In case you were wondering...

In case you have been in the gym at Grace and are wondering why all the flood buckets and health kits are still there, here is the info from the conference office:

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has asked Southwest Texans to delay their shipment of hurricane-recovery supplies for a week. With the approach of Hurricane Rita, officials at the committee's Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin , La. , have said they may send the flood buckets and health kits from Southwest Texas straight to a disaster site. That's the word from Susan Hellums, Southwest Texas Conference Volunteers in Mission coordinator. Southwest Texas United Methodists have been assembling flood buckets filled with cleanup supplies and health kits containing personal hygiene items since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast Aug. 29. Items were to have been picked up Tuesday. Church members now have an additional week to gather aid items, Hellums said.

Feel free to keep bringing them in! UMCOR needs them more than ever.

peace,

This week's sermon

Better late than never... here is Sunday's sermon. As always, I apologize in advance for typos, things I said in the sermon that are not in the manuscript and things in the manuscript that were not actually in the sermon.

Your feedback is always welcomed!

peace,

will

What do you mean there is no wireless internet here?

I apologize for my blogging absence for the last couple of days. I was at a retreat at Mount Wesley. For those who don't know, that is our United Methodist Retreat Center in Kerrville. I think it is safe to call it a retreat center now rather than a camp. The have recently added a large dining facility and renovated (and air conditioned) the worship center. Fortunately there are still lots of deer running around and it is nice and quiet.

I was there for a two day retreat for something called Covenant Connection. While I am in the probationary period of my ordainment which lasts three years, I will meet five times a year with a group of my peers. Each member of my ordination class is assigned a liaison pastor who has already gone through this process. We all meet to discuss the joys and challenges of ministry, to continue our theological education and to prepare for our final ordination. The group of Lawson pastors and the people who run this group will also write an evaluation and recommendation regarding us that will go to the Board of Ordained Ministry who makes the final decision about our ordination.

This may sound complicated and cumbersome. However, when I talk to my colleagues in other denominations, who are ordained straight out of seminary with no support of accountability and listen to how hard it is for them to make it as pastors, I celebrate our system.

I love questions about the ordination process. I know it can be confusing, but it is an important part of how the larger church operates. Feel free to ask me.

I will have my sermon from this week posted later today. (I hope)

peace,

will

We are back... and mostly ready to go

Contrary to some previous announcements we will worship at Grace this Sunday morning. Some of our staff members and some of the people who help put worship together are still away, but we will work with what we have. If you stayed in town or if you have returned from wherever you evacuated from, I hope that you will come and join us this Sunday morning.

We will worship at the normal times: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00. However, due to the failure of a compressor in one of our main AC units, we will worship in the gym.

We have a lot to be thankful for this week and a lot of people we need to pray for. Please join us as we praise God and listen to the scriptures for a message of hope and grace.

peace,

will

It is beautiful... from the air...

Here is the latest satellite image of Rita courtesy of thestormtrack.com.

Hi Rita...

I liked the turtle pictures better. Here is hoping Rita just gets tired and gives up.

In the Neighborhood

I haven't written much about our neighborhood meetings. In case you haven't heard, Pastor John and I have been attending a number of small group meetings hosted in the homes of some of our members. They are meant as a time where we can get to know people better in a smaller setting and also hear about people's hopes and dreams for Grace.

So far, the experiences have been amazing. John and I have felt really blessed to learn more about so many people and get a glimpse of a vision of the future for Grace United Methodist Church. If you haven't attended a meeting yet, I encourage you to watch the bulletin and newsletter for one in your neighborhood. If there is not one at a convenient time on your neighborhood, go to someone else's neighborhood. Also, if you are interested in hosting a meeting in your home, let me know and we will set it up.

peace,

will

Simon Squared

I've noticed that the weblog has been a little heavy lately since I have been mostly writing about Katrina relief. So, I thought I would share this. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Simon, the box turtle Alisha brought home. Well, first of all, it's not Simon, it is Simone. She is the big one on the left. In the mean time, someone brought us another one (on the right). He is a boy so he has inherited the name Simon. Simon and Simone seem to be getting along nicely.

peace,

will

Katrina Relief Update

I have been using this blog as a clearing house for Katrina relief info for the congregation and I have a couple of timely things.

First of all, the youth will be putting together flood buckets this Sunday. If you are interested in helping them stock them, bring supplies by the church. The list of contents are listed further down in the weblog.

Second of all, I just got a request from an area church for some help. Here it is:

I received a call for help from First UMC in Taft. The Taft Housing Authority has opened up apartments for 8 families (Katrina evacuees). They need beds immediately - 6 Twin, 6 full, plus the frames to support the mattresses. They also could use towels, bedding, coffee pots, toaster ovens, etc.

They DO NOT need food, clothing, stoves or refrigerators.

If your church can help whit this request, please call Huck Nelson at 361-528-2880 or call the church tomorrow - 361-528-2131.

I know a lot of you are doing a lot of great work for victims and displaces families and I love to hear about it. Post a comments a let us all know!

peace,

will

Welcoming our Neighbors

Grace United Methodist Church is certainly a welcoming place. I don't know of anyone here who isn't happy to see a new face among us. What we always need to be thinking about though is, "do others see us that way?" When someone comes to Grace for the very first time, do they get the impression that we really want them here and really want them to come back.

It is something that we always need to be thinking about and it is something that we think about across the denomination. The United Methodist Church has a wonderful program called Igniting Ministries. The program encourages churches to really look hard at what they do to be welcoming places. They offer an opportunity for review that can lead to becoming a "Welcoming Congregation." The process for achieving that status really has the potential to help churches be the most welcoming they can be.

Our District Superintendent, Barbara Ruth has challenged all Corpus Christi District churches to become "Welcoming Congregations. " The first step is learning how. If you are interested, I encourage you to attend a training event at First UMC Beeville, Saturday, September 24 from 9 to noon. I attended a preview of the training this morning and it is really worth it. Attending the training does not commit you to anything, but it may spark your interest.

The session is free. If you are interested, just drop me an e-mail and I will add your name to the list. Let me know if you have any questions.

peace,

will

Young Adults... In The Beginning

If you are not in the 18-30ish crowd, I bet you know someone who is. We meet every Thursday evening at the Grace parsonage, hang out and eat for a while and then talk about current events and how they relate to our faith.. We have a really solid core group, but we have room for plenty more. I hope that you will help us spread the word.

This week, after sharing some fajitas we will talk about how it all started. The debate over how the origins of the world should be taught in schools rages on. We are going to be talking about evolution, biblical creationism, intelligent design and how we think about faith and science.

I think this will be a good conversation, I hope we have a good group of people!

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

As always, hard copies of the sermons are available in the glassway.

Here is this week's sermon in electronic form.

I always treasure your feedback about the sermon and/or the service.

peace,

will

Deadline for UMCOR Stuff

Expect a couple more posts today. I plan to put my sermon online in a while and I want to talk about our mentoring program (though that may have to wait until tomorrow.)

I want to, first of all, thank everyone who had been bringing Health Kits and Flood Buckets to the office. We are starting to get a nice stockpile. I have heard there are a bunch more Flood Buckets on the way. As I posted below, Grace is a drop off point for the supplies for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. We are hoping some of the other local United Methodist churches will be adding to the stock soon.

Second, I want to let you know that we are now on a bit of deadline. Monday, September 19th is now the day we plan to ship these supplies to either Louisiana or Houston. UMCOR's main depot is in Louisiana, but they have secured warehouse space in Houston so our supplies may go there first. So, if you are planning on putting together some kits, please have them to the office by Sunday, September 18th.

Due to the scope of this relief effort, I believe we will continue collecting materials after this date. However, anything we collect after this shipment, we will have to ship ourselves and that can get pretty expensive.

If you want to know more about the Flood Buckets and Health Kits, all the information is in previous posts below.

peace,

will

This Sunday

Most of you get this by e-mail, but here it is for those whose don't:

Sunday Preview

Scripture: John 15:12-13

Sermon Title: "The Ultimate Witness"

In Psalm 137, the Psalmist asks, "How could we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?" The question reflects the sorrow of God's people in Babylon, wondering how they could carry on in the midst of their exile. Last week, I thought of this Psalm as I considered the question, "how do we praise God in the midst of terrible tragedy?" This week, the Psalm remains with me as I consider, "how do we remember one tragedy in the midst of another?"

The answer to both questions lies in thinking about what it is we can be thankful for, even in the midst of sorrow. This Sunday we will give thanks. On the fourth anniversary of September 11th 2001, we will remember and give thanks. We will pause in the service to remember that day, those who were lost, those who still suffer. We will also give thanks. We will give thanks for the ultimate witness of love that we all experienced in the selfless acts of bravery and kindness that so clearly marked that day and the days that followed.

In particular, we will give thanks for the men and women who sacrifice and serve specifically to protect us and heal us. We will lift up the service the members of our community who work as firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, doctors, nurses, anyone who works on the front lines helping us when we need it most. If you have friends and neighbors who serve in this way, please invite them to join us. We will also have a reception in their honor following the 11:00 service.

This Sunday, we will also continue to receive donations for the flood recovery efforts of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. You may put checks in the offering plate. Just mark them "Hurricane."

Grace UMC is also now the district collection point for much needed flood buckets and health kits. If you or your small group would like to assemble some, all the information is available on handouts in the breezeway, in this week's newsletter or online at www.umcor.org. Feel free to e-mail me at pastorwillrice@gmail.com with any questions.

See you Sunday!

peace,

will

Update from UMCOR

UM relief committee calls for specific supplies to meet shelter needs
September 8

The United Methodist Committee on Relief issued a call Thursday for the following items:

+ Health Kits

+ School Kits

+ New Twin Sheets

+ New Pillows

+ New Blankets

+ Air mattresses

Health Kits and School Kits are collections of specific items that can be found on the relief committee website at: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/ . (Note - info on health kits can also be found further down on the weblog)

The Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin , La. , needs the items to meet needs of tens of thousand people in shelters along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.

Four Southwest Texas sites have agreed to be collection points for health kits, flood buckets, blankets and other items intended for Sager Brown Depot:

+ Austin : Memorial UMC, 6100 Berkman Drive .

+ Corpus Christi : Grace UMC, 11222 Leopard St .

+ McAllen : Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley , 2601 Zinnia.

+ San Antonio : Windcrest UMC, 8101 Midcrown, Windcrest

Susan Hellums, Volunteers in Mission coordinator, is arranging to have a truck take the flood buckets, health kits and other items to Sager Brown later in September.

If you have things that you want to give, I would be glad to have someone come pick them up if you can't get them to the church.

peace,

will

Flood Buckets

The United Methodist Committee on Relief's number one and two needs right now are money and health kits. In the post below I talked about health kits. Flood buckets are there number three need and will be a continuing need even after the long clean up from Katrina.

Grace UMC is now a drop off point in the Corpus Christi area for health kits and flood buckets. If you or your group want to assemble either of these, you can drop them off at Grace 11222 Leopard Street. Call for more info at 361-242-3333. Since the details of the Health Kit are listed below, here is the info on the flood buckets:

A flood bucket contain the following items (all items should be new) :

5 gallon bucket with resealable lid
5 scouring pads
Bleach – two 1-quart or one 82 oz bottle
7 pack sponges
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz bottle
1 scrub brush
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz bottle
2 pair latex gloves
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft or one 100 ft)
5 dust masks
1 pair work gloves
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz or one 50 oz bottle)
24 bag roll of heavy duty trash bags (33-45 gallon)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps)

In a separate envelope, please also provide $1.50 per bucket to cover distribution costs. You can make that check out to Grace UMC and we will send one check with all the kits.

Some people have asked me about the buckets themselves. Home Depot has them. The buckets can be found all over the store. The lids are in the paint department. Let me know if you have any questions.

peace,

will

What We are Doing...

Thank you to everyone who is helping already with the relief effort. On Sunday alone, we raised over $4500 for UMCOR and local assistance. I am told that checks continue to roll in.

We have already distributed a number of health kits to local shelters. This is a continuing urgent need. The UMCOR-Sager Brown depot supplies these not only for relief efforts here in the U.S., they send them all over the world. Their resources are tapped and they cannot get them fast enough. We will be able to have these trucked right to Louisiana to restock the warehouse.

A Health Kit contains specific items:

1 hand towel (15"” x 25"” up to 17"” x 27"”)
1 wash cloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz and up)
1 toothbrush (single brush only in original wrapper; no child-sized brushes)
1 large tube of toothpaste (4.5 or larger, expiration date must be 6 months or longer in advance of the date of shipment to Sager Brown)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

All items should be placed inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. No money, notes, religious or political literature, or other items should be placed in the kits. In a seperate envelope, please also provide $1.00 per kit to cover distribution costs. You can make that check out to Grace UMC and we will send one check with all the kits.

You can bring completed kits by the church, or if you need, I can pick them up.

You can read more about it here.

I will let you know as soon as I can the date the truck will be going. However, we can keep working past that. While the acute need will subside, UMCOR will always need these.

Thank you for all you are already doing.

peace,

will

This Week's Sermon

Is available here.

peace,

will

More local Katrina relief information...

If you are interested in helping locally, either with your time, money or food, clothing and supplies, you can go to the following website for all the information:

www.cctexas.com

Either click the link about or go to cctexas.com and click on the Kartrina Assistance link.

I would love to now what people are doing. Feel free to post comments about what you are doing in the wake of this disaster.

peace,

will

Urgent Need - Here in Corpus

First United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi is hosting displaced people from Hurricane Katrina. They are in need of a number of supplies and volunteers. If you would like to help, here is the information.

There are a number of additional ways to help in the Corpus Christi area. This link takes you to the full list provided by the Caller Times.

peace,

will

Better words than mine...

My dear friend Jen Austin has posted some wonderful words relating to hurricane Katrina on her weblog. You can read them here:

Katrina's Cause and Effect

peace,

will

Still more information

If you are interested in assembling flood buckets or better yet assembling a team to assemble flood buckets, it looks as though the conference will be helping us to get them to where they need to go.

Here is what you need to know about the flood buckets.

Please e-mail me if you have questions.

peace,

will

Continuing Updates on Katrina Relief

The latest is that there may be as many as 25,000 refugees headed to San Antonio. Corpus Christi officials are beginning to prepare for the possibilities of refugees coming to Corpus Christi in the near future. The best way to help continues to be through cash donations.

The United Methodist Committee on relief has already raised $570,000 online. You can read here about fund raising efforts and where the money is going here.

Click here to donate to UMCOR

Our Southwest Texas Conference Bishop Joel Martinez has posted a message about the disaster response, you can read it here.

I will continue to post here as I hear about more ways we can help. I know people are interested in helping in a physical, hands on way. There will be opportunities to serve, I will try to get you the information as soon as possible.

peace,

will