Yes, I really am back on the road again. First let me apologize to many of you. In my last message I indicated that I had an appointment with the surgeon on February 9th and Ive been negligent about getting information out to all of you since then.

Sometimes our idea of a schedule really does work. I had a three week break with no cabinet meetings and, Praise God! the surgeon liked my schedule so three days later on February 12th I was headed into surgery down in Portland. This all happened so quickly that Lori and I didnt really get our act together to send out notification to everyone. However, I am absolutely thrilled to report that the surgery was a great success! For the first week I did practically nothing and have been reminding myself that I am still in some form of recovery, but . I am standing with no pain! I am walking with no pain! I am sitting with only a little discomfort in my back at the location of the surgery. Ditto for driving so yes, I really am back on the road again and loving it! It is so wonderful to be able to walk into a store and not be in pain. It is exciting to actually want to go out for a walk and be able to enjoy it. Lori and I took advantage of the great weather today and walked from our office down to the Commons in the camp; first time Ive done that since probably July. It was a gift to be able to be with my granddaughter last weekend and be outside with her playing and walking and not be in pain! I dont see the surgeon for a follow up for another couple of weeks but thats almost anti-climatic at this point.

I want to thank all of you for the many prayers and expressions of support and love during this time. It has really been about a year that I have been in pain and the absence of almost all pain is almost beyond belief. I want to thank all of the pastors who so graciously were willing to fill in for me for charge conferences and other meetings or events. This has truly been an expression of the connectional system and collegiality. I think it was good for pastors to be in other churches and to hear whats going on and sometimes to share experiences. I know that some new relationships have been born of that experience.

I am hopeful that now I can get off the topic of my health and be focused more on the health of our district and our churches.

Blessings

Beverly

Reminder: Mid Maine District on Facebook

At the suggestion/request of several pastors, we have set up a Mid Maine District Wall and Group on Facebook. (Actually, our fantastic District Administrative Assistant, Lori has set up the page.)

If you are on Facebook, be sure to friend us if you havent already. Most of you know more about this than I do, but you can go to the discussion tab of the wall and start a discussion about any pertinent topics. We can talk about how to be creative and how to share resources and ideas or anything else youd like to discuss in this manner.

District Ministry Days

Our April 8th District Ministry Day will be cancelled so that all of you may attend the Bishops Day on the District two days later. The final District Ministry Day for the season will be held on May 6th at Camp Mechuwana. Please be sure to make your lunch reservation with Kelly Harvell. These meetings are an important part of our collegial covenant, so please make every effort to join us for this important time together.

Bishops Day on the District

Saturday, April 10th

Location: Cox Memorial, Hallowell

Our theme this year is Mission Leap Forward 2010 with some intentional conversation about how we are in mission in the various places where God has planted us.

This is an important annual gathering for the District with the Bishop and it is expected that all pastors will make every effort to be present on this day. Please strongly encourage lay persons from your churches to come to the afternoon session as well.

Schedule:

9:00 9:30 Gathering Time

9:30 11:30 Clergy with Bishop Weaver

9:30 11:30 Session for Laity who choose to come in the morning

11:45 12:45: Lunch Please make reservations with the District Office by March 28th.

1:00 3:30: Laity and Clergy with Bishop Weaver.

Part of this time will include a walk in the community to look at our communities through eyes of mission. Suggestion: Wear comfortable shoes. Those who are unable to participate in the walk may do a short walk outside or participate in prayer for the community and those who are walking.

Carpooling is strongly encouraged!! Fill a car and come together. There is limited parking in the church lot, most parking is on street.

Statistical Reports Congratulations! Thank You!

Your response to statistical reports this year was phenomenal and highly responsible. There were a few churches in unusual circumstances who in advance requested a two week extension. With those exceptions, all but two churches in the district submitted their statistical reports ON TIME!! This makes the work for our statistician so much easier.

Pastoral Evaluations Not This Spring

You may have seen in the E-Clergy Connection or through UM Catalyst News and Notes that the Transformation Pastoral Evaluation which every pastor/church in the conference has participated in over the last three years will not be required this spring. A word of explanation might be helpful.

Several years ago a task force was constituted by members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and Cabinet to seek an effective and consistent tool for pastoral evaluation. At that time Rev. Lovett Weems of Wesley Seminary in DC, and founder of the "Lewis Center for Church Leadership" was working on an evaluation that could be used by denominations for pastoral evaluation. This evaluation identified certain characteristics of a transformational pastor: Character (Who a leader is) Competency (What a leader does) and Contribution (How a leader works). The New England Conference was given permission by the Lewis Center to use the tool and we are thankful for the churches and pastors that have been faithful in participating in the process.

In January of 2010 the Lewis Center announced that they had completed their five year research and has developed a seventy-five question evaluation tool. This new evaluation has a copyright and as a result the New England Conference can no longer legally use the previous material. As a result the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Cabinet have endorsed the use of the Pastoral Transformational Evaluation tool from the Lewis Center and will begin implementing its use in the fall of 2010.

The process is an on-line process and will be phased in with clergy/churches over the next two to three years. The evaluation will provide data that will support the local church context, as well as a spectrum on where each pastor falls within the conference and the denomination. Each SPRC and pastor will still be required to provide a narrative reflection report to the Superintendent at the time of supervision or charge conference; this material will be sent out through the District Office.

The Cabinet appreciates all of the work, comments, suggestions and assistance that each pastor and SPRC has provided over the last three years. It is our hope that this new evaluation will continue to provide insights and assistance to churches and clergy in the transformation of personal and community lives.

Gods Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action

Gods creation is in crisis. We, the Bishops of the United Methodist Church, cannot remain silent while Gods people and Gods planet suffer. This beautiful natural world is a loving gift from God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen. God has entrusted its care to all of us, but we have turned our backs on God and on our responsibilities. Our neglect, selfishness, and pride had fostered:

Pandemic poverty and disease,

Environmental degradation, and

The proliferations of weapons and violence

Despite these interconnected threats to life and hope, Gods creative work continues. Despite the ways we all contribute to these problems, God still invites each one of us to participate in the work of renewal. We must begin the work of renewing creation by being renewed in our own hearts and minds. We cannot help the world until we change our way of being in it.

These are the opening words of The Pastoral Letter published by the Bishops of the United Methodist Church near the end of 2009. The Bishops urge all of us to become involved in a study about Gods creation. A Guide for a group study has recently been prepared and is available as an Adobe document. This study includes six sessions and is ideal for groups to use following Lent and leading up to Earth Day.

The Pastoral Letter should be shared in our congregations and there is a special format of the letter that is designed for liturgical settings. There is also a Foundational Document that describes the history behind this document, reminding us that The development of Gods Renewed Creation reflects the purpose of The United Methodist Church to `make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

You can find all of these resources and more at www.hopeandaction.org

You will also be receiving an email from our office with Adobe Attachments of each of the four primary documents. If you need a hard copy of these documents contact Lori and she will be glad to get a copy for you.