Great Last Minute Christmas Gift

Need that last-minute gift for that special someone?

Just send me a note about who you want to give a gift in honor of and I will send them an e-mail or facebook message to let that special person know of your gift in their honor.

What an awesome way to honor your loved one by giving a gift to the Children of Sudan

Myrtle Beach Marathon February 13th, 2009.

I am running in honor and support of Children in Southern Sudan.

Holston Conference is planning an Orphanage and we can help by raising support to get the job done!

Maybe your family could send your gift to the children of Sudan in honor of each other!

If you would like to support, send your check to 1st Hillsville United Methodist Church, C/O Ronnie G Collins PO Box 356 Hillsville Virginia 24343. Make the check to Holston Conference and on the remit line “Hope for the children of Sudan”.

Maybe you would like to run and raise support, go sign up!

Why not do something you love and help others at the same time?

Together we can change the world!

Here is how it will work. I will travel to Myrtle Beach in February and run the 26.2 mile Marathon on February 13th Day in honor of and support of The Children of Sudan Africa, “Hope for the Children”.

Every gift that is given will go to support the children of Sudan, “Hope for the Children”.

I have a Goal of $2620.00 that is $100.00 per mile.

Help me meet the goal but more importantly help the children of Sudan.

There are several ways that you can support.

# 1 is in your prayers

26 people (Churches, Youth Groups, UMW, UMM, any group)could donate $100 and I would reach the goal.

Donate $1 for every mile = 26 dollars

Donate $5 for every mile = 130 dollars

Donate $10 for every mile = 260 dollars

Donate $20 for every mile = 520 dollars

Donate $100 for every mile = 2600 dollars

or simply Donate Any $ Amount

My goal is simply to raise as much money as possible and have fun doing it. I am inviting people (Runners) who would like to help raise money for the children of Sudan to join me in the run. You can sign up to run at

http://www.mbmarathon.com/site3.aspx

Make your checks payable to: The Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church or The Holston UMC

Designate your Check “Hope for the Children of Sudan”

Mail to: Ronnie G Collins, PO Box 356, Hillsville Virginia 24343

I will compile the checks and get them to Holston Conference on behalf of the children. You will receive a letter from me to signify when the gift is received.

I am excited to see just what Miracle the Lord will do.

Ronnie

Hope for the
Children of Sudan

Christmas Eve Service @ 7pm Tonight

7pm Tonight @ First Hillsville United Methodist

225 Fulcher Street

Hillsville, Virginia 24343

276-728-2434

Traditional Candle Lighting Service with Communion

Join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior-The Lord Jesus Christ

Faith groups struggle with abortion, health care

Please take the time to read and understand what the issues are. So many times I run into people who are amazed at the debates that occur in the church (any denomination) and many are unaware of what the official stance of their denomination is.

Be informed

Ronnie

Source for this Article: Click Here

A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert and David Briggs*
Dec. 22, 2009

Health care reform matters. Abortion matters.

As the congressional debate moves forward, many religious groups that have been allies on the need to provide universal health care now find themselves struggling with competing moral imperatives.

Those who favor nearly unlimited access to abortion such as the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice have lobbied to treat the act as a medical procedure deserving of federal subsidies.

Those who view abortion as the taking of innocent human life, including Catholic, Orthodox and many evangelical leaders, have argued lifting the ban on federal funding of abortion promotes evil.

The moral arguments on government funding of abortion are complex, balancing individual rights, the common good, and the line between law and ethics with practical concerns over acceptable compromises that do not lose sight of the needs of the uninsured and immigrants.

United Methodists, like many religious Americans, find themselves in the middle of the debate. Church pronouncements offer serious moral reflection, but do not take a specific stand on the legislation before Congress.

Individuals such as Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, signed a letter to the Senate describing abortion as “critical health coverage” that should be affordable for all Americans.

Others, such as U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a United Methodist who fought for restrictions in abortion funding in the Senate debate, say Americans should not be forced to pay for abortions.

The sticking point in the debate seems to be whether to stay with the status quo established by the Hyde Amendment, which banned federal funds for abortions, said sociologist Ziad Munson at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa..

“Pro-life opposition to federal funding of abortion follows a well-worn social movement tradition,” he said. “Henry David Thoreau went to jail in 1846 for refusing to pay taxes that he said were being used to finance the Mexican-American War, which he believed was unjust. Similar issues were raised during the Vietnam War by opponents who did not want their tax dollars being used to support a war they believed was unjust.”

Conflict of ‘life with life”

As early as 1972, the lawmaking body of The United Methodist Church supported the legal option of abortion. The denomination’s Social Principles today state, “We recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures.”

Since the 1970s, General Conferences have further refined the church’s position with specific statements opposing late-term or “partial-birth” abortion and supporting requirements for parental or some responsible adult notification and consent before abortions can be performed on girls who are not legally adults. The Social Principles talk about “our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life.”

“The United Methodist Church has managed to keep plenty of moderate-to-conservative people within its ranks since 1973, and the existing language makes it clear that having an abortion isn’t something to be taken lightly,” said Laura R. Olson, professor of political science at Clemson University.

In some ways, the difficulty in discerning ethical boundaries on abortion reflects the larger struggle in the nation and among mainline Protestants.

The Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity involving extensive interviews of 2,610 adults in 2006 found 15 percent of respondents said abortion should be legal under no circumstances and 12 percent said abortion should be legal under almost all circumstances, with the vast majority somewhere in between.

Mainline Protestants were even more spread in the middle ground, with 22 percent saying abortion should be legal under most circumstances, 31 percent under some circumstances and 26 percent only under extreme circumstances, according to the study led by researchers at Rice University and the University of Notre Dame.

Differing views

United Methodists find themselves on various sides of the current debate, where frequent shifts in language on abortion are sharply contested as legislation moves forward.

The Board of Church and Society said a House version of the bill prohibiting federal subsidies for abortion “essentially penalizes” women with fewer economic resources.

In a letter to the Senate, Winkler and other advocates for lifting restrictions on abortion coverage said, “Providing affordable, accessible health care to all Americans is a moral imperative that unites Americans of many faith traditions. The selective withdrawal of critical health coverage from women is both a violation of this imperative and a betrayal of the public good.”

The Rev. Cynthia Abrams, executive of The United Methodist Board of Church and Society, added, “While there are varying views on the issue of abortion and the emotional struggles faced by women in situations to consider this medical procedure, the reality is that abortion is legal in the United States, and the position of The United Methodist Church supports access to safe and legal abortion.”

But what is legal is not always moral, say proponents of keeping a ban on federal funding of abortion. They also say the issue is a matter of conscience.

“Who in our society are the least powerful and the most vulnerable? It’s an easy answer. There is no group in this country as powerless or at such great risk as are the unborn. Once conceived, there is a one in five chance that a fetus’ existence will be terminated by an abortion,” wrote the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president and publisher of Good News magazine in an editorial.

“No other group is at such risk of not surviving the next nine months—not the poor, not cancer patients, not those suffering with AIDS. Not even those who are without health insurance. And no other group is as incapable of speaking for itself or protecting its rights,” he wrote.

The Rev. Paul Stallsworth, pastor of St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, Morehead City, N.C., president of the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality and editor of the quarterly newsletter Lifewatch, discussed in a recent issue the need for health care reform that serves the life and dignity of all, as opposed to violating those basic values.

“I cannot and will not support any health care reform plan that allows federal money to fund abortions in America,” Stallsworth declared.

In the end, decisions about matters of such sacred worth may best be made by individuals with the guidance of Scripture, tradition, reason, experience – and prayer.

The United Methodist Church acknowledges in its Social Principles, “Government laws and regulations do not provide all the guidance required by the informed Christian conscience.”

*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn. Briggs is news editor of the news service.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Bible for your Blackberry and now a Yearly Reading Plan

I have been using the YouVersion Bible for about a year now and I love it. If you don’t have this valuable tool on your Blackberry then you are missing out. Click on the link below to have the download sent to your blackberry.

Ronnie

Blackberry App for YouVersion Bible

BlackBerry App Features

• 41 different translations in 22 languages (including Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and more)
• The One-Year Reading Plan provides daily selections to keep you on track when you’re on the go.
• Search the entire Bible for a word, phrase, or verse, and get your results in seconds.

• Jump to a verse quickly by typing the reference in the search box.
• Learn from others by checking out recent contributions. Just tap the number next to the verse.
• Compatible with BlackBerry OS v4.2.1 or higher, and on these devices: 9000, 8900, 88xx, 87xx, 8300, 8220, 81xx, 7130

This Day In The Life Of Your Pastor – December 23, 2009

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Your lists:

1. Happy Christmas Eve everybody. about 11 hours ago from TwitterBerry

2. Misty just asked Samuel, “why do you do things you’re not supposed to” Samuel starts singing Jesus loves me & asks Misty to sing along about 11 hours ago from TwitterBerry

3. Oh no, my wife wants to be crazy and take the family midnight shopping at Wal Mart. Somebody help me about 15 hours ago from web

4. Hillsville-Statement as of 6:20 PM EST on Dec 23, 2009 Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Thursday evening through Friday morning… about 15 hours ago from web

5. Christmas shopping with Mike. Just wish we could have a father son day more often, praying for that about 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry

6. Praying for a situation in Wytheville VA hostages are being held at the Wytheville post office, Fox News about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry

7. Going to spend the afternoon with my oldest son, one of my best Christmas presents, just time together. about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

8. Completed a 10 mile training run, felt pretty good about 21 hours ago from TwitterBerry

9. Rave Run, warm enough we are running in shorts & the ground is covered in several inches of Snow, pretty sweet about 23 hours ago from TwitterBerry

10. Meeting Kenneth for a training run. Going long…I hope about 23 hours ago from TwitterBerry

11. Playing in the snow with the kids, wish I could make it last forever, praying for more snow about 24 hours ago from TwitterBerry

12. Fixing breakfast for the family. Mike & the grandbabies R coimg over. I love my family. I am thankful 4 the rich blessing God has given me. about 24 hours ago from web

13. There is a purpose beyond the pain. I think about an ache, it is a symptom & there are cures but sometimes the relief comes through struggle 4:47 AM Dec 23rd from TwitterBerry