ATEM Blog

Clergy appointed to Extension Ministries (ATEM) serve the church in a variety of ways. This blog gives North Alabama ATEMs a space to tell their story especially to share

  • brief stories about their ministry and particular significant events that may occur during the year
  • information letting North Alabama United Methodists know how their ministry relates to the conference priorities of empowering a new generation for Christ

 

 

- submitted August 2009
Chaplain, US Army
Mitch Nethery 

Read Mitch's Fourth Newsletter from Afghanistan.

Read Mitch's Fifth Newsletter from Afghanistan.

 

 

- Submitted August 2009
Pastoral Counselor, United Methodist Pastoral Care and Counseling
Stewart Jackson
Dr. Stewart A. Jackson recently completed a Sabbath Study year funded by the Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence at Samford University ( http://www4.samford.edu/rcpe/.).  "The Rev. Michael Wilson, who is the director of the Center, was encouraging and helpful in my proposal and application. Rev. Denise Morgan Mullaney was also very supportive and helpful in the process. Both Michael and Denise encourage United Methodists to apply since so few have done so."  Stewart said, "I have practiced sabbath throughout my 38 years of full time ministry, but this gave me an opportunity to be intentional. I spread my sabbath activities throughout the year so that I could continue the counseling and consulting ministry I now do. I took fiddle lessons, wood turning lessons, had 20 days of study, 16 days in silence and prayer, and was a participant in the year long Post-Graduate seminar in Bowen Theory at The Bowen Center in Washington, D.C. While each of these grant supported activities was its own reward, I will be able to use what I have learned in the Healthy Congregations Seminars I lead." Stewart is encouraging any United Methodist to contact the Resource Center and speak with Rev. Wilson. You can also reach Stewart at stewartajackson@me.com for more information.

 

- submitted August 2009
Chaplain, US Army
Mitch Nethery 

Read Mitch's Third Newsletter from Afghanistan.

Read Mitch's Second Newsletter from Afghanistan.

 

- submitted July 2009
Navy Chaplain
LCDR Michael H. Griggs CHC, USN

As I opened and read this e-mail today I thought how appropriate. This is the day I promote to LCDR. I've been a Navy Chaplain for roughly seven 1/2 years. I left my home in Alabama and home conference of North Alabama in January of 2002...the first chaplain class to go through the basic course of Naval Chaplain School after 911. My family and I went to Spain where I served NAVSTA, ROTA SPAIN. We then went to Japan where I served CVW5, the Naval Air Wing in NAS Atsugi, Japan. Now we are in California working with the Marines at MCAGCC, 29 Palms Ca.

God has been very good to us. My precious family and I have had a wealth of experiences during this time. I'm thankful to be a United Methodist, and to be sent forth from a nurturing home conference. This is a day of celebration for us. Thank you North Alabama Conference for being one of the many shareholders in my promotion today.

Very Respectfully,
Chaplain Griggs
LCDR Michael H. Griggs CHC, USN

 

 

- submitted July 2009
Chaplain, US Army
Mitch Nethery

Things are going great here in Sharana, Afghanistan. I have already witnessed many people coming to know the Lord in a personal way. In the next few weeks I will be having a baptismal service for soldiers who have come to know Christ in the recent past. Some previous to deployment some of them during this deployment. I am also very involved with Chapel services here at the FOB. I have been very excited to preach the 1330 gospel service (normally predominantly African-American) and also hold a service for my battalion in particular at 1930 in the evening. We have had a wonderful turn out for both. We are serving about fifty percent of our unit. I wish I had those numbers back home. Also we have in my office a free-x. This is a general store except everything is free. Soldiers from all over the FOB come in to get hygiene items or snacks. We also have free movie rental. It is an amazing place. The only thing that is going to change under my tenure is the name. The Free-X will have a name change to the Agape Store in the near future. I am really enjoying Serving the Lord here in Afghanistan. I have the greatest job on the earth.

Read Mitch's First Newletter from Afghanistan.

Blessings and Peace,
CH (CPT) Mitch Nethery

 

 

- submitted July 2009
Air Force Chaplain
Major Thomas B. Porter

Biography - United States Air Force

Chaplain, Major Thomas B. Porter is the Staff Chaplain, United States Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Chaplain Porter is Course Director/Instructor for Chaplain Corps Functional Advanced Contingence Skills Training (ACST-HC) and provides Chaplain Corps oversight for the Eagle Flag Exercise. He coordinates with Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst Chaplain Corps to provide pastoral resources to all center personnel and families.

Chaplain Porter enlisted in the Air Force in 1973 from Huntsville Alabama and served as a Telecommunications System Control Specialist. After separating from the Air Force, Chaplain Porter earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Religion from Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama, in 1979, and a Master of Divinity from Emory University, Candler School of Theology in 1986. While serving United Methodist Church in North Alabama from 1981 until 1995; he entered the Chaplain Candidate program in 1983 transitioned to the Air Force Reserve Center in 1989 and then entered active duty in May 1995. Chaplain Porter has deployed twice in support of Operation Southern Watch in 1996 and 1997 and again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006.

EDUCATION
1973 Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, Texas
1974 Telecommunication Systems Specialist Course, Keesler AFB, Mississippi
1979 Bachelor of Arts in Religion and History; Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama
1986 Master of Divinity degree, The Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Georgia
1999 Squadron Officer School (in residence) Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2007 Air Command and Staff College (seminar leader), Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
2007 Academic Instructor Course, USAF EC, Ft Dix, New Jersey

ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1973 - October 1973, Basic Military Training, 3727th Basic Military Training Squadron Flight 1056th, Lackland AFB, Texas
2. October 1973 - May 1974, Electronics-Technical School, 333rd Training Squadron, Keesler AFB, Mississippi
3. May1974 - August 1975, 5 Mobile Communications Group Warner-Robins AFB, Georgia
4. June 1983 - August 1983, Chaplain Candidate, 90th Air Base Wing, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
5. June 1984 - August 1984, Chaplain Candidate, 88th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
6. November 1989 - June 1990, Chaplain Candidate, Cat H, 226th Combat Communications Group, Air
National Guard, Alabama
7. February 1991 - April 1991, Chaplain, 375th Air Base Wing, Scott AFB, Illinois
8. June 1990 - May 1995, Protestant Chaplain, Cat B. Maxwell AFB, Alabama
9. May 1995 - June 1998, Protestant Chaplain, 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
10. June 1998 - June 2001, Protestant Chaplain, 11th Wing, Bolling AFB, Washington DC
11. June 2001 - June 2002, Operations Chaplain, 451st Intelligence Operations Squadron, RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom
12. June 2002 - Aug 2004, Installation Chaplain, Det. 1, 70th Intelligence Wing, Royal Air Force, Menwith Hill, United Kingdom
13. Aug 2004 - July 2007, Senior Protestant Chaplain, 377th ABW, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
14. July 2007 -Present, Staff Chaplain, USAF Expeditionary Center, Fort Dix, New Jersey

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
1. Bronze Star
2. Defense Meritorious Service Medal
3. Meritorious Service Medal
4. Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
5. AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and three oak leaf clusters
6. AF Organizational Excellence Award
7. National Defense Service Medal with two bronze
8. Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal one oak leaf cluster
9. Iraq Campaign Ribbon
10. Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
11. AF Overseas Ribbon Long
12. Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border
13. AF Longevity Service with two oak leaf clusters
14. Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one 'M' device
15. AF Training Ribbon

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant March 28, 1983
First Lieutenant November 26, 1989
Captain March 13, 1994
Major April 1, 2003

 

 

- submitted July 2009
Snead State Community College Instructor
Dr. Jonathan Watts

Snead State Instructor Studies in Oxford, England

Snead State Community College Instructor Dr. Jonathan Watts will spend six days this summer in Oxford, England, to complete a religious education program.
The Religion/Philosophy/Speech instructor will take part in a residential program designed for clergy, theologians, teachers of religious education, and lay people with an interest in theological study at the university level. The post-doctorate program will explore the theme, “Creation and Creativity,” and the seminars will be taught by members of Oxford’s Theology Faculty, prominent church figures, and distinguished theologians.

“Oxford is a place of wonder. When at Oxford, I do my work through Christ Church College. It is the college that Henry VIII controlled, and when you dine in the Great Hall, you see his larger-than-life portrait just behind the High Table,” said Dr. Watts. “There is something special about Oxford, and when I go back, it always feels as if I am coming home.”

While in England Aug. 2-8, Dr. Watts will complete two courses as part of his post-doctorate studies. “Religion, Architecture and the Environment” will explore “sacred space” and will examine a theology of environment in the Christian traditions. “Biblical Images of Creation” will examine selected texts from Genesis, Isaiah, Job, Proverbs, and Psalms to see how the wonders of nature, alongside the discoveries of modern science, can still be read as a testimony to God’s wisdom and the power of good.

“I consider myself a life-long learner. I am always seeking to learn new ideas and historical connections. It is exciting to return to Oxford to do post-graduate work,” Dr. Watts said.

The studies will also provide research for an upcoming book on which Dr. Watts is working. The Battle Lines of Worship: Finding a Place of Truce and Trust is a study on the history of worship in the Christian church and the tensions experienced between the traditional and contemporary styles of worship.

“When I decided to pursue a Ph.D. degree, I quickly found the Graduate Theological Foundation would provide me with some unique opportunities. One was the ability to use the University of Notre Dame as a research base for my work. The other was the connection between GTF and the University of Oxford. I was able to defend my Ph.D. dissertation at Oxford – in the same space where the Harry Potter movies were produced,” he said.

His first book, Gospeltelling to a Digital Culture, was released in 2007 and provides a method for preaching in a multisensory environment. In addition to teaching with Snead State, Dr. Watts is an elder in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has conducted numerous workshops and retreats focusing on storytelling and preaching. His background in church work includes serving as a music minister and as a pastor for 20 years.

 

 

- submitted July 2009
Chaplain, Director of Pastoral Care
Gary W. Yarbrough

I am in the process of leading a Training Program for bivocational pastors focusing on “Faith and Holistic Self-Care.” We meet the last Saturday of each month with our last session, September 26th , 9a.m.-12p.m.. I would like to extend the invitation to our part-time local pastors in the North Alabama Conference who may want to participate in the remaining sessions. A free health screen is included in the program. No fee/No tuition. For more information, contact: Gary Yarbrough, Director of Pastoral Care, Shelby Baptist Medical Center (205-620-8947 or Gary.Yarbrough@bhsala.com). I led a similar program for our Sunday School class at Irondale UMC earlier this year. In regard to conference priorities, I think that this program can enhance the holistic well-being of our part-time local pastors who may not have the financial means (personal/congregational or both) and whose schedules may not permit them to attend weekday seminars/conferences. The program is designed so the pastor may revise it for use in his/her own congregation. I am considering ways as to how this can be implemented as a ‘needs-based’ evangelistic ministry beyond the church walls into the community.
An excerpt from one of the sessions: Healthy self-care isn’t selfish. Holistic self care is the practice of accepting and nurturing ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. It is rooted in the Biblical understanding that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It includes the love of neighbor and the ‘self:’ the complete, entire, whole person that includes wrinkles, weight, warts, and ‘all’ (Mt 22:35-40). Though holistic self care is accepting and nurturing of the self, it is meant to be a ‘transformative’ process (Romans 12:1,2).

Gary W. Yarbrough, MDiv., BCC
Chaplain, Director of Pastoral Care
Shelby Baptist Medical Center