Download the printable version of the October 23 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Connecting Council addresses General Conference, community building
New webpage, materials celebrate ‘Great Start’ in Great Plains
Dotson talks about his 'Soul Reset' in latest episode of 'Potluck' podcast
GENERAL CONFERENCE
Logo for 2020, including bridges and Minneapolis skyline, revealed
Volunteers needed for 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
ABCD is focus of 2020 Orders & Fellowship, Jan. 15-16 in Lincoln
Peer coaching gives pastors help in times of need
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Institute for Discipleship offering ministry certifications beginning in January
Grants for urban ministry, helping others available from conference
Creative Worship Conference set for Nov. 15-16 in Topeka
Registration open for 2020 OneEvent, June 14-18 in Lincoln, Omaha
Last weekend for pumpkin patch, corn maze at Camp Fontanelle
MERCY & JUSTICE
International peacemaker Muna Nassar speaks at Omaha event
Creation Care joins with United Methodist Women to think green
ADMINISTRATION
New overtime rule raises salary cutoff to $35,568
RESOURCES
Pastor’s kid: ‘I wouldn’t trade it for anything’
Revised Social Principles now available online
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
‘We’re both cut out of the same cloth and we don’t stop’
Prairie Village Asbury UMC's sports-related sign gets criticism
Basehor UMC packs more than 20,000 meals for hungry
In other news
Newsletters
Blogs and commentary
The week ahead
Classifieds
Connecting Council addresses General
Conference, community building
What does it mean to be a “great church?” That was among the discussions last weekend in the fall meeting of the Connecting Council in Topeka.
The council -- comprised of representatives from the 17 Great Plains districts, various committees and cabinet members tasked with making decisions between annual conference sessions – also heard about budget reductions, a possible special session of the Annual Conference in 2020, news on the disaffiliation process, progress on the Doing Justice Initiative, and the future of one of the Great Plains camps.
Read more about the Connecting Council session here.
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New webpage, materials
celebrate ‘Great Start’ in Great Plains
How do you get the attention of potential pastors who live outside the Great Plains Conference who see Kansas and Nebraska as flyover country?
By touting the great legacies, great resources and great stories that come out of the Great Plains Conference.
That’s part of the Great Start initiative from the Rev. Ashlee Alley-Crawford, clergy recruitment and development coordinator, who is using flyers, videos, banners and a new webpage to get seminary students interested in serving in our area.
“We wanted to help introduce people who may be new to the possibility of ministry to hear some of the stories of those who are serving in ministry now,” Crawford said.
Read more about Great Start.
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Dotson talks about his 'Soul Reset'
in latest episode of 'Potluck' podcast
Before the Rev. Junius Dotson spent 14 years as senior pastor of Wichita Saint Mark UMC, he served a church in California where he suffered a physical breakdown in the middle of preaching a funeral sermon.
That event, he says, was the catalyst for "Soul Reset," a method of self-care and prioritizing that has turned into his recent book of the same name.
In the latest episode of the podcast "Potluck," Dotson, now general secretary and CEO of Discipleship Ministries, talks with host David Burke about "Soul Reset," and sharing the details of the events that changed his life.
Listen to "Potluck" with Junius Dotson.
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General Conference
Logo for 2020, including bridges
and Minneapolis skyline, revealed
The Commission on the General Conference has unveiled the logo for the 2020 General Conference to accompany the theme, “…and know that I am God,” based on an excerpt from Psalm 46:10. The entire verse reads: “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth.” (NRSV), although the verse number may vary in non-English translations.
United Methodist Communications designed the logo, which is used to maintain a consistent visual identity for the 2020 General Conference.
“The design challenge for the logo was to visually communicate a recognizable brand to a complex audience that leaves a positive lasting impression … from the internet to the conference floor," said Troy Dossett, manager for United Methodist Communications' creative strategy team. "A core-branding image for such a large event needs to be practical for users, relatable to a diverse audience and easy to implement in print, web and within the conference facility."
The design uses simple fonts and color tones, arranged in a way that quickly expresses one or two direct messages to its viewer at first glance.
The design incorporates a bridge and cityscape as a geographical nod to Minneapolis' beautiful bridges, lakes and waterfalls, along with the date and location.
The theme, suggested by the GC2020 Worship and Music team, was discussed and approved by the Commission on the General Conference.
The team plans to create a new focus each day by pairing the theme with different words, such as “love” or “believe.”
“The theme provides the flexibility for each of the worship services to express a different way in which we experience God,” said Raymond Trapp, worship and music director. “At times this means we sit in silence, feeling God’s presence in our deepest foundation. At times we are jubilant, praising the Lord for many blessings. Whether we are quiet and still or joyous and celebratory, at all times, we know that God was, is and always will be God.”
The logo is available in various file formats in both color and black and white on the General Conference website. The logo may not be modified in any way, including colors and fonts.
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Volunteers needed for 2020
General Conference in Minneapolis
Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles during the 2020 General Conference, The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly, which will meet in Minneapolis from May 5-15.
At this time, volunteers are needed for the following positions: recorders, channel “B” identifiers and verbatim transcribers/copy editors.
Recorders will serve as members of the staff of the secretary of the General Conference and work in direct support of their assigned legislative committee. Recorders are responsible for entering data such as the time, date, and results of committee votes, as well as making changes to pre-entered petition text to reflect the amendments approved by the committee.
This information is prepared for the recorder by the legislative committee secretary, who manually tracks this information as it happens. The recorder is not responsible for taking minutes or tracking the discussion of the legislative committee.
Channel “B” identifiers will serve as members of the staff of the editor of the Daily Christian Advocate (DCA), the official record of the activity of the General Conference. Channel “B” identifiers will follow action of the plenary, repeating delegates’ names, annual conferences and vote tallies into a microphone.
Verbatim transcribers/copy editors also serve as members of the staff of the editor of the DCA. They are responsible for using Microsoft Word to create transcriptions of the plenary session. They will listen to audio files and transcribe the recordings.
Travel, double occupancy housing, and food per diem provisions will be provided. Those interested can apply here now through Nov. 21.
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Clergy Excellence
ABCD is focus of 2020 Orders & Fellowship, Jan. 15-16 in Lincoln
The Rev. Michael Mather, who spoke at this year’s annual conference teaching sessions, will return to the Great Plains Conference as one of the plenary speakers for the 2020 Orders & Fellowship, Jan. 15-16 at Lincoln St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.
Mather, pastor of Indianapolis Broadway UMC, will join with Darryl Answer, pastor of New Community Church in Kansas City, Missouri, and Rachel Metheny, pastor of Congress Street UMC in Lafayette, Indiana, to discuss Asset Based Community Development, or ABCD.
“ABCD is at the center of a large and growing movement that considers local capacities and assets – skills of local residents, local associations, and supportive functions of local institutions -- as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. wrote to clergy in announcing the subject for Orders & Fellowship. “The approach is relationship-driven and recognizes the dignity of individuals, their knowledge and talents, regardless of their status, title, or degree. It is rooted in a deep respect for the skills people embody and their capacity to take agency and create local associations that transform their realities, bringing justice, healing, and wholeness to lives and communities.”
The Orders & Fellowship page for 2020 is now active on the Great Plains website, including group reservation discounts at 10 hotels in south Lincoln.
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Peer coaching gives
pastors help in times of need
Have you longed for someone to walk alongside you to navigate the many curves and rough terrain that are part of ministry? Peer coaching may be just what you need for this time in your ministry. What is peer coaching? It is having a trained coach to journey with, a person who engages in deep listening and will ask you powerful questions. Coaching helps tap into your own giftedness, your knowledge, and your strengths to move forward in meeting your goals.
We have many trained coaches who understand the context of the Great Plains and are themselves clergy with years of experience serving the local church. You can sign up for six hours of coaching with one of our conference coaches for a nominal fee.
More information and the registration can be found on the website.
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Equipping Disciples
Institute for Discipleship offering ministry certifications beginning in January
The Institute for Discipleship equips those in leadership positions in our faith communities in an affordable and convenient way. We offer several certifications based on GBHEM education requirements, as well as other leadership courses. It would be my joy to share these with you.
There are six practical ministry certifications that are starting on Jan. 20, designed to give laity in the church affordable and accessible foundations for ministry. Certifications are available in Children’s Ministry, Spiritual Formation, Evangelism, Women’s Ministry, Christian Care and Counseling, Youth Ministry, and Serving with Those with Disabilities.
Each certification consists of four online courses, each just $125. Students receive over 20 weeks of high-quality, small-group instruction for a total of $500. The youth ministry certification adds a 12-week practicum led by the experts at Youth Ministry Institute for an additional $325. The certifications are split evenly between Biblical and theological instruction and practical, on-the-ground skills. All programs are also pay-as-you-go.
A United Methodist emphasis can be added to any certification with one additional course in United Methodist Studies.
More info on these certification programs can be found here: https://www.beadisciple.com/ifd-certifications/.
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Grants for urban ministry, helping
others available from conference
Grant opportunities to support ideas and ministries for you are available at www.greatplainsumc.org/grants. Check out two grants that are available today!
Urban Ministry Grant
The Urban Ministry grant funding are provided from the sale proceeds of properties abandoned by discontinued congregations in counties with more than 50,000 in population. Urban Ministry Grant Funds assist districts to: 1) Start new faith communities in urban areas, 2) develop ministries with the poor that evangelize, advocate for justice and work toward changing the community for the sake of the welfare of the people and 3) develop effective and sustainable ministries with existing residents or newcomers a site in an urban area with grows different from the original members. The dollar range of grants is up to $120,000 per project over a four-year period. Apply by Oct. 30.
https://www.greatplainsumc.org/urban-ministry
Serving with Others
Includes Education Partnership, Mission Engagement, Social Justice and LGBTQIA+ Missional Leaders
Education Partnership to churches to help with direct expenses for jump-starting a sustainable partnership in support of a local public school(s).
Social justice seed money grants are available to local churches within networks for outreach ministries focusing on root causes of injustices and the underlying reasons of why people are in need and working toward structural changes.
Mission Engagement Grants for domestic and foreign missions to local churches within networks. Priority is given to teams who engage in mission in ways that lead to self-sustaining solutions among the locals.
LGBTQIA+ Missional Leaders provides seed money for training, ministry, idea or experience to help LGBTQIA+ persons take the next step in missional leadership.
Four types of grants in one application form. Apply today! Applications will be reviewed at the end of each month. www.greatplainsumc.org/mercyandjustice
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Creative Worship Conference
set for Nov. 15-16 in Topeka
The Creative Worship Conference, a hands-on learning experience designed to bring creativity to congregations of any size means and worship style, will be Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16 at the Great Plains Conference office in Topeka.
The times have been updated: 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15; and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.
Jason Moore from Midnight Oil Productions will be the presenter, and Chris Aytes and the praise band from Wamego First UMC will lead worship. Come away with new ideas and create your 2020 worship plan. Hear about Culture, Art, Team and Technology.
The first 50 participants will receive free coaching on worship and implementation for the next year.
Register at this link and watch a video invitation from Jason Moore here. Download the updated brochure.
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Registration open for 2020 OneEvent, June 14-18 in Lincoln, Omaha
Registration is open for The OneEvent Reimagined, scheduled for June 14-18 in Lincoln and Omaha. After six years as an early-January gathering for youth from across the Great Plains Conference, it is moving to a summertime mission trip model.
Group leaders should register in the fall to project how many students and adults they will bring, according to the Rev. Melissa Collier Gepford, intergenerational discipleship coordinator. A $100 non-refundable deposit is due in the fall (not necessarily at registration, but by December). Individuals will register into their group in the spring, along with payment and paperwork. Early bird pricing for individuals will begin in January, and it will be $215 per person.
FAQs and a tentative schedule can be found here.
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Last weekend for pumpkin patch,
corn maze at Camp Fontanelle
Three more days of fun, and a chance to support the ministry at Camp Fontanelle with your admission, purchases and donations, are awaiting guests, this coming weekend. This is the last weekend at the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at Camp Fontanelle.
Come out from 7-10 p.m. Friday during the Scary Maze. Besides being able to zipline at night, scare yourself in a dark maze and all the other activities, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" will be running at the outdoor screen at the Petting Barn.
The maze is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. The weather is to be a beautiful autumn day; a perfect day to spend with family and friends while supporting Camp Fontanelle's Fun-Raiser.
Sunday is the last day, and a special day; First Responders will be in the maze handing out treats from 2-4 p.m. Come out, support the camp and thank the first-responders for their commitment to their communities. The maze will be open from 1-6 p.m. You may bring a new toy, valuing at $5or more, and get free admission. Bring the new toys to the ticket booth to get your wristband. The donations will be used at the Christmas store during Camp Fontanelle's Christmas Camp.
In 2007, site director Trent Meyer, along with the Camp Fontanelle Site Council, implemented a new way to get the word out about Camp Fontanelle; they opened the first corn maze in eastern Nebraska, and maybe even the first in the whole state. There was one hired employee, besides Meyer and, then-program director Derek Bergman, full-time staff, to provide second season activities for the public. The intent was two-fold, allow the public, the opportunity to learn about Camp Fontanelle and its summer ministry and to raise money for the camp.
In 2019, there are now three full time employees and 17 part time employees, making sure that guests experiences are positive through fun activities in a family-friendly atmosphere. Still with the intent to educate the public about the camp's ministry and raise money, there is also an outreach that has developed.
This year's maze design honors the first responders who worked so hard during the weeks of flooding and subsequent damage, displacement and limited access to roads and communities. A percentage of the admission will be donated to UMCOR for the work that they do for disaster relief.
For more information, go to countryfun.org or phone the camp at 402-478-4296.
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Mercy & Justice
International peacemaker Muna
Nassar speaks at Omaha event
Muna Nassar is a writer, freelancer, translator and a literary/culturally infused personality, based in Bethlehem. She was the featured speaker at a recent Nebraskans For Peace Event held at Hope Presbyterian Church in Omaha. Nassar is involved in the cultural domain in Bethlehem and is currently working with Kairos Palestine, a Christian Palestinian movement born out of the Kairos Document, which advocates for ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just solution to the conflict.
Nassar’s message centered on the history of the area since the “Nakba” (catastrophe) of 1948, and trying to find hope in a hopeless situation. She talked about the meaning of hope, the realities that Palestinian young people face today, and how hope may still be possible in her lifetime. She wants people to know that Palestine is more than an occupied land, but is a place with rich culture, literature, and traditions.
Future events will include a screening of director Zelda Edmunds’ documentary “Imprisoning a Generation,” which has screened around the world more than 70 times. This event will be held on from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Mike & Josie Harper Center Auditorium, Creighton University, 602 N 20th St., Omaha. Also, Palestinian Christian Farmer and Director of the Tent of Nations, Daoud Nassar, will speak in Omaha on Monday, Nov. 11, and in Sioux City, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 12. For more information regarding this speaking tour, please see the attached flyer.
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Creation Care joins with United
Methodist Women to think green
At the 2019 Great Plains Annual Conference, we voted to support a Resolution for Creation Care. In that resolution, we were reminded that “the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in October 2018 which indicates that we have a window of 12 years in which to keep to a minimum of 1.5 C, change beyond which the risks of drought, floods, extreme heart and poverty for hundreds of millions of people will increase to catastrophic proportions.”
We resolved to “reduce our carbon footprint through specific measurable actions.” Fortunately, there are many resources and allies to give us guidance! One such ally is United Methodist Women. They can provide your church with tips for creating sustainable events, how to evaluate your impact, a Bible study on sustainability as well as an option to sign up for Climate Justice Updates. Go to this link to partner with UMW and take your congregation to another level in caring for God's creation!
--Carol Windrum, Creation Care Team
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Administration
New overtime rule raises
salary cutoff to $35,568
Employees who make less than $35,568 are now eligible for overtime pay under a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The new rate will take effect Jan. 1, 2020.
To be exempt from overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees must be paid a salary of at least the threshold amount and meet certain duties tests. If they are paid less or do not meet the tests, they must be paid 1½ times their regular hourly rate for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek.
The new rule will raise the salary threshold to $684 a week ($35,568 annualized) from $455 a week ($23,660 annualized).
The new rule is expected to prompt employers to reclassify more than a million currently exempt workers to nonexempt status and raise pay for others above the new threshold.
Read more about the new rule here.
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Resources
Pastor’s kid: ‘I wouldn’t
trade it for anything’
Playing hide-and-seek in the church, moving at sometimes-inopportune times, and the comfort and security of so many people watching out for them.
That’s what some now-grownup pastor’s kids, or PKs, recall about their lives living in parsonages through the years.
During this Pastors Appreciation Month, United Methodist Communications talked to former PKs about their fondest memories.
Read more here.
Great Plains pastors: What have your congregations done this month to show their appreciation for you? Let us know the big, small, and special ways -- with pictures, please! -- at info@greatplainsumc.org.
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Revised Social Principles
now available online
After an eight-year journey and a deeply Methodist process of revision, the General Conference is called to approve a document with a strong theological grounding and a more focused, succinct, and globally meaningful form.
Church and Society stewarded the revision process, creating a teachable document that the whole church can use.
Among those working on the revisions were the Rev. Cindy Karges, Gateway and Great West district superintendent; and the Rev. Kalaba Chali, mercy and justice coordinator for the Great Plains Conference.
Read the principles in seven different languages.
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Across the Connection
‘We’re both cut out of the
same cloth and we don’t stop’
They met in 1951, at a gathering for newcomers at the University of Nebaska at the Methodist Student House.
Since then, Jay Schmidt and Forrest Stith went to seminary together and were best men at each other’s weddings.
Now in their mid-80s, the two retired United Methodist pastors reunited recently at Schmidt’s home in Lincoln – likely for the last time.
Lincoln Journal-Star columnist Cindy Lange-Kubick tells their story of enduring friendship.
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Prairie Village Asbury UMC's
sports-related sign gets criticism
It’s become a staple for those along 75th Street in Prairie Village to see Asbury United Methodist Church’s sign that includes shoutouts to Kansas City sports teams.
But after a tongue-in-cheek announcement of services to pray for the healing of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ ankle, the church got its first negative response.
"People said the church should be serious, and that sign isn't serious," the Rev. Gayla Rapp, the church’s senior pastor, said in her sermon Sunday. “We do believe that our faith is about being serious. Our faith is also about joy. Our faith is about serving people in need. Our faith is about having fun in a community."
Read more in this story from Fox4 in Kansas City.
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Basehor UMC packs more
than 20,000 meals for hungry
On Oct. 20, Basehor United Methodist Church in Basehor, Kansas, made a difference in the world!
The church hosted an event for Rise Against Hunger where over 80 volunteers from the church family and community helped pack 20,088 meals for the hungry. In the month before the event, the church raised around $7,000, bursting through the goal of $6,800 set by our Missions team to donate towards the food items and supplies. Each meal consisted of rice, soy for protein, dried vegetables and a spice packet.
Volunteers at the event were both members of the church family and people from the community. Volunteers ranged in age from 5 years to the elders in their 80s and beyond. The event was well organized into teams of four that packaged the food in a specific order into plastic bags that were taken by the youth “runners” to the tables to be sealed then put in boxes.
The men carried the heavy bags of soy and rice around to the teams of four, keeping all the bins filled while the teams were madly scooping the food into bags. Each time the group reached 1,000 bags filled, sealed and boxed, a gong sounded, and the crowd cheered. The group packaged 20,088 meals in 558 boxes in approximately two hours. It was an exceptionally satisfying event for all who participated. May God bless the meals to those who receive them.
--Doris Ruffcorn, Basehor UMC
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In other news
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Newsletters
- Leading Ideas, October 23, 2019
- Church and Society, October 22, 2019
- A Sermon for Every Sunday, October 22, 2019
- Mission Moments and More, October 17, 2019
- Compass, October 17, 2019
- Ministry Matters, October 16, 2019
- United Methodist Communications, October 16, 2019
- KAUMF, October 2019
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Blogs and commentary
- Peace is possible with shared vision: Peace is indeed possible when faith traditions and people of good conscience join together for a shared vision, writes the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Crowe writes about a group of faith leaders meeting with the Iranian foreign minister to express grave concerns of the possibility of a war between the U.S. and Iran.
- Remembering Elijah Cummings: Baltimore-Washington Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling writes of the passing of U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who died Oct. 17 at a hospice center in Baltimore. "Our hearts cry out in sorrow at the loss of this faithful servant, friend and champion of justice," she said of the Baltimore congressman.
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The week ahead
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Classifieds
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