of
the United Methodist Women’s division. The women filled out “money
transfer forms” to lobby Congress for a
more just budget; raised in excess of
$20,000 for mission through an earlymorning, 3-mile walk and delivered
more than 2,000 handmade prayer
shawls for later distribution by mission
institutions.
Love said she considered the assembly to be “a great big family reunion,”
strengthening community and “deepening people’s understanding of their
own faith journey.” The event opened
with a grand procession of banners
representing the 63 annual U.S. conferences of The United Methodist
Church. Kyung Za Yim, Women’s
Division president, welcomed participants and guided them in a call to
worship accompanied by Latino,
Tongan, African and Native American
drumming. Chikara Daiko, a group
from Centenary United Methodist
Church in the “Little Tokyo” neighborhood of Los Angeles, received an enthusiastic reaction for their Japanese
drumming.
Social justice issues were a key
focus of speakers May 5. Wahu Kaara,
founder of the Kenya Debt Relief
Network and a candidate in the 2007
presidential elections, knows living
examples of the feminization of poverty and told the women they must
speak “with unflinching courage.”
20
A procession of banners carried by United Methodist Women opens their 2006 assembly in
Anaheim, Calif. The theme for the event was, “Rise, Shine, Give Glory to God.” Photo: UMNS
Silvia Regina Lima e Silva, a Latin
American theologian, called attention
to the U.S. immigration debate by
condemning the proposed fence between the United States and Mexico
and calling increased border patrols “a
manifestation of a growing racism and
xenophobia which are becoming part
of everyday life.”
Anna Deavere Smith, known for her
performance art about controversial
issues — such as “Twilight: Los Angeles,” which focused on the 1992 civil
unrest following the Rodney King
verdict — gave an evening presentation about her journalistic style of
interviewing subjects and then interpreting their words. She spoke warmly
of her upbringing in the Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore — although she confessed she is
now an Episcopalian — and talked
about how she likes the repetition of
words through the Bible and prayer.
Her grandfather told her that “if you
say a word often enough, it becomes
you.” On May 6, the Rev. Don Saliers,
a composer of sacred music and profes-
sor at Candler School of Theology, and
his daughter, Emily, one half of popular
folk music duo the Indigo Girls, demonstrated through song how music “takes
us to places we wouldn’t have expected to go.” Three women —
Casimira Rodriguez Romero, the new
minister of justice for Bolivia; Kim
Hallowell, a young adult and advocate
against child labor; and Christy Tate
Smith, a disaster consultant for the
United Methodist Committee on Relief
— provided personal examples of how
Methodist women shine.
Their stories were incorporated in a
Bible study led by M. Garlinda Burton,
chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role
of Women, who urged assembly participants to find their own way to shine.
Saturday evening’s entertainment
featured the Clark University Steppers
from Atlanta, performing a style of dance
with roots from Africa, and the Ewha
Alumnae Choir of Seoul, Korea, composed of the Methodist-supported Ewha
University and Girls’ High School. ❑
— Linda Bloom, UMNS
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Friends of Latvia and Lithuania Promise a
Living Wage for Clergy Leadership
N
ew pastoral leadership is
emerging in the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania,
but help is needed in paying clergy
salaries, according to supporters.
The 11th Friends of Latvia and
Lithuania Initiative meeting, held
April 28-30 at Mt. Lebanon United
Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, highlighted the growing influence of
young, seminary-trained pastors in
their native land and the issue of low
pastoral salaries in the two countries.
Pastors are paid $250 in Latvia
and $270 in Lithuania. “In no way is
this a livable wage,” said the Rev.
William K. Quick, the partner church
coordinator for the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries and an
adjunct professor at United Methodist-
related Duke Divinity School in
Durham, N.C.
Three Latvian and three Lithuanian
indigenous leaders represented the
“rebirth of United Methodism” following a half-century of Soviet occupation
of the two countries. A Lithuanian
seminary student witnessed to the
country’s continued growth. These
representatives to the meeting were
selected by Bishop Oystein Olsen,
episcopal leader of the Nordic and
Baltic Area, which includes Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Estonia, as well as Latvia and Lithuania.
The bishop’s selection of these
pastors for the annual gathering
demonstrates the emergence of
younger clergy replacing missionary
pastors and assuming pastoral and
preaching responsibilities, Quick
said. The Latvia United Methodist
Church was reopened in 1991 and
the Lithuania Church in 1995. Today, there are 13 organized churches
in Latvia and 11 in Lithuania. The
total Methodist community served,
including the varied social outreach
ministries, reaches almost 5,000
people in the two countries. “Together, with the re-established UMC
in Latvia, we are allowed to feel that
we have been included in one large
family again, embraced by the love of
Jesus. . .so needed by the people in
Latvia today,” said the Rev. Arijs
Viksna, Latvia District superintendent, in a written message to the
Pittsburgh meeting. ❑
— UMNS
Judicial Council
Rejects Two Appeals
The United Methodist Judicial Council has rejected appeals to reconsider
two decisions that have created much
debate within the church.
The council voted not to revisit
Decisions 1031 and 1032, issued last
October and related to the case of the
Rev. Edward H. Johnson of South Hill,
Va. UMC, who blocked a practicing
homosexual man from taking membership in the church. Johnson was placed
on involuntary leave by his clergy
peers. Bishop Kammerer upheld the
action, but in Decision 1031, the Judicial Council ruled that Johnson’s due
process rights were violated when the
conference transformed an administrative complaint against him into a judicial complaint. In Decision 1032, the
council made a much more far-reaching
ruling, saying that the senior pastor of
a local church does have the right to
determine a person’s readiness for
membership. Following the rulings,
Kammerer returned Johnson to the
South Hill pulpit.
— Neill Caldwell, UMNS
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
21
Board of Church and Society Selects
Young People for Summer Internships
E
leven young people have been
selected as the 2006 United
Methodist Board of Church and
Society Ethnic and Young Adult summer interns.
The interns will be in the nation’s
capital June 4-Aug. 1. Interns live
together and are assigned to work in
organizations addressing social justice
concerns. The work is supplemented
by evening intern-led devotions, seminars on topics of timely social justice
concern, field trips and worship in area
United Methodist churches. The internship has been sponsored by the
board for the last 20 years. At least
200 previous participants now lead
the church in some way or influence
society in their vocations, said the
Rev. Neal Christie, executive with the
Board of Church and Society.
Agnes Poveda, a student at Florida
International University in Miami and
a member of United Wesley Hispanic
Methodist Church, was excited to be
chosen for a 2006 internship. “Her
compelling personal essay on immigration is more than appropriate during
this time, and she shows immense
sensitivity and concern for our
nation’s current situation,” Christie
said.
Being an immigrant from Cuba
“kind of defines who I am,” Poveda
said. In her essay, she wrote about
America being the land of freedom and
a place where people come to live out
their dreams. “Immigrants come to the
United States because they are going
through economic hardships in their
country,” she said. “They come here
with a dream. Most have been here a
long time, they pay taxes and don’t
have a chance to become citizens and
I don’t think that is fair. As a Christian I believe in justice and I believe
in this country.” Poveda said she applied for the internship because of her
family. “We all came from Cuba and I
am pretty much the only one who is
making a career here,” she said. Her
22
mother became a Methodist in Cuba
when Poveda was 3 years old. “I have
been a Methodist ever since,” she said.
“I know I can make a difference. God
has been with me every step of the
way.”
The Ethnic and Young Adult summer interns program is open to young
adults ages 18-22 representing the
five ethnic caucuses of The United
Methodist Church — Black, Hispanic,
Asian, Native American and Pacific
Islander.
“Please keep them in your prayers
as they prepare to live and work in
Christian community many miles from
their homes,” Christie asked. ❑
— UMNS
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
23
Faith in action at the . . .
Local Church
▲ In April, Gary Eichler, organist of
Highland UMC, Petersburg District,
and his wife, Shirley, traveled to Pass
Christian, Miss., to deliver a check to
the Rev. Theodore Williams, pastor of
St. Pauls UMC, one of the churches
severely damaged by Hurricane
Katrina. Above, Eichler (left) presents
Rev. Williams (center) a check for
$11,800 from Highland UMC.
Members of Center Point UMC,
Lynchburg District, pitched in to cut
16,000 feet of plastic mesh into 7,664
bags that will be used for the annual
sweet potato drop at the Virginia Annual Conference in Hampton. The 48member congregation had 30 people
attend the bag party. and enjoyed
pizza and ice cream furnished by the
United Methodist Women to energize
them to get the job done. This has
been an annual project for the church
for five years.
▲ The “Knit 1, Pray 1” group at
Westhampton UMC, Richmond District, recently blessed prayer shawls
made by members of the congregation.
24
The Wesley Characters of Wesley
Memorial UMC, Norfolk District, celebrated their 20th year by presenting
“It’s Cool in the Furnace,” the musical
story of Daniel, on Sunday, May 7. The
Wesley Characters organized in 1986
when they produced “It’s Cool in the
Furnace II.” This year’s production
was a combination of “It’s Cool in the
Furnace I and II. The group’s mission
has been to spread the word of God
through drama, and to support missions. Over the years they have supported projects such as Habitat for
Humanity, World Hunger, UMCOR,
Heifer Project, and missionaries in the
field. To schedule the Wesley Players
for a visit to your church, please contact
Eileen Ballance at (757) 857-6680.
▲ Lt. Ned Alderman, CHC, USNR,
from Cheriton UMC, Eastern Shore
District, performed the sacrament of
baptism on Easter Sunday. Above, AZ3
Mitch Massey of squadron VFA-113 at
NAS Lemoore, California, is baptized
aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. The
VFA-113 squadron is one of eight
squadrons that make up Carrier Air
Group 14, which Alderman serves as
chaplain. Massey was one of four sailors from the airwing baptized in a
sunrise service on the flight deck. The
carrier is on its maiden voyage. Eight
sailors from the ship’s company were
also baptized that morning by LCDR
Roger VanDerWerken, who is from the
American Baptist Church.
▲ Emily Benson, an 18-year-old
senior at Spotswood High School in
Rockingham County and president of
the United Methodist Youth Fellowship at Port Republic UMC, Harrisonburg District, went on a mission trip to
New Orleans over Christmas break.
When she came home she knew she
had to do more. Thus was born the “I
Love New Orleans” project. Benson
organized drop sites at Spotswood
High School, Montevideo Middle
School, and McGaheysville Elementary School. She recruited 33 volunteers to sort and box the donated
items. Beam Brothers Trucking graciously volunteered to ship the items
to New Orleans, free of charge. High
school volunteers joined the friends
and members of Port Republic UMC to
load the truck. Local businesses also
pitched in to lend a hand with the
project, including Bailey Furniture
Restorations, Signs USA, Daily News
Record, and WLTK/WBTX Radio.
Benson will be a student at Virginia
Wesleyan College in Norfolk this fall
with her sights set on ordained ministry and mission work. Above, (left to
right) Steve Burns (Benson’s Sunday
school teacher), Benson, and Chandler
Hardy (member of Port Republic UMC),
load the truck with donated items.
“We have truly made a difference in
the people’s lives,” said Benson. “God
bless you all!”
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Six years ago, members of Stokesland
UMC, in Danville, Va., became aware
of the need for addiction recovery
resources in the community. In response, Stokesland began a Christian
Twelve Step program which meets
weekly at the church. The group’s
facilitator is Sue Fleming. Having
spent years participating in Twelve
Step work as a nurse, through Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous
and Al-Anon through her profession as
a nurse, Fleming felt privileged to
share her experience, strength, and
hope with the new group. Every aspect of addiction is represented at
these meetings —from the addict, to
the family member, or friend trying
to help them stop. Members begin
each day with Ephesians 6:10-17: “Be
strong in the Lord and in his mighty
power. Put on the full armor of God.”
The group receives referrals from the
local mental health center, therapists
and others. Group members encourage
confidentiality and regular attendance at all Twelve Step meetings.
Seven local
churches have
recently been
recognized by
Igniting Ministry, an arm of
United Methodist Communications, as Welcoming Congregations.
Among those recognized from the
Virginia Conference were Park UMC
in Christiansburg; Scott Memorial
UMC in Virginia Beach, Bowling
Green UMC in Bowling Green,
Westhampton UMC in Richmond,
Fairfax UMC in Fairfax, Grace UMC
in Newport News, Main Street UMC
in Suffolk, and Trinity Poquoson
UMC in Poquoson. In order to receive
this certification, congregations must
achieve a minimum of 100 points
per year on the Igniting Ministry
certification worksheet. Documentation is also required. More information about the process is available at
the Igniting Ministry Web site,
<www.ignitingministry.org>, or by
calling toll-free: 1-877-281-6535.
Churches Called to Prepare for
2006 Hurricane Disaster Response
Local churches have been generous
in their support for congregations and
individuals affected by the 2005 hurricanes, leading to record levels of giving. As is so often the case, Virginia
Conference congregations have been
leading the way with those efforts.
With the 2006 hurricane season
officially beginning on June 1, Bishop
Charlene Kammerer has sent an appeal to the churches of the Virginia
Conference to begin making preparations for another busy season.
Churches are encouraged to be familiar with the Virginia Disaster Response Plan, which includes instructions for everyone from the bishop to
members of local congregations. The
plan is available on the conference
Web site. Visit <www.vaumc.org> and
click, “Ministries » Disaster Response »
Disaster Response and Recovery
Plan.” For more information, call the
conference office of Lay Life and Work
at 1-800-768-6040 or (804) 5211100, ext. 154.
A Sabbath Read
2006
A Publication of the Virginia Conference
Board of Discipleship
Division of Spiritual Formation
A Sabbath Read 2006 is the newest publication of the Division of Spiritual Formation, featuring
contributions from lay and clergy members of the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church. This edition
offers a year’s worth of devotional writings, poetry, art, and photography which are appropriate for both individual
and group use. Copies are only $3.00 each , including handling and shipping. Payment must accompany orders.
ORDER FORM
Please print or type
Name:__________________________________________________________Number of Copies: ________
Address: _________________________________________________________________________________
Street
City/State
Zip Code
E-mail Address:_________________________________________ Daytime Phone: (_____) ____________
(preferred for order confirmation)
(needed only if no e-mail available)
Enclose check, made payable to: “Virginia UM Conference” and noted “Division of Spiritual Formation”
MAIL TO:
Ginny Chambers, Adm. Assistant for Discipleship
Virginia United Methodist Center, P.O. Box 1719, Glen Allen, VA 23060
For more information, call 1-800-768-6040 or (804) 521-1100, ext. 153; or e-mail [email protected]
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
25
Devotions from International Lesson Series
Living the Word
June 4, 2006
Living in unity
1 Corinthians 1:10
T
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Benjamin Pratt,
a twice graduate
of Wesley
Seminary, is a
retired elder in
the Virginia
Conference and
was the founding pastor of
Good Shepherd
UMC, Dale City.
He served for 30
years as a
pastoral counselor on Capitol
Hill and in Fairfax
City. He is currently teaching a
graduate course
at Marymount
University
concerning Loss
and Grief. On
Nov. 5, 2006, he
will conduct a
seminar at the
Smithsonian
Institute on the
moral and
theological
issues in the
James Bond
novels, in a
course called
Casino Royale:
Ian Fleming and
James Bond’s
Secret. Benjamin
and his wife,
Judith, have
been married for
43 years and
have two daughters and four
grandchildren.
26
hroughout my career as a
pastoral counselor, I have listened to the vehement anger of
church members who refused to worship
any longer with their pastor whose style
and perspectives on the gospel make
him/her their object of scorn. Such
church members want to hear only
their perspective preached and they
want neither peace nor reconciliation.
People who live with such angry resolve, validated by their own certainty of
faith, are rarely responsive to reason and
an appeal for unity. Their deeply passionate conviction blinds them to the
reality that they are addicted to their
own religious posture and desire for
power, overriding any desire for communal unity.
An addiction attaches our desire and
bonds our energy to certain specific
ideas, behaviors, things, and people.
Addiction is the most powerful psychic
enemy against a relationship with God.
Addictions bring strife and disunity to
self and community.
Strife in our world and our local
churches is rooted in an addiction to
religious ideas girded by a belief in
perfection. . . that belief that there is a
right way to think and do faith. . . “we’ll
find it and we’ll live it.” Paul’s text
focuses us on our addictions to possessive ideas and power.
These addictions are our own worst
enemies. They enslave us with chains
that are of our own making, yet paradoxically are beyond our control. We
wear them like a devil on our backs.
They make idolaters of us all because
they force us to worship these objects of
our desire, thereby preventing us from
truly, freely loving God, ourselves and
our neighbors. Although Paul appealed
to each of us to make a willful choice of
“unity,” he knew that freedom would
only come by the grace and love of God
rather than our own willful efforts.
Our churches today, as in Paul’s time,
are filled with persons who proclaim
devotion to the triune Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. In reality the majority of us
are idolatrous, even addicted, worshipers
of the false trinity of possessions, power,
and human relationships. Thus Paul
calls each of us to the task of “dying to
ourselves” in order to put the best interest of our Christian community ahead of
our own addiction to power. Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all
of you be in agreement that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be
united in the same mind and the same
purpose. ❑
June 11, 2006
Finding wisdom
1 Corinthians 2:13
L
isten to the good news: Our addictions may be the very venue to
God’s most loving grace.
We Protestants often have had addictive love affairs with ideas and words
which have resulted in numerous splits
in the church. Some have addictively
attached themselves to “right words and
right beliefs” and justified their power
moves under the guise of knowing the
only way to salvation. I am not denying
that our thoughts and our ideas are
important, but I do know that for many
of us it is not ideas and beliefs that drew
us into a transforming relationship with
God. In fact, precise ideas and words and
actions presented as the only acceptable
pathway to God keep many a spiritual
seeker away from our faith. That which
has the greatest potential for making us
available for God’s cleansing grace is
found not in our rational thinking but
through disciplined individual and corpoVirginia Advocate/June 2006
rate practices that open us to the Spirit
of God: prayer, singing, acts of individual
and corporate compassion, opening our
doors widely to persons of all walks of
life.
Can we be healed from our addictions
to ideas, words, and power? Only by the
grace of God! Rarely are our addictions
healed by conventional therapy or reason. As Bill W., the co-founder of AA
(Alcoholics Anonymous) learned, one is
transformed by a genuine spiritual or
religious conversion — spiritus contra
spiritum.
The addict gives up willfulness in
favor of willingness. This is a gift of the
Spirit of God. What happens is not a
reframing of reality as happens in
therapy but a seeing and surrender to a
reality beyond all frames. In such a
conversion, each of us who is attached
to our ideas learns to rest our self-worth
not in our ability to defend our positions
or ourselves, but rather in God’s boundless love. This frees us to quiet our own
voice and to hear and yield ourselves to
the wisdom of God’s Spirit and to extend
grace rather than to force others. Only
when this happens can we grasp the
depth of Paul’s words: This is what we
speak, not in words taught us by human
wisdom but in words taught by the
Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in
spiritual words. ❑
June 18, 2006
Building together
1 Corinthians 3:9
J
esus taught in parables. Listen to a
parable for our times.
The two leading physicists of the
20th century were Albert Einstein and
Niels Bohr. Einstein recalls that when
he first met Bohr he felt extremely close
to him. He wrote of a feeling of love for
him. In the early years of their relationship the two men spent countless hours
discussing physics in an animated way.
After a few years the relationship developed a chasm which they did not close.
Their conversations faltered because
they had two different assumptions
(attachments) or opinions about what
was the way to the truth. Bohr’s judgments were based on his views of quanVirginia Advocate/June 2006
tum theory and Einstein’s on his view
of relativity. It went on and neither
yielded, so they drifted apart, not to see
each other for years.
Then one year, both of them were at
the Institute for Advanced Study at
Princeton. Still they didn’t talk. Herman
Weyl, a mathematician, was so concerned about this breach that he arranged a party to which Einstein and
Bohr and their respective students were
invited. Einstein and his associates
stayed at one end of the room while
Bohr and his associates stayed at the
other end. They wouldn’t get together
because their attachment to one view of
the “truth” prevented them from sharing
any meaning or meaningful dialogue.
Their attachment to their “truth” disabled communion and meaning.
Let those who have the heart to hear,
hear! Paul heard and reflected it in: For
we are God’s servants, working together;
you are God’s field, God’s building. ❑
June 25, 2006
Serving responsibly
1 Corinthians 4:1
P
aul says: Think of us in this way,
as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. There is
no greater witness to the reality that
the Spirit of God fills our soul than a
disciplined practice of prayer. As stewards of prayer we become servants of
love, joy, light, forgiveness, hope, and
compassion. . . thus, servants of Christ.
Most of us need to practice a more
disciplined prayer life if we expect to
resist the devil that seems to have such
a powerful grip on us. Jesus says that
the most important aspect about prayer
is persistence. The way Jesus describes
it is always comic. He says God is like a
friend you go to borrow bread from at
midnight. Midnight! And the friend tells
you to “Drop dead, I’m trying to sleep!”
But you go on knocking anyway until
he finally gives you what you want so
he can go back to bed. Beat a path to
God’s door, not because God doesn’t
want to open it but because until I beat
a path to God’s door, there may be no
way of God getting to my door.
Prayer seems like that beautiful
quality of a child to trust. Children trust
not because they have reasoned to a
point of belief, but because they yearn
for the safety of one more confident
than they. Prayer is for us who are willing to persist in doing something that is
both childlike and absolutely crucial.
There is no right way to pray. There is
only the way that works for each of us.
These are some of the practices of prayer
which are most important to me when I
seem to doubt the presence of God in my
life and when I find myself most powerless before my addictive attachments to
those desires which lead me to hurt
myself and others that I love. One of the
prayer practices that has become so
much a part of me is singing the doxology each morning as I walk the 25 yards
down my driveway to retrieve the newspaper. I have done it so long now that
singing on that driveway seems possible
at anytime I approach it. I have done the
same with sirens. Each time I hear a
siren, I consider it a call to prayer. I
usually pray something like “God bless
those in pain, those who care for them,
and make me a more compassionate
person.”
There is one communal practice
which gives meaning to all of the
prayers and practices — Holy Communion. We often come to the table with
doubt, loneliness, uncertainty, yearning,
anger, despair and grief, sometimes
deeply convicted of our sin, powerless
before our own addictive devils. There
are other times we come with profound
joy, gladness, forgiveness and a sense of
connection with God and with others,
full of thanksgiving and of praise.
To this practice of communion, we
come week after week, returning to hear
the story and to share the practice. We
do this until the story becomes so
deeply embedded into our being that we
carry it in our bones and flesh into all
the walks of our life. We carry the story
in our yearning souls beneath our reason and our understanding. We carry it
in the very gait of our step. We carry the
great good news that we are loved by
the God who gave us life and the one
who will call us unto death and the one
who will give us life even beyond death.
We carry it as stewards of God’s mysteries. ❑
27
To the Editor
Letters & Commentary
Christ-based Recovery Programs Offer
Another Opportunity for Congregations
Industrial and Commercial Ministries
Sees Addiction as Growing Problem
Statistics say that 1 in 10 people are addicted to alcohol
in our society. Who are these people? They are mothers,
fathers, sisters, brothers, co-workers, employers, employees,
neighbors, teachers, politicians, policemen, doctors, lawyers,
factory workers — they may even be us! Addiction is no
respecter of race, creed, gender, class or nationality.
Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
we must live in an imperfect world. But thanks be to God,
who sent Jesus Christ, to atone for us so that we might be
reconciled to Him. These are not just pretty words, they are
what we have to offer one another because we all are sinners and are in need of healing and recovery.
For many years, people knew about Twelve Step meetings that took place in their community. It became apparent
early on in the development of these programs that they
would reach more people of different backgrounds if Jesus
Christ was not so openly acknowledged. That is why Twelve
Step programs speak of relying on a “higher power.” This
approach is very inclusive, but as Christians, we know that
there is much more. Sometimes we feel stifled in a traditional Twelve Step meeting.
That is why I am happy to say that there are some Christian-based recovery programs out there. Church leaders at
Prince of Peace UMC in Manassas, Va., recently learned of
such a program, called “Celebrate Recovery.” The recovery
principles are based on the principles of the Sermon on the
Mount. There are now more than 200 churches in the
United States and around the world that have “Celebrate
Recovery” ministries in their churches.
In “Celebrate Recovery,” group members are able to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the one who gives strength
for recovery against addiction. The format of the program
can be geared to large or small groups. The teachings are
geared to a set of workbooks that each individual can work
through during the year.
“Celebrate Recovery” maintains a list of groups and
meeting times at <www.celebraterecovery.com>. People
from all over the world access this Web site to find Christcentered support for their needs. This program can be a
great tool to reach people outside of the church. Congregations should look into “Celebrate Recovery” if they are
interested in building a ministry to extend the love of
Christ to all. For more information, visit the Prince of Peace
UMC Web site, <www.popumc.org>, or call the church office
at (703) 670-4143.
— Brenda Overall, Manassas, Va.
The seminars conducted by Industrial and Commercial
Ministries (ICM) contains a required course called, “Dealing with Chemical Abuse.” The workbook for this class
contains materials dealing with this issue. Addiction has
always been a problem within American culture. Today,
the problem of addiction is statistically much worse than
it was at the beginning of the last century, when the
country tried Prohibition.
It is interesting that people in the United States are
so upset over the deaths in Iraq [more than 2,360 United
States soldiers have died since hostilities began in
March 2003] but fail to express concern for the more
than 40,000 deaths on the highways of our country each
year. Persons driving under the influence of alcohol and
other chemicals account for more than half of those
deaths: over 20,000 each year. That means that since
the Iraq war began, up to 60,000 people have been killed
on our highways, due to a problem that is culturally accepted as a normal way of life.
— Jerry John
28
Pride for Native Americans
I read with great interest the articles by Larry Jent, editor, Chief Stephen R. Adkins, and Chief Kenneth Adams in
the March 2006 Advocate. I believe it is very important to
reach out to the American people throughout this nation
and explain the true history of Native Americans. Your
articles are a fine example of attempting to do exactly that.
I was shocked to learn of Walter Ashby Plecker, who took it
upon his authority to eradicate all references to Indians on
their vital records. This individual was truly a racist, along
with the state legislators and universities who supported
this movement, and will forever cast a long dark shadow
over Virginia history.
Why these American Indians are still discriminated
against by Congress is a question that has been asked for
centuries. Unfortunately, I do not see an answer in the near
future. I have a great deal of pride for the Native Americans
whose journey has been cruel and long for too long. We can
only hope and pray one day someone will champion the
effort to give the “True Americans” their rightful recognition, in a nation of people who boast that we are truly a
nation with liberty and justice for all. Thank you again for
these educational articles.
— Albert N. Henley, via e-mail
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
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RODGERS ORGAN CONSOLE for Oxford
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Your ad in the Virginia Advocate
reaches thousands of
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across the Virginia Conference.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
____________________
29
News of Church Leaders
Clergy & Diaconal
Deaths
The Rev. Jacob
W. Mast, 93, died
April 26, 2006.
He began his
ministerial career
in 1937 at
Wachapreague.
He went on to
serve PungoRev. Mast
teague, Pittsylvania, Onancock, as a chaplain in the
Army, Princess Anne, Charity, Hinton
Avenue, Blackstone, Central in
Hampton, Braddock Street, South
Roanoke, Ginter Park, and superintendent of the Lynchburg District. He
retired in 1977. He served
Bethlehem Church in Moneta for 10
years during his retirement.
Survivors include a son, Jake.
Mrs. May Caldwell, wife of the Rev.
Samuel F. Caldwell, died March 14,
2006. Samuel is a retired pastor living
in Rustburg, Lynchburg District.
Mrs. Agnes C. Shepherd, widow of
the Rev. Merle E. Shepherd, died April
7, 2006.
Mrs. Mary Catherine Stokes,
widow of the Rev. W. Benjamin Stokes
Sr., died April 8, 2006.
Mrs. Martha Fisher, mother of the Rev.
John Fisher, died April 25, 2006. John is
pastor of the West Staunton Charge.
Mrs. Nelwyn Finley Stallings,
mother of the Rev. William Finley III,
died April 25, 2006. Bill is on incapacity leave living in the Blacksburg,
Roanoke District.
Mr. John J. Kelchner Sr., father of
the Rev. John J. “Jay” Kelchner Jr., died
May 1, 2006. Jay is pastor of Round
Hill Church, Winchester.
Ms. Dorothy Car Berry, sister of
the Rev. Harry L. Kidd Jr., died May 11,
2006. Harry is a retired pastor living
in Kentucky.
30
Ann Tang Named
Chaplain of the Year
Service of Appreciation
Scheduled for Hewitts
Chaplain (Capt.) Ann On-Lin Tang
was selected as Chaplain of the Year
for 2006 at a ceremony recently held
at the Hilton Washington Hotel in
Washington, D.C.
The award, given by the Reserve Officers Association,
is a milestone in a
military career for
the Hong Kong native who didn’t gain
U.S. citizenship until 2002.
“My father
moved the family
to Hong Kong
Chaplain Tang
because of the
Communist Party,” said Tang. “We
were a Christian family, and would
attend a Methodist church in Hong
Kong.” After finishing school in Hong
Kong, Tang studied in England, before
moving to the United States.
“I felt I was home here,” said Tang.
“In 1992 my mother, father, and
brother had already become citizens.”
In 1996, Tang became a permanent
resident and was also ordained as a deacon in The United Methodist Church. This
was also the same year she decided to
join the Army Reserve as a chaplain.
In early 2003, Tang was mobilized
and stationed in Iraq under Operation
Iraqi Freedom. During this time Tang
was promoted to captain.
“I provided support for soldiers and
contractors,” said Tang.
After Iraq, Tang went to school at the
Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Ga., for Clinical Pastoral Education.
“I applied for the course, and after
that I went back to my church as an
associate pastor [of Immanuel UMC in
Annandale],” said Tang.
Tang was mobilized Jan. 23 for Operation Enduring Freedom and is currently serving in the chaplain’s office
at DeWitt Army Community Hospital.
A “Service
of Farewell and
Appreciation”
will be held
Sunday, June
4, 2006, 3-5
p.m. at Market
Street UMC in
Jim and Lynda Hewitt
Onancock, Va.,
in honor of the
Rev. James A. Hewitt III and his wife,
Lynda. Family and friends are invited.
A reception will follow the service.
Reservations are not required.
Jim currently serves as superintendent of the Eastern Shore District and
will be taking a local church appointment in northern Virginia following
annual conference.
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
Grace Notes . . .
Connecting with the
Guidelines for Civility in Conferencing
Dear Friends,
Charlene Payne
Kammerer
Bishop of the
Virginia Conference
As we approach our annual conference meeting in Hampton, I want to invite us to begin preparation for the opportunity for Christian Conferencing. In the years 1997 and
1998, United Methodist participants in the Dialogues on
Theological Diversity practiced and recommended “Guidelines for Civility in The United Methodist Church.” These
dialogues were sponsored by the General Commission on
Christian Unity and included United Methodists of very
diverse backgrounds and theological convictions.
As the delegates review the Book of Reports for annual
conference, I ask us to be in prayer over every part of our
agenda, for those who will lead, those who serve, and those
who will deliberate. Here are 10 guidelines that will serve
us well whenever we gather at the local, district, annual
conference, or General Church levels.
1. Respect the personhood of others, while engaging
their ideas.
2. Carefully represent the views of those with whom we
are in disagreement.
3. Be careful in defining terms, avoiding needless use of
inflammatory words.
4. Be careful in the use of generalizations; where appropriate offer specific evidence.
5. Seek to understand the experiences out of which
others have arrived at their views. Hear the stories of
others, as we share our own.
6. Exercise care that expressions of personal offense at
the differing opinion of others not be used as means of
inhibiting dialogue.
7. Be a patient listener before formulating responses.
8. Be open to change in your own position and patient
with the process of change in the thinking and behavior of others.
9. Make use of facilitators and mediators where communication can be served by it.
10. Always remember that people are defined, ultimately,
by their relationship to God — not by the flaws we
discover or think we discover in their views and actions.
May God’s gracious Spirit hover over us as we hover over
one another in Christian love.
Grace and Peace,
Charlene Kammerer
Virginia Advocate/June 2006
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