Download the printable version of the July 26 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Follow Bishop Saenz on Facebook and Twitter
Explore what it means to be the church in this free Bible study
Multiple mission share notices were in error
Way Forward Commission keeps mum on plans for church
Top court agenda: Use of ‘incompatible’ language
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Five Rivers District hosting workshop in September
Two continuing education, development programs available
Mutual Aid Association provides a gift of sympathy at time of loss
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
‘Connect Events’ bring youth to summer camps for a day
MERCY & JUSTICE
Bread for the World: Have Faith, End Hunger
ADMINISTRATION
Fundraising webinar scheduled for Aug. 1
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Vacation Bible School opens world of cooperation
In Other News
Resources
Newsletters
Blogs and Opinion
Classifieds
Follow Bishop Saenz on
Facebook and Twitter
Are you on Facebook?
Do you have a Twitter account?
So does Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. And he’s ready to help you start your day out right with inspirational messages and by sharing stories, videos and more that he thinks will help you stay informed or stay steady on your faith journey.
All you have to do to stay connected to Bishop Saenz is go to his Facebook page – www.facebook.com/BishopSaenz – and click the “like” button so his posts appear on your Facebook news feed.
For Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/bishopsaenz or search for @bishopsaenz and click “follow.”
Then, you’ll see his messages of inspiration and some behind-the-scenes looks at places he goes, see what he’s up to each day and get a chance to learn while enjoying social media.
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Explore what it means to be
the church in this free Bible study
If you’re looking for a small-group discussion or Sunday school curriculum to start off your fall education offerings, you may want to consider this study from the Committee on Faith and Order.
United Methodists are in need of a renewed vision today: not just a new view but a renewed capacity to see and apprehend what “church” is all about. With our fellow Christians everywhere, we witness a rapidly changing church, both within our denomination and within the larger Christian movement around the world. Migration, immigration, and the push and pull of globalizing forces are reconfiguring the face of Christianity, as well as the larger religious make-up of the human family. Old customs and certainties are being challenged, and a yet-unclear future beckons.
The United Methodist Church invites congregations big and small to take part in this Bible study, which aims to help us better understand the theology of our church and, with it, a clearer vision of the reality of the church in today's world.
The goal is to achieve participation in this study by at least 10 percent of the denomination by Dec. 31, 2017. For the Great Plains Conference, that equates to about 20,000 people.
Each session includes a leader’s guide, student materials and a short video. All materials are available at www.greatplainsumc.org/biblestudies. And all materials are free.
Please consider using this four-session study as one of your small-group or Sunday school offerings this fall so feedback forms can be turned in by the end of the year.
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Multiple mission share
notices were in error
Due to a malfunction in one of our databases, many of your received multiple notices that the June remittance statements for your mission shares are not available. We apologize for the deluge of emails and we are working on solution to ensure this does not continue to happen in the future.
--Scott Brewer, treasurer and director of administrative services
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Way Forward Commission
keeps mum on plans for church
The Commission on a Way Forward is sketching plans for moving The United Methodist Church beyond its impasse around homosexuality. At this point, commission members are not saying what those plans look like. Instead, the commission is waiting to unveil its proposals until it gets preliminary approval from the Council of Bishops in November.
“The outlines of plans or conceptual models are still in development, and since we are a commission of the Council of Bishops, it is appropriate that we speak with them first,” said Florida Area Bishop Kenneth H. Carter Jr., one of three moderators of the 32-member, multinational commission.
Read more about the commission’s meeting last week in Chicago.
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Top court agenda:
Use of ‘incompatible’ language
The 12-item fall docket for the United Methodist Judicial Council will include two petitions arguing that the issue of homosexuality does not fall under the denomination’s doctrinal standards. The council meets Oct. 24-27 in Los Angeles.
Read more about the Judicial Council’s agenda.
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Clergy Excellence
Five Rivers District hosting
workshop in September
The Five Rivers District would like to invite local church pastors and laity leadership to a seminar and workshop, “The Life Cycle of Congregations: How to Lead at Various Stages” by guest speaker, the Rev. George Bullard (pictured above).
Rev. Bullard is a Strategic Leadership Coach for Christian congregations and denominations. He leads the FaithSoaring Churches Learning Community, which provides virtual learning opportunities and material to clergy and lay leaders to empower the forward progress of their congregation.
The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Worden United Methodist Church, 294 E. 900 Road, Baldwin City, Kansas. Registration begins at 8:45.
The early bird cost is $15 with a paid online registration, or $20 at the door, including lunch.
Groups of seven to 10 can be registered by churches paying in advance.
CEU is available for three hours contact credit; please check the box on your registration form. At the end of the event, certificates will be available for those that stay throughout the day, and requested them on their registration. Groups can email the individual names that desire certificates.
Childcare will be available if you register by Sept. 1, as organizers need to find Safe Gatherings certified nursery help.
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Two continuing education,
development programs available
There are two opportunities for continuing education and development that I want to share with you:
• Clergy Community of Practice groups (CCOP) are being formed across the conference. Several groups have been meeting for one or two years, and I would like to extend the invitation to you to join a CCOP group. Since you may be asking what a CCOP group looks like, I have attached a document with further information about these groups. In a nutshell, CCOP is a covenant group led by a trained facilitator who directs the learning. CCOP groups help hold one another accountable and encourage lifelong learning. Research has shown that this type of peer-learning group leads to more vibrant, healthy and effective ministry. We have several facilitators who are not yet leading a group, and are excited about leading a group of clergy for fruitful and effective ministry. The second document attached will allow you to indicate your interest in joining a group. You can complete and return to me by email or the postal service by July 28 so that groups can be formed for the fall. We may not be able to accommodate everyone immediately, but more facilitators will be trained as needed. As indicated in the second document, the cost to participate is $75 per year. Once you are matched with a facilitator, sometime in August, you will be sent the link for the online registration at which time you will be given the option to pay be credit card or check.
• Great Preaching for the Great Plains will be a new format this year. Two preaching peer groups will be forming this fall, directed by the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence. Each group will be convened by pastors in our conference and will meet (independently) 10 -12 times through the year. Participants will need to read and study books, preach sermons in their group, and commit to showing up for the sessions. You can indicate your interest in joining one of these preaching groups by notifying your district superintendent or myself by July 28. Your invitation to participate will come from the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence. The cost to participate will be $300, plus the purchase of the required books. If you have questions, you can contact me by email at nlambert@greatplainsumc.org or by phone at 402-464-5994, Ext. 126.
--Rev. Nancy Lambert, director of clergy excellence
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Mutual Aid Association provides
a gift of sympathy at time of loss
In 1917, a Mutual Aid Association was started to provide a sympathy-expressing gift to a family when a member died. Active and retired United Methodist clergy and their spouses in the Great Plains United Methodist Conference can join this organization.
It is still going, and now all clergy and their spouses in the conference can join. When a member dies, a call Letter is sent out to the other members, who agree to donate $5 to the Mutual Aid Association. The current sympathy-expressing gift is $1,700. A check for this amount is sent to relatives along with a list of members who contributed the money. More than 765 families have benefited from this sympathy-expressing gift since 1917.
If you would like more information about the Mutual Aid Association, contact the Rev. Robert Neben at nebenmary@hotmail.com or by calling him at 402-499-3636.
Download a flier and registration form.
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Equipping Disciples
‘Connect Events’ bring
youth to summer camps for a day
The first “Connect Events,” designed to help the youth of the Great Plains Conference connect with others, with God and with nature in our camps, have been scheduled for August.
Shane Hinderliter, conference youth ministry coordinator, said Camp Fontanelle has had a similar event for two years and Camp Comeca had its first gathering last year, but this is the first time for this many camps.
The day, Hinderliter said, will include worship, fellowship and fun camp activities. Opening and closing worship will be planned by the local district councils on youth ministries. All events begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5:30 p.m. Registration is $20 per person and includes all activities, lunch and dinner.
The Connect Events scheduled are:
- Aug. 19, Camp Comeca (Gateway, Great West, Hays and Prairie Rivers districts) Activities include swimming, waterfront activities, prairie surfing and a rock wall.
- Aug. 19, Camp Fontanelle (Blue River, Elkhorn Valley, and Missouri River districts) Activities include laser tag, zip line, jumping pillows and a petting barn.
- Aug. 26, Camp Horizon (Dodge City, Hutchinson, Parsons, Salina, Wichita East and West districts) Activities include zip line, water activities, nine-square and human foosball.
- Aug. 26, Camp Chippewa (Five Rivers, Flint Hills, Kansas City, and Topeka districts) Activities include a swimming pool, challenge course, horse-drawn wagon rides and a corn maze.
Register online. If you have any questions please email Hinderliter.
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Mercy & Justice
Bread for the World: Have Faith, End Hunger
Several congregations as well as individuals in the Great Plains Conference support Bread for the World (BFW), an organization endorsed by UMCOR and one of our General Board of Global Ministries ADVANCES (Advance #982325 Faith-Based Advocacy to End Hunger). Currently, up to 20 million people are in danger of starving which doesn’t count children suffering from mal-nourishment. Congregations often choose to write letters advocating for hunger relief legislation before or during worship and put them in the offering baskets. This indicates how we offer up our voices to bring change to unjust systems following our call to care for the poor and hungry. Congregations can also enter into covenant relationships with BFW. To find more information on how to pray and act to end hunger, go to www.bread.org.
Micah Corps intern Millie Flores writes about a session the interns had at The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) to learn about Bread for the World:
While in Washington, D.C., the members of the Micah Corps had the opportunity to meet with Eric Mitchell at the GBCS building. Mitchell is the director of government relations with Bread for the World (BFW), whose mission is to overcome global poverty and hunger. BFW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which encourages congregations to aid in ending global poverty and hunger by hosting Offerings of Letters and through other advocacy work. Offerings of Letters are letters written by members of congregations addressed to Congress encouraging legislative work to fight hunger and poverty such as keeping programs like SNAP and Medicaid and ending wars overseas. Besides working directly with churches and faith communities, BFW also spends time lobbying different members of Congress to address its focus issues. Each year, the focus of BFW alternates between domestic legislation and foreign aid. Along with such actions, BFW educates people about global hunger and poverty and what actions we as people of faith can take.
Mitchell explained that the world is currently facing the worst food crisis since World War II. With South Sudan’s civil war, Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, drought in Somalia and civil war and Saudi bombs in Yemen, these countries have no access to the food they need to stay alive. He also explained the need to be conscious of what kind of food aid we provide to these countries so the aid doesn’t undercut their current agricultural businesses by selling food given to them below market value. These countries need financial aid to help them get out of their food crisis. Mitchell explained that Congress made a $1 billion commitment to help these countries.
“When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you a drink? … Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me —you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25)
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Administration
Fundraising webinar
scheduled for Aug. 1
A free webinar, “Fundraising 101: The Fundraising Cycle – What is It, and How do you Make it Work for Your Mission?” will be Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Fundraising is much more than just asking for money. The foundation of a successful fundraising campaign starts with a strategic understanding of the fundraising cycle. The webinar takes a look at each step in the cycle, helping you acquire more donors, steward relationships and raise money.
The presenter is Heather Stombaugh (pictured), founder and principal consultant of JustWrite Solutions, LCC, has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, programming, marketing and fundraising.
The webinar will include the five major steps of the fundraising cycle; donor engagement opportunities at each step in the cycle; and tips and tricks for board, staff, and volunteers to get involved in donor engagement.
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Across the Connection
Vacation Bible School
opens world of cooperation
- God's heroes have Heart
- God's heroes have Courage
- God's heroes have Wisdom
- God's heroes have Hope
- God's heroes have Power
These were our themes for the five days of Hero Central Vacation Bible School led by the Small Membership Interns at Mitchell Chapel UMC in the Hutchinson District from July 17-21. After finishing our 2016 Vacation Bible School, one thing was for sure: we needed an extra boost to reach children in our area. The request went out to the Rev. Micki McCorkle (then small church coordinator for the Great Plains Conference) to be added to the list for the 2017 VBS calendar. After receiving word that we were on the schedule for summer 2017, the planning kicked into high gear.
As we started to think of ways in which we could embrace the connectional church in our area, the Rev. Alan Gager from Hutchinson Faith at that time and I started to bring together members from our churches to share in the missional field of Hutchinson and plan for a truly fantastic ministry opportunity. As the planning continued and our teams came together, another church was added to the mix as Rev. Gager became the newly appointed pastor to serve Nickerson UMC also.
As VBS week drew closer, our anxiety level started to rise: Would we have any kids, would our churches come through, would it all come together? Of course these questions had already been answered as our congregations prayed for a successful VBS and prayed that we would reach children that needed to learn about God. Guess what, that is exactly what happened. Hawi, Jennifer, Jemimah, Annie and team leader Kristina were truly a blessing and did a fantastic job engaging the children in attendance. With the help of members from Faith UMC and Mitchell Chapel UMC, we were able to provide a light supper and snacks for all the children.
As we hosted the interns we were given the opportunity to get a brief glimpse into their lives, their cultures and for three of the girls’ life in Nigeria and Ethiopia. It furthered helped us to realize how as United Methodist we are truly a connectional church and we are called to support peoples all across the world. From the five children reached in July 2016 to 13 children reached this year we are already planning to build on the connection in the Hutchinson area and look forward to hosting another team as we continue to start discipleship at the beginning, with the children in our missional field. The Bible verse for the week is still ringing in my ears as I hear children yell out, “Do good, seek peace, and go after it.” Of course as I type these words I think about the actions that went along with this verse during our opening and closing times and realize that the God moments from the week are seeing children from the ages of 3-12 getting excited about the Bible, getting excited about Jesus, and most of all getting excited about worship. Thank you to Rev. McCorkle for your support in this ministry and the Rev. Nicole Conard, conference young adult leadership coordinator, for your supervision as the summer comes to a close for the VBS intern teams.
-- Rev. Jeff Goetzinger, Mitchell Chapel and Fairview UMCs
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In Other News
Resources
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Newsletters
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Blogs and Opinion
- Hearing a pastor’s first-day sermon: “I saw a young pastor preach on his first Sunday at his first church, and it made me cry,” Annette Spence writes in a commentary. Spence, editor of the Holston Conference Call, found the sermon by a 27-year-old reminded her of the hope exemplified in a young person who has other options but who chooses to stand up in the church.?
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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