Download the printable version of the Aug. 31 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Farewell to Bishop Scott Jones; welcome to Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.
Support our new bishop by participating in 100 days of prayer
UMC crews wrap up work after floods in Mulvane
Urgent assistance needed to help Louisiana flood victims

CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Continuing education for our clergy in the Great Plains
Grant available to help nurture a Culture of Call

EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Back on our college campuses
Small Wonders conference to focus on young-adult ministries
Camp Fontanelle plans series of events for the fall

MERCY AND JUSTICE
Nebraska, Kansas volunteers help in Zambia
Early-bird registration ends Sept. 1 for climate crisis conference
Poverty, environmental damage, violence harming God's creation
Garwood is new conference secretary of Global Ministries
Mission Academy scheduled for September at Mt. Sequoyah
Webinar will address confronting white privilege in mission for justice

ADMINISTRATION
One more opportunity to help 3 mission partnerships
Digital version of 2016 conference journal now available online
Conference offices closed Monday
Earlier deadline for GPconnect

OTHER
Across The Connection
Newsletters
Opinion
Classifieds

Farewell to Bishop Scott Jones; welcome to Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.

Today, Aug. 31, marks the final day of Bishop Scott Jones serving as the episcopal leader of the Great Plains Conference.

Watch a brief farewell video he recorded earlier this month in anticipation of his final days as bishop in Kansas and Nebraska.
Likewise, Sept. 1 marks the first day of Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.’s episcopal leadership in our two states. We welcome him and his wife, Maye, to Kansas and Nebraska.

Watch a brief welcome video Bishop Saenz recorded earlier this month in anticipation of his Sept. 1 start date.

• In English
• In Spanish

The Great Plains Conference will host a Celebration of Assignment service for Bishop Saenz at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The event will be broadcast via livestream via the conference’s website at www.greatplainsumc.org/livestream.

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Support our new bishop by participating in 100 days of prayer

United Methodists across the Great Plains Conference are encouraged to lend a hand to Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. as he begins his ministry in Kansas and Nebraska by participating in 100 days of prayer, beginning Sept. 1.

The Rev. Nathan Stanton, coordinator of New Church Development, and Corey Godbey, coordinator of Hispanic Ministry, assembled the prayers for transition, family, relationships, vision, wisdom, leadership, self-care, renewal, hope and boldness are broken down in 10-day increments.

Download the prayer card.

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UMC crews wrap up work after floods in Mulvane

Ten days after massive flooding struck the south-central Kansas town of Mulvane, crews from the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church have concluded disaster relief and are ready for long-term recovery.

Storms on Aug. 19 dumped up to 7 inches of rain on Mulvane in about two hours. As many as 168 homes were registered as damaged to the American Red Cross. All of those homes have been cleared out and are ready for repair.

Read our story to see how the Great Plains Conference is assisting victims of the flood.

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Urgent assistance needed to help Louisiana flood victims

The Louisiana Conference is seeking assistance as it copes with devastating floods there. The biggest need beyond prayers right now is flood buckets to help people clean up once the water recedes.

Assembled buckets can be delivered to the following locations by the indicated dates:

• By 5 p.m. Sept. 9, Great Plains United Methodist Church Conference office in Lincoln, Nebraska, 3333 Landmark Circle.
• By 5 p.m. Sept. 9, Great Plains United Methodist Church Conference Topeka, Kansas, 4201 SW 15^th St.
• By 5 p.m. Sept. 9, First United Methodist Church in Dodge City, 210 Soule St.
• By 5 p.m. Sept. 16, Great Plains United Methodist Church Conference office in Wichita, 9440 E. Boston St.

The conference’s disaster relief team will deliver the buckets to Louisiana soon after those dates.

Read a story about the flooding from United Methodist News Service.
See what each bucket should include and how to assemble it via the UMCOR website. It is very important that all flood buckets be complete, so please double check the list of items and ensure they are all included in the buckets you provide for the people who so desperately need these supplies.

Read a story about the need from the Louisiana Conference.

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Continuing education for our clergy in the Great Plains

Preaching Rocks

Preaching Rocks is a workshop academy for sharpening skills in public speaking to effectively present the good news of Jesus Christ. Persons who can benefit from Preaching Rocks include:

• Those who are new to the preaching experience.
• Those who are aware that their preaching isn’t to the level they would like it to be.
• Those who want to become the best preacher possible (which hopefully is every pastor).

The leader for Preaching Rocks is the Rev. Dr. Lew Kaye-Skinner. Lew, who has been teaching public speaking since the mid-1990s. He directs the Writing Center at Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln, Nebraska, and teaches courses in public speaking, communications, writing and religion. He is an elder in the Great Plains Conference and has been practicing public speaking since childhood.

This preaching academy will rely on group learning, consultation and support for one another to increase individual skills in preaching and worship leadership. Each participant will be asked to complete a preliminary skills assessment and to invite members of their congregation and their district superintendent also to complete the assessment.

Preaching Rocks group gatherings will be held every other month, beginning Sept. 16-17, at Grace UMC (1832 W Ninth St.) in Hastings, Nebraska. Individual conferences will be via Skype, GoToMeeting or Google Hangouts.

View complete details and the link to register at greatplainsumc.org/preachingrocks.

Leading Out of Drama

Does your church have drama? Most do, at some time or other. The question is whether or not the drama consumes the energy of everyone and takes over the mission of the church, or if people respond in ways to defuse it to a manageable level.

Lay people and clergy can benefit from a workshop called "Leading Out of Drama." Leading Out of Drama will help leaders transform the interpersonal and group dynamics that sabotage morale, engagement and productivity by helping to identify drama behaviors in self and others and increase self-awareness. This means that conflicts can be defused early on, leading to positive change.

Two Leading Out of Drama workshops are being offered this fall. Each consists of two one-day retreats.

• Sept. 26 and Nov. 3, at First-Faith UMC in Grand Island, Nebraska, led by the Rev. Adam Barlow-Thompson
• Sept. 20 and Nov. 1, at Chapel Hill UMC in Wichita, Kansas, led by the Rev. Phyllis Provost-Saas.

You can find the full information, including cost and registration link at greatplainsumc.org/leadingoutofdrama

Experiencing Excellence

Experiencing Excellence, led by the Rev. Adam Barlow-Thompson, is an opportunity to receive an overview of the Process Communication Model (PCM). The assessment participants complete helps the individuals gain valuable self-awareness which can lead to greater missional effectiveness in the local church with further training and practice in PCM. This training is for clergy and lay members of local churches.

Three Experiencing Excellence trainings will be offered (you only register for one):

• Sept. 6 at First UMC (946 Vermont St.), Lawrence, Kansas
• Oct. 11 at First UMC (2123 Forest Ave.), Great Bend, Kansas
• Oct. 12 at First UMC (2710 14th St.), Columbus, Nebraska

More information and the registration link can be found at greatplainsumc.org/experiencingexcellence.

Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to a distinct combination of emotional and social skills and competencies that influence our overall capability to cope effectively with the demands and pressures of work and life. Professionals who have chosen to utilize it in their personal development report increased work and life satisfaction. The good news is that emotional intelligence can be grown.

EI is invaluable to a leader’s success as it enhances both personal and professional satisfaction. The EI assessment will provide participants with insight into their leadership strengths and potential areas for development.

The Great Plains Conference is offering Emotional Intelligence to clergy at a reduced cost as an investment in the gifts and talents of pastors. Clergy who register for Emotional Intelligence will participate in a 360 assessment, which provides opportunity for others to give their feedback about the pastor. Following this there will be one to three feedback sessions for the pastor and at least one SPRC member to meet with one of the facilitators. An action plan will be developed, identifying areas for development. Additionally, there will be a one-day skill-building session for clergy and SPRC members to attend.
More information can be found at greatplainsumc.org/emotionalintelligence.

Watch a webcast recorded Aug. 23 about this subject.

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Grant available to help nurture a Culture of Call

Grants will be awarded in the range of $500 - $2,000 for churches, campus ministries, and United Methodist organizations in the Great Plains UMC to fuel their imaginations in creating opportunities to cultivate a Culture of Call.

Creating a Culture of Call means that the behaviors, beliefs and attitudes of your congregation/community readily supports the members of the community to identify and explore a call by God to serve God as a lay, licensed, or ordained person. Not everyone who feels a call will work “in ministry” for a church, but as everyone seeks to live out his or her faith more deeply, we pray that everyone will consider their work in the world, and even their interactions with other people will be an opportunity to live out God’s call.

The second deadline to apply is Sept. 15, 2016 (the early deadline was April 15). Learn more including FAQs and information on applying at greatplainsumc.org/cocgrant.

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Back on our college campuses

Nebraska

Kansas

Fontanelle puts up 10th corn maze

In 2007, 3,000 people visited Camp Fontanelle in the fall with its first corn maze. 

Based on Exodus 13:21, “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night,” the design in the maze was clouds and pillars of fire.

Celebrating its 10th corn maze, this year's theme is a salute to farmers with sponsorship with Culver’s, Monke Brothers and Rob-See-Co. 

Opening day is Sunday, Sept. 18. The corn maze and pumpkin patch will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m, through Nov. 6. The camp's annual barbecue and quilt auction will also be held on Sept. 18.
The admission fee for the second season activities is $7 for ages 12 and older, $5 for 3-11 years. Children 3 and younger are free. This admission price gains you access to the corn maze, two jumping pillows, the petting barn, yard games, Fort Jones, the Barrel Train, hayrack rides, bounce house, campfires, human foosball, mole ball, Tykes on Trikes, MineShaft and more.

Zipline, pony rides and laser tag in the maze are available for additional cost. There is also food available at the concession stands.

Special dates include: Oct. 16 and 23, search for treats in the maze from 2-4 p.m., included in the admission price. Scary maze nights will be 7-10 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 22 and 29 and Friday, Oct. 28. There also will be movies at the petting barn area all evening.

Camp Fontanelle is located 2 miles south of Fontanelle, Nebraska, off of Highway 91, 9677 County Road 3. For more information call 402-478-4294. The corn maze and pumpkin patch is available during the week for groups. Phone for reservations.

Early bird discount for Fontanelle run ends today

Take a run or walk through the “wilderness” at Camp Fontanelle on Saturday, Oct. 29 at its annual Halloween Wilderness Run.

Known to be a challenging course, this is a fun adventure for you and your family.

The 5K run or 1.25 mile walk will see you crossing Buttermilk Creek, climbing Christmas Tree Hill and ending up at the 7:24 Shelter for a spaghetti meal and awards.

After awards, head over to the corn maze and spend the afternoon finding your way through the maze, taking a ride on our zipline or relaxing while you take a ride on our hayrack.

Registration is $25, or $30 after Aug. 31 and includes a T-shirt, spaghetti meal, awards, corn maze pass (if registered before Oct. 18. No T-shirts after Oct. 18.) Spectators may order a spaghetti meal for $5. Costumes are encouraged.

Go to CampFontanelle.com or contact Trent at 402-459-0686 or TMeyer@greatplainsumc.org. Each participant younger than age 14 will receive a medal.

Camp Fontanelle BBQ is Sept. 18

Preparations are being made for Camp Fontanelle's Annual BBQ and Quilt Auction on Sunday, Sept. 18.

The day will be filled with worship, tree climbing, face painting and people going home with great items from the silent auction and quilt auction. It is also the opening day for the corn maze and pumpkin patch. All of those activities also will be running. 

People who are familiar with camp will come to eat great food, visit with friends and make donations, which helps support the summer camping ministry. It is an open house for everyone, but will allow people not familiar with Camp Fontanelle to see the many opportunities there are out at camp. 

This day is also the only organized fundraiser for the camp. The site council has set a fundraising goal of $40,000. This will be achieved through meal purchases, auction bidding and general donations given by those in attendance at camp.

The day will begin with worship at 11 a.m. Meals will be served from noon until 3 p.m. As well as the auctions, there will be face painting, bounce houses, the camp store, the memories table with photo albums and scrapbooks, tree climbing and the annual GaGa Ball tournament.

The site council will also be sharing information about plans for Camp Fontanelle and how these plans will help enhance the experience at camp.

Camp Fontanelle is located at 9677 County Road 3, south of Highway 91 in Washington County, Nebraska. If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a contribution, please write the check to Camp Fontanelle. Please write in the memo area "BBQ." Donations of silent auction items and quilts are still being accepted. Contact Jane Van Horn, 402-278-0526, to donate items.

If you are interested in registering a team for the GaGa Ball Tournament, go to campfontanelle.com/events/gaga-ball-tournament/gaga-ball-registration.html, to register your team. Call Derek Bergman, 402-203-0782, with any questions.

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Nebraska, Kansas volunteers help in Zambia

The Looking Glass and Newman Grove United Methodist churches in Nebraska sponsored a mission trip to Zambia, Africa, from July 12-26, partnering with members from the Esbon and Leoti, Kansas, UMCs.
With passports in hand, 11 Volunteers in Mission flew out of Omaha and Wichita to Lusaka, Zambia, to install a solar panel electrical system in a remote schoolhouse and medical clinic in the village of Chifusa, Zambia, located in the bush country. 

The school provides education to approximately 1,000 elementary students in eight classrooms in two shifts, one morning and one afternoon.

The clinic conducts routine medical and emergency services and is the site of about six baby deliveries a week.

Having lights and ability to plug in medical equipment at the clinic is a major modernization.

The team also had time to construct approximately 50 wooden benches to utilized as church pews in Choma and Kanyama. 

The team also visited the schools at Kanyama, Chifusa, Choma and Zimba, distributing more than 2,000 activity and health kits. 

On our day off we went on a safari and visited the Victorian Falls. 
The team looks forward to next year when we are scheduled to install a solar panel electrical system in another remote village.

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Early-bird registration ends Sept. 1 for climate crisis conference

This year’s peace conference at Lake Junaluska will take place Nov. 10-13 in North Carolina.  The theme of the conference is “The Climate Crisis and Peace.” United Methodist Bishop Ciriaco Francisco from the Philippines will be one of the keynote speakers. His island is already suffering greatly from climate change. But current global climate models fail to take into consideration the evaporation taking place on small islands.

Climate change affects communities worldwide. These days, we especially hold in prayer our sisters and brothers in the southern parts of our country who struggle with the extreme flooding happening there. God calls us to care for God’s creation. Please consider attending this conference and bringing back action steps we can take right here in the Great Plains Conference.

Scholarships to attend the peace conference are available through Great Plains Peace with Justice Ministries. Early Bird Registration is Sept. 1.

For information and registration go to lakejunaluska.com/peace or to https://www.facebook.com/LakeJunaluskaPeaceConference
For information about the scholarships, contact Andrea Paret, Great Plains Peace with Justice coordinator, at amparet08@yahoo.com.

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Poverty, environmental damage, violence harming God's creation

For your reflection take a few moments to read and view scientist Bill Nye's take on the latest flooding in Louisiana.

In 2009, United Methodist bishops wrote a document titled, “God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action.“ In it, they write “Today, the human family is awakening to alarming news: after several thousand years of a stable climate that enabled us to thrive, the earth is heating up at an accelerating rate."

They go on to say, "God's creation is in crisis. We, the bishops of The United Methodist Church, cannot remain silent while God's people and God's 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."

The bishops bring into focus three realities that feed on each other: poverty, environmental degradation and violence. Bill Nye alludes to all three in this short interview on CNN.

United Methodists from all over the country will be forming teams to assist the flood victims. Along with these acts of compassion, may all also take a hard look at lifestyle choices and public and corporate policies that are helping the earth to heat up at an "accelerating rate."
Here are a couple of resources to help your congregation learn more about climate change and act, Creation Justice Ministries and United Methodist Women.

The Great Plains Conference Creation Care team welcomes new members to join. If this interests you, please contact Carol Windrum at cawindrum@gmail.com or 402-981-9733.

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Garwood is new conference secretary of Global Ministries

This summer, the Mercy and Justice Team of the Great Plains Conference thanked the Rev. Alan Gager for his service as conference secretary of Global Ministries, or CSGM. He had served in this role for the past several years and throughout the creation of the Great Plains Conference.

Our new CSGM is Carol Ekdahl Garwood.

“I am very excited about my new role within our conference and look forward to being more involved in Global Ministries work,” Garwood said. “Since my first (Volunteers in Mission) trip to the Holy Land in 2011, I have taken an active role in advocating for justice in the Holy Land and have worked closely with our United Methodist missionaries in that region. I look forward to working with and meeting some of our other missionaries and learning about their work.”

Garwood, a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in South Sioux City, Nebraska, has been involved in the church on a local, district and conference level for many years. She has a vast knowledge about ministries here at home as well as worldwide. She is very involved in and passionate about the situation in the Holy Land. Working with General Board of Global Ministries missionaries and others, she has participated and then led several VIM trips, visiting sites that are GBGM Advance projects. She was instrumental in making it possible for Archbishop Elias Chacour to visit us this summer and speak at our Annual Conference in Topeka in June.

In October, Garwood will participate in the fall meeting for the South Central Jurisdictional CSGM’s in New Orleans. She will be bringing back new information to share with us.

For questions regarding the work of GBGM, contact her at jbcjsc@aol.com or Mercy and Justice coordinator, the Rev. Kalaba Chali, at kchali@greatplainsumc.org.

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Mission Academy scheduled for September at Mt. Sequoyah

The South Central Jurisdiction is hosting a mission academy Sept. 11-14 at Mt. Sequoyah near Fayetteville, Arkansas.

This event sponsored by The United Methodist Church brings together people who desire to serve in hands-on mission work to come together to learn and discuss healthy and effective ways to do so.

A variety of courses will be available. Learn more about the academy.
The cost ranges from $100 to $300 depending on lodging preferences. Registration is open until Sept. 5.

Register for the event.

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Webinar will address confronting white privilege in mission for justice

Drew University Theological School will present a webinar series titled "Confronting White Privilege in Our Mission Toward Justice.” The webinar features Katey Zeh and Bill Mefford and will air from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 14 to Oct. 5.

This four-part webinar series will dive into specific social justice issues to examine how white privilege — and its intersections with other systems of oppression — must be dismantled in order to achieve real social change for and with those directly impacted by injustice. You will gain new tools and resources for addressing white privilege in your community and ideas for building ministries that are relationally authentic and socially impactful.

Register for the webinars at drew.edu/webinar. The cost is $60 for the series. An additional fee of $17.50 is required for one-half of a CEU credit.

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One more opportunity to help 3 mission partnerships

A push to raise funds for three of our mission partners is coming to a close, but you still have a couple of weeks to pool resources and make a difference.

The Great Plains is raising money to help build a new Zimbabwe East Conference office; help pay for renovations to the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas; and help raise funds for a salaries endowment for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
While funds have been raised for these three through our annual conference session in June, we came short of our goals for all three partners.

Go to a special page on the conference site to see and download videos and bulletin inserts, as well as to see how to donate.

Donations should be sent to the conference office in Topeka and postmarked by Friday, Sept. 16.

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Digital version of 2016 conference journal now available online

The 2016 Great Plains Annual Conference Journal will go to the printer in the next week to 10 days. But you can read it now.

The digital version is available on our website at http://www.greatplainsumc.org/journal.

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Conference offices closed Monday

The Great Plains Conference offices in Wichita, Topeka and Lincoln will be closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Offices will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.

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Earlier deadline for GPconnect

Because of communications staff training and travel, items to be submitted for the Sept. 14 edition of GPconnect must be received by noon Monday, Sept. 12.

Items may be submitted either by using our website at https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/Submitanewsstory or by sending an email to info@greatplainsumc.org.

The usual noon Tuesdays deadline will be back in effect for the Sept. 21 edition.

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Across The Connection

Here is a list of some of the stories from United Methodist News Service and other faith-based news agencies from the past week.

• Replacement toys bring joy amid flooding pain
• Education partnership: See how a Florida church connected with a school
• Commentary: Learning from being lousy at prayer
• Bishop Ken Carter shares podcast about views on the human sexuality commission
• Church helps build good relations in Pakistan, Afghanistan
• Word Day of Prayer for Creation unites people of all faiths for action

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Opinion

In Layman's Terms: Todd Seifert, conference communications director, writes that amid leadership changes, our mission to make disciples for Christ remains the same.

Krusing the Capitol: Who Is Racist?

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Classifieds

• Youth ministry coordinator sought at Atchison UMC
• Monticello UMC seeks assistant director of music ministry
• Blue choir robes available to church in need
• Beige choir robes available to church in need

To view these and other classifieds, go to greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.

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Editorial Policy: The content, news, events and announcement information distributed in GPconnect is not sponsored or endorsed by the Great Plains Methodist Conference unless specifically stated.

To submit a letter to the editor, send it to info@greatplainsumc.org.

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