Conference News & Views

You are invited to attend a one-day workshop, where you learn to administer and interpret the PREPARE/ENRICH Inventories to couples you are counseling. The program was developed by Dr. David H. Olsen, Professor Emeritus of Family Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota. The training will focus on administering and interpreting 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

Date: January 27, 2007

Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Location:Blakemore United Methodist Church
Nashville, TN 37205
3601 West End Avenue

Cost: $140. Includes training manual
Trainer: The Reverend Tom Carter

Please call or email for registration form and additional information.
Email: tomcarter@juno.com Phone: 615-665-3117

For additional information go to web site: http://www.prepare-enrich.com/

Quotes from two recent attendees:

“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.”
Reverend Scott Aleridge

“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.”
Reverend Paul E. Gardner


PREPARE Program Proven Highly Successful

National Study of PREPARE Program with Premarital Couples in Church/Community Settings
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the PREPARE Program (Version 2000) with 153 premarital couples in three groups: the PREPARE Program Group, the PREPARE No Feedback Group (only took PREPARE Inventory and received no feedback) and the Control Group.Both of the PREPARE Groups significantly increased their couple satisfaction, while there was no change in the Control Group. Both PREPARE Groups made improvements in several important relationship skills (communication & conflict resolution) and relationship areas (roles, couple closeness & flexibility).

Significant changes were made in the couple types only in the PREPARE Program Group and not the PREPARE No Feedback Group, which demonstrates the value of the six couple exercises and feedback sessions. In the PREPARE Program Group, the number of Vitalized couples (the most satisfied type) increased by 52% from pre to post-test. Over half (55%) of the three other couple types (Harmonious, Traditional, and Conflicted) increased one or more levels. For the highest risk couples, the Conflicted types, 83% moved to a more positive couple type.

Overall, the PREPARE Program had a significant impact on 90% of the couples and only 10% moved to a lower couple type. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the PREPARE Program is a very useful prevention program for increasing marital satisfaction and reducing divorce.If you would like to examine the Research Report click on the address below: http://www.prepare-enrich.com/files/Research/aacc_study_2003.pdf

Pradumri UMC of Chonburi, Thialand hosted the annual camp meeting this year, and all three United Methodist Congregations in Thailand celebrated in unity together. (Since that time, two more congregations have opened). It is a great blessing to see Christians worship and minister together in one accord. This was the first time that members of Life Center UMC of Pattaya participated in the annual camp meeting.

Members of Pradumri UMC stayed overnight in their own homes, but the members of Bowin and Life Center UM churches camped out overnight at Pradumri church on Friday and Saturday night.

Dr. Somsak was the featured speaker at camp and as always, he preached with great power. (Dr. Somsak is the president of Phayao Bible College and is a highly respected Christian leader throughout Thialand.) Also, the interns and Bible college students from UM churches led Bible Studies and worship times.

At camp meeting, there are many fun activities and games for adults and children. Our granddaughter Madeline had the opportunity to play with the Thai children at the camp meeting, and she looked forward to going each day.

As always, worship at Pradumri is passionate, with fervent singing, hands raised in praise, smiles beaming with joy, colorful flags celebrating our awesome Lord, and hearts lifting prayers to God Almighty. At this service, 10 people gave their lives to the Lord. We praise the Lord for He works miracles here every week as people come to Christ and become disciples. After worship, everyone had lunch and then headed out to the reservoir for a Baptism service.

So that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3.17)

Leadership: From Maintenance to Mission
Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development
Risk-Taking Mission & Service, Extravagant Generosity,
Communications, Staff-Parish Relations, Martin Methodist College Representatives

The core workshops will be organized around the essential practices of any fruitful congregation. The various and many “committee functions” of our conventional congregational organization will find their roles included somewhere among these five essential practices. The range and titles of these core workshops follow those described by Bishop Robert Schnase in his popular book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Abingdon Press, 2007. Copies of the book can be purchased at Cokesbury and will also be on sale at the training event. Abingdon’s most recent addition to this ground-breaking resource is Practices: Leader Manual and Media with DVD and teaching material for each practice.

The sessions will feature how our own Nashville District congregations are actually working at and practicing Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission & Service, and Extravagant Generosity. Other workshops include: Leadership: From Maintenance to Ministry for church council chairs, lay leaders (and anyone interested in leading), Pastors and Pastor/Staff-Parish Relations Committees, Communications, and Martin Methodist College Representatives.

Leadership: From Maintenance to Ministry
How can our congregations do more than maintain the church as a beloved institution and move to engagement our neighbors and communities? How can the efforts of the church be focused on reaching new people? How can lay leaders and chairs of church councils help the congregation move beyond “business as usual” and “the same old thing”?

This workshop aims to assist chairpersons and congregational leaders in focusing the congregation’s efforts toward strategic direction that will make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of people’s lives and our communities. Attention will be given to ministry planning, follow-through, and how we work through inertia and resistance.

Who should attend? Chairs of the church council, lay leaders, strategic planners, Lay Speakers, visionaries, and anyone who wants their church to move forward.

Radical Hospitality
How can our congregations be living examples of God’s welcome? How can our congregations be so filled with God’s hospitality that people feel they belong from the first “hello”? How can our practice of hospitality be deep, transforming, ongoing, and radically inclusive of the diversity of people in our neighborhoods?

This workshop will delve into the nature of the inviting and welcoming body of Christ as the community of God’s hospitality. Ideas and practices of hospitality will be explored and shared with regard to evangelism ministries, ministries of greeting, befriending, belonging, and incorporating persons into the life of our congregations. Radical hospitality reaches even to those on the margins – the poor and homeless, the left out, and those who are wounded and hurting.

Who should attend? Persons involved in evangelism, greeting & welcoming, sponsoring and incorporating newcomers, congregational care, healing ministries, care & support groups, and ministries with inactive members,

Passionate Worship
How can our worship services make us feel that we’ve been with God? How can they mediate God’s welcome, acceptance, love, and forgiveness? How can all that we do in worship be a sacrament for what God is doing among us?

This workshop will feature Nashville District congregations who practice passionate worship in differing styles and settings. Participants will build a catalogue of ideas.

Who should attend? Persons involved in all elements of worship planning and leading: musicians, liturgists, liturgical artists (visuals, banners, table displays), altar guild members, dancers, writers of prayers, projection & sound operators, ushers, and greeters.

Intentional Faith Development
How does the whole life of our congregation help form people spiritually? What do we teach, and how do we teach? How do we shape our Christian education ministries to encompass life-long learning and the practices of living as Jesus’ followers? How do we actually disciple one another and new people in the faith? Can mission and ministry be means of spiritual formation? And what are our opportunities with children, youth, and seniors?

This workshop will share how some of our District congregations are creating “discipleship systems” and core curricula for teaching Christian life and practice for people of all ages and stages. The session will envision new and compelling approaches to faith development.

Who should attend? Persons involved in teaching, education, discipling, mentoring, stewardship of gifts, spiritual formation, the fellowship of belonging, and community building.

Risk-Taking Mission and Service
How can the missions and ministries of our congregations be more than a series of disconnected “service projects”? Can we do more than give money? How are some of our congregations pushing the conventional envelope of mission, outreach, and service? How do we actually get involved in the lives of the people we attempt to serve? How do we transform lives and neighborhoods?

Who should attend? Persons involved in missions, outreach, Volunteers in Mission, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, Sunday School class outreach, Room in the Inn, Pencil Partner, Community Care Fellowship, Miriam’s Promise, Bethlehem Centers, etc.

Extravagant Generosity
How can our giving come alive with joy, freedom, spontaneity, and even extravagance? How can the giving of our time, talents, and money follow mission? How can we give out of our dreams and not our fears? How do we nurture a culture of abundance instead of a culture of scarcity? How can the use of our facilities and assets be ministries of extravagant generosity?

This workshop will get at the deeper currents of life in the church that result in gratitude and generosity and illustrate how we might let go of our fears and celebrate our joys.

Who should attend? Persons involved in stewardship, finance, time & talent ministries, gifts discovery, trust funds & endowments, property & facilities, treasurers, business administrators.

Pastor/Staff-Parish Relations Committee
How can the relationship between pastors and congregations become a loving and mutual covenant of ministry, one of sharing complementary gifts and strengths? How can committees nurture pastors and pastors nurture congregations? How can committees help pastors with self-care, spiritual health, and growth in effectiveness?

This workshop is for pastors and members of the P/SPRC. The workshop will cover the essentials of how to develop a covenant of ministry between the pastor(s) and the congregation built on complementary strengths, love, effectiveness, and honesty. The workshop will also cover important matters such as compensation, benefits, personnel policies, and conflict resolution.

Who should attend? Pastors and members of the Pastor/Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

Communications: Getting the Word Out
How do we keep our members and participants connected? How can our people know what’s going on and how to get involved? How can we tell our communities about our life and ministries and invite neighbors to participate? How do we “modernize” our communications? How can we be heralds of the Good News across our congregation and community through all sorts of media?

This workshop will feature examples of a range of communications methods and channels: oral, visual, newsletters, technology, Web sites, List Serve, e-mail, conference calling, automated messaging systems, community advertising, etc.

Who should attend? Persons involved in any form of communication with the congregation & community: newsletter/paper editors/producers, Webmasters, bulletin board artists, etc.

Martin Methodist College Representatives
What does our Tennessee Conference College have to offer our churches? What training is available for our laity? How can our college support pastors? How can we help our high school graduates and members know about the exciting adventure of Martin Methodist College and its rapid growth and expansion?

This workshop will focus on how local church representative can keep our congregations, members, and students related to Martin and how our members can take advantage of the training and resources of our institution of higher learning.

Who should attend? Prospective high school students, elected MMC representatives, persons in charge of lay training, persons interested in a church related vocation, and alums and friends of Martin.

Cokesbury Bookstore
· Bishop Robert Schnase’s resources will be available for sale or order: Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and Abingdon’s new packet of helps Practices: Leader Manual and Media.
· New 2009-12 leadership booklets for committee chairs.
· Other leadership books and materials for the core ministries of the church.

Schedule
6:30 Plenary / All Together / Chapel (Old Sanctuary)
Worship and Orientation
7:00 Workshops
9:00 Adjournment

Bethlehem Centers of Nashville invites United Methodists to celebrate its ministry to Nashville’s neediest citizens during an open house and Holy Communion service on Sunday, Dec. 21.

“Come to Bethlehem and see the positive results of our renewed commitment to ministry,” said Phyllis Hildreth, Chair of the Centers’ Board of Directors. Bethlehem Centers of Nashville has been a United Methodist ministry in Nashville since 1894.

The Dec. 21 celebration is part of Bethlehem Centers “Come to Bethlehem and See” commitment campaign. The faith-centered campaign seeks to reconnect United Methodists and other persons of good will with Bethlehem Centers through faith partnerships, volunteering, and financial support.

“As God provided us with the miracle of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, God performs miracles in this Bethlehem as well,” Hildreth said. “We see miracles happening in the lives of the 6,000 persons we serve each year. We see God’s blessings in all that we do.”

The program will take place from 2-6:30 p.m. at the primary campus at 1417 Charlotte Ave., Nashville. It will include tours of the facility, hands-on activities for children, and performances by area gospel choirs.

Bishop William Morris and Nashville District Superintendent John Collett will lead a praise and worship service as well as celebrate Holy Communion as the Centers’ staff, directors, friends and constituents to signify the Centers’ renewed focus on Christian ministry. The worship will take place at 3:30 p.m.

The celebration will conclude with a special 5 p.m. Star Child Party.

Among Bethlehem Centers programs are:
• Three top-rated child care facilities.
• Many programs for teens, including after-school activities, tutoring, alcohol and drug prevention programs.
• Hot lunch delivery services for homebound seniors.
• Seniors Club.
• Christmas Toy Store.

“Our Christian mission is clear: take care of children, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and provide hope and help to those in need,” Hildreth said. “It is in the spirit of our mission and commitment that we are inviting the community to Come to Bethlehem and See.”For additional information, contact: Amber Williams at 615-329-3386 ext. 104 or e-mail awilliams@bethlehemcenters.org.