by Ann LePage

... After our tour, we heard someone say “The bus is here” and we all went out to greet the families. Out from the bus came 14 women and one man with their children, ages one to nine. Their faces were exhausted, stressed and anxious. They had all just spent five days in the ICE detention facility. I tried to hug or pat each one, saying ‘bienvenidos’. My heart was already broken.

After a formal welcome and prayers in the sanctuary the families were ushered into the dining hall for a hot meal. Our group tried to help by serving them and later doing clean-up in the kitchen; then we sat with them for dinner, trying to communicate with them in our atrocious Spanish. M____ , the woman I sat next to, began to speak to me in her very soft voice. The families had spent the last five days in an ICE cage: 30 people to a cage. They were given one bottle of water per person a day, one diaper per child a day, and no more than one meal a day (if the guard was ‘nice’). Everyone slept on the concrete floor, with only a mylar blanket for warmth. One young boy was so hungry that he gobbled up all of this food, and then vomited, unused to such plenty.

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Please submit your December tithes to Griselda Sandoval, Conference Treasurer by Wednesday, January 9th. The books will close on Thursday, January 10th. Questions? 505-255-8786, ext. 103 or [email protected]

It’s no secret that people disagree, sometimes vehemently. This can make it very difficult to have a conversation with friends, family, fellow church members, and the person on social media.

In a time when opinions are strong in both our public and church lives, learning to disagree well is important.

To learn some techniques for having these types of discussions, we talked with the Rev. Bo Sanders, a United Methodist pastor who leads his congregation in weekly conversations about a variety of topics. Bo shares great tips for getting out of our “echo chambers,” and learning to listen to and talk with those with whom we disagree.

Get Your Spirit in Shape is a podcast of United Methodist Communications and UMC.org.

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By Eric Seiberling

In this screencast, we'll guide you through six steps in reviving materials and presenting your message both meaningfully and attractively. (Hint: Good design is more than aesthetics.)

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Who, Me?

by Rev. Blossom Matthews

It was a year or so ago that a pastor friend surprised me by asking if I would consider being his coach. I had never seen myself in this role (a) because I am usually immersed in the life and work of pastoring and (b) because it had simply never crossed my mind.

Many of us, whether clergy or laity, are prone to undervalue the gifts which we have to offer others. It’s time for that to change. The greatest gift of the church – beyond Christ himself – is PEOPLE. We have gifts, faith and wisdom with which to bless one another. Our connectional system is more than conference lines and paper work. We are connected to one another through our most deeply held values, and we have so much to offer one another.

This is why I’m inviting you to consider coaching training. The lessons learned in coaching can be applied to pastoral ministry, lay ministry and simply, working with people. Through coaching principles, such as deep listening and helping others discern their next steps, we can more effectively serve God and others.

Our next training will be held this Saturday, November 17 from 10am-4pm at St. John’s UMC in Albuquerque (the registration deadline is today!). A highly discounted registration fee of $50 covers training and lunch. Register here

If you are interested in coaching but are not able to make it to the Albuquerque training, please contact me directly at [email protected] or 806.440.3877. Our Coaching Team is working to provide additional training options, and we will take your location and availability into consideration as we create new opportunities.

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