These are all the Blogs posted on Wednesday, 29, 2012.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Immigration Reform 101: A look at reform proposals
  When it comes to immigration reform, most anyone involved in the debate believes that the current system is flawed but, what do we do to fix it? Below are links to three proposals, each easily broken down in a one-page format. Next week, TnJFON will present three additional proposals in our series on Immigration Reform 101.
Remember, March 13 “Clergy Day on the Hill” is being organized by Clergy for Tolerance and the American Center for Outreach. Training for Tennessee faith leaders interested in learning how to speak with legislators regarding immigration issues can attend a free training on March 8. For more information, CLICK HERE.
Immigration Reform 101:
> DOWNLOAD Reform proposal 1: status and a pathway to it (Document)
> DOWNLOAD Reform proposal 2: family reunification (Document)
> DOWNLOAD Reform proposal 3: increase in work visas (Document)
Immigration Reform 101 is authored by United Methodist Missionary Jim Perdue Burke. For those who want to digest the entire resource, it is available in English and Spanish on the website: www.desertsouthwestconference.org
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TnJFON) | is a ministry of the Tennessee Annual Conference, urges leaders in the faith community to familiarize themselves with the impact of state and local immigration policies as our state legislature gears up to introduce laws that could impact hospitality to our immigrant brothers and sisters.
> A.N.O.W.: Outreach, Mercy & Mission MinistriesPosted on 02/29/2012 12:20 PM by Jan Snider
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
40 Days of Prayer for Young Adult Ministry
source: TNUMCYA.org
Each day the TNUMCYA.org blog will post a new scripture, meditation, and prayer designed specifically to seek God’s vision for the ministry with Young Adults in the Tennessee Conference.
 On February 25, 2012 a small, but committed group gathered at Bethpage United Methodist Church to spend time in prayer and to listen to God. The group also worshipped together with the help of a local praise band Twelve Ounce Jar. After a rich time in corporate prayer and worship, in addition to individual experiences through prayer stations, the group huddled together to share how God spoke through the experience.
As an extension to that experience on the 25th, we want to offer the entire Conference to participate in prayer for Young Adult Ministry over the next 40 days. Through the TN UMC Young Adult blog page (http://TNUMCYA.org) you can plug in to a daily prayer post that will be added every morning at 5:00 am. Please share what God is revealing to you through your prayers by leaving comments on the site for each corresponding day. You can also download the complete 40 Day Prayer Guide if you prefer a hard copy (CLICK HERE, .pdf).
We encourage TN Conference members, friends, and family of ALL ages, whether you are currently a young adult or not, we all have thoughts, experiences, and prayers to share. Take time today to pray and share with us what God is revealing to you through prayer.
"Dear God, I ask that you show me Your vision for ministry with young adults. Please grant me the ability to dream dreams about how You want me to reach out to the young adults I encounter each day. Amen."
What is God revealing to you today?
> A.N.O.W.: Nurture, Adult-Older Adult Ministries, Singles Ministry, Young People's Ministry
Posted on 02/29/2012 3:24 PM by Brad Fiscus
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Teen builds children’s libraries for Project Transformation Tennessee
Logan Hardin loves to read. 
So when the Liberty UMC teenager in Brentwood learned about a need for children’s books for a new ministry called Project Transformation Tennessee, she quickly embraced the task of organizing an entire children’s library as her community service project for her Girl Scout Gold Award.
But wait!
Logan didn’t stop after collecting, sorting, and labeling 700 books for one library—for which she worked more than 60 hours to earn Girl Scouting’s highest honor. With the help of her family, she kept collecting books—2,000 in all—enough to lay the foundation for four church-based libraries that will be used this summer by children in four underserved neighborhoods in Nashville.
“Reading has had a huge impact on my life,” says Logan, 17, a senior at Brentwood High School. “I want other people to have the chance to love books as much as I do.”
As a result of her efforts, good books will be more accessible for children in neighborhoods surrounding Project Transformation summer day camp sites at Ernest Newman UMC, Nancy Webb Kelly UMC, Sixty-First Avenue UMC, and Tulip Street UMC.
The free day camps will be operated by 32 college-age interns living on the campus of Belmont University and working weekdays at the camp sites, which are expected to serve approximately 300 children.
 “One of the most important components of Project Transformation Tennessee is our reading program,” says Courtney Aldrich, executive director of the nonprofit organization. “Every day, children who attend Project Transformation day camps read one-on-one with a volunteer for one hour. This is a special time for these children, not only because they are improving their reading and comprehension skills, but because they get one-on-one attention from a positive role model.”
The children’s libraries got another boost Jan. 27-29 when hundreds of youth attending the annual Tennessee Conference Warmth in Winter gathering in Murfreesboro donated approximately 1,600 additional children’s books to Project Transformation Tennessee.
“Since this year’s theme was ‘Think Big,’ we wanted this year’s Warmth in Winter mission outreach project to make a lasting impact,” says Brad Fiscus, director of Young People’s Ministry for the Tennessee Conference, which sponsors Warmth in Winter.
“Logan gave us the example because she thought big when she started her book drive,” Fiscus adds. “She inspired all of us also to think big as part of our mission outreach for Warmth in Winter.”
Fiscus, who also serves on the Project Transformation leadership team, says this year’s invitation to donate books and art supplies for Project Transformation prompted one of the most enthusiastic outreach responses in the event’s history.
“It’s exciting because the books especially will have a lasting impact,” he says. “And it was a natural fit for this year’s Warmth in Winter theme because Project Transformation is all about thinking big, too.”
For Logan, who attended Warmth in Winter with other youth from Liberty UMC, the bountiful book harvest is an affirmation of how people respond when invited to contribute to a faith-inspired need.
“It’s been incredible to watch how many people are helping out with this project and how many people are donating books,” she says, citing people from her family, neighborhood, church, school, Girl Scout community and now church youth groups from across the Tennessee Conference.
Her parents and siblings have been especially encouraging, she says, allowing her to “take over” the basement of their home to sort, label and store stacks and boxes of books.
“My youth group at church has helped with all the sorting, and I’ve had members of the National Honor Society at my school also helping” Logan says. “We have seven different reading levels for beginning readers all the way through more complex chapter books. So we categorize the books based on the number of words per page and the difficulty of vocabulary and pictures. Then we code them all by colors.”
Eventually, children attending Project Transformation camps will choose books to read based on the color code that identifies their reading level. They’ll sit down one-on-one with a volunteer each day to read the words on the pages together. Volunteers from across the Tennessee Conference will be needed to serve as reading buddies.
Logan expects to be one of those volunteers this summer before starting college in the fall.
“I love to read, so I’m excited,” she says. “My sister and brothers are excited to help, too. In fact, my whole family plans to go and read with children at Project Transformation.” To learn more about the reading program and other opportunities with Project Transformation Tennessee, visit www.pttennessee.org.
A.N.O.W.: Outreach, Mercy & Mission Ministries
 This article or a version of it was featured in the TN Conference newsletter The TNUMConnector. Get a full year for only $12!
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Posted on 02/29/2012 4:44 PM by Courtney Aldrich
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Feature your church at this year's Bicentennial Anniversary celebration!
 The Tennessee Conference will officially recognize its Bicentennial Celebration during this year's 2012 Annual Conference. Your Church is invited to join us in celebrating this milestone in a very special way.
The celebration is set to take place at Brentwood UMC, the site of our Annual Conference, on Sunday, June 10, 2012 beginning at 2:00 pm until that evening at 9:00 pm. Haney Hall will be setup with displays of the history of many of the churches of the Tennessee Conference. Therefore, we invite your church to participate by sharing its history on this special day.
To be a part of this celebration at Conference, please make a reservation by March 30, 2012. After we receive your request, we will assign a 4-foot section of table space for your church. What you select to bring is your choice. Some suggestions include documents, pictures, artifacts, books, worship objects, or whatever you think shares the unique history of your church as we Celebrate 200 Years of Methodism in Middle Tennessee!
We also suggest that you create a handout that identifies the items displayed. This should explain the significance of objects on display as well as some history of your church that can be shared with others at Conference.
Moreover, we suggest that your display should NOT be left unattended. Please assign someone to be present on the Sunday of Annual Conference during the time the display is open to the public.
Because space is very limited, please reserve your table space as soon as possible. Reserved space will be granted based in the order requests are received, until the tables are gone. You may reserve space online, by email or phone by March 30.
This is a great way for your church to share in the Anniversary Celebration of our Bicentennial of The Tennessee Conference. Since many of our churches are more than 100 years old, including several that started in the late 1700's, we trust that you will want to join us for the celebration of this special day - register now!
> Register online
> Register by email: rita.stephens@tnumc.org
> Register by phone: 615.329.1177
Questions? Contact Linda Collier lkcollier@charter.net or Bill Freeman wfreeman@tnumc.org
Posted on 02/29/2012 5:09 PM by Bill Freeman
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Lenten crosses on the lawn
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
 The Forest Hills UMC congregation are displaying wooden crosses on their church front lawn. They will be placing one each day of the 40 days of Lent. By Holy Week, you will begin to see a very large shape of a cross formed out of the 40
wooden crosses.
These Lenten Crosses have been hand-made and personally designed and decorated by members of Forest Hills UMC. As each cross is hammered into the ground, a special prayer of gratitude and remembrance is lifted up.
It is the church's prayer that during this Lenten season, others will be able to take a few moments and walk out into their front lawn to experience these crosses - not only the handiwork and creativity, but also the inspiring witness they provide. Forest Hills UMC is looking forward to this community witness opportunity as well as continuing this Lenten tradition.
Posted on 02/29/2012 5:28 PM by Linda Williford
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
General Conference 2012 listening session for TN Conference members
Posted on 02/29/2012 12:32 PM by Office of Communications
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