Conference News & Views

State board gives final approval; nursing classes will begin during fall 2006 semester

PULASKI, Tenn. — The Tennessee Board of Nursing gave unanimous approval Wednesday to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for Martin Methodist College. The four-year degree program will begin in the fall of 2006.

“The members of the Board of Nursing were very complimentary of our proposal and the obvious thought and preparation that have been invested in bringing our program to this point,” said Dr. Ted Brown, president of Martin Methodist College. “This is a major accomplishment for Martin Methodist and proves once again the quality of our people and our plans for the future.”

The baccalaureate program addresses a critical health care need in Tennessee, especially in rural areas such as in the south central region. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that within the next five years Tennessee will have the most critical shortage of registered nurses of the 16 states that make up the Southern Regional Education Board. A key factor contributing to that shortage is a lack of credentialed faculty; Tennessee currently has 32 nursing programs, but only two within 50 miles of Pulaski – and they are both associate degree programs.

With this final approval by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, Martin Methodist College can now market the nursing degree and begin recruiting students to enroll in the nursing program. Dr. Ken Burns, professor of nursing and chairman of the nursing division, and nursing instructor Karen Ferguson have already joined the faculty and will begin teaching classes in the fall semester of 2006.

“I want to congratulate Dr. Burns for his leadership and the enormous commitment of time and energy he has made in this project,” Brown said. “Also, Dr. Jim Murrell, our vice president for academic affairs, provided key oversight and helped secure the funding that has been instrumental in assuring the success of our efforts.”

A series of informational meetings about Martin Methodist College’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will be held throughout the region over the next several weeks.

PASS THE WORD.

The Conference Committee on Native American Ministry (CCONAM) was established at General Conference and is in the Book of Discipline. There were changes in the newest edition concerning local church. Prior to 2004, the local church had a responsibility for a “Native American Ministries” representative. The new wording is: “Every local church at charge conference shall designate by nomination and election a minimum of one person per charge (without regard to race or ethnic origin) or a designated member of an established church committee to represent the need for better awareness of Native American contributions in the local church.” Page 436 ¶653

The conference committee has been committed to working with the local church and one of our responsibilities is to provide resources for Native American Ministry Sunday, one of the special Sunday offerings. We have worked diligently to garner resources and for the past three years, we have sponsored “Native American Training Institute”. Held in Nashville in the spring, we provided leadership, audio and visual materials, had speakers and cultural displays. This has been on a Saturday. In 2006, we decided to visit within the districts and are taking this opportunity to invite you to take part in “Native American Resource Opportunities” 2006.

We have three days for this conference-wide opportunity.

· February 26th Blakemore UMC 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
This is for Clarksville, Cumberland and Nashville Districts
· March 12th Lawrenceburg 1st UMC 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
This is for Columbia and Pulaski Districts
· April 2nd Smithville UMC 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
This is for Cookeville and Murfreesboro Districts
**If you miss your date, please let us know if you can attend on another date.

You will receive printed materials and audio resources which will help you work within your local church for promoting and celebrating Native American Ministry Sunday. We have worked with Cokesbury for some time now and will have a book display with books available for purchase and there will be light refreshments.

The CCONAM of the TN Conference maintains pages on the TN Conference web site, http://www.tnumc.org/. Click on Native American Ministries and read about our committee and purpose. We also maintain our own site, http://www.moccasinfootprints.org/.

Please call the conference office for more specific directions, to receive registration material, or to have questions answered
Mary T Newman
615-329-1177
1-800-403-5795
mtnewman@tnumc.org

Blakemore UMC is located at the corner of Bowling and (3601) West End Ave. just
off 440. The church number is 615-297-6519

Lawrenceburg 1st is located at 212 Waterloo St.
One block west of Lawrenceburg Square, one block south of Hwy. 64
The church number is 931-762-3696

Smithville UMC is located at 100 W. Church St.
From Cookeville take Silver Point exit go to Hwy 56 So. Cross lake,
Just before 1st stop light, turn on Church Street
From Murfreesboro come in on Hwy. 96, intersects Hwy 70, turn right and go thru Liberty and Dowelltown, water town on right go to first traffic light and turn left onto Mountain Street, after four way stop, take second right onto Church Street
The church number is 615-597-4961

**Our committee is active and committed in our goals. A resolution in 2005 included this yearly training as part of our commitment to working with and for Native Americans and the local church for understanding and awareness.

Money collected in the special offering are split and half remains in the Conference for hands on ministry. Half is dispensed for seminary scholarships for Native Americans and other educational programs.

+We have supplied books, Bibles and school supplies to Native Methodist mission churches in Mississippi
+We are active in the Southeast Jurisdictional Agency for Native American Ministries (SEJANAM)
+We have partnered with others to take clothes, school supplies, etc. to Mississippi and New Mexico
+We continue to develop a presence within the Native community in our conference; we have a booth at most Native events
+We sponsor a yearly health fair at MTSU during their American Indian Festival/powwow. Diabetes is highest in Native Americans (in the world) and its side effects are killers too. Last year, we added sight and hearing testing by the Lions Club
+We have a Native American ministry conference annually which includes workshops covering culture and traditions, music and worship. This is open to the public and to the local church. It is a great opportunity for interaction and education
+We welcome invitations from local churches and have provided speakers on several occasions thru the year. We bring displays, etc.
+We have begun to sponsor a scholarship for secondary school scholarships to Native students in Tennessee

***This special Sunday can be celebrated anytime in the year, not just on the
designated day. Let us know if we can help

So you can see that we are busy!! Join us and work in a Christ like manner for all.

Nashville, TN-- United Methodists gave more generously than ever before, surpassing the previous year’s total giving by more than 50%. This assessment of 2005 giving was reported today by Sandra K. Lackore, general secretary and treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) of The United Methodist Church.

Lackore stated, “In a year that brought much natural devastation to so many of our local congregations around the globe, we have a great deal to celebrate.”

“We celebrate the overwhelming generosity of the people of The United Methodist Church,” said Lackore. Explaining that total giving in 2005 was $85 million more than 2004, a 53.6% increase, Lackore reported that $80 million of the increase was given for tsunami and hurricane relief efforts.

Fifteen annual conferences were recognized for participating at the 100% level of all apportioned funds, an increase of three conferences over 2004. These conferences included:

Alaska Missionary (per adjustment in 2006)
Baltimore Washington
Central Pennsylvania
Desert Southwest
Detroit
Illinois Great Rivers
New York
North Carolina
Northern Illinois
Oklahoma Indian Missionary
Peninsula Delaware
Red Bird Missionary
Rio Grande
Texas
Wisconsin

Six additional annual conferences were recognized for participating at the 90% level or higher of all apportioned funds. These conferences were:

Arkansas Area
Holston
Louisiana
Oklahoma
North Texas
Southwest Texas

Lackore noted the faithfulness of the denomination to the connectional covenant of apportioned giving, citing the Mississippi and Louisiana Conferences that, in the midst of extreme devastation and hardship, maintained their apportioned giving at or slightly above their 2004 levels. The Alabama-West Florida, Florida, and Texas Conferences—greatly impacted by the hurricane season as well—were recognized for maintaining or slightly increasing their participation rate in apportioned giving.

In closing her report Lackore concluded, “We celebrate the faithfulness of so many local congregations and conferences in meeting their commitment to the apportioned general funds in 2005. These funds drive the financial mission statement of our denomination. By working together and fully participating in the general apportioned funds, we make possible the mission and ministry of Christ.”

Lackore communicated these findings with annual conference communicators in a live Web cast coordinated by United Methodist Communications.

Tennessee Conference clergy are invited to attend a one-day workshop, April 18, 2006, where participants learn to administer and interpret the PREPARE/ENRICH Inventories to couples being counseled. The workshop will be held at Blakemore United Methodist Church, 3601 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Trainer for the event is the Rev. Tom Carter, a consultant with the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, where he helps organize the application and endorsement process for chaplain candidates.

The PREPARE/ENRICH program was developed by Dr. David H. Olsen, Professor Emeritus of Family Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota. The PREPARE/ENRICH program is based on a set of five inventories that examine major relationship issues a couple may experience. These inventories must be administered by a trained PREPARE/ENRICH Counselor and include 4-6 feedback sessions in which the counselor facilitates discussion between the couple based on their inventory results.

The training will focus on administering and interpreting the five couple inventories:PREPARE – for premarital couples PREPARE-MC – for premarital couples with children PREPARE-CC – for cohabiting couples with or without children ENRICH – for couples seeking marriage enrichment or counseling MATE – for couples over the age of 50 making life transitions.

Tom Carter, a native of Newark, Delaware, received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware in Agricultural Education and Economics. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University with concentration in Pastoral Counseling and Sociology; a Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counseling from Long Island University; and a Master of Arts degree in Management from Central Michigan University.

Before his work with the United Methodist Endorsing Agency he served as Associate Council Director for Camping and Retreat Ministry, Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference, and from 1965 to 1993 served in the Chaplain Branch, United States Army where his duties covered everything from being an installation chaplain to command level management and administration. He has also along the way been an Adjunct Professor, teaching courses in Psychology, Religion, and Management, at four different colleges---St. Leo College (Florida), Hawaii Pacific College, Chiaminade University, and the University of Hawaii.

Scott Aleridge, pastor of the Inglewood UM Church, Nashville District, says: “As a pastor, I have found the Prepare/Enrich program to be a wonderful tool that helps me enable couples to walk through a positive process of pre-marital counseling. Through the Prepare/Enrich program, couples are able to discover their strengths as well as possible growth areas before the wedding day. Moreover, the program allows flexibility so that the pastor or counselor can tailor the counseling session specifically for the couple. For me, it is one of the tools I rely on as part of my ministry.”

His comments are echoed by Paul E. Gardner, pastor of the Blakemore UMC in Nashville: “Several couples I counsel are away at school or live in other places. Since our face to face time is so limited, the online evaluation tool can help me focus the time on the specific areas that couples need to explore. The tools will help me know what questions to ask to maximize our time together. It offers a complete counseling package that will make a difference in the couple’s lives as they grow in love with each other.”Cost for the PREPARE/ENRICH Counselor Certification Training is $140 which includes a training manual.To obtain a registration form and/or additional information. Email: tomcarter@juno.com Phone: 615.665.3117. For additional information on the PREPARE/ENRICH program go to web site: http://www.prepare-enrich.com/

The next Sexual Ethics/Safe Sanctauries training is scheduled for Friday, March 17-Saturday, March 18, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. each day at Lebanon First UMC.

All clergy under appointment and ministerial candidates are required to attend this two-day training event by the end of 2007. It is strongly encouraged that local church staff persons not under appointment, particularly those who work with children and/or youth also attend this training. The cost is $40.00 per person which includes training materials and lunch on both days.

On Saturday, for the Safe Sanctuaries part of the training, you are asked to bring a team of key leadership from your church - Administrative Council Chair, SPRC chair, Trustees Chair, Children and Youth Coordinator, and others who will be responsible for creating policies and procedures for creating a safe environment for children and youth. Their cost will be $20 per person.

This in-depth, informative training will provide you insight into Sexual Ethics and provide you practical guidelines for developing Safe Sanctuaries within your local congregation. The Sexual Ethics component of the training will raise your awareness of issues of power that you hold as a pastor or staffperson and ways to develop healthy boundaries. Trained leaders will be guiding the group using the FaithTrust Institute Curriculum. The Safe Sanctuaries component of the training will provide you practical guidelines for creating safe environments for children and start your team in the process of writing Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Procedures for your local church.

Each district in the conference in the TN Conference is hosting this training. Nashville District held it's training last September. The following training dates are scheduled for other districts:

Cumberland March 17-18, 2006 Lebanon First UMC
Clarksville September 8-9, 2006 Hilldale UMC
Columbia November 10-11, 2006 TBA
Pulaski March 10 and 17, 2007 TBA
Murfreesboro September 7-8, 2007 TBA
Cookeville November 3 & 10, 2007 TBA