Download the printable version of the June 21 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Annual conference videos posted to website
Survey sheds light on worship, relationships and stress for clergy, laity
Great Plains New Church Incubator enrollment for 2017-18 is now open
CORE Crucible seeking participants for 2017-18
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Two more PCM review classes are being offered for clergy
Saint Paul offers free summer seminars in July and August
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Deadline for United Methodist Youth Institute is July 1
MERCY & JUSTICE
Micah Corps interns discuss racism
ADMINISTRATION
Professional Association of Church Secretaries approves name change
Connect with the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Central Nebraska VIM completes mission in Texas
United Methodist pastor officiates first wedding in rehab hospital’s chapel
In Other News
Newsletters
Blogs and Opinion
Classifieds
Annual conference
videos posted to website
Videos from the plenary sessions, worship, ordination services and most of the workshops our communications team recorded during the annual conference are available for viewing and are free to download.
View the videos at www.greatplainsumc.org/annualconference.
You’ll also find reports from the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation and the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, as well as a photo gallery with more than 550 photos from the June 7-10 session in Grand Island.
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Survey sheds light on worship, relationships and stress for clergy, laity
A survey of clergy and laity conducted prior to an annual conference session workshop on self-care as a spiritual discipline sheds light on the stress levels of pastors, the scriptural anchors for laity and the health of relationships between clergy and their congregations throughout the Great Plains.
The survey – conducted by the Rev. Dr. Anne Gatobu, pastor at Ashland United Methodist Church in Nebraska, associate professor of pastoral counseling at Asbury Theological Seminary and leader of the workshop at annual conference, and Dr. Alice Koech, adjunct professor of counseling at Asbury – garnered responses from 261 clergy and 148 members of laity.
The survey featured 10 questions that attempted to gather information on matters such as worship experience, the quality of the relationship between clergy and their congregations, goals for ministry and levels of exhaustion and/or stress.
Read a story summarizing the report.
Read the full report and analysis.
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Great Plains New Church Incubator enrollment for 2017-18 is now open
Great Plains New Church Development is glad to announce dates and speakers for 2017-18 Church Planter Incubator. This year’s planting experts include the Rev. Jacob Armstrong (pictured), founding pastor of Providence UMC in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Armstrong is the author of the recent book “The New Adapters.” He will assist pastors and laity in attendance to begin their first 100 days as a planter by making connections in the community, faith sharing and staying connected to God while in the mission field. Potential planters, exploring senior pastors who’d like to plant a satellite congregation and lay people who would like to learn more about church planting leadership will leave with concrete goals to go back and work in their mission field.
This first retreat will be at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. Retreat dates and times are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 21 and 8:30 a.m. to noon July 22.
Other dates and retreats include a Discipleship Launch Pad with Dr. Phil Maynard, which will be hosted by Christ UMC in Lincoln, Nov. 3-4. This retreat is open to teams participating to benefit the whole church as you will leave this session with a discipleship system idea in hand to impact your church and greater community.
For the second year, New Church Development will be hosting an opportunity for planters to pitch plant ideas during a Shark Tank on Dec. 12 in Salina. This is an opportunity for congregations and individuals with a dream to plant in one of the Great Plains mission fields to test their idea of creating a new faith community before panels that include current planters, entrepreneurs and New Church Development Board members. In order to pitch ideas, participants will need to have participated in a previous Church Planter Incubator or participate in this year’s incubator.
Other speakers this year include the Rev. Adam Hamilton, Church of the Resurrection, 2018 winter session; and Dr. Iosmar Alvarez, Fuente de Avivamiento, Lexington, Kentucky, in March 2018.
Registration is free with room and board provided. Mileage is considered the registration unless there are extreme cases of mileage which can be partially reimbursed.
Contact Rev. Nathan Stanton for more information or register online. Registration deadline is July 6.
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CORE Crucible seeking
participants for 2017-18
Great Plains New Church Development will be running the CORE Crucible process of planting new faith communities for the third year. The CORE Crucible provides new church leaders, Hispanic ministry leaders and Campus Ministry leadership the opportunity to forge and reshape the DNA of the church in a nine-retreat, year-long process. Participants in the CORE Crucible participate in a community of practice emphasizing the development of a core leadership team, covenant building, understanding the context of the community, assessing and developing values, vision and mission and transformation of the community in which you are planted or in ministry.
The CORE Crucible is meant to be a deep dive into the work of church planting, personal leadership development and care and accountability for the long challenging journey of community transformation.
This ministry is fully supported through New Church Development. Room, board and mileage will be provided. However, since this is a covenant community participants are expected to participate in the whole process when enrolled.
Each potential planter or pastor is invited to explore this process by checking with your district superintendent as well as connecting with the Rev. Nathan Stanton, nstanton@greatplainsumc.org or 316-684-0266.
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Clergy Excellence
Two more PCM review classes
are being offered for clergy
Clergy who have attended a Process Communication Model, or PCM, seminar will be able to further develop their understanding of PCM and how to meet the psychological needs of others through the review provided at the Review Class.
This day of review will cover the following concepts:
Connecting: Participants will review the most effective strategies for connecting with people in their preferred perception. This will include practice in agility between different personality types and stamina to maintain effective communication with types with whom we struggle.
Motivating and Self-Care: We will explore strategies for motivating teams and individuals from their preferred psychological need. This time will also be used to make personal commitments to self-care.
Assessing and Facing Conflict: Participants will review the 6 distress sequences and be asked to produce strategies for inviting out of distress.
Clergy and church workers who participate in PCM Review Class will be able to connect with their congregations, motivate people where they are, and avoid distress in self and others. They will develop a self-care plan that includes understanding their own failure mechanisms and self-care needs. Clergy and church workers will be able to use their skills in worship, pastoral care, strategic planning, staff relations, managing and recruiting volunteers, and more.
Each participant of the PCM review day will be granted 30 minutes of personal coaching with the trainer, Rev. Adam Barlow-Thompson, which can be used at their discretion within 60 days of the training.
Trainings will be held each day from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at:
-
June 28, First UMC, 309 E. 7th St., York, Nebraska
The cost is $50 for each session, which includes lunch. Clergy may sign up for any or all of the Review Class Days.
Each class needs a minimum of 12 participants. If minimum is not met, you will be notified at least one week prior that the Review Class is being cancelled.
Register for the Review Classes here.
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Saint Paul offers free summer
seminars in July and August
Saint Paul School of Theology will be offering three practical, two-hour summer seminars taught by Dr. Mike Graves, Dr. Hal Knight and Rev. Jeremy Basset. Topics include improving preaching, learning about the Wesleyan movement and interpreting the Bible through a missional lens. The seminars are open to all but registration is essential. http://www.spst.edu/summer-workshops If you are unable to attend in person, each seminar will also be livestreamed on the day of the event.
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Equipping Disciples
Deadline for United Methodist
Youth Institute is July 1
For more than 100 years, young people have come to Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, to United Methodist Youth Institute to learn about Jesus Christ and grow their faith. UMY Institute is a covenant faith community that is intentional about helping young people form their faith, empower their leadership and grow in their love of God. Institute has youth and adult leadership, small groups and worship experiences.
This summer UMY Institute will gather from July 17-22. The theme for this summer is “Branching Out.” Youth who have completed the eighth grade through seniors graduating this year are eligible to attend this summer. UMY institute is a ministry of Great Plains camps and is a summer offsite program of Camp Chippewa.
The full registration rate is $390, and closes out July 1.
Learn more and register for UMY Institute here.
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Mercy & Justice
Micah Corps interns
discuss racism
On June 15, the Micah Corps team invited Glory Kathurima to be in conversation about how to be non-racist to others by being kind and having intentional conversations. We need to stand up for ourselves and others when racist or hurtful comments or actions happen. Several interns shared experiences they themselves or their friends had. How does it feel when someone sees you and quickly pulls away their purse, indicating that they are afraid you will take it from them?
“We often take the way our society operates for granted. Glory talked about how documentation was different across cultures, however one is valued above another. Sometimes we need to deconstruct the institutions in society in order to appreciate the diversity in how other cultures operate,” said Mary Korch, food security intern.
As a group, the interns talked about how all of their topics intersect in regard to justice. They also shared with Kathurima their personal experiences so far throughout this summer internship. Kathurima has been connecting with the Micah Corps interns each summer over the last few years encouraging them to learn about the experiences and cultures of other races and ethnicities.
“In my experience through this internship so far I have grown further in my faith with God. One of the ways my faith has grown is being in an intentional community. It is so powerful to be building each other up with encouragement, while putting aside our differences to be a united community in doing justice work,” said Paige Thompson, environment team intern.
To follow the Micah Corps throughout the summer, please like them on Facebook at “Micah Corps” and follow them on Twitter and Instagram at "@micahinterns"
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Administration
Professional Association of Church Secretaries approves name change
The Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries (PAUMCS) 35th annual conference was hosted by the Northern Illinois Annual Conference PAUMCS Chapter in Chicago from May 3-6. At the meeting, the association membership voted to change the name of and adopt a new logo for the organization. Beginning immediately, the organization is known as the Professional Administrators of the United Methodist Connectional Structure. The acronym, PAUMCS, remains the same.
The annual meeting exposed attendees to speakers on diversity in ministry, radical hospitality, and office ergonomics. Attendees participated in a mission-outreach event with Justice for Our Neighbors, a faith-driven ministry welcoming immigrants into churches and communities.
The organization, founded in 1982, is the professional association for those who work for local churches, annual conferences, general agencies and other related entities of The United Methodist Church in the role of administrative support. The leadership of the group researched the use of the term “secretaries” in professional organizations and, after surveying the membership, determined the term should be replaced with phrasing that reflects the work of those who hold the positions.
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Connect with the Nebraska
United Methodist Foundation
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation has free and valuable tools and resources for United Methodist members, ministry and committee leaders and pastors. Monthly updates and announcements on church and ministry grants, scholarships, estate planning tips for individuals, a free will planning guide and information on how to create and market a church endowment fund are just some of the things you will gain access to through the Foundation’s monthly enews.
Now the Foundation has made this information even easier to access. Just text the keyword NUMF to 22828 and you will automatically be added to the Foundation’s list. Join many of your friends and fellow churches in receiving these valuable resources directly to your inbox. The Foundation is looking forward to connecting with you in this way, and as always, is pleased to be your partner in ministry.
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Across the Connection
Central Nebraska VIM
completes mission in Texas
On Saturday, June 3, 46 enthusiastic volunteers boarded a charter bus at Nebraska’s Arcadia United Methodist Church to depart for the team’s 20th mission trip since 2011. Eight others boarded at Cairo, Grand Island and York to bring the total number to 54. Twenty-one Nebraska communities were represented on our team. There were 19 youth, 7 young adults, and 28 adults. We labeled this trip the “Terry Eichelberger Memorial Mission Trip” in honor of long-time participant, Terry Eichelberger of Oconto, who passed away last July.
After two days of travel, we arrived at this year’s destination, Weslaco, Texas, where we were housed in the Weslaco United Methodist Church for six nights. The various teams would be working on homes in nearby Donna, Texas, which was hit by a wind and rainstorm two years ago that left damage that had not been repaired since that time. Families were existing in each home under some very adverse living conditions and truly felt that mankind had abandoned them.
Early Monday morning, the group was split into six working teams. One team, consisting of four women, remained at the church and prepared meals for the entire group for each day. We were very well-fed! The others were transported in small teams to six different homes throughout the week where they performed many challenging tasks. Four of the homes had to have structural repairs to the roofs before they could be resheeted, tarpapered and shingled. New soffits were installed. All were completed by the time the team left. Additionally, the lack of a roof had allowed water inside the homes with varying degrees of damage. Some floor joists and wall studs had to be replaced after removing damaged and moldy drywall. New insulation and drywall were installed, mudded and painted. Doors and windows on some of the homes also had to be completely replaced. New tile-like flooring was installed on several of the homes. Three homes received new paint on the entire exterior. New outside steps and/or ramps were built to assist the homeowners in getting in and out of their homes. Team members cleaned up the debris and yards following the construction.
The residents of the homes consisted of from one elderly person to as many as eight children and a single mother in one home. We found difficulties in communicating with some of the adults and elderly people but, in each case, there were young family members who could speak English and help us better understand each other. One thing was very much in common however -- the love that sparkled through the eyes of those working and those receiving the benefits of our labors was very evident. Hugs were a common sight and smiles were everywhere.
Working conditions were very difficult. Temperatures were consistently in the upper 90s and the heat index hovered in the 110-115 degree range. We were blessed that no one succumbed to the heat, although several did suffer temporary fatigue and heat exhaustion. Overall, it was a grand and successful mission and we praise God for putting this team together and watching over us.
We also wish to thank all of those in the Arcadia community and the surrounding area who provided food, tools, money and other resources to help make our trip possible. Without your continued financial support and your prayers, these trips would not be possible. We returned anxious to see where God will send us next time.
-- Rolen Sell, Arcadia UMC Volunteers in Mission
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United Methodist pastor officiates
first wedding in rehab hospital’s chapel
A United Methodist pastor serving as chaplain recently performed the first wedding in the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital’s Omaha campus chapel.
Pastor Joan Frenzel, appointed as chaplain at the hospital, officiated the wedding between Carol Matson and Bubba Kuenning, who had been in and out of the facility for the past few years. Stricken with heart and kidney issues, Kuenning had been in the hospital for much of the couple’s relationship, so they thought it was only fitting for the doctors, nurses and other caregivers who know Kuenning so well to be present for the ceremony.
“Everybody in the facility has really grown to love and connect with his family, and they wanted to share this day with us,” Amanda Wagner, Kuenning’s nurse since November, told the Omaha World-Herald..
Read a story from the Omaha World-Herald.
See a video from Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals.
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In Other News
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Newsletters
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Blogs and Opinion
- Christian ethics in volatile times: What should a United Methodist do when there is a conflict between church law and moral conscience? The Rev. Darryl W. Stephens looks at how that question has been answered in the denomination’s history.
- A response to the opioid epidemic: Bishop Peggy Johnson, who leads the Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsula-Delaware conferences, has made a point of learning more about the effects of opioid addiction. She offers church leaders advice on bringing “the words of life to this drug world of death.”
- Krusing the Capitol by former Senator, Rev. Lowen Kruse – Poetry
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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