Download the printable version of the July 18 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kansas pastor forms Mainstream UMC to push One Church Plan
Church officials are becoming targets of email scammers
Make space on your smartphone for new, improved Great Plains app
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Educational partnership grant applications due Aug. 20
CONNECT events for youth set for Aug. 18, 25 at four Great Plains camps
Early registration open for YOUTH 2019, set for next July in Kansas City
MERCY & JUSTICE
Micah Corps speaks for compassionate immigration system reform
JFON-NE, now Immigrant Legal Center, celebrates its 20th anniversary
Great Plains UMW schedules criminal justice seminar in NYC this December
DISASTER RESPONSE
'Come to the Well' conference cancelled
Active shooter training educates congregation in Chanute on Sunday
ADMINISTRATION
New titles for two conference administrative services staff members
Order your new business cards; deadline is this Monday
Now is the time to focus on generous giving
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Milford UMC youth volunteers hit five sites in five days during mission trip
Nebraska church takes Vacation Bible School class to chalk mine
‘Game On!’ in sports-themed VBS at Greeley UMC
In other news
Resources
Newsletters
Blogs and commentaries
The week ahead
Kansas pastor forms Mainstream
UMC to push One Church Plan
A longtime United Methodist pastor has begun a campaign to support the Council of Bishops in its One Church Plan in advance of a February special session of the General Conference to decide on human sexuality issues.
Mainstream UMC was co-founded by the Rev. Mark Holland, who has taken a sabbatical after 24 years of ministry, including the past 19 as pastor of Trinity Community Church, a United Methodist congregation in Kansas City, Kansas.
A third-generation pastor, Holland was a clergy delegate to the 2016 General Conference in Portland, Oregon, where he made a motion on the floor asking the bishops to provide leadership on the issue of human sexuality. As a result, the bishops proposed the creation of the Commission on a Way Forward.
Read more about Mainstream UMC.
General Conference delegates, including several from the Great Plains, discuss A Way Forward.
GC2019 will not ask for registration fees.
Bishops seek declaratory decisions from Judicial Council.
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Church officials are becoming
targets of email scammers
Email scammers have become more sophisticated recently, with church treasurers and other officials now receiving fake correspondence
“Scammers will go onto our websites, and they will find the names of people who are treasurer or finance chair or office manager, and they’ll try to engage in these sorts of scams," said Scott Brewer, conference treasurer and director of administrative services
The scams, Brewer said, include someone posing as a friend, co-worker or trusted authority in need of money or private information.
Read more about the email scams.
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Make space on your smartphone for new, improved Great Plains app
The Great Plains Conference has a new, improved app available in the iTunes and Google Play stores.
The new app features news and information about the conference, contact information for conference and district staff members, the events calendar, easy access to the Great Plains’ Facebook and Twitter accounts, links to many of our website pages and more! You’ll even find a link to weather so you can see what the forecast is for where you are traveling to for conference events.
One all-new component is our Spiritual Fitness Tracker. This feature will help you keep track of how well you are doing with the spiritual disciplines of reading scripture, praying, attending worship, participating in small groups, and providing service to others. But we’re also concerned about your physical health, which is why we also have pieces that allow you to track how much exercise you’re getting and how healthy you are eating each day.
Watch a short video that explains more about the new app.
And all of this is free! Download the app now by searching for “Great Plains United Methodists.” Or follow the links to the appropriate store below.
Or scan this QR code:
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Equipping Disciples
Educational Partnership Grant applications due Aug. 20
Great Plains Annual Conference is accepting Education Partnership Grant requests for the fifth year to encourage congregations to build relationships with their local or neighborhood schools. Pastors and Lay Leaders are encouraged to go to the Great Plains website to find a number or resources and tools to strengthen your work and vision for building these relationships. You’ll find the information here.
Grant requests should be forwarded to Rev. Nathan Stanton in the office of Congregational Excellence by Aug. 20.
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CONNECT events for youth set for
Aug. 18, 25 at four Great Plains camps
Youth in 6th-12th grades — join us at your favorite camp for the CONNECT Event! This is your chance to CONNECT with God and other youth through great worship, an engaging speaker, and your favorite camp activities. Maybe you'll even reCONNECT with some old camp friends! Lunch and dinner included.
CONNECT Events:
Questions? Contact Sara Shaw or Zack Ledford.
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Early registration open for YOUTH 2019, set for next July in Kansas City
Discounted early-bird registration is underway for YOUTH 2019, the national gathering for United Methodist youth and their leaders next year in Kansas City that promises four days of discipleship, worship, Bible study, service opportunities and life-changing fun.
YOUTH 2019, with the theme Love Well, will feature big-name musical artists, excellent United Methodist speakers and many learning opportunities for youth grades 6-12 and their leaders. The event is sponsored every four years by Young People’s Ministries (YPM), a unit of Discipleship Ministries.
“The YOUTH event really is one of the best places for young people to grow as disciples as they experience the breadth and depth of the United Methodist connectional system,” said Michael Ratliff, Associate General Secretary at Discipleship Ministries and head of the YPM unit. “The intentional work with agencies and diverse groups who are part of the UMC make this time a treasure trove of discipleship experiences for youth.”
The event will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center & Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, July 10-14, 2019. For more information, go to http://youth2019.com.
Registration is limited to the first 8,000 youth and leaders. The early registration fee is $319 through Jan. 31. The regular price will be $359 from February through March, and late registration is $419 after April 1. Register here.
Youth who are rising 6th through graduating 12th graders as of the 2019-20 school year are eligible to attend. Adult leaders must be at least 21 years old or older, and preferably have a five-year age difference between themselves and the youth they are chaperoning.
Limited need-based scholarships are available from the Youth Service Fund and Discipleship Ministries. See more information.
“The YOUTH event is always exciting,” said Chris Wilterdink, director of YPM program development in the U.S. “Youth discover that they are part of something larger than their local congregation while they are exposed to some of the best speakers, worship artists and other youth figuring out what it means to be a Christian today.”
The Love Well theme, which comes from Romans 12:9-10, will emphasize that youth come from different places, with different backgrounds, lives and dreams, but that does not mean they are divided. To Love Well means people work together and live out what Scripture says, no matter their differences.
“Picture an arena full of thousands of young people expecting God to move among the people during worship,” Wilterdink said. “The anticipation of meaningful worship is really powerful, and I’m proud of our planning team building all of YOUTH 2019 with excellence, relevance and quality theology.”
YOUTH 2019 is the national gathering for United Methodist youth groups and their leaders. It happens every four years. This kind of event has happened since 1988 in the United Methodist Church.
In addition to the YOUTH 2019 website, up-to-date information about speakers, programming, schedule and more can be found on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Youth2019), Twitter (@Youth2019), Instagram (@Youth2019) and Snapchat (umcyouth2019).
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Mercy & Justice
Micah Corps speaks for compassionate immigration system reform
Micah Corps team members include, from left, Stephanie Carson, Annabelle Kanyi, Bernard Hangi, Mandi Hawthorne and co-coordinator Maddi Baugous.
On June 26-July 2, the Micah Corps interns traveled to the United States’ capital, Washington D.C. Among all other activities and opportunities to interact with members of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, the eight interns met with members of Congress from Kansas and Nebraska. They had the chance to discuss issues regarding immigration policies in the United States. During this time, the interns delivered over 500 letters which were signed at the Great Plains Annual Conference in June.
These letters represent the voices of the Annual Conference as it seeks more justice among four important issues in the social world: hunger, immigration reform, environmental change, and gun control.
Likewise, these meetings were an opportunity to share one of the resolutions passed at the 2018 Annual Conference with those who represent the states of Kansas and Nebraska. This resolution, known as “Our Sinful Immigration System” calls on the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church to consider its responsibility which, “calls upon our political leaders and policy makers to assure our laws affirm the worth, dignity, inherent values, and rights of immigrants and refugees”. (“Our Sinful Immigration System”, ? 6). The offices of the Senators and Representatives heard the voices of the Great Plains and their call for the necessity of compassionate treatment of all people, regardless of nationality or status of citizenship.
Jesus constantly reminds His followers of the command that those who love God must also “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31). In doing so, the Micah Corps interns helped bring this message to the leaders in Washington D.C., as an essential reminder that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The Great Plains Conference demands its country to be a place where its policies and laws consider its most core values of freedom and the pursuit of happiness for all people.
The Micah Corps team was honored to be able to represent the strong values which are upheld in the Great Plains Conference during their time in Washington D.C. Throughout the month of July, Micah Corps will continue engaging with local churches in hopes of encouraging their promotion of justice for all God’s children.
"Our Sinful Immigration System" Resolution - PASSED
-- Allyson Drummond, Micah Corps
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JFON-NE, now Immigrant Legal Center, celebrates its 20th anniversary
Over 35 people joined together at Grace UMC to celebrate almost 20 years of ministry of Justice For Our Neighbors in Nebraska (JFON-NE) and affirmed the urgency of its services today. JFON-NE, now called Immigrant Legal Center (ILC) was started by the United Methodist Committee on Relief in 1999. At that time, several United Methodists from Omaha traveled to New York to explore this new ministry and returned to start a JFON with support from the Nebraska and Iowa Conferences. Legal clinics were held in Omaha, Des Moines and Sioux City with attorneys flying in once a month from the east coast until the first attorney was hired as a Church and Community Worker. Later, Nebraska and Iowa each formed their own JFON ministry.
“In all my years of being active in the church, I have never been involved in something more meaningful than the ministry of JFON,” said Doris Peterson, one of the volunteers from the early days of the ministry. Her sentiment was echoed by several others as stories and memories were shared from the beginning years. Meeting immigrants and developing relationships with them enriches our lives.
The ministry of ILC encompasses high quality legal services for immigrants, education and advocacy. The need for this work is immense. In 2017, ILC staff and volunteers were able to work on over 3,400 cases impacting thousands of families.
“I hope you know how special you are to me and my family,” wrote a client in a thank you note enclosing a financial donation. She continued, “Although it’s not much, I hope you can use this money to help people like you help me.”
A big part of the friendship celebration focused on thanking the trustees and congregation and their pastor Juan Carlos Veloso at Grace UMC for hosting ILC/JFON-NE clinics and offices for all these years. A few months ago, ILC moved to a bigger building to be able to serve more immigrants. “Grace UMC will always be a part of our DNA,” said Executive Director Emiliano Lerda, as staff shared how bittersweet the move to the new building was and how much they miss Grace UMC. On the other hand, the new location makes it possible for ILC to expand its services and help more clients than ever before as well as work on advocacy for laws and regulations that see each person as a child of God and treat everybody with dignity.
To learn more about Immigrant Legal Center and/or donate, go to www.immigrantlc.org.
--Andrea Paret, Peace with Justice coordinator
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Great Plains UMW schedules criminal justice seminar in NYC this December
You are invited to join the United Methodist Women’s Seminar Program in New York City, Dec. 3-5, to bring a faith lens as we critically explore our country’s criminal justice system, the prison industrial complex and how our current “War on Drugs” and anti-immigration climate disproportionately incarcerate black, brown and poor whites. What might be our collective role as United Methodists in responding to this crisis?
Let mutual love continue…Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Hebrews 13:1, 3 (NRSV)
How is it that the United States with only 5 percent of the world’s population incarcerates more than 20 percent of the world’s prison population? What does it mean as people of faith to actively re-member members of our family and society who are incarcerated, isolated, and removed from our communities.
The seminar will be custom-designed by Jay Godfrey of United Methodist Women for the Great Plains area. The seminar will be an interactive educational study of a complex social issue from a perspective of faith.
The custom-designed seminar provides an opportunity to:
- Explore the issue through interactive exercises, Bible study and discussion.
- Engage with human rights activists, grassroots organizations and religious leaders.
- Learn about the work of the United Nations and government policies.
- Possibly visit local community organizations.
- Act during the seminar and develop actions to take upon returning home.
Seminar information:
- The seminar is open to everyone.
- The seminar is a two and half day event at $12 per person per day.
- Transportation to and from New York City is on your own.
- A lodging list is available at www.greatplainsumc.org/umw
- Evenings will be free for enjoying the city.
Scholarships are available, provided by the Great Plains Mercy & Justice Team and the Great Plains United Methodist Women. The application form may be found at The Great Plains United Methodist Women website www.greatplainsumc.org/umw.
To register, send the registration form found at www.greatplainsumc.org/umw with a $36 check, made out to Great Plains UMW, by Nov. 1 to: Barbara Smith, UMW Treasurer; 14 Mohave Drive, Lake Winnebago, MO 64034.
If you have questions, contact: Marilyn Zehring, 4822 34th St., Columbus NE 68601; mbzehri@megavision.com, or 402-564-0756.
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Disaster Response
'Come to the Well' conference cancelled
“Come To The Well: Becoming A Trauma-Informed Congregation,” a two-day conference scheduled for Sept. 28-29 at Wichita East Heights UMC, has been cancelled.
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Active shooter training educates congregation in Chanute on Sunday
Run. Hide. And, as a last resort, fight.
That was the message given to members of Kansas' Chanute First UMC last Sunday, in active shooter training conducted by the Rev. Hollie Tapley, disaster response coordinator for the Great Plains Conference.
"We can't prevent an active shooter. Gosh, I wish we could. But awareness, if we can learn how, about what are we looking for," Tapley said. "What are some things in a known individuals when we see a change? Then we know we need to keep an eye on this person."
Read more and watch a video from KOAM-TV, Pittsburg.
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Administration
New titles for two conference
administrative services staff members
Two members of the Great Plains Conference administrative services team have new titles that reflect their new duties.
Peggy Mihoover, who has been with the conference and its predecessors since 2011, most recently as assistant benefits officer, has been promoted to benefits officer.
Susan Petersen, who was hired in February as HR generalist, has been promoted to human resources manager.
“Although this is a title change, Peggy and Susan have already been carrying out these duties since mid-May with excellence,” said Scott Brewer, treasurer and director of administrative services.
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Order your new business cards; deadline is this Monday
New appointments for pastors began this month, and many staff members have new positions in new offices with new phone numbers.
Do your business cards reflect these changes?
If you are in need of business cards, send your name, church or agency affiliation, address, phone numbers, email and website to Lisa Soukup, lsoukup@greatplainsumc.org. The deadline for the next order is Monday, July 23. The cost is approximately $35 for a box of 500 cards.
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Now is the time to focus
on generous giving
As Christian stewards, we are called to be generous givers. The church appeals for our financial generosity especially during the annual financial campaign and serves multiple objectives. One, of course, is underwriting your church’s ministry; another is increasing participation in giving.
This annual emphasis provides a focused time in the life of the church when the congregation, individually and collectively, is encouraged to develop the joy-filled spiritual gift of generous giving. It is also a time to focus on the mission of the church. To lift up the good work the congregation is doing and the way lives are being transformed. It can also be a time of learning when the congregation focuses intentionally on the theology of stewardship and biblical generosity. An annual financial campaign can also be a time of spiritual reflection, challenge, growth and celebration.
An annual financial campaign is one component of a comprehensive year-round stewardship program. It is the annual punctuation point that brings clarity, definition and closure to the ongoing narrative around giving, stewardship and faithful discipleship across the ongoing life of your congregation.
At the end of the day an annual commitment program is never an end unto itself. It is a tool that God uses to help us participate more fully in the generosity of God and to allow us to partner, through our gifts, with God’s mission through the church. It is significant work in practical terms but is significant in spiritual terms as well.
Several annual financial programs are currently available in the marketplace. The best program for one congregation may not be the best program for another congregation. When planning your next annual financial campaign, it is essential to make a decision based on the compatibility of the program with the church.
If you would like to learn more about annual financial programs currently available or how to access our pool of pastors willing to serve as a guest leader/speaker, contact Lee Sankey at 888-453-8405 or email at lsankey@kaumf.org.
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Across the Connection
Milford UMC youth volunteers hit five sites in five days during mission trip
The senior high youth from the Milford United Methodist Church of the Blue River District visited and volunteered at five different places during their recent week-long Volunteers In Mission trip.
After spending the first day at Camp Fontanelle weeding the pumpkin patch, the group spent the next morning in Omaha at The Big Garden learning phrases like “food insecurity” and “food deserts.” They traveled to the Kansas City area to stay at the Lenexa UMC for two nights. Their third day was spent at Della Lamb Community Services Early Education Center just east of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, where they learned about the struggles of refugees and the ministry to help them relocate. The rest of the day was spent as helpers in different rooms of babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
On their fourth day as Volunteers In Mission, they visited L’Arche Heartland Academy in Overland Park, interacting with intellectually and developmentally disabled adults. After spending the afternoon at an area water park, they traveled on to Odgen, Kansas, and spent their final day at the Ogden Friendship House of Hope. The work consisted of stripping the inside of an old army barracks which will become a youth center.
Participants from Milford are, from left, Jasmyne Terrell, Alexa Mach, Mariah Richards, Michelle Mach (adult leader), Mavis Hansen, Pastor Lyle Schoen and Wallace Wilkins III.
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Nebraska church takes Vacation
Bible School class to chalk mine
The North Loup United Methodist Church held Vacation Bible School at the Happy Jack Chalk Mine, outside of Scotia, Nebraska, on July 16.
We learned that Jesus is the light and overcame the darkness in the world when Jesus died on the cross for our sins so all could be forgiven.
Throughout the day we heard stories from the Bible on Jesus as the light of the world, made light lanterns out of jars, sang songs such as “This Little Light of Mine,” roasted hot dogs and s'mores, climbed 200-plus steps to the top of the mine and heard a story at the cross, and then toured the chalk mine. It was a full half-day.
Even though we only had four youth and four adults, lives were touched for Jesus
-- Rev. Bonnie Brock
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‘Game On!’ in sports-themed
VBS at Greeley UMC
Nebraska’s Greeley United Methodist Church offered “Game On!” Vacation Bible School on July 2-3.
There were 12-15 youth that attended and eight adult helpers. The theme, “Game On!” helped all remember that we should be Game On for Christ and keep Christ No. 1 in our lives.
The youth heard stories from the Bible, did sports-related physical activities that helped us learn to work together for Christ, had a sports-related concession stand, “Game On!”-related music and some songs that are oldies but goodies with a message related to working together for Christ, and they made a wooden cut-out sports ball to their individuality with the VBS Scripture from 2 Peter 1:3.
-- Rev. Bonnie Brock
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In other news
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Resources
Animated Wesleys share history in new videos
A new video resource from United Methodist Communications uses an animated John and Charles Wesley to share United Methodist history in an innovative and contemporary way.
Created for use in confirmation classes, new member classes, Sunday school and small discussion groups, "The Wesleys Take the Web" is a series of three, one-minute episodes (also available as one, three-minute video) that aims to generate conversation about the history of The United Methodist Church and make it appealing to younger people. The videos look at how John and Charles Wesley might have used social media and smartphones to share the church’s message, while incorporating history, facts and trivia throughout.
"We have compressed many of the high points of being part of the Methodist movement in a very short way — and in the new way that people consume content," said Fran Coode Walsh, Director of Member Communications. "We hope the series will be entertaining, but also informative and inspiring; and we hope people will think creatively about how to use it.”
You can watch and share the mobile-friendly videos at UMC.org/WesleyBros, on Instagram (@unitedmethodistchurch) or YouTube or they can be downloaded. Suggested questions for discussion are also available on the website. There will also be versions with subtitles in German, Spanish, French and Russian available on the landing page, www.umc.org/wesleybros and on YouTube.
Based on the online cartoon series created by Charlie Baber on WesleyBros.com, and animated by Jonathan Richter, the videos are a modern sequel to the popular video “Clayride: A Gallop Through United Methodist History," produced by United Methodist Communications in 1984 using clay animation.
Learn more about the history of The United Methodist Church at www.umc.org/history.
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Newsletters
- Church and Society, July 11, 2018: Faith In Action
- Ministry Matters, July 11, 2018
- MYCom-United Methodist Communications, July 11, 2018
- Nebraska United Methodist Foundation, July 12, 2018
- 5 New Ideas From Discipleship Ministries, July 2018
- A Sermon For Every Sunday, July 17, 2018
- Worship Musician Magazine, July 2018
- Leading Ideas from Lewis Center for Church Leadership, July 18, 2018
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Blogs and commentaries
Finding love at a United Methodist church: Her pastor’s retirement led Rebecca K. Reynolds, who attends Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee, to write about how she found refuge among United Methodists after burning out in nondenominational megachurch leadership. "I ran to the Methodist Church because I know how Methodists love," she says.
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The week ahead
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