Summer 2008, No. 3 - United Methodist Men

Harrison JohnsonHarrison Johnson, prayer advocatefor the Baltimore-WashingtonConference, was inducted into the JohnWesley Society during a Feb. 28-March2 meeting of the National Associationof Conference Presidents of UM Men.Johnson leads the only conferenceprayer center in the denomination, aministry that provides a 24-hour a dayhotline to anyone in need of prayer.Sixteen volunteers staff the center,which receives approximately 35 calls aday and more than 7,000 calls a year.Curtis Brisbon, vice-president of theNortheastern Jurisdiction UM Men,pins a John Wesley Society emblem onHarrison Johnson, prayer advocate forthe Baltimore-Washington AnnualConference.This ministry, which attracts peoplefrom as far away as Canada, is located inthe Conference Center in Columbia.Call-in hours are Monday throughFriday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A voicemail box accepts prayer requests after5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays.The Prayer Line can be reached bycalling (800) 936-6893.In recent months, UM Menexpanded this ministry by establishingremote prayer lines in churches andhelping United Methodists throughoutthe region begin prayer covenantgroups.The John Wesley Society wasformed by the UM Men Foundation in1982 to recognize people who exemplifythe characteristics of the founder ofMethodism.Friends of Johnson contributedover $1,000 in order to present himwith the award during a March 1 dinnerin Nashville.Norman KlettkeNorman Klettke, a member ofTabor Heights UMC in Portland,Oregon, was named as a fellow in theJohn Wesley Society for serving aspresident of the Tabor Heights UMMen andfor his helpin planningthe past twoWesternJurisdictionmeetings.Klettkesays asupportivechurch, aloving wife,a Walk toEmmaus anda secretaryat work haveall broughthim closerto Christ.Norman Klettke (center)receives a John Wesley Awardfrom Dean Hollomon (left),president of the Oregon/Idaho UM Men and EdClark, president of theWestern Jurisdiction UMMen“God is real and always accessible,”says Klettke. “’Be ye doers and believers’has been a goal of mine for many years.”Curtis BrisbonMeet a Legacy BuilderIf you think it’s tough to be the youngestchild, imagine the struggles of CurtisBrisbon who entered life during the 1936Depression as youngest of 10 children. Fewpeople would have expected the youngster tobecome one of the national leaders of UMMen.Brisbon grew up in Rembert, S.C., wherehe was a member of Spring Hill MethodistChurch and a Boy Scout. Following his 1954graduation from high school, Brisbon served atwo-year stint in the U.S. Army. He continuedin the reserves while attending Claflin Collegein Orangeburg, S.C. In 1959, Brisbon returnedto active duty where he served as a first sergeantuntil his 1976 retirement. At that time he wasemployed by the National Park Service wherehe worked in property management until1995.Brisbon, his wife, Mary, and their threechildren have always been active membersof Methodist and UM congregations. Inthe Spring Hill Church, Brisbon servedas a lay member of the South CarolinaAnnual Conference, chairman of the financecommittee, and Sunday school superintendent.In 1980, Brisbon moved to Washington,D.C., area where he became an active memberof First UMC in Bradbury Heights. Heserved as the first president of a UM Mengroup in First Church and he was electedsecretary of the District UM Men and laterpresident. While serving as district presidentBrisbon recruited 100 men to attend the 1995national gathering of UM Men at PurdueUniversity. He served as president of Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference UM Menfrom 2001 to 2004.With boundless energy, Brisbon currentlyserves as vice-president of the NortheasternJurisdiction UM Men, chair of the BradburyHeights Church Administrative Council, a laymember of the Baltimore-Washington AnnualConference, a member of the ConferenceCommittee on Equitable Compensation, and amember of the UM Men Foundation.Brisbon told UM Men magazine thatone of his greatest challenges is to get men tounderstand that we are a connectional church.“I continue to be optimistic that throughprayer, UM Men will come around againas it was in the l980s and early 1990s,” saidBrisbon. “I have seen lives change throughprayer groups, Bible study and opportunitiesfor men to discuss issues common to theirgender.”Brisbon says he is a Legacy Builderbecause he believes the future of UM Men willbe determined by the financial stability of thegeneral commission. “I want to do whateverI can to enable UM Men to touch the lives ofmen forever,” said Brisbon.United Methodist Men Foundation OfficersPresident––Carl Young, Edmond, Okla.Vice-president––Ron Sarver, Lafayette, La.Secretary––Dan Henry, Bolingbrook, Ill.Treasurer––Ed Shytle, Ashland, Ky.Assistant Treasurer––John Burlew, Manlius, N.Y.Robert Powell, Dothan, Ala.––executive manager5253