Download the printable version of the March 25 issue of GPconnect.
In this edition:
THIS WEEK'S NEWS
Bishop writes letter to people of the Great Plains Conference
Ministry abounds during coronavirus pandemic in Great Plains Conference
Facebook Live follow-up session planned for tonight
Via livestream, Great Plains' first Laity Summit carries on
Great Plains Conference offices closed until at least April 27
Podcast featuring Bishop Saenz fitting for our current times
GENERAL CONFERENCE
Organizers looking at rescheduling dates for 2021
African American caucus looks at separation plans, leadership views
CLERGY EXCELLENCE
Clergy Excellence team offers online support for pastors
Clergy Health & Wellness: Pastors, give yourselves permission to grieve
EQUIPPING DISCIPLES
Workshop in online worship offered on April 6
Fresh Expressions webinar on leading through coronavirus set for Thursday
MERCY & JUSTICE
Immigrant Legal Center names new executive director
GCORR denounces racist and xenophobic 'Chinese virus' language
Webinar on Community Organizing for Justice now available
DISASTER RESPONSE
Coveralls, masks donated to Holton hospital
Disaster Response coordinator Hollie Tapley featured in radio interview
ADMINISTRATION
Deadline for Pass the Torch scholarship is April 1
GCFA provides training, resources for local churches in webinar Thursday
Kansas Area UM Foundation Legacy Workshops to be held online in April
April 1 is deadline for New Start/ New Faith Community Grants
RESOURCES
Helping your church respond to the coronavirus pandemic
Including the deaf, hard of hearing in online worship
ACROSS THE CONNECTION
Roeland Park UMC responds to coronavirus with food drives
In other news
Newsletters
Blogs and commentaries
Classifieds
Bishop writes letter to people
of the Great Plains Conference
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. shared a livestream communion service with clergy of the Great Plains Conference earlier this week. During that broadcast, he shared guidelines for sharing communion with people in an online worship setting and a list of things the conference staff is working on to equip and further resource congregations during these uncertain times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of his presentation, the bishop announced that mission share payments are suspended for all churches until June 1, 2020, at which time the situation will be assessed again.
“At this point, it is a missional imperative that your local church has the financial capacity to sustain its mission and its operating costs,” the bishop said.
He has drafted a letter to the people of the Great Plains Conference.
You can download and read the letter here.
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Ministry abounds during coronavirus
pandemic in Great Plains Conference
We continue to be amazed with the stories of innovation and newfound community outreach and ministry spurred by the coronavirus that we are finding in the Great Plains Conference.
From new ideas for livestream videocasts to newfound food pantries and meal preparation for children, we are highlighting them on our page, “Ministry amid coronavirus,” which is updated several times a week.
If you want to let us know about what your church or pastor is doing, please contact David Burke, dburke@greatplainsumc.org, and we can include it in future updates.
Read stories from across the Great Plains here.
Our conference coronavirus page includes sections for family resources, virtual church life and online worship tools, as well as updates from the Center for Disease Control and Protection, Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, as well as posts from the Rev. Hollie Tapley, conference disaster response coordinator.
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Facebook Live follow-up
session planned for tonight
Many of our Great Plains Conference churches have worked to livestream their services, record them worship and post it to their websites, or even led devotions from the kitchen table.
Because of the interest in two Facebook Live discussions last week, Todd Seifert, conference communications director, will lead another session at 6 p.m. CDT today (Wednesday, March 25) on the conference’s Facebook page.
He’ll share what some of our churches are doing, will provide some insight into resources being developed by the conference staff, and will take questions. You can ask your questions as part of the comments area on Facebook Live or can email them to him ahead of time to tseifert@greatplainsumc.org.
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Via livestream, Great Plains'
first Laity Summit carries on
Like many other events scheduled for the month of March, the Great Plains Conference’s first Laity Summit did not go according to plan.
What was supposed to be an in-person gathering at Kearney First UMC with 140 laity registered turned into an online gathering with 360 participating at one time or another during the seven-hour virtual summit on March 21.
Read more here.
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Great Plains Conference
offices closed until at least April 27
The Great Plains Conference office in Topeka will be closed until at least Monday, April 27, to comply with the Shawnee County Health Department’s “COVID-19 Safer at Home Order” issued on Tuesday.
The main switchboard will still be accessible at 785-272-9111, with staff members working remotely from their homes.
Individual district offices are at their own discretion and following local guidelines. Please call before traveling to the offices.
As a result of the order, the conference Resource Center will he closed until Monday, April 27. Materials you have checked out can be returned as usual, but no additional materials can be checked out at this time.
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Podcast featuring Bishop Saenz
fitting for our current times
In the fourth of seven special episodes of the “In Layman’s Terms” podcast focusing on the final sayings from Christ on the cross, Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. shares his reflections on Mark 15:34, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”
The bishop explains how these words from Jesus shouldn’t necessarily be looked at as words that reflect Jesus feeling abandoned, but rather how they teach us that even in the worst of circumstances, God never leaves us alone.
Though this episode was recorded prior to the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in our region of the country, the message is particularly fitting for us now.
Listen to the podcast.
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General Conference
Organizers looking at
rescheduling dates for 2021
General Conference organizers met in a teleconference last weekend to explore rescheduling the lawmaking assembly in 2021 after the coronavirus-compelled delay.
Read more from United Methodist News Service.
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African American caucus looks at
separation plans, leadership views
Much of the annual meeting of the African American caucus of The United Methodist Church focused on major changes being proposed to the now-delayed General Conference, as well as the views of black church leaders. During its 53rd annual meeting, Black Methodists for Church Renewal endorsed the protocol plan for amicable separation of the church.
Read more here.
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Clergy Excellence
Clergy Excellence team
offers online support for pastors
Clergy, are you in need of prayer for yourself, your family, or someone in your congregation or community? Would you like ideas from other clergy about how to care for your congregation remotely? Do you need help figuring out the best way to use technology for worship, Bible study, or daily devotions? Would you like a reminder that you are not alone?
Do you need a safe space to share about the challenges you are facing? Or to vent your frustrations? The Clergy Excellence team has scheduled an hour every weekday morning to connect with clergy and to offer support and prayer by Zoom. There is space for ten persons to sign up for each day, and you can sign up as many times as you would like.
The link to the Signup Genius is here. Currently, dates are available through April 24 and more will be added if the need continues. This link will stay active and will be posted on the Clergy Excellence page on the conference website so that you can find it easily.
You will be sent a Zoom link shortly before the time you have signed up for and will be joined by a member of the Clergy Excellence Team (Rev. Nancy Lambert, Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford, Rev. Karen Jeffcoat) or Rev. Shelly Petz, who provides some additional resourcing on clergy well-being for the team.
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Clergy Health & Wellness: Pastors,
give yourselves permission to grieve
"It is OK to give yourself permission to grieve," the Rev. Shelly Petz writes in this month's Clergy Health & Wellness blog. "At an unprecedented time of facing a pandemic, many people are experiencing various stages of grief. ... There is also anticipatory grief, grief that comes when we understand that there is so much more that we do not yet know or understand and we anticipate more grief to come."
Read her blog here.
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Equipping Disciples
Workshop in online
worship offered on April 7
On Tuesday, April 7, Jason Moore from Midnight Oil Productions will offer an online workshop, “Telling the Old Story in A New Time: Best Practices for Online Worship & Beyond in a Physically Distanced World” to reinvigorate worship leaders and clergy to continue online worship well.
The workshop will be offered to Upper New York and Great Plains conferences at the same time for the first 500 registrants.
Registration will be at www.greatplainsumc.org/register, beginning Thursday.
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Fresh Expressions webinar on leading
through coronavirus set for Thursday
A free webinar from Fresh Expressions, “HELP! We have to Become a Distributed Church Overnight!” will be at 10 a.m. Central Thursday, March 26.
Here’s where to register.
Michael Beck will discuss his upcoming book, “A Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions,” as well as joining Paul Maconochie to talk about how the coronavirus pandemic has caused churches to reorganize the way they gather, love and serve as a church.
Topics include:
- How one large church reorganized with just a few weeks notice
- How a small traditional church launches and manages new expressions in various contexts
- Tips for distributing the work of staff and leaders by empowering average churchgoers to lead
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Mercy & Justice
Immigrant Legal Center
names new executive director
Immigrant Legal Center, an affiliate of the Justice For Our Neighbors Network, whose mission is to welcome immigrants into our communities by providing high-quality legal services, education, and advocacy, welcomed Erik Omar as its new executive director on March 16.
An attorney with a deep breadth of experience, Omar previously served as a senior manager in Union Pacific’s real estate department. A passionate advocate for immigrant communities, Omar recently served as board chair of the Refugee Empowerment Center, where he has been an active volunteer since 2013. Through his work, he has built deep relationships with various community partners, understanding the unique and special characteristics of the Omaha landscape, particularly as it relates to the immigrant community.
“Erik has a passion for immigrant advocacy and justice, and brings a wealth of expertise in building community relationships,” said Mary Umberger, chair of Immigrant Legal Center’s board of directors. “We are excited to bring him on board, and we know he is the right person to lead Immigrant Legal Center as we continue to grow as an organization. On behalf of the board of directors, I would also like to thank Jim Clements, Immigrant Legal Center’s general counsel for serving as our interim executive director and for his leadership during this transition.”
Founded in 1999 as Justice For Our Neighbors-Nebraska, Immigrant Legal Center has seen significant growth in recent years. In January 2018, the organization rebranded as Immigrant Legal Center, and extended its legal services throughout the state of Nebraska and southwest Iowa. The name and brand change is reflective of a significant expansion in the organization’s operations, as well as its ability to affect change on a national level.
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GCORR denounces racist and
xenophobic 'Chinese virus' language
The General Committee on Religion and Race has denounced President Donald Trump’s reference to the coronavirus as “The Chinese Virus.”
“Not only does this unapologetic use of xenophobia and racial terror create physical, emotional, and economic harm to persons of Asian descent, it amplifies President Trump’s individual racism with the institutional power of the United States government,” its statement says.
Read more here, including what to do if you witness racial abuse.
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Webinar on Community
Organizing for Justice now available
The Conference Mercy and Justice Team hosted a webinar on Jan. 18 to introduce community organizing for justice to the Great Plains Conference.
This webinar was particularly timely since the theme for the 2020 Great Plains Annual Conference is “Seek Justice” and a special “Doing Justice Initiative” was approved in late 2019 by the Connecting Council and the Council on Finance and Administration. The Doing Justice Initiative will begin in 2020 and last for five years.
The presenters for the webinar were Ben McConnell of Justice Matters in Lawrence, Kansas, and Kevin Graham of Omaha Together One Community (OTOC). Both organizations bring together churches in their communities to address identified justice issues within their communities. Each of the presenters began the session with comments about “What is Justice Ministry?” Mercy is typically described as a response or service to meet immediate human needs or to those in crisis. Justice can be described in a variety of ways; the webinar presenters suggested two ways: “holding systems accountable,” and “changing underlying social systems that prevent basic human needs from being met.”
Each of the presenters described how their organizations function and identify priority issues to address. The faith communities are a key for both organizations. McConnell described Justice Matter’s work addressing mental health in Lawrence that led to a mental health facility that provided an option to the use of a jail facility. Graham discussed OTOC’s efforts to address adequate housing in Omaha with a special emphasis on rental housing.
The webinar is available for viewing on the Great Plains Conference website.
The Mercy and Justice Team encourages Great Plains United Methodists to view this webinar as a way to help us live out this year’s Annual Conference theme of “Seek Justice.”
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Disaster Response
Coveralls, masks
donated to Holton hospital
After seeing a national newscast report on how the Holton Community Hospital was facing a shortage of disposable coveralls and masks, the Rev. Hollie Tapley, conference disaster response coordinator, offered a supply from the Great Plains Conference.
“This is just to prepare us for what possibly could come,” Katie Askren, an LPN with the hospital, said Tuesday as she picked up the supplies, including 50 coveralls and 240 masks.
Tapley said similar supplies have been donated to Osage and Greenwood counties in Kansas.
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Disaster Response coordinator
Hollie Tapley featured in radio interview
The Rev. Hollie Tapley, disaster response coordinator for the Great Plains Conference, is the guest for “On the Front Porch,” heard on KFRM-AM 550 and KCLY 100.9 FM, both in Clay Center.
She talks to host Bryce Dolan about her background, the elements of her job, the current coronavirus pandemic, and the upcoming severe weather season.
Listen to her interview here.
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Administration
Deadline for Pass the
Torch scholarship is April 1
The deadline to apply for the Pass the Torch Seminary/Course of Study Scholarship for the 2020-2021 conference year is April 1.
The Pass the Torch Scholarship Fund is sponsored by the Great Plains Association of Retired Clergy and Spouses (GPARCS) to assist certified candidates for ministry with their educational expenses. Since the founding of the scholarship in 1991, more than $86,000 has been awarded in scholarships to support women and men called by God who will be pursuing their seminary or Course of Study education.
If you have any questions regarding the scholarship, please contact the Rev. Gary Beach at gbeach@greatplainsumc.org.
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GCFA provides training, resources
for local churches in webinar Thursday
While churches across the connection are canceling weekly services to protect the people of the church and help slow the spread of COVID-19, churches still find themselves needing financial resources for the ministries they can conduct and for general operational expenses.
On Thursday, March 26, Servant Keeper, a ministry partner of General Council on Finance and Administration, will provide a webinar at 10 a.m. central. The webinar, “eGiving During Virtual Ministry,” will focus on answering questions on e-giving and the local church. To register for this webinar, click here.
GCFA also works to produce administrative resources for local churches and annual conferences. If you have specific questions on eGiving, live streaming, or any other administrative areas during this time of social distancing, they can be emailed to ask@umcsupport.org. This email address was specifically created to help respond to the church during the COVID-19 crisis. Additional resources will be provided online.
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Kansas Area UM Foundation Legacy Workshops to be held online in April
Despite COVID-19, the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation will still be offering the Leaving a Lasting Legacy Workshops via an online platform.
The workshop will be held on:
- Wednesday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 30-minute break for lunch
- Tuesday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 30-minute break for lunch
The workshops will help equip pastors and lay persons to begin and/or grow their planned giving ministries. A planned giving ministry is about inviting people of your congregation to leave a lasting legacy through a planned gift.
This ministry is based on the belief that God is still at work in the community and by giving generously you can change the lives of those who will come after you.
To register for the free workshop, visit www.kaumf.org/register.
The Foundation will offer additional trainings this spring in response to COVID-19. The event topics and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Foundation office will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., although staff will be working remotely. If there is no answer, leave a message or email jtrapp@kaumf.org.
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April 1 is deadline for New Start/
New Faith Community Grants
The Nebraska United Methodist Foundation announces a new church development grant opportunity available to Nebraska churches and affiliated Nebraska agencies of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference.
Due to the generosity of donors supporting congregational development, the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation has grants available to enhance and support your new church development. The ultimate goal of these awards is to alleviate a little bit of the financial burden.
Grant applicants should be aware that priority will be given to the following:
- A New Start that is recognized by Congregational Excellence as a New Start/New Faith Community.
- A New Start deemed to be of an outreach and beneficial nature to the larger community.
- A New Start that is in collaboration with other United Methodist entities.
- A New Start that has identified other sources of revenue.
- A New Start that is an integral part of a long-range plan for growth and outreach.
Grants will be awarded on an annual basis. Applications must be received by April 1 to be considered. For application materials and more information, visit www.numf.org.
If you have questions about the application process or would like to talk to the Foundation about how you can help grow these types of grants, please call 1-877-495-5545.
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Resources
Helping your church respond
to the coronavirus pandemic
The spread of COVID-19 has affected every aspect of daily life, requiring everyone to find ways to adapt. ResourceUMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has created a site to equip churches with a variety of resources, from setting up virtual worship and electronic giving to congregational care and general health information.
Get your resources here.
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Including the deaf, hard of
hearing in online worship
With most churches switching to online services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to include members who are deaf or hard of hearing. The UM Disability blog not only recommends using sign language interpreters and captioning but also that churches simply “think visually” in their presentations.
Read more here.
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Across the Connection
Roeland Park UMC responds
to coronavirus with food drives
Roeland Park UMC is responding to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic with a weekly food drive in the community.
Watch video from KMBC, Kansas City.
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In other news
Newsletters
- United Methodist Communications, March 25, 2020
- GCFA Collaborator Special Edition 2, March 2020
- Immigrant Legal Center, March 25, 2020
- Leading Ideas, March 25, 2020
- Safe Gatherings, March 24, 2020
- A sermon for every Sunday, March 24, 2020
- The Source, March 24, 2020
- Nebraska United Methodist Foundation, March 23, 2020
- Discipleship Ministries: Worship planning, March 23, 2020
- United Methodist Now, March 23, 2020
- Church and Society, March 20, 2020
- UMC agencies offer support, March 20, 2020
- Engage with Global Ministries, March 19, 2020
- Camp Fontanelle, March 2020
- Equipping Disciples, March 19, 2020
- Faith in action, March 19, 2020
- Compass, March 19, 2020
- Ministry Matters, March 18, 2020
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Blogs and commentaries
- Possible steps after General Conference delay: Postponing General Conference is the right thing to do, writes the Rev. William B. Lawrence, former president of the denomination's top court. However, he says that church's laws require certain actions this year and he suggests how to get that work done.
- The Sabbath and social distancing: The Rev. John Feagins, pastor of La Trinidad United Methodist Church in San Antonio, reflects on keeping one's distance and keeping the faith in the time of coronavirus.
- Preaching what you practice: In a followup to her blog last week, “Preaching to an Empty Room,” Rev. Dr. Alyce McKenzie, director of the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University, writes about the changes she is making in her homebound life that lead to enrichment as a person and as a pastor.
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Classifieds
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