Clothing
When the Assistant Principal at Fulmore was asked to prioritize their needs, at the top of the list was clothing and PE appropriate shoes. So far we have provided approximately 40 tops and 40 pairs of pants. Colleen Casey has agreed to monitor the FreeCycle website for clothing giveaways. Also, David Jester has provided us with contact information for Nike’s charitable giving program.

Bus Passes
Another need that we are hoping to help meet is the need for bus passes. There are students living within the two miles of the school, in areas that do not have district bus service, who must cross I-35 to get to school, evening tutoring, or other school sponsored programs. As an incentive to attend school and the additional programs, these students are given bus passes to afford them safe transportation.

Facelift!
The congregation of Grace Church and all our community are invited to meet at Fulmore Middle School, 9 AM – 2 PM on May 19, to participate in the Fulmore Facelift. Come for 2 hours, for however long you can, or until the work is done. We will do some weeding and cleaning up of the flowerbeds. Volunteers, please bring garden gloves and your weeding tools. This is a concrete way to help our neighborhood school. Please join us, and invite your friends and neighbors! Drinks will be provided, so please call or email Linda Kessie or church office of your plans to help. (gracemethodistaustin@sbcglobal.net; 512-442-5944).

Fulmore Middle School’s special education department is in great need of additional materials to support the diverse learning needs of kids serviced by their highly regarded Life Skills Unit (and also included in general education). Some of the special education parents, and Fulmore’s wonderful teacher, Mr. Infante, are planning a garage sale on Thursday, May 3rd from 4:30-7 pm to support the program.

Donations can be brought to the front office, or, if you are in relatively nearby South Austin, contact parent Rebecca Tobias (447-6974), and she will gladly pick them up.

So far, they are low on donations for the sale, so if you have some items you can contribute, PLEASE DO! Also, please feel free to make a small cash or check donation (I think made out to cash) to support this wonderful program!

Long Term Recovery Organizations (LTRO’s) have been organized in both Bastrop and Spicewood and are moving forward to assist families effected by the Fall wildfires. The task continues to be overwhelming, but with your help, the recovery families can gain a new sense of normal. You are invited to form a work team and help clean up!

Teams may stay at the ecumenical Faith Village Volunteer Accommodation Center. Faith Village is a joint venture of the Baptist, Episcopal, United Methodist and Presbyterian churches in the Bastrop area. They have a maximum occupancy for 40 volunteers. Should you have a group with over 40 volunteers, alternative sites, operated by other agencies, may be available. Faith Village has a $20 charge per person per night, and should be paid on arrival. This fee includes three meals per day and covers the cost of maintaining the facility. Faith Village is a cooperative living arrangement. Food will be purchased by the village host, but residents will be expected to do all the cooking and cleaning.

Adult sponsors of youth under 18 must be in a ratio of eight to one. Youth sponsors must be age 21 or older, and the ratio of male to female sponsors must be approximately the same as the gender ratio of the youth.

Volunteers may schedule work Monday through Saturday. A Grace work team does not need to stay at Faith Village – we could simply drive out for the day or days we plan to work. If you would be part of a Grace work team, please contact Linda Kessie or the church office, and indicate your intent and days of availability.

Registration is still open for a new online course.

God has a few questions for you! Join an online discussion of the book “Questions God Asks Us” by Trevor Hudson, a pastor from South Africa who’s a great friend of The Upper Room. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll learn to see the Bible as a book of questions from God to us, such as: “Where are you?” “What is that in your hand?” and “Why are you crying?”

Our eCourse includes:

• Weekly videos with insights from Trevor on the week’s questions
• All the content from Trevor’s book “Questions God Asks Us”
• Group discussions (online) twice each week
• A daily meditation from Trevor Hudson

Join with a small group from your congregation, with a group of friends from across the country, or solo. This is a great opportunity for busy church members who cannot commit weekly to participating in an on-site small group. Meet online anytime from anywhere.

For information or to register, visit our eCourse partners, BeADisciple at:
QUESTIONS GOD ASKS US with Trevor Hudson
Join The Upper Room in North Carolina July 8 – 12 for SOULfeast 2012!

Every four years, the United Methodist Church gathers about a thousand delegates from around the world. They constitute the General Conference, the only body that can speak for the UMC. Delegates are chosen by their geographical conferences, and, according to church law, half must be clergy and half laity. Bishops preside, but don’t vote.

Of this year’s 988 delegates, those from outside the U.S. will constitute 38 percent, an 8 percent rise from 2008. Membership in the UMC in Africa grew from 3.5 million to 4.4 million between 2005 and 2009. In the United States, the church declined from nearly 8 million to 7.6 million members during the same period. So a General Conference power shift has resulted, with the U.S. losing delegates and Africa gaining them. During the first week, delegates will meet in 13 legislative committees and one central conference committee to consider 1,200 petitions from individuals, churches and agencies. Recommendations from these committees will be debated in plenary sessions. Delegates will decide on the quadrennial budget for the general church; consider revisions to the Book of Discipline (the UMC law book); and pass, amend or reject proposed resolutions addressing social issues.

Proposals to be addressed include a move to consolidate 9 of the 13 general agencies into a new United Methodist Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry under a plan that would downsize our general boards and eliminate 524 board positions. Another proposal would create a “set-aside” president of the Council of Bishops who would devote full time to the job, instead of the current presidency which continues to oversee a geographic area as well as the presidency of the bishops. Another proposal would change the Book of Discipline from saying that ordained elders in good standing “shall” be continued in appointment to saying they “may” be, doing away with guaranteed appointments for ordained elders in the UMC. A range of petitions seeking to change where the church stands on ordaining homosexuals and allowing clergy to officiate at same-sex unions will be addressed. Still other topics will be discussed and addressed.

You can follow the General Conference online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gc2012
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/gc2012
YouTube: www.youtube.com/generalconferenceumc

Please keep General Conference and all 988 delegates in your prayers!