Greater Magazine - No. 5

No. 5 — Spring 2014

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MANAGING EDITORRev. Will Rice, [email protected]

CONTENT DEVELOPMENTTami Postrollo, [email protected]

EDITORLaura Bray

PHOTOGRAPHERRev. Will Rice

DESIGN / LAYOUTSteven Bedingfield, [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSAaron Buttery Director of Student MinistryLoren Ahnberg Chief Operating OfficerNancy Andres Director of Care and WellnessRev. Dr. Paul ParksPastor of Care and WellnessKaren Andrews, Bob Russo Bill Weiss, Vickie Phelps

ADDRESSUniversity United Methodist Church5084 DeZavala Road San Antonio, TX 78249

CONTACT(210) [email protected]

Distributed by University United Methodist Church.

No. 5 — Spring 2014 GREATER MAGAZINE

Most churches have fallen way behind, and some are trying to catch up. That is really too bad for two rea-sons. First, we possess the greatest mes-sage ever revealed. Second, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fact that the earliest Christians were amazing com-municators who used every resource they had to spread the message of Jesus Christ. The first Christians used one of the greatest communication technology breakthroughs ever to help share the news about Jesus: roads. The Romans created their roads to keep the empire together, but Christians took advantage of them to share the Gospel message in a way that was never before imagined. What if the church followed in that tradition and used every resource available to tell people about Jesus? That question defines my new role here at University. You will see me in the pulpit much less, but I hope to have an even greater impact on helping people know about Jesus and grow in their re-lationship with Jesus. I will be helping us, as a church, take advantage of the revolutionary breakthroughs in com-munication technology to communicate with each other and to share our faith with our community. University is unlike any other congregation. We exist for a reason: we care about people and want them to meet Jesus and have a lifelong relation-ship with him. We have an important message to share with each other and the world. I want to see us use every tool at our disposal to share that mes-sage. Some of the things we are work-ing on: • a new website that will pro-

vide a better “front door” for people interested in learning more about our church, • a mobile site and mobile app that will speak to those who primar-ily access information on their smart phones, • livestreaming of our worship services so that those who can’t phys-ically join us for worship can still worship with us, • better methods for communi-cating with each other so that mem-bers can know what is happening even as we grow larger.

This magazine is one of the ways we use technology to communicate. The printing press has been around for awhile, but it is still a powerful tool. I hope in the pages of this issue of the Greater Magazine you will be connect-ed to the great things God continues to do through University United Method-ist Church. Inside, we take a closer look at the importance of confirmation in the lives of our young people. We also meet the latest class of Stephen Min-isters and learn about their vital min-istry. And when you are done reading, join the conversation. We’d love to hear from you on: Facebook - www.facebook.com/Uchurch.tv Twitter - @TheU Instagram - @UChurch

Blessings of Grace and Peace,

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Unless you have heard me mention it in a sermon, you might not know what I did before I became a pastor. I

decided in high school that I really want-ed to be on the radio. I went to the State College of New York College at Fredo-nia and majored in Communications with my emphasis on radio. I worked at my college radio station beginning in my freshman year and worked my way up to General Manager. I got my first commercial job at a small AM radio station in Fredonia. After graduation, I worked at radio stations in Mt. Pocono, PA; Allentown, PA; and Austin, TX. I worked for Clear Channel Radio in Austin when I heard my call to minis-try and began seminary. I saw the radio

business and the world of communica-tions change drastically during those years. When I started, I played vinyl re-cords, and I took requests on the phone; when I left the business, all the music was played from a computer, and re-quests came via email. When I went to seminary, I thought I was leaving most of that behind me. I knew I would still be communicating, just sharing a differ-ent message. I thought that the means of communication would be mostly the words spoken from the pulpit. Howev-er, communicating hasn’t just changed in the commercial world. Advances in technology have changed every aspect of how we communicate. That means I can’t leave my training and experience behind.

A LETTER FROM PASTOR WILL

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No. 5 — Spring 2014GREATER MAGAZINE


It’s an opportunity for those who have been baptized to confirm what God has done since their baptism. For those that are going

through confirmation without having been baptized, they’re looking back and recounting and confirming the preve-nient acts of grace that God has done prior to their baptism. Confirmation gives them the opportunity to say, “Yes, God has been active in my life and I am confirming that.”

CONFIRMATION: WHAT IS IT?

By Rev.Will Rice

On May 4, over 80 students will stand before the congregation and claim the promise that God has already made to them in baptism. We sat down with our Director of Student Ministry, Aaron Buttery, and asked him to tell us more about confirmation and our program here at University.

Many of us have heard the word

“confirmation” and even seen our students

stand up on Confirmation Sunday,

what exactly is confirmation?

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85

13

11

118

STUDENTSCurrently in confirmation

ADULT LEADERSCurrently in confirmation

STUDENT LEADERSHigh schoolers who facilitate conversations

PARENTSOn Sunday mornings

Quick StatisticsCONFIRMATION NUMBERS

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One of the things we do that really sets us apart is the way we’re inviting the whole family to participate. That’s a big thing. I’ve been in multiple churches, and I’ve worked with students for more than 14 years. Never before have I seen or heard of a confirmation process that really focuses on the student confirming their faith, with the larger goal of trans-forming the whole family and helping them to see what God is doing.

It’s vital for our families to be involved. We really hope that the whole fam-ily unit has the opportunity to reori-ent around the gospel, and around the basics of the faith, and around what it means to say, “What is God doing in

this place?” Our students not only move into a confirmation of their faith but also into a following of Jesus with the Holy Spirit residing in them. We also usually begin seeing our families and our parents orienting their lives around being in Godly fellowship with one an-other, and exploring scriptures and be-ing in prayer with one another.

So, parents are involved. Why is that important?

confirmation program unique?

In what way is University’s

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We assign homework. And the home-work isn’t what you remember from your high school days. It’s not fill-in-the-blank worksheets, or tests, or things of that nature. Homework is really two words for us: “home” and “work.” We invite families to work on their homes so that their homes become places where the kingdom of God is being made known and being born into. We invite our families to block out 30 to 45 min-utes one time a week to be in scripture and prayer together. For many of our families, that’s never happened before.

There’s huge opportunity for the whole of University to be involved and en-couraging and part of the confirmation experience; to be a part of the lives of these families. One huge and amazing opportunity that I hope you take is on May 4. Be in worship, see the confirma-tion vows happen, see them as they kneel and are reminded of their baptism as water goes over their hands. Hear those things and remember in your own life how you have confirmed what God has been doing, and ask yourself, “What is God doing in me now?” /WR

There’s homework?

What can the congregation do to continue

to support the confirmands and their families?

Watch the entire interview on our website at www.uchurch.tv

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FINANCIALPEACEUNIVERSITYTEXT/Rev.Will Rice

As part of their commitment to breaking away from slavery to their debt, participants in the 12 Fi-nancial Peace University classes began dumping debt by closing some of their 976 credit card accounts and performing “plastic-ectomies!”

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There are 450 people in the midst of spending 9 weeks exploring what God’s Word has to say about money

through Financial Peace University and Legacy Journey. Join us on Sunday, April 13 as we celebrate these successes at all 5 worship services. At 11:00 am there will be a special time of recogni-tion of the 450 participants and lead-ers. All are asked to join in on the cel-ebration by taking an opportunity to walk across the bridge of celebration (the skybridge) from 10:00-12:30 com-plete with snacks, banners, balloons and prayer chains.

“Since I took the class with the staff last year, we have been (mostly) sticking to a monthly

budget, I have a $1,000 emergency fund, and while we haven’t been paying off debt, I did take on extra voice stu-dents this year so that we could save up for Kaithe’s braces and pay for them in cash. We will pay for them in full when she gets them this June. This gets a us a discount and we won’t have to make monthly payments on them! So far we have the emergency fund plus another $3,500! Working toward the full $5,000 by June. Next step is to pay off my car

and then when Karis fi nishes at the Day School in a couple of years, hopefully Disney World!”

-Karen Andrews, University Staff Member and FPU Graduate

Rummage sale - 60 families raised a total of

off debt and donated $1,000 back to charity. Financial Peace University approximately $10,000 towards building savings and paying

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PP: God continuously calls upon his people to be sensitive to and care for persons in need. While this is an expec-tation for all of God’s people it is also the primary focus for persons called to an intentional ministry of presence, lis-tening and prayer during especially try-ing or challenging times in the life of an individual or family. Stephen Ministry is one of the most effective, time proven ways of enabling a congregation to cre-ate, sustain and provide a life changing ministry of caring.

PP: It is a formalized way of identify-ing and training persons with heart, a call and aptitude for a healing ministry of

presence, lis-

STEPHENMINISTRYListening, Caring, & Helping to Heal

By Laura Bray

Begun in 1975, Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one distinctively Christian lay caring ministry. Univer-sity began its Stephen Ministry in the late 1990s. Eight new Stephen Ministers will soon be com-missioned, joining 15 current Stephen Ministers and four leaders. We sat down with Nancy Andres (Director of Care and Wellness) and Rev. Dr. Paul Parks (Pastor of Care and Wellness) to find out more. We also asked some current Stephen Ministers about their experience.

Why do we have Stephen Ministry?

What is Stephen Ministry?

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ple, a heart for God, and wants to be an expression of the body of Christ. A life-long learner who is appropriately curious about themselves and interest-ed in others. One who believes they have been called by God to a ministry

of caring and have opened themselves and committed themselves to an ongo-ing process of learning and supervision in order to best serve others while con-tinuing their own personal growth.

NA: The training involves 65 hours of classroom interaction in addition to weekly reading assignments. The train-ing is divided into modules that cover topics such as feelings, listening, and how to assist someone through serious illness or even death. After training, Stephen Ministers participate in continuing edu-cation and, twice a month, confidential peer group supervision where challeng-

es and ideas can be shared that help the Stephen Minister grow and inform the process of the caring relationship. PP: Stephen Ministers are trained to listen. Listening is a skill that must be learned and continually developed.

Many people have never experienced being truly listened to, and when it oc-curs it can be profoundly helpful and, at times, transformative. They are trained to understand at a deeper level the dy-namics that often accompany life’s chal-lenges and how to be helpful a helpful presence with others. They are trained to use, while maintaining confidential-ity, the richness of knowledge and mu-tual support found in ongoing supervi-sion.

NA: They’re incredibly grateful. They become very close to their Stephen Min-isters. They work together one hour,

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What type of training do Stephen Ministers receive?

Who makes a good Stephen Minister?

presence, listening and prayer. Ste-phen Ministers are not counselors or therapists, but the work they do is very therapeutic. The ministry supports and encourages people on their journey of healing and renewed wellness.

NA: Stephen Ministers are called care givers, and those we serve are called care receivers, but we know Jesus Christ is the cure giver. We keep our trust in Christ at the center of all caring rela-tionships. Through worship, prayer, trust and scripture we depend on God to provide the hope for a prosperous fu-ture.

NA: We serve people whose lives have hit a speed bump, like death, illness, and divorce or job loss. People can benefit from someone to talk to in confidence, who is not in the middle of their forest. We tell people, “You don’t have to hurt alone”.

PP: People! People from every walk of life, age, occupation or circumstance. Often in times of loss, people can be-come isolated and lose hope for the present, let alone the future. Their faith may be shaken as they face new realities.

They may wonder, “How can the God that made all these promises and cre-ated everything seem to be so powerless or uncaring in what I am facing?” At such times having the caring, non-judg-mental, prayerful presence of another can be life sustaining and transforma-tional. Stephen Ministers are trained to be those people.

NA: A person who has been in the con-gregation for at least two years, who loves the Lord and loves others. A per-son of high integrity, good character, and with the capacity to become a great listener. PP: A person who has a heart for peo-

Who does the Stephen Ministry assist?

Nancy Andres, Director of Care & Wellness Rev. Dr. Paul Parks, Pastor of Care and Wellness

What feedback do you receive

from care recipients?

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once a week until the care receiver is strong enough to walk alone again. This may last as long as 12-15 months or as short as 90 days. PP: Appreciation and often a sense of awe that a person of their church would care about them and would commit time and energy to their well-being. Sometimes several years pass and the person cared for recognizes and shares how important the ministry of caring was in their lives.

NA: We have many people here at Uni-versity; we are the size of a large town! Therefore, we must have trained people to care for all kinds of needs. Galatians 6 tells us, “Therefore, as we have opportu-nity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of be-lievers.” One example: a woman lost her husband of 30+ years and now doesn’t know who she is. He has taken care of her for over 30 years, and she doesn’t know how to go forward in public, how to go out to dinner alone, how to return to Sunday School. A Stephen Minister reaf-firmed her strengths.Bob Russo (current Stephen Minister): Stephen Ministry helps a church member to fulfill our church mission statement: helping people to look to Jesus and to look like Jesus. It also helps the congregation see how their gifts can be used in a caring ministry.Bill Weiss (current Stephen Minister): I have witnessed God helping numer-ous people regain their joy again, begin “healing” from their emotional wounds, and taking positive steps towards engag-ing life again.

Bill Weiss: My personal relationship with God has grown since becoming a Stephen Minister. Also, I am a more con-fident Christian in public. Vickie Phelps: (current Stephen Min-istry candidate) I feel I am becoming more of the person God is calling me to be. I am learning that words count! They can help or hurt, heal or wound a rela-tionship. I am learning to listen and to see others as God sees them.

NA: Persons interested in becoming Ste-phen Ministers fill out an application, are interviewed twice, agree to a background check, and complete a spiritual gifts in-ventory before being accepted into the candidacy. One must then successfully complete the 65 hour training program and agree to the Stephen Minister’s cov-enant.PP: Many people who become Stephen Ministers have thought about doing so for many years. Some wait because the timing is not right. Others continue to discern if this is what God is really calling them to do. Many wonder if they’re ade-quate for the task. Adequacy comes from training and ongoing supervision./LB

To find out more about Stephen Ministry or to sign up to be a care giver or care recipient, contact Nancy Andres at the church office. A new class for care givers begins on September 19.

Why is Stephen Ministry

important at University?

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If you have been around the United Methodist Church long enough, you have likely heard that word. But what are apportionments and why

are they important to the life and ministry of University United Methodist Church? University is not in ministry alone. We are part of the larger, global United Methodist denomination. While most of the money we raise goes to support local ministry, we are also involved in meeting needs around the world on a scale we would not be able to do on our own. When we give to the church, a small portion of that money goes to pooling our resources with other United Methodist Churches around the world to do great things. We get to be a part of

Africa University, assuring continued de-velopment of the first private university for young men and women from all over Africa. We get to be a part of raising up the next generation of Christian leaders by supporting United Methodist Universities; training church educators, communicators and musicians; and recruiting and educat-ing pastors. We also get to be a part of meeting the needs of people around the world in mission through United Method-ist Global Ministries.

Apportionments - an opportunity to pool our re-sources, to do things together that we could not do alone, another one of the great things that happen when we give to University United Methodist Church.

APPORTIONMENTS

FINANCIAL LETTERI am excited about our 2014 ministry activities! Currently we are preparing to start a new

Sunday School curriculum and implement an enhanced security/accountability system in Children’s Ministry. We continue to experience growth in Student Ministry participa-tion. Over 850 adults/students/children will soon complete Financial Peace University

or Legacy Journey. All this is already happening as we prepare ourselves for opportunities yet to be revealed. How can we ensure great things continue to happen? Every financial gift makes Uni-versity’s ministries possible. Our commitment is strengthened by sending 7% weekly of every $1 received to support apportionments. To date, our total revenue is $898,750 which is slightly below our budget projection but, fortunately, above our year-to-date expenses. The Finance Committee carefully reviewed 2013 receipts and anticipated 2014 finan-cial gifts to establish a realistic revenue expectation for this year. The Executive Committee then discussed the revenue recommendation and our obligations as a Church. The final budget amount of $6,190,653 was unanimously approved by the Administrative Board on January 23. It includes a commitment to pay 100% of our apportionment and the budget is $100,000 less than last year. With everyone doing their part, 2014 can be a great year at University UMC.

Loren Ahnberg

How do Stephen Ministers benefit

How does one become a Stephen Minister?

from the relationship?

Watch the entire interview on our website at www.uchurch.tv

WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN JESUS?At University UMC we ask “Where have you seen Jesus?” We do this because we know that some-times the glory of Jesus can be lost in our everyday busyness and we sometimes need to be reminded that He can be found anyplace if we stop and look for him. Our student ministry calls these moments “Glory Sightings.” We wanted to share some of these sighting with you in the hope that you will take a moment to look for Jesus in your everyday life. We would love it if you would like to share your own “Glory Sightings.” Go to our website at www.uchurch.tv and drop us a message.

Greater Magazine - No. 5

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