National United Methodist Rural Advocates

February 2019 In This Issue:

CONTROL

CHURCH TRENDS

SUBTITLE

PRAYERS

NETworX

SCHOLARSHIPS

SHARE YOUR STORIES

MEMBERSHIP

WE ARE ... GOD IS IN CONTROL

by Roger Grace, Past President UMRA
THE UNITED
METHODIST
RURAL ADVOCATES
You would not ignore a community more than
seven times larger than New York City. Yet the
rural population in the United States, with over
60 million people, is often overlooked because
they are not all living in the same area.
Whether your church is urban or rural church,
large or small, the UMRA invites you to join our
association of clergy and laity in reaching out to
meet the needs of people from rural
communities, their churches and their pastors.
We provide advocacy at General Conference
and Annual Conferences to affect rule changes
that enable churches to better minister in their
communities, provide educational opportunities
for the leaders of rural churches to better serve
their church bodies, and support church leaders
in personal growth and ministry.
Preparations for the special called General
Conference are swirling in the United Methodist
Church. Those in favor of the Traditional Plan are
rallying support while those who prefer the One
Church Plan or the Connectional Conference Plan
are quick to point out the validity of their choice and
the consequences if another choice is made.
Petitions are being written, prayers are going up and
lines are being drawn as February 23, 2019
approaches.
A friend of mine who pastors two smaller
membership churches in a rural area of our
Conference was celebrating the many good things
that are occurring in her churches. New persons are
coming into their fellowship, even at the church that
typically has 4 or 5 in attendance. New forms of
outreach are being tried. Her church that has about
70 each Sunday has a monthly ministry with a local
elementary school that pulls in about 45 kids each
 month for snacks, games, Bible stories, and a family
meal for kids and families who will stay. God is
being praised. Lives are being transformed. Mission
is being accomplished.

Our conversation turned to the upcoming special

General Conference and she was asked if she and
her churches were worried about the events to
come in St. Louis. Her answer was No, we're not
OFFICERS worried. Whatever decision is made won't change
Chair - Randy Wall how we do church. We will keep on loving people
- RandyLWall@aol.c as we always have."
om
Wow! Whatever decision is made won't change how
Vice Chair - Alan Bolte
revahb@gmail.com we do church. We will keep on loving people as we
always have.
Secretary - Sue Grace
smgrlg51@yahoo.co May it be so.
m

Spiritual Dir – Peggy Jeffries 2019 Special Session

Jeffries peggyx15@yahoo.c of the General Conference
om

Comm Dir - Michele

Holloway chele101953@gmail.co
m

Advocacy Dir - Mollie

Stewart Molliecstewart0128@gmail.co
m

Membership - Carl Ellis

ckellis70@gmail.com

Treasurer - Judy
Hill judyh@plainstel.com

Visit our webpage @

http://www.umruraladvocates.org/ The 2019 special session of the General Conference will be
held in The Dome, part of the America's Center Convention
Complex in St. Louis.

THE RURAL CHURCH'S ROLE

IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
by Laura Beach Byrch
In many rural communities across the United States, churches are one of the few remaining
institutions that have remained constant through changing landscapes, shifting economies and
demographic transitions. For the past several years, I have attended a conference called "The
Rural Church as Anchor Institution." "Anchor Institutions" are those non-profits that once
established, tend not to move location. Though the phrase most commonly refers to larger
institutions such as hospitals and universities, I have been intrigued to think about how faith
communities can serve as those anchor institutions, and how some of the research about the
impact anchor institutions can have on local communities can apply to the church. This sentence
particularly stood out to me in an overview of anchor institutions: "If the economic power of these
anchor institutions were more effectively harnessed, they could contribute greatly to community
wealth building."

I have noticed an increase in the number of times that "community development" and particularly
"asset-based community development" is coming in conversations at Christian conferences and
workshops. The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) just celebrated its 30th
anniversary. CCDA has its roots in rural Mendenhall, Mississippi, where pastor and Civil Right
leader John Perkins saw the potential for his church to raise up indigenous leaders to stay in the
community and live out the holistic call of the Gospel to meet spiritual and physical needs. Over
a period of about 20 years, they invested in the community through starting a cooperative store
where people could by food and clothes, building a gym to meet recreational needs, establishing
the first kindergarten in their county, developing a 120 acre farm, and pursuing advocacy to fight
racial discrimination in pay, voting rights, and myriad other civil rights cases (you can learn more
about the history of Mendenhall Ministries here).

Today, as much as ever, there is a need for congregations to be involved in transforming

communities through economic development, supporting education, and pursuing advocacy. This
is part of how we join God's mission of bringing the kingdom to earth. I have been inspired to hear
about rural churches starting farms and business incubators to bring economic vitality and fresh
local food to their rural communities. Other churches are starting summer literacy programs to
help elementary school students or training youth in public advocacy to fight for systemic changes
they want to see in their communities.

Want to learn more about how your church can be involved in discovering its gifts and fulfilling its
vocation to follow Jesus, make disciples, and transform the world?
Check out these resources:

- The Community Developers Program of the United Methodist Church provides resources and
training, particularly to those working in communities of color.

- This year, the Christian Community Development Association National Conference is in

Dallas, TX, October 9-12, 2019, will feature a rural symposium, rural networking sessions, and a
rural track of workshops.

- The head, hearts, hands activity is a great practical way to see what skills and passions might
be "hiding" in your congregation. You'll be amazed at what the Spirit might reveal as a way your
church is uniquely equipped to make an impact in your community! Here's how it works:
1) Give each person 9-15 sticky notes
2) Have 3 big post-it notes labeled "head" (with a smiley face) "heart" (with a heart) and "hands"
with a hand posted on the wall
3) Explain what gifts of the head, heart, and hands are
head- things you know about (mathematics, architecture, filing taxes, applying
for grants, etc)
heart- things your passionate about (helping children, feeding people, caring for
the sick, overcoming injustice, etc)
hands- things you know how to do with your hands (garden, build houses, cook,
fix cars, etc)
 4) Have each person write 3-5 gifts they have in each of the 3 categories and then post them on
the big flip chart paper
5) Pray for God's wisdom and the Spirit's leading as you look over what everyone shared and
ask God to reveal how that combination of gifts can be used for God's kingdom in your
community.

WHY CURRENT CHURCH TRENDS

MEAN VERY LITTLE
IN SMALLER CHURCHES
by Karl Vaters
Small church ministry isn't about following trends, it's about knowing people.

If you worship or serve in a smaller church, you may have read those articles and shrugged, or
maybe you saw the titles and didn't even bother to read them.

I don't blame you.

While our brothers and sisters in bigger churches look for trends, compare notes and learn from
the latest innovations, small churches usually let those trends pass us by without a ripple.

Current trends almost never apply in smaller churches the way they do in bigger ones.
It's not because small churches don't care, it's because current trends almost never apply in
smaller churches the way they do in bigger ones.

Here's why.

The Unique DNA Of The Small Church

The smaller the church is, the more unique their DNA is.

Especially in a church of 75 or fewer (that's over half the churches), the mix of personalities makes
every church a unique place.

The bigger the church becomes, the less each individual personality affects the whole, so it
becomes more helpful to know the latest trends. Not necessarily to keep up with them, but to have
the ability to speak into them.

But when a church is small, it isn't nearly as important to know the latest trends as it is to know
the individual people in your congregation and your surrounding neighborhood. To know their
needs, their histories, their strengths, their personalities and their relationship with Jesus (or lack
of).

Knowing People, Not Trends

If you pastor a church of 50 in an agricultural community, you don't need to use the latest social
media app. If you oversee a small denominational church in a once thriving, but now dying inner
city, you don't need to study blogs about the latest church trends.
 In both situations, you need to get out of the office, off your computer, and into the community.
You need to spend time at the local coffee shop, at high school football games, and visiting senior
saints who haven't been able to make it to church in a few years.

Very few of your most-needed skills are being taught in the latest book, blog, podcast or
conference. The advice from those sources isn't necessarily flawed, but it is limited.
They don't live and minister where you live and minister. You do.

You are called to those specific people in that particular place. They're not.

God has you where you are for a reason.

Small church ministry isn't about following trends, it's about knowing people so you can help them
love God and each other better.

That's not a trend, it's the truth.

The above article is located at: https://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2019/january/current-church-trends-

smaller-churches.html

A PASTORAL LETTER TO GENERAL

CONFERENCE 2019
from Randy Wall, UMRA Chair
While I normally use the UMRA newsletter as a place to write some thoughts about rural
churches, rural people, and communities, I use this medium on this occasion to share
some thoughts that our UMRA national board composed recently to the delegates to the
February 2019 special session of the General Conference. It is a pastoral letter specifically
to the General Conference delegates. Noted below the letter are the names of the members
of our UMRA national board. I know that you join myself and our UMRA national board in
praying for the delegates and for our United Methodist Church in these days. As Harry
Emerson Fosdick wrote many years ago: "Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the
facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour." - Randy L. Wall

A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE GENERAL CONFERENCE 2019 SPECIAL SESSION

FROM THE UNITED METHODIST RURAL ADVOCATES

To All General Conference Delegates,

At the 1940 General Conference of the Methodist Church, a group of rural leaders, concerned
that the issues and voices of smaller membership Town & Country churches and people were
not being heard by the Conference, formed the Methodist Rural Fellowship. For the past 78
years, MRF and its successors United Methodist Rural Fellowship and now, United Methodist
Rural Advocates, has existed to advocate for the needs of the two thirds of the United Methodist
Congregations which are in Rural, Town and Country settings. In the United Methodist Church
the median attendance is less than 100, and so while these churches are small in number,
collectively they are making an outsized impact for Christ on their communities.

UMRA does not write to endorse any of the three plans submitted by the Commission on A Way
Forward. We do ask that all those involved in the Special Session of General Conference
 remember John Wesley's admonition to "Do No Harm" as they determine what will be the best
way for our church to move into the future.

For example, we see the following potential harms in the proposed plans:

• Outcomes in which rural congregations have to vote to leave or stay within the
denomination may significantly diminish average attendance in those churches.
• Results which diminishes the connectional support of rural congregations will threaten the
health of rural churches.
• Significant disruption in the life of the local church distracts from our mission of Making
Disciples of Jesus Christ, for the Transformation of the World.

In light of these, and other, potential harms, we request that all involved in the Special Session
be as aware as possible of the impact of what is chosen on the Rural, Town and Country
churches. If you are not sure what the impact will be, please talk to someone you know living or
serving in a rural setting.
And as always, you can contact United Methodist Rural Advocates, as we will continue to speak
for the needs of the rural church. You can learn more about us on our website
at http://www.umruraladvocates.org/ or on our Facebook page
at http:www.facebook.com/UMRuralAdvocates/
We will see you in St Louis.
Peace,

Laura Byrch, Elder, Western NC lbeach@wnccumc.net

Alan Bolte, Elder, MN- serving in West Ohio revahb53@gmail.com
Jodi Cataldo, Laity, Dakotas Jodicataldo@yahoo.com
Andrew Coon, Elder, Missouri revcoon@live.com
Carl Ellis, Elder, Great Plains cellis@larcm.org
John Gilmore, Elder, Louisiana budddg@gmail.com
Roger Grace, Elder, West Ohio rogergrace@yahoo.com
Sue Grace, Laity, West Ohio smgrlg51@yahoo.com
Judy Hill, Laity, Mountain Sky judyh@plainstel.com
Michele Holloway, FTLP, OR-ID michele.holloway@yahoo.com
Peggy Jeffries, Elder, Missouri peggyx15@yahoo.com
Deb Ketcham, Elder, West Ohio revdsk@frontier.com
Alan Rice, Elder, Western NC ARice@wnccumc.net
David Ruesink, Laity, Presbyterian druesink@gmail.com
Mollie Stewart, Laity, N. AL molliecstewart0128@gmail.com
Orrinda Stockton, Laity, CA-NV orrinda.stockton@gmail.com
Erie Stuckett, Laity, MS ebsmill@bellsouth.net
Randy Wall, Elder, Western NC RandyLWall@aol.com
Sara Wrona, FTLP, Western PA pastorsarajw@gmail.com

PRAYERS
by Rev. Peggy Jeffries
I just got a note that a friend died. I was shocked. I was sad. My
heart went out to her family and other friends. Then came the
correction: not her, but her mother. I was relieved. I was
happy. And then I thought...someone has still died, and my friend,
while alive, is grieving. While my friend is alive and well, joy was not
 exactly the sentiment called for in that moment. No matter how many
times we experience the death of someone near us, each death
affects us in a different way. Were they ill and/or in pain so that the
death is a release? Was it a complete surprise and everyone's in
shock? Was the person young, with many years still to live, or elderly
with many good years and experiences behind them? Do they leave
young children, and a spouse who has to pick up and move on? Even
within all the categories we find our reactions can be different from
time to time.

Jesus received word that Lazarus had died. Lazarus, and his sisters
Mary and Martha had been very close friends of Jesus' for many
years. He spent time in their home, they went to see him whenever
they could. Not only that, but Lazarus would have been the male to
bring in funds, and care for their income and resource needs, and to
protect them. Even in the US it has been less than 50 years since
women were able to get a credit card in their name. In Jesus' time
women without a man would be extremely vulnerable. Jesus must
have been in grief, not only for the loss of his friend, but also for what
it would mean for Mary and Martha. In the gospels this is the only
time they mention Jesus weeping. And probably this is a good
response for us, no matter the events surrounding a death around us:
to grieve with those left behind. Not to toss out platitudes, but to sit
down and be sorrowful with them.

God, who has lived our lives, and borne our griefs, we lift to you our
friend who mourns the loss of her mother. Wrap your loving arms
around them in this time of leave-taking. We also lift to you others
in our lives who are grieving the loss of loved ones, the loss of
community, the loss of occupation, the loss of vision for the
future. We pray that you will give us the words to use in those
instances, or that you hold our tongues that we may simply sit with
those who grieve. In all things, even in sorrow, may we be
instruments of your peace...Amen.

NETworX INFORMATION
Submitted by Debbie S. Rice, Ph.D., MSW
Director of NETworX USA
NETworX-Securing Well-being Together

Measurable outcomes, measured at six-month intervals throughout NETworX participation,

include:

• Increase in income to at or above 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines,

• Decrease in use of public assistance,
 • Decrease in revolving debt from credit cards, rent-to-own, or predatory lending,
• Increase in assets,
• Increase in safe, supportive, and nurturing relationships, and
• Increase in perception of overall quality of life.

If you are interested in hearing more, contact Alan Rice, a member of the UMRA Executive
Committee at 336-239-1526 or visit www.NETworXUSA.org

RURAL ADVOCATES SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

by Judy Hill, Treasurer
The national organization, United Methodist Rural Advocates, is pleased to announce we have a
limited number of scholarships to offer for attending programs or trainings that can enhance rural
ministry. An applicant can be considered for a scholarship of up to the lesser of $400 or one half
of program/event fees, etc. It is through the UMRA IGNITE fundraising campaign that these
scholarships are being offered.

Please contact Treasurer Judy Hill to learn more. Contact information is listed below.

Judy Hill, Treasurer UMRA

3642 Road D
Joes, CO 80822

Email: judyh@plainstel.com
Cell Phone: 970-630-0320

SHARE YOUR STORIES

We Want To Hear From You
Are there ministries and outreach in your churches that you want others to know about? We
celebrate the truth that rural/town and country churches are vital and active within their
communities and we want to share that information around the country. Do you have a story of
joy or hope that you would like to have shared here? There are others who could greatly benefit
from what has worked for you and even what hasn't worked but that has allowed you to
grow. Send stories to Michele Holloway at chele101953@gmail.com and your stories will be
published in upcoming editions of this eCommunication.
This newsletter is published every other month: February, April, June, August, October,
and December. Please send all submissions to the above email address no later than the
25th of the month prior to publication.

UMRA MEMBERSHIP
Memberships are available in the following categories:

Limited Income (What you can afford.)

Student $10.00
Basic One-Year $30.00
Church One-Year $40.00

Two Easy Steps to Membership

1. Please fill out membership form:
http://form.jotform.us/form/51087588857170Â

2. Pay Membership Dues through PayPal

For more information or membership, contact:

Email: ckellis70@gmail.com
Carl Ellis
590 120th Street
Fort Scott, KS 66701 785-445-2595

A Note from Carl K. Ellis

Membership Secretary

Five Reasons to Join UMRA

5. Network and collaborate with other rural groups and agencies around issues of concern for the rural church and
rural places.

4. Utilize technologies which will help us build relationships, share information and resources, and connect rural
leaders.

3. Discover and learn about sustainable, effective, replicable, generative ministries.

2. Be part of an organization which creates and advocates for General Conference legislation that has had a
positive effect on the rural church; such as NOW (Nurture, Outreach, Witness) leadership format, development of
"Born Again in Every Place," and the Certified Lay Minister. An Organization which will continue to create and
advocate for General Conference legislation that may affect ministry in town and churches and their communities.

1. Together we can make a difference as we advocate for the work of Jesus Christ in rural and town and country
communities.

UMRA membership provides not only voice and vote in the organization, but also includes a subscription to
the UMRA E NEWSLETTER.

Michele Holloway, Editor

chele101953@gmail.com
971.225.8402

Advocating for the work of Jesus Christ in rural communities.

STAY CONNECTED