Conference News & Views

Disability Concerns Resource materials are available on the conference Website at http://www.tnumc.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=1692&EXPAND=1692 . Remember you may plan Disability Awareness Sunday on a Sunday convenient for your congregation. An offering may be received for Accessibility Grants and sent to the Office of Connectional Ministries.

Deadline for grant applications to be considered in 2006 is November 29, 2006. Applications may be faxed or mailed to Office of Connectional Ministries, 615-329-0884

Please indicate on check memo and written communication, donation is for: Accessibility Awareness.


Gail R. White
615-695-2759
800-403-5795
Office of Connectional Ministries

NASHVILLE, Tenn., August 29, 2006/GBOD/--Upper Room Ministries, a division of The General Board of Discipleship presents two opportunities to “meet and greet” Wynn McGregor, author of The Way of the Child: Helping Children Experience God, Tuesday, September 12, 2006 from 4:00-5:00 p.m., with a repeat from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in The Upper Room, Jackson Hall, 1908 Grand Avenue.

McGregor is a certified Christian educator in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has served both the PCUSA and United Methodist churches. Her current focus is on planning and developing programs in the local church for a progressive approach to faith development and spiritual formation for all ages. She lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband, Angus McGregor, a Presbyterian minister.

Participants will have an opportunity to meet the author, receive a brief overview and introduction to The Way of the Child resource, and network with other children’s ministers, trainers, lay and clergy leaders.

The Way of the Child, the latest resource in the Companions in Christ® series, encourages children to develop spiritual practices suitable to their faith and age-level development through the use of teaching, reflection stations and music.

Call 615-340-7525 to RSVP, or e-mail companions@upperrom.org.

An agency of The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, Upper Room Ministries is an ecumenical organization that produces resources for encouraging deeper spiritual formation, including The Upper Room daily devotional guide, five other magazines, and a line of books and programs for youth and adults. More information about The Way of the Child and other Upper Room resources can be found online at www.upperroom.org.

After the move to the new Tennessee Conference Center--and a great deal of help from retired clergyman Bill Miller who rebuilt all necessary shelving--the Conference Media Library has reopened for business.

The Media Library contains over 700 titles of video, DVD, and books. There are children’s, youth, young adult, adult and older adult resources available for check-out. We have various Bible studies available. We have the new SISTERS Bible Study for women. This is four different Bible studies designed specifically for women. Visit the Ecufilm website for more information on this Bible Study https://secure.umcom.org/store/Product.ASP?SKU=8573&web%5Fname=&mscsid=TDX49JGQP9DR8PBPX07LDB4MWEV64VB0.

We have the DISCIPLE Bible Study, including the newly released New Testament and the Old Testament Bible Study available for checkout. (These are popular requests, so if you are interested in either of these, you need to call in advance.) The Media Library also contains the complete set of Basic Lay Speaking course materials. The Media Library has available a DVD, VCR and television for use in your local church setting. There is no charge to use the Media Library for all Tennessee Conference local churches.

All of our resources are available on-line at the Tennessee Conference website. Click on the following address http://www.tnumc.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=1693&EXPAND=1693 to go directly to the catalog of resources.

If you like to call and reserve a resource, please contact Gail White, 615-695-2759 or 800-403-5795 or via e-mail at gwhite@tnumc.org for further assistance.

Clergy, particularly in the Clarksville District, are encouraged to attend the upcoming Sexual Ethics/Safe Sanctuary training on Friday, September 8-Saturday, September 9, 2006 from 9:00A-4:00P each day at Hilldale UMC, Clarksville. Every pastor in the conference is to have completed both days of this training by January 2008. Two districts have offered this training and there are trainings scheduled in the other districts before the end of 2007.

The first day is for clergy and local church staff dealing with professional sexual ethics. This training uses Faithtrust Institute's curriculum, "A Sacred Trust" and has been approved by the TN Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. The second day, we are asking each pastor to bring a team of key church leadership to provide you with vital information about implementing guidelines and writing policies for safe sanctuaries.

Bishop Wills writes, "I am delighted our Conference is having this important training. It is my expectation that every pastor in the Conference will take this opportunity to make our churches safer for people of all ages. We live in a time when our own training and awareness as pastors is vital if our churches are to be safe places and our own lives reflect the very character of Jesus."

To register, send a check for $40 for each clergy person and $20 for each additional person made payable to the TN Conference BOM (Board of Ministry) to:

Rev. Susan Padgett
304 South Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 6
Nashville, TN 37211