2 FAITH focus FAITH WATCH
B HOMELESS Continued from page 1B
Pope names Vatican ambassador to U.S. Pope Benedict XVI has cho- sen Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano as the Vatican ambassador to the United States. He succeeds Arch- bishop Pietro Sambi, who died in July of complications from lung surgery. Arch- bishop Vigano, 70, has been a top official at the Gover- nate of Vatican City State, where he gained a reputa- tion as a cost cutter, Religion News Service reported.
City official sues SBC for $1.5 million A member of the Metro Nashville Council is suing the Southern Baptist Conven- tion, claiming he and his wife were fired as missionar- ies after they complained about illegal and unsafe building practices at a job site in New Delhi. Ron Noll- ner and his wife, Beverly, are asking for $1.5 million from the SBC, according to The Tennessean newspaper. They were hired by the SBC’s In- ternational Mission Board to oversee construction of an office building, the lawsuit claims.
Zondervan releasing Jimmy Carter books Former President Jimmy Carter will soon be bringing out two books with Christian publisher Zondervan. Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President will be released in January, and New International Version Lessons from Life Bible: Per- sonal Reflections with Jimmy Carter comes out in March. Mr. Carter is the author of 25 books already, ranging from poetry to fiction to memoir to political analysis.
Oklahoma church votes to leave PC (USA) Members of the First Presby- terian Church of Enid, Okla., voted 2-1 to break from the Presbyterian Church (USA). The denomination has per- mitted gay ordination and taken other stands that have upset many conservative members and churches. The vote was non-binding but al- lows the church to take ac- tion, said the Rev. Roy Schneider, pastor.
—Compiled by Sam Hodges
As for your current “street” appointment, was that your idea or (San Antonio Area) Bishop Jim Dorff ’s, or did you come up with it together? This happened prior to this No-
vember deal with the Dreamers. I felt called. I’d always worked with the marginalized, just not in a public and challenging way. And I just really had approached them, my district super- intendent and my bishop, and told them that I felt called to be in solidar- ity with those on the margins. And so it took us about a year and
a half to really compromise to this place. Bishop Dorff really took a stance in opening a space to make this happen. We talked about a three year commitment. Of course, he appoints me every year, and we’ll evaluate.
I gather you’ve given up your salary and liquidated a lot of your material goods. Is that right, and if so, why did you do that? That’s correct. I went out with what
I had on, and a (bed) roll. First, the bishop wanted to pay me. That was part of that one-and-a-half-year strug- gle. It was like, how can I be in solidar- ity with the homeless and be receiving this nice little check. And then there was talk about, “Well, don’t receive it now but we’ll hold it and it can accu- mulate.” It just didn’t seem authentic.
Do the homeless people
in San Antonio know you’re a pastor and come to you for help? Certainly I am up front with the
homeless, that I am a pastor. But I do tell them that I’m not there to provide any charity, that I’m there to listen and learn. I think that mutuality and re- spect opens a world for them and for me, to be able to learn from them.
Do you get asked for prayers as you move about? I do. The homeless have access to
Facebook, too, through the library, so I get a lot of private messages. They all have my cell number. I’m very open about that. They do call for prayers. Sometimes we sit around. There’s a lot of God talk. But also a lot of anger to- ward the church.
What has surprised you most about life on the street? Sleep deprivation. When I got
dropped off on July 1st, in the park, I said, “Oh my goodness. Where do I go? Where do I sleep? Where do I bathe? Where do I go to the rest- room?” …. I didn’t have to worry about food, but I did have to worry about where I was going to sleep. I never realized how exhausted I would be.
The other thing that has surprised
me is the criminalizing of the home- less. I didn’t realize that. Now I’ve ex- perienced getting a ticket, getting warnings, being told to move on. It’s a
UMNS PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE
The Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith is living on the street to be in solidarity with the homeless and others on society’s margins. Sleep deprivation has proved a major challenge.
sense of non-worth. I sit by a man sometimes who is elderly, on a fixed income. … He pays for his medica- tions, and with what’s left over, he probably spends maybe two weeks in a hotel. The rest, he sleeps on a bench sitting up, because he can’t afford tick- ets, and he’s trying to abide by the law.
Would you give the UMC a grade on responding to the homeless? I’m certainly not going to do that.
(Laughs.) That would be pretty un- wise, as much as the church is sup- porting this—my bishop, a lot of pastors and lay people, organizations. They know my challenge.
Does the bishop want you to call in every so often?
One of the compromises was that I
would come with a phone and an iPad. The Texas Methodist Foundation had channeled in some money, and the bishop has that for the ministry, including to pay for that kind of com- munication, for safety issues. … There’s some things I might tell him afterward. (Laughs.)
Any heroes or heroines in this line of work? Somebody like Dorothy Day? My strength has come probably
from my mother’s strength, and from God. … Someone like me probably shouldn’t be on the streets. I know that. But I believe the spirit empowers us to do great things. And the spirit empowers the church.
Hollon, Reporter among UMAC contest winners FROM STAFF REPORTS The United Methodist Association
of Communicators (UMAC) held its annual meeting last month, in Albu- querque, N.M. And, as always, a main event was the awards banquet recog- nizing outstanding work in a number of categories. The Rev. Larry Hollon, top execu- tive of United Methodist Communica-
tions since 2000, received the “com- municator of the year” award at the Oct. 20 event. Mr. Hollon has had a key role in the United Methodist Church’s participation in anti-malaria cam- paigns. The United Methodist Reporter
won a certificate of excellence in the newspaper category, with judges re- marking on the steady mix of interest- ing and readable stories.
www.umportal.org news@umr.org
Alan Heath, CEO
Sam Hodges, Managing Editor Bill Fentum, Associate Editor Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer
Cherrie Graham, Advertising Manager Dale Bryant, Senior Designer
THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER (USPS954-500) is published weekly by UMR Communications Inc., 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, Texas 75247-3919. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER. PO Box 660275, Dallas Texas 75266-0275. THE UNITED METHODIST REPORTER has provided denominational news coverage since its beginning as the Texas Methodist newspaper in 1847. The Reporter has no official ties to the United Methodist General Conference or to any of the denomination’s general boards or agencies. This newspaper aims to provide readers with a broad spectrum of information and viewpoints consistent with the diversity of Christians.
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Please recycle. We do!
Staff writer Mary Jacobs won a
certificate of excellence in the writing category for an article titled “Discon- nected: Are our general agencies a long way from the pews?” Judges also honored former man-
aging editor Robin Russell with a cer- tificate of excellence in the opinion/editorial category, for a col- umn headlined “Too bland for our own good?” Two staff members of UMR Com-
munications, the Reporter’s parent company, were honored for work in publicity and advertising. Cherrie Graham and Erika Dorsey won a cer- tificate of excellence for campaign/strategic planning, and a certificate of merit for a UMR adver- tising campaign. Stephen Hustedt and Christina
Dillabough of the Desert Southwest Conference won best of class for print for Transformation Magazine. Best of class for digital publications went to Jamie Jenkins and Tim McDaniel of the North Georgia Conference, for Monday Morning in North Georgia. Jessica Connor of the South Car- olina UM Advocate won best of class
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | UNITED MET HODI S T REPORTER
in writing for a story titled “Spirit Singers.” The Rev. Paul Jeffrey won best of
class in both photography, for work in Southern Sudan on behalf of the Gen- eral Board of Global Ministries, and media presentation. Best of class in visual design went
to Hal Sadler and Ron Underberg, for GBGM’s New World Outlook. In video production, best of class went to United Methodist Communications (Fran Coode Walsh, Lilla Marigza, Jan Snider). The best of class award in publicity
and advertising went to various staff members of GBGM, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and United Methodist Communications, for the 10-Fold Campaign. The UMAC Hall of Fame inductees
this year were Wally Athey, former di- rector of communications for the Desert Southwest Conference, and the late Rev. Ann Greene Whiting, who was editor of the Southern New Eng- land edition of the Reporter and Zion’s Herald, and also served as editor and publisher of the Michigan Christian Advocate.
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