By Kathy Lefler, director of communications, East Heights UMC, Wichita, Kan.

Bishop Scott Jones used the image of a crazy quilt of a variety of fabrics stitched together to celebrate the  diversity of the United Methodist Church at the opening worship of the Great Plains Annual Conference Session Wednesday afternoon. "When the diversity of God's creation is knit together ... something beautiful is created," Jones told more than 1,500 clergy and laity at the Lied Center. The Bishop's focus on diversity and coming together was an important message because this year's annual conference session brings together United Methodists from the former three conferences in Kansas and Nebraska into one new conference.

"The calling of the Great Plains Conference is to bring one out of many," he said. "There is incredible diversity" among us, he added, citing people of all ages, skin color and geography. "Together, we get a glimpse of what heaven might be like." The Scripture for the opening worship, 1 Corinthians verse 12, spoke well to this message of diversity and unity. Our gifts are used to build up the body and we all are interdependent, he said. "We all need each other." He said we need to use our gifts to transform the world. "God decided to use you and me for this purpose." Bishop Jones also encouraged everyone to claim their Wesley heritage because the strength of this tradition, such as small groups and corporate worship, are exactly what is needed and "what we do best."

The Rev. Kalaba Chali, a graduate of Africa University, spoke during the offering portion of the worship about the Great Plains Mission Partnership with Haiti, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. He asked for worshippers to celebrate the ministries, to offer prayers and give generously. And, he said, "as Bishop Jones reminded us, we are all one."



Following the opening worship, the first plenary session opened with the approval of standing rules. Bruce Emmert, chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, and others introduced the Course of Study Graduates, Provisional Deacons, Provisional Elders, those to be ordained Deacons and those to be ordained Elders. The calling and commitment of these men and women was celebrated. "Isn't that a wonderful feeling," Bishop Jones said when everyone cheered after he asked the historic questions to those who will be ordained Friday night.

Photos: (from top) Opening worship service. Following the historic questions, Bishop Jones congratulates the ordinands.

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AC theme video focuses on vital church ministries

In the spirit of the theme Healthy … Inviting … Abundant … the opening video focused on the ministries of four Great Plains vital congregations. Representatives of the four featured congregations will be available for conversations at the Congregational Excellence booth located on the second floor balcony at the following times:
 
College Avenue Manhattan – Worship Attendance
         Thursday 3:30 – 4 p.m. and 5:15-5:45 p.m.
Oakland Topeka – Professions of Faith
    Friday 8 to 8:30 a.m. and 10:30-11 a.m.
Trinity Hutchinson – Missions
         Friday 12 to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to  2 p.m.
Water’s Edge Omaha – Small Groups
    Friday 3:30 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 5:30 p.m.
 
You can watch the video on the Great Plains website media player. Stop the booth and visit with the folks that are leading these successful ministries.

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Exhibits showcase Great Plains ministries

Attendees to the annual conference session are able to visit with more than 50 organizations. Conference teams, related institutions and mission agency support groups make up just some of the organizations that have traveled across town and across the region to meet with the Great Plains Conference.

The United Methodist Women (UMW) chose to have a booth for visibility. Esther Hay, president, said that it gave UMC a chance to getting to know people. UMW Communications Coordinator Lisa Maupin said that when the three former conferences joined, the membership for UMW tripled. Hosting an exhibit offers a chance to connect with their women in a meet and greet format. “We get to embrace our history, but look forward to our future,” said Maupin.

Ashbury Park in Newton, Kan., decided to have a display to promote their ministry to people who do not know them. Erica Stevens, director of marketing, said they would like to branch out to potential residents from other areas. Asbury Park is a continuing care retirement community which supports life while enhancing physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellness through caring staff, innovative programs and benevolent support.

Jim Noseworthy, vice president of administration said that Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has a lot of connections and friends in both Kansas and Nebraska – including both new students and alum. Garrett, in Evanston, Ill., sent representatives to all three of the former conferences' annual conference sessions. Noseworthy said attending the annual conference session is a great way to continue the connection.

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Extension ministries are important part of connection

About half of the approximate 100 who serve in extension ministries in the Great Plains Conference met at the Embassy Suites early Wednesday morning for fellowship, acquaintance-making and time with Bishop Scott J. Jones.

Jones said the annual conference session is part revival, part family reunion, part tent meeting, part ordination and credentialing and a place where extension ministers can make connections.

Jones, once an extension minister, said that people serving as chaplains or in education or in other positions often exist in tension between being accountable to their work organization while trying to maintain accountability to church and conference relationships.

He said while the tension exists, it is important that extension ministers understand the importance of their role in the community. Extension ministers touch people’s lives in a different way than local pastors are able. Pastors often call upon an extension minister when sending their students off to campus, or need a chaplain for a family and so on.

The Wesleyan movement in its beginnings was about being in mission. Extension ministry represents this core Wesleyan value. He said that the inherent tension between work assignment and appointment  is representative of what he calls the “extreme center” and extension ministry at best affirms the variety of expressions  of the movement. “The more we build together the better it is.”

Bishop Jones said the transition to the Great Plains has gone much smoother than he expected. In additional to addressing questions, Jones asked extension ministers to have a relationship to at least two district superintendents (suggested the district superintendent from the district just served or charge conference membership as one of them).

David Brian Smith, chair of the Conference Relationship Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, and the committee acted as host for the breakfast. The CRC is the arm of the Board of Ordained Ministry that conducts interviews with all clergy involved in a change of conference relationship and then recommends next steps to the board.

Photo: Bishop Jones and Military Chaplain Col. Mark Thompson talk during the extension ministries breakfast.

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What do they do at clergy session?

By Rev. L.A. Moffet, Pastor, First UMC, Lincoln, Neb.

If you are a lay member of the Great Plains Conference, you may wonder why clergy meet on the morning before the annual conference session opening worship begins. Does the bishop give pastors a pep talk? Do other pastors share secret information on insightful ways to lead a congregations?
 
Wednesday morning about 1,000 pastors from Kansas and Nebraska met with Bishop Scott Jones and leaders of the Board of Ordained Ministry (BoOM) for an hour and a half. They went item by item through a 29-page document. The document has 66 questions, some divided into parts a – e. Answers to the questions list names of persons who serve in the many various categories of clergy roles: elders and deacons in full connection, those being commissioned to be ordained, those who are beginning the ordination process, those who are associate members, licensed local pastors or certified lay ministers, etc.
 
The Rev. Bruce Emmert, chair of BoOM, captured the purpose of the meeting in his opening prayer, “Holy God, looking at these pages we see more than lists of names. We see a record of how You are deploying your people for ministry in the Great Plains.”
 
Some of the categories of names include:

• Fifty-seven persons who are now certified candidates for ordained or licensed ministry
• Persons who have completed studies for the license as a local pastor
• Two persons who were elected to be provisional deacons (on their way to full ordination as deacons)
• Twelve persons who were elected to be provisional elders (also on their way to ordination as elders)
• One person whose was approved for retirement as a deacon
• Twenty-eight persons who were approved for retirement as elders. Those retiring this year will be honored on Thursday.

There is a category under United Methodist policies and practices for each clergyperson who is appointed to attend school, who is an associate member of the Great Plains Conference, who is a licensed local pastor, or who is a certified lay minister, to name a few of the categories.
 
For many, the highlight of the annual conference session’s clergy session of is meeting and electing those who will be ordained as deacons and as elders this coming Friday evening. Years of schooling; soul-searching; meeting with mentors; interviews and approval by local congregations and district committees on ministries; and finally interviews and approval by the Great Plains BoOM, culminated in Wednesday’s votes to accept these persons in “full connection” with the Great Plains Conference and ready for ordination. Voting on them is a holy moment.
 
Two were elected to be ordained as deacons: Susan Barham and Barbara Lenz.
 
Thirteen were elected to be ordained as elders: Amanda Baker, Brenda Davids, Natalie Faust, Claire Gadberry, Alan Gager, Trudy Hanke, Andrew Hargrove, Ezekiel Koech, Linda Kusse-Wolfe, Patrick McLaughlin, Wendy Mohler-Seib, Nicole Schwartz and Blair Thompson.
 
Another holy moment of the clergy session is hearing the reading the names of pastors who have died in the past year. They will be honored at the memorial service on Thursday (today.)
 
Clergy sessions did not always take place with only clergy and lay members of BoOM present. In the former Nebraska Conference, for example, it was the practice for many years to care for clergy session matters with laity present, hearing the reports but not voting on clergy categories. In the mid-80s Nebraska received a bishop who wanted to follow the rules of the “Book of Discipline” more closely and laity were excluded from the clergy session business unless they served on BoOM.
 
The clergy session has always been a fascinating time for many. The stories of the calls, places of service, some of the accomplishments, and deaths of many colleagues whose names are on the lists, flood the minds and hearts of those present.

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Laity meet, eat, worship and connect

Lay members to annual conference packed the room for the laity session, an informative event organized by the conference lay speaker, Courtney Fowler. Following a raucous worship time, assistant lay speakers Carolyn May, Oliver Stone, Tom Watson and Micole Harms joined her to instruct laity on their role at annual conference. In addition to voting on resolutions and other business matters, lay members are expected to collect to give reports to their churches when they go home.
 
A buffet luncheon followed the laity session. Fowler asked everyone to sit with people they didn’t already know as an opportunity to connect with other Great Plains church members. When determining who had traveled the farthest, lay members from the Nebraska panhandle actually drove more miles to get to Lincoln than anyone from Kansas.
                   
Bob Aderholt, director of Lay Servant Ministries, spoke to the group about the courses available to those seeking to become Certified Lay Speakers and encouraged laity to stop by his booth for more information.
 
Micah Corps interns took to the stage, introduced themselves, and the 10-week summer program that helps young adults deepen their walk with God, learn about connecting their faith with social justice, and practice leadership skills throughout the conference. They made the group laugh when they reported some members ended up in Tecumseh, Neb., when they had intended to go to Tecumseh, Kan.
 
Fowler then surprised the district lay leaders by asking them to come to the stage. She expressed her gratitude for their willingness to serve the new conference even though there is still much to figure out about working together. During self-introductions, each district lay leader gave interesting details about their districts and shared a bit about the reasons they choose to serve not just in their churches but also take a leadership role in their districts.

Photo: Great Plains Conference Lay Leader Courtney Fowler with all 17 district lay leaders.

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Plenary session highlights

Church closings, new starts, episcopal office and mission

 

The Wednesday afternoon plenary focused on church closures, church starts, the episcopacy committee report and an update from the three mission partnerships.

Churches close

Two churches in the Great Plains Conference have made the difficult decision to close – Dresden UMC, in Dresden, Kan., and Emanuel UMC in Alta Vista, Kan. Both Dresden UMC and Emanuel UMC received approval for discontinuation during the Annual Conference Session on Wednesday, June 11.

The Dresden UMC congregation, along with Hays District Superintendent Max Clayton, engaged in prayer, reflection and discernment about their potential and future as a congregation. The congregation voted on Nov. 3, to close the 124 year-old congregation. Dresden UMC recently celebrated its last service, and will be discontinued on June 30.

Emmanuel UMC, has a long and faithful history of service to Jesus Christ. The church was established on Sept. 15, 1880, as the Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal church by German settlers in the area. The congregation voted on April 6, to close the church. Emmanuel UMC will celebrated its final service on April 30, and will be discontinued effective June 29.

New church starts

While two long-time congregations end, Jacob Cloud, of Lawrence, Kan., presented a resolution for a new church start. New Church Lawrence hopes to be a combination of campus ministry, new church development and local community. Cloud said that there are 75,000 unchurched individuals in Lawrence and that the number is too high. Joey Hetlzer, from Wesley Kansas University, said students, like others, don’t like change. Hetlzer, previously was a camper at Institute, the church camp at Baker University. “I don’t see my friends from camp,” he said. “That’s what this [church] is for.”

Episcopacy committee report

The Rev. Maria Campbell, episcopal committee chair, announced an episcopal residence task force will discuss and make a recommendation on the location of the episcopal residence to the 2015 Annual Conference Session. If there is to be a change in location of the episcopal residence, it will take place in September, 2016. There will be no changes of location for the three current conference offices until at least 2016.

Mission partnership updates

Africa University awarded a banner to the former Nebraska Conference for contributing 99.8 percent of its 2013 budgetary goal. The Rev. Kalaba Chali, a graduate from Africa University and the mercy and justice coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, introduced each of the mission partnerships. Partnerships from Haiti (Kansas East), Nigeria (Nebraska) and Zimbabwe (Kansas West) are being carried forward into the Great Plains Conference. Each partnership was presented by either the partnership chair or a representative.

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UMMen raise dollars for scholarships

UMMen’s annual dinner and auction raises $13,242.50

By Jeremy Wurst, Great Plains Conference media producer
 
The United Methodist Men’s 100 Club 25th annual scholarship dinner and auction was held Wednesday, June 11, at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, in Lincoln, Neb. The more than 120 in attendance — many youth/middle school annual conference members — were greeted by Randy Fleming, emcee and auctioneer for the night. Ten scholarships totaling $9,000 were awarded.
 
The 100 Club $1,250 scholarship winners for 2013 were:

• Andy Gilg, who is attending Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
•  Anne Gahn, who is attending Saint Paul School of Theology
• Michael Ryan Evans, who is attending United Theological Seminary
• Jonathon Franklyn Poarch, who is attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

Fleming Family Foundation Scholarship winners receiving $500 each were Anne Gahn and Michael Ryan Evans. The recipient of the Dean, Jean, and Randy Fleming scholarship of $1,000 was Anne Gahn. Receiving the Fleming-Humphrey-Golf Scholarship of $500 each were Anne Gahn and Michael Ryan Evans. The Wheeler Scholarship Winner receiving $1,000 was Andy Gilg. Fleming and Cody Vance officiated the auction, which raised $4242.50. In addition there was over $9,000 in corporate sponsorships for a total of $13,242.50 raised that night. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go towards scholarships for men and women entering full-time Christian service.

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Campus Catalyst Launch Pad to be Aug. 8-10

Campus ministry and local church leaders are invited to attend Campus Catalyst Launch Pad, Aug. 8-10 in Salina, Kan. There will also be a webinar on July 14, from 2-4 p.m.
 
This event will offer an opportunity for involved persons to learn about growing their ministries, sharing best practices and reaching out to college students. You can bring up to ten team members who you believe will help develop the God-given vision for your campus ministry this coming year. Registration will be available next week at www.greatplainsumc.org/register – deadline is July 1.
 
Cost for the event is your own travel and housing expense. Accommodations may be booked with The AmericInn Hotel and Suites at 785-826-1711
 
If you would like additional information, contact the Rev. Nathan Stanton, Great Plains Conference, new church development coordinator, at nstanton@greatplainsumc.org, or the Rev. Nicole Conard, Great Plains Conference young adult leadership development coordinator, at nconard@greatplainsumc.org.

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Feedback requested on the worldwide nature of the church

In an effort to foster ongoing dialogue about topics of interest to the broader church, The Connectional Table and the Commission on General Conference are inviting members to join them in conversation about the worldwide nature of the church.

“We are asking you, as members of The United Methodist Church, to join us in addressing the challenges we have before us that affect how we live out our Gospel mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” said Bishop Bruce Ough.

Adding that the issue of the global connection is more than just a conversation about structure, the Missional Collaboration Group on the Worldwide Nature of the Church, has launched a new website at www.umc.org/worldwide-nature with downloadable resources to facilitate discussion about the worldwide issues affecting our missional effectiveness as a worldwide church. The site highlights an introductory video and offers a link to a survey for feedback.

The website, with supporting documents available in English, French and Portuguese, features an executive summary and discussion questions regarding the worldwide mission of the connection, a downloadable PowerPoint presentation that outlines the history and comparisons of central conferences and jurisdictions and supplemental reports on the UMC’s worldwide nature from past General Conferences. Delegations are encouraged to review the materials, discuss the questions and submit responses through the online survey or by email.

The deadline for survey responses is Aug. 31, 2014.

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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.

Want to submit a letter to the editor? Email Kathryn Witte at kwitte@greatplainsumc.org