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Bishop Stith given history award

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bishop Forrest Stith was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the General Commission on Archives and History at a dinner Sept. 11 at Drew University in Madison, NJ.

Bishop John R. Schol, president of the Commission, presented the award to Bishop Stith. The award is given annually for outstanding history on behalf of the church.

Bishop Stith was selected because of his distinctive and tireless leadership of the African American Methodist Heritage Center, which collects, preserves and utilizes records and memories of the African American witness within the Methodist movement, said Robert Williams, secretary of the GCAH.

Stith now serves as its interim executive director. Barbara Thompson, a long-time leader in the church, is chairperson of the board of directors.

Williams plans to publish Bishop Stith's address on the paradoxes of African-American history within the Methodist movement in the January issue of GCAH's quarterly magazine, "Methodist History."

Students say ‘thank you'

COLUMBIA - The Conference Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM), supports Native American students at American University through its WINS (Washington Internships for Native Students) program.

CONAM won awards from the university last spring because of the help it provides to Native students to meet emergencies and the WINS program.

CONAM also provides subscriptions to "Indian Life Ministries," a Native American Christian newspaper, to four prisons in Maryland.

Joshua Hudson, an Ojibwa from Michigan, spent last summer as CONAM's first fully sponsored intern. He worked with the Strategic Advisor for Native American Affairs. "I had the experience of a lifetime while interning," Hudson said.

Only 10 percent of Native Americans go to college, said the Rev. Mary Dennis who works with CONAM. Of these, only half graduate. Financial constraints have a lot to do with the low rate of achievement.

This is exacerbated when a student is called home for a death in the family, as happened to Clarice Bauer.

When her grandmother died, her family sent her a one-way ticket, all they could afford, to return for the funeral. WINS provided the return ticket from its emergency fund, the only hope she had of returning to finish school, Dennis said.

"Both students sent letters of gratitude to CONAM.

"Miigwetch," said Hudson in Anishinaabemowin, his native language. It roughly means "thank you," but the full translation means ‘everything that you give, I hold close to my heart with deepest regards,' he said. "This fully explains my feeling of this."

Bauer explained how important her grandmother was in raising her. "It was because of your generosity and kindness that I was able to mourn with my family. You have shown me there is still kindness in the world," she said.

CONAM's work with Native Americans is supported by conference apportionments.

Church recognized as ‘welcoming'

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. VA - Asbury UMC has been officially recognized by United Methodist Communications as a 2009 "Welcoming Congregation."

Welcoming Congregations are a select group of churches nationwide that meet criteria including embracing newcomers and providing opportunities for discipleship.

The church provided training for several people toward being more welcoming to those who came, said Pastor Kelly Green. They plan to offer welcoming training to many more in the year ahead.