Post on 06-Aug-2020
Words from your Annual Meeting Committee Chair, Carolyn Haerr
You are cordially invited to attend the 42nd Annual Meeting and Officer Training
for the Holston Conference United Methodist Women which will be at Lake
Junaluska, NC on September 19-20, 2015. If you are a district president or
treasurer, your officer training sessions will start on the evening of
September 18th. ALL DISTRICT OFFICERS are urged to attend so you can
be better prepared to train your district’s local UMW officers.
The speaker and communion celebrant will be Rev. Rhonda Hobbs, who is an
Elder in our conference and pastors Glen Alpine UMC in Kingsport, TN. She is an
inspiring speaker with a mission “to live a life that walks in close relationship to
God and to inspire others to do the same.” We are certain to be blessed by her
message.
Musicians are Dr. Trevor Smith and Gail Morris. Trevor joins us again after providing music at our
recent Mission u event in Lenoir City. Gail was unable to be with us then but is able to join us now to
provide special music and accompany Trevor. They will entertain and inspire us with a short concert
prior to the start of our first session as well as lead us in music throughout the weekend.
Julie Taylor, the Executive for Spiritual Growth for UMW from the national office, will not be present.
Julie is starting a new position with the National Farm Workers Ministry in Raleigh, NC. Instead, the
National Office for UMW is sending us another very knowledgeable person who will install officers, offer a
training session about UMW for those who want to learn more about UMW mission and add the
perspective of coming from the national office. Who it will be is…..A SURPRISE! You can be
assured that our surprise representative can answer your questions about how decisions are made and
how things work at the national level, so come with your questions ready.
Koni Purscell will also be with us to receive our donations for the Big Stone Gap Church and Community
Renewal Project.
Members of the Mission team that went to Sager-Brown will lead our optional Sunday morning
devotional time this year at both Lambuth and Terrace. If you are an early riser, plan to join them
at 7 AM at either location.
Please take a look at the biographies of our speaker,
participants and musicians. We are blessed to have such
talented people in our conference who are willing to share their
talents with us as well as those from outside our conference
who have so much to share with us.
The committee hopes that while you are attending this Annual
Meeting you will enjoy the changes we have made in our efforts
to better serve you.
Thank you, UMW members, for doing your part in fulfilling our
UMW Purpose and your support of UMW missions. Thank you
Program Committee members for all of your hard work
preparing for this event.
Yours in Christ, Carolyn Haerr, Conference UMW Vice-President
Holston Conference United Methodist Women
42nd ANNUAL MEETING and DISTRICT OFFICER TRAINING
September 19-20, 2015
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Rev. Rhonda Hobbs
Our Spiritual Leader
Rev. Rhonda K. Hobbs is an Elder in the Holston Conference, presently serv-
ing as the pastor of Glen Alpine UMC in Kingsport, TN. Rhonda received her
Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta
and a Bachelor of Science in Business-Marketing from the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to entering the ministry in 2005, she held a variety
of sales and marketing positions with Bush Brothers Company and Kraft General
Foods.
Rhonda’s passion is for preaching following Jesus’ example of storytelling for
teaching and opening up the Scriptures to new light and understanding, and for
the spiritual discipline of retreat, renewal, and transformation. Her personal
mission statement is “To live a life that walks in close relationship to God and to
inspire others to do the same.” In addition to preaching and teaching, Rhonda is a professional coach
working with individuals to become all that God created them to be. She coaches churches, non-profit
and for-profit companies in visioning and strategic planning. Rhonda will be certified by the International
Coaching Federation in 2015.
Rhonda has one daughter, Angela, who is married to Matthew Davis; they have two sons Austin and
Andrew. Rhonda lives in Kingsport with a spoiled rotten Shih Tsu named Hobo. Her hobbies include a love
for both reading and writing, crocheting, and a novice quilter.
District Officer Training
An important part of this event is District Officer Training. Each district officer is expected to attend their respective
training, whether they are a new officer or if they have held the position more than a year. Following the business
session of Annual Meeting on Saturday, training is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Presidents and Treasurers will start their
trainings on Friday evening. Treasurers will continue at 10:00 on Saturday. Communication Coordinators will start
their training at 10:00 on Saturday. All officers will continue trainings on Saturday afternoon.
Location of each training will be listed in the Annual Meeting Program Book.
Together we can make a difference. Together we can support each other. Together we can make it happen. Together
we are stronger.
National Focus Session Learning from the women at National UMW is always an opportunity to grow.
We are looking forward to a question and answer time together. What ques-
tions do you want answered. Write them down and have them ready. We
will do our best to have them answered in the time allotted.
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Our Musicians Gail Morris is a teacher in the Johnson City School System where she is the
Chorus Director at Indian Trail Intermediate School serving 300 chorus
students. She has earned a B.S. in Music Education K-12, Elementary
Certification 1-8, and a Master in Education from ETSU. Gail has been the
recipient of many honor awards such as: Indian Trail Middle School Teacher of
the Year, Johnson City Teacher of the Year; Woodland Teacher of the
Year, Henry Johnson Teacher of the Year; Who’s Who Among American
Teachers, and University of Tennessee Excellence in Teaching Award. She has
served as pianist for the Sulphur Springs United Methodist District Camp Meet-
ing for 25 years. She has also served as pianist, children’s choir director, and
praise team pianist for Jonesborough UMC. She is a member of a traveling la-
dies ensemble, “Closer Walk”, who sing Christian praise and Gospel music for
church services, revivals, homecomings, and conferences. Gail and her hus-
band, Jeff, are the proud parents of a "miracle" son, Jonathan David, who is a
recent graduate of ETSU. Gail loves the gift of music God has given her and
wants to use it to praise and worship His Holy Name.
Dr. Trevor Smith is currently the Director of Music and Worship at Central
United Methodist Church in Lenoir City, TN. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts
in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Southern Mississippi,
the Master of Music in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, and the
Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Emory & Henry College. Dr. Smith
has garnered numerous honors and awards, some of which include conducting
Carlise Floyd’s Susannah as an undergraduate at Emory & Henry College,
winning graduate assistantships at both the Eastman School and USM, and
winning the Regional NATS Artists’ Division competition. Dr. Smith has
performed several operatic and musical theater roles including Kodály in Bock’s
She Loves Me, Starveling in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Count
Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and has sung as baritone soloist in
such oratorios as Handel’s Messiah (also performed arias as a counter-tenor),
Saint-Saens’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Schubert’s Mass in G, and the
Fauré Requiem. Also, in both 2000 and 2001, he was selected to participate in the Carnegie Hall Choral
Workshop, where he worked with James Conlon and Sir Neville Marriner, respectively. Significant
teachers and coaches include Mark O. Davis, Maryann Kyle, Benton Hess, Russell Miller, and Steven
Daigle.
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The Nominations Committee of the Holston Conference United Methodist Women are presenting the following
persons on Saturday at the business meeting of Annual Meeting for the open positions on the Conference Executive
Committee. The Nominations Committee members are: Johnnie Bridges, Chair; Sandra Guinn, assistant; Gloria Sims;
JoAnn Wrinkle; Alana Yates; Lori Sluder; and Martha Ketron. The nominees are on the following pages.
2016 Proposed Executive Committee Profiles
CAROLYN HAERR, NOMINEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT
Carolyn lives in Spring City, TN with her husband and best friend, Chris Haerr.
Carolyn grew up in a little Methodist country church in Illinois and accepted Christ
at the age of 11. She graduated from Southern Illinois University with a
bachelor’s degree in nursing and began work as a RN at the St. Louis VA Hospital
in various areas of practice both as a nurse and as the hospital’s evening shift
relief supervisor. After moving to TN, she worked at Rhea Medical Center as a
hemodialysis nurse and director of nursing before going to UT at Knoxville for a
MSN degree. That led to her opening a home health business in Spring City
where she became especially interested in providing hospice care before hospice
was a recognized need in the area. After serving her community in that capacity,
she retired from the home health field. She was called both by the county school system and God to be
a school nurse.
Carolyn has been an active member of Spring City UMC and UMW since 1981. She has taught various
Sunday school and VBS classes and has served as Treasurer, Mission Coordinator for
Social Action, and President of her local UMW. She has also served her district as President of the
Cleveland District, a member of the Nominations Committee and as Mission Coordinator for Social
Action. Last year, she was elected to fill the vacated position Vice President of the Conference UMW.
Carolyn is passionate about serving God in any capacity but especially UMW endeavors, teaching CPR
classes, and Holston Conference medical mission trips to Mexico.
Carolyn and Chris are the parents of two, Dina Hess and Greg Haerr, and grandparents of seven.
LORI SLUDER, NOMINEE FOR SOCIAL ACTION 2016-2017
Lori Sluder has been active in UMW since 1990 and has served on the local,
district, and conference level in various offices in the Johnson City, Chattanooga,
and Knoxville Districts. Lori is currently serving as the webmaster for the
Conference UMW as well as serving on the Nominations Committee. Lori lives in
Knoxville and works as the Executive Secretary to the Bishop in the Holston
Conference Episcopal Office. Lori has worked with Holston Conference since
2005.
Her husband is the Reverend Michael Sluder, who is the Director of Connectional
Ministries for Holston Conference. They have two young-adult children, Josh and
Katie.
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Gayle Kilgore brings a variety of skills to this position. Her education is as follows:
first two years college at Clinch Valley College, Wise, VA (now UVA-Wise); Bachelor of
Science degree with double major in English and History from East Tennessee State
University; Masters in Organizational Management from Tusculum College, Greeneville,
TN.
She taught English at J. J. Kelly High School, Wise, VA, in school year 1968-69. She
began working at Thompson & Litton, Inc., consulting engineers where she stayed for 18
years. Her position allowed her to type specifications, coordinate them with drawings and
required contractual provisions, and to write grant and loan applications.
She left T&L and opened Kilgore Consulting, writing grants and representing owners
during construction projects. She served for 2 years as Housing Director for Appalachia
Service Project (ASP), overseeing construction projects in TN, KY, and VA. She held
several substitute teaching positions over the next few years, the largest one being for
the Dept. of Agriculture as substitute at Flatwoods Job Corps.
She then went to work for HOMES, Inc., a low-income housing finance and construction business in Neon,
KY. Here, she assisted low-income households in obtaining financing for new or rehabilitation loans, counseled
on budgeting and mortgage issues, wrote grant applications to secure financing, and did field inspections.
After eight years in this job, she retired due to her rheumatoid arthritis. She again consulted for LINKS, Inc.,
another low-income housing organization located in Floyd County, KY.
Gayle joined Pound UMC in 1997 and started attending UMW serving as President of the unit several
times. Gayle served as Big Stone Gap District’s Membership, Nurture, and Outreach office for two terms. At
the time, BSG District did not have a President. Pat Bowden had come back to serve for one year. One day,
the District Team was meeting to plan for the next year. As Gayle was driving to the meeting, God spoke to
her, telling her she was to volunteer to be President for the next four years. 2015 is the last year of Gayle’s
service as President.
Gayle lives in Pound, in the house she was born in, with her two sons, Chris and Sean. Both are in their
40’s. One has been married, and the other has lived alone. Circumstances have dictated that the three of
them again share a home. Gayle loves to read and to do embroidery.
GAYLE KILGORE, NOMINEE FOR MISSION COORDINATOR EDUCATION & INTERPTATION
Amy is currently completing her second year as Holston Conference
Communication Coordinator. She has served as Communication Coordinator in
the Morristown District for four years. She is a member of Christ United
Methodist Church where she serves as UMW President. She is currently
Finance Chairperson, Treasurer of the Trustees Committee, a member of the
Choir, one of the Wednesday night cooks, and facilitator of a Wednesday
afternoon Bible Study and Lay Servant for the Morristown District. Amy is an
active member and Treasurer of the Greene County Firewood Ministry,
providing wood for those with little to no heat.
Amy was married to Dewey Thomas (now deceased) for 40 –1/2 years. They
raised two children, Jeffrey (now deceased) and Marsha, who lives within a mile
of her and remains the light of her life. Throughout those years, Amy remained
active in children and youth ministries.
Amy believes her computer, administrative and accounting training, and leadership classes will allow
her to fulfill the role of Holston Conference United Methodist Women Communications Coordinator.
AMY THOMAS, NOMINEE FOR COMMUNICATION COORDINATOR
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MARY WATTERSON, NOMINEE FOR NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Mary Watterson is the director for Kingsport Community Ministry Center,
a position she has held for the past 12 years. Prior to taking the direc-
tor’s job at KCMC, Mary worked for twenty-two years at East Tennessee
State University. In addition to her work at KCMC, Mary serves on the
board of director’s and support committee for Habitat for Humanity and
she serves on the board of directors for Tri-City Diaper Ministry.
Mary is very active in her church, St. Mark UMC, where she is Lay Lead-
er, PPR Chair, Disaster Coordinator, Trustee Chair, Mission Coordinator,
UMW President, and helps out in any way needed.
Mary has been married for forty-six years to Frank Watterson. She is the
mother of three, grandmother of eight granddaughters, two grandsons,
and three great-grandchildren. When Mary has free time, she enjoys go-
ing on mission trips, reading, and traveling with friends. Mary has a pas-
sion for children and their welfare, and her motto is “if God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it.”
FLO HETHERINGTON, NOMINEE FOR NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Flo Hetherington lives in Pulaski County VA in the Wytheville District.
She has served UMW in the Tazewell and Wytheville Districts. She has served
on District Nomination, Social Action, and a committee called Global Concerns
in 1980’s. She is nearing the end of her 4th year as Wytheville District Vice
President. She has been in the Lay Speaking ministry since 2004 and is
currently a Lay Servant. She currently serves on the Worship Committee,
Alternate Lay Delegate to Annual Conference. She loves working with others
in the many ministries of the church and her local Ruritan Club.
Hobbies are crafts and sewing. Lost her husband of 47 years in 2010, lost her
son Feb 16, 2015 at 49. She has 3 other sons, Wayne, Jimmy, and Steven,
eight grandchildren – 4 girls and 4 boys, and three great grandchildren – a
boy and 2 girls.
She considers herself a servant of Christ.
During the weekend, you will have time to retreat to
Susannah’s gardens, the Biblical gardens, the chapel,
the prayer labyrinth, or a walk around the lake. Make
this week a learning, spiritual, restful, and peaceful
weekend. Renew friendships between the twelve
districts of Holston Conference. Consider these
questions while you are at the lake: “Where does God
want me to be working for him?” and “How can I feed
his lambs?”
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Send Part I Holston Conference Registration Form to your District President by August 29th, 2015 with
your registration check made payable to Holston Conference UMW. Next complete Part II by mail or
call Lake Junaluska or go online to register for your room.
PART I — REGISTER FOR THE EVENT
Fill in Part I and mail to your District President with a $15.00 check payable to Holston Conference UMW before
August 29, 2015. Please note: the name you register with will be the name used on your name tag. Registration after August 29,
2015 or at Lake Junaluska will be $20.00. Childcare is available for children, ages 2-9, for $10 each. If you are requesting childcare,
please fill out the required children’s form found on the website at www.holstonumw.org and children must be registered by
August 29th. Information you supply by registering will allow us to have enough supplies for everyone. Childcare will be at the Ter-
race Hotel. Children 11 or under may room with you for free if you register by mail, call, or online.
Part I — REGISTRATION FORM (MUST BE COMPLETED.)
ANNUAL MEETING AND DISTRICT TRAINING SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2015 (August 29 Early Registration Deadline)
FIRST/PREFERRED & LAST NAME ______________________________________________ PHONE: (_____)__________________
ADDRESS___________________________________________________________________CHURCH_________________________
DISTRICT____________________________ VOTING DELEGATE FIRST TIMER
PLEASE CLEARLY MARK THE FOLLOWING IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE EVENT.
______ SATURDAY —FOCUS SESSION — 4:40 to 5:25
______ CONFERENCE OFFICER ALUMNAE GATHERING — 5:25—7:00
______ SUNDAY — 7:00 A.M. MORNING DEVOTIONS AT Lambuth _________ OR Terrace _________
CHILDREN ATTENDING WITH ME—NAMES/AGES
Please mail this part to your District President, listed above, by August 29, 2015, with your
registration fee(s) listed above. Additional names of children may be added by an
attaching an extra sheet of paper with information as needed. The childcare form is found on
www.holstonumw.org and must be filled out for each registered child.
YES NO YES NO
Abingdon Prue Oxendine 236 Country Meadow Circle Bristol TN 37620 423-948-3341
Big Stone Gap Gayle Kilgore 7860 South Fork Road Pound VA 24279 276-796-5539
Chattanooga Joyce Guice 3910 Lake Haven Circle Chattanooga TN 37416 423-894-4501
Cleveland Joan Schwiebert 1626 Crestway Drive Athens TN 37303 423-435-2341
Johnson City Kathryn Wilhoit 1161 Willow Springs Drive Johnson City TN 37601 423-534-3000
Kingsport Lynn Carson 2412 Reservoir Road Kingsport TN 37660 423-245-1860
Knoxville Sue Clapp 6704 Circle Road Corryton TN 37721 865-687-2978
Maryville Nancy Lampe 2609 Stock Creek Road Knoxville TN 37920 865-609-3466
Morristown Margaret Forby 118 Skyview Drive Greeneville TN 37745 423-620-2680
Oak Ridge Monica Sheppard-Viator 4429 Plymouth Drive Knoxville TN 37914 865-300-0256
Tazewell Sabrina Johnson 312 Horsley Drive Pearisburg VA 24134 540-921-0369
Wytheville Deborah Carte 1503 N. Main Street Hillside VA 24343 276-733-1182
2015 DISTRICT PRESIDENTS
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RESERVATIONS MUST BE COMPLETED!
LAKE JUNALUSKA ROOM RESERVATION FORM
ANNUAL MEETING AND DISTRICT OFFICER TRAINING
SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2015
NAME __________________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS________________________________________________________________________________________
CITY _____________________________STATE ________ZIP _________
CONTACT PHONE ( __)_________________EMAIL _________________ _________________________
I AM REQUESTING HOUSING (Please mark your 1st and 2nd choices.) Deposit equal to the first nights lodging is due at
time of reservation. Roommates should send make reservations together.
Rates on this form do not include the 3 meals which is $33.00 and is not optional. Room rates below are per
person.
SINGLE DOUBLE TRIPLE QUAD
Terrace $ 90.00 ___________ $56.00 ___________ $39.00 _____________ $33.00 ___________
Lambuth $ 88.00___________ $54.00 ___________ $37.00 _____________ $31.00 ___________
PLEASE LIST ROOMMATE(S) __________________________________________________________________
PLEASE INDICATE IF HANDICAP ROOM IS NEEDED. PLEASE SEND AN EXPLAINATION WITH YOUR RESERVA-
TION. If you are mailing your reservation, please send this portion and with your check to Lake
Junaluska, PO Box 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 27845. Roommates should mail their forms and
deposits together.
PART II — RESERVE YOUR ROOM!
Rates are per person per night. Children 11 years old and under who stay in the room w ith their parents
are free. If you have a roommate, please reserve at the same time to assist the reservation staff at Lake Junaluska in the
assignment of rooms. Notify Lake Junaluska immediately of any room changes. Meal cost is $33.00 for
everyone rooming at Terrace or Lambuth. The three meals for this event includes: Saturday lunch and
dinner, Sunday breakfast.
Reservation Options—please use one of these options to place your room reservation.
1. BY MAIL: A printed reservation form may be sent with your deposit to: Holston UMW Annual Meeting, Lake
Junaluska Reservations, PO BOX 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 27845. Please complete the form below and send with
your check; send a separate form and check for each roommate in the same envelope.
2. BY PHONE: Call Lake Junaluska Reservations at 800-222-4930. You will need a credit card to reserve your room
3. ONLINE: A new option is the direct online room reservation link for this event. Put the following address in your
web browser: www.lakejunaluska.com and enter code 6307 in the online booking section. You will need a credit
card. Roommates should be reserved together. We suggest you keep a copy of the forms or online registration for
your records.
Cancellation policy for participant lodging reservations: 30 days or more before an event receive deposit minus a $15 per
person processing fee; 29 days or less before an event deposit is forfeited.
In case of emergency, the switchboard number at Lake Junaluska is 828-452-2881. You may leave this number with
family and friends.
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Holston Conference
United Methodist Women
Annual Meeting &
District Officer Training
Amy Thomas,
Communications Coordinator
80 Splatter Creek
Limestone, TN 37681
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE
PAID
JEFFERSON CITY TN
PERMIT NO. 87
Return Service Requested
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
SATURDAY — SEPTEMBER 19, 2015
Registration 9:30 —11:30
Early Training Session 10:00 —11:30
Lunch 11:30 — 1:00
Concert 12:45 — 1:15
Business Session 1:15 — 3:00
District Officer Training 3:00 — 4:30
Focus Group 4:40 — 5:25
Dinner 5:30 — 7:00
Conference Officer Alumnae Gathering 5:30 — 7:00
Session 2 7:00 — 9:00
SUNDAY — SEPTEMBER 20, 2015
Morning Coffee, Prayer & Devotional 7:00
Breakfast 7:30 — 8:30
Session 3 - Closing Worship 9:15