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In Isaac’s Wake

5-Day Academy / 6

Hurricane Isaac / 4-5

Beyond the Walls / 8

Troy Guitreau, member of theMaurepas Volunteer Fire Department,affirmed that “a lot of people inLouisiana are suffering” from the effectsof flooding caused by Hurricane Isaac.

The category one storm caused crush-ing water damage and loss of power inMaurepas and in neighboring towns likeWhitehall and Head of Island, saidGuitreau, who is a member of the boardof trustees for Huff Chapel UnitedMethodist Church in nearby Killian, La.

Rev. Milton Bourque, pastor of HuffChapel UMC, guided a damage assess-ment team from the Louisiana AnnualConference on Labor Day through someof the hardest hit areas in SouthLivingston Parish. Bishop Cynthia FierroHarvey led the group which was joinedby Rev. Tom Hazelwood, assistant gener-al secretary for disaster response in theUnited States for United MethodistCommittee on Relief.

The team rode through affected areas

in a 2.5 ton army transport vehicle drivenby Guitreau. The massive truck belongsto the volunteer fire department.

“I’ve probably gotten only 20 hours ofsleep since the storm began,” saidGuitreau. “The fire department helpedmost of Thursday and Friday in rescuingaround 50 people who were trapped intheir houses.”

Standing flood waters cut off area res-idents from access to food supplies, water

Conference assessment team tours affected areas

See Isaac, page 7

As the Louisiana Annual Conferencecontinues to assess the needs of churchesand communities in the wake of HurricaneIsaac, we ask you to prayerfully considerresponding in the following ways:

•A special designated fund has beenestablished for the Louisiana Conference

Bishop’s Appeal—Appeal# 4754-02 forHurricane Isaac. We suggest Sunday,September 30 be set aside as HurricaneIsaac Response Sunday. These funds willbe used to assist in the rebuilding efforts ofthe local churches affected. Donations canalso be made through www.la-umc.org

•Give to UMCOR Advance #901670—Hurricanes 2012 online or through yourlocal church. (For checks, be sure to write“Hurricanes 2012” on the memo line.)

•We have used thousands of flood buck-ets already and we will need many more.

Local churches donate, volunteer to aid recovery

See Isaac response, page 2

A member of Lee’s Landing United Methodist Church wades through flood waters that flowed into the church sanctu-ary in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, a Cat 1 storm that hit the tip of Louisiana’s coast the evening of Aug. 28 and againduring the early morning of Aug. 29. Louisiana Annual Conference leaders have been assessing damages andresponding by distributing much needed cleaning buckets, health kits, tarps, water and ice provided through theUMCOR Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, La.

Save the Date!

Installation of Bishop

Cynthia Fierro Harvey

Episcopal Leader for

the Louisiana

Annual Conference

October 20, 2012First UMC, Baton RougeService begins 11 a.m.

What a week! This is not exactlyhow I had envisioned beginning ourlife and work together.

I have been reminded often ofPsalm 46.

“God is our refuge and strength, avery present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though theearth should change, though themountains shake in the heart of thesea; though its waters roar and foam,though the mountains tremble with itstumult.”

As I prepared to travel to BatonRouge last week, I remained tuned tothe weather channel. While I beganpraying for you shortly after my elec-tion, my prayers became very focusedlast week as I prayed that God would

protect each of you from harm asHurricane Isaac whirled its way intothe Gulf of Mexico. In the midst ofgreat uncertainty, I knew one thing forsure – you would once again riseabove any storm. My suspicions havebeen confirmed - the people of theLouisiana Annual Conference areresilient and faithful beyond measure.

I, along with several of my col-leagues, traveled this week throughthe areas affected by Isaac. Severaldays after the storm, many areas werestill impassable, but at every stop, wewere met with smiles and a sense thatall will be well. In every case thechurch was “being” the church in thecommunity. Our churches were thecenter of the recovery for the commu-

nity living out in real time what itmeans to love God and love ourneighbor. Thanks be to God!

We witnessed first-hand and heardthe stories of those who had losteverything as the flood waters over-came their homes. We have seen theimpact of a flood bucket and ahygiene kit. It is amazing how impor-tant a wash cloth and a toothbrush canbe to one who has none. These aresacramental gifts given by faithful andgenerous United Methodists.

I was excited on July 20 when Ilearned I was assigned to Louisianabut today, I must say I am not onlyexcited but I am extremely proud tobe your bishop. I get a great sense ofyour love, commitment and desire to

be a transforming presence in thecommunities you serve.

Over the next few weeks you willhave an opportunity to continue torespond in tangible ways. You canput together a flood bucket; you canregister to volunteer to help in therecovery process; you can contributeto a special fund to help our manychurches who experienced damage;and you can of course pray withoutceasing.

Above of all I trust that you willremember the words of the Psalmist,“God is our refuge and our strength, avery present help in trouble.”

Grace and Peace,Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey

2 SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

Louisiana Conference Now!

Louisiana Conference NOW! is the newspaper of the Louisiana AnnualConference of The United Methodist Church and is published twice a month.

Subscriptions are $20 for one year, $30 for two years.(Please make checks payable to Louisiana Annual Conference.)

Send subscriptions, news and information to: Editor

527 North BoulevardBaton Rouge, LA 70802

E-mail:bettybackstrom@la-umc.org(888) 239-5286 ext. 227

(225) 346-1646, (225) 383-2652 fax

You can find the Louisiana Annual Conference on the Internet athttp://www.la-umc.org

William W. Hutchinson

Don Cottrill

Betty Backstrom

Resident Bishop

Provost

Editor

ON THE JOURNEY

A New Journey Begins

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey visits with Rev. Spiller Milton of Lee’s LandingUMC on the flooded road leading to the church, which was inundated by highwaters from Hurricane Isaac.

Rev. Don Cottrill and Bishop Harvey pray with Rev. Regina Hickman outsidethe sanctuary for First UMC in LaPlace. The building was damaged by a foot ofstanding water after the Category 1 storm struck Louisiana’s coast.

You can continue to assemble flood buck-ets. Find the ingredients at www.la-umc.org. Each district will have a pick upsite for completed cleaning buckets. Theyare:

◦Acadiana District: Covenant UMC,Lafayette or First UMC, Thibodaux

◦Alexandria District: First UMC,Pineville

◦Baton Rouge District: First UMC,Denham Springs

◦Lake Charles District: St. LukeSimpson UMC, Lake Charles

◦Monroe District: First UMC, WestMonroe

◦New Orleans District: First StreetPeck UMC, New Orleans

◦Shreveport District: Asbury UMC,Bossier City

Please deliver your flood buckets to

these sites by September 30. The bucketswill then be delivered to the UMCORSager Brown Depot in Baldwin, La. to

replenish what we have used or sent direct-ly to the locations designated.

•Register for a disaster response volun-teer team through the LouisianaConference Office to ensure we areresponding to those in greatest need. Allteams should register by going to www.la-umc.org. The cost per person for fivenights is $225. Shorter stays are possible ata cost of $45 a night. This includes orienta-tion, housing, one meal per day, water andinsurance coverage. Your willing hands aremost valuable, but for those teams choos-ing to work on a construction project, werequest that $2,000 be supplied by the teamto assist with construction materials neededto complete projects. Teams are also need-ed for general cleanup and gutting of hous-es. We expect to be ready for disasterresponse teams by October 1.

Emergency Response Teams are needednow! ERT’s should contact Rev. LarryNorman in the Louisiana Volunteers inMission office at (225) 346-1646; or Rev.Bob Deich at (225) 665-8995.

Isaac response, from page 1

3SEPtEmBER 14. 2012

Louisiana Conference Now!

The Rev. Regina Hickman, pastor ofFirst United Methodist Church in LaPlace,La., shared with members of a LouisianaAnnual (regional) Conference stormassessment team that she was prepared forthe emotions associated with flood dam-age to her church from Hurricane Isaac.

“In 2005, I pastored United Methodistchurches in Grand Isle and GoldenMeadow. Hurricane Katrina severelyimpacted the parsonage at Grand Isle, andHurricane Rita damaged the sanctuary inGolden Meadow,” said Hickman. Nowshe is dealing with the cleanup from dam-ages caused by one foot of standing flood-water in the LaPlace sanctuary.

She told Louisiana Area BishopCynthia Fierro Harvey, former head of theUnited Methodist Committee on Relief,that the storm-weary congregation wor-shipped in the church parking lot Sept. 2,using a single guitar to provide music.Members of a nearby Lutheran churchjoined the group.

“We didn’t have power, and it was hotoutside, but we came together to worshipGod,” Hickman said. “I needed to see thefaces of my congregation. I needed toknow they were OK.”

Floodwaters from the storm left stand-ing water in much of the city and knockedout power in most of its homes. Nearly3,500 people were evacuated from thearea.

“Several of my church members wererescued from their homes by boat,” saidHickman, who added that most of thosefamilies have returned home.

In the church, United Methodist volun-teers sorted through wet hymnals andsheet music. “At first, I tried to help lookthrough the music, but every time I pickedsomething up, it broke my heart,”

Hickman said. “I really do appreciate theirhelp,” said the pastor, who is workingwith a professional company on cleanupand repairs to the flooded building.

Despite its hardships, the church willserve as a distribution site for much-need-ed cleaning buckets, bleach, tarps andhealth kits provided through the UMCORSager-Brown Depot in Baldwin, La.Volunteers from the Wesley Foundation atTulane University plan to assist with thedistribution.

The outpouring of offers for help fromothers has touched Hickman. “One of ourolder members, Mr. Leo, came by yester-day and handed me a check. ‘I forgot togive you my offering on Sunday,’ he said.I was really moved because his house hadthree feet of water in it.”

The conference assessment team, ledby Harvey, traveled farther into the hard-hit New Orleans District of the confer-ence. At First United Methodist Church inKenner, the Rev. Beth Tu’uta was dealingwith damage caused by a leaking roof andwater that came under church doors dur-ing Hurricane Isaac.

“Most of my congregation and the sur-rounding community was impacted, espe-cially due to a lack of electrical power,”said Tu’uta, acknowledging that that thecity of Kenner is “still coming back” fromthe effects of Hurricane Katrina, which hitthe city in 2005.

Although the church sustained damage,the pastor is reaching out to the communi-ty by providing Internet access to thosewho need it. “We have Internet, but nophone,” she added. “People need to getonline to find out about community serv-ices and to contact family members.Members of First United already areassisting with gutting houses in Slidell,La. The church also hopes to serve as ahousing station for disaster-response

teams, much as it did in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina.

Tu’uta is anxious to get the church’sfacilities back in order so the congregationcan proceed with several programs focus-ing on community outreach. The churchoffers GED and English-as-a-second-lan-guage classes while providing childcare tothose with small children. “We intend toadd citizenship classes, also,” she said.“With the use of 15 computers, we will bestarting a center that will assist folks withfinding services and with filling out jobapplications.”

This autumn, the church hopes to starta community garden on a patch of landbehind the church building. “We have sev-eral chefs and a nutritionist in our congre-gation. We hope to teach folks how togrow and share their own food, to cook itand to provide nutritionally sound mealsto their families,” said Tu’uta.

In New Orleans, First Street PWUnited Methodist Church is serving as adistribution point for cleaning buckets andhealth kits supplied through UMCOR. Thecentrally located, 179-year-old church,which sustained minor storm damage,serves as an ideal spot for supply pickups.

“On Sunday morning, we had ‘work’-ship instead of worship,” said the Rev.Martha Orphe. “We had members of allages assisting with distributing hundredsof cleaning buckets and thousands ofmedical kits to people in surroundingneighborhoods.”

First Street will house AmeriCorps vol-unteers and plans to continue serving as asupply distribution center.

Harvey also led the assessment team toGretna United Methodist Church, whichlost its steeple to Isaac’s gusting winds.“Unfortunately, water let in from thesteeple opening and other leaks in the roofcaused us to have about an inch of water

throughout the entire sanctuary and otherareas of the church building,” said theRev. Tim Smith.

He is concerned that the large sanctu-ary may need a new roof and estimatesthat damages could exceed $300,000.

The Rev. Becky Conner, pastor ofBelle Chasse United Methodist Church inPlaquemines Parish, is relieved that dam-ages to the church facility were minor.“Generally, Belle Chasse fared better thanother parts of the parish. Power is still outfor lots of folks, and a number of familiesare not back yet. We’ve delayed our moth-er’s day out program for at least a week,”she said.

Conner spoke with the conferenceassessment team about parking anUMCOR truck in the church lot to serveas a distribution point for cleaning buck-ets, medical kits, water and tarps. “Peoplefrom hard-hit Buras come into BelleChasse for their regular supplies,” shesaid. “We can serve a great need here.”

The Rev. Tim Neustifter, pastor of St.Paul’s United Methodist Church inMonroe, was visiting the Belle Chassechurch when the conference assessmentteam arrived. A lieutenant colonel andchaplain in the Louisiana Air NationalGuard, he is temporarily stationed at theBelle Chasse Air Force Base, assistingwith disaster relief efforts.

He and others from his unit participat-ed in the evacuation of nearly 30 peoplefrom Braithwaite, a small communityacross the Mississippi River from BelleChasse. “We used flat-bottom boats toreach the houses, which were flooded upthe roofs. When we got to a house, wewould beat on the roof to see is someonewas there. Then we had to break into thetop of the homes to pull people out,” heexplained.

New Orleans District is hit hard by Hurricane Isaac’s winds and rain

Rev. Tim Smith, pastor of Gretna United Methodist Church, top left, shows a con-ference assessment team the church’s fallen steeple which was blown down byIsaac’s gusting winds. Rev. Martha Orphe, pastor of First Street PW UMC in NewOrleans, tells Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey about cleaning bucket distributionstaking place at the church. Joe Burke looks on. Rev. Tim Neustifter, top, showsthe group videos of the worst flooding in the Belle Chasse area.

BY BETTY BACKSTROM

4 SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

In the wake of Hurricane Isaac: The Louisiana Annual Conference

Clockwise: Rev. Regina Hickman, above, answers a question for a member of aprofessional service working on the cleanup of First UMC in LaPlace. The churchsanctuary held one foot of water from Hurricane Isaac’s torrential rains. Top left,Rev. Mike McLaurin and his wife LuAn McLaurin pray with Rev. Tom Hazelwoodand Rev. Larry Norman, director of Louisiana Volunteers in Mission, outside theFirst UMC parsonage in Ponchatoula. Hurricane Isaac’s gusting winds sent a treethrough the roof of the parsonage. Rev. Hazelwood is Assistant GeneralSecretary for Disaster Response in the United States for UMCOR. A resident ofMaurepas wades through flood waters to get to his home in South LivingstonParish, one of the areas hardest hit by Isaac. A sign for First UMC in LaPlace isengulfed by flood waters in the midst of the storm. Close to 3,500 residents ofthe area were evacuated from the LaPlace area. Brad Hutchinson of First UMC inDenham Springs is shown handing out flood buckets near Bear Lake. The roadwas under one foot of water and residents came to the distribution trailer byboat. (Captions for page 5) The steeple from Gretna UMC was blown down byIsaac’s gusting winds. A handmade sign on the side of the steeple sends themessage, ‘Still open for mission and ministry.’ A scene from Braithwaite, La.shows some of the worst flooding from the Category 1 storm. Residents wererescued from the area, many of them escaping through the attics in their homes.A friendly little worm made his way onto a hymnal in the flooded sanctuary ofFirst UMC in LaPlace. A number of his friends were found throughout the build-ing. Rev. Beth Tu'uta of First UMC in Kenner points out to Rev. Norman and toBishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey the damage that occurred in the church sanctuarydue to Isaac. A Louisiana United Methodist Disaster Response trailer is shown inthe parking lot outside First UMC in LaPlace. Volunteers from First UMC inDenham Springs were in the church assisting with recovery. (See cover) Rev.Hazelwood takes pictures of the flooded road leading to Lee’s Landing UMC.

5SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

assesses damage, volunteers, begins the long road back to recovery

Katy Watkins joined the Asbury UnitedMethodist youth group in Bossier City as aseventh grader. She had a passion for mis-sion and was active in “Weekend of theCross” and in serving in New Orleans afterHurricane Katrina.

In 2006, Katy and two other friends losttheir lives in a car accident while travelingto a football game on Interstate 49 inLouisiana. However, Katy’s legacy of mis-sion lives on through a joint project of theFuller Center of NWLA for Housing andAsbury UMC.

In June, the two organizations brokeground on a new construction project theycalled “Katy Build” in honor of the inspira-tional teenager and her mission-focusedlife. “Katy 1” is a 1,300 square home com-pleted in early August.

During a special ceremony, Charles andVernita Brown moved into the home, (top),beginning a new chapter of their lives.

For more information on ways to beinvolved with Katy Build II, please contactLee Jeter at ljeter@fullercenternwla.org, or(318) 221-7474 or Angela Pfanner at ange-lapfanner@asburybossier.org

6 SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

LaHarpe Thompson UMC’s youth min-istry was the center of attention during ayouth worship service held at a Shriner’smeeting in New Orleans Aug. 19-24.LaHarpe Thompson’s youth choir “Voicesof Fire” performed several selections fol-lowed by Rev. Ronald J. Southall, whodelivered a message entitled “Where EverThere is God’s Will, There Is a Way.”

On Saturday, August 11, 2012, LaHarpeThompson UMC’s youth sponsored a“Back-2-School Bash” filled with gamesled by Cindy Southall, youth director.They played hangman, dodge ball and hadsack races. Mary Johnson served the kidshot dogs and nachos as well as assistingwith the supper. Stacy Poche made cottoncandy for those with a sweet tooth. Thekids also enjoyed “freeze pops” as a sweettreat which offered some relief from theheat.

Jacqueline Pennington led the kids insinging and praising God in preparation forseveral upcoming performances. The groupwill be singing at Prince Hall Shriner’syouth worship service, the West Bank“Stop The Violence” rally, and at LaHarpe

Thompson’s first annual “YouthExtravaganza” which is scheduled for Sept.30 during the 9 a.m. service. The eventwill be a day of celebration, worship andpraise and the public is invited to attendthrough this medium.

The “Back-2-School Bash” coincidedwith a fish and chicken dinner fundraiser.Church members Frankie Gibson, CarolynYoung, Sharon Fletcher and BerniceRobinson cooked fish and chicken for theevent. The day was a tremendous success,said Jacqueline Franklin, church lay leader,as she took a break from cooking. “Wehad good fellowship and the kids reallyenjoyed themselves with all of the activi-ties,” she added.

Rev. Southall was pleased with theresults of the day. “This event was initiallyscheduled for last month, but was post-poned due to rain. The rain earlier in theday almost threatened the event again caus-ing alterations to the planned activities.However, we proceeded on and the weath-er improved. The success of our event wasevident by the smiles on the children’sfaces.”

Members at Broadmoor UnitedMethodist Church in Shreveport recentlyassembled cleaning buckets to help withthe cleanup after Isaac. The much neededrelief buckets are stocked with supplies aspart of a national United Methodist effortto aid places recovering from devastation.Rev. Matt Rawle said the buckets will goto the stockpile at the UMCOR SagerBrown Depot in Baldwin, La. to replenishbuckets that were already sent out to aidrecent hurricane victims.

Over the course of the morning, mem-bers filled over 100 five-gallon bucketswith essential cleaning items. The cost ofeach bucket is approximately $55 with itscontents ranging fromeverything fromsponges and gloves, to trash bags and scrubbrushes, to air freshener and bleach. Thesupplies were collected at the churchthroughout the week, allowing the churchto help provide care for the most vulnera-ble people during this time of crisis.

For more information on the Academy, visit the Events

section on the Louisiana Annual Conferfence website at

www.la-umc.org

Katy Build honors Asbury UMC teen

LaHarpe Thompson UMC reaches out

Broadmoor UMC responds to Isaac

7SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

and ice. “Since there is no electricityavailable, people have lost their water.Most folks have their own pump-drivenwater wells that need electricity to work.Basically, they are out of everything,”Guitreau added.

The day the team arrived, the firedepartment was distributing ice, waterand sand for sandbags.

In nearby Ponchatoula, First UnitedMethodist Church has been distributingcleaning buckets provided by UMCORthrough the Sager Brown Depot inBaldwin, La. More buckets are beingdelivered to First UMC and to the firestation for immediate distribution.

According to Rev. Darryl Tate, direc-tor for the Conference disaster reliefministry, thousands of cleaning bucketsand health kits from the depot have beendistributed in affected areas. Eighteenpalettes of water, 16 palettes of bleachand tarps are also being distributed.Requests for more cleaning buckets havealready been made.

Although the Ponchatoula church par-

sonage suffered damage due to a fallentree, the church building escaped harm.The congregation is actively involved indisaster relief efforts, including provid-ing meals to Red Cross volunteers, saidRev. Mike McLaurin, pastor.

After leaving Ponchatoula, the confer-ence assessment team traveled to nearbyLee’s Landing UMC. Greeted by Rev.Spiller Milton, pastor, the group was notable to reach the flooded church due tohigh waters that covered the road leadingto the church.

While Bishop Harvey visited withRev. Milton, a local resident named GeneCoumes drove by and joined in the con-versation. Coumes explained that he andothers used a truck with oversized tiresto help rescue several people that weretrapped in areas nearby Lee’s LandingUMC. “My mom lives there, and I own acamp in the area,” said Coumes.

A stop in Mandeville, La. brought thegroup to Newell UMC, located blocksaway from Lake Ponchartrain. The self-reliant congregation has already rippedup soggy carpet and is attempting to sal-vage it. Unfortunately, Newell sustained

some roof damage and the sanctuary’sflooring foundation is likely damaged.

Rev. Nolan Robinson, pastor, is anx-ious to get the church back on its feet.“We had worship on Sunday, but we onlyhad half our usual number. I think anumber of people couldn’t get in becauseof flooding,” said Rev. Robinson.

Later in the day, the assessment teamvisited First UMC in Slidell to discussthe church’s plans to house disasterresponse volunteers. Although a numberof area homes were damaged by Isaac’swinds and rain, the church escaped withminor injuries.

First UMC was not so fortunate dur-ing Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The sanc-tuary was inundated with four feet ofwater during the devastating storm.Bishop Harvey viewed a commemorativeplaque in the church’s sanctuary thatmarks the water line left by the Katrinaflood.

Escorted by Rev. Wybra Price, pastor,the team visited the church’s Family LifeCenter. The building will be filled withbunk beds to house disaster responseteams as they arrive to gut and rebuild

homes impacted by Hurricane Isaac.“Church volunteers have already gut-

ted two homes in the area. We areblessed to reach out to our communityand to serve as a staging area for therecovery,” said Rev. Price.

The team’s final stop in Slidell ledthem to the Epworth Project, a disasterrecovery ministry housed on the campusof Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Epworth Project, an outgrowth of con-ference disaster response efforts fromHurricanes Katrina, now operates in col-laboration with local agencies to finishconstruction projects still lingering fromthe storm and to assist the underserved inthe community with other constructionneeds not related to the storm.

“Teams are ramping up to come toLouisiana to help us in our recoveryfrom Hurricane Isaac. We are able tohouse the teams, train them and deploythem to meet the needs of the communi-ty. We have one team that traveled down73 times after Katrina. They still want tokeep coming,” said Dale Kimball, execu-tive director of Epworth Project.

Isaac, from page 1

Troy Guitreau, a volunteer fireman and member of the board of trustees for Huff Chapel UMC in Killian, La., is pictured at the Maurepas Volunteer Fire Department.Guitreau, who assisted with the rescue of area residents trapped in their homes, affirmed that ‘a lot of people in Louisiana are suffering’ from the effects of floodingcaused by Hurricane Isaac. Top right, Rev. Mike McLaurin, pastor, shows Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey roof damage to the parsonage at First UMC, Ponchatoula.

Gene Coumas visits with Revs. Milton, Cottrill and Bourque on the flooded road leading to Lee's Landing UMC. Coumas, whose mother lives close to the church, res-cued several members of the community trapped by flood waters by using his truck, left. Dale Kimball, director of the Epworth Center in Slidell, tells the conferenceassessment group that gutting of houses in Slidell has already begun.

For more infor-mation on theconferenceresponse toHurricane Isaac.go to theConferenceWebsite atwww.la-umc.org. Click on “IsaacDisaster Response TeamRegistration” to get involved.

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8 SEPtEmBER 14. 2012Louisiana Conference Now!

Multicultural WorshipWorkshop slated Sept. 29

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church,1130 N. Rampart Street, will host aMulticultural Worship Workshop Saturday,Sept. 29 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. which willfocus on global songs of praise, prayer andjustice that can broaden our understandingof God, attune us to the needs and hopes ofthe world and move us toward faithfulaction. Participants will learn songs fromAfrica, Asia, the Caribbean and South andNorth America which are accessible to alllevels of musical ability.

Leading the workshop is Jorge A.Lockward, a native of the DominicanRepublic who is well known in ecumenicalcircles as a worship leader and workshopfacilitator. He is co-founder and conductor-in-residence of Cántico Nuevo (NewSong), a worship and arts ecumenical proj-ect in New York City, and serves as work-shop leader in the fields of liturgy andmusic throughout the country and abroad.Presently, he is part of the leadership teamfor a new United Methodist church start inthe Northwest Bronx, leads the ecumenicalchorale, Cántico Nuevo, and lectures onmusic and worship at Union TheologicalSeminary in New York City. As songleader and workshop leader, he modelsa passion for the ways congregationalsong both reflects and shapes the theologyand praxis of the assembled community.The public is invited to attend. For moredetails, contact Rev. Anita Dinwiddie,(504) 529-8044.

First UMC- Oakdale

FUMC, Oakdale United MethodistWomen made 75 pillowcase dresses tosend to Haiti in response to a recentstudy on Haiti. The dresses were sentwith a VIM team that went to Haiti inAugust to ensure that the dresseswere delivered personally. Picturedwith sample dresses are Karen Talbot,Claudia Colquette and Virginia Landry.

Join us as we “continue the conversation” on churchleadership begun by Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor ofthe Church of the Resurrection, at the 2012Louisiana Conference session. Founding and seniorpastor of the 8,000 member United Methodistchurchin Leaward, Kansas, Rev. Hamilton’s insightshave provided ideas to pastors and laity for trans-forming local churches of all sizes. The Church ofthe Resurrection has become a teaching church,providing ongoing opportunities for teams from localchurches.

Join us for “Leading Beyond the Walls,” a semi-nar led by staff members from the Church of theResurrection.

When: October 26-27

Where: Alexandria, Louisiana

Local churches are encouraged to bring teams of leaders,including the pastor and up to four lay leaders. Pleasebring persons who are prepared to consider alternateways of doing church in order to reach the unchurched inyour community.

For registration and information, visit

www.la-umc.org