A WORD FROM DS REV. ANDY SMITH

Arise

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord

has risen upon you.”

—Isaiah 60:1

One of the first things I do each day after I wake up is reach for my phone and play the daily Wordle. My starting word, almost every time, is ARISE. I’ve thought about using a different word to start but ARISE seems to be working for me. I recently had a 102-day winning streak, so I’ll stick with ARISE, thank you very much. One of these mornings ARISE will be the solution and I will achieve the elusive Immaculate Wordle.

One of the Scripture texts for the Epiphany of the Lord, January 6, is Isaiah 60:1-6, which begins with the declaration, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the glory of God has risen upon us! The Spirit of God dwells within us. The wonder of God’s creation shines all around us. And the light of God penetrates every corner of the earth, even the darkest ones. This is what Epiphany means to me.

My prayer for you at Epiphany, and in the new year, is that you will arise each day and shine with the light of Christ that dwells within you.

When I think of the work that lies ahead of me in the next few months, some of it doesn’t seem very shiny. But I have hope that God will bring it to completion to the honor and glory of Jesus my Lord. I may not know exactly what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. So, I will carry on and ARISE in hope every morning.

Peace,

Andy

Local Church Report to the Annual Conference

(aka End-of-Year report)

It's that time of year again! Information from the Rio Texas Conference regarding End-of-Year Reports has been sent to all senior pastors along with log-in information. The instructions have been revised so please take time to read and review.

Data must be entered online at https://umcdata.net/ChurchReporting. THE WEBSITE WILL BE OPEN FOR DATA ENTRY BEGINNING TUESDAY, JANUARY 3 through TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023. We encourage you to get your reports entered a few days before the deadline. There will be links on the Conference website as well as the District website. 

If you haven’t received an email from Jill with your user name (your 6-digit GCFA number) and password (your 4-digit Rio Texas Conference church number), please contact the district office.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

• Our sympathy to Rev. Ed Wilder on the death of his sister, Toinee Wilder, on December 3.
• Our prayers, love and support to Bishop Laura Merrill as she moves to Arkansas.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

TMF - 2023 Tax Seminars

Coming in February 2023, TMF will be offering seminars for clergy and church staff or laity participating in the financial management of their local church. 3 options for participation: in person in Houston and Austin, as well as a virtual for the Austin session (Feb. 16). 

Feb. 16, 2023, Austin TX/Virtual

Clergy Tax Session

9 AM - 11 AM

2 Credit Hours of CPE

Feb. 16, 2023, Austin TX/Virtual

Church Finance

12 PM - 4 PM

4 Credit Hours of CPE

Note: Deadline for Austin/Virtual session is Feb. 9, 2023

Clergy Tax Seminar

Pre‐requisites: None

Credit: 2 CPE Credit Hours

Objectives: To gain specific knowledge about relevant changes to current tax laws and learn about payroll issues related to ministers, such as employment status, housing allowances, reimbursable expenses, tax-free benefits, retirement plans, and more.

Church Finance / Legal Update Seminar

Pre‐requisites: None

Credit: 4 CPE Credit Hours

Objectives: To gain specific knowledge about relevant changes to current tax laws and learn more about the basics of general church finance, including how to handle unique issues related to church employees and contractors, reimbursement plans, charitable gifts, tax-deductible contributions, expense reimbursement, financial records, reporting, and more.

The registration fee includes all handouts/materials and CPE credit.

Register now: 2023 TMF Tax Sessions

•            In-Person w/lunch (both sessions) - $100 ($10 savings)

•            In-Person w/lunch (only clergy session) - $40

•            In-Person w/lunch (only church finance session) - $70

•            Virtual (both sessions) - $80 ($10 savings)

•            Virtual (only clergy session) - $30

•            Virtual (only church finance session) - $60

ERT Basic - Hybrid Training

Early Response Team members are trained to be a Christian presence and a helping hand in the aftermath of a disaster. They generally do cleanup work and tasks required to stop further damage from being done, e.g. putting tarps on damaged roofs. All members of an Early Response Team are required to complete the eight-hour training course.

ERT Basic Training is now offered in a two-session format. Part one will be Online and Part two will be an in person Hands-On event.

The Online session will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, January 17, 6-9 pm.

The Hands-On portion and the test will be available on the two following Saturdays. You only need to attend one in person Hands-On event. The dates/locations are:

January 21 at either Spring Creek UMC or FUMC Rockport

or

January 28 at FUMC Weslaco

8AM-1PM

The class will cover team member responsibilities, how to equip a team, how to prevent further damage (the four basic jobs), and more. Interested? For more information and to register – go to www.riotexasresponse.org. 

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram at RioTXD.  #BeReadytoBeThere      

Volunteer Event –No Experience Needed! 

Verification of UMCOR Cleaning Kits 

Kerrville Warehouse

Relief supply kits help provide care for the most vulnerable during times of crisis. UMCOR collects and distributes cleaning buckets, hygiene kits and menstrual hygiene kits. When kits are donated to the relief supply network, volunteers assemble and verify the contents of the kits. The Warehouse will then store the kits until a request for them is received. Once a request is received, the kits are sent to those who need them. 

A large shipment of supplies for building the newly introduced Feminine Hygiene Kits has been recently received, and help is needed to compile the kits as well as verify the current supply of cleaning kits and buckets. Volunteers are needed the first Saturday of each month (through May 2023). 

Volunteers are asked to come to the Warehouse during the following dates to verify the current supply of Cleaning Kits, so they can be distributed quickly in a time of need. Older Youth groups, Sunday School Classes or Individuals are all welcome. Hours qualify with NHS. 

For more information, please contact Gene Hileman - (210) 557-8698 or aehileman@riotexas.org. 

Dates for Verification: 

1st Saturday of each Month * 9am-12pm 

February 4, March 4, April 1, May 6