LEADERSHIP UPDATE of the Southeast Region

Volume 5, Issue 10 November & December 2010

Pastors: Please distribute this to your delegates, leaders & congregation

THERES NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

As we approach the holiday season, one song in particular has come to my mind. Its the old Perry Como Christmas tune: Oh, Theres No Place Like Home for the Holidays. Fortunately for Peggy and me, if plans hold true, well get to enjoy some days at home in Orlando as well as a quick flight north to visit family members.

Unfortunately, a traditional happy holiday is not an option for many people around us. We all know friends or family members who are out of work, neighbors facing foreclosures on their homes, and dear ones experiencing their first holiday season alone. May we each reach out to those living and working around us who are lonely or anxious this coming holiday season. May we open our hearts and homes and churches to include others, sharing the comfort and hope we have experienced in Immanuel: God with us.

And as we hum a few stanzas of Home for the Holidays, lets take some moments to think about our brothers and sisters in Haiti. This year many of them are facing a homeless holiday as they continue living in tent cities, with no prospect of a safe, dry place to call home. The Good News is that it doesnt have to remain that way. Just this past week at the South Atlantic Rip Fest Rally, Leland Sayers, one of the Lakeland FL Light & Life Park work team members, shared an exciting new way to provide extremely inexpensive homes for Haiti. Read the details below. May this be a Christmas when the FM people of the southeast region rise to the challenge and provide many homes for the holidays.

Supt. Darrel Riley

HOMES FOR HAITI

Concerned folks at Lakeland: Light and Life Church have worked with a company called STRUCTALL to provide affordable houses which can be shipped to Haiti and assembled on a cement slab. The goal is to provide homes for our 31 FM Haitian pastors, and to provide International Child Care Ministries with schools consisting of 3 or 4 classrooms. The steel & foam core panel construction is extremely lightweight, yet it withstands hurricane force winds and is termite proof.

$ 5,000 provides a 12 x 24 home with 2 doors & 4 windows (includes shipping)

$15,000 provides a school of 3 or 4 classrooms, each room 20 x 20 or 24 x 24

The Lakeland Light & Life Church has already pledged $40,000 to provide FM pastors with homes. Discussions are currently underway to consider sending a work team from Lakeland to Haiti to teach the Haitians how to assemble the panel homes.

What about your family, your congregation, or your district? Could you provide a Haitian pastoral family with a home, or children with a safe school? Consider these ways to give:

As a congregational Christmas project

As a memorial gift in remembrance of those who died in the Jan12^th earthquake

As the focus of your February 6^th Super Salad Bowl Sunday donations.

A separate brochure with details is being sent to each pastor; contact Leland Sayers for more info (lejosayers@aol.com). Make out checks to the South Atlantic Conf., and mail to Treasurer Marge Lehman @ 5421 Sharon Trail Lakeland FL 33810.

FINISHING STRONG in 2010:

REFLECTING & PREPARING:

The goal of the On Purpose Process is to provide pastors and lay leaders with a tool to help them develop and implement a unified, God-led ministry plan. The ANNUAL On Purpose Report guides the pastor and church leaders in celebrating the progress of the past year, facing the challenges of the present, and discerning Gods leading for the future. EVERY church should complete the Annual Process sometime during November or December. Insights gleaned will help church leaders to establish their 2011 budget and 2011 calendar.

FAIR SHARE GIVING:

Each local church is to review their 2010 WAVE Giving, and do any needed catching up before years end. As a major portion of a congregations Fair Share Giving goes into their pastors pension account, if a church is delinquent in making needed contributions, it will result in their pastor NOT receiving credit for ministry service in 2010.

STRENGTHEN YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN 2011:

Supt Darrel will teach FM History & Church Polity at Asbury Seminary, Orlando Thurs Sat, Jan. 20 22. To register contact riley661@yahoo.com; required course for CMCs

St. Pete: Cornerstone will host the national FMC consultant training event this spring. Bishop Matt Thomas will speak on Strategies to Lead an Outreach Focused Church Tues Wed, March 1 2. This is an excellent opportunity for pastors & lay leaders.

Fri, Dec 3^rd is the last day to register at the $149 Super Early Bird rate for Exponential: On the Verge (April 26 29. 2011) which is held annually at First Baptist, Orlando. Groups of 10 or more receive a $20 discount per person. www.exponential.com

Tues, Nov 9^th is the last day to register at the $135 Super Early Bird rate for simulcast participation at the upcoming August 11 12, 2011 Willow Creek Leadership Summit.

WHOLE: GOSPEL, WORLD, PERSON:

Every four years we routinely gather as a denomination to worship together, elect Bishops for the coming term, and make any needed revisions to The Book of Discipline. However, General Conference 2011 will NOT be business as usual. This is our 150^th anniversary! GC11 will be a crossroads to both celebrate the past and re-tool for the future.

In preparation for this historic occasion . . .

Check the General Conference website regularly for updates: www.GC11.org

Pray and fast on the 23^rd of each month for Gods direction

Make your reservation to be present in Rochester, NY on July 13 17

Members or local church societies are encouraged to send nominations for Bishop, as well as Resolutions, to Supt Riley at the SER Office in Orlando. He will work with the General Conference Delegates of each conference to process submissions:

Resolutions: requests for changes to The Book of Discipline or other denominational policies/practices need to be submitted to Supt Riley by Nov 30.

Nominations for Bishop: Our current bishops will automatically be on the slate for re-election; the Orlando office needs to receive any other nominations by Dec 31

Then each conferences Gen. Conf. delegates will process resolutions & nominations.

SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE:

Sat, Nov 6 BOA Mtg at Lakeland in Maxwell Commons; 9:30 coffee, mtg 10am - lunch

Fri, Nov. 19 DL Meeting @ Rileys 9:30 Gather, 10:00 meeting, 12:30 Holiday Luncheon

Sat, Dec 11 BOA Mtg at the Riley home in Orlando 9:30 coffee, mtg 10am holiday lunch

JANUARY 2011 REGIONAL TRAINING EVENT LOCATIONS:

Bring your Annual On Purpose Report for your District Leader

Sat, 8 Regional Event: South FL (9:30am lunch) West Palm: Hope Fellowship

Mon, 10 Regional Event: Central FL (6:30 9:00pm) Orlando First Spanish

Sat, 15 Regional Event: West Coast FL (9:30am - lunch) St. Pete: Cornerstone

Th Sat Jan 20-22 FM History & Polity Class @ Asbury Seminary, Orlando (CMC required)

Sat, Feb 12 MEG Board Elders Interviews I (also, new CMC recommendations due)

Fri-Sat Feb 18-19 SAC Cabinet Retreat (Friday evening and Sat) (DLs, BOA, MEG Bd)

Tue-Wed, Mar 1-2 BISHOP MATT THOMAS Consultant Training @ St. Pete: Cornerstone

Fri-Sat, April 1-2 SAC Womens Retreat

Sat, April 9 MEG Elders Interviews II Final report for An Conf

Fri-Sat, April 29-30 Annual Conference at Lakeland: Light & Life

Fri, May 13 District Leader Video Conference, 10am noon

JUNE REGIONAL TRAINING EVENT LOCATIONS:

Bring your Spring Trimester On Purpose Report for your District Leader

Sat, 4 Regional Event: South FL (9:30am lunch) Hialeah: Ministerios Nueva Vision

Mon, 6 Regional Event: Central FL (6:30 9:00pm) Orlando First Spanish

Sat, 11 Regional Event: West Coast FL (9:30am - lunch) Location TBD

AL-GA CONFERENCE NEWS:

DISTRICT PASTORS MTGS: November 18

The AL and GA District Pastors will hold separate meetings, on Thursday, Nov 18th

The GA Pastors will meet at 9am @ Fayetteville: Word of Life (host Greg Nitchman)

AL DL Andy Bunn will send out information soon on the location of their meeting

Supt. Darrel Riley will send an Advent book and other resources for the gatherings.

JEANNE & ELIZABETH NITCHMAN to HAITI

As the recipient of the guided tour in Haiti by ICCM, Elizabeth Nitchman & Jeanne will be traveling there with Linda Adams Nov 29 Dec 4. They will visit several ICCM schools, observe the use of the portable solar cookit ovens, etc. Pray for their health (cholera outbreak) as well as safety (the national election will have just taken place the week prior.)

AL-GA ANNUAL CONFERENCE will be held early this year Saturday, March 26 from 10:30 3:30 Eastern, at Christ Community Church in Columbus GA. Protect that weekend and plan on bringing several people from your congregation to this inspiring gathering.

GULF COAST CONFERENCE DATES:

Mon, Nov 8: 10AM 2PM Pastors & Spouses Fellowship at Jonesville: Oak Grove

Sat, Nov 20: Convoy of Hope from 10am - 3pm at the State Fair fairgrounds parking area. Anticipate serving 8,000-10,000 residents of the Shreveport-Bossier area with 5,000 bags of groceries, free haircuts and makeovers, foot washing and free shoes for adults and kids, free family portraits, diabetes screening &, blood pressure checks, free food, prayer tent and counseling area. 800-1,000 volunteers are needed to minister to the needs of the poor and needy. Contact Pastor Ronnie Hampton to volunteer: cell: 406-545-9167 or choirboy_71202@yahoo.com

Fri Sun, Dec 3 5: Supt Riley will lead various meetings:

Fri, Dec 3: GCC BOA Mtg, 6:30pm at Edgewood to close 2010 & set 2011 budget

Sat, Dec 4: Pastors & Spouses Christmas Luncheon at Deville: New Hope.

Coffee at 10am, meeting begins at 10:30am, luncheon at noon. Bring your churchs holiday financial gift and cards for the Long family.

Fri Sun, Feb 4 6: Valentine Dinner and All Conference Training Day:

Fri, Feb 4: Clergy & Spouses Valentine dinner at Copelands Restaurant in Alexandria; overnight lodging provided as needed

Sat, Feb 5: All Conference Training Day for Clergy & Laity at Oak Grove

Mon Fri, June 13 17: Family Camp at the Church of God Campground, Pollock

Sat, June 18 GCC Annual Conference, Pollock Campground, 9:00am - noon

EVERY PERSON A PASSIONATE PRAY-ER
NOV-DEC 2010	SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE	AL-GA or GCC CONFERENCE
Oct 31 Nov 6	FMWM to Greece Mike Long (Maria) longmm@the.forthnet.gr	Pass Christian MS: Word of Hope CPP Pastor Tommy Gammill (Mickie) mickie@cableone.net
Nov 7 - 13	FMWM to Haiti Rick & Cookie Ireland Rick.ireland@yahoo.com	Pineville: Edgewood Pastor Alex Bigger (Felisha) biggeriv@yahoo.com
Nov 14 - 20	Taylor Correctional Institution Chaplain Thomas Holman (Barbara) BETHolman1202@aol.com	Provencal Pastor Mike Marbut (Sue) MProGuns@bellsouth.net
Nov 21 - 27 Thanksgiving Wk	US Air Force: Patrick AFB in Cocoa Chaplain Mark Williams (Monica) willmark@mwilliams.net	Shreveport: Central Pastor Ronnie Hampton (Elsie) Choirboy_71202@yahoo.com
Nov 28 Dec 4 Advent Wk 1	Evangelist Pastor Lucien Behar (Molly) John812@juno.com	Winnsboro: Liddieville Pastor Kenneth Lukens (Evangelene) 2166 Hwy 135 Winnsboro LA 71295
Dec 5 11 Advent Wk 2	Samaritan Village Rhonda Stapleton rhoni.7@gmail.com	Mississippi State Hospital Chaplain R. Philip Cartrette (Patricia) pcartrette@bellsouth.net
Dec 12 18 Advent Wk 3	SAC Families who have lost loved ones in 2010	GCC and AL-GA Families who have lost loved ones in 2010
Dec 19 25 Advent Wk 4 & Christmas Day	Outreach Ministries of Local Churches this holiday season	Outreach Ministries of Local Churches this holiday season
Dec 26 Jan 1 New Years	FM Bishops & Spouses	FM Bishops & Spouses