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Clergy Pension and Health Benefits
Higher Education & Campus Ministry
Pan-Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty
10/5/2021
Dear Friends, October is recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month by many denominations, including the United Methodist Church. As such, this is the perfect time for churches and community leaders to express their gratitude to the clergy in their lives. This is particularly true in 2021 as during the last two years clergy have faced increasing levels of stress due to COVID-19, racial injustices, political divisions and denominational conflict. Indeed, results of a recent Clergy Well-being Survey ...
9/11/2021
A Prayer in Remembrance of the Twenty-Year Anniversary of 9/11 Triune God, We pause today to remember what happened on 9/11/01. Etched in the minds of many of us is the sight of the planes hitting the twin towers in New York City. Some of us can recall specifically where we were and who was with us. We were shocked, frightened and grief-stricken by the lives lost, the events which took place and the way the world changed that day. We ask You to heal our memories, Great Physician. Liberating God,...
8/24/2021
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Dear Friends, I love the rhythm and variety of the four seasons that we experience in North Alabama weather. Fall brings the beauty of turning leaves. Winter’s crisp air and occasional snow cleanses the earth and atmosphere. Spring bursts on the scene with budding branches, blooming flowers and fresh rains. And then there are the long, warm days and the renewing change of pace that come with summer....
7/27/2021
Dear Friends, I am grateful for how United Methodist churches and leaders in the North Alabama Conference have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much ministry has been accomplished even as we have practiced Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to help mitigate the spread of the virus. One of the North Alabama Conference’s guiding principles throughout the pandemic has been the first of Methodism’s three General Rules “Do No Harm.” Indeed, this is the title of the ...
6/15/2021
Dear Friends, When elected as a bishop in 2012, the possibility did not occur to me of a 2020 and 2021 global pandemic that would result in virtual Annual Conference sessions. Yet, that is exactly what happened! Though the length of time, amount of debate and sidebar conversations are different in a virtual than an in-person Annual Conference, a lot was accomplished! Some highlights from the 2021 virtual North Alabama Conference are listed below. Many thanks to Bishop Michael Watson, Dr. Bill ...
5/21/2021
Dear Friends, By now many of you have heard that I am one of four bishops in the Southeastern Jurisdiction who will be covering an additional Conference until elections and assignments of new bishops take place during the next regular session of the Jurisdictional Conference (Nov. 2-4, 2022). This coverage situation is a result of Bishop Lawson Bryan, Bishop Paul Leeland, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward and Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor requesting to retire effective Sept. 1, 2021, under paragraph 408.2 ...
4/5/2021
Dear Friends, During this Easter season, I bring you words of hope. After all, more than any period on the Christian calendar, Eastertide is characterized by hope. Perhaps you have been in a meeting where participants name a word that they associate with an event, person or experience. Whether it is done on newsprint, with post-it notes or by Mentimeter, the word hope receives lots of votes in association with Easter. So Eastertide is a great season! Because all of us need an ample supply of ...
4/4/2021
Dear Friends, On this Easter Sunday, I bring you words of hope. After all, more than any other day on the calendar, Easter Sunday is characterized by hope. Perhaps you have been in a meeting where participants name a word that they associate with an event, person or experience. Whether it is done on newsprint, with post-it notes or by Mentimeter, the word hope receives lots of votes in association with Easter. So today is a great day! Because all of us need an ample supply of hope in our lives! ...
3/17/2021
Dear Friends, Hebrews 12:1b is a favorite Scripture passage for many sports-lovers. Though written for a different situation and place, the words are an encouragement when applied to our North Alabama Conference’s response to COVID-19. “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . .” What a year we have experienced! When a year ago this week (March 16, 2020) the North Alabama Conference Leadership Team and I made the request that congregations suspend in-person worship ...
3/1/2021
Dear Friends, Many of you have read the February 25 news release announcing the second postponement of the 2020 General Conference, now scheduled to take place on August 25- September 6, 2022. The Commission on General Conference made this difficult decision after months of careful discernment. Two primary factors influenced this decision. 1) It was discerned that due to the current stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, an in-person global gathering the size of a United Methodist General Conference ...
