"Extravagant Generosity Workshop"

FROM Dr. Karen Dorris, Dir. Congregational Excellence~

We are excited to announce the "Extravagant Generosity Workshop" being
taught by Cliff Christopher from Horizon Stewardship on the following
dates:.

October 14, 2006 9:00 am to 3:00 pm St. Paul's UMC in Houston

October 15, 2006 2:00 to 6:00 pm Marvin UMC in Tyler

Cost is $10.00 per person for the event.

We are delighted to have Cliff Christopher come and share his wealth of
knowledge. He is an excellent speaker and teacher to clergy as well as
lay persons in the church. He will talk about Annual Stewardship
Campaigns, Building Relationships with people who can make a difference, and
Capital Campaigns.
Please put this in your District newsletters and on the calendars as
each church will want to send representatives to attend this
informative teaching event being offered by our new "Congregational Excellence"
department. Registration information will be available shortly.

2006 Service Center Tour

It’s almost time for the 2006 Service Center Tour! Last year’s information-packed Benefits Tour for clergy and lay leaders has been renamed to include information about everything our Conference Service Center provides clergy and congregations! Pastors, Lay Leaders, Council Chairpersons, Treasurers, and members of Pastor-Staff Parish Relations, Finance, Missions, Evangelism, and Social Justice committees should attend. However, everyone is invited!

We’ll be announcing the event in Cross Connections later this month, and mailing brochures to pastors and churches in early August. Here’s how you can help: Please spread the word to the churches in your district through your district newsletter, at district meetings, and via e-mail. I’ve attached this message in a Word file, hoping that will make the information easier to cut, paste, and share.

Each event will include information vital for local church planning, along with the opportunity for clergy and lay leaders to ask questions. After gathering, registration, and light refreshments, we’ll enjoy an opening celebration, introduction, and directions. Each participant will be given the opportunity to choose two 45 minute workshops from the list below, with a 10 minute transition time in between, and a few minutes allowed for feedback at the end.

1. "The Methodist Advantage" - Charles Millikan

2. "Group Health Benefits - New Features of the Plan" - Ted Carlson

3. "Economic Overview and Personal Investment Strategies" - Esther Houser and Mark Conner

4. "ABC's of Local Congregation Financial Management" - Peggy Miller and Jana Smalley

5. "Connectional Resources for the Local Congregation" - Elijah Stansell

6. "Clergy Excellence" - B.T. Williamson

7. "Congregational Excellence" - Karen Dorris

8. "Mission Excellence" - Rick Goodrich

9. "Funding Strategies for the New Pension Plan" - Bill Jones

10. "Benefits and the Electronic World" - Lydia Lopez

Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, August 26, 1:00 pm - Friendswood UMC

Sunday, August 27, 4:30 pm - Memorial Drive UMC, Houston

Monday, August 28, 7:00 pm - First UMC, Bryan

Tuesday, August 29, 7:00 pm - First UMC, Longview

Wednesday, August 30, 7:00 pm - First UMC, Nacogdoches

Thursday, August 31, 7:00 pm - Trinity UMC, Beaumont

Note that these are regional locations, not district locations. Please encourage folks to attend the most convenient location.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Marty Gordon, Lydia Lopez, Carol Bruse or B.T. Williamson in the Center for Clergy Excellence. Thanks so much for your help!