Download the printable version of the Sept. 20 issue of GPconnect.
Download the printable version of the Sept. 13 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Great Plains surpasses goal of 5,000 UMCOR flood buckets
This Saturday, learn tips for telling your church’s story
Kansas pastor reflects on work by Africa task force
‘Unwrap’ Advent resources available to local churches
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Church of the Resurrection's Leadership Institute happens next week
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Wilke named fulltime executive director of Institute for Discipleship
Discipleship Ministries announces webinars for rest of 2017
MERCY & JUSTICE
Jurisdictional Teams urge us to take action
Faith, health conference is next month in Salina
'Beyond Tolerance' panel to be part of 'Transformation' event
ADMINISTRATION
#WeAreMore video wins regional Emmy Award
Are you in need of business cards? We can help!
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
New group wants to keep Methodist denomination united
Nebraska’s Seward UMC celebrates 150 years
In other news
Newsletters
Blogs and opinions
The week ahead
Classifieds
Great Plains surpasses goal
of 5,000 UMCOR flood buckets
“Great Plains, you did it,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. said in congratulating the conference for surpassing the goal he had set three weeks ago of 5,000 cleaning buckets to be sent to hurricane victims in Texas.
Since then, the need has shifted to those in Florida, but the conference came through, amassing 5,176 buckets by the end of last week.
From the church six hours away from Lincoln getting buckets together to the truck driver hauling them to Louisiana, here’s a look at how the Great Plains reached and surpassed its goal.
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This Saturday, learn tips
for telling your church’s story
Learn more about marketing your local church by telling the stories about ministries of your church during a free workshop Saturday, Sept. 23.
The workshop, titled “Telling Your Story: Fulfilling the Great Commission in the 21st Century,” will be led by Todd Seifert, conference director of communications. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E. Douglas Ave., in Wichita.
The workshop also will be broadcast via livestream on the conference website at www.greatplainsumc.org/livestream.
Topics include working with local media, best practices for use of Facebook and Twitter for local congregations, and will feature examples from churches in the Great Plains and beyond.
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Kansas pastor reflects on
work by Africa task force
“It’s wonderful to be connected to colleagues in Africa and learn so much more about their successes and their challenges," said the Rev. Amy Lippoldt, pastor of the Basehor, Kansas, UMC and part of the Comprehensive Africa task force.
Read more about her recent experience with the task force here.
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‘Unwrap’ Advent resources
available to local churches
“Unwrap the true meaning of Christmas” is the theme of new Advent outreach resources available to local churches for the upcoming season. They will complement the United Methodist Church’s national advertising campaign during Advent, where children share their faith and what Christmas means to them.
“These tools will support United Methodists as they reach out to their communities with a message of hope and invitation during the holiday season,” said Jennifer Rodia, chief communications officer at United Methodist Communications. “We have added new, turnkey elements that will make Advent outreach easy and fun.”
More information about the campaign is available here.
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Clergy Excellence
Church of the Resurrection's
Leadership Institute happens next week
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor, and The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection extend an invitation to all clergy, staff and volunteers in the Great Plains conference to Leadership Institute 2017, Sept. 27-29.
View the invitation from Pastor Adam Hamilton.
Leadership Institute 2017 features:
- Preinstitute workshops on a variety of ministry topics
- Seven general sessions led by nationally known speakers
- A post-conference conversation on the future of the United Methodist Church
- Two opportunities for inspiring worship music on Thursday evening
- An opportunity for connection and fellowship with leaders from across the nation
Details and registration can be found here.
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Equipping Disciples
Wilke named full-time executive
director of Institute for Discipleship
Stephen K. Wilke has been named the full-time executive director of Southwestern College’s Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship. Wilke had been the part-time director since 2004.
A 1978 graduate of Southwestern, Wilke earned his doctorate in psychology from California School of Professional Psychology-Fresno and was a practicing clinical psychologist before returning to Southwestern as dean of students in 1991. He most recently served as vice president for planning and new programs.
Southwestern President Brad Andrews says that the Institute for Discipleship has been an integral and enriching component of Southwestern since its inception in 2001.
“I believe Steve’s move to this position fully optimizes his gifts and passions as he commits his energy toward both maintaining and accelerating the tremendous success of the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College,” Andrews says. “I am confident that both the institute and the college will benefit greatly in the coming years from this commitment to leadership.”
The Institute for Discipleship provides a variety of programs to meet the educational needs of clergy and lay people, as well as resources that help young people explore the Bible and discern their call from God.
On the Southwestern College campus, the institute oversees IFD Visiting Scholars, Bishop’s Scholars, The Summit Youth Academy, Amp it Up Camp and Building for the Future (Zimbabwean gathering). Global online programs include BeADisciple.com and the Timothy Circle.
Under the leadership Wilke and staff provide, the institute has experienced continued growth and expanded reach through new programs and philanthropic initiatives for 16 years. It boasts a track record of improved performance year after year, a growing budget and staff, and a strong history of partnership development with other organizations.
To learn more about the Institute go to www.institutefordiscipleship.org. Wilke has an office at Southwestern College in Wroten Hall.
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Discipleship Ministries
announces webinars for rest of 2017
Several changes have been made in the webinars for church leaders offered by Discipleship Ministries’ Leadership Ministries unit. The webinars are free of charge.
The webinars are recorded and archived for those who cannot attend the live broadcast.
Register for free and receive more information at www.umcdiscipleship.org/webinars
All times listed are Central.
SEPTEMBER
Teach US to Pray: Teaching Others to Pray
A Webinar Series (3 of 3)
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/teach-us-to-pray-webinar-series
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26
OCTOBER
Boomer Spirituality
(First of a Three-Part Series)
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/boomer-spirituality-webinar-series
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4
Developing Your Ministry Plan 1: Congregational DNA
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/developing-your-ministry-plan
10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5
Community Transformation: Leading Ministry and Gentrification
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/community-transformation-leading-ministry-and-gentrification
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10
The Spiritual Roots of Boomers
(The Second of a Three-Part Series)
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/boomer-spirituality-webinar-series
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11
Developing Your Ministry Plan 2: Discovering Your Congregation’s Niche
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/developing-your-ministry-plan
10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12
NOVEMBER
Evangelism for Non-Evangelists
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/evangelism-for-non-evangelists
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2
Tuesday Tea with Melanie
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/tuesday-tea-with-melanie-november-2017
11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7
Giving Beyond the Budget
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/giving-beyond-the-budget
10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8
Evangelism for Non-Evangelists
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/evangelism-for-non-evangelists
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9
Spiritual Leadership Practices: Living into God’s Vision
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/spiritual-leadership-practices-living-into-gods-vision
7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14
Evangelism for Non-Evangelists
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/evangelism-for-non-evangelists
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16
DECEMBER
Tuesday Tea with Melanie
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/tuesday-tea-with-melanie-december-2017
11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017
Register for free webinars at www.umcdiscipleship.org/webinars
The following webinars, which were originally scheduled for 2017, have been canceled:
- Planned Preaching: Organizing a Grassroots Planning Retreat, Sept. 15
- Certified Lay Ministry: the DCOM and the DS, Oct. 24
- Where to Begin in Boomer Ministry & Advanced Boomer Ministry, Oct. 27
- Beyond the Worship Wars — Older Adults Worship Differently, Dec. 1
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Mercy & Justice
Jurisdictional Teams
urge us to take action
On Sept. 18-19, 20 people from across the United States came together in Chicago to receive further training for their leadership roles in jurisdictional immigration task forces. Sandy Sypherd and Andrea Paret represented the Great Plains Conference. They joined with Cindy Johnson from the Rio Texas Conference and Juanita Ramos from the Louisiana Conference for the South Central Jurisdiction.
At the March gathering, the proposal for a Sunday focusing on the migration crisis had been developed. The number of people being uprooted and having to flee their home because of war, violence, hunger and disasters is huge. A special worldwide Global Migration Sunday was then approved by the Council of Bishops and the Connecting Table. The date is set for Dec. 3. Since the decision was made in early summer, United Methodist Communications (UMCOM) has been working hard to put together a toolkit including bulletin inserts, videos, stories to be shared and visuals for social media. There will be a website dedicated to this Sunday. Greg Petree from UMCOM shared the materials they have developed with the participants at the training. Gustavo Vasquez from UMCOM explained how a variety of materials are developed for the different contexts worldwide. The materials will become available in the next few days.
A lot of the work was done in jurisdictional groups but then shared with the others to learn and be inspired by what is happening in churches and communities around the nation. An update was given on different legislation being considered in Congress. During the gathering, participants were troubled to learn that the Temporary Protective Status for persons fleeing from Sudan was not renewed. In regard to the recent announcement by our government that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be ended, the Jurisdictional Immigration Task Forces urges us to advocate for the passing of the non-partisan DREAM Act of 2017. For more information and to contact your members of Congress, go to this site.
-- Andrea Paret, Peace with Justice coordinator
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Faith, health conference
is next month in Salina
Great Plains United Methodists and others are invited to a special ecumenical gathering taking a macro and micro look at the state of health ministry in this central part of the nation. For United Methodist Healthy Congregations team members, the preconference also offers an opportunity to complete certification training.
“Intersections of Faith and Health” will be Oct. 18-19 at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.
Featuring a keynote by the Rev. Dr. Gary Gunderson and trainers and workshop presenters, the conference will:
- Explore the big questions facing the field, with the aim of grasping opportunities to serve people while maintaining the core value of holistic, empathetic love of others.
- Illustrate what can be done in your own faith community through exposure to well-designed health ministries in many communities -- rural, urban, low-income, middle-class, inside congregations, and with neighbors near and far.
- Inspire participants with new possibilities, renew commitment and energy, and provide an atmosphere of ideas and encouragement to help each person answer that critical question: what is God calling me to do in health ministry?
The Oct. 18 preconference training sessions include an introduction to parish nursing; parish nursing training modules on mental illness in congregations and on spirituality; a session on how faith-based organizations can effectively work with community-based organizations to provide health wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray; and health ministry team training based on the Healthy Congregations curriculum.
The Oct. 19 conference begins with Gunderson's keynote “Making Mercy Normal, Moving from Project to Pervasive Practice” and features seven workshop offerings before closing with a panel discussion “Intersections of Faith, Health and Community: The Future.” Please visit https://healthfund.org/intersections for schedules, program descriptions, presenter backgrounds and more.
Registration is $10 for the pre-conference and $15 for the conference with meals provided. For those needing overnight accommodations, a limited number of rooms for Oct. 18 are available at a special $50 rate. Registration online today at https://healthfund.org/intersections to reserve your place. Know someone who might like to attend? Please feel free to share the website and/or our Facebook page with others who might be interested.
The event is sponsored by United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, a Hutchinson-based health philanthropy dedicated to health, healing, and wholeness for all Kansans. The conference-wide Healthy Congregations program is a long-running Health Fund initiative to support intentional, effective congregational and community health ministries through United Methodist churches.
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‘Beyond Tolerance’ panel
to be part of ‘Transformation’ event
A panel of religious and government leaders will be part of the “For the Transformation of the World” event, Oct. 28 at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita.
“Beyond Tolerance” is the name of the group and the discussion. No one likes to be merely tolerated. Recognizing that there are many people who share such a feeling, community and religious leaders are coming together, challenging our community to look beyond racial and cultural tolerance. For two years, Beyond Tolerance Wichita has organized dialogue dinners in each other’s homes, exchanged pulpits, choirs and congregations, tied black, white and brown ribbons around trees. In citywide rallies, community leaders share what they will do, or are doing to live “beyond tolerance.” These events help transform our community by building relationships that see the beauty in the other.
The Panelists
- Mayor Jeff Longwell, Wichita’s 101st mayor is the honorary chairperson of the Beyond Tolerance Wichita movement. Longwell is a businessman who cares deeply about how we live together and treat each other.
- Bishop Wade Moore, senior pastor of Christian Faith Centre in Wichita. Past President of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League, and co-founder of the Beyond Tolerance Wichita movement. Bishop Moore is an educator, and is convinced it is our moral responsibility to develop relationships within our schools that see every student as an equally treated child of God.
- Rabbi Michael Davis, a third generation Reform rabbi, has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Emanu-El since 1995. He has served on many community boards, is a past president of Inter-Faith Ministries, and actively serves on the planning committee of Beyond Tolerance Wichita.
- Kameelah Alexander is the community services representative for the City of Wichita. She works to pursue peace and well-being in Wichita and beyond through partnerships, by connecting individuals, faith communities and community organizations. Kameelah serves on the Beyond Tolerance Wichita Planning Committee.
- Danielle Johnson, is a program coordinator for the office of diversity and inclusion at Wichita State University where she invites a shared learning experience for students, faculty, staff and community members. Danielle has found ways to fold the Beyond Tolerance Wichita events into the WSU campus activities.
- Tom Wine is chair of music education and director of choirs at Wichita State University and a proponent for “new directions in music education.” In 2016 Wine arranged for a Beyond Tolerance Wichita Panel to travel to Michigan State University to present: Enacting social justice through music education.
- Sam Muyskens, a retired United Methodist pastor is co-founder of Beyond Tolerance Wichita, and President of Global Faith In Action, an interfaith/intrafaith organization. “We will not find peace, nor learn to respect others” says Sam, “until we stop merely tolerating someone who is unknown or different from us, and take the time to respect and see the beauty in the other.
Jim Wallis, president and founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Sojourners, will be the featured speaker.
“For the Transformation of the World” is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Clergy can receive Continuing Education Credits. For laity, if you travel from further away and mileage costs are a concern, please contact the Rev. Kalaba Chali at kchali@greatplainsumc.org or 316-684-0266.
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Administration
#WeAreMore video wins
regional Emmy Award
A video entry in the #WeAreMore program last year has won a Mid-America Emmy Award for best short-format program.
“Robert Johnson/Beyond the Walls” won at the ceremony Sept. 9 in Branson, Missouri.
The Rev. Robert Johnson, pastor of the Louisiana Avenue United Methodist Church in Lafayette, Louisiana, is changing the identity of his church by taking the ministry of God to the streets. His mission is to impact the lives of others while building a stronger, caring community.
The video was produced by Antidote Studio in St. Louis.
Here is the award-winning video.
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Are you in need of
business cards? We can help!
If you are in need of business cards, send your name, church or agency affiliation, address, phone numbers, email and website to Roxie Delisi at rdelisi@greatplainsumc.org.
She will be placing a bulk order in the next few days, so now is a great time to place your order and receive your business cards quickly. The cost is approximately $35 for 500 cards.
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Across the Connection
New group wants to keep
Methodist denomination united
Disagreements about same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy need not end in denominational divorce.
That’s the message of a new group called the Uniting Methodists Movement.
The group seeks changes to church policies so that clergy are allowed but not compelled to officiate at same-gender weddings, and so that conferences are allowed but not required to ordain LGBTQ clergy. The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s governing document, lists both the blessing of same-gender unions and being a “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy member as violations of church law.
The group already is getting pushback from both LGBTQ and traditionalist church members. However, leaders of Uniting Methodists say they are giving voice to a little-heard portion of the denomination — congregations and church members who do not see differences around homosexuality as church dividing.
Within the first 24 hours after its website went live Sept. 11, about 1,800 church members signed up to join. As of Sept. 20, more than 3,200 had joined.
Read more about the Uniting Methodists movement.
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Nebraska’s Seward UMC
celebrates 150 years
With a sermon from Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. and a children’s sermon by the Rev. Bill Ritter, Blue River District superintendent (pictured above), Nebraska’s Seward United Methodist Church celebrated its 150th anniversary with more than 400 people on Sunday.
See this story from the Seward County Independent.
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In other news
Newsletters
Blogs and opinions
- Bishop speaks to Way Forward fears: Bishop Gregory Palmer, a member of the Commission on a Way Forward, often senses the anxiety United Methodists feel about the denomination’s future. In a commentary, the bishop — who leads the West Ohio Conference — writes about what moves him away from fear.
The week ahead
- Thursday-Friday: Rummage Sale, Christ UMC, Lincoln
- Friday-Saturday: Strengthening Families Training, Council Grove, Kansas
- Saturday: Spiritual and Emotional Care Training, Chapel Hill UMC, Wichita
- Saturday: Lay Servant Advanced Course: Lay Pastoral Care Giving, First UMC, Norfolk, Nebraska
- Saturday: Lay Servant Advanced Course: Go Preach, First UMC, Norfolk, Nebraska
- Saturday: Telling Your Story, East Heights UMC, Wichita
- Sunday: Aldersgate Gardens Celebration, Aldersgate UMC, Lincoln
- Monday: Basic Lay Servant Training, Belle Plaine, Kansas, UMC
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Classifieds
Submit a classified and view other ads at greatplainsumc.org/classifieds.
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