Detroit Conference Connection - Feb. 26, 2010

Detroit Conference Connection - Feb. 26

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In This Edition of the Connection:

CONFERENCE NEWS

Bishop's Day 2010 is Here!

Bishop's Day 2010 kicks off on Saturday, March 6, at Southfield: Hope UMC when the Detroit East and Detroit West Districts host the first of six regional gatherings across the state during the month of March. Steve Sjogren (www.stevesjogren.com), who is known nationwide for his passion and leadership in the area of servant evangelism, will be the keynote speaker. Sjogren is the senior leader and founder of Coastland Tampa in Tampa, Fla. For more information on the event, and for information on all of the six Bishop's Day 2010 sites, please visit www.detroitconference.org/bishopsday2010.

Annual Conference Registration Materials Now Available

Registration materials are now available for the 2010 Detroit Annual Conference session which will take place May 20-23 on the campus of Adrian College in Adrian, Mich. The registration materials for the 2010 Detroit Annual Conference are available at www.detroitconference.org/annualconference and will not be mailed to the members of the annual conference. All voting materials, as well as historical reports and the statistician’s report, will be posted on the Web site no later than Thursday, April 1.

Harry Denman Award Nominations Sought For Clergy, Laity, and Youth

The Conference Board of Discipleship is now taking nominations for the Harry Denman Award for Outstanding Evangelism. The Denman Award is given to clergy and lay members who have demonstrated outstanding work in achieving the Great Commission. This year, the Foundation For Evangelism is including a third category for youth recipients.

Please click on the following to download the nomination forms for each area:

If there is a pastor, lay adult, or youth member (must have gone through confirmation) that you believe demonstrates most effectively Christ's call to make disciples of all nations, we are happy to hear who they are and will give them due consideration. For lay candidates, a recommendation from the pastor must be included. For clergy candidates, the recommendation must come from the pastor's district superintendent.

Please send completed forms and recommendations by April 5 to:

Rev. Raymond D. Wightman

First United Methodist Church

420 W. Main St.

Hudson, MI

The recipients will be presented their award at this year's Annual Conference.

Detroit Conference Churches Respond to Haiti Relief Efforts

According to the Conference Treasurer’s Office, the conference has collected more than $324,000 to go towards UMCOR’s Haiti relief efforts. UMCOR has received over $12 million for the relief efforts in Haiti.

CONNECTIONAL NEWS

Change the World Event

What if... on one weekend all around the world, 11 million United Methodists came together to work in their local communities?

What if... we unite globally to fight a preventable, treatable disease that kills one child every 30 seconds?

Would You Help?

April 24-25, 2010. Build community locally. Fight malaria globally. Change the world. To get involved visit www.rethinkchurch.org/changetheworld.

UMCOR’s Weekly Haiti Newsletter – Be There. Be Hope. In Haiti.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is producing a weekly newsletter to provide updates on the agency’s relief effort in Haiti. To view the newsletter, please visithttp://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/ongoing/haitiearthquake/betherebehope/

One Great Hour of Sharing (March 14, 2010)

When the first tremors of the earthquake in Haiti rocked that island nation, UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) staff were already in country, strategizing how United Methodists could help improve the lives of the people there. Their work is a direct result of the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, which supports the operating expenses of those who bring healing and help in our name. It makes it possible, when we respond to an emergency like Haiti, to know that 100% of our gift goes directly to where the suffering is happening.

Every year, but this year more than ever, we hope you’ll join with the faithful across the church to support the One Great Hour of Sharing.

Call (888) 346-3862 today to order envelopes and other resources so your congregation can participate in this churchwide offering. They will be sent at no cost to your church! Find more at umcgiving.org/specialsundays.

Women’s History Month Worship Resources

March is Women’s History Month both nationally and in The United Methodist Church, and the General Board of Discipleship has prepared worship resources for local churches to observe this month. Click here to visit the GBOD’s Web site.

Other Worship Helps from GBOD’s www.UMCWorship.org

  • Worship Planning Helps: March 7, 2010 – 3rd Sunday in Lent - click here
  • Preaching Planning Helps: March 7, 2010 – 3rd Sunday in Lent - click here
  • Lectionary Hymns: March 7, 2010 – 3rd Sunday in Lent - click here
  • 21st Century Worship Resources: March 7, 2010 – 3rd Sunday in Lent - click here
  • “One Day the News Was Grim” – Hymn for Third Sunday in Lent - click here
  • “Come Sunday” – Singing Difficult Hymns - click here
  • Church of the Week: Moose Pass UMC, Seward, Alaska - click here
  • Serving a Divided Congregation - click here

North Georgia Pastor Launches MyMarriageCoach.com

Want to take your marriage beyond ordinary? Need a coach to encourage and equip you? Rev. Jay Tenney, pastor of Barnesville First UMC in the North Georgia Conference, has developed a tool to help: www.mymarriagecoach.com.

The simple, confidential marriage assessment tool asks couples to answer 100 quick questions individually or together that evaluate ten key ares of the marriage including faith, finances and communication. Click here for the full story.

UM TechShop offers Microsoft Office Discounts For Mac and PCs

You love your Mac, but you wished it worked interchangeably with Microsoft Office. An unfortunate dilemma...until now! Did you know TechShop offers Windows Office 2008 for Macs Now your Mac can play nicely with PCs!

Office 08 for Macs has made its popular applications of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Exchange work seamlessly with both PCs and other Macs. Gone are the days of incompatibility and file extension changes.

Not a Mac user? Don’t worry – TechShop still offers Office 2007 Pro Plus for PC lovers! Visit the TechShop e-store to purchase Office 08 for Macs with media for only $92 or the PC counterpart with media for $101.