Impressions of our trip to the Holy Land a week after we returned.

I love Christmas—especially Christmas Eve.

One topic that I hear about over and over again is “Lay Leadership;” and not in the context of being the Lay Leader of a local church.

Today it is Tuesday and I’m in Beaumont with Bishop Huie and B.T. Williamson, Assistant to the Bishop.  The Bishop has been making her annual visits to each district, meeting with clergy and laity, sharing information about the Quadrennial Assessment that was authorized by the Annual Conference last May.

At the Council of Bishops meeting this week, the bishops heard a report from the Vital Congregations Initiative. Vital Congregations is an initiative of the bishops to identify the most vital congregations in Methodism, to publically share data on the indicators of vitality. When Bishop Schol announced the initial results of this program, I was very pleased to find that the Texas Annual Conference ranked in the top 10 with a vitality percentage of 19.77% (national average is 14.76%).

Special offering already yielded over $183,000 to help churches, and families devastated by summer fires.

More than $5.8 million in state and federal grants is on its way to eligible Texans, just two weeks since the state requested, and received, a federal disaster declaration for the historic wildfires.

Wildfire survivors in Gregg County can meet with state and federal specialists at a recovery center Longview.

Early Responder Teams are now needed and welcome in the Bastrop region. Gene Hileman, the SW Tx Disaster Response Coordinator, sent the following out yesterday afternoon...

Volunteer Updates

Last spring as the political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire became violent; one of the unintended victims of the fighting was the United Methodist School System.

“You are an answer to prayer!” These words have been voiced over and over again in various forms during the past weeks as United Methodist churches...

Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN), asked by the Commissioner in Bastrop to deploy hundreds of ADRN trained volunteers and pastors, have debriefed and determined the needs of over 1,500 victims of the Greater Austin/Bastrop fires. These are the needs as of Sunday night 9/11/2011.

From Rev. Allison Byerley, FUMC Jefferson: This area is now being referred to as the ALJ triangle - Avinger, Linden, Jefferson. The fire in that triangle is only about 40% contained, and weather conditions are deteriorating. It could flare up again next week. The President has declared us a federal disaster area and more resources are coming in.

See the latest updates on how to help.

At the moment (Saturday) things are petty well contained in the Gladewater area.

“We may need a new church van by the time this is over,” said Laura Young of Linden United Methodist Church’s efforts to help Texas fire fighters battle nearly a dozen fires in Cass County, Texas.

Your donations will aid those affected by wildfires.  

Over the last week, our community has been battling a large fire that has already burned around two thousand acres, and is still not contained.  Yesterday, a copper thief inadvertently started another fire while stripping wiring from a home that still had electricity.

Pattison UMC has become one of the designated drop point for supplies, water, donations for Waller, Grimes and surrounding counties