Young Adult Summer Mission Opportunity
February 2012 – South Carolina United Methodist Advocate
The Students In Mission (SIM) Program is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this summer! SIM is a 7 week mission experience where college students and young adults serve as local missionaries in various United Methodist agencies through out The South Carolina Annual Conference.
The requirements are that the young adults be between the ages of 18 – 24 and will have completed at least one year in an institution of higher education. This is a meaningful experience for those interested in mission work, exploring a call into ministry, or who want to do something to give back over their summer.
Sara Reynolds, a student at Furman University from Greenville, SC shared about some of the vocational clarity, “SIM is an excellent way to spend your summer. It’s the perfect amount of time to really plug into something great and give it your all, and who knows, you may even find a new calling in life. I want to be a high school teacher. Working at Camp Providence further solidified that I work well with youth of all ages, not just high schoolers, and I look forward to working with youth for the rest of my life.”
SIM is highly selective because although it’s very rewarding, it’s also very challenging as missioners are asked to open up and share their faith in new ways. Alex Stoops, a student at The Citadel from Latta, SC says about his experience at Camp Providence in Anderson, SC, “There are so many highlights that I feel that I can’t share them all. There was one week where I did a morning devotion that went over very well. There were three of us in a group with the older kids and they had so many questions about Christ that we had to divide up to answer them all. I feel that in this moment of camp I had the most impact on kids than I had any other week.”
The experience also gives students an educated view of how non-profits work and how important it is to connect these missions with our local churches. Holly Taylor, a student from Winthrop University from Gilbert, SC says, “During my time at Rural Mission I really enjoyed going out and meeting the people in the community who were receiving our help. While working in the office I read countless names, but I never really understood the significance of what we were doing until I went out and matched a face and a story to that name. I have learned that ministry is not always those feel good moments when everything goes right and all loose ends are tucked in nicely. Sometimes being in ministry means that you are right there in the trenches battling everyday for what is just and trying to do all the good you can in the midst of chaos of our world.”
This year for the first time, organizers are not sending out hard copies of the brochure and letter so that the money budgeted for that can go towards more stipends for students. In these hard economic times, the hope is for these young adults to gain this special experience and to also be compensated equal to many of the other programs they could apply to. We encourage pastors to not just tell their young people about this program, but that they personally email them or hand them a printed copy of the brochure and application.
For more information about SIM please visit the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry at http://umcsc.net/ministries/hecm/ or contact Narcie Jeter at winthropwesley@gmail.com or 803-327-5640.
The Amelia Wideman Brockwell Scholarship
January 2012 – South Carolina United Methodist Advocate
The Winthrop Wesley Foundation is proud to announce The Amelia Wideman Brockwell Scholarship winner is Colleen Rice, a Voice and Political Science major at Winthrop University.
The Amelia Wideman Brockwell Scholarship comes from Charles & Mary Ann Brockwell, Sara & Buddy Mallory, and Nancy & Ron Shumaker. It honors the memory of Charles, Sara, and Nancy’s mother in what would have been her centennial year. She lived from 1911 – 1986. Amelia was a fourth generation Methodist from a St. Paul Methodist Church family in Plum Branch, SC. As a child she learned to play the piano and was discovered to have a superior soprano voice. She entered Winthrop College in fall 1929 as a music major, but the Great Depression forced her to return home after one semester. She married Rev. Wilbur Brockwell in 1934 and, except for 1942-45 when he was a U. S. Army Air Corps chaplain, they served with South Carolina United Methodist churches for forty-four years. Their appointments were in Greenwood, Newberry, Columbia, Greenville, Greer, Graniteville, Fort Mill, Heath Springs, Pageland, and Johnsonville. Amelia’s ministry was pastor’s wife and confidante, mother and mentor, choir member, soloist, youth teacher, and District United Methodist Women officer.
The givers of this scholarship are Dr. Charles W. Brockwell, Jr., Professor of History Emeritus, University of Louisville, Pastor Emeritus, Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, and Adjunct Professor of Methodist Studies, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Lousiville, KY, Sara B. Mallory who is retired from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA where she was a member of the faculty of Education, and Nancy D. Shumaker, Canon for Children’s Ministry of the Diocese of Arizona, The Episcopal Church.
Colleen, whose home church is Herndon UMC in Herndon, Virginia, is highly involved on campus. She’s a member of the Winthrop University Honors Association, Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, Winthrop Chorale, and served as an Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor at Winthrop this year.
Rice says, “I am beyond honored to have been awarded the Amelia Wideman Brockwell Scholarship! The past year and a half, though wonderful, have been very tight financially and this has been a huge blessing in both my checkbook and my mental health. I look forward to the opportunities this will give me to more fully devote myself to my studies and campus.”
Rice is a highly motivated student who works hard inside and outside the classroom. She says, “I’m always terribly busy at school, but I would have it no other way. I take an average of ten classes a semester with lots of ensembles, honors classes, and core classes for both vocal music and political science. Aside from classes, I perform publicly around 5-10 times a semester, whether it be with an ensemble or solo repertoire for an open mic hosted by the student union. I’m most excited for next Fall when I’ll be giving a senior recital with all Broadway music!”
Her voice professor at Winthrop, John Fowler has nothing but praise to offer in recommending her for this 
scholarship. “Colleen has studied with me for the past two years and during that time has shown remarkable technical and artistic progress. She has sung in numerous productions on campus at Winthrop and worked with groups outside the community whenever possible. The high point of her off-campus work was the Title role in the Troy United Methodists Music Academy production of Amahl and the Night Visitors in December of 2010. This support from the Brockwell family would greatly make it possible for Colleen to continue studying her repertoire intensively while finishing her degree here at Winthrop University.”
The Winthrop Wesley Foundation was honored to be a part of this process and gives thanks for the legacy of Amelia Wideman Brockwell, the generosity of her children, and the celebration of gifts in one of our United Methodist students.
Exploration 2011
December 2011 – The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate
Close to 650 young adults ages 18 – 24 who are exploring a call to ministry in The United Methodist Church gathered in St. Louis November 11th – 13th. The South Carolina Annual Conference sent over 20 young people ranging from freshman in college to young adults out in the work place.
The ministry event is a chance for young people to explore their calling through worship, prayer, workshops, networking and small groups with their peers. Beth Caskey, Hospitality Coordinator at Epworth Children’s Home describes the importance of discerning with other young adults in small groups, saying, “Exploration was an exciting time for me to share with many mentors and peers. The experience gave me a great insight as to where I may be called in furthering my education. Throughout the weekend, I was comforted knowing that I was surrounded by others who seem to be in the same ‘what do I do next’ boat in life. The weekend allowed me to share my thoughts with others in my small group and hear of how other young adults are being called to ministry.”
Meeting with seminary representatives and getting information about scholarships and other info about next steps in candidacy or the ordination tract was important. Again, the small groups with others looking at similar options were important to participants. Senior at Winthrop University, Jon Hoin, says, “I loved the small groups. The introspection helped me get at some interesting things concerning just what my call to ministry is, and I am now more than ever interested in serving as a leader in the UMC. For the future of the church, I see opportunities for growing diversity in all our churches as we make it so people from all walks of life can come together as one in the love of God. I also really enjoyed meeting and talking with the different seminaries and finding out more information.”
Having dynamic preachers during worship also meant a lot to the young adults as they experienced this weekend of discernment. Justin Ritter, Senior at The College of Charleston, says “My favorite part of Exploration was the worship services. They were simply amazing. From singing with people my age to listening to the speakers, God was present and He made His presence known. Before I went to Exploration, I felt like God was calling me to Ordained Ministry through the order of an Elder. Exploration really helped me because I know without a doubt that God is calling me to become an Elder. I am very interested in serving as a leader in the church because I am very passionate about spreading God’s love to others. I feel like I am an encourager of Christ and leading people would really mean a lot for me. While we were at Exploration, one of the speakers during worship told us that the UMC is losing people and by 50 years we will not have a church. Well that might sound gloomy but I don’t foresee that coming. With the energy coming from the attendees at Exploration, there are people now ready to serve the church with that same energy. This energy will not allow the church to die.”
The future of The United Methodist Church was a recurring topic throughout the event. Intern at The Winthrop Wesley Foundation, Erica Oliveira, says, “At Exploration, they spent a lot of time talking about “my generation” and what the future of The United Methodist Church is. Do I know what our church will look like in 20 years? I would speculate that some of our churches are going to have to continue to be open to new people and new ideas. We need to keep reaching out, keep finding new ways to worship, and continue finding ways to stay relevant. I don’t know what that future looks like, but young folks like me are searching for something. They are searching for answers, for God, and we just have to find a way to help them find their path.”
For some, their discernment wasn’t necessarily to ordained ministry but the event still confirmed their calling to being involved in the church. Adrienne Chlumsky, senior at Winthrop University, “I don’t know if I have been called to attend seminary, but maybe one day! I feel that my calling as of now would be to serve as a lay person in the church. I love to be involved and help in any way that I can in my church back in Maryland, so I know that I will probably continue sharing that love and involvement in any church that I become a member of after college in South Carolina.”
The retreat was a tremendous time of growth and was a great time of sharing and meeting new friends. If you would like to hear Red Bank UMC’s Lauren Snelgrove talk about her experience during worship, you can go to http://youtu.be/CKprE4pi3cs or if you would like to read second year Duke Divinity student Megan Augustine’s blog about Exploration you can read that at http://megaugustine.com/2011/12/06/reflections-on-explo2011/.
Wesley Foundations gather for Charleston Mission Weekend
November 2011 – The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate
Students from the Charleston Wesley Foundation and the Winthrop Wesley Foundation gathered for their 10th annual Charleston Mission Weekend. This year for the first time the students gathered not at the United Methodist Relief Center, because of its closing, but at Rural Mission, Inc. in Johns Island, SC. 
One of the students on the trip, Jon Hoin, a senior at Winthrop, did his Students in Mission (SIM) summer experience at Rural Mission and he was excited to come back and work with such a great ministry. Hoin says, “Being at Rural Mission again and going on the retreat was an awesome experience. We had so much fun on Johns Island working with Charleston Wesley on several projects and two houses. Rural Mission is such a meaningful and important ministry to the people in these communities and it’s powerful to be apart of that.”
Students worked at the homes of two families painting and sanding, as well as picking up materials in other places in the community. Carly Lewis, a sophomore at Winthrop, says, “My favorite part was getting to be a part of something much bigger than myself. It makes me feel like I am not wasting time focusing on myself, but I can help others instead. It’s important for me to serve because that’s what Jesus did and I want to follow his example.”
Senior at The Citadel, Drew Storck echoes these sentiments when he says, “This being my fourth Charleston Mission Weekend, I was really excited. I feel like every year I get to see more and more of God’s awesomeness and show the people of the community how much God loves them and that we as followers of Christ can use this as a perfect time to exemplify God’s love to others.”
Part of the joy of the trip is the friendships that are built between the students from the different campus ministries. David Mackay, a freshman at Winthrop, says “Working and meeting the Charleston Wesley group was a blast! It was awesome to get to know other Christians and to work alongside them.”
While at Rural Mission, Derik Pack, the Board Chair of Charleston Wesley, created a podcast of some of the students talking about their experience on the mission weekend and at Wesley. Lewis says of her time in campus ministry, “Wesley is my home away from home because the people are warm and welcoming and they truly care about our wellbeing as college students. They give us a place to come and relax and we can give back while having fun! I love it!!” The youtube video of some of these interviews and pictures can be found at http://youtu.be/KW7MK8kmuu0.
Love from Nicaragua: a campus ministry mission
November 2011 – The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate
In August The Winthrop Wesley Foundation packed their bags for an eight day trip to Nicaragua. Only four of the sixteen had ever been to Nicaragua and many of the travelers had never flown much less left the United States. Winthrop Wesley has taken 8 trips to the Center for Development in Central America since they first began visiting in 1997. Countless students have seen Ciudad Sandino, the community where the CDCA is located, grow and change over the years. Ciudad Sandino is the most densely populated area of Nicaragua with over 7,700 people per square mile and it’s the poorest urban area in Nicaragua with an estimated 80% of the population lacking formal employment and many living on less than a dollar a day. 
Erica Oliveira, an intern at The Winthrop Wesley Foundation, says, “I was one of the newbies on the trip. Having been apart of Wesley I had heard and seen photos of the trip in years past, however nothing could compare to the experience of being there. While we did a lot of intense work at the CDCA, we also did a lot of learning about the history of Nicaragua and our part as Americans in it. Eye-opening doesn’t even begin to explain how we all felt about the trip. What struck many students, and myself, was the people of Nicaragua.”
Nicaragua is home to the largest dump in Central America. There is garbage as far as the eye can see. Many families live in this dump. They’ve created little plastic and tarp huts inside the dump where they reside with their family. We visited what was originally a feeding center turned daycare inside the dump. They provide children with tutoring and food during the day while their parents sort through the trash trying to find recyclables to resell. One of our students, Jordan Clark from Spartanburg, SC, took special notice of the kids at the center.
Clark says, “Though it saddened my heart to see the conditions that these people live in, it amazed me how happy they are. Nicaragua has truly reached in my heart and made me realize that no materialistic lifestyle has to be the pathway to happiness. I have seen everything from kids filling dirty water into a hole at the dump and swimming in it, to naked children running around and playing. But every child enjoys waving and smiling and it brings a new sense of joy and respect in my heart.”
Students woke up early and prepared for another hard day of work. They worked on making adoquines or paving stones by hand, helped repair a sidewalk at the clinic, finished a hole for an incinerator, and flattened out and prepared the entry to the CDCA. There was lots of digging and brick making. Some of the students also had the opportunity to work with dentist, Dirk Anderson from St. John’s United Methodist Church in Rock Hill
Adrienne Chlumsky from Maryland says about the trip and the work, “Being in Nicaragua a second time has really helped me enjoy the trip a lot more, I feel like I had more of a feel for what I was doing and I understood more of the country and it’s circumstances. We had a great team this year and everyone worked together so well! We fixed the entry gate road to the community where we stayed, which had a large ditch in it (probably a foot deep). It was exhausting, but in the end, I knew that it would be extremely rewarding to see the difference it would make.”
Sometimes it’s hard to put experience into words. Mary Stevenson from Spartanburg says, “I don’t think I’ve ever been changed so much by a trip. How to explain it? It was fun, life-changing, eye-opening, heart-breaking, sweaty, and exhausting.” Students that have attended these trips over the years tend to carry pieces of Nicaragua with them wherever they go.
Andrew Wilson from Greenwood talks about all that he learned on the trip to Nicaragua, “Not only have I seen the beauty in nature, but I have seen it in the people. In the way they trust, in the way they dream, and most importantly in the way they show love. They showed this gringo a lot of love. They also shared their amazing stories with me, which gave me a perspective that I wouldn’t be able to get in the United States. All in all, it was an amazing trip, and I want to sum up my experience with this final idea… Learn to appreciate beauty in all forms, because God doesn’t always show up in a beautiful mountainside or in an elderly Nicaraguan woman with three teeth, but God is always around. All we have to do is look.”
For more information about Winthrop Wesley’s trip check out some of the students’ blog reflections at www.wuwesley.wordpress.com.
Hundreds walk in Rock Hill to combat hunger
With nearly 600 volunteers, York County’s CROP Walk ‘a real pacesetter’
ROCK HILL –
By Sunday evening, Dan Young expected to have at least five Cool Whip pies thrown at his face.
The Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church youth minister had promised his youth group of about 20 that for every person who raised $100 individually for this year’s York County CROP Walk, that person could throw a pie in his face or at any of the ministers.
The group rose to the challenge, with eight reaching that goal.
“It’s impressive that the youth took it seriously,” Young said. “I’m proud of them.”
A Clemson University Tigers fan, Young had also promised that if the group raised more than $3,000 collectively, he would sport a University of South Carolina Gamecocks T-shirt. The group raised about $1,200, but Young was so happy that he arrived at the walk’s kick-off Sunday dressed in a USC T-shirt and Clemson skirt.
The church’s youth group had at least 15 members participate in the walk this year, the most they’ve ever had.
Those youth were some of the nearly 600 people who registered for the 34th annual York County CROP walk, which began Sunday afternoon on Dinkins lawn on Winthrop University’s campus.
Sponsored by the Church World Service, the walks are community-wide events with the goal of raising funds to help fight hunger locally and globally.
Currently, more than 2,000 communities across the United States participate in more than 1,600 CROP walks each year.
Mary Catherine Hinds, associate director of the Southeastern region of the Church World Service, noted that York County’s CROP walk is the oldest in the state and ranks 77th in fundraising out of those nearly 2,000 national walks, “a real pacesetter,” she said.
In its 34 years, the county’s walk has raised exactly $614,519, averaging about $30,000 each year, and she expected this year to be right on track.
Of the funds raised, 25 percent go to local organizations, “a significant amount,” she added. The funds are used for endeavors such as community gardens, local farming and development tools in the needy communities.
“You have such a range of ages that participate,” Hinds said, “and it’s the only way to do something about local and global hunger.”
Narcie Jeter has been organizing the county CROP walks for the past six years and was pleased with Sunday’s turnout.
“It was a good turnout, and the crowd had a lot of energy,” she said.
The energetic crowd was led into the Electric Slide by Ron Regan of Saddle Creek, a new nonalcoholic country music entertainment facility on Cherry Road in Rock Hill, before marching through the campus and downtown Rock Hill toward the Winthrop Coliseum.
Sunday’s walk represented a service project for Christen Rentz, Maclain Borsich and Kristen Mclaurin, Winthrop students and members of Christian organization Alpha Omega. It was their first time at the CROP walk.
“It’s really good because we like to do as much as we can to help people around us,” said Rentz, a junior athletic training major.
“It’s good to know we can do something.”
Youth with Children in Action at Newkirk Baptist Church on Museum Road were participating for the second time.
Seven-year-old Meredith Reeves and 8-year-old Ally Gregory liked the can structures at the Coliseum last year, in which organizations on campus constructed various shapes out of cans. Participants in the CROP walk got to vote on their favorite.
Drew Jackson, 8, just enjoyed the walking with his group.
“We’re here to give to people who are hungry and in need,” said 8-year-old Ashley King.
“There might be people who don’t have food.”
What is Crop Walk?
It is a community-wide walking event with the goal of raising funds to help fight hunger locally and globally, sponsored by the Church World Service.
This is the 34th year York County has participated. York County’s CROP walk is the oldest in the state and ranks 77th in fundraising out of those nearly 2,000 national walks.
In its 34 years, the county’s walk has raised exactly $614,519, averaging about $30,000 each year.
Raw video: Crop Walkers do ‘Electric Slide’
http://cdn-akm.vmixcore.com/player/2.0/player.swf?player_id=1c6f593ee7fc0386dfcdfad6cf4d62c1
Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/10/24/3466971/walking-away-from-hunger.html#ixzz1cT6gKZIJ
