The Launch of the Vine UMC 

The Vine is a new hybrid (online and in-person) community of faith of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church. Like the season of spring that brings new life and color to what was once made bare by the winter season, The Vine seeks to bring healing and connection to those who desire to be part of a faith community that actively pursues new ways to follow Christ with others in the United Methodist Church.

The Vine is not a novel experiment or a simple reaction to the present challenges, but rather a new avenue for faithful discipleship grounded in the one who unites our hearts and minds – Jesus Christ, the True Vine. 

The people called United Methodists have long understood that each generation has a responsibility to discern anew how to live out God’s gracious invitation of love and service in the here and now.

In these times of social polarization, misinformation, division, and displacement, the people of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church have sought to answer this call by planting ourselves firmly in the words of Jesus, who said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything” (John 15:5, CEB). 

I am pleased to announce that guiding the work of The Vine will be the Reverend Jefferson Furtado. He will be joined by a team of pastors who will share the leadership and discipleship formation of those who choose The Vine as their spiritual community. In addition to his work in The Vine, Rev. Furtado will remain as a Ministry Associate serving on the TWK Connectional Ministries Staff in an adapted capacity.

The team of pastors who will be working with Rev. Furtado includes Reverend Doctor Erin Beasley, Reverend Erin Racine, and Reverend Sean Stanfield.

To learn more, visit our website @www.thevineumc.church.


Appointment Season 2023

The appointive season this year has been the most unusual one in the 17 years that I have been a part of an appointive cabinet. The covenant of guaranteed appointments for elders, the Book of Discipline, and the question “How does this decision participate in the Beloved Community?” have impacted our work.

It has been our practice for the last 11 years for the appointive cabinet to meet in April and make appointment projections for the new conference year. At the adjournment of that meeting, calls would be initiated to pastors who are being appointed and to Pastor Parish Relations Committee chairpersons regarding the projected appointment. Then on the following Sunday, announcements were made in worship.  

Today there are two things I would like to offer you about our ongoing work:

1. We will not be initiating appointive calls this weekend. We anticipate beginning to make some of those calls on April 21 and April 22. We do expect to be able to make those announcements no later than May 1. In those cases where we are able, we will make contacts before that date.

It is interesting to note that we have 60% fewer appointment considerations than in years past. There are several factors affecting this. Certainly, one factor is the number of disaffiliations. We are aware that the called session of annual conference on May 22 is contributing to some churches choosing not to participate in the appointive process.

Your appointive cabinet prayerfully considers all pastors and congregations as we do this important work of discernment. The process is not perfect, but we faithfully consider the needs of clergy and congregations. We seek faithfully to make the best matches between pastors and congregations.

2.  I am pleased to announce that we are officially appointing Reverend Dr. Stephen Handy as Associate District Superintendent. Dr. Handy will continue serving the McKendree United Methodist Church as well as serving on the appointive cabinet and leading a cohort of congregations in our urban contexts.

Please make all that is before us a matter of deep prayer as we continue to discern God’s future in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.

Bishop Bill McAlilly


Gun Violence

At 8:00 a.m. on October 1, 1997, a horrific rampage shooting took place at Pearl High School in Pearl, MS a suburb of Jackson, the state capital.  Within minutes two students were dead, several injured, and a whole community forever traumatized. At the time our children were in high school and middle school in Madison just 16.6 miles away. Lynn was a teacher in an elementary school.  I remember the shock and alarm and fear and vulnerability that we all felt. While I now know that there had been other school shootings prior to the one in Pearl, it was the first time that I was aware of something this horrendous happening in a school.  This shooting at Pearl High School would be the first in a series of rampage shootings to follow, continuing to the Columbine massacre in 1999.  It is sickening that the list of schools that have been the sites of gun violence is longer than any of us would have fathomed back in 1997 (see below).

At the end of this blog, I have included a list of schools which have endured gun violence. Please read this list, knowing that each school represents students, teachers, administrators, custodians, cafeteria workers, parents, grandparents, family members, and community members.  Hundreds and hundreds have been touched by the deaths of loved ones.  I am sure there are other schools not listed here.  And this list does not even include gun violence at malls, movie theatres, grocery stores, neighborhoods, other public places nor homes where gun violence also occurs. 

Many school shootings and many deaths later, we find ourselves standing in the place in which so many other communities have stood with the shooting at The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian Church school. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this violence.  Our community grieves for these families; we lament the violence that has been visited on our brothers and sisters at Covenant Presbyterian Church and The Covenant School.  “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” Psalm 130:1

How can we accept that there is “nothing we can do” about this epidemic of gun violence?  I do not accept that.  

What CAN we do?

PRAY:  I call on the people of Nashville and across The Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church to pray.  Pray without ceasing and listen for God’s message to you for what CAN be done in these tender days of mourning, grief, and outrage.  However, Friends, we cannot stop with “thoughts and prayers.”

EDUCATE:  Educate yourself about gun violence in the United States.  What are gun violence statistics?  What are school shooting statistics? What is an assault weapon (that is now used in many school gun violence episodes) and what is an assault weapon typically used for? There was formerly a Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004.  What has been the effect of gun violence since The Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 expired in 2004?  Read about ways United Methodists can take a stand against gun violence here.  The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church contains our official position on gun violence. Resolution 3428 in the 2016 Book of Resolutions, “Our Call to End Gun Violence,” calls upon each of us to do several things. Read the resolution in its entirety here.  (Added this)

PLAN: Determine the actions you want to take. Personally, I want our political leaders to address BOTH mental health and public health issues AND to pass sensible gun laws and reduce easy access to dangerous weapons by banning assault weapons that are meant for trained military personnel in war times. The gun violence epidemic in our country must be addressed through comprehensive approaches.  Locate the contact information for your US Senators, US House Representative for your District, Governor, Tennessee General Assembly Legislators.  Lt. Governor Randy McNally is considering supporting red flag laws which work to keep guns out of the hands of people with a diagnosed mental illness. Red flag laws do not have a political bias. Such laws MIGHT have prevented the person responsible for the Covenant School shooting from having access to weapons. 

You may call Lt. Governor Randy McNally @615-741-6906 and share your support with of this with him. 

ACTION:   Take the action you feel led to take to be a part of what CAN be done.  Write a letter and/or make a telephone call to your lawmakers.  Express your concern.  Ask questions about plans your lawmaker has for stopping gun violence. Express your hope for the way your lawmaker will represent your interests.  Vote for candidates that support your views for what CAN be done to address gun violence. Attend events that address gun violence.  Talk with other like-minded people.  

STAND TOGETHER    During the inaugural meeting of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference in June 2022, a resolution was presented and passed advocating lawmakers implement laws that would reduce or prevent gun violence.  Please use the link to read this resolution.

You see, there are some things that CAN be done.  

Pray; educate yourself; decide what you want to do to be a part of the solution so that this list is less likely to grow longer; take some action in some way; and stand with others to do what CAN be done.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Bishop Bill McAlilly

**********************************

Pearl High School

Thurston High School

Columbine High School 

Heritage High School 

Deming Middle School 

Fort Gibson Middle School 

Buell Elementary School 

Lake Worth Middle School 

University of Arkansas 

Junipero Serra High School 

Santana High School 

Bishop Neumann High School 

Pacific Lutheran University 

Granite Hills High School 

Lew Wallace High School 

Martin Luther King, Jr High School 

Appalachian School of Law 

Washington High School 

Conception Abbey 

Benjamin Tasker Middle School 

University of Arizona 

Lincoln High School 

John McDonogh High School 

Red Lion Area Junior High School 

Case Western Reserve University 

Rocori High School 

Ballou High School 

Randallstown High School 

Bowen High School 

Red Lake Senior High School 

Harlan Community Academy High School 

Campbell County High School 

Milwee Middle School 

Roseburg High School 

Pine Middle School 

Essex Elementary School 

Duquesne University 

Platte Canyon High School 

Weston High School 

West Nickel Mines School 

Joplin Memorial Middle School 

Henry Foss High School 

Compton Centennial High School 

Virginia Tech 

Success Tech Academy 

Miami Carol City Senior High School 

Hamilton High School 

Louisiana Technical College 

Mitchell High School 

EO Green Junior High School 

Northern Illinois University 

Lakota Middle School 

Knoxville Central High School 

Willoughby South High School 

Henry Ford High School 

University of Central Arkansas 

Dillard High School 

Dunbar High School 

Hampton University 

Harvard College 

Larose-Cut Off Middle School 

International Studies Academy 

Skyline College 

Discovery Middle School 

University of Alabama 

DeKalb School 

Deer Creek Middle School 

Ohio State University 

Mumford High School 

University of Texas 

Kelly Elementary School 

Marinette High School 

Aurora Central High School 

Millard South High School 

Martinsville West Middle School 

Worthing High School 

Millard South High School

Highlands Intermediate School 

Cape Fear High School 

Chardon High School 

Episcopal School of Jacksonville 

Oikos University 

Hamilton High School 

Perry Hall School 

Normal Community High School 

University of South Alabama 

Banner Academy South 

University of Southern California 

Sandy Hook Elementary School 

Apostolic Revival Center Christian School 

Taft Union High School 

Osborn High School 

Stevens Institute of Business and Arts 

Hazard Community and Technical College 

Chicago State University 

Lone Star College-North 

Cesar Chavez High School 

Price Middle School 

University of Central Florida 

New River Community College 

Grambling State University 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School 

Ronald E McNair Discovery Academy 

North Panola High School 

Carver High School 

Agape Christian Academy 

Sparks Middle School 

North Carolina A&T State University 

Stephenson High School 

Brashear High School 

West Orange High School 

Arapahoe High School 

Edison High School 

Liberty Technology Magnet High School 

Hillhouse High School 

Berrendo Middle School 

Purdue University 

South Carolina State University 

Los Angeles Valley College 

Charles F Brush High School 

University of Southern California 

Georgia Regents University 

Academy of Knowledge Preschool 

Benjamin Banneker High School 

D H Conley High School 

East English Village Preparatory Academy 

Paine College 

Georgia Gwinnett College 

John F Kennedy High School 

Seattle Pacific University 

Reynolds High School 

Indiana State University 

Albemarle High School 

Fern Creek Traditional High School 

Langston Hughes High School 

Marysville Pilchuck High School 

Florida State University 

Miami Carol City High School 

Rogers State University 

Rosemary Anderson High School 

Wisconsin Lutheran High School 

Frederick High School 

Tenaya Middle School 

Bethune-Cookman University 

Pershing Elementary School 

Wayne Community College 

JB Martin Middle School 

Southwestern Classical Academy 

Savannah State University 

Harrisburg High School 

Umpqua Community College 

Northern Arizona University 

Texas Southern University 

Tennessee State University 

Winston-Salem State University 

Mojave High School 

Lawrence Central High School 

Franklin High School 

Muskegon Heights High School 

Independence High School 

Madison High School 

Antigo High School 

University of California-Los Angeles 

Jeremiah Burke High School 

Alpine High School 

Townville Elementary School 

Vigor High School 

Linden McKinley STEM Academy 

June Jordan High School for Equity 

Union Middle School 

Mueller Park Junior High School 

West Liberty-Salem High School 

University of Washington 

King City High School 

North Park Elementary School 

North Lake College 

Freeman High School 

Mattoon High School 

Rancho Tehama Elementary School 

Aztec High School 

Wake Forest University 

Italy High School 

NET Charter High School 

Marshall County High School 

Sal Castro Middle School 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Great Mills High School

Central Michigan University

Huffman High School

Frederick Douglass High School

Forest High School

Highland High School

Dixon High School

Santa Fe High School

Noblesville West Middle School

University of North Carolina Charlotte

STEM School Highlands Ranch

Edgewood High School

Palm Beach Central High School

Providence Career & Technical Academy

Fairley High School (school bus)

Canyon Springs High School

Dennis Intermediate School

Florida International University 

Central Elementary School

Cascade Middle School

Davidson High School

Prairie View A & M University 

Altascocita High School

Central Academy of Excellence

Cleveland High School

Robert E Lee High School

Cheyenne South High School

Grambling State University

Blountsville Elementary School

Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)

Prescott High School

College of the Mainland

Wynbrooke Elementary School

UNC Charlotte

Riverview Florida (school bus)

Second Chance High School

Carman-Ainsworth High School

Williwaw Elementary School

Monroe Clark Middle School

Central Catholic High School

Jeanette High School

Eastern Hills High School

DeAnza High School

Ridgway High School

Reginald F Lewis High School

Saugus High School

Pleasantville High School

Waukesha South High School

Oshkosh High School

Catholic Academy of New Haven

Bellaire High School

North Crowley High School

McAuliffe Elementary School 

South Oak Cliff High School

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Sonora High School

Western Illinois University

Oxford High School

Robb Elementary School

Thurston High School

Columbine High School 

Heritage High School 

Deming Middle School 

Heath High School

Fort Gibson Middle School 

Buell Elementary School 

Lake Worth Middle School 

University of Arkansas 

Junipero Serra High School 

Santana High School 

Bishop Neumann High School 

Pacific Lutheran University 

Granite Hills High School 

Lew Wallace High School 

Martin Luther King, Jr High School 

Appalachian School of Law 

Washington High School 

Conception Abbey 

Benjamin Tasker Middle School 

University of Arizona 

Lincoln High School 

John McDonogh High School 

Red Lion Area Junior High School 

Case Western Reserve University 

Rocori High School 

Ballou High School 

Randallstown High School 

Bowen High School 

Red Lake Senior High School 

Harlan Community Academy High School 

Campbell County High School 

Milwee Middle School 

Roseburg High School 

Pine Middle School 

Essex Elementary School 

Duquesne University 

Platte Canyon High School 

Weston High School 

West Nickel Mines School 

Joplin Memorial Middle School 

Henry Foss High School 

Compton Centennial High School 

Virginia Tech 

Success Tech Academy 

Miami Carol City Senior High School 

Hamilton High School 

Louisiana Technical College 

Mitchell High School 

EO Green Junior High School 

Northern Illinois University 

Lakota Middle School 

Knoxville Central High School 

Willoughby South High School 

Henry Ford High School 

University of Central Arkansas 

Dillard High School 

Dunbar High School 

Hampton University 

Harvard College 

Larose-Cut Off Middle School 

Heath High School

International Studies Academy 

Skyline College 

Discovery Middle School 

University of Alabama 

DeKalb School 

Deer Creek Middle School 

Ohio State University 

Mumford High School 

University of Texas 

Kelly Elementary School 

Marinette High School 

Aurora Central High School 

Millard South High School 

Martinsville West Middle School 

Worthing High School 

Millard South High School

Highlands Intermediate School 

Cape Fear High School 

Chardon High School 

Episcopal School of Jacksonville 

Oikos University 

Hamilton High School 

Perry Hall School 

Normal Community High School 

University of South Alabama 

Banner Academy South 

University of Southern California 

Sandy Hook Elementary School 

Apostolic Revival Center Christian School 

Taft Union High School 

Osborn High School 

Stevens Institute of Business and Arts 

Hazard Community and Technical College 

Chicago State University 

Lone Star College-North 

Cesar Chavez High School 

Price Middle School 

University of Central Florida 

New River Community College 

Grambling State University 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School 

Ronald E McNair Discovery Academy 

North Panola High School 

Carver High School 

Agape Christian Academy 

Sparks Middle School 

North Carolina A&T State University 

Stephenson High School 

Brashear High School 

West Orange High School 

Arapahoe High School 

Edison High School 

Liberty Technology Magnet High School 

Hillhouse High School 

Berrendo Middle School 

Purdue University 

South Carolina State University 

Los Angeles Valley College 

Charles F Brush High School 

University of Southern California 

Georgia Regents University 

Academy of Knowledge Preschool 

Benjamin Banneker High School 

D H Conley High School 

East English Village Preparatory Academy 

Paine College 

Georgia Gwinnett College 

John F Kennedy High School 

Seattle Pacific University 

Reynolds High School 

Indiana State University 

Albemarle High School 

Fern Creek Traditional High School 

Langston Hughes High School 

Marysville Pilchuck High School 

Florida State University 

Miami Carol City High School 

Rogers State University 

Rosemary Anderson High School 

Wisconsin Lutheran High School 

Frederick High School 

Tenaya Middle School 

Bethune-Cookman University 

Pershing Elementary School 

Wayne Community College 

JB Martin Middle School 

Southwestern Classical Academy 

Savannah State University 

Harrisburg High School 

Umpqua Community College 

Northern Arizona University 

Texas Southern University 

Tennessee State University 

Winston-Salem State University 

Mojave High School 

Lawrence Central High School 

Franklin High School 

Muskegon Heights High School 

Independence High School 

Madison High School 

Antigo High School 

University of California-Los Angeles 

Jeremiah Burke High School 

Alpine High School 

Townville Elementary School 

Vigor High School 

Linden McKinley STEM Academy 

June Jordan High School for Equity 

Union Middle School 

Mueller Park Junior High School 

West Liberty-Salem High School 

University of Washington 

King City High School 

North Park Elementary School 

North Lake College 

Freeman High School 

Mattoon High School 

Rancho Tehama Elementary School 

Aztec High School 

Wake Forest University 

Italy High School 

NET Charter High School 

Marshall County High School 

Sal Castro Middle School 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Great Mills High School

Central Michigan University

Huffman High School

Frederick Douglass High School

Forest High School

Highland High School

Dixon High School

Santa Fe High School

Noblesville West Middle School

University of North Carolina Charlotte

STEM School Highlands Ranch

Edgewood High School

Palm Beach Central High School

Providence Career & Technical Academy

Fairley High School (school bus)

Canyon Springs High School

Dennis Intermediate School

Florida International University 

Central Elementary School

Cascade Middle School

Davidson High School

Prairie View A & M University 

Altascocita High School

Central Academy of Excellence

Cleveland High School

Robert E Lee High School

Cheyenne South High School

Grambling State University

Blountsville Elementary School

Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)

Prescott High School

College of the Mainland

Wynbrooke Elementary School

UNC Charlotte

Riverview Florida (school bus)

Second Chance High School

Carman-Ainsworth High School

Williwaw Elementary School

Monroe Clark Middle School

Central Catholic High School

Jeanette High School

Eastern Hills High School

DeAnza High School

Ridgway High School

Reginald F Lewis High School

Saugus High School

Pleasantville High School

Waukesha South High School

Oshkosh High School

Catholic Academy of New Haven

Bellaire High School

North Crowley High School

McAuliffe Elementary School 

South Oak Cliff High School

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Sonora High School

Western Illinois University

Oxford High School

Bridgewater University

Robb Elementary School

Covenant Presbyterian School


Call to prayer for our neighbors

Today we again mourn with those who have experienced a school-shooting.

Please be in prayer for our neighbors – the many children, parents and teachers – connected with the Covenant School in Nashville.

I continue to join my voice with others in the Church as we together seek to see a new day in our country where pain and sorrow and death will no longer be visited on innocent children.


Invitation to join conference-wide bible study

Scripture is a way that we know we hear God’s voice and vision for us. Studying together is a way we know God speaks to the body of Christ. We can do nothing – literally no thing – without God and we can expect greater things when we abide in Jesus. Abiding can encompass many spiritual disciplines but immersion in the sacred text of the Bible is essential. 

I hope you will gather some friends and walk with us toward Annual Conference this year by preparing spiritually for the time when we seek to abide in Christ. 

The six-session Abide in Christ Bible Study is designed for small-group or individual use.

An online flipbook is available as well as the booklet PDF that can be downloaded to print or to read on your electronic device. We plan to offer Spanish and Korean versions of this study as well.

https://twkumc.org/abide-in-christ-bible-study/


How Long O Lord?

This week Lynn and I were in Atlanta attending an Emory University Board meeting when the news that those responsible for the death of Tyre Nichols were charged. I kept thinking about Tyre’s tragic death after being pulled over for a traffic stop.  I kept thinking about his tragic death at the hands of those whom we expect to protect citizens. I kept thinking about the pain, fear and trauma our Black and Brown brothers and sisters must feel yet again.

Friday, as Lynn and I left Atlanta we drove across Alabama to Mississippi.  Those of us of sufficient age know too well the racial violence of the Deep South. Questions kept haunting me. How is it that Tyre Nichols was beaten to death with brutal precision?  Where did the police learn to do that? Why did the police learn to do that? What training, what discipline, what instruction gave five men the license to torture, hound, and murder a fellow human being? 

Tyre’s mother weeps for her son. 

A four year old child is left fatherless. 

And we are left with questions. Again.

As a United Methodist Christian, perhaps I ask a different set of questions:  Where is God in that grainy video tape? Where is the Prince of Peace in the loss of humanity? What is there left for the Judge of the World when men in uniform appointed themselves judge, jury, and executioner. 

We are not far from the season of Lent when we will walk the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering, as we remember the death of Jesus the Christ. We would do well today to remember that we worship a God whose son experienced his own violent death at the hands of a brutal empire. Adorned in our sanctuaries we gaze on the implementation of that death—the cross. Yet I wonder as we gaze upon the shiny gold cross if it is lost on us what a brutal thing crucifixion was. 

I need to be reminded today that we are bold to believe God does not abandon any of us, even in death. We believe that love wins, that God will one day reconcile all of us one to another and to God. We believe that God works even through the worst in our lives. 

The violence we witnessed in the 44 minute video released Friday  reminds us that day is not yet here, that even the God of reconciliation condemns the violence we saw together. 

Fifty-five years ago, the senseless murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis changed America forever.  Yet, here we are, still longing for the beloved community. 

We pray, “How long, O Lord, how long?”  It is the question that lingers the longest. 

Sunday, I will be preaching at Centenary United Methodist Church, one of our historical Black congregations. 

Pray for this congregation as we gather for worship.  Pray for the city of Memphis. Pray for Tyre’s Nichols family.  Pray for police everywhere who everyday are called to make judgements when in the line of duty. Pray that Memphis will become the catalyst for senseless murders to end as we continue to pursue justice for all. 

And after you pray, I call on congregations to become places of healing, hope, and hospitality in the mission fields of communities where they are planted. 

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Bishop Bill McAlilly


Home For Christmas

Home.

Say the word and it conjures up all sorts of images. 

For as long as I can remember, home has been the place, where during the Christmas season, Lynn and I have longed to be. 

Home for most of my life is wherever our family gathers for Christmas celebrations. 

When our family was young and our children small, many years we headed out after the Christmas eve service to North Mississippi where our parents lived. Do you know how hard it is to find something to eat for hungry children at 9 pm on Christmas Eve? 

Nothing seemed right until we gathered at the table of my mother or Lynn’s mother. Some years it was hard to do both. 

I remember when we were in Georgia, our first Christmas as a married couple, my father flew to Gainesville, Ga., and picked us up at the Gainesville airport. We flew home in a Cessna 172.  It was a cold, windy December day. He flew us to New Albany, MS, where Lynn’s parents lived. The day was cloudy, overcast, and very cold. Lynn and I wondered how safe flying in those conditions could be. Somewhere over Alabama my father picked up the radio signal of a distressed pilot who had lost his ability to communicate with the air traffic controller in Nashville. Dad could hear the pilot and the controller.  He became the conduit that connected the two. When the pilot of the distressed plane landed, he profusely thanked my father for helping him find his way home. 

When we landed in New Albany, waiting for us on the ground were Lynn’s mother and father. When the plane finally came to a stop on the tarmac and we greeted our family, we knew we were home. 

Later that evening, we gathered in the sanctuary of our home church First United Methodist Church, New Albany. Reverend Lavelle Woodrick was the pastor. Knowing I was going to be in worship that night, Lavelle invited me to be the liturgist at the Christmas Eve service. That meant I would read the Gospel Lesson for Christmas, Luke 2. When I stood before the congregation that had nurtured me, loved me, invited me into a life of faithfulness, I knew I was home. 

First United Methodist Church has been that place, for over 50 years, I have known as home. As the son of a United Methodist pastor home has always been elusive since we lived in so many places. Since 1969, the one constant in my pilgrimage has been the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, New Albany. 

Last Sunday we were able to go there.  

It was the first time we had been in a sanctuary in four months. It was good and right to be in the place I call home to worship as the choir offered their Christmas Cantata. I was given the privilege of thanking the congregation for their prayers. I acknowledged that First United Methodist Church had been my foundation. 

Being there was wonderful.  I saw adults who were in the youth group I led between 1981-1984 when I was the associate pastor. It was somewhat of a reunion.  These adults are now in their 50s. I haven’t seen some of them in a long time. Sunday, when we saw each other, it was as if years have not passed. We laughed and we remembered. I give thanks for those memories. 

Christmas this year will be different. Our children will not come to us and gather around the table in our home. We will go and be with them. We will worship Christmas Eve at Oxford University United Methodist Church at their early afternoon service designed to be children friendly.  3/5 of our grandchildren will be there. Later we will worship at First United Methodist Church, New Albany. We will be home.

In 18 months, my time as a bishop will end. We have been planning for over 15 years to come home. Home to New Albany. Home to the church where Lynn was baptized, where we exchanged wedding vows, where our son Chris was baptized, where I served my first appointment out of seminary.   We will come home to the house Lynn’s grandparents lived in, and it will become our home. 

We have planned, dreamed about this homecoming. Lynn’s sisters are there. My brother and sister 20 minutes away in Tupelo. Our son and his family 35 minutes away in Oxford. I’ve dreamed of being a part of First Church again. Maybe teaching Sunday School, leading a Bible Study. Supporting the pastor in whatever way might be helpful. 

There’s just one problem with my dream. The church is planning to vote on disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church. That vote is scheduled for January. My deep concern is that over one hundred years of faithfulness in the same direction will be severed.

I suspect across the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, many share my concern. 

Here’s what I know: God continues to work.

The church is not ending, and God is doing a new thing by showing us that home comes in new ways. 

I’ve spent more time at home than I ever dreamed I would these last 4 months. I’ve had to adjust my expectations of myself. I’ve had to depend on others, especially Lynn, to help me function. Lynn dropped everything she was doing to give attention to my needs. I am filled with gratitude to her for her care and love. I am grateful for the home that is provided for us by the TWK Conference. I am grateful for Paula Grout and the Episcopacy Committee for making sure a ramp was installed and other accommodations were made in our home to make it possible for me to manage my recovery.

This season has also been humbling. I’ve learned to look only as far down the road as the next procedure. (I’ve been in the operating room four times since August 26). I am learning to walk again but not without the aid of a cane. I am learning that the body has its own timetable regarding healing. My physical therapist is one of the kindest people I’ve ever encountered, and my physicians really are the healing hands of God. 

As I anticipate retiring in 18 months, I am mindful how quickly this time will pass. These last four months have been preparing me for the journey home. We’ve been tossing the word resilience around since Covid-19 visited us. I think resilience and I have become companions. 

The wreck of August 25 sidelined me in multiple ways as well as those who were apart of the accident that day. I have prayed daily for their healing as well. I trust that you have as well. 

Perhaps the most hopeful, promising sign I have seen during this time is that we have an amazing team of leaders who have kept moving forward despite the absence of my presence. 

As for the future, I do wonder where my spiritual home will be in the last third of my life.  It’s a worthy question. 

There is a lot of rhetoric about the United Methodist Church, about Bishops, about disaffiliation.  I hope those wanting so badly to leave will do some soul searching.   I am remembering a line in the movie “Cold Mountain”. The central character Inman is walking home from the Civil War and says to his companion, “Don’t you think God tires from hearing the prayers of both sides.”  

I sense that same weariness in congregations that are pushing to vote on disaffiliation. What saddens me is the misinformation and rhetoric that places judgment on pastors and bishops when many have never had conversations with us about what we think, believe, and feel. 

I am confident that all any of us want is a place, a spiritual home, a Church where when we go there, everybody knows our name and everyone is glad we came. In short, a home. A spiritual home. 

Mary and Joseph went home and there was no place for them. 

My sense is that we all long for home.

I’m learning that life circumstances often leave us feeling as if we are without a home. We feel lonely. Isolated. Afraid. 

I’m especially mindful of those who in these days of below freezing temperatures have no place to lay their heads. I am grateful for those congregations who offer “Room in the Inn” for our residentially challenged friends in these frigid days.

In this season of uncertainty, of loneliness and isolation, fear and uncertainty, I remember the words of the psalmist, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalms 91:1-2

But the message of Christmas, the good news of the Gospel, is that there is a home for us. The Psalmist gestures to this but this longing that stirs in us finds its completion in the promises of Revelation. At the end of time, the home of God is with mortals. And this is the insanely good news of the Gospel! 

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us!

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you will find your home in Emmanuel, God with us!

Peace,

Bill McAlilly

“For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning – not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.” Fredrick Buchner,


Statement on Amendment 3 to the Tennessee State Constitution

Greetings Holston and Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conferences! As bishops of Conferences that include the state of Tennessee, we are writing today regarding an opportunity Tennesseans have to right a historical wrong.

On November 8, 2022, the citizens of Tennessee will be going to the polls to make many decisions, including about Amendment 3 which proposes deleting exceptions to the prohibition of slavery. The language of the current Tennessee Constitution reads, “That slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, are forever prohibited by this State.” If Amendment 3 passes, the State Constitution will read, “That slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited in this state.” Note that nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when duly convicted of a crime.

Amendment 3 will finally end the exception to the prohibition, thus officially banning the atrocity of slavery and involuntary servitude in any form. This amendment, which has bipartisan support, passed overwhelmingly as a joint resolution in the Tennessee legislature.

All of us, in our baptismal vows, promised to “accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” Voting on Amendment 3 is an opportunity for us to live out this commitment.

Thank you for prayerfully considering this amendment. We are grateful for you and the variety of ways in which you serve and lead.

Blessings,

William T. McAlilly, Resident Bishop, Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference

Debra Wallace-Padgett, Resident Bishop, Holston & North Alabama Conferences

                                                      


Interim Leadership Coverage Plan for Westside TWK Districts

Dear Disciples and Congregations of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, 

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ. We write to you today grateful for your prayers. 

Over the last 8 weeks, we have experienced an extraordinary season of trauma and disruption and we are practicing resilience in the midst of the challenges that are before us..  

On September 1, we had hoped to announce the appointment of a district superintendent for the Metro District. It has not been lost on us  that many are anxious about this. The death of Dr. Eason-Williams created a void in our Cabinet. She was leading the Appointive and Extended Cabinet in the important work of exploring systemic racism in our context through “Signposts,” a curriculum she helped to create. It is our hope that “Signposts” will become a tool utilized in our congregations for the vital work of eliminating racism. 

The loss of Dr. Eason-Williams means for the first time in ten years there is not a person of color at the Cabinet table. We are committed to our conference’s value of investing in diverse leadership. We have sought the input and counsel of diverse leaders of our conference regarding the best way to live into this commitment in the season we find ourselves–a season that could not be forecasted.

Therefore, after prayerful consideration of that counsel, the Cabinet and I have decided to move forward in the following way:

1.       Until the normal appointment cycle begins in the Spring of 2023, we will lean into the current leadership on the Cabinet without appointing a superintendent to the Metro District at this time. 

2.       Rev. Jefferson Furtado, the Ministry Associate of the Equip Team, who relates directly to the Board of Ordained Ministry, will be added to the extended Cabinet and participate in Cabinet processes. 

3.       Dr. Stephen Handy will serve as a consultant to the Bishop and Cabinet on matters of ethnic minority pastors and leadership. 

4.       In order to provide superintendent coverage in the Metro, Mississippi River, Purchase, and Tennessee River Districts, the superintendent of the Mississippi River District, Dr. David Weatherly; the Tennessee River District, Rev. Dan Camp; and the Purchase District, Rev. Nancy Johnston Varden will become responsible for the following: 

A.  Dr. David Weatherly will cover the Metro District and the counties of Haywood, Lauderdale, and Dyer in the Mississippi River District.

B.  Rev. Nancy Johnston Varden will cover the Purchase District and the Tennessee counties of Lake, Obion, and Weakley in the Mississippi River District.

C.  Rev. Dan Camp will cover the Tennessee River District and the counties of Crockett and Gibson in the Mississippi River District.

5. All regular Charge Conferences that are currently scheduled will be presided by the district superintendent who scheduled the conference or their designee. This does not include future special called charge conferences or church conferences.

6. All Administrative functions, such as the filing of reports or forms by churches in the Mississippi River District will continue to be filed with the Mississippi River District Office. 

7. Churches in the Mississippi River District who need the assistance of a district superintendent will contact the Mississippi River District Office and the appropriate superintendent providing coverage for that church or charge will respond.

8. During the pastoral consultation season, pastors and congregations will consult with the superintendent who is providing coverage for their charge.

While this temporary solution is far from perfect, it seeks to keep our local churches strong and to balance the work of the Cabinet until God helps to provide a more permanent solution that will be implemented on July 1, 2023.  

We  trust you are praying  for me, the Cabinet, and the leadership of our conference, as well as all the people called United Methodists in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference as we all seek to do the work of transforming the world one neighborhood at a time.  

In Christ,

Bishop McAlilly and the TWK Conference Appointive Cabinet


Gun Violence | A Letter to our Elected Officials

August 9, 2022

To: President Biden; Senators Blackburn, Hagerty, Paul, and McConnell; and Governors Lee and Beshear,

From: Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church

Dear President Biden and administration,

Recently, a senseless act of gun violence took the life of Rev. Dr. Autura Eason-Williams, a beloved United Methodist pastor, District Superintendent, mentor, friend, wife, and mother in Memphis, Tennessee. Her name is added to the list of over 24,000 Americans whose lives have been cut short by gunshot wounds this year alone. The grief we feel over her loss is nearly unbearable, as it is for all those who have lost a loved one to gun violence. But our grief must not paralyze us—it must move us to do all in our power to ensure these losses don’t continue at their current staggering rate.

Last month, pastors and lay leaders from every United Methodist church in our area gathered to worship, pray, celebrate, and articulate our vision and mission. These leaders represented over 162,000 United Methodists from 850 churches in Western and Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. During our time together, these leaders overwhelmingly passed a motion calling on our politicians to enact meaningful gun control legislation and calling our churches to do everything in their power to reduce the scourge of gun violence in our country. We had no idea that within a month, the tragic effects of gun violence would take the life of one of the persons in that very room.

While we applaud the bi-partisan federal gun violence legislation that was recently signed into law, we do not believe it goes far enough. As part of the several key proposals in our motion, which are drawn from our denomination’s Book of Resolutions, we specifically call on you to establish a minimum age of 21 years for a gun purchase or possession and to ban large-capacity ammunition magazines and weapons designed to fire multiple rounds each time the trigger is pulled.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus told his disciples that those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. We have too long been complacent with the overwhelming number of deaths by violence. Through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to break this cycle of violence. United Methodist churches in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference are committed to doing just that. We call on each of you to use your legislative powers to join us in this mission.

We failed to protect our sister, Autura. Let us not fail to protect anyone else.

May the peace of Christ be with you,

William T. McAlilly

Resident Bishop

Many clergy and laity signed on to this open letter. You can see this list and add your name here.


Interim Leadership for Metro District

Friends,

This is a tender time. It is a time filled with grief and loss, anger, and sorrow, but also one filled with the hope of the resurrection.

As you are now aware, we are grieving the loss of our friend, colleague and leader, The Reverend Dr. Autura Eason-Williams.

We recently learned that the funeral arrangements are:

  • A viewing on Tuesday, August 2, from 4 – 8 p.m. at Anthony Funeral Home, 135 S 16th Street, West Memphis, AR  72301. 
  • The funeral on Wednesday, August 3, at 10 a.m. at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, 2949 Davies Plantation Road, Lakeland, TN  38002. (Clergy who attend are requested to wear black robes with a white stole, or a dark suit, so they may line up along the aisle as Autura passes through.) 

While it is difficult to think about the future leadership of the Metro District, we are slowly turning our attention in that direction.

In the near term, I have asked the Reverend Dr. David Weatherly, the Mississippi River District Superintendent, to serve the Metro District as well as the Mississippi River District.

This appointment is for an interim period of time until we can make decisions related to the future leadership of the Metro District.

Dr. Weatherly is well acquainted with the Metro District having served in the district over many years. He will bring stability in this season as a steady and trusted leader.

Hopefully by the first of September, we will be able to announce a more permanent plan for the Metro District. In the meantime, Dr. Weatherly will continue serving the Mississippi River District as he assumes the duties of the Metro District.

Please be in prayer for the family of Dr. Eason-Williams, the Metro District congregations, pastors, and Dr. Weatherly.

Peace,

Bishop William McAlilly


Remembering Autura Eason-Williams

Words escape me today. Late yesterday, I received the news that Reverend Dr. Autura Eason-Williams was tragically and senselessly murdered in her driveway at her home as she attempted to prevent a car theft. Dr. Eason-Williams was in her second year as the District Superintendent of the Metro District in Memphis, TN.  

The clergy and laity of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference are grieving and in shock.  Last night, over 200 gathered to remember and give thanks for Autura, for her life, her witness, her leadership, and her friendship.  The outpouring of tears and love as we remembered Autura was a reminder of what an impact one person can have and the loss that is felt when one among us is taken from us unexpectedly. 

We often quip that no one is irreplaceable.  I will tell you, however, that I beg to differ with that sentiment. One can be replaced but the unique giftedness of a person cannot be replicated. Autura was uniquely gifted for mission and ministry. She navigated a cross-racial appointment as an early pioneer in that work in the legacy Memphis Conference. Her peers elected her to lead the clergy delegation to General Conference and endorsed her as a candidate for Bishop prior to the anticipated 2020 General Conference. 

During the Global Pandemic, I invited Autura to join the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Appointive Cabinet.  She was in the process of becoming one of our most gifted District Superintendents and was tackling some of our most difficult challenges. Two of the ministries Autura was leading for the Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference were the Signposts Seminars, engaging the work of systemic racism in our conference, and #BeUMC Campaign, an effort to highlight the positive aspects of being the United Methodist Church. More than these very tangible efforts, however, was Autura’s ministry of encouragement, especially to female clergy.  

Autura, we will miss your laugh, your leadership, your love, your faithfulness, and your generous spirit. You modeled for us the words of Micah: “and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.  We give thanks to God for the ways you led and loved us well.



Please help make Meharry in Memphis a success

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 

At the Inaugural session of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference, we presented a transformative opportunity for ministry that will have a growing impact in the years to come. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we know healing is one of the foundations of our faith. The call to discipleship is to preach, to teach, and to heal.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to find a way to be engaged in the ministry of healing. If we do not, we have ignored a third of the Gospel.  

In a bold move, Meharry Medical School in Nashville has partnered with Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare in Memphis, The University of Memphis, and Church Health to establish a Memphis campus.  The goal is to identify, mentor, and train students who might grow up in poverty but who can become physicians to serve both the community where they grow up and all of America. Such a pipeline plan is ambitious with many places where “leakage” occurs.  We believe the United Methodist Church following the example of our founder, John Wesley, who promoted health education and healing as part of his ministry, can stop the “leakage.”

The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference has an opportunity to play a leading role in the creation of a Memphis Campus for Meharry Medical School—the only historically black United Methodist-related medical school in the US. We hope that you and your congregation will support this work in a meaningful, thoughtful, and financial way.

There are 168 allopathic medical schools in America.  There are 4 historically black medical schools with only one affiliated with a church, and that is Meharry.  In 1876, Meharry was founded as the first medical school for African Americans in the south and has always been affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its importance today is greater than ever before. Only 5% of all physicians identify as African American. Meharry’s role in raising children of color up to be doctors is critical and they take their affiliation with the Church seriously. The opportunity to create a Memphis campus with the support of the United Methodist Church gives us a chance to follow the call of the gospel to heal the sick, while also demonstrating support for promising young leaders.

We are asking you to commit yourself and your congregation to the task of making the Memphis Campus of Meharry strong and vibrant. The role of the Church will be three-fold: 1) to help identify potential students and to connect with and mentor them, thus plugging the points of “leakage” so that children with potential may become physicians;  2) to promote Meharry at every opportunity across our connection to enhance the role of the church in the training of physicians of color, and 3) to make a financial commitment that will assist in making Meharry in Memphis a success. 

Statistics indicate that students who grow up in poverty and successfully navigate college and Meharry Medical school, often begin their careers with a financial debt approaching $400,000. There are many financial resources needed to make the Memphis Campus a success. We are asking you to make a financial commitment to this powerful endeavor. You can make your commitment by giving online to “Meharry” at https://www.shelbygiving.com/app/giving/twkumc or by sending a check made out to Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference (Memo Line: Meharry Offering). Please mail checks to TWKUMC, PO 440132, Nashville, 37244-0132.

We make this request trusting in the belief that one day we will look into the face of God with the assurance that we did our best to provide a ministry of healing. We invite you to journey with us.

With hope for healing,

Bishop Bill McAlilly; Dr. Michael Ugwueke; Dr. James Hildreth; Dr. Scott Morris


How Long, O Lord, How Long?


May 25, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton today urged clergy and laity to go on offense to stop mass shootings like the one that killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas.

“My “statement” today is quite simple:  Let’s go on the offense.  If you are a pastor, weave our theology of a lived-out faith into sermons that challenge people to convert their fears, angers, racist tendencies, and complicit behaviors into a mobilized witness of the power of God to do far more than we could ever dream of or imagine,” Bishop Bickerton said.

He called on the laity too: “If you are a lay person, determine today how you will take the faith you nurture each week in a pew to the streets, the places where you work, and the homes where you live. If you are a church body, don’t settle for just active shooter training. Determine that you will actively work to transform lives from violence to peace, elect officials that will not settle for inaction, and inject communities with the grace and love of Christ that will alter the course of our current behaviors.”

Writing on behalf of the COB, Bishop Bickerton said he refuses to see this period of our lives as a permanent time of disarray. “Instead, I choose to see this an interim time, a time that will not remain as it is, a time that will not be the standard upon which we experience the life we have been blessed to live. As United Methodists we embrace a gospel and a mission that we state has the power to transform the world.”

The call today is for every United Methodist Christian to go on the offense, stating what we believe the power of God can do in our midst, opening ourselves to power of God at work within us, and doing whatever we can to alter the current course of behavior once and for all.

I join my voice with Bishop Bickerton as we together seek to see a new day in our country where pain and sorrow and death will no longer be visited on innocent children.

Bishop Bill McAlilly


Daily Prayers for Holy Week | Easter Sunday

The prayers this week were adapted from the Benedictine Daily Prayer Book.

The Resurrection of the Lord Easter Sunday

Acts 10:40-43

40 God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Lord Jesus, we come before you on this day of triumph, grateful for the knowledge of your saving love and for your promise of everlasting life. In the power that comes from your resurrection, we call out to you: Amen, Alleluia!

• Lord Jesus, continue to lead, nourish, and protect the people you have redeemed;
• Lord Jesus, strengthen us to achieve that peace which the world does not yet know;
• Lord Jesus, give us new life through the power of your resurrection;
• Lord Jesus, empower us for your work in the world;
• Lord Jesus, enlighten those in darkness;
• Lord Jesus, by your resurrection, show us the light of life;
• Lord Jesus, nourish us with the bread of life;
• Lord Jesus, by your resurrection, pour out on us the Spirit of life.

Prayer:
Holy God, raising Christ from the dead, and raising us with Christ, you have fashioned for yourself a new people, washed in the waters of baptism, sealed with the gift of your Spirit, invited to the heavenly banquet. In the beauty of this Easter, set our minds on the new life to which you have called us; place on our lips the words of witness for which you have anointed us; and ready our hearts to celebrate the festival of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. We ask this through your Son, the Christ, our Passover and Peace, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen.